There was a choice : You could try to warn the Batarians or not - What people are really complaining about is that the choice they made didn't pan out the way they wanted.
Little late on this, but I just finished the Arrival DLC
Débuté par
ckriley
, sept. 12 2011 03:03
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#77
Posté 12 septembre 2011 - 01:06
Sakura_Leigh
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I personally really liked the Arrival DLC. I think it set the scene and tone for ME:3 quite well (threat of reapers, difficult choices, the fate of the galaxy being on Shepards shoulders etc etc)
The environments and levels were very atmospheric. (loved battling my way to the comm tower with the relay getting closer and closer in the background) The cut scenes were great. The voice acting was quite good, i like how you can hear the desperation in Kensons voice when she's giving the guards orders over the comm system and the fearful tone in the guards voices when they are fighting shepard "SHEPARD WON'T GO DOWN!"
I found that the timed aspect of the mission gave it an air of suspense, especially when your pinned down by numerous guards and pyros and they just won't go down and your like "come on I havent got all day!!" I know the game gives you a decent ammount of time to complete the mission, but i just found myself running down every corridor lol
The single squaddie aspect took a little time to get used to. It's not until your facing the hoardes of guards during the battle for object Rho that you realise how much you miss the support of you squadmates, even if they might run into your line of fire and stuff occasionally.
Speaking of the Rho battle, it was my third playthrough before I managed to survive all five waves (and if it wasn't for my Heavy Barrier power then I don't think I would have managed it lol) The reaper artifiact taunting you while your fighting for your life was a nice touch.
It was great to eventually see admiral Hackett too, wish I could have told him to go to hell though when he mentions Shepard could be put up on charges
Little issues for me were that when Shep boards the normandy and says "Get us outta here Joker now!" Joker was silent I was expecting at least a "yes sir!" or one of his little quips. They couldn't have recycled a clip like "aye aye" from earlier in the game but thats just a minor thing.
The environments and levels were very atmospheric. (loved battling my way to the comm tower with the relay getting closer and closer in the background) The cut scenes were great. The voice acting was quite good, i like how you can hear the desperation in Kensons voice when she's giving the guards orders over the comm system and the fearful tone in the guards voices when they are fighting shepard "SHEPARD WON'T GO DOWN!"
I found that the timed aspect of the mission gave it an air of suspense, especially when your pinned down by numerous guards and pyros and they just won't go down and your like "come on I havent got all day!!" I know the game gives you a decent ammount of time to complete the mission, but i just found myself running down every corridor lol
The single squaddie aspect took a little time to get used to. It's not until your facing the hoardes of guards during the battle for object Rho that you realise how much you miss the support of you squadmates, even if they might run into your line of fire and stuff occasionally.
Speaking of the Rho battle, it was my third playthrough before I managed to survive all five waves (and if it wasn't for my Heavy Barrier power then I don't think I would have managed it lol) The reaper artifiact taunting you while your fighting for your life was a nice touch.
It was great to eventually see admiral Hackett too, wish I could have told him to go to hell though when he mentions Shepard could be put up on charges
Little issues for me were that when Shep boards the normandy and says "Get us outta here Joker now!" Joker was silent I was expecting at least a "yes sir!" or one of his little quips. They couldn't have recycled a clip like "aye aye" from earlier in the game but thats just a minor thing.
#78
Posté 12 septembre 2011 - 01:30
SalsaDMA
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I didn't like the DLC because I felt it was both boring, felt rushed in production and had more plotholes than a swiss cheese.
I felt Arrival was a horrible horrible piece of dung compared to what the company usually stands for.
I felt Arrival was a horrible horrible piece of dung compared to what the company usually stands for.
#79
Posté 12 septembre 2011 - 01:37
InvaderErl
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Arrival has its ups and downs. Its got Batarian/Alliance politics going on in the background which I always find interesting, the base on the asteroid looks nice, the atmosphere feels great and the bits with Harbinger are really enjoyable and I like the counter ticking away to the apocalypse present throughout the second half.
This would require some reworking of the events of the DLC but I really think that after Shepard was captured, the game should have allowed us to take control of one of our squadmates (with another in tow) as they mount a rescue to get Shepard and then proceed from there. It would have given the DLC the extra oomph it needed I think.
This would require some reworking of the events of the DLC but I really think that after Shepard was captured, the game should have allowed us to take control of one of our squadmates (with another in tow) as they mount a rescue to get Shepard and then proceed from there. It would have given the DLC the extra oomph it needed I think.
Modifié par InvaderErl, 12 septembre 2011 - 01:40 .
#80
Posté 12 septembre 2011 - 02:29
Asenza
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I liked Arrival for the most part... I mean, that scene on the roof, fighting your way to the shuttle only for the last one to leave, the Project staff freaking out with the Relay growing larger and larger in the background... assuming control of the Loki mech (loved the music during that part ()... it had a lot of good points.
It also had a lot of bad ones. Of all races, it was batarians, the race of aliens generally criminals or disagreeable to every other race in the galaxy save a few notable exceptions... batarians are the go-to whenever they needed a group of baddies (Jack's backstory, Zaeed's, Garrus' virtually everyone else) and we're responsible for killing 300k of them? That was a hard sell, and it didn't completely work.
They were literally a six digit number on the screen. It should have been a heavy, painful decision to make (though we really had no choice) but diminishing all those lives to a number on the screen makes it easier, easier to be flippant about it, "Oh they were just batarians and slaves, who cares". We could have been shown a clip of the colony being destroyed, of people panicking, or even people just going about their batarian business when the destruction occurs, anything! Anything to personalize the hundreds of thousands of aliens that the mass effect universe has generally been unsympathetic to.
But no, the only shot we see is the (admittedly awesome) relay being destroyed and Shepard, in typical Shepard fashion, bows his/her head and walks away. The debriefing afterwards with Hackett, especially if one has a Ruthless Shepard, should have had a bit more tension in it...
Arrival was good, but a lot of things (Shepard is great, but taking out two fully armed guards bare-handed, and killing an army of project workers all alone? Consider my disbelief shattered) added up to make it not as enjoyable as it could have been.
It also had a lot of bad ones. Of all races, it was batarians, the race of aliens generally criminals or disagreeable to every other race in the galaxy save a few notable exceptions... batarians are the go-to whenever they needed a group of baddies (Jack's backstory, Zaeed's, Garrus' virtually everyone else) and we're responsible for killing 300k of them? That was a hard sell, and it didn't completely work.
They were literally a six digit number on the screen. It should have been a heavy, painful decision to make (though we really had no choice) but diminishing all those lives to a number on the screen makes it easier, easier to be flippant about it, "Oh they were just batarians and slaves, who cares". We could have been shown a clip of the colony being destroyed, of people panicking, or even people just going about their batarian business when the destruction occurs, anything! Anything to personalize the hundreds of thousands of aliens that the mass effect universe has generally been unsympathetic to.
But no, the only shot we see is the (admittedly awesome) relay being destroyed and Shepard, in typical Shepard fashion, bows his/her head and walks away. The debriefing afterwards with Hackett, especially if one has a Ruthless Shepard, should have had a bit more tension in it...
Arrival was good, but a lot of things (Shepard is great, but taking out two fully armed guards bare-handed, and killing an army of project workers all alone? Consider my disbelief shattered) added up to make it not as enjoyable as it could have been.
Modifié par Asenza, 12 septembre 2011 - 02:31 .
#81
Posté 12 septembre 2011 - 02:31
el master pr
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DarthSliver wrote...
el master pr wrote...
I enjoyed it. Actually, I liked the solo mission aspect. I never expected to play Shepard going solo on a mission, much less the possibility of destroying a mass relay. About the silly "Escape from Medbay" segment, it's just that: silly. BW wanted to give Shepard a way out, and they wrote it so he would have access to a mech. It could easily be countered with this statement: "They never thought Shepard would wake up, as he was sedated. They simply underestimated him." People also tend to forget that Arrival is nothing but a prelude to ME3, a plot device to place him on Earth at the beginning of said game. It serves its purpose. In a mediocre way to some, but it does.
Well remember Shepard isnt the average human with his/her Cerberus upgrades, they problay didnt account for that when sedating Shepard. Remember drinking in Afterlife, the lower part of it. The Batarian posions the drink and you should've died from it but you didnt. That part is the biggest hint that whatever Cerberus did to you to bring you back is still showing effects to still working its magic in Shepard. Also lets not forget how the VI in Overlord hacked Shepard in a way, making it where Shepard was the only one able to reach him. So Id say the game has hinted several times that Cerberus tech that brought him back is playing a role in Shepard that not even Cerberus accounted for, because they really just wanted to bring Shepard back and achieved that successfully too. So Shepard waking up in Arrival the way he/she does is because of the Cerberus tech that brought him back to life and that they didnt give Shepard enough sedatives. They just didnt account for Shepards Cerberus tech that was inside him/her.
We agree on them underestimating Shepard, and most certainly you are right. After all, Shepard could be half man half machine... Hopefully more man than machine, of course.
#82
Posté 12 septembre 2011 - 03:17
RPGamer13
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I just hate how I have to pay for it if I want to play it.
#83
Posté 12 septembre 2011 - 03:19
Azbeszt
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el master pr wrote...
DarthSliver wrote...
el master pr wrote...
I enjoyed it. Actually, I liked the solo mission aspect. I never expected to play Shepard going solo on a mission, much less the possibility of destroying a mass relay. About the silly "Escape from Medbay" segment, it's just that: silly. BW wanted to give Shepard a way out, and they wrote it so he would have access to a mech. It could easily be countered with this statement: "They never thought Shepard would wake up, as he was sedated. They simply underestimated him." People also tend to forget that Arrival is nothing but a prelude to ME3, a plot device to place him on Earth at the beginning of said game. It serves its purpose. In a mediocre way to some, but it does.
Well remember Shepard isnt the average human with his/her Cerberus upgrades, they problay didnt account for that when sedating Shepard. Remember drinking in Afterlife, the lower part of it. The Batarian posions the drink and you should've died from it but you didnt. That part is the biggest hint that whatever Cerberus did to you to bring you back is still showing effects to still working its magic in Shepard. Also lets not forget how the VI in Overlord hacked Shepard in a way, making it where Shepard was the only one able to reach him. So Id say the game has hinted several times that Cerberus tech that brought him back is playing a role in Shepard that not even Cerberus accounted for, because they really just wanted to bring Shepard back and achieved that successfully too. So Shepard waking up in Arrival the way he/she does is because of the Cerberus tech that brought him back to life and that they didnt give Shepard enough sedatives. They just didnt account for Shepards Cerberus tech that was inside him/her.
We agree on them underestimating Shepard, and most certainly you are right. After all, Shepard could be half man half machine... Hopefully more man than machine, of course.
AUGMENTATIONS
#84
Posté 12 septembre 2011 - 03:22
Spectreshadow
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I think for me it sets up the point that the sleeper agents indoctrination creates will make trusting people in ME3 that much harder.
#85
Posté 12 septembre 2011 - 05:21
Grkljan
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First, I don't like the part of criticism where people complain on not being able to make a decision in the end. Some things even Shepard cannot stop. It would just be lame if you could turn EVERY situation into a total good or a total disaster.
And last, I don't like the revealing of Hackett. For me, he was iconic for his not appearing on screen and this appearance of him destroys that icon and his uniqueness for me.
Arrival is good in my opinion, but not as good as LotSB.
And last, I don't like the revealing of Hackett. For me, he was iconic for his not appearing on screen and this appearance of him destroys that icon and his uniqueness for me.
Arrival is good in my opinion, but not as good as LotSB.
#86
Posté 12 septembre 2011 - 05:22
mulder1199
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one big problem with arrival is the fact that basically it's become cannon (some, not me) don't care for having this choice made for them....i thought the gameplay was solid.....ckriley wrote...
And I honestly can't understand the criticism it gets. For real. First of all, let me just say it's been a very busy year for me. I moved across the country, found a new place, got a new job and yadda, yadda, yadda. So I really haven't had the time to partake in my favorite pass time of late, which is playing my favorite video games. So that's why it's taken me forever to play all the ME2 DLC.
That being said, I was also reluctant to play Arrival because all I've seen about it is hate. Like, from everywhere. Hardly anyone seems to like it. I'm a little perplexed. What was wrong with it? I mean, it wasn't great but I was actually into it. I thought it set up ME3 nicely.
The only issue I had with it was the details of the plot. I'm not sure I should spoil it here so I'm not. But let's just say I kept thinking the whole time, "Wouldn't the Reapers have thought of that?" I mean, the relays are supposed to be indestructible, right?
Anyway...I still thought it was a serviceable DLC and doesn't deserve all the hate it got.
btw....here's my thought on the reapers....they are still AI....they don't have the creative thinking that sapien beings do.....adaptive, obviously, great problem solvers....but much like legion....they seem (try) to follow their plan through until they are blocked...then they adapt...
#87
Posté 12 septembre 2011 - 05:24
Lord Jaric
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Adanu wrote...
You seem confused. It had nothing to do with war and sacrifices. It had to do with the Developers wanting to force you into a very specific situation you have zero control over. Hence why you get continually knocked out, etc. before you can even warn the poor saps about the part there's no choice in.
In a series that focuses on choices and how it changes the galaxy, it removed a pretty big one from the player. And then even more insultingly, puts you on trial for the decision you didn't make. It was a terrible bit of writing in a series that usually doesn't suffer from that.
That the relay had to be destroyed isn't really the issue. But I think player choice should have been relevant. If the player didn't warn them, he goes on trial for killing 300k. If he did warn them, he goes on trial because those that did get away hold him responsible for destroying their colony.
Either way you still can start the game with the required trial. In fact the Shepard that tried to save them might even be in a worse position at the trial since there would be some living witnesses. That would have been a fun consequence.
Guess what, that is part of life, there are times you really don't have a choice over something, crap happens and you end up having to deal with what happened, it is realistic.
Modifié par Lord Jaric, 12 septembre 2011 - 05:24 .
#88
Posté 12 septembre 2011 - 06:31
-Skorpious-
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My main issue with Arrival is Dr. Kenson's absolutely atrocious dialogue - "Now I will die without seeing the Reapers blessings! And you will just die!" <_<
But Arrival's music was phenomenal, so all is forgiven (mostly =p)
But Arrival's music was phenomenal, so all is forgiven (mostly =p)
Modifié par -Skorpious-, 12 septembre 2011 - 06:32 .
#89
Posté 12 septembre 2011 - 06:48
SandSanta
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Arrival's problem is that it came after Shadow Broker and wasn't as long or as good. Certainly, it was a very competent DLC on its own merits, but definitely overshadowed by SB.
#90
Posté 12 septembre 2011 - 06:52
Humanoid_Typhoon
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Kenson is about the only thing I don't like about the DLC, she makes this face and I just want to shoot her,and Shep magically can't shoot a target 10 yards away and pulls a Jacob and just derps behind cover.-Skorpious- wrote...
My main issue with Arrival is Dr. Kenson's absolutely atrocious dialogue - "Now I will die without seeing the Reapers blessings! And you will just die!" <_<
But Arrival's music was phenomenal, so all is forgiven (mostly =p)
#91
Posté 12 septembre 2011 - 07:32
BatmanPWNS
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-Skorpious- wrote...
My main issue with Arrival is Dr. Kenson's absolutely atrocious dialogue - "Now I will die without seeing the Reapers blessings! And you will just die!" <_<
But Arrival's music was phenomenal, so all is forgiven (mostly =p)
Lol I love hearing her say "Just die". It makes me Shep sound so meaningless while she is the real psycho.
#92
Posté 12 septembre 2011 - 10:59
Foryou
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I liked it overall. What I didn't like was next to no choices or true dialogue and the "stealth" approach. The one thing I don't get is that if the reapers were so close to the relay why didn't they get destroyed?
#93
Posté 12 septembre 2011 - 11:01
HBC Dresden
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Foryou wrote...
I liked it overall. What I didn't like was next to no choices or true dialogue and the "stealth" approach. The one thing I don't get is that if the reapers were so close to the relay why didn't they get destroyed?
Hmmm, Shep should have waited to blow up the relay until the Reapers showed up, then Mass Effect 3 wouldn't need to happen. But that would be a bad idea...
#94
Posté 12 septembre 2011 - 11:21
Lord Jaric
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Foryou wrote...
The one thing I don't get is that if the reapers were so close to the relay why didn't they get destroyed?
They were probably not in the system yet.
#95
Posté 12 septembre 2011 - 11:22
frostajulie
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I thought it was an okay dlc. What I hated is
1. Shep just killed 300k batarians and shows no sign of emotion renegade or paragon. This could have been easily implemented if while talking to Hacket he asked about it and you could paragon (fall to your knees cover eyes gasp out Dead, they're all dead and I... I killled them. I killed them all!" Barf in a can or something. Renegade something snide and offhanded or belligerent and defensive of decision and neutral what we got.
2. None of the crew seemed to care where you went for 2 days. At the very least Chakwas and your LI should have asked after you.
That made the DLC feel very disconnected and rushed and not at all a part of the game even a "bridge" as it were.
Still I liked how it added to the story and THAT made a lot of difference in my level of appreciation
1. Shep just killed 300k batarians and shows no sign of emotion renegade or paragon. This could have been easily implemented if while talking to Hacket he asked about it and you could paragon (fall to your knees cover eyes gasp out Dead, they're all dead and I... I killled them. I killed them all!" Barf in a can or something. Renegade something snide and offhanded or belligerent and defensive of decision and neutral what we got.
2. None of the crew seemed to care where you went for 2 days. At the very least Chakwas and your LI should have asked after you.
That made the DLC feel very disconnected and rushed and not at all a part of the game even a "bridge" as it were.
Still I liked how it added to the story and THAT made a lot of difference in my level of appreciation
#96
Posté 12 septembre 2011 - 11:27
KotorEffect3
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frostajulie wrote...
2. None of the crew seemed to care where you went for 2 days. At the very least Chakwas and your LI should have asked after you.
I am guessing that is because they could not get the voice actors for the DLC. I am hoping they are able to bring in some of the squadmate VAs when they do the DLCs for ME 3 because while I loved the ME 2 DLCs it was kind of obvious how mute squadmates would be during DLCs.
#97
Posté 12 septembre 2011 - 11:29
didymos1120
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Foryou wrote...
I liked it overall. What I didn't like was next to no choices or true dialogue and the "stealth" approach. The one thing I don't get is that if the reapers were so close to the relay why didn't they get destroyed?
"Close" has a different meaning when we're talking about FTL velocities. Yes, they were going to arrive very soon, but that doesn't mean they were just a couple kilometers away.
#98
Posté 12 septembre 2011 - 11:30
didymos1120
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frostajulie wrote...
2. None of the crew seemed to care where you went for 2 days. At the very least Chakwas and your LI should have asked after you.
None of your crew cares about what you do during any DLC and never say a thing about the events afterwards, with the exceptions of Zaeed and Kasumi's loyalty missions. They only have so much budget and time for these things.
Modifié par didymos1120, 12 septembre 2011 - 11:33 .
#99
Posté 12 septembre 2011 - 11:36
KotorEffect3
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didymos1120 wrote...
Foryou wrote...
I liked it overall. What I didn't like was next to no choices or true dialogue and the "stealth" approach. The one thing I don't get is that if the reapers were so close to the relay why didn't they get destroyed?
"Close" has a different meaning when we're talking about FTL velocities. Yes, they were going to arrive very soon, but that doesn't mean they were just a couple kilometers away.
Well the reapers were still far enough away to be safe from the explosion
#100
Posté 12 septembre 2011 - 11:49
frostajulie
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didymos1120 wrote...
frostajulie wrote...
2. None of the crew seemed to care where you went for 2 days. At the very least Chakwas and your LI should have asked after you.
None of your crew cares about what you do during any DLC and never say a thing about the events afterwards, with the exceptions of Zaeed and Kasumi's loyalty missions. They only have so much budget and time for these things.
Agreed and Good point however this DLC was pretty freaking huge as far as how it could impact your Shep and for story progression.
As I said it was pretty good
But it could have been soooo much better.
