Let's not beat around the bush here, the Reapers are coming and come Mass consequent 3, they're going to hit the human race hard. With that said, let's take a quick moment to talk about Arrival, the latest and final Dlc installment to Mass consequent 2.
The Final Chapter
Elder Scrolls V Skyrim
At the behest of good ol' Admiral Hackett (damn that sexy voice), Shepard embarks on a solo mission to save Dr. Kenson, an Alliance deep cover agent, from the clutches of the Batarians. Upon Kenson's liberation from her captors, Shepard learns of the impending Reaper invasion and of the doctor's plans to ram a meteor into a mass relay to hinder the Reaper's progress.
Skeptical of Kenson's plans, Shepard accompanies the good doctor back to her scheme base, only to learn to his dismay that Kenson and her staff have all been indoctrinated by a Reaper artefact. Shepard, being the absolute bad ass that we all know him to be, battles against anything and all Kenson and her team manages to throw in his path. The Dlc culminates in the destruction of the Alpha relay and an ominous holographic confrontation between Shepard Harbinger himself.
The Falsely Paved Highway To Mass consequent 3
Before we get into the thick of anything else, let's have a bit of a rewind.
Back when Lair of the Shadow Broker was first released, Bioware mentioned that it would be the first piece of Dlc that would serve to enlarge the Mass consequent universe in preparing for the epic closing of Shepard's story, Mass consequent 3.
Now, LotBs was awesome and is, hands down, my favourite Bioware Dlc to date (across all franchises) despite a estimate of minor shortcomings. I don't know about you, but I was undoubtedly expecting a good 3 to 4 more Dlcs. However, with the onset of coming being the final chapter/Dlc for Mass consequent 2, it kind of begs the demand as to whether Bioware might have stretched the truth a diminutive on their plans to bridge the gap between Me2 and Me3.
Going Solo Doesn't Impress Me
Arrival attempts to set itself apart from its Me2 Dlc compatriots by featuring Shepard as a lone combatant. Essentially, due to the sensitive nature of this assignment, Hackett insists that Shepard works alone. In truth, it isn't all too big a deal, considering how Shepard seemingly excels at any given class, at given time (we received a dose of solo-Shep during the final leg of the scheme Overlord Dlc).
The Dlc itself won't take players more than an hour to complete, which in itself is pretty disappointing. Moreover, coming doesn't exactly break any new ground whatsoever. It doesn't boast anything new in the manner of gameplay, interaction, situational challenge, enemy discrepancy or mob distribution. Based on the previews I read prior to playing Arrival, it seemed to me that the whole Very naturally put, coming struck me as a short story that needed to be told, cheaply packaged into a sorry excuse for 'game content'.
In truth, the entire Dlc felt like one of them elective N7 Assignments that players pick up as they go probe-dropping around the galaxy. Was it legitimately worth having such mission packaged and priced as a Dlc? I don't think so.
Arrival's Positives, For What They're Worth
Materialistically, there's nothing inherently new about Arrival. Shepard receives a mission, Shepard punches it in the face, Shepard flies away flourishing (sort of). However, I will credit coming for being able to invoke a mood that speaks of claustrophobia, crisis and in some cases, panic, notions that so aptly communicate the impending coming of the Reapers.
In terms of level design, a integrate of things do come to mind. I've noticed that coming features content that takes place in whether very concluded quarters or seemingly open areas that are dimly lit and cluttered with props. naturally put, there is a very maze-like ability to Arrival's level designs, which, as mentioned, effectively invokes a sense of claustrophobia.
Take that sense of claustrophobia and integrate it with the very subtle time limit (i.e. Finish the job before the asteroid crashes into the relay) that coming imposes on its players nearing the end of the Dlc's content and you've got a sure-fire recipe for a quick and cheap dose of adrenaline (effect might vary). If you make it, Shepard gets to live and fight other day. If you, somehow, can't get past the damnably lenient time limit (or if you naturally pick to fail for the heck of it), you get treated to a diminutive video depicting the Reaper's unbridled wrath.
Now, while I wasn't so much affect by the time limit per se (seriously, the game gives you More Than enough time to perfect final strings of encounters), I will say this, there were a integrate of moments during the Dlc's climax, where I thought, Oh shit, Shepard might just die again, notably during that bit where Kenson lets loose that hand grenade. I attribute this to the total milieu that the level and content found manages to induce. The synergy is far from perfect, but it gets a pretty strong message across.
On a slightly comedic note, if ever anything doubted how much of a badass Shepard legitimately is, well, coming is the Dlc them sorry non-believers. I couldn't help but chuckle at the manner of which Kenson repeatedly browbeats her lackeys into confronting Shepard, only to have them cower in fear over the Pa system, citing Shepard's wonderful prowess and resilience. That undoubtedly served as a wee bit of an ego boost.
Detachment
One thing that bothers me most about coming is the sheer detachment it portrays from the rest of the game, storyline and characters. Regardless of when players pick to perfect the Dlc, we need to take into catalogue the magnitude of Shepard's actions. Effectively, Shepard had a hand in destroying a mass relay and an entire system, along with a good 300,000 or so Batarians. You'd think that someone, anything at all would have something about it.
From where I'm standing, it all seems to point towards one thing, cutting yield costs. Pity.
Arrival's Come And Gone
I'm not going to lie, coming was pretty damned disappointing.
To be fair, it boasts a decent estimate of operation for its total length (though not exactly epic on any scale), has good ambience, is lightly peppered with amusing dialogue and for what it's worth, it's a gently enjoyable and straightforward 'dungeon-crawl' backed by a decent enough story.
However, there's legitimately isn't much to be had in the way of interaction or selection which, for contemporary Rpg content, creates a pretty stale sense altogether. As I've mentioned earlier as well, the Dlc doesn't feel very extra for all the hype it received and its billing as Me2's final chapter, passing off as diminutive more than a quick solo mission. Again, to reiterate other point here, coming naturally struck me as a short piece of Mass consequent lore conveniently packaged into a buyable Dlc.
I'm sure many gamers and even fans of Mass consequent will agree that Bioware doesn't exactly have that flourishing a track description with Dlcs. To date, over all of Bioware's franchises, I'd have to say that the only Dlc worth its weight in money and ability thus far has to be Lair of the Shadow Broker. In other words, coming undoubtedly tanked, for me at least.
The Reapers Are Still Coming
Come holiday season 2011, the Reapers will hit Earth with all a immense fleet of sentient dreadnought class battleships can muster (it'll hurt). Mass consequent 3 stands as one of my most highly predicted games for 2011. However, given Bioware's recent seemingly weak showing with both Dragon Age 2 and the coming Dlc, I'm beginning to feel a wee bit queasy for what is to come.
Mass ensue 2 arrival Dlc Review: Shepard Strikes Out
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