Mass Effect 2: Arrival

 Xbox 360
Mass Effect 2: Arrival Image
Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 103 Ratings

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  • Summary: In Mass Effect: Arrival, Commander Shepard is sent to the edge of the galaxy to rescue an undercover operative who may have evidence of an imminent Reaper invasion that has been looming since the very beginning of the series. Returning and playing a prominent role in Mass Effect: Arrival isIn Mass Effect: Arrival, Commander Shepard is sent to the edge of the galaxy to rescue an undercover operative who may have evidence of an imminent Reaper invasion that has been looming since the very beginning of the series. Returning and playing a prominent role in Mass Effect: Arrival is fan favorite Admiral Hackett, who is voiced by legendary science-fiction actor Lance Henriksen (Alien, Terminator).… Expand

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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 24
  3. Negative: 2 out of 24
  1. Destructoid
    Mar 29, 2011
    85
    Don't get me wrong, Arrival sits comfortably between Overlord and Lair of the Shadow Broker in terms of quality and I still want to play Mass Effect 3 badly, but I don't want play it that much more badly after having played Arrival.
  2. Eurogamer Spain
    Apr 4, 2011
    80
    Not as good as The Lair of the Shadow Broker, but it's a great offer for fans of the universe created by BioWare, setting interesting events that will be further inspected in Mass Effect 3.
  3. TeamXbox
    Apr 2, 2011
    75
    At 560 Microsoft Points, the add-on is a bit steep with its lack of content and for the casual player, but for the completionist who want to absorb the complete canon of the series and prepare for the next game, it's worth a stab.
  4. GRYOnline.pl
    Apr 5, 2011
    65
    Another DLC for Mass Effect 2 turned out to be quite mediocre. The story on its micro level doesn't bring about impressions similar to the basic game. Lack of emotional ties with the main female character and very few moral choices don't engage the player. However, this DLC is being saved from oblivion due to the macro level of presetned events and their connection to the main storyline. Reapers' involvement plays an important part.
  5. VideoGamer
    Mar 30, 2011
    60
    There are some choice moments across Arrival's duration, but it's just a shame that Mass Effect 2's final piece of DLC is undoubtedly its weakest.
  6. GameSpot
    Mar 31, 2011
    50
    Mass Effect 2: Arrival is a disappointing conclusion to a beloved series' second chapter.
  7. GameCritics
    Mar 31, 2011
    40
    For a piece of DLC that offers so little, $7.00 seems steep. Save some hard-earned money and watch the videos of it on YouTube instead… the most relevant bits can be seen in a minute or two, and those Microsoft points can instead be spent on something more substantial.

See all 24 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 27
  3. Negative: 11 out of 27
  1. luuey15
    Apr 3, 2011
    9
    Im not sure if its because Mass Effect 2 is such a great game that people had really high expectations for this DLC or if im just a sucker forIm not sure if its because Mass Effect 2 is such a great game that people had really high expectations for this DLC or if im just a sucker for anything from the Mass Effect universe. I personally enjoyed this DLC quite a bit; however, not as much as i did LotSB or Overlord (i personally loved Overlord). There aren't any 'wow' moments in this DLC, but on the flipside, you wont be bored either. Its simply a fun expansion and that'll last a good couple hours. Definitely worth the 7 dollars.… Expand
  2. Revan
    Apr 11, 2011
    8
    The Arrival was a very good expansion. It really show us how close the reapers are from earth in it. I don't understand why this is gettingThe Arrival was a very good expansion. It really show us how close the reapers are from earth in it. I don't understand why this is getting bad ratings its far better than what people have been saying. Stop comparing this to Lair of the Shadow Broker Bio-ware did a good job with this considering they are busy with Mass Effect 3. My only complaint about this DLC was that it was short I beat it around an hour and a half. This was not as good as Overlord, or Lair of the Shadow Broker but its story really sets up Mass Effect 3 and for that it was pretty darn good.… Expand
  4. Spybreak
    Mar 30, 2011
    8
    Arrival is probably between Lair of the Shadow Broker and Overlord or maybe behind Overlord but in front of Kasumi's Memory, (aside fromArrival is probably between Lair of the Shadow Broker and Overlord or maybe behind Overlord but in front of Kasumi's Memory, (aside from Kasumi's DLC giving you the best SMG the Locust). If anything the DLC will be as good as how much you enjoy the story of Mass Effect 2. With Arrival you're tasked to go in alone and rescue a scientist held hostage. Then it really takes off. This DLC may not present anything extremely new, you'll enjoy running through it to overcome the major threat to the whole universe, the Reapers! It will be interesting to see the ramifications of this mission with Mass Effect 3 and it's no denying this is the bridging DLC from Mass Effect 2 to Mass Effect 3. This is a very action heavy DLC that reminded me of watching a kick ass action movie. If you're a big RPG fan you might be a little disappointed with the lack of moral choices and linearity of this mission but you will get a compelling story and one hell of a conclusion. Recommend… Expand
  5. Lieber
    Mar 9, 2013
    6
    Arrival was a disappointment. You might have expected something on the same level as Lair of the Shadow Broker but with Ashely/Kaiden, butArrival was a disappointment. You might have expected something on the same level as Lair of the Shadow Broker but with Ashely/Kaiden, but instead you get a mission to save a Doctor from a Batarian system. The only thing the DLC has going for it is that it leads into Mass Effect 3, and having played ME3 today, it is true that it's opening makes a lot more sense with this DLC. But is it really enough? You don't get any squadmates, the combat isn't very interesting and the environments are dull.

    It's 560 Microsoft Points, so if you have them, I *could* recommend this to you if you want to have context for the opening of Mass Effect 3.    … Expand
  6. Miz3k
    Mar 29, 2011
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First off, this isn't a forum, its a review site. If you don't like a review, click the button at the bottom and vote. This isn't the place for you to rant. If you want to argue with and berate someone because their opinion differs from yours, go to a forum and do it. Now, for the review. Well, Bioware successfully got me to throw away more of my money. I should have just balled up $7 and tossed it into the crapper and flushed. For your $7 you get about an hour and a half of the most frustrating Mass Effect content I've ever played and three new achievements. Story-wise, without giving away spoilers(there really aren't any, what is described on the download screen is pretty much the story of what you'll be playing), there are a lot of things that had me scratching my head. After the make new friends plot-line of ME2, Bioware had to do something to tie this game into the trilogy, this is that tiny common thread. You'll see familiar things and topics from the original will be touched upon(not in depth), add in the setting and all this seems familiar. This is about the only thing I can say I like about this DLC, as I thought ME2, like Dragon Age 2, strayed too far from what made the original so cool, barely resembling the game I fell in love with. This to me has the look and feel of the first game, but when you really start to think about the plot all kinds of questions start forming, things just don't make sense. The whole thing breaks down like this. Hackett sends you a message, he wants you to find a lady-friend of his that is being held by Batarians, you rescue her, she explains the Reaper situation, there is a stupid plot twist and yet another no-win scenario for Shephard insues. The dialogue is worse than the story, things get repeated a lot and conversations in general seem disjointed, like you are talking to the other person through those hand-held family radios people take to Disney World so they don't lose their kids. Much like Dragon Age 2 there is absolutely no exploration, you run down strings of linear corridors with obviously placed loot scattered about. Enemies pop up, you kill them, sometime you protect the doctor/scientist/whatever while she pretends to be doing something important, sometimes you'll have to turn off valves and coolant tanks. Problem is its all so straight forward, walk here, now push this, have some minerals, push that, kill some guys, and everything is right in front of your face, so obvious, you literally don't have to think through the entire demo, unless you crank up the difficulty all the way. But the thing that bothered me the most is it was a solo mission, no squadmates, and given the level of importance of the mission, I thought this was kind of stupid. Hackett said he wanted secrecy, but when you see the ending you'll realize it wouldn't matter if you took an entire army in there. I get the feeling that Bioware is setting me up for something, slowly acclimating me and others for what is coming next. A straight-up shooter, no RPG elements, very little squad stuff, just you and some guns, Marcus Fenix style. I hope I'm wrong, but these games keep getting simpler and dumber with each new entry. The ending of this DLC sets up ME3, but not how I or anyone else would have thought. This setup is also kind of dumb (to me) because the universe is about to be destroyed by the Reapers and Shephard and the Alliance are worried about war with the Batarians and a court trial, that's right Phoenix Wright: Ace attorney fans, court drama, exciting. This was my chief complaint with ME2. Something terrible was happening out in space and only you could stop it, but first you had to help Jacob sort out his daddy issues, or help Jack get revenge, or any other of the monumental wastes of time forced upon you if you wanted to survive. Everybody need friends, right? Hah! Good call Bioware. A sane person wouldn't even consider something like that if they had a deadline to meet like Shephard. ME3 had better be freakin' epic because I was mildly disappointed with ME2 and all of its DLC (except Lair of the Shadow Broker), I was beaten and mugged for $60 worth of the same dungeons over and over plus a terrible story in Dragon Age 2. I just hope that Bioware isn't influenced by EA and gives ME3 their all because something that started out so epic and awesome should go out with a bang.… Expand
  7. Fair34
    Apr 4, 2011
    4
    Nowhere near the standard set by Lair of the Shadow Broker. And no companions allowed?? WTF? On the upside, voice acting by Jennifer HaleNowhere near the standard set by Lair of the Shadow Broker. And no companions allowed?? WTF? On the upside, voice acting by Jennifer Hale still superb.… Expand
  8. Soranpanoko
    Oct 12, 2012
    0
    Short: Its the worst DLC ever...
    They didn't anything right, all is just so ridiculous I cant belive it. They even use human-models for    Short: Its the worst DLC ever...
    They didn't anything right, all is just so ridiculous I cant belive it. They even use human-models for Batarian... Story is same ridiculous (for example: now a astroid can do what a supernova cant ?) ....
    Did noone cheked it before they released it ?

    So complete DLC is so bad, Bioware should recompense all who waste time on this ...

    Waste of money; Waste of time or Short: DONT BUY THIS ****    … Expand

See all 27 User Reviews

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71
#71 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2011