Mass Effect 2: Arrival

 Xbox 360
User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 103 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 103
  2. Mixed: 45 out of 103
  3. Negative: 23 out of 103

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  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 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 boredIm 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. 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 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 mayArrival 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
  3. mthon2034
    Mar 31, 2011
    9
    i liked this DLC a lot.

    it was combat focused. whether that's good or bad is up to you. the first part reminded me a lot of splinter cell, which was a nice reprieve from the standard run and gun game play. the second part was VERY combat focused. the ending was great. i won't spoil it but it's defiantly one of this "holy s***" moments. is it a GREAT dlc compared to lair of the shadow    i liked this DLC a lot.

    it was combat focused. whether that's good or bad is up to you. the first part reminded me a lot of splinter cell, which was a nice reprieve from the standard run and gun game play.

    the second part was VERY combat focused. the ending was great. i won't spoil it but it's defiantly one of this "holy s***" moments.

    is it a GREAT dlc compared to lair of the shadow broker? not at all.

    is it a GREAT dlc for 7 dollars? you bet your a** is it.    … Expand
  4. TheQuietGamer
    Jul 3, 2011
    9
    The Arrival DLC is a must own for Mass Effect 2 fans who are going to buy the sequel, it sets the tone perfectly, not only that but it gets you totally pumped for Mass Effect 3, and everything that happens in this DLC will play a pretty large role in the next game, I don't want to spoil anything about the story but lets just say that you seriously need to get this, it's definitely worthThe Arrival DLC is a must own for Mass Effect 2 fans who are going to buy the sequel, it sets the tone perfectly, not only that but it gets you totally pumped for Mass Effect 3, and everything that happens in this DLC will play a pretty large role in the next game, I don't want to spoil anything about the story but lets just say that you seriously need to get this, it's definitely worth the price of admission, and has is decent in length, you will also play this without the help of your followers which makes combat more intense, my only complaints are that, you don't get to make any choices as it's all basically predetermined what happens, and that you can't always control what Shepard says, when your watching Shepard having a conversation in where you don't get to control what he/she says (which happens a lot) it takes out a lot of the RPG feel to the game, but the fact that is so much fun and that it ties in so closely to Mass Effect 3 make this a must download, and makes the wait for Mass Effect 3 almost unbearable.… Expand
  5. Blastik
    Apr 5, 2011
    8
    The negative reviews of this game are just angry drivel for those who never truly loved Mass Effect 2. There is nothing wrong with Arrival in any way whatsoever. Other than it being very short (I beat it in a few hours), it still contains all the things we love about this series. It is a little short on decision making, and you can't bring your posse with you on a fight, but so what?The negative reviews of this game are just angry drivel for those who never truly loved Mass Effect 2. There is nothing wrong with Arrival in any way whatsoever. Other than it being very short (I beat it in a few hours), it still contains all the things we love about this series. It is a little short on decision making, and you can't bring your posse with you on a fight, but so what? Is it going to kill you to take a mission alone for once? Any time there is more Mass Effect 2 to be played it should be celebrated, not whined about. Bioware is insanely busy working on Mass Effect 3 right now, and I for one am happy they made time for yet another DLC pack for Mass Effect 2. Yes, it's short, but I was totally engrossed for the two hours it took me to beat it. It leaves you wanting more which is exactly what it should do!… Expand
  6. 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 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 IThe 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
  7. chino_281
    Apr 20, 2011
    8
    With Mass Effect 3 deep in the minds of all of the engineers at BioWare, I had a feeling Arrival would only be a small expansion. I was keeping my fingers crossed for a longer DLC than what I got, but that's okay for it did many good and slightly less than good things. For the bad: the fighting was sort of linear, nothing new there. The good: Highly detailed and interactive environment;With Mass Effect 3 deep in the minds of all of the engineers at BioWare, I had a feeling Arrival would only be a small expansion. I was keeping my fingers crossed for a longer DLC than what I got, but that's okay for it did many good and slightly less than good things. For the bad: the fighting was sort of linear, nothing new there. The good: Highly detailed and interactive environment; Mark Meer improved in voice acting, maybe took some classes; New cinematic techniques were shown during the cut-scenes; and the best of all, it did a really good job setting up for ME3. This was definitely not ME2's best DLC, but it was good non-the-less.… Expand
  8. Broyax
    Apr 16, 2017
    8
    C'est la seconde fois que je le finis (après la première sur 360) et c'est ma foi toujours aussi excellent : bien rythmé, bien mis en scène, spectaculaire, c'est un prélude (presque) indispensable à Mass Effect 3... et c'est paradoxalement ce qu'on pourrait lui reprocher (à juste titre), car le tout début de Mass Effect 3 a été conçu en fonction de ce DLC et si vous ne comprenez rien à cesC'est la seconde fois que je le finis (après la première sur 360) et c'est ma foi toujours aussi excellent : bien rythmé, bien mis en scène, spectaculaire, c'est un prélude (presque) indispensable à Mass Effect 3... et c'est paradoxalement ce qu'on pourrait lui reprocher (à juste titre), car le tout début de Mass Effect 3 a été conçu en fonction de ce DLC et si vous ne comprenez rien à ces quelques dialogues préliminaires (le bordel que vous avez foutu, Shepard...), ne vous inquiétez pas, c'est normal ! il fallait casquer pour L'Arrivée...

    En dehors de toute considération pour cette mode des jeux en kit, mode éminemment discutable s'il en est, L'Arrivée reste un peu court et linéaire (peu de choix à faire en vérité) mais sa densité et son intensité compensent aisément. Techniquement c'est satisfaisant (ça l'était déjà sur Xbox 360) et cette belle direction artistique dont peut s'enorgueillir Bioware est toujours un régal pour les yeux.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

72
#72 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 24
  3. Negative: 2 out of 24
  1. Official Xbox Magazine
    May 26, 2011
    60
    A brief Reaper appearance got out attention, but this DLC's climax will infuriate many Mass Effect fans. [July 2011, p.75]
  2. Gaming Age
    Apr 19, 2011
    67
    This DLC truly is a "take it or leave it" situation.
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  3. Gamereactor Denmark
    Apr 19, 2011
    70
    Arrival is a DLC expansion on the lighter end of the scale, that doesn't really add anything new to the series, and with only about an hour of playtime, it's a little short, too. However, the quality of what is here is up to the same high standard that we're used to from Mass Effect. An essential purchase only if you're starving for more Mass Effect, whereas the rest of us can probably wait until Mass Effect 3.
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