Mass Effect 2: Arrival DLC (Confirmed release date and new screens)

[Redem]

How dare they ask for money

Grr...
BioWare is releasing DLC that bridges ME2 and ME3 but they're requesting money for it?
I am disappoint.

I remember in the original Mass Effect, they gave us that 'Bring Down the Sky' DLC for free.
What happened?

You do know that a good chunk DLC for Mass Effect 2 had to paid, creating new content cost money, its only fair for Bioware to ask for some.

Hell I think Arrival cheaper than Lair of the shadow broker

 

[LogicNProportion]

And STILL no TOR release date.

I am saaaaaaaaaaaaaaad.

But at least I can soothe the pain with The Cain killing a few dozen new faces.

 

[Andothul]

The DLC seems pretty good, but at the same time "Mass Effect 2" received very mixed reception from the actual gamers, who became a lot louder about Bioware's design trends with "Dragon Age 2". "Mass Effect 2" sold well because of the first game, and a lot of people making the complaints about it had already purchused it, so their numbers didn't really affect sales, also, assuming it was a "one off" thing, the rage wasn't quite as extreme.

I'm not going to argue about the mechanics, and whether they were good or bad, however I expect EA/Bioware to push "Mass Effect 3" back from the time frame they had so far presumed. The insert in "DA 2" was before "Dragon Age Rage" which has included a lot of criticisms over "Mass Effect 2" as well.

Good news on the DLC, but I wouldn't be holding your breath for the third game, I'd actually be expecting it late next year instead of late this year. I have no evidence to support this at the moment, but I'd imagine Bioware realizes it can't afford another rage incident and needs to make sure the game is of decent quality, and what the consumers actually want.

A mixed reaction from gamers? are you joking? January last year these forums were full of nothing but MASS EFFECT 2 IS THE BEST GAME EVAR (which it is close to being).

It got tons of readers choice game of the year awards.

I would hardly call the gamer reaction to Mass Effect 2 mixed

 

[Canadish]

How dare they ask for money

Grr...
BioWare is releasing DLC that bridges ME2 and ME3 but they're requesting money for it?
I am disappoint.

I remember in the original Mass Effect, they gave us that 'Bring Down the Sky' DLC for free.
What happened?

You do know that a good chunk DLC for Mass Effect 2 had to paid, creating new content cost money, its only fair for Bioware to ask for some.

Hell I think Arrival cheaper than Lair of the shadow broker

So long as it isnt a horse armour fiasco or over priced.
Though I would point to Valve. They manage to churn out free content ALL the time.
It certainly shows you dont NEED to charge for DLC.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

The DLC seems pretty good, but at the same time "Mass Effect 2" received very mixed reception from the actual gamers, who became a lot louder about Bioware's design trends with "Dragon Age 2". "Mass Effect 2" sold well because of the first game, and a lot of people making the complaints about it had already purchused it, so their numbers didn't really affect sales, also, assuming it was a "one off" thing, the rage wasn't quite as extreme.

I'm not going to argue about the mechanics, and whether they were good or bad, however I expect EA/Bioware to push "Mass Effect 3" back from the time frame they had so far presumed. The insert in "DA 2" was before "Dragon Age Rage" which has included a lot of criticisms over "Mass Effect 2" as well.

Good news on the DLC, but I wouldn't be holding your breath for the third game, I'd actually be expecting it late next year instead of late this year. I have no evidence to support this at the moment, but I'd imagine Bioware realizes it can't afford another rage incident and needs to make sure the game is of decent quality, and what the consumers actually want.

A mixed reaction from gamers? are you joking? January last year these forums were full of nothing but MASS EFFECT 2 IS THE BEST GAME EVAR (which it is close to being).

It got tons of readers choice game of the year awards.

I would hardly call the gamer reaction to Mass Effect 2 mixed

He was talking about the "core" sect. The people who have been with Bioware since the beginning. Not people who jumped on at ME or even KOTOR.

 

[Icehearted]

Original Game = $70
Kasumi's Stolen Memory = $7
Overlord = $7
Lair of the Shadow Broker = $10
Arrival = $7
Total = $101

Original Game (after 2 months/used)= $24-$30 (Let's go with $30, but I did see it for 24)
Kasumi's Stolen Memory = $7
Overlord = $7
Lair of the Shadow Broker = $10
Arrival = $7
Total = $61

I plan on buying these games used from now on. I don't fault them for wanting to make money any more than they should fault me for trying to save money. Let's face it, this is more than a game addon, this is advertising, this is reminding people that there is a sequel on the way and why they want to buy it.

 

[Uszi]

Admiral Hackett is Zaeed's Brother.

DISCUSS:

 

[Trebort]

The DLC seems pretty good, but at the same time "Mass Effect 2" received very mixed reception from the actual gamers, who became a lot louder about Bioware's design trends with "Dragon Age 2". "Mass Effect 2" sold well because of the first game, and a lot of people making the complaints about it had already purchused it, so their numbers didn't really affect sales, also, assuming it was a "one off" thing, the rage wasn't quite as extreme.

I'm not going to argue about the mechanics, and whether they were good or bad, however I expect EA/Bioware to push "Mass Effect 3" back from the time frame they had so far presumed. The insert in "DA 2" was before "Dragon Age Rage" which has included a lot of criticisms over "Mass Effect 2" as well.

Good news on the DLC, but I wouldn't be holding your breath for the third game, I'd actually be expecting it late next year instead of late this year. I have no evidence to support this at the moment, but I'd imagine Bioware realizes it can't afford another rage incident and needs to make sure the game is of decent quality, and what the consumers actually want.

A mixed reaction from gamers? are you joking? January last year these forums were full of nothing but MASS EFFECT 2 IS THE BEST GAME EVAR (which it is close to being).

It got tons of readers choice game of the year awards.

I would hardly call the gamer reaction to Mass Effect 2 mixed

Agreed. It just took a Bafta!

 

[Dwarfman]

Admiral Hackett is Zaeed's Brother.

DISCUSS:

You know I wasn't going to say anything, but yes the moment I saw the picture I thought the same thing.

Can't wait for the DLC and the sequel

 

[Nimcha]

The DLC seems pretty good, but at the same time "Mass Effect 2" received very mixed reception from the actual gamers, who became a lot louder about Bioware's design trends with "Dragon Age 2". "Mass Effect 2" sold well because of the first game, and a lot of people making the complaints about it had already purchused it, so their numbers didn't really affect sales, also, assuming it was a "one off" thing, the rage wasn't quite as extreme.

I'm not going to argue about the mechanics, and whether they were good or bad, however I expect EA/Bioware to push "Mass Effect 3" back from the time frame they had so far presumed. The insert in "DA 2" was before "Dragon Age Rage" which has included a lot of criticisms over "Mass Effect 2" as well.

Good news on the DLC, but I wouldn't be holding your breath for the third game, I'd actually be expecting it late next year instead of late this year. I have no evidence to support this at the moment, but I'd imagine Bioware realizes it can't afford another rage incident and needs to make sure the game is of decent quality, and what the consumers actually want.

A mixed reaction from gamers? are you joking? January last year these forums were full of nothing but MASS EFFECT 2 IS THE BEST GAME EVAR (which it is close to being).

It got tons of readers choice game of the year awards.

I would hardly call the gamer reaction to Mass Effect 2 mixed

He was talking about the "core" sect. The people who have been with Bioware since the beginning. Not people who jumped on at ME or even KOTOR.

Ah, so the fanboys with rose-tinted glasses? Yeah they don't matter, I'm afraid.

Now, seriously: Yay! I like Hackett. I loved every DLC so far, so this got to be good.

 

[binvjoh]

That guy looks a whole lot like Zaeed, and it seems I'm not the only one who sees it.

 

[Irridium]

Bitchin. Hackett's a cool dude.

Although if this "operative" is just another space ogre for you to punch, I'll be pissed.

 

[LawlessSquirrel]

Excellent, another reason for me to take another replay. Also I should grab Overlord at some point, I suppose, since I've got the others. The non-story DLC does not interest me.

I hate their choice for Bioware Points with a passion, but I do feel you get good content from these DLCs. Fingers crossed the effects carry over into ME3 rather than just being a clever ad for it (also I want Kasumi to stay!).

Looks like an easy purchase for me.

 

[Therumancer]

The DLC seems pretty good, but at the same time "Mass Effect 2" received very mixed reception from the actual gamers, who became a lot louder about Bioware's design trends with "Dragon Age 2". "Mass Effect 2" sold well because of the first game, and a lot of people making the complaints about it had already purchused it, so their numbers didn't really affect sales, also, assuming it was a "one off" thing, the rage wasn't quite as extreme.

I'm not going to argue about the mechanics, and whether they were good or bad, however I expect EA/Bioware to push "Mass Effect 3" back from the time frame they had so far presumed. The insert in "DA 2" was before "Dragon Age Rage" which has included a lot of criticisms over "Mass Effect 2" as well.

Good news on the DLC, but I wouldn't be holding your breath for the third game, I'd actually be expecting it late next year instead of late this year. I have no evidence to support this at the moment, but I'd imagine Bioware realizes it can't afford another rage incident and needs to make sure the game is of decent quality, and what the consumers actually want.

A mixed reaction from gamers? are you joking? January last year these forums were full of nothing but MASS EFFECT 2 IS THE BEST GAME EVAR (which it is close to being).

It got tons of readers choice game of the year awards.

I would hardly call the gamer reaction to Mass Effect 2 mixed

Actually, the truth is that even here the reviews were mixed. Right from the beginning there were a lot of people being VERY critical of how they turned the game into a shooter. I know, because I paid attention, and was one of those people making the criticisms. I did get mixed responses to what I had to say (like anything) but it was hardly an overwhelming disagreement from the entire gaming community.

I'm sure it SEEMS like an overwhelming positive reaction, but then again as we're seeing EA-Bioware has this habit of trying to doctor the reception. Nobody was caught red handed which is why you didn't see as much about these allegations at the time the game was released.

You also can't underestimate the "well, at least we have Dragon Age" aspect of things as well. The attitude being that with two franchises even if Bioware was being unfair, it wasn't totally unreasonable for them to turn one into a casual gaming franchise. Turning BOTH of them into casual gaming franchises however made a lot of people a lot more vocal and active. Not to mention that even the casual crowd couldn't defend "Dragon Age 2" all that much because the entire game was a sloppy mess. They did a higher quality job with "Mass Effect 2".

Also by mitigating things the "we still have Dragon Age" trend that kept a lot of rage in line with "ME2" I think scewed perceptions of the response, and made the serious RPG players seem a lot less numerous than they actually were. Most people figuring "I'll just wait for Dragon Age, and not buy any more Mass Effect if they continue this trend with this series".

"Dragon Age Rage" is notable because the reaction has been so extreme that typical damage control methods haven't been working, and have even backfired.

Also understand that Bioware has turned into a massive group of Prima Donnas. During the development of DA2, they decided to ask the community whether or not we supported the idea of them deciding to go with a single character with a single origin, rather than the full range of options in the first game. The response was overwhelminly negative, but Bioware not only decided to go ahead with their plans, but tried to present things as there being an overwhelming positive response. That POed a lot of people (me included) and probably has an effect here, and I'd imagine that their tendency to ignore feedback they don't like has a lot to do with their claims of "universally positive reception" for Mass Effect 2. We see with "Dragon Age Rage" that they obviously buy the professional reviewers due to the massive discrepency in ratings. I also think that that DA2 pissed people off to the point where those who had negative reactions decided to express them in a way it would matter, rather than just posting a message or three that would be ignore and moving on. With ME2 the opposition wasn't really all that motivated as people were being laid back and letting it go, few people thought it was worth the time to rate. I for example didn't contribute anything to the ratings of ME2 since I didn't vote on any official rankings system for it, despite not liking the changes. I didn't like what they did, but I also wasn't all that POed, in part because of my high hopes for Dragon Age, and talking to other gamers it seems a lot of people thought the same way.

The point I'm getting at is that Bioware needs to actually understand their community, and that by only listening to opinions they like, and controlling information to create the reality they like, doesn't mean things are the way they want them to be.

I suspect that the message might have gotten through this time, because it's hard to ignore. Only time will tell what happens, but I would not be surprised if ME3 is pushed back. I doubt they will turn it into a massively hardcore RPG, but I think they are at least going to be looking for some middle ground between 1 and 2.

 

[Kingsnake661]

The DLC seems pretty good, but at the same time "Mass Effect 2" received very mixed reception from the actual gamers, who became a lot louder about Bioware's design trends with "Dragon Age 2". "Mass Effect 2" sold well because of the first game, and a lot of people making the complaints about it had already purchused it, so their numbers didn't really affect sales, also, assuming it was a "one off" thing, the rage wasn't quite as extreme.

I'm not going to argue about the mechanics, and whether they were good or bad, however I expect EA/Bioware to push "Mass Effect 3" back from the time frame they had so far presumed. The insert in "DA 2" was before "Dragon Age Rage" which has included a lot of criticisms over "Mass Effect 2" as well.

Good news on the DLC, but I wouldn't be holding your breath for the third game, I'd actually be expecting it late next year instead of late this year. I have no evidence to support this at the moment, but I'd imagine Bioware realizes it can't afford another rage incident and needs to make sure the game is of decent quality, and what the consumers actually want.

Ah, this whole dragon rage thing is being really over blown. And, from what i can tell, it's not hurt DA's sales much, if at all. It's a sucesses. And ME2, i think there were mermers of discontent a bit when it was relased because of the changes, but, it's sold very well, won, tons of awards, and made most people top games of 2010 lists. I can't see see bioware delaying it for any other reason then they need too to make a quality game. The fans are still buying there product. And even though i hear DA2 was a rush job, from the reviews i've read, it's more then "decent" in quality.

I do love how, if you make a sequal too much like the original, your just trying to cash in on it's sucess and need to be more creative, but if you try and make improvements and change it too much, you've "ruined" or "sold out" your product. Damned if you do, Damned if you don't. *shrug*

 

[Nimcha]

I suspect that the message might have gotten through this time, because it's hard to ignore. Only time will tell what happens, but I would not be surprised if ME3 is pushed back. I doubt they will turn it into a massively hardcore RPG, but I think they are at least going to be looking for some middle ground between 1 and 2.

What message? All I saw was a few people whining with the same old same old shit like 'dumbing down' and 'it's a TPS, not an RPG'. And surprise surprise, those are the same people that complained about DA2, even to the point of actually raging about it. I don't think BioWare really cares about those people anymore. They obviously don't like their products, and yet there are more than enough people who do. Why would they cater to the first group?

I have no doubt they will try to accomplish the best balance of features from both ME1 and 2 and implement that into ME3. But they will do that because they want to make the best game they possibly can, and not because you or anyone else sent any kind of significant 'message'.

 

[Therumancer]

The DLC seems pretty good, but at the same time "Mass Effect 2" received very mixed reception from the actual gamers, who became a lot louder about Bioware's design trends with "Dragon Age 2". "Mass Effect 2" sold well because of the first game, and a lot of people making the complaints about it had already purchused it, so their numbers didn't really affect sales, also, assuming it was a "one off" thing, the rage wasn't quite as extreme.

I'm not going to argue about the mechanics, and whether they were good or bad, however I expect EA/Bioware to push "Mass Effect 3" back from the time frame they had so far presumed. The insert in "DA 2" was before "Dragon Age Rage" which has included a lot of criticisms over "Mass Effect 2" as well.

Good news on the DLC, but I wouldn't be holding your breath for the third game, I'd actually be expecting it late next year instead of late this year. I have no evidence to support this at the moment, but I'd imagine Bioware realizes it can't afford another rage incident and needs to make sure the game is of decent quality, and what the consumers actually want.

Ah, this whole dragon rage thing is being really over blown. And, from what i can tell, it's not hurt DA's sales much, if at all. It's a sucesses. And ME2, i think there were mermers of discontent a bit when it was relased because of the changes, but, it's sold very well, won, tons of awards, and made most people top games of 2010 lists. I can't see see bioware delaying it for any other reason then they need too to make a quality game. The fans are still buying there product. And even though i hear DA2 was a rush job, from the reviews i've read, it's more then "decent" in quality.

I do love how, if you make a sequal too much like the original, your just trying to cash in on it's sucess and need to be more creative, but if you try and make improvements and change it too much, you've "ruined" or "sold out" your product. Damned if you do, Damned if you don't. *shrug*

Right now we're in a situation where most of the sales for a game take place right after the release. "Slow burn" successes are not really all that much of a factor anymore. A game gets promoted, released, and then it's success or failire is determined by that numbers, and then they move on to their next game in the pipe.

The problem with this is that when your dealing with a big franchise, with a lot of promotion, even a bad game that is not being well received can move a lot of copies and make a lot of money. This is why some truely awful games that were promoted well have sold well enough to get sequels in defiance of all logic.

The situation with games like "Mass Effect 2" and "Dragon Age 2" is that the people who are complaining are people who already bought the game (and on PC can't return it). Bioware has their money already, and thus when looking at their sales they don't see the "paid for the game, but didn't care for it" demographic. Just like situations where a sucky game can sell tons of copies, but then see most of them turned in used in record time. I seem to remember youtube videos of guys in the back room of a gamestop building houses and such from stacks
of unpopular games that have been returned within 48 hours.

It comes down to questions why a game that has a positive critical reception won't get a sequel, but something that was highly promoted trash with a gimmick like the "50 Cent" games do get sequels. The Escapist has covered this in the past.

The point is that gaming companies that go entirely by sales, and don't pay attention to what people who bought their product are saying, wind up hurting themselves. To be honest I think part of their problem was that they convinced themselves that "Mass Effect 2" really was received that well, and tried to make "Dragon Age 2" more like it, along with the rather sloppy design this wound up blowing up in their face because they only listened to what they wanted to hear.

Whether I'm right or not in my predictions is something only time will tell.

 

[guise709]

damn i really need to download the dlc packs so i can catch up to what happened and the lead up to me3

 

[shado_temple]

I'm just glad to see Hackett making a larger cameo than the email you get(?) from him in ME 2.

 

[scorptatious]

I wondered what Admiral Hackett looked like. As you never actually meet him face to face in ME1. This should be interesting.