Developer: Bioware
Console: XBox, PS3, PC
Genre: RPG/Shooter
Genre: RPG/Shooter
Rating: Teens 15
The Arrival is, unsurprisingly, a preface to Mass Effect 3's plot line of a Reaper/Prothean/Sovereign [edit: I cleverly believe they are all related - thanks Anthony K] Earth invasion, hinted at during the 'Disabled Reaper Ship' mission in ME2. It was longer than I thought it would be - which was great, but seemed choppy and randomly edited in parts - which was bad. Plus it had mini puzzles/games characteristic of some true shooters. Indeed, it played more like a shooter than an RPG with almost non-stop braap-braap-braap.
You're sent on a solo mission to rescue a deep cover Alliance operative, courtesy of Admiral Hackett. The agent, Dr. Kansen, looks strikingly similar to the Normandy's Dr. Chakwas (lazy Bioware, lazy), and after some sneaking about you find her and fight your way to a mysterious artefact that is part of a Reaper/Sovereign plot to invade Earth, among other places.
What happened next actually surprised me, though I really should have expected it. I won't spoil it for you - but if you really want to know, drop me a comment or two. Needless to say, after the plot twisting incident, there's more kick butting action (which is probably enhanced by the fact you're fighting solo), and an interesting sequence where you fight as a mech drone.
While it's a self-contained mission, your actions will no doubt affect your reputation in ME3 and perhaps complicate your missions (let's just say you may have Batarian's out for your blood being that you kill about 305,000 of them). It appears as if Bioware may have abbreviated the mission as it is chopped up in parts, some of which really didn't need to be included - but probably were because of an upgrade that may have been embedded in a sequence. A nice touch after mission completion, is that you find yourself in a very familiar solar system, and Pluto makes a guest appearance despite its expulsion from the planet club!
There is new research and three new upgrades. For 560 MS points I think it's well worth it, and it's available to game heads in the UAE.
Rating: 7.9 Recommendation: Get it if you want the full ME3 experience
I am new here in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
ReplyDeleteAnd I've been to Carrefour, Plug-ins, Sharaf DG and Virgin.
Where can I purchase Mass Effect 2 for the PS3?
Hey New Guy,
ReplyDeleteFirstly, welcome to the UAE!
There are a couple other places you can check: Geekay Games (pronounced G K) at the Abu Dhabi Mall is cool (http://www.geekaygames.ae/), but I tend to get my games in Dubai.
The Dubai Mall has a few stores all in the same section (Sega Republic). Geekay has a store there and there are two others, Games Mart and another - the name escapes me now.
You can also order games online at souq.com or play-asia.com.
Although I currently live in AD I work in Dubai, so I found a site called nahel.com where you can get next day delivery for games (cash on delivery) within Dubai.
Unfortunately Dubai a bit more developed that way and has more major malls and brands. But AD is catching up.
Feel free to Pick up the Tempo Magazine when you can - it's free and we write gaming news and reviews in it as well. Also comes in handy to get you familiar with your new home.
And if you have a review - we could hook it up in the mag or even right here.
Peace.