Arrival DLC Not a Bridge to Mass Effect 3

Recent previews of the highly anticipated DLC for Mass Effect 2 have come to the conclusion that “Arrival”  doesn’t bridge that gap between Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3.  It has been announced that the DLC will “Arrive” on next Tuesday,  and when it does you can expect a completely different type of experience than what you are used to.  Commander Shepard will be tasked with a solo mission, changing the dynamics of the Mass Effect 2 gameplay, for those used to the squad based combat.

Jesse Houston, a producer at Bioware recently went on the record to explain that “Arrival is a side-quest, ultimately” although he also claimed it to be somewhat of an epilouge.  With the changing dynamics of the combat, Shepard will need to be much more resourceful to accomplish his mission, and stealth was even noted as a more viable option than in other parts of the game.

As a side-quest, you shouldn’t expect “Arrival” to do much in the way of bridging the gap between Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3, which many fans had anticipated.

While Arrival isn’t the bridge that many expected and might have hoped would extend the endgame ofMass Effect 2, connecting it to this holiday’s Mass Effect 3, it still shows signs of being a good piece of DLC. – Joystiq

Either way, Mass Effect 2 DLC has been high quality entertainment.  Though it’s a bit of a let down considering that the wait to Mass Effect 3 is going to be that much longer.