Feb 22, 2011

Mass Effect 2: The Arrival UPDATE


HUGE UPDATE AFTER THE JUMP

The Mass Effect series is one of my personal favourite games series of this generation, maybe of all time. Anything that will keep me playing the game is good news. But through an update of the PS3 game we have discovered more news about the DLC that was announced after the last batch. BEWARE, Spoilers for ME2, and possibly the DLC, after the Jump. You have been warned.

The Ultimate Sacrifice
Complete the Arrival DLC

Last Stand
Survive all five waves in the battle for Object Rho

Covert Action
Rescue Dr. Amanda Kenson without attracting hostile attention.

Could the Arrival refer to the arrival of the Reapers? Or another Enemy? Could this be the last Mass Effect 2 DLC before the arrival of Mass Effect 3? Why do I say that? Well, because we were expecting the Arrival of the Reapers. And this tidbit from the Cerburus Network:
Historians and astronomers alike are abuzz tonight over a new paper published by Dr. Amanda Kenson of the University of Arcturus. Her team claims that by testing the dust trapped in the gravity wells around a mass relay, and comparing its composition to that of dust clouds in the same system, scientists can create a timeline of when the relay passed through the dust. Her conclusion? "Only a small fraction of the mass effect relays date back 50,000 years," she writes, "The majority are far older, indicating they were created by a species predating even the Protheans." Dr. Aurana T'Meles of the University of Serrice met the information with skepticism: "While Dr. Kenson's methods appear sound, the asari tried a similar procedure centuries ago and discounted it. What civilization could have spanned the galaxy for not thousands, but millions of years? If this were the case, we should have found mountains of evidence of their passing. Where is this species now?"
No Official announcment has been made, nor has a release date. More as it arrives. Mass Effect 3 will be released Q4 2011.

UPDATE: We have a few more tidbits from the PC update, I would like to thank Destructoid for the massive amounts of information within this update.

Firstly, The DLC pack's TLK files, which can be converted to XML with a tool available on the BioWare Social Network projects pages, provide previously unknown information on five planets in a system as well as a quest marker relating to what appears to be a key DLC character. The data-entries directly follow the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC data and mention a Viper Nebula, which couldn't be located in the galaxy map of the Xbox 360 version. The Viper Nebula would appear to have five planets in the Bahak system -- Clogon, Aratoht, Yunaca, Urnola and Bastzuda -- and a quest location for "Rescue Dr. Kenson."

The descriptions suggest that the Viper Nebula is in Batarian space and somewhere in the Skyllian Verge. While the description for the Bahak system only says "Bahak Description," the other descriptions already provide detailed information about the planets.
Also, the conversation tree information in the data suggests you have to choose which distress call to respond to, perhaps exclusively:

  • We've had two incoming distress calls, Shepard. You need to decide which we should respond to.
  • Of course, what would you like to know about?
  • Well, there was a big battle and one of our ships was destroyed. There are some of our people on it now. The plot of aliens will probably start up on this ship though.
  • A Batariaan Research vessel has fallen ill to some strange disease
  • Setting course for the shipwreck
  • Setting course for the stranded research vessel.
  • Alright, Shepard, I'll talk to you soon.
  • I need some more details before I can act.
  • Tell me about the shipwreck call.
  • Tell me about the research vessel.
  • Let's go investigate the stranded research vessel.
  • I'm too busy remembering how awesome I am right now. I might talk to you later.
  • More Details
  • Shipwreck
  • Stranded Research Vessel
  • Too busy
  • Investigate Shipwreck
  • Investigate Research Vessel
  • Geth Rocket Trooper
  • We have arrived at the research vessel and the airlock is now open.
  • We have arrived at the shipwreck and the airlock is now open.

Perhaps not an attack from the Reapers, after all.

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