text: mass effect 2 : arrival mass effect 2 : arrival is a downloadable content pack developed by bioware and published by electronic arts for the action role - playing video game mass effect 2 . it was released on march 29 , 2011 for microsoft windows , playstation 3 , and xbox 360 . the pack introduces a new mission where the player assumes the role of commander shepard , an elite human soldier who must stop an imminent invasion of a highly advanced machine race of synthetic - organic starships . the pack also includes three in - game upgrades and three new achievements that are awarded for completing specific tasks . mass effect 2 : arrival was formally confirmed to be in development on march 14 , 2011 and acts as a bridge for mass effect 3 . the pack received generally mixed reviews from critics , with an aggregate score of 65 % for the xbox 360 at gamerankings . reviewers mainly criticized its weak story and strong emphasis on linear combat sequences , though some found the atmospheric environments praiseworthy . gameplay mass effect 2 is an action role - playing game where the player assumes the role of commander shepard . shepard 's gender , appearance , history and combat - training are determined by the player before the game begins . the game features a variety of missions that the player must complete to progress . during the missions , shepard is usually assisted by two ai squad members that the player can indirectly control through orders . combat takes place in real - time , but the player can pause the game at any time to calmly target enemies and select different powers for the squad members to use . unlike most of the missions , arrival introduces a new assignment that involves shepard to fight solo almost the entire time , even though there is a short section where the player is assisted by a character . the mission also contains three in - game upgrades that the player can research to enhance aspects of the game 's weapons and armor , as well as three new achievements . the first achievement requires the player to complete the first part of the mission without being detected by enemies ; the second achievement involves the player to survive all the waves in a specific battle ; and the third one is unlocked by completing arrival . upon completing the mission , the player is awarded with experience points . if a sufficient amount of experience is obtained , the player can upgrade powers of the entire squad . plot mass effect 2 : arrival is set within the milky way galaxy during the 22nd century , where interstellar travel is possible through the use of mass transit devices called mass relays . commander shepard is sent on a mission to rescue dr. amanda kenson , an allied agent who claimed to have found evidence of an imminent invasion of reapers , a highly advanced machine race of synthetic - organic starships encountered in the first mass effect game . shepard successfully rescues kenson , who explains that she discovered a reaper artifact which gave her visions of the imminent invasion . shepard asks to see the proof and is taken to the artifact , which is located inside a complex on the surface of a large asteroid . upon arriving at the artifact , shepard has a vision of the reaper fleet approaching a relay . just as shepard starts to get up from the experience , kenson detains and imprisons him / her in a medical lab . it is then revealed that despite her stated precautions , kenson and her entire team became indoctrinated from having spent too much time studying the artifact . shepard eventually manages to escape the medical lab and reach the control room , where he / she sets the asteroid on course to hit the relay from where the reapers will soon be coming . in retaliation , kenson plans to destroy the asteroid by overloading the reactor core of the facility , but shepard ultimately stops her . shepard then contacts his / her starship and escapes shortly before the asteroid hits the relay , resulting in the destruction of an entire system . shepard is later met by admiral steven hackett , their superior officer , who explains that he / she has to go to earth and face the consequences , setting the stage for mass effect 3 . development and release mass effect 2 : arrival was developed by bioware and published by electronic arts . during development of mass effect 2 , bioware stated that downloadable content was becoming a fundamental part of the company 's overall philosophy . the pack was accidentally revealed on february 21 , 2011 by the addition of three new achievements in a patch for the playstation 3 version of mass effect 2 . bioware later stated that the addition of the achievements was intentional , but assumed they would be " invisible " . on march 14 , 2011 , the pack was formally confirmed to be in development via a brand new screenshot . bioware explained that its purpose is to act as a bridge for mass effect 3 . although the base where most of the pack 's events take place is located on an asteroid , early plans suggested that it would be set on an ocean planet . the base would be underwater and shepard would reach the main level by submarine . each section of the base would be in different " containers " , and would have a similar sense to james cameron 's 1989 film the abyss . the pack was released on march 29 , 2011 for microsoft windows , playstation 3 , and xbox 360 . the soundtrack was composed by sonic mayhem duo sascha dikiciyan and cris velasco , the same composers that penned the music from mass effect 2 's earlier downloadable content kasumi - stolen memory . reception mass effect 2 : arrival received generally mixed reviews from critics . gamespot senior editor kevin vanord called arrival " a disappointing conclusion to a beloved series ' second chapter . " he stated that the pack lacks elements of choice and character development , which are core features of the mass effect series . he nonetheless found the atmospheric environments still praiseworthy , especially the final battleground , which " seems to break the laws of physics but nonetheless gives the shooting excellent visual context . " kristine steimer of ign enjoyed the challenge of fighting alone , as it " never bordered on frustrating " , but also admitted the pack fundamentally consisted of linear combat sequences . game revolution 's eduardo reboucas mainly criticized the story . he felt that " characters don 't offer a lot of explanation and the little that is given seems more like a hastily put - together excuse to shoot up some fools and push some buttons on the way . " he also pointed out that none of the conversation paths influence the game , and " [ give ] no sense of closure or importance . " despite the criticism , he praised bioware 's talent for the pack 's great atmosphere , stating " you 'll never be bored by the visuals in the arrival . " dan whitehead of eurogamer highlighted positively the first part of the mission . he remarked the game " [ does ] a decent job of allowing you to feel like you 're being stealthy as you negotiate your way past guards , usually by looking around for not - very - hidden alternate routes . " he however criticized the final two thirds for being very linear and repetitive , and also reacted negatively to the game 's insistence on having to fight solo almost the entire time . he explained that mass effect 2 is a squad game , where players " [ use ] fluid team strategy to cope with different situations " , but fighting solo means that players " have to deal with every encounter in the exact same way . " brad gallaway , reviewer of gamecritics , concluded that the relatively short mission and included extras were not enough to justify the pack 's $ 7 usd price tag . mass effect 2 : arrival was nominated for best dlc ( downloadable content ) at the 2011 spike video game awards , but lost to portal 2 : peer review .