When the excellent "Mass Effect 2" DLC expansion "Lair of the Shadow Broker" released last year, some thought it would be the last add-on for that game while BioWare refocused its efforts on getting "Mass Effect 3" ready for a holiday 2011 release. Those people were wrong. There is more DLC coming, and it's coming soon. March 29, to be exact.
BioWare revealed the news today in a post on its Facebook page, confirming that the DLC -- titled "The Arrival" -- will be the last one to be released for "Mass Effect 2." The studio also released a few screens-- a few more screens, that is, since teasing looks have been appearing on the Facebook page since earlier this week.
One of the pics presents us with a very serious-looking Admiral Hackett, voiced by the legendary character actor Lance Henriksen. The story is said to find Commander Shepard racing to rescue an endangered undercover operative. The events relate specifically to the (spoiler alert for those who haven't finished "ME2") looming Reaper invasion.
Based on the DLC's title, "The Arrival," it's a safe bet that even if Shepard is successful -- which s/he undoubtedly will be -- there's not going to be much of a happy ending. Which is just fine. The next game won't be much without some kind of galaxy-spanning conflict for you to disarm.
There is no official release date yet for "Mass Effect 3," but BioWare is looking at a holiday release. With "The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim" coming on November 11, it's probably a safe bet that "ME3" will be at least two weeks removed from the competing RPG in one direction or another. Which is no problem at all. When you've got two fantastic RPGs to look forward to in one holiday season, the real winners are always going to be we gamers.