One of my favorite games of all time has to be the original Mass Effect. While it was still a little rough around the edges, it was an excellent hybrid of the shooter and role playing genres. I found myself completely absorbed into the world, and it is one of the few games I actually found myself paying attention to the dialogue and story. After waiting to see how the DLC issue played out, I finally grabbed a copy of Mass Effect 2, and it did not disappoint. Please be warned, spoilers ahead.
From beginning to end, the game is nonstop fun. One of the first things that caught my attention is the change in combat. Having started my first play through on veteran difficulty, I found the battles to be fairly action packed and fluid. They required some planning, as well as some care and coordination with my squad. In the original game, I often would ignore my team and consider them an inconvenience. This time around, I found myself reliant on them and the excellent biotic powers they bring to the front lines. Adding to the fun, biotic powers can be combined to create some devastating damage. All in all, battles were great, and it appears they got the third person shooter formula down well. Character movement was fluid, and weapons felt punchy.
The dialogue in the game also seems improved. Unlike its predecessor, many of the dialogue choices seem more direct and to the point. One of my primary complaints with the older game is the often obscure options that were made available to the player, or too much filler dialogue that I doubt would actually take place in some situations. Conversations now seem to flow better and are often quite interesting. The developers also created more “grey” issues, often making me stop and think which action I want to take. To me this adds more depth to the game, and makes me question my choices. Additionally, some of the dialogue left me wanting to know even more. For example, why was Legion avoiding my questions regarding my N7 armor he wore?
I also enjoyed some of the humorous dialogue bits they added in this time as well. While the game carried a generally serious tone, it was nice to break it up with a few laughs. Although, sometimes the humor was unintentional, as dialogue began to border on cheesy during a few specific interactions. I know while trying to get Morinth to take me back to her apartment, I laughed a few times at where things were going. This is of course just being nitpicky though, as overall, the writing in this game is excellent.
Characters were also well developed. I found myself forming opinions about each one quickly, and treating them accordingly. I was highly suspicious of Miranda throughout the entire game, but found myself taking a liking to others and talking a bit nicer to them. However, the characters surprised me in the end. Despite my attitude with Miranda, she sided with me against the Illusive Man, and cut him off during the middle of a rant when commanding her to stop me. I honestly had been waiting for her to betray me the entire game.
Samara is also an excellent character, being a strong willed, determined female character who stays true to her beliefs. Grunt was awesome and slightly humorous, and Garrus is always a good guy to have around. I really hope to see more of these characters. As for romance, I avoided that subject once again in this game. I have yet to see any real point to it other than personal enjoyment, and watching video game characters awkwardly make out is not my thing. It will be interesting to see though if any of these choices make a big difference in Mass Effect 3.
Another major change is how the game handles equipment. At first, I was fairly bummed out by not having the ability to loot and sort items. While the original Mass Effect game was fairly tedious in this department, I generally enjoy scanning for items and customizing specific loadouts for certain situations. This time around, the player is limited to the same weapons and can upgrade them through research or stores. The changes began to grow on me though, and as time went on, I appreciated it more and more. By swapping to this method, it allowed me as a player to focus more on the game itself and not having to bother constantly looting, buying, and selling gear. It helped the game feel more streamlined overall and made for a pleasant experience.
Not all is perfect though, but a majority of it is smaller issues that can be overlooked. I found the mission with controlling Joker to be a bit awkward, although the dialogue with EDI made it worthwhile. The ending “human reaper” seemed a little bit out there, and out of place in the world of Mass Effect. By then, we were bordering on silly. It at least would have been interesting if it was a more abstract form of a human, or something else entirely. Additionally, as I imported my previous character, there were quite a few clipping issues with my uniform. While it really did not impact the game itself, it did distract me quite a few times during some cutscenes. Mining I feel does not even need to be addressed. Who enjoyed that?
Overall though, this game is amazing. It had some wonderful epic moments, and kept me hooked for nearly a week solid. I am already working out how I want my next character to play out, but now I am at a cross roads. It feels cheap to start a new ME2 character with no past. I am now tempted to reinstall the first Mass Effect and fully develop another character. To me though, that is a true testament to the series and how involving it can be.
As for the outcome, my entire crew and I survived the ordeal. The only casualties were that of the normal ship crew, aside from the doctor who was rescued. I also went against Cerberus and destroyed the Collector’s station. To me this will make for an interesting sequel, as I currently have no allegiance to any group, having already told off the council at the start of the game. I cannot wait to see where my Shepard will end up, and what choices I made may come back to bite me in the ass later.
One Comment
Nice reading, really;) I have similar feelings about ME2. When Illusive man told me to save the base, I was so pissed at him:) but not surprised at all. I lacked the dialogue opportunity to tell him that the reaper technology is damn wicked and nobody can wield it. But I was greatly surprised in a good way by after conversation with Mordin and his acknowledgement of my actions.
Not every game can make feel you like that, or immerse you into the story
About the love story part of the game, you did a good choice not to pursue it. Flirting Shepard is creepy and it all feels like some teenager fantasy, not as mature as the game. I think writers have some pause day or what and let their kids to write it:). I don’t want a mature naked scenes, but as in the movies, you can make a good “nothing showing” love scene. And it just feels like someone stick it to game afterwards. They should have cut it out or give it more care.