Why I Love... Mass Effect 2!
Welcome to another edition of the Why I Love column, where I, Eric Ratcliffe, pick something I've read, played, listened to or watched to discuss with you fair readers. This week we discuss one of the most anticipated sequels in gaming history by one of the most successful role playing game developers out there. I talk of course of Bioware and the world jumping, suicide mission, gun toting, action RPG Mass Effect 2!
My first playthrough of the game after I bought it on a Friday morning before work lasted almost 10 hours each through the weekend to end on Monday morning at 7 o'clock in the morning. That should tell you right there just how much this game pulls you in.
The game opens cinematically with 2 new characters discussing how much they need Shepard in the future. It's a cinematic opening that pulls you in right from the start. The two new characters introduced play a huge part in the story and are played by two very great actors, The first is The Illusive Man played by Martin Sheen (The West Wing) and the second is the beautiful Miranda played by the very beautiful Australian actress Yvonne Strahovski (Chuck)
We soon find Shepard and the Normandy being attacked by a mysterious craft and this is when you as the player get your first bit of action in the game as Shepard attempts to make it to the pilot Joker (Played by Seth Green) just when it looks like you've saved the day Shepard goes flying from the ship away from the escape pod flying through space and the opening credits start.
I really like how they opened the game this way; it felt like you were playing a movie and really shows just how much things have changed. Of course this isn't the death of Shepard and you don't start with a new character. Instead you find yourself reconstructed by an organization that everyone should recognize from the first game. The Illusive Man is your new boss and your soon reunited with an old friend and the Normandy 2...all after finding out you were declared dead 2 years ago.
Characters:
Let me just say right off the bat that when it comes to the characters in the Mass Effect universe, especially the ones in your party it's as if the developers took everything they loved about fiction, mixed it in a blender and made it incredible.
The Assassin - Thane, who looks lizard like and is easily one of my favorite characters in the game. He's an incredibly religious man but is also an extremely well trained hit man who is deadly with his sniper rifle. There's a lot of depth to discover with the character.
The Loyalist - Miranda loves her job with Cerberus and was genetically bred to be perfect at what she does. Her father pushed her into this life and she never really had the chance to do anything different. One of the strongest supporting characters and most gamers will want to know more about the mysterious woman. She's not the best fighter but I kept her in my party a huge portion of the time.
The Krogan - Genetically bred to be the perfect Krogan, Grunt is probably one of the most interesting members of your crew and finds himself wanting to discover just what he is. He basically grew up in a test tube and wants to find his home which leads us to one of my favorite quests in the game. Grunt is voiced by a veteran of voice acting Steve Blum who has been wolverine and many other well known characters. Here he is no different and makes you feel for the Krogan. (Though personally I'd much rather have Wrex back on the crew but it makes sense why he isn't.)
The Scientist - Mordin Solus is an interesting guy. He never shuts up and has the demeanor of Penance Bones (from the Fox TV show Bones.) He's a Salarian, which I know some were clamoring for in the first game to have on your team. (Though they all sounded like Steve Buscemi to me) Unlike most scientific men in the genre, Mordin is amazing when it comes to fighting with a gun and will shoot first ask questions later.
The Soldier- Jacob Taylor who is former alliance and now works with Miranda and the Illusive Man. Jacob is in my opinion the Kaidan of the game (which isn't a compliment) and really only becomes interesting when you go on his loyalty mission which turns his life upside down.
The Officer - Samara is an Asari with a very stern definition of justice. She is incredibly different from the previous Asari we all know and love (Liara) and will easily shoot you if you do something that she doesn't agree with. I really liked learning about the past of the character and she's a great asset to the cast.
The Psychopath - Jack or Subject zero was experimented on by a rogue branch of Cerberus and is definitely damaged goods. Her biotics are pretty damn powerful but she's a few screws loose. Finding out about what happened to her adds a level to both her and Miranda and it's fun interacting with her and hearing the crews reactions to her.
The Quarian - Fan Favorite Tali Zorah vas Neema/Normandy returns towards the beginning of the game and then joins up with you a little later. She has more of a backstory this time around and has become more of a well rounded character. Every scene with her (which also pulls in the voice talent of Adam Baldwin and Claudia Black) is a joy and I'd say it's one of the two reunions handled right in the game for those that join your crew.
The Vigilante - Easily the game's biggest surprise and one of its best scenes comes up when you find out exactly who this man is your going after. Garrus returns to Shepard and the Normandy after you find out that he's become wanted all over the galaxy by the bad guys for screwing up everything they try to do. It's great to see this evolution of the character and you can see exactly what thinking Shepard was dead did to him. He even grew a sense of humor!
The Machine - A Geth named Legion has been tailing you and you soon come face to face with it, finding an old piece of your armor on the creature. If you think you know the Geth from the first game, Legion definitely throws all those perceptions out the window.
The Hitman for Hire - Zaeed Massani is like Mel Gibson/Bruce Willis and Jason Statham all thrown into one person. He's downloadable content that is free when you purchase your copy of the game but well worth the download. He's just an all around badass.
Each of these members of the crew add a lot to the story and they all have loyalty missions that I highly advise you look into before going on that final mission. Also returning are pretty much everyone from the first game from Joker, Liara, Wrex and even some surprises that you won't expect.
Continuing where you left off:
As was reported when the sequel was in development you can bring your save file from the end of the first game over to the second. Doing this implements every single choice you made in the first game from side quests to whether or not teammates lived or died. Depending on how much money you had at the end of the first game you will get a nice chunk of cash at the beginning of the second and you can change up what class you were from the first. It's implemented incredibly well and I can't wait to see how they pull it off in game #3!
World Map:
The world map from the first game has returned here with some new tweaks. You no longer take the Mako to every planet and guide it. Instead you have a short cut scene to land on each planet. For the items and minerals and substances you need for upgrades, you actually scan planets now with just a few button clicks and movie the analogue wheel as you literally scan the planet for the right amount of things. It's well worth the time.
You also have a fuel gage for while you're traversing unexplored areas on the map and a limited source of probes to check out each planet. It's actually pretty fun and adds some new depth to the overall gameplay.
Gameplay:
The difficulty from the first game has been amped up slightly and surprised me as I started off on veteran (replaying now on insane) it's tough and definitely challenges your skills as a gamer. You no longer have unlimited ammo and are forced to be careful with your resources in fights. You can command your teammates much easier than in the first game and everything just seems much more responsive and improved.
Final Verdict:
All in all, this is one fun, challenging and exciting game that is packed with content and well worth its price. I hope to see much more downloadable content down the line and I'm excited for the technology that Bioware has made improving the genre. I easily recommend this to any big sci fi fans think that you will not be disappointed.
That's it for this week, dear readers. Join us next week as we delve into something else that has caught my attention! Thanks for reading.
Eric Ratcliffe is a young writer/pop culture journalist/interviewer currently working on pitching a project named the Hunter chronicles. When not reading his weekly stack Eric can be found watching DVDs, playing on his 360 (gamertag: Zack Hunter) or just surfing online trying to find a scoop or two. Brand new to the Comic Related family, Eric is a fun new voice. Eric shops at TJ's Collectibles. Visit them on the web at www.tjcollect.com!
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