Saving the world once, check. Bringing together species that want to rip each other’s throats out, check. Being completely awesome and kicking so much butt that no one else in the universe even comes close to being as awesome as you are, check. When you need someone to save the world and do the impossible, who do you call? Commander Shepard, of course!
Mass Effect 2 falls into the category of one of those games that I was not expecting to love as much as I did and therefore it in a sense jumped up and bit me and I was hooked! Out of all of the newest consoles on the market I only own a PS3. As such, I did not get to play the original Mass Effect nor had I heard a whole lot about it besides here and there on sites like ign since most of my friends are mainly PS3 gamers as well. Evo was actually the one who suggested I try this game out since it combined a bunch of my favorite things; RPGs, a great storyline, and great characters. The moment I turned on the game and I saw Commander Shepard running through the Normandy trying to save Joker and her from being ripped apart in space, I was intrigued. When I started traveling to different planets and finding new members of my party and learning about them, I was addicted. Mass Effect 2 has done one of the best jobs, in my opinion, in fleshing out the characters that you encounter so that you actually want to see them all survive and be happy and I would actually have been sad if not all of my main characters survived. Another thing this game offered for me that most do not was replay value. There are a few games that I will play more than once, but not many. Mass Effect 2 is one of the few that I have played at least 4 times and I’m 100% positive I will play it again sometime in the future. Besides the alluring storyline and the diverse cast of characters, the music and the graphics of the game drew me in. I really like the music in Mass Effect 2. I wouldn’t say that it is the most enhanced or the most unique music I have ever heard in a game but I think the music, and the sound effects for that matter, fit well into what is going on at the time they are playing. Not to mention that the voice acting in the game is impeccable. The graphics in this game are also well done. Walking around on Illium and looking out at the buildings in the beyond or flying on the firewalker (which is the one thing I absolutely HATED in this game) gave the player great views of what Bioware was able to do with the graphics engine. The final thing I’d like to say about this game before I finish up is about the gameplay. I will freely admit that the shooting mechanics were not the cleanest I have seen in a game and running up and trying to punch someone sometimes resulted in a miss and them punching you, but this game was fun no matter what you were doing. Like I said in the beginning of this article, I loved Mass Effect 2. It will always be one of those games that I can come back to and remember how great games can really be!
–Megan Highwind has left the party.
It’s probably painfully apparent to all of you by now, but I’m primarily a Playstation 3 gamer. As such, I missed out on the experience that was the original Mass Effect game. When Mass Effect 2 was released on the Playstation 3, I decided that I really wanted to play it but would probably be at a huge loss after not having played the first game. Thankfully, the developers had the foresight to put a pretty comprehensive prologue into the game that more or less simulated all of major choices from its predecessor. With all of the back story set up, I was more or less ready to dive right into Mass Effect 2 with enough knowledge about Commander *INSERT NAME HERE* Shepard. Getting right into it, I was pretty blown away by Mass Effect 2′s game play and looks. The universe is expansive and every character and species has their little quirks and nuances that separate them from every other denizen. Each one of the primary cast has a fantastic individual story and incredible development. The game play itself is pretty much cover-based shooting but wide array of weapons and powers that are available offer some interesting tactical offensive options. Whether you’re training up your party, scanning planets for elements (admittedly not my favorite thing but some people like it), recruiting characters, building your reputation, blasting your way through legions of enemies or any and all combinations of the above, Mass Effect 2 seems to have something to offer everyone who decides to save the world.
– Evo out.
