Games I Love: Mass Effect 2

Mass Effect is a game I miraculously stumbled upon.  I saw it on a Steam sale and decided to pick it up.  A sci-fi/space game?  I would rather play in a world populated by orcs and humans, but I was willing to give it a shot.  Mass Effect was awesome from the first minutes on the Normandy.  The first game introduced me to the concept of an amazingly vast galaxy populated by diverse species and the hero who would save it all-- Commander Shepard.  I played through it and couldn't wait for the second game to come out.

(There will be spoilers about Mass Effect 2 ahead.  Read at your own risk if you haven't played.  Seriously, go buy it)

Now, I wish I could say that I loved Mass Effect 2 from the start, but I didn't.  The very first part of the game involved the destruction of the Normandy and the death of Commander Shepard.  But then he/she was alive again?  Not only resurrected, but by the organization that was firmly established as the arch enemy in Mass Effect.  I really did not like this as a plot starter, but I kept playing.

The rest of the game made up for what I perceived as a weird start.  I liked the idea of recruiting a crew for your ship and loved the unique characters that occupied the empty spaces in the Normandy SR2.  The game really built upon your relationship with your crew and as a player I wanted to spend the time interacting with them.  This is something that I think BioWare does extremely well--make engaging and interesting characters.  I've spent a total of 368 hours playing and re-playing ME2 and I can still manage to find some detail that I missed.

So here's a weird list of things I love from ME2.

Favorite character:  Garrus.  He's such a complicated character.  Turian culture requires him to be dutiful to his people, but he also has a strong sense of justice.  He's willing to bend the rules to do what he sees as being right even if it compromises his sense of duty.  Plus, he's super tough.  He gets his face blown up and is still rocking it.

MaleShep or FemShep?  FemShep all the way.  The voice actor for the female character is so much better.  I know the dialogue for the characters is identical, but when the female character says it there is just way more attitude and force.

Favorite non-squadmate:  That's a hard one.  Joker is one of my favorites and on ME2 the relationship between him and EDI is pretty hilarious.  I like visiting the cockpit just to hear them bickering.  I'd have to say Aria T'Loak is my favorite.  Firstly because the character is voiced by Carrie Ann Moss (Trinity from "The Matrix" if you don't know celebrity names) and she does an awesome job.  And secondly because she is a total badass.  "I am Omega," I mean, c'mon.

Paragon or Renegade?  Paragon.  Every time I try to make a renegade Shep I feel like the character would be a horrible person.  I want my Shep to be heroic rather than ruthless.

Hardest paragon/renegade moment not to click:  For paragon Shep, not punching Khalisah al Jilani (the annoying reporter).  She clearly needs to be punched.  For renegade Shep, not hugging Tali when she finds her father's body on her personal side mission.  What kind of horrible person wouldn't hug her?

Favorite planet/zone:  Illium.  It's beautiful and you are given a strong sense of Asari culture.  The Asari are diplomatic, but it is a culture run by females and really seems it.  There is constant intrigue and plotting going on but it's all behind the scenes.

Favorite ME2 moment:  Mordin singing.  Every time I get to that exchange it makes me laugh.  Mordin is a fun character.

Least favorite character:  Miranda.  I get the whole ice queen aspect of her personality, but I got tired of her constant whining about her imperfections.  "I'm genetically perfect, but I suck," over and over.

Favorite DLC:  Lair of the Shadow broker.  Liara is one of my favorite characters in the series and this DLC plops you right into the middle of Illium.  From chasing Vesir to fighting on the Shadow Broker's ship, the content is well-worth the extra cost.

If you haven't picked up Mass Effect 2 (#1 on PC Gamers list of the top 100 PC games) you should definitely do so.  You can get all three games in the Mass Effect trilogy on Origin for $29.99.