Unreal Realities

I’ve worked the words Mass Effect 2 into a few blogs recently. For those of you who don’t know, I’m a massive fan of almost every game Bioware has made. More than any other company they seem to be able to create worlds and stories that truly draw you in, make you genuinely care about the characters and the outcomes of your actions.

I played the first Mass Effect some years ago and it was good. Not mind-blowingly awesome, but very solid and I would still recommend it to anyone. It was a tad short and the combat was a little weak, needing some solid work before a sequel would be appropriate. The story was great though and I played through it twice, as the good guy and the bad guy.

Mass Effect 2 is released, in the lead up, I wasn’t overly excited. Just a couple of months ago I purchased Dragon Age, Modern Warfare 2 and Borderlands, all fantastic games. I’ve not come close to finishing any of them, but I truly enjoy my time in all of them when I play.  As the release date crept closer however, the internet was alive with ME2 talk. Videos, Podcasts and game sites were all discussing the game and the reviews were coming back extremely strong. I eventually got caught up in the excitement and got myself a copy.

Love interest one - voiced by an Aussie and everything!

There is a dread I get when I start a new Bioware game. There is such an amazing history of fantastic games that I’m always a little worried that this is the one that will break that run, that this is the dud.

Mass Effect 2 is not that dud.

Mass Effect 2 is amazing. I tend to overstate things from time to time (Nasi will tell you that every second movie I see is my favourite movie of all time) but I cannot overstate this enough – you must play this game.

The combat is so, so, much better than the original, much more fluid and intense. As with all Bioware games there is an option to pause the game to perform certain abilities, but I very rarely use it now, playing the action segments more like a straight up shooter. Enemies are varied and the skills at your (and your team mates’) command feel extremely powerful and it only gets better as you learn to use them together to quickly bring down big groups of enemies.

Space is more interesting too. Gone are the somewhat boring and generic planet explorations, replaced with the ability to scan and mine planets from space. The process is quick, intuitive and rewarding. Very much a sidebar to the main game, it has the simplicity to draw you in and you can soon find yourself spending hours doing it.

The real game though, is in the story. Your actions will have massive effects on how the game plays out and already I’m aching to play it again to see what I can change with nothing but words. The conversations you have with characters are excellent, both in quality and implementation. There are moments when you will laugh out loud, moments where your heart strings will be pulled, moments of shock and disbelief and moments of joy. You’ll become totally entangled in the Mass Effect universe and you’ll do anything to keep your crew alive.

Home sweet home

This is helped no end by the fantastic voice acting. While Bioware are not ones to use recognised actors in games, Martin Sheen has a role and his voice, as always, commands your attention. I was also very pleasantly surprised to hear the lead female character has an Aussie accent! Represent!

I’ve finished it once and, as described in a previous blog, finishing it leaves a feeling of contentment. It’s the warm glow from the last page of a great book, or the final credits of the last episode of your favourite TV show. Unlike those though, when you go back, it’s different.

Hanging with my crew

I lasted around 20 minutes before I started a new game. First time round, I was the kind, considerate and caring commander Shepard. I inspired loyalty in my crew and made the right decisions for the future of the universe. This time, I’m being a hard arse. People will do what I tell them, not ask, out of fear, not loyalty. I’ve already killed twice as many people and the story is, within a hour or two of restarting, already warping around these new actions. And I’ve got to tell you, being the bad guy is a lot of fun.

Mass Effect 2 is more than a game, it’s a story and you get to control the lead. It’s sensational in every way and if you own an Xbox or a PC and you don’t play this game, you will be missing out on one of the classics. You’ll be the kid at school when everyone is talking about the Matrix and not knowing what they’re on about.

Buy it, play it, experience it. You will not regret it.