LogFAQs > #899203667

47. Mass Effect 2
Original Release: 2010
Developer: BioWare
Platform: XB360

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This is a controversial pick, and you might be wondering why it's so low when many consider it the best in the OT. The problem is the lack of a natural, progressing story and the focus taken primarily to a cast of characters that sometimes feel wasted.

I mean, the first game introduced us to this chaotic galaxy. There was so much lore and build up, and the plot was terrific, culminating in an amazing final showdown at the Citadel. I don't miss the empty planet exploration from the first game (which is the reason I won't play it again) but I do remember how well the story was told while progressing from planet to planet, all of which are oozing with personality. The first game ended with a climactic battle and a satisfying ending, which also served as a cliffhanger for things to come. The Reapers have returned and Shepard has been tasked with finding and preventing them from destroying the galaxy.

With that, the second game felt less like a direct continuation and more of a reboot. I mean, within the first few minutes the Normandy is completely destroyed and all of Shepard's companions are MIA (some come back during this game, either as playable or NPCs), replaced by new, less interesting ones. And that's the game for you. This game is concerned with its rather colorful cast of characters and showing how much they can cram into each character's personality and backstory. The story takes a backseat. The Reapers are nowhere to be found, and Shepard's new boss of the shadowy Cerberus organization tasks him with destroying some kind of new enemy called the Collectors, which have ties with the Reapers. 90% of the game deals with expanding the character roster or doing their so-called loyalty missions, and 10% actually progresses this Collector-Cerberus plotline. The Collectors have no role in the final game of the trilogy so they disappear here completely, and I don't remember ever seeing their boss, the Harbinger, again. Their big thing is kidnapping people, and when you finally find out why, it's quickly brushed off into a slapped-together final battle.

I wish I could say ME2 should be played because of the strong cast of characters, but that is not so. For one, there's a large cast of characters and their loyalty missions, but many of these new characters are either incredibly dull or feel like afterthoughts. Miranda and Jacob, who are members of Cerberus and your initial party members, are total bottom-of-the-barrel types. Generic crap, like Raynie and Marco from Radiant Historia. I also personally thought Miranda looked creepy uncanny valley. Their backstories weren't interesting as well. The non-human characters are much more interesting, specifically Garrus (who is a returning character though), Mordin, and Thane. Tali and Legion are cool too, but the latter joins way too late. Everyone else is pretty meh. Mordin and Thane had much more potential but their stories pretty much end here -- they briefly show up in ME3 but are relegated to NPCs. Everybody else, including DLC, are flat. If you recruited Morinth, well, shame on you because she shows up as a random enemy in ME3 and no one said anything.

Don't even bother getting attached to these characters because they are all expendable and can die in the final, "suicide" mission. Seriously, if you take away all the character quests and loyalty missions of this game, the game would be over in less than five hours. And the Collector base being the center of the galaxy was just reaching.