LogFAQs > #932324385

25. Mass Effect 2 (2010)
#2 Game of 2010

I must initially admit that 2010's Mass Effect 2 was not a reason for which I extended this list. Perhaps a top 24 video games from 2010-2019 would have been more logistical, but it is customary within our culture to use numbers divisible by 5 when discussing a top amount of pieces of media. I am merely a cog in this structure and have no way of appropriately breaking out of such a grounded expectation without looking as if I am trying to be more of a visionary than I actually am.

Mass Effect 2 is a very good video game despite my inability to actually say something profound about why it is my #25 video game of 2010-2019. It improves itself from the original through fine tuning it's gunplay to something actually not terrible, and introduces a wealth of unique characters whilst building upon previously established ones. While the original Mass Effect focused on world-building and introducing an overarching plotline above all else, Mass Effect 2 puts such things to the side as it focuses primarily on the characters which will eventually become a part of your crew. While Garrus and Tali return from the original game, every other crew member is new, with fleshed out backstories which are built upon through their personal missions.

The best part about Mass Effect 2 is it's loyalty missions. After recruiting characters to be on your ship, you get to serve as an onlooker/partner in their own personal stories. This is cool, because Commander Shepard is a boring character, even if you pick the woman voiced by Jennifer Hale. I quite enjoyed every loyalty mission with the exception of Jacobs, because it was hentai without the nudity. No thank you.

Perhaps the crowning achievement of Mass Effect 2 comes from how it handles its final mission. The suicide mission is an "iconic" part of the trilogy, and probably the franchise's climax. The amount of weight thrown onto the player through this mission gives it the air of true finality, though we know this would not be the end, as Mass Effect 3 eventually came out and was also a pretty good video game. I remember losing my favorite character during this mission my first go-around, and it pissed me off because I didn't do anything wrong. So I had to redo it and it still managed to be pretty intense. I would say this mission is probably the "most intense segment of a very easy video game of the decade", though I also just made this distinction up on the spot, and further review might suggest I am incorrect about this statement. Please comment on this write-up either with how you feel about Mass Effect 2 or if you think there is a better choice for "most intense segment of a very easy video game of the decade".

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