LogFAQs > #940630102

Before starting the mission to recruit Mordin, I had another chance to talk to my three squad mates. Garrus caught me up on what he had been doing for the past two years - he formed a merc squad to hunt down some of the criminal elements on Omega, but eventually fell for the betrayal of one of the group and got them all killed. It's a showcase of the game's writing at its best. The way Garrus talks about his fallen comrades conveys the genuine affection he had for them, which strengthens the feelings of guilt he has for losing them. It definitely makes you feel for the guy.

So far what I find most interesting about Miranda is watching her relationship with Shepard develop. Miranda is cold and aloof, especially at first, but by taking the time to try and understand her as a person, Shepard is slowly earning her respect.

Mordin's recruitment mission is about a rapidly-spreading airborne virus causing quarantines, so it perhaps hits a little close to home these days. In gameplay terms it mostly means slowly marching through a quarantine zone shooting the dudes as they pop up. I'm definitely finding the shooting monotonous so far. The enemies don't stand stock-still any more but it's still pretty easy to line up headshots. They mostly waddle. I think the cover mechanics and regenerating health serve to make the game a lot easier. The sniper rifle is still really good. One major change to the mechanics that I haven't mentioned yet is that using any given ability puts all your abilities on cooldown, but the cooldown is very short in comparison to ME1. I've mostly been using Incinerate frequently as a way of saving ammo. Of all the upgrades I can imagine, I think the one I would want most is increased ammo gain upon picking up a thermal clip.

Upon meeting Mordin I was immediately reminded of why I liked him so much. I find his rapid-fire speech pattern amusing and it's a good depiction of the fast-thinking nature of his species. What's especially cool about the character is the juxtaposition between his pragmatic and ethical sides. He shows no remorse for killing the raiders who attacked his clinic but he makes a concerted effort to cure the plague in the quarantine zone and shows a lot of concern for the people working under him, including asking Shepard to save his protege, who is being held up by some batarians. Shepard Paragons her way through that situation with no problem and saves the kid, and there was also a memorable encounter with a sick batarian near the start of the area, who she helped against his expectations.

My overall impression of the game so far is that its strengths and flaws line up similarly to the first game: the dialog and characterization are good but I'm generally bored by the gameplay.

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I'm playing every game from GotD 2020! Games Completed: 3/129
Currently Playing: Mass Effect 2