LogFAQs > #950924861

#12 - Mass Effect 2 (360, 2010)


I legitimately cant think of any other trilogy where the middle entry has blown the other two out of the water quite as hard as Mass Effect 2 did. Not to say that the other two entries are bad; Mass Effect 3 is my #82, and 1 just barely missed the cut. Each of the 3 titles has distinct strengths and weaknesses. Mass Effect 1 built one of the most unique and detailed video game universes the human race has ever seen, but the gameplay is really rough around the edges, and that save point system really couldve used a massive overhaul. Mass Effect 3 went above and beyond with all of its set pieces, and the game may play even better than 2, but it had a few writing miscues, its new characters are mostly throwaways, and the ending couldve been handled a lot better.

I believe Mass Effect 2s only flaw is that it was in fact the middle entry, thus stuck between its world-building prequel, and its story-concluding sequel. Thats really it. The writing is by far the best of the three, the characters are the most fun of the three, the gameplay compared to 1 is a fucking godsend. Build yourself as a Vanguard and Shepard feels like a goddamn panzer tank. Build yourself as anything else and youll still feel awesome, but for real why would you not want to be a panzer tank?

I dont think it can be understated how all the relatively small things that BioWare made better from Mass Effect 1 that people tend not to remember years later translated into a near-perfect action game. The level design from Mass Effect 1 was so bland and monotonous, whereas 2s is so lively and fluid. Running around a room in ME1 never felt like the right move, and it led to a lot of waiting around for a tech or biotic power to come back online. Staying totally still in one spot in ME2 will get you killed faster than just about everything else, and it makes combat a much more engaging experience.

That and the weapon and inventory system in 2 are the two key aspects that brought Mass Effect from a C- action RPG to an A+ one. No longer do you have to spend 10 minutes between planets trying to figure out which numbers you want on your armor and guns. Theres still customization, but its streamlined so much better, and still holds that feel of importance. And no longer gatekeeping guns behind an overheat system is perhaps the most overlooked critical change. In ME1, again, you were incentivized to just hang out in one place until your gun cooled down, so you could go back to shooting. In ME2, youre going to run out of ammo if you stay still, so lets say your assault rifle runs out. Time to go in, shotgun-a-blazing, and try to pick off the stragglers, so you can pick up their assault rifle ammo for the next gunfight. I cant emphasize enough how these two somewhat small design changes led to such a more thrilling game.

All that talking up the gameplay, and yet the star of the show is still the story and its cast. Everyone is so goddamn cool. Jack is a badass, Miranda is neat, Thane is great, Legion is awesome, Grunt is fun, Mordin is an all-timer. There isnt a whole lot of overlap in character dialogue and such, but getting to know the cast and building rapport with them individually is more fun in ME2 than any other game Ive ever played. And it all builds to an ending that, for a game where you kinda ultimately accomplish absolutely nothing, is as satisfying as it gets. ME2 is the ultimate package for a video game, and Im legitimately bummed its somehow not in my top 10. Its an outrage, is what it is.

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Xbox GT/PSN name/Nintendo ID: TatteredUniform
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