Around this time, 2 years ago, I was sitting in my room talking to a buddy of mine about how I was not a Mass Effect fan. I had just finished the first one and did not understand what the hype was about. Mass Effect 1 had serious frame rate issues, a horrible battle system, unbearable and monotonous “side quests”, and the worst idea for a loading screen ever (the elevators). The only thing I really kept playing it for was the story (which is phenomenal). So I was not expecting to ever purchase Mass Effect 2, nor was I expecting to play it, for that matter. Then I started reading reviews, watching gameplay videos, and I became curious enough to drop the money on it. And I have 2 words to say: Great investment!
Literally, every problem from the first one was fixed in the second. The elevators do not exist, the battle system is fluid, fast, and fun, the Mako is gone, every “side quest” has its own unique map and level design, and a much more polished frame rate. Mass Effect 2 saved the series. If BioWare would have produced a repeat of Mass Effect 1 with a continued story, the franchise would have been killed. Evidence has shown that gamers today, for the most part, don’t care too much for story elements in video games *cough* Call of Duty *cough*. Mass Effect is heavy in story, and if that was the only redeeming quality of the game, people would have lost interest and none of us would be waiting for Valentine’s day (Mass Effect 3 demo) or March 6th (Full release).
But why am I talking about this? I decided that to start the New Year and prepare myself for the third installment of the Mass Effect series I would replay Mass Effect 2. Even though it has been 2 years since I have played the game and 2 years of advancement in video game engines and graphics, frame rates, etc., the game is still phenomenal. I forgot how beautiful the game was, how immersive the story is, and how much fun the game is! If Mass Effect 2 would have come out this quarter, it would be still be amazing.
All of this gets me even more excited for number 3. BioWare took 2 years from ME1 to ME2, and look what they made. Now, they took 2 more years to make ME3. The game has got to be amazing. Yes, Mass Effect 2 had its flaws, but they were not enough to really complain about the game then. And I’m sure that BioWare has fixed those in great ways (better way to mine resources…hopefully fewer loading screens). It’s going to be a great March.
If you have not played any of the Mass Effect series, I have a little chart below for you to decide with which one to start with:
| Want to know the story? | Start with Mass Effect 1 (Tough it out) |
| Upload decisions? | Start with Mass Effect 1 (Tough it out) |
| Want a good game? | Start with Mass Effect 2 (Enjoy) |
| Already Wikipedia’d the story? | Start with Mass Effect 2 (Enjoy) |
And there you go! I’ll leave you with an old video, but a good one.
I’m Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite article on the internet.
