The Art of Random

So I just finished Mass Effect 2, after about 46 hours of game play. I really enjoyed it.

As all BioWare RPGs are, it is PHENOMENALLY well written. It’s suspenseful, intriguing, and entertaining. I highly recommend it overall.

It comes with five difficulty settings, so you can find something that suits you. They can also be changed mid-game, if you find that you have misjudged.

The game also stands on it’s own very well. You’ll have a little bit more back story (and can import your ME1 character) if you played ME1, but it is not necessary.

All of the bad stuff from ME1 is gone — the Mako planet exploration system, the ridiculous babysitting of your squad mates, the “meh” combat, the elevator rides. All of the good stuff is back and improved. Combat is pretty damn awesome if you ask me. Love it.

That’s not to say that ME2 doesn’t come with a flaw. A significant flaw. It’s much faster paced, more driven, and more combat oriented than ME1, but what they chose for their time sink (the method of acquiring upgrades) falls flat. To purchase upgrades, you need resources. To get resources, you must scan/probe/mine planets/moons/asteroids. It’s boring and somewhat tedious work. Thankfully, you don’t have to mine too much of the galaxy. I skipped out on about a quarter of it, and had a huge stockpile of resources left over at the end of the game.

Overall, the game is FUCKING AWESOME and I highly recommend. While it is available on Xbox 360, PS3, and the PC, being a shooter I of course recommend playing it on the PC. Mouse + keyboard > all for shooters, and always will be.

Mass Effect 3 is gonna be wicked =).

Mission status: Failed to get laid (wtf disguised “I just want to be friends” statement…), 4 of 10 people died in the final combat (two that I expected to die, one that was unexpected, and one that I really didn’t want to die). Sad =(. Made an enemy out of my employer/financier. Mwahahaha.