Mass Effect in ur mouth....

Ive been playing a lot of games recently. I guess having an Xbox 360 will do that for u but overall the landscape of games has changed. The graphics have become more realistic and ur options have broadened as far as what u can do. So gone r the days when u can just see a character from the side and running.
Nowadays games are epic undertakings sometimes taking hours and hours of ur time cause u just need to know what happens next or u just have to get that certain acheivement thats been alluding u for weeks.
Me personally, im a bit picky when it comes to games. Generally i need a story and i need to be in control of my character. Im not a fan of first person shooters unless i can play with one or more people (ie; Left 4 Dead) and RPGs bore me to death.
For example i picked up Biowares Dragon Age Origins a while back. Its an RPG but the chance to play a dark fantasy game hooked me in. Sadly after about two hours of gameplay i turned it off and never went back. Why? Cause its tedious to make a character and then sit there as they do all the work. You hit a button on ur controller and hope for the best. No skill required. No fuckin fun. No thank u. I traded it in.
Instead i picked up Biowares other big release Mass Effect 2. I checked it out online before purchace and the idea of a third person action game in space seemed like a good choice. Jumpin jesus on a pogo stick i was right.
U play as Jack Shepard. A badass human who comes back from the dead and is sent on a quest to blah blah blah. Look it up. Its fairly standard scifi marlarky. However there r loads of subtle differences that put this game above all others in my eyes.
First off the gameplay. Like i said its third person so ur over the shoulder as Shepard. U have an arsenal of weapons u can choose from at anytime and a set of abilitys and shit to help u out. The levels go something like this. Get on planet, find problem, shoot the shit outta guys who dont like u, and solve problem. Pretty simple right? Wrong. As the game continues more guys who wanna fuck ur mom show up and the game gets harder and harder. Which means if u dont implore a fair amount of strategy u will keep dying and dying and dying.
To help u not die so much u need to upgrade ur whosawits every so often. Unlike most games that pretty much forces u to buy whatever to beat whoever ME2 leaves it up to u. Dont wanna upgrade? U dont gotta, but u r in for a whole mess of shit if u dont.
The graphics to the game r stellar. The opening cinematic is probably one of the top five ive seen. So much so in fact that it really made me wish i owned an HD tv so it could be seen in all its glory. Most other games ive played save their best visuals for the cut scenes and cinematics. ME2 is seamless in both cut scenes and gameplay. Each world u visit is totally different and more unique than the last. Which is always something i appreciate. Nothing takes u out of a game more than when u see scenery change but the level is similar to the one u were just on. Im looking at u Assasins Creed!
The real hook to the game is the RPG factor. While u r in control of Shepard during missions u r also in control of the story in a way i havent played before. U decide how Shepard conducts himself with others. U can be a nice boy scout who helps old ladies across the street or u can be a complete dick who'll more likely steal the old ladys grocerys and shoot her for the trouble, or both. Its totally up to u.
Ur choices influence the story and the game bombards u with making tough choices which could not only effect u and ur crew later in the game but the next game as well as u can import ur save file from one game to the next which is pretty fuckin awesome.
I have to admit, the most fun ive had in the game is the interactions with my crew members and helping them with their stories. It adds so many layers to the game to know who ur helping, why, and then seeing how that plays out. Its a ball and a half. Yea yea u can fuck a couple of ur crew members and thats fun too but theres more to it than that. Especially if u take the route i did.
Each member of ur crew asks for ur help with a problem when u help them u gain their trust. The woman then start flirting with u.
So i helped two of the women on their missions. Both then started fighting. I had to side with one. The other stopped talking to me completly. So i interact with the other awhile but i responded wrong at one point and she stopped talking to me as well so i was left with a chick who wears a gas mask.
Fuckin bitches man i swear to god.
U can play as a female to and have a relationship with male and some of the female crew members but i dont wanna see that. It is a cool option to have.
Beyond my inability to romantisize a AI creature my only other complaint for the game was that the font was way too small. Even with my glasses on i had a hard time reading things which made me have to guess half the time. Im thinking this is perhaps because most people have HD tvs now. I dont and probably wont for awhile. Fuck u im a crazy cave man. I throw my poo atchoo!!!
Im almost done with ME2. Which is sad cause its been a fun ride. Luckily i can go back and play part one which ive never done. After im done with part one i can import my save file into part two and run through it again the right way this time and have another overalll different game. After that ill wait with the masses for part three which hopefully wont take forever.


I miss Farscape.