Mass Effect 2
Finished Mass Effect 2. Spoilers Ahoy!
It's funny, because I bought it because I got my tax return money and wanted to do more than pay bills with it. I was still in the throes of Dragon Age and literally had to force myself to start playing, initially. Now I could care less about Dragon Age with Awakening coming out in less than a week.
Gameplay-wise I was a little insulted. Bioware listened to everyone who complained about the weapons overheating, the pima mako, confusion with upgrading armor/weapons, true. But their solution to everything: Omit it from the next game. I don't think that's what the gamers intended when they started their whining after the first game. I didn't like getting spoon-fed. Fortunately the storyline was interesting enough, adult enough, epic enough to make me keep playing despite the good 20 minute, obscenity-laden tirade I went on when I realized there was no inventory.
I liked all the characters, which is rare. Old and new.
Miranda:I liked her a lot, which I found surprising. She's not the carbon copy Ice Princess that Bioware loves to use. She's arrogant, but at the same time undermines her abilities because they're the result of genetic engineering, not her own hard work. But what I really like is that she doesn't like Shepard. When everyone else in your party is drooling gaga and ready to jump blindly off a cliff on Shepard's command, Miranda's there on orders from the Illusive Man and is sort of resentful of having to defer to the judgment of someone two years out of the loop. Plus I like that she and Jacob have a history. It's nice to see some romantic entanglements outside of Shepard's patented "healing genitalia."
Jacob:I really thought I was going to like Jacob. I had him in my party constantly at first and pegged him as "the dude to romance." But then, I don't know. First, I had Shepard come on to him and was really taken aback at how close it sounded to, "I'm going to club you over the head, Jacob and take you back to my cave!" Not Jacob's fault, I admit, but what the hell was that, Bioware? I think it was really how he was trying to be some sort of moral light when he's working for Cerberus that ultimately turned me off. That and seeing him react to his past with his father during his loyalty quest. A lot of his reactions were a bit adolescent and hypocritical. Still, pretty to look at, though.
Mordin:Sings Gilbert and Sullivan. Gilbert and Sullivan! 'Nuff said. There was a lot of sensitivity in these characters that I hadn't been expecting. Seeing him actually pause to react to the krogans shows so much denial and grief, it was unexpected but very well done.
Jack:Was easily the best biotic in the game. Which sucked, because I wanted to muzzle her. When you strip her away to her very essence, she's a spoiled little brat who feels entitled to do whatever she wants because the world wronged her and now it owes her. Grow up, Jack, when you murder an entire colony, the authorities aren't going to care that you were tortured as a kid. Put on a damn shirt.
Garrus:I felt really meh about Garrus in the first game. Because I thought he was a "yes" man. Poor Garrus had no testicles and relied on your Shepard to be his testicles and to point him in the "right" direction. Well, Garrus has since found a brass pair of his own. I like him more this time around, because he's picked a direction and is sticking to it. Still wouldn't want to romance him, however, he seems a little out of his vigilante mind.
Zaeed:I liked him, because he was a self-serving prick. Some of the things that he said were just priceless. It was a little unsettling when you sat back and realized he was serious, of course, but he was a nice change of pace. That he'd compromise a mission for revenge, etc, etc. He also had one of the more realistic faces in the game as ugly as he was.
Legion:I liked getting that insight into the geth. But Legion being part of your party just struck me as wholly unrealistic. Especially with Tali in your party. I have a hard time buying that she, or a good chunk of your other party members, would stick around with Legion having free roam of the ship.
Samara:For all the talk of boobs, I was more interested in her skin texture and her eyes. She is gorgeous! That being said, I don't know how I feel about her. She's very aloof and detached, one of the few aliens who truly feels alien. She has this heart-wrenching loyalty quest, but manages to really remain reserved about it. Maybe it's to show that she really is nearly 1000 years old? Or it's a justicar thing? It's hard to get a read on her.
Tali:Baby is all grown up! She's still Tali, but has this self-assured confidence that we didn't see in the first game. Being able to see the flotilla was cool, too, although it left me with more questions than answers. Like, if the most intimate thing a quarian can do is link his or her suit with another's, how does the species reproduce? I thought I'd get to see a quarian sans helmet on the flotilla. Renegade option to remove quarian helmet, plz?
Grunt:I was super afraid that he was going to be a designer imposter Wrex. Very glad this was not the case. He was a nice concept, but to see it actually play out left me a little meh. I think I would've preferred to hash it out with a lunatic like Okeer. Especially if I had to take him back to Tuchanka to meet Wrex, given all the bad blood there.
Thane:Loved Thane. His character design was awesome. Totally romanced him and loved it. I think it was because I was expecting either a super flashy Gambit-type assassin or mega ultra quiet sociopathic type. Maybe the way he rationalizes his career choice is a cop out, but it provides the opportunity for him to be this sensitive and introspective character. Although, his backstory does smack of Carth Onasi, just with a completely different slant. His paramour moment is very endearing and sweet, less about "omg I love you forever and ever" or even about just sex. It's got that comfort aspect, where he's ashamed and humiliated by his own realization that he's afraid to die.
Kaidan:Oh, Kaidan, I miss you. I still think he's probably my favorite romance option in terms of RL stability, sanity and behaving like an actual adult. I love that out of all the characters from the first game, he hasn't changed a bit. He won't compromise and join Cerberus with you, but at the same time sends you that note afterward, apologizing. Mr. Alenko, I hope to see you again in ME3.
Liara:My big complaint? There's not enough explanation. Given how young and naive she is in the first game, but at the same time so inquisitive, this transformation makes sense. But the obsession bit. I wish there was more information on who this friend was who was swiped by the Shadow Broker. There's a lot of assumption and reading between the lines, I just wish there was a finite statement for why she hopped the crazy train.
Joker:I feel bad for this guy. I mean, he had a chip on his shoulder the first game, but he's so bitter now. It makes sense, the Alliance took away the one thing that mattered to him and tried to brush him under the rug. But I still feel bad.
Dr. Chakwas:Totally got drunk with the doctor. Was really sad when I thought she was dead after everyone got nabbed by the collectors.
It's funny, because I bought it because I got my tax return money and wanted to do more than pay bills with it. I was still in the throes of Dragon Age and literally had to force myself to start playing, initially. Now I could care less about Dragon Age with Awakening coming out in less than a week.
Gameplay-wise I was a little insulted. Bioware listened to everyone who complained about the weapons overheating, the pima mako, confusion with upgrading armor/weapons, true. But their solution to everything: Omit it from the next game. I don't think that's what the gamers intended when they started their whining after the first game. I didn't like getting spoon-fed. Fortunately the storyline was interesting enough, adult enough, epic enough to make me keep playing despite the good 20 minute, obscenity-laden tirade I went on when I realized there was no inventory.
I liked all the characters, which is rare. Old and new.
Miranda:I liked her a lot, which I found surprising. She's not the carbon copy Ice Princess that Bioware loves to use. She's arrogant, but at the same time undermines her abilities because they're the result of genetic engineering, not her own hard work. But what I really like is that she doesn't like Shepard. When everyone else in your party is drooling gaga and ready to jump blindly off a cliff on Shepard's command, Miranda's there on orders from the Illusive Man and is sort of resentful of having to defer to the judgment of someone two years out of the loop. Plus I like that she and Jacob have a history. It's nice to see some romantic entanglements outside of Shepard's patented "healing genitalia."
Jacob:I really thought I was going to like Jacob. I had him in my party constantly at first and pegged him as "the dude to romance." But then, I don't know. First, I had Shepard come on to him and was really taken aback at how close it sounded to, "I'm going to club you over the head, Jacob and take you back to my cave!" Not Jacob's fault, I admit, but what the hell was that, Bioware? I think it was really how he was trying to be some sort of moral light when he's working for Cerberus that ultimately turned me off. That and seeing him react to his past with his father during his loyalty quest. A lot of his reactions were a bit adolescent and hypocritical. Still, pretty to look at, though.
Mordin:Sings Gilbert and Sullivan. Gilbert and Sullivan! 'Nuff said. There was a lot of sensitivity in these characters that I hadn't been expecting. Seeing him actually pause to react to the krogans shows so much denial and grief, it was unexpected but very well done.
Jack:Was easily the best biotic in the game. Which sucked, because I wanted to muzzle her. When you strip her away to her very essence, she's a spoiled little brat who feels entitled to do whatever she wants because the world wronged her and now it owes her. Grow up, Jack, when you murder an entire colony, the authorities aren't going to care that you were tortured as a kid. Put on a damn shirt.
Garrus:I felt really meh about Garrus in the first game. Because I thought he was a "yes" man. Poor Garrus had no testicles and relied on your Shepard to be his testicles and to point him in the "right" direction. Well, Garrus has since found a brass pair of his own. I like him more this time around, because he's picked a direction and is sticking to it. Still wouldn't want to romance him, however, he seems a little out of his vigilante mind.
Zaeed:I liked him, because he was a self-serving prick. Some of the things that he said were just priceless. It was a little unsettling when you sat back and realized he was serious, of course, but he was a nice change of pace. That he'd compromise a mission for revenge, etc, etc. He also had one of the more realistic faces in the game as ugly as he was.
Legion:I liked getting that insight into the geth. But Legion being part of your party just struck me as wholly unrealistic. Especially with Tali in your party. I have a hard time buying that she, or a good chunk of your other party members, would stick around with Legion having free roam of the ship.
Samara:For all the talk of boobs, I was more interested in her skin texture and her eyes. She is gorgeous! That being said, I don't know how I feel about her. She's very aloof and detached, one of the few aliens who truly feels alien. She has this heart-wrenching loyalty quest, but manages to really remain reserved about it. Maybe it's to show that she really is nearly 1000 years old? Or it's a justicar thing? It's hard to get a read on her.
Tali:Baby is all grown up! She's still Tali, but has this self-assured confidence that we didn't see in the first game. Being able to see the flotilla was cool, too, although it left me with more questions than answers. Like, if the most intimate thing a quarian can do is link his or her suit with another's, how does the species reproduce? I thought I'd get to see a quarian sans helmet on the flotilla. Renegade option to remove quarian helmet, plz?
Grunt:I was super afraid that he was going to be a designer imposter Wrex. Very glad this was not the case. He was a nice concept, but to see it actually play out left me a little meh. I think I would've preferred to hash it out with a lunatic like Okeer. Especially if I had to take him back to Tuchanka to meet Wrex, given all the bad blood there.
Thane:Loved Thane. His character design was awesome. Totally romanced him and loved it. I think it was because I was expecting either a super flashy Gambit-type assassin or mega ultra quiet sociopathic type. Maybe the way he rationalizes his career choice is a cop out, but it provides the opportunity for him to be this sensitive and introspective character. Although, his backstory does smack of Carth Onasi, just with a completely different slant. His paramour moment is very endearing and sweet, less about "omg I love you forever and ever" or even about just sex. It's got that comfort aspect, where he's ashamed and humiliated by his own realization that he's afraid to die.
Kaidan:Oh, Kaidan, I miss you. I still think he's probably my favorite romance option in terms of RL stability, sanity and behaving like an actual adult. I love that out of all the characters from the first game, he hasn't changed a bit. He won't compromise and join Cerberus with you, but at the same time sends you that note afterward, apologizing. Mr. Alenko, I hope to see you again in ME3.
Liara:My big complaint? There's not enough explanation. Given how young and naive she is in the first game, but at the same time so inquisitive, this transformation makes sense. But the obsession bit. I wish there was more information on who this friend was who was swiped by the Shadow Broker. There's a lot of assumption and reading between the lines, I just wish there was a finite statement for why she hopped the crazy train.
Joker:I feel bad for this guy. I mean, he had a chip on his shoulder the first game, but he's so bitter now. It makes sense, the Alliance took away the one thing that mattered to him and tried to brush him under the rug. But I still feel bad.
Dr. Chakwas:Totally got drunk with the doctor. Was really sad when I thought she was dead after everyone got nabbed by the collectors.