Mass Effect 2

In honor of the upcoming Mass Effect 3, (less than a week!), I would like to give my review on Mass Effect 2. This game is epic in every sense of the word. In ME2 we don't strive to live up to a destiny, prove our worth or try to become the hero, we are the hero who has respect immediately as he/she steps into the scene and is known by almost everyone in the galaxy. Shepard calls the shots and everyone else follows.

This game was everything I have ever dreamed of in a game. An amazingly done sci-fi RPG/third person shooter. I loved how much detail was put in to every planet, what its composition was, alien occupancy, safety, the atmosphere... I know a lot of gamers didn't care too much about those details but these little things really made this game awesome. As someone who has always wondered "what's out there", being able to travel light speed and explore was great. But what really made this game was the characters. From the very beginning we question the Illusive Man's motives and what he really seeks. We are able to make decisions and give Commander Shepard a real personality. Shep doesn't need to take orders, she simply does what she wants and can build relationships out of these interactions, whether that makes them lovers or enemies.

The most brilliant part of the game that BioWare established was that Shepard had a VOICE. There are too many games to name where the main character never talks. Many where we can't even select a text line responding and almost none where we actually HEAR the main characters voice as we control her thoughts. This is what established such a bond between the gamer and the game itself. I no longer felt as an outsider looking in on this world, I felt I was in this world. And if you choose Sheppard to say "no" she doesn't simply say "no", her responses are well thought out and can be witty, sarcastic, firm and so on. So bravo BioWare for doing what others don't. I'll give you an example, I love Skyrim and Fallout, they are excellent games. But I feel very disconnected from the main character. When the character makes a decision or talks to someone we see no emotion in our characters face, we don't even see our characters face. And we never hear their voice. If you answer yes or no to someone, it is just that. No thoughtful thinking and no voice behind the decision. I don't even know what my main characters faces look like in Skyrim or Fallout, but my Female Sheppard will always be burned into my mind because I am her and she is me.

BioWare did an excellent job with the casting of the voices in this game. It was like a movie. In any game I've ever played, I can't really remember the voices except of maybe the main character, but in ME2 I can recall every voice and personality of almost every main character. This was exceptional.

Don't think I was gonna leave out my sci-fi lover... The opportunity to have a relationship in this game is one you should not pass up. It was so much fun and a rush that left me feeling like I was back in 8th grade chasing my crush. At first I just didn't think that there were many suitors from a FemShep standpoint. I felt a little left out. But then I met Thane and all that changed. Yes, I'm a Thane lover and I know there are many many other females that share my love for him. I started reading fan fiction for God sake, just so I could drag out my Sheppard/Thane relationship. And for the male Shepards out there, don't act like you didn't fall in love with Tali, Ashley or Liara...

The storyline was phenomenal, graphics amazing, music superb. There is nothing that I would change about this game (except maybe a Thane sex scene).

Score: 10
Replay Value:10