From Mass Negelct to Mass Affection: The Story of Matt Shepard

I was finally able to play through Bioware's acclaimed space opera Mass Effect 2 recently and if you listen to my ramblomatic podcast OpinionHated then you already have a decent gauge as to my opinion on said game. I wanted to further flesh out my opinion though, because if you did indeed listen to OpinionHated then in addition to being an incredibly charming and handsome person you are also well aware of the fact that I was quite tired when said cast-o-pod was recorded. And if you don't listen to OpinionHated, then you are probably sick of me mentioning it and would like me to get on with the article.

I really, really enjoyed my time with Mass Effect 2. The universe they created for the game feels vast, but manageable at the same time. I never felt overwhelmed, but I did feel at times as though I were a mere speck on a magnificent canvas. This point of scope stuck with me into my daily life as I catch myself frequently looking up at the stars at night and simply contemplating the vastness of it all. I'm reminded of a quote from Jayne Cobb "I've been to the edge, just looked like more space"

The setting, I found, was so magnificent that it seemed to cover up a flaw I had no idea existed until after the endgame. The story and [new] characters aren't all that interesting. The first half of the game is spent building your team for the suicide mission, and the last half is spent running errands for your crew. I just felt like there wasn't enough time to get to know people.

Basically you get one mission to learn more about a particular crew member then from there on out they are just support (barring the occasional conversation aboard the Normandy). The issue I have with this is that the characters are left with one defining trait... well, two perhaps, they are the (Initial Impression) with the (secondary attribute gleaned from Loyalty Mission), so for instance: Miranda is the (By the books Cerberus Officer) with (family issues). Jacob is the (former Alliance Officer) with (family issues). Thane is the (slick assassin) with... (...family issues...). Samara is the (crazy Justicar) with... yeah... (family issues)...

Alright, put on your hipster glasses cause here comes the part where I get pretentious and pick apart a genuinely good game to fit my own taste: I just wish there were more gameplay-driven story elements with getting to know your crew. Every time it goes back to the Normandy it's as if the game pauses. Honestly Mass Effect is akin to Sci-fi Football. You start a level, shoot a few guys, then go back to the Normandy to talk. The way the game is broken up is just plain jarring. Sure there are the occasional planet side trips where you have to talk to someone before the shooting starts, but the characters you bring along with you are silent, even during most conversations they just kind of hover. Even back as far as the SNES days we had this type of story telling down, no excuses Bioware.

As I eluded to earlier, the new characters in Mass Effect 2 are all pretty samey. You meet: the cold calculating assassin Thane; the cold calculating robot Legion; the crazy because of rules Samara; the crazy because of no rules Jack; the boring bland Jacob; and the boring bland Miranda. Kasumi is a thief, and Grunt is a Krogan. On the other hand the returning characters were terrific. I was, in short, an idiot to play the 2nd game and think I could get away with it. I need to play the first game (the issue there being that I also need a. better computer or b. xbox 360). I got Mass Effect 2 on the word of the developers who swore up and down that you could go into the sequel having not played through the first and have a full and complete experience. They lied.

The characters who return from Mass Effect 1 are fabulous. They are a tad bit more fleshed out, and I imagine had I played the previous entry I would have even more of an attachment to them. Honestly, I was bummed when I found out I couldn't romance Garrus, he was freaking cool. Then again, I quite enjoyed have Tali around, despite being an alien she had the most human and endearing qualities out of any woman on the ship. I genuinely enjoyed her character, which set up the final mission perfectly *SPOILERS AHEAD*

The main reason I left this game with a positive feeling, despite previously deriding it, was the fact that I knew the suicide mission could mean the end of my entire team and crew. Here I can say that Bioware did their job, because all it takes is one. You need only care about one team member, and the stakes will be raised. By this point I wanted to keep Tali alive, because my suave, amnesia ridden, pencil-stache sporting Shepard couldn't live without her and her nervous-adorable nature. I kept Tali on my team for the entire mission, figuring that would be my best chance at keeping her alive. After I defeated the big bad there was a cutscene in which the platform you are on breaks apart and Tali fell to her [near] death. At that moment I let out a tasteful and restrained, but still audible "no", followed by a smirk, and a "good job bioware".

Tali ended up surviving, to which I was extremely grateful, but alas, Legion didn't make it. I can only image how epic that mission would have been if I had truly cared about all the characters. Also, I know this is a cheap shot, the voice actor for Male-Shep is terrible.

So that is Mass Effect 2. I have high hopes for ME3, namely that I will be able to get to know my crew (or at the very least my current team configuration) outside the Normandy. Also, I'm praying the story is better than "The Big Bad is coming. Assemble your team, save everything", but Bioware would never do something like that... right?

Opinion Hated Episode 3

Matt and Jeremy talk about stuff like Catherine, Mass Effect 2, Toy Story 3, Breaking Dawn and Title Fight. Not in that order.