Games I Can't Put Down: Mass Effect 2 (PS3)

I've been curious about Mass Effect 2 since I heard about the rave reviews. It was an X-Box 360 and I really don't follow them. They have great titles but I have a PS3. I just didn't see what the hype was about. It won various game of the year awards too. I didn't really pay it any mind until I heard it was going to be released on Sony's Black Behemoth. Even then I almost slept on it. After downloading the excellent demo and reading updated reviews I took the plunge.

I'm a big gamer but not as hardcore as I used to be. I try to work on my art more than I play. The trade off is that I play less but the games I do play are AAA. Mass Effect 2 is an amazing title. It's really one of the best games I've ever played. Unfortunately Microsoft owns the rights to Mass Effect 1 so that will never be ported to PS3. To handle this (The choices you make in Mass Effect 1 effect how 2 is.) Dark Horse put in an interactive comic to fill in the gaps. It works pretty well. It doesn't replace the experience of playing through the entire game but oh well.

The story itself is an intergalactic space adventure. You play as humanity's savior, Shepherd. He dies in the first minutes of the game when aliens attack. Thankfully he's revived by a covert corporation called Cerberus. Apparently they used to be Shepherd's enemies. The jest of the solid narrative is that you're traveling the universe to create a team strong enough to stop The Collectors and The Reapers from destroying humanity and the universe. I absolutely love the freedom. The game at times plays like a choose your own adventure. You create your avatar and choose how they behave on and off the field.

Gameplay feels like a cover based shooter with rpg elements thrown in. It reminds me of Halo and Resident Evil 4 actually. Characters are believable and very well written. Like Uncharted the game is good about making you care about it's cast. That's it though. This is a must play title and I'm very happy it's on PS3 now. I'm already looking forward to Mass Effect 3!


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