It’s really good. Much better than the first, as I said. I did think the last mission had too many chances for big speeches by Shepard, though. The final battle was like the end of The Terminator on steroids. It’s not quite back to the level BioWare was at with KoTOR, but the plot is more engaging and the characters are way more likable than the ones in the first ME. I was truly concerned for my party members at the end, but fortunately everyone I cared about made it through.
I haven’t finished Mass Effect 2 yet; but it seems to me that there are a hell of a lot of quests that involve parent/child relationships. Miranda and her dad, Jacob and his dad, Thane’s son, Samara’s daughter, Tali’s dad…
Just an observation; I’m not sure yet if it’s a brilliant thematic device or laziness.
I’m sure other people have discussed this, but I’m not reading anything about ME 2 until I finish it.
No. As that pro-Mass Effect movie article says: “The relationships Shepard (and in turn, us) forms with his crew take on the audience-friendly tone that defines the best men-on-a-mission movies.”
The only thing I’d change with that assessment is that the tone is better than the best such movies. We feel more involved in Mass Effect (especially ME 2) than in a movie because we’re doing things. We’re making the tough choices, and deciding which characters are friend or foe. And while you could boil a 20+ hour game down to a two-hour movie, the sidequests are part of what gives RPG’s their depth and richness.Mass Effect isn’t even the best video game when it comes to this, (Try Knights of the Old Republic I & especially II) but it’s better than the movies could be.
