Posts from Mass Effect 2

Exactly one week ago, the second part of the unforgettable Mass Effect saga was released worldwide. Rumors and speculations about the new installment circulated exclusively around the plot – what it would be like, how much more complex and deeper it would delve into the details of the universe and storyline. The developers fed eager gamers with bits of information, megabyte by megabyte. However, it's hard to call it just "bits" – a couple of dozen videos, both introductory and showcasing gameplay for different classes, introducing the main character's allies. Indeed, the amount of available information and the diversity of the universe have increased at least one and a half times, if not more.

An equally important part of the information flow was the unprecedented and never-before-implemented feature, unique to Mass Effect 2: transferring saves from the first part to the second! The imported character promised to carry over not only appearance but also information about the level, wealth, and, most interestingly, all the consequences of your decisions in the first part of the game. Who you left alive and who you executed, how you acted in a particular situation. All these decisions from the first part, although they don't play a decisive role in the second part, allow you to unlock new dialogues and truly see how much your choices leave a mark now – in the second part. Indeed, BioWare's work is extremely impressive – seeing old faces, receiving in-game letters of gratitude or threats for what we did in the first part – is a delight. Sometimes, even secondary quests involve those we spared/helped or those we worked with.

Without changing the positive trend that emerged after the game was evaluated by the global community, Bioware took the successes of the first part and squared them. The cinematic quality, dialogues, and complex decisions that require thinking and analysis have been significantly increased. The characters' facial expressions have ceased to be just an additional effect and now shine in even the simplest skirmishes. It's not surprising that BioWare released the game at the beginning of the year when the laurels of the best RPG of the year could still be challenged and surpassed by other ingenious developers, but it can be said with certainty that no other known or unknown game development company will be able to reach SUCH cinematic quality, SUCH emotional experiences, and SUCH beauty, even remotely, within a year.

A truly even more vivid continuation of a truly living game, with each new step through the expanses of its own universe, raises the bar higher and higher. I won't lie – Mass Effect 2, despite being a video game, thanks to the creative work of BioWare, can now be ranked among the highest elite – the best films and games in the entire history of their creation!

On January 30, 2010, Electronic Arts announced that, as of that date, starting with the sales launch on the 26th in the USA and the 27th in Europe, more than 2 million copies of the game had already been sold worldwide.
In Russia, the official release was scheduled for the 28th, and on the 27th, the game could be purchased as part of a special promotion at the HitZona stores in Moscow. Arriving just half an hour after the start of the promotion, I found out that all DVD boxes had been sold out, and I was left with only a Jewel case.

Only by losing everything completely do we gain freedom.
What's the point of this epigraph? There isn't one, I just like it.
I chose my next biography – a native of Earth and an orphan, the only survivor of one of the operations.
I helped everyone and did good deeds, and thankfully, there weren't any particularly difficult choices in the game. Because of this, I managed to meet many familiar faces in the second part.
I liked Ashley, and her excessive xenophobia was easily reduced to moderate thanks to one successful line. I even wanted to flirt with her, and that's why I left Kaiden at the Citadel (although, to be honest, I hoped that with active help to his squad during the mission, he would still be saved), but Mass Effect has a tricky romance system – if you say one careless line to one of the girls, then the branches with the others are closed, and that's it. The same applies to the second part. I must say, I really didn't like this detail.
Garrus – a desperate policeman who believes that justice must prevail at any cost; I simply couldn't help but like such a character.
Liara – the modest teenage girl aroused some sympathy in me, and as a result of those very careless lines, I had to "be friends" with her. Fortunately, the romance with her is quite pleasant, and I liked it more than not.
-Shepard.
-inRex. I liked his phlegmatic view of problems and the world in general, and that's about it.
I liked Tali. More than in the second part. She hadn't yet lost her modesty and inexperience; later, she's not the same.
Kaiden is an awfully bland character. Nevertheless, I still felt sorry for leaving him to certain death.
The second part:
At first, I was very afraid that it would start with some terrible and stupid nonsense like "Cerberus is actually good, they're just...". Here, I wholeheartedly praise BioWare – they didn't whitewash Cerberus; they simply presented it as the lesser evil.
Jacob. I immediately understood that we would become friends – a simple guy trying to improve the world as much as he can.
Miranda. A person who is always expected to do a lot, because he must be the best, and everyone else doesn't care about him. She evoked sympathy, and I even considered cheating on Liara with her, but because of the damn romance system (see above), I couldn't do it.
Archangel. When I heard that he and his squad were harming criminals, I liked him. When I learned that a bounty was placed on him, I became extremely fond of him. But when I learned that three mercenary groups had united against him, a recruitment drive was underway for freelance mercenaries, and the freelancers were being reassured with phrases like, "He's been holding out for a day, so he might start missing," I realized that he was my ideal. And when someone mentioned him in my presence, that he was a Turian, I immediately thought: "I knew a Turian who strove to restore justice by any means." And yes, it was him. In short, to paraphrase, I'll say – if in the first part, I just liked Garrus, then in the second part, I liked him immensely although later, I was terribly annoyed that he was always calibrating his weapons.
Mordin. I liked his manner of speech, his constant tendency to analyze, and the presence of moral principles combined with an awareness of the need to act harshly when necessary. "Trying to determine how sub-dermal itching has infiltrated the Normandy. Transmitted sexually. Only spread by varren. The conclusions are unpleasant."
Jack. This time, fate decreed that I was supposed to have a romance with her. But this time, I preferred to refuse and wait for the third part, hoping that Liara would be returned to me there. A killer-psychopath who is, at heart, just a little girl who is afraid of everything? What could be more dangerous and unpleasant, ugh. I hate villains who whine and start justifying their evil nature. It's not me, it's all them! It's not my fault! Damn, she's just a bitch.
Thane. A pleasant drell, although I didn't like his certain irresponsibility and detachment (I'm talking about his work).
Samara. She brings good and justice. Period. Although, I liked that she remembered Nyala (or whatever her name was).
Tali. A pleasant girl, but nothing more.
Grunt. The perfect Krogan warrior. Period.
I worried about the companions, about each of them, although I did everything competently and methodically, to be absolutely sure of their complete survival. I even saved the secretary and the doctor. By the way, I also liked the secretary, and I even wanted to try flirting with her, but then I changed my mind, hoping for a more opportune moment. Yeah, right.
I blew up the Collectors' base (well, I can't call them Collectors), because I'm even afraid to imagine how Cerberus would have used the power they obtained. In the end, I calmly told the Reaper that I did exactly what I was resurrected for – I stopped the Collectors. I don't know if he understood me.
I liked the cinematic quality in both parts. It's really beautiful, although sometimes it reminds me too much of a movie. The final scene, where the Reaper disconnects from the body that was considered the main one, evoked a pleasant-anxious feeling.
That's all.

Great game, I enjoy it for its vibrant graphics, gameplay, and decent plot. The higher the difficulty level, the more exciting the firefights become.
I didn't get to play the first part, so I couldn't transfer a character, but even without that, it's pretty good.
And, of course, the colorful characters:

Mordin Solus is an interesting character, a bit funny because of his talkativeness. He often has engaging dialogues. I appreciate him for analyzing everything that's happening around him, although sometimes he's too hasty (because of this, he died in one of the endings).
Garrus is a cute Turian, he acts with somewhat harsh methods, but he clearly stands for justice. I respect that.
Tali is also a cute character. She's kind of a philosopher. She has beautiful speech and voice, and she is always calm and acts deliberately.
Compared to all the other female characters in the team, Jack seemed the most alive and vibrant to me. A criminal with psychological trauma from her childhood. Sometimes I really felt sorry for her. It wasn't her choice, but the choice of "Cerberus" to make her go through all of that. And, by the way, she doesn't live up to her evil reputation...
Legion is the cutest Geth. This character aroused the most interest in me when I first met him. Cool voice and straightforward answers. It's fun. Sometimes he slightly reminds me of Professor Mordin.

I won't say much about the others, as they interested me the least.

After the first part, I was completely confused with the inventory and barely managed to figure it out by the middle of the game. Scanning isn't much worse than traveling through monotonous landscapes, and it's noticeably more effective. Now, the locations are unique even in minor quests, which is great. But I miss "Mako." In the final mission, everyone survived. Absolutely everyone, including the crew. Of course, I blew up the base to smithereens – I am a hero, after all. I started a romance with Garrus, and I decided on it relatively late. He's very funny, especially when he tries to give compliments, and he's just adorable. Jacob made a surprisingly good impression on me – much better than I expected. Probably because Miranda annoyed me from the first minute she appeared. She's probably the only character in the entire game that I wouldn't feel bad about. I didn't like Mordin at first (I don't like Salarians), but then I started to feel more sympathetic towards him. I couldn't help but love Jack; you don't often see such a concentration of brutality in one person. Grunt didn't appeal to me as much as Rex, although he's charming in his own way. Tali, unlike Jacob, didn't impress me as much as I expected; he's just too bug-eyed. Samara, with her plunging neckline and knee-high heels, doesn't give the impression of a tough warrior, but she looks very cute in black and gold (yes, I kept her, screw that Morinth). Tali hasn't become any less adorable since the first part; I like the new color scheme of her outfit more. Legion is interesting; it was interesting to listen to him and generally have one of those I used to kill in hordes in ME1 in my squad. The cutscenes are much more impressive than in the first part, and if there were functions like "hang around Garrus's neck," "hug Joker (and break all his bones)," "kiss Rex," and "run happily through the new Normandy," I would gladly use them. Meetings with other old acquaintances were less impressive, except for Liara, but she hugged me, so those functions aren't needed there. And the epic ending is epic; you don't see that in every movie, especially considering that you've been fighting alongside these characters throughout the game, and they're almost like family.

Of course, I destroyed the base and sent it to the Reaper base – after all, I’m a hero.

So, you won’t get stronger enemies in the third part. Because serving the Illusive Man and the Reapers is officially confirmed.

She started a romance with Garrus, and decided to do it relatively late.

If she romanced Kaidan with the same character, there will be problems in the third part.

It was interesting to listen to him and generally have one of those I killed in packs in ME1 in my squad.

She didn’t listen to him, judging by the following text.

So, you won't get stronger enemies in the third part.

Firstly, I don't need them, and secondly, he'll manage somehow even without a base; he's smart. I believe in him.

If you romanced Kaidan with this same character, you'll have problems in the third part.

Let the developers worry about it; in the first part, there's no one for a female character to romance anyway, there's only Alistair (I don't count Liara). I'm already looking forward to a good fight.

Didn't listen, judging by the following text.

If anything, I meant the intelligent appearance itself. I don't think Legion is much different from the other Geth, including the "heretics" that I was killing in droves. Except for the AI, of course.

I don't understand. Based on what you're saying, it seems like you didn't like Kaiden. So why did you develop a "relationship" with him?

I'm already looking forward to a good fight.

No, it's not a fight here, more like a betrayal.

I don't think the Legion is that different from the other Geth.

"The Legion is one of a kind." (c) BioWare

Then why did you develop a "relationship" with him?

Because it's Carth Onasi, i.e., KOTOR.

Why, then, did you develop a "relationship" with him?

For me, "developing a romantic relationship" is just another quest, like "beat up Saren and save the world." By the way, I didn't really like Kaidan either, even though I kept taking him with me. But that's a topic for another section.

No, it's not about beating someone up, it's more about betrayal.

I hope that in the third part, they will introduce another romanceable character so that I can flirt with him while Alena and Garrus sort things out between themselves :3 Dreams, dreams...

"Legion is one of a kind." (c) BioWare

Well, you'll also say that he's not gay. Although, yes, he's not gay, he's a thousand geths. But whatever, he gave me a reason to jump on his neck and happily shout, "I knew there were good geths!!!"

He is very amusing, especially when he tries to give compliments, and he is generally adorable.

But still, killing him is as easy as spitting.

Of course, I destroyed the base and sent it to Reaper's grandmother – after all, I am a hero.

Good job, let Illusor-Man go wherever he wants.
Although, I personally created several characters with different ending variations, so... let's see how it all turns out.

I couldn't help but love Jack; it's not often you find such a concentration of brutality per square centimeter.

And yet, Jack is so vulnerable... That's what I like most about her.

Tain, unlike Jacob, didn't impress me as much as I expected; he has bulging eyes. Samara, with her cleavage down to her navel and knee-high heels, doesn't give the impression of a tough warrior, although she looks very cute in black and gold (yes, I kept her, forget about Morrigan).

Nah, Tain is a cutie.
And if you want to take Morrigan into your team, you definitely won't be able to be a hero.

Miranda annoyed me from the first minutes of her appearance. Perhaps she is the only character in the entire game that I wouldn't feel sorry for.

Oh yes. It's been proven that Miranda is mostly liked by school kids for her breasts and butt. Heh.

"Legion is one of a kind."

Legion is just a mobile platform connected to the collective mind of the Geth. He said it himself.
Although, I personally really like Legion. His voice... it's so... charming...

But still, killing her is as easy as spitting.

Well, I said it – she’s adorable.

And yet, Jack is so vulnerable... That’s what I like most about her.

I didn’t really notice her vulnerability. Maybe it only shows up in a romance with a male character.

Nah, Thane is a good-looking guy.

In my opinion, Garrus and Jacob are more attractive. Maybe Thane looks “cool,” but his bulging eyes and that tight black suit… It’s just not my thing, you know.

And if you want to take Morinth into your team, you definitely won’t be a hero.

Thanks, Captain.
Although, in my opinion, both Samara and Morinth are two psychopathic maniacs. Compared to them, Jack is an angel.