Written by: Michael K.
Do any of you have a favorite game of all time? I know at least some of you do. That game that changed your life, that you cannot help yourself but go back to playing every year? For me, that game is now twelve years old, and is highly regarded as one of the greatest of all time by critics and average gamers alike. A game that went above and beyond what came before, and really set me on the life path that I have now.
That game was Mass Effect 2. This was actually the first one in the main trilogy that I played, before the first and third game. I just decided one night to go through my older brother’s games, and decided, “Why not? He says it’s his favorite.” Well, I can thank that day in 2017 for changing my life.
Mass Effect 2 is to me, the greatest in the series, but why? Mass Effect 2 is set two years after the events of the first game. It opens with a loud bang, as your character is killed right at the start, with their starship, the SSV Normandy, being destroyed by an unstoppable alien ship. I was already blown away when I first played through this, but after getting the first game for my 17th birthday, this struck even harder. After all the good times spent on the Normandy, now it’s destroyed, and years later, your character is brought back to life!
From the start, you are thrown into unknown territory, as the choices you made in the first game have consequences for the galaxy in the second. Your reputation, whether it be of a noble paragon or ruthless renegade, means that people will treat you differently. If you let a character live or die, we see their replacement, or people will judge humanity because of your actions. But how this game emphasizes consequence is most evident in the way your character treats their squad mates.
The main focus of the game is preparing for a deadly mission to fight the seemingly unstoppable alien Collectors, who have been abducting human colonies in service of an ancient galactic threat called the Reapers. In order to take them on, you must assemble a team of the best soldiers, scientists, and mercenaries in the galaxy, each of them completely distinct, to fight them.
Each of them has unique abilities that make them valuable in combat, but the thing that truly makes them shine is the characters themselves. Each one has their own backstory, different goals, and reacts differently to you, seeing you either as friend or foe. They all have a dedicated level that allows you to gain their loyalty, and you become invested in helping each one of them with their respective problems. From helping Garrus in his quest for revenge against the man who killed his friends, to rescuing Miranda’s sister from being kidnapped by their crazy evil father, to helping the aging assassin Thane Krios reunite with his son, you feel motivated each time.
Beyond this, Mass Effect 2 gives you endless other options. You can explore the galaxy’s criminal underworld on a nightclub space station, take care of pests on a nuclear wasteland planet, or punch a disrespectful tabloid reporter (For the second game in a row!).
Or you can have down time with your crew, learn about stories they have to tell, and even get into a relationship with them! The characters are so well-done you can really become attached to them, so thank you Bioware for making an alien with a mask my first true girlfriend!
All of this ends in a final mission that will require your all. You better have made the right choices, helped each of your crewmates, and gotten some upgrades for your ship…otherwise, your crewmates will die. They don’t call it a suicide mission for nothing.
Mass Effect 2 will always be the game that helped me mature the most. It truly inspired me as a storyteller and lover of science fiction to pursue it as my dream. And now, it still continues to inspire me, not just in my career but to never give up in the face of obstacles. While I recommend all three games in the Mass Effect Trilogy, it is Mass Effect 2 that inspires me the most every year when I need it.
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