Mass Effect 2 thoughts + rant.

Since I don't have to work tonight (YAY, HOUR CUTS!) I am bored and still have Mass Effect 2 on the mind, I wrote a little thing that nobody will care about. There may be spoilers (general end of the game stuff) so if that bothers you then don't read.

I have to say, I don't think I've been so into a game for a long, long time

Much like the first game, what makes this so awesome is how many choices you have to make throughout the game, some of them small, some of them huge, and how the game changes (or seemingly doesn't...until later) is mind blowing. So many choices and variables that it's like life, and whatever you choose, the game must continue.

They even let you import your data from the first game (something I highly recommend), and the choices you made in THAT ONE change countless things in the sequel and that is one of the coolest things ever.

I am astounded at how great a job Bioware does with developing characters and actually making you care about them. It's quite unreal.

The final mission is fucking intense and you have to choose members of your team to do specific jobs/meet objectives and there's a chance they can die if you pick the wrong one and so on, so for the entire mission I was on edge hoping like hell everybody would survive, so I was killing dudes as fast as I could and trying to meet up with the other team members and so on and it was CRAZY how into it I was.

Eventually I finished and everyone made it through alive I was ECSTATIC. The whole thing is just epic feeling and I once again blow away by the level of polish that a game can possess.

It truly has been a long time since I've cared that much about fictional characters in a game.

If I had to find things to complain about it would be these:

Some of the RPG elements and extra exploring bits from the first game have been removed or changed significantly. At first this bothered me because I felt like it takes away a degree of customization and experimenting away from the player. Eventually though I got used to the new system and those thoughts left me. There's still part of me that misses it, but I guess the reality is that the whole game is far more streamlined having left those things out.

The second thing is related to the awesome character development I talked about.

Much like in the first game you are able to pursue a romantic encounter with one of your team members. (you get to bang someone)

Anyone who played the first game probably recalls the mainstream media attention the game got for including such an option.

Everyone jumped on it and tried to tear it to bits. My favourite quote has to be:

"Mass Effect can be customized to sodomize whatever, whomever, however, the game player wishes," and "with its ‘over the net’ capabilities virtual orgasmic rape is just the push of a button away." - Kevin McCullough (some conservative douche)

Seriously. That's SO wrong that it is hilarious.

The game (and sequel) allows you to start relationship with someone in a scene near the end of the game, a scene that features no graphic nudity or sex. It's basically on par with what you'd see in any movie these days, but, hey, it's not even worth arguing with the media who have never understood games as a form of entertainment and storytelling.

The point I was on about is that the scenes in this game are more toned down than the first game. Now, it doesn't necessarily bother me just because I want to see tits (well, I do, but hear me out)

No, it bothers me because I can't help but think there was some pressure from someone somewhere to not be so “explicit”

A lot of people are blaming EA (publisher) for it, but I don't think there is any proof of that. People just like to hate EA (with good reason, admittedly)

For the record:

Banging Ashley in the first game (at least we get some NAKED)

Banging Miranda in the second game. (what a tease, how am I supposed to jerk off to this!?)

Obviously, I'm just being a goof, but I think you get the point.

What I don't understand is how games (in general, now) can feature swearing, heads getting hacked off, people getting shot and beat to death, but anything pushing into the sexual realm is so OFF LIMITS that the whole world stops spinning whenever some developer takes a bold step.

What is with our culture?

These scenes are about how serious the game is and how deep the storytelling and characters can be. Why are gamers still treated like kids when it comes to things like this? Why is it so off limits?

Basically, what I'm saying is:

Dear Bioware, show some tits next time. Man up. Set an example that you love boobs. Get that fully clothed shit out of my game!

Rant/goofy shit aside and back to reality that's also not much of a negative knock on the game, because its ultimately trivial as hell, but my questions and bewilderment in general still remain.

Overall, this game ranks as one of the best experiences I've had in a long time and probably ever.

I hope this series never dies.

Makes me want to give Dragon Age a try, but I'd probably just keep thinking "why can't this be set in space and have folding assault rifles and robots to blow up?"

So I'll wait.