Earlier this week, I found myself hanging out at my local EB Games while my mom was at the Lenscrafters across the mall. After cycling through their inventory with my brother, we talked to the on-duty cashier, who just happened to be my brother’s friend. I had come into the store with no intentions to buy anything, but he made me an offer on a game I couldn’t refuse.
I just finished Mass Effect 2, and I felt compelled to share my thoughts on the endgame sequence to the game. I have been hyper-critical of endgame sequences in the past, but I am glad to report that Mass Effect 2 does not fall by the wayside. It’s a fantastic experience from beginning to end, but the gravity of the situation and the choices you make leading up to the final mission build up to one of the most epic and varied endgame sequences I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing.
Having just finished playing through Mass Effect, I think this is one of the greatest video games I’ve ever played. When I played through that game, it is startling how big this game is, yet how awesome the experience is. When it comes to storytelling, scale, characterization and role-playing, I don’t think I’ve played anything better than Mass Effect.
What I wanted to focus on first is the scope of Mass Effect. Without question, this is the biggest game I’ve ever played. In a number of ways, the Mass Effect experience is absolutely colossal to the point that it’s intimidating the heck out of me.
Up until the release of Mass Effect 2, the original Mass Effect was a game I thought I would never touch with a 10-foot pole. The premise of the game did not appeal to me at all. I was well aware of the pedigree that BioWare has in the role-playing game space, but I hate RPGs. The last real role-playing game I ever got into was Super Mario RPG on the Super Nintendo. It featured third-person shooting combat, which I like. But I also don’t like managing an AI squad and I also don’t like the idea that all of the combat is dictated by dice rolls rather than shooting ability. Ultimately, I passed on this game because it didn’t sound like it was something I would like.
Hot off the heels of Army of Two: The 40th Day, I thought I’d take a minute to write a bit about the original Army of Two. I received this game as a Christmas present this year and have put in some time with it, so I thought I’d share my thoughts on it while it’s relevant again.
In Third Person 
