Mass Effect 2

Fortunately, while the central narrative is barely stringing everything along there is some amazing work going on with characters old and new. Meeting up with the likes of Wrex and Tali is a sentimental joy – the bond between them and Shepard bubbled a genuine smile from me to see them reunited. Each has a new story to tell even if for the most part it’s “I’m in charge of X now” but these are the galaxy’s elite so fair enough and ME2 goes to great lengths to give existing characters new depth.

New introductions are a mixed bag ranging from the completely enchanting to characters I couldn’t connect with at all. Jacob, for example, is the new Kaiden – a boring soldier with a sad history that no one really cares about. He permanently looks a little bit upset and feels like nothing more than a placeholder for Romanceable Male Character 1. Samara – an ultra Asari – should be interesting; she lives by a strict code of honour with choice rules as “if you take me into custody I have to give you 1 day to release me, then I kill you all”, but she gets boring fast. Jack I never wanted in my team – her rough’n'ready aesthetic not at all fitting to the slick future vibe I was going for with my crew, and the new Krogan just can’t follow Wrex without being dull by comparison.

On the other end of the spectrum though is Thane, Miranda, Mordin and Legion. Thane is amazing – a space hitman alien in a suit; your introduction is watching him drop from the ceiling and silently take out three guys in a couple of seconds – it’s like Bioware used my “book of cool shit” as a constant reference to write him (available in all good bookstores). He’s fascinating to talk to – a dark, brutal history often recalled in perfect detail as he slips into memories of past hits. Miranda is surprisingly interesting; when you first meet her she ticks all the boxes for someone to like a little too obviously – she’s smart, pretty, tough, confident – but then it transpires that she was genetically modified to be like that and she resents it.

Mordin and Legion are my favourites though. Legion is a Geth; inherently logical and how he talks is mindbending – a terminal for a collective mind (a point that unfortunately brings up a few plot holes), speaking to him is unlike speaking to anyone else in the Mass Effect universe. Plus, you know, he’s a robot with a sniper rifle. Mordin is a research scientist who worked on the Genophage and strangely reminds me of Matt Smiths Dr Who in that he starts talking knowing that he will have figured something out by the end. He’s a ruthless, logical killer and a genius scientist while being confident without arrogance and some amazing voice work – it’s hard not to take a shine to him.

And then, of course, there is Shepard. She, because she is a she, is again brilliantly voiced and is quite probably (as Paul said on Mass Effect 1, even if he did change his mind later) the best game protagonist. Obviously I like her so much because I have such an impression on who she actually is; but any opportunity to play as this crazed woman who will be happy to help anyone until they get annoying or obstructive – at which point she kills them – is a pleasure. “There isn’t a problem that can’t be solved with a bullet to the head” wise words Shepard, wise words. Her personality resonates wonderfully too, when people start commenting on how ruthless, how murderous she can be, it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. Oh you crazy, crazy woman.

Unfortunately though, ME2 doesn’t quite know what to do with the depth that it’s giving the characters. Interaction between them is minimal and actually getting at the characters is something to be worked at needlessly. Apart from when they have a side-quest to offer you only find out that people have something new to say if you go and ask them. It’s a ridiculous system – in a game that doesn’t have a great plot and doesn’t have amazing combat it’s safe to assume that I’m sticking around for the conversations and relationships. Tell me that you have something to say. Let me go through as much dialogue as is relevant in one go. Don’t tell me you want to “think things over” so I have to artificially trigger more dialogue by just going to a planet and coming back. Let me get on with it.

And artificial triggers are a big bug-bear of mine with ME2. All the way through I knew what I wanted to achieve, who I wanted to romance, how I wanted to act, but all the time I was stifled. Oh, I don’t have enough renegade points to tell someone I’m a Spectre. Oh, I didn’t talk to Thane enough so now I can’t romance him. Oh, I didn’t say this one specific thing to Kelly so now I can’t romance her either. Oh, I haven’t got enough arbitrary resources to research this new technology I’ve found. It’s like a fight against the game rather than a fight against the Collectors, and in a narrative driven RPG it’s not what I’m looking for. Content should be easily accessible and not hidden behind systems that are made far too prominent to the extent of “I wish I’d done this later so I could have said that”.

Generally I enjoyed ME2, but after everything it felt more like a long introduction to ME3 than a stand out game on its own terms – Empire Strikes Back this is not, but it’s not Matrix Reloaded either. Nothing of significance really happens bar the introduction of the Collectors who are promptly wiped out in the finale, and with only the minimal effect on the Galaxy. Everything you do is self contained to Cerberus so The Alliance and The Council are unchanged, and ultimately The Reapers are still a hidden threat leaving the huge story of their impending attack stagnant. We are given a whole bunch of new characters though, and the old ones that don’t rejoin the Normandy are thrust into positions of power to be called on in the next instalment – but we never hit the heights of the galactic politicking and subtleties of ME1. With all this introduction though ME3 will be beyond amazing, right? It has to be.