Wow. Just... wow.

So, I rambled on about getting a 360 a while back and mentioned that I got Mass Effect 2 without Mass Effect. Well, I had the opportunity to play Mass Effect first, as is expected of me, and... Well, wow.

Now, let me qualify those three wows. I've played a lot of RPGs, most of them Japanese, one of them text-based--I know, huge nerd, forgive me--but probably nothing like this, ever. Unlike most RPGs I've played, Mass Effect lets me make my character what I want. That's such a novel idea, and something I can't believe I've been missing out on all these years.

Maybe the novelty just hasn't worn off yet, but I probably should have realized the point of a role-playing game is to actually, well, play a role. Nearly every RPG I've played until now has been, "Play the role of this teen of questionable sex--" Yeah, okay, stepping on toes there. But holy crap. Isn't that just the craziest thing? That is so weird. I love it.

I was kind of being facetious in that last paragraph. Moving on.

Instead of saying what I did like, I'm going to rant about what I didn't. Crazy concept.

First off, the inventory system was... Well, it was functional, but it was hardly fun to use. I guess that's standard fare for RPGs, so I an let it slide without eating it too savagely. Equipment upgrades could be very useful, but a lot of the time, I found myself skipping the junk that made weapons overheat more quickly, because come on, that's just stupid.

Second, the Mako. Really, what can I say about the Mako that hasn't already been said? The driving controls are rubbish, the fact that you can point the crosshairs down but can't actually shoot down is a cause for much annoyance and the physics on the vehicle itself are downright bizarre. It's like the thing is sometimes a solid brick of metal on wheels and other's it's made of balsa wood. All things considered, the Mako is bad, but it's not as bad as I'd heard. I was preparing for the most painful task ever in driving the thing. It turned out, however, to be an irritating but manageable affair.

Third, it was... kind of short. There's a lot of replay value and sidequests, but the lack of variety in gameplay kind of killed the mood sometimes. It feels shorter than it is, I'm sure, but you can conceivably beat the game in about 15 hours if you really power through it and skip all the sidequests.

Overall, I really enjoyed Mass Effect, and it's probably one of my favorite games, despite some gameplay quirks. Probably 8/10, if I could slap a gut reaction score to it.

MASS EFFECT 2 YAY!

After all, nobody cares about the original anymore, right? Right.

So, this pretty much threw out everything I disliked about the original, replacing much of it with better mechanics, better interface and pretty much better everything. Vehicle sections got you down? Gone. Hate micromanaging inventory? Gone. The only thing I have mixed feelings on is the leveling system. It's a lot simpler, and you get a lot less points. Is this bad? Not necessarily, but it's a trade-off that might put off loyalists to the original's formula. I liked it, but I also felt more restricted by it.

Another trade, somewhat ironically, comes with the lack of vehicle sections (although DLC will also add new missions and a new vehicle that promises to be better than the Mako, aptly named the Hammerhead--get it both sharks ahaha). The vehicle sections, though bothersome, kind of made the game feel "bigger." Worlds only had so many points of interest, but they were big and open and stuff.

One more trade before I get on to the stuff I liked. This is kind of nitpicking, but I liked leaving the Normandy through the exit hatch and then being in the area I was "going" to. That's not in this game. You pick a location and you go there. It feels a little disjointed at times, but like I said, kind of nitpicking.

Even if that bothered me a little, there's so much I loved about Mass Effect 2 that it almost doesn't matter at all.

First, the game is pretty. Really pretty. And this is compared to the first, which also looked outstanding. There are still occasional instances of texture/graphical pop-in, but they're far less frequent this time around--although that might actually make them a little easier to spot. Beyond that, ME2 has more of a sense of art direction than 1, and most of the worlds look very different from one another.

Second, gameplay has improved. Combat is a lot faster and more fluid, though it is a bit easier. But there are higher difficulties for that, so it's a moot point. There's sort of an underlying rock-paper-scissors thing going on with ammo and biotics now, where certain abilities are better against shields, armor and health, and that kind of helps things along when you have to plan whom you're taking with you based on what enemies you'll be fighting.

Third, there's a more emotional connection with this game. To offer an example, I (as Shepard) held a toast in memory of characters who died in the first game--It was such a little thing, but it made me say, "Aww..." Characters are a little deeper... mostly, and their animations during conversations have improved greatly, with the camera shifting around as characters walk and talk or sit down/stand up as they talk, and it gives the whole thing a more cinematic feel. It's not quite there yet, but it's getting there.

...Anyway, I'm tired and don't feel like rambling anymore, so I'm going to bed. So, that's what I thought of the Mass Effects.