Yesterday I completed Mass Effect 2 and it was incredible. Firstly it was such an improvement on the original (which I loved) rubbish vehicle sections gone, annoying interface issues ironed out, all the RPG bits streamlined to keep you in the action, less technical issues and just better gameplay with better writing. Of course the game has a great story but the basic story doesn't sound that great when you spell it out, in fact it sounds very generic. Also I realised it's the same basic story as Dragon Age: Origins, you need to go recruit people to take on an enemy that is threatening all life and that taking on seems like suicide. A generic premise but like with Dragon Age everything around it is just so good, peoples little stories, the things you have to do and the choices you have to make this make these games rise above all others.

My personal favourite bit of Mass Effect 2, despite the final mission which I will get onto later in non-spoiler terms, was the loyalty missions. Basically if you are facing an enemy that people claim is impossible to kill you want your squad to be loyal. You will recruit ten characters tops and each have different aims and ways of doing things, this means there will be conflicts between your crew and you need to do a good job as the commander to keep everybody calm and loyal to you. I played as a paragon so I was good at persuading people to just leave each other alone, but it got tough. The conflicts that arise within your squad are done really well because this time, your kind of working for the bad guys. Mass Effect has always been great about keeping you in that grey area and company you are now working for have the same aims as you, saving the galaxy but perhaps there ends justifying the means methods aren't what you want to do, perhaps they are; it all depends how you play. When you meet certain characters from the previous game (who I won't name) this makes it difficult because some of them won't trust you, especially seeing as your organisation is known for being a bit xenophobic, a bit too pro-human if you know what I mean. You need to practice your speech craft to get everybody happy as Larry and that is fun but the real good bits are the personal mission that every squad member has.

Some of the characters could have felt a bit lame, two-dimensional perhaps; you may find yourself thinking 'why would I fight with this guy? He seems so dull and there are other people like him.' As soon as you do their loyalty mission you realise that every character is excellent and in no way dull, the missions are very emotional, there are hard choices and you really see the other sides to your squad mates. Some even get to be your favourite characters even though you won't fight with them often. My squad was usually the lady I was trying to romance (and succeeded) and whoever else I could use to get certain achievements. However my two surprise favourite characters I never really went out with, Thane and Garrus. Garrus is just awesome and Thane was such an interesting and damn cool character.

"Thane of Glamis!", "Thane of Cawdor!" and "king hereafter"

The loyalty missions not only gave an interesting insight on each character but established the game its own character also. The problem with Mass Effect 1 was that although it was a technically good looking game the art design was just generic sci-fi and every place kind of looked the same. All the interiors were made in the same way which was kind of weird; space IKEA obviously does good business for flat pack interiors for uncharted worlds and galactic citadels. Luckily in Mass Effect 2 space IKEA seems to have gone out of business and now the game looks lovely, the loyalty missions alone take you to stunning locations. A highlight is the moody lighting and spooky weather effects on Subject Zero's great loyalty mission. Mass Effect has really matured as a franchise and has gone from generic sci-fi to a distinct and fascinating universe.

the game just looks great.

So now onto the real reason why I wrote this blog, the best bit of the game. The final mission. The suicide mission. There is achievement for leaving nobody behind, for surviving the suicide mission with your squad intact. I did not get it, entirely because I couldn't be bothered to farm upgrades because I was going to France (where I am now) in two hours and had the choice to scan planets or finish it. I lost two crew members in the starting cut scene of the mission and none due to any of my decisions later so I played well. The mission was just so powerful, you really felt for your team and you wanted to keep them alive. You don't really get this in gaming; it's usually if somebody dies game over or they just comeback at the end of the fight. Even when people do die in games it's due to the story not your decisions, it was awesome to be in control like this and know that it is just on you to keep these people alive, it gives you a sense of urgency that just has no parallel in any other media, never mind in other games. The mission itself was fantastic, Garrus was my main man. I ran the operation but you have to split into two squads at two points and both times my man Garrus was the leader of the other group. We go back.

All in all, Mass Effect 2 is just an amazing game. I may give a more professional opinion on it later in a review because it darn well deserves one.

I will leave you with this picture of Wrex who sadly isn't in your party in Mass Effect 2.