Pimp here; I am the man accused of the exploitation of women as well as multiple counts of public indecency.
When I'm not playing Jail-bait, I also write the Pimpin Reviews series. A series notorious for its gimmicks as well. Whether it is satire or just the plain old Vs Reviews, Pimpin is shameless in trying new and interesting things to appeal to readers.
When Domble contacted me about doing this review, I have to admit I was not interested in spending my cash on Mass Effect 2 at all. But with the tremendous respect I have for both him and his writing, I agreed nevertheless.
Mass Effect 1 was one of the rare Western RPGs I actually missed. This being due to the dark ages I like to call the "Sleep, eat and Oblivion" period. Being set in space rather than in a fantasy setting, I never really looked back twice on it. So naturally, I had to go into Mass Effect 2 a bit blindly.
So like Domble mentioned, his segments will feature the "veteran" look on the game, while mine will lean toward the "newbies". So while his may feature more jokes and better punch lines, it will have a considerably less amount of cleavage.
When I'm not playing Jail-bait, I also write the Pimpin Reviews series. A series notorious for its gimmicks as well. Whether it is satire or just the plain old Vs Reviews, Pimpin is shameless in trying new and interesting things to appeal to readers.
When Domble contacted me about doing this review, I have to admit I was not interested in spending my cash on Mass Effect 2 at all. But with the tremendous respect I have for both him and his writing, I agreed nevertheless.
Mass Effect 1 was one of the rare Western RPGs I actually missed. This being due to the dark ages I like to call the "Sleep, eat and Oblivion" period. Being set in space rather than in a fantasy setting, I never really looked back twice on it. So naturally, I had to go into Mass Effect 2 a bit blindly.
So like Domble mentioned, his segments will feature the "veteran" look on the game, while mine will lean toward the "newbies". So while his may feature more jokes and better punch lines, it will have a considerably less amount of cleavage.
Box art
On this second adventure aboard the Normandy, we're put right back into the familiarly sweaty boots of the infamous Commander Shepard. Or, at least he would be infamous if I had played the first game. Instead, we're treated to a generic scene were we join the good ole' Captain just in time to see him blown to bits and face a brutal death in the depths of space.
Luckily, BioWare is not pulling our legs. From there we're treated to a character creation screen and pick the fundamentals of our very own Shepard. Name, gender, appearance, class, all the basics are there. The game also features some delightful choices for things like Shepard's past which can be used as a basis for the type of actions we can expect from our future commander. In case you were dying to know; I played as a male colonist Vanguard brilliantly named Godzilla Shepard.
But all is not well in the galaxy (Like it ever is?). For two years Shepard has been being rebuilt in a lab under the notoriously pro-human activist group Cerberus, and awaking from nappy time reveals that things have not gone as planned. A mysterious race known as The Collectors have teamed up with the deadly Reapers to abduct one too many colonies to leave it up to coincidence. It's up to Shepard to assemble a dream team of galactic heroes and take the fight to them, and of course, score some hot alien tail along the way.
Don't worry if you didn't latch onto much of what I mentioned. BioWare has really put themselves in the 7-10 split of videogame design. Satisfying the old players while simultaneously appealing to the new; a tricky task. If you didn't play Mass Effect 1, the game is still worth playing. BioWare simply makes a couple decisions from the first game for you, and while references to the last one are frequent, it's just as easy to get invested into the plot of the sequel regardless.
Luckily, BioWare is not pulling our legs. From there we're treated to a character creation screen and pick the fundamentals of our very own Shepard. Name, gender, appearance, class, all the basics are there. The game also features some delightful choices for things like Shepard's past which can be used as a basis for the type of actions we can expect from our future commander. In case you were dying to know; I played as a male colonist Vanguard brilliantly named Godzilla Shepard.
But all is not well in the galaxy (Like it ever is?). For two years Shepard has been being rebuilt in a lab under the notoriously pro-human activist group Cerberus, and awaking from nappy time reveals that things have not gone as planned. A mysterious race known as The Collectors have teamed up with the deadly Reapers to abduct one too many colonies to leave it up to coincidence. It's up to Shepard to assemble a dream team of galactic heroes and take the fight to them, and of course, score some hot alien tail along the way.
Everybody say cheese!
Don't worry if you didn't latch onto much of what I mentioned. BioWare has really put themselves in the 7-10 split of videogame design. Satisfying the old players while simultaneously appealing to the new; a tricky task. If you didn't play Mass Effect 1, the game is still worth playing. BioWare simply makes a couple decisions from the first game for you, and while references to the last one are frequent, it's just as easy to get invested into the plot of the sequel regardless.
The games codex system does its best to explain every minor detail; but even without reading the inns and outs of every galaxy, species, and settings the game is still easy enough to fallow. Expectedly, the plot twists and revelations won't carry as much weight with the newbie's as they will for the veterans, but the experience is still worth while. So whether you're importing a save or just starting fresh; everyone begins at level one.
As we've come to expect from BioWare games, the companions really drive the story. The main plot may not be as exceptional on the surface, but the characters they've sculpted surely add several layers of depth. Each character is more fascinating than the last. You'll develop favorites, and they'll be more than a couple that you'll find yourself visiting before and after each mission. There are characters you will love; characters that you will occasionally loathe, and of course; characters you will lust after.
That effortlessly brings us to the topic of romance; A concept that's become fairly common in BioWare games. In your journey in space you'll run into several opportunities to woo your fellow companions into the cockpit. (Yes I know that I used the wrong jargon). Though intimacy in games is often viewed as a gimmick, BioWare has handled it incredibly tastefully. There were times I chose certain actions to appease to my desire, and it wasn't rare that I would go back to see her after each mission to catch up. Intimacy really adds another more personal aspect to the game. And in case you were wondering, I had originally hooked up the strict but hot Miranda, but ended up chasing the mysterious Tali Zorah vas Normandy. As well as this little extraneous thing I had going on with Kelly Chambers.
Mass Effect 2 really pushes RPGs to a new cinematic heights. I had heard much about the fully voiced protagonist from the first game, and it was just as impressive as expected. Conversations feel really dynamic, and when it throws in the occasional paragon (good) or renegade (bad) options, things become even more exciting. BioWare already writes great dialogue, but now things feel more fast paced and real.
Quality doesn't dip on the combat side of things. Essentially, the game is a third person cover from fire shooter, but it does try to mix things up a bit. Biotic powers come into play, Jedi like moves that can be leveled up and upgraded. Some of them weren't exactly useful, but others like my personal favorite charge were especially handy and entertaining. Gun modifications are present as well, and add little variety to fights. Using freezing bullets to crystallize a foe and then charging at him and watching him shatter was never unexciting.
Mass Effect 2 is a marvelously made game. I have to stand back and applaud BioWare for making a universe that's incredibly easy to divulge in. Nothing is simply thrown at you and expected to stick (Hear that public schooling?) but rather gently mentioned in passing until it becomes second nature.
Go daddy... Go go Daddy
As we've come to expect from BioWare games, the companions really drive the story. The main plot may not be as exceptional on the surface, but the characters they've sculpted surely add several layers of depth. Each character is more fascinating than the last. You'll develop favorites, and they'll be more than a couple that you'll find yourself visiting before and after each mission. There are characters you will love; characters that you will occasionally loathe, and of course; characters you will lust after.
That effortlessly brings us to the topic of romance; A concept that's become fairly common in BioWare games. In your journey in space you'll run into several opportunities to woo your fellow companions into the cockpit. (Yes I know that I used the wrong jargon). Though intimacy in games is often viewed as a gimmick, BioWare has handled it incredibly tastefully. There were times I chose certain actions to appease to my desire, and it wasn't rare that I would go back to see her after each mission to catch up. Intimacy really adds another more personal aspect to the game. And in case you were wondering, I had originally hooked up the strict but hot Miranda, but ended up chasing the mysterious Tali Zorah vas Normandy. As well as this little extraneous thing I had going on with Kelly Chambers.
STOP! In the name of love!
Mass Effect 2 really pushes RPGs to a new cinematic heights. I had heard much about the fully voiced protagonist from the first game, and it was just as impressive as expected. Conversations feel really dynamic, and when it throws in the occasional paragon (good) or renegade (bad) options, things become even more exciting. BioWare already writes great dialogue, but now things feel more fast paced and real.
Quality doesn't dip on the combat side of things. Essentially, the game is a third person cover from fire shooter, but it does try to mix things up a bit. Biotic powers come into play, Jedi like moves that can be leveled up and upgraded. Some of them weren't exactly useful, but others like my personal favorite charge were especially handy and entertaining. Gun modifications are present as well, and add little variety to fights. Using freezing bullets to crystallize a foe and then charging at him and watching him shatter was never unexciting.
Mass Effect 2 is a marvelously made game. I have to stand back and applaud BioWare for making a universe that's incredibly easy to divulge in. Nothing is simply thrown at you and expected to stick (Hear that public schooling?) but rather gently mentioned in passing until it becomes second nature.
That's not to say that the Normandy couldn't use a couple touch ups. And I'm not just using that as a metaphor for the entire game. The Normandy is supposed to be a huge ship, and boy does it feel like it. The ship has four visit able floors, but taking the elevator to each requires the player to sit through a loading screen. This is only more aggravating for players like me that like to chat with each companion before each mission, since they're scattered on various floors.
In fact, loading screens in general were all pretty bothersome. Not that they were remarkably long or bland, they do feature an animation based on the action preformed, but rather that they have absolutely no background music. It's a bit unnerving to have a room go completely silent for 30 seconds, right after being filled with the roar of gunfire and heavy alien accents.
Initially I was gong to avoid this topic, but the scanning system is a definite design fault. In order to get resources to upgrade both your ship and personal equipment you'll need to exploit planets. This revolves around slowly guiding around the surface to the sound of annoying beeping. It's loud, it's annoying, it's obnoxious, and it would have been better left out altogether.
While the conversations may be dynamic and flowing, they're not quite perfect. The paragon/renegade options show up randomly, and frequently in the middle of someone's dialogue. I missed out on many options simply because I waited slightly too long. That being said, these options are simply too powerful. A high level paragon can fix any problem. They can cool down a riled up foe, seduce an uptight alien club-goer. And they can even convince the most devious of villains that this is indeed, not their lucky day, punk.
For a massive epic Mass Effect 2 tries to be, the game features almost no memorable acoustic tracks. Even the dialogue feels a bit off occasionally and the voice for the male Sheppard for one, can be especially atrocious at times. The animation also fallows this pattern, while the game is as aesthetically pleasing as any other game on the market today, occasional glitches/awkward animations do exist. At one point during a fire fight, Miranda got stuck floating mid air. I wouldn't count this as a fault however; I got to ogle her for half an hour. The man who sculpted Miranda's ass needs a noble piece prize. Did more for it than Obama, that's for sure.
The games biggest fault, however, is the whole SDTV text fiasco. Players on SDTVs will find out that the text on screen is just too small some times, and BioWare doesn't plan on fixing it anytime soon. Being someone without the leisure of such disposable income (It's hard out there for a pimp), this problem was pretty infuriating. And it can't be just me, a study conducted in November 2009 resulted in over 53% of American households have not yet upgraded to HDTV. There's more than just a couple of ticked off gamers like me.
If most of these gripes seem pretty petty, that's because they are. Mass Effect 2's faults really trickle down to trivial design choices and limitations. It may not be perfect, but BioWare's hard work sure shows.
In fact, loading screens in general were all pretty bothersome. Not that they were remarkably long or bland, they do feature an animation based on the action preformed, but rather that they have absolutely no background music. It's a bit unnerving to have a room go completely silent for 30 seconds, right after being filled with the roar of gunfire and heavy alien accents.
Gah! Zombies of relationships past!
Initially I was gong to avoid this topic, but the scanning system is a definite design fault. In order to get resources to upgrade both your ship and personal equipment you'll need to exploit planets. This revolves around slowly guiding around the surface to the sound of annoying beeping. It's loud, it's annoying, it's obnoxious, and it would have been better left out altogether.
While the conversations may be dynamic and flowing, they're not quite perfect. The paragon/renegade options show up randomly, and frequently in the middle of someone's dialogue. I missed out on many options simply because I waited slightly too long. That being said, these options are simply too powerful. A high level paragon can fix any problem. They can cool down a riled up foe, seduce an uptight alien club-goer. And they can even convince the most devious of villains that this is indeed, not their lucky day, punk.
For a massive epic Mass Effect 2 tries to be, the game features almost no memorable acoustic tracks. Even the dialogue feels a bit off occasionally and the voice for the male Sheppard for one, can be especially atrocious at times. The animation also fallows this pattern, while the game is as aesthetically pleasing as any other game on the market today, occasional glitches/awkward animations do exist. At one point during a fire fight, Miranda got stuck floating mid air. I wouldn't count this as a fault however; I got to ogle her for half an hour. The man who sculpted Miranda's ass needs a noble piece prize. Did more for it than Obama, that's for sure.
Came back from the dead, Shoots lightning...Admit it.. Godzilla Shepard does fit.
The games biggest fault, however, is the whole SDTV text fiasco. Players on SDTVs will find out that the text on screen is just too small some times, and BioWare doesn't plan on fixing it anytime soon. Being someone without the leisure of such disposable income (It's hard out there for a pimp), this problem was pretty infuriating. And it can't be just me, a study conducted in November 2009 resulted in over 53% of American households have not yet upgraded to HDTV. There's more than just a couple of ticked off gamers like me.
If most of these gripes seem pretty petty, that's because they are. Mass Effect 2's faults really trickle down to trivial design choices and limitations. It may not be perfect, but BioWare's hard work sure shows.
Mass Effect 2 is a game with a conflicting role in my mind. While it won't be on my Top Ten list anytime soon, nor was it the RPG experience of the year, it's a game that I can easily recommend as a milestone in the gaming industry. Fully voiced character options, uploading characters, easy accessibility, these are all things that I feel are things that should become a norm in videogames in general.
I'm not exactly expecting every game to have the length or plot of Mass Effect, but certain things should become something that all developers should be trying to accomplish.
If nothing else, Mass Effect 2 stands as a game from this year that everyone must play. Bottom line, it's a game that shows a lot of effort on the developer's part, and I've always been a fan of giving merit to good effort. You should too.
As for the Knuckleduster, boy has it been an experience. Domble is an amazing writer, and an amazing guy. I like to think that we've become much closer than before, a serious bromance. Its nice to see people from countries on the opposite side of one heck of a pond, as well as with a gap in age, getting together to make a product like this. I hope we do more!
Though, we never did answer the question of whether it's colder in Liverpool or Chicago.
I'm not exactly expecting every game to have the length or plot of Mass Effect, but certain things should become something that all developers should be trying to accomplish.
If nothing else, Mass Effect 2 stands as a game from this year that everyone must play. Bottom line, it's a game that shows a lot of effort on the developer's part, and I've always been a fan of giving merit to good effort. You should too.
As for the Knuckleduster, boy has it been an experience. Domble is an amazing writer, and an amazing guy. I like to think that we've become much closer than before, a serious bromance. Its nice to see people from countries on the opposite side of one heck of a pond, as well as with a gap in age, getting together to make a product like this. I hope we do more!
Though, we never did answer the question of whether it's colder in Liverpool or Chicago.
By Pimppeter2 and DOMBLE
Feed back appreciated
Thanks for reading
lol also with legion... I really don't know why, but I considered talking about him to be a bit like a spoiler.
