Game Impressions: Mass Effect 2

Introduction

I remember the gaming Fall of 2007 very well.  Bioshock came out on August 21st.    Metroid Prime 3: Corruption came out on August 27th.   Halo 3 came out September 25th.  The Orange Box came out on October 7th.  Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare came out November 5th.  The first Assassin’s Creed came out November 16th.  Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune came out on November 19th.  Finally, on the same day as the original Rock Band came out, Bioware’s Mass Effect came out on November 20th.  In the span of exactly 3 months, 9 blockbuster titles came out.  It’s enough to make a gamer shout for joy and sob on his joystick all at the same time.

Of those titles, a few had a big effect on me.  I named Portal my Game of the Year, followed closely by Bioshock at #2.  Mass Effect was #7 in my Top 10.   While that might not seem high on my list, a quick look at my achievements shows that I started the game on November 21st, 2007 and completed it on December 5, 2007.  It doesn’t appear by the achievements that I played every day, but in that 15 day span I visited every planet, completed every side quest, and finished the game in just over 40 hours of gameplay.  Given the number of games I buy and never play, or start and never get far into, the fact that I spent 40 hours in 2 weeks on Mass Effect during that crowded Fall season says something about how much I enjoyed the game.

Still, I didn’t really wait with bated breath for Mass Effect 2.  In fact, as soon as it was announced that it would be coming in January, after the holiday release season, I sort of put it out of my mind.  When January came, I saw it on the list of upcoming titles, and it came back to the forefront of my consciousness.  I started reading Mass Effect: Ascension.  I played Mass Effect Galaxy.  I got the first issue of the Mass Effect: Redemption comic.  And I pre-ordered Mass Effect 2 from Gamestop.com, with free shipping.  As the date approached, my anticipation rose and rose, until I regretted that free shipping option I picked.

Thankfully, my game arrived the day after release, and I fired it up that evening.  So do I think Mass Effect 2 is a worthy successor to the original Mass Effect?  Was my heightened anticipation rewarded?

Book Impressions: Mass Effect: Ascension

I feel immersed in all things Mass Effect lately.  Aside from playing Mass Effect 2 on the Xbox 360 and playing Mass Effect Galaxy on my iPod Touch, I’ve been reading the Mass Effect: Ascension audiobook.  Author Drew Karpyshyn was the lead writer on the first Mass Effect game, is co-lead writer on Mass Effect 2, and also wrote the first Mass Effect novel, Mass Effect: Revelation.  I read and reviewed that novel.  How does this one stack up?

Mass Effect 2 Release Day

I’m super jazzed today, as it’s Mass Effect 2 release day!  Mass Effect was one of my top games of 2007, and I probably put more than 40 hours into it.  Read the novels… check.  Played the iPhone / iPod Touch game… check.  Read the new comic… check.  Pre-ordered the Mass Effect 2 Collector’s Edition… oh yeah!  Let the gaming begin!

APPraisal: Mass Effect Galaxy

I finally got around to playing Mass Effect Galaxy.  Although it’s been out since June of last year, I never got around to it.  But with the imminent release of Mass Effect 2 tomorrow on the PC and Xbox 360, I’ve been immersing myself in all things Mass Effect again, like reading the latest novel, Mass Effect: Ascension, and the new comic Mass Effect: Redemption.  So I figured it was time to give Mass Effect Galaxy a shot.

Zark’s Most Anticipated Xbox Games of 2009

Well, there haven’t been many exclusives announced for the Xbox 360 for 2009 yet.  In fact, Aaron Greenburg, director of product management at Microsoft, addressed that very fact in a recent interview, saying that there were plenty that were as yet unannounced.  So I have to say, the list looks pretty slim.  But there are quite a few games on my upcoming multiplatform list that I will undoubtedly play on the Xbox over the PS3 or PC, because I prefer the controller and achievement system of the 360.   Having said that, here’s the list of my most anticipated Xbox 360 games of 2009.