"Mass Effect 3: Omega" DLC Review

Publisher:  Bioware/EA

Genre:  RPG

Summary:  Aid Aria in retaking control of Omega from Cerberus.

Gameplay:  There are several new types of enemy to fight.  The companions, Aria and Nyreen, have some unique new abilities.

Style:  The excellently atmospheric locations of the asteroid space station of Omega, with neon catwalks, cramped service tunnels, dark power facilities, and vast mines, give a cyberpunk flair to the proceedings.  The music and sound design are good.  The cinematics are good as well, though some lasted a bit long and I wanted to get back to my own action.

Story:  The story is linear, a few hours of fighting, but in fun environments, as noted above.  The DLC feels like it peaks slightly before the actual climax, so the pacing feels a bit off.  More disappointing is the lack of choice and therefore replayability, especially when there seems to be several potential places for choices within the story.  The dialogue varies a bit because of Paragon and Renegade responses, but that's it.

Conclusion:  Aria and Nyreen are both interesting characters, and Omega is an interesting location.  Omega is not that great (mass?) effect to the overall game story, a small slice of the greater war of Mass Effect 3, but it's a fun few hours.  I just wish it had more variation and interaction with the rest of Mass Effect 3.

"Mass Effect: Pinnacle Station" DLC Review

Publisher:  Bioware

Genre:  RPG

Summary:  Commander Shepherd visits a station with combat training scenarios.

Gameplay:  There are four different mission types at Pinnacle Station:  Kill (kill as many enemies as possible in the allotted time), Capture (hold designated positions as fast as possible), Survive (stay alive as long as possible), and Hunt (kill enemies as quickly as possible) in several different environments.

Style:  The simulated environments are nice, though it is easy to see they are grabbed from parts of the game.  The edges revealing the holographic nature of the environment are a nice touch, as is the fading away of the holographic enemies.  The overseeing admiral's comments are at first amusing, but get repetitive quickly.

Story:  There is a bit of a story about Shepherd beating the scores of a posturing turian, but that's about it.

Conclusion:  It's odd coming to this DLC after years of playing Mass Effect games, as I can see here the genesis of the more elaborate combat simulator in Mass Effect 3:  Citadel.  Mass Effect itself offers more interesting combat with more interesting stories out in the galaxy, but Pinnacle Station isn't bad for what it is.

"Mass Effect 2 Overlord" DLC Review

Publisher:  EA/Bioware

Genre:  RPG

Summary:  Shepherd investigates a Cerberus project gone wrong involving the geth.

Gameplay:  Beyond the usual combat, there are several sequences involving combat and general movement challenges such as navigating lava and heights in the Hammerhead vehicle.  There is a clever variety of these.

Style:  The environments, both natural and interior, are pretty and eerie, featuring notable elements like a looming planet over a giant satellite, a smoky, red-lit power station, and angry green electronic communications.

Story:  The overall plot of yet another Cerberus project gone wrong isn't new, although the ending manages to be moving.  The biggest issue is that there's too little of it, meaning Overlord manages to feel both too short and too long.  Although the DLC doesn't take too much time, there are lots of locations and steps to complete the simple plot.

Conclusion:  Overlord has some neat design elements, but feels longer than it needs to be for a very standard story.

Quest Analysis: Find Liara T'Soni

This is going to be a friendly rant as much as it is ramble/analysis of the mission to find Liara T'Soni.  First, there's not giving you the exact location, forcing you to search the first time (or cheat.)  That's fine; there are a couple other interesting quests to pick up in the Artemus Tau Cluster.

But then you do land on Liara's world, and something's missing.  Every other core mission, you first land, talk to some folks to get a feel for the place and maybe pick up some side missions, then get in the Mako (Virmire does mix it up and do the Mako first, but it has all the main elements still.) 

This mission, though?  Straight to the Mako.  What happened?  Checking around, it looks like exposition people and all that were planned initially, but it seems strange that of all things in this game this was the bit that was cut.  But what's even stranger is the lack of explanation.  Where are the people on this planet?

I think maybe lore later tries to cover by mentioning robotic mining, but that doesn't explain the clearly for-people mine entrances and lack of anything that looks like remote mining equipment.  And even if there's no miners, why is Liara completely alone?  Surely she wasn't the only one on this expedition?  The only one interested in this ruin?

Would it have been so hard to have a line about her killed team members, or how they fled and left her to the geth?  It would make so much more sense.  Of course, while I'm wishing, it would have been cool to fight mine equipment the geth had taken over, but clearly for some reason time ran out for a lot of things on this quest.

But the ruins look nice, and on the plus side the mission doesn't take too long.  And it's a really nice touch that the longer you take to get to Liara in-game the more delirious she is when you get there.

The Million Minor Issues of Mass Effect: Andromeda

As I said in my review, Mass Effect:  Andromeda has an enjoyable main plot and characters.  The sights of the new galaxy are vivid, and combat's fun.  Yet there are so many irritations in playing this game, so many small bad decisions and design choices.  Just a few of them and this would still be a great game, but with so many of them, Andromeda is dragged down to average at best.

I touched on many of these in my review, but I felt like ranting on for a bit about all of these missteps.

"Mass Effect: Andromeda" Review

Publisher:  Bioware/EA

Genre:  RPG

Summary:  As the colonists of the Andromeda Initiative arrive in that galaxy, Ryder must investigate possible habitable worlds, mysterious technology, and alien life.

Gameplay:  With a new engine, Andromeda is quite different from the previous Mass Effects.  Perhaps over-correcting for the use of the space bar for everything in previous games, every action seems to require a different key (and the initial bindings are awful.)  There's also no manual, which adds to the confusion.

I found the maps in this game to be especially puzzling, with lots of twists and different levels.  The map always starts out zoomed out to the biggest degree, too.  It can be difficult to find locations even when selected you're following a chosen quest marker.  You can also only add one secondary marker.  With a lot of stuff to do, this can be frustrating.

The scanner first seen in Kasumi's DLC is now a main game element for Ryder to scan and examine things.  It's nice to see this taken to its logical conclusion, but while there are some clever instances, it's over-used in the game.

Scanning is also used for crafting, as scanning various objects will provide research data for weapons and armor.  These can then be crafted if you have found enough of the required materials.  With lots of steps and requirements and levels of the same equipment, I found this system finicky and not fun.

There are also puzzles involving sudoku-like rune-matching sequences, although these are sometimes not necessary and can be skipped.  I mostly found them pretty fun, beyond a few especially irritating ones.

Another addition is the use of jump-jets that allow the character to jump heights and distances.  This is used in exploring as well as combat, as Ryder will often to need to get over obstacles.  This is quite fun (although I have to wonder why it never caught on back in the Milky Way.)

Long-distance travel on planets is again handled by a tank, the Nomad.  There is some strategy in figuring out the best path and method of using its traction drive and jump-jets to get Ryder were they need to go, which can be frustrating.  The Nomad also has no weapons, so you need to jump out whenever a fight starts.  This can also be irritating.

Classes are gone from combat, as Ryder can learn any ability.  Only three abilities can be selected at a time, however.  Different types of ammo and shielding are consumable, and squad members can no longer be directed to use their abilities.  Pausing can't be used to line up shots or abilities but is just for switching guns or adding a consumable.

Overall, I dislike the combat changes.  I miss the variety and replayability offered by the different classes.  And I miss the strategy involved in commanding allies to make strategic attacks.

Style:  I mostly played Mass Effect:  Andromeda on an under-specced computer, but the scenery of the new galaxy still looked spectacular.  Andromeda offers lots of fantastic visuals and lighting.  There are nice little details like armor becoming sandy on a desert planet or frosty on an icy one.

However, facial animations are extremely awkward and some clothing seems flat compared to other textures.  Whole-body movements, though, can sometimes be well done, with some nice fluid motions I haven't seen before.

Story:  The game has to do a lot of justification to explain why and how all these colonists come to the Andromeda system, and it almost manages it.  Ultimately, however, I found myself wishing they'd just gone with the Reapers as an excuse (or better finished a certain sidequest regarding this matter.)

Ryder's beleaguered explorer is a nice contrast to the professional soldier of Shepherd.  I found the female Ryder more compelling; the voice acting made me spend much of the game wanting to give her a hug.  Male Ryder seemed too casual (even given I was playing him more so.)

Ryder has a backstory involving their family, providing an additional emotional element.  This is well done, but I wished I had more opportunities to define my Ryder.  There weren't many occasions to explore Ryder's history or choose their opinions about their past, family, or current events.

The party members and other characters are also mostly well-defined and interesting (favorites will differ, as usual.)  Party members each get personal quests, which are generally good and occasionally excellent.  There are a nice selection of romances available as well.

With so many quests and so much required of Ryder, pacing is odd.  Whereas I never had a problem with completionism in Dragon Age:  Inquisition, the Andromeda plot provides an urgency to many quests that Dragon Age lacked, meaning the main plot felt kind of lost in the shuffle.

This is a pity, because the main plot is much better than the filler missions, which tend to involve a lot of running around without much resonance.  The ending is satisfying (and further quest-going is integrated well.)  There are a few loose ends and further possibilities, which makes me sad that at the very least it'll probably be a long time before I get to play again in this galaxy.

Andromeda does surpass its predecessors in that it has an overarching theme.  While tying into the motifs of exploration and new beginnings, Andromeda is about legacy:  what we take from our parents and ancestors, and what we do for ourselves.  Much of the game ties into this nicely.

Conclusion:  Mass Effect:  Andromeda has an engaging story in an interesting galaxy, but is beset with many minor irritations (in fact, I think I'll make a separate post just to rant about them all.)  It's sad to think of the missed potential, but there is still much to be enjoyed.

"Mass Effect 3 Citadel" DLC Review

Publisher:  Bioware/EA

Genre:  RPG

Summary:  Shepherd faces a mysterious attacker while on shore leave on the Citadel.

Gameplay:  The DLC features plenty of combat against tough enemies in unique environments, including a segment where Shepherd is alone without armor and weapon choices.

There is also a casino segment that involves distracting guards and hacking cameras with careful timing.  And after you've completed the combat missions, Shepherd is free to roam the new section of the Citadel and take part in casino gambling, arcade games, and the combat simulator.

Style:  I've always liked the giant city on a space station that is the Citadel, so getting to see more of its neon-lit shops and particularly its dark under-workings is a treat.  Anderson's apartment is nice and stylish, too, and can somewhat be decorated according to Shepherd's tastes.

Story:  The main story of "Citadel" (not a good name, but I suppose a more accurate one would be something like "Friendship!" and that would be hard to sell.) is a lot of fun.  The villains are intriguing and surprising, which is especially refreshing after obvious yet supposed shocking betrayals and annoying game-aided villains like Kai Leng.

Lots of the fun comes from the humor.  It's great to see your crew willing to crack jokes, especially after the dourness elsewhere in Mass Effect 3.  It's fun just to see all of your crew.  Citadel goes all out to offer different options and lines depending upon your love interest and various other choices you've had Shepherd make.

This is particularly impressive when Shepherd throws a party and the guest list depends on who Shepherd invites (and who's alive and available, of course.)  Then further conversations vary depending on what kind of party you throw, too.

Besides the main missions and the party (which doesn't have to immediately follow) there are opportunities to meet and chat with past and present crew, plus all the entertainments of the new Citadel section.  Various overheard comments keep up the humorous nature of the DLC.

Conclusion:  Citadel is just very enjoyable.  The combat is good, the story is entertaining, and it offers a lot to do while giving you a lot of choice.

The "Mass Effect 3" Ending Rant

There are many explanations and diatribes about the issues with Mass Effect 3's ending, but this one is mine.

"Mass Effect 3 Leviathan" DLC Review

Publisher:  EA/Bioware

Genre:  RPG

Summary:  Commander Shepherd tries to track down the Leviathan, a mysterious and ancient creature that may hold the key to the history of the Reapers.

Gameplay:  The DLC is broken up between searching for clues in a Citadel lab and then subsequent missions out in the galaxy.  This allows for the player to choose the pacing.  It does mean you can encounter some of the tougher Reaper enemy types earlier in the game than you usually would.

The clue-finding bits are hardly complex, but they are a nice change.  The combat missions don't add any new gameplay elements, but they do use bits from multiplayer like protecting drones.  Combat is generally interesting and well-paced.

Style:  Faces seem more detailed than in other parts of the game, which feels a little odd.  The new environments are atmospheric and creepy.

Story:  Leviathan successfully oozes creepiness but also manages to contain some twists and emotional moments.  It ends satisfactorily with more information about the Reapers and the history of the galaxy.

"Mass Effect 3" Review

Publisher:  EA/Bioware

Genre:  RPG

Summary:  As the Reapers attack, Shepherd must unite the galaxy to defeat them.

Gameplay:  Combat is similar to Mass Effect 2.  The abilities are the same, but there are higher-powered options.  Locations are generally bigger and more wide-open.  Somehow, this usually makes them less interesting.  Enemies are all either Reapers, Cerberus, or (rarely) Geth.

Weapons can now be equipped by any class, but with cooldown times penalties.  Weapons mods also return.  Armor is much the same as the last game, with parts or whole sets that add various bonuses available for purchase, but helmets don't appear in cutscenes, finally.  Also, Shepherd is in casual clothes on the Citadel, which helps a lot (and I like the choices of casual clothes better, too.)

The only minigame is scanning solar systems to find useful items or minor quest solutions, which runs the risk of summoning the Reapers.  This is more interesting than scanning planets from the last game, but I wish some of these quests had actual missions attached.

The smaller non-necessary quests that are in the game are so brief that they seem to be nothing more than introductions to the multiplayer maps they take place in (and they don't even always do a great job of that, as not all maps are seen and the missions are often too brief to get a good sense of place.)  Fleshing these out would have lent a lot more feeling to the game.

As for multiplayer, I enjoyed it a bit, but single-player is my primary interest, and multiplayer was originally far too tied into a successful game ending.  Bonuses are fine, but required multiplayer is not a good idea.

Style:  I really like the graphics of the game, but everything is too dang dark, literally.  I turned up the brightness as far as possible, and I still can't see everything sometimes.  Nevertheless, there are atmospheric locations and excellent music.

Story:  Mass Effect 3 sometimes runs into the problem of a million being a statistic.  For all it tries to drive home the horror of the Reapers, personal stories work better (and sometimes there it succeeds.)  And still sometimes when the characters seem horrified by the war it feels more like the game's trying to hammer in the doom rather than evoke genuine emotion.

Also, the game compounds the problem from Mass Effect 2 of not being able to call out the Illusive Man enough.  While Cerberus's crimes are acknowledged, Shepherd never really gets to confront the Illusive Man about them in a satisfying enough manner for my taste.

Familiar characters return from both games, and there are a few new faces that manage to establish themselves as memorable characters in their own right.  There are still a few minor characters I wish had made an appearance (whatever happened to Gianna Parasini?) given it's the last game of the trilogy.

Also for that reason, I wish we'd gotten to see more of the galaxy and see these worlds before Reaper attack.  But I appreciate several core missions that tie up major plot threads from all the games, and vary greatly depending on Shepherd's decisions throughout.  These feature epic and memorable locations and moments.

It's a pity these lesson as the game comes to a close and its infamously bad ending.  I think I'll detail all the issues there in a separate post, but suffice to say that the ending is a disappointment and a let down.

Conclusion:  Mass Effect 3 contains fun combat and satisfyingly wraps up several of the Mass Effect trilogy's story arcs.  Yet it has several story flaws and a horrible ending.  I've found it thankfully salvageable with mods, but it's a shame it had to be.

"Mass Effect 2 Lair of the Shadow Broker" DLC Review

Publisher:  EA/Bioware

Genre:  RPG

Summary:  Shepherd helps Liara investigate and defeat the mysterious Shadow Broker.

Gameplay:  There are plenty of fun battles in Lair of the Shadow Broker that use neat elements like a vanguard opponent, exploding lightning capacitors, and forced melee.  There's also an extremely delightful hovercar chase sequence.

Style:  The DLC excellently uses unique environments like a dark apartment in the rain, a bombed building still full of smoke and fire, a fancy hotel, and a floating skyship on a stormy planet.

Story:  Naturally, Lair of the Shadow Broker deals with Liara and fills in a bit of what happened with her between the two games.  This has more resonance if Shepherd is romancing her, but is still poignant in any case.

The DLC is a good length (although the combat on the Shadow Broker's ship always seems a bit too long.)  The villain of the first half is more obvious than necessary; I wish they'd either tried to make it more of a surprise or had Shepherd cop to it earlier.

After defeating the Shadow Broker, the DLC continues to delight.  Shepherd can explore the Broker's ship to find interesting details about party members and other characters, watch videos, or just have a nice conversation with Liara.

Conclusion:  With fun fights, dramatic settings, emotional moments for Liara, and some fun details, Lair of the Shadow Broker is just an all-around great DLC.

"Mass Effect 2 Arrival" DLC Review

Publisher:  Bioware/EA

Genre:  RPG

Summary:  Commander Shepherd must rescue an undercover operative who has discovered proof of the Reapers' arrival.

Gameplay:  The gameplay is the same as the rest of Mass Effect 2, save that for the majority of the mission Shepherd is alone instead of with a party.  This can make things more challenging, especially for certain builds.  There is a certain section where Shepherd must defend the operative from enemies arriving in different directions, and it can be very difficult for Shepherds who lack speedy killing or crowd control abilities.

There are some minor options about which routes to take and whether to shoot or sneak past this or that batarian soldier.  These options are nice but nothing major.

Style:  None of the settings or corridors particularly stand out, sadly.  It seems like a missed opportunity to explore batarian architecture or have dramatic asteroid scenery.

Story:  I'm irritated that this DLC is started via an unskippable cutscene email in the middle of the game.  If roleplaying the type who wouldn't leave someone to torture under the batarians, the player should probably do the mission right then.  I'd rather it be my choice when to trigger it.

While it can be an interesting challenge, it doesn't feel worth it to have Shepherd alone and miss interesting possible party commentary.  I also don't feel it's well justified in the game.  It feels like a budget choice, especially given there aren't even any Joker lines in the DLC, which feels especially cheap.

The mission itself is rather frustrating, although I'm not opposed to the dark turn it takes.  I just wish the story itself would focus on it a bit more instead of so much shooting.  There's some nice discussion at the end with Admiral Hackett, but more thoughtfulness and indication of Shepherd's feelings could have been included (again, party members would have helped with this.)

Conclusion:  Arrival offers some good set-up and background for Mass Effect 3, but its lacks in many areas keep it from being great or especially fun.

"Mass Effect 2 Kasumi: Stolen Memory" DLC Review

Publisher:  Bioware/EA

Genre:  RPG

Summary:  A thief joins Shepherd's crew and requests help in a heist.

Gameplay:  As a party member, Kasumi isn't a heavy hitter, but Overload is always useful.  Her sneak attack ability seems like it would be more useful when under main character control.  She also comments on game events and locations as much as other party characters.

Kasumi's loyalty mission involves exploring a fancy party while trying to hack into a secure vault, and there are several paths to do so.  It's a nice combination of dialogue, hacking, combat, and (new to the series) following power lines.

There's also plenty of combat, including another gunship battle.  Depending on Sheperd's build and the mission timing, the combat during the loyalty mission can be difficult.  The reward is an excellent new submachine gun and a new fancy outfit for Shepherd.

Style:  The fancy mansion of the loyalty mission is a nice change of pace.

Story:  The heist is a lot of fun.  Shepherd gets to infiltrate a fancy party, then fight their way out through a weapons factory.  There are moments of humor throughout, and the titular "stolen memory" you recover (and choice regarding it) is actually very poignant.

Conclusion:  Kasumi is fun character.  Although not necessary for the plot of Mass Effect 2, her mission is enjoyable in its own right.

"Mass Effect Bring Down the Sky" DLC Review

Publisher:  Bioware

Genre:  RPG

Summary:  Commander Shepherd must stop alien terrorists from crashing an asteroid into a human colony.

Gameplay:  Combat is like the rest of the game, with lots of turrets to take out and combat in bunkers.  There is one dissimilar section involving avoiding land mines.

Style:  The bunkers are pretty much the same as every other bunker in the game, with only the final base being different.  The landscape of an asteroid heading towards a planet is beautiful, although not more so than some of other gorgeous planets in the game.

Story:  The plot is pretty straightforward, but there is a nice choice at the end (which does get some excellent follow-up in Mass Effect 3.)

Conclusion:  Although not outstanding, this is a fun adventure for Shepherd that adds to the Mass Effect galaxy.

"Mass Effect 2 Zaeed: The Price of Revenge" DLC Review

Publisher:  Bioware/EA

Genre:  RPG

Summary:  A veteran mercenary joins Shepherd's crew.

Gameplay:  Zaeed proves a useful squad member, using assault rifles, sniper rifles, disruptor ammo, and, after his mission, the extremely useful inferno grenade.  His mission also yields a new heavy weapon, a flamethrower.  It's not spectacular, but not the worst of the heavy weapons, either.

Style:  The graphics don't differ from the rest of Mass Effect 2.  Zaeed's loyalty mission, on a jungle planet in a flaming factory, oozes humidity and heat.

Story:  Zaeed is a gruff old merc, and will have comments about places and missions about as often as the rest of the squad.  You can't talk to him on the ship, although he does have some comments about various things in his cabin.  His mission is nothing special, but it does have a strong choice to be made.  I wish there was more follow-up on it later.

Conclusion:  While not standout, Zaeed's story of revenge isn't bad, either.  And gameplay-wise I've found him a very useful member of Shepherd's crew.

"Mass Effect 2" Review

Genre:  RPG

Publisher:  EA/Bioware

Summary:  Commander Shepherd must build a team capable of taking on the mysterious Collectors and stopping them from abducting human colonists.

Gameplay:  Abilities and classes have been streamlined, making each class more unique.  Each party member now only has a few abilities, making choosing the proper team for the proper mission more important.

Also vastly streamlined are weapons and armor.  Different types of ammo are now abilities instead of mods.  There are only a few different types of weapons, and mostly Shepherd simply finds more powerful versions as the game goes on.  There are a few instances you might prefer a previous model if it carries more shots or shoots faster.

And that matters now, as guns actually run out of ammo instead of just overheating (the actual in-game description notwithstanding.)  I rather liked shooting freely in the first game, but occasionally having to switch weapons when you're out of ammo for one does add an interesting element sometimes.

There are also unique heavy weapons that do a lot of damage but require special ammo.  There are a nice variety of these to try out (and decide on an inevitable favorite.)

As for armor, party members have their own outfits.  You can switch their colors after completing their loyalty missions, but I miss the variety of armors from the first game.  For Shepherd, you can buy piecemeal different parts that add various bonuses, as well as color and tint the armor as desired.

There are also several bonus armors with further stats, but these are all annoying in that you can't see Shepherd's face through their helmet.  Given Shepherd spends a great deal of time in the armor, it's really annoying that the game doesn't have a view helmet optional button, especially as the first game did.

Combat is still a lot of fun.  The battlefield locations include a lot of long corridors to move through that make for enjoyable environments.  The enemies vary between mercenary groups, combat mechs, geth, and various aliens, plus some tougher opponents like a gunship or two.

Starship travel now actually requires fuel.  Planets can be scanned for minerals from orbit, which can then be used for equipment or ship upgrades.  I don't mind planet scanning, but I find myself getting more obsessive about it than necessary (I suppose that's not the game's fault.)

There are two hacking minigames:  one requires you to find several colored bits of code as they scroll by, and the other to connect a series of matching symbols in a sort of memory game.  I don't mind the first, but I passionately hate the latter.  In it the mouse becomes less responsive.  There's no fun in my hand cramping as I try to connect what I know are the two correct signals, but then time runs out because my mouse can't navigate smoothly.

The Paragon and Renegade system works a bit differently in this game as well.  There are Renegade and Paragon interrupts, where the player must quickly hit a button to take a special action.  While interesting, it feels a bit awkward in that no matter whether Paragon or Renegade, everyone wants to do something when there's a flashing button.  Being strongly Paragon or Renegade and using that to convince others is also more difficult this game.

Style:  The overall look of the Mass Effect 2 characters and environments is way too plastic-y for me.  There is also just way too much orange in general.  Still, there are some lovely background vistas.  Also, the music is excellent.

Story:  I'm not one of those who has a problem with Shepherd working for Cerberus this game, but I do think Shepherd's responses could sometimes be sharper or stronger.  The main plot of the missing colonies could use more focus--with only a few missions focusing on it, it's hard to keep their tragic disappearance in mind.

The game's strength is the various recruitment and loyalty missions for the crew.  Many of the latter are especially excellent, featuring memorable stories and incidents.  There are old and new characters to interact with, and many shine.  I do wish characters had a bit more to do and say on each other's missions, but I guess that's the price you pay for so many party members.  I also wish you could click on the characters, not on a possibly-missed section of the environment, to hear their thoughts.

Beyond those missions, there are many fun and atmospheric little adventures to be had when exploring other corners of the galaxy.  Unfortunately, the game doesn't really give you a good reason to find any of them.  Still, just in the bits you do see, the game really expands this universe.

Conclusion:  Although in many ways different than its predecessor, and containing its own faults, Mass Effect 2 nevertheless continues the tradition of fun combat and excellent storytelling in an exciting science fiction universe.

"Mass Effect" Review

Genre:  RPG

Publisher:  Bioware

Summary:  As the first human Spectre, the elite agents of the galactic council, Commander Shepherd must hunt down rogue Spectre Saren and his mechanical geth and foil his plans to summon an ancient threat.

Gameplay:  Combat is great fun and quick-moving.  I'm a bit miffed I have to hold down the pause button, and waiting for weapon and ability cooldowns can be annoying, but the mix of technical, biotic, and combat abilities makes for fun and interesting battles.

There are a wide variety of guns, armor, grenades, and ammo as well.  The inventory management is somewhat frustrating, especially considering you can only access other party members' inventory from your ship, and you can only level them up when they're with you.  I enjoy seeing everyone in different armors, and to some extent even switching out various ammo and mods, but having multiple levels of different weapons, ammo, armor, grenades, omnitools, biotic amps, armor mods, and weapon mods is a bit much.

Extra equipment can be sold or made into omnigel for healing or lockpicking in lieu of a simple Frogger-esque game I don't mind.  I don't always succeed at higher levels, but it's never crucial to do so, thanks to the omnigel option.

There are driving sections of the game in your tank, the Mako.  I prefer the free-range planet sections over the track sections that make up the main missions.  It's more interesting to try to get the Mako up a mountainside to mark a metal deposit than to shoot the same turret in the same location the ten millionth time.

Style:  Although somewhat stiff now, Mass Effect's graphics are colorful and detailed enough for me, despite an issue that causes textures to sometimes take a second to pop into place.  Cutscenes are dramatic, with spaceship scenes in particular being stand-out.

I love seeing the alien skies of the worlds I explore, despite finding the exact same structures on those worlds (which at least has a good justification in that everyone is using pre-fab buildings.)  Rain doesn't get depicted well, but there is blowing snow and dust.

I do wish some of the alien ruins visited looked more alien.  For the most they look far too much like your usual post-apocalyptic depiction of Earth thirty years after the bomb.

Story:  Mass Effect has an entire setting to introduce, and it does a pretty good job of it.  The usual space opera tropes are present (plus general favorites like zombies), but with enough of a twist to seem like its own thing.

The overall plot organization is, as not unusual for Bioware, several main plot hubs that can be visited in any order, with sidequests scattered about elsewhere.  The game does a good job making it so you can truly visit them in any order.

The characters are good, although some have more awkward dialogue than others, and some will be developed more in later games.  And certain sequences are always epic no matter how many times I play them, such as a heart-wrenching decision, or the endgame, which is the best I've yet seen.

Conclusion:  I feel Mass Effect has somewhat been forgotten in all the discussion of the later games, but it's still a good game with some true strengths.  Despite the irritations of the inventory and other minor awkwardness, its overall interesting exploration, fun combat, and strong story make it a great game.

Five Best Endgames

A good game ending may be hard to find--but equally hard to find is a good endgame.  The preceding sentence to an ending's punctuation, too often an endgame is a joyless slog of mindless, difficult combat, or simply deficient in wrapping the game up for the coming finish.

But this post is for the good ones.  These endgames are fun, exciting, and, one way or another, draw everything to a perfect close.

Character Backstory

In roleplaying games, I get to create my character, but of course some things about that character's background are going to be decided for me.  I might decide to play an elf, but that elf is going to be from Treetown, because that's where all the elves are from.  But did my character love or hate Treetown?  What did they do there?  Why did they leave?  That might (or might not) still be up to me.

As someone who likes to create lots of different characters for lots of different playthroughs, I've found there's an interesting middle ground to this.  Too specific a background is hobbling, but too vague and I have an equally difficult time coming up with a character.

For example, In Dragon Age II the player character always comes from the same place with the same family.  They might be a warrior or mage and might react entirely differently to things due to entirely different opinions, but I always have a hard time imagining lots of possibilities with such a singular background.  It's great that the game offers your character plenty of choices, but without the excuse of varied backstories, I've had a hard time coming up with many different characters to explore them all.

On the other end of the spectrum is Fallout:  New Vegas.  The player character is a courier and no further background is given (until expanded content, anyway, and not much then, as far as I understand.)  This leaves a ton of options for character backstories, as there are plenty of reasons for someone to become a courier.  However, I've found that I miss at least a little more background.  Without something more to go on it's difficult for me not to fall into the same old character ruts.

A good middle ground for me is something like Mass Effect.  Mass Effect offers two selections from three background events (so six total variations) for your character.  Yet these events are vague enough I could come up with hundreds of characters.  If my character grew up in the slums of Earth, are they a hardcore alien-hating gangster, or just curious about exploring the far regions of space?  Up to me, but at least I know where my character came from.

This is, of course, just my preference.  Perhaps you find the more details the merrier when it comes to your character's background, or maybe you hate the idea of anything else being imposed.  Or maybe you don't give a rip.  What do you think?