Well, where do I start? Many of you may have read my previous blog post about a certain apathy for RPG games. For a game to change my mind after many games have failed must mean that it is pretty significant, either it contains a big shooter element which I'm particularly fond of or it has been able to do what no other RPG has done, kept my attention! Mass Effect 2 ticks all the boxes, so far that is. I can actually see myself finishing this game, not by forcing myself to grind through it but actually enjoying the game for what it is and taking an interest in the deep storyline.

There is a lot going on in ME2, sometimes I have had to pause the game for a moment and take in what has happened in order to keep up with the fast paced storyline. The fact that you have quite a few assignments open for you to undertake at any moment means that the story tree is ever expanding and there is a frequent flow of new information associated with the Mass Effect world. It is very uncommon for me to get into a storyline in such depth, to such an extent that I'm reading through the codex in order to understand each creature and planet.

I'm currently just over 10 hours into the game and on the second disc, there is so much to talk about! I'm excited to write down my thoughts on the game so far. I have recruited quite a few characters including Jack, Garrus Vakarian, Mordin Solus, Grunt, Samara, Zaeed and of course Miranda and Jacob. As you can tell I've progressed well and after defending a human from the collectors once on the planet Horizon, I now find myself recruiting even more members to bolster my squad. At a guess I would say that the game consists of fighting through levels to recruit members with significant powers for a final assault on the boss, or in this case, Omega 4 and the collectors.

I've now been given further dossiers, I have most recently recruited Samara after killing the Eclipse leader. Samara seems to be a significant figure and possesses substantial powers which will no doubt be key to defeating the collectors. Recently I've completed a few side missions as well as the main storyline. Like i mentioned above I'm currently luring new members in to my team but I am always aiming to do the side missions for the characters I have on my side. I completed the mission concerning Jacob Taylor and his father. Although this assignment is quite moving, in that you feel a hatred for his father one minute and sadness the next that he has lost his father in some ways, the mission is quite brief and it would be nice if it was possible to bring Jacob's father aboard the Normandy 2.

Like with all games, there are downsides - I think you know what's coming - scanning plants for materials. At first this task seems quite exciting discovering new planets and new solar systems, but after a while it becomes a tiresome chore. The solution to this i found was sitting down with supplies (food and drink) and relax with podcast to maximize your stock or resources.

I'm sure once I post this I'll realize I forgot to mention something, but I'll be sure to write it down and include it in the next and what will probably be the final post about Mass Effect 2. Maybe I'll write a review containing all my thoughts on the game in one post. We'll see.

Well, where do I start? Many of you may have read my previous blog post about a certain apathy for RPG games. For a game to change my mind after many games have failed must mean that it is pretty significant, either it contains a big shooter element which I'm particularly fond of or it has been able to do what no other RPG has done, kept my attention! Mass Effect 2 ticks all the boxes, so far that is. I can actually see myself finishing this game, not by forcing myself to grind through it but actually enjoying the game for what it is and taking an interest in the deep storyline.

There is a lot going on in ME2, sometimes I have had to pause the game for a moment and take in what has happened in order to keep up with the fast paced storyline. The fact that you have quite a few assignments open for you to undertake at any moment means that the story tree is ever expanding and there is a frequent flow of new information associated with the Mass Effect world. It is very uncommon for me to get into a storyline in such depth, to such an extent that I'm reading through the codex in order to understand each creature and planet.

I'm currently just over 10 hours into the game and on the second disc, there is so much to talk about! I'm excited to write down my thoughts on the game so far. I have recruited quite a few characters including Jack, Garrus Vakarian, Mordin Solus, Grunt, Samara, Zaeed and of course Miranda and Jacob. As you can tell I've progressed well and after defending a human from the collectors once on the planet Horizon, I now find myself recruiting even more members to bolster my squad. At a guess I would say that the game consists of fighting through levels to recruit members with significant powers for a final assault on the boss, or in this case, Omega 4 and the collectors.

I've now been given further dossiers, I have most recently recruited Samara after killing the Eclipse leader. Samara seems to be a significant figure and possesses substantial powers which will no doubt be key to defeating the collectors. Recently I've completed a few side missions as well as the main storyline. Like i mentioned above I'm currently luring new members in to my team but I am always aiming to do the side missions for the characters I have on my side. I completed the mission concerning Jacob Taylor and his father. Although this assignment is quite moving, in that you feel a hatred for his father one minute and sadness the next that he has lost his father in some ways, the mission is quite brief and it would be nice if it was possible to bring Jacob's father aboard the Normandy 2.

Like with all games, there are downsides - I think you know what's coming - scanning plants for materials. At first this task seems quite exciting discovering new planets and new solar systems, but after a while it becomes a tiresome chore. The solution to this i found was sitting down with supplies (food and drink) and relax with podcast to maximize your stock or resources.

I'm sure once I post this I'll realize I forgot to mention something, but I'll be sure to write it down and include it in the next and what will probably be the final post about Mass Effect 2. Maybe I'll write a review containing all my thoughts on the game in one post. We'll see.

I really enjoyed my playthrough of Mass Effect 2 when I played it back at college. Let me say that there was a period of a week when none of my work got done. I digress, though. I have been thinking about the phrase "role-playing" immensely after reading your previous blog post. A role-playing game is really more than click boxes, stats, and other random numbers-- it's about story, and I think Mass Effect 2 exceeds with that.  
 
Yeah, the planet scanning seemed like a chore most of the time. I got to the point where I said screw it, and left the scanning until before the very last mission. That way I could focus on the story and get into the role of my own Shepard (which I had imported from the previous game). It's one of the reasons I love Bioware games in general. Being able to import the original hero, that I created, makes the game more friendly. Sure, I need to improve the character through levels and stat upgrades, and its a required thing to progress in the story. So, yes, they go hand and hand, but playing the role is what I found more interesting in the Mass Effect series as well as the other Bioware games.   
 
It probably doesn't help that I have a degree in English/Creative Writing because I start over-analyzing the story-- so I will stop myself here. Glad you enjoyed the game, though.