In May I got my Xbox 360, complimenting the PS3 and Wii I've had since 2008. My primary motivation for the purchase was playing the much lauded Mass Effect 2. I could have gotten it for PC, but it wouldn't have ran as well on my modest system as it would on a 360, and it was cheaper for me to purchase the console rather then upgrade my system.  
 
Since then I have played a variety of Xbox 360 exclusive titles (I buy cross platform titles for my PS3 because I'm a trophy whore) but I hadn't gotten to the game I originally bought the system for. I had played through Mass Effect to get up to speed on the story and to carry over my Commander Shepard, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience, completing every available mission. 
 
So whats the point of saying all this? Well basically I had done what few have, I had held onto a copy of Mass Effect 2 for months without touching it, playing through my back catalogue of xbox titles I bought on the cheap after the console purchase, and completing and PS3 releases I grabbed on the way. I had the current front runner for game of the year on my shelf, and I hadn't touched it. Madness! 
 
So what finally made me sit on my arse, eyes glued to the screen for 3 days? 
 
The Lair of the Shadow Broker. 
 
Why? 
 
Because I could continue my Shepard's relationship with Liara and stay true to her to hopefully continue it into the sequel. 
 
I don't know if thats a testament to how engrossing the story and the characters are, or to how mental I am. Either way I loved the game. It would have to be one of the best, if not the best game I've played this year -- and I've played some damn good games so far and the year has more exciting titles to come. Outside of Uncharted 2 and Heavy Rain, I've found the characters in Mass Effect 1 and 2 to be the most relatable and well developed characters in any game I've played. I truly cared about what happened to them and how they felt about my Commander Shepard. The story felt like a perfect balance of the excitement of Star Wars battles with the elaborate pseudo science of Star Trek, with a more consistently enjoyable narrative. 
 
Actually, speaking of the science of Mass Effect, the amount of work that has gone into developing this universe is astounding. Everything feels like a lot of care and thought has gone into crafting the history of the planets, races and technology in this series. Everything seems as though it could work, as though it could exist some 150 years from now, and thats no small feat on Bioware's part. 
  
By this point, the praise I'm giving this game is expected by anyone who has played it, or anyone that visits gaming websites even semi-regularly. Still I felt it worth sharing. If there is anyone that hasn't played Mass Effect 2, or even the first, I highly recommend them. If you strongly dislike Science Fiction, maybe this won't change your mind, since the story is pretty deeply rooted in that genres storytelling conventions. However if you like space adventures, with a hefty dose of sciency goodness, plus some solid third person cover-based action/RPG goodness, give these games a look.  
 
P.S. If anyone actually bothers to read this, I'd like some feedback on my writing. I'm hoping to do a bit more of it to improve my skills before I return to Universtity. Any pointers, opinions and even questions are most welcome ^_^