Mass Effect 2

⭐ 9.5/10

(Originally written by Rebecca)

I really couldn't stop thinking about this game all the way through. Probably took me close to 40 hours to complete (but not sure because my playtime got messed up) and I was hooked all the way through. I won't say too much about what it's about since Joe still needs to play it, but I loved this game's moral conundrums. Do I believe in saving humanity? Yes. Do I believe in saving humanity at the cost of others? Maybe not...

I also loved the things that carried over from game 1, both including and not including things that came from importing my character. Loved meeting characters I worked with in the last game, getting messages from people I helped, hearing about how my choices played out. The plot and world-building was really incredible. The relationship-building could have used work, but at least the characters were less wooden in this game. Mechanics were better too, and I finally figured out how to use my biotic powers enough that I barely used a gun lol. Which honestly felt like cheating sometimes.

I could go on for ages about this game, but some stand-out moments for me were the Archangel mission (that reveal!), the Tuchanka/genophage stuff, and the intensity of the final battle. I sometimes got lost in side missions that didn't really add to the plot at all, but I enjoyed every single one of them. My only real complaint is that I had so many team members that I couldn't possibly get to know them all, much less use them all. Just ended up taking the same 2 or 3 people everywhere. (Garrus my beloved!) Anyway, I'm about to dive headfirst into Game 3. This is all I care about now.