"With Mass Effect 2, the producers at BioWare have gone on record stating that they wanted to "critic-proof" their sequel, taking every bit of feedback received from the gaming community at large and addressing it somehow. This is how sequels work in video games, so these kinds of statements in the weeks and months before release weren't surprising.
"As the game's basic narrative became apparent, "risk" seemed a major theme for Mass Effect 2's story, but more surprising, "risk" seems to have been a design concept as well. Dragon Age: Origins was hailed by critics as a spiritual successor to BioWare's classic Baldur's Gate II, but it remained rooted in a tradition that's seen little change in a decade. While the first Mass Effect was marked by similar problems, Mass Effect 2 sets a bold path to BioWare's future, keeping the writing and craftsmanship the studio has become known for, while discarding outdated mechanics and conventions that weighed down the last game. By taking that risk, BioWare has put out something that feels like a successor to its legacy-and a game that ranks at the top of the medium.
...
"Mass Effect 2 delivers the best experience of its kind in this generation-and considering I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I finished my initial 39-hour playthrough a few days ago, a lower score would feel disingenuous. From its mechanics to its writing to its presentation, Mass Effect 2 is the kind of game that justifies gushing clichés and superlatives. I can't recommend it highly enough."
EDITOR'S NOTE: Great pains have been taken to ensure that this review is completely spoiler free.
BY ARTHUR GIES
JANUARY 26TH, 2010
One of the best things about the Mas Effect series is the companions you meet along the way. So here is a tier list of all the companions from Mass Effect!
To think that Bioware at some point was capable of doing games like this, you see those characters and remember them like good old friends, and now check ME Andromeda, Anthem, Veilguard etc and wonder what the hell happened.
some in andromeda are decent, I agree with peebee and Vetra being good companions. Except Liam he's trash tier
it's like bitch but your shirt back on, your not blue or spikey get away from me
RPGs are often huge, sprawling endeavours. With limited playtime, we have to choose wisely, so here's the best western RPGs available today.
"I started playing games yesterday" the List... Meh!
How about a few RPGs that deserve some love instead?
1 - Alpha Protocol - Now on GOG
2 - else Heart.Break()
3 - Shadowrun Trilogy
4 - Wasteland 2
5 - UnderRail
6 - Tyranny
7 - Torment: Tides of Numenera
And for a bonus game that flew under the radar:
8 - Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden
Not only glorious jank, but the idea that the story can completely change depending on what you do, or say, or side with, makes it one of the most forward thinking games ever. The amount of story permutation is the equivalent of a Hitman level but in Story Form. And it wasn't just that the story changed, no, it was that you met completely new characters, or missed them, depending on your choices. Made Mass Effect feel static in comparison.
Alpha Protocol was absolutely glorious, indeed. And it was, and still is, more Next Gen than most anything out there these days. In this regard at least.
Pity.
Wealth of Geeks explores some of the best gaming romances that have stolen our hearts over the years.
Not a single score below 90%
Meta is at 97%