Genre: Action RPG, Third Person Shooter
Year: 2010
Developed by: BioWare
Published by: Electronic Arts
Platforms: PC, XBOX 360, PS3
#20
Feeling Like: With friends like these…
Mass Effect 2 seems to be the undisputed king of the trilogy and many would argue it’s one of the best RPGs ever made.
I would agree, mostly. It was a toss up between this and the original, but Mass Effect had the newness factor to it, the “whoa”. I didn’t see it coming. I came into Mass Effect 2 with sky high expectations and hype never really helps analysis, but I can say it’s a superior game. Just not on the 500.
I think what helps Mass Effect 2 is the narrative structure is surprisingly simple. Commander Shepard is nearly killed at the beginning of the game, and is rebuilt by the shadowy corporation Cerberus, headed by the Illusive Man. Shepard was brought back to life through spacey wacey science fiction to help them investigate disappearing human colonies. Your job is to recruit a team, and find out what’s going on. Easy.
The Illusive Man, oh my Christ. I have to gush.
Right off the bat, Mass Effect 2 works so well because of the focus on the characters. These aren’t your 16-bit little polygon caricatures, these are deeply written, professionally voice acted people. I believe every word they say, I believe they have a backstory and motivations and real feelings. The models still look terrific 13 years later. They’re not quite on Uncharted 4 or God of War’s level, but can you imagine if they were?
The game basically is about collecting various warriors across the galaxy, then going all-in on the Suicide Mission against the Collectors and Reapers. We see so many complex plots in video games that it was a very refreshing change of pace. I always knew what was going on, my focus was easily honed and the rewards were a new, interesting party member or a way to deepen Shepard’s friendship with them. Works for me!
Back to the Illusive Man. In one of the best casting choices in history, he’s played by Martin Sheen. Yes, THAT Martin Sheen.
I wrote about this in my Snackbar days.
Going well beyond your standard space opera, Mass Effect has solid gameplay, absolutely fantastic environments, a deep history and, you guessed it, interesting characters that you really care about. One character really struck a chord with me. It wasn’t Mordin, that delightful Gilbert & Sullivan-singing Salarian Scientist Supreme. It wasn’t Garrus, the badass Turian soldier with a voice as calming as hot chocolate. No, it was the unforgettable Illusive Man.
The Illusive Man is the head of the Cerberus Corporation. He’s directly involved with putting you back together in the first hour of Mass Effect 2. You’re saved from death, resurrected with a few tweaks and are now expected to work for him. He claims his ultimate goal is to establish security for the human race. He may have other, more nefarious goals.
The character is a delight. He’s a normal-looking man (aside from the eyes) in his 50s. He has no outstanding physical features; he’s not particularly tall. He’s not charismatic, and certainly doesn’t have much of a sense of humor. And yet, he stands out as having a powerful, charming presence despite being in a game featuring
more than a dozen unique alien races. You have a feeling that he’s always hiding something, but might actually be trusted. He sounds convincing when he claims he wants to protect humanity. He did rescue you, at great expense, after all. He’s usually calm and understanding, even when you disagree with him in conversations. Oh, and the only room you ever see him in (you never meet him face-to-face in Mass Effect 2) is a dark room, with a beautiful glass floor and a view that some would pay millions for. Glowing, fiery planets are really “in” this year, according to Citadel Real Estate Monthly.
This setting is highlighted nicely by the fact that he always has a cigarette in hand, and that he’s expertly portrayed by Martin Sheen.
Huh? Martin Sheen? You mean that Hollywood guy? That respectable, talented actor with over 50 years of experience in movies?
Yeah, that’s the guy. Not only does Martin Sheen have an absolutely perfect voice for this character, they modeled the physical features of the Illusive Man based on his appearance. Take one look at the Illusive Man and tell me he doesn’t look like a younger Martin Sheen. Why does this work?
Since the actor is experienced, the dialogue is good and the voice matches the physical form, we get a character we are interested in. Ask anybody who has played Mass Effect 2 (and 3) if they can remember what the Illusive Man sounds like. Without question, they will. There’s not a single person who has seen the Star Wars movies who can claim they can’t recall what Darth Vader’s voice sounds like? It’s impossible for the connection of Martin Sheen the actor and the Illusive Man character not to resonate with players. For those who haven’t, I highly encourage you to play through the entire Mass Effect series. For those who have, read this below line from the Illusive Man. Is Martin Sheen in your head yet?
“We’re at war. No one wants to admit it, but Humanity’s under attack. One very specific man might be all that stands between Humanity and the greatest threat of our brief existence.”
I was correct then, and I’m correct now.
There are other standouts among your ragtag bunch that I will never forget.
Mordin is a fan favorite and it’s easy to see why. He’s witty. He speaks quickly. He likes Gilbert & Sullivan music. He was responsible for a terrible decision that may have been justified. It’s not certain if it was the “right” thing to do, or at least the fallout of that choice still leaves the player and the aliens involved uneasy, Mordin included. He’s matter-of-fact about the whole thing. It’s clear that it still weighs heavily on his conscious, to the point where he goes out in a blaze of glory in Mass Effect 3. I just learned that you CAN save him, but I didn’t choose that path. First of all, you have to kill Wrex in Mass Effect and there is no chance in hell I’m going to do that. Plus, it’s more dramatic this way. I still miss Mordin!
Garrus, the sensual Turian, is also noteworthy. I think he probably lands at the top of everybody’s list, or at least most lists, of favorite Mass Effect character. It’s not surprising why – it’s his voice. Well, his demeanor too – he’s cool under fire, blunt yet also sensitive to other’s needs. He’s a demon in combat (literally one of your first missions in Mass Effect 2 is to locate the “Archangel and it’s him! Surprise!) and one of your closest allies. You can keep him through all three games. I remember reading one of the creators being surprised at how much of a thirst trap Garrus was for fans. I mean, after watching this clip, I’m surprised they’d say that.
I’m sure the mechanics are better and the levels are improved and there aren’t anymore elevators hiding loading screens, but that’s not what I remember about Mass Effect 2. That’s not why it’s at #20 on the 500 – it’s the aliens. It’s why we love Star Trek and Babylon 5 and Star Wars. We want to see new types of beings, in strange costumes, makeup and prosthetics. We want to learn about their cultures: what they eat, when they sleep (do they sleep?), how they mate (it wouldn’t be a Mass Effect without some sex), their justice system, their history, their warfare, their family histories. Their attitude towards humans. It’s a reflection of cultures around our own world, but it’s so much more fun to witness the Krogan stampede over enemies instead of learning about real life war. Toy soldiers, indeed.
The dialogue wheel made me feel like I was participating in an interactive movie. I wanted to hear every line and see if I could poke and prod my allies into revealing more about themselves, or the story, or the universe at large. What did they think of Cerberus? The collectors? Of me?
I can’t list every single character and explain why they were fascinating, but take my word for it that most of them were. I hated leaving anybody behind during a mission but since you can only bring along a few of them, I had to have a rotation in place otherwise I would’ve been paralyzed by indecision. In my own little world, I imagined what Jack and Thane were talking about while I took Grunt and Miranda off to investigate an abandoned outpost. I debated the implications of romancing Liara over Tali. I wanted to please everybody which, just like in real life, you can’t do. And if you try, you’ll usually make things worse.
BioWare has never gotten back to the halcyon days when a Mass Effect launch was a big deal, the biggest of the year. I don’t think another developer has really tackled this particular formula until Larian Studios stepped up big with Baldur’s Gate 3. You can tell players were starving for an RPG that was heavily connected by weird, sexy human-like creatures that will help you take down enemies, but may also be passively aggressive in telling you it could have been done faster, or better.
I miss that kind of sass. When starting a conversation is as exciting as jumping past an explosion, or melee punching a monster in the face, you know you’ve got a winner on your hands.
The 500 