Читать книгу The Gamer's Bucket List - Chris Watters - Страница 12

Mass Effect 2

First Released Jan 26, 2010

Okay, this is a weird one. The Mass Effect trilogy is a tremendous achievement, a sweeping space opera that takes place in a universe so richly imagined that it rivals titans like Star Wars and Star Trek for sheer narrative potential. So why select Mass Effect 2? Why not just start with Mass Effect and carry your character through the whole trilogy? Well, hopefully that’s what you’ll do, because it’s a grand, awe-inspiring journey. This book is a bucket list, however, and if there’s one game from this series you simply can’t miss, it’s the crown jewel, Mass Effect 2.

You play as Commander Shepard (gender, hairstyle, and facial features chosen by you), a heroic human space captain in a future in which humanity has recently emerged on a galactic stage populated by fascinating alien races. Faced with an overwhelming threat from deep space, you must recruit a multicultural crew that is ready to lay down their lives for the fate of all organic life. The combat is exciting, thanks to your powerful mix of guns and space magic (that’s not a technical term), but it’s the relationships that make Mass Effect 2 so special.

Relationships are fueled by choices, large and small. As you choose responses in the game’s frequent conversations, you mold your own version of Shepard. Though you take ownership of her decisions and actions, you’re more of a guide than a ventriloquist. Shepard has her own personality as well, and this makes playing the role of the Commander much more engaging. And then there’s your crew, a diverse cast of some of the most memorable characters in all of video games. Conversing with them is a reward unto itself, and the bonds you form with them won’t soon be forgotten. Mass Effect 2 is a marvel of grand-scale drama made personal, the emotional high water mark in a captivating series.

A SCI-FI MAJOR GENERAL

Just because it’s a space opera, doesn’t mean there is singing. But there is singing in Mass Effect 3, and it’s a fantastic Gilbert & Sullivan cameo.