Hypebusta... Hypebusta! Mass Effect 2

Preface:
I will explain my conceit for my Hypebuster blog series through this excerpt from The Royal Tenenbaums.

Eli - Let me ask you something. Why would a review make the point of saying someone's not a genius? You think I'm especially not a genius? I know w... You didn't even have to think about it, did you?
Margot - Well, I just don't use that word lightly.

Hypebuster: Mass Effect 2

So I got the PS3 version of Mass Effect 2 for $30 new on Amazon. I don't mind missing the first game since I get that motion comic that sums it up and I get to make the choices that matter via the comic. I never cared for Mass Effect before. I became interested in the franchise after beating Infinite Space a second time and I was really jonesing for some sci-fi. From everything I've heard about it -- from blogs, reviews, podcasts, friends who've played it, -- Mass Effect isn't quite my cup of tea. If I want spactacular third-person shooter, I'll pop in Vanquish. If I want a story and characters, I'll hit up my bookshelf (which doubles as a DVD shelf). If I want RPG customization, I'll continue playthrough six of Final Fantasy Tactics. Is the sum of Mass Effect's components greater than the parts that comprise it? Plus as a hipster, of course I automatically hate Mass Effect 'cause it's mainstream. That and my friend/big ex's boyfriend has an N7 hoodie and he's a supremely lame dude. We refer to him as "potato" when we talk about him. Ideally I would be pirating Mass Effect and its sequel on my dad's fancy new computer, but I really don't want to deal with my mom kicking me off so she can check her facebook. So $30?! I'll buy most any game for $30.

Thoughts prior to playing:

This gen's Bioware games are more focused on "role playing" than "playing game."

What lame box art.

Lame hair options for female Shepard.

Lamest final boss fight ever.

I'm absolutely not interested in romancing anybody.

Combat isn't anything to write home about.

Very limited customization for an RPG.

Bland and generic sci-fi/fantasy plot. Ancient evil returns and the peoples of Middle-Earth must band together!

Traipsing through sci-fi corridors with Legion and Mordin is very appealing and my main reason for wanting to play ME2.

The Asari should not have breasts as they are a feature of mammalian sexual dimorphism. With their longevity and lack of sex, I'd say the Asari are closer to sponges.

I find the idea of reprogramming the heretic Geth morally reprehensible. As a sentient species, it is not right to forcibly take away their sovereignty. It's bullshit that that's the paragon choice. I will give them liberty and give them death!

I'm fascinated by the geth. If I lived in that universe, I would try to study them and try to live with them. The Jane Goodall of Geth.

The Renegade/Paragon binary is not conducive to true role playing.

Thoughts while playing:

Played for 16 hours in less than a 24 hour time frame. Must be hooked.

It's loads of fun charging guys and blasting them in the face with a shotgun. Vanguard by the bye.

Mordin is more interesting than I thought he would be. Anyone who sings Gilbert and Sullivan is great in my book.

Jacob is a bigger tool than I thought he would be.

Illium's architecture is too generically futuristic.

Being a single sex species, the Asari really shouldn't be using female pronouns to refer to other Asari since the species has no females or males.

I wish the Normandy was deconstructed into a series of menus. I'm sick of moving Shepard's slow ass through the ship. Shepard's slow ass in general.

Diggin' the heist film formula for the game's narrative arc: gather a bunch of specialists for the big job.

Normal was too normal, bumped it up to Veteran. Veteran was too insignificant of a change. Hardcore.

Harder difficulty makes you play more tactically. Played balls out on normal with no risk. On a harder difficulty, you actually have to think about team composition and weapon loadout.

I understand now. Individual customization for your squad was reduced but supplanted by a larger party and the importance of squad composition. I dig it. Getting the right person for the job. Heist film formula.

"Tell me about (blank)." Bioware is supposedly known for good writing. Good? Kind of. 95% of the dialog is expository. Neat ideas and mythos presented through adequately written dialog? Yes.

Romancing Garrus had some funny dialog.

Man, Liara is a really lame Debby. Friend tells me she was a better character in the first game.

Mining is as boring as I thought it would be. There are more minerals in the galaxy than you will ever need.

Paragon Shep shouldn't have to fight the final boss if they're blowing the place up anyways.

Hit or miss? Hype busted?

After taking an hour long break when I finished the game, I started an Insanity playthrough, tied up some loose trophy ends and net me the platinum. I'm not some masochist who's going to keep playing a game I can't stand playing for the sake of my e-penis. So yeah, I like the game. A lot. But I don't think it completely lives up to the hype. Granted, there's plenty of hype for it to live up to, much too much for my cynical heart.

Role playing in a well crafted world and interacting with interesting characters are a key part of Bioware games. My sad sack, cynical wank friend who wants RPGs to return to the Diablo and Neverwinter Nights days played the Mass Effect series assured me that none of the characters are interesting with the exception of Wrex and one or two others. I can't speak in regards to the first game, but I would concur with my friend to some extent. Japanese RPGs get a lot of flak for adhering to character archetypes, but Western RPGs adhere to archetypes as well. The Mass Effect art books -- yes, I liked Mass Effect enough to download the art books -- even state that they are adhering to certain archetypes.

These sci-fi/fantasy archetypes are very apparent in Mass Effect 2 with its formula of going out and recruiting these specialists for the big job. These are characters we've all seen before. Only this time around, the repentant dying killer is a lizard spaceman and the badass chick who uses her badassness to keep from getting hurt has biotics. Some of the characters have more nuance and depth than others though. I was sold on Mordin, the manic brainiac, and the adventure through the morally gray minefield that is the ethics of the genophage. For a similar reason I enjoyed Legion and his loyalty mission as well as navigating the politics of the Migrant Fleet.

I don't know about the first game, but the relationships in Mass Effect 2 are so superficial. From a developer that places a lot of emphasis on role playing, I didn't feel like I was role playing at all. It felt like I was playing office suck up in order to get people to play ball. For paragon anyways. If anything, I was punished for role playing in my first playthough. Choosing what I felt was an appropriate response for the situation resulted in not having enough paragon or renegade to amicably resolve the conflicts between Legion & Tali and Miranda & Jack which resulted in people's deaths.

I can keep railing against things that irked me or spend my time penetrating the shallowness of the story and characters, but the bottom line is that I really enjoyed my time with Mass Effect. I'm still playing it even after the platinum. I will be getting Mass Effect 3 come March next year, maybe even the collector's edition. I might even download the first Mass Effect as well. With the exception of the Orange Box, Mass Effect 2 is best $30 I've spent on a videogame.
Next time on Hypebuster... Batman: Arkham Asylum
If you stuck with it until the end, thanks. Here's a treat, the true inspiration for hypebusta... hypebusta!!!