Page 8 - Games Vol 1 No 1

I actually agree with that choice? I don't think I There is a very basic cover system that some
do...". Sometimes, the decisions you make aren't modern 3rd person shooter fans might find hard
black and white like they have been in games of to swallow, but if you don't know what you're
the past (most notably, Star Wars: Knights of the missing, then it works just fine. Indeed, after a few
Old Republic, where Light side was an angel, hours, you don't even notice it. Squad intelligence,
always doing the right thing and Dark side was a however, is severely lacking, causing quite a few
demon, always being an evil bastard). I found frustrating deaths due to their stupidity and the
myself gritting my teeth and choosing what I felt outdated method of having the action pause to
was right, not what my inner gamer told me to. tell them where to move or what powers to use.
You eventually learn to counter this by becoming
When I realised that I was doing this, I knew that I a one-man (or woman) army and leaving your
was onto something really special. I felt a allies to their own devices while you destroy
connection to the characters like I had never everything.
experienced in a game before. Sure, I've had my
favourite characters in the past like Snake, Mario, The inventory system has copped a lot of flak too,
Leon Kennedy, Chad Muska in THPS3 ... but I'd although I played Mass Effect on PC and it wasn't
never had an actual emotional connection to any too bad. I've heard that it's very counter-intuitive
of them (except Snake at the end of MGS3, that on consoles, which must be a little scary; the
sh*t was real, son). amount of loot you pick up is absolutely
For all of its glory, there are some truly boring and ridiculous. By the end of my game, I had more
than 4 million credits and the best gear for my
entire crew. Picking up loot became a waste of
time for me. Like other games in the past, you'll
learn to tolerate the annoying things like those
mentioned above, because the payoff is worth it.
If you don't, well, read on for the second entry in
the series, where they addressed all of these
things and more.

Mass Effect 2 (2010)

The infamous “Mako” ___
The improvements made to the series are almost
repetitive sections of the game. These mostly too numerous to mention. Bioware took on board
come in the form of side-missions that you pick up suggestions from fans, critics and internal staff
through scanning various planets from orbit to and addressed pretty much everything that was
find resources and mission items. Buildings are wrong with the first game and improved the
recycled so much, it feels like Bioware only had things that made it great. They set out to "create
one person working on it and the objectives are an experience that was less about being a game
often un-inspiring. This is pretty standard fare for
most games, but you kind of expect something
more important after getting involved in the main
story so heavily. Driving the "Mako" ground
vehicle around on alien planets you have scanned
is a laugh, due to its awful handling and ridiculous
capabilities, such as being to drive up almost
vertical obstacles. While it can get pretty damn
boring driving around these sparsely populated
environments, there is a real feeling of frontier
exploration behind it. It gives a sense of scale to
the galaxy. Mass Effect 2 (2010)

8 Independent Media Inspiring Minds