Mass Effect has easily become BioWare's most recognizable series and a veritable powerhouse franchise in gaming. With the Legendary Edition remastering the original trilogy, and a brand new game in development, Mass Effect is more relevant than ever.
While the first Mass Effect established the franchise and universe, it was really Mass Effect 2 that cemented both the fanbase and the general style of the franchise. The most important aspect of Mass Effect 2, however, lies in how the game wasn't afraid to buck tradition and take tremendous risks with its storytelling.
It's especially rare to see such a huge AAA title takes such risks, and even Mass Effect would try and play things incredibly safe later on with Andromeda. Mass Effect 2's willingness to take risks helped the game go down as one of the best RPGs of all time.
Mass Effect 2 has an unforgettable opening that brings everything to a screeching halt. The hero of the first game, Commander Shepard, is killed in the very opening scenes. It's a tremendously shocking introduction, to say the least, and sets the tone for the rest of the experience. From there Shepard is quite literally rebuilt by Cerberus, but something simply feels off. Shepard's not quite the character they were before, and on top of that, they're coerced into working with Cerberus, a criminal organization that they fought over and over in the first Mass Effect.
The entire marketing scheme for Mass Effect 2 hinged on the story being a "Suicide Mission," and that's one hundred percent true. Every single party member in Mass Effect 2 can die by the end, including Shepard again. The game painstakingly takes time to develop its characters and make them feel real, which is what makes it so heartbreaking when one falls during the final mission. Killing off any main characters is a risky move, as fans become attached and have their favorites, but killing the entire cast is something else entirely. This decision helped give even more agency to players, as one wrong decision could lead to a beloved comrade falling.
It's interesting to look back at Mass Effect 2, considering that BioWare had a third game in mind. The Suicide Mission of Mass Effect 2 can ostensibly bring Shepard's story to an end as if they die no one is around to rally the galaxy against the reapers. In fact, if Shepard dies in Mass Effect 2 players can't carry over that save into Mass Effect 3, and instead, have to start a new file. Video game sequels, especially the second game in a trilogy, often play things safe and make sure the road ahead is clear for the finale. Mass Effect 2 wasn't content to simply set things up but wanted to tell its own, more personal, story.
On top of the narrative themes, Mass Effect 2 also saw fit to completely overhaul Mass Effect's gameplay systems, taking the series in a much more action-focused direction. Gameplay didn't take the ambitious strides forward that the narrative did, but it still helped separate Mass Effect 2 as an entirely different beast. It should be noted that Mass Effect 2 didn't move forward on everything, as its LGBTQ representation is a particular sour spot. The sequel has zero same-sex relationships for men, and recently it came out that BioWare even changed its original plan to make Jack pansexual. It's a disappointing step back in an otherwise revolutionary game.
By comparison, Mass Effect 3 feels more like an extension of Mass Effect 2 than it does a big step forward. In a generation filled with iteration and countless titles trying the same formula, Mass Effect 2 feels like an outlier. It's a shame the series hasn't managed to feel as ambitious since, but with a brand new title on the way, maybe Mass Effect can capture that feeling once again.
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