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Characters & Tools - Mass Effect 2 Deconstructed

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How can a game be both a masterpiece of its era and a bitter pill that could bring down a franchise? It's time to go deep with Bioware's most acclaimed title: Mass Effect 2.

This is Part 2 of a three-part series that will be analyzing the main trilogy of the Mass Effect games to explore what made these games great and where things needed improvement. All three games are played on the recently-released Mass Effect Legendary Edition with no mods on PC.

ME1 Retrospective: Galaxy of Mystery - Mass Effect 1 In Retro...
Bioware Writer Forum Posts: https://rb.gy/ninwz9
Special considerations to Shamus Young and his book Mess Effect that played a big role in research and writing this video: https://rb.gy/tqdbe4

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CHAPTERS -
0:00 - Intro
2:07 - Project Lazarus
14:50 - Freedom's Progress
29:56 - Gameplay Changes
49:07 - The Citadel, Kasumi & Zaeed
1:09:47 - Recruit: Mordin & Garrus
1:21:36 - Recruit Jack & Grunt
1:33:57 - Horizon
1:46:12 - Recruit Tali, Samara & Thane
2:11:14 - Lair of the Shadow Broker
2:24:58 - The Collector Ship
2:36:41 - The Reaper IFF
2:44:38 - Loyalty: Miranda & Jack
2:54:48 - Loyalty: Garrus & Thane
3:10:56 - The Invasion of the Normandy
3:17:41 - Loyalty: Tali
3:30:44 - Loyalty: Legion
3:40:33 - Loyalty: Jacob & Samara
3:58:32 - Loyalty: Grunt & Mordin
4:13:09 - The Collector Base
4:35:12 - Arrival
4:44:38 - Side Content, Firewalker, Overlord
5:09:12 - Conclusion

MUSIC -
https://rb.gy/yx2dcf

#Retrospective #Analysis #Review #Long #Privatesessions

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20 Comments

@vigilantez9361 4 years ago (edited)

By the ending of your Mass Effect 1 playthrough your Shepard were literally build up to be Vader to Ambassador Udina (Emperor Palpatine) as Udina made his grand speach about taking power after the death of the council. In the second game however, when Shepard and Udina met in your playthrough, it was as if that conversation never happend. Maybe Udina got a grip of himself and understood what a super villain he was turning into or something… It must have been a storyline they dropped in the second installment.

@DanMcLeodNeptuneUK 5 years ago

The pinnacle of state of the art, modern research techniques! : Using a hammerhead hovercraft and pressing the 'research' button over a glowing circle!

@AlexanderAudiobooks 3 years ago (edited)

It's so wierd how, in the late 00's and early 10's, cover-based shooting was such a popular mechanic that it even infected genres other than shooters. Then, almost overnight, the entire industry turned against it.

@TheFatBastid 3 years ago

Wrex is like the only one who is actually happy and emotes when seeing Shepard. It always pissed me off that everyone else was like 'whatever'

@heartless2147 5 years ago

I never fell for the beginner's trap that is the aftermath of the Normandy invasion. I do everything beforehand, including getting all the upgrades, plus Tali and Legion's loyalty missions since you're allowed 2 missions before the crew is doomed to die. So when the 'choice' came up, I went immediately to the relay, even Miranda acknowledged that we are as ready as possible. But I can see how it's emotional manipulation to other people.

@hazanko5875 3 years ago

Is there something I can do for you?
[SOUNDS OF A MAN BEING VICIOUSLY BEATEN]
[SEVERAL SECONDS PASS. SHEPHERD LOOKS UNPERTURBED]
Whatever he did, he probably deserves worse.
[BEATING CONTINUES]

@drakenfist 3 years ago

The thing about the Invasion of the Normandy mission that I find hilarious and interesting is how much it plays out like a first date for Joker and EDI. I remember replaying ME2 a lot back in the day and on one playthrough I noticed how Edi starts calling him Jeff by the end of the game. I theorized that in ME3 Edi would somehow get a body, her and Joker would end up dating...which ended up happening.

@strangerakari2836 5 years ago

I'm so happy long-essay content becomes more popular on yt. And right after Patrician Oblivion, too!

@Patrician 5 years ago

I always thought of Mass Effect 2 being a fine game, but definitely setting the precedent for where the series would go. While I do agree that the crew getting kidnapped is a contrivance (especially since you don't really even feel their absence) it feels like the playthrough took a turn in a random direction and doesn't payoff because presumably it's setting stuff up for the third game.

@James_Simpson69 4 years ago

I’d have to disagree on your belief that Grunt has no reason to take part in the suicide mission until after you get his loyalty. Grunt, in his introduction, states that he doesn’t particularly care what happens to him, and that all that matters to him is fighting and finding out who the strongest is with the dialogue implying that his own life does not matter to him. I will agree that his reasoning is better after you earn his loyalty, but I’d argue that the point of loyalty missions is that the character is now devoted to completing the suicide mission.

@lazaglider 5 years ago

Just as I’m finishing Patrician’s Oblivion. Perfect timing.

@DanQZ 3 years ago (edited)

I don’t think there’s a single game like ME2 that I love so much yet I also agree with the majority of a 5 hour video essay criticizing almost every aspect of it. It really shows the strength of ME2’s character writing, since it can carry almost the entire experience on its back.

@windwind3170 2 years ago

I find it fitting and a bit funny that the 2 DLC companions only joined Shepard on his mission because they were paid. Get it? The player had to cough up cash for them.

@ThePreciseClimber 4 years ago (edited)

"ME2 had colour-coded endings, just like ME3."
In fact, even ME1 had colour-coded endings. The last screen with Shepard posing in front of a planet? Yeah, that can be either bright blue or dark red, depending on your morality score.
But I'm not quite sure why TIM's star changes colours when ME3 confirmed it's an actual, real star and not some fancy screensaver.

@DanMcLeodNeptuneUK 5 years ago (edited)

About the world building, consequences and storytelling - The space emails and messages you could receive after completing missions and making choices really helped add a lot of flavour and essence to the world. A great example of low effort, high impact writing!

@allief2000 4 years ago

I feel like ME2 improved on the characterization of the squadmates at the cost of Shepard's characterization. ME1 had squadmates basically functioning as lore fountains with Shep giving their opinion on everything, while ME2 had squadmates giving their opinions on things as Shep asked leading, formulaic questions. I wish they could give both good characterization in the same game.

@xXvironXx 5 years ago

You've kicked my nostalgia in the nuts, ouch!
That said, I really enjoyed ploughing through the video; top notch presentation. It's a strange realisation to see most of my problems with ME3 actually starting with this game, which I've been praising for years. Can't wait to see your conclusion to the trilogy!

@torikazuki8701 3 years ago (edited)

As a Pen 'n Paper Roleplayer with over 30 years of experience, in addition to being a Gamemaster who ran a Campaign that last 16 years, I can safely say one thing with total confidence-

Roleplaying games are NOT MOVIES.

So, yes, I totally agree with your take that having Cutscenes where Shepard is not involved are a serious misstep. However, most Game Devs are wanna-be Film creators & most people don't even know what makes a Roleplaying Game (Both PnP & cRPG) a unique form of entertainment- Player Agency. Giving the Player information that the Character cannot know, is something films do for an external viewer. Not something done for a character inside that story.

@thebasketbagger9842 3 weeks ago

Anyone else's head perked up when they realized the Halo 2 soundtrack was playing during the video🤣

For anyone wondering its around the segment on Omega.

@Slywyn 4 years ago

So in a recent playthrough of ME2 I got to the collector ship and was reminded of something you said in this video. You mention that it was somehow a 'leap of logic' that your shepard figures out they're targeting earth(or that the squadmates do), but it might just be an issue of which squadmates you have.

I had Mordin and Tali with me and Mordin makes a comment on seeing how many pods "They could depopulate every colony in the Terminus Systems and still have room"(which if you actually check the colonies, is in the millions, if not more), and then Tali states "They're going after Earth", which is a lot less of a leap of logic than you make it sound. There are way more pods than the targets they've been going after, to a significant degree, and since they're collecting humans, that really only leaves one option as to where they'd be going, doesn't it? There aren't any other human colonies they could be going to with that many pods ready for use.