Mass Effect 2 vs Mass Effect 1: The Mass(ive) Comparison

Now that I’ve got the headline out of the way, let me take you back to October 2005 when Mass Effect was first announced.

Back then, a cinematic action RPG was a hard thing to come by. So when BioWare announced Mass Effect, it instantly caught gamers attention.

Not only it had the pedigree of a BioWare RPG, but all the right elements, the movie-esque gameplay, the story and the grey line morality. There wasn’t a straight line between right and wrong, and no other game made it so hard to choose your next move.

Then the previews started rolling in and everyone got excited. A prequel book was released to much fanfare, Mass Effect: Revelation which fleshed out the Mass Effect universe.

RPG fans just couldn’t wait. High definition caught up at a faster rate and everyone was amazed just how good the damned thing looked. Needless to say, it was one of the reasons to own a Xbox 360.

And the day arrived, November 20 2007. 360 fans (myself included) squealed in delight. We popped the disc in and was met by Commander Shepard looking out into space. But to our dismay, the game was riddled with texture pop-ins and a woeful inventory system. Still, BioWare released a much improved PC version 6 months later in May 28 2008 to critical acclaim.

Mass Effect pushed many buttons, both good and bad. It racked up rave reviews and several awards, including GameCritic’s top RPG and #1 spot on IGN’s list of “The Top 25 Xbox 360 games.

But anyone remember the Fox News/Mass Effect alien sex scene debacle? It blew the whole thing out of proportion and suddenly everyone wanted to know what ME was all about.

Not to mention the whole internet went up in arms when BioWare said PC gamers had to re-activate ME after every 10 days (which they later removed).

Fast forward to 2010 and we’re eagerly waiting for ME2’s January 26th release. The teaser trailer shocked everyone when the words “Commander Shepard, KIA” were displayed on screen. Gamers everywhere speculated about what it meant, how on earth is the trilogy supposed to continue without Shepard?

BioWare (to our relief) revealed that your actions will affect the outcome. Humans everywhere are disappearing and Commander Shepard is on a suicide mission to find out. There is no turning back and your choices will determine whether he makes it out dead or alive.

The second book, Mass Effect: Ascension does a good job of portraying the “illusive man”. ME2 will also have a star-studded voice cast and if you loved the original ME soundtracks, Jack Wall is at it again.

BioWare is so confident that they plan on doing ME comic books. The first one, titled Redemption has already been released and a ME2 prequel novel, Retribution, has been announced.

BioWare’s project manager Casey Hudson has also said that ME2 will be supported with tons of “high quality” DLCs. And every player will have their own ME2 universe because you can import your previous saved game (which will also give your character a boost).

ME2 is so highly anticipated that rumors started flying around, with EA Russia mistakenly labeling the game for a PS3 debut. But it was a hoax and the listing has since been pulled off. BioWare has also said they have started work on Mass Effect 3’s story.

We’ve already seen glimpses of ME2, including GameSpot’s 12 minute hands on video. The game plays so smoothly, and there are no technical issues that plagued the first game. OXM US also got the world’s first ME2 review, giving it a 9.5/10 which has firmly secured ME2 to be one of the best games in 2010, if not the best game.

Are you excited about Mass Effect 2? I know I sure am. January 26th folks, savor only a bit longer. 😀