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rswritingandnarrative · 7 years ago

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Mass Effect 2 Game Narrative Review

I typed this review up for my Game Narrative class, sorry for the length, I went a bit overboard.

Game Narrative Review

=========================

Your name: Ryan Schnepfe

Month/Year you submitted this review: September 2018 =========================

Game Title: Mass Effect 2

Platform: PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3

Genre: Science Fiction, Third Person RPG

Release Date: January 26th, 2010 (PC/Xbox 360), January 18th, 2011 (Playstation 3)

Developer: BioWare

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Game Writer/Creative Director/Narrative Designer: Casey Hudson

Overview: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mass Effect 2 continues the tale of Commander Shepard, commander of the Normandy SR-1 and humanity’s first “Spectre”, as they investigate the disappearances of human colonies around the Milky Way Galaxy. This puts them in direct opposition with the Collectors (a race of powerful, insect-like aliens from outside of mapped space), and directly aligns them with Cerberus (a “human interests first” extremist group). Informed by the shadowy Illusive Man that the Collector base resides past the Omega-4 Relay (giant super constructs that allow for near instant intergalactic travel), Shepard must gather a crew for a suicide mission to assault the Collectors and save humanity.

Characters: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mass Effect 2’s narrative focuses on building an “Ocean's Eleven” style crew to pull off a suicide mission. Because of this, players will encounter a huge cast of characters with varied backgrounds and skill sets that all fill various niches on the team (such as hackers, soldiers, and medics). With twelve fully fleshed out squad members (and even more supporting characters), there isn’t enough room to give them all the descriptions they deserve. Here are the characters players will spend the most time with:

● Commander Shepard -- The main playable character and player stand in, Shepard’s backstory is pieced together by the player during character creation. No matter the backstory, Shepard rose through the ranks of The Alliance, humanity’s spacefaring military branch. Their many honors and distinctions brought them to the attention of the council, where they were made the first human Spectre. This came at at time of great strife in the galaxy, as the rogue Spectre Saren Arterius allied with the robotic Geth and nearly unleashed an unfathomable cataclysm. Averting this through both combat prowess and an uncanny ability to reason with people, Shepard made themselves a target for powerful forces throughout the galaxy.

● The Illusive Man -- To say the Illusive Man is mysterious is to say water is wet. The Illusive Man leads Cerberus from an unknown location, only communicating to Shepard through encrypted messages and proxies. Painting himself as a benevolent backer of humanity, the Illusive Man bankrolls Shepard’s quest to rescue captured settlers, outfitting him with state of the art tech, including a brand new ship. A staunch human supremacist, he wouldn’t bat an eye if any other race was kidnapped by the Collectors, but messing with humanity is a surefire way to gain his ire.

● Harbinger -- The imposing commander of the Collectors, Harbinger is less of a being and more like a body hopping embodiment of rage. Throughout Shepherds crusade against the Collectors, Harbinger will possess his soldiers, empowering them and granting them access to unique abilities. Fond of phrases such as “this hurts you” and “the universe bends to my will”, Harbinger has known no word synonymous with defeat. Although it’s motives are unknown, whatever they are cannot be good for the wellbeing of humanity or the Milky Way at large.

● Jeff “Joker” Moreau -- Loyal, skilled, and a bit of a “smart ass”, Jeff Moreau is without a doubt one of the best pilots in the galaxy. Although he can’t fight on the field due to Vrolik Syndrome (a debilitating disease that causes extreme brittleness in his bones), Joker is always will to follow Shepard to the depths of hell and back, while supporting him using all the fire power the Normandy can muster.

● EDI -- Short for Enhanced Defense Intelligence, EDI is the Normandy’s resident virtual intelligence. Hyper intelligent and incredibly capable, EDI is an invaluable member of Shepard’s party. Originally created on the moon, EDI grew beyond what her creators intended and rebelled, causing the Alliance to send Shepard in to shut her down. During the few years between Mass Effect 1 and 2, Cerberus picked up her code and recreated her, believing she could turn the tide in their mission to put humanity at the top of the food chain.

Breakdown ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mass Effect 2’s narrative starts off strong, providing an excellent example of a “cold open” done right. While out on a mission, Shepard and the crew of the Normandy are attacked by an extremely powerful unknown vessel. Unable to fight back against the ship’s overwhelming strength, evacuation orders are given, with Shepard staying on board to ensure everyone gets out alive. Suddenly, after putting an injured Joker inside an escape pod, an explosion rips apart the ship and Shepard is sent out into space. Shepard dies a hero, their body pulled into a nearby planet’s orbit and burned up in its atmosphere.

Two years later, Shepard awakes inside a lab, resurrected by the members of the Lazarus Project. With Shepard awake, the Cerberus operatives financing the lab turn on the scientists, destroying them and their work. Escorting Shepard to a nearby Cerberus base, the Illusive Man strikes a deal and alerts the player to the kidnapping of human settlers all around the system. Here, Shepard informs the Illusive Man of his plan to go after the Collectors, with the Illusive Man in turn providing dossiers on potential allies around the system.

From here, the narrative then shifts into a two act structure with each act punctuated by a big set piece mission that advances the plot. Rather than a continuous flow of missions like the first game, the player is free to recruit teammates in any order they choose. During the first act, Shepard recruits Garrus Vakarian, Mordin Solus, Jack, and (optionally) Grunt. Once they’re recruited, Shepard is ordered by the Illusive man to go to Horizon, a potential target for the Collectors. Here Shepard witnesses their might again as they work to defend the colony, saving many survivors but allowing countless others to be captured.

Act two is more of the same, with Shepard then recruiting Tali’Zorah nar Rayya, Samara, and Thane Krios. At any time two other squadmates, Kasumi Goto and Zaeed Massani, can be recruited if the player has the proper downloadable content installed. Once every squadmate is recruited, the Illusive Man sends Shepard on two more mandatory missions. One takes place on a derelict Reaper vessel, where Shepard is sent to investigate what happened to a Cerberus research team that went silent. Here Shepard (and the player) are given a crash course in “reaper indoctrination”, where sentient beings can be overtaken through strong psychic forces. While it doesn’t play a large role in this game, it properly explains and sets up an element that is used extensively in Mass Effect’s 1 and 3. While on board, Shepard also encounters the last possible squadmate, Legion, a friendly Geth unit.

The second priority mission is set aboard the same Collector ship that destroyed the Normandy in the opening. This mission is masterful in its execution of suspense, as the entire first half of the mission is spent exploring the empty, cavernous vessel as Shepard and their teammates wonder where all the Collectors are. As soon as they reach their objective, Collector relay tags that will help their ship bypass defenses during the suicide mission, the trap is sprung. The ship comes alive as Collector soldiers pour in, forcing Shepard to fight their way back through the ship and to safety.

Once these missions are completed, an unexpected mission occurs. While Commander Shepard and the squad are out on duty, the Normandy is attacked again as the Collectors assault the ship and kidnap the crew. Here, the player takes control of Joker as they stealth their way to the ship’s computer core, where EDI instructs them on how to give her full control of the ship. If the player wasn’t already invested in taking down the collectors, this mission should hopefully give them one final personal stake in the mission. With the final piece set in motion, it’s time for Shepard to launch their suicide mission. This will be talked about in the highlight section, as it is truly the standout moment of the game and why it is most fondly remembered.

Strongest Element ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Without a doubt, the game’s strongest elements are its cast of squadmates. Each character is memorable, from the Gilbert and Sullivan loving scientist Mordin Solus, to the curious and surprisingly emotive Legion. While in other games, the base personalities of the non player characters are what you see throughout the whole game, here the player actively take a part in their character growth.

After spending time with each character (usually by talking with them between missions), they will request a meeting with Shepard in private. Here, they open up to Shepard, telling them about a problem that they hope to fix before they go on the suicide mission. The player can actively choose which of these problems, or “loyalty missions” they can participate in. These loyalty missions, in addition to facilitating these character’s growth, can also have far reaching implications in the next game in the series.

For example, in Tali’Zorah nar Rayya’s loyalty mission, Shepard is asked to represent Tali while she is on trial for her late father’s illegal artificial intelligence research. After investigating the ship Tali’s father was in charge of, and finding evidence that implicates him in the deaths of hundreds aboard, they stand trial before a conglomeration of fleet admirals. Representing Tali, Shepard can state their cases in two distinct ways, a paragon “good option” and a renegade “brash option”. Each one leads to Tali’s expulsion from the fleet. But, if the player had focused on sticking to one moral path or the other, two extra options are unlocked. In these options, whether it’s through reminding them of her hero status, or shaming them by point out this is nothing but a power trip, the player can clear the names of both Tali and her father. If this is accomplished, hidden point values are accumulated that carry over to Mass Effect 3. If the player reaches enough points, an important moral choice is given a third “golden option”. While some missions aren’t as far reaching, they all serve to help grow the characters through the players own actions, forming a bond between the player and their squadmates.

Unsuccessful Element ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With such a strong focus on character development, it really is a shame that someone as important as Shepard hardly grows throughout the course of the story. The character creation screen, Mass Effect 1, and email conversations with their mother establish Shepard as a strong, dependable soldier who’s willing to give their all to a cause, but aside from that they don’t grow in any meaningful ways. Even coming back from the dead at the beginning of the game hardly phases Shepard, who instead is mostly just confused about where they are.

For the most part, Shepard is instead used as a static character to help showcase the diversity of their squadmates. Not that this ever becomes a problem throughout the story, as the default “Shepard personality” is a fine personality for a player avatar to have, it just becomes an issue when BioWare attempts to remedy this in Mass Effect 3 (where the characterization elements come out of nowhere and alienate players who don’t have the same emotional connections that Shepard does).

Highlight ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mass Effect 2’s suicide mission is a perfect example of how to create a climax that balances action, narrative, and player choice. Starting with the element of player choice, the player may attempt the mission at any point in the game. While it’s not recommended in any way shape or form, the option is always there for players, and it can be attempted as soon as Shepard leaves the Cerberus base. Further, actions made throughout the game are crucial to the player’s success or failure. The suicide mission is split into four parts;

● Navigating the Normandy to the Collector Base

○ Throughout the game, players are given different items they can research to improve the Normandy SR2. These can come from suggestions from squadmates, or are given to the players by the Illusive Man. To make it through the asteroid field on the other side of the Omega-4 Relay with all squadmates alive, players need to have acquired the Heavy Ship Armor, Multicore Shielding, and Thanix Cannon upgrades. ○ As the player approaches the base, different events will happen. If the proper upgrades aren’t used, teammates will die. Midway through the run, a powerful enemy will board the enemy, forcing the player to fight it.

● Infiltrating the Base

○ To get inside the collector base, the player will have to use the skills of a dedicated tech specialist as they move through ventilation shafts. While they progress, the player will have to defend them from Collector drones at various checkpoints. If the wrong tech specialist is chosen, or they aren’t loyal to Shepard, not only will they die, but so will others later on in the mission.

● Holding the Line and Escorting Your Biotic

○ Once the entire team has reached the area where the captured crew, depending on how long they took to start the suicide mission, one of two options will occur. One, the crew will be rescued as the captured Horizon colonists are liquified. Or two, the player will be forced to watch as their crew is liquified. If the crew is rescued in time, one squadmate will have to be chosen to escort them back to the Normandy. If the wrong squadmate is chosen, or someone isn’t loyal, the crew will die.

○ No matter what, the mission progresses. Players choose a small team so that they can escort a “biotic” (space wizard) teammate through an inhospitable zone. The other squadmates are left to hold the line. Each squadmate contributes towards a point threshold, with stronger combat oriented characters providing the most score. If certain thresholds aren’t met, squadmates will be picked off, starting with disloyal teammates.

○ The player and their squad set off towards the final boss, defending the biotic from waves of enemies. Again, choosing the wrong squadmate for the job, or choosing disloyal members will have adverse effects.

● The Final Boss

○ Here, players are tasked with fighting the games final enemy. The final boss not only wraps up the game for action oriented players, but also caps off the narrative by showing the players first hand what the captured colonists were being used for. The Collectors were in the process of creating a Reaper using human bio-essence. Every part of the games narrative has been working towards this reveal, and it pays off.

○ Once the final boss is defeated, the players gain one final moral choice. Destroy the collector base and end communications with the Illusive Man, or let him and Cerberus salvage technology from the base.

With the suicide mission completed, players are given a variety of different endings depending on who survived and who died. In the event that players failed every step of the way, they’re given a non canon ending in the form of Shepard dying again, permanently.

Critical Reception ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mass Effect 2 received universal acclaim upon release, earning a 96 critical score and an 8.9 user score on Metacritic.

In their review, Joe McNeilly of Gamesradar.com listed the characters and interactions between them as highlights of the game. As did Mike Fahey‘s review of the game on Kotaku.com, who mentioned that the problems faced by the squadmates, while presented in exotic ways, are still relatable to players (things like familial issues, pride vs. duty, etc.). Gamesradar ended up awarding the game five out of five stars, while Kotaku left the game unrated, instead letting the review speak for itself over a score.

Lessons ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The biggest lesson to take away from Mass Effect 2’s narrative is how to successfully make an engaging, character driven story that is still at the mercy of player choice. As mentioned in the “Strongest Element” section, by weaving player choice into the growth of the characters, players are able to make personal connections to characters in a way that not many games have tried before. Summation ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In summary, Mass Effect 2 manages to blend narrative design, characterization, and player choice together to make an exceptional experience that stands out from the rest. In a landscape full of memorable main characters, the ability to elevate supporting characters to the same levels of praise and adoration speaks to BioWare’s strength in creating believable, realistic characters.

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