History VideoGame / MassEffect2

The plot structure of ''Mass Effect 2'' is unique among [=BioWare=] games and, indeed, among {{Western RPG}}s at large. While it does feature quest hubs (Omega, Citadel, Ilium, Tuchanka), a bulk of the plot consists of companion recruitment and "loyalty" missions that aren't tied to a particular hub and can be completed in any order. At the start of the game, you receive your [[CoolStarship spaceship]], two starting party members, [[FemmeFatale Miranda Lawson]] and [[MilitaryMaverick Jacob Taylor]], and a handful of leads on potential further recruits (eight in total, or ten with [[DownloadableContent DLC]]), including two from the first game. Once recruited, they eventually present you with an optional "LoyaltyMission"--a personal {{sidequest}} that provides not only the RPG standard rewards of cash, EXP and new gear, but also CharacterDevelopment and new powers for the party member in question. Interspersed between these various {{fetch quest}}s are several investigations issued you by the Illusive Man, in which you examine the Collectors, figure out where they came from and what they're up to, and eventually travel through the Omega 4 Relay to strike at their home base. While completionists will want to recruit everyone and upgrade everything, players in a hurry (or who want to challenge themselves by completing the mission with minimal resources) can jump through with minimal support and training, and still win (though [[RealityEnsues reality ensues]] in terms of [[DownerEnding how many people survive]]).

The plot structure of ''Mass Effect 2'' is unique among [=BioWare=] games and, indeed, among {{Western RPG}}s at large. While it does feature quest hubs (Omega, Ilium, Tuchanka), a bulk of the plot consists of on companion recruitment and "loyalty" missions, most of which aren't tied to a particular hub and can be completed in any order. At the start of the game, you receive your [[CoolStarship spaceship]], two starting party members, [[FemmeFatale Miranda Lawson]] and [[MilitaryMaverick Jacob Taylor]], and a handful of leads on potential further recruits (eight in total, or ten with [[DownloadableContent DLC]]), including two from the first game. Once recruited, they eventually present you with an optional "LoyaltyMission"--a personal {{sidequest}} that provides not only the RPG standard rewards of cash, EXP and new gear, but also CharacterDevelopment and new powers for the party member in question. Interspersed between these various {{fetch quest}}s are several investigations issued you by the Illusive Man, in which you examine the Collectors, figure out where they came from and what they're up to, and eventually travel through the Omega 4 Relay to strike at their home base. While completionists will want to recruit everyone and upgrade everything, players in a hurry (or who want to challenge themselves by completing the mission with minimal resources) can jump through with minimal support and training, and still win (though [[RealityEnsues reality ensues]] in terms of [[DownerEnding how many people survive]]).

The plot structure of ''Mass Effect 2'' is unique among [=BioWare=] games and, indeed, among {{Western RPG}}s at large. While it does feature quest hubs (Omega, Ilium, Tuchanka), a bulk of the plot consists of on companion recruitment and "loyalty" missions, most of which aren't tied to a particular hub and can be completed in any order. At the start of the game, you receive your [[CoolStarship spaceship]], two starting party members, [[FemmeFatale Miranda Lawson]] and [[MilitaryMaverick Jacob Taylor]], and a handful of leads on potential further recruits (eight in total, or ten with [[DownloadableContent DLC]]), including two from the first game. Once recruited, they eventually present you with an optional "loyalty mission," a personal {{sidequest}} that provides not only the RPG standard rewards of cash, EXP and new gear, but also CharacterDevelopment and new powers for the party member in question. Interspersed between these various {{fetch quest}}s are several investigations issued you by the Illusive Man, in which you examine the Collectors, figure out where they came from and what they're up to, and eventually travel through the Omega 4 Relay to strike at their home base. While completionists will want to recruit everyone and upgrade everything, players in a hurry (or who want to challenge themselves by completing the mission with minimal resources) can jump through with minimal support and training, and still win (though [[RealityEnsues reality ensues]] in terms of [[DownerEnding how many people survive]]).

The series has spawned CerberusDailyNews, a [[{{Defictionalization}} defictionized]] news site that (used to provide) daily updates detailing events in the ''ME'' universe, most of it having no bearing whatsoever on the story in the first two games[[note]]In the lead-up to the release of ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', the in-game CerberusDailyNews, seen on the main menu screen, was reactivated after a full year with no updates, with small snippets of information about comm buoys going off-line as the Reapers prepare their invasion[[/note]]. It also hosts forums full of roleplayers who constantly react to said news and act out in-universe storylines of their own making. Finally, there is a proliferation of DLC: two new squad members, at least two stand-alone side missions, and a number of weapon packs, armor packs and alternate costumes for Jack, Thane, Garrus, Miranda, Grunt, and Tali. The most important DLC, though, are "Lair of the Shadow Broker" and "Arrival," which BioWare call "bridging" content because they help to set up ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''. Both of them add completely new ''story events'' to the game. The former includes Liara as a temporary squadmate as you storm the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin lair of the Shadow Broker]]; the second is a Shepard solo mission as you rescue an undercover Alliance operative who has discovered proof that the Reapers are coming ''soon'' and needs help preventing their eponymous arrival.

Structurally, ''Mass Effect 2'' is much more of a WideOpenSandbox than the first game. You get two starting party members, [[FemmeFatale Miranda Lawson]] and [[MilitaryMaverick Jacob Taylor]], and your [[CoolStarship spaceship]], and then are given free rein to recruit any or all of eight other squadmates (ten counting [[{{DownloadableContent}} DLC]]), including two from the first game. Once they have been recruited, they eventually present you with an optional "loyalty mission," a personal [[{{SideQuest}} sidequest]] that provides not only the RPG standard rewards of cash, EXP and new gear, but [[CharacterDevelopment character development]] and unlocked powers for the party member in question. Interspersed between these various {{fetch quest}}s are several investigations issued you by the Illusive Man, in which you examine the Collectors, figure out where they came from and what they're up to, and eventually travel through the Omega 4 Relay to strike at their home base. While completionists will want to recruit everyone and upgrade everything, players in a hurry (or who want to challenge themselves by completing the mission with minimal resources) can jump through with minimal support and training, and still win (though [[RealityEnsues reality ensues]] in terms of [[DownerEnding how many people survive]]).

To say that the game was acclaimed is a huge understatement. According to [=BioWare=], the game has over forty perfect scores and game of the year awards, and this was a year before the {{PlayStation 3}} version was released. The only complaints about the game were that [[PlotTailoredToTheParty most of the game was spent recruiting for the suicide mission]], [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks the combat felt the same]], and that [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking the subtitles were too small]]. Even after the release of ''Mass Effect 3'', this game is seen by many as the highlight of the trilogy, and many [=BioWare=] fans place it along the other greats the company has developed like ''Jade Empire'', ''Knights of the Old Republic'' and ''Baldur's Gate''.

[[caption-width-right:250: Here are some of the heroes: [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits a resurrected soldier (that's you), a terrorist, and an assassin.]] And these are some of the more respectable ones.]]

[[caption-width-right:250: Ladies and Gentlemen, our heroes: [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits A dead man (That's you), a terrorist and an assassin.]] And those are the respectable ones.]]

[[caption-width-right:250: Ladies and Gentlemen, our heros: [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits A dead man, a terrorist and an assassin.]] And those are the respectable ones.]]

[[caption-width-right:250: Here are some of the [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits members of the party]]: a resurrected soldier, a member of a pro-human terrorist organization, and a dying assassin.]]

[[caption-width-right:250: Here are some of the members of the party: a resurrected soldier, a terrorist, and an assassin.]]

[[caption-width-right:250:Our heroes ladies and gentlemen: A dead man, a terrorist and an assassin. And those are the respectable ones.]]

[[caption-width-right:250:Our heroes: A dead man, a terrorist and an assassin. And those are the respectable ones.]]

->''[[BadassBoast "We have to give everything...even if that means our lives. We will stop at nothing! We will fight for the lost!"]]''

[[caption-width-right:250:[[TagLine They don't expect you to survive. Prove them wrong]].]]

Structurally, ''Mass Effect 2'' is much more of a WideOpenSandbox than the first game. You get two starting party members, [[FemmeFatale Miranda Lawson]] and [[BlackBestFriend Jacob Taylor]], and your [[CoolStarship spaceship]], and then are given free rein to recruit any or all of eight other squadmates (ten counting [[{{DownloadableContent}} DLC]]), including two from the first game. Once they have been recruited, they eventually present you with an optional "loyalty mission," a personal [[{{SideQuest}} sidequest]] that provides not only the RPG standard rewards of cash, EXP and new gear, but [[CharacterDevelopment character development]] and unlocked powers for the party member in question. Interspersed between these various {{fetch quest}}s are several investigations issued you by the Illusive Man, in which you examine the Collectors, figure out where they came from and what they're up to, and eventually travel through the Omega 4 Relay to strike at their home base. While completionists will want to recruit everyone and upgrade everything, players in a hurry (or who want to challenge themselves by completing the mission with minimal resources) can jump through with minimal support and training, and still win (though [[RealityEnsues reality ensues]] in terms of [[DownerEnding how many people survive]]).

There is a great deal more interactivity with this game then there was with the first. The big thing is that if you import a character you played from the first game, you take with them ''all'' of the choices they made and the people they interacted with as being a part of this game in some way, ranging from your romantic option still having feelings for you to very minor characters who you [[AscendedExtra barely recall talking to]]. The Paragon/Renegade options are more reliant on the choices you make; acting like a Paragon gives you a higher Paragon score and the same with Renegade, and the higher score gives you more opportunities to use them (in the first game, being able to initiate a charm or intimidate option was based on how you allocated leveling points). It was also spruced up with the addition of "interrupts," essentially {{quick time event}}s that allows Shepard to interject an optional Paragon or Renegade action during conversions (such as [[WhyDontYaJustShootHim shutting someone up per-emptively]], or [[TheWoobie hugging someone in pain]]). These may make your mission harder or easier, but you get an extra reward for using them.

[[caption-width-right:250:The Collectors killed Shepard. That just made the Commander angry.]]

[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The second game in the]] ''Franchise/MassEffect'' [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin series]].

The second game in the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' series.

[[caption-width-right:250:The Collectors killed Shepard. They just made the Commander angry.]]

[[caption-width-right:250:The Collectors thought they could kill Shepard. They just made the Commander angry.]]

One month after the events of [[VideoGame/MassEffect1 the first game]], the ''Normandy'' is destroyed in a vicious attack and Commander Shepard is killed in the process. Two years later, Shepard reawakens to find that Cerberus, a mysterious human supremacist organization, has retrieved and [[ResurrectedForAJob revived the commander at great expense in order to continue the fight against the Reapers]]; Human colonies have been vanishing, and an enigmatic and advanced alien race known as "the Collectors", are behind it. Forced to work with Cerberus and their leader, the Illusive Man, Shepard must now [[AvengersAssemble assemble a team]] and take the fight to their mutual enemy.

[[caption-width-right:250:They killed the hero(ine). All that did was piss him/her off. Big time.]]

The series has spawned CerberusDailyNews, a [[{{Defictionalization}} defictionized]] news site that (used to provide) daily updates detailing events in the ''ME'' universe, most of it having no bearing whatsoever on the story in the first two games[[hottip:*:In the lead-up to the release of ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', the in-game CerberusDailyNews, seen on the main menu screen, was reactivated after a full year with no updates, with small snippets of information about comm buoys going off-line as the Reapers prepare their invasion]]. It also hosts forums full of roleplayers who constantly react to said news and act out in-universe storylines of their own making. Finally, there is a proliferation of DLC: two new squad members, at least two stand-alone side missions, and a number of weapon packs, armor packs and alternate costumes for Jack, Thane, Garrus, Miranda, Grunt, and Tali. The most important DLC, though, are "Lair of the Shadow Broker" and "Arrival," which BioWare call "bridging" content because they help to set up ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''. Both of them add completely new ''story events'' to the game. The former includes Liara as a temporary squadmate as you storm the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin lair of the Shadow Broker]]; the second is a Shepard solo mission as you rescue an undercover Alliance operative who has discovered proof that the Reapers are coming ''soon'' and needs help preventing their eponymous arrival.

To say that the game was acclaimed is a huge understatement. According to [=BioWare=], the game has over forty perfect scores and game of the year awards, and this was a year before the {{PlayStation 3}} version was released. The only complaints about the game were that [[PlotTailoredToTheParty most of the game was spent recruiting for the suicide mission]], [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks the combat felt the same]], and that [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking the subtitles were too small]]. Even after the release of ''Mass Effect 3'', this game is seen by many as the highlight of the trilogy, and many [=BioWare=] fans place it along the other greats the company has made like ''Jade Empire'', ''KOTOR'' and ''Baulder's Gate''.

[[caption-width-right:250:They killed the Hero(ine). All that did was piss him/her off. Big time.]]

One month after the events of [[VideoGame/MassEffect1 the first game]], the ''Normandy'' is destroyed in a vicious attack and Commander Shepard is killed in the process. Two years later, Shepard reawakens to find that Cerberus, a mysterious human supremacist organization, has retrieved and [[ResurrectedForAJob revived the commander at great expense in order to continue the fight against the Reapers]]; Human colonies have been vanishing, and an enigmatic and advanced alien race known as "The Collectors", are behind it. Forced to work with Cerberus and their leader, the Illusive Man, Shepard must now [[AvengersAssemble assemble a team]] and take the fight to their mutual enemy.

Structurally, ''Mass Effect 2'' is much more of a WideOpenSandbox than the first game. You get two starting party members, [[FemmeFatale Miranda Lawson]] and [[BlackBestFriend Jacob Taylor]], and your [[CoolStarship spaceship]], and then are given free rein to recruit any or all of eight other squadmates (ten counting [[{{DownloadableContent}} DLC]]), including two from the first game. Once they have been recruited, they eventually present you with an optional "loyalty mission," a personal [[{{SideQuest}} sidequest]] that provides not only the RPG standard rewards of cash, EXP and new gear, but CharacterDevelopment and unlocked powers for the party member in question. Interspersed between these various {{fetch quest}}s are several investigations issued you by the Illusive Man, in which you examine the Collectors, figure out where they came from and what they're up to, and eventually travel through the Omega 4 Relay to strike at their home base. While completionists will want to recruit everyone and upgrade everything, players in a hurry - or who want to challenge themselves by completing the mission with minimal resources - can jump through with minimal support and training, and still win (though RealityEnsues in terms of [[DownerEnding how many people survive]]).

There is a great deal more interactivity with this game then there was with the first. The big thing is that if you import a character you played from the first game, you take with them ''all'' of the choices they made and the people they interacted with as being a part of this game in some way, ranging from your romantic option still having feelings for you to very minor characters who you [[AscendedExtra barely recall talking to]]. The Paragon/Renegade options are more reliant on the choices you make; acting like a Paragon gives you a higher Paragon score and the same with Renegade, and the higher score gives you more opportunities to use them (in the first game, being able to initiate a charm or intimidate option was based on how you allocated leveling points). It was also spruced up with the addition of "interrupts," essentially {{Quick Time Event}}s that allows Shepard to interject an optional Paragon or Renegade action during conversions (such as [[WhyDontYaJustShootHim shutting someone up per-emptively]], or [[TheWoobie hugging someone in pain]]). These may make your mission harder or easier, but you get an extra reward for using them.

To say that the game was acclaimed is a huge Understatement. According to [=BioWare=], the game has over forty perfect scores and game of the year awards, and this was a year before the {{PlayStation 3}} version was released. The only complaints about the game were that [[PlotTailoredToTheParty most of the game was spent recruiting for the suicide mission]], [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks the combat felt the same]], and that [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking the subtitles were too small]]. Even after ''Mass Effect 3'', this game is seen by many as the highlight of the trilogy, and many [=BioWare=] fans place it along the other greats the company has made like ''Jade Empire'', ''KOTOR'' and ''Baulder's Gate''.

To say that the game was acclaimed is a huge Understatement. According to [=BioWare=], the game has over forty perfect scores and game of the year awards, and this was a year before the {{PlayStation 3}} version was released. The only complaints about the game were that [[PlotTailoredToTheParty most of the game was spent recruiting for the suicide mission]], [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks the combat felt the same]], and that [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking the subtitles were too small]].

The second game in the ''VideoGame/MassEffect'' series.