Cruise Elroy

I’ve finished Mass Effect since my last post. Though I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would, and it grew on me as I progressed, I never found the thrill that I got at the peak of my Dragon Age playthrough. It was engaging but not enthralling; I never grew bored, but neither did I obsess over it.

Mass Effect 2, though, is a different story. Entire afternoons and evenings are vanishing against my will; most of the twenty hours I’ve played so far were over a period of only three days. I admit I’m a little mystified by this, because for all its improvements it doesn’t feel like a terribly different game from its predecessor. After thinking about this for a bit, my theory is that there are two changes in particular that have made Mass Effect 2 a phenomenally different experience for me.

The first is its refined structure. The first Mass Effect sometimes felt like a fundamentally linear RPG dressed up as an open-world game. There were lots of planets to explore but little to see there; lots of equipment to collect but little to differentiate it; lots of side missions to do but little to recommend them. My time spent away from the meat of the game felt vaguely unsatisfying.

Mass Effect 2 cuts the fat and is better for it. While it feels more constrained in some ways, the strength of its set pieces and the epic scope of its story are enough to sustain the universe’s grandeur. I know the planet-scanning minigame has gotten mixed reviews at best, and it probably could have had a more fulfilling implementation, but I maintain that it fits this type of game better than the pseudo-sandbox approach. In short, the Mass Effect 2 experience feels more integrated; I don’t have to make a mental switch between playing the game proper and doing some filler quest like scouring the galaxy for lost dog tags.

The second change, and the more important one, is the redoubled sense of compulsion that Mass Effect 2 creates. Missions in Mass Effect 2 are very clearly delineated. When a new one begins, you are conspicuously presented with the character select screen, and everyone in your party will suddenly realize the ability to unholster their weapons. After completing a mission, you receive a detailed mission report screen that summarizes your accomplishments, predicts possible reactions from other characters and factions, and lists any new discoveries or acquisitions.¹ These clear bookends have the effect of compartmentalizing each mission, such that it’s more difficult to abandon one halfway through.

And once you’re back aboard the Normandy, how can you stop playing right then when you could quickly duck into the Research Lab or the Armory to check out those new toys? And while you’re wandering the ship, how can you avoid chatting with your team members, who probably have something new to say about the latest mission — and, potentially, new missions of their own? And when you learn that your favorite team member has been accused of treason, how can you not speed to her rescue right away?

This mix of discrete bite-sized gameplay chunks — which are themselves, it must be said, much improved — with strong narrative hooks to the next mission makes Mass Effect 2 brilliantly, insidiously addictive. It goes from strength to strength with few missteps, and is clearly the product of a developer at the top of its game.

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1. Incidentally, I found it interesting that these reports appear to be from Miranda’s perspective. Perhaps it’s confirmation bias, but I took this as supporting evidence for my theory that I am not supposed to feel like I’m Commander Shepard when I’m playing.