Found: One Troll

Mass Effect is a science-fiction action RPG from Bioware. It claims to offer players the chance to make galaxy-altering decisions and save the future of intelligent life from a terrifying threat. One of the major promises from the epic Mass Effect 1 was that each decision you made in the course of the game, large and small, was recorded and would be reflected in the future games of the trilogy. To that end, a few weeks ago I played through the first game once more in order to create my own ‘canon’ Mass Effect universe shaped by my individual decisions in order to import them into Mass Effect 2. If you so desire, you can find that character, Kate Shepard, at masseffectsaves.com available for import into your own Mass Effect universe.

I’ll say it up front: I loved the first Mass Effect game. I completed the game eight times at more than 30 hours per playthrough. Yesterday I completed Mass Effect 2 for the first time. Does it live up to its predecessor?

The short answer is, “Yes,” the long answer is the rest of this review.

One of the immediately noticeable changes is that the gameplay of  Mass Effect 2 was significantly streamlined from its predecessor in almost every way. Each squad member has only a half-dozen stats to spend points in, where in ME1 they each had more than a dozen. Almost all of these stats provide an active ability as well as a passive bonus. Weapon modifications are gone, instead rolled into active powers for each team member. In Mass Effect 1 there were a few dozen suits of armor and firearms to choose from, Mass Effect 2 eliminates armor swapping entirely for everyone except the main character, Commander Shepard, and includes comparatively fewer weapons. The inventory system is thus significantly easier to manage and the upgrade paths for your gear are much clearer in this game than in the last. Players will no longer compare individual weapon stats to puzzle out whether it’s worth sacrificing two percent accuracy for an extra 5% damage. Weapons, armor upgrades, and squad power upgrades are far more potent (per upgrade level) than they were in Mass Effect 1, making the hard decisions about where to invest your precious skill points easier.

The developers at Bioware have stated that one of their goals with Mass Effect 2 was to address every criticism that was leveled by reviewers at Mass Effect 1. To that end they cut the widely-disliked planetary exploration segments for much shorter, but more varied, “planetary anomalies.” When Shepard discovers an anomaly from orbit, the player can embark on a mission to the surface via shuttlecraft. Gone is the MAKO rover; when you begin such a mission your team is placed on foot in the close vicinity of your initial objective. In Mass Effect 1 these sidequests were marked by very little variation in scenery. There were a couple of types of buildings and a few floor plans for caves to explore, and most of the missions would take place in these stock environments. The missions of Mass Effect 2 have no such stock set pieces, the design for each excursion is unique. At the conclusion of the mission you receive a brief “Mission Complete” summary screen at which the player is awarded experience points, cash, and other items for their hard work.

The new mission design leads to a far more compartmentalized sidequest experience, and I’m not convinced that it’s a good thing. There are no vast and interconnected sidequests in Mass Effect 2 in the way that ME1 had the business with Admiral Kahoku or the Geth Incursion in the Armstrong Nebula. It leaves the feeling that the galaxy is a neater place than ME1′s more open and wild frontier and that is a feeling that I, personally, miss. That’s not to say, however, that ME2 is more linear that Mass Effect 1. You still have the ability to go anywhere and do any mission or quest at basically any time and in any order.

Bioware did make certain that Mass Effect 2 absolutely delivers where it counts. The writing, the plot, and the characterization is top notch. The characters in Mass Effect 2 are, with a couple of exceptions, more real than the ones in the first game. Each character has a “loyalty quest” that you can complete for them which provides background information and character development for each squad member. Earning the loyalty of your crew unlocks bonus abilities for them as well as other benefits. Bioware made good on its promise to carry over decisions from Mass Effect 1 on a massive scale. Just about everyone you interacted with in the first game returns in the second in some fashion, provided you didn’t murder them before. The major plot decisions from ME1 each affect the game world in some way, and it’s easy to see that many of them will continue to be important to the plot into Mass Effect 3.

My absolute favorite part of both Mass Effect games is the rich universe they inhabit. Bioware did a great deal of world building through the codex (a sort of in-game encyclopaedia), the environment and conversations with other characters. The games are full of superfluous facts and opinions about aliens, technology, and galactic society that really help the world come to life. The universe of Mass Effect is as full as any other sci-fi franchise, and I think that’s what really pulls the game together. Mass Effect 2 improves on the environment of ME1 by adding little touches like holographic video logs, where in ME1 such little details were audio or text-only. There are also advertisements and newscasts for various shops, products, and entertainment that play throughout the civilized sections of the game world. The hacking mini-games were updated as well; there are now two varieties which both boil down to memory-match games. Although difficult to describe, they are improvements over both the XBox360 and PC versions of the hacking game.

Speaking of PC vs. Console, I played ME2 on the PC. The graphics are great, there is no texture pop-in at all. I rarely experienced frame-rate drops and the game did not tax my PC any more than the original Mass Effect, which I have heard is the case for other PC users as well. I do have a pretty beefy rig, however; a 3.0GHz Intel Core 2 Quad processer, ATi 5870 graphics card, and 8GB DDR3 RAM can tame any PC game I’ve found to date. It’s worth mentioning that I did not experience a single freeze or crash-to-desktop during the 45 hours that I spent playing the game in Windows 7 64-bit.

All-in-all, despite the minor criticisms I have with the over-simplification of the sidequests and inventory management, Mass Effect 2 is an amazing game which I will definitely be playing several more times to uncover the various alternate plots and endings. It is a Bioware game through and through, extremely polished and rich with detail, dialogue, and fan service. The game is epic in scale and if you played the first Mass Effect the opening sequence is some mighty powerful storytelling. It’s too soon to call Mass Effect 2 “Game of the Year,” but I would not be surprised if, in 11 months, we find this game in the running for all the major publications.

The Arizona 2010 legislative session swung into gear last week, and via the Arizona Citizens Defense League Alerts, I have learned that SB1102 and HB2347 are this years’ Constitutional Carry bills. I’m pleased to see that both of my state representatives are co-sponsoring these bills. Last year we had a good chance of passing a similar bill, but unrelated budget negotiations caused it and many other bills to stall in committee. Here’s the text of the alert:

AzCDL has been laying the groundwork for Constitutional Carry since we began: http://www.azcdl.org/html/our_goals.html .  In the last two legislative sessions we came very close.  This year Senator Russell Pearce, along with 16 co-sponsors, filed SB 1102, and Representative Frank Antenori, along with 17 co-sponsors, filed HB 2347.  Both bills have the following features:

- Eliminate the prohibition and penalties for adults carrying a concealed weapon without a permit.
- Include defensive display in the justification for deadly force (similar to HB 2015 & SB 1021).
- Allow CCW permit holders to carry in “non-secure” public buildings.
- Remove the unloaded firearm requirement when picking up and dropping off school students.
- Allow LEOSA certified retired Law Enforcement Officers to carry on school grounds.
- Require confiscated firearms to be sold rather than destroyed.
- Eliminate the training requirement to obtain a CCW permit.

We urge everyone to send a thank you note to Senator Pearce (rpearce@azleg.gov) and Representative Antenori (fantenori@azleg.gov) for introducing these bills.  If your Senator and/or Representatives co-sponsored SB 1102 or HB 2347 please send them a thank you message.  If they are not a co-sponsor, we urge you contact them and ask why not.  You can find the co-sponsors of SB 1102 here:
http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/legtext/49leg/2r/bills/sb1102o.asp .

You can find the co-sponsors of HB 2347 here:
http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/legtext/49leg/2r/bills/hb2347o.asp .
You can find contact information for your legislators here:
http://www.azleg.gov/alisStaticPages/HowToContactMember.asp .

We are expecting a firestorm from the anti-rights zealots, so we will be asking your help to ensure the passage of SB 1102 & HB 2347 throughout this legislative session.  Warm up your keyboards!

SB 1102 & HB 2437 aren’t the only important bills we’re expecting this year.  For months, AzCDL has been working behind the scenes with pro-rights legislators on a number of paradigm shifting bills.  Stay tuned!

Meanwhile, other bills are still being filed.  Senators have until February 1, 2010 to introduce bills and the deadline in the House is February 8, 2010.  Along with Constitutional Carry, the following firearm related bills have been filed:

HB 2015 (Burges) – Adds defensive display of a firearm as an alternative to, or in conjunction with, the use of deadly physical force.

HB 2016 (Burges) – Allows out of state applicants whose rights have been restored to obtain a CCW permit under the same conditions as Arizona residents.

HB 2017 (Burges) – Clarifies that NRA instructors may teach the school gun safety courses.

HB 2041 (Kavanagh) – Adds school districts, charter schools, community colleges and state universities to the definition of political subdivisions where a law enforcement officer may carry a firearm.

HB 2201 (Lujan) – Creates a crime for firearm “Straw Purchases” made in Arizona.  AzCDL opposes this bill.

HB 2271 (Ableser) – Increases the penalty for possessing a firearm at a post-secondary institution from a misdemeanor to a class 6 felony.   AzCDL opposes this bill.

HB 2307 (Antenori) – Exempts firearms manufactured and sold in Arizona from Federal oversight.

HB 2406 (Antenori) – Clarifies the “no firearms” signage requirements for restaurants.  Also changes the affirmative defense language to “not an offense.”  Finally, it restores the requirement that a person “knows the possession of a firearm is prohibited” in an establishment.

HB 2543 (Gowan) – Strengthens state firearms preemption laws, adds firearms storage and reloading components to the list of things political subdivisions cannot regulate, and removes the prohibition on carrying a firearm in public parks without a CCW permit.

SB 1011 (Harper) – Allows college/university faculty members with CCW permits to possess a concealed firearm on campus.

SB 1015 (Harper) – Similar to HB 2406.

SB 1021 (Pearce) – Identical to HB 2015.

SB 1098 (Pearce) – Identical to HB 2307.

SB 1101 (Pearce) – Expands the list of law enforcement officers exempt from concealed weapons permit requirements.

As bills are filed, we will add them to our website: http://www.azcdl.org/html/2010_bills.html .

These alerts are a project of the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL), an all volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan grassroots organization.  Join today!  http://www.azcdl.org/html/join_us_.html

AzCDL – Protecting Your Freedom
http://www.azcdl.org/html/accomplishments.html

Copyright © 2009 Arizona Citizens Defense League, Inc., all rights reserved.

You can sign up for AZCDL alerts right here.

I’m a bit disappointed in these bills. The bill introduced last year, SB1270, amended the law to be much more like Vermont-style carry, removing the requirement to have a CCW permit for most reasons. Perhaps these new bills will be amended to be a bit more liberal.

Edited: I totally misread those bills. They do bring Vermont-style carry to Arizona just like last year’s bill did. Woot!

“KHAAAAAAAAAAN” – James Kirk, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

“The Eagle has landed.” – Neil Armstrong, Apollo 11

“I don’t care, I’m still free, you can’t take the sky from me” – Theme from Firefly

“Yes, it’s true. This man has no dick.” – Peter Venkman, Ghostbusters

What do all these quotes have in common? None of them are on GeekDad’s list of 100 Quotes Every Geek Should Know.

Cephalopods know more than they’re letting on. (via Tam and Breda)

WANT

LEGO is doing some really cool stuff lately.

Lots of bloggers have favorite charities. In the gun blogosphere you’ll often see Soldier’s Angels or The NRA Foundation, which are both excellent programs. Right now, though, I’m going to plug my favorite charity: Child’s Play. Child’s Play was started in 2003 by Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins of Penny Arcade fame.

Child’s Play assists Children’s Hospitals around the country by donating video games, movies, board games, books, and other forms of entertainment to help children keep their minds off the pain and loneliness of extended hospital treatment, similar to what Project Valour-IT does for wounded soldiers. Here’s how it works: each participating hospital sets up an Amazon.com wish list which anyone can use to purchase the items the hospital needs. This is, in my opinion, the one of the best things about the charity. With the Amazon wish lists, I know exactly where my donation is going, because I choose the hospital and buy the items with my own money, and then they get shipped directly to the folks in need. There’s no worry about how much of my donation is being spent on the children, because I decided how the money is spent. Genius! Better still, there are participating hospitals all over the US and Canada, so there’s probably one near you that you can help.

In addition to the wish lists, you can always donate cash at the main site, or at the Desert Bus For Hope fund drive, or if you’re in the Seattle area there’s a pretty sweet charity dinner and auction hosted at the same venue as PAX. All the cash collected (less 2-3% for administrative costs) goes straight into the hospitals.

Head over to the website. Check it out. I dare you to read the letters from grateful children and parents and not contribute.

Probably some readers are aware of Australia’s idiotic video game censorship system. Unlike movies, which can be classified up to a level of R18+ (suitable for adults only), the video game classification system in Australia only scales up to M15+ (suitable for teenagers). My understanding is that altering this policy requires the unanimous consent of Australia’s various State Attorneys General.

The inevitable stuck pixel, in this case, is Attorney General Michael Atkinson of South Australia. AG Atkinson wrote a letter recently to Grow Up Australia (Via GamePolitics) explaining why he wouldn’t vote aye for an R18+ classification to be added to the system for games. It reads, in very small part: “I cannot fathom what State-enforced safeguards could exist to prevent R.18+ games being bought by households with children and how children can be stopped from using these games once the games are in the home. If adult gamers are so keen to have R.18+ games, I expect children would be just as keen.”

Well, Mr. Atkinson, that’s none of the State’s gorram business, is it? I can see how an official from a government with State-enforced firearm safety checks would think that censorship and “saving the children” is part of its mission, but you are wrong. Let me put it plainly: how your citizens choose to entertain themselves is none of your concern until they start hurting each other. Without mutual consent.

Age gates have been pissing me off lately, mostly because it’s about to be omgvideogameseason just like Q4 of every year for two decades and every game studio’s website is protected by this time wasting bullshit. Why the hell do most video game websites have annoying can’t-bypass birthdate verification, but any idiot can get free porn without any sort of pretend age query at all. Video game developers: please un-fuck yourselves. Video games should not be less socially acceptable than porn and neither should be less so than Michael Moore.

Well I’ve had my new audio components fully installed since Thursday evening, and I haven’t experienced any cognitive dissonance over the purchase. I second-guess myself frequently, so I consider this the mark of a good product. The new equipment in my living room consists of Onkyo’s new TX-NR807 receiver and the Intimus 5T Hybrid 5.1 speaker set from Aperion Audio.

Over the last few weeks I did a lot of research before settling on these items in particular. I read reviews from all over the web and lurked at AVSForum to find the right home audio system for me. I gave a listen to speakers at home audio stores and at my friends’ homes. My requirements were thus: the system had to be feature-rich, the firmware for the receiver had to be internet updatable, the components had to leave room for future expansion if necessary, and they had to last. I’m a fan of spending a lot of money on one high quality thing that’ll last a decade than spending the same amount on five crappy things over the same ten years.

These components fit the bill. I was never worried choosing Onkyo for the receiver, the brand’s pedigree is well established. The choice of speakers was more difficult. Aperion helped turn the decision in their favor for several reasons .

1. Although the speakers are manufactured in Taiwan, the company is American. They’re based in Portland, OR.
2. The customer has 30 days after receipt of the last component to trial the speakers in their home. After that, the warranty period is 10 years. They also have a one-year trade-up program.
3. Excellent post-sales support. One can call their office in Portland for assistance setting up and tweaking the speakers. I spoke with them a couple of times and they were very helpful.
4. They use a direct-sales model. I’m a fan of direct sales as it removes the middle-man.

So, how do they sound? The answer is, “awesome.” After calibration the sound is like a cocoon of perfect noise. The night I installed them I watched Independence Day on blu-ray, and it was a much more immersive experience than with only the TV speakers. I could feel the alien ships passing overhead on their way to destroy our cities, or the F-18s zooming by on their way to destruction.

Friday I had some friends over to test the new gear, and through several hours of Rock Band it felt like we were on stage. The guitars were clear through their entire range and the sub let us feel the kick of the bass drum in our chests. I have been told that one mark of a good set of speakers is that they do not distort sound at high volume. Well, we found the limits of our ears but not of the speakers. We turned them up as loud as we could stand but heard no noticeable distortion.

I’ve listened to a few albums on the new equipment and they perform admirably. There is a track, “Give Us The Rope,” on the new Protomen album, Act II, which includes a chorus of bloodthirsty citizens calling for the death of the story’s protagonist, Dr. Thomas Light.^[1] I had to pause the song to be certain that there was not actually an angry mob gathering at my window.

I haven’t found any video games other than Rock Band that really showcase surround sound well. That’s probably because I’ve spent the weekend playing JRPGs instead of shooters or action games, but if you know of any games with especially good sound feel free to leave suggestions in comments.

1. Yes, that Dr. Light. I have mentioned the Protomen before, because their Mega Man-based rock operas are epic. [↩]