Ask and Ye Shall Receive

Beat Mass Effect the first time two days ago. And looky what I found! Two more difficulty levels, each unlocked by beating the game. Just what I always wanted! Halfway through on Hardcore, and the game is feeling a little challenging. Theres still a big drop off in difficulty when you get enough money for your first HMWS weapon, but I expect Insane will fix that... Also, I found where I can get my very own Mako!

Does this thing look at all familiar? Cause it does to me. Right down to the "where does the crew sit" low slug look. Of course, in the Crusher, the crew sits in an A/C'd room back on base, since its a robot. But hey, its a 150 years in the future, we can figure something out! If you want to know where I learned to drive my Mako, just check out the 4 minute movie on the Crusher. All will be revealed.

In case my first post didnt sound too positve, let me state that Mass Effect is a great game, and you should play it. From being able to ask if you can try out a 3 way with an alien (but Ill let you find out if you manage it or not!), to the oh-so-comforting option to just shoot the a*hole that is giving you so much lip (or not, but hey, each path has its rewards!), Mass Effect delivers on player choice and interactive story telling.

Also, there are a few decent rewards for cruising around on a planet, poking in dark corners. Second time through, Im finding even more little goodies tucked away in the remote parts of worlds. Game changing things? No, that would be bad game design (as many players might miss those game changing finds, and feel cheated). But nice enough goodies that the Explorer in me feels well served.

I also happen to like the combat in Mass Effect. Its not a complicated, deeply tactical shooter, but it does give you a nice, visceral thrill, and the AI, while stupid, at least provides some amusement. And using the shotgun to knock charging opponents on their ass never gets old. Now if I can just figure out the sniper rifle...

Back to playing. Have to collect all the unlockables now!