Video games are inherently power fantasies, but Mass Effect 2’s opening completely strips that power away, forcing you to watch helplessly as Commander Shepard slowly suffocates in the void of space. It’s a startling and unsettling beginning that brilliantly sets the stage for a game that consistently bucks tradition, and doesn’t ever pull its punches. Mass Effect 2 is a rare sequel that takes the foundations of the previous game, but strips away everything that didn’t work, replacing it with bold new ideas. BioWare took chances, both mechanically and narratively, and it paid off wildly to create one of the most mesmerizing RPGs ever made.
