Mass Effect 2. Game of the Year. I'm calling it. [Spoilers will probably abound]

[Spectrum_Prez]

I know right now that Mass Effect 2 will be my favourite game of the year. It's almost certainly my personal GOTY, there is only one potential release that would be able to knock it off that pedestal - if Bethesda were to announce TESV for Fall or Winter (come on, III to IV was four years, its been four years since Oblivion... about time now. You know they've been slaving away at it since at least 2006.)

That said, GOTY needs to be more than just my personal favourite, it needs to sell well, have high critical acclaim, and nudge out a very tight field that hasn't even been declared yet. Face it, people's opinions vary and my personal opinion might not be the same as everyone else's.

So if OP thinks ME2 is his/her personal GOTY, that's fine. If it's the GOTY is another matter entirely.

 

[AndyFromMonday]

In the RPG and 3rd Person Shooter category Mass Effect 2 wins by far. The story is well told, the characters actually have emotion and the conversations with them are very interesting (Appart from the ones with Zaeed. He is also incapable of emotion so, yeah.). The Galaxy is also well done. It was a bit disappointing to see them scrap the concept of planetary exploration completely in favor of a mini game but it's hell of a lot better than driving the Mako.

it needs to sell well

Check. Even tho I disagree that in order for a game to be good it needs to have high sales (Psychonauts anyone?) ME2 did achieve that.

have high critical acclaim

Check.

and nudge out a very tight field that hasn't even been declared yet.

Check again. Mass Effect is the only game to date to provide an amazing Third Person Shooting experience and an incredible RPG experience.

 

[CmdrGoob]

I agree 100%. I will be amazed if anything manages to top ME2 this year.

 

[sms_117b]

Well, we'll know in about 11 months.

It's a excellent game, it's set a high bar for GOTY on sales, review scores and content, but with God of War 3 leading up the competitors no-one could call it, sorry OP.

 

[T3h Merc]

Yeah. Is this news?

 

[Juven Ignus]

You're forgetting Heavy Rain.

 

[Lonan]

Bad call

If you turn out to be wrong, you look like a fool.
If you turn out to be right, people will focus on the fact that you didn't even wait for some of the other games come out.

I see very little good that can come from giving such a title this early.
"So far" might be acceptable, but "Of the Year" Is a bit early.

Bad opinion, incredibly obvious that you very negative and have a bad attitude. "So far?" There's only been one game this year! It's been a month! You're ambition is inspiring. If he's wrong, no one will remember this in a year anyway, and if they do they won't care. If he's right, people will call him insightful. You're basically telling people to never put their foot out the door.

"Don't look, you might see.

Don't listen, you might hear.

Don't think, you might learn.

Don't walk, you might stumble.

Don't run, you might fall.

Don't risk, you might fail.

Don't live, you might die."

TheNumber1Zero

 

[AndyFromMonday]

Check again. Mass Effect is the only game to date to provide an amazing Third Person Shooting experience and an incredible RPG experience.

I don't like shooters, but love RPGs. FFXIII it is.

You do realize that the game can be judged as 2 different games. A Third Person Shooter and an RPG. The TPS factor does not out weight the RPG factor and vice-versa.

Shooting in Third Person is also very satisfying especially when using biotic powers. Just give the game a chance, man. You'll be missing out on a great RPG if you don't.

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

Mass Effect 2, for me, is one of the best games ever. You come to know and love these characters, and running the risk of losing them on the final mission, you get gray hairs sending the team away to handle themselves, worried they might not make it. I don't care what anyone says, for me, Mass Effect 2 is game of the year, and that knowledge is enough.

Also, ME is one of the best scifi universes ever created (yes, right up there next to the greats Star Wars and Star Trek).

I presume then that Mass Effect 2 must introduce a whole lot more depth because my opinion of Mass Effect 1 was that its universe was highly generic and very derivative of Star Wars. Everyone hates humans but they're oddly enough the most populous species you encounter, there's a warlike race, a psychic race, more than a couple of races that appear to have been put there just for laughs; a droid race that function basically as "space undead" i.e. you can kill them in hordes without ever having to worry about all those poor robot children they leave behind; there is a central council who act like bureaucratic dicks, and last but not least there is a small elite group of warriors charged with maintaing peace and order throughout the galaxy. The only aspect that really seemed truly original and memorable were the Reapers, and while I can't resist the urge to draw a comparison between the Death Star and a giant space ship that destroys whole worlds, I thought there was enough depth poured into them that I wanted to know more.

The reason that Mass Effect's universe didn't really endear itself to me the first time round was because they relied too heavily on the Codex. It was fun to read the odd book or two in Baulder's Gate but only if it had any relevance to the events of the game; I couldn't care less about the Gnome Wars of Fireshite 112 A.D. or any of the stuff they just threw in to give the impression of a deep universe. You have to make the events of gameplay make you want to go and read more about the universe, not the other way around. Still, I'm glad to hear that Mass Effect 2 may have reversed this little issue.

 

[robman1130]

i played it twice now, finished up a few min. ago and im sad that it ended. i even enjoyed the mineing. if there was only one game out now that i could recomend it would be mass effect 2 without hesitation

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

The only aspect that really seemed truly original and memorable were the Reapers,

Nah, that's not original either. Go play Star Ocean 3 and learn about the "Executioners" (even the names are similar) and you will see a distinct similarity.

Scratch originality then.

Seriously, these days sci fi games claim to be original if the aliens have stingrays for heads instead of lizards.

 

[DustyDrB]

I love Mass Effect 2, but I feel no need to be dogmatic about it. Unlike some "professionals"...

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/106/1064323p2.html

Mass Effect 2 will almost undoubtedly be my game of the year. That's not saying much, because the only other game I really want to play this year is Red Dead Redemption. However, Mass Effect 2 is at least my 3rd favorite game ever.

And to those who don't want to play this game because you don't like the shooter elements: I hate shooters. I don't like the Call of Duties or any of those war games (too many to name), didn't like Fallout 3. Didn't like Gears of War. Somehow, I LOVE Mass Effect. At least give it a try. If you still don't like it, then fair enough.

 

[Spectre39]

I'll say this much:

Mass Effect 2 would be more deserving of the title Game of the Year than Avatar deserves a single gold star.

 

[likalaruku]

No matter how good it is, by the end of the year, no one will be talking about it. It won;t be shiny & new enough for their attention spans.