Mass Effect 2... 7 Years Later

[@Sigismund-von-Luxembourg]

actually the politicians putting their heads in the sand until it was too late is the most believable thing in Mass Effect

[@TheDancerMacabre]

This hits even harder during COVID

[@MrSoopSA]

@@TheDancerMacabre Ah yes, “Covid-19”, the supposed deadly disease making its way out of mainland China. We have dismissed those claims.

[@DwWarWolf]

@@TheDancerMacabre like fucking seriously. Everyone needs to give apocalyptic and zombie like scenarios a break because omg is it so true. “Man is the real enemy” in something like walking is no longer a contrived thing.

[@TrypodKat]

True story. I bet bickering politicians were a major contributor to why the Protheans were wiped out by climate ch- I mean the reapers too.

[@anthonyernst999]

Youre such a dumbass​@@MrSoopSA

[@solace9559]

"except Jacob" never before has a phrase been so true.

[@TMmodify]

Jaguer Rohr ikr ? It hit me like a glitched mako

[@DManVI]

But the prize.

[@alvikazi2327]

I must be the only one who liked Jacob... He's well spoken, understands why he chose Cerberus than the council-sucking Alliance, has a 'down to earth' loyalty mission and very respectable attitude to how it turns out. I for one was especially impressed with the loyalty mission, no one could've predicted that Jacob's father was alive and doing the things he did. They ruined/neglected him in ME3 though, similar to how they did the same thing with nearly every other ME2 crew member.

[@solace9559]

alvi kazi I too liked his loyalty mission, but I find his character so plain. most characters in the series had layers to them, but Jacob is straight forward, his motivation and personality you can discern in your first few interactions with him. I don't find him particular offensive (except for his romance), I just feel a little more could've been added to him.

[@mcrafter3000]

alvi kazi the problem is that that personality that jacob had before freedoms progress so muchh more than what he is on the normandy itself. On the normandy he is much more closed with only like whag 3 conversations. Sure their good conversations and his loyalty mission was pretty awesome but the majority of his character development on the ship is completely overshadowed by miranda....

[@LunaticLK47]

Around the 26-28 minute mark, there are some counterpoints I'd like to point out. Mordin dying: If you had imported an ME1 save where Kirahe survives and talk to Mordin about it, Mordin outright tells you he hates protracted battles. "I hate holding the line. I'd rather get the job done and go home." That is the gist of the dialogue when you talk to him. Zaeed not being a good squad leader: Entire Blue Suns crew outright betrayed the guy. Even if you bother talking to him on the Normandy, he always mentions some poor sap dying even if someone were to go out for ice cream. Not exactly a good recipe for a team leader.

[@payableondeath7]

Mordin being STG does not necessarily mean he's a one man army; STG was more clandestine for the most part, so laying down cover fire for 30 civilians may not exactly be his forte

[@thedumbdog1964]

I just lost mordin a few minutes ago and I have to say fuck that. I saw that mf sing, he asked me if I wanted to smash, if anyone was gonna love, I’d think it was him. He killed a Krogan with a pitchfork

[@Vladislav888]

​@@thedumbdog1964 Hint: hostage rescue person survives no matter what.

[@megamike15]

he says that even if kirahe dies.

[@megamike15]

@Bones Sama there is a hidden value with the hold the line part. i belive garrus, zaeed, and grunt have the highest.

[@juanperezwar8748]

36:03 Romancing Tali. Removes her visor to finally see ner face. *Shepard commander*

[@Der_Dekanter]

Hahahahahahahaha

[@segalman]

*CRITIKAL MISSION FAILURE*

[@rezanators]

“Shepard commander, does this unit get a smooch?”

[@Ender11037]

@@rezanators Yes. Yes she does.

[@Xaveze]

Suicide Mission is to video game scores what Duel of Fates is to film scores. A pinnacle of their medium. Also Garuss' dialogue in this game cemented him as the ultimate video game bro.

[@XelNaga89]

Best soundtrack piece of entire ME trilogy for me is Illusive Man theme from ME 2.

[@civilwarfare101]

As good as Duel of the Fates is, I can name shitloads of tracks from the prequels that I prefer more.

[@thedumbdog1964]

He was the first one to stop talking to me, just saying he had calibrations

[@jackgill6519]

The best ending mission to any video game ever

[@floopthevolcano2330]

Me and my friends constantly use the term "Garrus bro"

[@haleffect9011]

"The game is outshined by the universe created" couldn't have said it better. I love Mass Effect, but not the games so much. I love the people in the universe, I love the universe. The games are all right, but I'll replay not for the game, but to have another conversation with Garrus, or poke fun at Tali.

[@Rainbowhawk1993]

There's a reason that Mass Effect has the 6th largest collection of Fan-fictions in the games Category.

[@shadowprincess9817]

I played all 3 games contless times, especially the 2 who's my favourite mostly for the darker themes...the gameplay is good but the reasons of why I played it so many times was to see how things could be different, different Shepard, different events, different love interest and so on...every time is a different story...

[@EldritchAugur]

That's so true. As games all of them are incredibly flawed but they are greater than the sum of their parts. The Mass Effect universe and characters are so good that they turn the series into one of the most memorable gaming experiences of my life. I replay the series at least once a year and every time I just get so lost in the universe that it consumes my entire life for a few weeks. Very, very few games can manage that. Even well-designed games can't always manage to do that. That's the benefit of a really rich and detailed world.

[@Rainbowhawk1993]

Kolbe Howard The only 2 game series that give me a lump in my throat every time I play them are Mass Effect and StarCraft.

[@EldritchAugur]

For me it's Bioshock, Fallout and Mass Effect. Those are the 3 that I'm pretty sure I will be playing for the rest of my life. Even when I might not like games in the future. They transcend the fact that they are simply "video games" and become something more entirely. Even though I could spend hours complaining about all the problems they have as games.

[@Valkyrie1166]

Mordin's loyalty mission (specifically his dialogue) is my favorite one. He is, far and away, my favorite character in the game. Torn between the choices he had to make, and forced to live with them, knowing only he could ever (if he got the chance) do right by them. He lived with it, searched for answers, and made peace with his choice.

[@Deolrin]

His arc in the third game is one of the strongest moments in the third game, especially how it ties together with another fantastic character, Wrex.

[@themanofconstantsorrowelia1929]

@@Deolrin that's why I had to let him go through with it. The choice genuinely felt like you had a whole races life in your hands

[@rafaelferreira5819]

And I killed him in the suicide mission, never seen him in ME3 :(

[@thehavoccompany-a3]

"Geth do not *intentionally* infiltrate." I still love that damn line lol

[@TheDancerMacabre]

During Jack's Loyalty mission, all the squad members comment how sickened they are that they would imprison children in such horrifying conditions Legion: "These facilities are inadequate."

[@Paragon231]

13:38 gotta disagree with you there. Paragon is not just about being a symbol of virtue and niceness, it's about standing up for others. In that scene the C-sec officer was being an unsympathethic dick to a Quarian that was being harassed for no reason and he was making it seem like she was the bad guy.

[@philipsalama8083]

In the Overlord DLC as well, a paragon interrupt makes Shephard pistol whip a guy and threaten to shoot him, because he was abusing his neuro divergent brother.

[@Spiffy-sd5ix]

I will forever remember this as the game that got me into the Mass Effect franchise.

[@dragonbreath9957]

Spiffy 84730 Same, it was funny going back and seeing my character's face from my first play through of the first ME game I played. He had no eyebrows! NO eyebrows! Why'd I accept that and beat the game twice with it??

[@stefaniasalvetti7349]

me too!

[@Sabir_DelNorte]

This was my first ME game also, it sold me on the ME universe itself. I thoroughly enjoy this game to this day. I've started playing it again. I've tried to play 1 but I just can't play through it with a real sense of enjoyment by contrast to 2, and to a lesser extent 3. Really enjoyed Andromeda for what it is also

[@karystmania5509]

Spiffy 84730 i originally got the second for free on Origin and loved it ever since

[@nightshiftrider819]

In hopes you're still around after having someone comment on your three year old comment. What was your experience with Mass Effect 1 after what I'm guessing you having played the second game first?

[@_Tomon]

Did you not listen? O_o Zaeed is always the sole survivor for goddamn sake! The last mission and the correct choices for each position was superb and one of the best game mechanic ever.

[@turtleanton6539]

Yes

[@blipus8711]

Got this as a '7 years ago' recommendation and had to double-take realising it's been 14 years since the one game I still replay every now and then to this day came out

[@sanguinor5609]

You’re making me feel old.

[@mfpope7431]

These games are meant to be played together. The mass effect trilogy is my favorite game ever. But honestly as stand alone games, you could do better, each games is better and worse then the others. But playing them back to back, makes them pretty perfect somehow

[@Rainbowhawk1993]

None are the best on their own. ME1 has the best story but the worst gameplay. ME2 has the best world-building and endgame but it's the worst story. ME3 has the best combat and balance of story but it has the least Role-playing and that decisive ending.

[@mfpope7431]

Rainbowhawk1993 mass effect one has the best 3 act linear story, but worst characters. None of them are really developed right, maybe except Ashley and wrex, all others seem pretty boring compared to later games. Mass effect two has the best characters, but a really weak main story. Personally I think mass effect 3 is the best, great gameplay great characters and great story, except that ending.... But of course it still has many problems, the galactic readiness means nothing, there are not enough squad mates, and two many characters just amount to nothing in the end

[@tesscantarticulate]

Muhammad Pope well put

[@BlazerManiacNumber96]

Muhammad Pope I honestly don't even think the ending is that bad.

[@GloTheActivist300]

Muhammad Pope Mass Effect 3 had great characters? EDI was awful, Ashley/Kaiden was boring, James don't get me started on that guy, Liara and Tali have been in good in every game maybe not Tali in ME1 and finally Garrus who's always been great in all 3 games.

[@AlleyCatNinja]

Mass Effect 2 was literally "Daddy Issues the Game". Jacob: Daddy issue. Miranda: Daddy issue. Tali: Daddy issue. Thane: IS the daddy issue. Mordin: Father of the genophage issue Grunt: Daddy issue Garrus: Mentions issues with his father

[@VitaliyMilonov]

AlleyCa7 You forgot Samara. There is also Liara and her "daddy" issue.

[@Ghidorah96]

It's to relate with gamers, who are mainly men with daddy issues

[@VitaliyMilonov]

@@Ghidorah96 ok boomer

[@Ghidorah96]

@@VitaliyMilonov you're older than me nimrod

[@VitaliyMilonov]

ギドラ ok zoomer

[@lordofentropy]

I'm glad you mentioned one thing that always disappointed me about ME2, and that was the overreaction to some of the issues in ME1. So the inventory in ME1 is a bit clunky and could be refined? Let's just get rid of it altogether, now you have like 5 choices in weapons. So the skill system in ME1 was a bit clunky and maybe had some imbalance? Let's ditch it altogether, now you have 4 skills and can make 1 choice at the last level of skill. So the planet exploration and Mako in ME1 were a bit clunky and could use some retooling? Let's toss it all out, now you just shoot probes at a planet from space while watching a graph. I really do like Mass Effect 2, but I do feel like people tend overrate it a bit for many of the reasons mentioned in the video. It's also why, though I do place it slightly higher than ME3 (and below ME1), ME3 is closer to ME2 for me than I imagine it is for a lot of people, because they at least corrected some of those overreactions and brought back a bit more choice in inventory, skills, and the like.

[@Beyondqqq]

Personally I think most of the elements they completely scaled back on was for the better of mass effect 2. I honestly don't want to play another mass effect game which features a lot of mako gameplay no matter how refined and fun it may be. I'm not playing mass effect for exploration in vast outdoor spaces. I'm not playing mass effect for any sort of complex inventory system. I'm playing mass effect for the characters, story, set pieces and the world. Improvements they made between 1 and 2 were in all the right areas in my opinion. Only gripe is that the main story could have been more layered and complex. Also dont really understand the narrative to defend the story being that its the second installment in a trilogy and the story is usually bad in the second installment. We have had games like Halo 2, Gears 2 and movies like empire strikes back which prove this narrative wrong.

[@iusethisnameformygoogleacc1013]

Mass Effect 2 is as beloved as it is because it bends on all the RPG concepts people like me and you really liked in order to 'streamline' things for the 'mainstream' Lowest Common Denominator. The exact same reason I hate it as much as I do.

[@edgecrusherhalo]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. ME2 is actually my least favorite of the trilogy for this, and other reasons despite it seeming to be most people’s favorite. It does individual character stories much better than ME1 and of course the given of looking better, but that’s it. It’s inferior to the first game in like every other way.

[@SomeOne-vf1rs]

OrganicMachine The combat is more refined in ME2, which I find both good and bad. Like in ME1 you had SO MANY OPTIONS and tools at your disposal.... but it was also kinda too many options. You spent half the time battling in the power menu, in ME2 you feel like you’re actually playing a shooter and not an RTS game... but then there’s so much less variety. Every time I’ve played ME2 I just went vanguard and spammed shockwave all the time. It’s super fun playing human (or alien) bowling, don’t get me wrong, but you never feel like you’re using your powers creatively and combining them, but you’re just pressing one button to remove whatever arbitrary buff the enemy has, then using some biotic ability to incapacitate them, then shooting them over and over and over

[@MicahTreptau]

This is hands down my favorite game trilogy I've ever played. I'm well aware that they each have great issues, but none of them stand without the other 2 so I couldn't say which one is my favorite or least favorite.

[@eldritchtoilets210]

Micah T My overall opinion too, it's like each game's strength complements another's weakness. I don't think I would have enjoyed these games as much if I had not played them all three together in succession.

[@raresmacovei8382]

Mass Effect is indeed tremendous. However The Witcher? Prince of Persia Sands of Time? God of War? Uncharted? Assassin's Creed 1-2-3?

[@NotAFakeName1]

Rares Macovei Witcher 3 is fantastic, one of my favorite games, but the Witcher Trilogy as a whole is impressive in the clear progression from game to game. It's not a great Trilogy overall. I hear Prince of Persia has sequels that are much weaker than Sands of Time. God of War 3 looks pretty shitty to me, though I haven't played any of them. Uncharted games are fun but they aren't nearly as great as Naughty Dog fanboys think they are, especially when you try being objective in criticism. Assassin's Creed? Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahhaah!!!! I had a good laugh at that.

[@MicahTreptau]

Michael my same thoughts, what made you think I didn't like ME3?

[@RTukka]

+Dan Dillion The sequels made the Reapers a lot less compelling, but otherwise I think they generally did a good job of expanding the universe that was introduced in the original. What specifically do you take issue with?

[@VichyGlitterGun]

This game put Garrus on to the ultimate bro pedestal

[@liampezzano]

@25:00 I absolutely love Legion as a character. He's the most interesting in the entire cast. It hurts me that you get him so late in the game, and that if you fuck it up, his Loyalty mission will sacrifice people on the ship. Personally, I've played through three times. I risk it every time to get his Loyalty.

[@Jigsawdotkom]

You don't risk anything. Just do everybody else's loyalty mission before doing the derelict reaper mission and MAKE SURE you do Jack's loyalty mission last (but before derelict reaper mission)

[@liampezzano]

@@Jigsawdotkom I know HOW to do it. I said I did it three times. I'm complaining about the way the game forces you to rush from getting him to the end. You don't get to really take him on the other missions, and hear what he would say. Or you risk losing all of your basic crew. That's the problem. In order to save all of the regular Crew of the ship, you have to do EVERYTHING ELSE before you get him. So you don't get to spend time with him.

[@Ebalosus]

@@liampezzano yeah that was a complete crock of shit, because we never got to really know Legion if we wanted to also save our squad and crew. I’m guessing that the remaster didn’t fix that?

[@liampezzano]

@@Ebalosus no it didn't

[@foreignuser_]

fun fact: BioWare started off as a medical software company, hence the name Bio-Ware

[@thedumbdog1964]

Foreign User fuck it let’s make games boyz

[@roosterjackson7258]

@Ivan Getsukdov Wrong. The company is named after me. I'm Douglas Bioware, nice to meet you.

[@bond1j89]

I was replaying mass effect 2 and was talking with Liara and found out that she had to get your body back from the shadow broker and then she gave you to Cerberus.

[@Skeemac]

I have to disagree with your assessment that focusing on short personal stories rather than the grand plot was the wrong move. This game has possibly the greatest cast of characters in the history of the industry, so focusing on their backstories, personalities, and development made it into one of the most engaging narrative experiences you will come across. In this regard, it blows the other two games out of the water, not only elevating it to the peak of the series, but as the greatest game of its console generation.

[@gollumhunter8741]

Skeemac Interesting characters are what made the Mass Effect trilogy so great. I hope they will countinue this in Andromeda.

[@darkphoenix2]

I like pretty much all of the characters in Mass Effect 2. They're all interesting, for the most part. You spend very little time with them, in the long run. Characters like Thane, Zaeed, Legion...they just don't have a ton of content, when you look at all of ME2 and 3 combined. And, honestly, none of them except for characters like Tali and Garrus were given enough time to develop and turn into all time great characters in video gaming.

[@iwanttoputkamuistoesinmymo5938]

Skeemac me2 is one of my all time favorite games. The n7 missions were fucking trash but honestly that and the planet scanning bullshit were the only real downgrades from me1.

[@brenobonfim5749]

lmao it's not even the best game of 2010. RDR blows it out of the water. It's not even the best rpg too, Fallout: New Vegas is a much better game. It's MAYBE, a top 5 of that year, maybe.

[@Skeemac]

Breno Bonfim - Looks like you have three other games from 2010 to name then. Let's hear it! (the two games you mentioned are fantastic, by the way. Not ME2 fantastic, but still great)

[@TheGreatRakatan]

I'm imagining Raycevick actually playing some of his proposed changes to the collector ambush mission, and then hating it because the 'game's combat is not built for timed missions, yet being good at the timed mission is essential to getting the best ending' or something like that lol.

[@Shvabicu]

I fkn hate timed missions in any game ever. They are always just absolute garbage

[@Alex-re3qm]

Thing is he's right the mission being able to reuse the squad mechanic allows the player more exposure to it before the final mission, and the squad member choices could effect how much time the player has. In addition while times mission are usually seen negatively the times aspect doesn't need to result in a fail state rather depending on how well the player is able to play through the mission can simply dictate how much data Shepard is able to take giving the player more options or outcomes during the final mission the timer helping emphasize the importance of planning things out and raising stakes.

[@JnEricsonx]

Best story: Mass Effect 1. Best characters-Mass Effect 2. Best gameplay-Mass Effect 3.

[@badjohnnyisbad]

accurate

[@Skeemac]

Worst story: Mass Effect 3 Worst characters: Mass Effect 3 Worst gameplay: Mass Effect 1

[@petriksaksamaa]

Skeemac Mass Effect 1 had the worst characters because most of the cast (Wrex,Liara,Garrus,Kaidan) weren't fully developed. I played through the first game just recently and tbh all of the characters were boring af compared to the later installments.

[@SoyDrinker]

As someone who just recently started replaying the trilogy a week ago, and beat 2 and started 3 last night, I find Mass Effect 2 to have better gameplay than 3. Everything in 3 is so much faster. You use your powers so much faster (playing as an adept ATM, with a 1.11 second recharge time on Throw and Pull), you reload faster and you move faster. As a result things have far less weight. Now I can absolutely see why someone may prefer the faster gameplay of 3, but I definitely prefer the more weighty combat of 2. When I lift someone up in the air and I throw them as an Adept, they go flying. When I do this in 3, it gives me a fairly underwhelming explosion and they fly back with far less force. A lot of the guns in ME3 feel like pea shooters to me, the Assault Rifles specifically. Most of them feel like a plastic toy. Compared to ME2 when you get the Carnifex Hand Cannon, it's not nearly as satisfying. That thing is so enjoyable to use

[@idonthavh1n166]

Skeemac I think all mass effects had good characters, me3 had the least interesting but I wouldn't say it was bad.

[@Papa-Squat]

In response to your criticism of the morality system, it isn't as simple as "good vs. evil" or "compassion vs. ruthlessness". Paragon and renegade represent Shepard's disposition with others in the universe for the sake of cooperation. Paragon Shep seeks to unify the universe and cooperate while Renegade Shep in contrast seeks to ascertain power by eliminating the competition and acting in self-preservation. This theme is constant through the series when considering humanity's diverse role in the universe as the series progresses. Curing the genophage isn't a "good" action but involves the urge to unite the galaxies races. Sacrificing the council results in a new council composed of a clear and controversial human majority while saving the council results in humanity joining the other races. Not perfect by any means. Just a thought

[@Changetheling]

FINALLY somebody that gets it.

[@Idofphoenix]

I like this explanation a lot better. As far as a mechanic the video has it right where you sort of feel the need to play one or the other... But I like your definition of paragon and renegade.

[@God_gundam36]

@@Idofphoenix I saw it as a positive and negative outlook of a situation. In a email from the ships docter she says your scares will heal based on positive emotions. While some renegade choices are in no way evil or bad it's instead shepard having a nacistitc view point or expressing aggression. While the other is him expressing a clam and understanding view. You know a shepherds personality just by looking at a random players stats. like a Shepard with high paragon but with a bit of renegade is a kind hearted man/woman but a bit smug and brash.

[@TfJedisuper]

C.J. Ocasio Personally my biggest issue was that to secure full team loyalty and get the best outcomes in missions I had to play 100% paragon all the time. I felt like my choice as Shep was taken away and I just selected the paragon option by default regardless of the situation. ME3 seemed to handle this system wayyyy better overall but then also offered much less choice in general :/

[@Polumetis]

@@TfJedisuper Same which is why I'm looking for a mod or a cheat that will allow me to choose from any of the dialogue choices, irrespective of my alignment score

[@stupidflandrs4856]

Mass Effect 2... 7 Years Later... 7 Years Later...

[@krixpop]

next in 2031 ... edit: I might or might not be around though ...

[@alsenar2]

The worst thing ME2 did were the Collectors. The best thing ME2 did were the Collectors. That may sounds stupid now but what i mean is that although the Collectors as an Antagonist were pretty lame and just stupid, it was the best decision to break away from the Reapers itself. You could just enjoy the ME Universe with all its Worlds and Characters a lot more without having to worry about a reaper invasion or whatever BECAUSE like i said the Collectors were so lame that at least i though that they weren't that much of a threat. And nearly all my favorite missions were from ME2 starting with the build up to find Garrus.

[@God_gundam36]

Didn't help they're surprisingly easy to kill. I had more trouble killing the eclipse than these guys. They also look nothing like the other reaper creatures. The reapers have a very bio mechanical design like in me3 how they mutilate and repurpose the various species but the protheans turned Into bugs? The suicide mission guinely made me feel intimidated by them. But then again your crew die by your piss poor planing not by having any advantage

[@elliesart_]

I'm garrus vakarian CODENAME archangel all round turian badboy

[@RoyalFusilier]

Well, that's true, because as it turned out, the Reapers are a fantastic looming threat, but a miserable primary antagonist. Shepard is simply not on the same scale as a kilometer-tall capital ship, and without introducing space combat, the only alternative is giving you tons of little minions and grunts to fight while you run away, forever. I got mad at them for introducing a big dumb ancient relic in 3, but they'd written themselves absolutely into a corner with the Reapers.

[@turtleanton6539]

Yes it should be about stopping some guy calling the reapers. Not the reapers thelsemves

[@jeangreffsbp]

@@God_gundam36 no,it makes sense The creatures reapers make in 3 are just cannon fodder to throw at their enemies The Collectors were designed to be servants The Reapers mutating species to serve their purposes was already estabilished on ME1 when Vigil explains the origins of the Keepers

[@AatJago]

That 24:30 "except Jacob..." bit kills me lol.

[@I_am_a_cat_]

Are you truly.. The one and only holy cat Jago? Me and my fellow felines have been searching for you for as long as we can remember. Please, let us bathe in your graceful aura.

[@slenderman8170]

@@I_am_a_cat_ lol wtf

[@I_am_a_cat_]

@@slenderman8170 yeah idk. I get really stoned sometimes, haha.

[@stoneblood7309]

@@I_am_a_cat_ Same, lol

[@I_am_a_cat_]

@@stoneblood7309 he never did let me bathe in his aura

[@TheGreatRakatan]

God damn, even a glimpse at the paragon interrupt to hug Tali made me tear up. Damnit, now I have to go play through all the games again, thanks Raycevick.

[@MrMaster6000]

the suicide mission theme is godly and always gives me the chills

[@garrycotton7094]

In defence of the Human-Reaper, its significance was to replace Sovereign as a Vanguard, thus allowing the Reaper fleet to enter the galaxy in the originally intended way. In other words, they didn't want to have to "fly" to the Milky Way in the conventional manner if they could avoid it. Other than that though, I'd agree that ME2 is more flawed than often remembered when you take it in isolation of its DLC. In particular the Arrival DLC does a huge amount to improve ME2's main narrative and make it a more true sequel to ME1.

[@atreyustratula]

These videos are so well put together.. Seriously, keep making these. KZbin needs you, gaming needs you, we all do

[@nateputerbaugh5709]

"I've always thought Zaeed was originally locked on the main disc." No that happened the next game

[@turtleanton6539]

And with the monst important squad memeber of allt the games no less

[@van9750x]

ME2: 7 years later: 7 years later.

[@RoyalFusilier]

As Shamus Young writes in his retrospective of the whole Mass Effect trilogy, the leap from ME1-ME2 is one of a franchise going from details-first to drama-first storytelling. Neither is better, only different, though one tends to be more represented in media. However, going from one to the other, especially by just hacking the universe to pieces, does a deceptive amount of damage, and drama in 2 and 3's plots comes at the expense of details, or even basic logic. In fact, sometimes it damages that very drama.

[@Ebalosus]

That, and because ME2 was the most popular game, it had a negative effect on following entries. Despite what Bioware says, every subsequent Mass Effect game is trying to replicate the success of ME2, with the focus on romances and “badass” characters over setting, atmosphere, tone, and world-building.

[@delphipriestess9968]

Jack taking out three Atlas mechs in 3 seconds; Kasumi jumping 50feet high and taking out the shields of the gunship; Shep and squad watching Kai Leng kill Thane with a sword while they're all standing there with guns; etc.

[@atlas8827]

Butt shots were removed from the legendary edition and I'm blaming you.

[@flopus7]

Why even play if there aren't gratuitous butt shots?

[@goku8621]

95% of them are still there though lol

[@SunBunz]

This is why I exploited Photo Mode. Challenge accepted.

[@Ebalosus]

I wish they’d remove the sequels altogether, but too many people laughably think ME2 is a good game…

[@BelchingBeaver69]

@@Ebalosuslol

[@TheAndredal]

i have to disagree with your claim that ME2's focus on characters was derivative. It made it smaller and more personal

[@kefkapalazzo1]

A lot of these long videos critiquing something make me of an English major who was technically adept but relatively uncultured

[@thenerdytherapist2996]

Agreed. I LOVE Mass Effect 2 and I thought it was a perfect sequel. There is always "room for improvement," in any game (especially when hindsight comes in), but still a AAA game to me

[@bostonsportsfan9670]

Yeah I definitely agree with you. I personally never cared much for the main story in mass effect. All that gloom and doom with the reapers just didn't really do it for me. I've always felt that sci fi is at its best when it focuses on fleshing out the characters and the lore.

[@TobeWilsonNetwork]

@TheAndredal 100%. It’s rare that a reviewer’s opinions are a complete mirror image of mine. What he calls weaknesses I believe are strengths. Plenty of sci-fi games go all in on their main stories and even the good ones feel like they’re just borrowing from stories you’ve seen before; Mass Effect 2’s side quests and characters are what made it engrossing, that emotional depth made it stand out and is the reason people still play it today.

[@jackh3570]

Got lots disagree with you guys I totally agree with ray. I felt the story of this game was derivative and that it just kind of rambled along for large parts not really going anywhere. I found myself pretty bored by about the 20 hour mark despite loving the first game

[@peterparker1683]

Mass Effect 2 was the best out of the ME games in my opinion

[@moonknightish]

Why?

[@moonknightish]

But the main story in Mass Effect 2 is completly broken.

[@SlyTF1]

Alfredo di Nuzzo They think characters are synonymous with the story. They're incapable of separating the two concepts.

[@CecilyThanador]

+SlyTF1 Well I pick up a Bioware game because of the characters.

[@moonknightish]

And they fucked up the characters too when they made Liara an informer when she was an archeologist, and when they made Kaidan/Ashley angry at you for no fucking reason.

[@dr.broham8271]

I find it very interesting how you give both appraisals and criticisms. Very different from the usual you-tuber just getting a Mass Erect for the game or just joining the hate band wagon.

[@aquafax2337]

Dr. Broham I agree. Raycevick is honestly one of the most objective reviewers I've seen and it's very refreshing as compared to a growing contingent of youtubers who conflate "analysis" with a 1000 page essay that might as well amount to nerd-rage ranting. But he also doesn't kiss the game's butt either. He provides legitimate criticism to the games as well, which can be eye-opening and fascinating. I really wish more individuals would approach games in a more nuanced, thoughtful way instead of just ranting about things that are often times irrelevant. Expressing opinions is fine, but when a certain opinion becomes more and more common, then making videos re-asserting them becomes redundant.

[@insertname7583]

I know this is a year ago but mass erect is the best pun I've ever seen

[@I_am_a_cat_]

@@insertname7583 it's a really good game too. I love playing mass erect

[@civilwarfare101]

People on the internet need to be more like him.

[@Ebalosus]

Hey! Nearly everything Smudboy and Shamus Young said about the sequels are correct!

[@chop54321]

Most underrated improvement from 1 to 2 was the addition of frequent auto saves. Auto saves were nearly non existent in ME1, so you had to restart entire missions if you died. ME2 fixed that in a big way

[@AarlandSun]

The unveiling of the Normandy SR2 still give me goosebumps to this day. One of the most memorable moments in the franchises history, in my opinion.

[@WanderingPropeller]

It’s made hollow by the pure space magic logistics + the railroading you into working with Cerberus through nostalgia.

[@BelchingBeaver69]

@@WanderingPropellernah

[@WanderingPropeller]

@@BelchingBeaver69 compelling argument

[@johnadams1667]

I never really saw renegade as an antihero, in my opinion renegade shep is just a person who's seen too much of the shit and knows they need to do some bad stuff to save the universe as a whole.my biggest complaint in the trilogy is that there's only 1 paragon option that actually has any negative ramifications

[@Ghidorah96]

John Adams which decision was that

[@F0rgiv3r]

ギドラ Letting Elnora escape on Ilium comes to mind

[@karystmania5509]

Technically 2 with rewriting the heretics

[@Alex-ve1og]

@@karystmania5509 Yeah that one has huge consequences for 3, if you want the best ending for 3 and you rewrote them you''re fucked

[@unsaltedpepper1957]

@@Alex-ve1og no you arent

[@MrPerson61]

I like how calm you are in videos like this. Many other reviewers or critics give off the vibe of "and you should agree with me" or "if you don't agree with me you are wrong/aren't a real gamer/have no taste". While people may think speaking in monotone is boring, I enjoy the sense of "this is just my opinion, here is some evidence" without trying to act like you have something to prove in an argument. I still do think ME2 is my favorite of the trilogy though. Also I miss the amazing sound the sniper rifle had from ME1, that should have stayed for the whole trilogy, it sounded amazing lol

[@todddan8453]

Yeah something about the deep sounding “pop” of the rifle was just amazing.

[@Mechassault_Man]

I think it's fair to say that Raycevick is the perfect example of a retrospective reviewer being neutral about any topic he's covering; even about games he's loved back then and into the modern day.

[@ThatGuy-lx5te]

Would you consider doing a video for Dragon Age: Origins after finishing the Mass Effect Trilogy? I've always felt it's never gotten the attention it deserved.

[@Raycevick]

I've played Origins three times and loved it, but I doubt my ability to make a fair analysis of it. I despise pseudo-real time combat and D&D rules, so Origins is one of those games where combat is something I endure to get to the story and characters. I recognize that its gameplay has many satisfying elements for fans of its genre, but I retain a personal and subjective hatred for its combat. As such, I don't think I'm the right person to analyze it. But I'm certainly looking for someone to jump at it. Noah-Caldwell and Lorerunner have broken it down, but hopefully more will in the future.

[@linkenski]

What about Witcher 3? That game deserves some fair criticism too. (Including the often overlooked ending(s))

[@NotAFakeName1]

Raycevick I feel like Dragon Age manages to strike out some fairly good combat compared to something like KOTOR or Bauldur's Gate. Still, your subjective opinion is yours to retain.

[@ThatGuy-lx5te]

Yeah the combat isn't that great but some elements are pretty cool. I also prefer the real-time fighting to constant pausing. I mainly suggest it for everything else it does, the approval system, morality, etc. I'll have to check out those two later and see if they do it any justice. I can't really comment on Witcher 3 as I've never played it or any other Witcher game.

[@Blox117]

+Raycevick well you better not play baldurs gate then lmao. it was the inspiration for dragon age origins

[@raychumon]

i agree about some of the points on loyalty missions and the suicide mission outcomes... but still, it's SO much fun imo. the first time i played through the suicide mission was such a unique and thrilling experience. the tension felt real and i don't think i've ever played through such a story/mechanic in another game. the music just makes everything so much more epic. the suicide mission was and still is my favourite part of the whole trilogy.

[@gasparguruoftime5475]

I just recently played through this trilogy for the first time (no idea how I missed it back in the day) starting in January and ending last night. Mass Effect 2 being so highly praised has been mind boggling to me. But maybe I get it. Its presentation is such a step up from 1, but I don’t think the presentation holds up as well today. This is because, while I’m sure impressive at the time, a lot of the effects and animations are silly looking today. ME1 may just simply not do much in the way of its presentation, but it is the one that, in my opinion, holds up best because the focus is solely on the writing when it comes to engaging you in the plot, not the presentation, and good writing almost never gets old. ME1 is hands down my favorite of the franchise. ME2’s enjoyment depended largely on its characters, which meant from mission to mission I was either highly invested or incredibly bored depending on how I liked the character. And your second party member having absolutely nothing to say a majority of the time was so infuriating. Thank you for these videos. I watched them back to back today after finishing ME3, and it has been nice seeing such a detailed perspective.

[@mr.teekanee9750]

I completed the trilogy numerous times and ME1 is still my favourite and ME2 is my least favourite cause the majority of the game feels like sidequests. Very well done sidequests but still.

[@BoringKBM]

I disagree, I really enjoyed the well-written character-based quests over the main quest since, for me, the journey with my squadmates made me more invested and struck me as more original.

[@krepes8685]

Does he not say that?

[@gumgumdookuin7963]

"It feels more original." Sarcastic me: How can you its original when everything has already been done too death, you fucking roach!! >:3

[@Snarfindorf]

Wow, I literally just re-played and finished ME2 and ME3 like 2 hours ago. I miss Liara already :(

[@McBenjiii]

How the hell did you finish both games at once? o.o

[@Snarfindorf]

As in finishing both games back to back. Took me about 3 days, 20 hours each game.

[@verymuddymantis162]

Giraffen Benji Switching the game to Combat Only and letting literally everyone die lol

[@BlazerManiacNumber96]

Snarfindorf Play the first one.

[@jadedrepublic]

20 hours? Those are rookie numbers.

[@DillonTaylorVA]

I think you raise a lot of interesting points. You made me think about a lot of things I never really considered before. However, I think you come across as a little too critical towards Mass Effect 2 for the sake of being analytical. I absolutely disagree with your assessment that Mass Effect 2 is not the peak of the franchise. For me, it's not only the best in the series but also one of the greatest games ever made. While I don't necessarily disagree with a lot of your criticisms, I think they can be very easily overlooked in the grand scheme of the game. It's easy to pick something apart in retrospect but that doesn't accurately represent the feeling of playing the game. One example I can give is that you criticize the game for not giving much development for Shepard. We don't see much reaction from him/her when we're exploring the Normandy crash site. I don't blame you for disliking this aspect of the game but when I was playing through that mission I felt incredibly moved. Not just because of nostalgia like you pointed out either. Shepard might not be saying anything, but I don't need them to. I'm feeling emotions from seeing these flashbacks and in that moment I am Shepard in a manner of speaking. I don't need them to audibly or visibly emote because I, as the player, am doing that through Shepard. I completely understand your problem with the game in this regard. Bioware introduced Shepard as a voiced protagonist so you expect him/her to have personality and interact with his/her crew and the plot itself. When playing the game though, I find it's very easy to project my feelings onto Shepard when they are not outwardly reacting. I'm playing the role of Shepard and my feelings are his/hers in those moments. I don't think you're wrong, I'm just explaining why it's not necessarily a problem for me personally. Then you criticize a lot of the side missions, mostly from a gameplay standpoint. I can't tell you that you should have been having fun. That's entirely subjective. But I will say that I feel like you're undervaluing the atmosphere and general feeling behind these missions. While the gameplay itself may have been relatively unexciting, the worlds you visit were absolutely stunning. I certainly don't agree that they were a step back from the missions in the first game. It's hard to feel connected to the worlds you explore when each one is relatively similar to each other in their presentation. Regardless of how interesting the text epilogue might have been... I'd much rather have a visually stimulating world to discover with varied encounters throughout the experience. The gameplay may have been mundane... but saving a stranded Quarian, gathering the flight logs of a derelict ship, fighting through waves of malfunctioning robots at a crash site... the sum is greater than the individual parts here. It felt good to save that Quarian. It was exciting maneuvering through that derelict ship as it teetered on the edge of an abyss. A bunch of malfunctioning robots trying to kill you is cool. Scrutinizing the gameplay is perfectly understandable but I think most people would agree that playing through these events was a generally positive experience. The gameplay was certainly not so bland that it made these missions a chore as you put it. A lot of what you're saying is perfectly valid. I agree that Shepard drifting into space in the opening sequence and having him awake from a coma rather than "death" would have been a more elegant introduction. The explanation for heat sinks was rushed and a bit laughable. Not all the deaths during the suicide mission seem as logical if you observe every outcome. etc. etc. Do all these problems hinder the experience drastically though? I don't believe they do. I think the majority of people had a very easy time overlooking most of these issues when they were actually playing the game. Because the highs of Mass Effect 2 entirely outweigh the lows. To an absurd degree in my opinion. You're not thinking "So because I didn't do this loyalty mission, the collectors aim better and kill this person?" while you're playing the suicide mission. You can tear anything apart looking at it like that. The feeling the game gives you is much greater than that kind of retroactive criticism. I could go on and on but I think I've rambled enough. I enjoyed the video a lot, I just don't agree with the conclusion.

[@RazorTreewise]

same

[@JustiXNL]

I agree I also feel compared to the previous vid on Mass Effect 1 there are a few points I don't agree on. The part about the Normandy crash site resonated with me greatly as it is. I also felt like having Shepard have a dialogue there or a inner monologue would have ruin that moment of nostalgia. As in a way you are Shepard just like you are the Master Chief. Anyway I could go on but I think you mostly already said everything I disagree with regarding this analysing of Mass Effect 2. Do wanna say this for me was the peak of the Mass Effect series and my favo.

[@abductedbyfairies432]

I think that to state that if you don't do a loyalty mission the character dies is a bit incorrect and people should think about it like... In first person. When you're at work and you know that your daughter is out there killing innocent people, or that your family wants to kick you from home accusing you of betrayal, or that your son is out there potentially about to get killed... I don't think you would have a good time working. And while a normal job could be "easier" to bear, these people are facing the fate of humankind, in a suicide mission, with those burdens on their shoulders. That's not only is not easy, but shouldn't be taken lightly. Is normal that they can't focus and maybe ALL of them dying is not realistic, but some, could easily.

[@aWinterCrow]

I was going to reply to the video (a bit late lol) and then saw your comment and... well, yeah, this. It's overly critical to the point of coming across as nitpicky. In fact, I'd say the start of the game is absolute brilliance. If I am not remembering it incorrectly, either Miranda or the Illusive man point out that you were technically dead for a short span of time, while being in a coma the rest of the 2 years. It's a small difference that, thematically, ABSOLUTELY DOES impact the narrative of the game, contrary to what the video states, since being dead for more than what would be "acceptable" and then brought back to live raises the question of "are you technically still you?" that goes so well with a sci-fi story and people not trusting you - though I'd agree Kaidan/Ashley could've done better. And how is not explaining exactly why a plothole? They never explained how the mass effect fields work or how all aliens and humans speak english! And it's the Lazarus Project that bothers this man? Yeah, no. ME2 is the peak of the franchise, by far. It's not even a contest. It has some of the strongest highs with the least amount of lows. God I miss the BioWare of these times...

[@CRF250R1521]

I agree he is too critical. The game makes you feel awesome and that wins over all the little bad things.

[@TheGamesWin]

I am in pain that this video is now itself 7 years old

[@unmessable12]

Personally, Mass Effect 2 is the most enjoyable game of the series.

[@SCDJMU]

me1 best game, my opinion is the correct one, you should know

[@afrog2666]

@@SCDJMU Nah, the mechanics don`t hold up, even if you only care about story, ME2 is better. In my oh so super duper mega humble (right?) opinion ;)

[@JohnsDough1918]

I prefer ME3's combat, but as a whole, ME2 is the most enjoyable throughout.

[@SockPupet]

@@afrog2666 Personally found Mass Effect 2 the most disappointing in the series, primarily because after it I didn't give a crap about 3 and have never purchased or played it. I wanted a sequel to mass effect instead I got a turgid shooter I never bothered to finish, went from buying everything bioware put out to never buying another bioware game and it was ME2 that did that.

[@fuse8p69]

Stop scrolling through the comments, Raycevick is talking

[@Raycevick]

And commenting. I'm a wizard.

[@plasticwalnut7650]

Well, the quality is certainly *magical*

[@EwEs23]

I've done my listening. 50:52 minutes of it. Let me rest! I will continue, but I can enjoy only so much before it becomes the norm. I don't want that. This is too good to become the norm.

[@PlaystationProduction]

Reads comments on your phone while watching it on tv and portable devices.😁

[@bigpoison408]

Shut up don't tell me what to do

[@payableondeath7]

I watched the ME3 video, then ME1, and now this one, and I've got to say, it felt like we played different games. There seems to be an under lying cynicism to these videos that I just can't identify with, largely revolving around what seem to be expectations that no company could ever live up to from the start.

[@burnout713]

payableondeath7 Agreed. I think it stems from a bullshit idea that if you're going to make an in-depth video on something, you have to split the difference between positivity and negativity. But that's a really bad way of going about it when in the case of something brilliant like Mass Effect or something terrible like, Idk, Shrek's Fairytale Freakdown or something. Lol.

[@urborg74]

I was trying to come up with a way to describe how I felt about these videos and I think you nail it so thank you for saving me the time.

[@davidstinger1134]

But that's the basis of criticism, calling out the bad parts so that they may be improved in the future. He has never said the games aren't good, but what everyone can agree on is that they are not perfect. In fact, i'd say he's a fan who loves Mass Effect a lot and just wants to see ME videogames where things like gameplay mechanics are as enjoyable as it's lore or plot. And I think we are at a point in the industry where we can afford to ask that. Hell, ME3 had an enjoyable combat, much better than ME2's, and Andromeda completely changed it up and improved, even though the game is clearly the worst of the franchise.

[@burnout713]

@@davidstinger1134 No game is perfect, but I think it's ridiculous to focus on negatives and criticism for half of a video for a 10/10 game.

[@davidstinger1134]

@@burnout713 There's no such thing as a 10/10 game. All the criticism he makes is very valid, such as the outcomes of making wrong choices in the Suicide Mission making no sense. Or the combat itself. I replayed the trilogy a few months ago and it's amazing how much clunkier Mass Effect 2 is compared to 3. It actually felt liberating getting to 3 and finally being able to play agressively. Didn't help that I played Vanguard so if enemies weren't right in my face, I had to "snipe them" with the pistol. That doesn't mean it's not a 9/10, but there's always places to improve on. Everyone knows the good parts of ME2, so no reason to make an entire video retelling what we all know, it's best to focus on what can be improved. For example, removing the ability to land on planets and explore is a big negative, despite the fact that the idea had potential and could only improve.

[@TheOriginalEdFry]

Mass Effect 2... 7 Years Later KZbin: *Would you like to see this 3 Years After it's Release?*

[@cjdziesiuta1995]

Yes please!!

[@azyjmexcuseokstop924]

*4

[@Ebalosus]

Yes, especially since I like being reminded of what an epic letdown the sequel was.

[@lucasbarros8540]

​@@EbalosusL take

[@SonicKick]

Bro it's been 7 years since this video and I'm still watching it

[@GriffRunning]

Talis loyalty mission music deserves a grammy. Everything from the percussion stings that sound like filtered breathing to the sweeping strings is absolute perfection.

[@gollumhunter8741]

"The game itself is outshined by the universe created" This sentence sums up the entire Mass Effect trilogy. It's pretty hard to make a game as good as the universe though.

[@Changetheling]

...while also making an appropriate ending to everyone invested in the journey.

[@Ebalosus]

Mass Effect 1, despite its issues, came the closest.

[@robrick9361]

Instead of the Collector crap I would have preferred it if the game got into whether or not Sheppard was the same person. Even if Cerberus made him the exact same, knowing that you died and came back to life has to change you in some way. Like what if characters recalled how you acted in the previous game and judged your new actions in relation to your previous ones. Like right from the beginning choosing a different class from your ME1 import could have been used to influence if squadmates think you've changed or not right from the start.

[@karlklein2263]

The suicide mission theme still gives me chills to this day. Such an amazing track

[@SethÚasarune]

This video, 7 years later

[@SeventyVelle]

Mass Effect 2.... 7 Years Later..... 7 Years Later.

[@Shvabicu]

Thank you for reminding me of the final mission score. It towers over any criticism you can have with that mission and makes it the most memorable final mission in any game I've ever played

[@st4rd3str0y3r]

what's funny about ME2 as it relates to 1 is that in 1 you could make your gun effectively fire forever, if you had the right gun and upgrades, which by definition makes the thermal clips a HUGE step backward in tech, so much so that it's one of my biggest complaints about mass effect 2.

[@TainyaGaming]

Though he is wrong about something, they still fired the same thing, which is a solid projectile, its just they got rid of the overheat bar and decided to go with the clips which is just dumb

[@Ebalosus]

It still aggravates me that they did that, especially how far too many people accept and champion that change. They seem to be conflating issues with the gunplay with how the weapons themselves functioned, so Bioware changed both for the worse.

[@Silencedsnowman]

BUT WHO KILLED CAPTAIN ALEX?!?!?!?

[@sethkiparis7783]

Silencedsnowman *emerges from the shadows* Me.

[@LorisNoKami]

WHOOO?! *Excruciating Stare*

[@skkkylord]

ZULUL VI VON

[@gunner6094]

DROP THE BOMB MAN!!!!

[@Ezghiel]

I’m watching Mass Effect 2… 7 years later… 7 years later.

[@emilianohermosilla3996]

There’s not a better way I could describe ME2, after I played it in 2023 (Legendary Edition), than an excellent short story collection hahahah

[@KoishNoish]

I only recently played these games actually, having ME1 and 2 being on sale on Steam and ME3 being on sale just a couple of weeks ago. I absolutely love the franchise and feel that all three games have an immense amount of value. One of my largest problems with ME2 when it comes to the game itself is with it's antagonist, The Collectors. Although not an awful advesery they seem rather lackluster when compared with ME more inclusive foe of the Geth. The Collectors are basic at best, with no complexity or intrigue surrounding them other than the initial mystery of why they're taking humans in the first place. There's no sense that this civilisation has any diversity or being of itself, which I suppose is the point, but it makes the Collectors a difficult enemy to find any kind of ground with. The Geth, on the other hand, are debatably my favourite species from the entire series, not half because of Legion. ME2's biggest addition though, and one that is almost entirely ignored in ME3, is the massive expansion of the companion roster in ME2. Bioware has always been best when it's dealing with character and character arcs, just look at KOTOR, Dragon Age and the original ME. Therefore simply expanding the amount of characters in the game itself completely plays to Bioware's advantage and results in there being a wide array of characters for nearly any player to get involved in, apart from Jacob who, whilst fine, is far less interesting than every other member of Shepard's squad. The highlights with ME2 stem from these character moments too, the entire end of the game with the Suicide Mission stems from the player's attatchment with the rest of the crew. It does, in some ways, highlight the lack of development for Shepard themselves, who in the end really has no character development at all in ME2. I could write an essay on every one of these games listing the pros and cons but in reality this video does it all much better than I ever can. Mass Effect 2 is largely regarded as the best game of the three but it's a general consencus I'm hesitant to agree with. For me Mass Effect 3, with it's present wartime themes, was the best game of the trilogy until after the Harbinger laser hits on Earth. Mass Effect 1 is an amazing game that really doesn't get enough praise for the amount of information it's able to communicate to the player without the player themselves being completely swamped in the first hour. It's a tough call for me as to which game is the best, but if you had a gun to my head, I think I might actually say Mass Effect 1.

[@tcrpgfan]

Ehh, Shepard does have a voice, but s/he is supposed to be as blank slate-y as possible. Having a defined personality would greatly hinder that. It's also why we love the character ironically, because we can base him around what we'd do in that situation.

[@HectorJimenez-ee9zi]

Raymondo I think you misunderstand what the Collectors were, they're not a civilization or even a race with free will, they're the prothean version of husks enslaved by the reapers to do their bidding. There's a dialogue with Mordin that reveals how he pities the Collectors, how they do not a civilization, no culture, no music, no philosophy, organs replaced by technology, they're just bio-synthetic machines.

[@Comand94]

I like Mass Effect 1 the most too. Gameplay wise it's probably the worst but I like the story, world, companions and how they are introduced. ME2 suffers from being an unofficial Shepard, working for Cerberus... You just sit on your ship and travel between planets but never stick around on one of these planets for too long. ME3 suffers from ending, really. That being said, each of the 3 games has it's own quirks but overall each game is a great experience and an argument could be made for any of the 3 to be the best in the trilogy.

[@Xanmann2000]

I completely agree with the Collectors being a lame enemy. I was glad the reapers were a little more included in the ME2 finale; I didn't even want to fight the collectors as they were basically Prothean slaves of the Reapers, and when Harbinger releases that big spider-looking collector at the end I felt a little bad for him as he died

[@linkenski]

Great video. I love and adore you making this series. I hope you'll be making one for ME3 as well. I also hope you'll make a review of Andromeda whenever that game's development has completed in a year's time when all DLC has been made and the dev team has stopped working on it.

[@blazingwaters7469]

I hope he, along with a couple of other KZbinrs before him, explains just how bad ME3's story really is. Frankly, I'm sick and tired of people acting like the only writing problem 3 had was with its ending.

[@MJSpiderman7116]

BlazingWaters on the other hand, I find it annoying that people like to pretend that Mass Effect 3'd entire plot was written poorly just because they didn't like the last five minutes. I love the whole series but in replaying them all to get ready for Andromeda, 2 really sticks out as having the weakest plot. It almost feels like a filler entry partly because it spends so much time developing the characters and not much time building up the rest of the plot. Regardless of one's feelings on the ending of 3, there's far more emotional heft, it resolves nearly every major conflict of the series, and contains a good chunk of the best moments in the whole trilogy.

[@Rainbowhawk1993]

MJSpiderman7116 When you look at the top 10 ME trilogy moments lists, at least 5 of those counted come from ME3.

[@buca117]

ME3 did have some serious plot issues in a lot of places if you really sat and thought about it. First off, the quarians attacking the geth in order to "get a place to live" when they already know the Reapers are in the Milky Way is one of the most contrived reasons to initiate a conflict. Add to that the shafting of major plot opportunities (Volus and Elcor homeworlds, anyone?) and a myriad of other problems means that any honest fan of ME should be able to accept it when people say "ME3's story had problems."

[@OmegaPirateC]

buca117 I always interpreted the Quarians motives as something like "well, if we're gonna all die anyway, then a brief time on our home world is better than none." Tali's line in ME2 about wanting to retake the home world in their lifetime seems to serve as the reasoning for those Quarians who wish to fight the geth (which includes herself), and if so, the reaper invasion likely exasperated that (and that's not even taking into consideration the reaper's upgrading the Geth) As for the missing subplots, chalk that up to a (relatively) limited development time for a game of this magnitude (Heck, they had to get an extension just to get a little over 2 years).

[@GornubiusFlux]

Fantastic analysis of ME2; this and your ME1 analysis are two of my favourite KZbin videos. Looking forward to your Mass Effect 3 analysis at some point in the future.

[@mariottbunbury1985]

Time to watch Mass Effect 2 7 years later, 7 years later

[@kaikewesleyreis]

This game changed my life (because the idea around harbinger/reapers/geth made me study AI and enter in Data Science field). So is very good to hear about his story

[@AnthonyLiggins]

Just crucified my favorite game of all time.

[@alvikazi2327]

Except most of the 'faults' are just how this guy would've written the story, nit-picking elements and generally criticising elements that were fine or made sense within the games setting.

[@jowoman7799]

His points are what he wanted. Not what should actually be done or should've been done. I think the game is fantastic and his critical view on this trilogy doesn't effect anything. Everything he says I ignored because I don't gotta problem with it.

[@xBINARYGODx]

If you compare this vid to the last, ME1 one - it is clear which game he likes better. There is nearly not one flaw in the first he doesn't damage control or attempt a silver lining for. This video is like the exact opposite - no improvement is lacking a dark lining, apparently. It's very easy when writing something "balanced" to be anything but, depending on how your frame things. And no, the "it's just that person's opinion" is not a good defense of this or any review. People want well-reasoned arguments, and better still, are well-reasoned arguments that are not 'color coded' to point of pseudo propaganda. Or another way to say this - since I like ME2 more than 1, I could also create a script that purposely focuses more on the negatives of the first game without constantly damage controlling them and then do the opposite for a script concerning 2. At the end of the day, each game is a flawed masterpiece, with the last really taking that concept to the extreme. It is very easy to write something concerning any single entry to push your own narrative of feelings. EDIT - He also sometime is inconsistent - bemoaning something removed, only to criticize it's inclusion in some DLC (not the dlc part, just that it is there) - the part where he talks about the overload stud having a combo of the open worlds from ME1 with the polish of ME2. Apparently not having the open worlds 1 is bad, but inclusion of it in Overlord is "been there, don't that" So I say - well... pick one. Either not being around is bad, and some inclusion is good - or not being around is good because it would "been there, done that".

[@Fenrick]

He never really said anything great about the first game's gameplay or sound design. That aside, Mass Effect 1 did a fantastic job with worldbuilding and 2 was just kind of a weird departure that ultimately didn't matter much. The loyalty missions were great, though.

[@jowoman7799]

Kampfer But 2 was still the best one.

[@fren111]

Your videos take time, but they are one of the best things on KZbin

[@gaurd3]

49:46 ME2 was the franchise peak. It's the game where you truly fell in love with the characters. And the reason for the hysteria regarding Me3's ending. ME 1 was excellent, but given the choice of playing Me1 or Me2 again, ME2 ALL DAY! Unless you played Andromeda already, I don't know where you are going with this. You better not say it.

[@solidsnake4655]

Won’t ever forget you Miranda my babe , Garrus my Brother , Tali my little sister , Grunt my son. Mass effect 2 is legit one of the greatest game ever created. Even if its fictionnal , it will always have a place in my heart. Only mgs touched me that much.

[@Mrcheekymonkeyisback]

Totally agree. DONT forget LIARA! tho

[@ricardobernardo3095]

Best Mass Effect...suicide mission alone is a masterpiece, if you also count Lair of the ShadowBroker...then Mass Effect 2 wins by a landslide

[@QU67Reacher6]

Watched the whole thing... I can't wait for your ME3 review. I think we're gonna heavily disagree regarding that game, and honestly that's making me more eager to hear your opinion on it.

[@Rainbowhawk1993]

Funny enough, I agree almost 100% with Raycevick said about ME2 hear and that makes me more excited for him doing ME3 because it means in addition for calling out the faults that most people automatically go to when they think of ME3, he'll bring up the things that most people seem to neglect: the more in depth conversations that are the result of the trade-off for automatic dialogue and more in depth squad banter.

[@thewolfsgames8883]

Usually when I see videos on KZbin that are almost 1 hour long...I dismiss them...but when I see Raycevick post a 1 hour long video...I just scream with excitement!

[@thegameanthropologist9404]

This is a great synopsis of the highs and lows of Mass Effect 2 and the series overall. I'm glad to see a fellow fan take the care to display how the game can be both amazing and frustrating at once.

[@Rainbowhawk1993]

Unlike someone else I know who calls out only the negative things and calls anyone else who disagrees idiots and consistently trolls the advertisements for the new installment before the fucking thing is released.

[@Rainbowhawk1993]

@scaly ostrich127 Who else could it be?

[@Rainbowhawk1993]

@scaly ostrich127 Well Smudboy is the guy I was referring to. He’s a bad person.

[@Rainbowhawk1993]

@scaly ostrich127 Sure, but does he have to call people who like ME2 and 3 idiots? I’m sure he can point out the flaws like a civilized and polite person. Like, I don’t know, Raycevick!?

[@markd9318]

Mass effect 2...12 years later. Yes it's still good

[@TheNoobyNoob1]

Came here 7 years after THIS because I finally just played it

[@VixdadKeyhart]

I honestly miss Mass Effect...

[@architech007]

So do I my friend, so do I

[@elliesart_]

Me too and I only played it recently

[@death2sion333]

I have the trilogy on my pc and download texture mods and my god

[@glctcthnkr8059]

well it’s coming back now

[@Shvabicu]

@@glctcthnkr8059 yes, but BioWare today is not the BioWare that made the original trilogy. A first taste of what's to come was the tragedy of Andromeda

[@Vooman]

The whole "thermal clip" retcon still makes me salty >:(

[@puma12345ace]

Me: Happy because he actually said something positiv about the game. 5 seconds later: Oh well, there he goes criticizing again.... I get it, the game had it's flawes and you should mention them, but damn, listening to you makes it feel like it's a bad game...

[@Jordan1000]

I can’t believe I’ve only just found this channel, really good, subscribed.

[@robertdodds664]

ME2 looks so good when it's modded out on PC. Make sure you hit up nexusmods for the original trilogy. In EA's infinite wisdom (and despite Bioware wanting to do it), they axed any plans for remastering the original trilogy. Maybe that's a good thing: it would have made ME:A look even crappier with more people remembering how far it fell from the original trilogy. On the other hand, it would have taken little work to overhaul ME1-3 for current gen consoles, slap a 60 buck tag on it, and it could easily have become one of the best-selling remasters to date. But since remasters are generally kinda limited on microtransactions, the bigwigs at EA probably said screw it. We need them microtransactions!

[@elliesart_]

Well... Looks like plans have changed :)

[@Subvisual]

Do you think Zaeed "Mad Dog" Massani's many stories about past missions where he was the sole survivor may have in some way hinted that he was not the best choice for squad leader?

[@Raycevick]

Indeed; now that you mention that it makes even less sense no one he's leading gets killed yet the loyal hacker does.

[@Subvisual]

@@Raycevick it's too bad you couldn't assign single people to multiple jobs. It would have been a fun Easter Egg if every job Zaeed was assigned to would mysteriously kill off another seemingly unrelated crewman.

[@Kazekou]

These are honestly some of the best game analysis videos that I have ever watched. Fantastic work

[@Dekarowski25]

I just hope that by some miracle Andromeda will turn out to not be shit,and at least as good as ME2

[@MrBean8100]

Dekarowski25 I just hope the "exploration" from DA:Inquisition isn't in this game, that aspect of Inquisition was awful.

[@wistfulherbz]

Doubt it, from everything I've seen so far it might be worse than the 3rd one.

[@lazward7559]

Look here something original hating on 3 how creative are we, 3 within itself is a good game with a hell of a lot more decisive and hard hitting story points than the other 2 games combined, and espcially the final fight and the true meaning of the endings are solid and imo the extended cut isn't needed if you can think on your own.

[@linkenski]

Don't count on it. BioWare is more about quantity > quality these days. For one, they hate cinematics for some reason and blow the game's size and scope out of proportion at the expense of those making the experience less immersive.

[@blazingwaters7469]

+Linkenski Not to mention they're kinda side-stepping some major questions, such as the companions and the worst sin of all: Not giving us details on who we can romance. Nah just kidding, but at this point they should at least go out and spill the beans on some key things, such as how the story is gonna play out and how important the crew is gonna be this time. It's 19 days before its release and we still don't have a solid info on what's coming up.

[@gibster9624]

We are fast approaching the 7th year anniversary of a video that did a retrospect on a game's 7th year anniversary.

[@ryanc5572]

Kasumi was my favourite squadmate. Love her personality, and her mission was incredible

[@BornIn1142]

All of the criticisms you discussed regarding the story are valid, I think, but there's one problem with ME2 that bothers me even more. Mass Effect 1 ended with a cliffhanger: THE REAPERS ARE COMING. Mass Effect 2 ended with the exact same cliffhanger: THE REAPERS ARE COMING. The collection of stories in the game, while entertaining, was a diversion from the main plot, and little of it carried over into the third game. The Reapers should have arrived in the second game. This is where the war should have begun.

[@roberttausig9170]

I agree. When I played it back then it felt like filler; I was a a bit surprised when the credits rolled. They knew what story they wanted to tell in ME1 and ME3, but ME2 felt like padding the plot.

[@swordfish1390]

​You could essentially take ME2 out of the equation and almost nothing would change.

[@JustiXNL]

I personally found ME2 the most enjoyable and as such the best in the series but I was also not blinded by the character side stories and noticed that the main story line was actually pretty badly writing. Prob because all the focus went into the idea of "build a squad for your suicide mission" without actually clearly thinking what that suicide mission was gonna be for. I feel that the Collectors base should have been the backdoor into milky way (for a first wave) or some kind of super weapon/tool that would render all technology inert. Or something along those lines and Shepard mission would have been to destroy it in order to stop them from starting their invasion instead of coming up with the dumb ass Arrival DLC that felt more like an ending to ME2 than the actual suicide mission xD. Like @swordfish1390 said you could take out entire Mass Effect 2 storyline and remove it from the timeline and nothing would really be that different for ME3 in the main storyline.

[@aolson1111]

Wrong. Mass Effect 1: The Reapers exist, but they're in far off space and we have plenty of time to figure out how to stop them before they arrive. Mass Effect 2: The Reapers are on our doorstep, and we're completely fucked. Mass Effect 2 is like The Empire Strikes Back. Both are more character driven, and the heroes do not make any headway against the enemy in either.

[@aolson1111]

@@swordfish1390 No you couldn't. There's a bunch of things you wouldn't understand or feel the significance of in ME3.

[@TheShinygami9230]

Gotta say it again, man, you seriously sound like Steve Blum. It's extremely pleasant to my ear. Anyways, these are really good vids, and I'm hoping you keep this up and manage to do one on ME3 before Andromeda drops.

[@BlackHoleOfLove]

Yeah, somehow I like ME1 and ME3 more than ME2. Also, you should include the mention of Shamus Young's 50+ chapters of Mass Effect series retrospective in your ME3 video, where he dissects problems with plot in the series (and how they add on each other, culminating in series ending). Offtopic-y, but, personally, I like the idea of the ending. It's still better, than I expected, after reaper's reveal in ME1, honestly. Because such great threat to defeat requires either stupid or genius ideas, and probabilities of getting genius ending was practically zero. And I kinda don't feel that sobby happy ending was right move. But hey, at least they tried to add some complexity. I can admire that

[@IOSARBX]

Raycevick, Your videos always brighten my day, so I subscribed!

[@JazzJaRa]

27:49 there is a mistake there, only Jack doesn't want to follow Mirandas orders. I think Garrus is shaking his head because he knows that it is not the time for discussions.

[@Raycevick]

It's not a mistake. If Jack doesn't survive the initial run, Garrus takes her place in that cutscene, saying to Miranda "Half of us don't even trust you."

[@ahmedalghazaly8094]

Watching a video about "mass effect 2 7 years later" 7 years later

[@avalen767]

I have dumped around 700 hours of my life into the Mass Effect Trilogy. And by God was it some of the best times I have ever had.

[@Boxsteam]

35:19 Jacob doing a sideways moonwalk cracked me up 😂

[@Under_Growth]

Im literally the only perso that enjoyed driving the Mako. I remembered being bummed out i could drive and explore planets. They made up for it tho

[@IGLXenix]

I just got randomly recommended this video... it was released 7 years ago, and now I'm watching a 7 year old video, about a game that released 7 years before the release of this video. If only I pursed this video at 7 seconds then it would just be perfect. hahaha. I have to watch this video now just on principle.

[@Taorakis]

For me ME2 was the Peak of the Series from a Gameplay perspective, ME1 was too much fiddeling with equipment (down to giving each weapon for each character the best 2 upgrades) and ME3 was too little and too streeamlined and focussed not enough on the whole aspect more tending towards Shooter.