‘Mass Effect 2’: A Lesson in Accountability  

My original Mass Effect 2 playthrough is legendary in my friend circle. I was so locked in on the story that it didn’t dawn on me doing the resource gathering might actually be important. This was in the middle of my general ignoring of anything perceived as a side quest in games. 

This, of course, led to the final moments of the game where I proceeded to watch damn near every member of my crew die a horrible death during my assault on the Reapers. My Shepard managed to stay alive, though. 

Which actually improved my Mass Effect 3 playthrough. While I didn’t like the ending and wholly accept the Indoctrination Theory as a proper explanation, I enjoyed the ramifications of my lack of preparation. 

CAUSE AND MASS EFFECT

Losing so many people made the stakes of the third game feel bigger. I had to atone for my decisions. I screwed up, and people died. It made me think of how many games tell us that choice matters, just for things to fall flat at the end. 

Maybe the secret isn’t to account for every choice or provide the illusion of infinite choices. Mass Effect 2 gives you choices to make based on the information directly available to you. Nothing is manufactured — it’s all baked into the story and characters. 

This is what made that moment so impactful and why I hold that first playthrough in such high regard. I chose to ignore the “extra” stuff. Made the wrong choices on where to send each party member.  

LIVING WITH MY DECISIONS

Whenever I tell people about that experience, I always describe how locked in I was watching the cutscenes play out. I was invested in everything that was happening. In a way, I was excited to see what would happen next even as it became abundantly clear I had condemned everyone to death.

I hope BioWare can get close to replicating that feeling with Mass Effect 5, especially after Andromeda. They left an indelible mark on gaming with the original trilogy because of their ability to provide real consequences that carried through the entire next game. After all, there’s nothing wrong with taking your L and learning from it.