With school being back in full force this semester and keeping me incredibly busy, I somehow scraped together the 30+ hours required to power through Mass Effect 2. I haven’t checked my final save file to see how long it really took, but it is quite a lengthy game, and I know I spent more time than I did on the first game. What made ME2 special for me was its support for importing ME1 save files, so my Commander Shepard is the same one I used when I started the series. I don’t know why I like that so much, but it definitely makes it feel like the story continues on. I hope they expand on it in the next installment.

I don’t want to make this into a spoiler-filled post, but I must say ME2 is a stellar game. I don’t remember being any more anxious about making important decisions in the last game than this one, and I have to admit I did mess up a few arrangements in the game’s finale, something I intend to correct. Making it possible for some of Shepard’s decisions to have life or death consequences for the crew was a true masterstroke, and I feel a little regret for some of my character’s choices.

Still, the game is quite the epic adventure, and I have no idea how Bioware managed to produce it so quickly. Now the wait for ME3 starts, though it appears there will be quite a bit of downloadable content released in the meantime.