Mass Effect 2 Guide Author Speaks!
Read more about Mass Effect 2 Game Guide
Catherine Browne recently finished writing Prima’s official game guide for Mass Effect 2. Here she shares some of her thoughts on the process of writing a guide and the game itself.
I played through the original Mass Effect twice – once going straight Paragon and then next indulging my inner Renegade. I still think the pacing is fantastic, hurtling toward that breathtaking final act where every narrative thread comes together for one of the most satisfying climaxes in an adventure game yet. So, naturally I was excited when the opportunity to write the Mass Effect 2 guide arose. Not only would I get to play Mass Effect 2 months before anybody else, but more importantly, I would also get to see how the story continued into this second chapter. By now, we all knew Commander Shepard met a hard fate at the beginning of the game, but how would the former Spectre (I say former because, well, there’s the whole death thing) be resurrected? And who would Shepard go into battle with?
After all, the supporting cast of a Mass Effect game is just as important as Shepard. Without thoughtful, engaging, and clever squad mates, Mass Effect just would not be the same. And so when I started my first real playthrough and taking notes for the guide, I kept a separate file on the squad members so that when I wrote the book, I could accurately describe these characters not just as hired guns to get the job done, but as real personalities that help shape your adventure. If I could give one piece of advice to anybody playing Mass Effect 2, it’s to consider the personalities of the squad when making some major choices. If you have friends with strong personalities, you know how some of them do not get along. You know how strong personalities can end up causing one friendship to further bloom while another withers? The same goes in Mass Effect 2. So if you discover squad mates that you particularly like, such as Miranda or Tali, don’t just take care of them with Medi-gel. Take care of them personally with kindness and deflection. That is one way to get the most out of Mass Effect 2.
Another way to get all that you can from the game is to play at least twice, each time with a different character class. BioWare did a masterful job balancing the six character classes in Mass Effect 2: solider, adept, engineer, infiltrator, vanguard, and sentinel. While some of these classes share abilities, like the soldier and vanguard, others could not be more different. Which class you select – and how you upgrade that class’ powers – really defines your play. Because I like close combat, I zeroed in on the vanguard class in one play through. Just having access to the Charge power (instantly close the gap between you and an enemy within eyesight) completely altered my play style, as I got quite good with the Charge-and-shotgun combo. But then I played as an Engineer and learned how I could use AI Hacking and Combat Drone to create chaos on the battlefield while I stayed on the outer perimeter. After these powers thinned the pack, I moved in and mopped up. Same scene – but totally different play styles.
Be sure to check out the Training chapter of our guide to see all of the powers each class uses so you pick the class that is right for you. And then look at our tables for creating a balanced (or class-heavy) team, because you aren’t the only person in the galaxy with specialties. Miranda, Jacob, Thane… each squad member has strengths. Putting together good team combos for different situations (going into battle against geth versus a mercenary band) is another way I found to get varied experiences out of each playthrough of Mass Effect 2.
One cool thing about writing strategy guides is that you get to see how games really come together in the final months of development. Now, at no point was Mass Effect 2 “broken,” but remember what I said earlier about narrative threads? Not all of them were neatly tied up back in October. I could see the personalities, but watching them grow as all the parameters of their death-defying missions were filled in was extremely satisfying. During my original playthrough, I definitely picked up on all elements of the plot, but by the time I finished my final playthrough, I could see how these personalities came to life when the real do-or-die desperation of the suicide mission was completely filled in. A new cutscene here. A little dialog trimming there. Just like editing a scene in a movie can completely change the tone, the editing of a game can really elevate its resonance. What was a great adventure at first had morphed into a great adventure with real significance (and weighty consequence). It made me even more respectful of the development process.
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I have 300+ hours into Dragon Age: Origins, and I’m still going back for more. Not to replay the quests (I’ve done them all), not to load a new character up with fancy loot (though, admittedly, there are some cool weapons I still want to check out), not to discover a secret location in Ferelden (the unknown frontier has been colonized for me a while back). No, I miss the party scene.
