Mass Effect 2

For many, the main draw of Mass Effect is the detailed and thoughtful story. The story takes place several decades from now, when humans have expanded into space and run into several alien species. We have diplomatic ties to some species, and others are less friendly. Commander Shepard, the main character (players may choose gender and appearance), is on a mission to both bring attention to and defeat the mysterious and dangerous Reapers, who appear to be a threat to the whole galaxy. The Reapers are capable of making corpses-human and alien-into a sort of technological zombie, and these zombies, as well as a bug-like species, mercenaries, and "mechs" (a type of robot) make up the main enemies.

Mass Effect 2 picks up right where the last game left off. While Shepard continues to deal with the impending Reaper problem, he/she must work with a shady figure known as The Illusive Man.

The themes explored in the Mass Effect series are myriad and complex. The series delves into some extremely heavy thematic material, including, but not limited to, genocide, mental illness, germ warfare, racism, militarism, drug use, and medical experimentation. It also addresses loyalty, love, friendship, self-sacrifice, family, spirituality, and other more positive aspects of life. Most of these ideas are dealt with in a thoughtful and critical way. The game is designed to force the players question their own preconceptions and biases, and it does a good job of it. However, these themes are meant for mature players.

Players may save at any point except during battle. However, parents should know that battle can sometimes be onerous and time-consuming. Autosaves occur often, as well.

Different difficulty settings allow for players with a broad range of experience gaming and playing RPGs to find Mass Effect 2 accessible and/or challenging. Casual and normal mode offer scaled back enemy strength and significantly easier combat, while veteran mode is considered intermediate. Hardcore and insanity mode offer much greater challenges, respectively.

• Many of the issues brought up in Mass Effect are posed as questions for the player. For instance, should Shepard cure the violent Krogan of a manmade genetic disease—and risk their military expansion because of it—or let them suffer, and ensure the survival of humanity? Shepard must choose an action and suffer the consequences, whatever they may be. This game aims to make players think. That being said, here are a few examples of talking points for parents to consider if older children are playing Mass Effect:
• Do you think the “genocide” of the Geth A.I. is comparable to the genocide of the Krogan? Is genocide ever justifiable?
• When is it okay for people to break their spiritual/moral code? Samara would have had to kill Shepard if Shepard disobeyed her, but claimed she did not want to. Have you ever felt like you were in a situation where your moral code told you one thing, but your desires contradicted it?
• There are several scenes in which Shepard must help other characters make the decision to kill someone who has wronged them. Some of these characters exhibit regret, while others do not. Some are a danger to others, but are pitiable despite this. Why did you make the decisions you did, and do you think they were the right decisions?