From Assassins to Aliens

Before I get started, watch this launch trailer for the game:

So, that's Mass Effect 2. Pretty epic, yeah? I'll get into more detail with the plot in my next post, which will be about my first gaming segment, but if you know nothing about the game, at least this video can give you a small taste of what's to come.

When I first got into gaming - not just casually turning on the Gamecube or N64 for half an hour, but becoming invested in it for several hours and actually completing the game - it was for the Assassin's Creed series. Here was a game that turned religion on its head, blurred the lines between good and evil, had a fascinating journey that traced humanity's history as far back as its origins to a not-so-distant future, and created a technology and mythology so awesome that you could believe it all was happening right now. Before I knew about this game, I wasn't interested in gaming much beyond my Pokemon and Super Smash Brothers. (Don't get me wrong - they're good games, and I still play them.) I was a reader, not a gamer. Now, I'm still a reader, but I'm also an avid Xbox gamer with a handful of great games, too many downloaded demos, and a bit of a reputation for it. But further still, AC made me intrigued by technology in a way I never had been before, it drew me to the rich history of Italy and the Renaissance period, and it made me question what I knew and what I thought to be true and real. Perhaps I become too attached to these fictional universes and could use a little more time in the outdoors, but I'm not alone here.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - Leap of Faith

You may be thinking, "I thought you were going to talk about Mass Effect, not glorify another game. What does Assassin's Creed have to do with anything?"

Well, AC is the reason I became a gamer, as previously illustrated - the kickoff to my gaming career, so to speak. It's what made me realize that games had elaborate narrative, stunning graphics, and beautiful design. After I finished the first two AC's, I started looking for other games that piqued my curiosity. (I was surprised to find that I enjoyed shooter games like Splinter Cell: Conviction and was able to actually beat them and get a handful of achievements.) I saw commercials and ads for ME and knew it was something special. I had never been much of a fan of the alien stuff; every time I had tried to accept sci-fi, it just didn't bode well with me. But I gave ME a shot on a whim and am so glad I did. It's the most dialogue-driven game I've ever played and enforces the idea that your decisions have far-reaching effects and consequences more than any game I've seen. And, as strange as it sounds, it helped me to accept others. In our society, aliens are made to be seen as strange, ugly, foreign beings that are anything but human. But in the world of ME, aliens are side by side with humans and you learn to not only accept them, but empathize with them.
Consequentially, I also decided to watch Farscape once I had started the first ME game, despite still feeling uneasy about the alien sci-fi aspect, and now I frelling love it. Sci-fi is looking more awesome by the minute.

The human of Farscape, John Crichton, on an alien ship with alien passengers.

While AC puts you into history, ME launches the player into the future - a future that's still rooted in humanity and our progressive technology. It also enhances some of the issues we see on our planet today within our own species, which I find interesting. The biggest difference for me - and a big part of the reason I chose to use ME as the game for this project - is that I have a great deal of control over the main character, Commander Shepard. I choose where to go, what to say, what actions to take. Arguably, I think this fact makes it easier for players to immerse themselves into the game. Again, I will go more in-depth with this once I actually start playing.

While my main focus will indeed be ME2, this blog has to do with more than the two games we selected. This covers all RPG's (Role Play Games) and, really, all games in general. They are the children of technology and creativity. To non-gamers, I ask you to at least give them a chance and see them for more than what they are at face value. And to those who are gamers, I implore you to look even deeper and enhance your gaming experience by understanding what it is that you're partaking in.

Now, I gotta go play the ME3 demo. I'll leave you with the epic track used in the ME2 trailer. You will feel like a god among men (or goddess among women, to be impartial) if you listen to this while walking down the street.

~Mel