Cause he’s a baad mutha-SHUT YO MOUTH! I’m just talking bout’ Shepard…

I have returned to Mass Effect 2. Not for a second play-through, but to finish my first. I initially started playing the game just as it was released and loved every second of it. But around about five or six hours in, I decided to finally ditch Windows XP and install 7 (mostly prompted by Just Cause 2). It was time for the upgrade, and I’m very happy I did. The problem was that after I upgraded, I started playing other games. So many games were coming out around that time-frame this year that, while ME2 is amazing, new shiny stuff prevailed. So now, about five months after the release, I’m back to it and wondering why I haven’t done this sooner.

It’s one of those titles that, quite honestly makes me a bit sad playing because I know it will end. I’ve said it before on the show, but I cannot express enough how much I love the universe that BioWare created. The Half Life series has always been seen as top shelf in my eyes. Heck, the entire reason I bought a video card and started playing PC games was because of the first Half Life title. BioWare has done with Mass Effect what Valve did with Half Life and took gaming, and perhaps more importantly environmental storytelling in gaming, to a new level. It is a landmark title, one that will be a bullet point on gaming history timelines.

I’m finally at the point in the game where I’m past what I played in my first start, and everything I’m experiencing is new. With that, I will say I’m realizing more and more just how much of a pimp Shepard (male) is. There doesn’t seem to be a single place I walk through that some lady doesn’t want me to give her the goods. Heck, I’m playing as full Paragon (good guy) and even Jack (the total nut job psycho hose beast lady) wants a piece of me. I walk to the galaxy map, BOOM, that Yeoman Kelly is there wanting to get a promotion the easy way. I walk through a small space port and BAM there’s some lady from the first game who wants me to do her a favor, next thing I know she’s planting sugary kisses on me. Not five minutes later I run into the sexy blue ass of my main squeeze from ME1 and she’s all over me. In front of my crew no less. So then I feel all awkward because Miranda is standing there, and I know she wants some of the Shepard’s staff.

But beyond the fur coat and goldfish infused boots that I have to keep in check, the game is simply stunning. Every night that I fire the game up is simply amazing and makes me wish I could fast forward to the next night when I’d have a chance to play again.