Finished Mass Effect 2 (*MAJOR SPOILERS*)

Okay, so I just finished Mass Effect 2, thanks partly to me playing it 13 almost-straight hours last Saturday, and partly to my 360 for not giving up that day. I managed to not get anyone killed (well, on the second try at least... On the first try Tali died while holding the line). As a person whose main console is a PlayStation 3, I'd have to say Mass Effect is one of the few series I'd like to have been a console multiplatform game. Prices should be the same, but I'm pretty sure there would be no disc-changing shenanigans. That's about the only thing I hate about the 360 game - everything else are bugs I assume would be in all versions.

Anyway, here's the "drunk" rating - I consider all first ratings as drunk ratings. You do this when the game's taste is still in your mouth. Afterwards, there's the sober rating, which you give when you are more impartial.

My drunk rating for this game is 9. It's overall a solid game, as its good points far outnumber the bad ones.

Good:

The dialog system and the conversations- It may seem redundant since this is a feature from the first game, but you can't deny that the almost seamless flow of conversation in this game adds to the immersion (especially if you turn off the subtitles - please do, unless you're talking with Thane Krios). Most Paragon/Renegade actions are also done outside of dialog options now - shoot someone or make him regain his senses. On a related note:

The voice acting - Naomi from Metal Gear Solid voices the female Shepard (which I played as - I've read some people on forums say the male Shepard's VA sucks). What is there to say? That the dialog conveys the proper emotion the characters are showing?

The characters - You have around 67% more party members to choose from now (from six to 10, lol), and the skills they have are easier to manage - every non-Shepard character pretty much has four skills (one locked until they become loyal, which we'll get to later), but you won't notice the difference unless you really were into stat-tracking in the first game - everyone still pretty much kills everything fast. The stories are also much more fleshed out now, and with some exceptions the overall quality of the character-specific sidequests are well done.

The inventory system - Or, to be precise, the lack thereof. Yup, the horrible inventory system in the first game is gone. Instead of Katana VII's, Katana VIII's and Katana IX's, you get your upgrades by buying them from shops or scavenging the surroundings. You even get to upgrade your ship, which actually affects how the characters end up.

The battle system - There's no more "infinite ammo" - you pick them up normally. You actually kill people faster this time around, in my opinion - deplete your ammo, move on to the next gun, finish the fight, pick up ammo, and repeat. The sniper rifle is also easier to use this time around.

Travelling around - Travelling has a lot less cutscenes, and the game isn't Space Elevator 2050 anymore.

The story - I don't know why I put this last, but the story is so good you'd want Mass Effect 3 to be released by the time you finish the game. You shouldn't be playing this one without playing the first one anyway.

Mass Effect - Decisions you make on the first game carry over into this one. You romance Ashley, her picture is displayed on your desk. You spare Wrex, he ends up leading Clan Urdnot.

Bad:

The dialog system and the conversations- Most unmarked Paragon dialog options involve choosing the top option, while most Renegade ones the bottom. Knowing that will help when you see that the lower option sounds nice, then ends up with you punching someone in the face.

The voice acting - Some people need to speak more clear. That's my only gripe.

The characters - The members feel like two-trick ponies - since everyone has only a few skills each, you're bound to see the same moves and hear the same dialog during battles over and over again.

The inventory system - Since you don't pick up equipment anymore, it's up to you to actually look for the upgrades instead of just getting the ones lying in front of you after a firefight. It's easy to screw it up. There are also Omni-Gel boxes in geth bases. Thanks for the immersion!

The battle system - Not being able to buy ammo at all is somewhat ridiculous. Your allies having a lot less abilities is ridiculous - did Tali or Garrus suddenly forget how we killed things before? Why are non-story enemies soft and squishy? Seriously, you can do all the sidequests you want, and everyone will die to two bursts. You fight the Collectors and you unload the entire clip on three enemies. Then you fight squishies again. Then you fight Collectors again. This goes on at least once more in the game. The "open" gameplay destroys the difficulty curve - its less like a curve and more like ..l..l..l

Travelling around - Needing to buy gas is stupid. Contrary to popular opinion, I actually found the elevator scenes enjoyable - I miss the discussions you and your teammates do during cutscenes. I hope they could've at least had the option to enable that - things like this constantly remind me of the Next-Gen Filter in Uncharted 2.

The story - Here's what I hate most about the game (besides the disc-changing) - the fact that you become paranoid in every action you make, thinking of how it will affect Mass Effect 3. Do I kill this guy? Do I spare this group of people? Do I pick heads or tails? It can get frustrating.

There you have it. I said this when I finished the first Mass Effect, and I'll say it again: I can't freaking wait for the next Mass Effect game.

Bioware, please stop doing Dragon Age crap and do ME3 as soon as possible.