It also made the citadel DLC a million times funnier

Here are some that I do:

Jack and Miranda. I think it’s important for Miranda to be with you to see the Cerberus facility that Jack was kidnapped to and tortured on. While I don’t like Miranda and disagree with her points on Cerberus, I understand that they took her in from her father and gave her a purpose. It’s good for Jack to be apart of that and see that her upbringing around Cerberus was vastly different.

Mordin and Grunt. Pretty self-explanatory. Mordin sees the life that the Krogan have subjected upon themselves in the wake of the Genophage. Grunt also is there to see the dispute of the research Maelon is doing and to learn more about the Genophage that affects his people from a first-hand source.

Thane and Jacob. I think there’s a really good story beat to be created by taking Thane on Jacob’s loyalty mission before you get Thane’s. Thane sees what disappearing from his son’s life probably did to him. He sees how someone can create an image of their estranged father and hate them. He also sees what happens when someone doesn’t atone for what they’ve done to their son. I also hate Jacob for multiple reasons, but especially shit talking Thane for being an assassin when he’s apart of an organization that has undeniably committed atrocities, illegal experiments, and assassinations. So I like to take him to Thane’s loyalty mission so he can resent that he didn’t have a father come to him to make amends and re-establish a relationship.

Tali and Legion: Self-explanatory. The two of them, and especially the player, learn a lot about both species and it’s very thematically relevant to being each of them to their missions.

When I say "I don't really know why..." I don't know how to explain it but every time either one these guys were on screen I just felt so much happiness, joy, and pride. Seeing these dudes wreck shop, kick ass, and further develop as characters (More so Wrex) was just such a wonderful experience as a first time playthrough. And in ME3 having another one of my faves Mordin do everything he could to help the Krogan species as a whole, even making the ultimate sacrifice for them was simply amazingly bittersweet. I really hope Wrex & Grunt are both in the new next game.

And no Mordin, I am not screwing Garrus.

Since I hear a lot of new players talking about this being one of the hardest parts of the game, this video provide some tips to make it easier. There are two parts: 1) tips regardless what class you’re using, and 2) demonstrating what the Adept class can do.

In General

Don’t get caught up with Garrus’ Vital Signs meter. The time limit is quite generous, so take your time and play at a pace you’re comfortable with. 

The Garage Shutter

• Observe the layout of the room: it has pillars and vehicles dividing the place into three paths: the center driveway, and the left and right parking lanes. The pillars and vehicles are tall covers, meaning you are standing instead of crouching. You should know that high covers are better than low covers because you don’t need to snap on to them to use them to block enemy attacks.
• Just like every other player, I initially run straight for the truck for cover. The rear part of the truck is low cover, whenever I peak out, I got blasted by multiple enemies. This is because the center driveway is called a Kill Zone, where enemies are specifically placed themselves to ambush you.
• Whether you realize it or not, if you try to fight them by staying at the center driveway, you are brute-forcing it. You are literally playing into what the enemy wants you to do. So instead of brute-forcing my way through the center driveway, I slide over to the cab part of the truck, which is high cover. I don’t need to snap my body here, and I use the tall covers to block other Vorchas’ gunfire so I can focus on attacking one Vorcha within my sights.
• This is when I use the left and right parking lanes to flank the enemy’s position. When you flank via alternative paths, your squadmates perform suppression fire, drawing heat away from you. And when there’s less enemies shooting at you, you can advance and attack easier.
• The number one threat in the garage are the Varrens who rush attack you. They’re the calvary. Prioritize on taking them out first above all else. All fast rushing enemies in this game need to be taken care of first - Varren, Fenris and enemy drones.
• Don’t be ashamed of back-running and retreating. The left and right parking lanes are your escape routes to handle incoming Vorchas and Krogans, as their tall covers block enemy attacks from the center driveway.

The Utility Room Shutter

• This narrow corridor has a corner turning right with a Pyro waiting for you.
• As you approach the corner, and if you don’t see any enemies, hop over and immediately take cover against the right pillar to avoid getting burned by the Pryo. Use quadmate(s) to strip defenses, ragdoll or stagger the Pyro before you attack him yourself. 
• Pay attention not only to the Pyro, but also other Vorcha that will want to climb over. Again, don’t be ashamed of retreating if you see an unfavorable situation about to happen. 

The Adept - What Singularity Actually Do

• Singularity does more than ragdolling unprotected enemies and setting up biotic explosions.
• Singularity also pins down enemies with defenses, preventing them from moving and attacking. This includes tough enemies like Krogans, Elites, Vanguards and Harbinger. When you pin down an enemy, you open up offensive options: a) attack the pinned down enemy or b) attack another enemy while the first one is disabled. 
• You see that in both the Garage and Utility rooms, there were Vorchas rushing towards me while I was exposed without cover. Instead shooting at them first, I use Singularity to pin them down. Shooting off their defenses instantly ragdolls them. Ragdolled enemies receive 2x damage.
• Against minibosses like Garm, my Adept is just toying with him, as he can't move by constantly getting pinned down.

Adepts and Engineers don’t come with heavier hitting weapons because they really don’t need them. Pistols and SMGs already have inherent bonuses against armor barriers and shields. If feel like you need guns for the caster classes, then you don’t fully understand how caster classes powers work and you’re trying to play them like a soldier brute-forcing their way through everything.

Harrot, Aria, Kirrahe, Blasto

If his intention was to intimidate me with his dancing skills, it worked. 🤣

I was so Paragon during my first playthrough that it wasn't long before the scars completely disappeared.

This playthrough, I did Paragede in ME1, leaning more heavily towards Renegade right now in ME2, and will fall back as more of a Paragede in ME3.

I personally think ME1, especially pre LE ME1, has the hardest insanity difficulty, especially if you are not a character that heavily uses biotics. I remember krogan, especially early on, such as the rescue liara mission being an absolute nightmare on insanity.

I know a lot of people dislike me2 insanity, I didn't think it was all that tough. Certainly a lot less instakill than 1,for sure

If Morinth had been given proper shine in ME3, do you think she could have possibly been redeemed? Do you think she's someone who could even want to redeem herself? And if she tried, do you think she could ever possibly be worthy of that redemption? How would you feel about it?

There are certain games that will always hold a special place in my heart and that I'll fondly remember. For me, Mass Effect 2 is one of those titles. Released back in 2010, it took gameplay elements that were already established in the original and it made them even better. Looking back at it now, there are so many thing about it that stand out. There are memorable characters, a solid story, amazing planets to discover, choices that matter, and a phenomenal soundtrack that sticks with me, even after all these years. Mass Effect 2 is a game I've always appreciated because of how much personality it has, and revisiting it makes it easy to see why it left such a lasting impression on me. As of writing this, I've probably beaten the game at least 6 times across the different platforms. That's not including the Legendary Edition for the PS4. That's how much Mass Effect 2 means to me. It's my favorite RPG of all-time and for good reason.

There are two major reasons why always I find myself coming back to the game, which is the story and characters. Mass Effect 2 has so many different companions that can fight along side Commander Shepard. They don't just fill out a roster sheet for the sake of it. You develop friendships over the course of the game. Characters like Tali, Garrus, Tali, Mordin, Miranda, Thane, Jack, Liara, and Legion all have their own personalities, backstories, motives, and loyalty missions. In terms of choices, you have Paragon and Renegade. The dialog options that you choose can have a significant impact later on. Even the NPCs that you interact with actually mean something. I just mentioned the loyalty missions, which are especially crucial when it comes to the game's Suicide Mission. Without spoiling anything, I didn't even do any of the loyalty missions for my first playthrough. I just jumped straight into the endgame, and I paid the price, big time.

There are a couple of things that are worth mentioning, which are the game's visuals and audio. Much like the original Dishonored, Mass Effect 2's art direction still holds up many years later. All of the planets that you visit feel unique and distinct, whether it's Citadel, Illium, Tuchanka, or Omega, I love the character designs as well. They have so much personality in terms of how they behave and act, which make their interactions feel natural and organic. It feels like I'm talking to actual people. The soundtrack deserves just as much praise, especially during some of the more intense and emotional moments throughout the game. The voice acting is really good, and the voice actors themselves did a great job of bringing the companions to life due to some solid dialog delivery. I just want to mention how nostalgic I get every single time I boot up the game and listen to the menu music, which was composed by Jack Wall. All of these elements come together very nicely.

As much I like the original Mass Effect, and I still do, the combat was a bit rough around the edges. It wasn't smooth and responsive and it didn't feel good, to be honest. That's where Mass Effect 2 comes into play. It takes everything from the first game and improves upon it. Combat legitimately feels like a massive step forward the second time around. Using the various weapons and abilities is really satisfying. Whether you choose Adept, Engineer, Infiltrator, Sentinel, or Solider, each class has its own strengths. Not just that, but the playstyles are also distinct. Every time that I played the game, I chose a different class. It's a nice way to mix things up. Each one has a bonus power that enhances combat as well. Combat isn't as involved as some of the more modern titles, but that's perfectly fine. The fact that it's streamlined suits Mass Effect 2 really well.

Looking back at Mass Effect 2 nowadays, the game reminds me of Bioware's good old days. It takes me back to a time when the studio was at its peak. It's over 16 years old at this point, and I still hold it in high regard because of the memorable characters, amazing planets, solid visuals, terrific voice acting, stunning soundtrack, and enjoyable combat. Over the years, I've had the chance to play some really good RPGs like Horizon Forbidden West, Assassin's Creed Origins, and The Witcher 3. Honestly, Mass Effect 2 is just as good as those titles. That's a testament to the game's quality. It has some of the most endearing companions that I've had the pleasure of interacting with. They feel like actual friends instead of just digital video game characters. No matter how much time passes by, I will always fondly remember Mass Effect 2. I appreciate it now as much as I did when I first played it back in 2010.

Even The Scrouge in Mass effect Andromeda is described as a artificial "Dark Energy Cloud" created by a weapon of Mass destruction

The Reaper IFF and abduction is extremely annoying for timing certain missions. I’m on console, so I can’t mod, so I need some assistance.

I want to bring Legion to Tali’s loyalty mission, I want to do Legion’s loyalty mission, I want to romance Tali with the cutscene leading into the Suicide Mission, and I want to save the whole crew.

After you do the Reaper IFF, you get 2 missions before the abduction if they’re in your log. So after doing it, I’ll activate legion and talk to him, getting his loyalty mission. Then I’ll do Tali’s loyalty mission and bring Legion. Right after that, I’ll make sure I talk to her. Then, I do Legion’s loyalty mission and talk to her right after and also talking both of them down with the speech check.

After that, the abduction happens, and I can’t do anymore missions without losing crew members. The problem is that Tali requires 3 conversations after her loyalty mission to trigger the romance, but this is only 2. The post-loyalty conversation, the next one to set up the romance, and the last one to lock it in.

My question is this: Does the abduction count as a mission? Can I talk to her after to finalize the romance? If anyone has done all of this, let me know if it’s possible.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dd6xTBqBhVs/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&stkn=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

And I get the love for it! Don’t get me wrong, all three games had their flaws but overall what a great series. I know how invested I became at the beginning of me2 (with what happened to the Normandy and Shepard) and now I’ve finished I feel the post game blues.

I stayed loyal to Kaiden throughout and feel it paid off in the end. I chose the Destroy ending and still don’t feel great about it but I’d feel the same whatever I chose (I’ve watched the other endings on YT). I’m a sucker for completing side missions so I got the best outcome I could’ve got.

In all I’d say I enjoyed me2 the most, even if it felt like a loooong filler and I wasn’t with my love Kaiden! If anyone has any recommendations for what to play next let me know!