Aliens and the Red Ring of Death

Anyone who has owned an Xbox or and Xbox 360 for awhile knows what the above picture means. The dreaded Red Ring of Death, which tells you your Xbox has gone to the big game store in the sky. I'd heard about the Red Ring, of course, but our Xbox 360, one out of the very first line, no less, had miraculously avoided the Red Ring of Death for years and years.

Until yesterday.

Well, it had to happen eventually. But of course, the Red Ring decided to strike when I had a new game I was looking forward to playing. :(

Fortunately, my husband is the greatest man in the world. We went to Wal-Mart that very night and got a new Xbox 360. So, RIP old Xbox. You did good, lasting all this time, but its time to move on to a new box.

Anyway, this is the game I've been playing ever since.














Its called Mass Effect 2, and its a sci-fi/shooter/rpg. As you can tell from the title, this is the second in a series, and I absolutely LOVED the first one. The story, the characters, the voice acting, the game play, all fabulous in my book. Mass Effect 2 continues its near perfect legacy, introducing new characters to fall in love with, while meeting up with a few old ones as well. You're Commander Shepherd once again, commander of the Normandy, with a crew of extremely colorful aliens and humans at your side. The world is vast, complex, and gritty, and your actions once again have the potential for dire consequences depending on what path you choose.



As in the first Mass Effect, the different races are what make this game really stand out from any other sci-fi shooter. Each race is fully fleshed out, with their own legends, religion, history, and character.



























From the brutal, war-like Krogans to the brilliant, fast talking Salarians, to the militaristic Turians. But unlike many aliens, the races of Mass Effect don't always fall into stereotype. Yes, most Krogan are violent and mercenary, but the one aboard your ship is surprisingly intelligent and self-aware, even as he acknowledges his bloodthirsty side. The bad-ass Turian warrior--who you'd expect to be noble and honorable--IS very noble and honorable, but he also has a dry sense of humor doesn't take himself too seriously at all. They don't act like aliens, they act like real people with real personalities. And perhaps, that is Mass Effect's greatest achievement.


Definitely worth the Red Ring of Death.