Up until the release of Mass Effect 2, the original Mass Effect was a game I thought I would never touch with a 10-foot pole. The premise of the game did not appeal to me at all. I was well aware of the pedigree that BioWare has in the role-playing game space, but I hate RPGs. The last real role-playing game I ever got into was Super Mario RPG on the Super Nintendo. It featured third-person shooting combat, which I like. But I also don't like managing an AI squad and I also don't like the idea that all of the combat is dictated by dice rolls rather than shooting ability. Ultimately, I passed on this game because it didn't sound like it was something I would like.
However, ever since Mass Effect 2 hit the streets, I've begun to reconsider my stance on the series. When Mass Effect 2 first came out, the word on the street was that it was a great RPG. With Mass Effect 2, people are already saying that this is already the best game of 2010, regardless of what else comes out this year. It sounds like they've really fine-tuned the experience from the first game and ironed out all of the technical problems that scared me away from the first game.
Maybe it's time for me to give this series a shot. Even though I traditionally don't like the style of game that Mass Effect is, the last few months have really opened my eyes up to gaming experiences I normally would have passed on. Batman: Arkham Asylum, Modern Warfare 2, Assassin's Creed 2 and Borderlands were all games that weren't initially on my radar and all of them rocked my socks. On a personal level, there could be some awesome gaming to be had from Mass Effect. On a bigger scale, if Mass Effect 2 is as big of a deal as everyone says it is, I'd like to have at least tried it to be able to speak intelligently about it.
I guess the only major catch is that Mass Effect really isn't a series you can start at the sequel. Since the game will carry over your save and all the decisions you made from the first to the second, starting fresh at the second game just doesn't seem right. If I'm going to do this, I want to get the full experience.
Once I get my job situation sorted out, I think I'll give the series a shot.