Gears of War 2 and Mass Effect 2-A Collision of Tactics

High quality video games do deserve respect. They are sleek in design, usually demand replay just because they are so dense with context and visual aura, and also, they speak to us with their very human and reliable stories.

Thousands of hours...thousands of faces...and all of them intending a supremely exceptional product for their consumers and as well their own sense of accomplishment. Within in recent years, like most discerning X-box 360 gamers, two franchises have stood out, and both have robbed more hours of my life then I would like to admit.

Gears of War and Mass Effect...two of the greatest video games within the last five years, their sequels by default included...I won't bore you with all my reasons. You already know something good when you find it and sharing your love about it is only redundant. But okay, I love them for their stories and characters. I am a sucker for a great story and human drama.

But it is significant and important to say that they are two very different games...one is hardcore third person shooter (Gears) with elaborate cut scenes inside a science fiction back drop, though the plot feels more like a heavy war story than a science fiction epic since there is more concentration on a degenerative beauty. Mass Effect is a hard science fiction epic role playing game. It has conversational options in a role playing epic that are unlike any other RP on the market. You have multiple options when dealing with characters and your decisions have consequences that are far reaching. This takes up probably fifty percent of your game play since you must often speak to individuals to move game play forward. The other fifty percent, not of course including default lavish cut scenes, is primarily third person combat that involves shooting enemies and utilizing a skill wheel to unleash biotic powers on your foes.

Now, if I were to go into the differences between Mass Effect 1 and 2 and vice versa for Gears I think I would be here all day, but suffice to say, Mass Effect was more primarily focused as a strict RP construct. Combat was more a necessary evil that gave you a chance to change up things versus an integral part of gameplay. Its sequel is far more focused on combat or at the very least, the average player would admit, there is more combat. It is sleek. Yes. It is functional. Yes. Makes sense for the story...YES. Okay, but I have a few complaints as an avid Gears of War 2 player...Bioware, you have messed up a bit. YOU CAN NOT PLEASE EVERYONE.

Gears of War 2 is a phenomenal shooter and I am still able to play every night online and make a lifestyle out of blowing up Locust with Boom Shot, but when I popped in Mass Effect 2 this past week...for shame! Mass Effect 2 shares the following combat characteristics with Gears of War 2:

1. There is roadie running...although you can't maintain it as long in Mass Effect 2 as Gears 2.

2. You can vault over square structures in similar GOW 2 fashion in ME 2.

3. For shame Bioware, Mass Effect 2 now has cool down cartridges for the weapons!! In the original Mass Effect, weaponry had no limit on how much shooting there could be produced. There was simply cool down, like in HALO for the Covenant's energy pistol. But it was also explained in detail in Mass Effect's codex as a viable method for an energy weapon. Now, I have to worry about collecting ammo!! It was an RP game! NOT a SHOOTER!

4. You lean around corners for better shots on opponents. Sound familiar?

Now anyone who has played both these games probably noticed these similarities and maybe there have been no complaints...but here is my problem.

Mass Effect was an RP game that although it needed some tweaking didn't deserve this type of blatant pandering to consumerism over haul. Oh wow! Gears of War 2 is so popular and made so much money! Hey, let's put that in Mass Effect 2, it is a perfect fit. WRONG!

I don't want the same game playability in the shell of another game. You aren't fooling me and you are wasting my money. Granted I get a new story in Mass Effect 2, new environments, and characters, but I will be spending the majority of my time getting past obstacles in a shooter similar to GOW 2.

Well, at least Mass Effect 2 has nifty hacking mini games. Those are bullet proof.