In terms of the plot, I think it could have been better, although admittedly I am only likely 70% of the way through the game so I haven’t seen the dramatic twists that (ironically) typically arrive at the climax.  Much of the game is retrieving team members, which after 4 becomes pretty boring.  There is also one enemy type, a YMIR Mech, that is just a pain to fight and typically causes multiple restarts if there are 2+ of them at once.  It is not fun, does not add to the plot, and just is irritating.

I’m also disappointed with the depth of character customization and leveling.  Your main character has a max of 6 powers that have 4 different levels each you can build up.  On the fourth level of each power you get 2 options to further specialize, typically going for power or endurance/duration/recharge or affecting just you or the entire square.  It’s very surface level and is upsetting that I can’t customize more deeply since the rest of the game is so deep.  Team members are worse, only having 4 powers to level up.  And if that wasn’t bad enough, the options for armor and weapons are even worse.  Rather than finding hoards of guns and selecting the coolest/most powerful one you like, you gather 2-3 versions of each weapon class (Pistol, SMG, Sniper, Rifle, Shotgun) throughout the course of the ENTIRE game and then just can pay to increase its damage up to 50% and add extra damage against shields/barriers/blah… Armor is much the same way, but you only customize your own armor (not teammates’) and you find even fewer pieces of armor during play; i’m not actually even sure where I got the extra armor pieces since you never actual “FIND” it while exploring.

So I guess overall, i’m not that happy with Mass Effect 2.  It is aesthetically pleasing, and consumes a great deal of time, but I think once I’ve earned my 1,000 achievement points i’ll send it back to #Gamefly and never think of it again.  At least until Mass Effect 3 comes out and I am pleased to find out I still have my ME2 character to import.

I’ve heard good things about it’s capabilities from a fellow researcher who has one and has spent a significant amount of time looking at EEG and other measurements for evaluating user engagement.  My own goal is to use the device in order measure a users excitement and/or frustration levels as they interact with (theoretically) any interface.  For the freelance work I do, this will let me add a quantitative and scientifically founded argument to design recommendations that would be qualitatively based using more traditional HF methodologies.

My goal is to spend a week over the summer ramping up on the device, getting a baseline for myself (testing it with video games), and then run a pilot study with 2-3 people to see how hard the process would be to incorporate in a traditional usability test.

 Oh, and it took me 33 hours and 10 minutes to complete.

Finally started Mass Effect this afternoon.  Cinema quality game although it has too many fetch-retrieve side-quests that keep you off the main plotline.   I’m going to track how many hours I spend on this game as I try to get the majority of acheivements that don’t requiere beating the game multiple times.   I am very pleased with the voice acting, especially since Seth Green is at the helm of my ship, the Normandy.

 3/20/2008 Update – I’ve visited one planet tonight.  The level has a boss that is very difficult.  This is good, typically these games you just prance through.  I am enjoying the strategic challenge of winning a fight you our out gunned / out numbered in.  (time invested +35 minutes.)