"We're some kind of suicide squad."

Yes, this is the best one.

Mass Effect 2 fixes most of the first game's shortcomings - combat is streamlined, character and inventory management is a breeze, the Citadel is mercifully dotted with fast-travel points - and brilliantly iterates on its predecessor's excellent world-building, by populating that world with exciting and compelling characters.

Shepard's new squadmates make the returning cast seem dull in comparison: Mordin and Jack are easy favorites, but even the monotoned Samara gradually unfurls a truly fascinating backstory. Every member of this main cast is charming and memorable in their own distinctive ways. (Well, maybe not "every" member, I actually forgot all about Jacob -- but, uh, everyone else is memorable.)

And the hub-and-spoke narrative design, with squadmate recruitment and optional loyalty missions all branching out from the "main" plot, puts the player mostly in charge of the game's pacing. It's a great approach to player agency and makes jetting around the galaxy - to pursue your own agenda, in your own way - feel really fulfilling.

... of course, taking full advantage of that agency requires some reading ahead. I'd definitely call it a "design flaw" that Mass Effect 2's quasi-point-of-no-return is totally un-telegraphed, and knowing about it beforehand is critical for exploring as much of the game's content as possible.

I also consider it critical to take a technical approach to Paragon and Renegade responses. I've done no small amount of complaining about Mass Effect's dialog options, and have given up on the idea of "playing a role" through them; but when you consider the Paragon and Renegade statistics to be just that - statistics - then dialog becomes just another game system, and achieving good outcomes (like making Tali and Legion get along) requires optimizing that system.

That change in my perspective is probably the biggest reason why I'm increasing my rating of Mass Effect 2 from the "Good" score I gave it ten years ago. Not because the Legendary Edition makeover has fixed its imperfections - notably, planet scanning and hacking minigames are still tedious as hell - but because, this time, I played the game "right" and spent more gameplay time focusing on its strengths.

When you treat Mass Effect 2 like the "dysfunctional crew management" game that it really is, it's easier to appreciate and have fun with Shepard's interstellar crew of misfits.

In fact, it's so easy that I had to go ahead and finish the entire! third game before taking a break for Glog posts. How's that for an endorsement?

Better than: Mass Effect, Mass Effect 3, Shadowrun: Hong Kong - Extended Edition
Not as good as: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Now, as for this installment's DLC: eh, they're better than the last one, but still don't feel vital to the experience.

Progress: Finished on Normal.