Fuel

One time, I asked Mass Effect 2 project director Casey Hudson if, when we play Mass Effect 3, Commander Shepard will be powerful enough to crack a planet in half. Hudson chuckled at the suggestion before giving an elusive answer about the kinds of epic motions that will come in the third installment. Well, after playing a quick hands-on demo of ME2, it seems like we're on the right track in terms of crazy big battles/moments in Mass Effect; in this demo, I try to take on, and lose several times, against a freakin' gunship. Sure, a gunship isn't quite the "It's me versus the Death Star!" moment I'm dreading for ME3, but it's still plenty intimidating. I mean, it'd be like trying to take on a heavily armed AC-130 all by yourself; it's doable, but it's also something that's difficult enough to spawn a lot of queries online. It's also another example of how ME2 follows BioWare's solid tradition of creating intimidating high-level power encounters (see: dragons in both Dragon Age: Origins and Baldur's Gate II, or the badass monks and mages that you go up against in Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal). Both David Ellis and I alternate turns, and even when our Commander Shepard unloads his hefty grenade launcher (one of the new weapons for ME2) onto the gunship, the ship's multiple rockets and thick armor ultimately tip the battle in its favor.