10 Iconic Moments That Defined Mass Effect As A Series

8. The Destruction Of The Normandy

To say that Mass Effect 2 starts off with a bang would be an understatement. In the opening cut-scene, the Normandy - the ship that players got to know like the palm of their hand in the first game - suffers a catastrophic attack. Crew members get killed left, right and centre as Shepard undertakes a mission to rescue the stubborn pilot Joker who refuses to abandon ship. Just as it seems the worst is over, a second attack occurs, knocking Shepard out of the ship and into outer space, damaging the commander's oxygen supply and leaving him/her to die a very lonely and traumatic death. It's an adrenaline-fuelled, heart-breaking introduction that's almost impossible to walk away from without wanting to know what happens next - luckily this was just the start of one of the greatest video games of all time.