10 Video Games That Totally Ruined Gaming For Everyone

5. Mass Effect 2

Every boardroom meeting for any developer post-the Mass Effect trilogy must end in tears, as whatever your idea is and however you present it - it's not going to be as accomplished, fleshed out and downright enjoyable as Mass Effect, let alone the second instalment. Whereas the first was setting the stage for what's to come and introducing you to a bevy of characters you'd grow to love, and the third's back half came together about as a well as a bowl of noodles dropped from a skyscraper, it's this middle child that threw in Gears of War's cover system, expanded on the conversation options between heroes and villains and gave you one of the best premises in modern game design. Set aside was the previous driving force of establishing humanity's place in the galaxy and in was hero Commander Shepard being turned into a half-synthetic creature by the evil (or is he?) Illusive Man, giving you a huge amount of potential for revisiting past characters, touching down on far-away planets and saving the galaxy in the process. The combat is perfect, the world is staggeringly detailed and your options on how to control and play are so vast it must make Bethesda stay awake at night. Put simply, aside from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, this is a talent showcase of the highest order from the Western RPG masters Bioware, providing everything they can do far better than the rest.