I’ll be honest and admit I came to the Mass Effect party late in the game. While I tried playing the original game nearly a year ago, I found the pacing too slow for my liking, so I threw it aside, and planned to pick it back up at a later date. Boy was that foolish. I finally picked it up in anticipation of Mass Effect 2, knowing full well I should play the first game before diving into the second, and I loved it. The story was amazing, the action was intense. So it goes without saying I couldn’t wait to start playing the sequel. It sure has received a lot of hype. Does it disappoint? No, not in the least bit.
The Story
The story takes place two years after the first game. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but let’s just say Commander Shepard is back and recruiting a new team for a new mission. This time the focus is on investigating attacks on human colonies across the galaxy. Someone or something is wiping out colonies and taking the bodies away leaving no trace behind. Who’s responsible? It’s your job to find out.
Don’t be intimidated by this game if you haven’t played the first installment in this series. It is possible to jump right in without having played Mass Effect 1. It is a deeper experience if you did take the time to make it through Mass Effect 1, but it’s by no means a prerequisite.
The Gameplay
Mass Effect 2 is very similar to Mass Effect 1 in the sense that the game is a good mix of role playing and action. While there is plenty of dialogue and story development, there is also a lot of action. In a recent interview with Dr Greg Zeschuk of BioWare, he told me there was a conscious effort to make this sequel feel more like a third person shooter than a role playing game. The BioWare team was successful. While you do spend a lot of time talking to other characters to advance the storyline and upgrading skills, there is a lot of running and gunning thrown into the mix.
Mass Effect 2 does have a unique feature that hasn’t been seen before in other video games. You can import your save game file from Mass Effect 1. While your character won’t have all the biotics or abilities from the first game, you will get bonuses depending on how much you built up your character. This can translate into money, resources, and even starting the game at a slightly higher level than if you were to play this game without using the import feature.
The Controls
During action sequences, the game controls just like any other third person shooter. You can run and gun or play it safe and shoot while taking cover. The play mechanics work well and give the game a true shooter experience. But there’s much more to Mass Effect then simply knowing how to fire a weapon. As in the first game, your team will rely heavily on biotic or tech abilities (special abilities). These ‘powers’ can be used to attack enemies from afar and can really help when you’re greatly outnumbered.
One noticeable change from the first game is how you recover health. Mass Effect 1 had you using medical packs to restore health when you’re injured. In Mass Effect 2 you regenerate energy on your own. If you get injured in a gun fight just sit behind a wall and your health and shields will gradually restore themselves to optimum levels. Some may say this can make the game too easy, but let me tell you with first hand experience this is not the case.
The more enemies you kill the more experience you gain and skill points you acquire. The points can be used to improve your team’s skill sets. Unlike the first game where each character had more than 10 different skill sets to improve, BioWare narrowed it down in the sequel so you spend less time worrying about what to improve on each character.
The inventory system has also seen an overhaul, which is a good thing. While you could only hold 150 items last time around, BioWare streamlined the system so you no longer have to worry about figuring out what items you want to get rid of so you can pick up a new weapon. Weapons are now automatically stored in weapons lockers which you can visit if you wish to mix up your arsenal. Some may find the new inventory system a bit thin but I think most will be happy with the change.
Mass Effect 2 wouldn’t stay true to the series if it didn’t have the elaborate dialogue trees. They are back. For those not familiar with this, you get to choose your response to various questions and scenarios throughout the game. What you say and how you react to people and events can change the outcome of the game, and decide who lives and who dies. It makes you feel like you really are in control of the game and the destinies of the characters. BioWare didn’t monkey around with this feature. It remains the same.
The Graphics
The game really is a visual treat. BioWare has paid attention to detail not only in the characters, but the backgrounds and environments as well. Exploring new planets becomes a breathtaking experience. Overall a beautiful game from beginning to end.
And then there’s the audio. The soundtrack is stellar, as it was in the first game, and the voice acting superb. Then again is it really any surprise? The star-studded cast includes the voices of Martin Sheen, Seth Green, Carrie-Anne Moss and Michael Dorn. Amazing.
The Downsides
Personally I can’t find much wrong with Mass Effect 2. The story is engrossing, and the gameplay thrilling. If I had to find one fault it could be the one feature that really sets this game apart. The dialogue tree. Some will find it kills the pace of the game. Action scenes are broken up by long periods of dialogue where you must choose what you want your character to say. While this is really the ‘meat and potatoes’ behind the incredible story, some will find this slows down the game’s pace.
The Bottom Line
Games don’t get much better than Mass Effect 2. The story, the graphics, the gameplay, all in all a tremendous package. True some may find the idea of choosing your own dialogue boring, but if you give the game a chance you will find a title worthy of playing over and over again. Don’t rent Mass Effect 2, buy it!
The Good
Great Graphics
Amazing voice acting
deep story
incredible replay value
The Bad
dialogue wheel slows down game’s pace
Mass Effect 2 9.5/10