Mass Effect 2 Review

Another game review

Mass Effect 2

 

A couple of years ago I unwrapped a birthday present that was Mass Effect. At the time I knew very little about the game but I’d put it on my wish list and my aunt had come though. I went in with only the knowledge that it was a shooter RPG, two genres I generally don’t get along with. However within minutes of game play I was totally hooked and from the second the credits began to roll my body ached for the inevitable sequel. That sequel has come, and it is good.

 

The story carries on from where the first let off. You are Commander Shepard and you have been charged with the task of stopping the Reapers. However that’s not all you have to worry about. A mysterious race of beings known as the Collectors are attacking human colonies for a seemingly unknown reason. Not only does Shepard have to prepare for a Reaper invasion but (s)he also must find out the truth behind the collectors.

 

I wanted to keep the plot summery short for two reasons: to give me more room to actually talk about the game, and because there isn’t much to say. But more on that later.

 

First of all if you played and loved Mass Effect 1 you will love this game. (And if you haven’t, seriously what the hell are you waiting for?) From the moment you pick up the controller it hooks you in, and once you’re in, you’re stuck. The story wastes no time getting to the good stuff, the combat has been revamped (and for the better I might add) and even the conversation system which made the first game legend has been improved. The classes have made a return but no longer are they simply bound to the combat, tech, biotic. Though those ideas certainly are present each class has each own unique feel and set of abilities as well as its own super move to set it apart from the others. The special move is permanently mapped to the Y button for easy access and the option to have two other possible moves mapped to the bumpers.  Weapons have ammo now but Bioware has found the perfect balance. Never did I have so little ammo that I had to be conservative with my bullets but I never had to much that I could waste them. The ammo really serves the purpose of forcing you to change weapons every once in awhile and since this game has made weapon typing more important you will be thankful to be proficient with your full arsenal.

 

Before I go into great detail about all the changes there is something I must tell you. The immersion in this game will floor you. I have played many games and I dare say I’ve loved some of them but never have I played anything like Mass Effect. I actually have trouble calling it a game, it transcends the very definition of “game” and because an experience of its own.  Between all the conversation possibilities, character choices, mission options and everything else that has been added when Bioware says no two game experiences are alike, they really mean it. More so if you are wise enough to import your Mass Effect 1 game. Every little choice you made has had consequences in the world. Whether that means getting an e-mail from an old friend or running into a criminal you caught in the citadel, you will have a VERY hard time believing this game was not tailor made just for you. As a matter of fact there’s probably more content you will never see then most games are made up of.

 

This game takes place two years after the first and as a result the world has changed. The citadel has been completely redone, as has the Normandy. While the former was the changed to make it smaller and more personal the latter has had major upgrades not the least of which to the realism factor. Crew have beds, the captain has his own quarters and there are bathrooms. There are more groundbreaking additions I can’t talk about but even the little additions are a nice touch. You can also shop throughout the galaxy to buy things to put in aforementioned Normandy.  Just don’t forget to feed the fish. Even the conversation system, which already verged on perfection, has been improved. Characters aren’t static while talking, they move around, react and occasionally Shepard has the option of jumping in a conversation with either a paragon or renegade action. Though hard to explain on paper, trust me these things make a difference in the overall presentation. You also have more than 2 options for who you romance. And let’s face it Ashley was racist and Liara was annoyingly innocent. The new options are very welcome and will form a real connection with the player over the course of the game.

 

Of course none of this would be worth anything without interesting characters. All the old crew make an appearance in one way or another (long as they aren’t dead that is) and it really is nice to see some familiar faces. The new characters are just as deep and complex as the old ones and you will care for their wellbeing. Which is good because 90% of the games story missions are gathering the whole group then gaining their loyalty. While this means that each mission is unique (no more show up to a beacon to find a thresher maw for the 90^th time) it also means there are fewer missions, not a lot less but it is noticeable. And if you worried about being bored because of the constant recruiting, don’t be. Every time you feel yourself slipping away from the game it throws in an earth shattering plot twist or scene, including one with Joker that absolutely blew my mind. 

Unfortunately even a game this great isn’t without flaws.  It may surprise some to hear it but this game is shockingly short. Really surprising when one realizes that it’s a two disc game. It took me about 20-25 hours doing every side mission I could get my hands one, but then again considering how individual this game is I have no doubt that I missed out on half the content on my first play through.  For better or worse there isn’t an inventory anymore, with it no billion weapons to worry about but also no micromanaging. I didn’t mind personally but who knows maybe people like that stuff. If you’re awesome enough to buy the collectors edition you will get enough free stuff to justify your purchase but most of it is armour. The problem is that the armour covers your face and since so much of the game is dialogue you will be missing out. The other main problems people had were , at times, insanely long loading screens and a mining mini game that has been added which is annoying at best. Don’t get me wrong though, these are hard core nitpicks I had to sit down and think of them AFTER I finished the game to realize what bothered me.

 

If someone was to ask me why I bought my PS3 I would look them in the eye and say “God of War 3”. And while I already owned a 360 I can honestly say Mass Effect 2 is worth the purchase of the full console just for the game. It’s that good.

 

(p.s seriously though, go out and play the first one)

 

5/5

Reviews

[Kloud_Nine]

Hellz yea that was an awesome game, one of my favs. Personally I like my shooters and I like my RPGs, just not in the same game but much like kinky experimental sex orgies, ME2 makes you try new things and LOVE it! Few games can do that successfully (Mass Effect, Fallout 3 and New Vegas). Do you know if there's going to be a third? I don't know why they wouldn't.