Mass Effect 2 starts as it means to go on, with a dark, yet epic, opening sequence that will leave you just waiting to make it past the first few customisation screens. The Normandy takes damage and Commander Sheppard is left missing in action only to be found by the mysterious, and morally ambiguous, Cerberus. Headed by a character known only as the Illusive Man, but excellently portrayed by Martin Sheen, Cerberus is a pro-human group with a questionable agenda. It’s not long before you are thrust into the action once more when you are sent on your first mission, to find out what happened to human colonies that have gone completely missing.
Anyone coming into Mass Effect 2 not expecting a great and dramatic space opera will be surprised by the story weaving at work here. Though the main plot can feel a little cliché at times, with the usual large ominous threat risking the safety of the galaxy, and the urgency isn’t always portrayed to its best, it’s the characters you’ll meet along the way and their individual stories they tell which really add that shine to Mass Effect 2. While the main story will have a lot of its plot out in the open quite early on it takes a longer time for your relationships with other characters to build which will give you a sense of rich character development and back story.
The game play of Mass Effect 2 has changed from the original Mass Effect and is now heavily focused on its action element. It’s obvious from the first few missions that you will be shooting your way through most of the game so it’s pleasing to know that the gunplay has been completely overhauled. The cover mechanic now works well and the gun battles now feel much smoother. You can still pause the action and select a biotic attack or change the weapons of your team but buttons are now easily assigned to make this much faster.
The RPG element of the game, such as the levelling up and the armour and weapon selection, is vastly reduced then in the original game, suggesting a move to a more streamlined and action orientated game play. While some fans may dislike the new approach, it is easily missed when caught up in the deeply involving story. Mass Effect 2 also see’s you spending a majority of your time talking to NPC’s, something Bioware do incredibly well, and all conversations give you the opportunity to be a Commander Sheppard of either Paragon or Renegade character. Some conversations even give you the option to change the course of the conversation with an action, of both moral characteristics, which sees you defenestrating a character or taking a weapon from a youth, depending on your moral standing, and while interesting and welcomed the choices are not hard to make and many gamers will end up choosing the good or the bad options simply for the sake of it.
Each character in your team, whether new or old, comes with their own ‘Loyalty’ side mission for you to complete in order to gain their trust. Each of these are interesting and well designed. Mass Effect 2 removes the planet exploration, something that could have been enhanced rather than completely removed, and now you will spend a lot of time with tedious planet probing. This probing can be skipped but at the cost of not finding enough materials to afford the best weapons and upgrades. It seems Bioware haven’t quite got it right yet with their planet orientated side missions but this is something to look out for in future Downloadable Content. The vehicle segments from the first game are also removed; something which will either please or upset original fans. This also means the game play is less varied then the previous instalment however future Vehicle orientated DLC has been named.
A much more Action Orientated Commander Sheppard
When it comes to design Mass Effect 2 receives top marks. Each location is perfectly conceived, and almost perfectly portrayed, with beautiful graphics and textures. Character models are mostly well designed though a few of the human NPCs can look a bit too plain at times. The locations are everything you could want from a Science Fiction game, from large futuristic metropolises to the war torn home planet of the Krogan. Sometimes, however, an area can feel a little too limiting and the sprawling feel of the city is lost. Gone is the large citadel of the first game replaced with a shadow of its former self.
Everyone you meet in Mass Effect has brilliant script writing matched only by its voice acting. With some famous names lending their voices you are sure to be enthralled by the dialogue, a good thing since the game consists of so much, however in some cases, such as with non-interactive NPC’s, you’ll find yourself hearing the same snippets of dialogue again and again. The sound effects are also on par. Everything in the game sounds exactly how you’d imagine with futuristic space craft and high tech weaponry.
One flaw, still not improved from the first game, however is the loading times. Though the elevator scenes of the first game are thankfully removed we are now faced with meaningless wire animations which, at first viewing, are interesting enough but after seeing them many times over you'll quickly become tired of watching them on repeat.
Lastly, a review of Mass Effect 2 could not go without mentioning the ability to bring back your previous character. Fans of the first game will rejoice in bringing back their own loved Commander Sheppard from the previous game, bringing with him bonus’ and changes to the storyline. How you played the first game will impact a surprising amount of dialogue and story in this game and Mass Effect 3 is expected to carry on this trend giving you a soul character spanning the trilogy.
In truth it is hard to find reason to fault Mass Effect 2. The game sticks to telling an epic and engrossing space opera and manages this with little effort. From the moment the game loads you’re taken into a fantastic story, which only Bioware seem capable of, with characters that you will actually feel for by the end. The game play is different from the first but it fits better with the new action orientated direction. While the game has arguably little replay value, with few achievements you can’t get through one play through, and the only real reason for a second being the choice of different moral options, Mass Effect 2 focuses on delivering a long and engaging first experience and it easy to say that it’s simply one of the best experiences you’ll have had with a recent video game.
Lastly, a review of Mass Effect 2 could not go without mentioning the ability to bring back your previous character. Fans of the first game will rejoice in bringing back their own loved Commander Sheppard from the previous game, bringing with him bonus’ and changes to the storyline. How you played the first game will impact a surprising amount of dialogue and story in this game and Mass Effect 3 is expected to carry on this trend giving you a soul character spanning the trilogy.
In truth it is hard to find reason to fault Mass Effect 2. The game sticks to telling an epic and engrossing space opera and manages this with little effort. From the moment the game loads you’re taken into a fantastic story, which only Bioware seem capable of, with characters that you will actually feel for by the end. The game play is different from the first but it fits better with the new action orientated direction. While the game has arguably little replay value, with few achievements you can’t get through one play through, and the only real reason for a second being the choice of different moral options, Mass Effect 2 focuses on delivering a long and engaging first experience and it easy to say that it’s simply one of the best experiences you’ll have had with a recent video game.
Shaun Kellett
