Mass Effect 2 the sequel to Bioware’s epic sci-fi classic Mass Effect from 2007 is one of the biggest games of the year, but is it one of the best? Luckily Bioware made this game and didn’t hand it off like they did with the sequel to KOTOR. If you’re unfamiliar with Mass Effect it is a sci-fi RPG/3rd person shooter set in space where humans have recently joined a galactic federation comprised of numerous different alien species. You played as Commander Shepard a human who becomes the first ever human Spectre. Spectres are intergalactic cops that work for the Citadel Council which is the highest authority in the universe and are above all law aside from the Council. Your mission was to stop a rouge Spectre named Saren but this leads you to discover a much larger threat called Reapers. The Reapers are a race of synthetic life forms that live out in the fringes of Dark Space. They show up when the organic life forms inhabiting the galaxy are in their prime and then they kill them all. Once they have wiped out all life in the galaxy they go back to Dark Space and wait for other civilizations to build up so they can come back and kill them. I know it’s messed up but it’s actually really cool and Mass Effect 2 starts to explain why they do this. In Mass effect 2 Shepard is still preparing for the Reaper onslaught but now there is a new threat, the Collectors. They have been going to small human colonies and abducting every last resident. Shepard believes that the Reapers have something to do with it but the Council won’t listen they believe that Saren was the threat and the Reapers aren’t real. So you must work with a radical human organization called Cerberus and recruit a team to help you put a stop to the Collectors.
The gameplay in Mass Effect 2 has been radically overhauled from the first. The massive inventory full of weapons, armour and upgrades is gone now you only get a few types of each weapon and you can only pick one of each at the start of each mission. The combat has also changed, the cover system has been improved so that it feels more solid like Gears of War unlike the first one where you didn’t really stick to the wall and it was sort of clumsy. Your weapons now use ammo in order to make the combat a little more traditional rather than having a heat bar that fills up and cools down. It doesn’t make much sense in the universe, why would they decide to use bullets if they don’t need them. Is it to boost the economy by bringing back a dead industry? It doesn’t really matter because it is a better system now that you know exactly how many shots you have left. The weapons in the game handle a lot better you feel the recoil from the shots more and the accuracy is greatly improved especially the sniper rifle which you can now use to hit targets. The weapon customization can now be used on the fly, instead of going through the inventory and selecting the right upgrade you can just press a button to get a move wheel like in the first game but now it also has ammo types like incendiary or corrosive so you can easily change them to fit your situation. The leveling system has been reduced so you have less stuff to level up but that’s because rather than having all the different weapons that you have to level in order to be accurate and deal damage you start off proficient in all weapons. Even your health system has been improved; your shields and health regenerate quickly after taking damage so you can keep fighting which prevents the combat from slowing down like in the first Mass Effect.
The graphics have been improved which is impressive since the first Mass Effect was beautiful, Mass Effect 2 is one of the best looking games on the market. The level of detail on the characters really adds to the amazing dialogue since you can see all of the expressions on everyone’s face in regards to the choices you make. Another great thing about Mass Effect is all of the choices you make in conversations and in certain events that are better than they are in any other game. Very few games actually get me emotional and Mass Effect does it with ease, they build such a detailed universe and get you to invest in all of their character so you care about the ramifications of every decision you make. The audio is still top notch giving you the feeling that you’re in a sci-fi epic at all times. The only problem with Mass Effect 2 is that the main story isn’t as strong as the first one. The main plot only has a couple of missions but it encourages you do the side quests which are about as large as the main quests. The side quests which are about the people in your party are very good. They feel like something you have to do so the first time I played through I did them all. Even with the side quests the story just isn’t as strong as the first one. However it’s still one of the best stories in any video game.
Mass Effect 2 is a phenomenal experience full of great characters, gameplay, graphics and audio and a terrific story. If you have an Xbox 360 or a PC you should get both Mass Effects and if you only have a PS3 you should still buy this game even if you haven’t played the first plus you get tonnes of bonus content. This is one of the best games ever made and is a must own for each and every gamer.
Score: 5/5
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