my Mass Effect 2 review

well ive just completed ME2 so thought a short review was in order.

*Warning PLOT SPOILERS*









mass effect 2 is a Bioware game in association with EA and is the first of two sequels to the original Mass Effect, id firstly like to state i DIDN'T like the first mass effect at all, to me it felt broken, dialog was hard and overwhelming, combat was irritating and difficult to enjoy, but this second installment is as near to perfect as any game ive ever played.

Mass Effect 2 begins in 2183, weeks after the ending of the original Mass Effect. On patrol to locate and destroy any remaining geth, the Normandy and its commanding officer, Commander Shepard, are attacked by an unknown starship. The ship inflicts heavy damage on the Normandy and the crew is forced to evacuate. Joker, the helmsman of the ship, continues piloting and Shepard is forced to rescue him. Before Shepard can board an escape pod with Joker, another attack by the enemy ship separates Shepard from the pod, forcing the Commander to launch the escape pod to save Joker. A subsequent explosion blows Shepard away from the ship and debris slices through Shepard's suit, causing the Commander to die in the vacuum whilst entering a nearby planet's atmosphere.

Shepard's corpse is retrieved by Cerberus, an pro-human organization, and over a two year period they go about improving and bringing shepard back to life via the Lazarus Project.

Shepard awakens in 2185 aboard a Cerberus space station that is under attack. After Shepard aids Cerberus agents Jacob Taylor and Miranda Lawson, Shepard is granted an audience with the Illusive Man, who explains that Shepard was revived and 'upgraded' so that the Commander could investigate and combat a new threat....this basically starts the game with options to recruit members into the team, of which there are a total of 12 if we include the DLC, as well as that there are a number of side quests which are varied and enjoyable, and away you go to once again investigate, explore and find a way to save the universe once again.

so that's enough of the main story, lets talk about the improvements to the game.

firstly lets address the combat system which has been upgraded, with everything from the feel of the combat to the A.I. being improved, combat is just a heap of fun, with a much more manageable team command, upgrading of weapons and tech, as well as that weapons now use a form of ammo which removes the overheating frustrations being eliminated completely.

also when taking damage you can find cover and use the regenerating health system to heal up, yes the medigel is still used for a quick hit or to revive fallen team members but the main mechanic is now regenerative........i find this to be a huge improvement.

AI has vastly improved and although not perfect is a huge improvement over the first game, which frankly i found to be shocking.

characters are detailing and enjoyable to interact with and on top of that the world system that can be explored has increased greatly, and there are many many more different quest areas which vary greatly, and are all great fun to do......i did every side quest in the game, explored every planet and other than the slightly boring planet scanning system used to earn extra credits for upgrades found it all a blast to be part of.







weapon upgrades are much easier to deal with and ME2 has removed the weapon skill system, hand-granadas have been removed and in its place a introduction of heavy weapons has been implemented, i love the differences in weapons in this game, each have a great ability in different situations, as well as that the biotic and tech skills are a joy to level up and use.

armor is also upgraded in the same manner as weapons.

recruitment of team members unlocks individual character quests making for a much more intimate relationship with the team, the missions are diverse and really enjoyable, as well as that you can make each member of your team loyal to you, unlocking special abilities but in some cases decisions you make can affect the loyalty, which in turn effects the relationship with the person but also any sexual relationships you may be chasing after.

you can import your character from the first ME and when choosing your character from the start there are 6 to choose from, which focus in either combat, tech, or biotic talents.

* SOLDIER – COMBAT SPECIALIST
* ENGINEER – TECH SPECIALIST
* ADEPT – BIOTIC SPECIALIST
* INFILTRATOR – COMBAT/TECH
* VANGUARD – BIOTIC/COMBAT
* SENTINEL – BIOTIC/TECH

each of these have different skills which make the combat varied enough to play-through more than once, also you can take a more noble path or more hard path which opens up different dialog opportunities as well.

sound effects are great, voice dialog is vastly improved and great to listen to.

graphics are much much better than the first, with more colours, depth and richness, and the Cinematic scenes are as expected very good.

the only real flaw which is ever so slight is occasional bad AI choices which can be frustrating in a big battle, other than that the story, combined with combat, exploration, interaction and visual experience make for a game that is simply amazing.

where the original Mass Effect felt broken and hard to play from all angles this game felt right, from the very first scene until the conclusion it was a great ride.

as well as that there is a tonne of DLC for the game, which is all very enjoyble and its my understanding you can buy the game from steam at the moment for $29.99.

i have given this game a 10/10 and the slight flaws in AI dont take away from the gaming experience at all......this is a must play game IMO and even those who haven't played the first will find it hard to not enjoy this title, especially if you enjoy rpg's.

basically this is just a very brief review to give those who haven't played the game a taste of what was on offer, hopefully it was informative and if you have any questions feel free to ask.

system requirements:
PC MINIMUM System Requirements
OS = Windows XP SP3 / Windows Vista SP1 / Windows 7
Processor = 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or equivalent AMD CPU
Memory = 1 GB RAM for Windows XP / 2 GB RAM for Windows Vista and Windows 7
Hard Drive = 15 GB
DVD ROM = 1x Speed
Sound Card = DirectX 9.0c compatible
Direct X = DirectX 9.0c August 2008 (included)
Input = Keyboard / Mouse
Video Card = 256 MB (with Pixel Shader 3.0 support)

im playing the game on the notebook in my sig and have it maxed out, it runs fantastically.

 

Great review, but, 10/10?

Spoiler

the ending SUCKS!!

 

What would you give Mass Effect out of 10 for comparison? For me Mass Effect 2/10 just for the amusing character customization. The rest is negative for an extremely boring story.

 

i couldn't fault the game, it was one of the best games ive played, there where flaws but they didn't take away from the experience, hence the 10/10, is it perfect no...but no game is.......

 

id give the original a 4/10........but it wasnt so much the story i didnt like, it just felt broken, nothing seemed to work well, making it hard to enjoy any of it.

 

Well I for one put the mass effect storyline as my second favorite, superseded only by the wow storyline. Second one got repetitive, but still amazing game. The collectors creeped me the heck outthe first time I played through!!!

 

Spoiler

The ME2 ending was awesome, specially if you got everyone out alive. Just when you thought it was over...

 

im trying to avoid talking about the ending, but i loved it.....from start to finish.....

 

Great review!! I loved the second one as this was the first one I played. For some reason the first one feels stale compared to the second one.

 

The boss was ridiculously easy, though. Hide, shoot, repeat...

 

Good review.

Although I would say ME1 deserves at least 8/10 in my opinion.

Sometimes I prefer ME1 over ME2 even.

I thought it was a really good game, not as good as the second, but still very well done.

All in all, the ME series is shaping up to be outstanding. I can't wait for ME3.

 

I'd give mass effect 1 A 9.9 actually; the .1 deducted for the terrible combat system: you only need the pistol even though you carry like 5 weapons.
Amazing storyline- top 3 games ever in my book and always kept me thinking.
Dynamic characters - Saren was just misunderstood in the end(if you went paragon), everyone learns to agree, and Wrex becomes king!
Lengthy but worthwhile missions - the Noveria mission in the mountains was stunning, the main building there was a game within itself, and the Virmire mission was adrenaline filled and that first meeting with Sovereign was just fantastic.
The Mako!! - fun, ridiculous, effective

 

ok it looks like i might have to apologize to all the original Mass Effect fans out there...........the review is only my personal opinion, and not to be taken as the be all and end all, i checked my xfire account and noted i was able to put 9hrs into the original ME before abandoning it with a gentle shake of the head.......

Mass Effect 2 took me around 40hrs to finish, of which i enjoyed every moment of it.......maybe im being to harsh on ME but the proof is in the pudding, at least for me anyway.

xTank Jones16x i have to agree, im really looking forward to seeing the final instillation of the series, hopefully in the first quarter of next year.

 

Are you saying the mako was a good thing?

 

I keep my Mass effect 1 & Mass effect 2 stacked separately from all my other games :]
Probably my favourite single player game series.

 

Have to take a second look at the sequel then, thanks for the review and the info. +1

 

Yes I loved it. The Firewalker from the ME2 bonus pack was even more fun.

 

Spoiler

I had no idea it was possible to have everyone survive the final mission, especially whoever you put in the heat pipe. Did I do it wrong?

 

guys please don't potentially ruin the ending for those that havent played it by talking about it. thanks.

 

me2 has the highest production value of any game ive played, its the closest thing to playing a movie imho.
of course i have gripes like the simplified rpg model, underwhelming end game boss, short length, etc but the presentation and dialogue really make up for a lot of these

 

i have to agree with you mate, i gave the game a 10/10, now that doesn't IMO mean its perfect, but it means what i got out of it was great, enjoyable, and rewarding, there is no perfect game out there, it doesn't mean games don't deserve a high score, there wasn't one part of the game that ruined the experience or put a damper on the game, which means a 10/10 for me......i do score games highly though, i like to get what i can out of games and because of that i tend to overlook some of the flaws.........

 

if i were to score the game id give it a 9.0. that only means that there is room for improvement to make an excellent game even more excellent.
although im a true blue fan of old style rpg's like baldurd gate with its isometric 3rd person perspective and classical rpg rules, i can very well appreciate what bioware has done with mass effect 2 and id like to see more.

some of the things that would interest me in me3 :
a darker, more mature story than me2 (me2 wasnt light by any stretch of the imagination though)
more rpg/skills control
more inventory items/control
more combat moves (but non-action oriented)
better ai
and of course , wider scope and a longer storyline

cheers

 

i agree with most of your "to hope for in the next game" points

and although im like you and really love my classical rpg rule-sets and depth, i really appreciate what Bioware have done with this ME, i like that they have kept it a little on the simple side, its more like a 3rd person shooter/rpg rather than just a rpg, so they have sacrificed some of the rpg style customization depth to instead give a more balanced and fast paced action game........if i think of it like that i don't see it in the same light as a Baldersgate, NWN or Dragonage, and i thought the story was fine, no need for it to be any darker. and i thought it was defiantly mature enough, some of the dialog was quite subtle.

 

I give the game a well deserved 10/10. I've beaten it 4 times and I would have done it again if I didn't sell my xbox (I dont wanna rebuy the game). Only dissapointment is that it had to end...

 

PC game of the year version, with all the DLC.

BelieveXD

 

The lighting and the darker atmosphere it creates was really well done imo.

Combat is kind of clunky compared to 3rd person shooters (Gears of War, RE4&5) but enjoyable enough.

I'm not sure if I prefer the "dumbed-down" action game route Bioware took with Mass Effect 2 or the tough tactical route they went with Dragon Age though.

 

really i think ME2 is completely different from DA, dragonage really relies on tactical based pause commands to play the game on harder settings, ME2 is definitely a action based rpg, with less importance on unit tactics......really hard to compare the two IMO

 

CLUNKY COMPAIRED TO RESIDENT EVIL 4/5??? Sure this is Sparta and all, but thats just too much madness.

 

I f***ing hate RE5 gameplay/controls. ME2's was WAY better...

 

ME2 played great. I LOVED that the sniper rifle didn't have the shaky cam effect. Made killing those giant Husk things waaay easier

 

^^ agreed
10/10 for me

now waiting impatiently for ME3

 

Picked this up today, found the Collector's Edition for $20 at Wal-Mart. XD

 

Mass Effect 2 is definitely a great game.

You have to play Mass Effect first though, in order to fully appreciate the story. I found some of the changes done for the sequel ( ie no more cluttered inventory ) to be a step in the right direction. On the flip side though, they did make it more action and less RPG.

 

ME1 is much more superior then ME2. A game isn't all about action, it's the dialog, the voice acting, the storyline. ME1 was epic and the gameplay was ok. ME2 is just another game made for money. It lacks the storyline completely. Honestly, you have very bad game tastes.

 

ok well im glad you enjoyed the first one, good for you, personally i found ME to have to much pointless dialog, to little unique action with to many battles in generic locations, to much clutter in the inventory, and a combat and level-up system that felt broken........but hey each to there own........

and your quote " Honestly, you have very bad game tastes" made me laugh so much, my game tastes are rpg's, RTS, shooters.. ..hmmm am i missing something or is ME not in one of those "tastes" :confused2:

 

Hmmm I was a little skeptical that the sequel could be a great game given my level of loathing for Mass Effect. Seems mtness was right, this is a really great game, and a lot more fun than the first. I got a lot of DLC with the Collector's Edition as well. Anyway, great buy thanks again.

 

glad to see you enjoying it mate, it seems we where both in the same boat in regards to the original, but after playing through the second im fairly excited about the third installment next year.....enjoy it.

 

For me, part of the reason the story in ME2 was so good was that it tied in with ME1 in so many ways, some obvious and some subtle. If you did not play ME1 and only played ME2, you would still like it but it wouldn't be as rich as if you knew the whole Mass Effect story well already. Either way, the gameplay in ME2 is less tedious IMO, and overall more enjoyable.

 

i think you hit the nail on the head for me mate, "tedious" being the optimal word, i just couldn't finish the first one, it was to tedious, i tried on more than one occasion and just couldn't get into it, the second felt so much better, it was timeless, i loaded up the game and next thing you know three hours where gone.....

 

Just got this game a few days ago for the xbox 360, looks AMAZING so far!
I never played Mass Effect 1 so I don't know how that'll affect my experience

 

You should at least watch the The Story So Far trailer. It explains what happens in ME1 quickly.

 

This.

I did the same thing. Mass Effect 2 blew me away. Mass Effect blew me away as well, but not in graphics. Storyline was better, but dealing with the graphics was...tough.

 

i had a fair idea about the storyline of ME as i played around 9hrs of the game, i didn't finish it though, but a quick look at a ending utube vid, and the intro into the second was enough for me to feel ok with the story of the second one, it is definitely its own story and and although there are some character and plot reference points to the first, didn't take away from the enjoyment and experience of the second......

like i stated in the review if you played and liked the first i think you will enjoy the second, if you haven't played the first, the second is still a wonderful game worth playing.

 

Completed Mass Effect 2 yesterday. Wow what a game! It was like watching a great movie you don't want to end for 40 hours. The script writers must have put a monumental effort into creating this world. Graphics are absolutely gorgeous as well. Only let down is the combat system for such a good game is well below expected. Oversimplified and the AI feels like you are leading ducklings into battle. I am not a great gamer but I had to raise the gameplay settings to hardcore to give a challenge. Shame they didn't try to implement a more tactical and risky combat system because this would undoubtedly be the best game ever.

 

QFT, I completely agree with this.
And BTW, Mass Effect 3 looks like a Gears of War rip off (at least the ambientation).

 

i fixed something
also you are telling me you didn't import a save from the first one you obsiously missed one of the things that was so great about mass effect2 everithing you did in ME1 had influence onto ME2

 

i give a mass effect 92/100 score. think thats a fair score

 

No game is perfect... I give it 9.5/10. I was looking for a bit of a longer game.... Can't wait for the 3rd though...

 

OMG, I just finished playing ME2 and it was awesome! I never played ME1 due to hearing about how buggy and design flaws it had, maybe ill try it out one day, but ME2 is up there as one of my favorite games. It is also emotional at times, which I think is hard for a game to invoke into players. Can't wait for ME3!

 

This was a pretty good game, but I would only rate it about 7/10 IMO.