• Overall score 94%
• Fun Factor 9.6
• Visuals 8.8
• Story 9.3
• Sound 9.5
• Longevity 9.1
• Originality 8.5

User score82%

Slide to rate

0100%

• Publisher: EA
• Developer: BioWare
• Platform: PC, Xbox 360
• Release date: 2010-01-28
• Genre: Action Adventure RPG

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Mass Effect was an excellent, yet critically flawed game. While it offered an ambitious combination of third person shooter gameplay, squad combat, RPG and exploration, it tripped itself up in a number of areas. The idea of being able to explore space freely was great, but the reality was that most of the planets were generic and bland. It was also criticised for its repetitive action sequences, and somewhat false sense of scale. Still, it was well received; so much so that the sequel is easily one of the most anticipated games of the year.

Inevitably, one of the first things mentioned when a group of gamers congregates and discusses Mass Effect 2 is the ability to import save games from Mass Effect. Importing your character from the first game yields some nifty benefits, such as bonus cash, XP and resources.

Players are able to customize the appearance of their character in the beginning of the game, even if they import their old character. This is cleverly worked into the story, but I’ll leave it at that. Players are also able to choose their class if they do not import their previous character. These choices include the Adept who specialises in using biotic powers (think Star Wars force powers), the soldier who is a master of weapons, the engineer who specialises in tech powers (summons drones, hacks enemies etc), the Vanguard who combines weapons and biotics, the Sentinel who combines tech and biotic powers, and the Infiltrator who combines tech powers and weapon specialisations.

Players can also choose a background story for Commander Shepard (the game’s protagonist). Depending on the choice made here, in game characters may treat Shepard slightly differently at certain points of the game, although in reality it is a fairly cosmetic feature which does not affect the game in any meaningful way.

Soon into the game, players will notice that Bioware has improved the cover and fire mechanic. While still not perfect, the game now feels a lot more fluid and action orientated. In line with the redesign, Bioware has stripped down Mass Effect 2’s RPG component. Do not expect to see too many numbers or stats, and there is no inventory system. Weapons have also been simplified. On the plus side, players won’t get bogged down in allocating the correct weapons, armour and ammo to the appropriate party members, although some players may miss the depth added by weapon and armour variation.
Players will also notice that Mass Effect 2 now uses an ammo system, although, instead of ammo, players use heat sinks. In terms of functionality however, the system is identical to what most games use.

While there is less depth in weapon variety, players can now upgrade their weapons and armour using appropriate upgrades. Upgrade blueprints can be found littered about the world of Mass Effect 2, or bought from traders. If players have enough raw materials, and an operational research bay in their ship, they can pursue the upgrades. These vary from increasing Shepard’s health by 10-percent, to improving submachine gun accuracy for the party by 20-percent. Players can also upgrade their ship. Increasing hull armour or firepower will affect the outcome of the final mission in Mass Effect 2.

In order to perform these upgrades, the ship must have the required personal onboard, as well as the requisite resources. There are four mineral types, all of which can be found in missions. They can also be found by scanning and mining unexplored planets. Fortunately, this is now done from aboard the Normandy, and players will no longer spend hours shuffling about boring, generic looking planets in the Mako looking for minerals.
Most of the game involves preparing for a “suicide mission” which aims to save humanity. Players are given a list of the galaxy’s most powerful and dangerous individuals. They must recruit a team worthy of performing the final mission, although it is not necessary to recruit all of the operatives. Similarly, it is not necessary to perform the ship upgrades which various crew members advise, but going into the “suicide mission” ill prepared may have dire consequences for Shepard and his crew in the end.

Every crew member has an additional personal mission. Upon completion of these missions, the said crew member becomes more loyal to Shepard’s cause, and gains an addition power to be used in combat. The more time players spend upgrading their ship, and making sure their crew members have a clear head and are fully committed to Shepard’s cause, the better their chances are of having a happy ending.

Going into each mission, players can choose which crew members to take along. Each crew member possesses unique powers, although there is some overlap in skill set. Players will have to consider their adversaries in each mission, and choose crew members accordingly. For instance, an engineer is good to take along when going up against synthetic enemies, while the soldier class offers unbeatable firepower. Each crew member can be upgraded along with Shepard, although this process has been simplified. Each crew member possesses just 3 predefined upgradable abilities, with one more unique ability unlocked upon completing the loyalty quest.

Much of Mass Effect 2 revolves around conversations, and its pleasing to see that huge effort went into the dialogue. The facial animations are superb as is the voice acting, with the likes of Martin Sheen and Seth Green making an appearance. Players are given various conversation options to pursue, and depending on their choices through the game they will earn Paragon (goody two shoes) or Renegade (bad ass) points.

The game also adds a new degree of interactivity, with players being able to activate quick time events to interrupt conversations or actions. These come in two flavours; Paragon interruptions and Renegade interruptions. This adds an element of immersion to the game, and although these actions are often inconsequential, the option to kick an enemy out of a window just as he is reaching the climax of a dramatic tirade is welcome. Similarly, players will be able to activate Paragon interrupters in instances where their squad mates are about to execute someone, saving the victim in question. Careful though, as preventing your crew mates from fulfilling their objectives can have a negative effect on their loyalty to you.

The visuals in Mass Effect 2 swing between jaw dropping, solid and at times a bit poor. The game seems comfortable rendering metallic structures and human faces, and the affects and lighting are great. Things are not quite as slick when rendering vegetation however, but this is rare, and for the most part passable. The vast majority of the game looks really good, and the character animations are outstanding. The sound is also excellent, with a wide variety of ambient ship sounds and music, powerful weapon and vehicle affects, and hours upon hours of excellently executed dialogue.

The controls work well enough, although one can’t help but feel that Bioware could have given the PC some special attention in this department. The space bar is a bit over used, and at times can lead to unresponsive or undesired behaviour. This is not a train smash however, and for the most part the character navigation, in combat, exploration and conversation, is just fine.

One has to praise Bioware for the boldness with which they approached Mass Effect 2. The game abolishes establish RPG conventions, and replaces them with fluid combat and rich and dynamic character interactions. It’s quite unlike anything we have seen before, and although it incorporates elements of various genres, it is clear to see that heaps of imagination went into designing and balancing the game.

In conclusion, Mass Effect 2 is an incredible game. The storyline is compelling and propelled by rich and engaging characters. The action sequences are kept interesting by virtue of the various different abilities and tactical party coordination, and there is just enough depth and character upgradability to satisfy all but the most hardcore RPG purist.

Character interactions are actually enjoyable, and the variety of scenery makes sure things never get old. Outstanding production values are present throughout the game, and bar one or two clipping issues, and just one crash to Windows in our playthrough, Mass Effect 2 feels solid and well made. 
Easily weighing in at over 30 hours of well spent gameplay, Mass Effect 2 is well worth the investment.

Reviewed on PC

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