Mass Effect 2 (Xbox360, PC)

Developer Bioware has a solid pedigree of creating some of the most immersing gaming experiences ever. Their RPG resume includes Dragon Age, Star Wars:Knights of the Old Republic 1 & 2, Jade Empire, and even the original Mass Effect. What distinguishes Bioware’s RPGs from the rest of the pack is the excellent storylines and the complex yet intriguing characters that populate their games.

The first Mass Effect was ambitious to say the least, as it promised not just an open world experience, but an open universe experience in which players could travel all over the galaxy recruiting team members and completing countless missions all on their path to save civilization. The end result fell a bit short of most people’s expectations. The pacing was a bit slow at times, there were issues with textures loading, the combat interface seemed clunky, and many of the numerous side quests seemed recycled throughout the game’s massive campaign. Despite all of these flaws, it is still considered one of the best Xbox360/PC games to date. Now that Mass Effect 2 is out, everyone is wondering whether it can live up to the expectations of the first game or whether it will actually raise the bar. I’m happy to say that this bar has been raised quite a bit.

SOUND (10/10)

The sound in this game is top notch. The sound of lazers zipping by is so sharp it feels like you may get tagged in the face by one. The explosions really rumble with the force of …well an explosion! You can hear your character’s footsteps as you run down the corridors of the ship. All of the effects are well detailed and everything really comes to life if you have a solid surround system.

Perhaps the best thing this game has going for it audio wise is the voice acting. Looking through the instruction booklet at the voice cast, there wasn’t a single recognizable name to be found. However, the voice acting in this game is simply amazing. The actors do a tremendous job of not only bringing the characters to life, but imbibing them with realistic attitudes and speech that just take the authenticity of the characters to another level. I’ve never encountered anyone from another planet or galaxy before, but if i did, I would expect them to sound like they do in this game.

GRAPHICS (9/10)

The graphics in this game are sharp and highly detailed. There are a few exceptions in which a couple of the planets seem like the same old brown and gray hued environments that populate so many other games, but for the most part the locales all look vibrant and fresh…even if you happen to be on a wasteland of a planet. The character models all look spectacular, however there are a couple of instances with the ingame cutscenes in which the character faces look a bit strange. However, all of the CG cutscenes are jaw dropping, featuring some of the most amazing graphics on a console.

While the game is great graphically, there are a few minor problems. There were a couple of times where my character got stuck on a railing or a box and it was difficult to get off of it, resulting in my cheap death. This only happened twice, but it bears mentioning as I have heard of it happening more often to other people. Overall, the graphics are a huge improvement from the first game. Gone are the slow loading textures and glitchy looking graphics from the first game. For the most part, everything has been smoothed out nicely in this sequel.

GAMEPLAY (9/10)

Mass Effect 2’s gameplay has been completely retooled from the first game. Hardcore RPG fans may be turned off by the more simplistic approach taken in this game, but casual RPG players who would rather run and gun than figure out how to level up will definitely love the new system. With less focus attributed to leveling up your character, more attention is given to more important things…like combat. Unlike the first game, Mass Effect 2 has a much faster pace and is chock full of action. The gameplay feels less like an RPG and more like a 3rd person shooter, which is a huge plus. The combat interface is also a lot smoother, making battles less frustrating than they were in the previous game.

Despite the new streamlined combat and leveling controls, this game is still very much an RPG. You still gain experience from completing certain battles and events, but the real RPG focus here is on character development. You learn more about your character and your squad mates through their various interactions with eachother and the world around them. I often found myself just hanging out on the ship talking to the various squad mates to find out more about their backstories instead of going out on missions. The characters are just that interesting. There are almost countless side missions which you can undertake that will not only gain experience points for you, but also enable you to bond closer with your squad. While this may sound a bit too sensitive for such a game, the closer you become with your squad members, the better they fight alongside you.

STORY (10/10)

The story in this game is excellent. In short, colonies of humans have been disappearing without a trace. You again assume the role of commander Shepherd, albeit this time with a few twists that are unveiled near the start of the game. You command two other squad members for each mission, but you have a total of 11 to choose from by the end of the game. Each squad member has a unique backstory which is revealed in two parts. The first part is the recruit mission, in which you must go and recruit the squad member on whatever planet or ship they are on. Once you have acquired them as a part of your team, the second part comes into play in the form of a loyalty mission. Each squad member has unfinished business that must be taken care of before they can fully devote themselves to your mission. In order to fully gain their trust, you must complete their “loyalty” missions. These are great in that not only do they allow you to gaze into the background of each character and their motivations, you also unlock a special ability for each character upon completion of their loyalty mission. If you do the math that is roughly 22 missions for all the characters and this is NOT counting the main storyline missions.

Interestingly enough, by completing all of the missions for each character, it also causes you to become somewhat emotionally invested in their survival as well. This is the beauty of Mass Effect 2, as you soon realize that every in game action has in game consequences. Each choice you make influences the outcome of certain situtaions in the game. The story is so well written and immersive that by the end of the game you fully understand the consequences of each decision you made leading up to that point. In other words, you are the one shaping how everything will play out. There are multiple ending scenarios to the game which are determined by your actions throughout each playthrough. The storyline is definitely something that should be experienced by everyone as it is engaging enough to hold a place among some of the best sci fi movie plots ever.

OVERALL (9.8/10)

This game is a beast. Everything is so well polished and the only problems with the game are very very minor. For a game without a multiplayer component, Mass Effect 2 probably has the highest replay value of all the games I have, even those with a solid multiplayer. There is just so much to explore and do in this game. While most games offer up a sandbox world in which to play, ME2 gives you a sandbox universe. There are countless planets in the solar systems and each one is subject to exploration. Many of them feature side quests that would not have been discovered without exploration. Not to mention the numerous ending outcomes which directly result from your ingame decisions and you’ve got enough reasons for multiple playthroughs. This game is worth every penny and I encourage everyone to at least play through it once…or twice. The experience is well worth it.