Mass Effect 2 - Review & Game Analysis

By Brian Messick

XBL Id: DeathByDebo

Developer: Bioware

Release Date: 1/26/2010

Setup: Xbox 360 through HDMI on a 1080p Vizio Plasma

I'd like to start of this article by saying "Thank you" to BioWare. As a stalwart science fiction fan and a lifelong gamer, I am always hoping that the next title released will be the one to make my childhood dreams of space adventure a reality, and this one definitely did. Mass Effect broke new ground in many ways and attempted to change the landscape of what a console RPG should be. By combining a believable and intriguing world of fiction with top writing talent and actors, as well as cinematic camerawork, the game pulled you in from the beginning and never let up. The result was one of my favorite gaming experiences to date.

Now, in Mass Effect 2, you can have a similar experience, only with the dials cranked up to max. Every aspect of this game has been tweaked or redesigned to be bigger, more bad ass and generally better than its predecessor. From the time I powered up my console and inserted disk 1, I was hooked....

The intro is gorgeous, as are all the graphics in the game and serves well to let you know that this sequel is going to bring it. Once you start your campaign, you are thrown directly into a harrowing situation as you watch disaster befall your ship and friends. From this point the story really starts to pull you in, as it opens a whole world of questions that you want to have answered. Playing through ME2, I never felt like I was stuck in some loop, trying to knock out boring side missions to get to the meat of the game. From the start I was into the meat, into the core story and I wanted to know what was coming next. All of the characters you meet throughout your adventure are intriguing in the same way. As you progress through missions to earn each team members loyalty, you have the opportunity to learn much about them. These details are not limited to just there basic background. Each has a unique story and a unique perspective, all fleshed out in minute detail, creating a relationship that feels real. You win the loyalty of these crew mates and at the same time they win yours, making it all the more difficult when hard decisions must be made. I have never bought into characters or decisions the way I did in this game.



You can change the feel of missions completely by who you take with you. In every scenario, each character offers different comments to compliment there view point, creating the feel of being inside of a movie script and adding perspective to the story. Conversations are handled through the same type of selection wheel as the first game, but with better dialogue and more options to act kindly or aggressively. Being able to shoot a bad guy in the foot to get some information or hug and comfort a grieving mother really work to tie you emotionally to the story and allow you to play your Shepard the way you wish. Also, there are a great deal of instances in the dialogue where you can hit the left or right triggers to cut someone off with an action, following either the paragon or renegade route, and add a good bit of spice to the experience.

ME2 allows you a much greater variety of missions as well. Not only are there more missions in the game but each level you attempt is unique and originally designed. Unlike the first game, where most of the exploration mission fights took place in the same station reorganized slightly, in ME2 each world, from jungle to desert and all types in between, has its own feel. There is a tangible diversity present in the missions now, as well as the enemies you fight along the way. Different missions demand different characters be utilized, as each has their own particular strengths and weaknesses. In the original game you could pretty much set up everyone the same way barring a few exceptions. In this game the abilities are limited much more, causing you to have to contemplate what you will find on the planet and what skills are most needed. Along with this are the changes to the fighting system. The gun fights are smooth and action packed now, with a much greater amount of strategy thrown it. Many times you will fight large groups of enemies, reacting to you in a realistic and aggressive manner. Utilizing the biotic and tech abilities of your team and combining attacks can create devastating effects turning the tide of a battle quickly. The cover dynamic is clean and offers a quick way to recharge your shields and though I have read some peoples complaints that the addition of thermal magazines (ammo) somehow detracts from the combat, I have to disagree. I felt that the need to reload brought a more realistic feel to the fighting, especially when considering the sheer amount of enemies thrown at you.



A revamped AI for the team as well as the enemies, means that all characters react and fight in a much more realistic manner, raising the intensity of the gun fights. There are also heavy weapons now, which serve to really knock down the mini-bosses as well as even up the odds against some of the tougher groups you come across. The exploration engine has also been revamped. No more grinding across world after world in a tank, trying to find every mineral deposit and base while getting stuck in mountain ranges. Now you just fly to a system, scan planets for minerals, launch mining probes and collect. It still takes time but is much less of a hassle than the previous method while still conserving the ability to find "anomalies" to go down and inspect. I have to say I really enjoyed the missions in this game much more than the first and the climax at the end is brilliantly done and allot of fun.

Musically the game is brilliant as well. Personally, I love the score, as I believe it truly captures the scope and intensity of the battles as well as the overall story. Often times while playing I was reminded of how I felt as a kid watching Star Wars, with the music soaring and sweeping as a backdrop to that huge space opera, punctuating the drama and the tragedy. ME2's score does very much the same thing, equally as well and I really enjoy it. The sound effects are top notch, as well as the voice-over work.  There are many cinematic cut scenes spread out through the game and of course they are gorgeous as well. The conversations are smooth and fun to watch, though the lip syncing can falter at times. All in all it is hard for me to find complaints in a game so obviously loved by its designers, as they worked very hard not to leave many gaps in its perfection. Playing this title, I cannot help but feel that those designers respect all of the consumers who are going to buy this product. This game is well done. It is a complete and completely engaging installment in what is shaping up to be the greatest video game trilogy to date. Mass Effect 2 brings out the kid in me in ways few games do now days, and makes me wish that more developers understood how to do what BioWare does. I will recommend this to anyone that will listen and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

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