Techie
4:10 AM | Saturday | 13 March 2010

Platform: PC, Xbox 360

Developer: Bioware

Publisher: EA

The original Mass Effect was one of my favorite games on the Xbox 360 and PC. It featured great visuals, a worthy sci-fi story, moral choices, and multiple gameplay styles. Sure, it wasn't perfect; I wasn't particularly fond of the offworld Mako vehicle missions and the visual problems that crept up during gameplay. Nevertheless, I still consider the original Mass Effect one of the best games I have ever played. 

Now, Bioware has released the sequel to their sci-fi shooter/RPG and is currently selling boatloads around the world. Here's my opinion on the game: 

Story and Characters

ME2 continues the story of your own version of Commander Shepard, a Spectre (think galactic special agent a la Shaider) and the face of humanity. The rocking opening sequence sets the stage for the whole game with long reaching consequences. ME2 is a much more personal game, for example, if you migrated your original ME saves to ME2. Some of your choices will change how things play out in the sequel, and some of these past actions have major ramifications on the storyline. 

Commander Shepard

ME2 not only allows the player access to a larger group of recruitable characters but delves into their personal histories much deeper than the first game. Surprisingly, all of these characters are useful as each has his own powers that complement Shepard's. But don't think that all of them immediately warm up to you as you will need to gain their loyalty first if you want to unlock their full potential. This results in players having the chance to have an emotional attachment to your squad-mates that may lead to potentially difficult decisions down the road. Awesome stuff. 

With Flight Lieutenant Jeff 'Joker' Moreau  

Visuals/Audio

Developer Bioware really amped up the graphics for the sequel. ME2 has higher resolution textures, resulting in more detailed characters, terrain, and environments. They also optimized the visual effects of powers and guns to lessen drops in frame rates during heated action scenes. But the biggest change is giving players more variety in the worlds they visit. From lush jungle settings to crumbling test facilities, each playable area is a joy to experience.  

Another of ME2's strengths is its engaging story peppered with branching dialogue trees that are masterfully done by talented voice actors. Some of them include Michael Beattie as Mordin Solus and Martin Sheen as the Illusive Man. I'd like my games to feature full voice acting only if it is done like what ME2 has been able to accomplish. 

Gameplay

One of the minor disappointments I have with ME2 is the reduced variety in weapons and armor. The original had all sorts of items that you collect in your travels, like a regular RPG. Bioware decided to streamline the inventory system, making ME2 less about fitting items in your backpack. Traditional RPG fans like me will miss the obsessive management of loot, but it makes the game more accessible to fans of shooters and action games. 

Another change is the introduction of an ammo system in ME2. In the original, weapons simply overheated if overused, but you always had something to fire back with. In ME2, you need to conserve your ammunition and learn to use a variety of other guns, as you always won't have a full clip of your favorite weapon.  

Each player class has also been retooled so that each plays differently from another. Choosing which class to play basically defines how to treat combat. Playing as the Soldier class will give you a vastly different combat experience compared to the Vanguard or Infiltrator. As you can see, your entire experience with ME2 will be shaped by your actions and moral choices, giving you a fully realized universe.   

Conclusion

Mass Effect 2 trumps the original in almost every way. It's as though Bioware listened intently on what the community did and didn't like in the first one and stripped out (or in some cases, retooled) the negative aspects while improving the better features. 

While ME2 has its share of lows, Bioware has again raised the bar for RPGs due to the awesome graphics, deep and engaging sci-fi story, improved conversation and interrupt system, insanely fun combat, and a ton of worlds to explore.  

This is highly recommended. I'm actually giving it five out of five stars. I can't wait for Mass Effect 3!