Last May, I finally got around to finishing the original Mass Effect. This was mostly so I could do a write-up on the game for WingDamage.

Boy, am I ever glad I did. As I mentioned in that review, I was very interested to see how things were going to shake out in the sequel. Bioware had mentioned that you would be able to transfer your save file from the original game into Mass Effect 2. What I thought that meant was that your character would look the same and maybe a few key decisions would carry over. The reality blew my mind.

In Mass Effect 2, you once again take on the roll of Commander (Insert Name Here) Shepard. Only this time, he/she is not just some random space adventurer trying to save the galaxy. This time, if you brought over your character from the original, it is your Shepard.

"Coletrain Shepard"

I don’t want to get too much into the story, as fans of these types of science fiction are the kind that will burn you at the stake for giving away spoilers. I will say that even minor story events from the first game will be referenced in either small ways or with major consequences in this one; much more so than I was expecting. It will also lead directly into the third game. They even handled your character being returned to level one in an interesting way.

It seems that every gripe I heard about the first game was resolved. The Mako, your ground vehicle with spotty controls, is gone. You now take a shuttle directly to your destination. The massive piles of gear with a disorganized inventory system has been removed. You now find a few upgradable weapons. The upgrades work across all the guns in a category for all characters. Special bullet types are now powers that you gain through leveling up.

Another huge improvement over the original is the combat. Rather than having your accuracy based on a dice roll, your third-person shooting skills will be put to the test. Leveling your character will add powers and increase your health. This aspect of the RPG elements have been minimized quite a bit. Each character only has a few categories to spend your points on, rather than the original’s ten-ish.

Some have argued that the changes have made Mass Effect 2 less of an RPG than it’s predecessor. I say this is just a different kind of role playing. Rather than being stat driven, it is story driven. You play the roll of a space marine that can save the galaxy by doing whatever it takes, or by taking the moral high ground. All roads may lead to the same place, but each of them tells an interesting story.

What makes Mass Effect 2 really shine are the characters. Like any modern media, critics will nitpick what aspects of the character and story are “borrowed” from other sources. It all comes down to using those elements in fun and interesting ways, which Bioware has done exceptionally well. Even characters that I hated at the beginning of the game became vital members of the crew by the end. The addition of each party member’s personal quest helped a lot with this. It really allowed them to flesh out each of the characters. Near the end, when you have to make the difficult choices and characters can permanently die, you will find yourself thinking hard about each decision.

I normally don’t spend a lot of time going on about graphics, but in this case it should be mentioned how much better Mass Effect 2 looks than the original. The texture popping, which was horrible in the first game, is almost completely gone. Everything from the textures to the lighting effects have been revamped in amazing ways. This is one of the prettiest games I have ever played.

If you haven’t played the first Mass Effect, you will probably be a little lost in the sequel’s story. I recommend tracking down a copy and playing through it first if you want the full experience. If you really hated the first one and just want to skip to the much improved sequel, I suggest tracking down the key scenes in the first game on YouTube. Either way, play this game.

Tags: Bioware, Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, PC, rpg, shooter, third person shooter, Xbox 360

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 10:47 am and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.