Mass Effect 2 is a third person shooter role-playing game developed by BioWare. Create your own verson of Commander Shepard, build up your squad, and save the galaxy.

I heard many great things about the original Mass Effect but I was never able to play it myself. I was hesitant about buy the sequel because I didn’t want to be confused by not knowing the original storyline. Thankfully, ME2 doesn’t draw to much from ME and stands on its own, creating a great game with tons of replay value.

And you thought I'd miss.

The great thing about BioWare is that they know how to create a great storyline for rpgs. The plot is non-linear: your choices actually change what happens in parts of the game. There is a large amount of character development between Shepard and his companions which can either lead to their deaths or your own. You can also choose to acquire every character or just proceed quickly through the storyline. The choices you make throughout the game define what may or may not happen to you. The game goes in-depth with the characters: you can learn their backgrounds and personalities by spending some time talking to them. It all depends on how much time you really want to invest; either make a great storyline or play for a quick win. You can undergo a few sidequests to raise your level and help get yourself some new equipment or just rely on what you get on the main plot, its all up to you. To really enjoy the game though, I highly recommend taking some time to get to know the game. Save a couple times and take different routes, you’ll be surprised how a simple line can change the way a character treats you.

Something about a woman who can handle a gun...

Battlesystem: ME2′s battlesystem is basically like a mix between Gears of War and Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic. During battle you charge behind different areas of cover, like boxes or pillars, and then peek out and take your shots. Depending on your character’s class (six to choose from) you can have a vast array of powers or weapons at your disposal. Line up a shot with a sniper rifle, unleash hell with an smg, or throw the enemy in the air with a biotic power: whatever you depends on who you are and what you got. My personal favorite is to take everyone down with a sniper rifle: nothing feels more satisfying than a one-shot one-kill. There are a few problems with the weapons though. Sniper rounds do not penetrate and they don’t always kill an enemy with a single shot. I was quite displeased when I managed to line up two enemies’ heads, and only got on kill out of it. The shotgun is also very weak, even in close quarters. You may as well stick with a pistol or the assault rifle, which is the strongest regular weapon in the game in terms of kills per clip. You can have a lot of fun with the special weapons; shooting missiles, tactical nukes, and frozen balls of plasma always makes for a good time. I haven’t had much experience with the biotic and technical powers but they work a lot like force powers in KOTOR. Slam throws your enemy into the ground, shockwave sends out force wave dealing massive damage, and combat drone summons a small robot that draws enemy fire. These powers help in dealing some extra damage when you’ve run out of ammo or are a real specialist in that ability.

Good alien/robot thingy, now just give me the gun.

Outside the Battle: Drawing from its KOTOR roots, ME2 has a small bit of free-roam. The maps are very linear in appearance, but some do have hidden caches of items and equipment. In populated areas you can choose to talk to a few inhabitants that give off a little bit of dialog that pertains to the area. One difference though is that you can only talk to your allies while you are on the ship. Otherwise they are quiet followers that speak up very rarely. The shops contain upgrades that you can purchase, but they only take effect after you have researched them which becomes quiet a hassle because of all the resources you need.

Outside the Planet: Piloting the ship is very easy. The galaxy map is pretty straightforward: it shows all the nebulas that you can visit and the quests that are available there. To travel from nebula to nebula, your ship must pass through a Mass Relay, showing a small cutscene of your travel. Once your in your selected nebula, you can travel that given star system without any penalty. However, you spend fuel when you are trying to travel from one star system to another, but this is inexpensive. When you enter the orbit of a planet you can scan it for resources that are harvested by probes. This process can get very time consuming as you try to gather enough resources to purchase the upgrades you want. Otherwise you can enjoy all the awesome looking planet and hope you find that element you’re looking for.

And I Think…?

For the most part I have really enjoyed this game. The graphics are very clean and sharp: aliens look realistic and the environment is beautiful. The fights are enjoyable and are easy to change in difficulty.

The characters are deep and likable. The flaws are few and easy to get over. But all in all, how great this game is really depends on how much you are willing to put into it. This is not a game you want to rent for a few days, especially if you want to play Mass Effect 3. Buy this game if you have some time to dedicate and you’ll enjoy it a lot. I give this game a 9 out of 10.

Yes, I am Commander Shepard of the Normandy.

-Silver

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