Arguably one of the greatest RPG's ever made, and the best Xbox 360 game too date.
I must start off by saying, I absolutely hated the original Mass Effect released in 2007. The storyline was was a mixed bag, the combat was unsure of itself, and the characters for the most part did nothing for me. Growing up on Japanese Role Playing Games (most notably Final Fantasy) I had little interest in the Canadian developed space RPG. So you could only imagine my utter shock that a sequel was too be released, and the hype around it was high. With absolutely zero anticipation, and fueled off of the talk from my friends and co-workers I made the blind buy. The rest as they say, is history.
As the player, you take control of a dead man, Commander Shepard. As the game starts, you should not be alive but rather dead from the events that take place in the first game. You're a war hero, a legend, a marketed poster boy for your once Alliance home world. Then you meet Miranda Lawson, she holds a gun to your head point blank, she takes you to the Illusive Man, a mysterious enemy with a bad reputation. With no choice, you must join him on his task mission to defeat The Collectors, a group of created alien scum who are harvesting human colonies, and no one knows why. With a new vessel, your mission becomes traveling throughout the galaxy, your goal? Too piece together the toughest, most bad ass squad this side of the moon. This becomes your main quest following the main story, and with that it is Mass Effect 2 strongest point. You'll travel to interesting locations, and meet all sorts of interesting people, some good, some bad - but all of them with unique stories. The main goal of the game becomes piecing your team for what is referred to as a suicide mission. Usually getting these characters to join your squad consist of battling your way to them, and than battling your way out with them on your side. Unlike the original Mass Effect, these alias are not full of hope, or out for a grand adventure, but rather they join your quest because there is simply nothing left for them. Your team consist mainly of hired assassins, criminals, losers, the broken down, and even some familiar faces. The games dark, it does not shy away from political, racial, or cultural issues that we face in the real world.
The graphics, are the best I've seen for a game as massive as Mass Effect 2. Each planet has it's own unique feel, weather, and atmosphere. No two planets feel alike, and none of the NPC's you encounter on them do either. At first this can seem overwhelming, and because the game is so open, what to do next can become a little freighting. The character modeling, and animation is nothing short of spectacular, and with all the different races found throughout the galaxy it makes you wonder if the guys at BioWare are using some sort of magic.
Sound in Mass Effect 2, is just as impressive if not more than the visuals. With an stellar soundtrack that will rank amongst the greatest ever composed for a video game. At one moment grand and orchestral, the next a sci fi film noir beat, not unlike that of Blade Runner. Then there is the voice acting, oh the voice acting. It's clear that the development team wanted to do something imersive and that's why they went to the best. The cast is mostly made up of Battle Star Galactica, Star Trek, and other popular sci fi television shows. You are sure to hear some familiar voices, from the likes of: Martin Sheen, Seth Green, Yvonne Starhovski, and Adam Baldwin from Chuck fame, along with Battlestar's Tricia Helfer. The other great thing about this cast is that they're not just phoning it in, they act with emotion, and with some serious ability that almost makes the game worth playing by itself.
Probably the biggest change from the original is in the gameplay. Where the first game could not decide whether or not it wanted to be a turn based RPG or a third person shooter, Mass Effect 2 has absolutely no identity crisis. The combat remains third person, and the player will have to use the environment as cover protection from enemy fire. Too be honest, the fire fights go down a lot like Gears of War. Going guns blazing will probably end with you having to restart the battle again, so in this way you have to be cautious, pace your steps and be prepared. You'll gain new upgrades for your guns, as will your teammates, along with powers such as levitating an enemy in the air only to have him come crashing down hard. The combat is fun, it's addicting, and a real refresh from your typical turn based role playing games. Your squad AI, is very intelligent, hardly ever getting in your way, or causing you to use all your med packs. Who you choose to bring to battle with you becomes a strategy in the game. Loyalty plays a main role, and gaining the trust of your squad can be the difference between life and death. You can only choose two other AI controlled teammates to take into each mission, this to adds to the strategy of who you trust most.
Mass Effect 2 is a truly remarkable gaming experience, that should not be missed by anyone, especially anyone owning an Xbox 360 (you have no excuse.) It's a personal experience, and each player will have his/her own unique adventure. I have talked to people about certain things I did in the game, and they never had the same thing happen to them. Your story evolves as the game does. Your friendship, your relationships, your enemies, all change as you travel in the world created. Rarely do I complain about a game that can take up to roughly 30 to four hours to complete being too short, but in this case I never once wanted my adventure to end. It's far from a perfect game however, and it more than its fair share of problems, mostly technical. Load times can be a bit long, and they appear often. Some graphical hiccups, and pop in can become are not major problems but they exist. The Xbox 360 shows it age, as the game takes up two discs, and swapping between them can become frustrating when your engaged in the story. For every fault however, there is about ten positives that make them obsolete when you take the entire scope into perspective. It (along with Uncharted 2) sets a new bench mark in gaming, combining an intelligent, emotional story while giving the player thrilling combat that actually has a point behind it. It's an achievement in interactive storytelling, and in storytelling in general, being both original and brave. Finally Mass Effect 2 highlights the greatest strength that video games have. Where a movie may last 2 hours, a video game has time to give life to its characters (not matter how alien they seem) and fully flesh out its story. With a video game, you are the main protagonist, you embark on an adventure, and you have an experience unique to you.
"...it's the Avatar of video games - except it's better written."
-TIME Magazine