MASS fun...
Mass Effect 2 has been given a brilliant makeover by BioWare, using an upgraded version of the Unreal Engine and boy does it look pretty. I will admit there are better looking games but not many and Mass Effect offers another cinematic look but with better textures that are sharper and load up quicker than in the original game. Levels no longer look the same so often like in the 2007 version and the characters look more lifelike than ever. There still is room for improvement as sometimes in the cinematic chat screen you might see the odd texture blur in the background but its really nothing compared to the 1st game and more importantly the frame-rate does not suffer for better graphics.
One of the biggest strengths from the 2007 game was its amazing voice cast and soundtrack that brought the epic space adventure too life and once again it doesn't disappoint. The game still bodes a strong blend of actors who bring the characters to life but there are also crucial improvements over the original game. Combat itself sounds more authentic with better sounding guns and powers but also crucially the places you visit feel more alive in particular the planet Omega.
RPG games either succeed or fail on there gameplay much more than other genres of gaming and Mass Effect 2 strikes a balance between those who love RPG and those who love brutal combat. The whole power and combat system has been streamlined to be more effective and user friendly that will allow the franchise to grow leaps and bounds. The combat itself is more rewarding and will force you to use more tactics and cover to achieve your goals. Mass Effect 2 will make you feel like your in a fight for your life much more than the original but at the same time it will never become tiresome/boring. There is a price for a more user friendly system and despite not being an Hardcore RPG fan I must admit I do miss the ability to choose from tons of armour/weapons with a larger upgrade choice and the larger character point system. The powers are a little more restrictive this time around but it does balance the game better and the final unlock for each power is a nice addition. The new system to control your team mates is far better than the original game and being able to give individual orders for movement gives you more flexibility and the cover system helps your own character no end though I wonder why the crouch feature was removed.
The AI is where alot of games fail and while it may remain Mass Effect's weakest area, there has been a huge improvement over the first game in this area. Your own AI is much smarter this time and will seek out cover better and have a better grasp of their own powers. However your own AI is the biggest flaw still as they sometimes are slow to follow, refuse orders and can leave themselves a little open but its all in small infrequent doses. The enemy AI is a big positive for BioWare and makes the game far more challenging than its predecessor in every way possible. Your enemies are much more accurate and are much smarter at using their own powers. You will be forced to combat enemies who will utilize cover just as good as you and they will be heavily armed/shielded at times in much greater numbers over the levels. The enemy AI will sometime leave itself too open but thats in much more smaller doses than in Mass Effect 1.
The game boasts a single player that can last 35-40 hours if you choose to do virtually everything in the game like all the side missions, which are not as tedious as some found in Mass Effect 1. You can also enjoy interesting conversations with your crew to give you a better grasp on what makes them tick though the biggest annoyance of the gameplay is alot of tedious planet scanning despite being a better option than the Mako. There are bugs in the game but to a lesser degree than Mass Effect 1 and for a game that is so long, there is no doubt BioWare has done a great job polishing Mass Effect 2 even though you might get a few annoyances along the way. The story is more developed than in the original and is heavy with many twists and turns though its biggest advantage is carrying over Mass Effect 1 decisions, which brings the game to a whole new level of story telling and for me is the future of better story driven games. Mass Effect 2 is simply superb and I have no doubts giving it the game of the year title even at this early stage of 2010. I also have very little doubt saying that Mass Effect 2 is one of the greatest games of all time if not the greatest.
A MUST buy for any 360/PC owner.