Mass Effect 2 is the ultimate sci-fi RPG that you will absolutely lose yourself in, and is already Game of the Year 2010
Bioware is one of the greatest gaming companies in history. They have consistently delivered outstanding games that have left their marks on the video game world. In 2007, they released an epic, award-winning, sci-fi RPG – Mass Effect. Over two years later, the sequel has arrived, and needless to say: Bioware has done it again.
Mass Effect 2 takes place two years after the first game. You once again play as Commander Shepherd, who has broken away from the alliance, and is now working with Cerberus. This opens up a much darker game than Mass Effect 1. The boring and tedious side missions are gone, and you no longer have to struggle fumbling with the Mako. This doesn't mean, however, that Mass Effect 2 has a limited amount of exploration. The large sum of locations you visit, are larger, more vibrant, and way more interesting. You'll want to explore every hallway, and discover everything each location has to offer. The missions are also much more exciting, and you'll find yourself getting pulled deeper and deeper into this amazing universe.
The story in Mass Effect 2 is great, just like you'd expect. The game starts off with a few very exciting moments, and the first mission really sucks you into the action. The story is more straightforward than the first Mass Effect, but gets more complex as you go. There are tons of surprises in store for you throughout the game. Things in Mass Effect are very different this time around, and you even get a bigger, sleeker, and more badass ship. You'll meet tons of new faces, as well as regroup with some from the first game. One of the greatest things about Mass Effect 2 is how much of an impact your campaign from the first game has on the storyline. The decisions you made throughout the first game drastically affect how your campaign starts in the sequel. The characters have a lot of background, and the game encourages you to interact with your crew members. The game offers loyalty missions, which allow you to build your relationship with your teammates. Overall, your companions add to the game's immersion, and make your experience with the game even better. A bit of a let down though is that leveling-up this time around is very limited. In the first game you could really adjust and strengthen the abilities of your teammates and yourself, but in the sequel your customization doesn't have as big of an effect. The game also doesn't tell you the classes of your squad mates, and if you played the first game, you'll know how big of deal that is. This makes it harder to choose the right characters for the right situation; it just doesn't really make sense to be honest.
The gameplay in Mass Effect 2 has been completely revamped. The game is far more intense than its predecessor, and has a much faster pace. The action is intense, addicting, and ever so awesome. The cover system has been vastly improved. It is significantly easier to dip in and out of cover, and possible to navigate across the battlefield without getting in the line of fire. Shepherd can now vault over cover objects, and move more like the characters in Gears of War. However, the cover system does come with a few flaws. When you switch guns, Shepherd gets out of cover spontaneously. You cannot blind shoot, and in order to pop up and get a few shots off, Shepherd has to turn around and stand straight up. This takes him a bit of a while to do, and makes you an easy target for your enemies. The camera also never shifts while you're in cover, and from certain angles Shepherd's shoulder actually blocks your view of the battlefield. Aside from these issues, the gunplay is very satisfying. You now have to keep track of your ammo this time around, and have a wider range of weapons at your disposal. The inventory has been simplified and is much easier to handle. You can now use hotkeys, and assign a squad member to a specific button. Switching guns has also been improved, as you can switch back to your previous weapon with the push of the right bumper. The AI is pretty good as well. Both the enemy and your squad members can put up one decent fight. A bit too often though, your squad members will think their covered when their really not. Nonetheless, they can hold their own, and use their biotics and powers to great affect. They'll even use their powers cooperatively with you without you having to tell them.
The first Mass Effect posted some unmatched facial animations, but was hurt by a number of visual and frame rate issues. Mass Effect 2 brings those facial animations to life better than before, and fixes the problems from the first game. Actually, the animations as a whole all look very natural. Your squad mates even move, shift, and look around in the background while you're involved in a conversation. These movements are more frequent and convincing than in other games. The game has a sort of unique visual style to it. It's dark, but colorful at the same time, and features some superb lighting. Overall there's just a lot more detail in the textures than the first game, and some of the environments are simply exquisite. The Citadel looks better than before, but you can't explore it at all. This is because there's a new main city for you to lose yourself in: Omega. Omega surpasses the Citadel in size, look, and feel. All of this adds to Mass Effect 2's immersive atmosphere. Unfortunately the game is still hindered by a number of problems. While much less frequent than the first game, there are noticeable glitches and frame rate issues. Texture-fading occurs a bit too often, and there were even a few cases in which Shepherd just disappeared for a second and then reappeared. To go along with the few presentation issues is a very long and annoying loading screen. You no longer stand in an elevator while listening to some bad voiceovers and music, in fact you don't do anything. The game instead displays a loading screen showing the Normandy, and an exterior view of a mass effect relay. Let me put it this way, by the end of this game, you're going to REALLY know what a mass effect relay looks like. This is the only loading screen the game displays throughout the game, and it will definitely get on your nerves after a while.
The voice acting and music in Mass Effect 2 is good; like really effing good. Characters come alive, and are extremely believable with very different personalities. The music is exciting and fits the world of Mass Effect very well. Sound effects of the weapons, explosions, and various mechs you'll encounter are all good as well. It's too bad that the sound also has some issues. Occasionally the voices aren't synced with the animations. The sound of explosions is sometimes, but rarely, delayed as well. The music can also sometimes sound faded and weak, especially during certain conversations. Also, during these conversations the sound effects of gunfire, and such, are far too unpronounced, and it's almost as if the game separates you from the rest of it so you can exchange a few words. It's not really that big of a problem, but noticeable nonetheless.
Mass Effect 2 is a much better game than its acclaimed predecessor. It is much more intense and engaging to play. Once you get going you will never want to stop. It keeps what was good about Mass Effect 1, and improves upon a lot of what was bad about it, like any good sequel should. There are still plenty of other unique planets to check out, but you don't have to land on them and wonder around aimlessly while a Thresher Maw beats the living crap out of you. Instead you plant probes on the planet from the Normandy for resource scanning. Unfortunately, this isn't much better than driving around in the Mako because the scanning process is long and tedious. However, it is a rewarding process that gives you weapon and armor upgrades that actually have a major effect on the ending of the game. If you don't feel like doing this then the missions are very interesting and an absolute blast. If you want to play this game simply because you like third person shooters, and want to be able to shoot things, then you're better off sticking to Gears of War. However, if you think this game is anything but an RPG, and want to treat it like a shooter there is something wrong with you. Mass Effect 2 has way more to offer than any shooter can give you. You will want to play this game all the way through from the moment you start, and should take you about 20-30 hours to complete. Afterwards you'll want to play it again, as there are plenty of moral choices and alternative ways to approach each situation. It is this, combined with a superb story, and an amazing sci-fi universe that you'll absolutely get engulfed in, that allows Mass Effect 2 to overcome its issues, and already be a competitor for game of the year. In fact, aside from its few issues, this game screams perfection.