1011101100101010011 (Translation: Buy Mass Effect 2)
If you’ve been paying attention to this site at all over the past week and a half, you probably know where this review is going. The original Mass Effect remains one of my favorite games of this console generation, but the experience was marred by some bad gameplay design and glitches. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the game for the great dialogue system and its powerful storyline. I found myself sucked in by the tough choices and situations the game forced upon me. Mass Effect 2 keeps in the great story and dialogue elements, throws in stronger character development, and streamlines the gameplay – effectively dumping most of the bad design choices from the first game. The result: Game of the Year 2010 in January? Maybe…
Characters Welcome
To me, the strongest aspect of this game is the characters. The story, which is a pretty standard “save the galaxy from certain annihilation” yarn, wasn’t as powerful as the original (though I still enjoyed it thoroughly). What makes this game great is the allies you meet. The majority of the game is spent finding members of your squad, and the main story kind of takes a backseat to this. Normally, this would be a problem for me, but it’s so well done that I can’t complain. Each squad member (11 in total including a free DLC character) has two missions: one where you recruit them and one when you gain their loyalty. One or two of them feel like filler, but for the most part these missions are a great way to get to know the backstories of your team better.
A couple missions in particular really highlight some of the moral complexities that Bioware excels at. I found the Salarian doctor Mordin Solus’ and the biotic convict Jack’s stories particularly moving and there are a few other hidden gems as well. There are so many characters that it can be overwhelming, but I found them all enjoyable so I didn’t mind. I did find myself wishing that maybe there were a few less characters so that there could have been one or two missions for each of them, but that’s really nitpicking.
Supporting these character-based missions is the returning dialogue system from the original game. Like the original, you can choose “Paragon” and “Renegade” responses that will affect your moral composition in the game, and the voice work is superb. This time there seems to be way more dialogue, both in the form of more characters and longer dialogue trees. The range of choices in what you can say are as fun as ever, and Bioware has introduced a new “interrupt” system with both Paragon and Renegade options. In what amounts to Quick Time Events, at points in certain conversations you can “interrupt” the person you are talking to, either in a positive way, or in a negative way. FYI: Renegade options usually result in some form of physical violence.
Your new friends are strong, but it’s your job to make sure they survive
Choices that Matter
I think that’s what’s remarkable about Mass Effect 2. Moreso than the first game, I really identified with Commander Shepard. As Shepard formed a team and gained their trust, I got to know my squadmates and started to trust them. Just like Shepard is supposed to care about his team in game, I started to care about my team. Finally, Shepard is expected to lead his crew and utilize them in a way that accomplishes the mission while keeping as many people alive as possible, which is exactly what I had to do as the player. It’s amazing that a game could make me identify with its main character so much.
Twice the Fun
To some extent, while the original Mass Effect had a lot of the stuff I mentioned above, the sequel just does it better. But Mass Effect suffered because its gameplay was shoddy. The shooting mechanics were annoying and then there was the dreaded Mako. Since I just replayed Mass Effect again, I was kind of nervous that glitchy gameplay would mar the sequel.
Consider me impressed. The game now controls like a poor man’s Gears of War. It’s much easier to take cover (press A button), you can hurdle over cover, and it’s a bit easier to control your squadmates (though that still could be improved). The guns now have “thermal clips”, which basically function like ammo, so you can’t just fire like crazy anymore. If the action is too fast for you, you still have the option of using Tech or Biotic powers with the power wheel, which pauses the action and lets you target enemies one at a time. Think of it like using the force, except you can pause to choose how you are using it.
The repetitive mission structure has been tweaked as well. Instead of fighting through the same environments over and over again, there is a lot of variety, which is especially evident in side missions. It should be noted that the way you gain experience has been totally revamped. You no longer get experience for opening every crate, killing enemies, etc. Experience is awarded on a per mission basis. Main storyline quests are worth 1000 XP, loyalty quests 750, side missions 125, and little missions 40. I’m not sure why they streamlined it, but it didn’t bother me too much.
Bioware has streamlined a LOT of the other RPG elements as well, which should be noted. There is no more comparing stats of 500 different guns and armor and the cumbersome inventory system is gone. Basically, there are only 19 guns in the game, and you improve them by buying or researching upgrades. I don’t mind at all, since I hate spending my game time in menus, but I can see how RPG fans might feel like they are missing out.
Shepard.
Final Thoughts
I should end this now because I could probably write another thousand words about this game. I don’t have space to write about the amazingly rendered cutscenes, the smooth frame rate, or the great music. There is too much to write about, which is the perfect metaphor for this game. I realize now that the original Mass Effect took me about 20 hours to complete, but I spent a lot of that time doing junky filler stuff, like managing my inventory, riding elevators or driving that cursed Mako. This game took me 30 hours on my first playthrough, but aside from load times, which are improved a bit, very little of that time was filler. A small exception is the mineral gathering mini-game which gets a bit tedious by the end.
This game may not be perfect, but it comes pretty close. I just found myself totally lost in the game and spending every ounce of free time (and time when I should have been sleeping!) on it. I started getting sad when I entered the endgame, because I knew the ride was almost over. If you enjoyed the first game, you will absolutely love the sequel. Mass Effect 2 is filled with so many great moments – funny ones, tragic ones, heroic ones. Do yourself a favor, play the original and then buy this game. Or just skip the original and get this one. It doesn’t matter, as long as the end result is you, an Xbox or PC, and Mass Effect 2. The galaxy needs saving from certain annihilation. Do it.
Final Grade: A
seems like you are in agreement with the reviewers then that this game is phenomenal. there’s an interesting article though that someone wrote discussing all the negatives to me2 and how reviews for BioWare’s games are unfairly positively prejudiced. maybe you can check it out (and perhaps refute it) as someone that has already completed the game.
http://www.infoaddict.com/the-many-failures-of-mass-effect-2
Interesting article. I agree with some of the points, but I think this guy is taking it a bit too far. To categorize these things as “failure” show that either he is biased, or he is holding Bioware up to incredibly high standards.
Where to start. I’d start by stating that me giving the game an A doesn’t mean that it’s a perfect experience. I too had little nitpicks here and there, but unlike the original game, these nitpicks weren’t so large that they detracted from the overall experience. When I think about Mass Effect 2, I think: man, that game was TONS of fun. More fun than Halo 3: ODST, more fun than Assassin’s Creed 2, etc. etc. I think it’s unfair to say Bioware games get artificially inflated scores. When it comes down to it, the question is, did the reviewer enjoy the game? Was it fun? For example, KOTOR got rave reviews, but I didn’t enjoy it all that much. A lot of it is personal opinion.
As for this author’s list of Mass Effect 2 “failures”, I do agree with some of them, but again, they are nitpicks, not failures. To me, a FAIL results in the gameplay experience sucking. I never once felt that way. Anyway, I his indictments that stood out to me here:
Mako gone = great, Planet Scanning = bad – It definitely is tedious, but it’s the only part of the game that feels like “grinding”. Since I’m used to grinding so much in RPGs, I kind of didn’t even notice
False Sense of Complexity – I’m not sure what the author is talking about, on the harder difficulties, you are dead if you don’t use your powers wisely and move from cover to cover.
Bioware Still Searching for Effective Interface – I prefer the pared down interface, but it still could be improved. Example: Upgrades could be organized by type so you don’t have to scroll through a million to see what you’ve upgraded.
Awful Combat Stages – Again, I think the wording is too strong. The combat stages aren’t “awful”, but Bioware could make it more seamless. We praise Gears of War 2, and really, it’s the same basic idea, it’s just the cover looks a little more varied.
The British Romans Effect – I prefer English, so no complaints here. The aliens are varied enough for me, and what Bioware lacks in, I guess, alien languages, it makes up for by giving each race a pretty hefty backstory, including backstories between races. I loved that.
All in all, this guy seems like the opposite of a fanboy. A hateboy? But if he didn’t like the game, I respect that. And of course, I would love to see Bioware make more improvements for Mass Effect 3. But don’t call us stupid for liking the game!
Ugh, I just read the article on that site. Yeah, I’m pretty sure he was just LOOKING for things to hate. The “British Romans” effect isn’t even a problem. I’d strongly prefer hearing great voice acting (that differs among alien species) over reading it on the bottom of the screen. Why does the game have to be realistic? The aliens aren’t real, so why not complain about the inclusion of aliens in the first place?
Anyway, nice review. I totally agree with the A.
agreed – i think the author was making a bigger deal out of his nitpicks and assuming the role of “hateboy” in order to drive traffic to the site. i’m sure it worked.
I hear you on the A though. no game is perfect, which is why i think it’s good we sort of switched over to this letter grade system. A game can still be an excellent experience despite its flaws, and for us an A is simply an excellent game.
I also didn’t like KOTOR when I first played it, but I think I will give it another chance some day (now that I bought it on sale on Steam). and i know that some ppl didn’t really like Bioware’s Jade Empire either, so everything Bioware touches doesn’t always turn to gold!