Mass Effect 2 Review

BioWare are masters of RPG development and continue pushing the boundaries of what they believe the base RPG genre should be like to the masses. Mass Effect 2 is therefore not only an RPG; but a test in taking the genre and messing with its innards to create not only a compelling story but a new style of RPG not yet fully recognised by its peers.

Whilst scouting for Geth, the Normandy is attacked by a mysterious cruiser which blows the ship to bits. Shepard saves his/her crew but dies in the ensuing battle. From there, you're collected by a group known as Cerberus who want to revive you and clue you in on everything that's happening all in the name of saving humanity from extinction.

Mass Effect 2 is not a new beast itself. The original Mass Effect set much of the ground-work for what would happen in Mass Effect 2. With that said however, BioWare pushed the limit's possible in Mass Effect 2 to make it a much more fluid experience that its predecessor.

The lag that was jarring in the previous outing is gone and the battle system has been re-written from the ground up to make it a much more exhilarating experience compared to its slower predecessor.  A greater sense of control over both Shepard and his/her companion characters will also allow you to strategize mid-battle allowing for some interesting fire-fights.

The game pushes the boundaries by making you feel connected to characters. You'll rarely see the same conversation twice and each time there will be a moral choice which will either tie you to that character or damage the relationship being built there-in. Mass Effect is all about character interaction and your choices will reflect the status you hold within your group.

The game allows you to take control of your play-style throughout your travels. You'll be able to upgrade your ship, it's weapons, shields and resistances from schematics you acquire on missions. You'll also be able to manipulate Shepard and the other characters available to you, levelling them up manually and giving them points in areas such as assault rifle damage, biotic damage and much more.

Mass Effect 2 is a very nice looking game. The characters stand out, all feel unique and quirky in their own ways while the cut scenes and rendered dialog scenes help guide the story along extremely well.  The level design is just as good, unlike the games predecessor and it's monotonous design pallet.

The game will keep you busy dealing with the hordes of enemies running at you whilst undertaking a mission. With full control over where you go and what you undertake, there's plenty of planetary exploration and scanning to do in-between the shooting and underlying story-arcs. If you're not really in the mood for missions, you can always pay your crew a visit. They'll be glad you did as there's lots of twists and turns to deal with on-board the Normandy.

Mass Effect is fully voice acted and for the most part it's pretty damn impressive. The voice cast is second-to-none with Hollywood superstars coming out to offer their vocal talents. Actors such as Martin Sheen, Seth Green and Yvonne Strahovski show what most games are missing out on and all I can say is I want more of this top talent portraying our favourite characters. Along with the games soundtrack and ambience, you'll be feeling fully immersed in the experience you tailor for yourself in-game.

There's no doubt that by the end you'll feel like you had a connection to many of the characters throughout your  time in-game. The game will last you between twenty and thirty hours on your first play-through. Of course, you'll probably want to return once more and see how the choices you can make in-game affects the underlying story and your character's in general.

My love for this title doesn't come directly from the action, but the story and its consequences. I love the fact that I could choose to spare the life of an alien gone mad or kill an alien I'd see as a threat later on in the game. The choice was purely mine and sometimes, playing as evil Shepard was much more exhilarating than throwing myself into the old goody-two-shoes role I was used to.

Mass Effect 2 was a lot of fun. With an excellent storyline, lovable characters, exciting cover-based game play and a true feeling of being in space. It's not a title to miss out on.

Of course, if you're unsure. Most platforms offer a demo giving a basic outline of how the game plays out. Give it a go and see if you're ready to hit the Omega 4 relay.