PROVISO/DISCLAIMER: This review is based on PC version of Mass Effect 2 only, I cannot say anything for other platforms, if you find any mistake or exclusion in this regard, please do inform me and I'll update my review thanks.
The Good:
- Deep and excellent story.
- Rich cast to interact with.
- Lots of specializations and skills to master.
- Variety of places and environments to explore.
- Intense combat.
- Improved team and enemy A.I.
- Multiple difficulty modes.
- Great replay value.
- Amazing visual design.
- Spectacular voice acting.
- Optimized performance in PC version.
- Mouse & Keyboard works really well with cover and shoot type of combat.
The Bad:
- Oversimplification in some areas.
- Some weak additions.
- Minor quest glitches.
- No official support of anti aliasing in PC version.
- Occurrence of long loading times with multi-core processors.
It’s been a long time since I last wrote a review, I had a few problems due to which I was unable to use my PC, but now I am back and I brought something for you which I think is worthy of your time.
When we think about kickass RPGs only one name comes into mind capable of creating such RPGs and that name is Bioware. It is a company known for delivering some of the most memorable RPGs in the history of video gaming and today we are going to discuss one such RPG title.
The RPG we are talking about is Mass Effect 2 which is a direct sequel of Bioware’s highly acclaimed Mass Effect. The game readily impressed the critics and made a very good score. Bioware also enhanced the game significantly on the request and feedback of its fans. Today we will see whether these enhancements and the game itself are good enough to make this title beauty of your collection or it’s another flawed RPG with just big hype.
I call Mass Effect 2 a direct sequel of Mass Effect because it starts directly from the point where the last game ended. Bioware did a great job in combining the story with the previous title so that players of Mass Effect feel like its one big story, but Bioware also inserted enough refreshers in the new story so that the players who started with Mass Effect 2 can understand what is actually happening and what might have happened in the first game. This is a good thing because it not only makes the new game a good choice for all types of fans but it also increase the value of first game.
The game is built with Epic’s famous Unreal engine 3.5 with all the latest features like dynamic lighting, advanced shadows, soft body physics (rag doll effects), surround sound etc. The performance of PC version is also very satisfactory; it never crashed on me and ran like butter even when I forced 12x anti aliasing and 12x anisotropic filtering for smooth visuals so I must say Bioware did an incredible job optimizing the game for performance.
Story plays great role in RPGs so I will try to keep the spoilers at minimum, you have to play the game yourself in order to see the true potential of story. Okay… In Mass Effect 2 we have the same protagonist namely Commander Shepard and he is doing the same job of saving the galaxy from the threat of some mysterious enemy but this time the threat is bigger and better, SSV Normandy; the spaceship of Commander Shepard witnessed a new type of advanced enemy which entirely changed the life of Shepard, now he is compelled to work with new alliances to sort this problem out and for this he needs a new team capable of handling a suicidal mission that lies ahead.
Saving galaxy… Suicidal mission? Don’t you have anything better to say?
There are a few ways in which you can start Mass Effect 2. For example you can start a new game by just choosing your gender which means you are a new player to Mass Effect series or you can import your Mass Effect character to Mass Effect 2, now this is a wonderful addition because if you are going to import character it grants you a few bonuses as well as all the important decisions you have taken in Mass Effect will carry over to Mass Effect 2 this not only enhances the value of Mass Effect 2 but also give players a reason to play the first game. You can also import Mass Effect 2’s character back in Mass Effect 2, this is only possible if you have beaten the game once and it also award you with some powerful bonuses which I will not discuss here to spoil your fun. This improves the overall replay value of the game. I esteem Bioware for their intelligence.
In my case I have started a whole new game like a new player; there were two reasons behind my decision… First I don’t want those bonuses of importing a character in my first play through because I decided to write the review after my first play so I wanted to experience everything (without any benefit) and second reason was somewhat personal… I was feeling a bit lazy to bring the CD in which I kept my old saved games. Now I am playing the game for second time and I have imported my first play character back in the second play and I must say that I am really enjoying those bonuses and benefits now.
As you start a new game you will see a prologue video after which you can create your character, it includes basic things like your first name, facial setup, profile and specialization… nothing new for a seasoned RPG player. You can specialize as a Soldier, Adept, Engineer, Sentinel and some more. Each specialization has its own merits and demerits like soldiers are combat specialists and they can use heavy weapons like assault rifles, shotguns and sniper rifles but they don’t bring tech and biotic abilities while Sentinels have tech and biotic abilities at their disposal but they are not specialized in heavy weapons. I suggest you pick the one which suits your play style.
Completing missions and assignments (aka side quests) rewards you with experience, upon getting enough experience you will level up and gain some squad points then you can spend these points on variety of skills to improve your abilities, the set of skills available to you depends upon the specialization you have chosen. For example if you’re a soldier you have a skill known as Adrenaline rush which radically increases your reflexes thus allowing you to go in bullet time mode where you are fast but everything else is dead slow. Once you fully upgrade a single skill you can unlock one of its two powerful versions, choose wisely because they can make difference. You can also level up your team members and assign them squad points in similar fashion.
Mass Effect 2 boasts a good cast of recruit able NPCs as well as normal NPCs, like its predecessor the members of your team comes from a variety of galactic races which includes Humans, Asari, Turians, Salarians, Quarians, Drell and of course Krogans. You will also encounter Batarians, Hanars, Volus and Vorcha as non-recruit able NPCs. Simply put Mass Effect 2 will give you a diverse collection of races to interact with. Members of each race have different feelings and opinions towards human race, some really like you because you’re human and admire your qualities while other races show a more argumentative behavior when you approach them, It’s like approaching people of different cultures and values in real life.
I am Commander Shepard and this is my smart team.
Unlike normal NPCs, recruit able NPCs are more intelligent and you have to deal them carefully, they have feelings which you can hurt with one wrong word, they also like to share their personal life matters with you and expect that you will help them with sincerity so if you don’t reply them or help them in an appropriate manner they won’t like you anymore. In Mass Effect 2 Bioware introduced a new concept of loyalty of team members and I say it’s a very good addition, like I said the team members will eventually approach you and ask you to help them in a deep personal matter, if you help them properly and satisfy them you will gain their loyalty. Loyalty of team members can help you in significant ways which I will not discuss here but know one thing that you won’t regret spending time on gaining their loyalty once you know what benefit it can give you.
Like most Bioware games, there is a chance of having romance in Mass Effect 2 with one of your team members, but unlike its precursor Mass Effect 2 has much more complex connection of relations between you and your team, to sort these relations out require some skill because there are multiple team members you can approach for romance and you can also do smart things like love triangles. It’s all very dramatic and exciting; make sure you experience all of it.
Talking with your team is always a nice idea.
There are also some hard decisions you have to take in Mass Effect 2 which can result in some problems. It does not mean that you cannot sort these decisions out in a positive way but solving them in a positive manner can be quiet difficult. If you have played Mass Effect you must be aware of what I am talking about but if you haven’t played it then I will explain it to you.
The conversation in Mass Effect 2 is divided into three parts namely Paragon, Neutral and Renegade. If you are ultimate hero type of person who like to solve problems, talk in positive and polite manner etc then you should go with Paragon options, if you decide to go neutral you should choose options which will point in just closing the conversation without any real solution of the problem (note that neutrality does not work in every situation). And if you’re a badass type of person who is mean, selfish and just want to get the job done regardless of cost then you should choose Renegade conversation options. Paragon options reward you with special paragon points, neutral options are reward less and Renegade options reward you with special renegade points. These points are very crucial for some hard decisions which we have discussed earlier; such situations require either some persuasion or intimidation which is only possible if you have enough Paragon or Renegade points respectively.
Charismatic hero stuff.
Bioware did some major changes to Mass Effect 2 based on the feedback they have received from their fans. The areas changed considerably are Combat, Galaxy exploration, Resource gathering, Upgrades and Shopping. I will explain all these changes below.
Combat is the most prominent feature of Mass Effect 2, they have enhanced it noticeably. If you have played Mass Effect you must be aware that team members in combat were nothing but pain in the ass. They don’t respond quickly to enemies, they never protect you and most of the time they use their abilities poorly. All of this is corrected in Mass Effect 2 or at least improved, now the team member A.I is impressive and they time their abilities perfectly, try to flank enemies, support/protect you if you’re close enough and take cover when they take heavy hits however if they fall in combat which happens often at higher difficulties then you should use medi-gel to recover them from unconsciousness.
Dull combat is a thing of past now.
The general structure of combat is also enhanced... now you cannot survive without cover, shooting is based on turns first enemies fire at you and you remain in cover then you fire at them and they remain in cover and so on… team members can create distractions so that you can take a nice headshot, it gives you an edge if you use team work. Enemies are also smart now they use their powers aggressively, try to flank you a lot which is a death warrant if you don’t kill them quick. If you’re smart enough you can also take advantage of environment in Mass Effect 2 for example you can drop heavy containers on enemies by shooting them, destroy inflammable containers to wreck havoc or you can confuse enemies by destroying their cover if they are hiding behind fragile boxes… it’s all in your reach.
Watching your enemy or something else? Anyway it’s always nice to have one team member around in combat.
A good armor is also necessary for combat; you can select/customize armor in the captain’s cabin of your ship. Although it’s very streamlined but its nothing like Mass Effect, Bioware has hugely simplified armor customization in Mass Effect 2.
I remember that the feature of armor selection in Mass Effect was bulky with tons of armors to choose from but it was kind of good for an RPG game but in Mass Effect 2… I think armor customization is way too much simplified, first there are not enough pieces of armor to choose from and the ones which are available does not make a huge difference for example no one is going to notice a 5% shield strength boost in heavy combat, it should be like 10% or 15% at least to make some difference.
Some nice looking armor is also available via DLC which you can download but to be honest it looks like a stripped away feature because the downloaded armor works like a complete suit, you cannot change or remove single piece of such armor, why it’s bad you ask? Well let me give you an example… we all know that there are two kinds of RPGs, first in which the protagonist portray your choice of dialogs by speaking them (like Mass Effect 1/2, The Witcher etc) and second in which the protagonist does not speak (like Dragon Age Origins, Neverwinter Nights etc), the second kind of RPGs can work with suit type of armors because you don’t have to see the expressions of your main character but in first kind of RPGs you like to see the behavior, reaction, expression etc of your main character but if his/her face is hidden behind a stupid helmet then… it looks funny. If a hidden speaking face doesn’t bother you much then there is a good variety of armors you can get in DLC for example Red dragon armor, Terminus armor etc.
This thing of iron is impressive but looks funny when speak.
Another lame feature is outfitting your team members; this is really bad because you cannot customize armor of your team, all you can do is just choose one of their two outfits. They are good for visual refreshment but apart from that they don’t offer any other benefit.
When we are talking about combat we cannot forget weapons, streamlining the weapon selection procedure is a refreshing addition. You can change weapons using weapon rack interface available in your ship as well as some other locations. The collection of weapons in Mass Effect was extremely bulky, tiresome to choose from and above all without noticeable benefits but this issue has been addressed in Mass Effect 2, now weapons not only look different but they also have their pros and cons like real weapons for example if we’re talking about two sniper rifles, one can deliver huge amount of damage while other can have slightly better firing rate. Weapon selection is not an excuse now; you need different weapons for different situations.
Weapon selection is straight and quick now.
In Mass Effect there was a huge nuisance of weapon heat, which I believe was a hurdle in overall combat experience. This issue is also addressed in Mass Effect 2, now you don’t have to worry about weapon heat problems instead you just have to release thermal clips in order to keep weapons cool and these clips are like normal ammo clips so no worries.
Bioware also introduced a nice collection of heavy weapons which were not present in Mass Effect, these weapons can be devastating and you will thank them once they will save your life. Some of these weapons are just in game items while others can be obtained via DLC.
Burn the hell out of your enemies with heavy weapons.
Galaxy exploration is also changed in Mass Effect 2, it starts with same galaxy map but now you can move your ship within a single space and also beyond that space which requires consumption of fuel which you can obtain from fuel stations so make sure you’re full before you do some space to space travelling. We also suggest that you do such travelling because in this way you can explore other planets which might have some missions waiting for you.
Resource gathering is an all new feature introduced in Mass Effect 2, now you can no longer visit planets using Mako (The high tech APC in Mass Effect) for gathering purpose which I think is a setback because watching/exploring new planets from your ride was fun but I also admit that driving Mako was like playing some old arcade game. In Mass Effect 2 resource gathering is done via your ship, you select a planet; scan it for possible resources and launch the probes to get those materials for you. Its fun in the beginning but you’ll get bore pretty quick. You will also found resources and salvage parts in missions but unfortunately the primary source of material gathering is that boring planet scan.
Yawn… resource harvesting is boringggg.
By now you must be thinking why do we need all those special materials anyway right? Well they are required for you to purchase different upgrades via research interface or by talking to your team members; Bioware has changed the way of upgrading your equipment, now you don’t have to go through the hectic versions of upgrades like Ablative I, II, III and so on… these upgrades are now easy to obtain, just research them and they will be permanently installed into your hardware no need to replace them, search for better version etc. These upgrades also enhance your equipment considerably like 50% additional damage to sniper rifles if you purchase AP upgrade. There are many types of upgrades including ship related upgrades, make sure you explore them all to get an edge.
Cutting edge technology at your disposal.
Shopping in Mass Effect 2 is not very exciting, it’s easy to do yes but it’s nothing like Mass Effect. You will find fewer items on shops but it’s recommended that you check all of them as some can help you with upgrading your equipment. For shopping you need credits (normal interstellar currency) which you can find from a variety of places and by completing missions.
Apart from the main campaign there is lot to do in Mass Effect 2, you can do team recruitment missions, loyalty missions to make recruited members happy and of course the assignments. In other words Mass Effect 2 is a fairly long game if you have no rush to finish the campaign. You will also find mini games during missions like sabotaging a circuit, hacking a PDA or shooting creatures using sentry guns but if all of these sounds boring at some moment you can always go to different cities and talk with people, you don’t know what you will learn from them.
I love the way Bioware ended Mass Effect 2 and made some room for Mass Effect 3, the game does not have fixed ending and the conclusion depends on many factors, I know those factors but I will not discuss them here to spoil your fun, just want to say that it adds tons of replay value to the game so you should do some justice to this wonderful RPG by playing it a couple of times in order to fully experience it and if you feel bored by repetitive combat you can always increase game’s difficulty anytime and trust me it offers a worthy challenge, enemies will be harder to kill (yet another reason for you to upgrade your hardware), they use powers more aggressively and try to kill you as quickly and possible so make sure you enjoy all difficulty modes.
A pleasure playing your RPG Bioware.
Conclusion
I must say Mass Effect 2 is bigger and better, Bioware augmented it in every possible way, and they even took some high risks in doing so like they simplified weapon and armor selection which is appealing to some fans while others prefer traditional RPG like selection of equipment, a company can never fulfill the requirement of all fans but we should value their creativity and their spirit of enhancing the game. The plot is very interesting and works like an adhesive between you and the game and the game has tremendous amount of replay value and Bioware is making sure that it remains like that by releasing new DLCs.
I hope you enjoyed my review.
Value/Worth: 9.5/10
Mass Effect 2 has incredible amount of replay value for a single player RPG, lots of difficulty modes, diverse variety of planets/environments to explore, great cast, satisfying combat, free DLCs and of course benefits that you will get in second play makes this game definitely worth your time.
Graphics: 9.0/10
Impressive visuals, facial animations and compatible engine makes Mass Effect 2 a game that you will love to watch again and again. You can also force AA in PC version to make it look even better; however I don’t understand why Bioware didn’t officially add it.
Sound: 9.0/10
Strong voice acting and beautiful dialog delivery supplemented by genuine and quality sound effects makes Mass Effect 2 a pleasure to listen.
Gameplay: 8.5/10
Some additions and changes caused mixed reactions for Mass Effect 2 but overall it retains wonderful gameplay mechanics.
Multiplayer: N/A
Lasting Appeal: 9.2/10
Like its precursor Mass Effect 2 leaves a solid impression, Bioware did a great job in making this sequel a commendable experience for all RPG fans.
Overall: 9.0/10
For Mass Effect 2 I can make two bets, first if you’re playing it then you won’t regret it and second if you’re not playing it then you will play it someday and then you will ask yourself a question “Why I haven't played this earlier?”
Review compiled by: Black Viper
NOTE: For PakGamers use only.
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