This is kinda nostalgic. As Yahtzee had an opportunity to review Bioshock as one of his first video reviews on the Escapist and then got to rip on Bioshock 2, Mass Effect was the first review I ever wrote, and it was amazing to have the Escapist as a place where I could put my opinion. Now we come to the incredibly anticipated sequel, Mass Effect 2.
I my first review on Mass Effect, I lavished praise on the game for its unparalleled storytelling, engaging plot and awesome characters, but I was also critical of certain gameplay aspects. The Mako driving sequences were boring and fairly useless, the gunplay was a little awkward with unpredictable targeting, there were a few glaring graphics issues, and there were a few forced RPG sequences which could be somewhat dull, without much to change things up.
It's like Bioware used my review as a template for what to change. The gunplay has been overhauled and is a satisfying central gameplay mechanic, the Mako is gone (although whether the replacement is any better is a matter for debate), the game does a great job of breaking up RPG elements with frequent action sequences, and the graphics have been improved even further.
The biggest change is in how Mass Effect 2 uses gunplay. It is now one of the focuses of the game, and is the biggest innovation. Fighting is now very satisfying, and holds its own against most other third-person shooters. Whereas before you fired an unsatisfying-sounding gun until the red triangle on the enemy's torso disappeared and they unconvincingly ragdolled to the floor, now an enemy will flail as your shots hammer into him, before being dropped to the ground. It's really fun and very satisfying, and the introduction of armour classes and a very effective cover system adds a tactical element to the gunplay.
The weapons have been overhauled, with sniper rifles now being able to actually hit something (and consequently becoming one of the most awesome weapons of the game), the introduction of SMG's as a rapid-fire weapon for the classes that can't use the assault rifle, and the introduction of heavy weapons. Guns also use ammo now, instead of overheating, and this has changed the dynamic of the gunplay significantly. Also, in the first game there were two or three different models of each weapon, with the higher-tier weapons usually using a different gun model, but they all fire the exact same way. The only difference was the speed at which the enemy's health bar shrank. ME2 introduces different types of weapons, with an upgrade to the normal rapid-fire assault rifle with a burst-firing battle rifle, for example.
The look of ME2 has also improved significantly, even from its already excellent level. The addition of emotive lighting effects add a great new atmosphere to the game that really works, the graphics have been heightened even further, with far more realistic textures that avoid the 'plastic' look that some skin had in the first game. The biggest improvement, however, is in how the technology has been utilised. The horrific texture popping that plagued the first game has been almost entirely eliminated, and graphical glitches are far less common.
The game is also is a lot more cinematic, as much as some people consider 'cinematic' as a curse word, but when a great deal of the game is spent watching conversations, it really does feel like you're watching an interactive movie, and it really does work. When you are talking to somebody, they do not simply stand there, there is usually some degree of custom animations that really sells the fact that you're talking to individuals.
Bioware has continued its sterling tradition of engaging characters and emotive stories, and the conversations you have with your team-mates are wonderfully enjoyable. There'll be somebody who relates to you, no matter what kind of a person you are, and you may feel a level of friendship with these characters which make you forget you're playing a game. Bioware has put a lot of effort into making every member of your team a realistic, whole character with their own flaws and morals. You'll be hard pressed to find a cliché among your crew. Also, your choice of conversation topics may lead to more romantic options, this is a Bioware game after all, and with a surprising number of people. While in the first game your Commander Shepard could choose to pursue the human female, the human male, or the conveniently bisexual Asari, now your romantic choices have really opened up, and it's actually quit gratifying to see. If the player character can feel a friendship with some of these characters, why shouldn?t Shepard?
Another thing that Bioware has done exceptionally well is creating a deep universe for the player to experience. Walking around the Normandy, you can hear crewmen talking about personal worries, exploring a hub world you can listen in on people in their everyday lives, and by activating terminals across the galaxy you can listen to galactic news. It?s a really nice touch, and it never seems hackneyed or corny. My personal favourite is when a Salarian is talking with his Asari daughter about getting her mother a present because she will far outlive him. It?s different, interesting, and surprisingly moving.
Now despite my possibly fanboy-level rambling, Mass Effect 2 is by no means a perfect game. While the annoying Mako sections are gone, the plant scanning mechanism isn't much better. It takes less time, but it is possibly even more boring. Worse, the game hijacks you into doing them, at least if you want to do well in your mission. Also, there are less RPG aspects. There's even more to explore, but there is a distinct lack of sidequests. The ones you do find are either only found through the tedious planet-scanning bollocks, or are solved almost incidentally along the path of the main quests. It is also a bit of a small RPG by many standards. I played through 100% completion, mapping very star system and completing every quest I could find, and it still only took me 33 hours. Compared to Bioware's other epic, Dragon Age, where I played for 57 hours and got less than 75% completed, it is quite a short game for RPG standards.
Also, the game sometimes feels formulaic. You get dossiers on potential teammates, you go find them, they either need rescuing or can't leave until you do something for them, you finally get them to come with you, you talk to them, then they need your help with something personal, and by helping them you gain their trust and secure their loyalty. It does make sense, but by the tenth time it really doesn't feel natural. This is especially noticeable when the team member is gained late in the game, which I will demonstrate with an example. One of the team, an Asari named Samara, is the one I got last, and quite late in the game, since the other were all much cooler and I liked getting them more. When she was aboard, I talked with her once, and had barely left and went back up to the command deck, before she wanted to talk to me about her loyalty mission. It didn?t feel silly, however, until she said, in all seriousness,
"You're the first person I feel I could entrust this with."
Really? She?d known me all of an hour, and since I'd been playing a renegade character, I was a bit of a dick to her for most of that, and I was the only person she could trust? She must not have gotten out much.
Now, this may seem like an unbalanced review, like I was overly praising of the game beyond its merits, or that I 'forgot' to mention other problems, but in all honesty I cannot think of more negative aspects, and I can't diminish my praise for ME2 in all honesty. It is a worthy successor to a great game, lifted by the lessons of the first in an exceptional game.
Obviously it's not a game that everyone will love, as it's quite short and small in scope for RPG purists, and the long dialogue-driven periods without combat may irritate dedicated, twitchy FPS fans, but for everybody in between that bridge that vast gulf, Mass Effect 2 is an exceptional game, and I cannot think of a game that I would recommend higher.
I my first review on Mass Effect, I lavished praise on the game for its unparalleled storytelling, engaging plot and awesome characters, but I was also critical of certain gameplay aspects. The Mako driving sequences were boring and fairly useless, the gunplay was a little awkward with unpredictable targeting, there were a few glaring graphics issues, and there were a few forced RPG sequences which could be somewhat dull, without much to change things up.
It's like Bioware used my review as a template for what to change. The gunplay has been overhauled and is a satisfying central gameplay mechanic, the Mako is gone (although whether the replacement is any better is a matter for debate), the game does a great job of breaking up RPG elements with frequent action sequences, and the graphics have been improved even further.
The biggest change is in how Mass Effect 2 uses gunplay. It is now one of the focuses of the game, and is the biggest innovation. Fighting is now very satisfying, and holds its own against most other third-person shooters. Whereas before you fired an unsatisfying-sounding gun until the red triangle on the enemy's torso disappeared and they unconvincingly ragdolled to the floor, now an enemy will flail as your shots hammer into him, before being dropped to the ground. It's really fun and very satisfying, and the introduction of armour classes and a very effective cover system adds a tactical element to the gunplay.
The weapons have been overhauled, with sniper rifles now being able to actually hit something (and consequently becoming one of the most awesome weapons of the game), the introduction of SMG's as a rapid-fire weapon for the classes that can't use the assault rifle, and the introduction of heavy weapons. Guns also use ammo now, instead of overheating, and this has changed the dynamic of the gunplay significantly. Also, in the first game there were two or three different models of each weapon, with the higher-tier weapons usually using a different gun model, but they all fire the exact same way. The only difference was the speed at which the enemy's health bar shrank. ME2 introduces different types of weapons, with an upgrade to the normal rapid-fire assault rifle with a burst-firing battle rifle, for example.
The look of ME2 has also improved significantly, even from its already excellent level. The addition of emotive lighting effects add a great new atmosphere to the game that really works, the graphics have been heightened even further, with far more realistic textures that avoid the 'plastic' look that some skin had in the first game. The biggest improvement, however, is in how the technology has been utilised. The horrific texture popping that plagued the first game has been almost entirely eliminated, and graphical glitches are far less common.
The game is also is a lot more cinematic, as much as some people consider 'cinematic' as a curse word, but when a great deal of the game is spent watching conversations, it really does feel like you're watching an interactive movie, and it really does work. When you are talking to somebody, they do not simply stand there, there is usually some degree of custom animations that really sells the fact that you're talking to individuals.
Bioware has continued its sterling tradition of engaging characters and emotive stories, and the conversations you have with your team-mates are wonderfully enjoyable. There'll be somebody who relates to you, no matter what kind of a person you are, and you may feel a level of friendship with these characters which make you forget you're playing a game. Bioware has put a lot of effort into making every member of your team a realistic, whole character with their own flaws and morals. You'll be hard pressed to find a cliché among your crew. Also, your choice of conversation topics may lead to more romantic options, this is a Bioware game after all, and with a surprising number of people. While in the first game your Commander Shepard could choose to pursue the human female, the human male, or the conveniently bisexual Asari, now your romantic choices have really opened up, and it's actually quit gratifying to see. If the player character can feel a friendship with some of these characters, why shouldn?t Shepard?
Another thing that Bioware has done exceptionally well is creating a deep universe for the player to experience. Walking around the Normandy, you can hear crewmen talking about personal worries, exploring a hub world you can listen in on people in their everyday lives, and by activating terminals across the galaxy you can listen to galactic news. It?s a really nice touch, and it never seems hackneyed or corny. My personal favourite is when a Salarian is talking with his Asari daughter about getting her mother a present because she will far outlive him. It?s different, interesting, and surprisingly moving.
Now despite my possibly fanboy-level rambling, Mass Effect 2 is by no means a perfect game. While the annoying Mako sections are gone, the plant scanning mechanism isn't much better. It takes less time, but it is possibly even more boring. Worse, the game hijacks you into doing them, at least if you want to do well in your mission. Also, there are less RPG aspects. There's even more to explore, but there is a distinct lack of sidequests. The ones you do find are either only found through the tedious planet-scanning bollocks, or are solved almost incidentally along the path of the main quests. It is also a bit of a small RPG by many standards. I played through 100% completion, mapping very star system and completing every quest I could find, and it still only took me 33 hours. Compared to Bioware's other epic, Dragon Age, where I played for 57 hours and got less than 75% completed, it is quite a short game for RPG standards.
Also, the game sometimes feels formulaic. You get dossiers on potential teammates, you go find them, they either need rescuing or can't leave until you do something for them, you finally get them to come with you, you talk to them, then they need your help with something personal, and by helping them you gain their trust and secure their loyalty. It does make sense, but by the tenth time it really doesn't feel natural. This is especially noticeable when the team member is gained late in the game, which I will demonstrate with an example. One of the team, an Asari named Samara, is the one I got last, and quite late in the game, since the other were all much cooler and I liked getting them more. When she was aboard, I talked with her once, and had barely left and went back up to the command deck, before she wanted to talk to me about her loyalty mission. It didn?t feel silly, however, until she said, in all seriousness,
"You're the first person I feel I could entrust this with."
Really? She?d known me all of an hour, and since I'd been playing a renegade character, I was a bit of a dick to her for most of that, and I was the only person she could trust? She must not have gotten out much.
Now, this may seem like an unbalanced review, like I was overly praising of the game beyond its merits, or that I 'forgot' to mention other problems, but in all honesty I cannot think of more negative aspects, and I can't diminish my praise for ME2 in all honesty. It is a worthy successor to a great game, lifted by the lessons of the first in an exceptional game.
Obviously it's not a game that everyone will love, as it's quite short and small in scope for RPG purists, and the long dialogue-driven periods without combat may irritate dedicated, twitchy FPS fans, but for everybody in between that bridge that vast gulf, Mass Effect 2 is an exceptional game, and I cannot think of a game that I would recommend higher.
