If you?re reading this paragraph now, you?ve probably read every review there is of this game, or by some stroke of chance haven?t managed to play it yet, either way make yourself comfy, get yourself a cup of coffee or something to munch on, because you might be here a while.
Space faring made EZ
As the more observant reader may have noticed this is the second installment (given the obvious digit at the end of the name) of the epic space adventure Mass Effect which has already cemented Bioware?s reputation for making of excellent quality games such as Baldur?s Gate I and II , Knights of the Old Republic, the dark-fantasy RPG Dragon Age and, umm, MDK 2!
This time you get back the reins of the Normandy,the most advanced human-built ship, albeit for a brief few seconds only to have it blown up in your face and Shepard enters orbit with his suit punctured. Brief eh? Fortunately the game doesn?t end here and he is revived thanks to the arduous efforts of Cerberus, the ultimate pro-human organization which has a habit of resurrecting human Specters from time to time.
Some people would kill(or be killed) for this view.
Setting
So Shepard dies, the old Normandy is turned to metallic shreds and the old crew is disbanded,
Untiiil, a very Illusive man starts working shadowy things from the shadows and manages to put Commander Shepard back together in perfect working order (save for a few scars but I?ll get to those in a minute).
While you?re being reconstructed the game cleverly uses this moment to allow you to build your very own Shepard from scratch complete with gender/bender mode and class picking, mine ended up looking like a perfect Cro-magnom specimen but it was nothing a classy helmet wouldn?t fix. A brief introduction follows as the base where the frankensteinian experiment took place is sabotaged and you have to fight your way through.
Things get pretty sweet from that point on, as you?re reunited with Joker who?s still as crippled and funny as in the first game and the Normandy makes a glorious return this time with a few upgrades and twice the size of the original ship and you?re tasked with the usual mission of recruiting the most bad-ass crew you can find and wreak some serious havoc on whoever is messing stuff up for human colonists.
Magic Space Adventures
The whole story deals with the Collectors, a race of seemingly anthropomorphic bug-people, who have nothing else to do than kidnap countless homo sapiens for whatever dastardly plan they may hive in mind(see what I did there?).
As you collect your own motley crew for an endeavor of such peril that it?s dubbed ?Suicide Mission? you will come across some of the most colorful and awesome characters ever. My favorite would have to be Mordin Solus the Salarian Scientist(see his relationship advices lol). Garrus and Tali are also available from the old team.
Shepard?s job is to train his team, so they don?t decide to drop dead during the last mission which so subtly hints to certain death. He does this via loyalty missions with content ranging from spilled milk to family dramas, so there?s plenty of variety in this aspect.
Domestic dispute, Mass Effect 2 style.
One of the game?s many neat perks is that you can import your original Shepard from your original playthrough of the first game. While it doesn?t make Mass Effect 2 a completely different game it does give off a sense of familiarity it does change the intro a bit and you get to meet people you helped out in the past, make their appearances either physically on various planets you may land or virtually through your private terminal.This really makes you feel like your actions actually have a long-lasting impact, because they apparently do.
Probably one of the most memorable meetings this way was with an asari whom the Rachni Queen had chosen as her Ambassador, through which she told me that her people would have my back in the upcoming battle against the Reapers which I suppose is gonna be tackled in the third Mass Effect game but yeah I found myself saying ?awesome? quite audibly during this scene, a mental image of an advanced bug race army at my disposal came moments later.
Visuals
As you would expect the second Mass Effect, it has a sizeable amount of pixels everywhere to be seen. Character animations are more elaborate Shepard presumably sporting up to 200 facial animations, giving him ample choices to frown at the hundreds of enemies he encounters in the game.
I did however enjoy the area design for a lot of the areas, most notably planet Aeia or the ?Abandoned? Collector Ship. Biotic effects look more esoteric (if that?s possible) warping their area of effect noticeably.
Sound
The score is massive just like the title. Orchestral pieces give off a sense of grandeur to actions scenes where swarms of collectors/husks/mercenaries are held off by Mr. Shepard and his minions and whatever is going on is amplified tenfold. Not once did any track feel out of place or too intrusive which is quite a feat.
Shooting/Biotic Smacking
The gameplay is fast, intense and it will keep you on your toes no matter the scale of it, you either run for cover or you start chewing bullets faster than you can say ?Krogan Testies?.
I was surprised at how volatile the whole action experience is; shields regenerate on their own now, so does your health if you stay out of harm?s way for a few meager moments, cooldowns move faster, chicken-sandwich. Medigel is still present but this time to provide Shepard with resurrection powers like some kind of Techno Messiah.
The A.I. seems to have be several degrees smarter now as they constantly go for cover, that improvement however is easily countered by biotic powers which can be fired around the corner and if the angle is right, hit their targets. You can also use your squad mates? powers in tandem with your own to amply certain biotic effects. You can still direct your minions to certain areas but they usually get the job done on their own not really requiring much direction.
The classes have been revamped to give off a more unique feeling to each and every class. A feeling which Bioware has managed to create. I played the Sentinel just to get that sweet-looking power armor effect and of course the much hyped Vanguard. Both classes gave off different experiences and the Vanguards animations look like Shepard was getting ready for a big bear hug or something. Had to get that off my chest. Right.
I love what they've done with the place.
The inventory has also been greatly simplified in that you no longer gather countless amounts of useless armaments/armors/trinkets only to turn them into mush(see omni-gel) because you can?t pick up that sweet rifle you want. Instead the producers chose to automatically upgrade every weapon class each time you pick up a better item of its kind. The armor pieces you now buy separately from shops, you can also paint your battle suit in whatever color you see fit and this, again, allows for much a higher degree of customization. Sticky grenades are also gone, but instead of you have heavy weapons which make up for the loss of the stickiness factor through sheer destructive force, taking care of the more armored foes with much ease, style and nuclear mushrooms.
The paragon/renegade choices have also become more colorful with certain scripted quick-timy events which focus on your caring side or sadistic side, either way they are fun to watch.
Also the scars you have on your face either heal completely or get even worse depending how incredibly kind-hearted you are or how much of a douche you can be.
I wasn?t much enthralled with space-probing since it reminded me a lot voodoo dolls and needles but I suppose it beats buggy-riding and struggling with crappy controls.
Ending note
I?d have to say it?s everything the original Mass Effect was and more. It has gripping atmosphere and it really made me root for my teammates and for my Shepard whenever things looked bad especially in the climax of the game. Definite buy. Definite win.
9.5/10
That's all folks.
Devil May Cry 4
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.168473-Poll-Once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-Devil-May-Cry-review#4548065
Bioschock 2
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.180689-Yet-another-Bioshock-2-Review#5606174
Prototype
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.177870-Prototype-review#5198080
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.168473-Poll-Once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-Devil-May-Cry-review#4548065
Bioschock 2
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.180689-Yet-another-Bioshock-2-Review#5606174
Prototype
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.177870-Prototype-review#5198080
