"Mass Effect 2" hits 360 ...
by Eric Shapiro - Skidmore News - 4/9/2010
Mass Effect," released in May of 2008, took the Bioware formula, which consists of nuanced interaction with NPCs, light role playing elements and fighting, all in service to a great story, to a whole new level.
Set in an original sci-fi universe, Mass Effect took the best elements of past Bioware titles and spliced them together into an epic experience on par with Star Wars in its ability to evoke a sense of wonder.
That being said, it was also plagued by many of the problems that the developer is known for: generic combat, various bugs/crashes and, worst of all, ill-conceived features thrown in for the sake of variety, which serve to bog down an otherwise top-notch gaming experience.
Mass Effect 2 does a great deal to remedy these problems, especially the shooting mechanics, which now involve a cover system similar to that found in "Gears of War," and better enemy A.I. Biotics (put simply: powers) and special abilities are significantly more varied and easy to upgrade.
Sidequests vary significantly in quality, but this time around they are more fleshed out than simply walking into a room and blasting enemies.
Some gamers have griped that Bioware has toned down the RPG elements present in the first "Mass Effect."
While a lack of customization options, such as the ability to outfit Shepard and his squad with weapons and armor, is slightly disappointing, it is arguably consistent with the spirit of Mass Effect and Bioware in general, which places a greater emphasis on making moral choices and interacting with characters more than the looting and leveling found in other RPGs.
Still, a slew of flaws continue to mar an otherwise superb experience. Many gamers took issue with the mundane planetary exploration in the original Mass Effect, which involved cruising around monotonous locales in an ill-controlling vehicle called the MAKO to harvest patches of minerals for no real purpose.
The MAKO has now been replaced with a slightly less tedious system in which the player drags a cursor over a planet's surface and periodically launches probes from Shepard's ship, the Normandy, to harvest mineral deposits. While tolerable at first, the player is forced to spend big chunks of time doing this in order to purchase necessary upgrades for the Normandy.
If Bioware cannot come up with a way to make resource-gathering fun, then perhaps they should leave it out of "Mass Effect 3."
If Mass Effect was an epic space opera in the vain of Star Wars, Mass Effect 2 is structurally much more akin to a sci-fi series like "Star Trek."
After dying a heroic death when his ship is attacked by a mysterious vessel, the protagonist, commander Shepard, is brought back to life by Cerberus, a clandestine paramilitary group devoted to representing the interests of humanity above all else, even if doing so entails some less-than-moral practices.
The organization's leader, the Illusive Man, informs Shepard that in the time since his "death," the Alliance and the Council (basically the government) have denied the existence of the Reapers, a race of sentient ships that emerge periodically from black space to harvest all sentient life.
Worse, The Collectors, responsible for the destruction of Shepard's ship, have begun to abduct entire human colonies at the behest of the Reapers for some unknown.
Truth be told, the "main story" in Mass Effect 2 is rather pedestrian, lacking the compelling villains and exciting twists of its predecessor. If the player chooses only to undertake mandatory missions, he or she will miss out on the best the game has to offer.
Each of your squad members, provided you take the time to converse with them aboard "The Normandy," has a distinctive personality and an intriguing backstory. Spend enough time getting to know them and they will request your assistance in a personal matter.
These self-contained loyalty missions all culminate in a difficult moral choice that you, as squad leader, must make. The choices, while fun at first, get a bit repetitive, but the stories and dialogue maintain a consistently high level of quality. Each character has enough depth and potential for his or her own story.
As Shepard assists his companions, he and the player will become better acquainted with the various locales, species and events of the Mass Effect Universe.
Mass Effect 2, like its predecessor, is a must-buy for fans of the first title and RPGs in general. It is also action-packed enough to appeal to shooter fans who have the patience and interest to appreciate its superb plot, characters and backstory.
If Bioware combines the strengths of the first two Mass Effects, in terms of both plot and features, then the final installment in the trilogy may well deserve the distinction "best action-RPG of all time."
Mass Effect," released in May of 2008, took the Bioware formula, which consists of nuanced interaction with NPCs, light role playing elements and fighting, all in service to a great story, to a whole new level.
Set in an original sci-fi universe, Mass Effect took the best elements of past Bioware titles and spliced them together into an epic experience on par with Star Wars in its ability to evoke a sense of wonder.
That being said, it was also plagued by many of the problems that the developer is known for: generic combat, various bugs/crashes and, worst of all, ill-conceived features thrown in for the sake of variety, which serve to bog down an otherwise top-notch gaming experience.
Mass Effect 2 does a great deal to remedy these problems, especially the shooting mechanics, which now involve a cover system similar to that found in "Gears of War," and better enemy A.I. Biotics (put simply: powers) and special abilities are significantly more varied and easy to upgrade.
Sidequests vary significantly in quality, but this time around they are more fleshed out than simply walking into a room and blasting enemies.
Some gamers have griped that Bioware has toned down the RPG elements present in the first "Mass Effect."
While a lack of customization options, such as the ability to outfit Shepard and his squad with weapons and armor, is slightly disappointing, it is arguably consistent with the spirit of Mass Effect and Bioware in general, which places a greater emphasis on making moral choices and interacting with characters more than the looting and leveling found in other RPGs.
Still, a slew of flaws continue to mar an otherwise superb experience. Many gamers took issue with the mundane planetary exploration in the original Mass Effect, which involved cruising around monotonous locales in an ill-controlling vehicle called the MAKO to harvest patches of minerals for no real purpose.
The MAKO has now been replaced with a slightly less tedious system in which the player drags a cursor over a planet's surface and periodically launches probes from Shepard's ship, the Normandy, to harvest mineral deposits. While tolerable at first, the player is forced to spend big chunks of time doing this in order to purchase necessary upgrades for the Normandy.
If Bioware cannot come up with a way to make resource-gathering fun, then perhaps they should leave it out of "Mass Effect 3."
If Mass Effect was an epic space opera in the vain of Star Wars, Mass Effect 2 is structurally much more akin to a sci-fi series like "Star Trek."
After dying a heroic death when his ship is attacked by a mysterious vessel, the protagonist, commander Shepard, is brought back to life by Cerberus, a clandestine paramilitary group devoted to representing the interests of humanity above all else, even if doing so entails some less-than-moral practices.
The organization's leader, the Illusive Man, informs Shepard that in the time since his "death," the Alliance and the Council (basically the government) have denied the existence of the Reapers, a race of sentient ships that emerge periodically from black space to harvest all sentient life.
Worse, The Collectors, responsible for the destruction of Shepard's ship, have begun to abduct entire human colonies at the behest of the Reapers for some unknown.
Truth be told, the "main story" in Mass Effect 2 is rather pedestrian, lacking the compelling villains and exciting twists of its predecessor. If the player chooses only to undertake mandatory missions, he or she will miss out on the best the game has to offer.
Each of your squad members, provided you take the time to converse with them aboard "The Normandy," has a distinctive personality and an intriguing backstory. Spend enough time getting to know them and they will request your assistance in a personal matter.
These self-contained loyalty missions all culminate in a difficult moral choice that you, as squad leader, must make. The choices, while fun at first, get a bit repetitive, but the stories and dialogue maintain a consistently high level of quality. Each character has enough depth and potential for his or her own story.
As Shepard assists his companions, he and the player will become better acquainted with the various locales, species and events of the Mass Effect Universe.
Mass Effect 2, like its predecessor, is a must-buy for fans of the first title and RPGs in general. It is also action-packed enough to appeal to shooter fans who have the patience and interest to appreciate its superb plot, characters and backstory.
If Bioware combines the strengths of the first two Mass Effects, in terms of both plot and features, then the final installment in the trilogy may well deserve the distinction "best action-RPG of all time."