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Post Date: 22:35 12-02-2010
Rating: 10
Author: awesomedrako
Comment: Mass Effect 1 was a great game. It was an incredible RPG with a huge galaxy of diverse, interesting aliens to explore. There was so much story and so much fun content. It had exciting combat and the skill management was great as well. It was a really good RPG, but not only that, it was a really good RPG with one of the best stories ever, told through some of the best storytelling techniques for games. It was one of Bioware's greatest creations, and Bioware is a great developer already. However, it had its flaws like most games.
Now, Bioware has released Mass Effect 2, and let me tell you now, Bioware hasn't innovated anything, they haven't made Mass Effect 2 a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT game to Mass Effect 1. The central gameplay is still there, the incredible story is different, but it's still told through the same ways. But, Bioware have taken their formula, and tweaked everything about it. Almost every single flaw that the original game had has been fixed. The lift loading screens have been replaced by proper loading screens that move through a cross-section of the Normandy (the spaceship that you fly on I think), the combat has been streamlined, and the 3rd person, cover-based shooting has actually improved to such a point that it is only beaten by dedicated cover-based shooters like the Uncharted series for example. Even small things like the hacking and bypassing of computerised locks have been changed from skills in the last game, to mini-games in this game, which doesn't waste any skill points, and now rely on your skill to beat the mini-game, showing Bioware's attempts at taking strides away from traditional RPG staples that might not all that good nowadays.
Graphics: 9/10
Graphics are actually fairly important for a game like this that relies on so many cutscenes. And the cutscenes are even more spectacular this time, getting even more cinematic. Just see the opening scene to see what I mean. And the in-game graphics are better than the first one, obviously.
Gameplay: 10/10
Bioware makes an RPG, and also makes it an incredibly fun to play RPG, with a very good cover-based shooter element stuck onto it. The game is as compelling and fun to play as ever, if not more fun to play. Inventory management in the first game was a frustrating necessity because of the huge amount of equipment, but now Bioware has switched to another arguably more effective approach in the sequel that has you upgrade a smaller selection of equipment instead. Scanning planets is a new way of finding side-quests and items, and it is a great time-waster, just going round scanning planets to find side-quests that you can expect to be just as fun and good to watch as the main storyline, just not as cinematic. Not only that, scanning planets can get you better weapons and just generally make your characters better.
Story: 10/10
If you haven't gotten my gist yet, the story in this is EXCELLENT. The cinematics are awesome, the conversation system is even better than before, and every character has an interesting story behind them. In short, the story is very very very (add on many verys) good.
Customization: 10/10
For newcomers to the series, don't let the screenshots fool you! Your character can be customized fully, both genders, in appearance and abilities right from the get-off. No, you don't have to play as the default Commander Shepherd template that you see all the time. Also, every piece of equipment that you equip shows up on your character.
Overall: 10/10
No game is perfect, but Mass Effect 2 is very close to being a perfect sci-fi cover-based shooter RPG, if there is such a genre. As an RPG, it is near-perfect. As a cover-based shooter, it is really good, and surpasses most of the competition. And as a sci-fi story, it's as good as any sci-fi book that you'll ever read, if not better. And no book would be able to tell its story through an explosive and entertaining cutscene.
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