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Mass Effect 2
Platforms: Xbox 360 is the correct way to experience this game.
You guys probably saw this coming and with good reason. I’m one of the biggest Mass Effect fans here, not to toot my own horn. Sethmode pointed it out that I did say that Mass Effect 1 was my favorite but after my recent playthtough I really enjoyed it as a whole better than Mass Effect 1. Granted Mass Effect 1 had a better lasting effect on me. But it’s better if I just go ahead and get started.
Mass Effect 2 was the long awaited sequel to the incredible game known as Mass Effect. Before I tell you what made this game incredible I have to make this statement. I was crushed when I realized the rpg elements were nerfed, for a lack of a better word. Leveling was done after missions and not during. So killing enemies never gave you XP like it used to. Completion of missions was pretty much the only way except for some of the side missions. Side missions granted you 1000 xp usually but many of them would have to be played just to level up once and I believe the game capped out in leveling way earlier than the first mass effect. Skill trees were also reduced into something that was very un rpg like. All of those are minor to what really made this game stand out. The combat felt like it got a nice adrenaline boost. If I could compare it to something I would say Gears of War but a little toned down which really felt perfect. In the original mass effect you carried all guns and could switch on the fly but in Mass Effect 2 your class limited to what you could carry. A more biotic character would be limited to a Sub-Machine Gun (which was new to the series) and a pistol. I thought this was great because it helped balance your character and really have you develop a strategy. Now I wanna really talk about the core of the gameplay. I don’t know what it was about Mass Effect 2 but I have more fun from a gameplay aspect than I did in Mass Effect 1. First off any decisions you made in the first Mass Effect would carry over, so right from the gate you knew your game would be different because of what you did one game ago. Another thing I really enjoyed was the fact that there was ammo in this game. I can say that in some serious fire fights I ran out of ammo and had one of those “oh shit” moments and panicked. I’m not the only one who enjoys feeling like the momentum is not in your favor at that point and have to strategize. A+ work Bioware. Instead of building your skill tree to become better with weapons you can now upgrade your weapon and armor was well. That is one thing I was happy with changing from its predecessor. All upgrades could be found strewn across the game or purchased throughout the game world. Speaking of the gameworld, it was huge. The universe was massive and many, many planets were out there for you to explore. Gone is the mako from the original mass effect to the pride of many fans. Personally I loved the mako although frustrating. There is even some DLC that you could see the Mako destroyed. Planet scanning was not fun but when I wanted to upgrade weapons, armor or ship ugrades back on the Normandy I made sure I looked all over the galaxy for as much as I could. It was worth it in the end. Scanning wasn’t just for mining valuable minerals it was also to find distress beacons that would be little side missions. Some side missions took you to enemy strongholds and some were just simple fetch quests. No matter what the mission, you would get some sort of response on your private terminal. It was a nice touch for those of us who like to read through all we do. I also liked the fact that Bioware buffed the enemies even on the easier settings. I personally think you can get through Mass Effect 1 on normal difficulty without dying once but in Mass Effect 2 I saw myself dying a lot more which gave me a reason to definitely try harder and change my approach. Speaking of enemies, there were a lot more than just geth this time. Mercenaries, collectors and more were there to get in your way as you tried to save the galaxy from a deathly fate. All in all the gameplay really left a good taste in your mouth and there really wasn’t too much for me to complain about other than the fact that the RPG elements that were very prevalent in the first Mass Effect had been toned down.
From the first time I popped in Mass Effect 2 I noticed that they were taking a darker approach at the game. You can tell by the mood and the atmosphere right away. The whole textures popping in and out from the original Mass Effect were gone. We ended up getting a much smoother and better detailed looking game. It was nice when you first imported that character from Mass Effect 1 and he looked exactly the same as you remembered. But you could also do some crazy reconstructive surgery if you wanted. Hell all of the returning characters looked great. The developers slapped on some polish and it came out looking very good. Places like the Citadel returned but I liked that it was easier to navigate but it didn’t look the same to me which hurt my memories of it. BioWare did an amazing job of making sure the galaxy looked diverse and fresh as opposed to the constant reused locations in the first game. Omega was an amazingly dirty and corrupt place and I take my hat off to the developers for making it look so detailed. The Normandy has never looked better as well; with new places to explore it really was nice to see. As in the first game, Mass Effect 2 features some fantastic voice acting and even pulled in some Hollywood stars. Michael Sheen as The Illusive man is great. His voice sounds very cold and calculating. The woman from Chuck also plays Miranda and she was probably one of the more memorable characters from the game. All the voice actors from the first Mass Effect return as well even Seth Green as Joker. The soundtrack for the game isn’t as good as the first one but still very well done. It really sets a good underlying tone throughout the entire game. Everywhere you go feels very alive as well. NPC’s are constantly carrying on conversations with each other as well and you can eavesdrop on them for fun or to possibly hear about a mission you can go on when you have time.
The story of Mass Effect 2 is where it really shines. Anything you’ve done in Mass Effect 1 carries over to this one, some not as significant as others. Basically you start the game out after the events of Mass Effect 1 and after destroying Sovereign you are attacked by the Collectors. The Normandy is trashed and after saving as many people as he could, Shepard is shot out into space and dies. That part right there shocked the hell out of me the first time I played the game and only 15 minutes in! Cerberus collects the remains of Shepard and brings him back to life under “Project Lazarus”. Shepard gets into bed with Cerberus and pretty much has to do what is asked of him by the leader, The Illusive Man. Shepard isn’t doing this as a favor for reviving him but to stop the collectors and reapers once and for all. I won’t go into too much detail but there is a lot to do in this game story wise as well as side missions. You will see a lot of familiar faces and a lot of new ones as well. Mass Effect 2 also features more decisions you have to make, good or bad. Something new they added that ties into that is Renegade and Paragon moments. During the numerous cut scenes in this game they have moments you can pull the RT or LT and Shepard will do something like Shoot or possibly talk somebody out of a situation. Doing good will grant you more paragon points which open more dialogue options and vice versa for renegade choices. It was a nice touch because some of the times you go bad you get some funny cut scenes. The game also features multiple endings. Basically you have to be prepared to get the best possible ending. As you progress through the story you gain squadmates and eventually you have the option to gain their loyalty through loyalty missions. If you are successful in gaining their trust you will be more and more prepared for the battle with the Collectors. If you don’t gain their trust and just rush through the game, you will get an ending you probably won’t like. Seeing as it’s a suicide mission you will probably end up with killing Shepard and the rest of the crew and feeling like a complete dumbass. Mass Effect 2 is meant to be experienced fully and not just breezed through like some other action games. The developers also released DLC for the game that ties in very well to the story and also sheds light on mysterious people such as The Shadow Broker. I thoroughly enjoyed all of the DLC and thought they were all wise investments. I really feel like BioWare was trying to make the entire experience while playing through the story to be a tense and action packed sequence of events. Sometimes you need to take a break from the story and just sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds of the Citadel or Omega. Sometimes you can just sit back in the pause menu and learn more about the game via the Codex. If you’re looking for a game with a deep story then look no further.
Mass Effect 2 was the perfect sequel to the perfect game. I really do wish it was less action oriented and more RPG but I still enjoyed the game very much and have done multiple playthroughs just to see if I can’t find things I haven’t found before. It’s a rarity in the movie industry for the sequel to be much better than the original but in the video game industry it’s the opposite. Mass Effect 2 follows that rule and really expands on it with making an amazing game and my personal 4th favorite game of all time. Go ahead watch the video.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vKECDzAC_M"]Mass Effect 2 gameplay - Xbox 360 - YouTube[/ame]
