well ive just completed ME2 so thought a short review was in order.
*Warning PLOT SPOILERS* 
mass effect 2 is a Bioware game in association with EA and is the first of two sequels to the original Mass Effect, id firstly like to state i DIDN'T like the first mass effect at all, to me it felt broken, dialog was hard and overwhelming, combat was irritating and difficult to enjoy, but this second installment is as near to perfect as any game ive ever played.
Mass Effect 2 begins in 2183, weeks after the ending of the original Mass Effect. On patrol to locate and destroy any remaining geth, the Normandy and its commanding officer, Commander Shepard, are attacked by an unknown starship. The ship inflicts heavy damage on the Normandy and the crew is forced to evacuate. Joker, the helmsman of the ship, continues piloting and Shepard is forced to rescue him. Before Shepard can board an escape pod with Joker, another attack by the enemy ship separates Shepard from the pod, forcing the Commander to launch the escape pod to save Joker. A subsequent explosion blows Shepard away from the ship and debris slices through Shepard's suit, causing the Commander to die in the vacuum whilst entering a nearby planet's atmosphere.
Shepard's corpse is retrieved by Cerberus, an pro-human organization, and over a two year period they go about improving and bringing shepard back to life via the Lazarus Project.
Shepard awakens in 2185 aboard a Cerberus space station that is under attack. After Shepard aids Cerberus agents Jacob Taylor and Miranda Lawson, Shepard is granted an audience with the Illusive Man, who explains that Shepard was revived and 'upgraded' so that the Commander could investigate and combat a new threat....this basically starts the game with options to recruit members into the team, of which there are a total of 12 if we include the DLC, as well as that there are a number of side quests which are varied and enjoyable, and away you go to once again investigate, explore and find a way to save the universe once again.
so that's enough of the main story, lets talk about the
improvements to the game.
firstly lets address the combat system which has been upgraded, with everything from the feel of the combat to the A.I. being improved, combat is just a heap of fun, with a much more manageable team command, upgrading of weapons and tech, as well as that weapons now use a form of ammo which removes the overheating frustrations being eliminated completely.
also when taking damage you can find cover and use the regenerating health system to heal up, yes the medigel is still used for a quick hit or to revive fallen team members but the main mechanic is now regenerative........i find this to be a huge improvement.
AI has vastly improved and although not perfect is a huge improvement over the first game, which frankly i found to be shocking.
characters are detailing and enjoyable to interact with and on top of that the world system that can be explored has increased greatly, and there are many many more different quest areas which vary greatly, and are all great fun to do......i did every side quest in the game, explored every planet and other than the slightly boring
planet scanning system used to earn extra credits for upgrades found it all a blast to be part of.
weapon upgrades are much easier to deal with and ME2 has removed the weapon skill system, hand-granadas have been removed and in its place a introduction of heavy weapons has been implemented, i love the differences in weapons in this game, each have a great ability in different situations, as well as that the biotic and tech skills are a joy to level up and use.
armor is also upgraded in the same manner as weapons.
recruitment of team members unlocks individual character quests making for a much more intimate relationship with the team, the missions are diverse and really enjoyable, as well as that you can make each member of your team loyal to you, unlocking special abilities but in some cases decisions you make can affect the loyalty, which in turn effects the relationship with the person but also any sexual relationships you may be chasing after.
you can import your character from the first ME and when choosing your character from the start there are 6 to choose from, which focus in either combat, tech, or biotic talents.
* SOLDIER – COMBAT SPECIALIST
* ENGINEER – TECH SPECIALIST
* ADEPT – BIOTIC SPECIALIST
* INFILTRATOR – COMBAT/TECH
* VANGUARD – BIOTIC/COMBAT
* SENTINEL – BIOTIC/TECH
each of these have different skills which make the combat varied enough to play-through more than once, also you can take a more noble path or more hard path which opens up different dialog opportunities as well.
sound effects are great, voice dialog is vastly improved and great to listen to.
graphics are much much better than the first, with more colours, depth and richness, and the Cinematic scenes are as expected very good.
the only real flaw which is ever so slight is occasional bad AI choices which can be frustrating in a big battle, other than that the story, combined with combat, exploration, interaction and visual experience make for a game that is simply amazing.
where the original Mass Effect felt broken and hard to play from all angles this game felt right, from the very first scene until the conclusion it was a great ride.
as well as that there is a tonne of DLC for the game, which is all very enjoyble and its my understanding you can buy the game from
steam at the moment for $29.99.
i have given this game a
10/10 and the slight flaws in AI dont take away from the gaming experience at all......this is a must play game IMO and even those who haven't played the first will find it hard to not enjoy this title, especially if you enjoy rpg's.
basically this is just a very brief review to give those who haven't played the game a taste of what was on offer, hopefully it was informative and if you have any questions feel free to ask.
system requirements:
PC MINIMUM System Requirements
OS = Windows XP SP3 / Windows Vista SP1 / Windows 7
Processor = 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or equivalent AMD CPU
Memory = 1 GB RAM for Windows XP / 2 GB RAM for Windows Vista and Windows 7
Hard Drive = 15 GB
DVD ROM = 1x Speed
Sound Card = DirectX 9.0c compatible
Direct X = DirectX 9.0c August 2008 (included)
Input = Keyboard / Mouse
Video Card = 256 MB (with Pixel Shader 3.0 support)
im playing the game on the notebook in my sig and have it maxed out, it runs fantastically.
Subject: my Mass Effect 2 review 
Thu Aug 12, 2010 4:44 pm
