Mass Effect 2

Having played Dragon Age earlier this year, I had heavy doubts that anything over the next year or even the next five to ten years could top it. Then comes along Mass Effect 2, the sequel to Bioware's epic Sci Fi RPG, which literally blew me away. Right from the shocking start, you know you're going in for an unforgettable ride.

The first thing that strikes you while you play Mass Effect 2 is how smooth the game plays. They've vastly improved the combat system from the first game, giving it a more flexible, action orientated experience. Another good thing Bioware's done here is scrapping the Mako completely. Remember the slightly tedious moments in the first Mass Effect where you had to explore different barren planets with a vehicle that controlled almost as bad as Bush's America? It's all gone now, giving the game a much more streamlined, straightforward experience. The conversation system's also been improved since the first game. At certain occasions, your character Shepard, will say things without your command, making his character someone you can bond with even better than the first game. And not to forget the interrupt system, which certainly makes the conversations you have a lot more interesting when the option to use it pops up on the screen. Something else worth mentioning is the slightly trimmed down RPG elements for the game. While in the first game, you had a full inventory window, numerous skills to be upgraded at your own choice and weapons and armour available to customize at your will, Mass Effect 2 rids this system completely. It may seem like a risky move at first, but the result of doing so really does make the game flow a lot faster (which is important when you consider the importance of combining the story with the gameplay). If there's one fault with any of the gameplay design for the game, it's the planet scanning system. It works fine on its own, but with such a fast paced game like Mass Effect 2, it does seem a little out of place. Apart from this though, Mass Effect 2's gameplay is the stuff of legends.

One thing that'll definitely strike your attention while playing is the improvement made to the presentation. Locations have become a lot more diverse and interesting. Almost everywhere you go in Mass Effect 2 has a unique feel that never fails to impress. One thing that needs to be complimented in terms of presentation is the astounding use of lighting included in the game. It's the lighting that generates the true sense of atmosphere in the game, giving each Location a different feel. If you're familiar with the first game, you could probably guess that the animation is also beyond incredible. I can't forget mentioning the voice acting either, it's absolutely sublime. Each character comes to life with the help of such an extraordinary cast.

Most noticeably though, the main drawing point for Mass Effect 2 is its unforgettable story. Words cannot be fitted together to describe how beautiful, how memorable and how emotional the plot in Mass Effect 2 is. Maybe I made things sound almost too incredible there, but that's the honest truth. I can't recall watching a film, playing a game or reading a book in recent memory that's even come close to the quality Mass Effect 2 glimmered with. Each character owns many levels, so many realistic touches fitted to them, it's almost impossible to accept you're just playing a game. Saying goodbye to them by the end of the game isn't an easy feat to accomplish. This is a pure sequel, if you played through the first game, the decisions you made will carry on into Mass Effect 2. This definitely helps give an additional emotional tug to your heart, making the game all the more personal and feel all the more important. Some characters you'll come across will be familiar if you played the first game too, giving you an extra sense of familiarity with the game your entering. As for the actual plot, there's so many shocking twists and turns, I'd have to be very careful not to let anything out in case I spoil anything. What I will say however is that choices you make in this game will have a colossal impact on the ending. Your decisions will determine who lives and dies and who will carry on into the tale for Mass Effect 3. So yeah, as a whole, the plot for Mass Effect 2 is the best I've seen in a very, very long time.

If you've read through my whole review, you might have realised I'm giving out the impression it might be a good game. So if you haven't bought it already, stop reading this, pop down to your local store and spend the most well spent £35-£40 you've ever used in your life.

I've been a gamer for nearly 30 years, and during that time you remember fondly games that have moved you, enthralled you, and been just plain hard to put down and go to sleep. I won't list them all of course, but of recent games I would say you are talking games like the orginal Halo, World of Warcraft, and Modern Warfare 2 have been the types of games that fit the mold. Well Mass Effect 2 is for me another to add to that list of exceptional games, and I'll try and explain the reasons why here for you.

Bioware have been making RPG's for years now, and in their own words Mass Effect 2 is the first game they have thought they really got exactly what they wished they could do with an RPG, and I can see why. Everything from the graphics, sound, lighting, story, voice acting, world depth and history are all really and truely top class.

Bioware didn't quite get it right when they did Mass Effect 1, as while it was a good game it wasn't as polished in any area compared to Mass Effect 2. Certainly the flaws with terribly boring planet exploration for minerals using the nasty to control Mako got improved with Mass Effect 2, though even the new method of launching probes to scan planets from orbit can still get a little tedious. But its the one of the few tiny niggles you might have. Also they totally overhauled equipment/ammo and character skills, meaning you don't end up carrying a million weapons you need to sell, and you have less, but enough options of how you want to spec your character.

The next thing they did was to add more characters with Mass Effect 2, and gave you a lot of conversations to have with them if you choose, including options to interupt if your paragon/renegade skill is high enough. Certainly most of the characters add to the story in Mass Effect 2 that sees you dealing with a race called the Collectors, that are causing trouble (won't tell you what kind) through human settlements around the galaxy. Your job as Commander Shepard is to find out what they are doing, and who they are working for, and stop them if you can.

As with Mass Effect 1 you need to recruit a crew to help you do this. Your old crew of the Normandy has been split up and scatter for reasons you can find out for yourself, and so you need to gain new ones to help you. You do meet up with a lot of old faces from Mass Effect 1 if you played it, and can even recruit a couple of them. Recruiting your crew and importantly gaining their complete trust will take you to many planets and a lot of missions, of which I don't recall a single boring one thanks to the great voice acting.

The fact that you have to make choices in the conversations in Mass Effect 1 and 2 is for me the main reason these games are great. The choices you make really do effect what happens from mass Effect 1 to Mass Effect 2, and I suspect will really be telling with Mass Effect 3 comes out next year. I know that the final mission in Mass Effect 2 and the choice you have to make at the end still has me wondering if I made the right choice a few months after I completed it.

In short this game is FANTASTIC. Buy it and you will not be sorry if you like RPG that have an indepth story and plenty of action mixed in as well. I honestly believe the world Bioware have created here could be made into films that would rival Stars Wars if they were done well. It is seriously that good.

Having not played the first game I had no idea what to expect from ME2. However after just a couple of hours playing time I could only come to one conclusion, this is the best game I have ever played. From the very first mission it draws you in and won't let go.

I spent the first half an hour or so just wandering round the Normandy (the ship on which you are based for the game), exploring the four decks which house your own living quarters/office, the armoury, the tech lab, flight deck & cargo hold among other things. The first things that struck me about the Normandy were the graphics and attention to detail, things which are carried on throughout the game making this one of the most visually beautiful games to date.

The game starts with you assembling a team of various different alien races to assist in the main mission of stopping the Collectors, which takes up a number of hours gameplay in itself. Within a couple of hours the missions are building up rapidly to ensure you always have a vast selection of missions to choose from. Some of these can be completed in a matter of 10 minutes where others can take well over an hour, meaning the game should be a very long affair, which trust me is no bad thing.

The only thing I found slightly confusing initially was navigating the various universes, but once you've worked it out it becomes second nature (and presumably if you have played the first game you already have an advantage). The combat controls are surprisingly easy to come to terms with considering how many different things there are to do.

Overall this is a fantastic game for which I can't find one bad thing to say. Since purchasing the game I've struggled to put it down. It has drawn me in like no other game has for as long as I can remember.

Buy it now...