MASS EFFECT 2 REVIEW Posted by with_teeth26 on Feb 6, 2010 17:36 (173 days ago) |
These days it seems that an overwhelming number of major releases are, in one way or another, sequels. Most fit neatly into a pre-established IP, but rarely provide a direct continuation of the events of previous games in the series. Not only does Mass Effect 2 break this trend by providing a direct continuation of the events of Mass Effect 1, it takes it one step further by allowing the specific actions you took in first game to affect the way things play out in the second. Mass Effect 2 is the first game to allow you to carry over your save games, and at the same time decisions from the first game, into the sequel, creating an experience which will in all likelihood by a bit different for everyone.
 Talking to your crew is often rewarding - occasionally hilarious This carrying-over of save games is by itself a great feature, but does not really affect how good Mass Effect 2 is quality wise. Luckily Bioware saw to it that pretty much all the major problems of the excellent but flawed original were dealt with – fixed, overhauled or removed completely. As a result, Mass Effect 2 feels very different from the original, the pacing has been jacked up, the combat feels like it belongs in a high quality third-person shooter, and the epic overarching story of Mass Effect 1 has been superseded by a dark, gritty character driven tale that is very enjoyable in its own way. It doesn’t feel like the epic space opera we saw two years ago, but rather a deep, well paced and polished third person shooter with some role playing elements which enhance the experience. Mass Effect 2 is not, nor is it trying to be, a traditional RPG like Dragon Age, and making this realization is imperative if you want to enjoy this game to its full potential. ME 2 is a shooter first and foremost, and a Role-Playing game second.
Thankfully, Mass Effect 2 works very well as a shooter. While the cover system, basic squad commands and pause menu remain basically the same as those found in Mass Effect 1, the actual gunplay and enemy a.i. is much better. The gunplay in particular feels much closer to what you would find in a third person shooter like Gears of War, recoil, damage, and accuracy and range all need to be taken into account when firing a weapon. The overheating system found in ME 1 has been replaced with a more conventional ammunition or ‘thermal clip’ system, where enemies drop ammo after they are killed. You also have the opportunity to mod your ammo, depending on what type of enemy you are fighting. You no longer get experience for killing enemies, which some may dislike, but once you get used to the new system its works very well.
 Subject Zero is as crazy as she looks One of the biggest problems with the original Mass Effect’s combat was the friendly and enemy artificial intelligence. One of the bugs from Mass Effect 1 that is still present in the sequel is the path finding issues of your squad mates. They will occasionally walk into the open during a firefight, or climb on top of cover instead of hiding behind it. Luckily the enemy A.I. has been mostly fixed – in the original game, most baddies would simply charge at you, making combat often confusing and frustrating. Your opponents still aren’t the brightest, but they are much less problematic this time around, they will use cover and try to flank you, which make the shootouts much more enjoyable. There are still a few enemies that try to advance on you, but this is not a bad thing since it forces you to change your tactics – and the combat is much more tactical. Your powers are much more useful this time around and have more clearly defined effects – some are good against armour, some against shields, some only work against organic enemies – you have to change the way you play depending on which class you are, which abilities your squad mates have, and which enemies you are fighting.
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Feb 9, 2010 18:20:00 (170 days ago)
