Because waiting for Mass Effect 3 is probably going to slowly kill me inside.
The first Mass Effect was a runaway success and became an instant nerd icon. ME2 (as I will now call it) takes the same formula that made ME1 such a hit and adds Chuck Norris? beard and MacGyver?s brain.
I suppose I should sum this up.
Recommendation: Buy this game! But only if you have played ME1 in which case buy that game then this game. I haven?t been impressed with a game this much since possibly Arkham Asylum.
The game is nearly flawless, which is the best you can hope for. So clear your schedule, dump your girlfriend and put aside 30 hours for Mass Effect 2. Because the experience is well worth it. And when your done hate Bioware for making you wait for number 3.
EDIT: Anyone actually mind commenting on my review style offering pointers, tips, or perhaps just praising my sexy writing style?
The first Mass Effect was a runaway success and became an instant nerd icon. ME2 (as I will now call it) takes the same formula that made ME1 such a hit and adds Chuck Norris? beard and MacGyver?s brain.
Firstly I said last time after my award winning Assassin?s Creed 2 review [ http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.157271-Assassins-Creed-plays-an-awful-lot-like-GTA-Detailed-Review] that I would review Dragon Age Origins, but ironically I didn?t have time to review it because I was too busy playing it ? Hah! I?ll make up for this by either waiting until Awakening is released next month or if you people demand it enough.
Secondly though I played the game on PC, the differences are usually controls schemes and a few interface alterations which I won?t be mentioning anyway.
Secondly though I played the game on PC, the differences are usually controls schemes and a few interface alterations which I won?t be mentioning anyway.
Almost everything
Everything else
I was really caught between comparing the ME universe to either Star Trek or Star Wars. It was close to Star Wars since the style of the trilogy is analogous. ME1 started off much like New Hope in that it set the stage for an epic and infinitely complex universe amidst an intergalactic struggle. ME2 follows the Empire Strike Back theme as the much more mature and developed cast face off against the same threat, this time motivated with a more personal agenda. Perhaps ME3 will begin with Shepard cutting his way into a pit monster with a light sabre and the original Darth Vader eventually digitally replaced by an unlikeable over actor in the final scenes.
However Star Trek ultimately won this little contest because ME is actually set in the FUTURE, the main cast travels aboard an iconic space vessel (Enterprise vs Normandy) and because the captain of the ship likes to bang aliens.
However Star Trek ultimately won this little contest because ME is actually set in the FUTURE, the main cast travels aboard an iconic space vessel (Enterprise vs Normandy) and because the captain of the ship likes to bang aliens.
The game has one of the best opening sequences ever just so you know.
Well in terms of story I can?t tell you much without any spoilers since so much happens. ME2 picks right up form ME1 and has you in the role of Shepard. Entire human colonies have begun disappearing and you have been sent by the chain-smoking ?Illusive Man? (No, that?s actually his name and he?s voiced by Martin motherfucking Sheen!) to investigate. Along the way you are to assemble the most skilled, dangerous and often mentally unstable warriors in the galaxy to aid you in this ?Suicide Mission? (don?t take those words lightly).
Although this game has less of a linear plot and much of the game is having you flying across the universe setting up for the ultimate mission. The focus is more character centric (which is not necessarily a bad thing) and your crew feels so much more personal and the player will find it easier to connect upon an emotional level.
This game CANNOT be fully appreciated without playing the first game. I?m sorry to say if you have not played ME1 you sir/ma?am are missing out. Go buy, rent, steal, download or turn tricks at the corner for ME1 before picking this game up, otherwise your enjoyment will be limited and you won?t even know it.
Well in terms of story I can?t tell you much without any spoilers since so much happens. ME2 picks right up form ME1 and has you in the role of Shepard. Entire human colonies have begun disappearing and you have been sent by the chain-smoking ?Illusive Man? (No, that?s actually his name and he?s voiced by Martin motherfucking Sheen!) to investigate. Along the way you are to assemble the most skilled, dangerous and often mentally unstable warriors in the galaxy to aid you in this ?Suicide Mission? (don?t take those words lightly).
Although this game has less of a linear plot and much of the game is having you flying across the universe setting up for the ultimate mission. The focus is more character centric (which is not necessarily a bad thing) and your crew feels so much more personal and the player will find it easier to connect upon an emotional level.
This game CANNOT be fully appreciated without playing the first game. I?m sorry to say if you have not played ME1 you sir/ma?am are missing out. Go buy, rent, steal, download or turn tricks at the corner for ME1 before picking this game up, otherwise your enjoyment will be limited and you won?t even know it.
Say what you will about Bioware, these guys/girls know what good game design is.
However it?s not particularly the above that I praise, most competent studios know what they?re doing and like I said in my award winning Assassin?s Creed 2 review [ http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.157271-Assassins-Creed-plays-an-awful-lot-like-GTA-Detailed-Review] any big title game is bound to have an awesome soundtrack.
No, what makes Bioware unique and a stand out studio is their attention to detail to things that should not even matter and things you won?t even notice unless you were paying attention. NPC talking among themselves, photographs, audio logs and conversations with non-essential characters. The game rewards you for exploring, not in game items or currency but in rich experience. Almost every corner of the game has been built upon and the level of depth and complex that can only be enjoyed if the player is willing to get off their asses and go site seeing.
If you want a good taste of what they have to offer, when you?re in game go to Illium and go up to the eternity bar. The NPC conversation depicting a group of humans and aliens enjoying a bachelor party is some of the best banter I?ve ever heard and the bartender there has more personality than 90% of leading characters in other games.
Your crew of course take centre stage in this epic space opera. Every character has uniquely individual personalities from psycho-***** Jack to the sleek and sexy Thane. Much of the original Normandy crew make an appearance although only a few of them are playable, however the new crew are interesting enough in their own right and are enjoyable to work with. You?ll undoubtedly have a close attachment with many of them unless you?re a heartless bastard.
The dialogue system in ME has always been great and now it has been further improved in ME2. Rather than choose word to word of what you?re going to say, rather you choose the direction of how you want Shepard to act. Often you?ll be surprised with how your hero plays the story out so the game feels more natural. And now you have the ability to interrupt certain situations with an action e.g. hugging, shooting a person mid sentence or slapping them out before they can call the guards.
To conclude this little section, design?. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOD.
Level designs feel open and natural without feeling restrictive. Lighting palettes set the atmosphere perfectly, from lush jungles to seedy underbelly of crime of and sex. Ambient sounds enhances the mood and the composer takes a very minimalist approach to the soundtrack and adding sweeping orchestral pieces when necessary. Everything flows seamlessly together and the music, level design and lighting blend and feel very much apart of the experience rather than individual works put side by side.
The game also has a very effective economy system. Games normally go one of two ways. The first is the only possible way to get money is through excessive grinding. The second allows you to have control over your financial prowess from early on, but by end game you?ll have a pile of money so high you can cliff dive and enjoy your riches next to the endless high class prostitutes you?ve undoubtedly hired. By mid game you?ve bought everything you possibly need to and while you?ve upgraded to photon lasers with heart beat tracking missile systems, the enemy is still flinging rocks at you with their gym socks.
ME2 creates a steady flow of income to allow you to buy the essentials but will reward you further if you?re willing to take the time to do side quests and explore. But it has an interesting method where you can find upgrades in game that you can research using minerals and resources that are separate to currency. By creating several different currencies for different purposes, the player doesn?t feel too rich or poor.
However the system is also slightly flawed in that it does involve some level of grinding where you need to travel to planets and use a radar scanner to mine the materials. But it?s nothing game breaking and you can choose to stop whenever you have enough to get that upgrade you?ve been aching for.
ME2 creates a steady flow of income to allow you to buy the essentials but will reward you further if you?re willing to take the time to do side quests and explore. But it has an interesting method where you can find upgrades in game that you can research using minerals and resources that are separate to currency. By creating several different currencies for different purposes, the player doesn?t feel too rich or poor.
However the system is also slightly flawed in that it does involve some level of grinding where you need to travel to planets and use a radar scanner to mine the materials. But it?s nothing game breaking and you can choose to stop whenever you have enough to get that upgrade you?ve been aching for.
However it?s not particularly the above that I praise, most competent studios know what they?re doing and like I said in my award winning Assassin?s Creed 2 review [ http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.157271-Assassins-Creed-plays-an-awful-lot-like-GTA-Detailed-Review] any big title game is bound to have an awesome soundtrack.
No, what makes Bioware unique and a stand out studio is their attention to detail to things that should not even matter and things you won?t even notice unless you were paying attention. NPC talking among themselves, photographs, audio logs and conversations with non-essential characters. The game rewards you for exploring, not in game items or currency but in rich experience. Almost every corner of the game has been built upon and the level of depth and complex that can only be enjoyed if the player is willing to get off their asses and go site seeing.
If you want a good taste of what they have to offer, when you?re in game go to Illium and go up to the eternity bar. The NPC conversation depicting a group of humans and aliens enjoying a bachelor party is some of the best banter I?ve ever heard and the bartender there has more personality than 90% of leading characters in other games.
Your crew of course take centre stage in this epic space opera. Every character has uniquely individual personalities from psycho-***** Jack to the sleek and sexy Thane. Much of the original Normandy crew make an appearance although only a few of them are playable, however the new crew are interesting enough in their own right and are enjoyable to work with. You?ll undoubtedly have a close attachment with many of them unless you?re a heartless bastard.
The dialogue system in ME has always been great and now it has been further improved in ME2. Rather than choose word to word of what you?re going to say, rather you choose the direction of how you want Shepard to act. Often you?ll be surprised with how your hero plays the story out so the game feels more natural. And now you have the ability to interrupt certain situations with an action e.g. hugging, shooting a person mid sentence or slapping them out before they can call the guards.
To conclude this little section, design?. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOD.
I really enjoyed the combat from ME1, it was fast paced, challenging and satisfying. So when my friend told me that combat had been uberfied I called him a liar and had him killed. But when I fired off my first shot I felt a surge of adrenaline that I only feel after bedding a beautiful lady. The game manages to be a smooth and exciting shooter while retaining the tactical prowess of an RPG.
The developers decided to turn your powers up a notch, then another notch before eventually fucking the knob off the machine. The new universal cool down system allows you to wreak unimaginable havoc upon enemies without making you overpowered. The new shielding and armour mechanics will force you to choose your abilities carefully rather than just launching everything at the target until its head explodes.
Speaking of exploding heads, graphically the combat feels and looks more visceral. In ME1 the projectiles landed on the target like brightly coloured paintball pellets, now every shot is grossly satisfying. The armour of mechanical enemies spark and crumble, organic enemies bleed and copious sprays of blood are launched from the back of their craniums onto the wall behind them as you place a sniper round between their eyes.
The new class of weapons brings something extra to the table. Weapons now have a universal ammo system forcing you to consider your weapons more carefully. Heavy weapons devastate enemy forces but use unique ammo as to not completely destroy the balance in the game. Also inventory is significantly easier to manage rather than the cluster fuck that was ME1.
My only complaint I suppose would be the AI both on your side and the enemies. Your allies while are competent enough to know that you shouldn?t put their mouth over the barrel of the gun, but they have an unusual tendency to let you do most of the leg work. They can generally look after themselves and will most of the time not stand out in the open and so they won?t be lying out in the open in a pool of their own blood. But much more management is required for a fully functional team if you wish to tackle the harder difficulties.
While certain enemies will flank you, others will be placed up high with sniper and explosives and powerhouses like Krogan enemies will have generally soften you up with a shotgun before mauling you to death with their stubby little arms, hoards of enemies will be toppled with these simple step
Of course level designs and enemy varieties will make it so it almost never becomes dull and the game difficulty scales beautifully so you won?t be breezing through or gnashing your teeth to dust.
The developers decided to turn your powers up a notch, then another notch before eventually fucking the knob off the machine. The new universal cool down system allows you to wreak unimaginable havoc upon enemies without making you overpowered. The new shielding and armour mechanics will force you to choose your abilities carefully rather than just launching everything at the target until its head explodes.
Speaking of exploding heads, graphically the combat feels and looks more visceral. In ME1 the projectiles landed on the target like brightly coloured paintball pellets, now every shot is grossly satisfying. The armour of mechanical enemies spark and crumble, organic enemies bleed and copious sprays of blood are launched from the back of their craniums onto the wall behind them as you place a sniper round between their eyes.
The new class of weapons brings something extra to the table. Weapons now have a universal ammo system forcing you to consider your weapons more carefully. Heavy weapons devastate enemy forces but use unique ammo as to not completely destroy the balance in the game. Also inventory is significantly easier to manage rather than the cluster fuck that was ME1.
My only complaint I suppose would be the AI both on your side and the enemies. Your allies while are competent enough to know that you shouldn?t put their mouth over the barrel of the gun, but they have an unusual tendency to let you do most of the leg work. They can generally look after themselves and will most of the time not stand out in the open and so they won?t be lying out in the open in a pool of their own blood. But much more management is required for a fully functional team if you wish to tackle the harder difficulties.
While certain enemies will flank you, others will be placed up high with sniper and explosives and powerhouses like Krogan enemies will have generally soften you up with a shotgun before mauling you to death with their stubby little arms, hoards of enemies will be toppled with these simple step
1) Find a safe place to take cover
2) Pop out of safe place to take cover
3) Attack from safe place to take cover
4) Repeat until pulpy
2) Pop out of safe place to take cover
3) Attack from safe place to take cover
4) Repeat until pulpy
Of course level designs and enemy varieties will make it so it almost never becomes dull and the game difficulty scales beautifully so you won?t be breezing through or gnashing your teeth to dust.
I suppose I should sum this up.
Recommendation: Buy this game! But only if you have played ME1 in which case buy that game then this game. I haven?t been impressed with a game this much since possibly Arkham Asylum.
The game is nearly flawless, which is the best you can hope for. So clear your schedule, dump your girlfriend and put aside 30 hours for Mass Effect 2. Because the experience is well worth it. And when your done hate Bioware for making you wait for number 3.
EDIT: Anyone actually mind commenting on my review style offering pointers, tips, or perhaps just praising my sexy writing style?
