More than a year passed from when I completed Mass Effect to when I started playing Mass Effect 2. Regardless, I was able to dive right in as if I never left it. Mass Effect 2 to is similar to it’s predecessor: a third-person action RPG set in space around 2183. Commander Shepard is the main character though his characteristics are what you make them including appearance and backstory. During the opening he (or she if you choose) is fresh from saving the bacon of the entire galaxy. Suddenly, Shepard and crew are ambushed by a Collector ship and through a series of events becomes aligned with Cerberus. This group outfits him with a ship, some crew, and a mission: save the Galaxy again. The shady Illusive Man helps Shepard to shape his goals and grow a team that can blast into the Omega 4 Relay to destroy Collector homeworld. The suicide mission. Is it the end? Your actions will decide.
Mass Effect 2 has loads of missions, planets, and people to investigate. There are only a few major plot quests, with a lot of optional sights to see. I can’t stress enough how much these add to the fun and make the game easier. So skipping them would be like throwing money away. Resources are needed to make upgrades and are nearly as valuable as credits. Scanning planets for minerals is the only way to power your squad and ship to their highest potential. Extremely addictive and useful. Finally, a major aspect is crew management. Picking up new members of the team runs the gamut. Some come easy, while others require more skill to acquire. Each character also has a loyalty mission that usually means helping them on some unfinished business somewhere in the galaxy.
The visuals are some of the best on Xbox 360. Mass Effect 2 runs at a solid clip with minimal slowdown. Character models are phenomenal and textures look wonderful. The only rough patches I noticed are in the ship and shuttle cutscenes. Those areas don’t have the same sheen that exist in the worlds or ship interiors. No impact on the gameplay, but just something I noticed. The music and voice acting are superb. I wouldn’t accept any less. My favorites are Martin Sheen as the Illusive Man and Yvonne Strahovski as Miranda Lawson. Amazing all around. I feel like no other game rivals ME2 in this category.
I highly suggest players check out the downloadable content available for Mass Effect 2. I have worked through everything except Arrival as of this writing. For completists, buying the game new is important since you get Cerberus Network free. All the other content packs are worth the money for all the nice stuff you get. Look for reviews of Overlord, Lair of the Shadow Broker, and the rest of the free stuff soon. I also hope to buy Arrival soon and play through that.
I had a ton of fun with this game. I recruited all the crew. Then, I gained their loyalty. I like making decisions and feeling that they matter. My Shepard ran into many characters I remembered from the original game. Since I fought the good fight most were glad to see me. I am interested to see how my choices will shape the experience in Mass Effect 3.
I imported my Shepard from a level 56 playthrough in Mass Effect. I romanced Miranda. My entire crew survived the suicide mission, so I’m happy about that. I chose to destroy the last boss, which the Illusive Man hated. It took about 32 hours to complete the game. That time includes all the DLC minus Arrival. I was moving at a brisk pace, so your experience may take more or less.
Some players won’t be interested in playing the second chapter without slaying Mass Effect. Even with that, the sequel ensures players are familiar with the story. This also makes the game accessible for people new to the franchise. With tons of refinements and a massive story to tackle, this is easily one of the best games of 2010. I highly recommend Mass Effect 2 to anyone looking for an adventure that spans the galaxy, but still manages to put story and experience first. Thank you BioWare.
A Life of Gaming 