Two years after BioWare unleashed Mass Effect comes the second part of the planned trilogy, Mass Effect 2. Widely regarded as the best RPG developers in the business BioWare have shown they are still top of the pack. They have greatly improved on Mass Effect, every facet of the game has been enhanced, tweaked and refined while the weakest parts have been discarded or replaced. The very tedious elevator rides, the abysmal vehicle sections, the weapon specialisation all gone. Another casualty is the inventory system. This has been replaced with weapon lockers and mission load outs for your elite team which you pick before you set out. Released through Electronic Arts, Mass Effect 2 is available on Xbox 360 and PC DVD.

Story & Consequences – The events of Mass Effect 2 take place a few years after the conclusion to Mass Effect, 200 years on from our own timeline. The main plot is that human colonies on the outskirts of space have begun to disappear and the main character Commander Yukiko Shepard joins up with the Cerberus organisation to investigate into suspicions that the Reapers are somehow involved. One thing I personally like is that if you have kept your save game from the original Mass Effect then all the choices you made from it are taken into account for the sequel. Did you execute a criminal or let them live in the original? Will you rescue someone at cost to yourself or let them perish? These choices do have consequences and the conversation system in the new game is as impressive as it was in the original Mass Effect. These ponderous questions flesh out the campaign and can have you having to make some hard choices as well as leave you thinking for a bit before making your decisions. Conversations are not the only choice making method; your actions develop the story, pushing someone out of harms way, or scaring an innocent will have effects on your personality and how you are perceived. Mass Effect 2 Special Edition is generally well-paced with much of the game revolving around you recruiting a team to tackle the threat of the Reapers. Of course each new recruit will need you to solve their individual problem before they join up with you. In the first game you automatically had your elite squad at the start. These missions are very well made and each one is unique so you do not feel as though you are grinding out missions and you feel a sense of accomplishment and involvement in the story, this is in part thanks to the wonderful cinematics on display.

Gameplay Effect – Mass Effect 2 has undergone more refinement in the skills and special abilities department. BioWare have removed the weapon specialisation and lowered the amount of weaponry and armour at your disposal. This gives you less items to fumble with and less time picking what you need and more time actually playing. In the first game your weapons never ran out of lead, unlimited ammunition. Most players would concentrate on one or two weapons and put all their skill points into making the weapons better and forgo all the other weapons choices, making them redundant and useless. In Mass Effect 2 you will need to make use of different weapons at different times and you will be reliant on how much ammunition you have. Ammo can now be taken from defeated aggressors to replenish your stock. This method will be familiar top anyone to have played a first person shooter game in the past 20 years. Another element taken from those games is the new health gauge which regenerates over time when you are hidden behind cover. Combined with the new ammo system this makes gun battles more intense and immersive without the repetitiveness of the combat from the first game. Now when you aim and fire at an enemy you will hit them(if your own skill is good enough) In the previous game there would be a check on your skill with the weapon and the factoring of other statistics to see weather or not you hit your target, even if you were point blank you could still miss. You can upgrade your weaponry and armour by exploring planets for resources. This is done via your ship, the SSV Normandy SR-2, which is fully controllable and allows you to scan unexplored worlds for these resources. The ship itself can be upgraded too.

Mass Worlds – BioWare have a good history of creating rich detailed worlds full of stunning creatures and characters, each one with an in-depth back story and purpose. Each member of the elite squad that you assemble are of interest and are fully fleshed out. Living, breathing worlds have been created and are more exciting and believable than in the original Mass Effect. Passers by get involved in conversations with each other, your squad chats to each other, discusses problems and interacts on many levels. This virtual cast gives you the feeling of being engrossed in a highly interactive experience.

BioWare have been in this business a long time and have produced some of the finest games in the RPG genre, some would say if it isn\’t a BioWare game it isn\’t going to be any good. This experience shows through with Mass Effect 2, every facet of the original has been improved and it is not a sequel that feels more like an add on pack like so many games do today, this one is a true sequel and definitely worth the purchase.

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