The Mass Effect franchise has been praised for its prefect blend of action and RPG elements as well as its excellent story. Many Playstation fans have missed out on the series thus far, but no longer. EA and Bioware have finally brought Mass Effect 2 to the PS3, including all of its previously released downloadable content. Rather than get into each and every bit of content, this review will focus on the package as a whole, and let me tell you, it’s one hell of a package.
Mass Effect 2 opens with a bang, figuratively and literally. Needless to say, this bang is enough to make Shepard a dead man and ruin everything he was fighting for, that is until Cerberus steps in. The human supremacy group from the original game now plays a much larger role as they save Shepard and give him the recourses necessary to complete his impossible mission. Mass Effect 2 has a decidedly darker tone and it is a much-welcomed change. Decisions seem more mature and to have greater effect. In addition, a brief motion comic accompanies the Playstation 3 release that allows players to make some of the major decisions from the first game that influence the second. It’s not the same as actually playing the first game as you miss out on many less significant events, but it is much better than having nothing at all.
The first thing to notice about Mass Effect 2 is that the game is much more streamlined than the original. Gone is the clunky inventory system, gone are the 20 or so different skills to balance, and gone is the questionable gunplay. Mass Effect 2 brings action to the forefront with improves combat and superior A.I. Combat is much more fun and makes Mass Effect 2 almost feel like a third person shooter. Enemies are a much greater challenge; luckily, Shepard now comes with recharging health, standard. Simply wait in cover for a few seconds and you will be ready for more punishment. The weapon variety is greater in Mass Effect 2 because the guns are better defined. Sure, you may have four shotguns, but no two shotguns will work the same. Equipping yourself with weapons that fit your play style is now much easier.
The handling of equipment overall has received a huge overhaul. Mass Effect 2 does away with the inventory system entirely. Rather than have characters carry 100’s of pieces of equipment only to throw out most of it later, Bioware opted to take a different approach. All equipment is stored on the Normandy
The unfortunate side effect of upgrading your equipment is the need to harvest resources. Resources can be found on almost any planet. However, you must manually scroll over a planet to find mineral pockets. Once you find one, you launch a probe down and harvest it. At first, it is not very bothersome, but once upgrades become expensive it becomes quite annoying trying to harvest every planet dry for that last assault rifle upgrade. Add to that the slow scanning speed and the need to buy new probes when you run out, and you have something almost as bad as the Mako…almost. Good thing map navigation has also been improved. When on the galaxy map you gain control of the Normandy
Another streamlined aspect is the skill tree. All characters are limited to only a handful of skills, some of which can only be obtained through loyalty missions. Skill management is much easier and it allows each character to be more focused in their role. Most characters will not share more than one ability and even fewer share two or more. No matter whom you bring on a mission, you party will be diverse enough for almost any challenge.
While the streamlined approach makes Mass Effect 2 more approachable and more fun than its predecessor, it may disappoint some players looking for more of a traditional RPG experience. Mass Effect 2 is most definitely more action than RPG, but the RPG elements available still give you enough control that it doesn’t fell like a run of the mill third person shooter.
Upon looking past the streamlined gameplay, you will find the improved graphics of Mass Effect 2. Environments and characters alike look much more detailed and life like. The ugly film grain from the original game is gone, though there is still a bit of grittiness in the visuals, this is welcome however as it mixes well with the atmosphere of the game. The visuals often compliment the darker tone of the story. Character models look much better and no longer seem like robots. Even Shepard now moves around in conversations, laughs at his own jokes, and turns on the death stare when he doesn’t like what he is hearing. The music, like the visuals, compliments the tone of the game. The music is fantastic in its own right and is more diverse than the original.
Voice acting is a large part of what makes the characters so phenomenal in Mass Effect 2. It is one thing to have a character look happy or look sad, but it is another when you can hear the emotion. It makes all of the characters feel more like real people and helps you connect with them on a personal level. Mass Effect 2 has some of the best voice acting of any game, ever, from the main characters down to random street conversations between NPCs.
Mass Effect 2 delivers in almost every aspect and improves on much of what was seen in the first game. Despite the streamlined approach in some areas, Mass Effect 2 manages to be better than any expectations. From the excellent story to the characters, the visuals, the music, the gameplay, everything the game has to offer is top notch. Mass Effect 2 is a fantastic addition to the library of any Playstation fan. At such a tremendous value for such an excellent game, you would be hard pressed to find a reason not to dive in for either the first time or again if you have played before elsewhere.
Mass Effect 2
9.5/10
Great review dude!
ReplyDeleteI'm proud of this one myself.
ReplyDelete