First, if you have never played the original Mass Effect, do yourself a favor and pick it up before jumping into Mass Effect 2. The original game was flawed, but had one of the best stories ever told in a video game. You don’t need to play the first game to enjoy the second, but it’s kind of like jumping into The Empire Strikes Back or season 4 of Battlestar Galactica without seeing A New Hope or the previous seasons, respectively. Not just that, but you can import your previous Mass Effect character into the second game, which carries over choices from the first game and just makes the overall experience extremely personal.
Mass Effect 2 fixes or addresses almost all the problems from the first game, and goes on to improve and refine the gameplay experience. It’s a more streamlined game, and it’s completely worth your time.
Mass Effect 2 isn’t a perfect game – but the problems I have are nitpicks at best. The end game weapon selection is rather lacking – even towards the end of the game, I was still favoring the weapon I had started the game with. It’s not an issue per se, and a welcome change from Mass Effect 1’s excessive weapons and tedious inventory system. There are also a handful of annoying bugs, most notably one where Sheppard or squad mates will get stuck inside and on top of geometry in the level, requiring a reload. It’s annoying, but not annoying enough to take away from the experience. I’m also not a huge fan of sprint/cover/use being mapped to the same button, and the game could have used weapon hot-keys, but these are all small issues.
A lot of love went into overhauling the original Mass Effect combat system for the sequel. Gone is the overheat mechanic on guns, replaced with “thermal clips” – as weapons fire, they dissipate excess heat to universal thermal clips which need to be reloaded every so often. The cover mechanic is also changed, and Sheppard no longer takes cover until you press the cover button. Squad AI has also be significantly overhauled, as squad-mates are smarter and deadlier and less of a hassle to command.
The level design really is a testimony to how much Bioware listened to their fans’ problems with the first game – every combat area now has a ton of places to hide behind – gone are the cut and paste levels from the first game, and I don’t think I once saw a copy of another area at all, let alone an area that felt like a previous one. All the planets you visit are lovingly designed and intricately detailed. I was especially impressed with Tuchanka, the Krogan homeworld.
The best part of Mass Effect 2, hands down, has to be the character design and writing. Bioware poured tons of time and effort into fleshing out and creating believable characters. I was especially impressed with Mordin, a Salarian scientist. He is a fascinating character who made me feel compelled to keep asking him questions – not just to progress the story, but to actually find out more about him. He’s just a small sample of the quality of characters Bioware has written for Mass Effect 2, and each one is, for the most part, worth diving into their back stories. Thane is another good character, so good I won’t even bother ruining anything about him.
Mass Effect 2 is the best RPG experience I’ve had since… well, Dragon Age – but it’s the kind of game that is so very hard to put down once I picked it up. Every inch of the game oozes detail – a testimony to the painstaking love and attention Bioware has given the game. Playing Mass Effect 2 feels like the first time I watched The Empire Strikes Back – it’s epic and something that you should not miss out on. The voice acting is top notch and the game boasts some really high profile names – Tricia Helfer and Martin Sheen, among others. Oh, and the soundtrack is fucking epic.
About a month ago I went and picked up ME1 because I didn’t want to play ME2 without knowing what’s up. Needless to say, I loved the first game and couldn’t wait for the second. I have sunk my teeth,as it were, into ME2 and can say it = Awesome! I told my wife it’s like reading a good book that you just can’t put down because you want to find out how everything will turn out. This is one of the best-put-together games I’ve played in a long time, maybe ever…
Very nice review Karl. I have seen ME1 for around 10 bucks here lately since the second came out and have been tempted to pick it up. I’m going to have to do that now. Thanks for spending my money!
I’m in the same boat here. I will definitely have to play both games very soon.
Ryan,
If you wanna borrow my ME1, you can so you don’t hafta buy it. Just let me know….
Do it. For 10 bucks, ME is more than worth it. The sequel makes it look hilariously awful though. I’m on my third playthrough!
Haven’t finished it yet but I agree that after playing ME1 and starting ME2 with the same character the experience feels way more personal. I can’t wait to figure out what happens. Definately an awesome game
I may have a problem.
I bought it last Tuesday and had put 41 hours of gameplay in by Saturday. Thank god I scheduled my vacation for when this came out!
When people ask me where I went, they don’t understand where Citadel or Omega are? Most believe they must be in Greece… or France…
Stupid humans.
I bought it the day it came out. I was a really big fan of the first game. Hell, I’m a fan of almost all Bioware titles. I haven’t beat the game but I’m at the end. Just building up everything for the suicide mission to get the No One Left Behind achievement. It seems as though they plan on making a third one, at least they’re hinting at it in the loading screens.
@ Brent F
Mass Effect is a trilogy. Bioware has already confirmed that to tell the entire story, there will be 3 games.
I’m about half way through ME2 and am already going from six to midnight thinking about what ME3 could possibly be like.
Mass Effect 1 and 2 are the BEST games I have ever played. Before that was The Longest Journey and Dreamfall. Anything between that was just ok. Though I really enjoyed Oblivion and Fallout 3, Mass Effect tops them. I’m a big romantic so I think there wasn’t enough romance with the characters. lol There should have more relationship building. I am soooo in love with Thane..my God. hahahaha The creators of Mass Effect are geniuses! I can’t wait for part 3!