Mass Effect is More Cinematic, Has Improved Gameplay, But Will Disappoint Story Wise and Character Wise.
What makes Mass Effect memorable is the characters and story. This time Shepard is back for another mission on the Normandy to stop the Reapers, along with a new breed of enemy known as the collectors, but this time Shepard is also aligned with many new faces. The Illusive Man says that Shepard will be aided on his mission by the most effectual and most powerful warriors in the Galaxy, and he's right, the humans are well equipped for this round. The story of Mass Effect 2 is a big part of the reward and it is thoroughly enjoyable.
One will find themselves to spend a good half of the game recruiting and finding the right members to help Shepard on his quest as he uncovers secrets. The game begins with a bang, explosions everywhere as Shepards ship is attacked and blown to smithereens along with him. It is the mysterious Illusive man played by Martin Sheen that somehow operates an expensive project to brings Commander Shepard back to life and sets him on the course to go after the Collectors.
Characters in Mass Effect are brought to life by a cast sent from sci- fi heaven. It is every sci-fi fan's dream. The cast consists of an agglomeration of familiar faces, all which play their part in Mass Effect and give characters a voice. You can tell there is a rush of energy to bring these characters to life. Chuck actress Yvonne Strahovski enunciates every word with such a surge of energy. The concentration from such performances is much more noticeable. The voice work is stellar with characters that grow on you the more you continue to have them on your team, your alliances and enemies will be harder to decipher as soon each familiar face will blur the line between good and evil. Whose face appears to look at you and tell you of his or her mendacious adventures, who will succeed and who will fail? Mass Effect 2 is more political than ever making you feel like you're part of this galactic world chase to save humanity from extinction.
Even the gameplay while still widely similar has received a few tweaks here and there to make it more accessible. The original consisted of rather average gameplay, Mass Effect 2 feels right at home with many TPS games this gen; it's much more fun to use weapons since there is more variety than there was previously. More weapons, more bounce, more firepower, Mass Effect 2 is grander in the gameplay department than ever before.
The inventory system and upgrade system make Mass Effect more noticeable of who it really is. It is a TPS with minimal RPG elements. Overall, while the TPS has been done quite frequently this gen the biotic powers give Mass Effect an edge in feeling different than most TPS games this gen. Hacking has been improved as well and is pretty straight forward.
The conversation system is still here and it seems that your choices have more depth this time around and pretty soon towards the end of the game choices will become harder and harder to make. This is a larger improvement over the original as choices before seemed to not carry as much weight. Here, it's fantastic to see some of those choices from the original come into play.
You can upgrade weapons much easier and the interface has also been completely remodeled making it easier to manage and it makes more sense for this type of game. It seems that in a way this is how Mass Effect should have truly been and it seems Bioware has made many of the gameplay mechanics much more satisfying to work with.
The sound is brilliant, it's perfect fit for a grander sequel. It really brings out the scale and the darker tone out. It's symphonic it's mixed in perfectly into the Mass Effect universe, like the original you'll probably remember most of the music and how it is able to move the player at times and make them feel immersed into the universe.
The reason why one finds himself/herself loving Mass Effect 2 is because it's more cinematic than the original. The pacing seems more upbeat and there is just a lot more action here this time. If ever you've wanted to feel like you're playing a sci-fi movie, Mass Effect 2 executes this cinematic feeling quite wonderfully and exuberantly.
The level design can turn monotonous during sections of the game as you take on wave after wave of enemies. The game's design structure seems to want to take you to point A and point B the same way every time you try it. It doesn't try to give you more to work with, so it's easy to realize that Mass Effect 2 is quite linear.
Searching for money and other items by probing gets tedious and repetitive soon enough and sort of breaks the games pacing at some points. And then there's the AI which can act a bit strange from time to time. Sometimes partaking in an activity the player does not want them to be doing, or simply doing something silly.
Another problem is with the cast, there seems to be a gallimaufry of characters in Mass Effect 2 and the overall direction with them seems to get a bit lost in the process, was it rushed, it might appear it might have been. The side missions, which provide the most interesting information about these characters still don't make you connect with any of the characters. There is no captivating villain like there was in the original and there isn't a memorable ally. It seems that Bioware took in a little too much this time around, as it appears the important character development of the original doesn't shine as much. This can be annoying as you won't care for some of the conversations in the game. This is probably the main predicament with Mass Effect 2.
Mass Effect 2 is a much more polished, a much more entertaining experience overall. There are still setbacks to Mass Effect 2, but knowing the improvements in Mass Effect 2 we look forward to even more in the third and final game this time pertaining to the story as Bioware has got the gameplay right with the sequel. Hopefully they can take a step forward with the characters and make them more engrossing, interesting. The fact is Mass Effect 2 is a game that will make the player feel like you're part of a Sci-fi epic. The sizeable conclusion leaves you satisfied; you'll be waiting for the final installment the minute it's over.
Final Score: 8/10 or B
Game play: 8
Story: 7
Design: 7
Presentation: 8.5
Graphics: 9
Sound: 9
Replay Value: 8
Verdict:
Mass Effect 2 continues the Sci-Fi adventure this time with more polish and improved gameplay, and great side missions. What can confuse some is determining which game is better, the original or the sequel? While the sequel is improved in some aspects, perhaps some might debate the characters are what make Mass Effect and its universe so intriguing and it seems Bioware took in a little too much and got confused with its direction during the sequel. If you don't mind Bioware throwing away some of the things you loved from Mass Effect like the exploration, you will most definitely have a good time here, I just felt like the game is now going for a more action attempt and because of that the story part of it is less complex. Nevertheless, Mass Effect 2 is a cinematic experience and definitely recommended for buying or renting.