Jump to content
Please support IVG when you shop at Amazon

Mass Effect 2

MarketTantrik

By MarketTantrik,
in Games

Recommended Posts

Pushy Community Regular

Pushy

Posted
Posted
in order to get all bonus DLC items you would have to do the following:

- buy dragon age: origins

- buy mass effect 2 ce

- buy mass effect 2 de

- preorder mass effect 2 at gamestop

- preorder mass effect 2 anywhere else

- buy a shitload of dr. pepper

 

whats de?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
playstation Newbie

playstation

Posted
Posted
Mass Effect 2 Review

9.3

Format Xbox 360

Developer EA Games

Publisher EA Games

Genre Unknown

 

 

Mass Effect 2 makes its predecessor look really simple. Whether you're eavesdropping on a pair of Krogans in the citadel, mining planets for resources from space, or outfitting your private deck with a fish tank and space hamster, almost every area in the game is improved upon and impressively presented.

 

It's as if BioWare compiled a big checklist of the first game's bad points, and scratched them off one by one. Rubbish vehicle sections, overwhelming inventory management and, yes, elevator load times have all been thrown in the bin. The result is a more refined, balanced and approachable game - arguably BioWare's best to date.

 

The sequel's events kick off a few years after the original title's conclusion, taking into account all the choices you made and people you killed/spared in the original game (if you've kept hold of your Mass Effect 1 save at least).

 

The spoiler-free version of the plot is that human colonies have started disappearing around the edges of space. Suspicious that the Reapers - the ancient, galaxy-culling machines - are behind the attacks, our man Sheppard joins up with the Cerberus organisation and its mysterious leader, 'The Illusive Man' (voiced by Martin Sheen), to investigate.

 

MASS APPEAL

Unlike the original, Mass Effect 2 kicks off with a bang and is generally well-paced throughout. Much of the sequel revolves around Sheppard combing the galaxy to recruit an elite team to tackle the Reapers, which naturally leads to you solving each individual's problem before they hop onto your ship.

 

These missions are, for the most part, unique, interesting and, most of all, fantastically written. Though cinematic wonder Heavy Rain looms near on the horizon, Mass Effect 2 is arguably the closest to an interactive movie we've ever come.

 

BioWare's awesome conversation system is as impressive as ever and the choices you're presented with - and their consequences - are more apparent and liberally scattered than before.

 

Should you execute surrendered hostage takers or stick to your promise to let them live? Does a murderer deserve to die or go to trial? You'll be faced with both of these questions and more during the campaign and some are almost certain to have you pondering over your mouse or joypad.

 

What impresses most about Mass Effect 2's improvements, though, is not what BioWare's decided to add, but what it's decided to remove. Along with the aforementioned binned vehicle sections and endless elevator rides, the developer has smoothed down the game's rougher edges.

 

The very traditional inventory system from the first game has been trashed completely, and in its place are in-game weapon lockers and pre-mission squad loadouts.

 

This move alone could easily have alienated many fans of the first game, but on the contrary it creates focus and removes all distractions from what makes the series brilliant in the first place; its character, freedom of choice and awesome sci-fi combat - the latter of which is another area significantly upped from the original.

 

With refined skill trees and special abilities, plus far fewer weapons and less armour to fumble around with, Mass Effect 2's combat is a honed beast. Key to this - and this is yet another fix for one of the first game's negative bulletpoints - is the introduction of weapon ammunition, deposited on the floor in true shooter style by downed aggressors.

 

TO GOOD EFFECT

In the first game's ammo-less setup you'd find yourself committed to a single weapon and dedicating your experience points to it. That meant that by the end of the game you'd sooner touch a splintery broom handle than try to use those guns you hadn't gifted any time to.

 

In the sequel, thanks to ammo management and the decision to axe weapon specialisation completely, you feel compelled to mix and match your guns.

 

This expectedly has a big impact on the fun factor of gun fights, and the fact that the actual shooting mechanics themselves - the cover system, weapon feedback and death animations - have been improved also helps hugely.

 

Another catalyst for improvement is the addition of heavy weapons, which not only up the pace of big battles (and create pretty explosions) but free up BioWare to make hard enemies even harder.

 

The appearance of a single, towering mech in Mass Effect 2 is now a set piece all to itself, taking the coordination of all three of your team members and lots of well-placed rockets to take it down - a contrast to Mass Effect 1.

 

 

The sequel has definitely benefited, then, from the trimming down of fat and shifting of focus to delivering more bang for your buck. But role-playing elements are still very much core to the experience - and there's a lot of them.

 

Mass Effect 2 is definitely a game that takes less effort than before to play and enjoy - you're left free to enjoy not only the shooty stuff but the beautiful universe and characters that BioWare's created - and it's outdone itself.

 

PLANET HOPPING

The worlds you'll visit during Sheppard's mission are gorgeous, believable and always coherent with the stupidly-deep story book of creatures and characters the developer's created.

 

Without spoiling anything, the scenes and set pieces you'll encounter are more exciting, elaborate and thought provoking than anything in the first game.

 

You need only walk around the alien-filled Citadel space station to see that the environments are a shade above anything BioWare's done before; pedestrians seem to go about there business and you can overhear seemingly endless, individual conversations on every corner.

 

It should also be commended that the developer's managed to create a cast of interesting and likable characters we actually care about (even if the squadmate count, at 10, is approaching too many).

 

Often we found ourselves running around the deck of the Normandy just to hear our crew members' problems or have a chat. Interacting with the game's virtual cast is a really engrossing experience and again it's a joy to be able to project some of your personality onto the story.

 

This time your choices also come in the form of actions - basically random QTE sequences - that can have you shove someone away from gun fire, use your weapon to scare a hostage and more.

 

This adds a bit of drama to chatty scenes but we'd be lying if we said we hadn't accidentally shot someone in the face in a QTE-inspired outburst.

 

Space exploration has also been bolstered with the introduction of fuel stations and space mining on the galactic map.

 

Sheppard can now manually scan unexplored planets for resources using the right thumb stick and send down probes to collect it. This can then be used to upgrade weapons, armour and the Normandy itself in an on-board research system. This complements the game's less overbearing style wonderfully.

 

It could be argued that it takes a gamer of a certain level of patience to enjoy the pairing of launching grenades at mechs, and talking in detail to aliens about the weather. And Dragon Age is definitely the better game for fans of stats and loot.

 

For the most part BioWare's done well in marrying action and role-playing elements in proportioned - though there's certainly a lot of the latter in the game through dozens and dozens of side quests.

 

It's often apparent that story missions are simply repeating the same 'find this', 'kill these' objectives you've done already in previous scenarios, but each is done with such distinct plotting and on unique worlds that it doesn't detract from what's otherwise a gloriously crafted action-RPG - a true example of paying attention to fan criticism.

 

Mass Effect 2 has quality oozing from every facet of its makeup. If you're patient enough to hop from tactical combat to immersive role-playing without a blink, then you'll discover that Mass Effect 2 is a wonderfully engrossing quest that's deep yet suitably streamlined and incredibly cinematic.

 

// Overview

Uppers

Beautiful, engrossing universe

Superior combat

Incredibly cinematic

Charming, believable characters

Downers

Dragon Age is still the one for RPG purists

source

Link to comment
Share on other sites
playstation Newbie

playstation

Posted
Posted

@shockwave, arey bro i am happy that game is finally officially released but even I have to wait longer than you guys...coz my game will ship from game.co.uk according to the uk date and god knows when it will come here. :cheers:

 

Finally the game is out....Now just hope every one gets the game soon enough. :cheers:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
playstation Newbie

playstation

Posted
Posted
I dont like RPG's but i'm going to start with ME2

 

 

I didn't liked RPG's but will start with Mass effect 2

yaar you have already told us that....you will end up with your post count reduced instead of increased if found spamming.

keep patience and you will reach 50 posts in no time. :cheers:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...