In 2007, Bioware released one of the most creative, thought provoking and visually impressive video games of this current generation with Mass Effect. Shortly after the release of Mass Effect, the project lead Casey Hudson announced that it was the first chapter to a plot line that would span three games total. It has been three years, and Mass Effect 2 has finally been released on PC and XBOX 360. Does this second installment top its predecessor? In a word, completely.
For those who have never experienced this game series before, the Mass Effect series is a sci-fi adventure shooter where players assume control of Commander Shephard, one of the most skilled soldiers in human history. To immerse players into the role of Commander Shepherd, players could customize everything about their main character from his or her appearance to unique weapon specializations. From this point, the game focuses on Shepherd’s quest to save the galaxy from utter annihilation while commanding an elite team filled with colorful and deeply interesting characters.
First things first, Mass Effect 2 is almost an entirely different game from the original. Where the first installment’s game play was structured like a traditional RPG with third person shooter elements, Mass Effect 2 focuses more on being a well rounded shooter. For the series’ fans this is a bit of a shock at first as hunting for Spectre-class inventory across the Milky-Way Galaxy. However, once players sit down with this game for about an hour they will either be hooked by the astonishing opening sequences or how well composed the game’s structure is. Essentially Mass Effect 2 shoots like Gears of War and upgrades like Dead Space. If either of these games are not your cup of tea then maybe, just maybe Mass Effect is not the series for you. However, nothing can be more fun than lifting your foes up with a biotic power and vaporizing them with a shotgun filled with incendiary ammo.
The overall presentation is nearly flawless. No longer do textures pop in and out of view during cut scenes or game play like the first game. Instead the graphics have greatly improved with great lighting effects during some set pieces and action sequences. Once again Bioware reminds the entire video game community that their speech system is still top dog in the industry. Alien species will converse with your character and you often find yourself gazing at their mouth movement as it syncs perfectly with the spot-on voice work.
The story itself is the weakest part of the game as the main quest is pretty cut and dry. In fact with the exception of a few missions, the description on the back of the box is pretty much the gist of the whole game. Luckily there are enough side missions that are far more interesting and far more fun to keep you busy and happy on your journey towards the conclusion of the game. Speaking of the conclusion, the final boss battle is somewhat of a let down both structurally and also artistically. Some people will say that the difficulty was disappointing, as it should be the greatest challenge that a video game can pose.
When looking at the Mass Effect series as a whole, it is pretty clear that it is only getting better with age. Mass Effect 2 in particular manages to preserve the universe of the series while still managing to innovate the game play and simplify it for a wider audience. Thematically, Mass Effect 2 falls short of the first installment, but with Mass Effect 3 currently in pre-production and series director Casey Hudson still controlling Bioware’s biggest intellectual property, the end may definitely justify the means.
Andrew Witts can be reached at [email protected].
