Mass Effect
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STORY
The game opens with Commander Shepard's ship, the SS Normandy, being attacked by a reaper. Shepard manages to help everyone else escape into pods, but ends up cast out into space with a leaking air supply. We discover that Cerberus comes into possession of the body and spends two years using experimental technology to revive Shepard.
Predictably, the galactic counsel played Sovereign (the reaper of the first game) off as merely a Geth ship and denied existence of the Reapers to the public. Therefore, it seems, little has been done in the two years Shepard has been gone. Cerberus' enigmatic leader, called the "Illusive Man", decides that someone needs to take the fight to the Reapers, and is behind the decision to resurrect Shepard. Aside Shepard's impressive skill set, the Illusive Man believes Shepard is a symbol that can inspire the galaxy into the action necessary to defeat the Reapers. Shepard and Cerberus, though once enemies, join forces as a result.
Shepard begins a new quest, armed with a Normandy Mark II. He must build a new elite squad and prepare both his ship and the galaxy for a fight like nothing anyone has had before. While doing this of course he must also uncover further mysteries of the Reapers if he's to formulate a strategy against them.
GAMEPLAY
The controls and general feel of the game are very similar to the original Mass Effect. Movement and firing are unchanged, and you can still take cover behind boxes and walls. The number of animations for cover and other combat movements has been drastically improved, and overall the combat plays a bit more solidly than the first game. The previous "overheat" system for weapons has been altered; now there are cooling rods that have a limited number of uses. This functions effectively as an ammo system, which is unlike the first game.
Grenades are no more, but other nifty toys fill this void and then some. Rather than the previous set up of four weapon types (pistol, shotgun, assault rifle, sniper rifle), in Mass Effect 2 there are a larger number of weapon types, and you are limited to four in what you carry with you. Pistols, for example, now come in two classes: heavy and automatic.
The skill point system works a little differently than before. Each character has a set list of abilities as before, but each ability is divided up into a fewer number of levels, each one requiring increasingly more points to increase the rank further. For example, one rank of a certain skill may require one point, but to achieve the second rank takes two points. The skill lists themselves are no longer focused on weapon proficiencies, but primarily in abilities. Presumably this is because with all the characters' considerable military backgrounds and the fact that Shepard was on level 30-60 last game-we can safely say each character is a master of their chosen weapons.
Each of the squad mates have special abilities that can be unlocked by completing their personal quests. Finishing these quests will also make that squad member loyal to Shepard, which has an influence on things later in the game.
CHARACTERS
Some of Commander Shepard's teammates from the original Mass Effect will return to Mass Effect 2 as usable characters. The others will have moved on in the time span between the two games and will be unwilling to join up again for one reason or another. The new characters will be a breath of fresh air, however, bringing a host of new and very contrasting personalities to Shepard's ship.
The conversations and relationships Shepard can have with these new crew members are a bit more fleshed out than those of the first game. As mentioned above, each teammate has their own quest Shepard can undertake to increase their loyalty and also unlock further talents. Completing the quests can also lead to deeper friendships or even romances, for which there are three for either sex Shepard happens to be. There also does seem to be the possibility to hold out and rekindle a romance that was active in the first game, as a dialogue can come up when meeting the original love interest in which they express desire to see Shepard again. Perhaps this will be clearer in Mass Effect 3.
CONCLUSION
Mass Effect 2 is a solid sequel to a very popular first-in-series game. Character development and combat alike show promising changes, yet preserve everything that was great in the first game. It plays as a satisfying part of what is sure to be an outstanding trilogy, and will continue to allow players to import their Mass Effect 2 character into Mass Effect 3. No real complaints from this reviewer, so an overall thumbs up is well deserved.
-About The Author-
Brian has a background in online media, most notably centered on blogs and articles. While at Effectur, Inc. he served as their primary copywriter and created press releases, informational articles, and authored a company blog. His editorial skills have been put to use in that job as well as in critiquing professional essays.
Brian is originally from Rochester, NY, and obtained a BA in English from St. John Fisher college in 2006.
(c) Copyright Brian C. Watkins, all rights reserved
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