Mass Effect 2: The Second Verse

When I reviewed the original Mass Effect two years ago, I figured I'd be doing the rest of the series soon after...and then I got distracted by other games. Still, the sequels have been on the proverbial backburner for a while now, and I figured it was time to continue the adventures of Commander Shepard.

With that in mind, let's get into the second chapter of the Mass Effect saga, shall we?

Developing the Second Chapter

Mass Effect 2 went into development just before the first game was released. Originally developed for PC and XBox 360, the team went all-in to streamline the UI and make the game more immersive than its predecessor. They streamlined the UI, added real-time combat, and revised the game's inventory system. The planetary exploration of the previous game was also rebuilt to make each world and level unique.

"I actually can't think of an aspect of the game that we haven't overhauled and made 100% better." - Casey Hudson, Game Director

The game took twice as long as the previous game to make, and featured voice work from 90 actors, including Mark Meer, Jennifer Hale, Seth Green, Fred Tatasciore, and Grey DeLisle. The cast played 500+ characters and spoke 25k lines of dialogue - I really hope they all had water on hand.

Mass Effect 2 was released on January 26, 2010, and was met with critical acclaim.

The Storyline

One month after the events of the previous game, the SSV Normandy, under the command of Commander Shepard, is out searching for Geth stragglers when they run afoul of an unknown ship. This unknown vessel quickly destroys the Normandy, and Shepard is sucked out into space and dies.

Two years later, the organization Cerberus has recovered and rebuilt Shepard's body.

Shepard is sent on the hunt to stop a mysterious race called the Collectors from attacking human colonies in the galaxy. To that end, our hero sets out to recruit a strong team of people to go to the Collector homeworld.

What did I Like?

Okay, so what works in Mass Effect 2?

Visually, the game is beautiful; every model and every texture looks great. The music is also phenomenal; every song and tune is just epic.

The story is well-written and paced. Every line of dialogue brings each character to life, and the humor is hysterical in places. The various side stories for each of your companions are all interesting and engaging.

Combat is really satisfying, I loved every firefight that I got into - as odd as that sounds. The controls have been streamlined significantly, making things much easier.

Where did Mass Effect 2 Stumble?

So, we've discussed what I liked, but where does Mass Effect 2 stumble?

Well...okay, there are a few things that I wasn't too keen on. First off, the lighting in some areas is a bit off. It's darker than it should be, making things very hard to see at times.

The weapons in the game are great...mostly. The heavy weapons are too slow and clunky to really use effectively. They are stronger, but they take longer to shoot, which makes things difficult when you've got unfriendly company.

On a related note, the combat encounters, as satisfying as they are, do get a bit repetitive after a while - especially towards the end.

"Go here, shoot these guys, go there, shoot those guys." - In-game Combat

Most enemies use the same attacks over and over again, so once you've got the pattern down, you can just blast right through them...on pretty much every difficulty.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Mass Effect 2 is great. It's not perfect, but it doesn't have to be. It's a great time all the way around! The big stumbling blocks are the clunky, heavy weapons and the repetitive combat scenarios, but if that doesn't bother you, then you'll enjoy yourself.