Review: Mass Effect 2 [PC]
Arnold J. Rimmer, 2-Mar-10 » 
There is little doubt amongst many fans of the RPG genre and gaming in general that Mass Effect was a triumph for Bioware. At face value, it seemed they could do no wrong, having already established their dominance in the genre with classics such as Baldur's Gate 2, Neverwinter Nights and Knights of the Old Republic. But as the surface was scratched, the flaws in the masterpiece became apparent. The inventory system was clumsy and difficult to use effectively. Occasional show-stopping bugs, inconsistent music cues and generally boring side assignments all stuck out like scratches on Lara Bingle's Aston Martin.
In many ways Mass Effect could be compared to Star Wars: A New Hope. The introduction to the universe we all know and love was a masterstroke but you could see the potential for expansion of the saga. In the same way, Mass Effect introduced us to a wonderful universe in which humans were newcomers to the galactic stage, mistrusted by the status quo even as a rogue special agent threatened to destroy them with a race of god-like creatures. The potential was there for Bioware to develop an awesome sage of their own, just as Star Wars has done. With Mass Effect 2, they have nearly achieved it.
With the destruction of the reaper Sovereign and the geth in the first game, things seem to be looking for Commander Shepard and his team, but a new threat emerges on the fringes of space. Human colonies are disappearing for no apparent reason. But the leaders of galactic civilisation don't want to do anything about it (surprise, surprise), and deny all knowledge of the Reapers. Two years later after their defeat, Shepard is approached by the human organisation Cerberus to track down the cause of the disappearing colonies and stop it once and for all.
Your new boss in Mass Effect 2. Solar observation a must for any billionaire's office in the 22nd century.
Cerberus, as you may remember were the standard sneaky organisation designed by humans, for humans, damn anyone else. Seems every sentient race has one that does the dirty work and breaks the rules, with permission. Shepard's not the type for giving up, so he joins with Cerberus to work out what the hell's going on with the colonies, under the direction of the Illusive Man (played with aplomb by Martin Sheen), the mysterious leader of Cerberus. This is where the action picks up in ME2. It's not a complicated story by any means but it's easy to follow, which allows you to get on with the job of stopping the main enemy in the game without getting bogged down in overbearing detail. It's not just the simplicity of the storyline that sucks you in though; like all the great Bioware titles, it's the way in which it is told that really pulls you in and refuses to let you go until you've saved the galaxy and gotten the girl (quite literally). More on that later though.
In every single aspect, the game is a refinement of the first game's strengths while addressing the weaknesses. The biggest changes are in the combat and inventory system; specifically, it's simpler and the inventory has been fired off into the void altogether. Combat is far more frenetic and action-packed than the first game, with explosions, technical powers and the game's magi...er, biotic powers blasting left, right and center. Players will remember that in the first game, guns would overheat if you fired them too often, resulting in careful management of heat to make sure your attacks were effective. In ME2, this has been ditched for essentially a universal ammo system. Enemies drop little widgets called 'thermal sinks' that are basically clips for weapons. This means you don't have to worry about heat, but at the same time it's been done a thousand times before....not a good thing for those seeking a pure-RPG experience.
This is a good move though. Not having heat means that less time is spent waiting for heat to recover, hiding, freeing up more time to attack and use your own powers to take down enemies. It seems slightly under-developed though. Leaving heat would have kept the thermal sinks to use strategically; do you wait to cool down, or pop a precious heat sink to keep firing? Still, the system works well, just as it does in any other gun-based shooter, but leaving heat in a different or reduced form would have made the system perfect.
Don't move! Or I'll.....fill you full of purple light!
Other changes in combat include the cooldown periods for powers; they're faster, but using one power means you can't use any until you've cooled down. This is another interesting change as it means you can't simply fire off all your magical...uh, tech and biotic powers and then mow down the helpless enemy; you have to carefully choose which one to use since you're powerless (sorry) for a few precious seconds. Special ammo, once used to upgrade guns, is now a power as well only available to certain classes, which helps to better distinguish between them.
All this, coupled with improved A.I. means that combat is much more satisfying in ME2 compared to ME1. Cover is extremely important; you can't take a lot of damage, thus sticking your head out under heavy fire will only earn you a visit from our good friend the game over/reload screen. Enemies will lay down suppressive fire, use their own powers against you and depending on who it is you're fighting, charge at you, flank and generally make turtling a death sentence. It's wonderful to behold, even though the much-hyped heavy weapons could use a little more punch.
There's less variety in the weapons, while we're at it; there are around 2-3 different choices in pistol, shotgun, assault rifle and sniper rifle and pretty much in all cases the upgraded version (the one you pick up later in the game) is better than before. The submachine guns are just there so that non-soldiers can have a rapid-fire weapon to choose from. The heavy weapons are impressive to use but don't really do as much as you'd think, with the exception of the M-920 Cain which is basically a handheld nuclear missile launcher that you get to use only once a mission if you take it. Weapons can only be changed at weapons lockers here and there, but that's likely to only be useful if you want to change your heavy weapon.
Taking applications for faceless goon #68
RPG fanboys, avert your eyes as more pain is on it's way...
Remember that I said there is no inventory? Omni-gel, that nebulous material that repairs vehicles in the first game, is gone completely. Well, there's no vehicle sections so you don't need any of that molten slop. Medi-gel is still around, except it's not used for healing, it's used to revive fallen teammates instead (well, that's not entirely true, when you use it, it'll heal Shepard as well...) Grenades, of course, are gone because of the heavy weapons. Most of this is fine though, given the changes to the combat system, but the purists will likely be holding their D&D crucifixes aloft at this point. Even the character progression has been neutered to something simpler, with fewer skills and more reliance on permanent upgrades to your kit and weaponry, rather than arbitrary attributes. This is done through the new research system, where resources from planets are harvested and then used to pay for the research. I like it though, as it sets the game into a hybrid of FPS and RPG, without being hamstrung into following design tenets from either genre.
Pink is the new black, baby
Speaking of vehicle sections, the whole gamut of side missions (assignments) have been completely re-worked. No longer are you trooping through some non-descript underground base where the layout is the same as every other non-descript underground base. Instead, each mission is as wonderfully detailed as the the main missions. You want to complete these, instead of just doing them for the experience and cash, such is the amount of refinement that Bioware have put into ME2.
This is most obvious in the graphics. The universe of Mass Effect 2, even more than ME1, is truly wonderful to behold. Even though it's the same game engine, so much more detail has been added that it makes it feel alive, whereas some areas in ME1 were in danger of being rendered as sterile as a hospital waiting room. It makes it seem like there literally is a place as the Citadel out there, with its big city living, clean environs and yet a seedy undercurrent of crime comparable to any big city on Earth. The grime and grind of Omega where the scum of the galaxy hang out and the only rule is one that cannot be printed here. And many other locations that we've probably all imagined at one time or another, from desert worlds, to eerie caves and tropical paradises where sentients have only just discovered. The screenshots cannot really do it justice for what Bioware have created.
Backing up the visuals is the excellent audio; it's clean, immersive and thankfully the developers have worked out the music issues that plagued the first game. It was annoying to have the music cut out at an climactic moment, which was a great shame given the effort put into the musical score. This has been ironed out for ME2 and the music is excellent once again; not much room left in an already well-feathered cap for the developers here.
However, Bioware's greatest strength has never been about the graphics or the sound or even entirely about the mechanics. It's the story and characters that matter for them and in this, ME2 is once again an outstanding effort. Events from the first game are referred to and affect a few events in ME2, depending on your choices from the first game. Some of your teammates' stories are continued on from the Mass Effect novels, Revelation and Ascension (there's more novels to come) but even where that's not the case, each teammate has a decent backstory to tell, mainly through their respective loyalty missions, in which you gain their trust by doing something for them. A few of these will have consequences for the third game, so even that's not tacked on content by any stretch.
This is further helped by the dialogue system, which is carried over mostly unchanged from the first game and manages to not be boring, once more. This is done by actually making use of the camera during conversations, so that it makes it an even more cinematic experience. All the movie tricks like panning and zooming are used to great effect, so that you're much less likely to hammer the skip button in boredom. It's such a small change and yet it's like adding a rocket engine to a car in the execution.
The Paragon and Renegade morality system is still here as well, however it plays a bigger part in determining dialogue choices. Almost every choice you make will add points to either side, in fact a few times I found myself making a Renegade choice and yet gaining an almost equal number of Paragon points at the same time. There's no charm or intimidate skills anymore, instead your overall good cop/bad cop rating is used to determine if you can smooth talk, or punch your way through a conversation. Pointing a gun at someone doesn't work if you haven't got the badass reputation to back it up! Finally, a very cool addition is the Interrupt system; this basically allows you to fast-track some encounters with a click of the mouse. Interestingly, this isn't dependent on your Paragon/Renegade rating, so even if you're as pious as the Pope himself, you can still interrupt conversations like this one below...
Obligatory ranting lackey outlining plans for galactic domination. He's starting to get tedious.
As he carrys on, we can't help but notice the fuel pipe conveniently located below the lackey. The flashing icon helpfully indicates that we can interrupt with a Renegade action.
One left-click later, Shepard whips out the one liner along with his sidearm...
Couple of shots into the fuel line shows the lackey the error of his ways.
In fact, it almost seems an injustice that I even have to mention that there are one or two minor niggles in the game; occasionally you can get stuck outside the map, forcing a reload and there's not enough banter between your teammates. It is not perfect; nothing is. None of that matters though.
Again, Bioware's true strength has been about the storytelling, just as almost everything they do. I found myself geniunely caring when I helped my teammate stop his son from murdering an innocent due to his past mistakes. I found myself geniunely wanting to stop the main antagonist. I found myself cheering when I beat the odds and succeeded. I found myself torn between revealing the truth, and covering it up to protect another. I found myself drawn to the teammate who is stuck in an envirosuit for her entire life, showing the true value of personality, feelings and inner qualities, rather than petty appearances.
For a computer game to have done this to me, ever since I picked up the controller of a Sega Master System 20 years ago, shows that Bioware have done the near impossible in this current era of superficial, digital entertainment; they have changed me and my outlook, for the better, as good as any bestseller book might. For that, I salute them.
In closing: it may only be an evolution from the first game's strengths, but it certainly shows the value of evolving an already awesome game into something yet more awesome, if that were possible. To be honest, you'll be so much the poorer if you do not play Mass Effect 2. Sheer class and brilliance from Bioware.
+ Awesome storytelling and characters
+ Excellent graphics and sound
+ Refined combat and AI
- Not a true RPG
- Less banter between your party on missions
- Heavy weapons are not powerful enough
Final Score: 96/100
There is little doubt amongst many fans of the RPG genre and gaming in general that Mass Effect was a triumph for Bioware. At face value, it seemed they could do no wrong, having already established their dominance in the genre with classics such as Baldur's Gate 2, Neverwinter Nights and Knights of the Old Republic. But as the surface was scratched, the flaws in the masterpiece became apparent. The inventory system was clumsy and difficult to use effectively. Occasional show-stopping bugs, inconsistent music cues and generally boring side assignments all stuck out like scratches on Lara Bingle's Aston Martin.
In many ways Mass Effect could be compared to Star Wars: A New Hope. The introduction to the universe we all know and love was a masterstroke but you could see the potential for expansion of the saga. In the same way, Mass Effect introduced us to a wonderful universe in which humans were newcomers to the galactic stage, mistrusted by the status quo even as a rogue special agent threatened to destroy them with a race of god-like creatures. The potential was there for Bioware to develop an awesome sage of their own, just as Star Wars has done. With Mass Effect 2, they have nearly achieved it.
With the destruction of the reaper Sovereign and the geth in the first game, things seem to be looking for Commander Shepard and his team, but a new threat emerges on the fringes of space. Human colonies are disappearing for no apparent reason. But the leaders of galactic civilisation don't want to do anything about it (surprise, surprise), and deny all knowledge of the Reapers. Two years later after their defeat, Shepard is approached by the human organisation Cerberus to track down the cause of the disappearing colonies and stop it once and for all.
Your new boss in Mass Effect 2. Solar observation a must for any billionaire's office in the 22nd century.
Cerberus, as you may remember were the standard sneaky organisation designed by humans, for humans, damn anyone else. Seems every sentient race has one that does the dirty work and breaks the rules, with permission. Shepard's not the type for giving up, so he joins with Cerberus to work out what the hell's going on with the colonies, under the direction of the Illusive Man (played with aplomb by Martin Sheen), the mysterious leader of Cerberus. This is where the action picks up in ME2. It's not a complicated story by any means but it's easy to follow, which allows you to get on with the job of stopping the main enemy in the game without getting bogged down in overbearing detail. It's not just the simplicity of the storyline that sucks you in though; like all the great Bioware titles, it's the way in which it is told that really pulls you in and refuses to let you go until you've saved the galaxy and gotten the girl (quite literally). More on that later though.
In every single aspect, the game is a refinement of the first game's strengths while addressing the weaknesses. The biggest changes are in the combat and inventory system; specifically, it's simpler and the inventory has been fired off into the void altogether. Combat is far more frenetic and action-packed than the first game, with explosions, technical powers and the game's magi...er, biotic powers blasting left, right and center. Players will remember that in the first game, guns would overheat if you fired them too often, resulting in careful management of heat to make sure your attacks were effective. In ME2, this has been ditched for essentially a universal ammo system. Enemies drop little widgets called 'thermal sinks' that are basically clips for weapons. This means you don't have to worry about heat, but at the same time it's been done a thousand times before....not a good thing for those seeking a pure-RPG experience.
This is a good move though. Not having heat means that less time is spent waiting for heat to recover, hiding, freeing up more time to attack and use your own powers to take down enemies. It seems slightly under-developed though. Leaving heat would have kept the thermal sinks to use strategically; do you wait to cool down, or pop a precious heat sink to keep firing? Still, the system works well, just as it does in any other gun-based shooter, but leaving heat in a different or reduced form would have made the system perfect.
Don't move! Or I'll.....fill you full of purple light!
Other changes in combat include the cooldown periods for powers; they're faster, but using one power means you can't use any until you've cooled down. This is another interesting change as it means you can't simply fire off all your magical...uh, tech and biotic powers and then mow down the helpless enemy; you have to carefully choose which one to use since you're powerless (sorry) for a few precious seconds. Special ammo, once used to upgrade guns, is now a power as well only available to certain classes, which helps to better distinguish between them.
All this, coupled with improved A.I. means that combat is much more satisfying in ME2 compared to ME1. Cover is extremely important; you can't take a lot of damage, thus sticking your head out under heavy fire will only earn you a visit from our good friend the game over/reload screen. Enemies will lay down suppressive fire, use their own powers against you and depending on who it is you're fighting, charge at you, flank and generally make turtling a death sentence. It's wonderful to behold, even though the much-hyped heavy weapons could use a little more punch.
There's less variety in the weapons, while we're at it; there are around 2-3 different choices in pistol, shotgun, assault rifle and sniper rifle and pretty much in all cases the upgraded version (the one you pick up later in the game) is better than before. The submachine guns are just there so that non-soldiers can have a rapid-fire weapon to choose from. The heavy weapons are impressive to use but don't really do as much as you'd think, with the exception of the M-920 Cain which is basically a handheld nuclear missile launcher that you get to use only once a mission if you take it. Weapons can only be changed at weapons lockers here and there, but that's likely to only be useful if you want to change your heavy weapon.
Taking applications for faceless goon #68
RPG fanboys, avert your eyes as more pain is on it's way...
Remember that I said there is no inventory? Omni-gel, that nebulous material that repairs vehicles in the first game, is gone completely. Well, there's no vehicle sections so you don't need any of that molten slop. Medi-gel is still around, except it's not used for healing, it's used to revive fallen teammates instead (well, that's not entirely true, when you use it, it'll heal Shepard as well...) Grenades, of course, are gone because of the heavy weapons. Most of this is fine though, given the changes to the combat system, but the purists will likely be holding their D&D crucifixes aloft at this point. Even the character progression has been neutered to something simpler, with fewer skills and more reliance on permanent upgrades to your kit and weaponry, rather than arbitrary attributes. This is done through the new research system, where resources from planets are harvested and then used to pay for the research. I like it though, as it sets the game into a hybrid of FPS and RPG, without being hamstrung into following design tenets from either genre.
Pink is the new black, baby
Speaking of vehicle sections, the whole gamut of side missions (assignments) have been completely re-worked. No longer are you trooping through some non-descript underground base where the layout is the same as every other non-descript underground base. Instead, each mission is as wonderfully detailed as the the main missions. You want to complete these, instead of just doing them for the experience and cash, such is the amount of refinement that Bioware have put into ME2.
This is most obvious in the graphics. The universe of Mass Effect 2, even more than ME1, is truly wonderful to behold. Even though it's the same game engine, so much more detail has been added that it makes it feel alive, whereas some areas in ME1 were in danger of being rendered as sterile as a hospital waiting room. It makes it seem like there literally is a place as the Citadel out there, with its big city living, clean environs and yet a seedy undercurrent of crime comparable to any big city on Earth. The grime and grind of Omega where the scum of the galaxy hang out and the only rule is one that cannot be printed here. And many other locations that we've probably all imagined at one time or another, from desert worlds, to eerie caves and tropical paradises where sentients have only just discovered. The screenshots cannot really do it justice for what Bioware have created.
Backing up the visuals is the excellent audio; it's clean, immersive and thankfully the developers have worked out the music issues that plagued the first game. It was annoying to have the music cut out at an climactic moment, which was a great shame given the effort put into the musical score. This has been ironed out for ME2 and the music is excellent once again; not much room left in an already well-feathered cap for the developers here.
However, Bioware's greatest strength has never been about the graphics or the sound or even entirely about the mechanics. It's the story and characters that matter for them and in this, ME2 is once again an outstanding effort. Events from the first game are referred to and affect a few events in ME2, depending on your choices from the first game. Some of your teammates' stories are continued on from the Mass Effect novels, Revelation and Ascension (there's more novels to come) but even where that's not the case, each teammate has a decent backstory to tell, mainly through their respective loyalty missions, in which you gain their trust by doing something for them. A few of these will have consequences for the third game, so even that's not tacked on content by any stretch.
This is further helped by the dialogue system, which is carried over mostly unchanged from the first game and manages to not be boring, once more. This is done by actually making use of the camera during conversations, so that it makes it an even more cinematic experience. All the movie tricks like panning and zooming are used to great effect, so that you're much less likely to hammer the skip button in boredom. It's such a small change and yet it's like adding a rocket engine to a car in the execution.
The Paragon and Renegade morality system is still here as well, however it plays a bigger part in determining dialogue choices. Almost every choice you make will add points to either side, in fact a few times I found myself making a Renegade choice and yet gaining an almost equal number of Paragon points at the same time. There's no charm or intimidate skills anymore, instead your overall good cop/bad cop rating is used to determine if you can smooth talk, or punch your way through a conversation. Pointing a gun at someone doesn't work if you haven't got the badass reputation to back it up! Finally, a very cool addition is the Interrupt system; this basically allows you to fast-track some encounters with a click of the mouse. Interestingly, this isn't dependent on your Paragon/Renegade rating, so even if you're as pious as the Pope himself, you can still interrupt conversations like this one below...
Obligatory ranting lackey outlining plans for galactic domination. He's starting to get tedious.
As he carrys on, we can't help but notice the fuel pipe conveniently located below the lackey. The flashing icon helpfully indicates that we can interrupt with a Renegade action.
One left-click later, Shepard whips out the one liner along with his sidearm...
Couple of shots into the fuel line shows the lackey the error of his ways.
In fact, it almost seems an injustice that I even have to mention that there are one or two minor niggles in the game; occasionally you can get stuck outside the map, forcing a reload and there's not enough banter between your teammates. It is not perfect; nothing is. None of that matters though.
Again, Bioware's true strength has been about the storytelling, just as almost everything they do. I found myself geniunely caring when I helped my teammate stop his son from murdering an innocent due to his past mistakes. I found myself geniunely wanting to stop the main antagonist. I found myself cheering when I beat the odds and succeeded. I found myself torn between revealing the truth, and covering it up to protect another. I found myself drawn to the teammate who is stuck in an envirosuit for her entire life, showing the true value of personality, feelings and inner qualities, rather than petty appearances.
For a computer game to have done this to me, ever since I picked up the controller of a Sega Master System 20 years ago, shows that Bioware have done the near impossible in this current era of superficial, digital entertainment; they have changed me and my outlook, for the better, as good as any bestseller book might. For that, I salute them.
In closing: it may only be an evolution from the first game's strengths, but it certainly shows the value of evolving an already awesome game into something yet more awesome, if that were possible. To be honest, you'll be so much the poorer if you do not play Mass Effect 2. Sheer class and brilliance from Bioware.
+ Awesome storytelling and characters
+ Excellent graphics and sound
+ Refined combat and AI
- Not a true RPG
- Less banter between your party on missions
- Heavy weapons are not powerful enough
Final Score: 96/100
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Article Stats
| Category: | Game Reviews |
| Posted: | 2-Mar-10 9:59:50 pm |
| Author: | Arnold J. Rimmer |