I'd never played a BioWare game until a few weeks ago. Come to think of it I'd never played an RPG. Not properly at least. Not from start to end, taking in every conversation, side quest and experience point along the way. That's not for want of trying either. I gave the original Mass Effect (ME1) a go upon its release in late 2007 but couldn't get into it. The epic scale of this type of game scared me. Shepard and his foes didn't suck me in immediately so it passed by unplayed - my mistake.
2 years later and Mass Effect 2 (ME2) is out tomorrow. I want it. For some unknown reason I'm hyped for it. I don't know why and I don't know how. Maybe it's the titillating trailers and screenshots BioWare have been showing off. What I do know is I can't play it without having finished the first game. For those that don't know the world of Mass Effect is unique in that every decision you make can be carried over to the next game. This means the consequences of a decision you made in 2007 may not come to fruition until Mass Effect 3.
I spent the next week rushing through ME1 and loved every second of it. Long story short I stopped Ashley blowing Wrex's brains out, Kaiden got bumped off, Liara got shagged and the Citadel Council got saved. Now I'll agree this whistle stop tour of the Milky Way probably wasn't ideal to appreciate the finer points. But with the first game so fresh in my mind it does put me in quite a unique position to review the second in this remarkable trilogy.
BioWare has made a lot of progress in just over 2 years. On the technical side of things it’s immediately noticeable everything is slicker, sharper and smoother. It would be fair to say ME1 had a fantastic story but many would agree it felt slightly clunky at times and had some combat issues. All this and more has been addressed. The opening scenes are simply stunning and for the first 40 minutes you won't believe your eyes.
If you completed ME1 you have the option to import your save game and bring all your choices and decisions across. If you didn’t have that pleasure you’ll get to make them at the start of the new game. Equally you’re given the option to design your Commander Shepard how you see fit. You can tinker with his (or her) gender, physical appearance and back story as well as his class. This greatly affects your character powers and abilities, encouraging multiple playthroughs.
You once again take on the role of saviour, adventuring around the galaxy in an updated Normandy and getting caught up in all kinds of dangerous situations and moralistic decisions. The meat of the game involves recruiting and acquiring the loyalty of characters from all sorts of races and backgrounds, some familiar and some new. The task is to build an elite squad to take on a revenge suicide mission, all under the watchful eye of Mr Cerberus himself, the ‘Illusive Man’.
You are given freedom to do these recruiting and loyalty missions in whatever order you want as and when they become available. On top of this there are a few points in the game where the player is forced in to a certain plot centric mission that drives the story on before entering the dreaded Omega 4 Relay.
The conversation system was the star of the first game but ME2 takes in to another level. Mechanics of the conversation wheel have been improved and the result is nothing short of spectacular. The intertwining relationships between characters are on a level so deep it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before in a game. An all-star cast of voice actor talent totals 90 and BioWare claim they play 546 different characters, delivering 31,000 lines of spoken dialogue. Just think about that for a second.
Paragon and Renegade points return albeit with a slightly tweaked system. Paragon is a positive or good decision or action where as renegade is a negative or bad one. You earn them in much the same way as before and they ultimately shape the growth of your Shepard. What is slightly different now is the ability to cut some one off mid-sentence with either a spoken or action-orientated interrupt. This is shown by a flashing icon on screen to which you have a couple of seconds to decide whether to take action. As with anything in the Mass Effect universe this invariably carries a consequence.
Radically refined combat mechanics were promised and immediately it’s noticeable how much tighter it feels. Taking cover is now a delight and firing each of the various weapons just feels right. The onscreen interface is much cleaner and team mates more responsive to what you ask of them. Shootouts play akin to something like a Gears of War but in a world with real depth and character.
This process of fusing combat with narrative has been executed exquisitely. ME1 was very conversation heavy but BioWare have struck the perfect balance this time around with an equal split between action and talking. You’ll constantly be on the edge of your seat, suspicious of the Illusive Man's motives and even those of some of your squad mates. Pondering over whom you can and can’t trust and what choices you want to make leaves you engrossed and immersed in this magical fictional universe that BioWare has crafted so delicately.
All of the above makes for a lot of content and ultimately a huge game. It comes on 2 discs but swapping is no real inconvenience as I was only required to change discs twice in my entire playthrough. I clocked up just over 57 hours from start to finish and that involved doing everything possible, from scanning planets and gathering ship and weapon upgrades to completing side quests and downloadable content.
Speaking of downloads, ME2 makes controversial moves in continuing EA’s ‘Project Ten Dollar’ initiative. In an attempt to cut out piracy and pre-owned sales every new copy of the game comes with a single-use Cerberus Network code. Access is also available for 1200 Microsoft Points from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Basically if you don’t have Cerberus Network you won’t be able to buy or download any content. The 2 add-ons released for ME1 we’re seen as lacking substance compared to the main game and more is expected of BioWare this time around.
Released for free so far are Cerberus Weapon and Armor, Cerberus Arc Projector, Zaeed - The Price of Revenge and Normandy Crash Site. The later is quite ridiculous in name since it’s a major plot point early on in the game. Whilst the free content is appreciated it does feel somewhat lacking compared to the main game as was the case with ME1. It seems likely more substantial downloads will follow, but invariably at a cost to the consumer.
One of the few gripes I have with ME2 is the Citadel, or more the lack of it. It acted as your central hub in the first game and of course was the focus of the plot. You return there in ME2 but are only allowed access to a very small number of areas, most of these new and unseen in the first game. There’s no exploration of the Presidium or Flux this time around. It makes sense story wise but it would have been a small reward to be able to revisit the places you put so much effort into saving in ME1.
Another small blemish on an otherwise perfect game arises when multiple conversational choices are present. You’ll find yourself accidentally repeating the same short sequence of dialogue because you pressed the wrong button or forgot which avenues you’d already exhausted. It would have made sense for each option to disappear once used.
I felt the task of recruiting and then attempting to gain the loyalty of your team mates did become somewhat of a rinse and repeat routine. Each squad mate story is varied in content but assembling the team does make up the bulk of the game. Upon entering the Relay I was surprised at how the game soon reached its conclusion, leaving me wanting more. The world around Shepard is sometimes more linear than Bioware would like you to believe. ME2 is evidently the middle game of a trilogy the same way The Matrix Reloaded movie was to that franchise and doesn’t hide or shy away from that fact. Don’t expect any major plot twists as BioWare is clearly saving them for the finale.
There’s no Mako (possibly a good thing depending on your preference) and surprisingly little interaction with your old squad mates from the first game. Planet scanning can get boring but I’m nitpicking and gripes are ultimately few and far between. Mass Effect 2 improves on the original in every way possible and what the developer has achieved is nothing short of breathtaking. It’s easily one of the greatest games of this or any other console generation and Microsoft must be thanking their lucky stars they seem to have this franchise as a console exclusive. If you play just one single player game in the first quarter of 2010 make sure it’s Mass Effect 2. The only question that remains unresolved is how BioWare will bring this epic trilogy to a close.
9.5/10Good:
The full release schedule can be found below:
Genre: Arcade Racing
Genre: 2D Puzzle Platformer
E3 2010 kicks off next week with Microsoft, Sony & Nintendo all delivering the usual keynote press conferences. As well as this the show itself lasts 3 days with trailers and playable demos available on the show floor of the press-only event. Expect a heap of new titles to be announced due this Christmas and into 2011. Rumours will be quashed, secrets will be revealed as well as more on Natal and Move.
Several sites have first-look previews of the game. You can find some of these in the links below:
There are 5 screenshots as well as a developer diary video. The game will replicate the current 2010 season with all the official teams, drivers and race circuits. Expect much more in the coming weeks and months leading up to launch. You can watch Developer Diary #1 by clicking the play symbol on the video below.
Genre: Action RPG
BioWare has made a lot of progress in just over 2 years. On the technical side of things it’s immediately noticeable everything is slicker, sharper and smoother. It would be fair to say ME1 had a fantastic story but many would agree it felt slightly clunky at times and had some combat issues. All this and more has been addressed. The opening scenes are simply stunning and for the first 40 minutes you won't believe your eyes.
You are given freedom to do these recruiting and loyalty missions in whatever order you want as and when they become available. On top of this there are a few points in the game where the player is forced in to a certain plot centric mission that drives the story on before entering the dreaded Omega 4 Relay.
Radically refined combat mechanics were promised and immediately it’s noticeable how much tighter it feels. Taking cover is now a delight and firing each of the various weapons just feels right. The onscreen interface is much cleaner and team mates more responsive to what you ask of them. Shootouts play akin to something like a Gears of War but in a world with real depth and character.
Speaking of downloads, ME2 makes controversial moves in continuing EA’s ‘Project Ten Dollar’ initiative. In an attempt to cut out piracy and pre-owned sales every new copy of the game comes with a single-use Cerberus Network code. Access is also available for 1200 Microsoft Points from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Basically if you don’t have Cerberus Network you won’t be able to buy or download any content. The 2 add-ons released for ME1 we’re seen as lacking substance compared to the main game and more is expected of BioWare this time around.
Another small blemish on an otherwise perfect game arises when multiple conversational choices are present. You’ll find yourself accidentally repeating the same short sequence of dialogue because you pressed the wrong button or forgot which avenues you’d already exhausted. It would have made sense for each option to disappear once used.
There’s no Mako (possibly a good thing depending on your preference) and surprisingly little interaction with your old squad mates from the first game. Planet scanning can get boring but I’m nitpicking and gripes are ultimately few and far between. Mass Effect 2 improves on the original in every way possible and what the developer has achieved is nothing short of breathtaking. It’s easily one of the greatest games of this or any other console generation and Microsoft must be thanking their lucky stars they seem to have this franchise as a console exclusive. If you play just one single player game in the first quarter of 2010 make sure it’s Mass Effect 2. The only question that remains unresolved is how BioWare will bring this epic trilogy to a close.
Genre: Action
To be honest the story takes a back seat as the game involves going through the 16 levels dispatching enemies and working out the various puzzles with lots to collect and unlock along the way. When you start playing the game has you shooting, kicking and violently killing angels that look very sinister all to the tune of Bart Howard’s ‘Fly Me to the Moon’. You know from that point this game is going to be something very different indeed - think Quentin Tarantino does Devil May Cry and you may get some kind of idea as to the general style.
Another point of debate is the save system. The game auto saves at certain points however if you give up halfway through a level its very touch and go as to whether you will return to that particular save point. You get the option to save before you start the next level but if you reload from this point then you have to start the level from scratch. An option to save anywhere would have been so much better, but maybe it would have made the game too easy.
One thing to look out for is the homage to many older Sega titles dotted throughout the game including the Outrun soundtrack playing over one of the craziest motorway scenes I’ve ever seen. This involves a chase with you racing a motorbike at insane speeds across a collapsing bridge, which is a welcome break from all the slashing. I loved trying to spot all the Sega touches and they are done so well that they fit the atmosphere of the game perfectly.
When considering a score for a game we will take into account a number of factors including but not limited to gameplay, graphics, audio, innovation, immersion and longevity.
In terms of the content we will be putting out don't expect daily or regular updates. We won't be submitting frequent news - there are plenty of sites far better equipped than ourselves to provide you with that sort of information. Instead expect fair and honest reviews on the games we've been playing with the occasional feature, article or opinion thrown in on a particular aspect of the industry.
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