Product Details
 | Mass Effect 2 |
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Product Description
The second chapter in the Mass Effect trilogy takes you to the darkest reaches of space, where you must uncover the mystery behind the disappearance of humans across many worlds. Prepare yourself for a suicide mission to save mankind. Travel the galaxy to assemble a team of soldiers and combat specialists, and launch an all-out assault on the heart of enemy territory.Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #330 in Video Games
- Brand: Electronic Arts
- Model: 15981
- Released on: 2010-01-26
- ESRB Rating: Mature
- Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows XP
- Format: DVD-ROM
- Dimensions: .35 pounds
Features
- Improved NPC conversation system where Commander Shepard can take matters into your own hands ? interrupting or using force to get the answer required.
- The second act of BioWare's epic sci-fi RPG trilogy continues the story of Commander Shepard and humanity's first steps onto the galactic stage.
- Integration with the original Mass Effect game allows players to import saved files and contiue play with those files in Mass Effect 2.
- Choose from 19 different weapons, including devastating heavy weapons that can end a battle in seconds.
- New location based damage system allows for targeting of key weak points, blasting off limbs, igniting enemies, or cripple and disable enemy troops.
Editorial Reviews
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Description
Customer Reviews
AN EXPERIENCE JUST SHORT OF A HOLODECK!
Now THIS is what I call
immersion!
In the past, Bioware has shown a tendency to surpass
itself whenever developing a sequel (remember how much better Baldur's
Gate II was compared to I - and the original Baldur's Gate was already
excellent). Well, compared to this second installment, the original Mass
Effect now seems like a typical space-RPG/Shooter.
Having played
the original game will not only help you better insert yourself into
Commander Shepard's boots (you can actually import your original
character form the first game - choices and all) - but also appreciate
the improvements more.
The story is darker and (without spoiling
it) the choices harder to live with. Combat has been streamlined, with
tactical decisions (using cover, taking the high ground) now being more
important, without the game loosing its shooter character though.
Both
the visuals and the sounds are exquisite. Not only are the graphics
really impressive (and I am running WinXP so that is DirecX-9 mind you)
and the sounds dramatic but the voice acting and dialogue integration
should be taught in game-design seminars.
In this second
installment there is no actual inventory to speak of (more on this
later), loading times are shorter and better concealed (remember those
endless elevator rides? Now forget about them), and accessing your
special abilities menu has been simplified.
In a true BIOWARE
tradition, the available companions all come with their own special
abilities and personal stories to explore.
The selection of armor
and guns has been reduced. There are about 15-20 guns to choose from
and very limited loot. The guns I do not mind. Personally, I'd rather
have a small number of well designed and fun to use guns at my disposal
than a myriad of guns that in the end make no real difference
(ahem...BORDERLANDS?).
Having said that, I missed the thrill of
looting and upgrading my equipment (not to mention having a real
inventory). I mean, that is a great part of the fun in any cRPG! I am
not holding my breath but maybe one of the upcoming DLCs could take care
of that?
And if I am to open the improvements-request file, how
about speeding up those minigames in the next patch?
Finally, you
also get a personal apartment aboard Normandy (an excellent idea
introduced in FALLOUT-3) which you can equip with various ornaments and
personal items (from fish for your aquarium to a...space-hamster - I
call mine Boo).
As for the DRM scheme used, the game does contain
SecuROM but (similar to DRAGON AGE and FALLOUT-3) it only uses a
disk-check. MASS EFFECT 2 neither requires any online activation nor
does it limit the numbers of its installations. It is not the best
solution possible but it is a compromise I can live with. If you still
find this objectionable, you can now make an informed decision.
All
in all, I found MASS EFFECT II to be a beautiful RolePlaying Movie of a
game, an immersive cinematic-action shooter with limited loot and more
story than equipment choices. In other words, MASS EFFECT 2 may not be a
pure cRPG or a cRPS experience (Dragon Age: Origins and Fallout 3 still
rule those segments) but nevertheless it is an experience well worth
its admission price.
Go for the light-sensors Boo! Go for the
light-sensors!!
(no, I am not explaining that...)
HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED!
More your little brother's
FPS than dad's RPG
I tripped across the original
Mass Effect at EA's download site recently, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Using basically the same engine and game mechanics as KOTOR I and II, it
plays pretty much like the third installment of that franchise, minus
the licensing fees. I downloaded the deluxe edition of Mass Effect II,
ready to continue the saga of Commander Shepard.
The Good:
-
You pick up where you left off in ME. You can import your character
model, and the decisions he/she made, though no experience or skills
transfer.
- The writing and voice acting are excellent.
-
The universe of the original ME is still here, but expanded and
enriched.
- Where you aim is where you hit.
- Graphics
have been kicked up. Models are higher poly count, and textures are more
detailed.
- You can customize your cabin now, as well as your
clothing and armor color. It isn't essential to the plot, but it adds
more personality to the game. Remember to feed the fish.
- Bypass
and hacking mini-games are a little more contextual, and less forced
than the "circular frogger" mini-game of ME.
The Bad:
- This
is a different game engine than ME, and as others have said, many of the
RPG elements have been stripped down. There are fewer skills, with
fewer steps. Ammo types are now a skill, and after you've used one
skill, you have to wait for the recharge time to use any other. So if
you decide to switch ammo types in a fight, find a place to hide before
you can use AI hack.
- Levels are smaller, and linear now. There
is little or no 3rd person exploring. You will proceed from one "shoot
house" (with liberally distributed cover, a few exploding barrels, and a
few breakable boxes) to the next. Lather, rinse, repeat.
- Squad
mate AI has taken a step back from ME. I've got to babysit my team
mates in ME2, while in the original ME, they usually provided effective
support without me having to micromanage their actions.
-
Inventory is simplified, and abstract. Upgrades now affect everyone in
the group, weapons choices are paired down (though you can still pick
different weapons for each team mate), and figuring out the difference
between different weapons is reduced to comparing text descriptions (or
going to the wiki). I liked the stat comparison feature in ME better.
-
Your squad gains back health during combat, as well as barriers
(shields), so combat becomes a rate game. Do damage at a faster rate
than you take it. ME's weapon mechanics were a refreshing change,
forcing you to manage heat buildup with tactics and modifications, sadly
lost with ME2's regression to ammo clip mechanics.
- Looting
lockers/crates is largely gone, along with trying to find a set of
MercVIII armor that fits a Quarian. I miss customizing
weapons/armor/ammo/upgrades for each character.
- Combat is FPS
standard now, with a few glitches. Cover is essential, but I've
occasionally gotten "hung up" and unable to shoot from cover. Hopping
over low barriers is possible, but only using the same key used for
taking cover. So you have to take cover before you can hop over it.
Combat is much more frantic in ME2, and getting lost in the
button-mashing can be frustrating. Save often.
- The map function
is largely absent now. Maybe this was to preserve the surprise of the
next shoot house, but it makes figuring out where you're going (or
remembering where you've been) a pain.
- Some of the remaining
RPG elements are counter-intuitive, or just random. I'm playing as a
Paragon (good guy), which apparently includes jacking people up to
intimidate them, and trading my good name for shopping discounts. Who
knew Japandering was virtuous? I'm still trying to figure out how I
garnered the few Renegade (bad guy) points I've gotten. I think the
writers designated some of these points with a dart board.
-
Mining resources in ME2 is a mind-trap for anal-retentives like me.
Without knowing how much of each resource I'll need to allow for
researching upgrades, it's easy to get stuck in the mind-numbing rut of
"must...scan...last...planet...for...Palladium." Give me back the keys
to the Mako, please. At least I could shoot things with it.
Bottom
line:
ME2 is still fun, but it atrophies a lot of the RPG stuff I
found fun in ME, and pumps up the FPS stuff (with cookie-cutter FPS
mechanics) I didn't think needed pumping up.
An instant classic
SUMMARY
The long awaited
sequel to the much lauded, though admittedly flawed, Mass Effect is
finally here - and it's already consumed over 30 hours of my life. In
short, Mass Effect 2 is the most refined and presented action RPG I have
personally played. The narrative is perfectly paced, guiding the player
through a well-realized world that isn't exactly an open ended sandbox,
but certainly isn't restrictive or linear (you're free to complete the
major missions/story points at your own pace while you pursue other
content, and your decisions along the way will shape the story). The
game play has been calibrated to remove almost all tedium associated
with the RPG hybrid genre. Combat is real time and plays smooth as
butter. The visuals, especially at 1080i or 1080p, are nothing short of
spectacular. This is an incredible game, it might just end up being my
favorite.
Aspects that I enjoyed are preceded by a (+), things I
disliked a (-).
GAME PLAY
(+) Bioware (the developer) has
taken many of the elements common to the "RPG hybrid" genre (which they
themselves have greatly forwarded over the years) and stream lined and
calibrated the experience to better suit the action-oriented focus of
the Mass Effect series. Itemization and character customization have
been made less bulky, and yet magically remain robust and even more
rewarding. Just as in their past games, there are still various
vocations you can pursue (soldier, engineer, etc) and many ancillary
skills to learn and improve. Each vocation feels wholly unique (though
many abilities share similar animations), and there are no wasted skill
points or useless abilities.
(+) Combat is a blend of third
person shooter (Gears of War) and tactical RPG (Dragon Age). Damage is
area-sensitive (head shots hurt humanoids more than shooting them in the
leg, etc), various damage types are strong against certain defenses,
etc. It plays perfectly well and rewards the thinking player as well as
the twitcher.
(+) It feels like Bioware took a step back and
acknowledged many of the tropes common to the genre, particularly the
variety that lead to tedium, and provided replacements that integrate
flawlessly into the game world. These refinements vastly improve the
quality of the gaming experience. For example: the process of sorting
through incoming information and managing your crew. In past games you
had to laboriously check your messages after each mission, run from NPC
to NPC trying to figure out if they were ready to offer new dialog, etc,
etc. In real life, if you were the captain of a starship, you'd have
people around to help manage these tasks for you - right? Secretaries,
yeoman, that sort of thing. Well, that's precisely what you get in Mass
Effect 2: within your command center is a NPC that audibly informs you
whenever something demands your attention. For example, you might be
jogging past the helm on your way to the lab when she mentions to you
"Captain, you have new messages". Or "Captain, Miranda would like to see
you, she seemed upset". When engaged in conversation she will offer
advice and relay information regarding the crew and the ship - just like
a real yeoman would. And though she was created to fill a niche, she
feels doesn't come off as artificial: she's a NPC like all of the
others, with a history and personality to explore (as well as a
relationship, if you choose).
There are many such refinements
that make Mass Effect 2 such a joy to play. From combat to exploration,
customization to character interaction, you can take every thing you
hated about past games and throw them out the window. Well, almost -
I'll get to that shortly.
(+) You're always an active
participant, even during the conversation and cut scene sequences. Not
only are they complex and responsive, but there are points in the action
where you can intervene with either a "renegade" option (typically more
forceful actions) or "paragon" decision (the more traditional good guy
action or response). These prompts to intervene happen in real time, and
they can be ignored if you so choose. This transforms the task of
merely listening to dialogue and selecting responses, or watching a
villain monologue, into an actual engaging experience for the player. It
pulls you in and makes you feel like you're a part of the game world,
instead of merely someone navigating through a series of predetermined
choices like in previous games.
(+/-) Resource gathering. This
will be a point of contention for many players. In your journeys through
the universe, you will discover and/or learn about various technologies
that you can research - such as weapon or armor upgrades, additions to
your ship, new weapons and skills, etc. The currency for these research
projects are elements - one of four, to be exact. You come across small
amounts of these elements while you're conducting missions, but your
main supply will come from scanning and probing planets. It works like
this: while you're flying through space in your ship (The Normandy 2)
you will enter various solar systems. You approach a planet, enter its
orbit, engage scanners, and then move a radar over the surface of the
planet with your mouse. A graph will alert you when a certain element is
found, you launch a probe to obtain it, rinse and repeat.
Many
people will find this boring and tedious. I -kind of- do. However, I
enjoy the aspect of exploration and this itch is scratched here: each
planet is accompanied by a brief explanation and history, such as its
scientific properties, geographical anomalies, the history of the
civilizations that have inhabited it or how it plays into the mythology
of some alien race. Being a science and history buff, this is a lot of
fun for me at times. In addition, many planets will have side missions
you can find by scanning them - they range from simple exploration to
search and destroy and rescue. They're all unique, and take between
10-30 minutes to complete. If you don't visit and scan the planets, you
miss out on these side missions.
I gave it a mixed score because,
well, it's the only repetitive task heaped upon the player during this
otherwise perfectly stream lined game. But don't worry, it doesn't kill
replayability: after you successfully finish the game, you'll be
rewarded with 50k of each element each time you start a new game. The
costs of research projects are also reduced. So even if you don't enjoy
this aspect of the game, it is vastly alleviated during subsequent play
throughs.
STORY, PRESENTATION, AND SETTING
(+) I mentioned
that the pacing and narrative were exquisite. I'm going to go ahead and
reemphasize that here. The story is so well told and presented that I
could envision myself sitting back and watching someone else play it and
still enjoy myself a great deal.
(+) The cast of characters are
truly memorable and interesting. It ranges from prosaic space marines,
to sensational bio-engineered clones, ninja-like alien assassins
striving for spiritual peace, and more. The voice acting for each and
every character is the best I've heard in a video game.
(+) The
setting is kind of a mixed bag, though overall it's still amazing. Many
locales are well realized exotically creative, and appeal to all of the
players senses. There are plenty of planets and stations to explore and
no two places look alike.
(-) But, on the other hand, many
mission areas feel artificial - in regards to their layout. They look
great, and you can tell that a great attention to detail was employed
during their creation, but many things are just kind of "there". Such as
obstacles and walls that facilitate combat but otherwise have no
practical use. That kind of thing. And many are noticeably and
artificially linear.
PERFORMANCE
(+) I have a middling
system (three year old video card, one year old middle-grade CPU).
However, I am running 64-bit Windows 7 and have 6 GB of RAM. I play at
the highest settings - it's beautiful and flawless. Load times between
zones range from 5 - 15 seconds. In one complete play through and now
ten-or-so hours into my second, I've experienced no crashes or game
breaking bugs. Every glitch is transient (doesn't force you to stop
playing or reload).
In short, I firmly believe that Mass
Effect 2 just might end up being the game of 2010, and the year just
started.
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