Back in 2008 BioWare introduced us to an action game mixed with RPG elements and gave it the name Mass Effect. Now in 2010 BioWare have released its successor and the second part of the planned trilogy: Mass Effect 2. This sequel is vastly improved on over the original game. Every detail from game play mechanics to user interface has been refined and enhanced while the weakest parts of the original have been removed altogether. No more vehicle sections or those long tedious elevator rides. In making the game more focused weapon specialisation and the inventory system have been removed and replaced with weapon lockers and pre-mission load outs for your troops. Mass Effect 2 is available now on both the Xbox 360 and PC DVD.

Story & Consequences – The events of Mass Effect 2 take place a few years after the conclusion to Mass Effect, 200 years on from our own timeline. The main plot is that human colonies on the outskirts of space have begun to disappear and the main character Commander Yukiko Shepard joins up with the Cerberus organisation to investigate into suspicions that the Reapers are somehow involved. One thing I personally like is that if you have kept your save game from the original Mass Effect then all the choices you made from it are taken into account for the sequel. Did you execute a criminal or let them live in the original? Will you rescue someone at cost to yourself or let them perish? These choices do have consequences and the conversation system in the new game is as impressive as it was in the original Mass Effect. These ponderous questions flesh out the campaign and can have you having to make some hard choices as well as leave you thinking for a bit before making your decisions. Conversations are not the only choice making method; your actions develop the story, pushing someone out of harms way, or scaring an innocent will have effects on your personality and how you are perceived. Mass Effect 2 Special Edition is generally well-paced with much of the game revolving around you recruiting a team to tackle the threat of the Reapers. Of course each new recruit will need you to solve their individual problem before they join up with you. In the first game you automatically had your elite squad at the start. These missions are very well made and each one is unique so you do not feel as though you are grinding out missions and you feel a sense of accomplishment and involvement in the story, this is in part thanks to the wonderful cinematics on display.

Gameplay Effect – Mass Effect 2 has undergone more refinement in the skills and special abilities department. BioWare have removed the weapon specialisation and lowered the amount of weaponry and armour at your disposal. This gives you less items to fumble with and less time picking what you need and more time actually playing. In the first game your weapons never ran out of lead, unlimited ammunition. Most players would concentrate on one or two weapons and put all their skill points into making the weapons better and forgo all the other weapons choices, making them redundant and useless. In Mass Effect 2 you will need to make use of different weapons at different times and you will be reliant on how much ammunition you have. Ammo can now be taken from defeated aggressors to replenish your stock. This method will be familiar top anyone to have played a first person shooter game in the past 20 years. Another element taken from those games is the new health gauge which regenerates over time when you are hidden behind cover. Combined with the new ammo system this makes gun battles more intense and immersive without the repetitiveness of the combat from the first game. Now when you aim and fire at an enemy you will hit them(if your own skill is good enough) In the previous game there would be a check on your skill with the weapon and the factoring of other statistics to see weather or not you hit your target, even if you were point blank you could still miss. You can upgrade your weaponry and armour by exploring planets for resources. This is done via your ship, the SSV Normandy SR-2, which is fully controllable and allows you to scan unexplored worlds for these resources. The ship itself can be upgraded too.

Mass Effect 2 features amazingly detailed worlds filled with life. Amazing original creatures and characters; all complete with a full back story and a purpose of being. This is also true of your elite squad; each one that you hire has an in-depth back story and purpose. They converse with each other just as the populations of the worlds do, they discuss problems and they talk about you and your actions. The worlds feel like they are truly alive and you will become engrossed in this highly interactive universe.

BioWare have been creating RPG’s since the 1990’s and have produced some of the industries finest games in this genre. This wealth of experience is on show in Mass Effect 2 as they have refined and improved every facet of the original, from top to bottom. The fat has been cut and we are left with the knowledge that Mass Effect 2 Special Edition is a wonderfully crafted game and a must have for your collection.

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