It only took me 3 months but I’ve finally finished Mass Effect 2. I thought a lot about how to summarize how I felt about the game and how to put it into words. Put simply, Mass Effect 2 is the best game I’ve ever played. I loved every aspect of this game.
You are Commander Shepard, two years removed from the original Mass Effect, tasked with saving the galaxy from a mysterious new threat. You work with Cerberus to build a team with whom you’ll take on this threat against humans.
The story is as compelling as anything I’ve seen on a console and even rivals some of what has come out of Hollywood lately. As you venture across the galaxy to recruit your team, you’ll have various encounters that really add to the depth of the story. Opportunities arise often that give you choice on how your story progresses. During some of the more important phases of the game, I found myself truly pondering decisions, knowing that my action would seriously affect how my game played out.
Graphically, Mass Effect 2 is as stunning as they come. The character models are heavily detailed as are the environments. Cities across the galaxy have amazing detail. Some of the environments will leave you staring off into the distance for a minute to truly appreciate the level of detail put into them.
The combat sequences are a little lacking in that they don’t offer the level of detail present in other available titles. What’s important to note is that Mass Effect 2 is an RPG, not a first-person shooter. Compared to other RPGs, Mass Effect 2 is head and shoulders above the rest. You get a real first-person shooter experience here, but go into it understanding that it won’t be quite as polished as a Modern Warfare 2 or Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Those games only offer an FPS style of gameplay where Mass Effect 2 is so much more than just gun play.
What I enjoyed far more than the traditional gun play was the use of biotics, which are energy based powers you have access to. The level of which you can use them is dependent on the class you choose at the start. I played as a Vanguard and made good use of the Shockwave ability, allowing me to send biotic energy across the room throwing nearby enemies into the air.
One thing I think about often is the hype factor surrounding new releases. So many times you’ll see new titles getting great reviews, lots of coverage on the popular sites, and just a large amount of general hype. And sometimes those games don’t hold up to the test of time, even when measured in weeks. Interestingly enough, I had a direct opportunity to test this theory with Mass Effect 2.
When it came out in late January, it couldn’t have received more hype. People into following industry news were inundated with Mass Effect 2. Even if you weren’t, there were plenty of commercials on TV for it. Knowing that Mass Effect 2 was coming out in late January was hard to miss. Like everyone else, I was all sorts of excited for the release. I played for hours nearly every night and really got sucked into the epic storytelling BioWare is so famous for. With only a few hours invested I was ready to say it was the best game I had ever played.
About 20 hours into the game my WoW fix had to be addressed and I spent the next two months captivated by progression in WoW. After a two month break from console games, and with two newish releases in my hands (Splinter Cell: Conviction and Battlefield: Bad Company 2), would I even go back to finish Mass Effect 2? Well, even with two great games to play, I still went back to Mass Effect 2 and it was just as epic at hour 27 as it was at hour 5.
I spent 27 hours from start to finish and completed the loyalty missions for all but 1 of my squad. I won’t spoil how my game ended, but know that every decision you make along the way matters and will change your experience drastically. Oh, and people can die. Will you save everyone on the Suicide Mission?
If you’re reading this, you’ve likely already played Mass Effect 2. If you haven’t, stop reading this, steal $60 from the person beside you (unless it’s me), and physically run to your nearest Gamestop. You won’t find a better experience on any platform.
This review is based on the Xbox 360 retail version of the game purchased by Skeptical Gamer.
