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This thread has been linked to the game 'Mass Effect 2'.
With the 2007 release of Mass Effect, Bioware continued the fine legacy of science fiction RPG’s they had started with Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic back in 2003. It was an instant hit, and became critically acclaimed for its pulsating and dramatic storyline, gorgeous presentation and thrilling combat. Move forward three years, and the highly anticipated Mass Effect 2 has hit our shores. But can this sequel live up to its predecessor, or will it find itself floundering helplessly in the sea of RPG mediocrity.
Note. For obvious reasons, namely that this is a series where the shocks don’t come from set pieces but from plot twists, I won’t delve too deeply into the script. There, you can relax now.
-----------------------------------------
When it was announced in early 2009, Mass Effect 2 promised not only to directly continue the storyline of the first, but have the actions and choices you made then result in dramatic consequences on the story now. So how has this claim held up when push finally came to shove? Well, it’s a difficult question to answer. On the one, probably obvious, hand, the story of Mass Effect 2 is totally the same regardless of whether you played the first one or not and have a save game to carry over with.
Having said that, if you do have a save file to load going into Mass Effect 2, the game makes a remarkable effort to at least hint at choices you made in the first. This might only be in the form of a handful of characters expressing a personal opinion on past actions, but it does a good job in making you feel as though your experience is a unique one, and by the end of the game you’ll want to discuss your experience with everyone else who’s played it too; what choices did you make, how did you deal with this, and so on.
And, after all is said and done, while the main story doesn’t change dramatically with each play - it’s still of higher quality in its own right than some novels, not to mention plenty of films that are getting released lately. The fantastic dialogue system has made a welcome return, with each character being lovingly voiced to make an entirely spoken script. There are enough celebrity cameos to make you think you’ve wandered onto the set of Battlestar Galactica or Stargate, and the way you interact with your crew gives a real sense of emotional involvement when faced with some of the tough choices you’ll have to make by the end of the game.
While the visuals of the first Mass Effect were rightly praised as excellent, they’ve been made to look amateurish in comparison to the graphical overhaul Mass Effect 2 has been through. Almost every area you can think of has been improved, from the dynamic shadows each object casts right down to the framerate – Mass Effect 2 is genuinely one of the best looking games of this generation.
The combat has been tweaked as well; it was too easy in the first game to just glide through missions like you were Johnny Invincible, taking out opponents as they stood stupidly next to boxes they could quite easily have hid behind. In Mass Effect 2, there’s more of a Gears of War feel to it all, you have to use cover to its full advantage and you’ll often find enemies trying to flank you for a better shot. The infinite ammo weapons of the first game have been replaced by bullet-guzzling monstrosities that all feel and respond just like you’d think they would, with some of the heavy weapon upgrades in particular being great fun to use.
One of the more tiresome parts of the first game were the long and arduous Mako vehicle sections, and like me you might have been pleased to learn that they’d been completely removed from Mass Effect 2. It always seemed to me that they were included at the last minute to provide a bit of filler content between missions, and plenty of people seemed to feel the same way. Alas then, as the Mako sections have not simply been removed, but replaced with a game mechanic equally as boring. May I introduce: the always-hilarious ‘scan planets for minerals’ mini-game.
In order to research new weapons, ship components or armour, you need minerals. They come in four different forms, and you can occasionally find them in crates as you proceed through missions. But to really get minerals in any useful quantity you need to play the ‘scan planets for minerals’ mini-game, and it’s about as mind numbing as I make it sound. You fly to a planet in your ship, hold down a button to scan a small part of the surface area, and launch a probe when you see a spike in the readouts indicating large mineral veins. It wouldn’t be so bad if not for the amount of time you have to invest in order to properly scan a series of planets, approximately three or four minutes per world. Multiply that by the forty or fifty planets you’ll need to harvest to research all the upgrades in the game, and you’ll soon be banging your head against a hard surface hoping you lapse into a pleasant state of unconsciousness.
But this is a minor tarnish on what is otherwise an excellent game. The only other gripe I had while playing it is the depths of your teammates’ AI, or lack of. Quite often I would charge into a fire fight only to later realise that my squad had got stuck behind a door and couldn’t progress. That, coupled with their sometimes alarming tendency to run away from a battle in order to look for cover, makes your team about as reliable as a plane made entirely out of French cheese.
But all in all Mass Effect 2 is one sterling experience, and one you really shouldn’t miss out on. I haven’t been able to mention the vast lore and backstory the game offers you to explore, nor the specifics of the characters or choices you’ll come across, but believe me, there’s something for everyone in this game, and you almost certainly won't regret checking it out.
Note. For obvious reasons, namely that this is a series where the shocks don’t come from set pieces but from plot twists, I won’t delve too deeply into the script. There, you can relax now.
-----------------------------------------
When it was announced in early 2009, Mass Effect 2 promised not only to directly continue the storyline of the first, but have the actions and choices you made then result in dramatic consequences on the story now. So how has this claim held up when push finally came to shove? Well, it’s a difficult question to answer. On the one, probably obvious, hand, the story of Mass Effect 2 is totally the same regardless of whether you played the first one or not and have a save game to carry over with.
Having said that, if you do have a save file to load going into Mass Effect 2, the game makes a remarkable effort to at least hint at choices you made in the first. This might only be in the form of a handful of characters expressing a personal opinion on past actions, but it does a good job in making you feel as though your experience is a unique one, and by the end of the game you’ll want to discuss your experience with everyone else who’s played it too; what choices did you make, how did you deal with this, and so on.
And, after all is said and done, while the main story doesn’t change dramatically with each play - it’s still of higher quality in its own right than some novels, not to mention plenty of films that are getting released lately. The fantastic dialogue system has made a welcome return, with each character being lovingly voiced to make an entirely spoken script. There are enough celebrity cameos to make you think you’ve wandered onto the set of Battlestar Galactica or Stargate, and the way you interact with your crew gives a real sense of emotional involvement when faced with some of the tough choices you’ll have to make by the end of the game.
While the visuals of the first Mass Effect were rightly praised as excellent, they’ve been made to look amateurish in comparison to the graphical overhaul Mass Effect 2 has been through. Almost every area you can think of has been improved, from the dynamic shadows each object casts right down to the framerate – Mass Effect 2 is genuinely one of the best looking games of this generation.
The combat has been tweaked as well; it was too easy in the first game to just glide through missions like you were Johnny Invincible, taking out opponents as they stood stupidly next to boxes they could quite easily have hid behind. In Mass Effect 2, there’s more of a Gears of War feel to it all, you have to use cover to its full advantage and you’ll often find enemies trying to flank you for a better shot. The infinite ammo weapons of the first game have been replaced by bullet-guzzling monstrosities that all feel and respond just like you’d think they would, with some of the heavy weapon upgrades in particular being great fun to use.
One of the more tiresome parts of the first game were the long and arduous Mako vehicle sections, and like me you might have been pleased to learn that they’d been completely removed from Mass Effect 2. It always seemed to me that they were included at the last minute to provide a bit of filler content between missions, and plenty of people seemed to feel the same way. Alas then, as the Mako sections have not simply been removed, but replaced with a game mechanic equally as boring. May I introduce: the always-hilarious ‘scan planets for minerals’ mini-game.
In order to research new weapons, ship components or armour, you need minerals. They come in four different forms, and you can occasionally find them in crates as you proceed through missions. But to really get minerals in any useful quantity you need to play the ‘scan planets for minerals’ mini-game, and it’s about as mind numbing as I make it sound. You fly to a planet in your ship, hold down a button to scan a small part of the surface area, and launch a probe when you see a spike in the readouts indicating large mineral veins. It wouldn’t be so bad if not for the amount of time you have to invest in order to properly scan a series of planets, approximately three or four minutes per world. Multiply that by the forty or fifty planets you’ll need to harvest to research all the upgrades in the game, and you’ll soon be banging your head against a hard surface hoping you lapse into a pleasant state of unconsciousness.
But this is a minor tarnish on what is otherwise an excellent game. The only other gripe I had while playing it is the depths of your teammates’ AI, or lack of. Quite often I would charge into a fire fight only to later realise that my squad had got stuck behind a door and couldn’t progress. That, coupled with their sometimes alarming tendency to run away from a battle in order to look for cover, makes your team about as reliable as a plane made entirely out of French cheese.
But all in all Mass Effect 2 is one sterling experience, and one you really shouldn’t miss out on. I haven’t been able to mention the vast lore and backstory the game offers you to explore, nor the specifics of the characters or choices you’ll come across, but believe me, there’s something for everyone in this game, and you almost certainly won't regret checking it out.
Oh, cheers pal :)
Great review :) Keep it up, your contributions are much appreciated ;D
With the 2007 release of Mass Effect, Bioware continued the fine legacy of science fiction RPG’s they had started with Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic back in 2003. It was an instant hit, and became critically acclaimed for its pulsating and dramatic storyline, gorgeous presentation and thrilling combat. Move forward three years, and the highly anticipated Mass Effect 2 has hit our shores. But can this sequel live up to its predecessor, or will it find itself floundering helplessly in the sea of RPG mediocrity.
Note. For obvious reasons, namely that this is a series where the shocks don’t come from set pieces but from plot twists, I won’t delve too deeply into the script. There, you can relax now.
-----------------------------------------
When it was announced in early 2009, Mass Effect 2 promised not only to directly continue the storyline of the first, but have the actions and choices you made then result in dramatic consequences on the story now. So how has this claim held up when push finally came to shove? Well, it’s a difficult question to answer. On the one, probably obvious, hand, the story of Mass Effect 2 is totally the same regardless of whether you played the first one or not and have a save game to carry over with.
Having said that, if you do have a save file to load going into Mass Effect 2, the game makes a remarkable effort to at least hint at choices you made in the first. This might only be in the form of a handful of characters expressing a personal opinion on past actions, but it does a good job in making you feel as though your experience is a unique one, and by the end of the game you’ll want to discuss your experience with everyone else who’s played it too; what choices did you make, how did you deal with this, and so on.
And, after all is said and done, while the main story doesn’t change dramatically with each play - it’s still of higher quality in its own right than some novels, not to mention plenty of films that are getting released lately. The fantastic dialogue system has made a welcome return, with each character being lovingly voiced to make an entirely spoken script. There are enough celebrity cameos to make you think you’ve wandered onto the set of Battlestar Galactica or Stargate, and the way you interact with your crew gives a real sense of emotional involvement when faced with some of the tough choices you’ll have to make by the end of the game.
While the visuals of the first Mass Effect were rightly praised as excellent, they’ve been made to look amateurish in comparison to the graphical overhaul Mass Effect 2 has been through. Almost every area you can think of has been improved, from the dynamic shadows each object casts right down to the framerate – Mass Effect 2 is genuinely one of the best looking games of this generation.
The combat has been tweaked as well; it was too easy in the first game to just glide through missions like you were Johnny Invincible, taking out opponents as they stood stupidly next to boxes they could quite easily have hid behind. In Mass Effect 2, there’s more of a Gears of War feel to it all, you have to use cover to its full advantage and you’ll often find enemies trying to flank you for a better shot. The infinite ammo weapons of the first game have been replaced by bullet-guzzling monstrosities that all feel and respond just like you’d think they would, with some of the heavy weapon upgrades in particular being great fun to use.
One of the more tiresome parts of the first game were the long and arduous Mako vehicle sections, and like me you might have been pleased to learn that they’d been completely removed from Mass Effect 2. It always seemed to me that they were included at the last minute to provide a bit of filler content between missions, and plenty of people seemed to feel the same way. Alas then, as the Mako sections have not simply been removed, but replaced with a game mechanic equally as boring. May I introduce: the always-hilarious ‘scan planets for minerals’ mini-game.
In order to research new weapons, ship components or armour, you need minerals. They come in four different forms, and you can occasionally find them in crates as you proceed through missions. But to really get minerals in any useful quantity you need to play the ‘scan planets for minerals’ mini-game, and it’s about as mind numbing as I make it sound. You fly to a planet in your ship, hold down a button to scan a small part of the surface area, and launch a probe when you see a spike in the readouts indicating large mineral veins. It wouldn’t be so bad if not for the amount of time you have to invest in order to properly scan a series of planets, approximately three or four minutes per world. Multiply that by the forty or fifty planets you’ll need to harvest to research all the upgrades in the game, and you’ll soon be banging your head against a hard surface hoping you lapse into a pleasant state of unconsciousness.
But this is a minor tarnish on what is otherwise an excellent game. The only other gripe I had while playing it is the depths of your teammates’ AI, or lack of. Quite often I would charge into a fire fight only to later realise that my squad had got stuck behind a door and couldn’t progress. That, coupled with their sometimes alarming tendency to run away from a battle in order to look for cover, makes your team about as reliable as a plane made entirely out of French cheese.
But all in all Mass Effect 2 is one sterling experience, and one you really shouldn’t miss out on. I haven’t been able to mention the vast lore and backstory the game offers you to explore, nor the specifics of the characters or choices you’ll come across, but believe me, there’s something for everyone in this game, and you almost certainly won't regret checking it out.
Note. For obvious reasons, namely that this is a series where the shocks don’t come from set pieces but from plot twists, I won’t delve too deeply into the script. There, you can relax now.
-----------------------------------------
When it was announced in early 2009, Mass Effect 2 promised not only to directly continue the storyline of the first, but have the actions and choices you made then result in dramatic consequences on the story now. So how has this claim held up when push finally came to shove? Well, it’s a difficult question to answer. On the one, probably obvious, hand, the story of Mass Effect 2 is totally the same regardless of whether you played the first one or not and have a save game to carry over with.
Having said that, if you do have a save file to load going into Mass Effect 2, the game makes a remarkable effort to at least hint at choices you made in the first. This might only be in the form of a handful of characters expressing a personal opinion on past actions, but it does a good job in making you feel as though your experience is a unique one, and by the end of the game you’ll want to discuss your experience with everyone else who’s played it too; what choices did you make, how did you deal with this, and so on.
And, after all is said and done, while the main story doesn’t change dramatically with each play - it’s still of higher quality in its own right than some novels, not to mention plenty of films that are getting released lately. The fantastic dialogue system has made a welcome return, with each character being lovingly voiced to make an entirely spoken script. There are enough celebrity cameos to make you think you’ve wandered onto the set of Battlestar Galactica or Stargate, and the way you interact with your crew gives a real sense of emotional involvement when faced with some of the tough choices you’ll have to make by the end of the game.
While the visuals of the first Mass Effect were rightly praised as excellent, they’ve been made to look amateurish in comparison to the graphical overhaul Mass Effect 2 has been through. Almost every area you can think of has been improved, from the dynamic shadows each object casts right down to the framerate – Mass Effect 2 is genuinely one of the best looking games of this generation.
The combat has been tweaked as well; it was too easy in the first game to just glide through missions like you were Johnny Invincible, taking out opponents as they stood stupidly next to boxes they could quite easily have hid behind. In Mass Effect 2, there’s more of a Gears of War feel to it all, you have to use cover to its full advantage and you’ll often find enemies trying to flank you for a better shot. The infinite ammo weapons of the first game have been replaced by bullet-guzzling monstrosities that all feel and respond just like you’d think they would, with some of the heavy weapon upgrades in particular being great fun to use.
One of the more tiresome parts of the first game were the long and arduous Mako vehicle sections, and like me you might have been pleased to learn that they’d been completely removed from Mass Effect 2. It always seemed to me that they were included at the last minute to provide a bit of filler content between missions, and plenty of people seemed to feel the same way. Alas then, as the Mako sections have not simply been removed, but replaced with a game mechanic equally as boring. May I introduce: the always-hilarious ‘scan planets for minerals’ mini-game.
In order to research new weapons, ship components or armour, you need minerals. They come in four different forms, and you can occasionally find them in crates as you proceed through missions. But to really get minerals in any useful quantity you need to play the ‘scan planets for minerals’ mini-game, and it’s about as mind numbing as I make it sound. You fly to a planet in your ship, hold down a button to scan a small part of the surface area, and launch a probe when you see a spike in the readouts indicating large mineral veins. It wouldn’t be so bad if not for the amount of time you have to invest in order to properly scan a series of planets, approximately three or four minutes per world. Multiply that by the forty or fifty planets you’ll need to harvest to research all the upgrades in the game, and you’ll soon be banging your head against a hard surface hoping you lapse into a pleasant state of unconsciousness.
But this is a minor tarnish on what is otherwise an excellent game. The only other gripe I had while playing it is the depths of your teammates’ AI, or lack of. Quite often I would charge into a fire fight only to later realise that my squad had got stuck behind a door and couldn’t progress. That, coupled with their sometimes alarming tendency to run away from a battle in order to look for cover, makes your team about as reliable as a plane made entirely out of French cheese.
But all in all Mass Effect 2 is one sterling experience, and one you really shouldn’t miss out on. I haven’t been able to mention the vast lore and backstory the game offers you to explore, nor the specifics of the characters or choices you’ll come across, but believe me, there’s something for everyone in this game, and you almost certainly won't regret checking it out.