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[cooper2nd]

Hey folks, basically a friend of mine is creating a gaming website and asked me to write some stuff for it so i went ahead and did a review of mass effect 2. I'm just wanting to get some feedback from real fans of the game. beware it'll contain spoils and is ridiculously long lol


Mass Effect 2

“I’m Commander Shepard and this is my favourite article on the citadel” Shepard didn’t really say that in fact I’m expecting a cease and desist letter any day now but what it does do is bring me to my main point and serve as a nice set-up for what will surely be an interesting Mass Effect 2 review. What I will get out the way early though is that this is by far my favourite game of the year and in this article ill be telling you exactly why and be prepared for some spoilers from this game and the first installment. ahead.

The storyline of this game will follow on from a few months after the end of the first game with Shepard hot on the heels of the remaining Geth. It is though that Commander Shepard’s ship the Normandy comes under attack from a mystery vessel and just like that teaser trailer from last year hints at Shepard dies. Luckily Shepard’s body is recovered by a shady pro-human organisation called Cerberus who you should remember fondly if you were a fan of the first game. From here you are brought back to life by the Lazarus project. From here you’ll go on to meet the mysterious leader of Cerberus who will inform you that human colonies are being abducted and high tech and enigmatic race known as the collectors are responsible. From here your job starts as you are tasked with finding the most bad ass dudes in the galaxy to go take the fight to the collector home world.

Now the story in this game is still good but it doesn’t come close to the greatness of the first one that featured some great twists and some very memorable moments but the main focus of this game is the characters and the character development and these are both brilliantly done as the characters you meet aren’t just bad ass they’re real dudes with many different layers and motivations and this is can be seen to full effect when doing the loyalty missions (ill speak of this loyalty system in more in the game play section) The best of these I thought was the character Mordins as not only is he very cool dude you see a completely different side to him on his mission, as he is guy a struggling with the morals of a previous action that I wont spoil and he always justifies these former actions when you communicate with him on board the ship but during his missions you can see how much he struggled with it and how it affected him these missions will also vary from simple combat missions as some will be much more story based.

With the main focus being on the characters though you’ll find that most of your time spent on this game will actually be used to recruit these characters and gain there loyalty as opposed to battling the collector but make no mistake you will encounter them plenty of times. Another one of the cool things about this game is the close connection it retains with its predecessor as a lot of old characters will turn up along the way aswell as that you are able to import your old Mass Effect 1 save which will bring across all the decisions you made in the first game aswell as your characters appearance. One of my favourite moments related to this was when I saw Wrex because I just damn right love that scaly bastard. How overly referential the game is though is both a strength and a great weakness as players familiar to the series will absolutely love it like I did were as new comers might find themselves a bit lost when some guy turns up and start explaining some **** you did back in the first game.

　
Game-play
Now before I get to the good stuff I’m just going to spend time talking about the changes in the inventory from the first game. As you’ll remember in Mass Effect you would stumble across upgrades constantly during the course of whatever missions you were doing then it would be a case of going to your very cluttered inventory and selecting the upgrade then choosing what weapon you wish to attach it to. This is not the case in Mass Effect 2 as the inventory system has been made incredibly streamlined as a start of a mission you will simply choose which weapons you wish to take with you then that is that. The ammo upgrades will also work differently as in the first you’d pick them up as loot then apply them to a weapon. In ME2 though you will find no ammo upgrades but instead will have ammo powers, so you would select the power from your power wheel then that ammo power will remain forever present on the gun through the course of the mission unless you choose to remove or change it.

Rest assure though you will still find upgrade in Mass Effect 2 but the system used for implementing them is very different as it will involve finding the upgrade, a research station and a planet scanning mini-game. For example when you are playing through a mission and you find an upgrade it’ll be sent to your research station and from here you can purchase it assuming you have the adequate resources which can either be found in missions or through the aforementioned planet scanning mini-game. Now put bluntly the planet scanning mini-game sucks, it simply involves you going to an uncharted world at which point a model of the planet will appear which you can rotate and search for resources, the problem with this is that the scanner moves to slow and at times you can find your self having just picked up a cool upgrade then being forced to scan for 10 minutes till you can afford it, luckily it isn’t as bad now as a recent patch added optimised scanning. These upgrades can also be purchased in stores found across the galaxy.

Your armour also works differently as in the other game you’d simply find new sets of armour then equip them. In ME2 though you have one main set of armour that can be fully customized allowing you to change the colour, the material and add patterns to it. You will also be able to purchase new components for your armour that will offer different bonuses allowing you to customize your armour to best suit your characters class or your playing style. The weapon system is also different as in the first game you’d find loads of guns that were basically the exact same with the exception of there stats. In ME2 there are a lot less guns but each one feels unique and they are well balance so you wont be forced to use one gun just because its godly, you’ll always be able to go with your preference. This game has also incorporated heavy weapons which will allow to change the tide of the fight in your favour and this will vary from a ice gun to mother ****ing nuke gun.

Now… its time to get down… The combat in this game is simply brilliant it plays like an awesome third person shooter with very tight and easy to use controls, it also utilizes a very good cover system which is right up there with gears cover system, you can sprint straight into cover, hop over your cover and like gears its all done with the directional stick and the A button, unlike gears though the animations aren’t as fluid but that can only really be seem when comparing how the characters hop over cover so I’m nitpicking really. One of the ways that this combat is made all the more better is by the enemies you’ll be facing and the defensive layers that they have.
The protection layers that the enemies have are: shields, armour and finally barriers and each of this protections require a specific way to remove them which can be what weapon you use against them, what you use against them or which ammo type you use, For example the shields are weak against rapid fire weapons like assault rifles and smgs, the overload power and disruptor ammo. This will make the combat much more intense as if an enemy equipped with a shield wanders onto the battlefield you must ensure you target them with the right power and ammo, and this can lead to great panic and intensity as you wait behind cover changing your ammo whilst the enemy approaches or if you are waiting for one of your squad mates powers to recharge, this can made all the more intense if you are fighting groups of enemy were some of them will have different protection layers.

A great thing about this combat is that it is extremely varied depending on which class you chose to play as because each class has its own distinctly unique play style for the example with the soldier you’ll mostly be doing straight up third person shooting but utilizing the adrenaline rush skills which allows you to deal and take less damage whilst slowing down time allowing you to go for a head shot or to use it as a good opportunity to inflict heavy damage to a tough opponent. Now this is very different to say the Adept where the main focus will be to tie down the enemies or kill them with your powers. So you’ll often be staying pack and either utilizing your throw ability to knock and opponent of a ledge or pull to levitate an enemy in the air allowing one of your team mates to line up a deadly shot, You can also utilize there unique singularity ability, this acts like a small vortex that will suck enemies in then leave them harmlessly floating for awhile, now this ability can be used to create traps at flanking positions to stop the enemy getting round you. There are six main classes, you have the Soldier, engineer, Adept, Vanguard, Infiltrator and Sentinel each of these have there own unique play style and abilities.

Even though it seems like the main focus has now shifted to the combat mechanics the game still shines as an RPG with the conversation wheel making a triumphant return and you will use the system to o shape the morals of your character and use it to investigate the incredibly deep Mass Effect universe. The paragon/renegade system this time works a lot differently from the first one were your ability to use persuade or intimidate was dictated by how advanced your charm/intimidate skills were but now there is no charm/ intimidate skill so your ability to persuade or intimidate is based on how paragon or renegade your character is and this will receive a boost depending on how advanced your passive skill is. The problem with the system being like this is though that you must be fully paragon or fully renegade to make the best out of the conversations as if you play neutral you’ll come to a conversation were both your paragon and renegade levels are too low to grant a persuade or intimidate so this forces you to play completely renegade or completely paragon. The loyalty of your squad mates is also vital to the of your missions but this is done extremely simply, prior to release many thought it would be like the loyalty from Dragon Age were you would take people along with you and they would approve or disapprove of your actions with more approval leading to loyalty, but here its simply a case of completing the mission that each of your squad mates will eventually offer you.

Your skills will also advance in a new way with there being only four levels for that skill with for each skill level requiring that many number of skill points and when you max out these abilities you will be given the choice to chose between two powerful evolutions of that power that can range from higher damage output, increased duration on powers, or an increase area of affect for a power. After a certain point aswell you’ll be granted the ability to re-spec your powers in case you make a mistake or just want to try a different build and this makes for a nice touch.

During the course of this game you will be able to fully explore galaxy, visiting different worlds and speaking to inhabitants to pick up little missions, you can also get N7 and these are basically the side quests of this game, even though there is a lot less of them than in the first game much more effort as gone into them as you will able be going to unique locations, that have a good degree of variance aswell, with some calling for you to fight in places with thick fog making it difficult to target enemies, and sometimes visiting old mines were the inhabitants have lost there mind to some mysterious artifact.

Your ship also plays a larger part in this game as its been made a lot bigger and has much more functions. At the top you will have the captains cabin were you can customize your armour, check out your achievements and your private terminal which will offer you tutorial videos and any messages you’ve been sent. For your cabin you are also able to collect fish for your tank or you can purchase model space ships, The fish was a nice touch but after forgetting to feed them many times I simply couldn’t be bothered anymore.

Down from the captains cabin you have the combat information centre, its from here that you’ll access the galaxy map and decide what to do next. You also have a woman who acts as a sectary and informs you off any messages you’ve received and if your squad mates need to talk to you. Its here you’ll also find the research station which enables you purchase those upgrades. There are two more decks put they don’t really serve any purpose other than to talk with the squad mates down there or speak with the crew of the Normandy. You’ll be able to purchase upgrades for your ship and these will range from better armour to unimportant stuff like a better planet scanner. So if you want to make sure your ship is fully upgraded talk with your squad mates to check to see if they’ve got any goodies they can offer you.

Graphics/presentation
There’s not really much to say here I mean where the **** do you go after saying that the graphics are awesome? Well in this game they are awesome each area you visit is also very unique and offers great lighting show casing your armour in the best way, the facial animation and detail on the faces is also amazing which is key considering the amount of time you’ll be spent in conversation. This game will also offer some great visuals with each of the main planets you visit looking brilliant in there own right be it the war torn krogan home world of Tuchanka or the bright lights and beauty of Illium, its all good here.

Other comments/Score
A great thing about this game is the replay value which is just awesome as there is great variance in the game play based on what class you chose and if you follow the paragon renegade route, I myself are on my 8 or 9th play through and still loving the combat. This is pretty long game as well with my first play through of the game taking me 27 hours. One of the annoying parts of this game though is that its set on two discs, now this doesn’t detract from the experience but it manages to be annoying. Its not a simple cause of getting half through then changing disc either its like the first third and last third are on the first disc which means you’ll have swap disc twice. That minor nit pick aside this is an amazing and easily has to be one of the leading candidates for game of the year so lets say 9.6 for a ****ing stunning game.

　
ME 2 DLC
For this section of the review dedicated for the dlc I’ll only focus on the two main priced dlc: Kasumi’s Stolen Memories and Overlord so lets get down tonight!

Stolen memories
For this dlc you’ll be tasked with recruiting and gaining the loyalty of a Master thief known as Kasumi. To start you’ll simply go to the citadel and will be informed by Kasumi that’s she needs your help with a heist.

From here you’ll travel to a new star system and will begin exploring the home of wealthy crime lord Donovan Hock who has killed Kasumi’s former partner and stolen something very dear to Kasumi. The gameplay now will play out as a sort of heist mission with you visiting Hocks vault then searching his estate for ways to undermine the security this is very fun as the game-play will alter from light combat to some detective work involving gathering DNA and seeking out the power supply for the vault.

Eventually though things go pear shaped and you are forced into to retreat the estate but luckily not empty as prior to the escaping you’ll be able to pick up a new sub machine gun which is very accurate and welcome addition to your arsenal. From here your treated to some heavy duty combat with heavy mechs and lots of mercs. Before you know it though you’ll have completed the missions and will have a new squad mate and weapon in tow. Now the mission and the gameplay itself for this dlc are very good the one problem is that this mission is just too short, chances are you’ll be done within an hour. Still a good dlc that’s probably just worth the 560ms points

Overlord
This dlc is just damn good! It tells the tale of the project Overlord were a evil AI has taken control of this base and taken control of all mechs at the base who have then proceeded to slaughter the staff of project Overlord. From here on you’ll meet with the Project lead Dr. Archer who is voiced brilliantly by Simon Templeman who made an appearance in the main game as quarian admiral. It is here you’ll find that the AI has requested assistance and your soon up to ass in Geth. From here on there is an awesome satellite explosion and you’ll get onto on pretty big and beautiful open world which you’ll get to explore with the Hammerhead tank, its here you can see that real effort went into this dlc and there’s clearly very good production value.

You will then traverse the open world in your Hammerhead tank were you take time to search for some data packets or get on with the mission, there will also be a bit of plat forming for you to do in the tank that will have you jumping across a flowing river of lava. Now the Hammerhead is a lot better than the Mako from the first game but it has one massive flaw, the thing can take barely any damage, if u stand right in front of the enemy with this thing they will cut through you like ****** through toilet roll.

You will then have to explore the three stations, Vulcan, Prometheus and then lastly Atlas, each station is very unique with Prometheus station being my favourite, it’s a very dark and spooky environment helped by the great lightening and the inactivated Geth faces staring into you, this area will also feature a little puzzle to help balance out all the ass you’ll be kicking later.

The **** really hit’s the fan at Atlas station were again there’s some combat and a great section that tells the story of how the AI came to be, this is fantastic section that reminds of something from one of the metal gear substance. All this serves as a great prelude to the final fight and the fantastic ending. I wont spoil but the ending was just the best part of this dlc and it features a tough moral choice common to the Mass Effect series. All in all I thought this was a great dlc with a great story, great environment with the combat being solid as ever. Unfortunately though this dlc is just the mission there are no team mates or items to find that can be used in the main game, it is also fairly sure like Kasumi’s but this is made up for with the great game-play and great storyline.

[Whatever42]

Nice, very comprehensive review. I think you described the game very well.

In your review, you mentioned the fish, lack of hammerhead armor, and the discs but I'm reasonable sure there are more things that bugged you - it could be the helmets or the pacing or the balancing of certain classes. When you write a review, do you leave them out because they are simply too inconsquential to your enjoyment to mention and listing them all just comes across as pedantic? Or did you really just not see anything that detracted from your enjoyment at all?

I've never written a review, although I've read many obviously. When I read a review, I always find it fascinating to see how a reviewer balances the criticisms in the review. Sometimes I see a reviewer spend half the article on minor issues that never seriously bothered them. Its like they write 3 chapters on issues that combined only give -5 out of a hundred on the game and then spend only a couple paragraphs writing about what caused them to give +95 to the game. Perhaps its so they can cement their cred as a non-fanboi. Or perhaps its because readers love to criticize and the review figures he might as well just get it on the table.

Modifié par Whatever666343431431654324, 28 juillet 2010 - 04:41 .

[cooper2nd]

It was indeed just a case of the other little things being too inconsequential. With the classes though i enjoyed all of them immensly and never really noticed a balancing issue. I did find the Sentinel quite dull though. I would just equip the tech armour then procede to strip away defences and then finish them off with the smg or squad powers, its never really came alive for me. Thanks for reading aswell i know it must of took some time lol

[CroGamer002]

Wow, I can't believe I read all that.

Great review but seriously next time make it shorter.