Mass Effect 2 review

Before jumping into the proper review, let’s get one thing out of the way.  If you haven’t yet played the first Mass Effect, you will be missing something from Mass Effect 2.  In the same way that The Empire Strikes Back is a better movie than Star Wars, not seeing the first just takes away from the overall experience.  Sure you can jump right in, and it won’t hurt the enjoyment, but if you watch them both, it’s a richer experience.  Sure, in the case of Mass Effect, that’s a lot more dedication than a movie, and I’m not saying you HAVE to play the original Mass Effect.  The game definitely stands on its own in every way.

If you have played the original, you have the option to import your character to the new game, and it honestly makes a difference.  When playing ME2, you run into a lot of characters from the original, both major and minor, and what you did back then really does affect the way they interact with you now.  Someone you lost in Mass Effect is still dead in the sequel, and even the makeup of the Citadel (the Galactic UN if you will) is based on your game save from Mass Effect.  More than once during the game I ran into someone who I either recognized, or seemed familiar, and through conversation it would dawn on me… “oh yeah, I remember you”.  That alone helps pull you into the story, and what a story it is.

Without giving away any spoilers, the main story of Mass Effect 2 involves Shepard returning to put an end to a series of attacks on human colonies on the outer reaches of the galaxy.  You’re backed by a powerful group called Cerberus which, depending on the point of view of each character, is a pro-human group just watching out for mankind’s interests in the galaxy, or a bunch of xenophobic radicals that fly in the face of everything that Shepard represented in the first installment of the game.

This is no “going rogue” though.  As Shepard, you’ll form your own opinion of Cerberus, and not only that, decide how much you want to share with the various people you encounter during the game, whether it’s a minor character or one of your trusted crew.  As this unfolds, you get a better sense of each character’s personality, and of the vast galaxy in which the personal stories unfold.

Putting the “Role” into Role Playing Game

For telling that story, Mass Effect 2 keeps the dialogue reticule interface from the original, in that dialogue on the left encourages deeper conversations, while opting to the right is more of a “let’s move along”.  Dialogue at the top of the wheel is generally positive, while on the bottom is more negative.  Positive and negative are relative to the situation, of course, so even though you may opt to play as more good or evil, sometimes the response you expect to want is turned on its head.   Another nice element of the dialogue reticule is that unlike many RPGs, which let you see exactly what your character is going to say, you’re given the shorthand, so that when the conversation unfolds, you get something more out of it.  To further the cinematic experience, these conversations feel like cut scenes, with well directed, dynamic camera positions that add to the emotional impact.  All RPGs need to seriously pay attention to what Bioware is doing with character interactions in the Mass Effect series.  A stacked list of full text, followed but static shots of characters repeating that dialogue, just doesn’t cut it any more.

A welcome addition to the emotional involvement of the dialogue is the new Paragon / Renegade interrupt mechanic.  Sometimes during dialogue a Paragon / Renegade icon will appear on screen, and pressing the correct trigger will cause Shepard to jump in and have his say.  These aren’t annoying QTEs (QuickTime Events) in the sense that not pressing anything will get you killed.  It’s purely an emotional response that will cause the scenario to play out differently.  Without any spoilers, there was one instance where the Renegade interrupt was available, but I just didn’t WANT to do it, because that’s not how I wanted to shape my character.

That quality of writing, in character and plot is a hallmark of this franchise.  As it unfolds, you really do feel immersed in something bigger, all the while keeping it all grounded to a personal reality.  Moral and ethical decisions during the game really have an effect on both you and those around you.  This is best exemplified by some of the “loyalty missions”.  As you build out your crew for the final showdown, you can opt to help out crew members with their own personal missions.  While a satisfying resolution brings character loyalty and real gameplay rewards in the form of more experience and unlockable bonuses, each of them has an emotional weight that makes mean more than getting those bonus perks, which really become secondary..

At the outset of each mission, you can bring two crew members to work alongside you.  Each has their own strengths and weaknesses, and in any game with this option, it’s always tough to pick.  Do you bring someone that has good sniper skills, or someone that has more mechanical prowess?  You never know for sure, even though the mission details may give you a clue.  What makes the decision tougher is that I found myself wanting to bring characters because I liked them (well, they were all interesting characters, whether I wanted to grab a beer with them or not is another story).   That’s another testament to the writing at Bioware.  The emotions experienced during the game all come across as genuine, and your own.  Whether you keep your version of Shepard more to-the-point and cynical, or you get emotionally invested with characters and want to give everyone a hug, Bioware convinces you that this is YOUR Shepard.

The voice acting in Mass Effect 2 is critical to making the story ring true, and it’s impeccable across the board.  With Shepard (both male and female), Bioware has to tread a fine line.  If the voice is too stylized, or voiced by a recognizable talent, there’s a real danger of taking away from feeling of this being your own experience.  On the other hand, if the voice is too generic it will stand out as wooden compared to other characters.  Both Mark Meer and Jennifer Hale return to do fantastic jobs of giving Shepard a strong presence without feeling like the character is someone other than oneself.

Visually, the original Mass Effect was an amazing looking game with some serious technical issues, including some of the most annoying texture popping I’ve seen in a long time.  Bioware clearly put a lot of effort into fixing this issue, as after hours of game play, I think I caught something once or twice, out of the corner of my eye.  It appears that now, instead of loading with no textures, the models start off with lower res textures that up-rez on the fly.  This is in stark contrast to the original, when it could take 5 or 6 seconds for textures to appear, even on the main characters.  The side missions are also vastly improved from an environmental point of view.  Gone are the side missions with generic structures and the same basic layout.  Each mission has its own look and feel, and the environments look stunning.

Stop getting all weepy… is it a game already?

On the RPG front, Bioware has done a commendable job of streamlining inventory control.  Although all the elements of the original are there, there is far less micro management.  RPG purists might be upset about that, but it does nothing to take away from the enjoyment.  In fact, it allows Bioware, and the player, to focus on the role-playing aspect more than the “I’m a space accountant”.   This reduction of management chores also extends to the customizations in both your crew and your own character.  Many weapon and armour upgrades, whether for Shepard or the whole team, are automatically applied.

While you can assign points to character traits on the Normandy, it’s just as easy to not worry about it until you pick someone for the next mission.  Before the next mission, if your chosen party has some unassigned points, you’ll be prompted to take care of business.

Another element of most RPGs is finding crap… or loot… on your journey.  That too has been cut back.  During missions, instead of picking up every game in sight, you can find tech that counts towards researching your next weapons upgrade.  This totally does away with the time worn shopkeeper mechanism to sell of the 37 pistols you found on your last outing.  There are still stores, which do serve multiple purposes in the game, but thankfully, buying everything you’ve found isn’t one of them.

For all the finesse put into the RPG elements of Mass Effect 2, Bioware needs to be commended for making the combat more engrossing.  Because the environments have been given more unique layouts, using more tactical approaches to combat are encouraged.  To further this, it’s now easier to place the other characters where you want them, simply by pointing at a location, and using the d-pad to send one or both of your sidekicks there.  The crew and enemy AI is also much improved.  In the heat of battle, you’ll often find your crew exactly where you hope them to be, although they sometimes strike me as a little reckless.

No Moon Buggy is a good thing, right?

The most frustrating thing about the first installment of Mass Effect was the Mako, a six-wheeled vehicle used for exploring planets.  If not so affectionately became known by many as the ‘moon buggy’, because of the similarities between it and the game Moon Patrol.  The Mako was possibly one of the single most annoying vehicles to drive in videogame history.  When it was announced that the moon buggy was gone from Mass Effect 2, many rejoiced, but hold back that cheer…

You still need to find raw materials for your many upgrades, and although some small amounts are found during missions, combing planets for materials is the only way to go for the big guns.  Instead of what passes for controlling a vehicle with the suspension from Hell, the resource gathering consists of scanning unexplored planets for raw materials.  To do so, you move a reticule over a planet’s surface, while on the right hand screen, a graph showing potential resources in the spot fluctuates.  When you see a spike, which does admittedly have a satisfying sound and force feedback, launch a probe and you get your reward.

The problem is that scanning a planet can take a long time.  You can easily sink a half hour into scanning a planet thoroughly, and it’s not fun as a mini-game.  There is one tip I can give you here.  Pay attention to the Scanner Results in the upper right.  If you start a scan and the planet is rated “Poor”, just leave.  As you probe planets initially rated as “Rich”, the Scanner Results status will change.  Once again, when it hits “Poor”, call it a day and move on. You’ll probably find enough resources to get the major upgrades without extracting every last ounce of Element Zero and Palladium out of every planet.  Luckily, part way through the game, you`re given the ability to upgrade the Normandy`s scanner, which makes it much faster.

Sometimes during the planetary scans, I was yearning to return to the Normandy crash site, get that old moon buggy back in working condition and kick it old school, but only sometimes.  Don’t let that spoil the game for you though.  Planetary scanning is a necessary evil to get all the upgrades, but it’s just a small part of the overall game.

It’s a big galaxy out there…

The Galaxy Map returns in Mass Effect 2, with a little more nuance.  When you stand over the hologram of the galaxy on the main deck of the Normandy, you zoom into your current solar system.  From there, you can plot your next journey, with handy pop ups identifying systems where unlocked missions are available.  Even in the original, I loved the Galaxy Map.  Not only is it more immersive than a flat 2D representation, it fits within the universe of the game, and conveys the epic scale of what you’re embarking on.

It was the original Mass Effect that got me back into RPGs after a long absense.  Crazy JPRGs, generic dungeon crawlers and games based on existing franchises, like Bioware’s own Knights of the Old Republic just never won me over, even though in the case of the latter, the mechanics were quite good, and many consider it a classic.  Mass Effect exists in its own world though.  From scratch, you’re learning about a richly realized galaxy, with a textured back story.  The franchise was developed as a trilogy, and Bioware has stated that the final chapter should see a faster turnaround than this installment.  It couldn’t come soon enough for me.