In 2009, the honor of Game of the Year was a tight race with most games being launched near the end of the year. January 26th, 2010 might have been the day that brought us this year’s edition of the award. In a year of highly anticipated sequels, BioWare and their masterpiece Mass Effect 2 may have set the bar too high right off the bat for any game to surpass it.
As I sit here writing this I find it to be quite a daunting task. Why? Because this game is that good! First off I must let my fellow gamers out there know that I did not finish the first one. I know I know…..I’m sorry, just couldn’t get through it. The combat system was not fun, one bullet would hit while the next would just fly totally off course followed by one that would hit. Also the management system for Shepard and his peeps was awful. So awful in fact that it overshadowed the combat system and made me turn the game off. After word of its sequel, I popped Mass Effect 1 back in and tried again, and just like the last time I turned it off. I spent more time making sure Ashley and Wrex had the correct weapons and armor than actually playing the game. Just didn’t work for me.
Then there was Mass Effect 2. When the game is started up a player gets the choice of importing their character from the first game into the second. This import will bring the story from the first over to the second along with characters who survived and lacking the characters that did not. If you are like me and you didn’t finish the first entry, you aren’t missing out on a whole lot, the story will still continue right on course. This option of import really adds to the personal level of gaming that Mass Effect 2 seems to have mastered on several different levels.
A strong attribute of BioWare is their ability to tell a story. As in the first game of this franchise, the story in Mass Effect 2 is fantastic. I lost several large chunks of my day due to wanting to see what happened next. In fact, this story is so interesting that I’m going to attempt to write this review without really giving any plot away. Along with a great story come some pretty awesome cut scenes, especially the opening scene in the game. Some of the visuals in Mass Effect 2 are just stunning. I can’t give it Uncharted 2 graphics status but it is about the closet thing I’ve seen. The detail on the faces of each character really seems to bring each character to life and helps the one controlling them really get immersed. Oh and look out for the Collector Ship level…. beautiful!
The major difference from the first title to the second is in its alterations in the RPG elements of the game. As I mentioned earlier I really despised the inventory system in Mass Effect 1. All I asked for was an easier way to alter weapons and armor, and they listened. So much so that they just eliminated the whole inventory completely. Hardcore RPG fans may feel that BioWare was catering to the casual gamer who felt that it was too difficult. I was even caught a bit off guard by this but quickly realized that it really was a great move on their part. Before each mission you are given a chance to pick your load out for each character that is making the journey with you. Upgrades to armor and weapons are now done through a terminal on the Normandy. There are several different classes of gun like in the first game, each with several different types of guns within each class. The resources needed to do the upgrading will be covered a bit later. Combat has also been tuned more towards the FPS style of gaming. Now instead of wacky bullets going all over the place, put a crosshair between a gentleman’s eyes and you can bet your ass that is where that bullet is headed. Again, another great improvement in my opinion.
Coming into this edition, BioWare wanted to ramp up the personal relationships that Shepard and yourself would build with the other living creatures across the galaxies. Deep conversation with numerous people throughout can really open up the story and history behind all of the places you visit. The teammates you acquire on your journey have a lot to say and in a creepy way will get you attached to them. I found that as I played through the game, it grew more and more difficult to pick who was going with me because I wanted to take them all. Even adding one more person to come with might have eased my decision making. Similar to the first one a “close” (wink wink) relationship can be made with various people on your team. I actually was able to have two of those relationships with two different women on the Normandy (hope I don’t crash my spaceship into a fire hydrant tonight….). Another relationship builder was added to the game in the form of cut scene interaction. In certain areas of a scene Shepard can react in the, familiar from the first, Paragon and Renegade paths. For example if someone is about to kill a person that you don’t feel deserves it, a quick pull of the LT when shown will stop the killing from happening and can actually have other long term effects with that particular person. Now if you are naughty and want to go the renegade way, then a pull on the RT will have you react in the opposite way.
I have never come across a flawless game but this one is really close. There are really only a few negative things I can take away. To be quite honest they really aren’t that negative, just things not done as awesomely (wow, it is a word) as the rest of the game. I mentioned upgrading weapons and armor on the Normandy using special material. Now I’m going to tell you where that material comes from. Each planet you come across can be scanned for materials such as Platinum, Element Zero, and Iridium which then can be mined as it works as currency to upgrade various aspects of your character and teammates. Mining can get a bit annoying after awhile. It starts to feel like a chore that you find yourself not wanting to do. Each day that I played Mass Effect 2 I started with about 15 minutes of mining before I got into the game. Get it over with and move on! Another small issue I had was with the A button and its run/cover function. From time to time while running I would latch onto a wall, sometimes in some pretty intense parts where I ended up dead. At times there are some awkward pauses within the dialogue but nothing serious. Last but not least….what is with the Asari and their lazy eye? Most conversations with this alien species had me wondering which eye to look at. Told you there wasn’t much to complain about.
I will certainly understand some hardcore gamers thinking this game was knocked down a notch to play to the casual gamer but I love RPG’s and this change did not bother me a bit. I think everything they changed was for flow purposes (apparently showing no concern that mining brought things to a standstill) and this game moves along at the perfect pace. The universe that was created in the first Mass Effect has continued and gotten even better. I bet you didn’t know that Shepard’s Memorial Plaza was this year’s hottest marriage spot. Keep an ear open and you’ll hear all kinds of cool things. If you’re anything like me you will enjoy the times where a decision is necessary and you actually sit there contemplating which direction to go, easily my favorite part of the game. Improved gun play, the return of and new additions to Biotic and Tech powers (which can now be mapped to a couple different buttons), great character development, and beautiful environments make this the game to beat this year. My personal opinion? Won’t be done, this is my Game of the Year.
FINAL SCORE – 100/100
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Nice review. I don’t think any game deserves 100, because that means it’s perfect. But you might be right, this one is close.