I recently just completed Mass effect 2 and boy was it AMAZING. Too bad us PS3 users had to wait almost a year for it to be released after Xbox360 but certainly it was worth the wait. Here's a rather belated review for those other slowpoke gamers like me :)


Plot

Mass effect 2 is the sequel to the first Mass effect game which centered around a human soldier (spectre) - Commander Shepard. Shepard was tasked with stopping the invasion of a race of parasitic species called the Reapers - intent on literally cleansing the universe of life as we know it. Shepard succeeded in stopping a Reaper in the first game before it was too late. The sequel sees us picking up the story where we left off. Shepard's ship was attack and he/she wasn't able to make it out by the time the ship blew up. An human sympathizer organization called Cerberus abducted Shepard and reconstructed the body under project "Lazarus". Shepard was brought back to life to lead another suicide mission against a new enemy.


Gameplay

ME2 is a shooter RPG which combines the best of two worlds. On one hand you have the classic Dragon Age/ Knights of the Old republic approach to text RPG. On the other, a labrynthian shoot out against swarming enemies. The text-based RPG is where this game truly shines. Shepard's decisions and choices determines the overall story of the game and the way other characters interact with him. For this alone, ME2 is worth playing a second time. Most players would go the safe route and try to balance between good  and evil decisions. But this usually prevents you from accessing certain conversation options. Building up your 'renegade' or 'the good guy' persona will allow you to choose whether to charm or to intimidate other characters into doing what you want them to do. And once in a while, it's always good to be the bad cop. The shooter element is sometimes too straight forward but the levels are shorter and not as draggy as Dragon Age where it could take forever to get done. It would be better to have better bosses though. Most levels end with the same type of bosses with very little challenges. I suppose in a universe filled with alien lifeforms, monstrous creatures would be a nice touch. Only a few levels contained eye-catching boss fights. The final boss itself was a little dissapointing too, being too easy. But surprisingly, this does not mask the best part of the game which is the exploration. You are literally playing in the entire galaxy and it is so overwhelmingly big. There are numerous side-quests, back stories, loyalty quests and mining minerals to be done.

Graphics

Graphic wise, the game excels in capturing the world in outer space. At times, the game feels like its very own sci-fi tv show, but stops short of being over indulgent or cliche. The game doesn't flow entirely without glitches and there are some. Characters feel stiff and they always talk to you standing up straight like mannequins. There's a certain lack of flair.

Sound

The acting is superb. Voice dubs are done perfectly and the music often accompanies the game rather than tries to usurp it. It's a perfect balance.

Overall

If you bought Final Fantasy 13 and thought to yourself "What the hell is this??" This game is your remedy. There's exploration, tons of characters, a story that works and best of all, towns... well, more like urban sprawls but who am i to complain?? This game is brilliant! You go Bioware! Show Square Enix how it's done.