Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

20 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Masterpiece"

Bioware is known for making immersive game experiences that give the player a great depth of choice and freedom. Mass Effect 2 is a prime example of this formula. The game is not without some minor flaws but nothing noteworthy enough to bring this game down from the lofty place that it has secured for itself as a must have AAA title. Mass Effect saw players taking up the role of Commander Shepard (male or female depending upon player choice) a human member of the Alliance elite Spectres (a sort of special forces). Mass Effect 2's story begins with Shepard, having saved the Citadel (the center of galactic government) from certain annihilation at the hands of Saren and the Reapers (the true albeit hidden villains of the series) being brushed aside by the Alliance; his crews warnings about the Reapers ignored, and sent on a mission to route out the Geth (a species of AI robots from the first game). Things are pretty much down hill quickly from there for Shepard and his crew and events transpire that see the story moving forward two years. Shepard's crew is no longer together and he is now indebted to Cerberus, a shady pro-Human organization that straddles the line between villain and saviour. Shepard's mission is clear; make the galaxy aware of the Reaper threat by any means necessary. But to do that he'll need a ship and a crew. Cerberus provides the ship and various avenues to build a team of loyal assets that can get the mission done. The game is part action RPG part third person cover shooter. Decisions made throughout the game can affect the play experience. Choosing to save someone early in the game can come back to have positive or negative results later in the game. Your primary means of travel in the game is aboard the Normandy, which serves as both a home for Shepard and his crew and transportation from one mission planet to the next. The world is full of characters to interact with that help to shape the games story, provide side quests, and develop the main characters relationships. As in other Bioware games character interactions and relationships are key to the experience. Three basic options exist that can drive how others react to your character: Paragon (light side), Neutral, and Renegade (dark side). How others perceive you based on your actions can make things easier or more difficult in certain situations. This is noticeable in physical form by the scars on Shepards face. Having a lean toward Paragon makes the scars disappear, while having a lean toward Renegade makes the scars more prominent. Resource gathering is important to helping upgrade your weapons, armor, and equipment. Planets can be scanned from the Normandy to locate resources and some resources can be found in crates during missions. Characters also can add their expertise to provide useful upgrades. Missions vary greatly from eliminating attacking forces to recruiting new crew members, salvaging lost vessels and stopping galactic plagues. Gameplay is fun and manages to not get repetitive or overly frustrating (minus a few segments involving the Hammerhead vehicle). Character models are nicely rendered and resemble the well assembled cast that give them voice. Your crew all have varied backgrounds and stories to tell which provides hours of playable content to explore. If you want a game with plenty of chances to explore, opportunity for character growth and development, an expansive story, well developed character interactions and relationships, solid combat and gameplay then Mass Effect 2 provides on all counts.