Mass Effect 2

Review from Cormac - Monday, 08 February 2010 @ 12:52pm

For the uninitiated rock dwellers among us, Mass Effect is a science-fiction shooter/RPG epic from seasoned story-tellers Bioware. It's actually a little hard for me to review this without just saying "stop whatever you’re doing and play Mass Effect 2." If I posted enough pretty pictures to fill the space Yug probably wouldn't even notice. The short of it is that the original was my favourite game, and the sequel 1-Ups it in every area. Basically, this is going to read more like a love letter than an actual review.

Once again the world feels like a nod to sci-fi as a genre. There's some very Star Wars cities, a spoonful of The Matrix, a great big Terminator reference and even a hint of Tank Girl. I've already said this back in my blogger days, but the story is very Charles Dickens. By that I mean the characters are engaging, and the storyline is just an excuse for them to be there. Each squad member is unique, likable and humanly flawed. To the point that it actually took me a while to decide which two I was going to take on each mission. Then for whatever reason, 50 Cent is hanging around not contributing a whole lot of anything useful. The rest of the crew aren't faceless NPCs this time either, the option even exists to get drunk with the ship's doctor.

Umbra Visor - yet another reason not to drink Dr Pepper.

Shooter mechanics are among the most noticeable improvements. The new cover system is functional and necessary, I don't remember using it once in ME1. Ammo is definitely preferable to overheating, plus ammo powers rather than upgrades mean choosing weapons feels less like doing my laundry. In parts I think this secretly wants to be a zombie game. Specifically, the parts when it launches one hundred robo-zombies at me. Region specific damage has been worked in too. I was actually a little baffled when Bioware started saying head-shots had been incorporated, I thought head-shots became common-place in the nineties. I didn't even notice that they weren't in the last game, maybe other games have just conditioned me to always aim for the head (why do I get the feeling I'll be rereading that in a psych profile one day?).

Now the awkward part. You know when you get into third date territory and discover that your new flame loves that one dance track that really grates your gears? Well, Mass Effect 2 has quick time events. Cunningly disguised and cleverly incorporated QTEs but QTEs none the less. Basically a visual cue will appear in conversations that allow you take action rather than talking. You're not punished for ignoring them, but they do make for some interesting developments. Renegade options, for example, are often followed up by Schwarzenegger style one liners, which I'm totally fine with. I mean, a guard says "I've got nothing more to say to you." So you push him out a window and say "How 'bout 'goodbye'?" Fuckin' aye! I also would have accepted "I'm not falling for that" or possibly "See you in the lobby then."

The new resource grinding mini-game proved, once again, that even next gen games can be still less addictive than basic flash style games. I ended up with enough iridium on board to give my entire crew cancer. I only wish I could have dared Grunt to eat some. These are necessary to purchase weapon upgrades, biotic/tech powers and ship upgrades.

Can't talk. Staring pensively into the distance.

Part of making this a real review for grown ups means admitting this game isn't for everyone. I played this like a good little RPGer; I wanted to do all the side missions and hear all the dialogue. For the sake of argument, I replayed rushing through in an attempt to prove one of two hypotheses – 1. The game will actually punish you for not stopping to smell the flowers. 2. The side missions are unnecessary. Turns out it's somewhere in between the two. If you take the extra effort, you'll be rewarded in the end game, but won't be berated too much for powering through. Really, if you've already rushed it, you're pretty much just losing things you never cared about in the first place.

I suppose that answers the big question in the podcast - no you don’t have to have played ME1 to appreciate ME2. You’ll get a fuller, more rewarding experience from importing your character, but it’s not half a game without it. Most of the fan service comes from importing characters from the original. Pretty much every faceless key-holder character popped up again and expected me to remember who they were. I’m not too ashamed to say that I usually did, although it made the galaxy seem like a pretty small place.

The next biggest complaint I’ve heard is the heavy dialogue, which is still around. It's sharper and tends to flow like a natural conversation, but if you had a problem with it last time just hit X to skip and shoot more bad guys. Voice acting is solid, even if accents seem a tad inconsistent, but that's a minor gripe. Charm and intimidate challenges upgrade as you improve your class, so no more choosing between shooting straight or smooth-talking. They're based more on previous actions and well worth developing, as they often lead to some genuinely hilarious dialogue.

Romance options have been given two noticeable changes. The first being that there's now have the option to at least flirt with like half the team. This gives the unsettling impression that I'm playing the dark fantasies of some fan-fic slasher. The second being that the scenes which consummate the deal have been scaled right back. There’s no partial nudity, but whatever, right? If I wanted softcore alien porn I'd watch anime. The romance subplots are again well contextualised within the story and even look like they may be brought up in the third title. There's a few hints that you should have stayed faithful to your squeeze from the first game, you rampant slut.

Do I make you horny, baby? No. No. No.

Classes are balanced and varied, with each having a unique power setting them apart. There's still some cross over between the mixed classes but the specific powers give each one a slightly different utility belt. Other powers will become unlocked as you gain the trust of your squad mates and they endeavour to show you how it's done. All powers are now on a universal cool-down, which adds to the intense, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-greaves strategy of the combat. Much as the classes have their own strengths and weaknesses, it's worth noting that the Vanguard is a glowy blue freight train.

Visuals work both ways. There are moments of awe such as staring out the shattered hull of a spaceship to the planet you're presumably about to meet. Then there are awkward mood breaking glitches like when the Illusive Man's cigarette misses his mouth. Some of the characters and environments are gorgeously rendered and probably explain where the 2nd disk became necessary. Samara and Garus in particular are delivered in a lot of detail. Joker still talks like he has something in his teeth he doesn't want me to notice. Texture loads are cleaner now too, rather than one turning up drunk and the other never arriving on time.

Pros

Solid combat and clever characters. Well ahead of the RPG curve.

Cons

I could have done without the "finger-quotes" character animation. Quite a time commitment, 12 hours when rushed, 30 when thorough.

Summary

This game has delivered in every department and set the bar very high for 2010. Can't imagine anything else taking my game of the year. If you like shooters and RPGs than you and I are in the same niche market and should probably hang out sometime. Also you'll probably like Mass Effect 2.