Space Cowboys: Mass Effect 2 Video Game Review

My friend had been having a tough time recently, and so headed to the local game shop to find a video game to help him vent. Eschewing first-person shooters, he picked up Mass Effect 2, a role-playing game (RPG) with a futuristic sci-fi setting. Ten hours later, he emerged from his room after a marathon game session; intrigued, I decided to give the game a try.

Mass Effect 2 (Developed by BioWare, published by Electronic Arts) is a continuation of the highly popular Mass Effect (2007). The basic story, for those who haven't played the original (I didn't), is fairly simple for those acquainted with science fiction tropes. The time: the 22nd century. The place: the great big galaxy. The main character-whose appearance, gender, and attributes you control-is a human by the handle of Shepard. At the beginning of the game Shepard's ship is attacked and he/she is killed. Shepard awakens two years later in the care of a pro-human faction, Cerberus. Human colonies are under attack, and under the direction of the "Illusive Man", Shepard gathers together a team and tries to rally support as the hero investigates what's going on.

A major part of the game is the aforementioned team recruitment, and it's part of the heavy focus on characters in the game. In lots of titles, characters other than the player can be considered cannon fodder, but Mass Effect 2 takes pains to make you care about your digital comrades. The illusion is bolstered by great voice talent-there's actors like Martin Sheen and Seth Green, as well as distinguished voice artists who you've never seen but often heard, like Keith David (most famously the voice of the Arbiter in Halo 2 and 3.)

The notion of choice drives much of the story, and BioWare has done the only logical thing in allowing your decisions and characters from the first game to be ported over. Playing the game with a fresh slate, I had the vague sense that I was missing something-it's not as though you had to have played the first game to get this one (and those that import their high-level characters only get a few levels of a boost anyhow), but I suspect many who enjoy number two will go back to the first game for a deeper connection. Regardless, the ability for the story to veer in any number of directions and allow decisions big and small to mold the game experience is something that many games try to do but either fail at, or do halfheartedly, but that's not the case here.

What may alternately appeal or dissuade gamers from Mass Effect 2 is that it's really a hybrid, a role-playing game blended with a third-person shooter. This fusion manifests in some odd but excellent ways. For example, those who played classic RPGs like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remember that there were a lot of long-winded speeches in those games you couldn't skip. Even worse, sometimes you'd be mashing the A button and inadvertently tell the character to repeat him or herself yet again. It's surprising that it's taken this long for something to think of this, but in Mass Effect 2, you can shut those characters up and cut them off. Doing so affects your morality status, which I think is a tad overdramatic ("I'm sorry I told you to save it, but I've got enemies to be blasting and some more pressing issues than your life crisis"), but adds more depth and variety to the dialog trees.

Talking with players of the original game, I was told that Mass Effect 2 focuses more on the shooting than its predecessor, which I frankly welcome. Rather than throwing a bunch of enemies up on screen and forcing players to run-and-gun, Mass Effect 2's take on combat is more tactics-based, with lots of flexibility in how, where, and with what you attack enemies. You can even set waypoints to direct your teammates. The upgrade system received an overhaul from its management in the first game; I found Mass Effect's way of making upgrades to weapons much more enjoyable than the "fit everything on this representation of your character" method. Even better, upgrades you make to your weapons are applied to your teammates. Some hardcore RPG players might find the streamlined format unwelcome, but I for one enjoy not having to juggle a bunch of useless weaponry and micromanaging a massive inventory.

It wouldn't be an RPG without a collection of side quests and minigames, and Mass Effect 2 does both, albeit with mixed results. A staunch completionist, I enjoyed taking every possible opportunity to do another mission, and before the finale you can go on a special mission for each member of your party. The mining minigame, meanwhile, is necessary to gather the resources needed for many upgrades. This reminds me a bit of the hacking minigame from BioShock; not really difficult, but irksome after the umpteenth time you've had to do it. Minigames should be diversions, not something I need to spend fifteen to twenty minutes doing just so I can get that new upgrade I want. It's a smudge on the polished sheen of the rest of the game.

All in all, some RPG purists might be put off by the reduction in RPG elements in Mass Effect 2. And I say: get with the program. For too long we've allowed developers to give us the same game formula over and over again. I can't say if Mass Effect 2 will set the standard for the genre in the future, but it's not afraid to take risks and improve, and for that, I give thanks. It's an exciting game with solid gameplay and story, and we couldn't ask for more.