Mass Effect 2

by Electronic Arts

Product Features

• New location based damage system allows for targeting of key weak points, blasting off limbs, igniting enemies, or cripple and disable enemy troops.
• Collector's Edition items including: Mass Effect 2, art book, Mass Effect Redemption #1 comic book, exclusive in-game weapon and armor, behind-the-scenes and making-of DVD and Cerberus Network card granting access to bonus content.
• Improved NPC conversation system where Commander Shepard can take matters into your own hands by interrupting or using force to get the answer required.
• Integration with the original Mass Effect game allows players to import saved files and continue play with those files in Mass Effect 2.
• Choose from 19 different weapons, including devastating heavy weapons that can end a battle in seconds.

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B002VL6GAO
• Item Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Media: DVD-ROM
• Release Date: January 26, 2010
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,243 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #62 in Video Games > PC Games > Role-Playing
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Platform: PC | Edition: Collector's

Amazon.com Product Description

Mass Effect 2 is the sequel to BioWare's hit space-based role-playing game (RPG), Mass Effect. A single player adventure, Mass Effect 2 allows players to continue the adventures of the fully customizable series hero, Commander Shepard, as you take on a whole new adventure and cast of supporting characters. Features new to this latest release in the franchise include the ability to import game save files from the original Mass Effect game to continue the adventure in an unbroken fashion, a new damage system, a more flexible dialogue game mechanic and more. Extending players play experience even further, the Mass Effect 2 Collector's Edition contain additional digital and physical content including art and comic books, in-game items and more. See the full list of included content below. Story Two years after Commander Shepard repelled invading Reapers bent on the destruction of organic life, a mysterious new danger has emerged. On the fringes of known space, something is silently abducting entire human colonies. Now Shepard must work with Cerberus, a ruthless organization devoted to human survival at any cost, to stop the most terrifying threat mankind has ever faced. To even attempt this perilous mission, Shepard must assemble the galaxy’s most elite team and command the most powerful ship ever built. Even then, doubters say it would be suicide. Commander Shepard intends to prove them wrong. The return of Commander Shepard. View larger. A new cast of characters. View larger. Along with familiar faces from the past. View larger. New damage and dialogue systems. View larger. Collector's Edition bonus items. View larger. Integration with original game. View larger. Gameplay An space-based action RPG like its predecessor, gameplay in Mass Effect 2 revolves around the player's particular version of Commander Shepard and continuing development of this character as the game proceeds. As the game opens a variety of character classes are made available to the player, with talents, both exclusive and general, associated with each. With experience these talents are leveled up, resulting in the unlocking of related abilities and/or entirely new talents. The player has the ability to customize their Commander Shepard in a number of ways including physical appearance, gender, and certain aspects of their personal history, with the rub being that these choices can influence things like available missions, dialogue choices with non-player characters (NPCs), and character background. Accompanying this main character are a number of preset supporting characters that the player can direct and develop relationships with, which again, will alter the outcome of the story. All the characters from the original game make an appearance in Mass Effect 2, but the immediate characters surrounding Commander Shepard are new. Additional new features that players can expect to experience include new alien races; a more realistic damage system; a new heavy weapons system allowing for maximum damage; a regenerative health system; a dramatic increase in the number of character animations available to Shepard; and updates to the dialogue mechanic used when conversing with NPCs. Integration with the Original Mass Effect Mass Effect 2 allows players of the original Mass Effect game to import save games to continue the story of their own Commander Shepard. In doing this, the decisions that were made in the first game will affect the events of the second game. In addition, characters from the first game will return, as long as they were not killed off by the player in the first game. On the other hand, new players coming to the series for the first time in Mass Effect 2 will start a brand-new character, discover the events of the previous games as they progress and embark on a thrilling stand-alone adventure that does not require the previous game for play. Key Features Futuristic Weapons - Choose from 19 different weapons, including devastating heavy weapons that can end a battle in seconds. Elite Specialists - Recruit up to a dozen of the galaxy's most dangerous operatives to help you in your mission. Train and equip your team to survive insurmountable odds. Explore the Galaxy - Scan planets to uncover unique secret missions in the Mass Effect universe. Integration with Original Mass Effect - Players of the first Mass Effect can import save games to continue the story of their own Commander Shepard. New players will find a thrilling stand-alone adventure awaits them, a polished and action packed journey that surpasses the first game in nearly every possible way. Intense Third-Person Combat - Increased intensity with precision shooter controls to let you control the action and overcome insurmountable odds. New Damage System - New location based damage system allows for targeting of key weak points, blasting off limbs, igniting enemies, or crippling and disabling enemy troops. Character Customization - Choose a player class, customize your appearance, and tailor your own abilities and strengths. As you progress, so do Shepard’s abilities. Improved Dialogue Mechanic - Improved NPC conversation system where Commander Shepard can take matters into your own hands – interrupting or using force to get the answer required. Mass Effect 2 Collector's Edition for PC Includes: Mass Effect 2 software 48-page hardcover art book Limited edition Mass Effect Redemption #1 comic book Exclusive in-game Collectors’ Edition weapon and armor Bonus DVD with behind-the-scenes and making-of videos Limited edition Cerberus Network card granting access to bonus content System Requirements: Minimum Specifications: Recommended Specifications: OS: Windows XP or Vista. Processor: 2.4+ GHz Intel or 2.0+ GHz AMD 2.6+ GHz Intel or 2.4+ GHZ AMD RAM: 1GB+ (XP), 2GB+ (Vista) 2GB+ Disc Drive: 8x DVD-ROM drive or better Hard Drive: 12GB or more Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 6 series (6800GT or better), ATI 1300XT or better (X1550, X1600 Pro and HD2400 are below minimum system requirements) NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX or higher. ATI X1800 XL series or higher Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card and drivers – 5.1 sound card recommended Input Device: Mouse and keyboard

Product Description

Two years after Commander Shepard repelled invading Reapers bent on the destruction of organic life, a mysterious new enemy has emerged. On the fringes of known space, something is silently abducting entire human colonies. Now Shepard must work with Cerberus, a ruthless organization devoted to human survival at any cost, to stop the most terrifying threat mankind has ever faced. To even attempt this perilous mission, Shepard must assemble the galaxy’s most elite team and command the most powerful ship ever built. Even then, they say it would be suicide. Commander Shepard intends to prove them wrong. The Collector’s Edition includes: • The full version of Mass Effect 2 • 48-page hardcover art book • Limited edition Mass Effect Redemption #1 comic book • Exclusive in-game Collectors’ Edition weapon and armor • Bonus DVD with behind-the-scenes and making-of videos • Limited edition Cerberus Network card granting access to bonus content

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A pinnacle of the Genre and Video Games in general...., January 26, 2010

By 

Andrey Dravinski "The Great Cow" (Los Angeles California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Mass Effect 2 Collector's Edition (DVD-ROM)

I generally tend to avoid waxing poetical on reviewing video games as I often have a tendency to let my blubbering enthusiasm cloud what I'm trying to get across when writing a review.

That being said however, I can safely say that Mass Effect 2 has quite possibly one of the best, if not best production value and polish of any game I have played within the last 10 years. Everything from graphics, sound and voice acting, all the way down to the actual writing and little tidbits that flesh out all sections of the world show that Bioware was exceedingly thoughtful and fairly meticulous with developing a futuristic world upon which we strap on the boots of everyone's favorite Space Marine: Commander Shepard.

Firstly, a bit of intro to the story, without going into Spoilers:

The game picks up 2 years after the first game finishes. The Citadel is recovering from the massive attack that it suffered by Saren at the end of the game. The Citadel Council, in an effort to quell mounting rumours about the Reaper threat, officially claim that the attack was only the work of the Geth and a Rogue Spectre. Meanwhile several Human colonies and outposts just start vanishing altogether. The send Shepard to investigate what they believe is Geth involvement behind the attacks, when something goes horribly, horribly wrong...


Story:

Fantastic on all fronts, particularly if you take advantage of the Mass Effect 1 character import feature. You can definitely see how Bioware took great pains to take many of the choices, even the not-so-obvious ones, and transfer them to the new game. Choices you made in the first game can show up here! Everything from your Love interest, to how you talked down (or talked down to) Conrad Verner, can transfer over and creates a wonderfully rich experience that really shows the results of your actions from the first game. Writing is also top-notch, the writers definitely take a darker tone here with this installment, creating a much more harrowing and "desperate" situation for Commander Shepard and his crew. Each of your crewmates are very well fleshed out and you should definitely take the time to do their story quests to really get to know them better, you'll definitely appreciate it more later in the game. :)

Controls:

Controls have been tweaked a bit, particularly with regards to squad commands and some combat interaction. Overall controls have definitely been tightened up, but there are a few niggles. Namely, you can't toggle crouch anymore, no idea why that necessitated a change (Game is not balanced for lean a la IW Modern Warfare 2?) but you can only crouch if you're taking cover "sticky-style" like the gears of war series. Sprinting also feels a bit more stiff and robotic, but otherwise that is my only real complaint with the combat system. The Tactical Command Screen (Think Pause from Dragon Age Origins) returns and is nicely laid out at the bottom of the screen. Multiple menus collapse within one another, and they really make efficient use of screen real estate. The UI definite got a major design boost here, going for a "less is more" approach that works quite well.

Combat:

Ah yesh, my favorite part. Everything across the board got a nice graphical facelift and many abilities were streamlined and a definite "beefier" feel pervades the majority of the abilities and weapons. The inclusion of the "heavy weapons" systems also adds a nice degree of combat fun that I felt was sorely lacking from the first game (Honestly, the logistics of taking down a Geth Armature with an assualt rifle? No thanks...) Everything, even the pistols and the SMGs feel like the do a great deal of damage thanks to the new flash and sound effects they emit. Enemies also now react with targeted damage, so a headshot will actually mean something now (even on a Krogan! Le Gasp!) and they'll actually react to different hits in different ways. Tactically, the game has also gotten more complex.

Gone are the days where you could spam singularity and Lift and casually full auto your assault rifle or pistol into the air like some perverted pigeon shoot. If an enemy is shielded, you can't use Biotics on it(!), if an enemy is heavily armored, you've got to wear down the armor before you can do special attacks on it(!). This definitely makes each fight more intense

They did bring one change that sort of retcons the lore a bit regarding the weapons from Mass Effect 1. This or course, has to do with the introduction of "Thermal Clips". These are basically ejectable heatsinks that do away with the old "Overheat" mechanism that the first game used, and in doing so, does away with the whole "infinite" ammo thing as well. Now you have to police thermal clips from downed enemies or around the levels; if you don't have enough thermal clips, you can't fire, even if you have ammo. Thankfully they are fairly plentiful to make it not an issue.

Update(02/03/10) - Having now beat the game already and I've had time to really digest the game fully, I've come to the conclusion that the thermal sink system could have been handled a bit better with regards to certain firefights.

There are several times where, playing as a class that isn't a soldier, I've run out of ammo with one weapon and have been forced to switch to another less effective weapon simply because I could not police enough heatsinks from the downed enemies (I'd say on average 1/3 enemies actually drop thermal clips), or, there'd simply be more enemies than I had bullets period. (This is particularly apparant with classes that are heavily geared towards using sniper rifles. Most of the sniper rifles only have 10-13 bullets to shoot, and in many encounters, you're fighting against waves and waves of enemies that frequently exceed that amount).

All in all, I'd wish the thermal clips were a bit more plentiful, or give us the opportunity to say, "take the risk" and keep firing the gun without heatsinks and have it have an increasing chance to overheat and go "boom" on us if we're really desperate. Small potatoes all in all, but it definitely came up enough times to warrant a mention.


Atmosphere, Extra Bits, and Fish! Oh My!

Bioware definitely made a concerted effort to really flesh out the world and worlds you travel in. The sidequest planets that were so dull in the first now have also received a complete overhaul and now contain detailed and engaging missions of varying lengths. Many tie back into the central storyline, so taking the time to do them is worth your while.

Update (2/3/10) - I have to say they really did a fantastic job fleshing out the worlds where you traipse about in, however they still feel a bit....compartmentalized...I suppose. For example, The wide open expanse of the Citadel for the first game is replaced with just a few shop districts and the human embassy and...that's it...while it did kind of add to the tedium in some parts during the first game, being able to run around and explore was a nice feature that I feel is a bit missing in this iteration of the series.

You can now customize your default armor with new colors/designs and even upgrade it too! They definitely did away with the old inventory and weapons system in almost its entirety. Now it focuses more on finding a few new models of weapons and gear and doing upgrades directly to the armor system itself.

You can upgrade specific sections of the armor similar to how many fantasy RPGS operate so this is definitely a welcome change here. Ammo upgrades that once were coming out of my ears late game in ME1, have more or less been relegated to skill upgrades rather than items and can be swapped in the Tactical Command screen with but a mouseclick.

Update(2/3/10) - This perhaps I am most torn on my feelings regarding these changes. On one hand, I really did hate the inventory system from the first game. Once you got spectre gear, everything else was literally vendor trash aside from a few omni tools, amps, and ammo mods. After each mission, I'd literally have to spend 10-20 minutes digging through my inventory omni-gelling/vendoring each item one at a time to clear things out.

Now however, there literally is NO inventory system to speak of. You get about 2-3 weapons in each category (heavies I've gotten up to 7), and "items" are more resigned to purchaseable upgrades, for your weapons "systems", the ships "systems", and your armor "systems" (though admittedly, there are a few scattered armor plates you can purchase from shops, far less than I would have liked.) I guess it's going from one extreme of having a cumbersome bloated inventory system to other that extreme of having virtually none at all is what makes it so jarring, I would have preferred a bit more variety in the weapons and more weapon stats to appeal to the tech junkie in me.

Other small things like taking care of your own fishtank in your private quarters (for the truly OCD at heart heh), to tracking how your teammates feel about you all contribute to creating a truly immersive experience that Bioware should be commended for.

Collector's Edition Goodies

So yeah, the collector edition, is it worth the extra 10 clams?

Overall I'd say yes. You get an extra special armor and gun, the making of DVD, a nice little artbook (don't open it for the love of god until you get much later into the game, it's spoilertastic), and the Dark Horse Comic that was released about Liara T'soni Part 1. Overall the items themselves are kinda meh, but for only [...] bucks more I consider it a good deal.

So! for the TL:DR folks at home, here's a summary:


Pros:

-Exceptionally Written,... Read more ›

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars AN EXPERIENCE JUST SHORT OF A HOLODECK!, January 26, 2010

By 

NeuroSplicer (Freeside, in geosynchronous orbit) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Mass Effect 2 Collector's Edition (DVD-ROM)

Now THIS is what I call immersion!

In the past, Bioware has shown a tendency to surpass itself whenever developing a sequel (remember how much better Baldur's Gate II was compared to I - and the original Baldur's Gate was already excellent). Well, compared to this second installment, the original Mass Effect now seems like a typical space-RPG/Shooter.

Having played the original game will not only help you better insert yourself into Commander Shepard's boots (you can actually import your original character form the first game - choices and all) - but also appreciate the improvements more.

The story is darker and (without spoiling it) the choices harder to live with. Combat has been streamlined, with tactical decisions (using cover, taking the high ground) now being more important, without the game loosing its shooter character though.

Both the visuals and the sounds are exquisite. Not only are the graphics really impressive (and I am running WinXP so that is DirecX-9 mind you) and the sounds dramatic but the voice acting and dialogue integration should be taught in game-design seminars.

In this second installment there is no actual inventory to speak of (more on this later), loading times are shorter and better concealed (remember those endless elevator rides? Now forget about them), and accessing your special abilities menu has been simplified.
In a true BIOWARE tradition, the available companions all come with their own special abilities and personal stories to explore.

The selection of armor and guns has been reduced. There are about 15-20 guns to choose from and very limited loot. The guns I do not mind. Personally, I'd rather have a small number of well designed and fun to use guns at my disposal than a myriad of guns that in the end make no real difference (ahem...BORDERLANDS?).
Having said that, I missed the thrill of looting and upgrading my equipment (not to mention having a real inventory). I mean, that is a great part of the fun in any cRPG! I am not holding my breath but maybe one of the upcoming DLCs could take care of that?
And if I am to open the improvements-request file, how about speeding up those minigames in the next patch?

Finally, you also get a personal apartment aboard Normandy (an excellent idea introduced in FALLOUT-3) which you can equip with various ornaments and personal items (from fish for your aquarium to a...space-hamster - I call mine Boo).

As for the DRM scheme used, the game does contain SecuROM but (similar to DRAGON AGE and FALLOUT-3) it only uses a disk-check. MASS EFFECT 2 neither requires any online activation nor does it limit the numbers of its installations. It is not the best solution possible but it is a compromise I can live with. If you still find this objectionable, you can now make an informed decision.

This COLLECTOR's EDITION includes a Mass Effect Redemption No.1 comic book, an exclusive in-game weapon and armor, a Cerberus Network card granting access to bonus content, an Art-Book and a DVD on the behind-the-scenes/making-of the game. Is it worth the extra charge? Well, that is a personal choice I guess.

All in all, I found MASS EFFECT II to be a beautiful RolePlaying Movie of a game, an immersive cinematic-action shooter with limited loot and more story than equipment choices. In other words, MASS EFFECT 2 may not be a pure cRPG or a cRPS experience (Dragon Age: Origins and Fallout 3 still rule those segments) but nevertheless it is an experience well worth its admission price.

Go for the light-sensors Boo! Go for the light-sensors!!
(no, I am not explaining that...)

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

39 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A few steps forward, a few steps back., February 2, 2010

By 

FileNotFound (KoP, PA) - See all my reviews

= Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mass Effect 2 Collector's Edition (DVD-ROM)

If you liked Mass Effect 1, buy this game. If you LOVED Mass Effect 1 - maybe this isn't quite for you.

Mass Effect 1 was a great game but had it's flaws. Mass Effect 2 has taken all these flaws away, I do mean all of them, if you can think of a Mass Effect 1 flaw, it's not in 2. Sounds great right? Well not quite. You see it replaced all the original flaws with different flaws.

So lets go over the flaws in Mass Effect 1 in order of annoyance, at least to me.

Mako driving sections:

Mass Effect 1 driving sections were at times really annoying due to the touchy Mako controls and the jagged hard to navigate terrain. It was often times a painful and frustrating experience - but it had it's moments. You have to admit driving into a Geth base firing your cannon at the snipers, mowing down the geth infantry with the machine gun and failing that simply running them over was fun. You cannot deny that you had some good times with the Mako. Had the terrain been easier to navigate, had the Mako been upgradable and had the planets been a little more interesting this would have been a great part of the game.

Instead of doing the above Mass Effect 2 has no Mako. This is not an improvement, because as bad as the Mako was it was not as bad as the new Mineral Scanner. You see what you do with the mineral scanner is you hover it over a 3D representation of the planet while watching a bar graph showing mineral content, when it spikes, you fire a probe. Each probe seems to be able to retrieve no more than 2,000 of any mineral. You need 25,000 of Platinum for many upgrades, it's not a common find. At less than half way through the game I have used at least 200,000 Platinum. It takes at least 15 minutes of flying around and mining planet after planet, refueling and restocking on drones to mine 25k of any mineral. If you though the Mako was boring, you better get something to bite down on because this is going to be painful. Expect to spend at least 4 hours of the '40 hours' of game play staring at the mineral scanner.

Replacing the Mako with the Mineral Scanner was not an improvement.

Inventory System & Itemization:

Mass Effect 1 had a lot of weapons, armor, weapon mods. In fact it had so many items that the inventory which was limited to 150 items became a major annoyance near the end of the game. The massive quantity or armor and weapons did need to be cut down, especially considering that many of then weapons and armor in the later part of the game were useless once you acquired the Specter equivalents. Yes the item system and inventory needed to be streamlined.

Mass Effect 2 did away with it. You now have no inventory. I am half way though the game I have a total of 3 assault rifles, 3 sniper rifles, 1 shotgun and 2 pistols I can use. I have a selection of 3 armors and only thanks to the collectors edition and pre-order code. Your team mates cannot wear new armor except when gaining loyalty. In short your team will look pretty much the same from start to finish. This may not bother you, it annoys me. Jack is walking around practically naked, even in combat missions where you're in hazardous environments. So if you liked customizing your team in expensive armors and weapons - forget it. Not happening. You can change the weapons your team uses but once again, the selection is very very limited and only available at Normandy or at the few Weapon Lockers scattered throughout the game. If you've played Dead Space, the itemization system will seem very similar.

Edit: Having now finished the game, the lack of itemization is a major downer.
There is a total of 5 assault rifles, one of which being a collectors only item.
Total of 6 heavy weapons, one of which is a preorder item.
Total of 2 pistols.
Total of 3 shotguns.
Total of 4 sniper rifles, one of which is a preorder item.
Total of 2 SMGs.

Worse yet you will be forced to be selective about which weapons you attain, at a certain point you will be given the option of getting one of 3 weapons.

The Armor selection is even worse, you do get upgrades to your armor but all in all it will look very much the same from start to finish.


Ammo & Heat:

Mass Effect 1 had infinite ammo. You never ran out. Instead your guns overheated and you had to wait for them to cool down or switch. This was great in that you never had to worry about ammo. But annoying in that it often slowed combat down as you were sitting behind cover waiting for your sniper rifle to cool down.

Now you have ammo in the form of "universal heat clips" which would be fine except the heat clips are hardly universal, you can carry a very limited number of them and worse yet they are somewhat rare. This means that during every combat encounter you will run out of ammo for at least one of your guns. Yes, at lest one of your guns, you see these universal clips can't be switched from gun to gun, so you can run out of clips for your sniper rifle but still have plenty for the assault rifle - even though they're universal. You will spend at several seconds after every encounter looking around the area to ensure that you picked up all possible heat clips. It's annoying, it disrupts the flow of the game and it's by no means and improvement over the previous heat system.

Level Design & Feel:

Mass Effect 1 had large levels that you spent a good portion of the time being lost in or backtracking. Sure it was annoying but it made the world feel big, you could run around the Citadel for an hour doing things. Mass Effect 2 citadel can be fully explored in around 5 minutes. There is no backtracking and missions will simply end when objectives are met and you'll be transported back to Normandy. The world feels tiny and is served to you in bite sized pieces. The resulting game feels fragmented and rushed as most missions can be competed in well under 30 minutes.

Most of the depth and detail of Mass Effect 1 has been eliminated. Remember doing side quests to gain access to specific manufacturer licenses to get item upgrades? Remember the multi stage side quests? Remember the main quest forcing you to make difficult decisions on whom to leave behind? Well you best forget all that because none of that is here. Your actions are black and white and you will never need to think hard about your choices. Maybe your choices in Mass Effect 2 will be important in 3, but considering the little effect that Mass Effect 1 had on 2 I very much doubt it. Most of the carry over of the Mass Effect 1 decisions to Mass Effect 2 involve running into old NPC and seeing where they ended up. The NPCs you spared or saved in Mass Effect one at times reward you with tiny 40xp mini quests but other than that serve no value.

Companions:

Your companions have a little more personality to them then in Mass Effect 1, their voice acting and dialogue are better. Yet they all behave very similarly. You will know that you have reached the midpoint of the game because suddenly all your companions will wish to speak to you and ask you to do their very own personal bite sized side quest. After this side quest they'll be your new best friend, even your former team mates like Garrius will suddenly become "Loyal" as if he was not loyal before. The sudden transition from not loyal to loyal feels extremely artificial and forced. Mass Effect 1 simply did it better.

Quests:

There are certainly fewer side quests and they are for the most part far shorter. There are no more multi stage side quests and the sidequests that you do seemingly have very little impact on the game and do not force you to make any choices like they did in Mass Effect 1. It's more of the land, kill everyone, go back to Normandy variety. Sure it's faster but in the end it gets very repetitive due to the fact that your team simply doesn't seem to change due to the lack of variety of weapons, armor and skills.

Plot & Ending:

The plot and ending of Mass Effect 2 are terrible. I do not know why nobody else seems to be addressing this, maybe nobody noticed because the companions are far more interesting than the main story. Yet as fascinating as your companions are, it's odd that none of them notice how dull their main quest is. There is no villain, there is no struggle, there is no confrontation, there is no grand finale, and there is no climax beyond "the suicide mission". Your victory will feel hollow no matter what you do, no matter who dies or who survives. You will not defeat anyone specific like you did in Mass Effect 1. Your actions throughout the game and your final choices seem far less vital never mind that the final mission is far shorter and less impressive than just about any major stage of Mass Effect 1. The confrontation with Saren in Mass Effect 1 was possibly one of the best with any RPG villain and your ability to actually avoid fighting him was a very unique option. No such things here, if it moves, shoot it.

Conclusion:

This is still a very good game, but it's not better than Mass Effect 1, at least not in my opinion. In fact I feel that it's a far more shallow less involving and far less replayable game than Mass Effect 1. The Mass Effect 2 companions may be better but the rest of the world is much more lifeless and the rest of the characters that do not join you are far less memorable than those in Mass Effect 1. So while I certainly would suggest anyone who played Mass Effect 1 to buy 2, don't expect it to be an upgrade or more of the same. You may like it more, you may like it less. It all depends on what you are looking for.

Having finished the game I would urge anyone to wait for the GOTY edition or whatever they will release in a year or so that will include DLCs, more weapons or missions - anything to add depth to this ankle deep kiddie pool of an RPG.

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