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: B002VL2HA2
• Item Weight: 1 pounds
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: January 26, 2010
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,320 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #49 in Video Games > Xbox 360 > Role-Playing
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Platform: Xbox 360 | 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. 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. 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. 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 Xbox 360 Includes: Mass Effect 2 software for Xbox 360 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

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

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If you are a die hard fan of Mass Effect, purchase with caution, April 1, 2010

By 

J. I. HAMMETT "It's quite an upset when you v... - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mass Effect 2 Collector's Edition (Video Game)

I'm not going to spend time repeating what sooooooooo many others have already said about Mass Effect 2, I'm just going to lay it all out from my point of view.

Mass Effect 1: RPG, with shooter mechanics and gameplay.
***and some exploration that at times seemed boring but at least you got that feeling of exploration on uncharted worlds.


Mass Effect 2: Shooter with very little RPG elements. Streamlined and simplified casual gamer friendly skill tree's and gameplay. Disregard to lore and core elements set from Mass Effect 1. No. I repeat NO actual exploration, not as many sidequests, perks so to speak are not reflected as you would think or assume they would during gameplay.
and so on and so forth. again not going to waste time saying what soooooo many others have said about ME2. Go to bioware's social forums site, read what alot have said and what moderators have locked down because it's a clear representation of people that bought the game with at the very least expecting MASS EFFECT got gears of war in space.

42 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not a fan of the changes, but still an incredible game., January 27, 2010

By 

AM (Frederick, MD USA) - See all my reviews

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mass Effect 2 Collector's Edition (Video Game)

Having played WAY too much of it when it came out yesterday, opinions are solidified. I want to say up front that it's still a great game, and worth every penny... because if I don't say it now, I may lead someone to believe otherwise, as I don't actually like ANY of the changes to the game--I just don't dislike them so heavily that anything is spoiled. It's also worth noting that virtually no critic seems to agree with me at all here, so your mileage may very well differ, especially toward the end of the critical portion of this post.

Combat saw the largest overhaul by far. Bioware wanted to enhance the shooter element of Mass Effect, saying that they wanted it to be on par with things like Modern Warfare, and attract some of those users. It's not on par with the Call of Duty series as a shooter, and trying to make it feel more like that was, in my opinion, detrimental.

Mass Effect 1 weaponry had unlimited ammo, and lore to back that up (despite the obvious logical disconnect with equipping ammo types on your weapon). That's been retconned in favor of standard ammunition dropped by enemies. Accordingly, attacks aren't limited by weapon overheat, but ammo and reloading. Gone is an element that was both unique to Mass Effect, and which made the game's weapons seem high tech and futuristic, while still feeling familiar as firearms, instead of high tech magic wands. It's also plenty inconvenient if you want to rely on sniping--there are more opportunities for it in ME2 than ME1, which is wonderful, but the sniper rifle (at least initially) has a maximum ammo capacity of ten. Ten? Really? I don't know the caliber of real world sniper rifles, but I could fit more than ten .45 cartridges in one pocket of my jeans.

Classes are now much more strictly defined. Abilities available to one class may very well not appear in another, even if they're the same "type" (tech, biotics, combat). The infiltrator, which I played in ME1, for example, is a tech/combat hybrid, specializing in sniping. All tech powers were also available to others with tech abilities, if they met the pre-requisites. This is no longer the case. I've got a tech/biotic party member who has a skill called overload. It's simply not available to me anymore, despite having had it in Mass Effect 1. While classes are more unique this way, the flavor of the skill sets is lost, or at least damaged. "Tech" isn't "tech," it's "tech that this character actually has." Even ammunition types are class specific. Infiltrators, for example, get cryo and disruptor ammo types. So... what, because I'm an infiltrator, incendiary rounds are too hot for my fingers or something? Am I afraid I'll prick my finger on a pointy AP round?

If I felt like my options replaced what was lost, that might annoy me less, but I don't. It's true that some of what was lost can be accomplished otherwise (for example, my missing overload ability is now partially covered by disruptor ammo), but I feel like my toolbox is smaller. During Mass Effect 1, in a pitched fight, I might overload one enemy, hit another with sabotage, use shield boost to get my armor's shields back online, and then medigel to quickly recover from hurt I took while they were down. Now... I could use incinerate. Medigel is not available for mid combat healing. You take cover, and you wait for your health to regen back up, the same as . I have no access to replacements for my offensive powers from ME1, and as far as I've seen, shield boost doesn't exist at all. If I play it more like a standard shooter, it's because 60% of my options to do otherwise are gone, and another 30% are diminished somehow.

The RPG element of equipment is largely gone. There are weapons in game to find and build, and you can outfit your party with those, but gone are the options for modifying them on the fly to fit your purposes. You can select your own armor, and paint it pretty colors (yay blue), but you can't adjust your party's armor at all. This is a bigger deal than it sounds, as it reduces your ability to tweak the game to your playstyle. In ME1, I'd give everyone the most shield-heavy armor I could find, ignoring damage reduction, and take pains not to let damage get through their shields in the first place. I'd equip them with medical systems, so if damage did get through, their health would regenerate without using up my medigel. Now, their armor is what it is. Their health regenerates if they take cover appropriately (which they don't, necessarily), but if someone is hurt, I have NO option to take care of them--I have to hope they'll get out of trouble and regen before they die. Medigel is now used to limit use of the Unity ability--a mid-combat resurrect for incapacitated members--and nothing else. I can't equip around situations to improve odds of survival, and it annoys me greatly.

Character development is also "streamlined" (read: dumbed down) to an aggravating extent. I'm not talking about a character's motivations, history, and so forth; the game's story elements are all still stellar. I mean the RPG aspect again. If you're familiar with Mass Effect 1's skill allotment screen, most characters had a healthy array of skills, and putting points into a skill unlocked several different abilities (or improvements to an ability) as you went. Now, you put points into skills directly. You get bigger numbers, and nothing else until the last level of a skill, where you "evolve" it into one of two variants. I had numerous occasions in Mass Effect 1 where I had to think seriously about where to spend my points. That's an indication that things were done right. This is missing from Mass Effect 2, and it's tragic to me.

Also gone are the low detail, "run around in the Mako on this planet and do stuff" missions. They were unpopular, so I understand why they were axed. The elevator rides in lieu of loading screens are in the same boat. Everyone complained about how long elevator rides were, but squad members would talk during many of them, or you'd hear news over the intercom. That kind of fluff was, to me, far preferable to a generic loading screen with a gameplay tip on it, and that's what we've got now. Squad members could also be talked to at any point in ME1. Face them, hit A, and they'd have a comment about the area. Gone. Sometimes an object or scenery can be activated to get a comment from them, but not always. It's something I miss. Certainly no deal breaker, but I mourn my fluff.

They replaced a lot of the removed stuff with more involved mini-games for hacking and electronics (but since there are no related skills, it's all on you now), mini-games for mining, the need to buy fuel for the ship (not every system has a mass relay, and faster than light travel from system to system without requires fuel), probes for that mining thing (and to do anything with "anomalies" detected on worlds), and so forth. While the resources gained from mining are used to upgrade the ship, characters themselves, weapons, and so on, and actually add play value, the process of mining itself is a waste of time. Hold down LT and wave a crosshair all over a planet until a sort of mass spectrometer wannabe goes off, then fire a probe. There's no thought or challenge or fun involved--you just wave your finger around. It's like putting a huge sheet of paper in front of a blind person, and saying "Rub this; eventually you'll find some braille." Screw that, put the braille in front of me, and let the enjoyable part (in this case, the upgrading) happen.

So far, I've found a lone positive change, but I don't like its implementation. The old paragon/renegade dialogue options are still there, but in addition, there are paragon/renegade interrupts. At points during certain conversations, a paragon or renegade icon will show in the bottom left or right corner of your screen for about one second. If you pull LT or RT (on the 360, not sure what the PC equivalent is), you'll do the paragon or renegade interrupt, accordingly. These range from shutting off a display that was terrifying someone to grabbing an electrical tool and killing an enemy in cold blood before he can make your life difficult. I applaud the addition, but the way it's handled leaves me missing them by a hair (since most conversations have no such options, you're lulled into not watching for them), cursing, and reloading a save out of a desire to know what would've happened. Having to replay like that isn't fun. I'd like a warning of some kind. It's an interruption in the heat of the moment, and I get that, but it could be timing based without being out of the blue. Warn somehow at the beginning of a dialogue, so I don't know WHEN it is, but I'm watching.

So... with all this, how can I still call it great? The most important part of a Bioware RPG for me is the dialogue, and that's intact and fantastic. Even characters I didn't even want to recruit are so well written I talk to them. I ask every question, I explore everything. The core gameplay is less fun, but it's not NO fun, and while I miss what's lost, I revel in what's still there. If you liked ME1, and the above details don't sound like dealbreakers, or you didn't play ME1 and want a great science fiction game that's more plot than pew pew, ME2 is most definitely worth your money and then some.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best games I have ever played, March 14, 2010

By 

E. Walsh - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

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This review is from: Mass Effect 2 Collector's Edition (Video Game)

I am an avid fan of the first Mass Effect, I played through the first game at least 7 times, and enjoyed every minute of it. I followed every tiny bit of news for the second installment of the series, clinging to the hope that it would live up to the insane hype surrounding it. Having just finished m 4th play through and starting my fifth, I think I can safely say that it has. This is a tremendous game that allows me to live out my fantasy of traveling the cosmos and fighting alien menaces come to life, and I love it. In fact, my only complaint is the planet scanning mini-game, it takes way to long and breaks up the action, but other than that, there is none stop action from start to finish, with some of the best written dialog and story out there, and some great game play. The combat system has been completely fixed from the first game, as well as the side quests, inventory management, and upgrade system, some may say that it is not enough of an RPG now, but that is just not true, it just makes the RPG elements less tedious and time consuming. Great job bioware, and every Xbox 360 owner owes it to themselves to try this game

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