Mass Effect 2 Review

(Xbox; $59.99; Rated M for Blood/Drug Reference/Sexual Content/Strong Language/Violence; www.masseffect.com)

(five stars)

The original "Mass Effect" was hard to love if you are a gamer like me who feels bogged down by traditional role-playing games where one can spend more time in the equipment/skills menus for the characters, than actually playing the game.  Plus there was the frustration of having a game with shooter mechanics, but RPG-based hit-probabilities - even if you had an enemy dead in your sights, you could still miss a shot if your character wasn't skilled enough with the weapon - more realistic? Sure.  More fun? Not at all.

But where the mechanics of the game fell flat for me, the world of "Mass Effect" was intriguing as it could get.  Somehow, developer BioWare managed to fully flesh out a sci-fi universe that feels like it was licensed from a great Piers Anthony/George Lucas creation.  The histories of multiple planets, solar systems, alien races, factions, and characters were so detailed and well-planned that it made "Mass Effect" a story worthy of standing next to the great sci-fi works in other mediums.

So I couldn't be happier when I heard that "Mass Effect 2" was going to take out all of the things that bogged down the play of the first game, and get players moving quicker through the sequel.  This may frustrate those who wished that the "Mass Effect" series would evolve into a purer RPG experience, rather than a third-person action game with RPG elements, but clearly BioWare knows what direction they want to take the series, and it shows in "Mass Effect 2."

Plus for those fans who want a more hardcore RPG game, Bioware also managed to turn out a traditional high-fantasty game last year with "DragonAge: Origins." It's not the space opera of "Mass Effect," but sword & sorcery seem to work just as well for fans of traditional RPGs.

"Mass Effect 2" continues the storyline of Commander Shepherd and the events that follow from the conclusion of the first game.  Without spoiling too much, Shepherd will again create a party of soldiers, scientists, and outcasts to explore the universe in order to gather intelligence and fight a growing threat that has resulted in planetary genocide of human colonies.  Along the way, Shepherd will have the opportunity to participate in side missions to help out his squad mates and earn their trust, which goes a long way in saving his hide when the going gets tough.

And the tough certainly gets going in "Mass Effect 2." Thank goodness for the revamped cover-based shooting system which has battles playing out more like "Gears of War" than a tactical, turn-based RPG.

To give more details of the game would not only spoil the solid story, but would also be near-impossible, given that so much of the story plays out depending on the choices that Shepherd makes in his conversations with other characters, and his leadership during battle.  Even more impressive is that the choices that were made by the player in the first "Mass Effect" and the Shepherd that players became in that game, including all of their actions and consequences, have an effect on how the world reacts to Shepherd in "Mass Effect 2." In an impressive feat of technical wizardry, "Mass Effect 2" analyzes a player's "Mass Effect" save file and determines how to structure the events of the sequel based on the events of the initial game.

Having said that, though, playing the first "Mass Effect" is not a prerequisite to the sequel.  "Mass Effect 2" will fill in story elements on its own without an original "Mass Effect" save file.  Good for those who want to experience the game without having to plod through the first release.

BioWare also promises that the choices made in "Mass Effect 2" will impact the story of "Mass Effect 3" when it is released.  Theoretically then, what players chose to do in the first "Mass Effect" will shape what they will do in a game that hasn't even been developed yet.  How the development team can analyze, write, and code those many story elements is beyond me.

But then again, I just write about games, I don't make them.

As much as I wish that BioWare had kept the same level of the 60s/70s sci-fi asthetic that was so strong in the original "Mass Effect," complete with film-grain, strong synth-based music, and plastic space suits, overall "Mass Effect 2" is a more approachable game in almost every way.  The mechanical changes will keep a gamer like myself much more likely to play through the entire game, and wait anxiously for the follow-up; while not comprimising the story or the level of detail that makes the "Mass Effect" universe so stand-out and compelling.