Returning to the world of Mass Effect is more than welcome. ME2 pretty much offers more of the same in terms of gameplay; you still get to create your character freely, you get free reign to explore the galaxy, and you still command a small squad to blast through the main story (and countless side missions). Things are refined substantially though: side missions are all revamped, so they're nowhere near as repetitive or monotonous as in the first game. Combat is mostly the same, but is streamlined a little more, making the first game seem clunky in comparison. AIs for enemies and allies alike are made a little smarter. Hacking into doors and devices gives you a better minigame (connecting circuit boards or matching up computer code, rather than merely mashing buttons in sequence). Squad powers are more useful, weapons have a little more oomph to them, and all gear seems easier to keep track of. Overall, the gameplay experience of ME2 strikes a perfect balance across the board: it offers challenging combat, lots of exploration, plenty of RPG storytelling, all accomplished smoothly and without being frustrating.
The story you play through is not quite as sublime as the first game, but let's face it, the first game's story was so sublime that it's nearly impossible to top. In this follow-up, the story is good on its own merits, and filled with a plethora of quality characters. Many characters from the first game are revisited, and your decisions from the first game may impact their reactions or appearances. What really appeals to me the most about this game, however, is the set-up, which not only drives the entire story, but also defines how you play the game. The whole point of this game is to assemble a team; your squadmates are not just handed over to you in the natural course of the story, you have to go out into the galaxy and find them, recruit them, and make them loyal to you. The people you pick, the actions you take, and the decisions you make, will impact the final suicide mission, which is so intense that it's a challenge to get everybody out alive. If you hire everybody you can and dig into their dialogue options, you'll not only be treated to a wealth of side missions and extra points, but also a strong cast of endearing characters. It's like one big family of deep and interesting characters.
As before, the worldbuilding of ME is top-notch. As you explore the galaxy and the characters, you're immersed into a fantastic universe of imaginative planetscapes, fascinating alien races, and some clever sci-fi concepts. It's a universe I personally couldn't get enough of, and grew to love, on a level no different than the universes of Star Wars, Star Trek, or Battlestar Galactica.
This game uses good graphics quality; it seemed really sharp and clear on its release, but it is showing its age a little (Mass Effect 3 seems to boast the best quality to date). Levels are well-designed, and each one is filled with distinctive designs for every setting, prop, costume, weapon, creature, and vehicle. Voice-acting is top-notch; sounds and music are excellent as well.
The first ME game deserves the high points for its gameplay and storytelling. While ME2 doesn't quite surpass the first game in terms of story, it is my favorite of the trilogy, because it strikes the perfect balance between the combat and RPG elements, and still tells a heck of a story. It has the most endearing characters, and I thoroughly enjoyed bringing them all together for the fight.
Highly recommended!
5/5 (Entertainment: Perfect | Story: Very Good | Game: Perfect)
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