Review: Mass Effect 2

Commander John Shepard saved the universe in the original Mass Effect two years ago. Needless to say, his assistance is required again in Mass Effect 2.

But first, he has to die and be resurrected.

After a sneak attack on the ship – the Normandy – Shepard is killed. But the secretive organization Cerberus, led by the shadowy Illusive Man, has use for him and reconstructs his body from remaining DNA. They also conveniently build him a new ship almost identical to the Normandy.

A new and more sinister force is kidnapping human colonies for nefarious purposes and Shepard is call into duty.

But before Shepard can face this new foe, he has to put together a team of experts. This takes up a good chunk of the action in Mass Effect 2 and shows the depth and breadth of the game.

Shepard travels the galaxies, seeking out allies on planets and space stations, each with specific skills and abilities that will be needed for the showdown.

The team to be assembled spans the alien spectrum, with new alliances formed and a few old friends returning.

As new team members are recruited, their back stories lead to more missions and a further expansion of the Mass Effect universe. And that’s one of the standout aspects of Mass Effect 2. It offers a depth (solving specific personal issues) and an breadth (spanning galaxies) that make Mass Effect 2 vast, yet intimate.

Some of the characters reveal their humanity, even if they’re not of that species. Shepard, in turn, shapes his own course and visage by the use of the interactive dialogue system.

Every conversation offers choices in responses by Shepard. He can by more caring and conciliatory and chart a path toward good (Paragon) or more combative and become more evil (Renegade).

Several space stations, particularly the Citadel, offer respite from the grind of battle. Entertainment at bars and in shops mean that Shepard can buy alien porn or a pet hamster, get drunk or watch alien dancers or get the latest info on hot future video games.

Setting up to play is simple. Players can choose to port their character from the original game into Mass Effect 2 and continue the story or they can construct a new Commander Shepard. If doing the latter, players have six character classes to choose from – each with strengths and weaknesses in tech and biotic abilities.

The classes are:

Soldier – weapons specialist with slo-mo abilities

Infiltrator – cloaking abilities and sniper rifle proficiency

Vanguard – blend of weapons and biotics. Skilled with shotgun

Sentinel – another blend of weapons and biotics, but cannot use more advanced weapons

Adept – limited weapon skills, but masters of biotic abilities

Engineer – skilled at hacking mechanized opponents.

Each of the classes have a range of powers to employ in the battlefield. Each of the powers and weapons can be upgraded during the course of the game.

The nice thing about the classes is that it increases replayability. Once the game is finished under one class, the game can be re-explored, taking advantage of the new abilities offered by another class.

Upgrading is done by securing valuable metals that are used to purchase training for the new upgrades.

One method of doing so is by finding caches during missions. The other way is by space exploration. As the Normandy travels the galaxies, planets and moons can be orbited and scanned for minerals. Mapping the surface reveals the locations of these minerals, which can be harvested using probes.

Occasionally, an anomaly is detected, which leads to planet exploration and side missions.

The shooting mechanics have been tweaked in Mass Effect 2, making it more shooter-like than its predecessor. The third-person aiming and use of cover make it more enjoyable when engaged in battle.

Attacking with a blend of firepower and special powers make battles more interesting and exciting. The addition of heavy weapons – with limited ammo – also make the gun battles more engaging. The character modeling is much improved over the original.

Mass Effect 2 raises the bar for gamers looking for action on a broad scale and interactivity with a moral underpinning. One month in and the game of the year for 2010 might already be out.

Platform: Xbox 360 Rating: Mature Manufacturer: Electronic Arts Score: 9.5 chilies