Yes, this is really the box art

In any series, there will come a point where a great and innovative idea is tested in the face of criticism and mainstream pressures; advertising, broad-base appeal, publisher expectations. In the case of Mass Effect 2, these may or may not have had an impact… but they probably did.

The Illusive Man in his mysterious command center

The first Mass Effect was a game based on fresh ideas and melding a lot of different elements into a cohesive whole. It certainly had its oddities and occasional annoyances. Planetary exploration via the Mako rover-tank was sometimes jokey, and the maps created for that exploration could be very difficult to maneuver. But, I ask you, was there ever a game before or since that allowed exploration of that sort across so many different worlds? Not really. Was managing your inventory sometimes a pain? Yes, but only occasionally-and properly cleaning it out at merchants was an easy way to help that. It is true that the ability system needed some help, since there were so many abilities and some of them were so useless or so obviously important (especially the passive abilities). Even so, what we see in ME2 isn’t exactly what was called for, even if still entertaining in its own right.

Mass Effect 2 takes place about two years after the original ends. In an attempt to keep the plot from being spoiled, let it simply be said that Shepard underwent some hard times and lost the Normandy. He/she is then given a new ship and crew by Cerberus, the shadowy human organization that the player fought occasionally in the first game. After some basic beginning combat and character introductions, it’s off to save the human race-with plenty of fancy and sidetracking along the way.

Illium makes for one heck of a general goods store

Perhaps a bit too much sidetracking, actually. While the main plot is pretty entertaining, it isn’t overly long or complex, and character “loyalty” quests take center stage (mostly because there’s one for every single character out of the dozen-odd number). Adding these on top of the missions to recruit the characters to begin with makes the game heavily reliant on its individual-focused romanticism, and the main plot itself seems to come off as the side quest, not the other way around. It’s like ordering a club sandwich and getting mostly fries and one measly morsel of meat. This would have been excellent had the spine of the plot been strong (and long) enough to support the various other parts, forming a proper backdrop against which the drama could unfold in pure space-noire angst, but alas…

Speaking of darkness, Mass Effect 2 was aimed at being “edgier” than its predecessor, which sometimes worked well and sometimes came off as forced (Liara as a law-flaunting information dealer going after the Shadow Broker? Please…). The first pit stop, Omega Station, was excellent in atmosphere and character, truly one of the centerpieces of the game, what with its fiery nightclubs and dodgy lower levels, flooding and strewn with junk and vagrants. It makes a trip to the wards in ME1 look like an afternoon with the kids on the playground.

The shady nightclub scene on Omega Station does this game real credit

Yet, the majority of the game seems somewhat unremarkable in its locales and various missions. Most assignments beyond the larger settlements you visit merely have you landing on a pad next to a door-out of which enemies spill. The gallery of places to see and things to do doesn’t seem quite as varied as in the first ME, though there are still plenty of planets to read about in the galactic interface, for those who still care (and I certainly did).

The game did shine in a few key scenarios at least. The multi-phase assault on Archangel and the missions on the Krogan homeworld of Tuchanka come to mind. The crossing of the bridge of the Dantius Towers while attempting to recruit the assassin was quite inspired, with its pulse-pounding musical coordination and up-hill battle, camera shaking and vapor trails blowing in the high wind. The first time the player encounters the main villains is also memorable and suitably unpredictable, as well as riveting in its sheer drama. Just don’t expect terribly varied enemies-it’s mercenaries, Geth, and shiny white robots along with a couple of animals we saw in the last game, or CG model derivatives thereof.

In terms of straight game mechanics, the shooter element obviously still exists, though because inventory management and more complex skill systems are missing, it sometime feels like it’s 50% shooter and 50%… nothing. Replacing the old skill system is one which utilizes three different skills per character (including ammo skills, oddly) and a fourth for each character that is unlocked when their corresponding loyalty mission is completed (to the character’s satisfaction, at least). Abilities that reach rank four are then evolved into one of two choices, usually a stronger version of the ability or one with area-of-effect properties. While Shepard still has a decent number of skills compared to the others, the system was obviously streamlined heavily. Why not build a better skill system for the sequel, based on the scope of the system in ME1, rather than shaving it down to a ridiculously small format? This isn’t a collectible card game where each character has a couple of abilities that fit onto a certain amount of printing space…

As for equipment, no longer does the player choose armor and weapons or utilize add-ons for each. Instead, Shepard can customize each piece of his/her armor, complete with various color schemes and ability bonuses-which is nice-and all the other characters ostensibly just progress in such a fashion that their stats are accounted for. The ability to thoroughly customize Shepard’s armor is excellent, but why not allow some more customization of the other characters you work so hard to please? Is everyone a privately supplied mercenary these days? Unfortunately, this also seems like an attempt to simplify the game too much, which is rather less than suitable overall.

Guns are acquired as new technology rather than individual items and are equipable by all characters that can use that gun type-little choice here, since many have very obvious upgrade progressions or less than three variants. Perhaps the biggest choice for the player is what heavy weapon to equip Shepard with, since there are so many and their effects so dizzyingly varied, from freezing blasts to pocket nukes to (downloadable) chain lighting and more.

Shepard lights up a merc with his magical fire bullets

While the action sequences are all fun to play through, you’ll probably start to feel like you’re on a treadmill a few hours in, realizing that it’s not going to ever really change. Mission after mission of hiding behind cover and pulling biotic combos or head-shotting will get old fast, and without much else to vary the game play or back it up, the dramatic and multifarious feel of ME1 is more or less lost in translation. It’s not bad by any means-it’s just a bit repetitive and simplistic.

Conversation trees make a triumphant return, although the player will want to make either all renegade or all paragon decisions whenever possible in order to make either their noble or rakish side “powerful” enough to be persuasive later. Basically, this means conversation choices are a done deal before you even start talking. One interesting and welcome addition is the element of Quicktime-like events in character conversations that let you interrupt what’s happening and change the flow of interaction. Sometimes it’s firing motivational shots, other times it’s swift arm grabs to stop a companion from murdering, and occasionally it’s some handily administered medi-gel to a wounded janitor. At the very least, you’re sure to pay more attention to the dialog.

Gone are the explorations of planets’ surfaces, instead replaced by the hilarious Firewalker downloadable content pack in which you get to pilot a hover tank with infinite missiles. Spread across a handful of missions with varied objectives, you must shoot and boost your way to victory, playing a strange mini-game with the tank as it “collects data” (bumping and jostling out of the target zone with you fighting to keep it inside while it collects). There’s even a little colored meter on the back so that the player can tell how close they are to retrieving the various data modules. Mighty handy for any cosmonauts looking at the vehicle from thirty feet behind, to be certain.

Nothing makes a tritanium-plated hover tank explode faster than nicking an acid pool

The other pieces of downloadable content, though, are actually somewhat tantalizing, if minor. The new character downloadable on launch day, Zaeed, was well-voiced and interesting as a personality, and the various promotional weapons and armor are decently entertaining. Especially notable is the “blackstorm” singularity launcher (available with pre-reserve at Gamestop), which though somewhat broken, is excellent fun. Seeing enemies being pulled into the sphere only to be ripped at and launched outward once detonation occurs is superb; no word yet on whether the gun will be purchasable via Microsoft points in the future for those who didn’t get the Gamestop promotional. As of the writing of this article, the first wave of alternate costumes for the characters has arrived, though it must be purchased with points as well. So far, the amount and variety of downloadable content, Hammerhead and all, is quite satisfying. Hitherto unseen is the Kasumi DLC, which will add a new character and quests to go along with her.

The shadowy Kasumi, slated for the next downloadable content release

All in all, Mass Effect 2 appears to have been an excellent testbed for DLC, and a passable shooter, if not much else; some of the characters are bound to appeal to everyone, but at the end of the day-if I wanted a pure shooter, why wouldn’t I play something geared toward it, like Bad Company 2? If games like ME1 are criticized and “reformed” for their brilliant vision, why would I want to play their ensuing sequels? Why do I feel like the same brainless taint seen in Gamestop ads somehow co-opted the entire experience, turning it into an edifice for stupidity? While it’s still workable as a continuation of the Mass Effect story, it seems to have been put into the wrong vein of design thought. Oh well-here’s to hoping Mass Effect 3 makes things spicy again.

Syndic Shadow’s score: 7.3 out of 10