Mass Effect 2 PS3 Review

On January 26, 2010 Mass Effect 2 made its way onto Xbox 360 and PC. Almost exactly a year later the highly praised sequel has made its way onto the Playstation 3 allowing Sony’s fanbase a chance at discovering what all the buzz was about early last year. Its timing couldn’t be more perfect with Mass Effect 3 announced and set to release this year, but this entry in the series will ship multiplatform.

For those who are new to Mass Effect, or have forgotten the events over the past year, let me refresh your memory. Mass Effect 2 picks up shortly after the events of the first game as Commander Shepard and his crew on the Normandy scout for remaining Geth. Unfortunately for the crew an unidentified spacecraft intercepts and attacks them. This results in complete evacuation of those aboard except for Shepard whose condition soon matches that of the Normandy. Fast forward 2 years later to 2185 and Shepard awakens no longer a pulverized piece of meat thanks to Cerberus and the controversial, not to mention expensive, Lazarus project. From here Shepard’s purpose for his revival is revealed as he must conquer new and old foes alike to once again save the galaxy.

HOTs

Gameplay
Mass Effect has been acknowledged for its outstanding blend of 3rd person shooter action and RPG elements. Playstation 3 owners are about to see why. The game provides players with the modern characteristics that define the great 3rd person action games we’ve seen within the past couple years. The camera sits right behind Shepard looking over his shoulder much like Resident Evil 4 is given credit for starting. Continuing on the comparisons path there is a cover system that has been (over?)used tremendously since Gears of War commercialized the mechanic. It is hard to compare it to these games though since Mass Effect’s gameplay, while some may argue that its borrowed, stands on its own.

Let’s backtrack to the beginning. The player is in full control of how their character plays. In the opening customization options Shepard is given numerous styles to choose from and must pick one to master such as Soldier and Engineer. Each one has powers/abilities unique to it which begs for multiple playthroughs since each one requires different tactics and includes separate skill trees. For example, the Soldier can use any weapon found throughout the game, but the abilities are limited to ammo augments, a concussive shot, and the adrenaline rush power. The latter one is the only one that can be considered a power really. Other classes get to dabble in tech and biotic powers at the expense of losing access to certain types of weaponry. The Vanguard can use biotic powers such as Charge which closes the gap in an instant slamming Shepard into his opponent. This class is complemented with close range weaponry which include Heavy Pistols, Shotguns, and Submachine Guns. That means those who take the path of the Vanguard can not use weapons falling under the Assault Rifle or Sniper Rifle titles, but, as previously mentioned, this is the trade off for the biotic powers. Only through successive playthroughs are the strengths and weaknesses of each class appreciated.

Firing weapons or biotics always results with a satisfying feel. The action is fast paced and brutal. The weapons all pack a punch and only continue to increase in intensity as you progress to keep the feeling fresh. Popping in and out of cover to avoid projectiles and overwhelming gunfire is hard to label second. While the action can be frantic one of its core RPG elements helps balance the battlefield. While the abilities command wheel is open the combat situation is paused allowing the player to select specific targets for their squad mates to unleash a chosen power upon. This simple mechanic ends up being one of the most resourceful tools especially if the game is played on higher difficulties.

Pausing these battle situations through the command wheel isn’t the only downtime the game has to offer. This is an open world game and running across space from fight to fight would eventually become tedious. Taking time to explore unknown clusters may lead to small side missions. Walking through the saucy districts on Omega may lead to interesting conversations or the discovery of better equipment. Besides using credits to buy upgrades the rest can be obtained through a dedicated station on the Normandy once a scientist has been acquired. The elements used to upgrade Shepard, the squad, and the ship can be found in small quantities laying about during missions, but to really get the amounts needed for more expensive procedures players will partake in another task. Planet scanning can reveal vast reserves of various important elements so that the team is better equipped. This down time can be quite enjoyable as it helps immerse the player into the world even more as they truly feel as if they must do whatever they can to prepare for the suicidal fight ahead.

Visuals
Mass Effect 2 is a good looking game and the Playstation 3 version polishes it up even more. This is mostly due to the fact that Bioware decided to run the original game through the new engine they will be using in Mass Effect 3 later this year. The attention to detail is phenomenal. This is even more obvious during the scenes where the characters receive close ups. The cracks, imperfections, and textures of different species’ skin can be seen clearly. It not only provides a superior viewing experience, but it gives us a taste of what Mass Effect 3 will look like after many more months of development and polish.

Great graphics would mean nothing if there was nothing good to look at however. Each planet provides an experience containing a unique atmosphere. One second you’re carefully traversing an apocalyptic looking planet where the solar rays can overload your shields causing each break from cover a mad dash for the next shadow. Next thing you know you’re in the underbelly of Omega surrounded by drug enhanced dancers in Afterlife while the sounds blast and lights dim. Two examples are barely enough to give an accurate portrayal of what one will find in the numerous clusters inhabiting the explorable Milky Way.

Characters
Complimenting the diverse, living, breathing world are intricate and believable characters. Shepard’s journey requires that he assemble a crew. This will not only take him to familiar locations in search of a daring squad, but it will reunite him with some long lost friends. The way these characters present themselves makes them worth caring about. Half of the reason an emotional attachment is created so easily is probably due to the fact that the voice acting is superb. Miranda and Jacob are the first two squad mates met. Miranda puts on the slightly heartless but efficient act while Jacob is far on the Paragon side. While these two are acceptable characters and enjoyable to chat with they are no where near close to the crazy personalities awaiting Shepard. An insane, Renegade, biotic woman and a fast talking, over analyzing scientist with a few fiery tricks up his sleeve are only a glimpse of what people will round out the future squad.

Content
PS3 owners are in luck with this title. The content jam packed within this version keeps the Playstation players on top of the DLC that was released since the game’s initial release on other consoles. This includes Lair of the Shadow Broker, Project Overlord, and Kasumi: Stolen Memory. The Cerberus Network is also included allowing the Sony newcomers to access other DLC packs. This is to ensure that the PS3 players could obtain the closest experience that Xbox 360 and PC gamers had.

NOTs

Interactive Comic
Bioware wanted to create an experience for Sony’s customers that reflected that of the one had by many a year ago. Unfortunately that wasn’t fully obtainable due to the fact that Mass Effect 1 was not ported as well. Instead, Bioware created an interactive comic that hits the key bullet points of the first game while even giving the player control over a few major decisions from the first game. This is nowhere near enough however. Many sub plots and other somewhat important events are completely omitted. One of the things that made Mass Effect 2 amazing was watching the story expand from the first game as all of your decisions carried over. This opened up unique dialogue and different confrontations. A short comic that gives you a say here and there cannot mimic what the first Mass Effect expertly crafted.

Glitches
Playstation 3 owners are no stranger to glitches when it comes to games being ported to their system and Mass Effect 2 doesn’t escape this to much surprise. The game runs smoothly for the most part, but there are times where the frame rate can slow down tremendously almost bringing the game to a crawl. Other trivial tasks such as accessing the upgrade terminal can lock up the game for several seconds sometimes before popping up the proper menu leaving the player in anticipation as they wonder if they’ll need to reset the system. The worst the game ever reached was upon exiting the elevator on the Normandy between a mission. The colors went wild as if Shepard decided to take some LSD during the trip down to the crew quarters. Reloading and switching areas did not fix the problem and the game had to be exited and restarted. These are examples of the game at its worst, but besides some frame rate drop they weren’t very common.

Verdict

Mass Effect 2 provides an experience that should not be missed by anyone and now that its out on Playstation 3 no one has to. The gameplay is fresh and rewarding as the RPG elements are sprinkled over a winning 3rd person shooter formula. The game will take the player to many breathtaking and lively locales that rival the liveliness of the varied characters. There will be no shortage of things to do or people to meet as this iteration comes with the acclaimed DLC packs that lengthened the game. All of this is bundled up in the gorgeous new engine that will be used in Mass Effect 3. The only downside to the game are the distracting glitches, and more importantly, the lack of a Mass Effect 1 port. Other than that Playstation 3 owners should already have this game running in their system as this is one series no one should pass up.