Game Review: Mass Effect 2

The Review Front: Mass Effect 2

I’m relatively new to console video games. When I finally got old enough to purchase such devices back in the early 1990s it seemed to me that the better bang for my buck was to buy games for my Dell 386 computer. So I invested in the Wing Commander Series and the very first edition of Civilization by Sid Meier.

For the most part, I am a PC gamer.

That changed this summer when the Woman I Love purchased an XBox 360 for my birthday.

Now I’m hooked.

So that is how I got here. Let’s talk about the game.

Mass Effect 2 is the second installment in what was originally planned as a trilogy. The protagonist, Commander Shepard, rises from the dead courtesy of a pro-Human organization known as Cerberus. The leader of the organization, known only as The Illusive Man, has a job for Shepard.

Find out why entire human colonies are disappearing.

The main character can be customized by the player. Not only can you customize general physical characteristics, you can also decide the gender of the character. The gender you select does provide opportunities for different types of interactions with various crew members.

The visual effects are stunning, going for that sense of wonder which drew so many to cinematic science fiction films. From time to time the cut scenes showing the storyline and the action are a bit jerky, but not to the point of distraction. It does remind me a little too much of arcade laserdisc games like Space Ace and Dragon’s Lair. However, if you look past the jerky moments, you are rewarded with a stunning vistas of interstellar space as your starship, the Normandy carries your team through the storyline.

One task is to assemble a team of specialists, soldiers and technicians to assist you on your mission. Your choices throughout the course of the game are made in the form of dialog selections which prompt other characters to respond. Sometimes, if you put some thought into it, the characters respond favorably. Other times it can lead to conflict among the various team members, not all of whom see eye to eye.

The dialog choices can be difficult to discern on a standard television set as the text is so small. When I played the game for the first time this lead to my character taking the wrong side in an argument between team members. It was an irritating quirk which had ramifications on the resolution of the plot.

An additional option is the opportunity to make good or bad decisions which are indicated by flashing paragon and renegade symbols on the screen. These choices might include whether or not to use an intoxicated alien as cannon fodder or save a specialist from babbling on too long about the scientific details of the mission. They have an effect on the overall plot of the story, dictating who will survive the final sequences of the story.

This paragon-renegade system is a variation of a similar system which was featured in Wing Commander 4 The Price of Freedom. If you made an “evil choice” then it would shape the ending of the narrative. The same is the case with a good choice. Perhaps my only objection about this is that good and evil are slippery, difficult concepts to define which keep philosophy students busy throughout the course of their careers. However, the value choice are pretty clear unless you happen to be a sociopath.

The combat system places the player behind the main character. It is possible to swivel around the character but I found this to be distracting. Perhaps this is designed as a way of compensating for the lack of true peripheral vision, a flaw of all shooter games. I usually found it easier to swivel the character as opposed to swiveling the camera view. This has the benefit of focusing the muzzle of your weapon on any targets you happen to find.

From time to time, especially under heavy fire, the character was less than responsive. I know to take cover when I am under fire but the commands often confused the character, prompting him to stand up in the middle of a firefight. In reality this sort of thing probably happens as well, the difference is that in the game it is merely irritating.

As for actually shooting a target, in this, I was most frustrated at first. I was spoiled by the combat system in Battlefield Bad Company and Bad Company 2. In those games, it is possible to bring the sights of the weapon up to the character’s eyeball, which is the most realistic application of the shooting process. While there is a similar option in Mass Effect 2, it still feels entirely too much like shooting from the hip. Even using the sniper weapons proved to be frustrating.

Thus Mass Effect 2 is very much a volume of fire game and I would advise players to take advantage of the adrenaline function of their character to slow down time and insure that your fire is used to maximum effect.

The adrenaline function, along with a number of other options, can be selected using the right upper button on your controller. This brings up a visual display that allows you to select ammunition options, medical options, and special abilities.

It can also be used to employ the options of your team members. On any given mission you will be allowed to chose two members for your own team.

The left button allows you to select weapons for yourself and your team members while in combat. Since I went with the soldier class (no surprise there) I had the greatest option for weapons. There are a number of different classes, each of which provides your character with special abilities and skills. I went with what I knew.

Overall, the game play grows on you. At first I wasn’t certain if I was going to like the game or not. However, the story and the graphics eventually won me over. There is a strong sense of character development which takes place among your team members, especially if you take the opportunity to help them with their various personal problems which form the core of their backstories.

In conclusion, as a science fiction writer and a veteran of the United States Army, I found myself wondering why I do not see more of what I saw in Mass Effect 2 in current books and short stories. Everything that drew me to science fiction is here. We have an impossible quest, a starship, robots, mechs, strange aliens, artificial intelligence, stunning visuals and the realization that space will probably kill you if it can.

I have my nits with the mechanics of the game, but I came for the story.

Thus Mass Effect 2 has my recommendation. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on Mass Effect 3.

Respects,
Steven Francis Murphy
Author of The Limb Knitter and Tearing Down Tuesday
North Kansas City, Missouri