BioWare released , the long awaited sequel to 2007’s original action role-playing game (RPG) by the same name on Jan. 26 for consoles and PC.
The story of is a continuation from the first game. It follows Commander Shepard on his journey to save humanity from an enemy that is abducting human colonies in the far reaches of space. Sure, the plot sounds simple at first, but there are many side plots and twists that make this story an incredible cinematic experience. The first cutscene of the game proves the game’s complexity and it really has the potential to catch people off guard.
Players have the option of importing their saved character from the first game or they can start with a new character. They have the choice between six different character classes, which all have their strengths. These classes include the Soldier, the Engineer, and the Adept as well as any combination of these three main classes. The Soldier and the Engineer are pretty self-explanatory, but the Adept is basically the equivalent of a Jedi.
For those who haven’t played the original Mass Effect, it was honestly one of the best RPG on the next-generation consoles and definitely worth the playing times. It brought something entirely different to the table than most people would expect from a typical RPG.
The original had a streamlined story that took roughly 25 hours to complete. Yes, some people prefer their games to be longer, but after 50 or 60 hours of playing any single game, the story generally becomes boring and the gameplay becomes repetitive. Besides, the original had a great replay value because the story would change severely based on the player’s in-game decisions.
The original had one of the most revolutionary dialogue systems to ever appear in a game, which surely makes the other game companies wonder why they didn’t think of it first. More importantly, because of that, certain in-game choices actually became difficult to make at times.
BioWare has a history of revolutionizing and improving the RPG genre. For those who aren’t familiar with this company, some of the more famous games they have produced include , and many other classic titles. is no exception. It improves on the original Mass Effect in nearly every single way. The original used to be the best RPG on the next-generation consoles. should claim that title now.
Calling the game an RPG may not be the most accurate description of its genre. The game really feels more like a story-driven action game in the same vein as .
Nearly all of the annoying or boring aspects of the original have been removed. For instance, side missions are no longer incredibly repetitive. Instead of driving the Mako, a land war-vehicle, around deserted and barren planets in search of the same things, the side quests are now all more or less unique and there are fewer of them.
also did away with the somewhat hard to manage inventory system from the first game. In this sequel, players now choose equipment for their team before the start of each mission. This allows the game to feel much more like an action game with RPG elements to it.
The story and the characters are most definitely the best parts of this series. BioWare has done such a great job of creating characters that are interesting and unique. The voice acting in is also superb. The cast of voice actors even includes big names like Seth Green and Martin Sheen.
The graphics of are also worth noting. This game’s designs can compete with even the best-looking games. The characters and scenery are all inspired and creative. The graphics really make these things come alive.
is better than the first game in nearly every way and it’s definitely worth paying $60 for it. BioWare has created another incredible game that will be remembered as one of the best games of the current generation of video game consoles.
There are few bad things about the game and, honestly, none of them are worth mentioning.