Bioware's Latest Epic..

From humble RPG beginnings in Baldur's Gate in 1998, through a rash of insanely popular and successful games in the last few years; including its most recent endeavors, Dragon Age and Mass Effect 2, Bioware has once again set the bar for what a game is supposed to be.

If you played the original Mass Effect, you need no introduction to Commander John Shepard and his rag-tag crew that has already saved the galaxy from certain doom. If you haven't played the original, than I suggest you go out and buy the game (and an Xbox360 if necessary) and play it immediately, and then once completed, take the game back, and buy Mass Effect 2. It is likely the best game purchase I've made in the last 5 years.

The story snags you less than a minute after beginning the game, and once it has it's hooks in you does not let go until the credit reel begins to roll. The story from either game could be converted into a movie, and would be wonderful. The characters from both, as well as the setting, are so fleshed out and complete, it is easy to forget that it isn't a movie. I referred to it as such more than a few times while discussing it with friends. The voice acting in ME2 rivals that of its predecessor, and really lends to immersing you into the world. The characters you encounter throughout the game are complete, and for the most part, feel real. There was no point in the game where bad voice acting, or an out of place character pulled me out of the game experience.

Mechanically, the game is sound. The original Mass Effect had a problem referred to as "texture pop" where the texture would not be rendered on a surface, sometimes for the duration of a scene, and the player would be looking at a texture-less shape. I only encountered this problem twice during ME2, and both times it was only for a second or two, and mostly unnoticeable. The difficulty setting is even and fair, without ever making the game feel cheap, or as if it is cheating. The Streamlining of the inventory system (or basically its removal), and the condensing of the party skills management are both very welcome changes, and make the game more approachable, and less like work. The Mission Summary screens at the completion of each little mini-episode are also very nice, and serve to remind the player of not only goals that have been accomplished, but any materials, money, or items received during the mission. The only thing in the whole game that felt time consuming and laborious was the mining / scanning, but even still, it made sense, and worked well.

It's hard to talk much about the happenings in the game without giving the story away. This game will take a mammoth release from someone to be knocked out of the drivers seat for game of the year though. It's the crown jewel in Bioware's already well adorned crown, and perhaps the best game I've ever played. It's hard to talk about a game where there isn't really any downside, but in all aspects, ME2 delivers, and delivers well. In short, go buy it. You will not be disappointed.

-j