REVIEW - Mass Effect 2 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)

Western RPG's have a lot of negative press surrounding them in the gaming community.  Often derided as the shallower, shorter and weaker cousins of the Japanese RPG, and with a less loyal fanbase, a Western RPG in hope of success has a lot of obstacles in its way.  The first major title to break down those barriers was Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic on the Xbox.  Mass Effect 2 is the latest title to decimate the myth of Western RPG's being poor, and it does it with style.

First things first - you do not have to have played the first Mass Effect in order to be able to enjoy Mass Effect 2.  Granted, you will get a fuller experience of what is going on with various character histories if you have played the original, but the game does not assume that the player has played the first title, and will therefore fill in the gaps for any newbies.

The Lord is my Shepard

You play Commander Shepard (yep, that's how its spelt!) - a character who has no first name, gender, or particular look, until you assign him/her one.  A neat little feature is that, if you have played the original Mass Effect, you can import your old character into the new game from a memory drive, and continue with the same character.  The game will act off the various decisions you made in the previous game, which is a really excellent touch and shows that this is a genuine part of a trilogy and not just some cash-in sequel.  If you choose not to do this, then the game will ask you various questions with which to shape your character in standard RPG form.  Yet most of your character will develop later in the game, specifically through the normal route of the options the player chooses in various conversations, but also how the player responds to various situations.

If you choose to become evil, your facial features suffer...a lot!

The game's "moral compass" is split into two sets of behaviour - "Renegade" (i.e bad/evil) and "Paragon" (i.e good/peaceful), and the game will generally make it clear which one is which, allowing the player to mix up their morality however they like.  So, if someone is in your way, do you negotiate with them, or go in all guns blazing?  It's entirely up to you, and the game offers plenty of decisions to make.

However, there is not always the clear good option vs bad option choice system here - not all decisions are clear cut.  The gist of the plot (without giving away any spoilers) is that Commander Shepard (i.e you) is brought back to life after dying horribly, and now must unite with sketchy human supremacist group "Cerberus" who, despite their significant moral flaws, may be the only group capable of stopping the rise of the anti-life "Collectors" and the consequential subsequent destruction of the human race.  Shepard and Cerberus need to build up a team, and go into the homeland of the Collectors to destroy them and save humanity.  Although your aims are good, the means by which it is carried out are not always pure, leading to some superb plot developments and moral dilemmas.

The plot is very compelling, and has a whole host of different endings that are dependent on how you play the game and what decisions you make, which adds to the replayability of the title.  The moral choices that one makes are rarely black and white, with the developers choosing to go instead for various shades of gray.  It is usual to pick an option that will result in both Renegade and Paragon points, but with one more than the other.  This implies that one might not pick the "good" option, but has instead chosen the "better" option, or the "worse" option.

Gameplay works well and feels intuitive.

Does Mario Go To Mass Effect 2?

Games like this that offer open ended moral choices are difficult to judge from a Catholic perspective.   Mass Effect 2 allows you to be the savior of the universe, or the absolute personification of everything that is wrong with humanity, or somewhere in between.  How you choose will dictate what sort of game you play, and therefore in one sense, Mass Effect 2 is morally neutral.  Yet, I found that the game made it both easier and more rewarding, to choose the good options rather than the bad.  Characters are generally likeable, which means you will be tempted to be nice to them rather than shoot them, and the whole story seems designed in a way that invites you to be the savior of mankind as opposed to its enemy.

The first game generated a lot of controversy for the way in which it handled sex.  Mass Effect 2 is not plagued by the same controversy, and the sexual aspect of the game is toned down to the extent that it is almost non-existent.  It is possible to engage in intercourse with one of your fellow characters, but to do this requires the player to have said and done all the things that makes your partner more attracted to you.  It is something the most players will not have to deal with, and requires a conscious effort (and probably an internet walkthrough) to unlock such options.  Once unlocked, the subsequent cut scenes are not suitable for children, but contain little to no nudity and therefore does not exclude this game for Catholic adults.

Levelling up is easy, and very clear, even for beginners.

The characters are one of the best things about this excellent game.  The cast of Mass Effect 2 are not remotely stereotypical, most have very interesting back stories and are very likeable in their own ways.  You will genuinely care about these characters and want to get to know all of them better; something that is catered for with a host of character specific side missions.  All characters can be levelled up, not just Shepard.  This means that the player has to think carefully about who to take on a mission, taking into consideration not just the character's abilities, but also their levels.  A lot of work has gone into creating a whole world for the player to be immersed in, and for the hardcore there is an enormous encyclopaedia of all the races, technologies and characters which would take hours to read - although it won't appeal to most gamers, the fact that it is there shows how much effort has gone into this title.

The Illusive Voices

This process of immersion is helped by some tremendous voice acting.  The immense Martin Sheen voices The Illusive Man - the main NPC around whom the question "Is he good or bad?" continually hangs.  Alongside Sheen sits famous actors such as Star Trek TNG's Michael Dorn (Worf), The Matrix's Carrie Ann Moss (Trinity) as well as a whole host of big names that will have you pausing the game and checking Wikipedia to see if that voice is who you think it is.  Yet even those who names will not be familiar still do an exceptional job.  The voice acting of single line of dialogue in the game is top notch and makes the characters truly come alive.  Throw in a tightly written, exciting plot and this is an RPG you will be coming back to time and time again just to experience the different ways that the game can pan out, and it will have you drooling in anticipation for the completion of the trilogy with Mass Effect 3.

The game is stunning, especially on the PS3.

Graphically, Mass Effect 2 is without doubt one of the prettiest games of this console generation so far.  Although a lot of the combat is standard cover shooter fare, the enormous worlds in which they are set make them feel completely different.  Additionally, even the most random side mission on a planet in the middle of nowhere will have its own unique design, giving a sense of enormity to the world.  This graphical niceties extend everywhere, including to your ship - a ship so beautiful that I spent a long time happily exploring it.

Although Mass Effect 2 is pretty much perfect, I felt that there were a handful of missed opportunities dotted around this vast game.  For instance, while one of the most exciting things in the early part of the game was running of and doing various side missions for the members of my crew (so, picking up posher types of food for my hilarious chef), I was disappointed to find that these were not followed up later in the game.  Don't get me wrong, there are a good number of side missions in addition to the many main plot missions, but there are various things that the game introduces, and then seems to have decided to not follow up.  Also, while there are enough varied missions to prevent the gamer from getting bored, most missions are of a similar style - mostly involving a lot of cover to cover combat.  If you don't like shooting and cover to cover combat, then this game is not for you, no matter how much you may love the RPG elements of a game.

Conclusion


I give these criticisms mainly out of an attempt to give balance to this review.  The fact of the matter is that Mass Effect 2 is one of the best games ever made, and this comes from someone generally sceptical to WRPGs.  Its story is immensely compelling, the presentation is perfection, and the the gameplay is fun (if occasionally a little repetitive) and will have you wanting to come back and play this game time and time again in order to discover the many different ways this amazing title can be played, and to see how it connects with the other two instalments of the series.

From a Catholic perspective, Mass Effect 2 is not without its problems.  Although it has tamed down the sexual aspects from the previous game, the "copulation option" is still there.  Although there is no nudity, it is not for the faint of heart, nor for anyone who is not an adult.  The game deserves to be commended for offering the player a number of non-violent options, as well as the ability to play as a (mostly) good guy, but don't let the non-violence approach fool you - this game has the player killing a lot of people, no matter what options you choose.  This is a game that emphasises the "action" in an action RPG.  Although not particularly gory, there is blood present at a number of moments, as well as occasional distressing cut scenes of death.

The technical rating for this title is 10/10

The Catholic rating for this title is A-III -- adults.