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Brand: Electronic Arts
Model : 15981
Customer Rating : 
List Price : $49.95
Sale Price : $31.99
Availibility : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Mass Effect 2 Feature
- Improved NPC conversation system where Commander Shepard can take matters into your own hands ¿ interrupting or using force to get the answer required.
- The second act of BioWare’s epic sci-fi RPG trilogy continues the story of Commander Shepard and humanity’s first steps onto the galactic stage.
- Integration with the original Mass Effect game allows players to import saved files and contiue play with those files in Mass Effect 2.
- Choose from 19 different weapons, including devastating heavy weapons that can end a battle in seconds.
- New location based damage system allows for targeting of key weak points, blasting off limbs, igniting enemies, or cripple and disable enemy troops.
Mass Effect 2 Overviews
The second chapter in the Mass Effect trilogy takes you to the darkest reaches of space, where you must uncover the mystery behind the disappearance of humans across many worlds. Prepare yourself for a suicide mission to save mankind. Travel the galaxy to assemble a team of soldiers and combat specialists, and launch an all-out assault on the heart of enemy territory.
Mass Effect 2 RelateItems
Mass Effect 2 Specifications
Mass Effect 2 is the sequel to BioWare’s hit space-based role-playing game (RPG), Mass Effect. A single player adventure, Mass Effect 2 allows players to continue the adventures of the fully customizable series hero, Commander Shepard, as you take on a whole new adventure and cast of supporting characters. Features new to this latest release in the franchise include the ability to import game save files from the original Mass Effect game to continue the adventure in an unbroken fashion, a new damage system, a more flexible dialogue game mechanic and more. .caption { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica neue, Arial, serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; } ul.indent { list-style: inside disc; text-indent: -15px; } table.callout { font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; line-height: 1. 3em; } td.vgoverview { height: 125px; background: #9DC4D8 url(http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/callout-bg.png) repeat-x; border-left: 1px solid #999999; border-right: 1px solid #999999; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px; padding-bottom: 10px; width: 250px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 12px; }
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Story
Two years after Commander Shepard repelled invading Reapers bent on the destruction of organic life, a mysterious new danger has emerged. On the fringes of known space, something is silently abducting entire human colonies. Now Shepard must work with Cerberus, a ruthless organization devoted to human survival at any cost, to stop the most terrifying threat mankind has ever faced. To even attempt this perilous mission, Shepard must assemble the galaxy’s most elite team and command the most powerful ship ever built. Even then, doubters say it would be suicide. Commander Shepard intends to prove them wrong.
The return of Commander Shepard.
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A new cast of characters.
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Along with familiar faces from the past.
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New damage and dialogue systems.
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Integration with original game.
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Gameplay
An space-based action RPG like its predecessor, gameplay in Mass Effect 2 revolves around the player’s particular version of Commander Shepard and continuing development of this character as the game proceeds. As the game opens a variety of character classes are made available to the player, with talents, both exclusive and general, associated with each. With experience these talents are leveled up, resulting in the unlocking of related abilities and/or entirely new talents. The player has the ability to customize their Commander Shepard in a number of ways including physical appearance, gender, and certain aspects of their personal history, with the rub being that these choices can influence things like available missions, dialogue choices with non-player characters (NPCs), and character background.
Accompanying this main character are a number of preset supporting characters that the player can direct and develop relationships with, which again, will alter the outcome of the story. All the characters from the original game make an appearance in Mass Effect 2, but the immediate characters surrounding Commander Shepard are new. Additional new features that players can expect to experience include new alien races; a more realistic damage system; a new heavy weapons system allowing for maximum damage; a regenerative health system; a dramatic increase in the number of character animations available to Shepard; and updates to the dialogue mechanic used when conversing with NPCs.
Integration with the Original Mass Effect
Mass Effect 2 allows players of the original Mass Effect game to import save games to continue the story of their own Commander Shepard. In doing this, the decisions that were made in the first game will affect the events of the second game. In addition, characters from the first game will return, as long as they were not killed off by the player in the first game. On the other hand, new players coming to the series for the first time in Mass Effect 2 will start a brand-new character, discover the events of the previous games as they progress and embark on a thrilling stand-alone adventure that does not require the previous game for play.
Key Features
- Futuristic Weapons - Choose from 19 different weapons, including devastating heavy weapons that can end a battle in seconds.
- Elite Specialists - Recruit up to a dozen of the galaxy’s most dangerous operatives to help you in your mission. Train and equip your team to survive insurmountable odds.
- Explore the Galaxy - Scan planets to uncover unique secret missions in the Mass Effect universe.
- Integration with Original Mass Effect - Players of the first Mass Effect can import save games to continue the story of their own Commander Shepard. New players will find a thrilling stand-alone adventure awaits them, a polished and action packed journey that surpasses the first game in nearly every possible way.
- Intense Third-Person Combat - Increased intensity with precision shooter controls to let you control the action and overcome insurmountable odds.
- New Damage System - New location based damage system allows for targeting of key weak points, blasting off limbs, igniting enemies, or crippling and disabling enemy troops.
- Character Customization - Choose a player class, customize your appearance, and tailor your own abilities and strengths. As you progress, so do Shepard’s abilities.
- Improved Dialogue Mechanic - Improved NPC conversation system where Commander Shepard can take matters into your own hands – interrupting or using force to get the answer required.
System Requirements:
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Minimum Specifications: |
Recommended Specifications: |
| OS: |
Windows XP or Vista. |
| Processor: |
2.4+ GHz Intel or 2.0+ GHz AMD |
2.6+ GHz Intel or 2.4+ GHZ AMD |
| RAM: |
1GB+ (XP), 2GB+ (Vista) |
2GB+ |
| Disc Drive: |
8x DVD-ROM drive or better |
| Hard Drive: |
12GB or more |
| Video Card: |
NVIDIA GeForce 6 series (6800GT or better), ATI 1300XT or better (X1550, X1600 Pro and HD2400 are below minimum system requirements) |
NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX or higher. ATI X1800 XL series or higher |
| Sound Card: |
DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card and drivers – 5.1 sound card recommended |
| Input Device: |
Mouse and keyboard |
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Mass Effect 2 CustomerReview
I eagerly awaited Mass Effect 2, preordered it, and counted down the days for 3 months. Overall, it’s a good experience. I think most of the gripes I had with the game might be due to overthinking everything, but some changes really annoyed me. Minor spoilers ahead.
GRAPHICS: 8/10
The graphics got a major overhaul this time around. The lighting is superb. The faces during conversation look just as awful as ever, and it’s difficult to spot expressions or emotions, just like in the first one. The camera during conversations is a lot better, though. It moves with you, shakes during explosions, an has some interesting effects that make the conversations seem a lot more than just two heads talking. The environments are a lot more varied, and by a lot more varied, I really mean a lot more. You can actually distinguish between planets, unlike the first one, in which planets differed only in ground color and number/placement of annoying mountains(exploration). Some armor textures are lacking, and there’s a lot of clipping near the shoulderpads…still.
Of course, graphics don’t really matter at all since Mass Effect shouldn’t about the visual experience.
SOUND: 6/10
The original ME soundtrack with all its mesmerizing techno beats and synth is pretty much gone. You can still play them in your cabin, but only your cabin. I didn’t find anything memorable about the ME2 soundtrack at all. The voice acting is as good as ever, of course. All the guns sound alike for each category.
There’s nothing really unique about the sound.
STORYLINE: 6/10
Really disappointing, in short. This is probably due to the fact that ME2 is the second installment of a trilogy, where everything is built up for the final denouement in the third part. Also, I didn’t read any of the novels, which the game makes several references to. Nothing really happens to advance the overall story until the very end. The first Mass Effect would be entirely unrelated to the second one if it weren’t for the choice decision mechanic. Oh, look at that, Wrex is still alive (or dead), great. You still have the same quest and most of the dialogue is still the same. Oh hey, the Council is back, and their the same douchebags they were before, or hey, the Alliance took over and now they’re the douchebags the Council was 2 years back. There are some good twists here and there, but all of them require an intimate knowledge of the first game (which I played for over 100 hours and enjoyed greatly). Mass Effect 2’s storyline isn’t that accessible to the new gamer and your enemy, the Reapers, aren’t revealed until the very end and you really don’t care about them at all during the game. The emotional bonds you make with your squad is not as good, either. There are too many cliches. While in the first one, the characters had interesting backgrounds (disillusioned police officer, Pilgrimage, tortured biotic, person-not-yet-respected-because-of-her-age (really couldn’t come up with anything there)), ME2 traverses the well-beaten path (badass who curses too much and wants to kill everything to an extreme degree, goody-two-shoes, mercenary who’s doing it just for the exorbitant pay). There are some interesting characters like Doctor Mordin, who struggles with morality and spirituality, and Jacob, who has a deadbeat father, but overall, the characters are unsatisfying. There are some sequences in which you question philosophy and morality, but generally it’s the same old “gray area, better good” stuff. Also, the “robot” (no spoilers) has a great personality. It might be that the character’s struggles are too general. For example, the things I enjoyed the most were little tidbits and details like Garrus’ fistfight with a female turian (on a side note, Garrus doesn’t talk to you at all…annoying since he was a well developed character), the GameSpot employee parody ([..]), and the C-Sec officer who claimed that “Sir Isaac Newton is the deadliest son of a bitch in space.” ([..]) It’s moments like these that really make the Mass Effect 2 world sparkle.
Overall, you really need to have experienced the first Mass Effect to enjoy the second…and this is coming from a guy who read all the Codex entries, got 100% completion, and pretty much tried all the paths. The storyline isn’t that good, either, and the characters in ME2 are not as compelling as the characters in ME1. If you played the first one, the references to the first are satisfying for the most part (they exist, that’s good enough for me).
GAMEPLAY: 8/10
Being the hardcore RPG fan that I am, I’m even surprised at myself for giving the gameplay a 8 out of 10. Even so, you don’t have to be an RPG fan to realize the humongous lack of customization in this game. Having bars to tweak the colors and patterns of your armor is useless and does not make up for the scrapped looting system. The only reason why I was able to endure this travesty was that I was had the pre-order armor, Dragon Age Armor, Cerberus DLC armor, and DrPepper armor (Don’t judge me). Otherwise, the armor in this game is severely lacking. Emphasis on severely. It doesn’t help that you can somehow kiss and drink water through your helmets. Scratch that, this is Mass Effect 2 and Liara’s lips are obviously phasing through the glass, so it does make sense. Speaking of inconsistencies, they added ammo with an unconvincing codex explanation. Inconsistencies aside, thermal clips do not make good gameplay sense. I have to walk around looking for thermal clips that sometimes disappear and my sniper rifle only has 10 shots? Of course, one can argue that ammo adds to the tactical gameplay. This game also feels far more like a generic shooter with really bad cover mechanics and a distinct lack of weapons. There are 2-3 weapons for each category and about 7 heavy weapons not including DLC. The shooter component of the game still isn’t very good despite Bioware’s attempts to broaden the accessibility. However, that is another mechanic I can overlook since ME2 is still about the strategy. If you aren’t playing Soldier, you will have to meticulously pick your team and skills for each situation, prioritize, and use the tactics menu a lot. Also, in normal difficulty, I could easily forgive the lousy cover system that pancaked me to the side of the wall, or vaulted me into enemy fire, but it’s only on Insane difficulty where I really felt it. Many a time, I was launched or put into a compromising position and subsequently killed in an instant and had to restart the entire, 15 minute long battle over again (you can’t save in the midst of battle, of course). The shooting was awful, but blowing up robot body parts was pretty interesting, and the barrier/shield/armor/bullet type was a great strategic addition to the game. The mini-games are a lot more interesting this time around, with a cool circuit game and a clever hacking game that actually looks like coding. Also, while the armor upgrades and armor pieces are really crappy (as I previously mentioned), the weapon system is nothing short of amazing. It encourages (or forces you, depending on how much you like the mini-game) to explore the galaxy and really emulates the RPG feeling of leveling up really well. On Insanity mode, I struggled through the early levels by taking 50 shots to kill a standard infantry, but by the time I had all the upgrades, I demolished everything in my path. That sense of improvement is what defines an RPG, and so I grudgingly give the gameplay an 8, despite so many shortcomings and what one can perceive to be the selling out of the Mass Effect franchise.
Overall, the gameplay was watered down, the shooting mechanics still suck, but in a different way, the RPG elements are mostly gone, but still done pretty well. The tactical element of the game is even better. The game is very buggy, sometimes frustratingly buggy. The “impact” of your choices short-term is very blunt. Get your team’s loyalty and survive the mission, or be a jackass and have everyone die.
FUN: 10/10
Of course, none of this crap matters, because in the end, it all boils down to how much fun one had with the game. Despite all the changes, I had a lot of fun with this game and logged over 100 hours on two different characters. It’s also worth noting that it’s really fun and unrealistic that you can hook up with most of the women in your crew. If only dating were that easy.
Mass Effect 2 is a great game that’s very different from the first. It’s definitely worth buying despite some drawbacks. It may not be the best Bioware has to offer, but it’s still pretty damn good.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored:Feb 23, 2010 00:57:33
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