Pros: Superb voice acting

Some great character moments and backstories

Interesting fusion of shooting/ cover-based mechanics with "biotic," or enhanced

physiological, powers

Allows player to approach missions in different orders (or not engage with certain missions

at all)

Cons: Limited selection of weapons

Limited variation in evolving your skill sets beyond adding points to "levels" with a

maximum of 4 levels per skill

Travel through different galaxies and bring order or chaos in your wake. Very enjoyable with a flexible play experience.

Mass Effect 2 is a great space age story told like the tales from Star Wars or Star Trek. You play as John Shepard, a soldier who recruits an elite team to face impossible odds against a force known as the Collectors. You travel the galaxy on your spaceship, the Normandy, visiting different aliens on distant planets, probing planets for resources and making new friends/enemies wherever you go. You decide how the game plays out - you can try to be the ulimate good guy or ultimate badass. How you treat others affect how the game plays out. Also your choices in Mass Effect 1 will greatly impact the story in Mass Effect 2.

There's a lot to love about this game. Here's 5 reasons why I love it:

1) The combat, it's fun and devestating. The cover system is great and easy to use. You can easily attack enemies from cover with devestating attacks like fire, ice, throw, warp, slam and charge depending on your class and your team's class. Some can even launch attack drones to annoy your enemies.

2) The Paragon/Renegade choice (or Good guy vs Bad ass). Your conversation choices allow you to increase or decrease these levels. As these levels grow, you can use these skills to influence other NPCs. Even during cutscene conversations, you may be prompted quickly to give a paragon or renegade action that may save someone's life or kill them.

3) The Normandy. Nothing like owning your own ship, exploring it at your leisure and talking with your squad mates.

4) The graphics are awesome. The character models are quite detailed. The lighting and shadows are great especially when the sun shines in your direction.

5) The story is great. Everyone you meet adds more background to the main storyline and gets you very immersed into the story.

This is a must-play title! Highly recommended!

This game takes the original, which was amazing, and takes it to even greater heights. Mass Effect 2(.0) is one of the best RPG's I have ever played - a masterpiece in choice, personality, character customization, open world action.

I don't know why you wouldn't own this game already, but whatever the case, it is well worth your purchase.

Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, ME2 puts the gamer in a universe where he has to choose the moral outcome of his actions. A conversation could end up resolving a conflict peacefully or escalating it. And it's totally fine to go either way. There's a certain satisfaction to knowing that you have a choice and that that choice will affect the final outcome of the game and it will define who your protagonist is. I would recommend this game to anyone who likes a good story that will keep you immersed for hours.

Seriously awesome and immersing game. In an era dominated by FPS games, ME2 stands out from the crowd. Of course, most wouldn't categorize ME2 as an FPS game anyway given the in-depth and well thought out plot-line. The player always has something to look forward to as they progress through the game. The only complaint I have with this game is the scanning for resource part. Other than that, way to go Bioware!

Mass Effect 2 is a GREAT game. It fixes seemingly ALL of the problems that the original Mass Effect had. Tons of choices that you made in the first Mass Effect carry over and offer different dialogue as well as quests, depending upon what you did in the first game. A LOT of meaningful content as well. Here is hoping that Mass Effect 3 is just as good.

Even better than the first, this game is epic. Major choices can roll over from the first Mass Effect, and graphics/sound/voice is way better than the first. The classes are very distinct, and while the storyline isn't fascinating to repeat, the different combat styles make it awesome to play again.

Great game over all. As with most Bioware games, the storytelling is what really sets it apart from other games. The combat was also very tight and the gunplay meshes really well with the biotic powers. However, it is not without flaws. Dialog, a common flaw plaguing almost all of Bioware's RPG's, was not up to par with the rest of the game and was clearly the weakest point. The scanning for anomalies and resources was the second biggest flaw in my opinion. Despite those flaws, the game is absolutely worth the $20.00 and you really couldn't go wrong with buying this game.

Man, what can I say that's already been said? Mass Effect 2 picks up where #1 left off, and builds off of your story if you have the save game on your hard drive. It's an action RPG that allows moral choice that impacts how the game unfolds. It's squad-based goodness with outstanding AI. By itself, the story and gameplay are freaking awesome, but add on the DLC and connectivity to the former and upcoming games and you have a masterpiece. Seriously, if you don't know Mass Effect, you are either new to gaming or you've been playing WOW for too long. Get this game. NOW.

I have quite a few problems with Mass Effect 2 despite it still being fun to a point. It is no RPG. They started out if a badly designed 'RPG' and then dumbed it down more for #2.

Two of the least things I like: In space searching planets for minerals or whatever and the repeated level design on all worlds. There's nothing like spending your time spinning around a world after world constantly trying to buy needed upgrades or wondering if your at the right place because the same exact building is a perfect copy - exactly the same.

The crew is more often than not worthless to talk to, but if you don't you miss some worthwhile stuff. So you spend your time running around your ship way too much.

The story ultimately pulls through but I really dislike some of it such as the beginning. To me that was really lame.

The game is fun and well worth a few bucks.

Spectacular sequel to an amazing game, but like most sequels doesn't live up to the first game--and this could be a good or a bad thing for each particular gamer. First game allowed a much more expansive RPG adventuring experience for your side-missions, where this one sort of does away with the space explorer feeling in exchange for more gunfights. So if you're put off by much bigger RPG worlds and instead want a more streamlined and gun-friendly experience, you won't have any problems with this game. For example, Mass Effect too me 75 hrs to complete, Mass Effect 2 took 35. I still loved Mass Effect 2 though. Just understand that aside from the character interactions, the RPG of this game is toned down from the first.

Great story, beautiful graphics, nice game mechanics.

This game is really enjoyable, specially for gamers that like science fiction genre and are always looking for a great adventure. Like the 1st one, you have a paragon/renegade system, which unlocks different ways to follow the main story and makes you feel like you are in control of your personality.

Great game if you like the outer space settings and action. Great graphics, and immediately fun yet intuitive to play if your used to first person shooter type games. (even though this is 3rd person view) Great for when your tired of multiplayer games for a bit.

I played with the original Mass effect, and I really tried to like the game. Good reviews, and many players like it. Not for me. I like deep immersive RPG experiences, and the original was more like a slide-show with limited interaction, horrible dialogue system, and a battle system that ranged from absolutely inconsequential (I sometimes defeated storms of enemies even without paying attention or knowing what I was doing) to sections in which I could to win no matter what. Somebody told me that the sequel was better, so I picked up a discounted copy to try. Not even close. If anything, is dumber and more annoying than the original. The problem is that the commercial success of games like this is slowly killing the RPS genre. Very likely we will have a mass-production of slide-show / movies like games in which you just follow the story, have no freedom or choice, and just waste your time.

Solid game play, great soundtrack, engrossing story...Mass Effect continue to be one of my all time favorite franchises. Highly recommended for fans of the first game, or players that enjoy elements of shooters and RPGs. Very accessible.

This is a freaking master piece. I hope you have a save from the first one because hte way the story comes together and the cameos are really fun and interesting when they pop up. The more action oriented combat is fun but not necessarily better. The dialog is fun but quick savalot because it doesn't always turn out the way you hope for. really just a great game.

Mass Effect 2 is a great RPG that you should give a try. Great graphics, great story and great sound made me hooked on the game from start to finish. There are some minor issues that prevent the game from being 5 stars such as the story can drag on at times...and a feeling that the game is set on rails even though it does not appear this way. Overall though if you love a great sci fi space opera game you will enjoy Mass Effect 2.

This is not the style game I am usually into. Always been a big strategy buff but this is one of the best games I have ever played and would recommend it to anyone even if shooters arent usually your thing.

For not being a Mass Effect fan before, this really is done well, and isn't too heavy on teh rpg side of things. Sure you can mod out your gear a bit, but mostly it's about the story and exploring to unravel each possible outcome. It's really worth it. Only let down is the repetitive mission types, but that's really nitpicking.

Mass Effect 2 is an enjoyable game with absolutely superb production values, and I rate it 3.5 stars (or would if I could, so 3 it will have to be). It is, however, superficial and simplistic.

The roleplaying elements have been downgraded from the original game, and what we have left is a competent but not spectacular squad based shooter with some character advancement aspects, and I will confess, a very good 'relationship building' mini-game. The sci-fi elements are merely competent soft sci-fi, don't expect hard sci-fi with any real science.

Controls are heavily console-ized, and that is in fact the feel of the whole game - this is not a game designed for PC, though you will have no real trouble running or playing it on a PC. The pathways through all maps are linear, and one dimensional - you won't be doing much exploring here.

I give it extra points for the ability to keep your decisions and transfer your 'Shepherd' (the hero) forward. Note though, that real impacts from your decision rarely manifest beyond a little speech change. You will generally still end up in the same spot and follow the same plot, regardless of what you 'decide'. It does a good job of creating the illusion of choice though, and does allow a little consequence.

I take away points for the deeply irritating mining mini-game. Repetitive, and it requires nothing but persistence to succeed, yet you will need to do it for the nicer toys. It is a chore. On this - even the shooting aspect gets a bit dull by the end. Every battle is the same, and not very challenging - except maybe at the very top difficulty levels

Definitely buy this if you like squad based shooters, or the first Mass Effect. For everyone else - buy it if it is on special, and you just like a good little story with lovely graphics and sound, and some fun shooter gameplay.

Don't buy this if you are seeking a deep roleplaying experience.

In conclusion - this is the gaming equivalent of a summer blockbuster - easy to like, and fun to watch, flashy but not deep.

Pros:

Very high production values

Somewhat interesting characters

Solid but not inspiring gameplay

A little choice and consequences

Cons:

Simplistic gameplay

Not particularly challenging

Gameplay gets repetitive

The mining mini-game!

Universe is just too formulaic. A bit of wasted potential there.

Mass Effect 2 is an enjoyable 3rd person shooter mixed with a little squad strategy. The characters and story elements are genuinely intriguing but you don't have to fully explore character's emotions if you don't want to.

Sometimes you hits a lot of loading screens while trying to get from one planet to another and the mini game for collecting resources is weak, but overall this is an enjoyable, pretty game.

There were a number of changes to the game from the first game, some good and some bad. On the positive side, the side missions are much more interesting than in ME1 and lack the repetitiveness and similarity of layout of many of the small missions on the first game. The default controls, though taking some getting use to if you are accustomed to the ME1 layout, are more intuitive. The new characters are interesting, and I love all the little hooks and references to choices made in the first game. Personally, I also like the new hacking/slicing mini-games, and I (weirdly) enjoy scanning for new resources. I like the click-able Paragon/Renegade options during scenes. Finally, I love many of the new characters. However, the story itself lacks a certain je ne sais quoi- maybe it's the different "employer" or a loss of some of the discovery of the new- but I just did not feel as attached to this story as I did the the first. However, all in all, a worthy successor to the first game.

I loved the first Mass Effect and had high hopes for the second. At first I was a little let down and a bit taken aback by the way missions were handled - namely the "you've completed a mission" summary screen like you see when you complete a Tomb Raider level. I got about a quarter of the way through the game and put it down for months. I don't know what happened during that time but when I picked up where I left off the game set its hooks in me and I blazed through the rest of it. The squad loyalty missions were a lot of fun and the climax is outstanding. I give the first half of the game 4 stars, but the last half is a solid 5.

The mass effect franchise should at least be considered for a play through by any gamer, whether you like RPGs or shooters. Big debate on whether it really counts as an "rpg", but most will enjoy it regardless of how they think it should be classified. Assuming that most people playing this will have played the first mass effect, mass effect 2 continues the story of Commander Shepard with a "mostly" new cast of recruitable NPCs on an adventure to save the universe that involves bigger guns and more spectacular powers and explosions. Honestly, it's mostly mass effect 1 but improved, and you should know whether you'd enjoy this type of game by just watching some of the game play trailers. What you see is what you get, and as with any Bioware game, you know you'll get an incredible storyline and character interactions whether you enjoy the actual gameplay or not.

Amazing game that bring back the Space Opera feeling that I was looking for.

Some major changes from ME1 but I did find them overall acceptable (especially the streamlined inventory system which was a chore in ME1).

The story is quite alright but I find that the characters are really what bring up the game for me. They are all different and pretty well written, not just brawns for brains but they have all a twist (or in some case many...) to their personalities.

The mining mini-game may be a chore but otherwise it's enjoyment in its pure form.

For anyone who has played ME1 I would very highly recommend this one, you won't regret it

Mass Effect 2 is one of bio-ware's games that is perfected with the mix of story and combat. The story kicks off with Commander Shepard with a surprise attack from a random collector ship from the system called Omega (or the Omega 4 relay). As the plot is told Commander Shepard dies at the beginning but brought back to life with the help of Cerberus and the massive amount of money to fund the project of the illusive man to recover Shepard. As you would of guessed the plot tends to start of and finish similar to Star Trek (the 2010 movie version by JJ Abrams "which was epic").

The Side missions are great and tend to have an attempt to keep you interested with your companions you find in the game such as the Miranda or Jack. These missions also find you a connection with the companions your playing with and explain their history of how the came about with the influence of the illusive man, one example you find Miranda has a secret sister that is a clone of her of not her physical self but her enhanced organs with the assist of bionics.

Most of your activities will be on the re-constructed Normandy from the surprise raid of the collectors. Your missions are previewed and well detailed on a massive galaxy map showing different relays and planets to visit, all your companions also have their own personal room or space on the ship depending on the idea environment, your own room is detailed very well with the option to change your outfit (only) and host personal occasions such as attempting to spouse with your personal assistant which dies from a collector attacks (very sad part).

As you find all the people for your mission, along the way you come across weapon,ship and armor upgrades for each of the people that you find with also your personal funding of a upgrade, scanning planets can be useful as this helps also fund your upgrades as well prevents the ship to fall apart when at the last part when entering the omega 4 relay as about 3-4 companions die if you don't upgrade your ship at that point in time.

In Mass Effect 2 you will encounter collectors which are your pure threat and trying to build a reaper/human as a part of there experiment if they can actually incorporate there own genes with human genes to make a super reaper which would be unstoppable.

To rap it up, your last choice is influenced by the illusive man to either blow up the collectors base or keep it to understand there purpose and improve the technology of humanity. In which i think was to fool Shepard and to cripple there next chances of wiping the collectors out, but i think the Geths alliance with the humans now will provide the humans with the weapons and tech they need in ME3.

So Mass effect 2 is a great FPS/RPG from bioware and i think was probably the best games of 2010 for that Genre of a Sci-Fi.

5/5

I thought the first Mass Effect had a great storyline, but this one was equally impressive. Bioware always does a great job of introducing morals into their stories that make you question your beliefs about which characters are evil, and which are acting for the greater good.

The combat took a bit to get used after the first game, but in the end I think it's an improvement. I did like the reduced micromanagement. Make sure you grab the 5 free DLC packs that are available.

I can't wait to see how they conclude the trilogy.

It definitely not as good as the first Mass Effect, but it manages to still be a fun game. Plenty of action and story line just like the first one (not too much rehash of the first story, which is good).

The thermal clips are an interesting idea, but if all the ammo is generic when you pick it up, then why does it suddenly turn specific and let you run out of ammo for one weapon but still have ammo for your other weapons? I know its nitpicking, but couldn't they just have the enemies drop generic 'ammo packs' instead of trying to make some silly explanation for thermal clips that isn't even consistent with itself?

The whole planet mining for resources for upgrades is tiresome, you end up skipping it all together after awhile or just scanning each planet for anomalies since resources are so irrelevant (you can easily mine enough resources to get every single upgrade without exploring a majority of the planets). It could have been a really cool if resources were much rarer and upgrades needed more resources and you actually had to pick and chose which ones to get (kind of like how you don't have enough money to buy every single upgrade schematic from the shops) and then exploring every planet actually is important.

I guess my biggest complaint (I know that I'm complaining an awful lot, but I did actually like the game) is that most of the game centers around assembling this huge team of followers and getting them loyal (if you skip this then the game is rather short) and in the end the size of your team really ends up being unimportant. They do have some aspects that requires more than the typical "you plus two npcs" team, but its rather forced and you can probably get by with getting two main npcs loyal and then just a handful of other random npcs to fill in the auxiliary roles.

The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger (not gonna spoil anything), will be interesting to see if they can pick up the story line in ME3 and manage to keep it from getting too repetitive.

Mass Effect 2 was not the game I expected it to be. I didn't find it as enjoyable as the original, if only because it's a third person shooter not and RPG and 'choice' felt more restricted/limited because of some design changes.

That being said, the characters and story are both intriguing enough to warrant at least one play through if not more. The universe is the most intriguing part and ME2 expands on the first to provide greater insight into that universe. Go in with an open mind and you should enjoy Mass Effect 2, just don't expect more of the same.

This is the sequal to one of the biggest games ever released... what more could I say? How about this game not only lives up to the expectations of its predecessor, but surpasses it with flying colors. About 10 minutes into this game, I knew I was hooked bad... which brings me to the only downside of this game. It will inevitably interrupt your life as you will be driven to finish this game and find out the ultimate super cool ending that you will never see coming in a million years (and that's the only hint).

Absolutely great, picking off where ME 1 left off and growing even better in a awesome game with astounding graphics, gameplay, friendly interface, fantastic story and immersion.

Great replayability too...though I grew so fond of the setting and so immersed that I am having a hard time starting a new game with a renegade char, it just pains my conscience and I have to remind myself it's a game lmao :P

Such an awesome, fantastic experience... don't feel like stopping!! Unfortunately real life gets in the way.

An absolute gem of a game!

A good sequel to the first. A great story, the gameplay mechanics are good. I don't play much RPG anymore, but Mass Effect's conversation system really draws you in. The different reponses you can choose and the reaction is always entertaining. Just replaying the game to find out all the conversation is already a lot of replay value. Anybody who loves action, 3rd person, shooting RPG should definately try this game.

Mass Effect 2 is a great sequel of the first Mass Effect, the main plot is still very exciting, the characters still have very very strong personalities.

The fact you find your old buddies from Mass Effect is simple amazing, you can actually see your actions in the previous game taking shape on this one. The game still have a lot of hard decisions, save the galaxy isn't a easy task, but Shepard is to one to make this happen.

The combat mechanics was improved, the characters voices and acting is just amazing, again, just like Mass Effect this game looks like a movie.

I hope that Mass Effect 3 keeps this same quality (both technical and plot), then I risk saying: This is the best game trilogy ever done.

Like Mass Effect but with more characters and a few major changes. One is that you aren't collecting tons upon tons of armor/weapons/etc. Instead you mine planets to get resources to research upgrades for different weapons or suit upgrades. You won't be spending 10 hours trying to cross the Himalayas in the Mako this time. Also, there's no longer unlimited ammo, there are 'thermal clips' that act as clips for any weapon you use (and your character can use every type of weapon). Enemies drop enough clips that you usually won't run out of your favorite gun ammo during a mission. The plot is varied enough to warrant more than one playthough, all in all a very enjoyable sequel.

This game is a great one which gives the player a great sense of immersion due to plot and character development. You of course develop your own character, and as such grow attached. However due to the great plot of the game, you won't merely think of him as a token, but more likely a person. The characters are well rounded and developed. The only thing I have to say is that having to go back and forth between fuel depots is very annoying, and planet mining may be tedious. I still recommend it, however.

Mass Effect 2 is a rather long and fun FPS/RPG hybrid.

I never really got bored of playing it, but the story is definitely the factor that makes you want to continue and finish the game. The shooting is alright and does it job.

Harvesting planets becomes tedious after about a hour doing it, but you don't really need to do it.

All the cutscenes and characters are very well done and are interesting, my favorite is the Mordin.

It's an great game and i would recommend it to anyone.

This game is one of the best I've played in a long time! It's definitely got a new feel to it, with revamped controls and everything. Compared to the first game, it's more of a shooter, and the powers come into play much more often.

There's so many choices throughout the campaign that you'll definitely be playing this one multiple times.