First Impressions: Mass Effect 2

Welcome to the very first Game Junkie First Impressions feature, where I'll give my initial impressions of a game after a handful of hours. This is by no way a review but just what I think of the game in the time I've played so far. I've been careful not to include any spoilers in my impressions but be warned, it's long so you might want to get a drink and settle in. 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Mass Effect 2 (Xbox 360, Windows PC)

Character class selected (currently on first play through): soldier (combat specialist) weapons: heavy pistol, shotgun, assault rifle, sniper rifle, disrupter ammo, incendiary ammo, cryo ammo. Special powers: adrenaline rush and concussive shot.

Game time so far: Seven hours, 37 minutes.

Opening comments: Right from the opening moments of its opening cinematic, Mass Effect 2 had me hooked. Without giving anything away, the opening sequence packs enough action and a surprise twist to make TV series 24 proud. For me, the opening sequence of a game is extremely important: it sets the tone and feel of the entire game and if it doesn't capture me from the first few moments it's going to have to work damn hard to gain my trust. Mass Effect 2's opening sequence was definitely "S**t, I didn't expect that" moments.

A nice feature is that if you have played Mass Effect 1 and still have your save games (unfortunately, it seems I have deleted mine) you can import your character save, retaining its appearance, class and history. Bioware has also said that decisions made in the first game will carry over in ME2, meaning in theory at certain points you'll have a different gaming experience from someone who is visiting the ME universe for the first time.

I have to admit that I didn't get that deeply into the first Mass Effect, certainly not as deeply as I have got into Mass Effect 2.

As I do with most games that have character customisation (usually due to time constraints), I've kept the default look of Commander Shepard, apart from changing armour and headgear during the game, but I've seen examples of players online where who have customised their character's face to almost resemble themselves. You can also customise the colorations and textures on Shepard's armour.

Gameplay: there are several major differences between ME1 and ME2, the most significant being the combat and the role playing elements. Let's be honest here: ME2 is an action game first and foremost with some light role-playing elements added on top. If you're looking for a hardcore RPG where you have to carefully juggle between inventory items, you're going to be disappointed: you won't find it here as there is no inventory system to manage at all and the closest you get to an inventory is checking out your team's weapons loadout before each mission. Personally, ME2 is more appealing for me because the action is now the star of the show and it's not bogged down by RPG elements.

The left bumper pulls up the weapons menu, where you can change both your and your team's weapons during combat, while the left bumper pulls up the biotic powers menu, pausing the game while you assess the situation and select the right armament or offensive power to use. You can use the powers menu to "queue" up a power to each squad mate, depending on the type of foe you are facing, which they will unleash when you release the bumper.

Shepard can take cover by pressing the A button when next to shelter and can now mantle over cover as well. He can also issue commands to his team mates by using the D-pad. So far I've only had one or two moments when squad mates didn't respond to my commands. If a squad mate dies during combat, you can revive them with medi gel once the battle is over.

One of things that has drawn me into Mass Effect 2 is the character development and the back story. Bioware have bought back the dialogue system from the first game - why fix what isn't broken - and it's one of the best systems around. Generally, dialogue options at the top of the wheel are cooperative, those at the bottom are more aggressive. At certain times during conversations you get to interrupt the conversation with a Paragon (friendly) or Renegade (not so friendly) response, indicated with an on-screen prompt. If you pull the corresponding prompt, you've selected the response; if you don't, you haven't. Sometimes not making a response can be the difference between gaining a potential allie's trust or losing it.

The combat feels satisfying, with weapons providing good feedback, and there's a noticeable difference between what the various armaments do. I've found that I've been swapping between various weapons continuously, as different weapons will be needed in different situations or for different foes. While it took a few skirmishes to get used to combining biotic powers and weapons in a battle, soon enough you'll be combining the two to humorous effect (at one point early in the game I had Miranda Lawson use pull on an enemy then I shot him in mid-air). Most of the enemies I've faced so far have been members of a renegade group called the Blue Suns but I've also faced off against mechanised defence systems and the krogan.

Character development: Mass Effect 2 is a story-driven game, so character interaction is front and foremost - and Bioware haven't disappointed here. For the most part, the characters are fleshed out remarkably well and while they are digital characters and I have no feelings for them outside the game world, I'm actually growing to like some of them, especially the fast-talking Professor Mordin Solus, the genetically engineered krogan called Grunt, and even Shepard. In fact, I've certainly grown more attached to the characters in Mass Effect 2 than I ever did to those in Dragon Age Origins. The voice acting is superb, especially from Martin Sheen, who plays the Elusive Man, Michael Beattie as Solus, Steve Blum as Grunt and Seth Green as Normandy's pilot Joker.

As you'd expect the conversations sequences are movie-like in their exposition and some of the best I have seen in a long, long time. With games like Uncharted 2 and now Mass Effect 2, we are now really starting to see the line blur between video games and movies. Of course, ultimately you're being led to the game's final conclusion, but I like like the fact that I at least have some control over what direction my lead character takes, even if the end goal is the same as everyone else's.

Interplanetary travelling, research and mining:  You still plot your travel through the Galaxy Map, but now instead of pressing the A button to instantly travel to your destination you guide a tiny representation of the Normandy around the galaxy map. You also have to keep an eye on the Normandy's fuel levels as if you run out you start using any resources you have mined. Mining for resources is now a mini-game where you find a planet, scan it to see if it has any resources on it then if it does, fire a probe from the Normandy to gather the resource. So far, this is the most tedious part of the game as you have to slowly move a reticle about the surface of the planet until a meter shows the presence of a mineral or anomaly then you fire a probe on to its surface.  Unfortunately, mining is important to the game as you need to gather materials to upgrade technology on the Normandy.

In Mass Effect 2 you don't get new weapons, you do research to upgrade existing weapons. You can either buy upgrades using in-game credits or discover research technology that you take to Normandy's labs and research to upgrade systems, weapons, armour and technology that way.

As I said earlier, the only niggles I've had are the occasional AI pathfinding issues and I'm sure last night during one mission one of my team-mates was using Shepard's voice not their own - but nothing to detract from the experience. I've once had the game lock up on me but that was while connecting to the in-game Cerberus network. I've already downloaded two pieces of DLC.

OK, I think I've rabbited on enough for one day. You've probably gathered that even after a short time playing the game, Mass Effect 2 is definitely a keeper, not a rental (although, that said, if you're after a deep role-playing experience, this might not be the game for you).

Mass Effect 2 is epic in its scale and has drawn me into its world far more than the original did, even after six hours of playing. Stay posted for more impressions as I delve deeper into the universe of Mass Effect.

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