Mass Effect 2 -- Final Opinion.

Some forty plus hours later and I have completed my run through Mass Effect 2. The game fixes most of the issues with the original Mass Effect while only adding one or two new issues. The coolest aspect of Mass Effect 2 is its imported save feature. You're able to carry over all the choices you made in the original game. It goes well beyond the obvious ones like whether or not Wrex survived. The carried over choices number in the dozens and most of those will come into play within Mass Effect 2 in some form or another. This gives Mass Effect 2 a real connection to Mass Effect going beyond it just being a mere sequel. You really get the sense of a single story here. A story with numerous and truly far reaching possibilities. At some point in Mass Effect 2's story you will become very aware that your actions are really going to affect you later in Mass Effect 3 giving you pause and making you really think about your choices. It doesn't hurt that Mass Effect's universe is filled with a wonderfully deep lore that's fascinating. Nor does it hurt that the game feels like a cross between a space based western and a detective story. Mass Effect 2's story isn't doing anything original. It liberally pulls from the best in the genre. A lot of Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica, and a little Star Trek. Mass Effect 2's story is being deftly told. Mass Effect 2 also sees BioWare stepping further away from their character archetypes. Mass Effect 2 easily offers up the most diversified group of characters they've ever produced. Mass Effect 2's story structure allows roughly half the game to be focused on the playable characters. They are all very well written and voiced. I was continually surprised by their loyalty missions. Every last one of them was great. Mass Effect 2 takes place a few years after the first game's conclusion and that allowed for the returning characters to experience some growth. Again I found myself surprised by how they had changed and how time and the situation had changed their opinion of my Shepard. Mass Effect 2 provides a very satisfying middle chapter to the trilogy and I can't wait to see how it all wraps up. As far as gameplay goes, most of the changes are for the better. The Mako and exploration of planets is gone entirely, and it's not missed. The fuel system is painless and doesn't detract from the fun in any way. The scanning for minerals is relatively painless and falls short of tedium. The weapon and ship upgrade system works well and is integrally tied to the plot. The new class weapon structure is vastly superior to the original game. The cover system works for the most part but it's slightly annoying that you need to get into cover before climbing up anything. And the cover system will flake out on you a couple times during the game. Graphically the game is great looking. I personally play with the grain filter off. I prefer the clean look. The environments are all dissimilar this time around. No more cookie cutter locations in design or visual style. The alien character faces still all look amazing while the human faces still look less than amazing. Musically the game once again provides a wonderful and creative blend of styles to produce a truly interesting soundscape. The voice work is top notch all around. Not a bad voice in the game. The achievements for Mass Effect 2 are a vast improvement over the originals. Although they're still forcing numerous playthroughs and level goals. But the squad member ones have been removed entirely. Now you can switch out your party members as you see fit. It also seems that the game is far more stable with hardly any glitches. And they've learned from one of the major mistakes of the first game in allowing you to play on after the story so you're not locked out of any potential download content. I really enjoyed Mass Effect 2, and I can't wait to import this Shepard into the final game of the trilogy. I'm giving Mass Effect 2 a 9.5.