Simplicity key to 'Mass Effect' success

Bioware's new game is as accessible as humanly possible.

By Chase Koeneke

Published Feb. 2, 2010

Commander Shepard: dead. The high-tech Normandy spacecraft: decimated. Your team: scattered. Yes I just spoiled the plot of "Mass Effect 2" — or rather, the first 20 minutes of it. (Take a breath, all of this was general knowledge from the very first trailer produced. Don't send me letters crying about it. Or do, so I can laugh maniacally at how delightfully evil I am.)

Having Shepard, the man you controlled throughout the first sci-fi epic, die at the very beginning of the sequel might seem a little jarring. But from a gameplay perspective, the move is entirely necessary to allow all players to have a fresh start, as not to alienate (pun intended) any newbies.

Now to be as cryptic, yet spoiler-free as possible, I'll let slip that you'll still play as Shepard this time around. "How?" you might ask. Play the damn game!

If you've played through the original "Mass Effect" (and good God, if you haven't, rectify that immediately — you can find it for $20 or less), you'll notice a lot is different this time around. Gone are the days of Simon Says mini-games, Mako car rock-climbing adventures and cookie-cutter Ikea-looking enemy bases. Gone are the complex inventory systems, the myriad of weapons and piles of modifications. The stripping down of the "Mass Effect" experience definitely leads to a punchier, more action-driven game, if it doesn't necessarily make it better.

Don't get me wrong; developer Bioware has certainly made improvements this time around, especially in the smoother, more seamless combat, but by streamlining the game, it's lost a little something. One of the great things about the original was how strategic you could be in what party members you brought along with you and the modifications you gave them. In "ME2," all that strategy is gone, replaced by a much more tactical experience (taking cover, using your Jedi-like, biotic powers in the correct order, that kind of thing.) It's by no means bad. In fact, it's awesome, but you can't help feeling something's missing.

One thing that's not missing is Bioware's excellent story and dialogue crafting. The conversations feel so real, varied and cinematic, the lines will blur between movie and game.

Another thing that has made the jump from "ME1" is the morality system, albeit, with heaps of improvement. Things are no longer as black and white as they were in the first game. You can still be a straight-laced Paragon character or an evil bastard of a Renegade, but there will be many times where your actions will fall into a murky gray area — like deciding whether or not to maintain genocide for the good of the universe. Sounds like an easy answer now, but wait till you encounter it in the game.

Bioware has made "ME2" as accessible as humanly possible in every aspect, save for one — the story. If you haven't played the original, you'll no doubt feel like you've walked into a movie 30 minutes late. Reapers what? Saren who? For veterans of the first, you'll be right at home, but it can be frustrating if you're coming in mid-trilogy.

"Mass Effect 2" is a gorgeous, highly refined, beast of a title. You'll be sucked into its world and characters, mesmerized by the cornucopia of glorious environments and pumped full of adrenaline from the visceral, satisfying combat. It's easy to call it the best game of the year so far but it will be a testament to Bioware and this game with how much we will still be talking about it come December.