Review by Fabiano “Deimos” Backpack
Two years of waiting, in some fields, may be very little but in the world of videogames, sometimes it is a real eternity. Mass Effect 2 ad opera dei Bioware (development house that now needs no introduction), is one of those games that are expected almost with water in the throat and where every information leaked by the countless rumors of the network seems to become a sort of Holy Grail of anticipations. In a few days, the game will be made available in stores around the world and millions of fans will be able to relive the exploits of Commander Shepard: We at WelcomeGaming.com obviously also travel in time and space and we have played the title before many others, just to review one of the best games of the new year.
THEY GAVE HIM FOR DEAD
Shepard is dead.
These were the first official sources from Bioware.
But, as often happens, the truth is close but also far from what the rumors want us to believe: actually, the story behind ME2 starts with the total destruction of the Normandy, the end of Shepard who is catapulted into space and all his team dispersed in various worlds of the Universe. This and only this.
Two years later we wake up, we open our eyes and we discover that we weren't so dead or at least we were but now we are back from the dark realm. How this is possible is not a mystery and in the first half hour of the game, we will discover that we have been saved from old enemies already met in the first chapter (I'm not telling you anything, in part, so as not to spoil the surprise). So we are alive and moreover, we immediately discover that we have been empowered (the famous scar that was seen in the first presentation films circulated on the internet, could suggest a similar thing) ... in what way and to what extent, it still eludes us but as the story takes shape, we will be able to test powers truly incredible.
Another really crazy thing, will be the fact that the game does not immediately put us in the shoes of Commander Shepard as we knew him in the first chapter, we will not be members of the Alliance but simple "puppets" managed by an obscure individual called "the mysterious man ". No one knows anything about his past, but in his future we see glory and the desire to discover the intricate mystery that the game puts before us. If in the first ME we had to fight against the Reapers, here we will have to deal with a perhaps even more dangerous and technologically advanced race, called the Collectors: sentient insects that have kidnapped and destroyed several human colonies. It will be up to us to take control of the new Shepard, set aside millions of questions for a moment to form a new team to deal with the destruction of this deadly new race of rulers. Attention, we are talking about a new team but in the course of the game, we will also be able to get in touch with the old teammates of the Alliance.
MAXIMUM EFFECT
I immediately cut the bull's head and tell you that this ME2 is a real playful video masterpiece that takes with both hands from everything that was already perfect in the first chapter, further raising the bar in all those things that were scarce and tries to improve, succeeding, in turn. Not for nothing, the real novelty of this sequel is made up of a series of secondary missions, damn fun and varied as instead, in the first game, they were flat and too repetitive. Not only will we be able to explore a galaxy that has never been so alive and varied (stuff to make Star Wars pale) but we will immerse ourselves in a series of sub-quests that will further enrich the general background of the whole game. Incidentally, every situation that arises will hide a moral choice that Shepard and company, just will not be able to dodge and that will emphasize once again the altruistic or cynical side of ourselves, puppeteers of a truly excellent character. Of course, always like the first episode, here too the various discussions will lead to alternatives that will dynamically unlock one or more game situations but not only that, intervening with a bad or a good side will lead us to solve a mission more or less worthily.
Another really important question of the missions has changed compared to the first chapter is that if the player has left behind several side quests, at the end of the game you will be able to continue playing to close every detail of ME2 ... well yes, you got it right: in the first chapter at the end the story and the game ended, here we will be able to continue wandering around the galaxy, discovering countless planets and characters. Really an excellent choice by Bioware that with this move wins a large slice of players who maybe want to enjoy the main story immediately and then leave the secondary missions as a side dish.
Other innovations concern the gameplay of the clashes, the use of weapons and the expansion of the main equipment. Shepard and associates will not be able to acquire new weapons only with the simple money found around the missions but they will need raw materials to develop new technologies. These materials will have to be searched for on each planet explored (through the use of some special probes). Having said that, you will understand how to become stronger, it will not be enough to kill everything that moves on the screen (to level up) but we will also have to deepen the leveling of weapons and armor - that in this ME2 they have never been so varied and beautifully made but, of the graphic plan, we will discuss it very soon. Another factor that is taken from the first chapter and expanded is the choice of Shepard's specialization, now we can distinguish ourselves in six different classes. In turn, these classes will be able to include the use of specialization for light and heavy firearms, one for biotic powers (some of which are really devastating) and the last one dedicated to technology that will allow us to directly control robots or other forms of artificial intelligence.
To finish on the destructive level, I point out how weapons have become a real class to be taken in single-player, never as in this game have I been able to see so much variety of firepower and genre: pistols, plasma machine guns, grenade launchers, energy rifles, missile launchers, contact bombs, explosive or beam rifles, energy cannons and so on, impossible to categorize them all, the variety is truly excellent and each weapon has its effect.
Obviously, for every successful fight, it is not enough to have the best weapons in the galaxy and here comes one of the other news for ME2. If in the first chapter the clashes were sometimes too rambling, in this second episode you will be able to face the enemies by specially repairing us practically everywhere. The game did not become a sort of Gears of War but we lacked a little: we must therefore not only think about the firepower but to fully rely on the companions, manageable both from the action bar at the bottom of the screen and from the new bar at the top which will allow us to choose with a click the power to use or the action to perform. Trust me when I tell you that the clashes, right now, are exciting as never before and even the recovery of health at GoW to be clear, is more intuitive than ever. Savvy gamers may not like this more action-packed conversion of the game too much, but the overall result is still excellent. Just as the game's controls remain excellent, everything is at your fingertips with the classic "WASD" to move Shepard, "Q and E" to move your companions and send them to a certain position of cover, "R" to reload the weapon and mouse to control sight and fire. Intuitive and simple, as well as the fact that to recall the "tactical bar", just push and hold the left "shift" that can be easily managed with the little finger of the left hand. As absurd as it may seem, I have tried playing ME2 with the pad and the result is less accurate than the mouse and keyboard which remain highly recommended as a control device.
A GRAPHIC COMPUTER SCI-FI FILM
We now come to the more technical aspect of the game, the visual part.
The images accompanying the article speak for themselves, ME2 is an authentic masterpiece, a full-fledged science fiction film, where the visual counterpart has been treated in every detail. Nothing, I repeat nothing of the game is out of place or smudged. I could stop here but I want to raise the product to the highest level, both in terms of situations with a strongly cinematic cut that an excellent use of general lighting. Still, one is amazed by the enormous amount of details that not only the weapons, the armor or the various characters but also the scenographies in which the missions will take place. Never seen so much graphic beauty all together and I swear to you that I hadn't taken a break in a game for years, just to admire every detail moving across the screen.
From the visual to the audio level, the step is short but even in this case I can only congratulate the developers. Each sequence of the game is treated in every audio detail, from the background voices to those purely dedicated to the main soundtrack. Weapons and characters have a life of their own thanks to the sounds they emit (among which I point out a lip that is practically never without smudges, all translated into our mother tongue). In short, ME2 goes beyond my most sincere expectations and, perhaps because of all this visual goodness, I bitterly wonder how it will be the third chapter (and last, being a trilogy) of a game that already shows its muscles in every detail. .
But, some of you may be wondering something very important, is therefore the perfect game? Well no, even if it comes very close to him. Unfortunately, ME2 is also not exempt from some gross errors such as the disappearance of some textures, too evident diftering in the shadows or an annoying interpenetration of polygons in some scene (not to mention some characters who appear and disappear mysteriously in the movies). Sins of youth, we could say this if it weren't for the fact that the name of Bioware hides behind them, people who play games as well as think them, also know how to program them damn well. So let's get rid of these little mistakes because what is left of them is a giant made of emotions and fun.
Review - Mass Effect 2 tested on PS3
PC and Xbox 360 gamers had to wait a couple of years before they could get their hands on the second chapter of Mass Effect, after the first one ended leaving too many doubts and questions that needed to be answered. For PlayStation 3 owners, this ordeal didn't just seem longer, it was. For months the rumors have been chasing each other, then Bioware has officially confirmed it and this brand new saga has finally landed also on PS3, but with some news and several exclusives. Do you want to know which ones? Follow us in our review.
LET'S START FROM THE PRINCIPLE
Before being able to fully enter the atmosphere of Mass Effect 2 it is recommended to know most of the events of the first chapter and Bioware has remedied this lack on PS3 thanks to the work of Dark Horse Comics. Through an interactive comic in which you can interact on some choices, the player will be told briefly all the most important events that involved the Normandy and Commander Shepard. Once the comic, exclusive to PlayStation 3, is finished, the adventures of the new chapter will begin which will see the reconstruction of Shepard by the men of Cerberus. Although useful, the comic, however, is not necessary to play Mass Effect 2, Bioware in fact gave the second chapter of the series a real new beginning. Mass Effect 2 - Launch trailer available on ours GamesVideoTV
While wearing the role of Shepard, the commander will not turn out to be the same person from the first chapter and our nemesis will be a completely new character and not tied to the events of Mass Effect - however some jokes and events dive fully into the past history and can be fully enjoyed just by knowing Shepard's previous life. For more details on the plot and gameplay of the game, we refer you to the review written by Fabiano Backpack on the PC version of the title.
It should also be noted that on PlayStation 3, Mass Effect 2 is already included of the three DLCs released so far for the game, namely "Kasumi, the stolen memory", "Overlord" and "The Shadow". To get the three packages, however, it is necessary to connect the console to the internet and download a package from the PSN by redeeming the code present in the package. Once the download is complete, the three DLCs will fit into the main story of Mass Effect 2 and blend perfectly - there will obviously be a minor interaction with the added characters of the DLC, but the structure used by Bioware has allowed for the downloadable content. to be treated in game as simple side missions.
"Rambo is crap compared to me !!" cit. Commander Shepard
GOOD TO DIE FOR ... Few stories, Mass Effect 2 on PlayStation 3 is a real feast for the eyes. We are facing the umpteenth evolution of Unreal Engine 3, the same evolution that the guys at Bioware will exploit for the third installment of the series. Despite this evolution, however, in practice the actual differences between the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, on a technical level, are very few. The same defects that last year plagued the title on the Redmond console, a year later also occur on the Japanese black monolith. Nonetheless, Mass Effect 2 is one of the most beautiful games of recent years: the long loads, the sometimes not very defined textures and a general problem of lack of antialiasing are not enough to make this new series sink. too soon.
The audio sector, of course, has not undergone any changes compared to the PC and X360 versions. The dubbing in español language is excellent, with good care regarding the synchrony and respect for the original texts. Equally great is the soundtrack and audio effects that will never leave us during the game, but never become heavy or boring.
CONCLUSION An interactive comic published by Dark Horse Comics, the three compelling DLCs with over six hours of new content and the presence of a revised and improved graphics engine, make Mass Effect on PlayStation 3 an offer to lick the bass. If we add to this that we can feast our eyes on the graphics engine that will be used for the third installment of the series, we just have to say “wow”.
Shepard I have to confess the truth… I suffer from myopia in my right eye.
Whether you already know Shepard and the Normandy or not, Mass Effect 2 on PlayStation 3 is a must-have, there is no excuse to leave this game in stores.
The game is already available for Xbox 360 and Personal Computer since January last year. PlayStation 3 owners can enjoy the second chapter of Mass Effect instead from January 21, 2011.
Well yes, the most observant of you will accuse me of using this quote from "Blade Runner" too often in my reviews but what can I do, I'm like that, when a game breaks it is impossible not to come up with this phrase.
In short, there would be many other things to add regarding the final comment that I did not already say in the review phase but I could go on for hours and never get to describe the beauty and near perfection of ME2. Its story is wonderful and capable of giving the player a crazy visual system.
It feels like watching an interactive film, pure science fiction and pure emotion.
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