StickSkills.com: Mass Effect 2 Review

StickSkills.com writes, "Back in my pre-Xbox 360 days, my only real exposure to RPGs were the Kingdom Hearts series and the various Mario RPGs on the Super Nintendo and Game Boy Advance. To me, RPGs were anime-esque Japanese games that culture gaps didn't allow me to enjoy. But the dominant RPG experience on the 360 has been the western RPG, like Fallout 3, Fable 2, and the original Mass Effect. The original remains my favorite game of all time, but my heightened expectations for Mass Effect 2 didn't dampen the experience it all. Simply put, Mass Effect 2 is a worthy follow up to the original."

[Chiraku]

I scored pretty much along the same lines and came out giving it a 9.5. It was better than the first to me, I think some people MAY agree with me :p

[A Cupcake for Gabe]

If you were a pre-360 RPG gamer and never played KOTOR...shoot yourself now. Before blowing a load on Mass Effect 2, just know Bioware has been kicking ass for a while now. KOTOR proved to me that the JRPG was on a decline, and the west was starting to take over.

EDIT: Demon's Souls is holding up though...hehe

[vhero]

The problem with the game is you can complete it within 10 hours so to call it an RPG would be madness its a shooter with strong RPG elements. JRPG's last over 30 hours as a standard Fallout 3 a WRPG did the same. ME2 is not a WRPG its a shooter with strong RPG elements.

[MagicAccent]

I strongly disagree.
JRPGs only last that long because of its grind-based formula. Besides, you can not judge a game on the hours it takes to complete the "main quest" instead of what it represents as a whole.
And I don't really think that JRPGs and WRPGs can be compared, since the "RPG" of the two grenes are completely different.

Mass Effect 2 is the most complete RPG experience I've ever had, and as hard as it is for me to admit, it pretty much wipes the floor with every other RPG out there, and not calling it an RPG is pretty much an insult to the grene.

Just my opinion^^

[kingdavid]

Pfft... Mass Effect 2 is only 10 hours long now is it?

Its a good size for a game. If you do everything and dont power rush, its well over 30 hours.

Hell even if you power rush and do everything itd be 20-25 hours anyway.

Its the type of game like any WRPG which you pace yourself at your own level.

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

Mass Effect 2 is about 10 hours if you speed play the first half of the game, nice try though.

[ATi_Elite]

Yes this game has a lot of character development and other RPG elements but 10 hours is not an RPG to me but more of a solid Shooter.

Action Rpg or RPFPS is what this game is. RPG's are Epic 30 40 hour quest.

is it me or did the Hype for this game die down really quick

[MagicAccent]

Mass Effect 2 is not 10 hours long.
If anyone claims to have completed the game within 10 hours, they're either lying or they must have played "Mass Effect 2: The Abridged Version", which I belive was just made up by me.

It took me 32 hours for me to play through it the first time, and I hardly bothered with any side quests.

[GrilledCheeseBook]

best game out so far this year. it has great pacing

[BLADE_X8]

I don't have a 360 anymore, but I am comteplating getting one. I chekced it out at a friend's house, and Mass Effet 2 is GREAT! (MS & Bioware should be very pleased with this product) I am PS3 only....(For now, at least), and will give prop's for this game. Depending on how good Alan Wake is, the actaual release of Splinter Cell, and what the PS3 date for Mass Effect 2 may be (It was confirmed by Bioware and Geoff K. of GamertailersTV of a PS3 VErsion, later down the line), I may ben inclined to get another 360. (But if I get RROD again, then I'm done with MS.) I wil forgive this time, though... and see what MS has for 2010 exclusives.

[DarkBlood]

the game is awsome the ending is epic i just beat it today on insanity mode, did every quest and sidequests in under 53hours and 48mins

its a MUST have in my books

[Lord Vader]

i agree with the score, except I'd give a 10 for presentation. Absoultely the best WRPG ever made. Bioware = You Rock.

[Brixxer600]

I'm currently on my first playthrough and enjoying it more than the original , which i thought would be hard to beat. Will definitely play it through more than once and that is very very rare for me.

Excellent work as usual from Bioware.

[MagicAccent]

I didn't care much for Mass Effect 1, the combat wasn't very interesting and the squad was ineffective if you didn't tediously micro-managed them in every single fight. But, the dialouge system and "universe" was interesting enough to keep me playing to the end.

But Mass Effect 2... Wow.. Game of the flipping decade award. I've never played a game through 2 times and enjoyed it so much. Not even Shadow of the Colussus, Half Life or BWs own KotOR..

BioWare isn't a company, it's a god.

[taylork37]

I liked how they did away with gun pickup in ME1. I had a bazillion of the same guns and I would have to keep discarding them every couple hours. ME2 solved that problem and every other problem. This is truly an awesome game. Now if only Bioware had used the same upgrade system for Dragon Age as they did ME2.

[Conventional]

it rivals (and in most cases trumps) the combat of every third person shooter out there. And with the addition of powers (love using concussion shot), it just adds another dimension. The rest of the review was really solid though...I do agree that the probe system starts to feel like a chore whenever I've decided to clear out an entire system all at the same time, but as long as I break down into segments it isn't bad at all and provides a relief in the dialogue/action.

Mass Effect 2 is definitely my GOTY hands down. I know I'm calling it early but hey, it has done so much justice to the franchise (and the awesome references to stuff in the first) that I just don't see anything else topping it for a long time.