It could have been better
Mass Effect 2 was not as great as the first one. Instead of sticking with the original keyboard settings, they altered them which made game play difficult initially, even knowing the keys. In addition, they removed the shortcut keys for the journal, codex and squad screens, making it take more time to access those screens.
The combat in Mass Effect 2 was actually pretty cool, sort of. The problem with the combat system was that you didn't have a visible hit point or shield gauge. Instead, the only way to tell you are taking damage is the edge of your screen turns red, and then it begins to look like blood vessels around the edge, and it gets darker red and you hear a heart beat. Healing is MUCH easier though, because all you have to do is take cover and you will heal up. Medi-gel is used for Unity, which you use if your allies are killed in battle.
The skill system is fairly straight forward, but kind of limited in my opinion. Each character gets 4 skills. 2 of them are available at the start, the third is opened by reaching a certain level, usually 2, in the first skill. The fourth skill requires you complete the loyalty quest for that ally. Once a skill reaches level 4 you get to pick what path the skill takes, such as the ammo skills being "group" or more powerful, or the ally's class skill going for better offensive capabilities. I suppose the limited skill system has to do with the change in combat and the lack of inventory, which brings up a new topic.
The lack of inventory is replaced with the weapons locker, which allows you to select your weapons, and the armor stylization menu. My problem was I couldn't find a way to compare weapons, and in reality, the weapons you got were better than the previous ones, and the only real way to improve them was to do research. The armor customization was okay, but it really seemed limited...actually seemed is inaccurate, it was severally limited. You had only a few choices of upgrades, which you had to buy. I think I counted about 3 or 4 per slot.
The research system was nice, but it was also annoying because it required you to survey planets, which introduced a whole new confusing "mini-game". I refer to surveying as a mini-game because you spent hours surveying planets, and you had to do each planets carefully in case you miss something. Granted I was very thorough in my searches, mainly because costs of research ranged from fairly reasonable to a bit more than what seemed logical. Of course, research also plays a big part in the endgame as well, as you will get numerous upgrades for the Normandy.
In all, I think the game seemed like it was rushed to put together, and the story was short, even with the side quests for the allies it could probably be finished in under 24 hours.
To put it simply, the game does not live up to it's predecessor, but despite all it's faults, it's still worth playing, especially since it will allow you to transfer characters to Mass Effect 3 when it goes live.Read full review
