By now you’ve read all the glowing reviews of Mass Effect 2, seen the praise showered on it and perhaps even played it yourself. I’m not going to tell you again what countless other reviewers have said. If you want read love letters to Bioware you can see the reviews from almost every other site on Metacritic.
Instead, I thought I’d try something different: I’m going to play the critic, dealing in criticism and nothing else. Don’t get me wrong, Mass Effect 2 is a masterpiece of narrative, character design and gameplay, but like any game it’s not perfect.
• And in 10 points, I’m going to tell you why.
• A comparison guide between the 360 and PC version is also included,
• As well as an overview of the Collector’s Edition.
• Note that the screenshots are from the PC version of the game.
#1: No room for newbies.
Much more detail and history has gone into the environments
Bit of sticky area since it can be taken in both a positive and negative light, but Mass Effect 2 makes no apologies about being the second chapter of a trilogy.
If you haven’t played (and finished) the first, chances are you’ll be lost and confused within the first few minutes. What’s this Citadel they’re talking about? Who’s Saren? Why do these girls have blue skin and tentacle hair?
Bioware is assuming you know all the characters, locations and plot points of the original and will constantly refer to them without explaining anything for new players. Luckily this problem has a simple solution: just play Mass Effect before you dive into the sequel.
