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Videogames are journeys that sometimes take us into dark spaces. But in my Mass Effect review I wanted to consider how it's our individual choices that are the real drama makers.

The song for Mass Effect 2 was born out of a strange experience I had when I decided to go to Portugal on my birthday. We ended up in Cadiz just as the city was in crazy carnival mode. When we finally got out it was like this very wired surreal dark place with costumes and masks everywhere.
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Mass Effect 2 is one chapter in a greater story. This is both its biggest strength and its greatest weakness: middle-act syndrome. However, although less fleshed out than the original, it manages to display atmosphere, character and its clever implementation of choices to create an immensely enticing role to play.

There were several points in Mass Effect that required an important decision. Some were small, such as how to deal with a street preacher, or break into a corporate office. Many were far weightier, often involving life-or-death consequences. There's a choice of which team member to save at one point, as well as an argument that potentially leads to the death of another.
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Mass Effect 2 cut much of what I loved from the first game. But with this much majesty and mystery on offer, who cares. Mustering the cultural sensibilities of a Mos Eisley space Bar, I could do little but jump in with both feet and explore.

I played much of Mass Effect 2 with one sock on. I'll come home from work, start to take my shoes and socks off, and then something will take hold - Something I think I've forgotten, or a game that I've spent all day looking forward to playing, or even a simple realization that I need to start cooking dinner. Either way, I'll be off, one sock strewn in the hallway, the other planted on my foot and moving at speed.
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Mass Effect 2's single minded refinement creates a focused squad building experience with rich and wide ranging quests. But it's a 360 and PC experience that demands a lot of investment, you will only really 'get it' if you love it enough to commit whole heartedly.

I'd like to avoid stereotyping myself as a typical man, but I do have issues with commitment. Mass Effect 2 is not a game that allows us men to behave as we do - it requires a level of commitment we would usually avoid. I cannot play it whole heartedly without it affecting those around me, and there is the distinct possibility that I will lose more than I gain. Yet the bonds between myself and the myriad AI characters and my desire for their friendship drive me on. I cannot help but talk with every member of the team as the Normandy slowly fills with the mercenaries I need to succeed.
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Mass Effect 2 has a strong brooding soundtrack that evokes characters and themes from the game. The darker themes that blend throughout and the overall quality mean this should be an album any sci-fi fan will enjoy.

Jack Wall's original soundtrack for the first Mass Effect was a chilled-out piece of electronica, heavy on repetitive synth and evoking the feel of a 70's sci-fi series, perfect in tone for that particular videogame. But for Mass Effect 2 the lightness and airy nature has been replaced with some epic orchestral pieces, blended together perfectly with the same synth sound to create a darker, more epic soundtrack befitting the sequel.
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Mass Effect 2 on PC and Xbox 360 is a beautifully crafted space opera from the characters to gameplay. Technically too, this is simply a much better game, benefiting from techniques that improve every aspect and bring a fulfilling game full of jaw dropping moments and brilliant gameplay.

Mass Effect 2 continues the outer space drama of humanities plight against, depending on your choices from the first, a great and many different things, such as the citadel council or most likely this games massive threat - the Collectors.
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Mass Effect 2 is one of the greatest video games that I have ever played. The subtle links to the first game, the standard of character writing and the universe detail gave me an experience I quite literally fell in love with.

What's more, recruiting old and new crew-members and the development of these characters made the journey of my Commander Shepard all the more special. I felt like I was interacting with proper people and meant the final act of the game was a brutal roller-coaster that left me drained and exhausted.
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Mass Effect 2 puts right disappointments from the first game on the 360. But, for all its nuanced storytelling, it still struggles to escape from being an awkward and lumpy middle child. Whereas Empire Strikes Back managed to revel in its position and be its own film, Mass Effect 2's heavily treaded storytelling wants to get us to part three.

After a slow start I found myself wanting Mass Effect 2 to never end. The more I played, the more involved I became with the characters and their back stories. A stark contrast from my time with the original Mass Effect which left me disappointed at the lack of identifiable characters. Mass Effect 2 was an experience that really resonated with me thanks to the side quests that focused on issues I could relate to due to my own life experience. It's just a shame that at times it felt uneven and clearly the second part of a trilogy rather than an individual title in its own right.
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Mass Effect 2 for Xbox 360 and PC continues the exploits of Commander Shepard in this epic space-opera sequel that delves into darker territory as the fate of humanity and the entire galaxy hangs in the balance. With an improved combat system that puts the emphasis on action rather than menu fiddling, a more dynamic dialogue system and some intense storytelling devices, Mass Effect 2 is a perfect action/RPG that delivers an amazing experience.

The epic universe founded in the first Mass Effect game continues in this sequel, Mass Effect 2 for Xbox 360 and PC, and improves the game in nearly every aspect for a superior experience. The second part of an intended trilogy, Mass Effect 2 takes a much darker turn both in tone and visual style from the very beginning - this is very much the Empire Strikes Back entry in the Mass Effect canon.
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