Mass Effect 2 for Xbox 360 Reviews by Gamers

No Spoilers

Let me start off by saying that this game stands on its own; for those of you who have not played the first Mass Effect, this game is a breathtaking experience in itself. Players who import a character from the first game will start with a few extra resources, but it can be gained if you don't import a character too.
This game has very little downside to it. The combat system has be completely reworked to be near perfect, for a third person shooter with a full cover system. There are six different classes to choose from each with its own benefits to work with.
This game has the most in depth character creation ever made. Each person in the game is unique in personality and background. This goes along with the voice acting which is some of the best I've ever seen in a video game. The conversations in the game flow as smoothly as they would in real life. It truly feels like you're directing your own movie as you connect with characters in the game. You can isolate yourself as one who is just trying to achieve the main goal, or you can develope relationships with those around you by helping them with their problems, becoming romantically involved, and plenty of other things too.
Now for the one flaw I found in the game: Planet Scanning, the process of scanning a planet for minerals to upgrade things in the game, it comes to be a bit irritating. For me it just didnt hit the right notes though, but it certainly did not even make me consider not giving this game a great review.
One of the most recognizable things about this game is the choices you make in it. You could be the good guy who does everything in the morally correct way, for the right reasons. Or you can be the one who goes to extreme lengths to get any job done no matter what the cost. And lastly you could be a steady blend of both. Every decision matters for the outcome of the game, who lives, and what will happen in the third and final game.
Dont miss out on this game. Its amazing.

Leading up to the release of ME2, this was the first game in a long time I have been REALLY excited for. That kind of expectation level can lead to a let down.

There was no letdown. This game is AMAZING.

From a pure gameplay experience, the game is flawless so far. It starts with a bang, quietly giving you a tutorial while distracting you from it even being a tutorial. The story and gameplay then move so seamlessly you don't even realize when you are out of the "learning" areas.

The graphics are stunning, with artistic vision put on the screen with some of the best graphics of an XBOX game yet. There are great graphics touches all over, from the back of Shepard's suit having a Dead Space-esque look to tell you about health and biotic power levels, to there being windows in the space stations you have to stop and look out just because the view is THAT good. The character models are clean and animate great, and the dialog is perfectly synced with the words and the people look as real as any video game person can get.

The battle system is much like Gears of War, just more advanced and much more flexible due to it being squad based where YOU can dictate commands to your squadies. Its flexible for all players - if you want non-stop cover based action, map your squadies powers to the D-pad and you never have to break. If you are like me and like to pause the action, assess and dish out multiple commands, it lets you do that. The action is crunchy and bloody - target a head and you can pop it like a grape. Throw an enemy into the air and explode it with a shot and itll rain blood and body parts.

The story, just like in ME1, is very, very good, with tons of dialog and really deep characters. Every character is intriguing, and every mission is intense. There are no "go and bring me 5 wolf feet" missions. You are doing important work here.

This game is about as good as it gets. You WILL get lost in this game - prepare for a huge time sink.

Jaw dropping graphics, epic story which rivals the best syfy book or film, 1st rate voice acting. An experience that must not be missed. Do yourself a favor and do not play Mass Effect 2 before you play 1. Not required, but it will enhance your experience. I finished my first play-through in 54 hours, but I am a bit of a completionist. A normal playthrough can be done in about 35 hours. Why would you want to rush it?

If you have your game save from ME1, you can import your character into ME2. Your stats however do not carry over as you will once again be a level 1 hack again. However, after you complete your 1st play, you can play again with your character stats intact. In typical Bioware form, your character from ME2 will carry over into ME3 so don't delete your game saves.

The RPG elements are still there, but not nearly as convoluted. ME2 is more of a shooter this time around, which adds to the pace of the game.

Overall the best single player game of all time. The wait for ME3 is going to be agonizing.

If you enjoy this game, I recommend ME1, Bioshock 1 and 2, Assassin's Creed 1 and 2, Fallout 3, Oblivion, The Orange Box(The Half Life Games plus Portal, which is a must play), Borderlands, Gears of War 1 and 2. All epic games on their own merits, I consider them must plays.

OK, I was a huge fan of Mass Effect, so this was a major buy for me. I love how your save file from Mass Effect has ripples in Mass Effect 2. The new customizable weapons and skill classes are very easy to navigate through. A ton of things make this game great, with almost nothing bad. There is a new targeting system that helps you kill enimies faster. The graphic look amazing, and the new speech lets you interuppt people talking and show brute force to make them talk. There are 10 characters (not including sheperd) that you can have on your team.

The story starts about 2 months after number one, with human colonies dissapearing all over the galaxy. The game is LONG, ive logged 26 hours with out making it to disc two. The voice acting in the game could be better but over all i give this game a 9.5

It feels like a totally different game from the first. Combat is the biggest improvement here, everything about it is now tighter. The Mako is now gone, replaced with scanning and visiting planets. It's time-consuming, but you get side missions and important resources that you use to upgrade the team. You have more team members now. Contrary to popular belief, you can get them all.

The game itself it shorter than the first. I completed everything at just below 28 hours, but it was 28 hours well spent.

What people will notice is that you have fewer skills to choose from but the increase of party members makes up for this.

Combat can get a bit repetitive though, but the game usually mixes things up enough that you don't get the feeling often. Enemies are now more diverse, not being just limited to mostly geth and a few soldiers.

Also if you haven't, play the first game. People will tell you that skipping to the second game is a valid option. I guess it is, but you take so much more out of the second one if you played the first one. Not only do some stats carry over, your decisions ACTUALLY matter for several key events.

Game isn't perfect but it's the closest thing to it.

ME2 builds on everything that was great about the first game and improves on everything that wasn't. I can't think of anything that has not had some extra special attention given it in this game, but the two main improvements that stand out to me are the tedious exploring and loot management systems. Both have been revamped and are perfectly executed.

As far the story, it doesn't get better than this. Though not the most original storyline ever, it is told with the skill of an academy award winning writing and production staff. Voice acting is spot on and you'll find quite a few familiar voices in there, such as Martin Sheen, Michael Dorn, and Carrie Ann Moss. It's an emotionally driven story that keeps you playing and actually gets you caring about the characters and their struggles.

A++. But be warned...you HAVE to play through the first game if you want the full experience. Trust me, it's worth it. Don't rush!

As someone who was a fan of the first Mass Effect, I was looking forward to 2's release. Nothing could have prepared me for what Mass Effect 2 had in store. Simply put, this is one of the best games I have played, ever. Every flaw that its predecessor had has been removed or fixed. I was unfortunate to have lost my save data from the first game, but it did not take away from the experience.

With graphics rivaling the best the 360 has to offer, fantastic combat, and a voice cast that performs wonderfully, this game captured me till the end and left me wanting more.

I have nothing bad to say about this game, I can only hope that the next installment can stay on par, Bioware has really outdone themselves with this one.

This is one of the best science fiction game ive ever played. Normally i dont play RPGs but i made an exception for this one. It doesnt play like a RPG but more of a shooter. The gameplay is simple, the music is OUT OF THIS WORLD, the graphics are really good it brings out the sci-fi of the characters, the story is good, this game just has everything a hardcore gamer wants. A RPG/SHOOTER, GREAT STORY, GRAPHICS, MUSIC, AND GAMEPLAY. I would HIGHLY recomend this game to anyone. ;P

It's not often when a developer puts out a mediocre game and turns around and does something 20 times better but Bioware has done it.

Mass Effect two is awesome. So I'll just list off some pros and cons and leave it at that.

-----Pros-----
-The stupid vehicle is finally gone. You no longer have to drive a car that controls like a grocery cart filled with bricks.

-No more elevator loading screens. There's still loading screen but they're actually cool to look at. It's like seeing the display consoles on Star Trek so it's a nice change.

-The cities and locations are far more easier to navigate. Example: In ME1 you had to navigate the Citadel and it took many gameplay hours to memorize where everything was not to mention all of the loading screens in between locations. Now cities are mostly just like stories on a building. Rather than elevators and loading screens you simply go up or down stairs and the stories are much smaller making it easier to remember where everything is.

-You can talk all shop keeper into giving you a discount.

-No more overheating weapons or having to manage the armor for teammates. Yes you do have clips now, but I find it hard to run out of ammo since enemies drop plenty with the exception of heavy weapons.

-Surveying is no longer a simple push of a button. It's actually a neat little mini game and not only that but the minerals you collect can be used to upgrade weapons, armor, and your ship. Where in the first game it did nothing.

-The cover system has been greatly improved.

-The run feature actually makes your character run rather than what it did in the first game. Which was simply zooming the camera towards your back and blurring the environment a wee bit.

-----Cons-----

-The weapons no longer have stats. So it's hard to find out which is better.

-The cover system doesn't have a "Blind Fire" function.

-The game ended.

-The game wasn't delivered to me by a beautiful stripper.

Don't rent this game, buy it

This game immerses you into a world like our own with many different alien cultures. The game takes you all throughout the entire milky way galaxy outside of our own cluster.the aspects of the game our superb everything you do affects all the things around like the analogy of a butterfly dying effects the entire universe. Also allows you to import your character from ME1 (Mass Effect 1). Another good aspects is the ability to upgrade your equipment and ship outside of the skill tree skill point requirements. This games graphics are spectacular one of the most real looking games i have ever seen in my life and i started out playing NES(Nintendo Entertainment System) since i was 3years old. If this hasn't made it already sound good enough there is also several expansions to the game that are well worth purchasing they add to the story in more ways than you could imagine with each expansion you learn so much more than just the general goal you discover new characters and uncover dark secrets of peoples past.If you don't already own this game i suggest it as a must buy for all gamers of every kind because not only is it a RPG but it has a 3rd person combat system that i have yet to find a flaw with. For you people who don't get what that means it means you get to shoot people and they catch fire,freeze,get electrocuted and all sorts of other fun things. Like i already said this is a must buy if my review doesn't sway you then please rent the game and find out for yourself you will be immersed into a world with countless possibilities and limitless fun.

i love the graphics. when i played the first one, i was expecting more out of the second one. i have to admit, the graphics on this are absolutely astonishing. there is one little thing that seems to not bother me too much. When you holster your weapons and run normally, when you run off a somewhat high ledge, your player looks like one of those robots with hover boots engaged. it doesnt annoy me as much, i tune it out, but i find it funny. overall, its still a great addicting game

I have heard more than once or twice that a game is the best game ever realeased only to be let down after spending 60 bucks. Well for once the review guys got it right!!! From the opening scene your are on the edge of your seat as if you were in a dragster with no seatbelt heading for wall wondering whats next. The gameplay is much improved from Mass Effect 1 with an easier combat system along with rmore weapons. I love the fact you can design your character how you would like and throughout the entire game your look never changes unless you change it. The dialouge and decision making adds a nice level to the game to make it a great RPG, and then you the action takes over and you have a wonderful action game. I played this game for 8 to 9 hours at a time and only quit because my wife threatened to divorce me if I didnt turn it off. The graphics are another great aspect of the game, they flowed flawlessly through the game. If I had one complaint it was the load times between scenes they tend to be a little long but once you dive into the next scene it was all worth it. I give this game a TEN and I have never down that before.

The recently released Mass Effect 2 is a masterpiece. It is a genre defining game. Mass Effect 2 is set in the year 2185, 2 years after the events of the 1st game, Commander Shepard finds himself faced with yet another challenge.

Bioware did exactly what a gaming company was supposed to do when making a sequel: fix old issues and add new and interesting gameplay elements and if necessary story.

First let me get the praise out of the way. The combat is vastly improved with less time on cool downs included. The new business with Thermal Clips was a compelling idea, much like reloading in any shooter. In the first game, the player would have to wait a certain amount of time if their weapon overheated. Now, we use thermal clips (more of a euphemism for regular clips as you have a certain number of shots you can fire now) In addition, the loyalty missions in this game are an excellent addition. Every character has a personal mission that one can complete for bonuses (as such I'm not spoiling anything), these can range from shooting things to surveillance. There are now more romance options for your crew instead of the previous game only having 2 romance options. It has a high replay value in my eyes as I've beaten it several times and have several playthroughs to identify what is good and bad about the game.

There is very little criticism for this game that i can think of off the top of my head. There is a very small selection of weapons and armor as opposed to the last game. Your given at a minimum of 2 weapons per weapon type depending on what class you are playing. However, this is countered by the fact that every gun and your character can be upgraded using certain scavenged, bought, downloaded or unlocked upgrades. Compared to the first game, the story is not as strong, it is still great mind you but not quite as good as the first game's story.

I have believed that no game deserves a 10 out of 10, but Mass Effect 2 just might break that belief.

Check it out

I make no secret of the huge reservoir of adoration I have for the extraordinary gaming products brought to our world courtesy of BioWare. These guys work tirelessly on some of the best RPGs I’ve ever played. From Baldur’s Gate II onward, I have yet to come across a BioWare product I didn’t like. Mass Effect 2 carries on the tradition, and has perhaps cemented the series as my favorite RPG of all-time. This game is quite simply one of the most brilliant gems released for the Xbox since the original in 2007. Every marked frustration anyone had with the first game has been either removed or addressed. The result is that the game is very easily playable as an RPG, a third-person shooter, or both.

My recommendation comes to you based on the wise words of Robert McKee: “Wow them in the end, and you’ve got a hit.” The ending to Mass Effect 2 is easily one of the most amazing and heart-pounding final sequences of any medium simply because you don’t know if your party will survive until it’s over. The resulting pressure just makes you focus a little harder, your reflexes tweak a little faster, and your eyes catch just a little more. It did that to me, at least, which says something about the quality of this game: the characters are easy to relate to and you’ll want to see them all make it back alive from the final confrontation.

If you’re a fan of RPGs, you owe it to yourself to play Mass Effect 2. If you’re a fan of shooters, you ought to play Mass Effect 2. If you like quality storytelling, moral dilemmas, and science-fiction, play the first one and then play Mass Effect 2. In the end, this is Game of the Year material, so much so that it’s sad to think that it will likely be overlooked at the end of this year. I cannot recommend this highly enough. It is, quite honestly, as perfect a game as anything I’ve ever played.

In a nutshell…
Graphics: 10/10
Sound: 10/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Story: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Overall: 10/10

Honestly, I don't even know where to begin. Everything about this game is presented and executed so beautifully and it works. Some of the old features from ME1 did not make an appearance such as the land rover "Mako", the inventory system, grenades, and something that personally bothered me, the radar at the bottom right of the screen is gone (it's there, but you have to bring up the power/weapon wheels to see it).

The characters in Mass Effect 2 in my opinion are what makes the game. After starting the game and meeting some new characters you may feel a bit disconnected from it at first, but as the story progresses and if you choose to do the Loyalty missions that each character has to offer, you'll be bridging the gap between you and the characters in no time, to the point where you'll find yourself caring for the characters and hoping they survive.

The graphics are a vast improvement from its predecessor. The facial features of the aliens and humans that you interact with are so good, it almost feels real. The armor of Shepard is my favorite thing to look at though, it's incredibly well detailed.

The music is terrific. Its epic, it makes you feel epic. The moments in this game are so exhilarating with the help of the soundtrack that you're adrenal glands can't help but secrete epinephrine (adrenaline). ;)

Finally the story, though the game's story feels short and can disappoint most gamers, however it's largely supported by the characters that you recruit throughout the game. The stories main antagonist threatens all living organisms in the galaxy, and with the marvelous job BioWare has done with uniting the gamer and the characters, it's hard not to care.

Overall Mass Effect 2 is a masterpiece that many space opera fans, shooter gamers, rpg gamers, and anyone that's interested in diving into a mesmerizing universe should definitely explore.

The only downside? The game ended. :(

I gotta say, i've played alot of video games in the past few years and mass effect 2 is one of the best games i have ever played. The game is truely magnificent and it is one of those you don't have to play the first one to experience the game (although the story will be more better and familiar if you play the first one). The graphics are fantastic, the audio music and the voice acting is extremely well done and voice options fit and the lips are in synch. The game is extremely fun, letting you prowl to wherever you choose and the ending is quite possibly a game of the year ending. RENT/BUY THIS GAME!

I have spent the past 3 and a half days working this game, i cant get enough. Sure i enjoy video games occasionally but i've never felt so enveloped by one, i'm not even a big rpg player, usually i find them boring, and shooters, they get old fast, this game had me hooked from the start. The voice acting was unbelievably well done and bioware did a great job bringing us in on the emotions that run through this game, though i have never played mass effect 1 I am impressed enough to play that next and import my character to this 2nd installment as if the 3rd was coming out next week.

Bioware has really been hitting it out of the park lately. Mass Effect 2 is a hardcore story driven game that will blow you away. You do spend a lot of of time in dialog trees. The game is told by the dialog trees and cut scenes. The choices you make can have major impacts on how the story unfolds. The dialog may be heavy, but you don't notice because it is so well done and blends into the gameplay.

The combat is 3rd person Gears of War style and allows you to command yourself and two other squad-mates. The combat feels good and will give a challenge on the harder modes.

Mass Effect 2 kept me completely entertained throughout the entire game.

I never finished the first game because the controls where strange and it had a lot of graphical bugs. Mass Effect 2 is a major improvement. If you didn't like the first game you should at least give this game a try.

With mass effect 2 finally in stores many are asking if it was worth the wait, it was. Taking all the things that worked in the first game and expanding them, along with removing all the annoying parts as well this game can easily be called a masterpiece. without giving away spoilers the story answers many questions raised in the first but also adds many more. the story itself is good but the characters who join you along the way are what make it worthwhile. From the crazy yet compelling subject zero to the the dying assassin thane you will come to care for your crew and want to help them with the personal problems. They are brought to life by stellar voice acting across the board. This is the kind of game that only comes along once every couple years and if consider yourself a fan of shooters or RPG's this is not a game you should miss, even if you never played the first. Although it is a good idea to do so if you want to understand the entire story. A truly great experience from beginning to end. 10/10

Bioware simply set the bar for RPG standards with the first Mass Effect. With the full character customization, to party members customization. Mass Effect 2 earns a 10/10 here because as always Bioware is determined to make story driven RPGs. Jade Empire, Knights of the Old Republic I and II, and the newly noted Dragon Age. With Mass Effect 2 Bioware raised the bar even more. However every game has it's pros and it's cons as unfortunate as they are.
Pros:
1). Complete Character Customization
2). Epic Story Driven Game
3). You get to Decide Between Paragon/Renegade
4). There is also Paragon/Renegade Actions now Rather than just Talking
5). You Can Customize Your Armor Color
6). Bioware Completely Revamped Side Missions and now they are Worth Playing
7). You have to Gain the Loyalty of your Teamates by Helping them with Their Own Personal Side Quests
8). The New Heavy Weapons are a Very Nice Addition as well as the SMGs and Heavy Pistols
9). You can also get Upgrades for your Abilities

Cons:
1). Not as many Skills as the First Game
2). The Ammo Feature is Upsetting, the no Ammo Weapons in ME1 were what made the game sort of Unique with it's Weapon Customization
3). Level Cap is now 30 as a Result of... Less Abilities/Skills
4). Weapons now no Longer give "Stats" to how much Damage they do Plus there are VERY few Weapons in the game

Those aren't exactly all of them, but those are some of the major pros and cons to Mass Effect 2.

This game is far and away the best game I've played in a long time, maybe ever. The shooter aspects are incredible, powers are awesome, controls are excellent, cover system works flawlessly, and overall presentation could not have been better. Character acting, plot, and story elements suck you in to this incredible world and ruin your social life.
A true Sci-fi action adventure that you feel part of.
I only gave it a 9 out of 10 because I did experience some minor glitches on rare occasion - but my heart tells me to give it a perfect score.
I wish more games were this intriguing.
The only down side to this game is that it's eventually over.
Can't wait for ME3.

ME2 was a great game in many ways. It has great voice acting, an engrossing story, and beautiful graphics but there was just something about the game that felt off the entire time I was playing... the missions. I hate mission based games. They are always so linear and ME2 followed this trend. Here is what I liked/disliked about the game:

Pros:

-Great story: follows the first one very well and has some truly heart wrenching moments.

-Fantastic charecters: All of the charecters stories are just so well done it is unbelievable. (Great voice acting)

-Beautiful graphics: The scenery is really something to admire in this game. Everything from the cities to shepard's animations are really just so well done

-The little things- From all the references to the last game to the dialog between strangers in cities to having unique side quests. It just makes the game so enjoyable.

Cons:

-Way to Linear: Sure when your not in a mission you can do whatever you want but as soon as you enter a mission you have to follow one stright path. There is no exploration and it really took away from the game.

-Short story: The entire game can be summarized as "build a team, kill the enemy." Sure the charecter stories take up some time but the main mission maybe take 7 hours to do.

-Relationship sub-plot's: <><><>Spoiler<><><> This is more of a personal complaint but I know of several others who are angry with this. I want to know what a Quarian looks like (I was so dissapointed).

-The little things: From ME2 being less of an RPG and more of a shooter to venders being replaced to the upgrading weapons. There where just so many things they replaced that didn't need replacing.

Overall ME2 is a great game. It was not perfect and dissapointed at some areas. The game should have kept true to it's ME1 roots but I guess this couldn't of been helped. It was still a great game but it just had something missing...

There isn't another word for it. Just Epic.

Mass Effect was an awesome game not very many flaws to it.Other than the texture rendering late I cant think of a single thing. Now ME2 I seen 2 things that ticked me off that they changed from the first game that they should have left alone. 1) ammo yes they have introduced ammo and yes most shooter games have ammo for the guns but the overheating of the guns in the first game was great. Didnt have to worry about running out of ammo.2 Instead of putting the equipment in the pause menu you have to go to a equipment station to equip stuff. I like to be able to change things on the fly just incase you have some bullets that your arent using that could come in handy. 2 things they should have left alone. Now I have to mention how awesome this game is minus those 2 flaws. The graphics have been upgraded soo much going back to the first Mass Effect is like going back to the regular xbox. The story so far is good. I really liked the opening scene. As for sound and music its epic as usual :P. So in conclusion so far those are the only 2 flaws I have found with this game and because of how big they are I'm rating it a 9. If they kept the overheatting and the equip like the first I would give it a 10.