If you haven't already experienced the first instalment of BioWare's awesome sci-fi trilogy that seems likely to rival Star Wars for its intriguing plot, exciting combat and complex characters, then now is the time to launch yourself into Mass Effect 2.

Two years have now passed since the all-powerful Reapers launched their attack with their Geth allies on the Citadel, as part of their plan to destroy all organic life in the universe. Fortunately for mankind, on that occasion the heroic Commander Shepard (i.e. you) was able to assemble a crack team of specialists to repulse the invasion. Now a new threat has emerged and once more Shepard has to lead what is in effect a suicide mission to combat the forces that are kidnapping whole human colonies from all over the galaxy.

As you'd expect, Mass Effect 2 contains much that is familiar and a whole host of new improvements and surprises. The first bit of good news is that you can carry over your character from the first game, complete with all the personality development, choices and plot elements, or you can construct a completely new Shepard and start from scratch. If you take the latter option, you'll still be choosing from the same six character classes as before but with some new enhancements.

The graphics in the first game were detailed and cinematic but the overhaul they've had for the second episode is nothing short of superb. Not only are textures and colours so real that you could touch them but dialogue scenes now involve plenty of movement and cross-cutting of different angles, in true movie mode. Personalities are even stronger than before, especially among new faces like tattooed punk criminal Subject Zero, Grunt the barely-controlled aggressive Krogan, mystic assassin Thane and powerful biotic warrior Samara who fights evil according to a strict code.

Shepard's job is to travel the galaxy in search of a specialist team to take on the villains and he's aided in this by an extremist human organisation called Cerberus who many do not trust. He also has access to 19 different weapons, including new heavy weapons that can turn the tide of a battle in an instant, and a devastating array of bio skills.

All of these can be enhanced and upgraded in the spaceship's lab and you're encouraged to explore uncharted worlds in order to find minerals and materials for weapons and medical research. The hosts of side quests which were a feature of the first game are once again a central part of Mass Effect 2, only they are much more tightly woven around the core storyline.

Gameplay has also been beefed up so that controls are simpler and quicker to access and implement and your team-mates can even be individually given orders in real time. Conversations can be manipulated by interrupting them with a forceful action or speech, thus further altering the course of the story. Bypassing locks and hacking into computer systems can now be performed by two new puzzle-solving methods and while these used to be optional methods of collecting supplies, here they often become vital elements in progressing the narrative.

Combat has become more tactical and it's essential that you choose wisely when picking your two colleagues for a mission and equipping them with the right skills and weapons for the challenge ahead. There's a brand new range of enemies and dangers to avoid and the thrill ratio is compounded by an up tempo fight soundtrack that will keep your adrenaline racing.

Verdict
Whether you're a huge fan of the first game or not, Mass Effect 2 has raised sci-fi drama to epic status with its stunning graphics, engrossing storyline, absorbing characters and utterly addictive gameplay. How can chapter 3 hope to top this?

Company: EA

Tags: bioware mass effect characters of the mass effect universe cerberus thane mass effect 2 races of the mass effect universe mass effect 3