Mass Effect 2 or how to go around the galaxy in 40 hours.
Everyone already knows: Mass Effect was a small wonder in the world of action-RPG. A rich new universe, populated by races of aliens, crammed with pseudoscientific explanations and tension-Galactico geo-political achievement bourgeois atmosphere frankly successful. Even then, it was not a secret, Mass Effect was only the first of a trilogy Bioware.
Okay. Now we are in 2011, and I finally laid hands on Mass Effect 2. After 40 hours of gameplay, I only have to wait for the 3rd episode, and draw some conclusions.
40 hours of gameplay is rather good news . I might be able to pull up to 45h life if I was really careful, but overall, I have scoured the title content. It all starts with our Shepard, a hero of the first episode, on patrol in search of a bogus threat. Suddenly it's drama, a strange vessel vast warp of nowhere, tears in the Normandy 2, along with signing the end of the short trip of the hero and his pals. The scene ends with our hero stranded in space, its combination leaking, and a long fall to a dismal world. No surprise: one dies well, this kind of plan.
Without saying much more, so the game open on a medicalized process of resurrection of the hero, an excuse to allow recovery of "Shepard's which was built with love in ME1 ", and make any changes.
Subsequently, we find ourselves faced with a relatively efficient variant of Mass Effect. Fighting may be more dynamic, action-oriented, customized character sheets less progress. Personally, I rather regret this simplification and emphasis Action on the side of the license. However, the fighting are linked together without too much problem, even if Bioware is not very comfortable for us to release a really solid gameplay in Third Person Shooter. In normal mode, clashes often resemble the pigeon shooting behind obstacles . Nothing complicated, just forward cover, accompanied by his two teammates, quietly, and to align the easy frags. Too bad, because mine anything, in Mass Effect 2, you spend a lot of time exchanging gunfire biotic powers and rabid enemies with a little gutless.
More annoying, and there is a problem of game design that begins to irritate me very seriously in 2011: the incredible emptiness sets in which one moves, especially those clashes. Let's be serious at Bioware! Is it still reasonable to propose large warehouses, large rooms, decorated in a neutral and always synthetic, in which we more or less randomly placed boxes and walls whose function escapes me? Honestly, it's really a shame to see this kind of laziness in a big budget title whose claim is nonetheless offer an adventure of madness. The player finds himself So err of boxes in boxes in the levels of generic limits. This is particularly evident in everything that is small quests. And if it is forgivable on a small side quests, see the same thing in key and critical missions, it bothers a little. Not everything is disposable, however. Even if the level design is boring again with this lazy "say the cash galore," we must admit that quite a few passages are exotic, with lights, landscapes or environments remarkable. In other words, in terms of design and creativity, Mass Effect 2 provides, but it is high time that the game designer starts to page. The coating is good, the content is hollow.
ME1 had been widely criticized for passages of Mako and his somewhat laborious exploration of the solar system's universe. Bioware wanted to fix this. Mako finished, only a few short missions bonus offer to lead a kind of hovercraft not unpleasant. The exploration has been split into several aspects. First, you can / need to scan the planets in search of primary resources needed to benefit from improvements to your characters and Normandy 2. Sometimes, an abnormality is detected, and the opportunity to go explore it is offered. So ended the long walks on the surface of a planet with a grinning Mako bouncing, we arrive immediately at the heart of the action on short passages from a few minutes. Generally, it rather likes to players, but I admit to being a little nostalgic for awkward passages in Mako, which still allowed to walk in worlds with fantastic colors and enjoy a special atmosphere.
If Mass Effect 2 was a pure shooter, it would be a mediocre game and quickly forgotten. Fortunately, SW2, is primarily an adventure game, with the script, characters, quests and choices. And, fortunately, Bioware better control this domain. Note nevertheless that since Alpha Protocol (admittedly, really exceptional in that it offers freedom to build his story), SW2 took a little getting old. remains that we will have the opportunity to meet a nice bunch of characters, each with its own history, his style, his arms and endearing personalities. From convict punk raging through the Gallarien fun, we will find some old friends who are a pleasure to revisit. All this accompanied by a classical (Cons damage that the recipe is very similar for each character): the meeting - some discussion - a quest of loyalty - some discussions and that's all. This gives a small artificial side sauce RPG but as the dialogs are cool, we will overlook this aspect too mechanical. Different characters will still interact with either Shepard or between them, when conflicts or missions. This really appealed to me in SW1, and I am therefore pleased to find this whole side of space opera series in ME2. Be careful though, in French, some choice dialogue me a little confused sometimes. Note that the quests loyalty are often an opportunity to take a strong decision, whose impact will undoubtedly in the 3rd episode Mass Effect. It's really all do better.
On PC (because I play on PC, just to get the fluid and anti-aliased FullHD) Mass Effect 2 is beautiful . Not insanely beautiful, but beautiful. The Unreal Engine 3 has been put to better use, with good management textures, framerate indecent, beautiful lighting effects and more expressive faces and well modeled. Conversely, the plague on some textures a little slimy (including elsewhere on the characters, from one arrives at the torso, with loose clothing and ill-defined). Clashes enjoy explosions and showers of sparks cool. By cons, just like this game definitely very heterogeneous ME2 suffers from the recurring presence of small bugs , although not usually serious, but that break the mood. It is not uncommon (driver problem? PC version? I do not know) to see that the characters suddenly go from one pose to another. Sometimes they even teleport half a meter. I also remember a discussion with Asari, who suddenly shows me his back ... except that his face was still want to move towards me. Result, feverishly, the head of the Asari tried to face me, left to right and from right to left, without ever succeeding. Twice (about 40h), my character was suddenly blocked "in the air", obviously stuck in invisible walls. Too bad, the finish is a bit inadequate.
Regarding the balance "creative" in ME2 is a great success. I acknowledge that a good customer for science fiction, since it takes little to make me dream. Some planets in space, a black hole, it's good I'm already conquered. The universe is very consistent, with new races (the Drell and Vortchas), and new places "key" as Illium, great commercial city Asari, or Omega, ghetto lawless space attached to a dirty pebbles . The choice of colors and moods full of dark screens, neon, small conversations intercepted over the walks, the outrageousness of some landscape, all contribute to flatter the retina and launch the imagination. The characters are well regarded and enjoy a pleasant attention, in order outfits and small details. As for your ears, they will be amazed by soundtrack epic and effective, with beautiful set pieces and intriguing tracks, mystical and captivating. I especially appreciate these songs with synth, terribly "science fiction style. A style that had already capsized in the first episode. Great job, for once. Doubling French is honorable. Not wonderful, but honorable. I did not see any option for the American voices (boxed version of the game), which I regret, the U.S. version is very high. Moreover, in French, it seems to me that the game has some difficulties lypsinc with sentences just amputated on the end or mouths that continue to animate while the French voice has been silenced.
There is one final stretch of high quality, with his videos which are full view, important decisions to take action and dense and efficient. It exudes the glory, heroism and "admires the creative power of any of BioWare." A finding of a good standard, really nice, and paves the way to a fanfare conclusion of this trilogy. Mass will be remembered Effect 2 is a game that a good level, slightly heterogeneous, with average gameplay and its staging very good performance, finished with for improvement and design (visual and sound) of all beauty.
Deeply Mass Effect 3 at once!
