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Mass Effect 2

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Mass Effect 2
North American cover art for Mass Effect 2
Developer(s)BioWare
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts
Designer(s)Casey Hudson (director)
Writer(s)Mac Walters (lead writer)[2]
Drew Karpyshyn
Composer(s)Jack Wall[3]
SeriesMass Effect
EngineUnreal Engine 3
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360
Genre(s)Action RPG
Mode(s)Single-player

Mass Effect 2 is an upcoming action role-playing game under development by BioWare Edmonton with assistance from BioWare Montreal, and set to be published by Electronic Arts. The game is the sequel to Mass Effect, and will be released on Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360[5][6] in North America on January 26, 2010, Australia on January 28th, 2010 and in Europe on January 29, 2010.[1]

Gameplay

New features

A "Prelude to E3" developer diary was released on May 15, 2009. The developers confirmed that the combat system has been upgraded, with everything from the feel of the combat and the A.I. being improved, including realistic damage modeling and downed enemies still continuing to crawl and fight. New to the series is a heavy weapons system that will allow you to "kill [somebody] a thousand times" over. The tone of the game is similar to that of the Wild West, featuring warlords and crime gangs. The video also confirmed the existence of new alien races and an attack by one race on Citadel-controlled space, wearing armor with an "M1" logo painted on it and seeming to control similarly-armored varren, a race of non-sapient animals similar to dogs.[7]

Mass Effect 2 also features regenerating health as its primary health mechanic, instead of being able to heal with "medi-gel" as in the first game.[8] In addition, the overheat system for weapons has been replaced with collectible heat sinks.[9] This system is functionally identical to the ammunition systems in other third-person shooters, but instead of having different ammunition types for different weapons, the heat sinks are universal across all standard weapons.[10]

The characters in Mass Effect 2 will be more detailed not only graphically, but technically. In the original Mass Effect, Commander Shepard only had 20 animations for cover, while in Mass Effect 2, the character has over 200. The world will also be more open-ended in this installment; uncharted worlds the player could only explore for "cheap thrills" will now be more detailed and have more to explore.[11]

The camera positioning for conversations with A.I. characters has also been improved, the previously static camera now moving around to provide "a much needed cinematic touch."[12] Another new feature during conversations are context-sensitive controls; as shown in a conversation with scientist Mordin, Shepard is able to interrupt the dialogue with aggressive tactics when prompted with the on-screen controls.[13]

The M35 Mako will no longer be available for planetary exploration, likely due to criticism of the Mako's poor gameplay sections in the first game. Instead, a Kodiak drop shuttle, which you cannot directly pilot, will deposit the player on foot into areas of immediate interest. [14]

Unlike Mass Effect, in which there were four weapon types, there are now nineteen different weapons types[15] and the pistol has been broken up into the heavy pistol and the machine pistol.[16] The grenades from the first game do not make a reappearance, but have been replaced by the new heavy weapons.[17] Sub-machine guns are shown to be another new weapon class added to the game. Characters are now able to use any weapon their class is trained for at full effect, meaning the player is no longer required to or able to invest in weapon skills. Armor skills have also been removed, and there are no longer class restrictions on armor.[18]

Transferring save-files

Casey Hudson, Project Director for BioWare, and Greg Zeschuk, BioWare co-founder, as well as various developers on the official Mass Effect message boards, have said that players should keep their Mass Effect save-files,[19][20] because decisions made by the player in the first game will continue to have influences on their character in the sequel.[21] Each completed game will be viewable by the player when deciding which save to import into Mass Effect 2, and a summary of some of the key decisions made during the game will be shown to help you make sure you import the save you want.[22]

Players who have not played the first Mass Effect will start a new character in Mass Effect 2, and will be brought up to speed on the story elements that have taken place thus far in the series. Hudson also states that characters from the previous game will come back, provided that they were not killed.[19]

When transferring a file from the first Mass Effect, players have the option to change their class to a different one. For example, if the player wanted to play as an Engineer instead of an Infiltrator, the player may change their character's class while still importing the choices made in the first game.[18] In addition, there is a story explanation as to how the character's abilities have changed.

Character death

The first teaser trailer for the game gave the impression that Commander Shepard had been killed in action,[23] but it was later confirmed that Shepard was brought back to life by Cerberus, providing the player with a chance to change their appearance and character class.[24] Players themselves can dictate whether or not Shepard will die at the end of the game based on choices that they make throughout the game. While exploration in the first game had little relevance to the main story, in Mass Effect 2 the player is able to gather resources for ship upgrades and enemy intel that will have an effect on the final mission.[12] BioWare Executive Producer Casey Hudson explained that "If you do die in the ending of Mass Effect 2, it will not come as a surprise, nor will it be random. It will be pretty obvious that you headed into the final mission knowing that Shepard probably wouldn’t make it out alive." Hudson also confirmed that team members would be affected by the player's decisions during the final mission: "You might have an ending where Shepard’s entire team survives, or where the entire mission is a bloodbath and everyone (including Shepard) is killed, or anything in between."[25] The ending in which Shepard is killed represents a permanent death, meaning Shepard would not be available for Mass Effect 3 in that scenario.[26]

Plot

Mass Effect 2 begins in 2183, not long after the events of Mass Effect. While on patrol for geth, the protagonist Commander Shepard's ship, the Normandy, comes under attack by an unknown assailant. The ship suffers extensive damage, forcing the crew to evacuate in escape pods. Shepard is the last to escape the ship before it is destroyed completely, but eventually asphyxiates and dies while drifting through space. Commander Shepard's body is retrieved by the Shadow Broker, a secretive buyer of information, selling it to the highest bidder, who has been employed by The Collectors, an enigmatic and xenophobic alien race who serve as the game's primary antagonists. In the events of Mass Effect: Redemption, former squadmate Liara T'Soni is employed by Cerberus, a pro-human group, to get the body for the organization, before it is delivered to the Collectors. After this, Cerberus works to revive the Commander through a project known as "Lazarus." Two years later in 2185, Shepard is awakened aboard a Cerberus space station that is under attack, and aids Cerberus agents Miranda Lawson and Jacob Taylor in escaping. Shepard is taken to Cerberus' headquarters and granted an audience with the Illusive Man, who explains that Shepard was "upgraded" and asks for the Commander's help in combating a new threat which has been abducting entire human colonies. Shepard and his team are dispatched to the recently attacked colony of Freedom's Progress in the Terminus Systems to investigate. There, the group encounters Tali, one of Shepard's former squad members, and discovers that the mysterious insect-like Collectors were behind the attack. Shepard reports this to the Illusive Man, who then reveals what Shepard's previous squad members are up to. After receiving command of the Normandy SR-2, Shepard decides to begin recruiting a new team to discover the Collectors' plan.[27]

Soundtrack

Untitled

Mass Effect 2: Original Videogame Score is composed and produced by Jack Wall. The soundtrack was released on January 19, 2010, was published by Electronic Arts, and features 27 tracks on two discs.[3]

Mass Effect 2: Original Videogame Score (115:43)
No.TitleLength
1."The Illusive Man"2:23
2."Humans Are Disappearing"2:00
3."The Attack"5:13
4."The Lazarus Project"1:10
5."A Rude Awakening"1:39
6."The Normandy Reborn"2:06
7."Miranda"5:22
8."Jacob"6:02
9."Freedom's Progress"5:41
10."Thane"9:19
11."Garrus"6:04
12."An Unknown Enemy"2:41
13."Samara"8:53
14."Grunt"5:26
15."Horizon"2:56
16."Tali"5:58
17."Mordin"6:27
18."The Normandy Attacked"2:11
19."Jack"6:28
20."Legion"6:22
21."Jump Drive"2:16
22."Crash Landing"3:43
23."The Collector Base"3:52
24."The End Run"2:57
25."Suicide Mission"4:45
26."New Worlds"2:30
27."Reflections"1:19

Downloadable content

BioWare plans to support Mass Effect 2 with additional downloadable content for the game following its release. This content will range between individually sold weapons and armor, small side-missions, full-sized quests, and large expansion packs. Similar to Dragon Age: Origins, some downloadable content will be made available immediately upon the release of Mass Effect 2, and some for free.[28][29] It has been revealed that the first downloadable content available with the game's release will allow the player to download a new recrutable player named Zaeed Messani, a mercenary, and adds new missions and in-game items. [30]


Development

System requirements
Minimum Recommended
Microsoft Windows[31]
Operating system Windows XP with Service Pack 3, Windows Vista Service Pack 1 or Windows 7
CPU 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or equivalent AMD CPU2.6+ GHz Core 2 Duo Intel or equivalent AMD CPU
Memory 1 GB (XP), 2 GB (Vista/Win 7)2 GB
Free space 15 GB
Graphics hardware NVIDIA GeForce 6800 or greater; ATI Radeon X1600 Pro or greaterATI Radeon HD 2900 XT, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT or greater

The team that worked on Mass Effect will work on Mass Effect 2.[32] EA CEO John Riccitiello confirmed during a conference call with investors that Mass Effect 2 would be available on "multiple platforms."[5][33][34] Riccitiello also revealed that Mass Effect 2 will be released on January 26, 2010.[33]

On March 2, 2009, BioWare and Electronic Arts announced that they had set up a new team, set to work in Montreal, using the existing EA Montreal facility.[35] The team's main task is to develop Mass Effect 2. Around half of the team of thirty worked on the original Mass Effect, with the others being mostly new hires.[36] This new team will supplement the teams already working on Mass Effect 2. BioWare co-founder and CEO Ray Muzyka said the team is "really excited about it, and we think it's going to be a huge opportunity to tap into the talent base in Montreal while supplementing our existing teams in Edmonton and Austin, which are doing some great stuff on all the other projects BioWare's working on."[36]

Following the example of Dragon Age: Origins, the PC version of Mass Effect 2 will not be using SecuRom digital rights management software, and will instead opt for a standard disc check.[37]

Mass Effect 2 will span two discs. Windows users will need to install both discs and can play the game with one, while Xbox 360 users will be required to make a single disc swap during a specific point in the storyline.[4]

Audio

Mass Effect 2 will have 90 voice actors playing 546 characters, speaking over 31,000 lines of dialogue.[38] Actors Martin Sheen, Michael Dorn, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, Tricia Helfer, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Adam Baldwin, Simon Templeman and Michael Hogan have been announced to voice characters in the game. Keith David and Seth Green return into the game reprising their roles as David Anderson and Jeff "Joker" Moreau respectively.[39] Voice actor D.C. Douglas, who voiced Albert Wesker in Resident Evil 5, confirmed he would be voicing a character in Mass Effect 2, but did not identify the character.[40][41] Actor Martin Sheen voices the Illusive Man, the mysterious leader of the Cerberus organization.[42]

Marketing

BioWare Project Manager Corey Andruko and BioWare Lead Technical Designer Dusty Everman led a 60-minute lecture on Level design for Mass Effect 2 at the 2009 Game Developers Conference. The session gave attendees insight into the new approach BioWare is taking in designing levels for Mass Effect, one that maximizes iteration for quality, while minimizing rework and cost. [43]

A promotional trailer was released on February 20, 2009. The trailer pans across a very close up set of armor, with captions listing off Commander Shepard's achievements and known alien allies. At the end of the trailer, Shepard's current status is given as "killed in action". The camera then pans upwards to show the head of a geth with armor bearing the N7 logo (part of the Systems Alliance Military Vocational Code and printed on Shepard's default armor) in front of it.[23] In a development blog Casey Hudson, BioWare's Executive Producer, commented on the rumors of Shepard's "KIA" status, stating "Better not be. We had a lot of big plans made, so if someone’s gone and killed Shepard then things are going to take an unexpected turn…"[44]

On the 29th of December 2009 the Cinematic Trailer for Mass Effect 2 was released.[45] Additionally, in the months leading up to the game's January 2010 launch, BioWare released six Mass Effect Class Walkthroughs narrated by Lead Gameplay Designer Christina Norman.[46]

File:Mass Effect 2 - Collector's Edition Cover.jpg
The cover art from the Collector's Edtion of Mass Effect 2

On May 29, 2009, BioWare released the first full trailer for the game.[47] It revealed little that wasn't already known or hinted at by the previous trailer and developer diary. This trailer also confirmed that Shepard is alive for the events of Mass Effect 2, and not dead prior to the game as the previous trailer seemed to indicate. BioWare later confirmed that Shepard would not die in the game's storyline until the choices made by the player decided Shepard's fate.[25]

In-game bonuses

Mass Effect 2 will include several bonus items for those who pre-order a copy of the game or purchase Dragon Age: Origins. If the game is pre-ordered at Gamestop, players will receive Terminus Armor, which grants increased running speed and shields, and the M-490 Blackstorm Heavy Weapon, a gravity gun. If the game is pre-ordered at other retailers, players will receive Inferno Armor, which grants a negotiation bonus, increases running speed, and boosts the effectiveness of combat powers.[1] For purchasing and registering a new copy of Dragon Age: Origins, players will also obtain the Blood Dragon Armor; this armor was a bonus item in Dragon Age: Origins, but can be unlocked for use in Mass Effect 2 as well.[48] Buyers of the Collector's Edition of Mass Effect 2 will receive the Collector Armor, which increases a character's maximum health, health regeneration, and running speed, as well as the Collector Assault Rifle, which quickly depletes enemy shields.[49]

Collector's Edition

Electronic Arts announced that Mass Effect 2 would also be released in a Collector's Edition contained in a premium tin case. The Collector's Edition includes the full version of the game, 'The Art of Mass Effect 2' 48-page hard cover art book, the first issue of the 'Mass Effect Redemption' comic book, and a bonus DVD with exclusive 'Making of' videos and behind the scenes of the game. It is also possible to buy the Digital Deluxe Edition from EA's online store which is downloaded via the EA download manager and contains digital versions of the art book, the comic book and the official soundtrack to the game.[50] Valve's Steam service offers the Digital Deluxe Edition for purchase as well.[51]

Cerberus Network Card

The Cerberus Network card is included in all versions of Mass Effect 2, which was confirmed on the bioware message boards.The Cerberus Network" will offer an in-game delivery mechanism for Mass Effect 2 downloadable content, including a free day-one pack featuring new missions, in-game items and Zaeed, a mercenary.

Reception

Official Xbox Magazine gave the game a 9.5/10, praising the combat as flexible with gorgeous environments. The magazine also liked the "enveloping universe" and the new characters. However, a criticism was that the main storyline was disappointing in comparison to the first game.

References

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  11. ^ "IGN E3 2009 Live Demo". IGN. 2009-06-16. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
  12. ^ a b Klepek, Patrick (2009-06-02). "Mass Effect 2 Preview". G4TV. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
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  30. ^ http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/21907/Mass-Effect-2s-Cerberus-Network-Revealed Cerberus Network Revealed
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  38. ^ Tito, Greg (2009-12-08). "Game Voice Actors Reject Contract Due to Low Pay". The Escapist. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
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  51. ^ http://store.steampowered.com/app/901242/
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