I loved the game but it did have a few flaws. Such as all those annoying loyalty missions, Overall lack of missions (compared to the first ME, it has a lot less to do), A few annoying bugs and glitches (a few can be game breaking). Despite all that though, I loved playing it.

A great game.

Mass Effect 2 takes everything that worked from the first game and makes them better. Everything that didn't work, they took out or improved. By far the strongest, and my personal favorite, of the series. Stunning visuals, great characters, fun missions, and an epic story that goes far deeper than the first game. I can not fault this game in any way. it is as close to perfect as I could ever hope for. Overall: A master piece. No need to say any more.… Expand

Greatly improved sequel and I like it a lot more then the previous game. The only bad thing about it is that its a lot shorter then the first game, Even with all the main and side missions combined. Besides that, Its amazing.

The surprising event to occur at the start of ME2 got me very intrigued on my first play through and as the story unfolded I became hooked in anticipation. ME2 is not a good game because it improves on the short comings of Mass Effect 1, its good because it has an interesting story and setting that has depth and things are at stake to care about, well designed characters aesthetically and with personality, the decision making is not only ambitious but is pulled off very well, brilliantly and originally designed environments, creatures, costume and armour, and technically performs well with game play that feels satisfyingly good. The characters are good and memorable, I actually felt dread when some of them die, if you dont fall in love with Garrus, Tali, Legion, and Thane by the end of ME2 you have problems, I even grew attached to the space ship. I also want to make a big shout out to the legendary soundtrack, everyone must download the track Suicide Mission from Itunes now, its freaken awesome. The lack of depth in the RPG at first seems like a good thing as the shooting mechanics are good but after playing the game for over 60 hours it starts to show is thin side. I also dont think the decisions a player can make are executed perfectly, who in their right mine didnt save the alien counsel in ME1? Who didnt save Wrex? But overall ME2 is a remarkable achievement and a new benchmark for modern single player games!… Expand

A masterclass in video game creation. I loved the original Mass Effect but I had my gripes with it. The combat was clunky and the slow loading textures on environments and characters really hurt the immersion that the story created. Bioware not only fixed these problems but improved on things that were great to begin with. Combat is intense and exhilarating and the entire game looks beautiful. Bioware does a great job of peeling back the layers of their characters and making them interesting and likeable. The world of Mass Effect is also fleshed out, giving us closer insights into races such as the quarians and krogans. There is absolutely no negative remarks I can make for this game because it never once disappointed me. Sublime.… Expand

From start to finish it was an amazing experience for me. Never got bored of it at all. This game is in my top 5 list of game's of all time now. I'm just so amazed with it. Mass Effect 2 10/10 [A must buy]

After being attacked by a mysterious alien ship whilst searching for Geth, the Normandy is destroyed, crew dispanded and Shepard dead. One year later and an mysterious pro-human activist group named Cerberus have resurrected Shepard in the hope that he can save the galaxy once more. An alien race known as the Collectors are attacking human colonies and stealing the inhabitants away for twisted experiments. You will need an elite team of highly trained operatives, a loyal crew and a will to die for the good of humanity, they do not expect you to survive...prove them wrong.
With highly refined shooting Mass Effect is back and better than ever, a 40+ hour story and a stellar cast of crew members makes this the best Mass Effect yet.… Expand

Ok what the sad thing is about this game.. I really wanted to like it.. every one of my friends said it was in their top 10 favourite games they've ever played.. but seriously.. a game that fails to even get simple arcs of a story right is really lame,, I had to play this game back as there is a gamebreaking glitch which doesn't allow you to proceed after many many many side quest have been completed. I had to restart the game to finish it.. Combat was vastly unchanged from the last and from the last I was unable to review as my brother sold it half way through the campaign.. and now I see why.. if the last game is anything like this one then something is wrong with people.. I have to say the first disk seemed very enjoyable but right until the second disk we are given dumbass choices that i didn't want to make any of them.. There could have been so many more choices in this game but sadly not.. This game is a real disgrace.. I wanted to give it atleast a 7 before I went into it as i thought the game would be ok.. but was i wrong or what the game is defiantly not worth your time.. if you like mass effect.. miss this one out.. Of course the last one is good until the ending but the first one is ok. I'd say leave this one out and save your time and money. This game is a 3/10… Expand

Lookback Review: Since Mass Effect 3 is only 2 months away and it might as well be or will be one of the greatest games ever made and the game that has completely consumed me with hype and anticipation since Super Smash Bros. Brawl, I'm going to look back into Mass Effect 2, my first ever game review on this site. It's been two years and I still consider Mass Effect 2 to be the greatest Xbox 360 game I have ever played up to now (The Mass Effect series was born on the 360 and it plays better on the 360 so it's a 360 game to me) and one of my all time favourite games ever. To sum up the whole series itself, The Mass Effect series, in my opinion, is one of the greatest Science Fiction series ever made and it is up there with Star Wars, Dr. Who and Star Trek. Its mythology and settings are imaginative and well thought out, the story is amazingly compelling and superbly written,its characters are unforgettable and endearing and the greatest thing about it; you decide how this story goes and ends. If Star Wars had a choice mechanic, I would've shot Jar-Jar straight away. I'm digressing. Mass Effect 2 delivers better than the first Mass Effect with a darker, higher stake story, better written script, a cast of amazing and interesting characters, intuitive combat mechanics, more accessible yet still complex RPG elements and better visuals. Another great thing about this game is that you can transfer your Mass Effect save file and this is the thing that made Mass Effect 2 great and the thing that cemented the series as one of the greats in my opinion. If you want to experience Mass Effect 2 in full effect, save your Mass Effect game file. The result will be one of the most personal gaming experiences. The choices that you make in Mass Effect makes a huge impact on how Mass Effect 2's story will go and the same with Mass Effect 3 when it finally comes out. If you are planning to get Mass Effect 3, get Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 first and spend your 2 months playing through those games and preparing any story you want for Mass Effect 3's final climax. What more can I say about this game and this whole series? Mass Effect 2 is a triple A title brimming with absolute sci-fi and gaming heaven. The Mass Effect series is one of the best gaming franchise to come out of this generation and in my opinion, one of the greatest sci-fi series ever made.… Expand

I think I am the only one that prefered mass effect 1 better. 8 hours in the game and I don't even want to continue anymore. They took away the inventory system and made it mainstream. I hate the new crosshair and ammo system, and i hate that the whole game is basically just finding new squad mates for one final mission. The new normandy looks nice, but I really don't like this game.

I absolutely LOVED this game, the combat wasn't perfect, but in the mass effect series people don't tend to focus on the combat, I loved the story, I loved how I could control the outcomes of multiple scenarios, and it left me very very much looking forward to Mass Effect 3, knowing that my adventures could continue in what should have been an amazing end to the trilogy, I was very upset by how much of a let down it was.… Expand

I feel like Mass Effect 2 improved on the original in almost all aspects, the exception being planetary exploration - rotating a planet with your controller and launching probes at it is less interactive than I'd like in this type of game. It's also nice to see choices you made in the first game have some possibly serious, universe-changing ramifications here. The final mission is undoubtedly one of the best climaxes to a video game I've seen recently, even if the.. consequences... of certain character choices feel a bit arbitrary. Really, really good game.… Expand

The 'Empire Strikes Back' of the Mass Effect series. I could write entire paragraphs about this game, but I will save you the time. If you haven't already bought and/or played this game, you are missing out on one of the greatest sci-fi sagas ever created.

Mass Effect 2 is even better than the original. Just about every problem that people had with the first one has been fixed in this sequel. The combat is smoother and more fun, the dialogue has been made even better (yes, that's possible) and the side quests are no longer repetitive sequences of driving around an empty planet in your tank. The only thing that makes this game not deserve a 10 is some pacing issues early on in the game, but that's a minor complaint. Otherwise, Mass Effect 2 definitely deserves its 96 metascore.… Expand

Be prepared to leave the buggy keys in the ignition as Bio-ware stripped that out and chose to focus more on boring NPC chatting then expanding on the original potential gameplay of ME1.

Mass Effect was...pretty good. But the level design and planet exploration sections were pure dump, and so BioWare had something to improve on. So they did. And they improved everything else as well, just for good measure. ME2 is a fantastic tale, using the traditional Dirty Dozen formulae and making it work. Each character is brilliantly realised, each location fullly immersive, each battle exciting and frantic. ME2 has only one flaw, which is the weak shooting. Guns just don't feel good, and as solid as other aspects of the combat are, the shooting just ain't up to scratch. But that's a minor complaint really, because ME2 is, in many ways, amazing.… Expand

Ever hear the expression, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"? Well, with Mass Effects 2, Bioware really fixed it. For starters, the main plot is nowhere near as well-written or cleverly developed across the gameplay experience as it was in ME1. The voice-acting is good, and the dialogue is good, but he main story arc is far too sparsely delivered, and the final boss fight is pure and utter lameness. To add insult to injury, Bioware completely butchered the talent/power system, giving the tougher enemies special defenses that can only be taken down with a few key powers. This means that you are constantly using the same few powers over, and over, and OVER, and it is nothing like the wonderfully diverse and enjoyable talent/power system from ME1. This fact alone makes giving this game a good rating utterly impossible. In addition, Bioware decided to HEAVILY restrict the character customization options in ME2, for what reason I have no idea. They completely eliminated your ability to customize your teammates' armor/appearance, making it feel like they're barely your characters at all. They restrict the main character's armor choices to an insane degree, completely gutting ME1's L/M/H armor types and leaving the player with just a few bulky armors to choose from (and that's only if you buy all the DLC's), all of which look ridiculous. They oversimplified the skill/stat system to the point of stupidity, making leveling-up seem almost completely irrelevant. They removed entirely the ability to explore remote worlds with the vehicle, and instead replaced it with a horrendously boring mini-game with which to "mine" worlds for necessary resources. Lastly, because of all the restrictions Bioware decided to impose on the player in ME2, this game has ZERO replay value. Once you've done it, you never want to do it again. Basically, Mass Effect 2 is like Mass Effect 1, only with a LOT less stuff. Being a die-hard Bioware fan, this game was one of my biggest video game disappointments of all-time.… Expand

10/10 = Masterpiece = The most personal gaming experience in recent memory. Packed with content and awesome decision making sections, this game is truly yours. Best science fiction game as well.

A worthy sequel to Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 follows on to the original with solid gameplay, solid plot, a significant number of improvements...and a few changes not for the best. Decisions made in the previous game do carry weight in ME2, although new players not importing a ME1 character can make these decisions during game startup, and so won't miss anything. The combat system has been completely revamped and provides better control and more tactical flexibility to players -- welcome additions. The storytelling is still top-notch, with numerous side quests and elements that truly flesh out the world while engaging the player at every turn. ME2 does not suffer from the early-game pacing problems that plagued its predecessor, so there aren't any slow places in the game. Dialogue and morality choices still are cornerstones of gameplay, meaning that those gamers after a more cinematic space opera can still get what they like...to a point. Unlike ME1, ME2 is definitely more combat oriented, sometimes at the expense of story. Where ME1 relied upon character interaction and story to drive the plot, ME2 turns more to combat. Given the progression of the plot, this is defensible, but the game's martial turn is a departure from the original. ME2 allows players to control their ship again, and mining is a component, but it has now become vital to player survivability. ME2 introduced an upgrade/research system that allows players to unlock upgrades to their equipment. To unlock these upgrades, research, fueled by one of four different elements, must be conducted. These elements must be found in small quantities in the playable world or mined via a tedious scan-and-probe system. With an update provided in late 2011, however, mining has been significantly sped up and made less tedious, largely eliminating this complaint. The only remaining gripe is that the real-world, utilitarian look of ME1 has been somewhat jettisoned in the service of sex appeal and eye candy; the practical combat uniforms of ME1 have, in places, given way to go-go boots and plunging necklines. Even so, the game's solid playability (and replayability), story engine, combat mechanics, and stunning visuals combine to create an excellent gaming experience. A menu of DLC packs have added excellent missions and cohorts to an already high-caliber game. Well worth the purchase.… Expand

Does anyone else feel bad for Alpha Protocol? That game's still coming out, right? It seems like it'll be ME1 but in the present, and ME2 improves on everything in ME1 that I can't help but feel it'll look and play terrible by comparison when it comes out. ME2 has raised the bar so **** high now. Cover system's improved. No more inadvertent sticking. Feels about as good and refined as Gears of War 2. Honestly... after playing a few setpieces... I actually think the combat's a lot more fun then Gears of War 2. Which is generally regarded as the pinnacle of third person shooters. But Gears of War 2 didn't have you using different ammo mods and biotic abilities or combos with an ally's biotics and uh... it just all comes together as something so much better and much more satisfying then a normal third person shooter. When you've got this amazing first-rate third person shooter combat, and then couple it with BioWare's traditionally stellar RPG mechanics... well, you've got one of the finest games ever crafted, I think. And yes, sniper rifles are much more useful in ME2. The combat has been much... uh, improved and streamlined and polished and all that jazz, so sniper rifles are much more like assault rifles now. Whereas in ME1 they were kinda only for outdoors sniping and you had to contend with lots of scope drift built in, ME2 allows you to snipe with really steady aim and the scope actually works for medium range combat. Hell, you can even shoot no-scope, which would've been absolute lunacy in ME1. Mind you, I personally didn't have any issue with sniper rifles in ME1, but yea, you'll definitely like em in ME2. The only problem with the ME2 sniper rifle is that you're constantly gonna run out of heat sinks because of how enjoyable sniping is.

That's really the only problem I've had so far, the fact that I run out of ammo... er, heat sinks for certain guns too often. I'd give my right arm for an auto-thermal clip that actually cooled down the heat buildup. Ya know, like in ME1. I don't have any problem with the act of reloading my gun, I can stand to pause my shooting and press the X button. That part's fine and dandy. But running out of heat sinks just feels lame after playing through ME1. ME1, the game which actually didn't have infinite respawning enemies. There are tons of enemies that have shield bars, followed by armor bars, followed by health bars. Or Krogans, who have enormous armor and health bars. Hmmm, that would've been a cool side effect of using the flamethrower heavy weapon. It overheats enemies' thermal clips and forces them to rush up and melee you cause they're out of ammo. Crosshair's changed from the circle of the first one to four moving lines. Feels more old timey like Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six and Rogue Spear. You can see a holographic display of your activated ammo power on your gun. This is great. Reloading heat sinks feels just like reloading ammo in a regular 21st century gun, kinda a downer. Difficulty on Veteran is pretty good, not too frustrating. Much less difficult then Rainbow Six Vegas on Realistic. Insanity's not that fun, unfortunately. Taking loads of damage from enemies is fine, but having them be huge bullet sponges and needing to resort to stuff like Warp Ammo in a desperate attempt to save on thermal clips (ammo)... feels frustrating. Frankly, ME2 makes ME1 look really bad, even though I really enjoyed ME1. The combat is just soooo much smoother and more responsive. No more collecting 15 rifles and vendor trashing 14 of em. No more worrying about hitting that 150 item limit. Now, I've heard some people talking trash about the Vindicator Battle Rifle sucking, especially compared to the default Avenger Assault Rifle. Having spent the game as a Soldier, I'd like to chime in. The Vindicator Battle Rifle is a fine gun, for certain situations. It's got a tighter reticle, so it's more accurate at medium to long range, and fires in bursts so there's no real recoil to speak of. When you've exhausted your sniper rifle ammo, it's an amazing feeling to pull out a Vindicator and finish off the rest of the enemies you were sniping. On the downside, it lacks the full auto capability of the Avenger and seems to run out of ammo a bit faster. For standup fights against other ranged opponents at long distances, the Vindicator beats the Avenger hands down. Against opponents that charge you however, such as Husks, Varren, and some Krogans, you'll likely want to have the full auto output of an Avenger.… Expand

ahh mass effect, the best shooter rpg game out there. i personally liked the dragon age origins story and universe better than teh mass effect series but this game is far superior in terms of gameplay and combat I think. A must have xbox 360 title since its so cheap

Mass Effect 2 is the poster child for non-linear storytelling. With perhaps the finest cast of characters in gaming, and tons of replayability, Mass Effect 2 is an epic sci-fi adventure that shouldn't be missed.

This is literally my favorite game of all time. The gameplay, the story and the characters are all fantastic. The ending is epic and the brilliance of Bioware is displayed perfectly in this game.

Any game that gets me to replay through the story 3+ times is worthy of a 10 in my book. There's really not anything bad I can say about the game, it's pretty much a masterpiece.

I would hardly call Mass Effect 2 a dumbed down version of the first. I would call it more refined and streamlined. Everything that bugged me about the first Mass Effect (very little, by the way) was either improved or completely removed. This is the finest action RPG I've ever played and Bioware's most impressive title to date. Mass Effect 2 is a well paced, jaw-dropping emotional piece of science fiction.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's incredibly personal while still retaining a sense of epic sweeping scale. The combat and mission design are outstanding. The visuals, voice acting, soundtrack, and direction are miles ahead of the competition. Perhaps most impressively, Mass Effect 2 manages to fulfill its incredible ambition while only suffering from very few technical hiccups.… Expand

Absolutely amazing game! improved combat, improved interact with your pls, better looking. However, as the middle episode, the story made no contribute and progress to the mainplot. however, still a complete (i.e, not rushed) game, still can feel how much loves the developers put into this game. I just love playing a well-done game,. (cannot tolerant half-ass-ed game like ME3,)