Mass Effect 2 Review

Mass Effect 2 makes its predecessor look really simple. Whether you're eavesdropping on a pair of Krogans in the citadel, mining planets for resources from space, or outfitting your private deck with a fish tank and space hamster, almost every area in the game is improved upon and impressively presented.

It's as if BioWare compiled a big checklist of the first game's bad points, and scratched them off one by one. Rubbish vehicle sections, overwhelming inventory management and, yes, elevator load times have all been thrown in the bin. The result is a more refined, balanced and approachable game - arguably BioWare's best to date.

The sequel's events kick off a few years after the original title's conclusion, taking into account all the choices you made and people you killed/spared in the original game (if you've kept hold of your Mass Effect 1 save at least).

The spoiler-free version of the plot is that human colonies have started disappearing around the edges of space. Suspicious that the Reapers - the ancient, galaxy-culling machines - are behind the attacks, our man Sheppard joins up with the Cerberus organisation and its mysterious leader, 'The Illusive Man' (voiced by Martin Sheen), to investigate.

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