Gamesugar

April 10, 2011

Review – Mass Effect 2: Arrival

Mass Effect 2 Arrival
Last week saw the release of Arrival, the final DLC package for Mass Effect 2, leading into the release of Mass Effect 3 (still intolerably far away, I might add). Arrival sees Commander Shepard infiltrating Batarian space to rescue an Alliance operative with evidence on the imminent Reaper invasion.

As has been the standard for Mass Effect 2 DLC, Arrival attempts to put something of a different spin on the gameplay and add something unique to the package. In this instance, it’s a rudimentary stealth mechanic, where players—if they are careful about choosing their route—can avoid enemy positions and complete the first mission without being detected.

(more…)

December 22, 2010

Demo Report – Mass Effect 2

Mass Effect 2
Alongside other heavy hitters like Dead Space 2 and LittleBigPlanet 2, yesterday saw the release of the Mass Effect 2 demo on PSN. As the resident Mass Effect addict, I took it upon myself to acquire this mystifying new software package and convert its contents into a convenient text delivery for your purposes.

The demo provides PS3 players with a short video explaining the basic premise of the original game, and then moves on to the opening scenes of Mass Effect 2. From there you’ll enter the character creation suite, where you can fully customize your demo Shepard. It probably would have been easier to simply offer the default appearance for Shepard in the demo, but including the entire creation process is a smart choice; customization is a huge part of Mass Effect 2, and this feature goes a long way towards communicating that to potential PS3 players.

(more…)

September 9, 2010

Review – Mass Effect 2: Lair of the Shadowbroker

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , , , , , , — Brad Johnson @ 8:00 pm


When the original Mass Effect was on its way to shelves, there was talk of expanding the galaxy map with a supply of downloadable content—an idea that never quite took flight. With Mass Effect 2, Bioware has produced content on a consistent monthly basis, finally delivering on the promise of an expanding galaxy—and what’s more, DLC has been employed to expand and refine the gameplay experience, meaning that Bioware doesn’t just give you more to play, they give you new ways to play. Today we’ll be covering the two most recent releases; the Lair of the Shadowbroker mission pack, and the Firepower weapon pack.

(more…)

August 17, 2010

Mass Effect 2 Heading to PS3 in 2011

Filed under: News Feed — Tags: , , , , , , , — Brad Johnson @ 4:24 pm


Today came the announcement from Bioware and EA that Mass Effect 2 will be heading to PS3s come 2011–while the original game will remain an Xbox exclusive. Microsoft was quick to assert that the only way to experience the “full” Mass Effect universe remains safely on their console, carefully ignoring the quickly forgotten Mass Effect Galaxy for the iPhone.

While this is tremendous news for Playstation 3 owners, current fans of the series can be forgiven for groaning collectively with the knowledge that bullshit exclusive content wars for ME2 and the inevitable sequel are almost certainly imminent.

June 18, 2010

Review – Mass Effect 2 “Overlord” DLC

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Brad Johnson @ 3:31 am


Latest in the ongoing series of DLC releases for Mass Effect 2 is the Overlord add-on, which has Commander Shepard battling a rogue Virtual Intelligence. Bioware has again approached their downloadable content with an eye to quality, including an excellent new soundtrack and some great visuals—but this package seems to have also been designed to test new designs for planet exploration following the demise of the Mako and the revision of galaxy exploration in Mass Effect 2.

Each DLC pack has offered a gameplay experience unique from the retail release, if often a brief one—the Stolen Memory DLC presented a sharply designed adventure mission, with Sherpard infiltrating the home of a prominent crime boss, and the Firewalker pack introduced Hammerhead vehicle sequences. Overlord provides a much less combat-intense experience, focusing on the reintroduction of vehicle exploration and the delivery of the dark science-fiction elements that have helped make the Mass Effect universe distinct.

(more…)

Powered by WordPress