Mass Effect 2

 PlayStation 3
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1348 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,159 out of 1348
  2. Mixed: 108 out of 1348
  3. Negative: 81 out of 1348
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  1. CalR
    Jun 13, 2013
    6
    Mass Effect 2 or just plain Mass Appeal?!

    Mass Disappointment more like... RPG elements reduced, half-baked character concepts (Kasumi, Thane), replacing atmospheric planetry exploration with a mineral scanner, poorly designed interface, being interrupted by compulsory story missions, smaller maps and increased linearity that carries you from one yawning modern warfare spectacle to the    Mass Effect 2 or just plain Mass Appeal?!

    Mass Disappointment more like... RPG elements reduced, half-baked character concepts (Kasumi, Thane), replacing atmospheric planetry exploration with a mineral scanner, poorly designed interface, being interrupted by compulsory story missions, smaller maps and increased linearity that carries you from one yawning modern warfare spectacle to the next, god-awful and uncustomisable upgrade system, no weapon purchases, confusing paragon and renegade points, scrapping vehicle sections completely before inserting that horrific ship control in the Overlord mission, underwhelming finale, killing off my favourite character in the suicide mission without discussion or reason, unenjoyable side quests and assignments which offer no individuality when all you receive is 125 experience points, problematic central story that merely serves as filler for a cash-grabbing sequel, a combat system that only rewards you if your wall humping, putting in the archaic ammo clips instead of the unique over heating....So yeah?! Need I go on?

    How is this an evolution from the first one? It's certainly not as good...    … Expand
  2. Phantomgunex758
    May 18, 2011
    6
    +
    < Great Re-definition of the RPG genre which returns to the roots of an immersive experience in being able to control a character which influences the environment, without the irritating inventories and boring grinding.
    < High production values seen in everything from the great design, brilliant soundtrack and breathtaking graphics. < Squad members very significant to story including    +
    < Great Re-definition of the RPG genre which returns to the roots of an immersive experience in being able to control a character which influences the environment, without the irritating inventories and boring grinding.
    < High production values seen in everything from the great design, brilliant soundtrack and breathtaking graphics.
    < Squad members very significant to story including various stronger characters such as Jack and Thane. Great character development with the recruitment and help missions that form lasting player attachments to the characters. It actually hurts when characters die. < A great Action game in its own right with a refined cover system from the previous game that many reviewers have likened to that of Gears Of War. Biotic powers and classes have been refined and can pack more of a punch

    -
    < Terrible storyline form Bioware unlike what we've come to expect from previous great games such as KOTOR and Baldur's Gate. Storyline line is over the top and full of Sci-Fi Stereotypes and movie/game cliches. Worst than the last game in terms of a story plot which gets so overblown that plot holes and logical flaws become very evident. Blaming the reapers for every galactic problem has also become really lame.
    < Disappointing continuity from last game. Death of protagonist and complete reboot disappointed many who were promised a experience which integrates player actions in the last game. Characters from the last game appear but only serve as side-quest contexts. Squad members from the last game pale in comparison to the new characters in terms of character development.
    < Disappointing squad/tactical gameplay. The squad's various skills are rarely used, besides their biotic powers. Some characters players used on specific missions strategically did not pay off and only served to add a few lines of back story. The final level managed to portray Shepard as the squad leader he was supposed to be, but this could have been integrated more consistently.
    < Shepard. The male voice acting is pathetic and fails to capture the essence of the character we want in the decisions we make. Character development is almost non-existent, but unlike other games such as Half-Life where we learn about the silent protagonist from supporting characters, supporting characters only seem to portray Shepard as this hero who they know less about than we do. More should have been done to establish his past and how events from the past can affect the future. < The Paragon Renegade Gimmick is getting old. The morality of the game seems to be measured with meters which completely spoil the essence of this feature, making it a mere gimmick. Shepard is a character defined by his words and actions, but many of the options that are supposed to be badass fall short of that. In fact the Renegade Shepard is poorly defined. Renegades seem to be suspicious of everything around them but yet not Ceberus. Sometimes the stuff Renegade say makes Shepard seem like a defiant teenager just opposing for the sake of opposition. The Paragon renegade is equally stupid with the 'I don't trust Ceberus and act like a **** around the Elusive Man but heck I'm still going to allow him to send me on missions.' The game should have allowed players to choose to take orders from the Elusive man and the Council. Afterall Shepard is a Spectre. < Squad members abilities were not adhered to. Thane plays like a typical character though he's supposed to be a skilled assassin. Garrus doesn't lend his sniping skills at all. Mordin doesn't do anything apart from making stupid remarks during the heat of battle. The unique personalities and abilities of the characters are not explored at all and each character just feels like a biotic/engineer/soldier with a different skin.
    < No vehicles? The first game did have vehicle flaws, but these were because of the poor physics and not the concept itself. Bioware did act on feedback from the first game by lazily deciding to scrap the vehicles completely instead of bothering to refine them. (Fine, the Hammerhead is awesome but that's DLC content)

    Final Thoughts:
    Mass Effect 2 is in no way a bad game. Its just overly-hyped and failed to deliver. The game itself is great on the surface and is an excellent experience for anybody. Analyse deeper though, and the flaws become very evident. Overall, Mass Effect 2 is an enjoyable redefinition of the RPG genre and shines as both an RPG and TPS game. let's hope ME3 will end the saga with a Bang.    … Expand
  3. Dezuuu
    Apr 5, 2012
    7
    Overrated game. A poor 3rd-person shooter with some poor RPG elements. Movement and combat feels awkward, but the soundtrack, graphics, conversations and voice acting are great. High production value but poor combat and not an RPG for those who like the oldschool stuff.
  4. Greetz_DK
    Mar 21, 2011
    6
    Stupid plot, really really stupid plot. Predictable action (shoot then talk and then shoot some more). But most of the companions and characters are interesting. The good definitely out wights the bad.
  5. fleischverpacku
    Jan 19, 2011
    6
    poppy downgraded sequel

    Most missions follow an identical procedure. RPG depht suffers from poorer skilling options and a more linear levelstructure compared to the first title. Architectual patterns often repeat. The story adds additional depht to the universe, but conservative implementations such as ammunition or fuel subvert the logic of the immersive gameworld. Visuals are stunning!    poppy downgraded sequel

    Most missions follow an identical procedure. RPG depht suffers from poorer skilling options and a more linear levelstructure compared to the first title. Architectual patterns often repeat. The story adds additional depht to the universe, but conservative implementations such as ammunition or fuel subvert the logic of the immersive gameworld. Visuals are stunning! The characters are well drawn and bring their own background story.    … Expand
  6. M3chaGr4n
    Jan 25, 2011
    5
    PLEASE BE AWARE I AM NOT A SCI-FI / STAR WARS SUPERFAN! Ok, 94%? Really? Well once again I felt compelled to give a glimpse behind the cellophane wrapping of this game that perhaps the Mass Effect fanbase don't acknowledge or agree with - but here goes.......Graphics are beautiful, the game looks basically polished and the 'universe' or galaxy etc is basically believable. The problem withPLEASE BE AWARE I AM NOT A SCI-FI / STAR WARS SUPERFAN! Ok, 94%? Really? Well once again I felt compelled to give a glimpse behind the cellophane wrapping of this game that perhaps the Mass Effect fanbase don't acknowledge or agree with - but here goes.......Graphics are beautiful, the game looks basically polished and the 'universe' or galaxy etc is basically believable. The problem with this game is once you lift the lid and ignore the admittedly pristene appearance (think...Uncharted 2 etc) what this game lacks is playability. It feels in comparison to the gushing reviews like I am uttering sinful words here - but the gameplay in the 'missions' is so repetitive, boring and easy - you feel (if you are anything like me) like you are repeating yourself every 30 minutes or so. Missions are - go here, meet this person, talk a bit, then get into a fight, fight your way out, (the easy bit) then go back to spaceship. Then maybe do some harvesting (yawn) of planets, and then start again. Sorry, maybe I am missing something but this is dull. Beautiful but dull. In addition, the squad and 3rd person controls are clunky (a word designed for this game), feels like Ghost recon from about 3 years ago. The Squad powers are unimpressive, considering the scope this game could have and all the while you know what is going to happen:- "oh no weve been led into a 'trap' - better fight our way out!" - didnt see that coming. So what you have here is a superb visual sci-fi game, which is trying to take itself seriously and desperately wants you to as well, but with an aged and very disappointing RPG style FPS attached. It is, after all the HYPE, a total let down and once again demonstrated why you should not trust 'official' paid-for reviews. A sad truth in the galaxy.… Expand
  7. shadraouf
    Jan 18, 2012
    7
    Mass Effect 2 is a game with a lot of potential but unfortunately EA has decided to put a lot of quantity in this game in spite of quality. The game looks pretty good on the PS3, although at some points there are visual eyesores. The story itself is very unimaginative. Aliens want to kill us all, one man stand against them, bla bla bla. But it was still fun, then they fill the whole mainMass Effect 2 is a game with a lot of potential but unfortunately EA has decided to put a lot of quantity in this game in spite of quality. The game looks pretty good on the PS3, although at some points there are visual eyesores. The story itself is very unimaginative. Aliens want to kill us all, one man stand against them, bla bla bla. But it was still fun, then they fill the whole main story with finding team mates and on other side doing missions to gain their trust. While i enjoyed the characters background story as most of them were more intriguing and interesting than the main storyline, the missions were too long and at the end I just wanted to get them over with. The world didn't interest me enough either to go out and explore it, it just didn't catch my interest. But what really breaks this game is the gameplay. All the while you walk through a few corridors, find some items, enemies approach you, you take cover, shoot them to bits and repeat.

    Why did i give this game a 6 after all that negativity? Even though i caught myself constantly thinking I need to get this over with because I have better games to attend, I still recognize it's choice-based story telling. you have a lot of choice in this game and basically can decide your own path.

    Mass Effect has a lot of bredth, as in you can do many things in many ways, but not a lot of depth, because none of them worked out in a pleasing manner.    … Expand
  8. skim123
    Jul 4, 2012
    6
    The fully realized sci-fi world is impressive, but the gameplay is pretty dull and repetitive. After the first few missions, the games starts to feel boring and monotonous. There's not really any strategy required in the missions (just attack the bad guys with powers and then shoot them with guns while you wait for your powers to recharge - that's about all you do in this game). there'sThe fully realized sci-fi world is impressive, but the gameplay is pretty dull and repetitive. After the first few missions, the games starts to feel boring and monotonous. There's not really any strategy required in the missions (just attack the bad guys with powers and then shoot them with guns while you wait for your powers to recharge - that's about all you do in this game). there's nothing to really keep your mind occupied, and there's nothing really fun about this game. Repetitively shooting enemies in every missions isn't enough to keep me engaged. Games like GTA and Read Dead are jam-packed with fun things to do and places to explore, but Mass Effect only has generic, repetitive shooting. I suppose the appeal of a game like this comes from getting immersed in the back story of all the various characters and alien races...but the appeal of that only lasts so long when the actual missions/gameplay are just so generic and uninteresting. It was clear the makers of this game were focused on the story lines, and the gameplay itself was an afterthought (but creating interesting and challenging gameplay should be the first priority of any game developer...story is a nice bonus, but it's not enough to carry a game).… Expand
  9. YodaCracker
    Jan 21, 2011
    5
    While this game was deserving of a 9 last year on the PC and 360, it does not hold up as well on the PS3. The game has already been out for 12 months and has already won its awards and it is behind us now. It does not have much of an impact appearing on the PS3 this late.

    And without the ability to import your character from ME1 (since it never appeared on the PS3), you lose out on a HUGE    While this game was deserving of a 9 last year on the PC and 360, it does not hold up as well on the PS3. The game has already been out for 12 months and has already won its awards and it is behind us now. It does not have much of an impact appearing on the PS3 this late.

    And without the ability to import your character from ME1 (since it never appeared on the PS3), you lose out on a HUGE part of the experience. A ten minute interactive comic cannot replace a 60 hour experience. Players who have not completed the first Mass Effect will be clueless during countless moments and miss out on a lot of the satisfaction an invested ME player will experience, which is what brought ME2 to be such a highly rated game and what won it GOTY 2010.

    And despite the extra year and a new engine, the game still runs on par (or worse) than the 360 version. The PS3 has never been known to handle the Unreal Engine well and this game is no different. Frame rate stutters galore.

    Unfortunately, PS3 owners will most likely not understand what all the hype is about if they have not played the first Mass Effect.    … Expand
  10. SumoMau
    Mar 9, 2011
    7
    The game is good but not like Mass Effect 1. For the PS3 version, this game is FULL of bugs and that makes the rating at level 7. The only good thing is that the PS3 version has all the DLC included in the BD, and there is also a 10 minute digital comic talking about Mass Effect (for all the people that never had the honor to play with the epic first title).
  11. ElectricPhase
    Mar 17, 2011
    7
    This is truly a great game, but the PS3 version is plagued with many bugs. If Bioware patches most of the bugs to go with their new DLC release, I will gladly revise my score to the '10' I want to give the game.
  12. rob_vz
    Jun 17, 2011
    5
    I just don't get all the hype. The graphics are ugly, the acting is terrible and the art direction is very meh. Maybe it rocks if you're a teenager, but I just can't see any adult buying into this. Or maybe you need to spend 30 hours to really get into it.
    6 hours was all I could take before realizing that there are way better looking games out there, with far more fun gameplay.
    RPGs    I just don't get all the hype. The graphics are ugly, the acting is terrible and the art direction is very meh. Maybe it rocks if you're a teenager, but I just can't see any adult buying into this. Or maybe you need to spend 30 hours to really get into it.
    6 hours was all I could take before realizing that there are way better looking games out there, with far more fun gameplay.
    RPGs should stick to pen and paper, and a couple of friends around a table :)    … Expand
  13. LD9000
    May 2, 2011
    6
    As a long term fan of bioware games, I'm accustomed to equating 2 in the title to "Better". Baldurs Gate 2, KOTOR2. Something is always added, keeping the original system. Mass effect takes a different approach. That's right, this is Mass Effect: Different. Less customization, and the game itself feels a lot more casual and less immersive. The game plays more like a FPS with some RPGAs a long term fan of bioware games, I'm accustomed to equating 2 in the title to "Better". Baldurs Gate 2, KOTOR2. Something is always added, keeping the original system. Mass effect takes a different approach. That's right, this is Mass Effect: Different. Less customization, and the game itself feels a lot more casual and less immersive. The game plays more like a FPS with some RPG elements here and there. For me it was the lack of armor and weapons customization. Rather than improve upon the original, they just took everything out. Lack of role playing elements - while the original game had some interesting choices, I didn't really see anything like that in this game. I like the planet exploration, except the number of events that require landing is pitifully small.… Expand
  14. Rednaxela_19
    May 14, 2011
    5
    This game was supremely disappointing, in so many ways. It threw away its RPG roots for a more consumer friendly 3rd person shooter feel. Smooth gameplay, but you can tell this game was made for money, and not made to contribute a real, lasting RPG element to the realm of classical RPG's. This game is basically twenty hours of shoot this, shoot that, with a very predictable storyline and aThis game was supremely disappointing, in so many ways. It threw away its RPG roots for a more consumer friendly 3rd person shooter feel. Smooth gameplay, but you can tell this game was made for money, and not made to contribute a real, lasting RPG element to the realm of classical RPG's. This game is basically twenty hours of shoot this, shoot that, with a very predictable storyline and a few useless side missions that contributed little to nothing to the story. I was a huge fan on the first ME. And Bioware disappointed me greatly in their effort to make more money. They were clearly not supporting the hardcore fans that bought and enjoyed ME 1. The gameplay came out smoother then the first, and the graphics were even better. That is why I am giving it a five. Otherwise it was a very lackluster game.

    On a side note, the music in this game was hardly noticeable, and was in no way as memorable as the first, or as creative as the first. Basically the only songs I enjoyed were the remakes of the songs in the original.    … Expand
  15. mrnice
    Feb 22, 2014
    7
    Grittier but also much more polished than the first game. Less Citadel, more messy locations. Sadly also a less intriguing story, which is a big deal in this type of game. It builds up for most of the game, and then the climax is sort of not really a climax. I'd read praise of the climax, but it was predictable and went by too fast. The themes taken up by the game are run-of-the-mill RPGGrittier but also much more polished than the first game. Less Citadel, more messy locations. Sadly also a less intriguing story, which is a big deal in this type of game. It builds up for most of the game, and then the climax is sort of not really a climax. I'd read praise of the climax, but it was predictable and went by too fast. The themes taken up by the game are run-of-the-mill RPG stuff. Racism, free trade, guilt, a hero out to save the world. There's nothing refreshing about the game, and the shooting sections mimic those of the first game. I'd like to play Mass Effect 3, but I don't expect anything special of it anymore. I had very high hopes for this game, expecting it to blow my mind and touch heartstrings, but it was another blockbuster entertainer. Some meat to it but not much. For a less dumbed down action RPG, try Knights Of The Old Republic, although it is not an outstanding game either. Best parts: Scenery and characters. Worst parts: Action sequences.… Expand
  16. sityoazzdown
    Jun 8, 2014
    5
    I was very underwhelmed with this game, amid all the critically acclained reviews from gaming websites, this game just didn't suck me in. I put in a good 2-4 hours playing this game, but the gameplay was just generic, and the open world and the sci-fi atmosphere just wasn't my thing..it reminded me of star trek (the atmosphere anyways)..and that show was boring as heck to me. Maybe it wasI was very underwhelmed with this game, amid all the critically acclained reviews from gaming websites, this game just didn't suck me in. I put in a good 2-4 hours playing this game, but the gameplay was just generic, and the open world and the sci-fi atmosphere just wasn't my thing..it reminded me of star trek (the atmosphere anyways)..and that show was boring as heck to me. Maybe it was because I didn't play the original mass effect, but the characters, story, setting, gameplay just didn't get me excited to keep playing.… Expand
  17. ExprS
    Sep 22, 2012
    5
    The game bugs A LOT! And by a lot I really mean it. It bugs so much that sometimes you can't even understand what is going on! Despite that it is a good game with a compeling story.
  18. TCTriangle
    Feb 28, 2014
    7
    Mass Effect 2 is one of those games that tries to do too much and thus is not really great at anything. The combat is mediocre, the exploration gets stale after a while, and the story really isn't anything special. The characters and dialogue are the best part of the game, but it's a small portion and isn't enough to save it. Not a bad game by any means, but not "best shooter RPG of allMass Effect 2 is one of those games that tries to do too much and thus is not really great at anything. The combat is mediocre, the exploration gets stale after a while, and the story really isn't anything special. The characters and dialogue are the best part of the game, but it's a small portion and isn't enough to save it. Not a bad game by any means, but not "best shooter RPG of all time" as many people claims it is, either.… Expand
  19. SyrupForDragons
    Jun 13, 2014
    6
    EA ruined this game. This is the bridge game of an RPG trilogy without the RPG in it. The leveling is trash, the loot is non-existent & the combat makes the game feel like Gears Effect. The loyalty missions & ending are cool, but the rest of the game falls short. A very, very overrated game.
  20. Dionysus777
    Jan 30, 2015
    6
    Do not get the hype on this game. Its definitely not an rpg atleast as much as the first.Character models look great. Character development is good. And everything else sucks. Backgrounds are mediocre. Most 3ps do combat better.Not many rpg type skills at all. I was looking for an rpg there are way better 3ps. Lost all interest in the series after this 1.
  21. RunePl
    May 12, 2016
    7
    Shooting mechanics were a little above average. Hard to overstate how generic the plot is, maybe I made the wrong decisions but I was honestly surprised at how below average it was. You shouldn't need a walkthrough to have exciting things happen, regardless. In addition, the game assumes you already care about the setting and characters, so does very little world building. If my scoreShooting mechanics were a little above average. Hard to overstate how generic the plot is, maybe I made the wrong decisions but I was honestly surprised at how below average it was. You shouldn't need a walkthrough to have exciting things happen, regardless. In addition, the game assumes you already care about the setting and characters, so does very little world building. If my score seems high, its because:

    1) I played this before playing Mass Effect 1
    2) The world appeared interesting enough that I went out and bought Mass Effect 1 and 3 immediately.

    I have no doubt that the game would be more entertaining had I played Mass Effect 1 first, since there are recurring characters. I highly recommend playing Mass Effect 1 first, or you will not get much out of this game.    … Expand
  22. okayokay
    Oct 10, 2018
    7
    rrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaadddddddddddiiiiiiiiiiicccccccccccaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllll
  23. houjo2000
    Jul 30, 2017
    7
    One of the better games ever made- not as good as the first ME, but still fantastic. Great job on story and making the series look absolutely epic. Side quests were very well done, and the combat is smooth and works well.
  24. GhostlyMenace
    Apr 22, 2023
    6
    The gameplay is pretty nice but the writing of the game can get pretty bad. Some of the characters are sci fi knockoffs or depend on overused sci fi movie tropes. The Collectors seem to just be exactly the same as what the The Geth were in the first Mass Effect. The game doesn't really establish why its important to destroy The Collector base until the end of the game. Only that "They'reThe gameplay is pretty nice but the writing of the game can get pretty bad. Some of the characters are sci fi knockoffs or depend on overused sci fi movie tropes. The Collectors seem to just be exactly the same as what the The Geth were in the first Mass Effect. The game doesn't really establish why its important to destroy The Collector base until the end of the game. Only that "They're working for The Reapers, stop them!".

    There's outright fanservice in the form of sensual shots of Miranda, and pointless annoying characters like Jack and copies of squad members from the first Mass Effect like Grunt (essentially a carbon copy of Wrex). For a game that puts such a strong focus on the backstories of the squad members, it seems that some of them hardly have stories at all like Jacob. The game also does a poor job of giving an explanation as to why these people are joining you on a mission that will almost certainly lead to their deaths when they hardly know you. They also charge a hell of a lot of money for the DLC.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best PS3 Game of 2011
13
#13 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2011
11
#11 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
94

Universal acclaim - based on 62 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 62 out of 62
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 62
  3. Negative: 0 out of 62
  1. Videogameszone.de
    May 24, 2011
    90
    Mass Effect 2 is a masterpiece of Sci-Fi-Storytelling. The characters in the Mass Effect universe are offering a deep background. The Game is exciting until the very end.
    Read full review
  2. Multiplayer.it
    Mar 29, 2011
    95
    Mass Effect 2 is still a game you shouldn't miss at all costs, and one of the best RPG's of this generation of consoles. You need an internet connection to download all of the contents which EA didn't include on the main BR disk.
    Read full review
  3. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Mar 17, 2011
    100
    Yes, ME2 isn't perhaps the most technical RPG ever created, but it's easily one of the slickest, bearing the unmistakable master craftsmanship of RPG luminaries, BioWare. Not only is this supersized Sony edition of ME2 outstanding value for money – it also represents a sound long-term investment. If the Mass Effect 3 reveals are anything to go by, the conclusion of this saga will be similarly unmissable and the galactic apocalypse will be decided in our own backyard: Earth. [March 2011, p70]
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