Mass Effect 2

 Xbox 360
User Score
8.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3743 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,340 out of 3743
  2. Mixed: 161 out of 3743
  3. Negative: 242 out of 3743
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  1. ClaytonB
    Feb 6, 2010
    9
    For people that liked Mass Effect 1 and wanted the second to be the same will be disappointed. The change made the game less repetitive in this reviews eyes. One can still go around, plot, and deplete every planet for valuable resources while running into a mission. If you were to do everything in the game, your playtime would range from 30-35 hours. The most interesting part of Mass For people that liked Mass Effect 1 and wanted the second to be the same will be disappointed. The change made the game less repetitive in this reviews eyes. One can still go around, plot, and deplete every planet for valuable resources while running into a mission. If you were to do everything in the game, your playtime would range from 30-35 hours. The most interesting part of Mass Effect 2 is that the choices you made in the first mass effect follow into Mass effect 2 to make a different story Multiple and different playthroughs in the first one can make each playthrough different in ways. Its a game that is worth multiple paythroughs, new and old characters and will be in to help shepherd fight the good fight. More in depth romance subplots are a quirky and interesting part the the first one introduced. All around this game is set up better than the first and doesn't have the graphic pop that ailed the first one also. Not the best game i've ever played but warrants a purchase if you own an Xbox 360 or a pc. 9/10… Expand
  2. PeterR
    Feb 7, 2010
    5
    Mass Effect 2 is a great game, if you like to talk talk talk... and talk. Which just means selecting from a few predefined statements. I really felt lost sometimes and even worse... bored by the game. Sure: The universe created by Bioware and the graphics are quite nice and unique, but the gameplay can't back it up. The annoying planet-scans for resources and the mediocre combat made Mass Effect 2 is a great game, if you like to talk talk talk... and talk. Which just means selecting from a few predefined statements. I really felt lost sometimes and even worse... bored by the game. Sure: The universe created by Bioware and the graphics are quite nice and unique, but the gameplay can't back it up. The annoying planet-scans for resources and the mediocre combat made the game a hard pill to swallow.… Expand
  3. TrevorS
    Jan 29, 2010
    10
    Possibly the best game of the year already, and it's only January! The most addicting game I've played in a VERY long time. This is the new standard for RPGs.
  4. Christinem
    Feb 12, 2010
    9
    Amazing game and all the naysayers have no idea what mass effect is supposed to be about. Someone said it's not as ground breaking as fallout... really? fallout 3 was oblivion with guns. Mass effect 2 is a great continuation, it has characters you find yourself seriously invested in and caring for... big decisions that affect your story, it carries over the history of your old Amazing game and all the naysayers have no idea what mass effect is supposed to be about. Someone said it's not as ground breaking as fallout... really? fallout 3 was oblivion with guns. Mass effect 2 is a great continuation, it has characters you find yourself seriously invested in and caring for... big decisions that affect your story, it carries over the history of your old Shepard from 1 just beautifully. Sure, i miss having loot in 1, and more guns in general. and i do feel the combat has been simplified a bit. But it improves on many other things, the story telling, the connection to characters, cover system that actually WORKS, and fixes many major glitches. And side quests are way more unique instead of traversing the same building layouts. It's an amazing game, in my top ten of all time for sure. The whiners just want to stand out, or i bet havnt even played the game.… Expand
  5. icecream
    Feb 12, 2010
    10
    This game is a 15 out of 10. Maybe some will give it a 12 out of 10 or even a 10 out of 10 but anything less than that is insulting. You should be smacked in the face and your gaming license revoked. There is not a game that comes close to the incredible star power voice acting, the incredible graphics, characters, and engaging story. If you dont give it a 10 out of 10 ask yourself why do This game is a 15 out of 10. Maybe some will give it a 12 out of 10 or even a 10 out of 10 but anything less than that is insulting. You should be smacked in the face and your gaming license revoked. There is not a game that comes close to the incredible star power voice acting, the incredible graphics, characters, and engaging story. If you dont give it a 10 out of 10 ask yourself why do I own a video game machine? Is it time to find a new hobby? Because its not the game ITS YOU.… Expand
  6. Chris
    Feb 3, 2010
    10
    I've seen people rating it low for running too slow, but you can actually sprint in the game, lolwut? Yeah, lrn2play people. Also the first ME1 wasn't nearly as great as ME2, ME1 was lagging, if you were to fight more than one person you'd lag everywhere, the DLCs in ME1 showed that. The Mako in ME1 was annoying, and if people are saying ME1 is better, they don't know I've seen people rating it low for running too slow, but you can actually sprint in the game, lolwut? Yeah, lrn2play people. Also the first ME1 wasn't nearly as great as ME2, ME1 was lagging, if you were to fight more than one person you'd lag everywhere, the DLCs in ME1 showed that. The Mako in ME1 was annoying, and if people are saying ME1 is better, they don't know anything. If you don't like the shooter type of gamestyle for those RPG fans, become an adept, use your powers to throw people, slam, or knock people over. People also complaining about audio level? Lol, learn to press start and go to options and make the music lower? And it's thermal clips so the gun can reload faster when it overheats. In ME1, when it overheated, it took forever to get it back to normal.… Expand
  7. CraigB.
    Jan 26, 2010
    10
    One of the best games of all time - BioWare have truly outdone themselves. A remarkable achievement in game design and one that will be remembered for years to come. This game hails the moment when next generation truly began. Simply incredible.
  8. JohnH.
    Jan 27, 2010
    10
    Improved over the first Mass Effect in every way. It is just a beautiful RPG with gorgeous characters and an enveloping story that will make your wait for Mass Effect 3 even more painful. Possible Game of the Year in January? We will see but it will definately be in the running. My score for Mass Effect 2 is a 9.75, because it does have a couple of minor flaws like the mining for precious Improved over the first Mass Effect in every way. It is just a beautiful RPG with gorgeous characters and an enveloping story that will make your wait for Mass Effect 3 even more painful. Possible Game of the Year in January? We will see but it will definately be in the running. My score for Mass Effect 2 is a 9.75, because it does have a couple of minor flaws like the mining for precious metals mini game. However it takes nothing away from the experience and you will be thining of the charachters and decisions you made even while not playing.… Expand
  9. FinalFantasyFan
    Aug 12, 2010
    5
    Wait i just found out that it has no online. That doesn't matter but it would be better if it had online. I like Mass effect and the way that it changes the ending is very good but i thought the game would change more than the ending.
  10. Jacob
    Aug 30, 2015
    9
    Mass Effect 2 is the great game that the first game should’ve been but wasn’t. The well written and memorable party members, planets that have stories on their own, and side quests that greatly enrich the game and not feeling like padding that were present in KOTOR are back here. The game also fixes the issues the first game simplifying combat and inventory and removing tedious roverMass Effect 2 is the great game that the first game should’ve been but wasn’t. The well written and memorable party members, planets that have stories on their own, and side quests that greatly enrich the game and not feeling like padding that were present in KOTOR are back here. The game also fixes the issues the first game simplifying combat and inventory and removing tedious rover missions. Mass Effect 2 deserves all the praise it can get as it is truly a great example of good game. The massive amount of content combined with the replay value of different story paths creates a game that is worth the full price and will keep you busy for a while. Mass Effect 2’s improvements, expansions, and refinements creates a game so good and so polished that makes it impossible to go back to the first one. Fans of the first game should pick this up and even ones who weren’t fans of the first one feeling it wasn’t up to par with KOTOR will be pleasantly satisfied. The only challenge this game faces going forward is what to do for a sequel since I cannot see them improving the game anymore than they already have. Nonetheless, when the game is over its so satisfying that you cannot wait to see where the story goes next.… Expand
  11. Shtiggy
    Jan 19, 2011
    6
    Limited range of movement and interaction on levels makes this very frustrating. I do like the dialogue options and gameplay is fun, other than what was previously mentioned. This leaves a lot to be desired and I think it is very overrated.
  12. billiam
    Mar 22, 2011
    4
    i don't like the game it just was boring and the game is so repetitive the game began to become a chore to play it is not worth buying maybe a rent...
  13. Revanchistexile
    Jul 19, 2011
    10
    One of the best games I've ever played. Some of the RPG elements may have been taken out but it doesn't diminish from the experience that you get out of it. The writing and characters are all top notch. The was Bioware makes you care for your squadmates leading up to the suicide mission is superb. Play Mass Effect 1 and then play Mass Effect 2, you'll be doing yourself a favor.
  14. thebrock
    Jul 22, 2012
    9
    Mass effect 2 is an outstanding game, the storyline is fantistic and characters interesting. Also it follows on well from the original mass effect game. If you like your sci fi with rpg and action elements in your games then this is an absolute must. In my view one of the best games to be released on the x box 360 console. Wasnt mad about the upgrade and levelling system, if this had haveMass effect 2 is an outstanding game, the storyline is fantistic and characters interesting. Also it follows on well from the original mass effect game. If you like your sci fi with rpg and action elements in your games then this is an absolute must. In my view one of the best games to be released on the x box 360 console. Wasnt mad about the upgrade and levelling system, if this had have been better this game may have got that illusive 10 out of 10. All in all fantastic game and a must play for rpg fans. Brilliant.… Expand
  15. NavesRegge
    Jun 8, 2011
    6
    Mass Effect 2 is good and all, the story is good, the characters are interesting, the fighting is okay, and blah de blah; but I never felt immersed in the Mass Effect world. As the RPG I assume it is, it didn't feel like an RPG. It felt like a shooter with dialogue tossed in every now and again. This is not what I usually expect from Bioware. When I think Bioware, I think huge worlds likeMass Effect 2 is good and all, the story is good, the characters are interesting, the fighting is okay, and blah de blah; but I never felt immersed in the Mass Effect world. As the RPG I assume it is, it didn't feel like an RPG. It felt like a shooter with dialogue tossed in every now and again. This is not what I usually expect from Bioware. When I think Bioware, I think huge worlds like Baldur's Gate 2 and a ton of character development and side missions like KOTOR. Neither of those were here in Mass Effect 2. Sure, there were "planets," but you only ever really saw maybe one or two districts of it, probably less. Even if there was a big environment, there wasn't much you could explore. As far as character development goes, it was okay. There was about one side mission for each character, some dialogue that told their past, and that's it. In KOTOR, you got a lot of character development: hours of dialogue, a couple of side missions leading up to one big side mission, the characters interacted and talked to each other, there was always something new to learn about each character. Though, I do think that Mass Effect 2 wasn't going so much for the "huge, awesome world, lots of composition, thinking man's game" sort of style like KOTOR. It was probably going more for a "third person shooter with a good story." Mass Effect 2 is like if Uncharted was an RPG, and in space, sort of...

    Anyway, if you've ever wanted to play the game, you probably already own it. If your still on the verge of getting it, it's cheap nowadays so go right ahead. When you're done with it, trade it in for something else, it's not really worth keeping unless you want to see every possible outcome of the game.    … Expand
  16. Luchinelrey
    Jul 25, 2011
    10
    Impresionante, uno de los mejores juegos que he tenido el placer de disfrutar. La historia es completamente de novela de ciencia ficción, Un RPG excepcional, acompañado por una buena ambientación. Gráficos a la altura de los tiempos, gran calidad, emoción, seducción, acción y una jugabilidad queImpresionante, uno de los mejores juegos que he tenido el placer de disfrutar. La historia es completamente de novela de ciencia ficción, Un RPG excepcional, acompañado por una buena ambientación. Gráficos a la altura de los tiempos, gran calidad, emoción, seducción, acción y una jugabilidad que al principio (hasta que terminas de entender como se usa tu personaje y como complementarlo con tus compañeros que tienes en el equipo) parece aburrida e incluso un poco difícil de entender, pero luego de pasar algunas misiones esto se convierte en un control sencillo e imprescindible para sobrevivir en cada fase.
    Totalmente recomendado para pasar unas cuantas semanas sumergido en una historia sumamente original.
    Recomiendo guardar las partidas en forma manual, ya que el autoguardado te puede dar sorpresas inesperadas, como morir al final de una fase y tener que empezarla casi desde el p¡rincipio !!!
    Conclusión: comprarlo sin dudar, ya que la segunda parte esta en el mercado hace tiempo y ya sale una tercera que promete dejarnos con la boca abierta.

    Un saludo

    Luchinelrey (Luchin Shepard para los amigos) XD    … Expand
  17. Vertillian
    Nov 1, 2011
    6
    Under all the glitz and polish, bioware tried to sneak in the fact that they think gamers are stupid. Has no one else noticed that their writers ran out of good ideas ages ago? I can forgive small similarities with other sci fi series but most of the Mass Effect universe is recycled! Babylon 5 had most of these ideas 5-10 years ago. Its atrocious! The lack of depth or consequence is veryUnder all the glitz and polish, bioware tried to sneak in the fact that they think gamers are stupid. Has no one else noticed that their writers ran out of good ideas ages ago? I can forgive small similarities with other sci fi series but most of the Mass Effect universe is recycled! Babylon 5 had most of these ideas 5-10 years ago. Its atrocious! The lack of depth or consequence is very poor. The emphasis on third person shooting lacks imagination. A story that could be written by a 12year old, all this is unforgivable.… Expand
  18. Josh_47ra
    Mar 6, 2012
    8
    Good game, but not quite as good of a story as the first one. Combat was improved, but at the cost of a lot of the fun things from the first game. These are as bad of knocks because it is the middle game and has to continue the plot but leave enough for another game. I will complain a little about the females in the game. You have the perfect girl (Miranda) who complains she is tooGood game, but not quite as good of a story as the first one. Combat was improved, but at the cost of a lot of the fun things from the first game. These are as bad of knocks because it is the middle game and has to continue the plot but leave enough for another game. I will complain a little about the females in the game. You have the perfect girl (Miranda) who complains she is too perfect.and the Vietnam vet who is a jerk but then everyone should like her because she actually has a ton of daddy issues (Jack). Kind of annoying.

    Would be a 9 if not for all the obviously cut story for DLC.    … Expand
  19. YukariOro
    Mar 10, 2012
    4
    Having just played ME and then ME2 for the first time this past week while I've been sick, I fail to see how ME2 is so much better, other than perhaps combat at times, and for me even that is questionable since I've never been a fan of FTS, much less TPS. Having studied and seriously pursued writing in the past myself, I can instantly see that the storytelling if flawed, right from theHaving just played ME and then ME2 for the first time this past week while I've been sick, I fail to see how ME2 is so much better, other than perhaps combat at times, and for me even that is questionable since I've never been a fan of FTS, much less TPS. Having studied and seriously pursued writing in the past myself, I can instantly see that the storytelling if flawed, right from the start, the developers use a much maligned storytelling device "deus ex machina" to set up an excuse for making Shepard have to assemble a new crew and start over. Instead of having to actually plot in detail, just kill her off and make her disappear for a few years.

    They've thrown away important plot elements from the first story completely, or just plain ignored them except when it's convenient for them to do otherwise. The very start of the story is built upon a shaky foundation and it just unravels more as you play. The most unbelievable portion for me, is that Shepard, given who Cereberus is and what they've done in ME1, would ever agree to work with Cereberus. Not only that, but the fact that Shepard is a full fledged Specter and an Alliance commander is completely ignored. Shepard managed to do all the same stuff in ME1 that she does in ME2, WITHOUT Cereberus. They make it entirely clear in the first game that a Spectre's powers are far reaching and even the Council rarely reins a Spectre's powers in. But for some reason, in spite of this, Shepard is helpless and can't do ANYTHING without Cereberus's help. In fact, you never seriously are given the chance to refuse to work with them. You're boxed into the choice. So much for BioWare's allowing the player choice in their games.

    Oh, but they have an answer for that too, you've been dead for 2 years. Convenient again. Too convenient, and again falling back on that frowned upon "deus ex machina" mechanic, and not well done either at that. After that, every other bit of the storyline is flawed and unbelievable to me, and that one hole in the plot just adds up to more unbelievable holes further into the plot.

    I loved ME1, I loved the rpg elements especially, so one of my other complaints is that the Mass Effect series seems to be having an Identity Crisis. Yes, they are an rpg, no they aren't an rpg, no they're a tps with rpg elements. What the heck is that, rpg elements? Please, make up your mind, are you a tps or a rpg? Not only that, but there is absolutely NO WAY you are not going to alienate fans of the ME1 rpg hybrid when you decide to make ME2 be anything other than an rpg hybrid. Notice they don't even attempt to use that phrase anymore, now they use this vague "rpg elements" phrase. What the heck is that supposed to mean? Hybrid at least tells me it's a mix of the two, elements tells me nothing. The developers, after ME1 seem to have lost all focus, and threw out the baby with the bathwater a bit too much for my tastes. Perhaps they listened to too many complaints, all I know is from what I can see in the games, they failed to stay true to their original vision for the series, and the series has greatly suffered because of it.

    First it was an rpg hybrid, with the first emphasis on rpg, then it became a shooter with rpg elements, with the emphasis on shooter. If that doesn't tell you where they lost focus, nothing else will.    … Expand
  20. zurupeto
    Mar 13, 2012
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is a reasonably good game on its own, but serves as a pretty crappy sequel to it's predecessor, the sublime Mass Effect. The game does a lot of things really well, most notably the deep characterizations of all its cast. Where it falls short, however, is in the narrative. The game starts out with a jarring disconnection from ME1, Shepard's death and 2 year resuscitation period. The game then goes on to implausibly establish Cerberus, characterized as a small-time rogue alliance black ops group in Mass Effect, as some sort of covert super organization with financing and intelligence networks the Alliance can only dream of, and as Shepard's benefactor. You're then forced to work for them, ordered to carry out missions agains The Collectors, a threat we're told is related to the Reapers, though how Cerberus formed this suspicion is never made clear. You proceed to spend the entire game going around, hiring volunteers to your cause (who never need convincing), while waiting for Cerberus to tell you what the Collectors are up to and when to go after them again. The story as a whole is very flimsy, and throughout it feels like Shepard is just Cerberus' gofer, which starkly contrasts with ME1, where Shepard uncovers the plot through his own actions and interrogations. The Mass Effect series purports to be story-driven, so when the story isn't good, as is the case here, it's pretty distracting, no matter how good the rest of the game is. I can't talk about ME2 though without talking about how awesome all of the characterizations are. I loved some characters, hated others and came to love some that I initially hated. In every case, the characters are strong, have substance and depth, and are worth talking to. The value of ME2 can be found here, and it's a shame the rest of the game couldn't reach the same level of standard.… Expand
  21. StripestheZebra
    Sep 22, 2012
    10
    Every once in a while, there comes along a game (or movie or book) that just has to be seen by everyone capable of doing so. In 2007, Bioware hit that note with Mass Effect, and now, they've done it again. Mass Effect 2 is just outstanding, in every way that counts.
  22. Jenkins
    May 3, 2014
    7
    Mass Effect 2 isn't the Empires Strikes Back of the trilogy (That movie actually featured a story). What you have here is a sequel with a refined combat system and a plethora of strong characters (some of the best in Video-games). All depth in gameplay has been woefully simplified -- which is fine because the original was teetering on the line of action game and RPG -- but I find that itMass Effect 2 isn't the Empires Strikes Back of the trilogy (That movie actually featured a story). What you have here is a sequel with a refined combat system and a plethora of strong characters (some of the best in Video-games). All depth in gameplay has been woefully simplified -- which is fine because the original was teetering on the line of action game and RPG -- but I find that it hurts the game more than it helps it. Refining is one thing, but completely scrapping content hurts the overall product. Play it for characters and combat alone… Expand
  23. TundraFreeze
    Sep 9, 2013
    6
    How to ruin a cool space adventure series. A game for the masses, this is Gears of War in space. The first Mass Effect game was an epic and fun space adventure. It had a big open world to explore, a large number of side missions, and a highly detailed weapons and armor customization system. In addition the combat itself was highly tactical and strategic All of that is virtually gone withHow to ruin a cool space adventure series. A game for the masses, this is Gears of War in space. The first Mass Effect game was an epic and fun space adventure. It had a big open world to explore, a large number of side missions, and a highly detailed weapons and armor customization system. In addition the combat itself was highly tactical and strategic All of that is virtually gone with ME2. They replaced a fun and adventurous storyline with a boring and soapy 'Seven Samurai' themed one. They heavily reduced the open world environment, dramatically shortened the number of side missions available to you, and practically removed all the gear and weapons customization. The combat has become simplified into a duck-and-cover format where no tactics are required, you just point and shoot. As an offshoot of the Mass Effect series it would have been a good game, but as a direct sequel it is not. It has ruined the whole series for me. It completely severs the flow of the series' overarching storyline. However if you just want a pretty game filled to the brink with drama and where you get to shoot stuff and seduce NPCs I guess you'll really like it. Me, I'm left asking myself where all the fun, excitement and adventure went. I expected Star Trek but got Battlestar Galactica instead. It is science fiction turned boring.… Expand
  24. Chowda
    Jan 6, 2015
    8
    I love it. Great story, action, cut scenes, etc.

    But man.....please stop dumbing down our games.....I haven't seen a game dumbed down this badly since Skyrim.
  25. Zahrada
    Feb 24, 2014
    9
    I absolutely loved this game. The story telling is great, the atmosphere is there. It does look very good. I enjoyed every minute of it. The game completely sucked me in. It also is the only game that actually made me write poetry about it. The characters are almost alive and are very human. It is like playing a very well made movie. On the negative side - similar to the the first ME, II absolutely loved this game. The story telling is great, the atmosphere is there. It does look very good. I enjoyed every minute of it. The game completely sucked me in. It also is the only game that actually made me write poetry about it. The characters are almost alive and are very human. It is like playing a very well made movie. On the negative side - similar to the the first ME, I found the UI and interaction a little bit confusing, though there was a noticeable improvement. Also, a character customisation was a bit of a let down. Apart from that, this is a perfectly well mage game. Bravo.… Expand
  26. KaienShiba
    Jul 3, 2015
    7
    PC keyboard setup is poorly designed, and the fact that you actually have to fly the ship to your destination, is both laughable and tragic, game's as good as the first one so far. But would be nice when porting a game to remember KISS keep it simple stupid when setting up the functions on a keyboard.
  27. SuperkenGaming
    Feb 28, 2017
    8
    Mass Effect 2
    Overrated.
    Mass Effect 2 is a 3rd person shooter that continues the story of Commander Sheppard... Who is customizable if you choose... When the game starts you have the choice of loading your character and choices from mass effect 1 or start fresh and choose the important decisions from that game during a brief recap… Which I was thankful for since the first mass effect    Mass Effect 2
    Overrated.
    Mass Effect 2 is a 3rd person shooter that continues the story of Commander Sheppard...
    Who is customizable if you choose...
    When the game starts you have the choice of loading your character and choices from mass effect 1 or start fresh and choose the important decisions from that game during a brief recap…
    Which I was thankful for since the first mass effect wasn’t interesting enough or fun enough for me to finish…
    Thankfully Mass Effect 2 is much more enjoyable...
    Youre still dealing with the threat of the reapers here…
    You wake up from a 2 year long comma.. Things have changed, past relationships have changed, and now you have to deal with the collectors who are working for the reapers…
    And you spend the entire 24 hours of this game going to different planets, recruiting the best mercenaries out there and gaining their loyalty by completing their own missions with them after they join your crew…
    And if you see a fine piece of booty on that ship, you can hug them...
    You can hug them all…
    The sex scenes are no witcher 3 scenes...
    But the option to romance is there if you want to see bras or naked backs I guess.
    Or pretend that someone loves you while you shoot things with them.
    Between each mission you’re back in your ship the Normandy, and you choose the solar system and planet to travel to, you can then mine some of the planets for materials to upgrade your weapons and ship, or land for the mission…
    And before every land you choose the 2 characters to bring with you as well as edit unspent skill points and change their weapon loadouts…
    But the journey to the credits is fairly repetitive…
    There are a few cool missions in here that mix things up, making you use your brain to investigate or figure out how to get inti a secured location..
    But for the most part you’re clicking r3 to get the tiniest idea where to go with the games added objective compass, which is for the most part useless as it goes crazy and often points in the wrong direction…
    And you shoot everything in your way…
    Take cover... wait for these super spongey enemies to need to reload, use your powers... swap your weapons or command your squad to use their powers and swap their weapons…hop out of cover, shoot them, move on… along your ways hack some doors for credits or to progress and do all of it over and over until you get a mission complete…
    And none of these levels are interesting to run through.. They look and feel the same throughout... 0 cool moments... even the boss battles are lame... They’re just for the most part larger and spongier enemies...
    This is all 24 hours of the game…
    The combat is spaced out as you always have to find an npc to talk to and then they tell you to go this location and talk to someone else…
    But none of this is ever interesting.. none of the dialog choices seemed to hold any weight…
    And seemingly didn’t matter…
    I found myself just shooting or assaulting every time the option popped up to get on with it…

    I understand why people love Mass Effect 2…
    There are so many interesting characters with interesting backstories…
    But beyond that I just don’t get it…
    Did I have fun with the game? Yes
    But it never blew me away…. The story was a cool idea…
    The delivery of the story was a cool idea…
    But the repetitive mission structure and level design stops it from being amazing
    Mass Effect 2 is a Great game
    but nowhere near this masterpiece that everyone has made it out to be.
    I give Mass Effect 2
    an 8/10    … Expand
  28. banda89
    Jun 28, 2015
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. When I finished ME I said to myself, Does it get any better than this? And guess what? It did. ME2 corrects and improves everyhing ME did, the music still awesome, the dialogue, the story, the fact that the consecuences of the choices you made in ME get carried and affect your experience in ME2 just blew my mind.
    Great characters, no more Ashley thank god!! but Thane, Grunt, Miranda, Thali, Garrus, Jack and the others just make a great cast of lovable characters, character you invest time trying to get them prepared for the final battle, hoping everyone gets out alive.
    Do yourself a favor, BUY THIS GAME!!!    … Expand
  29. esbegan
    Jun 10, 2015
    10
    Along with the very good Mass Effect and Mass Effect 3 it's an excellent game, maybe focused more on the story more than gameplay, but it's deepness, comparable with Star Wars, Star Trek or Isaac Asimov book.
  30. Stopdumbingdown
    Mar 18, 2020
    0
    great game if you like,

    non-rpgs
    handholding
    Regressive politics
    boring stories
    boring gameplay
    accessibility
    cinematic presentation
    lazy, simple, shallow content
    zero c&c

    one of the most overrated games ever created
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2010
2
#2 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2010
8
#8 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2010

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
96

Universal acclaim - based on 98 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 98 out of 98
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 98
  3. Negative: 0 out of 98
  1. Official Xbox Magazine
    95
    Mass Effect 2 overcomes its few gameplay weaknesses with a fantastic weave of dynamic combat, lavish presentation, and engaging character and weapon customization. But for all the myriad improvements that make Mass Effect 2's visuals so appealing and its combat so exhilarating, it's ultimately the way it moves us that makes it so memorable. [Feb 2010, p.56]
  2. games(TM)
    100
    Despite all of the ways Mass Effect 2 is more engaging to play and explore, after 35 remarkable hours it was the characters that stayed with us… Game of the year in January? Oh, go on then. [Feb 2010, p.112]
  3. X-ONE Magazine UK
    100
    Both an astonishing RPG and confident shooter, Mass Effect 2 is daring, shocking and often awe-inspiring in its use of choice. This is the future of storytelling in videogames. [Issue#, p.85]
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