The Hawk Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Will Smith column: Mass Effect 2 has mass …

Posted on February 09, 2010

Feb. 7–"Mass Effect 2" developed by BioWare and available exclusively for the Xbox 360. Rated "M" for Mature. $59.99

For longer than I've been alive, fantasy space travel has been influenced by that magical bar scene from "Star Wars." And if you're a guy 20 or older, you've likely watched that scene (and the entire movie) a dozen times.

It's a pretty small moment in such a big franchise, but one that promised limitless possibilities for an 8-year-old mind. Luke Skywalker and Ben Kenobi walk into a spaceport bar filled with unscrupulous-looking aliens who have likely spent their lives smuggling cargo while avoiding laser fire. You know each alien had a story to tell, if only Lucas allotted them screen time.

I got that feeling the first time I walked into an intergalactic bar in "Mass Effect 2." Awash in soft blue and red light strange enough to feel distinctly alien, I could only imagine the adventures that awaited me.

It's that kid-like sense of exploration that really sets "Mass Effect 2" apart from other AAA quality games. Even when I'm playing one of the best games of the year, I'm always anxious to get to the next title. But once I got lost in the grip of "Mass Effect 2," I forget about other games. I never wanted it to end.

This follow-up to the 2007 critically acclaimed hit "Mass Effect" puts you back in the shoes of former special forces agent Commander Shephard, who is once again tasked with saving the galaxy. This time, the threat is a very secretive alien race known as the keepers.

While the plot maintains the broad "save the universe" strokes needed to keep any space opera afloat, the game really finds its personality in the smaller details that provide a glimpse of what life might be like in the year 2183. The first game did an excellent job of defining the myriad alien races and locations you come across, and the sequel does an even better job of probing those aliens (pun intended) with interesting sociological questions.

Before I probe too deeply, though, gamers new to the "Mass Effect" universe should be warned — this title is a mix of a role-playing game and third-person shooter, with a heavy emphasis on the role-playing aspects.

That means you'll spend just as much of your 60-hour adventure chatting with fellow party members and solving mysteries at the local spaceport as you will blowing away baddies. I've often gone four or five hours without drawing my pistol.

The basic mechanics harken all the way back to Bioware's 2003 Xbox game "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic," which combined real-time battles and dialogue trees that gave you the option of turning into a Jedi or Sith Lord depending on your choices.

The formula was successfully reworked in Bioware's "Mass Effect" and last year's "Dragon Age: Origins," and has been refined even more here. Choosing the renegade (Han Solo) actions in "Mass Effect 2" doesn't necessarily make you a bad guy, but it does make you a brash one. Shooting people in the foot to save them, telling the intergalactic council to "cram it" and punching reporters who ask too many questions is the most fun I've had in years.

"Mass Effect" fans who haven't already bought this may be surprised to find an entirely new game engine under the familiar but gorgeous graphics. The grinding process of purchasing new armor, weapons and bullet types for your party is entirely gone, limited to upgrades that improve what you already have. This means the economy has been extremely simplified, and most of the money you obtain is usually just laying on the ground.

Even more disappointing is the total elimination of the driving segments from the first "Mass Effect," which let you tool around each planet in a six-wheeled monster that was perfect for ramping off mountains. It gave the fairly linear series a very open feel.

Fortunately, these disappointments are minor compared to the incredibly deep combat engine, which was completely overhauled for the sequel. The mechanics play out almost like a game of paper-rock-scissors. Enemies' shields can be shredded with the right biotic powers and ammo, which are then useless against the armor underneath. That's when it's time to call in your teammates with some armor-busting power (like fire), resulting in some brutal combos that feel much more visceral than the first game.

Throw in some class-dependent powers like cloaking and a ramming technique that instantly shoots Shephard across the battlefield, and you have a game that is deep enough to play five times over. The graphics still have that hushing awe effect, a familiar sensation for those who have seen "Avatar" in 3-D.

The only rough barb on "Mass Effect 2" is the planet scanning mini-game, which requires you to fire probes into a planet to pull out valuable resources such as platinum. It's fun for about the first 10 minutes, but you'll likely end up dragging your cursor around for a dozen hours if you want to unlock everything. It's more like a chore that must be completed before getting back to the fun stuff.

After awarding "Mass Effect" with my "Best Game of the Year … Period" trophy in 2007 (an award shared with "BioShock"), I have to admit a bit of bias toward the series. But it's a bias built on stellar craftsmanship from the folks of Bioware, who have churned out some of the best games of the past decade.

I really can't say enough nice things about this game — it's already an early contender for best game of 2010, and would have been the best game in 2009 if it came out a month earlier.

If you're in love with space or quality gaming, you probably already own "Mass Effect 2." But if you're not, pull out $20 and give the first "Mass Effect" a try anyway.

You may find yourself hopelessly addicted to the cosmos.

Four out of Four Stars

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The Hawk Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Will Smith column: Mass Effect 2 has mass …