"you no longer have an inventory. its been replaced by a more abstract system, similar to a pure action game. Instead of loot drops abd containers full of equipable gear, you find technology pickups that can be researched on your ship to unlock new weapons."

"Also gone are equipment mods, replaced by castable abilities.... The miserably clunky inventory system of ME1 is no longer a problem, although the new weapon load-out and research interfaces aren't great either."

"character development(skills) has also been culled down to six or seven upgradeable skills for shepard and just four for companions. Has ME2 been dumbed down? Yeah abit, but these changes don't make it a worse game than its predecessor; it just haas some different priorities this time around,"

"Where Mass Effect 2 completely won me over was in the amazing climacitc mission, easily one of the best game endings i've played in recent years.

" The charm and intimidation skills that unlocked special conversation options in the first game have been melded into the Paragon/Renegade system, which now unlocks options based on how much of a swell guy or jerk you've been. "

" The way Paragon and Renegade points are handed out could have been better, however. Often you're dealing with an issue so ambiguous that either path could be seen as good or bad, and when I'm trying to be a good guy it awards me Renegade points without telling me what it was that I did to earn them. "

" The levels are attractive, but a bit blocky and workman like. Some have inexplicable waist-high barriers that pop out of the ground when combat begins to provide cover. It's so contrived it feels like an in-joke for cover-based shooter players. "

" But each has two character specific missions : one to recruit them and one optional personal that exposes their backstory and unlocks a special skill and new outfit. "


"you must make difficult command decisions that put the lives of your crew on the line, knowing that the game is totally willing to kill them off at any time if you make a wrong move. it ends on a high note that leaves us exactly where bioware want us: primed and ready to import our characters into ME3."

"Unless you're really rushing through, the majority of time is spent chatting and calling the shots, helping shepard talk his way out of a lot of dangerous situations and into a several pairs of sexy, form-fitting pants. this is where bioware really excel. (the pants? - prod ed.) the writing is sharp, fleshing-out the universe established in the first game by letting us explore the complex web of tense inter-species relations"

"its almost too many, given the way the game all but forces you to swap them in and out, and it comes dangerously close to making them feel disposable. but each has two character specific missions: one to recruit them and one optional personal mission that exposes their backstory and unlocks a special skill and new outfit. their characterisation makes you feel attached to at least some of them."

"While bioware have done a wonderful job in tying up the story between both games, there are a few holes in the continuing story that shepard could drive a fist through: there's virtually no mention of the spectres, the agency that governed shepard's actions in the first story. no active spectres show up, and shepard may or may not be a valid member of the inter-stellar superagent club himself this time round. its also strange that the alliance government that dominated the galaxy in the first game plays such a small role in the second, and makes no effort to stop Cerberus or capture the illusive man. but i'd still rank ME2 as better written, better acted and better looking than all but the very best of the past decade of science fiction television and film."