Mass Effect 2 Previews
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Games Abyss:
".This is a darker game", Hudson declares. "Your actions can have more brutal consequences, and important characters can die." One such example unfolds as Shepard reunites with Nassana, a side mission character from the original Mass Effect who ended up trying to play Shepard (which potentially ended well for everyone involved depending on how you played it). As fate would have it, the aforementioned Thane appears in a wonderfully choreographed cut scene and takes out Nassana with one shot, then stops to pray. The overall tone of the characters and the story have gotten darker, indeed.
In terms of new features, the combat system is seeing a massive upgrade. "You now have separate movement and attack orders for your squad." Hudson mentions, as onscreen Shepard individually commands each of his two new squad members to different areas of the bridge entrance. But even more important are the changes to the weapons system. In addition to now having nine(!) weapons classes including heavy weaponry, players can now add incendiary ammunition to their weaponry, burning foes while dealing out their typical damage. It seems to be a trend that newer games are following, as Left 4 Dead 2 (which I also played and previewed here) is also adding the fiery ammo to its weapon selection.
Xbox360Achievements.org:
Whilst we were on the topic of the power wheel, we were intrigued to see what sort of new powers the game would be receiving; a lot more maybe? (I wouldn't say a lot more,) Houston noted. (The original ones are still going to be there and they'll all have changed. There's definitely been improvements across the board, for example, a lot of what we would have put in the inventory system like disrupter ammo or inferno ammo, are now power based... allowing you to make more combat decisions in the game without having to hit the start button.)
Being a fairly old build of the game, Houston was quick to point out that the tech on show was a little behind what they were currently working on back at the BioWare HQ. For starters, (the HUD will have completely changed in the final version) and the heat displacement of the standard rifles was also (not the final version.)
Hooked Gamers:
Mass Effect had choices, but its consequences rarely extended beyond a slap on the wrist or small paragon/renegade shifts on your moral compass. There were few decisions in the game that seemed far-reaching and it is those few that will carry onto Mass Effect 2. Did you either kill or not kill a certain party member in Mass Effect? What action you took then will carry over to Mass Effect 2. Did you or did you not assist the council during the game's climactic conclusion? Their fate and the reverberations of your decision during that key moment will have effects on Mass Effect 2's narrative. Besides decisions that carry over from the original, BioWare promises to have choices that have major consequences. The biggest of which is the possibility of Shepard dying by the end of the game. Reactivity looks prominent in Mass Effect 2, let's hope BioWare follows through.
