Matthew Knott

I've finally got my hands on the sequel to my favourite xbox 360 game, and it's amazing

Now to write about it without spoiling the plot.

Please note, I write this based on my experience with the game so far, which in terms of the grand scheme of the game is a scrawny gnat pube's worth.

Mass Effect 2 picks up where the first one left off. The protagonist, Commander Shepherd is off chasing Geth across the galaxy, when his ship, the Normandy, is attacked by an unknown force, and here you adventure begins. That's all I want to say about the plot except that there are familiar faces cropping up from time to time. 

On the surface, the game looks the same, running around with you companions, taking cover and shooting bad guys, but that's where the similarities end. The entire approach to combat has changed. You no longer pause the game to consider your next move, the fighting is much more fluid. You don't manage different types of weapons in your inventory, mainly because there is no inventory.

You now pick up credits and weapons on your travels, but the weapons are chosen as part of a loadout screen from the weapons locker, so in the field you tend to be stuck with what you left the ship with. There's no more mako tank either, and the galaxy feels smaller, but with greater attention to detail.

The astounding thing is the quality, the game looks amazing, even by its predecessors very high standards. Animations are smothers, characters are INCREDIBLY detailed. If I wasn't sitting down I'd have taken a step backwards. It's very, very good.