CES 2010: Mass Effect 2 Hands-on

by Matt Casamassina - IGN.com | 07 January 2010 12:00
 
We travel beyond the Terminus sector and out of Alliance-controlled space to stop a plague.
 
BioWare and Electronic Arts were on hand at the Consumer Electronics Show 2010 in Las Vegas this week to debut a new fully playable level of Mass Effect 2. The 45-minute demo encapsulated a complete mission from the forthcoming sequel, set to ship for Xbox 360 soon. We've covered ME2 so comprehensively in previous previews that we won't waste your time going over the same details. Instead, we've provided some info about the newest area and the goals and challenges that lie within.
 
The mission takes place in the depths of darkness -- well beyond the Terminus sector and out of grasp of Alliance control. A giant space station, the Omega, has fallen victim to a deadly plague that's killing off the population at a rapid pace. It's up to you to infiltrate the enormous structure, track down a scientist rumored to have developed a cure, and ultimately save the day.
 
The scientist is professor Mordin Solis, a Salarian whose moral compass swings all over the place. He's a relatively good guy, but he's driven by results and sometimes the consequences of his actions -- even killing, if necessary -- run distant second to his primary goal, which is, of course, the cure.
 

That is what happens when you mess with a grenade launcher.

After you fight your way through grungy corridors and station clearings overrun by Blue Suns mercenaries, you find the scientist, gain his cure and then embark on a quest to feed it into the ventilation systems so that the population will not perish. Along the way, you will discover more information about the mysterious sharp-toothed Vorcha race.
 
The controls and accompanying combat system are noticeably improved -- both speedier and more accurate, which effects more intense situations. Blasting rooms full of aliens is not as clunky as it once was. The demo, run through as the solider, allowed us to take control of a variety of weapons -- everything from the assault rifle, which has been more defined, to the shotgun, sniper rifle, auto pistol, heavy pistol and even the grenade launcher.
 
Blasting aliens to smithereens is always good fun, but if you prefer narrative to gunplay, Mass Effect 2 looks to deliver yet again. The title not only includes the same famously polished cut-scenes and dialog tree-supported character interactions, but the developer has added more realism to the presentation by way of more advanced and realistic facial and body animations.
 
Meanwhile, we got to try out the new dialog interrupt function, which proved very useful. As an alien lie dying on the floor, the plague infecting his body, we were prompted to interrupt -- a quick, integral action, sometimes effecting dramatic results. The left trigger allows paragon interrupts; softer, nicer. And the right trigger executes renegade ones; harder and meaner. We interrupted the dying alien's dialog with a paragon and quickly injected him with the cure. He lived. Had we made a different decision, or ignored the interruption altogether, he would've died.
 
Don't forget to check our media section for a new developer interview and gameplay footage. If it's not published live yet, it will be soon.
 
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