Mass Effect 2


 *  Note: Please do not add speculation to Mass Effect 2 articles. The wiki only accepts facts, and speculation will be deleted. At most, link us to forum discussions rather than posting it here. 

Mass Effect 2 is a science-fiction role-playing action game developed by BioWare for the Xbox 360 and PC. It is the sequel to Mass Effect and the second game in the planned Mass Effect trilogy.

Release
Mass Effect 2 will retail on the dates, and at the recommended retail prices, indicated in the table below.

Retail Bonus Items
Depending on where the game is purchased, what edition is purchased and whether or not it was preorderd, the customer may be entitled to one or more Retail Bonus Items. There are three bonus armors and two bonus weapons that are unlockable in Mass Effect 2 depending on how the game is purchased. There is also one additional bonus armor available for those who have purchased BioWare's Dragon Age Origins.

The following table details which items are available based on which version of the game is purchased, and whether or not the game was preordered.

Details

 * Players: 1
 * Resolution: Xbox 360: HDTV 720p // PC: Unrestricted
 * Publisher: Electronic Arts, Inc.
 * Developer: BioWare Corp.®
 * Format: 2x DVD (Xbox 360 and PC)
 * Rating: "M" for Mature (US), MA15+ (Australia), 15 (UK), 18 (EU)

Plot
''Two years after Commander Shepard repelled invading Reapers bent on the destruction of organic life, a mysterious new enemy has emerged. On the fringes of known space, something is silently abducting entire human colonies. Now Shepard must work with Cerberus, a ruthless organization devoted to human survival at any cost, to stop the most terrifying threat mankind has ever faced.''

''To even attempt this perilous mission, Shepard must assemble the galaxy’s most elite team and command the most powerful ship ever built. Even then, they say it would be suicide. Commander Shepard intends to prove them wrong. ''
 * Official Plot Summary

Shepard's Fate
In Mass Effect 2, it is possible for Commander Shepard and members of his team to die at the conclusion of the game's final mission. Throughout the middle of the game the player will be building up the team, resources, information and ship necessary to succeed in the final mission. Should the player enter the final mission unprepared they could end up with an ending where Shepard dies, members of his team die, or there is a total bloodbath where everyone dies.

Should the player's Shepard die they will be unable to continue playing the game after the credits, and will be unable to import their character into Mass Effect 3. As with Shepard, death is final for all characters, and any that die during the ending will not be appearing in Mass Effect 3.

Characters
In Mass Effect 2 the player has the opportunity to build a team from 10 possible companions, including:

Starting companions: Returning from the original Mass Effect:
 * Miranda Lawson
 * Jacob Taylor


 * Tali'Zorah nar Rayya
 * Garrus Vakarian

New characters:
 * Thane Krios
 * Grunt
 * Subject Zero
 * Mordin Solus
 * Samara

Shepard's success greatly depends on gaining the loyalty of these recruits. This loyalty will be measured using a points system.

Other characters returning from the original Mass Effect, albeit in a non-squad member role, include:


 * Liara T'Soni
 * Ashley Williams
 * Kaidan Alenko
 * Urdnot Wrex
 * Jeff "Joker" Moreau


 * Conrad Verner
 * Nassana Dantius
 * Navigator Pressly
 * David Anderson
 * Doctor Chakwas

Locations
Commander Shepard and his team will visit a wide variety of new locations in Mass Effect 2, including: Locations returning from Mass Effect include:
 * Omega
 * Tuchanka
 * Purgatory
 * The Migrant Fleet
 * Illium
 * Freedom's Progress
 * The Citadel

Save File Transfer
Mass Effect 2 allows the player to import their characters from any completed Mass Effect playthrough. This means that all decisions made by the player in Mass Effect will carry over into Mass Effect 2 and have the potential to impact the story. Decisions confirmed to have an impact on the game include: Due to massive gameplay redesign, your level will not transfer over to Mass Effect 2 and you will start out with basic abilities. However, the game will acknowledge if you were a level 60 character and if you were a Renegade or Paragon and adapt it in ways that map across to the new system. Also, the physical appearance and class of imported characters can be changed at the start of the game, if desired.
 * The decision to save either Kaidan or Ashley.
 * Whether or not the player kills Wrex on Virmire.
 * Whether or not the player decides to save the Citadel Council at the end of Mass Effect.
 * Whether or not the player chose a human dominated or human led council should they choose not to save the Citadel Council.
 * The player's choice of whom to lead the Council if they chose to let the Citadel Council perish.
 * The player's choice of love interest.
 * Whether the player spares or destroys the Rachni Queen at Peak 15.
 * The player's treatment of Conrad Verner.
 * Whether or not the player completed the UNC: Asari Diplomacy sidequest.
 * Whether the player chose to allow the Alliance to conduct experiments on Nirali Bhatia's body.

If a player has no Mass Effect save files, Mass Effect 2 will start with an introduction sequence which, in combination with interactive decisions made by the player, introduces new players to the storyline and establishes a “canon” backstory.

There are certain restrictions to transferring save files. Concerning the Xbox 360 version, the main restriction is that the gamer profile, career and related saves must be located on the original device it was first created on. Also, one must use the same profile in which save data from Mass Effect was saved. Specifically for the PC version, players will use the Mass Effect Configuration Tool to select the .MassEffectSave files they wish to import.

Chris Priestly - community coordinator at the Mass Effect Forums - initially said there was a limit of 11 end-of-game saves that could be imported into Mass Effect 2 (i.e. if a player completes the first game 12 times, only completions #1-11 can be imported). However, in a later post he corrected himself and stated that it was no longer the case.

Transfer of a Mass Effect Save file will allow the player to start with more experience, credits, mineral resources and Paragon or Renegade points depending on the previous Shepard's behavior and level.

Combat
Mass Effect 2 makes a large number of additions and changes to Mass Effect's weapons and abilities, including: There is a large number of changes and improvements to the core shooter gameplay, including:
 * A larger variety of weapon classes, including:
 * Heavy Pistols
 * Submachine Guns
 * Light Machine Guns
 * Shotguns
 * Assault Rifles
 * Sniper Rifles
 * Heavy Weapons, including guided rocket and grenade launchers, a gun that "turns enemies into dust", a "nuke gun" that unleashes room-clearing nuclear fire and the M-490 Blackstorm, a high-powered gravity gun.
 * New biotic abilities:
 * Pull
 * Shockwave
 * Charge
 * Slam
 * New tech abilities:
 * Combat Drone
 * Cryo Blast
 * Incinerate
 * Tech Armor
 * New combat abilities:
 * Adrenaline Rush
 * Concussive Shot
 * Disruptor Ammo
 * Incendiary Ammo
 * Cryo Ammo
 * Targeting of individual body parts, enabling the player to make more damaging headshots or slow down an enemy by wounding, or shooting off, their leg.
 * An ammo system based on 'thermal clips'. Instead of cooling down automatically, weapons dissipate heat into thermal clips, that can only withstand a certain number of shots before they must be replaced or 'reloaded'. Replacement thermal clips can be collected off of the bodies of defeated enemies. These thermal clips are universal and can be used in any weapon.
 * Ammo Upgrades such as Cryo Rounds, Incendiary Rounds and the new Disruptor Rounds are now abilities accessible from the radial menu like biotic and tech talents.
 * Weapon proficiency is longer a level up choice; if your class can use a weapon, then your proficiency in it is automatically 100%.
 * Cover is now entered manually, instead of automatically as it was in the first Mass Effect. Additionally there are over 200 cover animations.
 * Aiming is no longer dependent on stats. Where you aim is where you hit.
 * A modified health system. Medi-gel has been removed from use, now only serving the purpose of reviving dead teammates. Instead the player's Health and Shields now regenerate slowly when the player is not taking damage.

Galaxy/World Interface
Mass Effect 2 also modified how the game is played outside of combat as well as some newer aesthetics. These include:
 * A larger and deeper galaxy.
 * New ship called the SSV Normandy SR-2 which has several new features.
 * A tech lab where Mordin resides. Players can use minerals, which are collected by mining a planets resources, to upgrade guns, shields, etc.
 * New fuel system in the Galaxy Map interface to limit movement between solar systems.
 * Manual control of the ship during travel within a solar system (Galactic travel between stars is still controlled with the point-and-click system).
 * If you run out of fuel, minerals that have been gathered will be used until the ship has been refueled.
 * More freedom in gameplay with uncharted worlds.
 * The option to mine or land on a planet is no longer predetermined.
 * New mini-game to scan the planet for resources and landing sites.
 * The M35 Mako is absent. One confirmed mode of planetary travel will be the non-piloted Kodiak drop shuttle which will deliver the player directly to landing sites.

Inventory
Changes to the inventory system include:
 * Weapons and armor are chosen at the beginning of missions and can be swapped out for newly, or previously, acquired equipment at lockers found throughout the various environments in the game.
 * Armor is modular and custom N7 armor can be built from parts bought from merchants, or acquired on missions, through the player's armor locker aboard the Normandy SR2. These parts can have different behaviors and influences on gameplay. At the armor locker the player can also customize many aesthetic aspects of their armor, including color, material and shininess as well as choose between helmets and visors. A recent screenshot depicts Shepard wearing a small head device similar to what Garrus wears showing that head wear is beyond just helmets.
 * The player can modify aspects of armor and weapons, such as accuracy or ammo mods, by collecting research projects and working on them at research terminals in the science lab aboard the Normandy SR2, provided Shepard has recruited a scientist to work there.

Dialogue and Cinematics
Mass Effect 2 adds a large new feature to the dialogue system: Interrupts. The interrupt system will allow Shepard to take more physical action in a conversation, either through a Renegade hostile interrupt or a Paragon heroic interrupt.

Currently known interrupts include:
 * Pushing an uncooperative Eclipse mercenary out of a window.
 * Verbally interrupting Mordin's long-winded attempt to figure out who Shepard is.
 * Pulling a gun on Pitne For, a volus on Illium, to coerce information out of him about a mercenary base.
 * Shooting a mech soldier with Garrus' sniper rifle, while using the scope to survey the battlefield.

Downloadable Content
The development team also plans for much more extensive downloadable content than what was available in Mass Effect, with a large portion of the Mass Effect 2 team moving to DLC after release. This will reportedly include:
 * Episodic combat, weapon and armor packs, characters, worlds and full campaign expansions will reportedly be available for download.
 * Periodic updates via the in-game 'Cerberus Network'.
 * Smaller and larger DLC options with varied pricing.