Mass Effect 2


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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 preordered, 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: Screen & Card Dependent
 * 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.

Squad Members
In Mass Effect 2 the player has the opportunity to build a team from 12 (you can only have 11 at once, you have to pick Samara or Morinth) possible companions including:

Shepard's success greatly depends on gaining the loyalty of these recruits. Loyalty of a crew member is gained by completing their missions.

Other characters returning from the original Mass Effect, yet are not potential squadmates, 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.

However, due to changes made to the game's levelling system, your character's level and abilities will not transfer over to Mass Effect 2 and you will start out with basic abilities, explained in-game as being a result of the Lazarus Project. However, the game will acknowledge your character's level and morality and adapt it in ways that map across to the new system as well as grant bonus credits and minerals depending on actions the player took in Mass Effect.

If desired, the player will be able to modify their appearance and choose a new class.

If the player is not importing an existing Mass Effect save file, and creates a new game within Mass Effect 2, they will have an opportunity to make some of the decisions players could make in the original Mass Effect. This occurs early in the game, after some of the action has died down, when a character will ask a series of questions to test Commander Shepard's memory. The answers given to these questions will retroactively set the decisions Shepard made in the events of the first game. For players who are importing a character and answer these questions differently to how they acted in the first game will be told they are incorrect and be reminded of the choices they actually made.

To import save games on the Xbox 360, the game must be being played on the console the saved game was completed on, since it is not possible to transfer the file that Mass Effect 2 imports using the Xbox 360's file management tools (although it is possible when transferring the entire contents of the drive using a transfer cable). As it is possible to transfer regular save files using the Xbox 360's file management tools it is possible to create the file Mass Effect 2 needs to import by loading the last automatic save before the final battle and completing the game again. This will need to be repeated for every playthrough the player wishes to import.

For the PC version, players will use the Mass Effect Configuration Tool to select the .MassEffectSave files they wish to import.

Combat
Mass Effect 2 makes a large number of additions and changes to Mass Effect's weapons and abilities, including: A larger variety of weapon classes, including: A variety of new talents, which are now called Powers in Mass Effect 2, including:
 * Heavy Pistols
 * Submachine Guns
 * Light Machine Guns
 * Shotguns
 * Assault Rifles
 * Sniper Rifles
 * Heavy Weapons
 * New biotic powers:
 * Pull
 * Shockwave
 * Charge
 * Slam
 * Barrier
 * Reave
 * New tech powers:
 * Combat Drone
 * Cryo Blast
 * Incinerate
 * Tech Armor
 * Neural Shock
 * Energy Drain
 * Geth Shield Boost
 * New combat abilities:
 * Adrenaline Rush
 * Concussive Shot
 * Fortification
 * Ammo powers, that act as replacements for ammo upgrades.
 * Disruptor Ammo
 * Incendiary Ammo
 * Cryo Ammo
 * Armor Piercing Ammo
 * Shredder Ammo
 * Warp Ammo

There is a large number of changes and improvements to the core shooter gameplay, including:
 * 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.
 * Cover is now entered manually, instead of automatically as it was in the first Mass Effect.
 * 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.
 * On the Xbox 360 it is now possible to map powers to the Y and LB buttons, as well as the RB button, allowing the player to cast up to 3 powers without pausing and bringing up the power wheel.

Galaxy Map
Mass Effect 2 also features changes to the Galaxy Map interface and how players interact with planets, ships and mass relays. These include:
 * New fuel system that requires the player to put more thought into where they're travelling.
 * New mini-game to scan the planet for resources and landing sites.

Uncharted Worlds
The way the player interacts with uncharted worlds has been changed, with changes including:
 * The M35 Mako is absent, replaced by the Kodiak Drop Shuttle which delivers the player directly to those landing sites uncovered by the scanning mini game and the downloadable hover tank Hammerhead.

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, or aboard the new Normandy.
 * 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 SSV Normandy SR-2. 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. Shepard can also equip alternatives to helmets including a visor similar to the one worn by Garrus, goggles or a recon hood.
 * 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.

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. Those who buy a new copy of the game get a free activation code to the Cerberus Network, while those who buy used copies will have to pay a 15 Dollar activation fee. This will reportedly include:
 * Zaeed Messani, a human bounty hunter and mercenary hired by Cerberus to join Shepard's squad.
 * Hammerhead, a hover tank which will allow exploration of harsh planetary environments.
 * 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.