Mass Effect 2 (2010) Edition

It launched once, after that, never again.
It also spent many minutes installing EA crap on my machine without asking.

I would suggest to... acquire this game through other ways. It is completely ruined by completely unnecessary EA integration that exists solely to farm your data.

Gameplay mechanics haven't aged well despite the story being good. Mainly I'm not recommending because it requires downloading, running and logging into the EA app to play even though I could not find mention of that.

The main problem with Mass Effect 2 (2010) Edition is that it should not exist.. Now that we have been blessed with the Legendary Edition that combines the Mass Effect Trilogy and all the DLC in a single game and remasters the first game to boot. The only reason you should actually own this is if you received it as a free upgrade (debate in small groups if it actually is an upgrade and meet back here later) for owning the game previously..

So no, do not get this game, get the Legendary Edition instead!

ME2 is 10/10 considering it came out in 2010.

EA Origin on the other hand is hot garbage. BS that you can purchase a game on Steam and then be forced to launch it thru Origin. The amount of bugs that Origin has is insane.

If I didn't love this trilogy so much I would have downvoted this.

Why? Because it is a buggy mess. It crashes a lot when you try to change powers during combat and when not in combat (sometimes), plus it doesn't remember your credentials. You have to connect manually every single time to the Cerberus Network.

I am very curious to see if they fixed a lot of the issues presented here in Legendary Edition.

It is an excellent game, as a sequel to the original Mass Effect which released before this. This game takes the elements that made the original so great, but adds tons of new content and gameplay mechanics. The story is even better than the original and the characters are well developed and engaging. The amount of dialog options available, along with the branching pathways, add an interactive element to the game that's really entertaining to experience. The action and combat sequences are fluid and exciting. The RPG elements make for a richer playing experience. All in all, I definitely recommend Mass Effect 2 and suggest any fan of the genre to give it a shot.

DLCs do not work in this version. The Bioware website that used to allow you to download the DLC for free was taken down shortly after EA bought Bioware over a decade ago. The legendary edition is much better. You will receive the full trilogy and all of the DLCs with the legendary edition.

This is the best game ever made by Bioware and is one of the few games with a metacritic score over 90. I would not pass on this game, just this version of it.

With game editors that you can download from nexus, you can play the different games with the outcomes you want without having to play the previous games, if you want, or you can fix mistakes you made in the previous games. The game editors will work with the legendary edition and so will many other mods. There is even a mod for pinnacle station, which is not available by default in the legendary edition. Buy that one instead.

EA delisted the original game to offer you an INI file for 29.99 instead

EDIT: This was fixed a couple days later. Previously, EA screwed up by uploading a EAstore.ini file and not the actual game contents which made the game not work for a couple of days.

However, due to EA using their EA app (when the previous version didnt) purely for data collection purposes and making Linux users's lives harder

EA Delisted the OG version of ME2 & increasing the price by 10 Euro just for this "re-release"

Go F*** yourselves, EA

For some reason, EA delisted the original version of Mass Effect 2 on Steam and replaced it with a newer version that seems identical in everything except two aspects.
Firstly, it now includes all DLC, which previously required you to buy them on the EA launcher and then manually download and transfer them to the Steam version. This process was not intuitive, but now it's all included at no additional cost and hassle-free.
Secondly, it now requires the EA launcher, which is annoying but not a huge deal in the end. However, it does create a situation where we have two nearly identical versions of the game in our libraries, which is a bit odd. I suppose this could've been an update instead.
Now, Mass Effect 2 is a great game and my favorite from the Mass Effect trilogy. That alone would make it easy for me to recommend, but there's a HUGE caveat.
The main problem is that the Legendary Edition is now also available, remastering and repackaging the entire Mass Effect trilogy and its DLC in a single game. The first game even received a remake treatment. Granted, it is more expensive, but if you're a new player, you should play these games as a trilogy since they are designed to be played that way. For example, a lot of decisions carry over between the games.
If you already own Mass Effect 2, chances are you already have all the games and DLCs, either in the original versions and/or the Legendary Edition.
So, I just don't see the point in re-releasing and playing this. Older players will probably already own the DLC, and for newer players, there's no reason not to get the Legendary Edition instead, which you should because the Mass Effect trilogy is amazing. And in that case, you'll have to use the EA launcher anyway.

Despite my honest love for this game I don't like the idea of re-releasing the game and changing/updating too few things. At least it appeared in my library for free because I owned the original version of the game. Before you buy this one, take a look at Mass Effect™ Legendary Edition! You might want to get the entire trilogy for a better price (especially on discount) instead of buying this seperately.

**There is a title Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, which is a compilation of the whole first 3 ME games, fully remastered. This one's remaster is superior. There is literally no reason in my eyes for me to suggest this over that one. The remaster looks better, has less bugs, is more recent and has every DLC included. As I said, buying the remaster gets you the whole ME trilogy, but also their DLCs as well, at more than half the price of the originals and their DLCs combined. The remaster did have little micro-stuttering on hubs for me, but this only happens to a tiny percent of people. But even encountering that, I still don't find it a reason good enough to prefer the original over the remaster. You can check my review for the remaster here.
I highly suggest you check the remaster instead because it really is the better deal.
**Mass Effect 2 has 2 editions on Steam. The original one, which has been now delisted, and this one. The only difference is that one used to need to buy the DLCs and install them separately on the original game, on this new edition all of them are included for free and install automatically. The only downside is that this one runs through the EA launcher.
The following review has been written before the remaster was launched, but I still stand by everything I say in it.

Mass Effect 2 is a classic among classics. Seen by most as one of the best things this industry has ever created. But, as good and mindblowing as it is, it does not exist without issues. And as with every sequel out there, it brings new awesome stuff, but not some stuff from its predecessor.

First of all about the issues. The game has some not fixed bugs, the mouse sensitivity is broken and some other stuff. If you wish to play the game at its best and have the best experience possible, then check my "All You Need" guide for Mass Effect 2. It includes everything known to fix the game's issues and also makes it look better with higher quality textures, 4k cinematics and so on, while keeping the game true to its vanilla state. Unfortunately my guide does not fix everything, and there are 2 issues I could not find a fix for. A gamebreaking bug, that can't be fixed: Rarely, the character teleports on textures, to say it simplier: it starts flying. But I have only encountered it like 3-4 times, and I have played this a lot. Both on Steam, and Origin. But still.. it does break the game, and you have to reload a save file. The second issue is the sound's position at times (or always.. maybe) not being right. What I mean by that is that you might hear shooting or enemies next to you, with them being in a completely different place. I also sometimes hear stuff behind me, with it actually being in front of me. We gotta say thanks that this ain't no CS:GO, otherwise it would have been a huge problem. That guide of mine also includes DLCs one has to install on the original edition. That does not apple to this edition, so please skip the DLCs inside that guide.

From here on, this review is about the game after applying everything there is in my guide, not with the issues it has in its original state.

Mass Effect has become one of my favorite series out there. Amazing characters, amazing stories, amazing universe, amazing world.

ME2 is... different when comparing to the first game. It still follows the same story and expands awesomely on it, but it no longer is that old-school RPG the first one is. Lots of the RPG elements the first game had, this one does not. ME2 is more action oriented, but with time one can observe that it fits the story (from this game, not the first) way better. The little exploration one had in the first game (on the Citadel and with the truck on planets) here it is completely gone. I wish it would have not been the case, as I loved both of them, even if the latter was quite unpopular and weird implemented. Another thing that ME2 removes is the heat in weapons, and adds bullets instead. I can understand why they added them, makes more sense gameplaywise and I prefer it this way. However, I have not yet seen any lorewise explanation to this change in-game. It would have been nice if there was one. Maybe there is one and I just just missed it.

ME2 is amazing, a masterpiece in gaming. Everything is so well done. You get invested in the characters, in the story. This one is way darker than the first game. Both its lookings and its story. The story is compelling and mysterious, as it was in the first game, but in a different way. The characters stories and the choices one can make are really something. And so are the consequences. I did not expect so much depth in all that stuff. Also all the side-stuff and the stories there are also really, really amazing. ME2 is really mindblowing storywise, even though I did not feel that satisfied with the ending, but no big issues there as it might be just me.

The gameplay and how the events occur have such a flow in them that sometimes I felt like the respective parts just won't end, and for that I was obviosuly thankful. The shooting and the combat, everything works and feels so flawless and entertaining that I could not believe that it is Mass Effect, since the first one was quite different from that aspect. One thing I did not like though was the way the powers were implemented. While they did add the option of choosing from 2 at the last level of points of a power, which is awesome, they made them less old-school RPG-like and made them feel no longer so interesting (imo), and, worst of all, all abilities have global cooldown. Which I really can't understand why they did it. I used most of my abilities less because of that.

It is weird how I always find myself without words when I want to explain why I love something so much (although the review is not that short, but I guess there still was room for lots of other stuff to say), but one thing I can say is that I had a blast playing ME2, it is a big step up from the first game, no matter if you are with the ones that like the action oriented approach the game took or not, and that it became one of my favorite video games out there, that's part of one of my favorite series. You will enjoy it, love it, and want more, more, and more.

In the end, I think it would be worth mentioning that although the game has a big list of achievements available in-game, there's none implemented on Steam. As was the case in the first game. Also, this game has a big list of achievements you can earn in-game, but not implemented on Steam for some reason. This is a big letdown for me, because I have earned all 62 of them, but unfortunately there will be no way for anybody to ever see it. (only on Backloggery, and written by myself on my Steam profile)

The network is broken and i cant get access to the dlc i own. EA is honestly the worst game publisher; they cant just let you play the game with steam. they force you to download their own third party launcher that barely works and refuse to let me use the dlc that i paid for because their stupid Cerberus network doesn't work. Shame on you EA for making it unnecessarily hard just to launch and play any of your games; this is one of many reasons why EA is the most hated publisher in the industry.

In a shocking pro-consumer move from EA, I got the 2010 edition of Mass Effect 2 for free - basically, an upgrade from the base game to the full version with all DLCs. In an unshockingly anti-consumer move from EA, it requires the EA Play app and you still have to sign in to EA Online to get said DLCs. Really a mixed bag. Not anything to do with the game itself but still worth mentioning for any interested parties who want to grab this instead of the Legendary Edition for whatever reason.

It's the same game I remember from all those years ago. The blending of action and choice-driven roleplaying that I got addicted to. It's the perfect balance of both aspects - ME1 is too clunky and ME3 is too shooty. ME2 found a way to keep those who liked the gunplay and those who liked the narrative fairly happy. They also showed all the lore that they only told about in ME1, crafted a thriving universe to traverse, and refined the space exploration into a really relaxing probe minigame.

Where the game really shines is the character writing and the concept of the suicide mission. Each character is vibrant and unique; they all feel like real individuals, not just NPCs that follow you around. They each come with a loyalty mission, which helps flesh out their personality - and Shepard's. Special notice goes to Tali (who is no longer a walking Wikipedia article; and instead is a curious, starstruck, and overwhelmed who's determined and true), Thane (meticulously crafted to be mysterious, charismatic, and heartbreaking), Jack (a woman fighting against the world who has beaten her down, but wishing her heart would heal), and Legion (who is one of the most uniquely written robot characters in gaming; his thoughts are truly unorganic, and he is both gentle and dangerous - he's a standout character is a sea of standouts, no wonder he's been my favorite all these years). And the suicide mission - while probably not the best choice for a game that was definitely getting a follow-up - is a great idea. It's the culmination of your choices and your attention span: if you chose to take care of your ship and get to know your crew, you will know who can do what. If not...wave goodbye to these characters you've come to grow fond of. It's a great final review for the truly dedicated gamers.

But yes, if you haven't played ME2 then you should. And if you were gifted it by EA then there's really no excuse. Its a must-play for any space game fanatic! and after you've played it once, use a save game editor to hack Legion in early and marvel at how good his early game lines that you will NEVER HEAR NORMALLY are.

EA doing what they do best, taking a dump on legit customers.

Mass Effect 2 is a fantastic game, one of my favorites but...

Yes, the good thing here is that the DLC is bundled with the base game so you don't have to download it individually, but the claims that the DLC is "free" by gaming news outlets is not true. Historically the original version is priced around $20 with the option to buy the DLC, but now this version of the game is priced at $30, so no the DLC is not "free", EA just increased the base price of the game by $10.

The value proposition is even worse now because you don't have the choice to not buy the DLC at a lower price point, the Legendary Edition is occasionally on sale at the lowest for $15 which includes all 3 games in the trilogy plus all the DLC for each game, so there is absolutely no value in purchasing this game on the store front as it is.

Another layer of DRM is added by forcing you to use the EA App launcher where you did not have to do so in the past. If you are forced to do this, you might as well pickup the Legendary Edition anyways. EA did not have to do this, they could have de-listed the DLC and put out a new patch that updates the game to the new build with full DLC.

EA punching you in the nuts and telling you its good value.

Why would adding "Edition" to the name of the game mean anything?

The original Digital Deluxe Mass Effect 2 had the base game and some DLC, plus the "Bonus soundtrack, digital art book, comic and video".

This "new" version that is on same features the base game and all DLC for the game, but does not include the digital deluxe extras like the comic and such.

This also has the added "bonus" of requiring EA app Origin.

Kiba Snowpaw, a 36-year-old seasoned gamer, furry, and Ice Wolf from a chilly realm, ready to embark on an alluring and chillingly epic journey in the realm of the Mass Effect universe. This isn't just a game; it's an odyssey that defrosts the coldest hearts, an epic saga that sends shivers down the spine, and a story that brings warmth to the iciest of souls. Welcome to my review of Mass Effect 2, the PC version on Steam. ❄️🐺🎮

First, let me caveat this review: my experience is colored by my vast gaming history, my deep-rooted love for indie games (which I've supported extensively over the years on Kickstarter and Patreon), and my passion for anime, manga, and movies since the 80s. However, I promise this won't be another frigid and detached review. This will be a warm and intensely personal analysis of the masterpiece that is Mass Effect 2.

🎖️Impact🎖️

It was the year Mass Effect 2 was first launched on Xbox, and I was instantly frozen in awe. I was seduced by the crisp gameplay mechanics, mesmerized by the thrilling narrative, and entranced by the character depth that was as vast as the galaxies I explored within the game. And when the PC version landed, it was like a blizzard in summer. I was hit with the same thrilling chills of adventure and emotion, proving to me that this game wasn't a one-hit-wonder, but a timeless masterpiece that transcends platforms.

🎭Drama🎭

For a lonesome Ice Wolf, Mass Effect 2 was more than just a distraction; it was a companion. The drama, action, and humor were like a warm fire in the cold, harsh tundra. The plot was thick with tension, and the characters were so real that they could've melted ice with their depth and authenticity. The bonds I formed with the crew were so strong, they made me forget about my own solitude, even if just for a while. 🔥❄️

🎯Comparison🎯

Compared to other games, Mass Effect 2 is a blizzard in a snow globe. It stands out with its unique blend of third-person shooter mechanics, RPG elements, and rich storytelling, while other games simply melt into the background. It's true, the RPG elements are straightforward and sometimes too polarized, but this isn't an RPG; it's a universe waiting to be explored, full of choices that matter and stories that touch even the iciest of hearts.

❄️Critique❄️

But even the harshest winter has its spring, and Mass Effect 2 is no exception. The Deluxe Edition on Steam does not include the significant expansions such as "Lair of the Shadow Broker," "The Arrival," and "Stolen Dreams." This left a frosty taste in my mouth, as I felt deceived by EA's icy business practices. There's a special place in the Arctic for companies that mislead their players, and EA is inching ever closer to it.

👊Gameplay👊

Gameplay in Mass Effect 2 is like a snowstorm; it's fast, relentless, and unpredictable. It blends RPG elements with a cover shooter, creating a unique gaming experience that sends chills down your spine. And let's not forget about the class-specific abilities and weapons, which add a touch of frosty freshness to every playthrough. It's like an avalanche of action and strategy that keeps you on your toes.

🎯Evaluation🎯

Evaluating Mass Effect 2 is like trying to hold onto an icicle: it's tricky, and you'll probably get a cold shock, but the result is a beautiful and fragile work of art. The main strength of the game lies in its narrative and characters, which are as cold and unforgiving as they are warm and comforting. The story is a blizzard of emotions that chills you to the bone, and the choices you make feel as if they hold the weight of the entire galaxy.

But the game's shortcomings are also as clear as ice. The lack of DLCs in the Deluxe Edition and the hoops you have to jump through to access the extras is like stepping on a patch of black ice: unexpected, unpleasant, and unnecessary.

Despite these minor cracks, Mass Effect 2 remains a beautiful ice sculpture in the winter of gaming. It's a must-play, a testament to the narrative power of video games, and a shining gem in the frosty wilderness.

#MassEffect2 #IceWolfGaming #FrostyReview 🐺❄️🎮

Remember, even the coldest tundra has its warmth, and even the darkest night has its dawn. Stay frosty, my friends. 🌙❄️💙