Info about Mass Effect 2 (2010) Edition:

Official game description:
Special Edition
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About the Game
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Are you prepared to lose everything to save the galaxy? You'll need to be, Commander Shepard. It's time to bring together your greatest allies and recruit the galaxy's fighting elite to continue the resistance against the invading Reapers. So steel yourself, because this is an astronomical mission where sacrifices must be made. You'll face tougher choices and new, deadlier enemies. Arm yourself and prepare for an unforgettable intergalactic adventure.  
**Game features:**  
**Shift the fight in your favor.** Equip yourself with powerful, new weapons almost instantly thanks to a new inventory system. Plus, an improved health regeneration system means you’ll spend less time hunting for restorative items.  
**Make every decision matter.** Divisive crew members are just the tip of the iceberg, Commander, because you’ll also be tasked with issues of intergalactic diplomacy. And time’s a wastin’, so don’t be afraid to use new prompt-based actions that let you interrupt conversations, even if they could alter the fate of your crew...and the galaxy.  
**Forge new alliances, carefully.** You’ll fight alongside some of your most trustworthy crew members, but you’ll also get the opportunity to recruit new talent. Just choose your new partners with care because the fate of the galaxy rests on your shoulders, Commander.  
Mass Effect 2 (2010 Edition) includes all previously released DLC:  
**Expansions**  
*   Kasumi — Stolen Memory  
*   Overlord  
*   Lair of the Shadow Broker  
*   Arrival
**Cerberus Network content**  
*   Normandy Crash Site expansion  
*   Zaeed — The Price of Revenge expansion  
*   Firewalker Pack  
*   Cerberus Weapon and Armor pack: Contains Cerberus Assault Armor and M-22 Eviscerator shotgun.  
*   Arc Projector heavy weapon
**Packs and Bundles**  
*   Aegis Pack: Contains the M-29 Incisor sniper rifle and the Kestrel armor.  
*   Equalizer Pack: Contains the Capacitor Helmet, Archon Visor and Inferno Armor.  
*   Firepower Pack: Contains the M-5 Phalanx heavy pistol, M-96 Mattock heavy rifle and Geth Plasma Shotgun.  
*   Alternate Appearance Pack 1: Contains new outfits for Garrus, Thane and Jack.  
*   Alternate Appearance Pack 2: Contains new outfits for Tali, Grunt and Miranda.  
*   Collectors’ Weapon and Armor pack: Contains Collector Armor and the Collector Assault Rifle.  
*   Terminus Weapon and Armor pack: Contains Terminus Assault Armor and the M-490 Blackstorm heavy weapon.  
*   Mass Effect 2 promo bundle: Contains Umbra Visor, Sentry Interface and Recon Hood.  
*   Blood Dragon Armor

Release date: 15 May, 2023

Categories: Action RPG, Third-Person Shooter, Single-player Story, Choice-based Narrative, Character Development, Crew Management, Diplomacy, Quick-Time Events


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Masterpiece Sequel & Trilogy Highlight (weight 0.99): Mass Effect 2 is frequently heralded as the best installment in the series, significantly improving upon its predecessor while offering an unforgettable journey. It stands out as a defining RPG, showcasing BioWare's excellence in game development and narrative.
- Deep Lore & Engaging Narrative (weight 0.52): Mass Effect 2 is praised for its complex and detailed world-building, offering a rich universe with an unforgettable and deeply emotional story. The narrative is engaging, well-written, and epic in scope, capturing players from start to finish.
- Impactful Player Choices (weight 0.44): The game's moral choices and dialogue decisions profoundly affect the story, character relationships, and outcomes, leading to significant replay value. The save transfer feature from ME1 enhances this continuity, making player decisions truly meaningful.
- Exceptional Character Development (weight 0.35): The game excels in character-driven storytelling, with a diverse cast of well-written, deep, and memorable companions. Each character grows on the player, featuring unique loyalty missions that explore their personal stories and add significant depth.
- Enhanced Gameplay & Combat (weight 0.31): Significant improvements were made to the gameplay mechanics, particularly the shooting and combat systems, which are now faster, more intuitive, and cover-based. This refinement provides a much smoother and more enjoyable action experience compared to the first game.
- Balanced RPG-Shooter Blend (weight 0.11): Mass Effect 2 successfully integrates RPG elements like ability development and moral choices with robust third-person shooter mechanics. This hybrid approach offers a rich and tactically deep gameplay experience that appeals to fans of both genres.
- Iconic Soundtrack (weight 0.09): The game's soundtrack, composed by Jesper Kyd and Jack Wall, is highly praised for perfectly capturing the game's mood. It enhances the atmosphere with themes that evoke dread, hope, and the cosmic unease of the galaxy.
- Complete DLC Inclusion (weight 0.09): The Legendary Edition significantly improves the player experience by including all previously released story DLCs. This resolves past issues with content availability and provides a more comprehensive package.

Common complaints:
- Frequent Crashes and Bugs (weight 0.4): Players experienced numerous game-breaking bugs and frequent crashes, particularly within DLC missions. Issues included hard locks, black screens, and the game failing to launch or becoming unplayable after a crash.
- Repetitive & Dated Gameplay (weight 0.34): The core gameplay loop, especially combat and mini-games, was criticized for being repetitive, tedious, and simplistic. Many found the overall gameplay experience dated, lacking depth, and artificially prolonged.
- Mandatory EA App/Launcher (weight 0.3): Many players expressed strong frustration and dislike over the mandatory requirement of the EA App (formerly Origin) to launch and play the game, especially for a title purchased on Steam. They reported it to be buggy, slow, unnecessary, and intrusive.
- Loss of RPG Elements (weight 0.26): A significant point of contention for some purists was the perceived reduction of deep RPG mechanics from the first game in favor of a more streamlined, cinematic, or cover-shooter experience in subsequent titles.
- Tedious Planet Scanning (weight 0.26): The planet scanning mechanic was widely criticized as boring, tedious, and time-consuming, with players feeling it artificially extended gameplay without adding meaningful value.
- Visual and Animation Issues (weight 0.26): Players noted various graphical glitches and animation problems, including desynchronized audio/video, missing facial animations, character model bugs, and a general perception that graphics did not significantly improve from the original.
- Content and Lore Discrepancies (weight 0.25): Some players pointed out a lack of certain content from original versions in the Legendary Edition and noted contradictions or confusing details within the game's lore compared to earlier titles. The ending of ME3 was also cited as making player choices feel irrelevant.
- Broken Cerberus Network (weight 0.23): The Cerberus Network, essential for accessing certain DLC, was reported as broken and problematic. Players struggled with logins and found DLC content inaccessible due to these issues.
- Outdated Mass Effect 2 (2010) Version (weight 0.09): Players found it confusing and unnecessary for the outdated 2010 version of Mass Effect 2 to still be available for purchase, especially since it lacked deluxe extras and required an EA account/launcher, unlike its original release.

Gameplay feedback:
- Significant Gameplay Changes (weight 0.19): Players noted a shift from RPG elements towards a more shooter-centric experience, including changes to combat, weapon mechanics (ammo instead of overheating), and simplified RPG aspects. This also includes changes to how loot and upgrades are handled.
- Crucial Save Game Import (weight 0.16): The game is designed as part of a trilogy where decisions and save files from previous games significantly influence the experience and available content in the sequel. Importing saves is vital for a complete and continuous story experience.
- Intriguing Crew & Loyalty System (weight 0.16): A core element of the game involves recruiting a diverse crew with unique backstories and loyalty missions. Success in these missions is critical, as it directly impacts the survival of crew members during the challenging final mission.
- Story Continuation & Setup (weight 0.11): The narrative begins two years after the first game, with Shepard's resurrection by Cerberus to face a new galactic threat, the Collectors. Player choices continue to shape Shepard's role and identity within the story.
- Game Length & Content (weight 0.11): The main story, including companion missions, offers about 23 hours of gameplay, with 100% completion extending to 37 hours. This version includes all DLC, significantly adding to the overall content.
- Legacy Edition Inclusions (weight 0.05): This version is identical to the original release but conveniently bundles all previously released DLC, enhancing the overall value and content for players.
- Moral Choices & Rewards (weight 0.03): The game incorporates a system where accumulated moral points unlock various advantages, such as discounts, valuable information, or other in-game bonuses.
- Dialogue-Heavy Narrative (weight 0.03): Players describe the game as having a significant amount of dialogue, akin to a 'visual novel in space,' which contributes heavily to its narrative depth.
- ME3 Specifics (Out of Scope) (weight 0.03): Feedback on ME3's settings menu and internet connection requirements is largely irrelevant to ME2 analysis, indicating limited or misdirected feedback.
- In-Game Comic for Decisions (weight 0.02): An in-game comic is utilized to allow players to establish important narrative decisions for their playthrough, especially if they are not importing a save.
- Increased Difficulty (weight 0.02): Players perceive a noticeable increase in the overall difficulty compared to its predecessor, presenting a greater challenge.
- Technical Impressiveness (Historical) (weight 0.02): For its release year of 2010, the game was considered technically impressive, indicating a high standard of graphics and performance at the time.
- Achievement Requirements (weight 0.02): Achieving Platinum status in the game requires dedicated time to complete the 'specialist' achievement, indicating specific challenges for completionists.

Performance notes:
- Poor engine optimization (weight 0.05): The game engine appears poorly optimized for modern multi-core processors, primarily utilizing only 2-3 cores. This leads to inconsistent frame rates on higher-end hardware while performing adequately on budget video cards.
- Bug fixes needed (weight 0.05): Players report that Mass Effect 2 still has bugs that require community-made mods to resolve. This suggests a need for official patches or compatibility updates.
- Poor cutscene upscaling (weight 0.03): The remastered cutscenes in the Legendary Edition are criticized for their low quality upscaling, remaining at 720p/30fps. This falls short of modern visual standards and expectations for a remastered title.
- EA launcher performance issues (weight 0.03): The EA launcher itself is reported to cause significant performance slowdowns, particularly on less powerful PCs. This negatively impacts the overall user experience before even launching the game.
- Startup movie fix (weight 0.03): Users consistently need to apply a 'nomoviestartup' fix, indicating an issue with the initial cinematic sequence. This detracts from the immediate player experience.

Recommendations:
- Game is a must-play RPG (weight 0.34): Players highly recommend the game for fans of RPGs, especially those who appreciate deep storytelling, character choices, and a mix of shooter and command elements.
- Legendary Edition is superior (weight 0.33): Players strongly advise purchasing the Legendary Edition over this standalone version. It offers the full trilogy, all DLCs, improved visuals, and a more cohesive experience, often available at a better value, especially on sale.
- Suggests planet scanning guide (weight 0.02): One specific piece of advice given is to use a guide for planet scanning to save time, indicating this mechanic might be tedious or not well-received.

Other player notes:
- Mass Effect Legendary Edition Context (weight 0.21): The Legendary Edition bundles the entire Mass Effect trilogy with all DLCs into a single game, featuring remasters, particularly for the first Mass Effect. This version is available on Steam and is the primary way to experience the series now.
- Localization and DLC Availability (weight 0.1): This version of the game includes all 23 DLCs and offers various localization options, including full Chinese localization. There are also localization patches available, and the game allows switching input methods after localization.
- Modding and Customization Options (weight 0.1): Various mods and game editors are available for the Legendary Edition, including ALOV for cutscene fixes, texture mods for graphics improvement, and a mod to re-add Pinnacle Station. Game editors also allow for playing with desired outcomes or fixing mistakes.
- Technical Issues & Solutions (weight 0.1): Players reported launch issues after crashes, sometimes resolvable by reinstalling via Steam backup or restarting the PC. Minor dialogue glitches, German speakers stopping mid-sentence, and a specific Shadow Broker DLC mission freeze bug were also noted, with a workaround suggested for the latter.
- Overall Positive Reception (weight 0.06): Despite some minor issues and the game being over a decade old, the overall reception for Mass Effect 2 remains very positive, with at least one player rating it 10/10 and others expressing excitement for later installments.
- Series Play Order Advice (weight 0.02): One reviewer expressed a sentiment that they should have started the series by playing the first part, indicating the importance of playing the games in chronological order for story progression.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.3): Players are highly satisfied with the game's overall quality, considering it a significant improvement over its predecessor and often the best in the trilogy. Key factors include excellent storytelling, well-developed characters and companions, impactful choices and dialogues, immersive world-building, and a refined core ARPG experience. The game's enduring appeal, even years after its release, and the high quality of its cinematic presentation, level design, and soundtrack also contribute to this positive emotion.
- Frustration (weight 0.2): Frustration primarily stems from a multitude of technical issues, including frequent crashes, bugs (especially game-breaking ones), stuttering, and an inability to launch the game, particularly with the Steam version. The mandatory and often problematic EA App/launcher is a significant source of annoyance, causing performance issues and connectivity problems. Players also express frustration with tedious mini-games, repetitive combat, clunky systems, and issues with inaccessible or broken DLC.
- Disappointment (weight 0.13): Disappointment arises from the game's perceived shortcomings, especially regarding its technical state on Steam, the forced use of the EA App, and a shift in gameplay philosophy from RPG to a more cinematic cover-shooter experience, with a lack of exploration. Players are also disappointed by outdated mechanics, inconsistent dialogue quality, missing DLC, a perceived lack of meaningful choices (especially regarding ME3's ending), and the lack of new content or essential features like controller support in this specific re-release.
- Excitement (weight 0.1): Players feel excitement due to the game's expanded story, cast, and scope, offering an immersive cosmic odyssey. The gripping narrative, superb writing, complex lore, and dynamic character development, coupled with revamped and improved combat, contribute to a thrilling and engaging experience. The sheer quality of the game as a top-tier sci-fi title that draws players in for many hours also generates significant excitement.
- Admiration (weight 0.05): Admiration is expressed for the game's monumental impact and quality, frequently being hailed as one of the best RPGs ever made, a 'milestone,' or a 'masterpiece.' Players commend its lasting legacy, great lore, and world-building, often considering it BioWare's finest work and a significant upgrade to the first installment in the series.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.03): Nostalgia is evoked by the game's enduring impact on players' memories, particularly its story and characters, leading some to give positive feedback purely based on fond recollections. There's also a sense of nostalgia for elements from the first Mass Effect game, such as the Mako, which players miss in subsequent installments.
- Joy (weight 0.03): Joy comes from the sheer pleasure of re-experiencing the game, its enduring story, and its incredible companion characters. The compelling narrative, stunning visuals, and high replayability contribute to an overall positive and enjoyable gaming experience, often leading players to grant perfect scores for specific beloved features or experiences like character romances.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.02): Players find enjoyment in the game's immersive atmosphere, engaging story, well-crafted companions, and unique gameplay elements. The combination of narrative depth, character interactions, and satisfying gameplay loops contributes to an overall positive and engaging experience.
- Anger (weight 0.02): Anger is directed primarily at EA and the mandatory EA launcher, which many players perceive as 'malware' or 'literally unplayable' due to severe technical issues. The presence of unfixed, game-breaking bugs that render the game unplayable also fuels significant anger.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion arises from the game's complex lore, which can be dense and difficult to follow for some players. Additionally, very dark visuals in certain parts of the game and similar naming conventions for different game versions can also lead to confusion.
- Appreciation (weight 0.01): Players express appreciation for the game's intricate lore details and overarching narrative, recognizing its cultural significance and its role as a breakthrough title for the series. The game's technical impressiveness, especially considering its release era, is also a source of appreciation.
- Preference (weight 0.01): Preference is shown for specific versions or styles of the game, with some players preferring the classic graphics or a particular version over the Legendary Edition. A distinct preference for Mass Effect 1's gameplay style is also noted.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance is caused by minor inconveniences such as having identical or separate, confusing entries for the game in their game library, which can complicate management or installation.
- Disinterest (weight 0): Disinterest stems from repetitive gameplay loops, suggesting that some aspects of the game's mechanics or missions become monotonous over time, leading to a lack of engagement.
- Emotional engagement (weight 0): Players feel emotional engagement due to the game's profound story arcs, particularly those involving themes of trust, sacrifice, and the deep, evolving relationships between characters, creating a powerful narrative experience.
- Amusement (weight 0): Amusement is specifically caused by the inclusion of alien romance options within the game, suggesting that these choices provide a unique and entertaining aspect to the player experience.
- Helpfulness (weight 0): Helpfulness is expressed by players who advise others on better purchase options, indicating a desire to assist fellow gamers in avoiding potential issues or finding more valuable deals related to the game.
- Mild annoyance (weight 0): Mild annoyance is directed towards EA's involvement in the game, suggesting that while not a severe frustration, the publisher's presence or actions create minor vexations for players.
- Suspicion (weight 0): Suspicion arises from the belief that a persistent bug might be almost intentional, indicating a distrust in the developers or publishers regarding the unresolved technical issues.
- Slight disappointment (weight 0): Slight disappointment is expressed when players feel some elements or content that they expected or desired were missing from the game, leading to a minor letdown.}