Mass Effect 2

Did You Know?

• Players could redeem codes on specially marked Dr Pepper products for one of three pieces of headgear.
• If Shepard dies at the end of Mass Effect 2, the character cannot be imported into Mass Effect 3.

Synopsis

Set in the 22nd-century Milky Way, the game uses Mass Relays—devices believed built by the extinct Protheans—for interstellar travel. The Citadel Council, a governing body of humans, asari, salarians, and turians, maintains order among galactic races. Other species include the reptilian krogan and drell, the environmental-suited quarians, and the hostile geth, a networked artificial intelligence. In the original Mass Effect, a geth army tried to open a portal for the Reapers, machine starships that eradicate organic civilization every 50,000 years, and the galaxy now fears another invasion.

The human supremacist organization Cerberus advocates for humanity's greater role, justifying illegal experiments and terrorism. The protagonist, Commander Shepard (voiced by Mark Meer or Jennifer Hale), commands the SSV Normandy and later the Normandy SR-2. Squad members include Cerberus operatives Jacob Taylor and Miranda Lawson, recurring associates Garrus Vakarian and Tali'Zorah, salarian scientist Mordin Solus, human criminal Jack, krogan Grunt, drell assassin Thane Krios, asari Justicar Samara or her daughter Morinth, and geth platform Legion.

Other characters include pilot Jeff "Joker" Moreau, Cerberus leader the Illusive Man, and the ship's enhanced defense intelligence EDI.

Development

BioWare developed Mass Effect 2 under director Casey Hudson, who had led the first Mass Effect. Based on feedback from fans, reviewers, and staff, the team aimed to create an experience that felt less like a game and more like an experience. Unlike the original's focus on the main story, BioWare wanted optional missions to have equal intensity, and the concept of recruiting and gaining loyalty from a team for a suicide mission allowed this. Hudson noted that building the crew and preparing for the mission is the story.

Early development prioritized streamlining shooting aspects, with RPG elements added later. Lead designer Christina Norman stated the goal was to make weapons accurate and powerful from level one, effectively removing the RPG from the shooter. With no shooter experience, the team spent three months tuning combat based on the original game. The camera was improved for precise aiming, including headshots.

Weapons were given distinct identities, resulting in 19 weapons with 108 tuning variables. Limited ammunition was not initially planned but was added after playtesting, as it improved combat tension and pacing.

Marketing and release

Mass Effect 2 was formally unveiled at the Game Developers Conference on March 17, 2009, with a teaser trailer showing Shepard "killed in action." It was confirmed for Windows and Xbox 360. At E3 in June 2009, it was revealed that Shepard would be alive and playable but could die at the game's end. Pre-ordering from certain retailers granted in-game armors and weapons; codes from Dr Pepper products could unlock headgear, and registered copies of Dragon Age: Origins provided an armor set.

BioWare released a final cinematic trailer and six class trailers narrated by lead designer Christina Norman. Electronic Arts sold-in over two million copies for the first week. The game launched on January 26, 2010, in North America and January 29, 2010, in Europe, published by Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox 360 and Windows physical versions. Standard, digital deluxe, and collector's editions were available; the collector's edition included an artbook, bonus in-game content, a behind-the-scenes DVD, and a comic issue.

Despite a late-month release, it sold 572,100 units in January 2010, becoming the second best-selling game that month. After release, the font size and coloring were criticized as hard to read on standard-definition televisions; BioWare considered it a design choice and could not fix it but would consider it for future games. A February 2010 patch addressed crashes and long load times on single-core computers, and a June 2010 patch reduced mining time for upgrades and fixed other issues.