Game Rant's Robert Keyes reviews Mass Effect 2

Before it even released, the hype surrounding the long-awaiting sequel to BioWare's 2007 hit game Mass Effect suggested that Mass Effect 2 would easily be a game of the year contender for 2010. Does it meet expectations? In short, it surpasses them for the most part, while not quite meeting them in a few areas.

Mass Effect 2 sets out to continue the story of Commander Shepard in his/her quest to hinder the impending threat known as the Reapers. It continues the epic story of the first game and paves the way for the trilogy conclusion to come, but doesn't offer as much of a main story as its predecessor. Instead, most of the game is focused on the supporting characters and Shepard's endeavor to recruit them and earn their trust in preparation for the biggest mission of their lives.

Mass Effect is one of our favorite games on the Xbox 360 to date. It brought something completely new to the table and offered countless hours of gameplay from RPG style character progression through experience, stats, powers, weapons, armor to 3rd person team-based combat, and even vehicular exploration and combat. It took what was amazing about Knights of the Old Republic in terms of storytelling and character development in a sci-fi space adventure and shattered the conventions and limitations set before it. Did Mass Effect 2 continue the trend? Read on to find out!