Mass Effect 2 - Updated impressions

The actual make-up of your squad is still something Bioware is keeping under wraps. Some of the characters from the original will make a return – in the demo we spotted Liara, Joker and someone who looked a lot like Ashley – but they won’t be in your team. The smart money is on them appearing as NPCs to flesh-out the backstory and to keep key plot points from the original rolling.

To complement the improved action, several other item options have been tweaked. The inventory system has been given a complete overhaul, although Hudson was cagey about how they’ve done it. Providing we don’t have to wade through every new item and weapon upgrade, reducing each one to omni-gel individually, we’ll be happy with whatever has been altered. Similarly, although many of the weapon mods from the original will return, the way you use them will have changed.

“It’s still a heat-based system so there’s no need to find ammo clips,” reassures Hudson. “But instead of overheating the weapon and having a forced cool-down, the player is able to actively eject a heat sink to choose how and when the weapon gets reset.” This is great news – the old weapons simply wouldn’t work with ME2’s more fluid combat.

However, what this means is that all the weapons and items you amassed in ME1 can’t come with you. Hudson explains, “The systems have been greatly improved to support better combat, inventory, etc. So while things like weapons and stats don’t convert directly, you will get certain benefits from your play style and accomplishments in the first game.” Similarly, you won’t be able to hop right into a fully levelled up Shepard: “The character classes are the same, and some of the powers are still there (even though they’re more functional and more powerful). But we have made improvements that make each of the classes a lot more balanced and fun, so you’ll see some new progression mechanics and powers.”

Another aspect that has seen quite spectacular improvement is the dialogue, now handled in a more dynamic way. Instead of characters standing around, talking at each other in standard poses – something that shattered the illusion of authenticity in the first game – they will chat on the move, or framed by more cinematic camera angles. One example we saw was Shepard and an Asari ally flying through a city in a hover-car. The two chatted while Shepard weaved through the traffic, making their conversation feel far less forced and wooden; more like it belonged in an epic sci-fi movie.

That’s not the only way the dialogue has been made to feel more ‘natural.’ Later on, the pair find themselves questioning a guard inside an enormous skyscraper. Shepard wants to get to his boss, but this grunt isn’t playing ball, feigning ignorance and fobbing our hero off. A QTE prompt appeared in the corner of the screen giving Shepard the opportunity to interrupt the conversation, booting the crony straight through the nearest window and onto the street below (that’ll be a fistful of Renegade points, then). You’ll be able to talk while fighting too, although Bioware hasn’t shown off how this will work. Chances are, it’ll involve a mini cut-scene in the middle of certain combat sections, but again, it adds a level of realism absent from the series to date.