User Summary:
Mass Effect 2 is an action RPG and the second game in a space trilogy by developer BioWare. It continues the story from the first game while streamlining both combat and leveling up. You may choose to import a save file from the first game or create a new one. By importing many of the decisions you made in the first game will have a small impact on the situation in the second.

No longer a Spectre agent working for the alien council, or a commander of a human System Alliance ship, Mass Effect 2 sees Shepard teaming up with the shadowy Cerberus corporation in order to investigate the disappearance of human colonies--and possibly prevent another assault from the Reapers. During your quest you will run into old contacts, as well as recruit new squad members.

Many criticisms of the first game have been addressed. The planet-exploring Mako has been replaced with a faster, nimbler hovercraft called the Hammerhead (while the missions containing the Hammerhead can only be accessed via downloadable content, they are free to anyone who purchased the game new). Secondary missions offer more variety and no longer occur in the same sterile, white-washed facilities that dominated the first game. Infinite ammo has been removed. Weapons now require thermal clips, and sub-machine guns and a variety of heavy weapons have been added to the game. Combat still occurs from a third person over-the-shoulder perspective, but each squad member can now only activate one biotic power at a time--and must wait for it to cooldown before activating another. This speeds up combat by lessening the amount of time spent pausing the game and issuing orders. You still earn points to spend on your squad members by leveling them up, but there are now fewer levels per power and fewer powers available. However, by collecting schematics scattered around the galaxy and researching them on your ship you can acquire new weapons or provide bonuses for your team.

From the game box:

Entire human colonies on many worlds are vanishing. As Commander Shepard, you must assemble the galaxy's deadliest team to save mankind against impossible odds.

They call it a suicide mission.

Prove them wrong.

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Trivia:

• Legion did not originally have Shepard's armor. It was added because a higher up thought it looked cool and wanted it used, even though it did not make sense for the character. Legion's writer did his best to downplay the 'Shepard fanboying' but the armor was hard to reconcile with the Geth's unity/lack of individuality.

Quote:

Our place in the universe is more fragile than we’d like to think. - Illusive Man

Shepard, You're making a habit of costing more than time and money. - Illusive Man

There... Earth. I wish you could see it like I do, Shepard. It's so... perfect. - Illusive Man

I'm gonna win this war without sacrificing the soul of our species. - Shepard

"I know what you are and the price of dealing with you. Harbinger is coming and he won't be alone. I'm gonna make sure we're ready when they get here. You can fall in line or step aside but DON'T get in my way." - Shepard

"Hell yeah, put more stuff in the... thing more stuff goes in." - Commander Shepard

"I'm sorry, I'm having trouble hearing you. I'm getting a lot of bullshit on this line." - Shepard to Illusive Man

"I'll relinquish one bullet. Where do you want it?" - Shepard

"This is all Joker's fault! What a tool he was! Now I have to spend all day computing Pi because he plugged in the overlord." -Joker

"More importantly: I don't want the Reapers destroyed. We can dominate them, use their power, harness their very essence to bring humanity to the apex of evolution." - Illusive Man

Thane: "I apologize, but prayers for the wicked must not be forsaken."
Shepard: "She certainly was wicked..."
Thane: "Not for her...for me. The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern by action alone. Take you for instance...all this destruction...chaos."

"All scientific advancement due to intelligence overcoming for limitations. Can't carry a load, so invent a wheel. Can't catch food, so invent spear. Limitations! No limitations, no advancement. No advancement, culture Stagnates! Works other way, too. Advancement before culture is ready disastrous.." - Mordin

"While we brought back some of the original characters, Mass Effect 2 was very much about discovering a set of amazing new characters. People didn't want to know about Jack and Mordin and these new characters. [fans were] like: 'Get them out of here. We want our characters from the first game.' but when they played them, they became some of the most popular characters [in the series]." - Casey Hudson

Save Entire Crew: After you get Legion as a squad member, you basically have time to do a single mission before your crew gets kidnapped. Once you get Legion, immediately reactivate him while EDI is fixing the IFF and do Legion's loyalty mission. If you complete it before your crew is abducted, you did it right. When informed of kidnapping, you MUST choose to immediately go save the crew, or Kelly will die.

Class

Each class has distinct proficiencies in three main areas: general combat using firearms or melee strikes, tech attacks, and biotics. Classes can be further specialized to have even more intense focuses or proficiencies. In Mass Effect 2, the class-specific ability is a passive power that can be further specialized in one of two ways at maximum rank (rank 4). In Mass Effect 2 class can determine if a particular category of weapon (e.g. shotguns) can even be equipped at all.

	Class	Type	Description	Weapons Training	Powers / Abilities	Specializations
	Adept	Biotic	Adepts are biotic specialists, capable of disabling and killing enemies with raw biotic power. While they lack advanced combat training, they are the best at defeating enemies without firing a shot.	Heavy Pistols Submachine Guns Heavy Weapons	Throw Pull Warp Singularity Shockwave Biotic Mastery	Bastion Nemesis
	Soldier	Combat	Soldiers are pure combat specialists. No one is tougher or more effective at taking down enemies with gunfire. Soldiers have the most thorough weapons training and can use all special ammo types.	Heavy Pistols Shotguns Assault Rifles Sniper Rifles Heavy Weapons	Adrenaline Rush Concussive Shot Disruptor Ammo Incendiary Ammo Cryo Ammo Combat Mastery	Commando Shock Trooper
	Engineer	Tech	Engineers are tech specialists, the only class able to employ combat drones on the battlefield. Engineers are the most effective class at blasting through enemy defenses and disabling opponents.	Heavy Pistols Submachine Guns Heavy Weapons	Overload Incinerate Combat Drone Cryo Blast AI Hacking Tech Mastery	Mechanic Demolisher
	Vanguard	Biotic / Combat	Feared for their high-risk high-reward combat style, closing quickly on enemies and destroying them at close range with weapons and biotic abilities.	Heavy Pistols Shotguns Submachine Guns Heavy Weapons	Incendiary Ammo Cryo Ammo Charge Shockwave Pull Assault Mastery	Champion Destroyer
	Sentinel	Tech / Biotic	While they lack the focus of adepts and engineers, they are versatile and can handle any situation. Sentinels are equipped with the most advanced ablation armor system to keep themselves safe.	Heavy Pistols Submachine Guns Heavy Weapons	Tech Armor Throw Warp Overload Cryo Blast Defender	Guardian Raider
	Infiltrator	Tech / Combat	Tech and combat specialists with the unique ability to cloak themselves from visual and technological detection. Deadly at any range, Infiltrators are equipped with a wide variety of weapons, equipment and powers that can take down any enemy.	Heavy Pistols Sniper Rifles Submachine Guns Heavy Weapons	Tactical Cloak Disruptor Ammo Cryo Ammo Incinerate AI Hacking Operative	Agent Assassin