As I brought in Godiva Shepard, science genius Mordin, and old brother-in-arms Garrus into the depths of the former krogan hideout, we came across the body of a dead krogan female. It was then and there where Mordin and I debated on whether the genophage plague released onto the krogans by the salarians and turians was justifiable. A few hours later in a different segment, I also came to the conclusion that asari justicar Samara is more or less a “Chaotic Good” paladin archetype who really needs to keep her former children in line.

If you’re not at all intrigued as to what’s going on in the first paragraph, either you haven’t played the first Mass Effect 1 (or Mass Effect Galaxies on the iPhone) to get wrapped into its lore, or you just hate sci-fi stories in general. Because as far as this writer is concerned, Mass Effect 2 is really, really good.

This is the game Final Fantasy XIII wished it could be. Bioware basically took the JRPG template and unwittingly succeeded what Square Enix half-heartedly do; streamlined an RPG so that it nails that balance between gameplay and story-telling while also presenting a plethora of non-linear choices to shape the course of the game (and even its upcoming future sequel).

The combat aspect of Mass Effect 2 has gone through a overhaul, for better or for worse. Call me crazy, but I actually got the hang of Mass Effect 1’s way of making combat a more RPG-esque fare with a bit of shooting in the mix. In part 2, it’s an all-out twitch-combat fest where you have to rely on specific weapon types on certain enemies while also using your tech and biotic abilities to the fullest. I may miss the old way of handling conflict, but I’ll be lying through my teeth if I say that it’s not fun.

The six classes offered in the game are much more well-defined and easier to typecast. The Infiltrator is “that class with the invisible spell” while the Sentinel is “that class with the funky shield armor” I’m not degrading it in any way; the problem with the first game’s classes is that all the classes felt interchangeable. Mass Effect 2 really fixes that by highlighting that one specific power that defines each of the classes. Although to be fair, some classes are harder to play in the higher difficulty settings than others. My female Sentinel class Shepard breezed through quite a number of Insanity-level missions thanks to the Tech Shield and Barrier combination, while my Vanguard has to take things a little carefully than usual while on Hardcore.

Tali's back, and she's of legal age. You know what that means....

Of course, it’s the story that takes centrestage in Mass Effect 2. Not to spoil a few things in great detail (I’ll get back to you readers on that in a month’s time or so), but here are three things worth highlighting:

i) Everyone’s all fleshed out well. With the exception of Jack (and even she’s just “okay”), every party member you gather is characterized and written well.

ii) All those celeb voice actors they advertise in the official Mass Effect 2 video docs are also put in good use. Martin Sheen didn’t just voice the Illusive Man; he brings life into the Illusive Man.

iii) Don’t just walk past NPC banter in major cities and hubs: listen to them. I felt that Mass Effect 2 has a more comedic tone this time around, and just eavesdropping an inter-racial bachelor party and two krogans talking about eating fishes from a pond is sure to get a chuckle out of even the most jaded of gamers.

For all of the acclaims I’m showering the game with, there are slight problems to be found; specifically with those who have not played the first game. Yes, Bioware has taken great pains in making sure those new to the universe can be up to speed with the intro, the character creation option, and codex. Still, it’s akin to starting off with The Two Towers in the fabled fantasy trilogy; while you know what vaguely happened in the past adventure, but it’s not the same when you had no participation in it whatsoever. While the old guard from the first game are still as memorable in the second, you wouldn’t care as much about their plights and inner struggles if you haven’t played the first game.

Let’s also not forget the usual bugs and technical complaints: the rare crash, sound bites getting cut off, and button presses not inputting unless I go back out and go close to the object again. They’re just minor problems that won’t dilute the experience for anyone, unless they’re utter perfectionists with unrealistic expectations.

And then there will be people who will diss on Mass Effect 2 for not being as RPG-intensive as Mass Effect 1. Personally, I’d take short planet-scanning mining,  a streamlined upgrades system, and short N7 sidequests over a toilet paper roll inventory system, repetitive Mako-driving and gunning exploratory missions, and unnecessarily large spaces of exploration any day of the week.

Mass Effect 2 lives up to its unofficial title of “The Empire Strikes Back” of the trilogy. It’s a great second saga and continuation of the series that’s capped off perfectly while also leaving other niggling questions that will be answered in the upcoming third game. It is a testimonial feat that Bioware manages to balance that fine line between a role-playing game rich with sci-fi lore and an engaging narrative and an intense third-person shooter that challenges your twitch skills. The developers have succeeded in bridging that gap with aplomb.

Simply put: Mass Effect 2 is sci-fi gaming personified in perfect form, and Bioware has their work cut out for them in coming up with the third game that will hopefully bring the saga to a satisfying end.

Just make sure you play the first game from start to finish. It’ll be worth it. And that “thing” in the final fight of the game is sure to induce groaning and internet bitching.