Released in 2007, Mass Effect wasn't a perfect game, but it did a lot of things right.

Critically acclaimed, it was a beautifully crafted blend of action and RPG elements, featuring a superb plot, excellent voice acting, and a deep and intriguing setting. Perhaps its most impressive achievement was that it was among the first to introduce the concept of near seamless dialog and conversations. Players were able to provide near instant replies based on the attitude you wanted to personify, rather then the exact word for word phrasing. Mass Effect did what any successful RPG did; it helped provide a sense of belonging to a world that was bigger than you.

But, the game wasn't without its flaws. A limited tutorial threw you into the action far too quickly. Early frustrations were due to the low power and accuracy of the weapons at the beginning of the game. Other annoyances included an attempt to hide loading with extended elevator scenes, significant graphical glitches, and an overly complex and clunky inventory system.

For Mass Effect 2, BioWare has really listened to the media and the community and addressed each and every one of these issues. Combined with an all-new combat engine, graphical improvements, and a plot by Drew Karpyshyn (the same writer as the first), the excellent Mass Effect series is about to get that much better.

In a recent hands-on demo of the game we learned a few juicy plot details that, after careful consideration are probably best left under wraps as not to spoil the game. Still, if you don't want to know anything about the plot, I'd recommend you skip the following paragraph.

Shepard is now working with Cerberus, a powerful rogue pro-human organization introduced in the previous game. Formerly an enemy, Cerberus has recruited Shepard as an ally in working to fight off an even greater threat: a race known as the Collectors, who were first introduced in Karpyshyn's novel: Mass Effect: Ascension. Little is known about the Collectors except that they live deep in the terminus systems, and nobody who has ever gone through the Mass Relay into their territory has ever come back alive. Aside from a few odd and very lucrative trade requests, few people have ever seen them in person. They have often been considered a myth in Citadel space, until now.

One of Mass Effect 2's most talked about features is the ability to import a previous save game from the original and continue from where you left off. When starting, you'll be presented with a menu that allows you to browse your completed Mass Effect save games, and display stats such as level and paragon/renegade. From there you can import the save game into the sequel, and continue with the same character you've worked hard to build. Thus, all of the decisions made in the first game, whether or not characters died, and how the ending played out will all have an impact on how Mass Effect 2 progresses. When importing a saved game, you'll be given the option to re-class your character if you wish. Given the dramatic changes and re-organization made to the classes, you may very well want to do this. Lastly, you'll also be able to change the look of your character on import should you so desire. Miraculously, this can all be explained as part of the plot. If you haven't played through the first game, all is not lost. Those without prior experience can begin the second game with a longer back-story, detailing the events of the first game. It'll also make a predefined set of assumptions as to how the first game came to a conclusion.

In our demo, we had the chance to check out two of the levels from in the final game, introducing the new combat system. Within a few minutes, the enhancements to the combat system became very clear. For experienced players, Mass Effect 2 will feel both familiar and new at the same time. The combat system feels very smooth and natural. In the original, even after forty hours of play, in a firefight you'd sometimes have to stop and think in a combat situation about what controls you're pressing. It just didn't feel intuitive. In Mass Effect 2, that isn't the case at all. While many of the controls are familiar, the game feels much more refined and offers more of the traits of a traditional shooter combined with the RPG elements that made the game so successful. It handles much more cleanly, and the controls are more responsive, aiming and recoil feel much more refined, and all in all it's just a better model for combat.

A few of the notable enhancements to the combat system include the addition of a new cover mechanic. No longer will you automatically grab cover whenever possible; instead you'll need to press a button to take cover behind a wall or object. In the first game, needlessly grabbing cover while attempting to move around was a common frustration, and it's been addressed in the sequel. As well, the overheating system in the first game is no more, replaced by a more typical ammo-based mechanic.

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