Mass Effect 2 is a true Empire Strikes Back – second in a trilogy, darker than the first, and perhaps, most impressively, better than the first.

I won't lie – the first Mass Effect was one of my favourite games ever despite its technical shortcomings, clumsy combat, and clumsy inventory management. Gone are the texture pop-ins, gone is the clumsy combat replaced with a new system that rivals the best of the third person shooters out there, and gone is the clumsy inventory management replaced with a streamlined upgrade system.

Some say the streamlining has gone too far and that Mass Effect 2 is RPG-Lite or Action RPG at best. That depends on your definition of RPG – if you're after a loot-grabbing, level grinding, XP mining number-crunch-a-thon from your RPG, you're out of luck. If however you seek a game that really lets you play a role in a believable universe, you're going to love this game.

It's the characters – the story is generally generic (although there are a few twists and turns that might surprise you along the way), but the characters are some of the finest ever created in a video game. Their backstories are full and fascinating and you may just find yourself questioning your initial judgements of characters. The returning faces are brilliant to see, and Bioware has cleverly managed their appearances.

I've never felt so much emotional connection playing a video game, but the lore of the Mass Effect universe and the quality of the characters (buoyed by some stellar voice acting – take a bow Martin Sheen, who is by far the stand out performer) draw you in to such a level that the final levels of the game are some of video gaming's finest moments.

Hyperbole? You might think so. But I firmly feel Mass Effect is a step toward the future: games are the biggest entertainment industry, but they aren't considered an art form by most. Mass Effect 2 is art. More games like this and the deniers of the merits of gaming can't keep their denials up for long.

A true masterpiece.

The original Mass Effect was an excellent game. Great visuals, story and gameplay.

Canadian-based company Bioware certainly had a lot to live up to. Thankfully, they have met and exceeded all our expectations.

The gameplay is unprecedentedly better than ME1's, really feeling like a dedicated 3rd Person Shooter, while retaining the “feel” of the first game. Plus, some of your ‘The Force’-esque Biotic powers are truly badass, when maxed out!

The graphics are a great step up from the first, with characters displaying a lot more emotion. And on some Alien homeworlds such as Illium, the vista is literally jaw-dropping. It is quite simply amazing at points!

The music is great throughout the game and really fits with the dark second act of the ME trilogy. It really adds to the atmosphere at many points in the game, and much of it is very memorable.

As for the storyline, Mass Effect 2 is very much a character-driven tale. Thankfully, the game features some of the most varied and likeable characters in any video game. From the mysterious alien assassin, Thane, to the biotic psychopath, Jack.

Here, I have to give a special mention to Martin Sheen as voice actor for The Illusive Man. Sheen displays the character perfectly, really displaying the best and worst of humanity in movie-quality acting.

Overall, the game is close to video game perfection. Fun gameplay: Check! Graphics: Check! A gripping Storyline: Check!

It's all here! 5/5

The best single player game I have played, it will keep you busy for a long time and having to make decisions that will effect how the story goes is awesome. Plus if you have played the first one it's cool to see how things you did in the first game effect the story of the second.