by: Meghan Watt

As one of the many game critics participating in the Mass Effect 2 conference call, I had the opportunity to listen to Bioware co-founder, Dr. Ray Muzyka, explain the ins and outs of the highly anticipated sequel to Bioware's epic space opera, set to release January 26, 2010. Now, these developer conference calls work a tad differently than the typical business chat. A few days before the scheduled call, participating critics send in a list of questions via email. When the event begins, we all dial in and listen while a spokesperson questions the man of the hour. It feels a little like eavesdropping. No speaking, no follow-up questions. We just sit quietly, clutching our phones and frantically scribbling notes to later relate to our readers.

So, on Tuesday, December 1, I dialed in and listened to a rather cryptic presentation, slathered in talking points and power words like “intensity” and “integration.” But beneath all of the fluff, Muzyka described how Mass Effect has taken two very popular genres, the shooter and the RPG, and fused them together, creating an experience like none other.

The Shooter

Although Muzyka was hesitant to reveal any top-secret information, he divulged a few details beyond what you may have seen in hands-on footage. As in the first game, the player takes the role of Colonel Shepherd, a man (or woman, depending on your preference) who has seen enough of the galaxy to know he's the most badass human around. Throughout the game, Shepherd will always have two squadmates tagging along both in and out of combat. But, being more of a shooter than its predecessor, you'll only be able to control Shepherd. Still, you can deploy your troops to different points in the battlefield, enabling flanking, ambushes and the like.