'Mass Effect 2' games among best available

"MASS EFFECT 2," by BioWare, for PC and Xbox 360; rated "M" for Mature; reviewer's score: 10 (out of 10)

Any successful gaming system is built on great games as much as hardware, branding or plastic.

Nintendo thrives on Mario games and added "Wii Fit" for good measure. The Xbox and the 360 both rest on the foundation of the "Halo" franchise.

But "Mass Effect 2" — and the promise of next year's third installment — are as good a reason to own one of Microsoft's machines as any game to date because it is deep, fun and beautiful.

With the Milky Way Galaxy as a backdrop and scant real-world information about the solar systems and planets that surround our own, there is plenty of license for creativity.

Developer BioWare does a great job of populating the galaxy with alien species, planets and characters to produce a great epic.

Fueled by the titular Mass Effect technology, the inhabitants of the galaxy use beyond light-speed travel to get around in the blink of an eye. That includes the main protagonist, Commander Shepherd. (The game leaves players room to import their saved Shepherd from the first game or to customize a new one with any first name, gender, attributes and physical characteristics that will impact game play.)

We learn that Shepherd died after the conclusion of "Mass Effect," but when entire colonies of humans start to disappear, a ruthless pro-human organization called Cerberus pieces him back together, provides him with a more powerful ship and even brings back some of his crew.

Shepherd, dead to most of the universe, must then assemble a new crew and brave the suicide mission to find who or what is responsible for the making the humans vanish and put a stop to it.

The meat of the game is locating technology, recruiting a team and gaining their loyalty to prepare for the final confrontation with the newest and greatest threat to life in the Milky Way.

During the game, a player's actions and dialog are measured as either "paragon" or "renegade" and accumulate a score in each category, which opens choices deeper into the game. If you are rude or ruthless, your options will be different than if you helped the helpless.

There are also non-related side missions hidden in the corners of the galaxy, and every one of the few hundred planets available can be mined for resources in a mini-game that is meant to be a little tedious but beneficial.