Mass Effect 2 (Xbox 360)

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Shepard's new hoover was surprisingly aggressive

Mass Effect was a clunky third-person shooter. The fiddly cover system, laboured character movement and ropey gunplay weren't up to the standards set by the best third-person shooters of the time. That was fine. Mass 1's art style, dialogue system, plot and sci-fi cool were so impressive they more than made up for the combat deficiencies. The shooting felt bolted on - but so what? Mass 1 was a world class role-playing game and one of my favourite releases of all time.

Two days ago, at EA's winter showcase event in London, BioWare unveiled a brand new Mass Effect 2 build designed to convince the assembled press that it will be a better shooter than its predecessor (for more on the game's plot and premise, check out my previous hands-on via our game page). After playing the demo through three times, I can report that BioWare has achieved its goal. I expect Mass 2 to be one of the best RPGs of 2010, but could it also be one of best shooters of 2010?

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The action begins about halfway through the game, although this point will vary depending upon the order in which players tackle the game's quests. Shepard is on Omega, a dark and twisted mining station that serves as a striking counterpart to the pristine Citadel. But, like the Citadel, Omega is a quest hub - a place to pick up adventures from NPCs, barter, converse and investigate. Immediately I am stunned: the visuals are even more jaw-dropping than before. Textures are more detailed, and the animation is improved. There's no pop up, no tearing, no framerate drop. Panning the camera and admiring the view for a few minutes, something I did regularly in Mass 1, once again proves irresistible. Blood red skies and a Bladerunner skyline look down on the docked Normandy. Shepard is flanked by Grunt, the unhinged Krogan, and by human biotic Jacob Taylor. The lawless streets are unwelcoming and dangerous. Omega is Tatooine with cold metal for sand.

Ahead is the nightclub Afterlife, described as the place in the galaxy where villains hang out. The entrance is guarded by bouncers, but they present no problem to Shepard and co. Inside, electronic beats give alien pole dancers something to swing their hips to. The place is packed, and it is immediately clear that Mass 2's galaxy will be a more populated one than the world BioWare gave us last time. Columns of fire blanket the place in a red haze. The bartender is Batarian – the four-eyed alien race first seen in downloadable add-on Bring Down the Sky. Afterlife is obviously unsafe, but it feels like a cool place to be. It is Mos Eisley with the Cantina Band swapped for a futuristic DJ.

Have you seen Wall-e? The shiny git owes me £10.

There's not much I'm allowed to do here, and NPCs are silent in this build. Why is Shepard on Omega? BioWare won't say. Why is he in Afterlife? BioWare won't say. Why does Shepard have odd marks on his face, marks that look like circuit boards protruding from his cheek? BioWare won't say. Is he turning into a Geth, one of Mass Effect's synthetic AI bad guys? BioWare won't say. I'm instructed to pick the middle right dialogue option – what would be considered the monk choice – during all conversations. Instead I take Shepard for a spin, exploring as much of the club as I can. It has many nooks and crannies, many doors that lead to rooms with posing patrons and trendy seats, but without being able to talk to anyone it's not long before I get restless. I rock up to the Batarian bartender. I order a drink. He splashes some liquid in a shot glass. Shepard downs it. The bartender walks away, with a smirk. Shepard stumbles then collapses. This, I'm told, won't be how events unfold in the final game - not exactly, anyway.

With the scene-setting over it's time for some action. In an elevated sniper position, looking out from inside a building, Shepard bumps into Garrus Vakarian, the popular alien Citadel security officer who helped you bring rogue spectre Saren to justice in Mass 1. The old friends catch up, discussing the violence that is soon to come. "I thought you were dead," quips Garrus. So did we all, the result of Mass 2's first, misleading, teaser trailer. Garrus looks as he did before, his futuristic eye-patch concealing part of his Turian face, but this time his armour is different. It is bright blue. I understand the change only on a cosmetic level (BioWare won't say), but I'm sure it contains plenty of pleasant, upgraded, surprises.

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