Mass Effect 2 Preview, New Character Revealed

GameSpot has just uploaded some exclusive hands-on impressions of Mass Effect 2, during which we learn about another one of the companions we’ll be recruiting into our squad – an Asari named Samara.

The demo we played focused on Commander Shepard’s quest to recruit Samara into his squad. As someone with a reputation for ruthless efficiency when it comes to bringing down the scum of the universe, her skills are just what Shepard needs for the task force he’s assembling. Things began with Shepard arriving on the Asari homeworld of Illium, a dark planet whose sleek-but-cold look made it clear that the race inhabiting this world was among the most technologically advanced in the galaxy. Shepard began by chatting up a merchant named Pitne For, who was one of the chubby little Volus aliens that you might remember from the original game.

When asked where to find Samara, Pitne For played dumb, so Shepard quickly left this fellow in the dust and sought the assistance of a nearby Asari police detective. She referred Shepard to a nearby crime scene where Samara might be found–what with her penchant for vigilante justice and all. Shepard rolls up on the scene and finds Samara violently interrogating a member of a notorious mercenary group whose clan had just whisked off the would-be criminal on one of its ships. Things go sour and Samara winds up killing the merc, only to be apprehended by the local police.

There’s also a new 62-second trailer available here.