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Tag Those Targets: You may have noticed the red/orange icons above enemy units. This is the result of your knowledgeable teammates tagging targets through the new Comms system. To tag a target, aim at an enemy unit and press the Comms button; “Q” on the PC, “Back” on the Xbox 360, or “Select” on the PS3. Tagged targets are visible to all teammates both on the HUD and minimap. This is an easy way to communicate with your entire team, plus if a teammate kills a target you tagged, you earn a 20-point Spot Assist bonus. A target remains tagged for approximately five seconds, but you can tag it again as long as you maintain line of sight.

Pass the Ammo: Hey assault guys! Would it kill you to drop an ammo box? The assault kit’s ammo box is the only source of ammo. So when playing as assault, be generous with the bullets. You’re rewarded with a Team Resupply bonus (10 points) every time a teammate retrieves ammo from an ammo box. Engineers and recon players often need more rockets and sniper rounds, so consider dropping a box at their feet to keep them firing. And for you medics, don’t be so stingy with the medkits either.

A Tank is not a Battering Ram: To all those players who drive their tanks headlong into enemy infantry: Stop it now! All it takes is 2-3 rockets to take out a tank, so keep it a safe distance from enemy infantry. Instead, use it as a stand-off weapon, blasting enemies from long range. The machine gun turret on each tank is equipped with a zoom function, making the weapon extremely accurate and deadly at extreme distances. Also, consider playing as an engineer, so you can repair your own ride.

Alt Fire Specialization: This is the only specialization available in the demo, so always equip it before spawning into the game. This perk allows drivers of tanks to fire a coaxial machine gun by holding down the alternate fire button. The UAV even benefits with a deadly machinegun of its own. But the AH-64 Apache gets an even bigger bonus with this feature. The gunner can use the secondary fire button to shoot tracer darts at vehicles while the pilot can launch Hellfire missiles, homing in on the gunner’s traced targets.

Destruction 2.0: In Bad Company 2, structures can completely collapse if they take enough damage. This is a great way to take out M-COM objectives located inside houses. In the demo, objective A at the Construction Site and objective B at the Office Site can be destroyed in this fashion. Simply target the building’s outer walls with explosive munitions until you hear creaking and moaning sounds, indicating an imminent collapse. Collapsing buildings not only destroy M-COM stations but they’ll kill any opponents inside.

For more multiplayer tips and tactics, be sure to check out our guide, releasing next month. Inside we cover every kit, weapon, vehicle, and specialization in detail, complete with stats, tactics, and unlock criteria. The guide also contains labeled maps showing the locations of all bases, objectives, control points, as well as spawn points for all vehicles and stationary weapons. So look for it on store shelves when you buy the game.

In some cases, however, the game makes it very difficult to remember that I’m working. Dark Void was one such title. As soon as Will and Ava crash landed in that lush jungle inhabited by freakin’ aliens under mysterious circumstances, I was hooked. Within a few minutes, I was sucked into the Void. The Dark Void.

I could go on about how much fun it was to sit down, grab the controller, and “get to work,” but you’d think I was just bragging (you’d be right). So instead of digressing about the job some more, let me share some nuggets of wisdom for you to employ while adventuring in Dark Void. Mind you, I learned many of these during my second playthrough.

While Archons are some of the most exciting enemies to bring down, they can also be the easiest. After slowing them down by blasting the joints on their legs, your first instinct may be to rush the Archon’s head. Don’t! Instead, rush the Archon’s tail and follow the on-screen prompts to bring them down quickly, easily, and get an Achievement (or Trophy) while you’re at it.

Perhaps one of the most rewarding enemies to bring down are the Watcher Knights. Sure they can hover out of reach and make most covered areas a dangerous place to hide, but once you bring them down, they gift you with one of the best weapons in the game! After bringing down a Knight, search through the rubble to find their large caliber machine gun! You won’t be able to run quickly with it in your hands, but you won’t need to with that kind of destructive power at your fingertips. Whenever you face multiple Knights, destroy one, grab its machine gun, and turn it on the others. You’ll shred through them in no time.

Finally, don’t be afraid to explore and locate all of the hidden Tech Orb Caches. Yes, you’ll get Tech Points by defeating enemies, but in order to get your weapons fully upgraded and gain a real advantage over the enemy, you’ll need to seek out all the extra Tech Point Caches scattered throughout the game. Fight the urge to blast to the next mission to find out what happens next and instead, do a little recon and locate some of those glowy orbs. You may not reach the next objective as quickly, but you’ll be happy you did when your weapon is maxed out toe level three and you’re mowing down the Watchers with ease.

Dark Void Prima Official eGuide

Mass Effect 2 Collector’s Edition – Prima Official Game Guide

I played through the original Mass Effect twice – once going straight Paragon and then next indulging my inner Renegade. I still think the pacing is fantastic, hurtling toward that breathtaking final act where every narrative thread comes together for one of the most satisfying climaxes in an adventure game yet. So, naturally I was excited when the opportunity to write the Mass Effect 2 guide arose. Not only would I get to play Mass Effect 2 months before anybody else, but more importantly, I would also get to see how the story continued into this second chapter. By now, we all knew Commander Shepard met a hard fate at the beginning of the game, but how would the former Spectre (I say former because, well, there’s the whole death thing) be resurrected? And who would Shepard go into battle with?

After all, the supporting cast of a Mass Effect game is just as important as Shepard. Without thoughtful, engaging, and clever squad mates, Mass Effect just would not be the same. And so when I started my first real playthrough and taking notes for the guide, I kept a separate file on the squad members so that when I wrote the book, I could accurately describe these characters not just as hired guns to get the job done, but as real personalities that help shape your adventure. If I could give one piece of advice to anybody playing Mass Effect 2, it’s to consider the personalities of the squad when making some major choices. If you have friends with strong personalities, you know how some of them do not get along. You know how strong personalities can end up causing one friendship to further bloom while another withers? The same goes in Mass Effect 2. So if you discover squad mates that you particularly like, such as Miranda or Tali, don’t just take care of them with Medi-gel. Take care of them personally with kindness and deflection. That is one way to get the most out of Mass Effect 2.

Another way to get all that you can from the game is to play at least twice, each time with a different character class. BioWare did a masterful job balancing the six character classes in Mass Effect 2: solider, adept, engineer, infiltrator, vanguard, and sentinel. While some of these classes share abilities, like the soldier and vanguard, others could not be more different. Which class you select – and how you upgrade that class’ powers – really defines your play. Because I like close combat, I zeroed in on the vanguard class in one play through. Just having access to the Charge power (instantly close the gap between you and an enemy within eyesight) completely altered my play style, as I got quite good with the Charge-and-shotgun combo. But then I played as an Engineer and learned how I could use AI Hacking and Combat Drone to create chaos on the battlefield while I stayed on the outer perimeter. After these powers thinned the pack, I moved in and mopped up. Same scene – but totally different play styles.

Be sure to check out the Training chapter of our guide to see all of the powers each class uses so you pick the class that is right for you. And then look at our tables for creating a balanced (or class-heavy) team, because you aren’t the only person in the galaxy with specialties. Miranda, Jacob, Thane… each squad member has strengths. Putting together good team combos for different situations (going into battle against geth versus a mercenary band) is another way I found to get varied experiences out of each playthrough of Mass Effect 2.

One cool thing about writing strategy guides is that you get to see how games really come together in the final months of development. Now, at no point was Mass Effect 2 “broken,” but remember what I said earlier about narrative threads? Not all of them were neatly tied up back in October. I could see the personalities, but watching them grow as all the parameters of their death-defying missions were filled in was extremely satisfying. During my original playthrough, I definitely picked up on all elements of the plot, but by the time I finished my final playthrough, I could see how these personalities came to life when the real do-or-die desperation of the suicide mission was completely filled in. A new cutscene here. A little dialog trimming there. Just like editing a scene in a movie can completely change the tone, the editing of a game can really elevate its resonance. What was a great adventure at first had morphed into a great adventure with real significance (and weighty consequence). It made me even more respectful of the development process.

Looking for awesome Mass Effect 2 game strategy? Just choose your format:

Mass Effect 2 Website
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