Mass Effect 2
Tuesday, 9 March 2010 01:37![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
burning_phoneixAll right I finished Mass Effect 2 a few days back and I intended to write a little something about it but never got around to doing so. I blame twitter for lowering my LJ output.
Anyway, first off if you have a good PC or any Xbox360 and do not have Mass Effect 1 or 2 I highly suggest acquiring a copy of both games right now (in a legal way you hear? I'm not advocating piracy) no matter what your gaming preferences are. They both offer some of the best writing and dialogue in videogaming (though it's a Bioware game so that's a given)and some fun shootery action (even though the first had some flaws as it was Bioware's first foray into third person shooting)but enough about the series and more specific about Mass Effect 2.
The game asks you to import your save from ME1 and any characters who died in the first game will NOT be around for the second, any major (and some minor) decisions will also carry over and affect your story. This is awesome and is one of the things that drew me into Mass Effect in the first place and is one of the reasons I'm eagerly awaiting Mass Effect 3.
However, they changed the RPG system in the game so you can't carry over your skills (you get bonus EXP and credits the higher you leveled in ME1) but only your looks...the game's intro is not only amazing on it's own but also completely explains why you can't carry over your skills! If that's not a proof of good writing then I don't know what is.
But here comes the first problem: They changed the game to focus more on shooting than RPG. Here's a comparison of your stats screens in ME1 and ME2 (both under the cut so I don't stretch your Friends Page):
Yeah... this also fits in with how they lowered the level cap from 60 to 30.They also removed the vast varieties of weapons and armor in that was available in ME1.
I can see what they were going for: in Mass Effect 1 whenever you got a new weapon you would be like "Oh! This sniper rifle has a 124 damage rating! My sniper rifle has only 120 damage rating...WEAPON UPGRADE!" and it would only be a recolor of your old sniper rifle. Same goes for armor (though armor was a little more distinct). So by cutting down on the huge variety of weapons they decided to make a few, unique weapons instead.
If so....then why so few weapons?!There's only 2 types of pistols in the game! (crappy starting pistol, good midgame pistol), 2 types of Submachine guns, 3 types of shotguns (4 if you count the DLC shotgun) and one of them is usable by only 2 characters.
"But Fenix!" You cry "They gave you 5 types of Assault Rifles!" That's true...except one is only obtainable on the hardest difficulty in the game, one is only included in the collector's edition.
Same thing goes for Sniper Rifles, there are 4 but one is only usable by a single character and another is only in the downloadable deluxe version.
Ironically, the weapons you use the least, Heavy Weapons, have the most variety and don't require silly steps to acquire...
Other than those quibbles, EVERYTHING else is top notch. The voice acting is superb and the writing is even better than before. In Mass Effect 1, I really didn't care about nearly half my party but Mass Effect 2? I love em all (okay except maybe Jack, because she's a constantly PMSing Butch Lesbian...oh and Miranda because she's a skeezy ho) and all their backstories are interesting and exciting...even NPC members of your crew like the Engineers down in the fourth level of your ship (video is also under a cut fast forward to 5:25 to see you chat for the first time with your engineers) :
Gameplay is also now more visceral and free flowing, Bioware have gotten over their newbness with 3rd person shooter gameplay and now this can stand right next to Gears of War and other shooters in terms of sophistication and enjoyability.
They also got rid of the fucking Mako driving sections in the first game and replaced them with better designed foot missions. Good call.
So in other words: If you don't have Mass Effect, I hate you.
Anyway, first off if you have a good PC or any Xbox360 and do not have Mass Effect 1 or 2 I highly suggest acquiring a copy of both games right now (in a legal way you hear? I'm not advocating piracy) no matter what your gaming preferences are. They both offer some of the best writing and dialogue in videogaming (though it's a Bioware game so that's a given)and some fun shootery action (even though the first had some flaws as it was Bioware's first foray into third person shooting)but enough about the series and more specific about Mass Effect 2.
The game asks you to import your save from ME1 and any characters who died in the first game will NOT be around for the second, any major (and some minor) decisions will also carry over and affect your story. This is awesome and is one of the things that drew me into Mass Effect in the first place and is one of the reasons I'm eagerly awaiting Mass Effect 3.
However, they changed the RPG system in the game so you can't carry over your skills (you get bonus EXP and credits the higher you leveled in ME1) but only your looks...the game's intro is not only amazing on it's own but also completely explains why you can't carry over your skills! If that's not a proof of good writing then I don't know what is.
But here comes the first problem: They changed the game to focus more on shooting than RPG. Here's a comparison of your stats screens in ME1 and ME2 (both under the cut so I don't stretch your Friends Page):
Yeah... this also fits in with how they lowered the level cap from 60 to 30.They also removed the vast varieties of weapons and armor in that was available in ME1.
I can see what they were going for: in Mass Effect 1 whenever you got a new weapon you would be like "Oh! This sniper rifle has a 124 damage rating! My sniper rifle has only 120 damage rating...WEAPON UPGRADE!" and it would only be a recolor of your old sniper rifle. Same goes for armor (though armor was a little more distinct). So by cutting down on the huge variety of weapons they decided to make a few, unique weapons instead.
If so....then why so few weapons?!There's only 2 types of pistols in the game! (crappy starting pistol, good midgame pistol), 2 types of Submachine guns, 3 types of shotguns (4 if you count the DLC shotgun) and one of them is usable by only 2 characters.
"But Fenix!" You cry "They gave you 5 types of Assault Rifles!" That's true...except one is only obtainable on the hardest difficulty in the game, one is only included in the collector's edition.
Same thing goes for Sniper Rifles, there are 4 but one is only usable by a single character and another is only in the downloadable deluxe version.
Ironically, the weapons you use the least, Heavy Weapons, have the most variety and don't require silly steps to acquire...
Other than those quibbles, EVERYTHING else is top notch. The voice acting is superb and the writing is even better than before. In Mass Effect 1, I really didn't care about nearly half my party but Mass Effect 2? I love em all (okay except maybe Jack, because she's a constantly PMSing Butch Lesbian...oh and Miranda because she's a skeezy ho) and all their backstories are interesting and exciting...even NPC members of your crew like the Engineers down in the fourth level of your ship (video is also under a cut fast forward to 5:25 to see you chat for the first time with your engineers) :
Gameplay is also now more visceral and free flowing, Bioware have gotten over their newbness with 3rd person shooter gameplay and now this can stand right next to Gears of War and other shooters in terms of sophistication and enjoyability.
They also got rid of the fucking Mako driving sections in the first game and replaced them with better designed foot missions. Good call.
So in other words: If you don't have Mass Effect, I hate you.
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no subject
2010-03-09 00:05 (UTC)To be fair, the bag of spilling (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BagOfSpilling) is a common plot device in games.
no subject
2010-03-09 01:06 (UTC)no subject
2010-03-09 00:39 (UTC)no subject
2010-03-09 01:08 (UTC)Of course, there's the requisite Bioware codex full of political,social and biological encyclopedia entries for your reading pleasure. You like that, right?
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2010-03-09 01:41 (UTC)no subject
2010-03-09 02:51 (UTC)no subject
2010-03-09 06:06 (UTC)no subject
2010-03-09 13:53 (UTC)no subject
2010-03-09 22:59 (UTC)HATERS GONNA HATE
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2010-03-09 20:40 (UTC)no subject
2010-03-09 21:56 (UTC)no subject
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2010-03-09 23:28 (UTC)no subject
2010-03-09 23:36 (UTC)