Comments on: Mass Effect 2: Final Impressions http://pumpingirony.net/2010/02/14/mass-effect-2-final-impressions/ Me, My Virtual Self, and I Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:49:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: heartlessgamer http://pumpingirony.net/2010/02/14/mass-effect-2-final-impressions/comment-page-1/#comment-3405 heartlessgamer Tue, 02 Mar 2010 04:09:05 +0000 http://pumpingirony.net/?p=727#comment-3405 Sort of skipped around the post to avoid spoilers, but saw: Uh, sorry, but Shepard is the commanding officer and there is no reason he would be locked out of part of his ship. I just had to LOL. Sort of skipped around the post to avoid spoilers, but saw:

Uh, sorry, but Shepard is the commanding officer and there is no reason he would be locked out of part of his ship.

I just had to LOL.

]]> By: Blue Kae http://pumpingirony.net/2010/02/14/mass-effect-2-final-impressions/comment-page-1/#comment-3387 Blue Kae Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:12:18 +0000 http://pumpingirony.net/?p=727#comment-3387 Agreed, ME2 was a fabulous experience. I really have very few complaints with the sequel. None of my fears from the marketing leading up to the game were realized, and they did a very good job of dropping what didn't work and emphasizing what did from the first game. I've thought about an ME MMO a couple of times, but I'm not sure it would work (at least for me). Mass Effect, so far, has been all about the character relationships that you form, and that's not something that translates well to an MMO. I think it would be the difference between Star Trek on TV and Star Trek Online. Admittedly I enjoy both, but I think Bioware would face a lot of the same issues that Cryptic has grappled with. I would much rather see more Mass Effect games, books, and even some movie adaptations first in order to develop the background more. Agreed, ME2 was a fabulous experience. I really have very few complaints with the sequel. None of my fears from the marketing leading up to the game were realized, and they did a very good job of dropping what didn’t work and emphasizing what did from the first game.

I’ve thought about an ME MMO a couple of times, but I’m not sure it would work (at least for me). Mass Effect, so far, has been all about the character relationships that you form, and that’s not something that translates well to an MMO. I think it would be the difference between Star Trek on TV and Star Trek Online. Admittedly I enjoy both, but I think Bioware would face a lot of the same issues that Cryptic has grappled with. I would much rather see more Mass Effect games, books, and even some movie adaptations first in order to develop the background more.

]]> By: xXJayeDuBXx http://pumpingirony.net/2010/02/14/mass-effect-2-final-impressions/comment-page-1/#comment-3368 xXJayeDuBXx Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:35:56 +0000 http://pumpingirony.net/?p=727#comment-3368 Great write-up. I did experience a few bugs and the squad AI can be a little suspect at times, but the improvements to the combat were great. I am really looking forward to number three! Great write-up. I did experience a few bugs and the squad AI can be a little suspect at times, but the improvements to the combat were great. I am really looking forward to number three!

]]> By: Scott http://pumpingirony.net/2010/02/14/mass-effect-2-final-impressions/comment-page-1/#comment-3366 Scott Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:00:06 +0000 http://pumpingirony.net/?p=727#comment-3366 @SmakenDahed: I absolutely think they'd do an ME MMO. They have the resources, and just because it's sci-fi doesn't mean it automatically competes with TOR. Not everyone is a huge Star Wars fan. Look at the dearth of fantasy MMO's out there, even from the same developers and/or publisher. Plus any developer these days who isn't aware that many (most?) players jump from MMO to MMO is fooling themselves. You'll notice I said within the next decade though. They've got TOR coming out in 2011 for the PC crowd, and ME3 in 2012 for PC and 360 because their goal was to publish the entire trilogy within a single console cycle. Once that part is done, they've stated the IP will continue. They've already got two books so it wouldn't surprise me to see more. Dragon Age got a tabletop RPG after a single game. A ME RPG seems more unlikely but I won't completely discount it. And I'm sure they'll plan on having a lengthy DLC cycle for ME3 as well. In the meantime, they can be growing a new MMO team to build a Massively Effect (ha!) to see a release sometime around 2016, give or take a year. @SmakenDahed: I absolutely think they’d do an ME MMO. They have the resources, and just because it’s sci-fi doesn’t mean it automatically competes with TOR. Not everyone is a huge Star Wars fan. Look at the dearth of fantasy MMO’s out there, even from the same developers and/or publisher. Plus any developer these days who isn’t aware that many (most?) players jump from MMO to MMO is fooling themselves.

You’ll notice I said within the next decade though. They’ve got TOR coming out in 2011 for the PC crowd, and ME3 in 2012 for PC and 360 because their goal was to publish the entire trilogy within a single console cycle. Once that part is done, they’ve stated the IP will continue. They’ve already got two books so it wouldn’t surprise me to see more. Dragon Age got a tabletop RPG after a single game. A ME RPG seems more unlikely but I won’t completely discount it. And I’m sure they’ll plan on having a lengthy DLC cycle for ME3 as well. In the meantime, they can be growing a new MMO team to build a Massively Effect (ha!) to see a release sometime around 2016, give or take a year.

]]> By: SmakenDahed http://pumpingirony.net/2010/02/14/mass-effect-2-final-impressions/comment-page-1/#comment-3365 SmakenDahed Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:07:09 +0000 http://pumpingirony.net/?p=727#comment-3365 This warranted another comment; do you think they'd do a ME MMO given that they're working on SW:TOR? Don't you think it would compete too much? I'd play a ME-based MMO. This warranted another comment; do you think they’d do a ME MMO given that they’re working on SW:TOR? Don’t you think it would compete too much?

I’d play a ME-based MMO.

]]> By: SmakenDahed http://pumpingirony.net/2010/02/14/mass-effect-2-final-impressions/comment-page-1/#comment-3364 SmakenDahed Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:05:03 +0000 http://pumpingirony.net/?p=727#comment-3364 While there is no denying there were performance improvements (given you're still using the xbox360), I didn't face them on my PC. :p They did do the autosave better than I've seen in most single player RPGs (Hai Divinity II, I'm looking at you!). And I have to agree with your negatives, the same thought crossed my mind about the Commander being locked out of rooms on *his* ship. I didn't notice the XP thing, I thought I was still getting rewards for hacks and so on. The problem with the missions was a combination of being short and following a very obvious pattern. In otherwords, it was repetitive. Compare any of the missions in that game to when you went after the Matriarch in ME... You went to a dig site, got the daughter, followed up leads to the ice planet, dug around in there before you could even head off in the MAKO to get to the remote lab. In the lab you faced a whole lot of other things including the Rachni. Or the missions with the plant critter... you ran all over the place in ME, on foot and in the MAKO, into buildings, into the sewers, through the highways only to discover the plant was under the ship. Missions in ME don't have that apparent length or variety. The settings look different, but they're not nearly even close to the length. I also felt they left too many holes in the character stories - maybe places for new DLC? That would make sense. Tali's mission, for example, what more was going to be done about the dark matter in the sun changing the aging process? Why no investigations into it before she joins the group? Jack's mission is another example, no chasing down the lead that some of the people involved in the experiments were now hiding in legitimate research areas... maybe I missed something, but why did it seem like they were experimenting on other kids so that Jack was safe? Despite my griping about the missions and length of the game, it's all founded on wanting more! While there is no denying there were performance improvements (given you’re still using the xbox360), I didn’t face them on my PC.

:p

They did do the autosave better than I’ve seen in most single player RPGs (Hai Divinity II, I’m looking at you!).

And I have to agree with your negatives, the same thought crossed my mind about the Commander being locked out of rooms on *his* ship. I didn’t notice the XP thing, I thought I was still getting rewards for hacks and so on.

The problem with the missions was a combination of being short and following a very obvious pattern. In otherwords, it was repetitive.

Compare any of the missions in that game to when you went after the Matriarch in ME… You went to a dig site, got the daughter, followed up leads to the ice planet, dug around in there before you could even head off in the MAKO to get to the remote lab. In the lab you faced a whole lot of other things including the Rachni.

Or the missions with the plant critter… you ran all over the place in ME, on foot and in the MAKO, into buildings, into the sewers, through the highways only to discover the plant was under the ship.

Missions in ME don’t have that apparent length or variety. The settings look different, but they’re not nearly even close to the length.

I also felt they left too many holes in the character stories – maybe places for new DLC? That would make sense.

Tali’s mission, for example, what more was going to be done about the dark matter in the sun changing the aging process? Why no investigations into it before she joins the group?

Jack’s mission is another example, no chasing down the lead that some of the people involved in the experiments were now hiding in legitimate research areas… maybe I missed something, but why did it seem like they were experimenting on other kids so that Jack was safe?

Despite my griping about the missions and length of the game, it’s all founded on wanting more!

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