BurningStickMan (17916) on 2/18/2010 10:06 PM · edited · Permalink · Report

I remember there were a few tough choices this time. I kept going through all the choices on the left side trying to get more information (and stall for time!)... still just had to make a tough choice. Still wonder if Cerberus did anything to the quarian at the very beginning of the game... and I like that I still don't know. They handled the ambiguity of that organization well.

I also felt like the game better understood why I was making the decisions I was making this time around. There were a few times in ME1 that I felt shoehorned into "their" concept of a Renegade or Paragon character. I felt more in tune with the character I was creating this time.

I do wish they do a sort of "Last Time on Mass Effect..." intro for ME3. It was hard to remember all the decisions I had made before. Though maybe that was the point of setting the game's story two years later, to coincide with the two year span between releases. Maybe you're not supposed to remember everything.

Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 2/19/2010 5:34 AM · Permalink · Report

Yup, I think ME2 trumps the first one in terms of party members and quest content.

I was sure you, of all people, wouldn't like it. The gameplay is very far from heavy role-playing...

Slug Camargo (583) on 2/20/2010 4:55 AM · Permalink · Report

So that's the way of making an action-RPG appealing to you: Removing every last bit of true-to-form RPG mechanics, basically turning the game into a glorified shooter.

You are one strange creature, did I tell you that already? O_ó

Starbuck the Third (22606) on 2/21/2010 8:14 PM · edited · Permalink · Report

this is a definate improvement. in fact it is only 1 of 2 games that made distinct improvements over it's predecesor, the other one being gears 2.

i have to agree with the humour comments. just take mordin's rendition of gilbert & sullivan! classic!

St. Martyne (3648) on 2/22/2010 7:38 PM · Permalink · Report

Some thoughts on ME2.

As always it is with recent Bioware games, it failed to maintain the strong first impression. Nevertheless, there are still a lot of things raising this one significantly above its prequel.

I like the cinematics and I love the idea of a decentralized game. Gone are the boring samey two-room dungeons, side quests are.. actually, it's hard to know what exactly of what you are doing is optional or compulsory, which is a novel feeling in itself.

Characters aren't that great. Jacob is the same soldier-boy/prince with father issues, we've come to love and hate for years now. Miranda - a perfect woman with shifting loyalties, which isn't very intersting. I like Garrus, he fits the cliche of a trusted old friend perfectly and I really like the lead-up to his discovety. I don't like either Jack or Grunt, both are despicable creatures with a few supposedly redeeming qualities, neither of which I get. Not sure about a Salarian, I liked the premise of a badass and not exactly ethical scientist, but I don't know where his story ends, so I'll reserve judgement on him for now.

Mingames are atrocious. Especially resource gathering, at least you could enjoy driving Maco in the original game, here it is too much of a chore.

Being more of an action, rather than RPG doesn't bother me. At least, I don't see the difference between the original and sequel as being significant. The lack of fresh gameplay mechanics does bother me. A couple of stupid minigames doesn't make up for the lack of any interactivity or gameplay depth.

St. Martyne (3648) on 3/1/2010 9:57 PM · edited · Permalink · Report

Finsihed. Not sure why you people bitch about the ending. T'was alright, I think. Kicked collector's ass, finally had an opportunity to talk back to Illusive Man, and shaking him off me was quite satisfying. I was rejoiced to see my companions die in the end portion of the game! So bold! I've lost both Tali and Grunt, and I'm sure I could've saved both of them. The fact that these events will have dire ramifications on the ME3 story is absolutely great.

Their deaths weren't heroic, their deaths weren't particulary pre-determined by game designers. Tali died because I didn't want to bother myself with the crappy mini-game, developers devised instead of proper exploration and resource gathering system. Nevertheless, I'm not angry at them. In the end it served a higher dramatic power. Tali died not for the cause, not in some last moment life-saving feat, but because of my impatience to get the fight to the Collectors as soon as possible. I was bored - she died. Did her death serve a dramatic purpose in the game? Did it make my Shepard reevaluate her beliefs? Hell, no. It was like most of deaths are. Unpredictable, pointless and clearly avoidable, had we known about it earlier.

The game in total, however, is so-so. There are thousands ways, in which it could've been improved without turning it into a dice-throwing fest Dragon Age is. But, alas, it's a shooter, a plain and simple shooter with some intersting character interaction in-between. No more, no less.