Mass Effect 2 - Why We Should Never Underestimate BioWare Again

Dhruin

SasqWatch
Joined
August 30, 2006
Messages
11,842
Location
Sydney, Australia
Yes, I know these articles about the Mass Effect 2 revolution are getting tiresome but I was struck by just how different this writer's experience was to my own. The full title is Why We Should Never Underestimate BioWare (or Canadians) Again - I'm not sure why we'd underestimate either of those but VGChartz thinks ME2 will change the genre:
Poking fun of my friendly neighbors to the north aside, several hours into this game I found myself in a near panic over a relatively inconsequential decision, which made me stop and think about what I was experiencing with this game. Along with most of you, I often fall into the tendency to play an RPG like a jackass, killing innocents without a second thought and generally causing as much turmoil as possible within the game world. After importing my first Mass Effect game and seeing portions of the second title locked or unavailable due to my previous jackassery, I started carefully debating every decision I made in-game, just as Assface Shepard (yes, that's his name) would do if I was directing a movie or playing an in-depth pen & paper RPG. Why was I doing this? It occurred to me that there will be a third game and it had suddenly hit me that if I wanted to experience parts of it, I'd have to play by the rules. Frighteningly like real life only with giant robots, intergalactic travel, and sexy blue aliens. At that point, I realized that I finally had the chance to BE Captain Kirk, which has put my therapist into quite the fit. She believed that idea had been medicated out of me years ago. At that point, the geek in me came to the forefront loud and proud and I have to admit I muttered “By the power of Grayskull!” at least once during my playthrough.
More information.
 
Joined
Aug 30, 2006
Messages
11,842
Location
Sydney, Australia
Well, on Ilium you could face ME1 consequences almost literally "at every turn", while the rest of the galaxy - only here and there. Most of that stuff are only minor encounters, it's not like they affect the whole world or anything, but it was a nice touch, and I thought they handled it pretty well.

An interesting thing is that seeing how this worked in ME2, I started to pay more attention to certain choices and characters.
 
Joined
Dec 24, 2006
Messages
485
Location
Milky Way
The more and more articles of this kind appear, I must say the less and less I'm likely to buy this game.

To me, it's like some kind of afterburner-hype.
 
Joined
Nov 5, 2006
Messages
21,915
Location
Old Europe
The more and more articles of this kind appear, I must say the less and less I'm likely to buy this game.

To me, it's like some kind of afterburner-hype.

Judge the game on its merits. Forget the articles. I don't thinks it's your type of game but anyone who enjoys story-based shooters and great characters should look into it.
 
Joined
Aug 30, 2006
Messages
11,842
Location
Sydney, Australia
I played it about 6 hours so far and then put it down and started a Wiz 8 game. It didn't engage me in the slightest. Oh, I'll go back to it and finish it eventually, but it's no rush based on the gameplay so far. Too many plot holes already, gameplay is too simple.
 
Joined
Mar 2, 2009
Messages
426
Location
Wisconsin
Judge the game on its merits. Forget the articles.

Exactly. I deliberately avoided any articles, reviews, etc. to not be affected by the hype, and ended up pleasantly surprised by the game.

Not everyone will like it, but like I said elsewhere, if someone liked the first ME, they should try this - basically it's 'Mass Effect, only better'. My opinion, at least.
 
Joined
Dec 24, 2006
Messages
485
Location
Milky Way
I finished the game couple days back and it was good. The choice aspect certainly less and inferior compared to Dragon Age.

IMO ME2 didn't start revolution, it is just action heavy and streamlined RPG; and we should never underestimate Bioware's capability in producing few not so classic and less than fantasic CRPGs in the past.
 
Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
1,028
Location
Malaysia
Hehe, so having consequences to playing mr assface makes him consider his actions in a story based RPG. Shocking!
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
2,772
I guess it shows the difference between an "RPG" gamer and a "regular" game. He seems interested in just stuffing around, being a "jerk" in the game to create more entertainment. I take every RPG I play seriously and think about my choices.
 
Joined
Aug 30, 2006
Messages
11,842
Location
Sydney, Australia
I guess it shows the difference between an "RPG" gamer and a "regular" game. He seems interested in just stuffing around, being a "jerk" in the game to create more entertainment. I take every RPG I play seriously and think about my choices.

I am sure its debatable if ME is a great example, but I would like to point out that this article is about a mainstream gamer who just grasped thst choice and consequence is a good thing. Which is, again, a good thing.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
3,508
Judge the game on its merits. Forget the articles. I don't thinks it's your type of game but anyone who enjoys story-based shooters and great characters should look into it.

Okay, thanks, I'll keep that in mind.


I just wanted to express that so many articles from various sites containing basically the same message might no do good to a tiny fraction of potential buyers like me. :juggle:
 
Joined
Nov 5, 2006
Messages
21,915
Location
Old Europe
Did I miss half of Mass Effect 2? I quite enjoyed it, but I didn't "face previous choices at every turn".

What game have you been playing? I run into stuff from the first game all the time. Well, occasionally at the least. Even if it's only a message I received. But there are also NPCs that tell me stuff about what I did, thank me, etc. and tell me what has happened afterwards. There are also team mates that won't be in the game if I did not save them in the first game. It's obviously an exaggeration to call it "at every turn", but there's enough of that stuff going on in the game, anyway.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
2,915
Location
The Netherlands
No matter if one likes ME2 or not (or any other Bioware game), I think it's glaringly obvious that one should not "underestimate" Bioware - not sure anyone ever has though...

Those guys just knows exactly how to produce and deliver hit games, and any developer will have to envy their hit rate :)
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
453
Ishar 2 and Jedi Knight comes to mind. There are innocents in theese games and no consequences whatsoever to kill them. I watched a friend play JK and he killed everything that moved. I reloaded if I accidently killed someone. Why our actions differ I cannot tell, but paragon is natural for me in ME2 where renegade is natural for him "because it's funny".
In Ishar 2 you are supposed to kill nonhostile npcs to make progress. There seem to be noother way around.

Both of theese are from the middle 90'es, produced for PC.
 
Joined
Oct 26, 2006
Messages
6,027
No matter if one likes ME2 or not (or any other Bioware game), I think it's glaringly obvious that one should not "underestimate" Bioware - not sure anyone ever has though…

Those guys just knows exactly how to produce and deliver hit games, and any developer will have to envy their hit rate :)

My way of estimating value/contribution has little or nothing to do with how much money something generates :)
 
I guess it shows the difference between an "RPG" gamer and a "regular" game. He seems interested in just stuffing around, being a "jerk" in the game to create more entertainment. I take every RPG I play seriously and think about my choices.

Yep, I took offense that he lumped most gamers in to his jerk way of playing. I can't remeber a game where I ever played like that. I always thought of myself as Chaotic/Good but I suspect I might actually be Neutral/Good or heaven forbid Lawful/Good.

Ishar 2 and Jedi Knight comes to mind. There are innocents in theese games and no consequences whatsoever to kill them. I watched a friend play JK and he killed everything that moved. I reloaded if I accidently killed someone. Why our actions differ I cannot tell, but paragon is natural for me in ME2 where renegade is natural for him "because it's funny".

I have tried to play many games as the bad guy but I just can't do it. It makes me feel uncomfortable and dirty. I think in Fallout 3 I would go off the rails sometimes but I would always reload back before the killing spree, if I didn't I never felt comfortable.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
179
Location
Australia
Back
Top Bottom