Mass Effect 2 - Review @ GameBanshee

GameBanshee joins the list of sites with a Mass Effect 2 review, although unlike most, they approach the game from the perspective of an RPG site. Their experience is described as "mixed" with "dialogue, equipment, character choices, game decisions, puzzles, and depth" all "taking a hit". A bit on the gameplay:

The missions in the game are almost exclusively combat-oriented. While in Mass Effect you had to talk to people and solve puzzles and make weighty decisions, in Mass Effect 2 you mostly just kill stuff, and sometimes the missions don’t feel like anything more than extended shooting galleries. In most cases, you enter a large room with lots of objects to take cover behind, you kill about ten guys, you scrounge around for bullets and resources, and then you move on to the next big room and repeat the process. There are some role-playing elements here and there, but BioWare abandoned puzzles completely, and I’m guessing that Mass Effect 2 only has about half the dialogue as Mass Effect. The emphasis is clearly on combat.

More information.

Then the numbers I read in some interview were false. They indicated that Mass Effect 2 had lots more spoken lines than the first. Disappointed, I thought maybe there'd be more of a choice there. Still, a very enjoyable game.

ME2 does have more dialog and more dialog options; the reviewer is wrong. There are also "weighty decisions" in ME2, probably more than in ME1, and you even get to choose how the game ends. Puzzles in most if not all cRPGs seem out of place and inserted just so the devs can say, "Look! We have puzzles!", so nothing lost there. ME1 had just as much emphasis on combat as ME2 (and as do almost all cRPGs).

From the rest of the review not quoted above …

I'd agree with the planet scanning being dull (but still better than what ME1 had).

The skill system in ME1 had lots more skill gradients (12 to 4) but they didn't really do much (most added some minute % amount to a skill). All the gradients cost 1 skill point in ME1 while they cost 1,2,3,4 in ME2. Not really much difference there.

The weapons and inventory in ME1 were just too much with almost no difference between them. The individual weapons within each type in ME2 are few but they are quite different so it's not always "use the latest one you found". I like the ME2 system better. Every character has their own kind of armor/shields which you can't change except through universal upgrades in ME2. Not sure on that one.

The thermal clips versus overheating is for the most part, meh, it really doesn't matter. One plus for the ME2 system is you actually have to think about which weapon to use and will actually switch between them. I don't remember ever switching in ME1 except to use the sniper rifle outside a few times.

And finally, combat (specifically the cover system) is just better in ME2 than in ME1.

I can't agree with having to think about which weapon to use, although that might just be my play style. I don't find any of the weapons as satisfying as a good FPS (they seem to lack "weight" to me - I feel like I'm going "pew, pew"). I don't bother to check/change the weapons and just head out, only switching because I temporarily ran out of ammo.

As for dialogue…I'm unsure. There's a crap-load of party members, but they say almost nothing outside of their loyalty quest and the predictable build up (ie, you recruit them and they say little; do one mission and they'll open up a bit, do another mission and they'll confess something personal and explain their personal quest). It might be more overall and the loyalty quests are very good but I think I'd rather less party members and more individual depth.

I also think there are less choices but I'll reserve further comment until I re-played more. I barely remember any choices from the first half of the game. Recruit, do loyalty mission, recruit, do loyalty mission.

In my view this reviewer is dead wrong, ME2 seems to have more dialog than ME1 and puzzles are there in ME2. What the heck game was he playing?

puzzle in Mass Effect 2? Where?

Originally Posted by Felix
puzzle in Mass Effect 2? Where?

Maybe that is what he considers the mini-games.

I can't agree with the reviewer on the dialogue part, overall, it felt like there was more, especially in the quality department. ME1 dialogue made me nauseated every now and then, especially the "Organic life is a genetic mutation" line. However, I completely agree with his assessment of the mission structure,

I loved how they revamped the combat system, but there seems to be no tactical depth whatsoever, and the combat scenes are dragged out way too much. I remember the one reviewer that put it as "Line up behind crates. Enemy lines up behind crates. Shoot as they pop up. Repeat." That's about as tactical as it gets.

Originally Posted by Rake
I loved how they revamped the combat system, but there seems to be no tactical depth whatsoever, and the combat scenes are dragged out way too much.

Well to be fair, there wasn't much tactical depth in ME1 either.

People who say puzzles are out of place in RPGs are out of place playing them

I found Samara's and Thane's loyalty missions to be some of the best moments in the game.

I completely screwed up Thane's.

As for weapon choice, I found myself not only changing my Infiltrator character's weapons regularly, but occasionally also the weapons of the NPCs (epecially those who had a sniper rifle). Played the game on the hard setting.

I've already voiced my opinion regarding ME2 quite a few times, but I see no harm in doing so again - I mostly agree with the reviewer. Unlike the reviewer, I consider the NPCs of ME2 the strongest aspect, along with the production values/cinematics. Other than that, I agree - character development and combat has been streamlined to that of a shooter.

Truth be told, Wrex is still my overall favourite NPC in the Mass Effect series, but besides him, I find the crew of ME2 superior to that of ME1.

Well i agree with the mixed review of ME2 and thank heavens more mainstream reviewers are now not approaching ME2 with rose-tinted spectacles.

Originally Posted by JemyM
I found Samara's and Thane's loyalty missions to be some of the best moments in the game.

I found things unrelated to the main quest to be the best moments of the game …

why does this site cover me2? its not rpg !

Originally Posted by The Watchman
why does this site cover me2? its not rpg !

Ohmygod! We must rename the site immediately!!

It most definetly is, but it's light-weight. And streamlined. Still an RPG though, as it has good parameters for roleplaying.

It's far more of an RPG than say, Diablo, ever was. Then again, I don't recall Diablo being marketed as an RPG, it was simply labelled as such because it had "stats!!" and "loot!!". Ever since, it seems people consider stats and loot the key components of an RPG. They're not.

Originally Posted by Thaurin
Ohmygod! We must rename the site immediately!!

I recommend 'Dumbed-Down-Shooter-Bioware-SuckUp-Watch' …

Maybe we can have a feature on games that are almost rpg'ish but not? Def Jam, the sims, stalker, x-com and no one lives forever comes to mind.