Mass Effect 2 - Sequel Slump @ RPGamer

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RPGamer's Scott 'Fowl Sorcerous' Wachter has written a new editorial about Mass Effect 2, and the slump of sequels. The article will contain spoilers so you have been warned.

For the second venture out into the public, the Mass Effect franchise did some wonderful things, it presented the a new perspective on the setting and a group of and a ensemble cast that BioWare has yet to top. However, it also has a mess of a plot, wrapped in streamlined gameplay improvements that files unique shapes off the original game in a way that few people really noticed it. The game looks and feels so much better than the first time around. And with so much of the story content falling right into BioWare's wheelhouse it can be easy to overlook a few holes. It's not that game is bad per se; just that it's less than it ought to be.
More information.
 
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I just finished a second replay of Mass Effect 2 (I played it twice when it was released then a long break) and I disagree with the above quoted paragraph to the nth degree.
 
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I just finished a second replay of Mass Effect 2 (I played it twice when it was released then a long break) and I disagree with the above quoted paragraph to the nth degree.

That's the opening paragraph, and I agree with you. I have played all three at least six times by now also.

I have heard every argument for, and against Bioware's games myself that it all sounds the same. All I know is I enjoy every game they make pros and cons.

Two years ago I would of said something different.:blush:
 
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And the thing is that I lament the loss of deeper RPGs as much as the next member of this forum, because I really enjoyed Wizardry VI-VIII, BG2, PST (probably my favorite game ever), and so on back when they were each released.

ME2 is a somewhat different type of game and I could certainly see people who enjoy PC RPGs just not enjoying ME2 at all, which is fine. Hopefully some of the other games being covered by this site will hold up the banner of us who enjoy somewhat more "hardcore" RPGs.
 
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I agree 100% with everything he said except for it looking better than ME1. I don't think it looks better at all.

I didn't like any of the so-called "improvements" in ME2. The gameplay felt watered down to me, and I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as the first game.

The only saving grace for me was the crew. There's obviously more variety in the joinable npcs compared to ME1, and the back-stories were pretty good for some of them. I liked Jack in particular and also Thane.

Other than that though, I definitely preferred ME1.
 
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I agree 100% with everything he said except for it looking better than ME1. I don't think it looks better at all.

I didn't like any of the so-called "improvements" in ME2. The gameplay felt watered down to me, and I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as the first game.

The only saving grace for me was the crew. There's obviously more variety in the joinable npcs compared to ME1, and the back-stories were pretty good for some of them. I liked Jack in particular and also Thane.

Other than that though, I definitely preferred ME1.

Me too. It had it's flaws but it will always be my favourite.
 
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He didn't like ME2 because the ending was too similar to the ending of the previous game? Humans didn't prove superior to their foes? Sheesh. Must be a John W. Campbell fan.
 
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I agree 100% with everything he said except for it looking better than ME1. I don't think it looks better at all.

I didn't like any of the so-called "improvements" in ME2. The gameplay felt watered down to me, and I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as the first game.

The only saving grace for me was the crew. There's obviously more variety in the joinable npcs compared to ME1, and the back-stories were pretty good for some of them. I liked Jack in particular and also Thane.

Other than that though, I definitely preferred ME1.
Absolutely agree as well! ME1 had such raw space opera/boldly exploring energy. It was obviously a labor of love over many years. Some people just don't understand why we'd prefer a true space RPG over the linear corridor shooters of ME2 and ME3. ME1 also had the best plot by far, featuring a realistic villain. I know we're in the 1% minority here, but at least a few of us recognize ME1 is where it's at. ME2 and ME3 are sort of like the Matrix sequels...which had great points but also utter garbage thrown in...
 
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I liked ME1, I liked it a lot. But when I played it at the time I always thought it needed more RPG elements to be truly great, and I was hoping a sequel would get them. So when I heard that ME2 had even less RPG content, I didn't bother buying it. Same with ME3.
 
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pretty much. me2 was a quality game, in a direction few have gone before -- but it was a pale sequel. the axing of drew karpyshyn really shows, and the series never recaptures that pseudo-starflight feeling of awe. the bad guys are bigger in each sequel, but none are as compelling as the arachni queen. me1 was comparatively riddled with bugs and halfassed gameplay elements, but it had the kind of raw ambition that makes a truly great game only a couple of times a decade.
 
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I definitely thought Mass Effect 2 was a more enjoyable game than ME1, and I'm not normally a shooter fan either. In the first game, I hated the Mako missions, found the combat very clunky and the dialogue with companions rather wooden. ME1 did have the best storyline of the bunch though. As much of an RPG fan as I am, I really didn't get much enjoyment out of the RPG elements in that game.

For me, ME2 was more fun to play. I played them both back to back, and trudged through the first game, but got completely hooked on the second. I enjoyed the third a lot as well.

To each their own, though.
 
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He didn't like ME2 because the ending was too similar to the ending of the previous game? Humans didn't prove superior to their foes? Sheesh. Must be a John W. Campbell fan.

Well the first game really alluded to the ascendancy of humanity. It made it seem they would be a key to the survival of life in the universe. It seemed pretty clear that they took the story in a very different direction in ME2 than was originally intended with the franchise. I am a little disappointed by that myself. I enjoyed ME2, but I also think it was the weakest of the trilogy (with ME1 being far and away the best in terms of story-telling, C&C, and role-playing; though perhaps weaker with some gameplay mechanics).
 
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