Mass Effect 2 Thread

[Green Shinobi]

Did anyone else name their character Jack Shepard?

[fistfulofmetal]

The only problem i see is that it costs 60 bucks

my tax return soothed those concerns

[Herr Mafflard]

Finished it. Only Legion and Jack died.

Good game. Scanning planets is bullshit though, I stopped doing it about halfway through.

[Green Shinobi]

I would definitely JO to CG nudes of Miranda. That figure!

[Great Rumbler]

I would definitely JO to CG nudes of Miranda. That figure!

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

[demi]

yall need a real man in your life

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

[Great Rumbler]

I can smell his greatness already!

[Green Shinobi]

So I'm about three hours in, and while I agree that the combat is better, it feels like the game took a number of steps backwards.

- So much of the customization is gone or simplified to almost insulting levels.
- Not nearly as many abilities it seems, and some of them require loyalty missions to unlock. 
- No leveling up during a mission is crap. There were quite a few times in Mass Effect 1 when leveling up during a mission gave me the last few points I needed to unlock a new skill, which I then used to devastating effect against the remaining enemies in the level. Those were some of the most satisfying moments in the first game. I don't see how Bioware couldn't realize this.

[The Fake Shemp]

All that stuff is garbage, and the loyalty missions are pretty awesome. Sounds like YOU took a step backwards!

[Great Rumbler]

-Most of the "customization" in the first game was pretty pointless
-Most of the abilities in the first game were pretty pointless
-Leveling up during a mission was neat, but hardly essential

[MCD]

launching probe

[Great Rumbler]

launching probe

I never found the scanning to be all that bad, just pick a section of a mineral rich planet, swipe the mouse across that section, key in on a spot with some minerals, and then load up. Once that section is done, spin the planet around to the next section and repeat the process. Takes maybe a minute per planet that way.

On the other hand, they could have, instead of a scanning minigame, actually had something substantive. That would be nice.

[MCD]

it's ok just for this:

[youtube=560,345]d-CDNLYZ0zA[/youtube]

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

[fistfulofmetal]

i really like all of the various weapons and armour in the first game. wouldn't preferred if they had improved on the idea instead of scrapping it

[The Fake Shemp]

All the weapons were totally pointless, and confusing. I prefer the upgrade system by far. The only thing I wish is that there were more customizing options for your armor kit, but with the amount you can download and to the degree you can customize your N7 armor, it's pretty much a wash.

[Green Shinobi]

-Most of the "customization" in the first game was pretty pointless
-Most of the abilities in the first game were pretty pointless
-Leveling up during a mission was neat, but hardly essential

I don't know, I miss having like 10 things to spend points on. Right now I only have 4 things to put points into on my player character, and one of them is just special ammo. And the abilities in the first game were never pointless. I will grant you that Incinerate is better than most of them. But I miss doing stuff like putting a barrier on Wrex and then having him use Carnage and watching him tear up a whole room.

Also, I'm sure the loyalty missions are great, but having to do them to unlock abilities is distinguished mentally-challenged.

[The Fake Shemp]

Why? The whole point is that each character has a unique ability, you can unlock them at your leisure. That's a pretty lame criticism.

The special ammo is awesome, and you can steal other party member's unique abilities for your own. Barrier still exists, and you can level up Grunt's berserker abilities later in the game. There are four to six different guns per weapon, with the exception of SMG and Heavy Pistol (of which there are two varities) and like five tiers worth of upgrades. There are three tiers worth of armor upgrades, and that includes biotic, tech, etc.

There's a ton of stuff still, they just took out all the garbage. Because they streamlined the XP system into stuff that actually matters doesn't make it worse, it makes the game better.

[Green Shinobi]

Okay, I haven't gotten that far yet. Glad to know it opens up a bit. Also, none of my complaints have diminished my enjoyment of the game. I'm having a blast so far. I put both Dragon Age and Bayonetta on hold for this. ME1 was tied with Halo 3 and Gears 2 for my GOTG so far, and this one is definitely carrying the torch.

[Green Shinobi]

I don't think it's possible to fuck up the Galaxy Map more than Bioware did.

Having to scroll around from planet to planet sucks. Having to buy fuel sucks. The old system was perfect.

[Raban]

I don't think it's possible to fuck up the Galaxy Map more than Bioware did.

Having to scroll around from planet to planet sucks. Having to buy fuel sucks. The old system was perfect.

This, I completely agree with. Driving around a galaxy is stupid. I liked the pick and choose map, that was fine.

[Green Shinobi]

So my Shepard just fucked Jack when she asked if he was only asking questions because he wanted sex. I need to know: will this affect my ability to bed Miranda later in the game? I didn't get an achievement for completing a romantic subplot, so I'm guessing the Jack thing isn't very significant.

[The Fake Shemp]

Maybe.

[demi]

So my Shepard just fucked Jack when she asked if he was only asking questions because he wanted sex. I need to know: will this affect my ability to bed Miranda later in the game? I didn't get an achievement for completing a romantic subplot, so I'm guessing the Jack thing isn't very significant.

uh... you sure he fucked? i got the achievement by fucking Jack.

[Green Shinobi]

So my Shepard just fucked Jack when she asked if he was only asking questions because he wanted sex. I need to know: will this affect my ability to bed Miranda later in the game? I didn't get an achievement for completing a romantic subplot, so I'm guessing the Jack thing isn't very significant.

uh... you sure he fucked? i got the achievement by fucking Jack.

It wasn't the culmination of a love interest that happens at the Omega 4 relay. It was just a random fuck below deck. You got the achievement for that?

[demi]

No, I got it at Omega 4. And yes, you can lose loyalty over relationships

[The Fake Shemp]

Disposable White Guy banged the entire crew somehow, and still maintained loyalty. I don't know how he did it. I think he even banged that GILF, Doctor Chakwas.

[demi]

Probably Paragon'd them. Everything in this game has a Paragon check. Even taking a shit.

[Green Shinobi]

Does Paragon/Renegade even matter? I saw there was no achievement for it, so I just pick whatever dialogue options seem best without worrying about maintaining character.

[AdmiralViscen]

If you fuck Jack early then you are going to need Paragon or Renegade to reclaim the sex cheev

[Green Shinobi]

100% Paragon/Renegade points, or just up to a certain level?

[AdmiralViscen]

I'll tell you if you stop PMing me about Avatar

[Green Shinobi]

When did I PM you about Avatar? 

Oh, you thought that broad PM I sent you about the nature of rational discussion on a message board was about a movie? Gotcha. Good to know what we're dealing with here.

[AdmiralViscen]

  Sent to: AdmiralViscen  on: Today at 10:10:43 PM »
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Even if we grant that I was too zealous in my defense of Avatar,




Perhaps I should have said "issues of and relating to Avatar etc"

Either way, now I'm not telling you.


Also, omfg you are makign things personal already, I am gonna PM you about why you have to make things personal

[Ichirou]

omfg

Green Shinobi is fucking psycho

[Green Shinobi]

Post the whole thing, Viscen.

[AdmiralViscen]

(No subject)
« Sent to: AdmiralViscen on: February 02, 2010, 06:59:31 AM »
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Bickering over 12 Monkeys/Dances With Wolves is pointless. You're usually one of the most reasonable posters on this forum and one of the last people I would expect attacks from.



Re: (No subject)
« Sent to: AdmiralViscen on: February 02, 2010, 07:12:45 AM »
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Sorry, I guess I'm just a bit more sensitive these days. Having my intelligence repeatedly attacked by people like Willco and Ichirou just because I had the gall to express a personal opinion has me a little on edge, it seems. I mean, the whole shit with Ichirou because of my high regard for Aliens was absolutely ridiculous, and yet if you read other people's responses to the whole thing, you'd think I was the one trolling him.

But this forum is pretty much a collection of permabanned GAFfers, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. God knows I earned some of it with that stupid Dark Knight argument two years ago.




throwing out insults far more earnestly...
« Sent to: AdmiralViscen on: February 04, 2010, 11:05:25 PM »
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There's no way this is true.

Did you see the thread where Ichirou started ripping on me without provocation because of how much I said I liked Aliens? Have you seen the sheer number of posts in which Willco calls me an idiot?

They drew first blood, not me.





(No subject)
« Sent to: AdmiralViscen on: Today at 10:10:43 PM »
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Even if we grant that I was too zealous in my defense of Avatar, I still don't understand why you would take the side of Ichirou, who brings nothing to any debate but trolling and an endless string of ad hominems. You present yourself as a rational forum member, yet you side with someone who is the forum equivalent of a slightly more educated Eric Cartman against someone who provides clear rationale for his argument.

Can you honestly say that I started the shit with Ichirou? I can link you to very specific instances where he escalated a simple discussion into something mean-spirited and personal. I really don't think that anyone who actually looks at these discussions could come away thinking that I'm the one who instigated the forum drama.

[Ichirou]

omg, those PMs

[The Fake Shemp]

THEY DREW FIRST BLOOD!

[Ichirou]

I'm sorry, just

omg, I can't believe gs is PMing people looking for sympathy because his feelings are getting hurt

[AdmiralViscen]

I'll admit I was wrong about him PMing me about Avatar - I never read past the first few words of the last PM


btw, when he first pleaded with me to use my rationality, I pointed out to him that if he respected my opinion and I was no longer siding with him then perhaps he should turn a critical eye to his own behavior. He never responded

[Green Shinobi]

Way to shit up a thread, Viscen.

[EmCeeGrammar]

Green Shinobi, you know you don't have to post here anymore right 

[Green Shinobi]

They did.

[AdmiralViscen]

Way to shit up a thread, Viscen.

I acknowledge that I was in error and I apologize to those who want to discuss Mass Effect 2 or have seen enough of this in the other 5 threads.


There, that was easy.

[Ichirou]

THEY DREW FIRST BLOOD, NOT ME!

THAT IS THE BEST QUOTE

But those PMs are GOLD, Jerry! PURE GOLD!

[Great Rumbler]

Man, Evilbore is pretty awful these days. Hey, demi, can we have a mass culling this week?

[The Fake Shemp]

We'll start with you!

[Mandark]

Really good game.  Observations:

* Michael Dorn doing a voice!  Krogan are officially klingon analogues now.

* What I hate about the scanning is that I don't hate it the way I obviously should.  It involves no skill, wastes time, pads out the game time and HEY I JUST FOUND A GIANT VEIN OF PALLADIUM, LOOKIT THOSE NUMBERS GO!  I wish my brain weren't dumb enough to release endorphins for this kinda stuff.

* Seeing other people's Shepards on Youtube is weird.  Why don't theirs look Asian with a crazy mustache?

* Mordin is easily the best character.  I think the sentence fragments and speed-talking helps prevent them from writing boring dialogue.

* The ammo thing is why you shouldn't explain every game mechanic in terms of the story.  Saves you the need to retcon later.

* I get the feeling that ME3 is where you rally all the species to fight the Darkspawn Reavers, and your decisions will matter more at that point than they did for this game.

* Most of the changes were good, but I feel like they could have fit in more customization without sacrificing the action feel of the game.  The evolved versions of talents seemed pretty half-assed, for example.

[The Fake Shemp]

Mordin and Thane are awesome. I'd go into an intergalactic three-way with those dudes.

... Did they explain the ammo thing in the story? I just remember reading the instruction manual that talks about how the Alliance switched to thermal clips following the geth invasion for some reason I don't know!

I'm surprised to see you play a game and enjoy one!

[Mandark]

You don't know me!

They don't take time in the game to talk about thermal clips, but they put it in the codex and the manual, like how they explained in the first game why they didn't have an ammo system.

Played through on normal and will probably replay on veteran.  Throw/Pull/Lift are all voided by shields and armor, no?  Seems like they're kind of pointless if you can only use them when you've already worn down the enemy to their most vulnerable, but maybe everyone has a ton of health on the harder difficulties.

[Green Shinobi]

That's why it's worth putting points into Warp and Overload. I have Miranda's Warp built up to Level 3, and she can pretty much rip the barrier right off a normal enemy.

Serious question: If I lose the loyalty of one of the crew members when they inevitably get into an argument because I don't have the Paragon/Renegade points to placate both of them, does that mean that crew member is going to die in the final mission?

[The Fake Shemp]

Played through on normal and will probably replay on veteran.  Throw/Pull/Lift are all voided by shields and armor, no?  Seems like they're kind of pointless if you can only use them when you've already worn down the enemy to their most vulnerable, but maybe everyone has a ton of health on the harder difficulties.

Not only does it take more damage to bring them down, but usually in the waves, there are several enemies that have no armor or shields. It's always good to have a biotic to basically hit clean up, and bring along a tech and damage specialist to help take care of the rest.

I agree with Green Shinobi, Warp is probably the most important ability to put points into. A fully developed biotic with Warp and the rest of the skills can level a planet.

... And that doesn't necessarily mean they'll die in the final mission. I've seen folks with perfect loyalty still lose characters, and whatnot. Who dies is largely dependent on loyalty, but it's also dependent on a range of factors. It's hard to predict.

[MCD]

it's not hard really.

loyal + all ship upgrades + assigning them to the right sections.

giving them good weapons and upgrading their skills is also a plus.

[Green Shinobi]

Paragon is so much less fun than Renegade. I don't know why I committed to this shit.

[The Fake Shemp]

Paragon is pretty awesome. But I guess if I was a sociopath, I'd find Renegade a more natural play style.

[Stoney Mason]

If I have one complaint its that the paragon/renegade thing still encourages you to fixate on one path at the expense of the other, (although to be fair you often get points for both when you do many actions during a dialogue tree).

I generally play it how I feel which is most of the time being Paragon with the occasional renegade decisions put in the mix.

[The Fake Shemp]

Yeah, that's how I play.

[AdmiralViscen]

I dunno, I had a quarter bar of Renegade and I still maxed out my Paragon well before the end of the game. I think you could 100% one and get close to half the other if you wanted to.

[Green Shinobi]

They really should have called this one Gears Effect.

I'm about 21 hours in now. I agree that the gameplay is better overall. The one area where I think ME1 was better was the pacing of the story. You spend at least 20 hours in ME2 going on what amount to glorified side missions to get your crew together and gain their loyalty. In the first one it felt like you were part of this epic story all the way through, unless you specifically went and did the optional side missions.

There are some good moments though. The scene where I met up with Ashley again  :'(