Mass Effect 2 Thread

[MyNameIsMethodis]

Looks better than the 3shitty ports.

[ManaByte]

Die in a fire. Please.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

Ya because it's ok for you to make PS3 Sux hurr hurr jokes and I can't make 360 sucks hurr hurr jokes in rebuttal.

[Draft]

How poor do you have to be to not own 360? They're practically cracker jack prizes at this point. Shouldn't you try to get more hours at Denny's or whatever instead of posting useless drivel on the internet?

[MyNameIsMethodis]

How poor do you have to be to not own 360? They're practically cracker jack prizes at this point. Shouldn't you try to get more hours at Denny's or whatever instead of posting useless drivel on the internet?

About as poor as you are illiterate. I said "I don't think I have my 360 save anymore", so I might as well start over on my primary gaming system, PC or PS3.

[ManaByte]

But the fucking game doesn't exist on the PS3. And the PC version is an outsourced port.

Go buy a fucking 360 and the Platinum Hits version of ME (it comes with the good DLC + premium theme, and more).

[MyNameIsMethodis]

I have a 360 and the 360 version of ME. And it does exist on PS3, just not in a place where we can buy it yet. I said I'm more than able to be willing. That's why I asked a question about the PC verison and you jumped on me.

[demi]

lol.

[Draft]

How poor do you have to be to not own 360? They're practically cracker jack prizes at this point. Shouldn't you try to get more hours at Denny's or whatever instead of posting useless drivel on the internet?

About as poor as you are illiterate.

I think you got a little mixed up there, food bank.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

Is that some kind of fat joke

[Kestastrophe]

And it does exist on PS3, just not in a place where we can buy it yet.

[ManaByte]

 

[Stoney Mason]

[youtube=560,345][/youtube]

[ManaByte]

How does that work if you're using an existing save? Are you not able to use the class?

[Junpei the Tracer!]

The combat does look a lot better :/

[The Fake Shemp]

Game looks awesome. I'm debating buying it, because all it'll do is distract me.

[Stoney Mason]

[youtube=560,345][/youtube]
[youtube=560,345][/youtube]
[youtube=560,345][/youtube]

[Stoney Mason]

Also spoiler free impressions.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/105/1055806p1.html

[Himu]

Dragon Age has spoiled me. I can't handle this good/nuetral/evil shit anymore.

Tell the human ambassador to stfu and I get renegade points. Sigh.

I hope ME2 doesn't have an alignment system but I'm doubtful.

[Stoney Mason]

Dragon Age has spoiled me. I can't handle this good/nuetral/evil shit anymore.

Tell the human ambassador to stfu and I get renegade points. Sigh.

I hope ME2 doesn't have an alignment system but I'm doubtful.

smh.

As if Dragon Age is radically different.

The ony difference is that you do the paragon/renegade stuff based on who is in your party at the specific moment. Party memebers simply have a separate renegade/paragon alignment. Which I believe even essentially Kotor 2 had.  The only real difference is that it simply doesn't track the player character's alignment even though the same thing is going on underneath the hood to influence the other members of your party.

[Himu]

As if Dragon Age is radically different.

. . .

It doesn't have an alignment system. That makes all the difference in the world.

[The Fake Shemp]

It does, it's just not displayed as a metric, but it is displayed as a metric via your party members.

It's the same schtick. Dragon Age wasn't better or worse in that regards; Mass Effect's achilles heel was poor world design outside of the main story worlds and pretty mediocre shooting combat.

The sequel looks like it's fixed the latter, by dumping a lot of the RPG elements in favor of solid shooting mechanics. As for the world design, that's anybody's guess.

[Himu]

No it doesn't.

You can simply give party members gifts. That is not an alignment system in the traditional sense.

[Stoney Mason]

It doesn't have an alignment system. That makes all the difference in the world.

The aligment systen is how you manipulate people in your party by the choices you make. There is aligment stuff going on otherwise you wouldn't see Morrigan Disapproves. There are some differences in the two games but it's not a radical design change other than simply them not explitcitly assigning you an alignment.

[The Fake Shemp]

It's still an alignment system, the fact that you can change it by giving them gifts doesn't change that, Himuro.

[Stoney Mason]

No it doesn't.

You can simply give party members gifts. That is not an alignment system in the traditional sense.

If you do something evil. Morrigan approves. If you do something good. Morrigan doesn't like it. That's alignment. All it's doing is switching it from you to your party memebers. The gifts are just a game mechanic to off set that if you want to play evil or good but still keep people of the opposite alignment in your party. In that sense it's almost phony. (Although there is nothing wrong with the mechanic being in the game)

[The Fake Shemp]

What Stoney Mason said.

And much like Mass Effect, your alignment via party members can alter conversations in the game.

[Himu]

It's still better than having the game tell me,"Okay what you just said was evil. Minus 2 points, jackass!" simply because I tell an npc to stfu.

For me that makes all the difference.

In DA, I tend to choose what I truly feel. In games like ME, I always feel like I have to choose a choice for the alignment I'm currently pursuing.

One is annoying, the other isn't.

[Stoney Mason]

It's still better than having the game tell me,"Okay what you just said was evil. Minus 2 points, jackass!" simply because I tell an npc to stfu.

For me that makes all the difference.

In DA, I tend to choose what I truly feel. In games like ME, I always feel like I have to choose a choice for the alignment I'm currently pursuing.

One is annoying, the other isn't.

I also think its handled slightly more elegantly in Dragon Age from a design perspective and prefer that system to Mass Effect. I just thought you were making it sound a bit much. It's mainly a preference issue rather than one being a superior design imo or a major design change worth worrying about.

[The Fake Shemp]

It's the same thing.

Instead of +2 Paragon or -1 Renegade, it's Morrigan Dissapproves -10 or Alistair Approves +6. It's actually easier to make choices in Mass Effect because you only have to worry about your own rating, whereas decisions in Dragon Age can effect more than one party member.

I don't really understand your preference, but to each his own. The point still stands, though - it's the same mechanic. Only Dragon Age lets you reverse it with cheap gifts.

[Himu]

No it doesn't.

You can simply give party members gifts. That is not an alignment system in the traditional sense.

If you do something evil. Morrigan approves. If you do something good. Morrigan doesn't like it. That's alignment. All it's doing is switching it from you to your party memebers. The gifts are just a game mechanic to off set that if you want to play evil or good but still keep people of the opposite alignment in your party.

Well, the alignment system is hidden then. It's not like the game explicitly spells out you're good/neutral/evil, which is my beef. In Dragon Age, I just say what I want without having to worry about consequences, and I do fine. Which is far more preferable to a game that gives me evil points because I tell an npc to stfu. That is beyond irritating.

[The Fake Shemp]

But it does. It even displays that in the form of a graphic for each party member, just as it exists for the main character in Mass Effect. You are reaching, Himuro.

I think you should just say you prefer the dialogue tree from Dragon Age and leave it at that, because let's be real, it's not reinventing the rules.

[Himu]

How does it? It's just a approval bar. That's not alignment in the sense that it shows whether the character is good/nuetral/evil. It's just displaying their approval of you, the main character. The game doesn't flat out say,"Oh this character is evil". That is because the alignment system is hidden behind an approval system.

[Stoney Mason]

Well, the alignment system is hidden then. It's not like the game explicitly spells out you're good/neutral/evil, which is my beef. In Dragon Age, I just say what I want without having to worry about consequences, and I do fine. Which is far more preferable to a game that gives me evil points because I tell an npc to stfu. That is beyond irritating.

The things that's improved from Dragon Age to Mass Effect arguably is that your choices have a stronger impact because party members will leave. I don't think people in Mass Effect could leave your party based on your actions for the most part although I never quite finished Mass Effect and it's been awhile since I played it so I can't remember. That's a nice design (although gifts for the most part negate the consequences here so arguably its moot)

Otherwise it's mostly the same thing. You pick a path to maximize benefits. The same thing happens in Dragon Age since they reward close relationships with people in your party with character benefits.

[The Fake Shemp]

... the bar that goes from the DO NOT LIKE to LOVE spectrum is not an alignment?

The reality is that you just prefer to not have any tangible consequences with party members (because your NPC choices can and will impact the game regardless) by erasing disapproval or increasing approval from party members artificially via gifts. That's fine.

But it's the same deal, dude.

Next you'll tell me that this BioWare game was different, as you're not a Jedi since you're not in space.

[Stoney Mason]

How does it? It's just a approval bar. That's not alignment in the sense that it shows whether the character is good/nuetral/evil. It's just displaying their approval of you, the main character. The game doesn't flat out say,"Oh this character is evil". That is because the alignment system is hidden behind an approval system.

C'mon. It's clear who is evil and who is good and evil or pick one of your base D&D aligments. Because they don't have a little thing on screen that says their alignment is "Lawful good" doesn't mean anything when its very clear what the motivations are for each character in Dragon Age. Removing that aligment name isn't a sweeping design change. The only reason that bar doesn't represent alignment in a pure sense is simply because you can bribe them with gifts. Which is a perfectly fine design call. But it's just that. A design call. Just like not giving gifts would be and solely using your in game choices and actions would be to determine your relationships with the other party members.

[Himu]

Well, the alignment system is hidden then. It's not like the game explicitly spells out you're good/neutral/evil, which is my beef. In Dragon Age, I just say what I want without having to worry about consequences, and I do fine. Which is far more preferable to a game that gives me evil points because I tell an npc to stfu. That is beyond irritating.

The things that's improved from Dragon Age to Mass Effect arguably is that your choices have a stronger impact because party members will leave. I don't think people in Mass Effect could leave your party based on your actions for the most part although I never quite finished Mass Effect and it's been awhile since I played it so I can't remember. That's a nice design (although gifts for the most part negate the consequences here so arguably its moot)

Otherwise it's mostly the same thing. You pick a path to maximize benefits. The same thing happens in Dragon Age since they reward close relationships with people in your party with character benefits.

Sure, it's basically the same thing. But somehow I'm always picking what I truly feel in Dragon Age, and always pick some canned "good" or "evil" choice in ME depending on what role I'm playing. And my preference in these games is that of no role at all. I hate good and evil.

I didn't say they were even designed differently. I just want the alignment stuff to take less of a part of the picture. In KOTOR for instance, you can't learn certain spells unless you're a certain alignment. In KOTOR/ME you can't do certain quests unless you have a certain alignment, and I prefer it to not take center place in the game's design like in Dragon Age.

The whole "party member will leave thing" was straight from Baldur's Gate, and I play BG just how I do Dragon Age: don't give a shit about alignment, so no, it's not innovative but it's certainly familiar. But when I play KOTOR/JE/ME I tend to play my character completely different, in a way I do not like.

[Himu]

... the bar that goes from the DO NOT LIKE to LOVE spectrum is not an alignment?

To me it's not. To me it's just a gauge that measures your relationship with the character and not once have I considered it to do with their alignment.

I've not once had a problem with the characters in Dragon Age. Pamper them, get to know their personalities, and make dialogue choices based on that, if they don't like what I hear (which is rare) I'll give them a gift.

So for me it's just Persona 3 in a fantasy setting and has very little to do with alignment.

Anyways, it's obvious my complaint in recent Bioware games is that they focus on the main character's alignment too damn much to the point where it makes me enjoy the game far less than I should. Dragon Age doesn't focus on the main character's alignment, and for that I heart it.

[Stoney Mason]

Dragon Age is slightly more completely designed from an alignment perspective mainly based on Dialogue options. You simply have more of them than in Mass Effect. There is nothing wrong with perferring a design that gives you a few more options. If Dragon Age does something I prefer from a story or alignment standpoint it's that.

Not hiding the alignment which I actually kind of miss from Neverwinter Nights.  

[Himu]

Well hopefully I can tell people I don't like to stfu in ME2 without getting punished like in DA.

[Stoney Mason]

Well hopefully I can tell people I don't like to stfu in ME2 without getting punished like in DA.

You are punished in Dragon Age though. Specifically with Morrigan to take the best example. I quicksaved and reloaded everytime I talked to her because if I was ever rude to her or even actually played it like how I really would then down went her relationship bar. I even specifically picked certain party members for certain quests based on whether I might have to end up doing something good or evil and didn't want to take the relationship hit.

[Himu]

I didn't say you aren't punished.

But you certainly aren't punished for small things like that, which makes DA are far more enjoyable game for me: I can pick what I want, and rarely ever hear a peep unless it's about killing a child or a demon or saving people.

They wouldn't care if I told the human ambassador to fuck off, just like how they don't care I treat most normal situations in the game.

[demi]

Himuro's a moralfag, he chooses all the righteous choices anyway

[Himu]

Yeah right.

[cool breeze]

I did like the Dragon Age system since it was more about others perception of you rather than seeming something in your blood, or a tattoo, or some shit that most games do.

and I think Alpha Protocol has a really cool system going on with it. 

[Himu]

Forgot how awesome ME is. Well, the good parts. If ME2 irons out all the problems with ME1 (namely the sidequests that AREN'T on the citadel and crappy planets with copy pasta environments) it'll be a real winner.

[demi]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Mass Effect 2 opens with a disaster. Commander Shepard’s spacecraft, the Normandy, goes down in flames. Shepard takes a swan dive out an airlock, and plummets to a planet below, doomed to burn up on re-entry. That’s when the game’s opening title fades in.

BioWare has long promised to pick up plot threads left dangling by the original Mass Effect. But continuing a role-playing plot across games can introduce unique problems that can really pull the player out of the story. Mass Effect 2 solves this problem pretty cleverly — it murders the protagonist.

Two years later, Shepard’s eyes open. The Cerberus corporation, an evil faction from the first game, have recovered Shepard’s remains and spent billions to rebuild the hero. Its a good excuse as to why Shepard loses all the upgrades and skills from the first game. Shepard is, almost literally, a new man (or woman). And the first sequence in Mass Effect 2 is a chance to re-accustom yourself with living in this particular skin.

The game does a good job of easing the player into combat. An extended escape sequence offers the chance to familiarize yourself with cover, weapons and special powers. Somebody has hacked the security system to the massive facility dedicated to bringing Shepard back to life. The Lazarus project’s robot militia has turned evil, and the bots make perfect practice targets.

[close]

[demi]

God I wish I could ban you

[Cormacaroni]

Why not just let you continue with the same character, as with Baldur's Gate? If the player has no save, they just jump straight to lvl. 13 or whatever. Not impressed by this decision.

[Cormacaroni]

Uh, this was actually conceived as a trilogy of games, and they just went and blew any aspect of continuity between playthroughs. What exactly is the point of a trilogy of games where you have to start over from a tabula rasa each time?

in other words Bioware   

[Stoney Mason]

It has nothing to do with that most likely. It's simply an easier balancing mechanic to start people off from scratch and more inviting for newcomers rather than have them begin all powered up like in the first game or be confused by a bunch of powers they've never used before (Whether they be 360 owners or the situation you describe as future potential PS3 owners). It's a bit odd which is why it would have made more sense to simply do stories in the universe of Mass Effect rather than using the same main character or other party members but whatever. It is what it is.

It's the same reason why everytime you play a New Metroid game, you begin with no powers. Because its easier to design that sort of game and still create progression.

[Cormacaroni]

The "too confusing for newbs" ship sailed once they billed it as part 2 of a SF RPG trilogy, didn't it? They're going to have to spend forever recapping the events of ME1, not to mention all the backstory, so would it be so much harder to start off with a levelled-up character?

Of course, I haven't heard the term "trilogy" used in a while in respect to this; I wouldn't be surprised to learn that they've abandoned that concept entirely and are just treating this and future games as a sequel rather than as parts of a whole game.

[demi]

It's the same reason why everytime you play a New Metroid game, you begin with no powers. Because its easier to design that sort of game and still create progression.

huh? metroid games arent connected like ME is though. Samus just has a case of bad luck is all.

[Himu]

PLEASE TELL ME MIRANDA GOES FOR SPACE DYKES

[youtube=560,345]sdSSuIfv0ys[/youtube]

[Himu]

MIRANDA FOR SPACE DYKES

2010

[demi]

http://www.xbox360achievements.org/game/mass-effect-2/achievements/

Achievements look much much better. Interest saved!

[Stoney Mason]

[youtube=560,345][/youtube]

[Cormacaroni]

looks neato, but i recognize most of those animations for sure.

[ManaByte]

Combat looks much more fluid now.

Full trailer on XBL tomorrow!

[Bildi]

I avoided Mass Effect 1 but this is looking pretty good.  The fluidity of everything in that vid was great.