Mass Effect 2

joe123

Was reading up a bit on this game and people are saying its looking really good. I have the first one but the one thing that really put me off it was the levelling up system. The whole game scaled with you.

So just say you found a crate and it was a really powerful gun well if you were a much lower level this same crate would have a lower level gun. I think this whole scaling thing ruins games and apart from Final Fantasy of the rpgs ive played they are always doing this.

Enemies/items shouldnt scale up with you as knowing that a certain area of the game universe has really tough enemies is all part of the fun.

So....anyways just wondering will the same scaling aspect be in Mass Effect 2 does anyone know?

Another game that did this crappy scaling thing was Oblivion (which imo ruined the game) and Fallout to a lesser extent.

rizzla

I hate it too. I love progressing through the game, doing sub mission's and leveling up my characters till I'm God.

I still really enjoyed Mass Effect though.

elekid

It does avoid the game becoming about grinding though. If your enemies are the same level as you, you have to use strategy to win the battles rather than simply levelling up higher than them and sleepwalking through it.

joe123

Yes but the games always seem to easy then. I think RPGs are about that place where you know you cant go just yet because your too weak or that legendary weapon that you cant find but you know is out there sort of thing.

I think it adds more atmosphere to the game rather than knowing you could finish the game at the level your at sort of thing.

RPGs are about progressing and evolving imo. This whole scaling thing has just been introduced to make the game easier for the casual market and I personally think it ruins the experience.

Oblivion was ruined because of this I felt.

stevoslice

so your into jrpgs then, i would consider mass effect closer to gears orthe like than an rpg like final fantasy.

Mr. K

I prefer non-scaled levelling too, since it means the hardworking player will be rewarded for their efforts. The levelling in Mass Effect didn't bother me though, since there wasn't much scope for going into dangerous areas like in FF.

vladglenin

does anyone know if they're improving the skills/techs malarky that they had in Mass Effect 1? It was a good idea on paper, but poorly implemented imo.

FreeOSCAR

Its been topping most journalists game of the show at E3 which means they must have been very impressed to give it the nod ahead of the other games there.

silvine

I've just played through the first game. Here's what needs to be fixed:

-The graphic are pretty poor in places, the textures are recycled and there's lots of pop in and re-drawing

- The inventory system is poorly implemented and hard to follow

- The side quests are poor

- The AI of your team mates is shocking. They'll walk into fire or worse in front of you

- The levelling up system could be tweaked. Some of the abilities are redundant and it's hard to tell the diff between some biotics

- The maps are all very similar

- Those awful driving sections

- Becoming a paragon or renegade doesn't have much consequences. See Fallout 3 to see how it's done

- The planets are very linear in design.

DirkVoodoo

Mass Effect was always RPG-lite.

Don't get me wrong, I love the game and still haven't traded it in (one more game maybe?) but amazing story and dialogue system aside, it follows the blueprint of modern RPGs, i.e. they aren't.

Much like fallout 3 is not a patch on the originals in terms of role playing, ME appealed to the masses by not getting bogged down in formulae and dice rolls in some dungeons and dragons format.

My biggest gripe (aside from the mako missions, the elevators and the crappy inventory) was the lack of character creation. I don't like being restricted to a handful of classes.

I think that the modern RPG format is here to stay, so I would expect ME2 to follow closely to ME.

Helix

european exclusive (and only the second review in the WORLD) of mass effect 2 in the new issue of click out (at all good newsagents priced at €3.50 blah blah) tomorrow lads, for anyone interested

rizzla

Helix wrote: »

european exclusive (and only the second review in the WORLD) of mass effect 2 in the new issue of click out (at all good newsagents priced at €3.50 blah blah) tomorrow lads, for anyone interested

Excellent. I'll read it when I'm in Eason's tomorrow.

Rob2D

I love bombing around all the planets in the Mako. Sad to hear its gone. I always went out of my way to find all the stuff!

Helix

Rob2D wrote: »

I love bombing around all the planets in the Mako. Sad to hear its gone!

or IS it

Captain Chaos

UK PC Gamer score of 89/100.

US PC Gamer score of 91/100.

They said its more shooter than an RPG now. The old inventory system is more or less gone. And you have less skills to invest in. Reading the review it sounds like they have streamlined the game and dumbed it down, yet its gotten great scores.

I'm looking forward to the end product either way, can't wait for this.

Helix

Captain Chaos wrote: »

UK PC Gamer score of 89/100.

US PC Gamer score of 91/100.

They said its more shooter than an RPG now. The old inventory system is more or less gone. And you have less skills to invest in. Reading the review it sounds like they have streamlined the game and dumbed it down, yet its gotten great scores.

tbh personally, i think its gack

i didnt review it tho

for a game with such heavy focus on gunplay, the gunplay is woeful

Sad Professor

I started repaying the first one recently in anticipation. It's good game but lots to improve on. The side missions and planets are crap. Even the dialogue choices only offer the illusion of choice at times. And good riddance to the Mako - I hated it.

Still really looking forward to 2 though.

speedboatchase

I was hugely excited for Mass Effect back in the day (loved KOTOR) but the endless elevator sequences and awful vehicle and combat sections put me off. In the end Fallout 3 turned out to be exactly the RPG I wanted in the end. However I'm actually getting a little tempted by ME2, Assassins Creed 2 was an incredible example of getting a sequel right and all the previews I've seen suggest Bioware have really upped their game. I'm a little bothered that I never finished the first title but I've read they offer a few options in the beginning of this one that effect the game the same. I'll wait for reviews to pour in but I might be interested in some sequelness

DirkVoodoo

Ah yes, but what Fallout 3 lacked was the same great story telling as ME. The cinematic nature of the game was on a scale much larger than Fallout's, the plot was cliched but driven along by much stronger characters.

In the end, fallout fell flat for me because of the drab dialogue. After I played ME and went to fallout 3, I suddenly realised how archaic the conversation tree was, it felt so unnatural.

I think only Uncharted 2 has since recreated that "epic" hollywood feel for me.

Helix

nothing wrong with linear games if theyre good, uncharted 2 was a masterpiece

Mr. K

I'm playing through the first one last time to get a level 60 perfect Paragon and the last two achievements. I've also got a Renegade character, to check out the different outcomes in the second game. So excited now...

DirkVoodoo

LIGHTNING wrote: »

By being so linear? Generally to created that "epic" hollywood feel you have to have large amounts of scripting.

Ah yes, I forgot about fallout 3 and it's unscripted glory.

Back to the topic at hand, I am looking forward to ME2, I am disappointed by the news of less RPG, more shooter...but that happened in Fallout 3 and it sold by the bucket load.

Captain Chaos

Helix wrote: »

tbh personally, i think its gack

for a game with such heavy focus on gunplay, the gunplay is woeful

Are you on about the first or the second game?

In the second game, your accuracy does not reflect your stats, you hit where you aim. Unlike the first game where you start off with a targeting reticule the size of half the screen.

In ME2 if oyu are untrained in a weapon you just can't use it full stop. e.g the soldier class is the only class that can use the assault rifle in ME2 and can use all the different types of ammo. You no longer ''find'' different ammo types, instead they are gained by stats.

Rob2D

Well it was always more shooter than RPG anyway and I play as a soldier so more guns don't bother me!

Captain Chaos

Soldier class vid released today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUNSatOnTYk

Helix

Captain Chaos wrote: »

Are you on about the first or the second game?

In the second game, your accuracy does not reflect your stats, you hit where you aim. Unlike the first game where you start off with a targeting reticule the size of half the screen.

In ME2 if oyu are untrained in a weapon you just can't use it full stop. e.g the soldier class is the only class that can use the assault rifle in ME2 and can use all the different types of ammo. You no longer ''find'' different ammo types, instead they are gained by stats.

im on about the second game

the gunplay is woeful, but mainly i just didnt like the game at all

and i dont really need explainations lol, ive played it

siblers

For the most part Mass Effect is a piece of piss, only hard section is that Matriach Benzenia (sp?). Even Saren was fairly simple to play against, I played through it quickly (as there's too many games i have to play). didn't do any side missions, didn't use any of my omni gel to go shopping and only realised about weapon upgrades half way through and I finished the game without any difficulty. It's still an amazing game, gonna get the 2nd on day of release.

Captain Chaos

You should try it on Insane difficulty with a fresh character. Its no walk in the park. Trying to free Liara and escape with here is a struggle in itself. Enemy snipers destroy your shields in one shot. Get hit again and you're dead.

siblers

I doubt I could hack Benezia on that difficulty, took me the good part of 50 tries to beat her. Almost ruined the game for me. Bit of a shame ME2 is going for a more a shooter route, was hoping it would go the other way.

Captain Chaos

siblers wrote: »

It's still an amazing game, gonna get the 2nd on day of release.

Why second day, it's already €37 delivered for the 360. Can't see the price fall lower than that unless you like giving GAME and Gamestop €60 for every new game that drops €5 the next day, shop around.

rizzla

Captain Chaos wrote: »

Why second day, it's already €37 delivered for the 360. Can't see the price fall lower than that unless you like giving GAME and Gamestop €60 for every new game that drops €5 the next day, shop around.

I read it that he will pick up the sequel (2nd) on the day of release.

rizzla

Captain Chaos wrote: »

You should try it on Insane difficulty with a fresh character. Its no walk in the park. Trying to free Liara and escape with here is a struggle in itself. Enemy snipers destroy your shields in one shot. Get hit again and you're dead.

Biotics are the way to go if I remember. Levitate the enemy in the air and pick them apart when they can't shoot you. Play it very cautiously, moving forward slowly. Still those Krogan Warlords are tough to kill, they regenerate health too I think, or their sheilds come back up damn fast.

Captain Chaos

rizzla wrote: »

Play it very cautiously, moving forward slowly. Still those Krogan Warlords are tough to kill, they regenerate health too I think, or their sheilds come back up damn fast.

Thats what I have been finding. I'm trying to find the best class for the Insanity playthrough. So far I have been trying with a level 47 soldier on a new game plus on hard core as an experiment.

I have a level 60 Infiltrator on another save which I could try aswell.

I just could not finish the fight what a fresh biotic character against the Krogan Battle Master with Liara. I got close a few times with level 8 powers but in the end I gave up.

AdMMM

I've had this and Deadrising 2 on pre-order since like forever! Really looking forward to this!

joe123

siblers wrote: »

I doubt I could hack Benezia on that difficulty, took me the good part of 50 tries to beat her. Almost ruined the game for me. Bit of a shame ME2 is going for a more a shooter route, was hoping it would go the other way.

Same. Dont think ill bother getting it if its mainly shooter now. Will wait to see what the reviews are saying.

Mr. K

rizzla wrote: »

Krogan Warlords are tough to kill

They're the toughest enemies by far. They rush at you and melee, which ignores your shields and (on higher difficulties) will probably kill you in one hit. They (and most non-Geth) use the immunity ability to reinforce their health bars, which means they take ages to kill. Fighting the Geth is easy by comparison!

Captain Chaos

If anyone is looking to save a few quid and wait a few days longer hmv.co.uk have this for pre-order for £27.99 not including delivery.

Captain Chaos

This is the summary of the GamesTM review.

+ One of the most memorable opening sequences ever.

+ Improved combat. It not only rivals dedicated 'cover-shooters', it actually betters them (aside from Gears 2 and Uncharted).

+ Brilliant dialogue interrupt system.

+ More refined inventory/equipment management. Improvements to weapons, armour etc (which carry across all party members) are carried out on the Normandy via 'research documents' that you buy or find. Quality of the research is dependant on the 'elements' that you find when scanning planets.

+ Less planets to explore, but much more varied and diverse. Some kick off quests that send you off to other planets/locations.

+ Near 'miraculous' art direction. All the worlds create a cohesive looking universe, but are never derivative or repetitive.

+ Sharper cinematics. Snappier editing, restless camera movement.

+ Memorable, well written and deep characters (a career best for Bioware).

- Repercussions of choices made in the first game aren't as keenly felt as they'd have liked

10/10

Its the 9th game they have ever given 10/10. Don't know if thats a good sign or what. I don't think any game deserves 10/10, they all have flaws.

DirkVoodoo

Great to hear. Not too worried about the first game choices, this was always a pretty ambitious move and to be honest I have only one character from ME1 I want to carry through (my hot red headed Sheperd). As long as the story holds up, I'll be happy.

Helix

Captain Chaos wrote: »

This is the summary of the GamesTM review.

+ One of the most memorable opening sequences ever.

+ Improved combat. It not only rivals dedicated 'cover-shooters', it actually betters them (aside from Gears 2 and Uncharted).

+ Brilliant dialogue interrupt system.

+ More refined inventory/equipment management. Improvements to weapons, armour etc (which carry across all party members) are carried out on the Normandy via 'research documents' that you buy or find. Quality of the research is dependant on the 'elements' that you find when scanning planets.

+ Less planets to explore, but much more varied and diverse. Some kick off quests that send you off to other planets/locations.

+ Near 'miraculous' art direction. All the worlds create a cohesive looking universe, but are never derivative or repetitive.

+ Sharper cinematics. Snappier editing, restless camera movement.

+ Memorable, well written and deep characters (a career best for Bioware).

- Repercussions of choices made in the first game aren't as keenly felt as they'd have liked

10/10

jesus

wouldnt agree with most of that

opening sequence is hardly momumental, combat is awful, dialogue system is still pretty limited (but serves its purpose), story is excellent as are the characters - but imo the game kinda ruins it

Oafley Jones

Helix wrote: »

jesus

wouldnt agree with most of that

opening sequence is hardly momumental, combat is awful, dialogue system is still pretty limited (but serves its purpose), story is excellent as are the characters - but imo the game kinda ruins it

eh?

Rob2D

I think he means gameplay. But I can't be sure.

Helix

no i mean itd be better as a book, and not a game

the actual clunky gameplay gets in the way of the story, imo of course

worth noting i didnt rate the first one either

DirkVoodoo

Helix wrote: »

worth noting i didnt rate the first one either

This is very important, thanks for mentioning it, I would prefer if reviewers did this in their articles.

I bought assassin's creed 2 after all the strong reviews, but I was really looking for the ones that didn't like the first one and thought the second one was an improvement. I won't get in to a discussion here about it, but while the second one is a vast improvement for me, it's still a very "meh" game.

Oafley Jones

Helix wrote: »

no i mean itd be better as a book, and not a game

the actual clunky gameplay gets in the way of the story, imo of course

worth noting i didnt rate the first one either

I take it you mean the mechanics of the game? Most reviews say that it's much more streamlined since the first. Although, I'm slightly concerned by the fact that there's less customisation.

Mr. Gruff

Does anyone know if the bonus armour and weapon that you can get by pre-ordering the game with Gamestop is available in Irish gamestops too?

I've been anticipating this game for a good year by now but generally I'm not arsed pre-ordering unless it comes with bonus content. Lets face it, its rare that a game sells out.

Captain Chaos

Mr. Gruff wrote: »

Lets face it, its rare that a game sells out.

True, but when ME1 came out. I tried to get the CE on release day in all the GAME shops in the city centre and they were all sold out. GAME were the only ones that had the CEs on release.

About the custom armor, all I know is that Play.com are doing the Terminus armor and gravity gun dlc. Amazon are do the Thermal armor deal which looks better imo (sort of like Iron Man). I don't know if any shops here have any deals.

Helix

Oafley Jones wrote: »

I take it you mean the mechanics of the game? Most reviews say that it's much more streamlined since the first. Although, I'm slightly concerned by the fact that there's less customisation.

basically my primary concern when i played it was that the gunplay was really really really bad, and theres an AWFUL LOT of gunplay in it. far too much to be supported a second rate combat system

Captain Chaos

Bioware hinting at day 1 DLC. New armor, weapon, character and planet. Bioware has said if there is day 1 DLC, it will be free.

http://www.xbox360achievements.org/news/news-4191-Day-1-Mass-Effect-2-DLC-Rumoured--BioWare-Responds.html

Mr. Gruff

Sounds great. I hope they do more DLC than they did for ME.
It was good fun to play through one but for 800 microsoft points I was expecting more than one more planet that already seemed kinda familiar.

madrab

What day is the game out?