Zloth
I smell a... wumpus!?
Sorry, you can't do that. You need to get at least skill level 3 in wallowing first.Oh, great. Now you made me doubt myself and not like the game. I pity myself.
I liked Mass Effect 2 quite a bit, myself.
Sorry, you can't do that. You need to get at least skill level 3 in wallowing first.Oh, great. Now you made me doubt myself and not like the game. I pity myself.
Heheh. Gotcha.
I just spent 15 hours on a Mass Effect 2 marathon and I just have to say that all those people who said that BioWare went mainstream and action-twitchy are goddamn lunatics, because this is half dialogue, half exploration and some fighting in-between. TPS my ass, this is a new genre if anything and really well-made, too. If you want an RPG, just go back to rogue, or something.
No, really. I just can't stop playing. I have to wonder what the people who hate it want to play. Probably something like Wizardry 7?
Well, the "dumbing down" of the RPG elements was only part of why I didn't like Mass Effect 2 compared to Mass Effect 1. For me, the best part about Mass Effect was that they really nailed the atmosphere of a galactic sci-fi RPG, and I thought the story - despite being a bit too short for my tastes and having an ending that was a tad underwhelming - was fantastic. I thought that Mass Effect really captured the romanticism and mystery of space and sci-fi, and I liked how your character was mostly in the background investigating a former hero's fall from grace and a mystery hidden within the vastness of space. Your character was important, but it didn't feel like he/she was the "chosen savior" of the galaxy and the only one with the ability to do anything to stop the destruction of the universe. The lore and culture was also very well developed, which added another layer of depth to the atmosphere and overall immersion that I appreciated.
In Mass Effect 2, however, the entire game revolves around how "badass" you and your crew are, losing the elegance of the first game's story and atmosphere. It just came across as trying too hard to be "epic" and felt disingenuous in its story-telling. From Sheppard getting treated like a celebrity that everyone in the whole galaxy knows about, Sheppard being the galaxy's "only hope" for survival, the attempt at a "dark and gritty" atmosphere coming across as over the top and cringe-worthy… after a while, it just became a little nauseating.
All of the characters are extremely exaggerated and absurd. Miranda was genetically cloned/mutated/incubated/whatever to be the perfect sex-toy - er, I mean, the perfect female - Jack is an absolute maniac with no redeeming qualities and is not a person that anybody in their right mind would travel with… But at least Garrus is back! Oh wait… now he's a "badass" shoot-first, ask questions later action-movie stereotype with a "dark and gritty" nature and a painful past he needs to overcome… well, that transformation sure happened fast…basically, none of the characters are well-written or likable in my opinion. Combine that with: "Hey Sheppard, I know that you're the last and only hope for the survival of sentient life and all, but you're also the only person who can solve my family problems. If you don't fix my personal life for me, then I just don't think I'll be focused and loyal for the super-epic suicide mission against The Terminator" and you have a story that is simply mediocre in my view.
This is all just my opinion of course, and I can see and respect why people like Mass Effect 2. But for me, I dislike the game for reasons other than the stripped-out RPG elements (which were pretty thin to begin with) and focus on action; I can begrudgingly appreciate a "dumbed down" RPG if the story is good enough, but I just personally feel that Mass Effect 2's story was weak. Mass Effect 1 was far from perfect and had its share of shortcomings, but for me it at least got the story, characters, and atmosphere right, and that is why I found the game to be an enjoyable experience.
Use of cover was poorly implented and slowed down the fast action shooter feel of ME1.
The planet scanning was stupid indeed. But I think that ME1's side missions and locations weren't much better in most cases and there were fewer of them. The Citadel was the best one I think and it was strange to have it so downscaled in ME2.
Basically I think that I don't hold either game in high regard for depth or replayability, but they WERE good interactive movies and I think that was Bioware's plan all along.
I concur. I don't really consider ME2 an RPG. I consider it Action-Adventure. At the time I didn't consider Diablo an RPG either though I will admit it should be included now even if its in its own corner away from the rest of the games.I guess this game series is going to divide people among the RPG fan base in a similar fashion like Blizzard did it … only in a different way.
I concur. I don't really consider ME2 an RPG. I consider it Action-Adventure. At the time I didn't consider Diablo an RPG either though I will admit it should be included now even if its in its own corner away from the rest of the games.
ME2 is a good game but I didn't feel the RPG elements really amounted to much. It may be hypocritical that I include Deus Ex in the RPG quadrant but I felt the fact that it handled skills like aiming being a character skill not player skill better.
I don't see how anyone could claim Diablo isn't an RPG. It might be purely an action-RPG, but it's still an RPG.