Gears of Mass Effect

[Shamus Young]

Gears of Mass Effect

Mass Effect 2 has just the right amount of story, no matter what kind of player you are.

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[Onyx Oblivion]

Bioware is close to changing the definition of RPG to mean action with deep conversations.

I will always stand by the fact that if it doesn't have stats and levels, it isn't an RPG, no matter how much "role playing" (moral choices, dialog) there is. Bioware is getting dangerously close to just becoming action games with deep conversations. ME2 still has levels and skill points, but even less RPG elements than ME1. Which was low on them to begin with.

*wants to play KOTOR again*

Ranting aside, I LOVE Bioware. But the only full-fledged RPG they've done since KOTOR was Dragon Age.

Then again, I also enjoy the occasional non-stereotypical JRPG. You don't need choice to be an RPG. Otherwise, very few games would be RPGs.

Congrats on 500 posts, Shamus!

 

[Virgil]

The funny thing is that I generally do not like shooters, but I am enjoying Mass Effect 2 simply because of everything else that is in there. The actual gameplay is my least-favorite part of the game.

I really enjoyed the gameplay in Dragon Age, on the other hand, but because the system was so flexible/expandable and RPG-like, they didn't have the same focused narrative that ME2 does.

In the end, I think I'd rather play Dragon Age, but I'd rather experience Mass Effect 2.

 

[Brotherofwill]

I completely disagree here. I think this here is a very good analysis of ME2 and the idea of combining quick gameplay with slow sory-telling but I disagree with your conclusions. For me it didn't work at all. I was really dissapointed by ME2 because I never felt I was going anywhere with my chracter and the long intervals between shooting at stuff just increased that feeling of having nothing to do without extensive leveling/ loot collecting. If this would have been a fast paced action title then I would have prefered it because the combat would have been more frequent.

I also disagree that cutscenes within action games are somehow inferior or worthless. A well paced title like U2 can grip you and still give you tremendous excitement without feeling too preachy or self-important. It's fast and fun.

ME2 combat was at such a different pacing than the story telling/character interaction that it completely ruined the balance for me. I wish that this phenomenon doesn't spread to other games but I'm sure it will. Nothing to do but wait for D3 and see how Blizzard will cock that up...

 

[karmapolizei]

You're saying it as it's on my mind. I really enjoyed Mass Effect 2 as a "Gears of War with meaning" kind of thing, and if anything gameplay-wise, ME2 shows pretty damn clear what all these fixed ideas of genres in our heads are worth, which is nothing at all. Here we have an RPG that is stripped of most of the things that make up an RPG by conventional wisdom (excessive leveling, looting, boring combat), but is more of an RPG than I've seen ever. Because it really puts the "role playing" into RPG: When I play Mass Effect (be it 1 or 2), I am Alice Shepard (which happens to be the most carefully crafted She-Shep there is, mind you).

That isn't to say that ME2 is perfect, though. In quite a few aspects, some of them dear to my heart (overall plot and its indulgence in blatant gameplay-story segregation in the already disappointingly meaningless finale), it really drops the ball. But this one - this one it got right.

 

[CuddlyCombine]

Sadly, I don't think the slobbering, rabid console-gaming demographic is very open to cinematic storytelling in their games. If the plot involves more than a five-sentence synopsis, and they actually have to use their brains, they tend to get confused and slow.

Fallacies aside, it's easier to play a game that doesn't require too much brain-work. Like you said, point-and-shoot is, amusingly, what most people seek.

 

[Cody211282]

I don't think just having a levling system makes an RPG, its the ability to interact with other characters in the game that makes it, sure I would have liked the old leveling system in this game because I knew how to work it but i don't have a problem with the new one. I play Mass Effect for the story and characters, plus the fact they made the combat so much better is nothing but a plus for me.

 

[Doug]

I agree strongly with you Shamus; Mass Effect 2's combat system is far better than ME1, and the simpler leveling system makes it funnier to play.

One think I DEFINITELY don't miss from ME1 is the inventory system - so much god damn micromanagement to try and make sure squadie X has the absolute maximum DPS.

 

[Cody211282]

Sadly, I don't think the slobbering, rabid console-gaming demographic is very open to cinematic storytelling in their games. If the plot involves more than a five-sentence synopsis, and they actually have to use their brains, they tend to get confused and slow.

Fallacies aside, it's easier to play a game that doesn't require too much brain-work. Like you said, point-and-shoot is, amusingly, what most people seek.

Maybe the slobbering, rabid console-gaming demographic cant afford a gaming PC on top of a xbox or PS3, that broad generalization makes you sound stuck up

 

[CuddlyCombine]

Maybe the slobbering, rabid console-gaming demographic cant afford a gaming PC on top of a xbox or PS3, that broad generalization makes you sound stuck up

Fallacies aside...

Edit: In case that's not clear enough, I'm trying to indicate that I was joking. I don't generalize. And I only have a $600 laptop.

 

[Cody211282]

Maybe the slobbering, rabid console-gaming demographic cant afford a gaming PC on top of a xbox or PS3, that broad generalization makes you sound stuck up

Fallacies aside...

Well damn now I sound like an ass, sorry just got back from actualy debating this very topic at the computer club at school, so i was a but fired up already

 

[CuddlyCombine]

Well damn now I sound like an ass, sorry just got back from actualy debating this very topic at the computer club at school, so i was a but fired up already

That's OK. My apologies for not being clear enough.

 

[Doug]

Maybe the slobbering, rabid console-gaming demographic cant afford a gaming PC on top of a xbox or PS3, that broad generalization makes you sound stuck up

Fallacies aside...

Well damn now I sound like an ass, sorry just got back from actualy debating this very topic at the computer club at school, so i was a but fired up already

Fair enough - not a console player myself, and even I thought you where alittle...yeah...

Anywho, peace made now, I think that Mass Effect 2 is excellent myself, and I've played it far too much; I don't think I've played something this intensely since Dragon Age - and before that, I hadn't played something so intensely in years.

Either way, I think I'm Biowares ***** now. Not that thats a bad thing, heh.

 

[SnootyEnglishman]

Having only played Dragon Age and Mass Effect...i've got little experience in which to fully judge BioWare on their style but from what i know they have the talent to tell a good story but it sometimes takes a little long to tell story and then getting to the part where i push buttons and take on the enemy of the game

 

[Amarok]

Exactly, the fact that Mass Effect's multiple dialogue trees allow you to control your own character means that games finally have an edge over movies in the story-telling department. Seeing this in other games, even fast-paced action titles (note that not every game needs the extensive background and lore that ME has) would be a big boost for the medium.

/opinion stated as fact.

 

[Woodsey]

I don't see how the leveling system being different makes it dumbed down.

You unlock however many skills for Shepard (about 8 from what I remember), which isn't much less than the first - you need to take into account that two of the first game's skills were intimidate and charm (which are handled much better this time around).

Nor do I see how the shooting elements of the game being improved makes it less of an RPG - its what they were going for in the first game, they just didn't do it very well.

 

[Lomsor]

I really love shooters and I really love story so MassEffect was great.

I could take a break from all this shooting by experiencing a mixture of a movie and a book. You can ask or you can give a shit. But I just love to discover the story to slowly understand how this works universe works.
Fallout 3 as the last RPG I played before MassEffect2 had a great story but the other roleplay features just anoyed me. Organizing inventar. Looking and skill trees and loads of other things. And in the end the shooting didn't feel right. Of course this crounching behind a box and shooting all the time might be boring but I didn't thought so because I fought to save humanity and not fought and saved humanity just by accident. I work for the story and not the story works for me.

And combining this with shooter makes it just perfect for me as the traditional RPG thing and Skill trees are quite interesting but for me it was the right amount in Mass Effect.

 

[qbanknight]

wow you hit the nail on the head with what makes mass effect 2 a thousand times better than its predecessor. i agree with every point you made, particularly that dialog tree mechanics could find their way into action-heavy games.

 

[electric discordian]

Just to spin it on it's head for a second I really hope this is the direction of Gears 3! Take out some of the "Bromance" add a female character who isn't just a window dressing.

Anyway Mass Effect 2 to me is as near to a perfect game as you can get! I am playing it a second time as we speak