I along with alot of other players on the Bioware forums ask, what is the point in an action rpg that can't deliver either?
The roleplaying is nill with each choice reflecting the tone in which a character gives you the exact same message. Compounded by the previous game's choices which turned out to be meaningless.
This is the typical level of choice in ME2
*Paragon*
"You saved my family and donated to my retirement, will you help me again?"
"Of course for I am the warrior of justice."
"please help me with this corrupt offical."
*Renegade*
"You killed my family and stole my life savings, will you please help me this time?"
"Get lost"
"If you change your mind please help me with this corrupt offical."
The leveling and stats along with loot system is gone so combat is pointless other than to reach the next door where you can meet another npc with a tedious request much like the above.
The combat is just watered down gears with enemies following two forms of ai. Walk at you, and bob up and down behind cover. Throw in most of the enemies look alike while the environments are the exact same cargo crates thrown around a recoloured backdrop and there is no thrill in combat.
The story is painfully shallow. Shepard recruits team, Shepard goes on suicide mission with team, loyal members survive. Perhaps most of it was left to the loyalty missions but each one is entirely pointless to the plot while any action you take has zero consequences. In the original Mass Effect when you recieved a loyalty mission it was because you took the time to talk to the characters and learn their backstory. Here that has been cut out, instead you can ignore them completely and still get their mission. You don't even have to talk to them to find out they have a mission because your yeoman will list off every character willing to spill their life secrets to someone they had a single conversation.
The exploration though annoying in ME has been replaced by probing, basically going over a planet with a metal detector. At first tedious this quickly reveals itself to be padding because if you want upgrades you need resources. If you need resources you have to probe. Sure you can find 500 platinum in a case every so often but that won't mean jack when you need 50,000 for a med bay upgrade. So what is the term normally used for repetitive activies with no alternative and no entertainment? Got 100,000 Iridium but have no credits to buy anything at a shop? Too bad that Iridium is just going to follow you around because there are no foundries looking to buy.
In a true sign this game was designed for those who wouldn't care for it, the difficulty is based around normal. On a scale of casual, normal, verteran, hardcore and insanity balancing the game to normal means anyone who ventures past the modes designed for children will find their characters gimped. Half the abilites become useless and the other half become spam, simplifing the combat and rpg elements further. The Vanguard a class defined by its ability to charge through enemies like a freight train is forced behind crates because charge will only knock an enemy over and let the rest of them shoot at you, point blank (this is assuming charge doesn't lock up on an ankle high crate just in front of them or send them out of the map forcing you to load because this game is glitchy too). The adept who is meant to finish battles without firing a shot must finish battles without firing a power because almost all powers don't work on enemies with shields or armour and everyone has shields AND armour on insane. Sure you can chain powers together to deal more damage but sticking your head out to fire a power then rushing to get the second in time before your screen fills with red jam is just pointless when you could fire warp twice to do the same job. The result? I hope you like using warp because that's the only power that works. I'd go on but there are too many classes and trust me, they are all dull as dishwater on harder modes.
The only use I see people getting out of this game is a dating sim though that is poorly done as Shepard will turn a dialogue option as simple as, "can I help?" into, "let me help you into something more comfortable." this makes it hard to actually act friendly to any crew members without Shepard trying to cheat on your love interest while romancing the LI is as simple as skipping through meaningless blather while agreeing with everything they say.
Funnily enough those terrible romantic conversations are the only time Shepard actually knows how to talk. The rest of the time Bioware thought talking meant, "What's the problem?", "Why did they act this way?", "How did you respond?", "Where were you in the night in question?" and other questions that make Shepard come off as an interrogater to the homeless man down the street.
The rest of the problems such as the hacking minigame, the empty environments and the weapons that all feel the same have all been criticised in detail by others and everything else would be spoileriffic. So if you do feel like buying this game despite it being a poor attempt to appeal to two markets at once just remember to strike the giant enemy crab in its weak point for massive damage. You'll know when you see it.
The roleplaying is nill with each choice reflecting the tone in which a character gives you the exact same message. Compounded by the previous game's choices which turned out to be meaningless.
This is the typical level of choice in ME2
*Paragon*
"You saved my family and donated to my retirement, will you help me again?"
"Of course for I am the warrior of justice."
"please help me with this corrupt offical."
*Renegade*
"You killed my family and stole my life savings, will you please help me this time?"
"Get lost"
"If you change your mind please help me with this corrupt offical."
The leveling and stats along with loot system is gone so combat is pointless other than to reach the next door where you can meet another npc with a tedious request much like the above.
The combat is just watered down gears with enemies following two forms of ai. Walk at you, and bob up and down behind cover. Throw in most of the enemies look alike while the environments are the exact same cargo crates thrown around a recoloured backdrop and there is no thrill in combat.
The story is painfully shallow. Shepard recruits team, Shepard goes on suicide mission with team, loyal members survive. Perhaps most of it was left to the loyalty missions but each one is entirely pointless to the plot while any action you take has zero consequences. In the original Mass Effect when you recieved a loyalty mission it was because you took the time to talk to the characters and learn their backstory. Here that has been cut out, instead you can ignore them completely and still get their mission. You don't even have to talk to them to find out they have a mission because your yeoman will list off every character willing to spill their life secrets to someone they had a single conversation.
The exploration though annoying in ME has been replaced by probing, basically going over a planet with a metal detector. At first tedious this quickly reveals itself to be padding because if you want upgrades you need resources. If you need resources you have to probe. Sure you can find 500 platinum in a case every so often but that won't mean jack when you need 50,000 for a med bay upgrade. So what is the term normally used for repetitive activies with no alternative and no entertainment? Got 100,000 Iridium but have no credits to buy anything at a shop? Too bad that Iridium is just going to follow you around because there are no foundries looking to buy.
In a true sign this game was designed for those who wouldn't care for it, the difficulty is based around normal. On a scale of casual, normal, verteran, hardcore and insanity balancing the game to normal means anyone who ventures past the modes designed for children will find their characters gimped. Half the abilites become useless and the other half become spam, simplifing the combat and rpg elements further. The Vanguard a class defined by its ability to charge through enemies like a freight train is forced behind crates because charge will only knock an enemy over and let the rest of them shoot at you, point blank (this is assuming charge doesn't lock up on an ankle high crate just in front of them or send them out of the map forcing you to load because this game is glitchy too). The adept who is meant to finish battles without firing a shot must finish battles without firing a power because almost all powers don't work on enemies with shields or armour and everyone has shields AND armour on insane. Sure you can chain powers together to deal more damage but sticking your head out to fire a power then rushing to get the second in time before your screen fills with red jam is just pointless when you could fire warp twice to do the same job. The result? I hope you like using warp because that's the only power that works. I'd go on but there are too many classes and trust me, they are all dull as dishwater on harder modes.
The only use I see people getting out of this game is a dating sim though that is poorly done as Shepard will turn a dialogue option as simple as, "can I help?" into, "let me help you into something more comfortable." this makes it hard to actually act friendly to any crew members without Shepard trying to cheat on your love interest while romancing the LI is as simple as skipping through meaningless blather while agreeing with everything they say.
Funnily enough those terrible romantic conversations are the only time Shepard actually knows how to talk. The rest of the time Bioware thought talking meant, "What's the problem?", "Why did they act this way?", "How did you respond?", "Where were you in the night in question?" and other questions that make Shepard come off as an interrogater to the homeless man down the street.
The rest of the problems such as the hacking minigame, the empty environments and the weapons that all feel the same have all been criticised in detail by others and everything else would be spoileriffic. So if you do feel like buying this game despite it being a poor attempt to appeal to two markets at once just remember to strike the giant enemy crab in its weak point for massive damage. You'll know when you see it.
