Stolen Pixels #257: The Electronic Artists

[icaritos]

Still gonna be great.

Quit crying, people. At least until you've actually played it.

Yes complain about the product only after you paid for it, herp derp.

I will reserve my judgment until the demo is out, but i will be brutal based on how it plays and feels.

 

[Ipsen]

The comic was funny.

But most of us have heard every negative to be said on this subject, over and OVER again, and to say you're beating the shit out of that dead horse is a dramatic understatement.

Bottom line, laughable amounts of whinging about a game people really know jack shit about to one side, I'd bet money that most of us on this forum will be playing Mass Effect 3 the week it comes out.

Ah ah, but we DO know a bit more than jack shit about Mass Effect 3; it IS a sequel, and should share some of the spirit/elements of either/both ME1 and ME2.

If EA is making cases to investors to change the game that only the loyal fan base is helped or hurt by, I'd say EA is looking in the wrong direction. Some physics for a standing structure will tell you compromising the base leads to a better chance the structure will collapse.

We'll still go see how it turns out though, I'm pretty sure.

By the power of Captcha, may avereog justice prevail!

 

[GiantRaven]

while i agree, don't you think we have enough companies making shooters already?

Shooters with intricate dialog trees? Not enough in my book.

 

[Raesvelg]

Why does everyone automatically assume that making the game appeal to a broader market automatically means turning it into a generic shooter?

 

[Legion]

The comic was very funny, but I will still be buying ME3 and I am sure I will still enjoy it.

I can't believe I'm saying these words, but I have literally no desire to play Mass Effect 3. Unbelievable. I actually have no desire to play a Bioware game.

I'm calling them "Nu-Bioware" now. Let's face it, it's not like this is the same group of people that made KOTOR anymore. It's time to stop expecting the same standard of quality from what is obviously a very different group of people with obviously different priorities.

Post-DA2 I'd call heresy, they can still make good games, but they are lacking what made their previous work so damn good.

 

[Imp_Emissary]

There's a reasonably easy way to tell what's going to happen.

A Big Company that makes its success out of annual titles to a large scale audience wants to tweak the product of a company that produces successful titles to a small scale audience.

It's not even science to predict that will mean removing elements that the large scale audience would find difficult to comprehend, and replacing them with things that the large scale audience like.

When they also say they want the game to be more like CoD; and we see the transition of characters in sequels, it's not hard to think that this will be Tits In, Thinky Out.

Because if you were going to change a best-selling piece of media to be available to a larger market, what would you do?

They want to replace thinking with tits?
Don`t tits do that themselves? : )

 

[IceStar100]

I'm with Shamus. Entirely.

I can't believe I'm saying these words, but I have literally no desire to play Mass Effect 3. Unbelievable. I actually have no desire to play a Bioware game.

And as much as it hurts, I agree.

Samed I feel like the quote *If you try to grab it all you'll end up with nothing." Seems like that whole we are just going o stay out of Bioware stuff turned out t be what people where saying BS.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

They want to replace thinking with tits?
Don`t tits do that themselves? : )

I don't know...I just saw a pair walk past the window...brb.

 

[The Great JT]

Have a little faith in Bioware. Plus, if anything is really wrong with the game, we can just blame EA.

On a side note, who hasn't wanted to shoot that goddamn reporter? Hell, I wanted to shoot her. And I always play Paragon!

 

[teebeeohh]

while i agree, don't you think we have enough companies making shooters already?

Shooters with intricate dialog trees? Not enough in my book.

you have a point there. Although the guy who came with "dialog wheel" concept is sitting in his basement right now crying because you associated mass effect with dialog tree and not dialog spiral

 

[GiantRaven]

you have a point there. Although the guy who came with "dialog wheel" concept is sitting in his basement right now crying because you associated mass effect with dialog tree and not dialog spiral

Eh, the only difference I see between the dialog wheel and listing the dialog choices is that it's easier for a console user to use with the analogue stick.

 

[teebeeohh]

Eh, the only difference I see between the dialog wheel and listing the dialog choices is that it's easier for a console user to use with the analogue stick.

didn't the bioware guys made a lot of fuzz about how much more immersive dialogs the system is because the position of an option on the wheel gives you context. Like how the bottom right one is always more geared towards renegade.

also isn't it kinda a waste to outfit a shooter with complex dialog options? if you look at CoD you may get the opinion that most people who like shooters get bored unless there are at least 2 explosions every minute.

 

[Mr. GameBrain]

Hey.. wait a minute....

I HAVEN'T EVEN PLAYED MASS EFFECT 2 YET!!!!

....

Ah, and now I remember why!

I was going to play through the first, then carry over to the second.

Look like tomorrow's going to be Mass Effect day...

As for Mass Effect 3, so long as its got good story and characters I'll probably play it!

 

[leviadragon99]

Ehh, I'll reserve judgement until we have something more than words...

 

[luckycharms8282]

Both EA and Activision are famous for this. Theyll make changes to a game's mechanics, trying to appeal to a wider audience and make more money. Then they wind up pissing off and alienating the old customer base.

 

[GiantRaven]

didn't the bioware guys made a lot of fuzz about how much more immersive dialogs the system is because the position of an option on the wheel gives you context. Like how the bottom right one is always more geared towards renegade.

I forgot about that. Good point.

also isn't it kinda a waste to outfit a shooter with complex dialog options? if you look at CoD you may get the opinion that most people who like shooters get bored unless there are at least 2 explosions every minute.

Erm...no? Was it a waste to give Deus Ex a deep, interesting story? Just because there is a group of fans that like a certain thing, it doesn't mean that other aspects of design cannot be considered. Not every fan of shooters is the stereotypical CoD-loving frat boy idiot (I wonder how true that stereotype is really, I've never seen an overwhelmingly large amount of people in that mould myself).

 

[Canid117]

Are EA's investors really so uncomfortable with RPGs that they have completely forgotten about the seven million units sold already. Sure it isn't Cod but if not every franchise can or should be.

 

[teebeeohh]

Erm...no? Was it a waste to give Deus Ex a deep, interesting story? Just because there is a group of fans that like a certain thing, it doesn't mean that other aspects of design cannot be considered. Not every fan of shooters is the stereotypical CoD-loving frat boy idiot (I wonder how true that stereotype is really, I've never seen an overwhelmingly large amount of people in that mould myself).

...
damn you now i have to reinstall deus ex because you mention it's awesomeness.

Just look at the sales: CoD sells extremely well every year and i am pretty sure that if a company like Bioware would add an incredible singleplayer campaign with a deep story and extremely well written and delivered dialog to a CoD game the vast majority of customers would never see it or skip through the cut scenes to get back to shooting people. That OK not everyone likes the same things and i do see the appeal that mindless shooting has but i think that using Bioware to make shooters is a waste because almost everyone who likes RPGs loves a good story while a lot of people(yes, the CoD-Halo-fratboy demographic among them) would just see a story as something that gets between them and shooting people.

short version: most shooter fans do not appreciate a good story in their shooters as much as RPGler appreciate a good story in their RPGs, thus Bioware should keep making PRGs.

edit: also, Deus ex is not a normal shooter in the way that if you strip aways all the story, item collection and character progression it's a horrible shooter.

 

[GiantRaven]

damn you now i have to reinstall deus ex because you mention it's awesomeness.

My work here is done. [http://sureasshiretalk.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/deusex1.jpg]

Just look at the sales: CoD sells extremely well every year and i am pretty sure that if a company like Bioware would add an incredible singleplayer campaign with a deep story and extremely well written and delivered dialog to a CoD game the vast majority of customers would never see it or skip through the cut scenes to get back to shooting people.

I'd like to think that people might experience something new and have their horizons expanded. That's probably just the optimist in me fleetingly showing itself for a second though.