Mass Effect 2... a letdown?

[Tsuyu]

Mass Effect 2... a letdown?

Yes, I'm totally bummed right now. I had hoped EA wouldn't ruin BioWare, but Dragon Age and now Mass Effect 2 makes me think otherwise.

Why is there no inventory system in Mass Effect 2?

Where's the gun customization?

And why, in Satan's glorious name, IS THERE AMMO IN THIS GAME?! If you read the lore, you'd know that projectile weaponry in the Mass Effect universe has developed beyond the need for ammo. Way to sell out to the mainstream.

The story so far feels incredibly shallow, too. Why don't we get any explanation of what happened to your character between basically saving the known universe and then just getting shot up? No bigass celebration? No getting admired in the Citadel in a prologue? Bah!

The way none of the weapons actually show any kinds of stats makes the game feel simpler than it should be. More stats and modifiers shown=happy rpg nerds. This game feels nothing like Mass Effect; it feels like an average third person shooter with RPG elements.

And what's up with "driving" the Normandy around and having to by fuel? It just feels tacky. At least the original offered that kickass cutscene each time you went somewhere else.

All in all it just feels... feels... watered down. Dumbed down. Sold-out. Now if you excuse me, I've got to drown my sorrows in alcohol.

 

[Dark Drakan]

Re: Mass Effect 2... a letdown?

I havent been slightly disappointed, i hated the inventory system in the first it was a cluttered awkward mess and couldnt navigate anything properly at all. Story to me has been pretty well done so far and ive been impressed with the depth and detail they have gone to. Ammo was brought in so you didnt resort to using just one all powerful weapon for everything. Was mainly used as a way to balance things and ive actually preferred it. In 11 hours ive used about 9 different weapons. In Mass Effect i think i used about 4 for the entire game.

I dont like the buying fuel part or the probes i have to agree with that part. My advice is to stick with it as at first the systems seem watered down but they arent they are just presented in a less complex, cluttered manner.

 

[Steve]

Re: Mass Effect 2... a letdown?

I'm enjoying Mass Effect 2 so far but there's a few things that I find a little tedious... Bear in mind, I'm playing on Insanity difficulty... I probably wouldn't mind so much if I were on a lower difficulty.

1. Cover system is a bit iffy.
2. Fights drag on and on... and on... and on...
3. Ally AI is surprisingly good most of the time, except when...

Spoiler

...you are tasked with defending Garrus and he refuses to take cover...

4. Joker is not funny and I wish he would die.
5. The Cerberus Network - while pretty cool and I understand it helps reduce the number of people purchasing the game second hand - totally screwed me out of free DLC. I really hope EA do not attempt to implement this kind of system into Dead Space 2.
6. Mass Effect 2 red ringed both my Elite and my Pro. Lol.

However, I'm still having fun playing it.

 

[Tsuyu]

Re: Mass Effect 2... a letdown?

Being as complicated as possible with an external "log in"-system is the EA norm these days. I fear for the inevitable sodomization of Dead Space 2 that is to come.

EA is the gaming devil. The should've stuck to sports game cause I wouldn't touch that genre with a ten-foot pole anyway.

 

[Dark Drakan]

Re: Mass Effect 2... a letdown?

Ive had no issues with the Cerberus network for the record (at the moment).

 

[Tsuyu]

Re: Mass Effect 2... a letdown?

It's just totally unnecessary, that's all. And I pity the fool who buys Mass Effect 2 second hand.

 

[Dark Drakan]

Re: Mass Effect 2... a letdown?

It's just totally unnecessary, that's all.

Think its being used as a way to integrate DLC and tempt you to purchase it a little more (EA idea no doubt). Though lots of developers are using these styled systems now, not saying im for it but im guessing we will see more systems like them from other companies in the near future so have to get used to them id imagine.

I pity the fool who buys Mass Effect 2 second hand.

Yeah that would be rather frustrating.

 

[Tsuyu]

Re: Mass Effect 2... a letdown?

I think a new Ceberus code is 1200 MS or some-such. Its ridiculous.

 

[Tyloric]

Re: Mass Effect 2... a letdown?

I have no complaints with ME2. At all. About anything. I'm %200 satisfied.

Speaking of which, I've got almost all achievements.

 

[runeblade265]

Re: Mass Effect 2... a letdown?

I havn't played the game yet but.

Simpler mechanics doesn't mean it is worse.

TBH, I am a big RPG buff but the inventory in ME1 was a cluster****.

In ME1, I could use the same gun throughout the entire game.

The only thing that might bother me is the reduced skill tree. That is one of my favorite parts in rpg's but from the vids i see there are like only 4 skills

 

[Skotekal]

Re: Mass Effect 2... a letdown?

I'm going to have to agree with Tsuyu. I thought the guns had large chunks of metal in them that were sheared off according to distance, conditions, etc. And that the gun automatically dissapated the heat. All of a sudden you now need thermal clips to absorb the heat? What the hell? How did this happen in your 2 year hiatus?

And weapons mods were the shiznit. I loved the inventory screen and the omnigel system. It added a bit of complexity to the game.

And I loved the MAKO. I felt so awesome being dropped down into a barren terrestrial world to explore. It was so hardcore. And is much better than scanning planets. And I don't really like the upgrade system at all.

But all things aside from the 2 year hiatus and the crappy bossfight, the story was still ****in' awesome.

And just for the record, the last mission was so freakin' awesome until the boss fight. That was the gaysauce.

 

[Tyloric]

Re: Mass Effect 2... a letdown?

I'm going to have to agree with Tsuyu. I thought the guns had large chunks of metal in them that were sheared off according to distance, conditions, etc. And that the gun automatically dissapated the heat. All of a sudden you now need thermal clips to absorb the heat? What the hell? How did this happen in your 2 year hiatus?

And weapons mods were the shiznit. I loved the inventory screen and the omnigel system. It added a bit of complexity to the game.

And I loved the MAKO. I felt so awesome being dropped down into a barren terrestrial world to explore. It was so hardcore. And is much better than scanning planets. And I don't really like the upgrade system at all.

But all things aside from the 2 year hiatus and the crappy bossfight, the story was still ****in' awesome.

And just for the record, the last mission was so freakin' awesome until the boss fight. That was the gaysauce.

1) I don't think Collectors have genders, so they can't be 'gaysaunce'.
2) I loved the final boss.
3) I prefer ammo > overheat.
4) Garrus is awesome.

 

[Tyloric]

Re: Mass Effect 2... a letdown?

(oops... double posted. oh well)

I posed this question on LJ: http://community.livejournal.com/masseffect/243692.html

Feel free to answer it here on in the LJ.

 

[Skotekal]

Re: Mass Effect 2... a letdown?

Garrus is awesome. I have him on every mission. And the collectors and there "backgrounds" are awesome. Just the final boss battle was stupid. It felt so cliche. Just a guy versus giant monster.

And I guess they couldn't be gaysauce.

 

[Tyloric]

Re: Mass Effect 2... a letdown?

Also, I feel a need to point out that guns in ME2 don't use ammo. They use thermal clips, which prevent over heating. So gameplay says ammo, lore does not.

 

[Devil Keyz]

Re: Mass Effect 2... a letdown?

lol it sounds like u were let down by dragon age. but it seems like u really like real RPG's where me, im just happy with a game that i can swords, axes, armour and kill things

 

[Tsuyu]

Re: Mass Effect 2... a letdown?

Also, I feel a need to point out that guns in ME2 don't use ammo. They use thermal clips, which prevent over heating. So gameplay says ammo, lore does not.

You could call them "teddy bears" and it would still be ammo.

The guns in Mass Effect 1 didn't use any sort of ammo system and could fire continously. It's weird how in 2 years the technology of the Mass Effect universe seems to have de-evolved like so. What they should've done was kept the overheating system, and had give you the option to spend a thermal clip to cool down the gun much faster than it would cool down on it's own. That would've made sense, lore-wise.

 

[Gikoku]

Re: Mass Effect 2... a letdown?

Yes, I'm totally bummed right now. I had hoped EA wouldn't ruin BioWare, but Dragon Age and now Mass Effect 2 makes me think otherwise.

How exactly did they ruin Dragon Age? Aside from the poor visuals, you can only blame Bioware for choosing to run the game on an outdated engine. From the looks of things, the only thing EA has done was the cheesy marketing and the aided funding of the projects.

Where's the gun customization?

That I do miss, I would have preferred to build & customize my own weapons rather than just upgrade their stats.

And why, in Satan's glorious name, IS THERE AMMO IN THIS GAME?! If you read the lore, you'd know that projectile weaponry in the Mass Effect universe has developed beyond the need for ammo. Way to sell out to the mainstream.

Story wise, it doesn't make much sense. However, gameplay-wise it adds to the challenge of the game.. you run out of thermal clips, then you're forced to figure out another way to survive be it your biotic/tech abilities or the aid of your companions. I like it a lot better this way.

The story so far feels incredibly shallow, too. Why don't we get any explanation of what happened to your character between basically saving the known universe and then just getting shot up? No bigass celebration? No getting admired in the Citadel in a prologue? Bah!

So you're saying the story is incredibly shallow because it's lacking just a bit of information? I really hope you're not serious...

The way none of the weapons actually show any kinds of stats makes the game feel simpler than it should be. More stats and modifiers shown=happy rpg nerds. This game feels nothing like Mass Effect; it feels like an average third person shooter with RPG elements.

Get jiggy with the Codex and Investigating if you want to get your nerd on. There's still character building in the game, and the stats get deeper the more your stats are increased, including learning the abilities of your companions. A bunch of stats for a gun did not make Mass Effect what it originally was. Sell the game and play something else if it bothers you that much.

And what's up with "driving" the Normandy around and having to by fuel? It just feels tacky. At least the original offered that kickass cutscene each time you went somewhere else.

... The Mass Relay cutscene? That's still there, and there's a somewhat unique landing cutscene for every single uncharted planet in the game, unlike ME1. On top of that, ME2's uncharted planets aren't cut & pasted environments anymore, each one is actually different this time, with the majority offering something a bit more different than the last (however, the minority are indeed repetitive [Go in--Shoot bad guys--Retrieve item]).

All in all it just feels... feels... watered down. Dumbed down. Sold-out. Now if you excuse me, I've got to drown my sorrows in alcohol.

This is almost similar to how I would describe the first Mass Effect. Very broken shooter mechanic, unnecessary cut & paste worlds with the exact same mine & space station interiors, and driving miles and miles through a bunch of empty terrain, only to scan a goddamn rock. The side missions were all exactly the same as well, the design of them were very lazy.

This whole rant of yours, makes very little sense.

It's just totally unnecessary, that's all. And I pity the fool who buys Mass Effect 2 second hand.

I can understand why they did this, to increase sales of new copies. The developers & publishers do not receive any money from second hand purchases. So if people want free DLC, then they'll have to hop on the wagon and buy it new, thus more money earned.

Clever of them, really.

I havent been slightly disappointed, i hated the inventory system in the first it was a cluttered awkward mess and couldnt navigate anything properly at all. Story to me has been pretty well done so far and ive been impressed with the depth and detail they have gone to. Ammo was brought in so you didnt resort to using just one all powerful weapon for everything. Was mainly used as a way to balance things and ive actually preferred it. In 11 hours ive used about 9 different weapons. In Mass Effect i think i used about 4 for the entire game.

I dont like the buying fuel part or the probes i have to agree with that part. My advice is to stick with it as at first the systems seem watered down but they arent they are just presented in a less complex, cluttered manner.

Agreed partially. In ME1 I only used 2 guns throughout the entire game (Assault Rifle & Sniper Rifle), in ME2, I've used every gun I had for the Soldier class, and I found it also has given me more strategy rather than using the same strategy for every fight. The scanning the planets I'm not too bothered by, however it does get boring to me after a good while.

Finished the game a couple hours ago, and really enjoyed the story (more so than the first game, although I admit it is not the same without someone like Saren running around). The ending of the game I found to not be as 'awesome' as I hoped it would be (they're apparently saving the rest of the 'epic' for ME3), but the overall experience was much more pleasurable than the first game.

 

[Dark Drakan]

Re: Mass Effect 2... a letdown?

Finished the game a couple hours ago, and really enjoyed the story (more so than the first game, although I admit it is not the same without someone like Saren running around). The ending of the game I found to not be as 'awesome' as I hoped it would be (they're apparently saving the rest of the 'epic' for ME3), but the overall experience was much more pleasurable than the first game.

Ive been utterly dragged into the story and loving it and even the side missions have compelled me to do them as they are actually interesting this time around. Much deeper than the cut and paste ones in ME as you said, better environments, more varied missions, really good cut-scenes that make them feel just like they are part of the main mission. I do miss Saren though, he was an interesting character.

 

[Angel]

Re: Mass Effect 2... a letdown?

I'm really enjoying it - aside from a couple of "stuck in the wall" glitches and being outflanked by Blood Pack Pyros, it's an improvement for my part. I have noticed a inclination towards being "backwards" in their technology (e.g. the ammo thing) but then again, I like to think perhaps the whole Saren/Geth/Reaper thing may have had something to do with it. Probably doesn't in the slightest, but it makes me sleep better at night. Or something. The AI seems more responsive than in ME1 and I like how you can split your team up - but the wheels are still too sensitive or not sensitive enough - when I'm trying to select Warp, I end up getting the one next to it or when I'm trying to hack some code, it doesn't move fast enough.


I like my Space Hamster though. I call him Norris. He's my friend.