Mass Effect 2 Discussion - Fight for the Lost

Sounds like it'll be useful for taking out close-packed husk groups. I'll give it a go in my second playthrough, but yeah, more actual missions to use this stuff in would be nice.
 
[quote name='A Happy Panda']Darn. So only one squadmate power huh...I wish they'd let you spent more to let you switch out one of your own for another squadmate's. I never ever put a single point into Cyro Freeze after I re-skilled since I found myself never using it, now that is wasting a slot because it is one of my Sentintel's innate powers. [/QUOTE]
Well, since you never get enough skill points to really invest in all of your skill, having a useless power or two (so long as they're not prerequisites for useful stuff) isn't too big a problem.
 
The new Cerberus Projector Arc looks like a real man's kind of gun :lol:

I can't wait to try it out later tonight, though I don't imagine it will take over the #1 Heavy Weapon spot for me (currently belonging to the M-622 Avalance) :cool:

[quote name='JoeBlo']Pure Hilarious at first I thought it was an internet joke but its Not. Bioware creators of ME2 actually gave the in game Tank, yes they call it a tank. A "pew,pew,pew" sound when your fire it main cannon. I always though pew pew pew was a gun fire sound children under 4 years old only make. I guess not. What were they thinking?? Every time I hear it I laugh, and some fan weeps.

http://kotaku.com/5488885/mass-effect-2s-new-hovertank-in-action-blowin-up-geth

watch the video. I expect they will be forced to fix it because their forums are on their knees with the backlash or will soon be. [/QUOTE]Leave this kind of spam shit on the BioWare forums, please.
 
I am in NO rush to play Mass Effect 2 what so ever.

I most likely look forward to buying the GOTY Edition on Black Friday for $19.99

Or just wait till it price drops or includes the DLC packs.

Besides the PC version with PhysX support has volumetric Steam and smoke, and more destructible objects.

Probably get the PC version.
 
Felt guilty that I didn't play this game at all for about 3 weeks, jumped in and completed
Zaeed and Tali loyalty missions. At first I thought I fucked up the Zaeed one when I decided to help the people first by taking care of the fire, then seeing Vido fly away.
 
[quote name='JoeBlo']I am in NO rush to play Mass Effect 2 what so ever.

I most likely look forward to buying the GOTY Edition on Black Friday for $19.99[/QUOTE]

Black Friday 2011, or 2012? There hasn't been any announcement of a GOTY Edition yet, so I wouldn't hold out hope that you'd even possibly find one for $20 on Black Friday this year.

Also, you can wait, but I'll enjoy the most amazing game of this generation of consoles right now, thanks.
 
Why are people even assuming that there will be a GOTY package? Everything on the Cerberus network is free anyway, and for all we know the paid DLC could end up taking the form of Dragon Age-style $40 expansions that will never be bundled with the main game.
 
[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']
Leave this kind of spam shit on the BioWare forums, please.[/QUOTE]

I'm commander Shepard, and I endorse this post.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']Why are people even assuming that there will be a GOTY package? Everything on the Cerberus network is free anyway, and for all we know the paid DLC could end up taking the form of Dragon Age-style $40 expansions that will never be bundled with the main game.[/QUOTE]

I think I'd prefer the Dragon Age method for paid DLC. Don't bother with small "Bring Down the Sky" or "Pinnacle Station" add-ons, give me something substantial, all at one time, all on a retail disc that I don't have to install on my hard drive if I choose not to. And in the meantime, keep giving out the occasional weapon, character, or mission through free DLC. That would be my ideal Mass Effect 2 DLC structure.
 
[quote name='BingoBrown']I think I'd prefer the Dragon Age method for paid DLC. Don't bother with small "Bring Down the Sky" or "Pinnacle Station" add-ons, give me something substantial, all at one time, all on a retail disc that I don't have to install on my hard drive if I choose not to. And in the meantime, keep giving out the occasional weapon, character, or mission through free DLC. That would be my ideal Mass Effect 2 DLC structure.[/QUOTE]

I agree. I wouldn't mind a fallout 3 structure either (nice, substantive add-ons with their own locations and themes).
 
[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']The only question I have concerning the Liara DLC is whether it will provide an actual conclusion to her story arc or if it is simply a minor prelude to it. A simple yes or no in spoiler tags would be highly appreciated for those who watched the video. If the latter is indeed the case then I hope it is one hell of a ride or plot twist in store for us otherwise I won't hesitate to wonder why they couldn't wait until ME3 to address it. Either way I'm honestly surprised Bioware hasn't gotten it axed from YouTube yet.[/QUOTE]

I can't really tell, honestly. It seems to open up a ton of new questions. The conclusion appears to be mentioned, but I wouldn't call Liara's story with the Shadow Broker "over."
 
The more I think about ME2 the more I'm disappointed by the changes it made. Makes me sad that they went the route to appease the casual and left the hardcore in the dust. Although ME1 was not popular because it appealed to the casual... it's the EA grip.
 
[quote name='DarkNessBear']The more I think about ME2 the more I'm disappointed by the changes it made. Makes me sad that they went the route to appease the casual and left the hardcore in the dust. Although ME1 was not popular because it appealed to the casual... it's the EA grip.[/QUOTE]

Eh, not entirely accurate. They went hardcore to casual on some of the RPG aspects, but they definitely went from casual to hardcore on the shooter aspect. As I've stated before, it's all a matter of preference. I like the new direction a lot.
 
Personally I think that pretty much every change they made was for the better. I imagine the devs taking every element of ME1 and asking, "Does this really make the game compelling and fun, or is it just here because somebody says that's what an RPG is supposed to have?" And any element that didn't justify itself on its own terms was axed. The primary audience for this game is fans of the first, and they must have known that some of these changes were going to piss people off. I really don't think they were worried about skill trees being too scary for Gears of War fans.

And if FF13's similar ruthless culling is half as effective, I'm going to be pretty damn happy.
 
Well, here is my thinking about the Mako compared to the Hammerhead and that I think a lot of games now indays suffer from...

If any of you listen to 4 Guys 1up (before it was 1upYours) there was a guest on last week talking about simulated worlds compared to hand made worlds and the difference they bring to the player. And it made me think of the Mako compared to the Hammerhead.

Players generally prefer dynamically changing procedural worlds compared to something a Human hand made inch by inch. For example, even though character death animation is much more realistic if it is animated by a person, we generally prefer the nice looking ragdoll. Why? Because it is individually tailored to US, it is completely unique depending on what we are doing and we know we are experiencing something not similar to anothers. So with the first Mass Effect you were given the Mako to explore unexplored worlds which were procedurally created, so when you as a player explore them you feel like you are discovering something not many have seen and you can feel that not even the developer knows what is in every nook and cranny. Which is what gave the game a sense of scope and individuality.

In Mass Effect 2, with it's raised budget Bioware hand crafted EVERY zone rock by rock to make it the best picture possible. But in that process you lose the individuality of exploring something that was not touched by man. Yes in contrast the ME2 environments are more appealing and the Mako levels were dull, but there is no reason why you cannot combine both in order to create an open area with hidden crafted environments within.

That's the perfect mesh of ideas. Just like death animations perfect mesh is; Ragdoll + Animation (Euphoria engine). You want things to look good, while wanting them to be unique towards the player. ME1 had the ragdoll and ME2 has the Animation which = time to combine them.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']Personally I think that pretty much every change they made was for the better. I imagine the devs taking every element of ME1 and asking, "Does this really make the game compelling and fun, or is it just here because somebody says that's what an RPG is supposed to have?" And any element that didn't justify itself on its own terms was axed. The primary audience for this game is fans of the first, and they must have known that some of these changes were going to piss people off. I really don't think they were worried about skill trees being too scary for Gears of War fans.
[/QUOTE]

Agreed.

The only change I didn't like was having less main story missions and spending most of the game on character recruitment and loyalty missions. That left the story pretty thin compared to the first game. Hopefully most of the characters are back as squad mates in the next one--else it's all pointless if most of them aren't (like most ME1 characters weren't in ME2).
 
[quote name='DarkNessBear']Well, here is my thinking about the Mako compared to the Hammerhead and that I think a lot of games now indays suffer from...

If any of you listen to 4 Guys 1up (before it was 1upYours) there was a guest on last week talking about simulated worlds compared to hand made worlds and the difference they bring to the player. And it made me think of the Mako compared to the Hammerhead.

Players generally prefer dynamically changing procedural worlds compared to something a Human hand made inch by inch. For example, even though character death animation is much more realistic if it is animated by a person, we generally prefer the nice looking ragdoll. Why? Because it is individually tailored to US, it is completely unique depending on what we are doing and we know we are experiencing something not similar to anothers. So with the first Mass Effect you were given the Mako to explore unexplored worlds which were procedurally created, so when you as a player explore them you feel like you are discovering something not many have seen and you can feel that not even the developer knows what is in every nook and cranny. Which is what gave the game a sense of scope and individuality.

In Mass Effect 2, with it's raised budget Bioware hand crafted EVERY zone rock by rock to make it the best picture possible. But in that process you lose the individuality of exploring something that was not touched by man. Yes in contrast the ME2 environments are more appealing and the Mako levels were dull, but there is no reason why you cannot combine both in order to create an open area with hidden crafted environments within.

That's the perfect mesh of ideas. Just like death animations perfect mesh is; Ragdoll + Animation (Euphoria engine). You want things to look good, while wanting them to be unique towards the player. ME1 had the ragdoll and ME2 has the Animation which = time to combine them.[/QUOTE]...

The problem with all of this is that ME1 did not have "dynamically changing procedural" uncharted worlds.
 
Thanks for ruining my whole statement with one line =| But I did not say it was dynamically changing. I said that's what players generally prefer. And Mass Effect 1 has procedurally created worlds that were not hand crafted. Which is my point. It's not exactly what players want, but it is closer than ME2's worlds.
 
[quote name='DarkNessBear']Thanks for ruining my whole statement with one line =| But I did not say it was dynamically changing. I said that's what players generally prefer. And Mass Effect 1 has procedurally created worlds that were not hand crafted. Which is my point. It's not exactly what players want, but it is closer than ME2's worlds.[/QUOTE]

Can we get an example of a good game with any dynamically changing procedural anything? I just can't imagine a game like that being any good. The only games I can recall like that are Red Baron/Aces over the Pacific/Aces over Europe flight simulators, that would randomly create different missions. But even that wasn't good, because it was just the same stuff repeated over and over with minimal variations.

I guess I just don't understand how having dynamic planets changes anything, if you're just going to the same downed probe/mineral deposit/whatever. I'd rather have static environments if they offer variety in the gameplay and interaction with characters.

This is just a fundamental difference in people who think Mako missions were exploring and those that don't. I didn't really ever feel like I was exploring with the Mako, and thus a dynamic world would've meant nothing to me.
 
The Projector Arc is a badass piece of weaponry. I gave it some quick playtime tonight and tore through the Archangel recruitment mission with it. It's a lot more powerful than I imagined it would be, and I think it's my new favorite gun :cool:
 
Awesome, I'll have to check it out.

Also your buildout has been working great for me, it fits the type of playstyle I want with my Vanguard. I need to get back into ME2, still have lots to do but I have been a little busy with MLB 10.
 
I'm just starting the
suicide mission
and was wondering if there's any requirements to
make sure everyone lives
or if it all depends on your decisions/how well you play during the mission.
 
I'll use spoilers to be safe--but there's no plot give aways or real tips etc. below.

For the crew:
You just have to do the suicide mission right after they're kidnapped and not waste time doing other stuff.

For your squadmates:
If they're all loyal to you, then it's just a matter of making the right decisions. Think about each person's strengths when making decisions on who you pick to do the various tasks during the mission.
 
What if they aren't loyal? I botched Thame's loyalty mission like an idiot and figured it would let me do it over, and by then it was too late.
 
Just keep him in your party with you throughout the mission. That should keep him alive as long as you make the right decisions on the other parts. Specific tips on that below.

Send Tali or Legion in the vents at the start (tech experts).

Choose someone with good leadership experience to lead the 2nd squad--Garrus, Miranda, Jacob.

Send anyone loyal back to escort the crew to the normandy.

Hold the door or not doesn't seem to matter. Did it both ways in my 2 playthroughs and no one died.

Choose Jack or Samara for the biotic shield.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Just keep him in your party with you throughout the mission. That should keep him alive as long as you make the right decisions on the other parts. Specific tips on that below.

Send Tali or Legion in the vents at the start (tech experts).

Choose someone with good leadership experience to lead the 2nd squad--Garrus, Miranda, Jacob.

Send anyone loyal back to escort the crew to the normandy.

Hold the door or not doesn't seem to matter. Did it both ways in my 2 playthroughs and no one died.

Choose Jack or Samara for the biotic shield.
[/QUOTE]

Not true about keeping an unloyal member with you in your squad.
Any unloyal squadmate with you during the final battle will be crushed by rubble at the end and die.

In regards to holding the door, your remaining squad will stay back and fight regardless of which option you pick, I believe. There is a "score" system at play for the characters left behind to hold the door. It's best to leave the soldier types here, specifically Grunt, Zaeed, and Garrus, since they have higher scores. Loyalty multiplies individual scores. If an overall score isn't met, characters will start dying, usually with Mordin being the first. There is no concrete evidence on what each individual character's score is, but a Bioware developer specifically mentioned the three above in regards on who to leave behind.
 
[quote name='yukine']Awesome, I'll have to check it out.

Also your buildout has been working great for me, it fits the type of playstyle I want with my Vanguard.[/QUOTE]That's what I like to hear :cool:
 
[quote name='Arikado']Not true about keeping an unloyal member with you in your squad.
Any unloyal squadmate with you during the final battle will be crushed by rubble at the end and die.

In regards to holding the door, your remaining squad will stay back and fight regardless of which option you pick, I believe. There is a "score" system at play for the characters left behind to hold the door. It's best to leave the soldier types here, specifically Grunt, Zaeed, and Garrus, since they have higher scores. Loyalty multiplies individual scores. If an overall score isn't met, characters will start dying, usually with Mordin being the first. There is no concrete evidence on what each individual character's score is, but a Bioware developer specifically mentioned the three above in regards on who to leave behind.
[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the clarifications. The first I was just going on what I'd read since I had everyone loyal on both my play throughs. And I only played on Normal so that probably helped to the second--that and luck since my party didn't have those 3 in it at any point during my final mission runs--well I think I did have Grunt on my renegade Adept play through.
 
Well everyone lived but Thame. Oh well, I'm going to go through on the hard difficulty (insane i think?) after a playthrough of FFXIII, I should be able to bust out the final 250 or so achievement points I need.
 
[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']Just a small grammatical note: it's Thane, not Thame :cool:[/QUOTE]

Sounds like a good enough excuse for me to get a bigger tv. lol
 
[quote name='opterasis']Sounds like a good enough excuse for me to get a bigger tv. lol[/QUOTE]

No Hi-Def? That's not good. Get a surround sound system while you're at it. One of the best investments in electronics I've ever made.
 
[quote name='BingoBrown']No Hi-Def? That's not good. Get a surround sound system while you're at it. One of the best investments in electronics I've ever made.[/QUOTE]

Oh, I have a 42inch hdtv, but I've wanted to upgrade to at least a 50inch for a while now.
 
[quote name='opterasis']Oh, I have a 42inch hdtv, but I've wanted to upgrade to at least a 50inch for a while now.[/QUOTE]

That's good, I'm playing on a 42-inch Hi-Def as well. It's really the only way to play video games. I thought you were on a standard tube, since there was that outcry about the tiny text in Mass Effect 2 on non-HD sets. Just a good reason to upgrade to HD in my opinion.
 
I just downloaded the Arc Projector but when I look at my Heavy Weapon list it does not show up. Anyone have this issue or do I have to make it?
 
[quote name='sendme']I just downloaded the Arc Projector but when I look at my Heavy Weapon list it does not show up. Anyone have this issue or do I have to make it?[/QUOTE]
If the download finished while you were playing, you probably just need to quit the game and start it up again.
 
So the in-game message makes it sound like the Arc Projector is good against Shields, Barriers, and Synthetics in groups.
 
[quote name='Filbert']So the in-game message makes it sound like the Arc Projector is good against Shields, Barriers, and Synthetics in groups.[/QUOTE]Good doesn't even begin to cover it. I think awesome, amazing, deadly, or bad-ass would be much more accurate to say. It can nearly one-shot average Geth on Insanity, and can chain up to 5-6 enemies (maybe more?) with each shot without sacrificing much power as it moves between each extra enemy.
 
Kasumi DLC to be released April 6th, 2010

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/11/mass-effect-2-dlc-kasumis-stolen-memory-lands-on-apr-6-don/

While Mass Effect 2's in-game DLC pipeline, The Cerberus Network, continues to transport new weapons (and soon, a new vehicle) to players for free, BioWare has announced the game's first pack of paid downloadable content. "Kasumi's Stolen Memory" finally completes Commander Shepard's dirty dozen, adding a confident female thief to your anti-Reaper repertoire. It's currently scheduled to launch for Xbox 360 and PC on April 6th.

After downloading the DLC, players can get in touch with Kasumi on the Citadel, either in the middle of an ongoing Mass Effect 2 game or after the completion of the main story (lesson learned from Mass Effect 1 DLC!). Once recruited, Shepard aids Kasumi on a secretive mission of recovery, which requires a suave disguise and a run-in with an influential and predictably corrupt art collector. The content, which also provides the "Locust" SMG, a flash-bang grenade loyalty power and a new Achievement, should take about an hour and a half to complete.

BioWare is currently in the midst of "internal discussion" to determine the price of the DLC, but we'll keep you updated as soon as it's finalized. Look for some impressions of "Kasumi's Stolen Memory" on Joystiq later today. Spoiler: It looks great.
 
Kasumiiiiiiii.

About damn time we heard something about her. Now I just want to see her in-game character. Everything sounds great so far, and I look forward to more non-spoiler information about her role in the game.

//commence "Why do we have to pay for this?" discussions...
 
[quote name='Weepingwillow']
BioWare is currently in the midst of "internal discussion" to determine the price of the DLC, but we'll keep you updated as soon as it's finalized.[/QUOTE]

Ugh. Well, we knew the free DLC freight train had to end sometime or another. For only an extra hour and a half of gameplay, this DLC had better be no more than 400 MS points ($5), or at the very least lower than 800 MS points. Sure, it's an extra character as well, which "Bring Down the Sky" and "Pinnacle Station" did not offer, but the real draw is the bonus loyalty mission, in my opinion.

I'm almost wondering whether I should shelve my ME2 playthrough right now for a little while so that I can get in on the Hammerhead missions and Kasumi before beating the game.
 
Niceee, sounds awesome. Why do we have to pay for this?

I'd understand paying for the Hammerhead DLC, but a new crewmate seems like an odd choice. Oh well, I've been saving up points for anything ME2 related to release. So I'm all good.

@Bingo - exactly what I'm doing. I'm saving my insanity playthrough for 1. Getting a break from ME 2. Waiting for all the DLC to come out.
 
Here's an IGN article to supplement the Kasumi news:

March 11, 2010 - We've seen a number of downloadable content releases so far for BioWare's Mass Effect 2, and we're told the next will cost you real dollars. No word yet on exactly how expensive it'll be since BioWare's still figuring it out, but it does come along with a number of new items and story bits. The content should be ready to go on April 6 for Xbox 360 and PC.

One of the main attractions of the download is Kasumi, a stealthy female fighter who you can meet up with in the Citadel. After getting her attention and talking to her about the task she wants you to do, she'll become a member of your party. So after you're all done, she'll take up residence on your ship. You can walk into her room, examine all the cool paintings she has on the wall, and fix yourself a drink at the bar. Like Zaeed, another added character through downloadable content, you can't actually engage in full conversation with her, she just talks at you as you wander around her room.

With a dark hook, black eyes, and a cloaking ability, Kasumi is an intimidating character. In battle, she can also pull off the Mass Effect equivalent of a rogue backstab, as she cloaks, moves behind a target, then reappears and whacks the foe in the back of its head with your omni-tool. She'll also offer the ability to toss out flashbangs as a loyalty bonus, and during the mission you'll get a fancy new gun.

You'll be able to access the content regardless of where you are in the game – whether you're halfway through the story or finished. In all we're told it'll take about one hour and a half to complete, and according to BioWare plays out a little like a James Bond mission. First you infiltrate and mingle with the enemy, then you start shooting. Kasumi will fill you in on the mission details on the Citadel, and then you fly off to the location of the target's mansion, which turns out to be fairly lavish.

I won't spoil any of the specifics, but the plot does at one point involve Michelangelo's David. The setting itself looked impressive, as the interior of the mansion looked out over grassy fields, a large expanse of water, and a city in the distance under a clear, sunny sky. Within the residence were a number of elaborate paintings, bookshelves, and other fancy features as guests of the target's party wandered around in formal wear, clinking glasses as piano music played in the background.

Once the fighting breaks out, expect things to get quite hectic as Shepard and Kasumi battle against a number of formidable foes, some of which will lob flashbangs your way. Assuming the price is right, this could be a nice addition for fans of BioWare's sci-fi RPG.
Click to expand...
She has cloaking :cool: :cool: :cool:
 
checked and I have the arc. when i first downloaded it it wasn't there but now it is showing up. I guess I didn't give it long enough to load up before starting my game. I have not had a chance to use it but will later today.
 
Like Zaeed, another added character through downloadable content, you can't actually engage in full conversation with her, she just talks at you as you wander around her room.
Click to expand...

This is one of the reasons I never visit Zaeed or even give two shits about the character. I'm guessing I'll feel the same with Kasumi.
 
...Seriously?

I'm sort of convinced now Zaeed and Kasumi weren't originally planned but created on a spur of the moment whim or to appease EA. I can't imagine Bioware willingly nerfing conversation branches even if it is for DLC characters especially when they are connected to the main storyline unless they had a good reason. A reason I'd love for them to make public though I won't hold my breath. ...Meh. If Hammerhead proves itself to be another underwhelming addition to the game then I'll do myself a favor and continue lowering my expectations of what's to come until its scheduled release. Same for ME3.
 
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