Mass Effect 2 Discussion - Fight for the Lost

Normandy mission was terrible IMO, but I hate collectathon non-sense. Zaeeds mission was nothing great, but at least it had a lot of combat, which is the games best feature IMO.
 
Just how hard is this game on Insanity? I was thinking about putting on Insanity difficulty on my next play through to get the achievement. I think I played on Veteran my first play through and didn't really have a problem with it.
 
I liked the asthetic and tone of the Normandy mission more than actually collecting the dog tags. Zaeed's mission kind of pissed me off because I wasn't given the dialogue option to make it a win-win situation if you know what I mean (don't feel like trying to figure out spoiler tags on my phone).
 
[quote name='FrankySox']Just how hard is this game on Insanity? I was thinking about putting on Insanity difficulty on my next play through to get the achievement. I think I played on Veteran my first play through and didn't really have a problem with it.[/QUOTE]

On insanity you have to play to your classes strengths and you'll have to retry fights more often. It's largely headache proof because of the frequency of auto-saves. However, there are a few battles that will take more attempts than the norm.
 
[quote name='Filbert']On insanity you have to play to your classes strengths and you'll have to retry fights more often. It's largely headache proof because of the frequency of auto-saves. However, there are a few battles that will take more attempts than the norm.[/QUOTE]

Ok sounds doable. Another thing I have going for me is that my characters name is Jack Sheppard, so he is guaranteed to save to the world and everyone in it.
 
[quote name='js1']
I must say that I love this series overall, maybe my favorite of all-time?[/QUOTE]

It will be mine to as long as they don't pull a Suikoden 3 for ME3. Bioware really knows their shit and this game is further proof not to fuck with Canadians.
 
[quote name='Dasflikko']That presentation has me SO stoked for Mass Effect 3 (as if I wasn't already). I think the gameplay balance is DEFINITELY going to swing back more into traditional rpg territory come ME3.[/QUOTE]
Yea I definitely hope so. They appeased the RPG fan in ME1 and the Action/Adventure fan in ME2, now it's time to appease them both!
 
Uh yeah...

I'm going to take a "believe it when I see it" approach and leave it at that though I am glad it was mentioned. Honestly ME2 was such a radical shift from ME1 growing accustomed to the idea of genre balance at this point feels like waiting for a shooting star to wish upon.
 
Seeing that slideshow reinforces my opinion that BioWare (specifically the Mass Effect team) is the best video game company around. As scary as the thought of trying to give the Mass Effect trilogy its perfect end is, I have complete and total faith that they can pull it off. Then again, I didn't think that ME1 could be so outdone by ME2 (for me personally), so who knows what they have up their sleeve?

Anyways...enough about ME3...bring on the Hammerhead and Kasumi! :drool: :cool:
 
[quote name='BingoBrown']Slightly off-topic, but there is a new Nerf gun, the Deploy CS-6, that has a transforming compact feature that is eerily reminiscent of Mass Effect weaponry. Might be a good option for anybody cosplaying a Mass Effect character, it sorta looks like the M-9 Tempest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uAJtscm6eM&feature=player_embedded[/QUOTE]
That's really cool for a toy gun. I've seen one other gun that folds up. It's too bad that they're not making any yet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D99NHb6B03s
 
I wonder how much them Alternate Appearance Packs are going to run. I would think they would be free seeing how they gave better things for free.
 
Oh god, please don't let "alternative costume" packs go paid DLC. New characters and missions like Kasumi? OK. I'd prefer low priced, but still..... Costume packs? Very Capcom-esque move if it's something you have to buy. I really liked the unlocking of costumes after the loyalty missions.
 
[quote name='Lord_Kefka']Oh god, please don't let "alternative costume" packs go paid DLC.[/QUOTE]

Agreed. These are mostly slight tweaks to the costume anyway, nothing that would even be worth paying for. While I'd like to have them nonetheless, I definitely don't want to pay for them.
 
[quote name='erehwon']That's really cool for a toy gun. I've seen one other gun that folds up. It's too bad that they're not making any yet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D99NHb6B03s[/QUOTE]

That's pretty badass.. how long from when they release that till someone shoots themselves in the stomach while they're folding it back up? :lol:
 
If they begin charging for Alternative Costume Packs, then I may have to fall back on the proverbial "if you don't like them, don't buy them" defense that I despise using :lol:

Beside the point: They're pretty ugly anyways, so I wouldn't mind not having them. If I could remove those ugly ass space-shades from Jack's alternate, I'd definitely want/use it.

These are the types of things (alternative costumes, clothing mods, etc.) that make the PC version of the game more appealing to me.
 
[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']If they begin charging for Alternative Costume Packs, then I may have to fall back on the proverbial "if you don't like them, don't buy them" defense that I despise using :lol:
[/QUOTE]

Reminds me of the argument between people who say "If you don't vote, you can't complain" against the "I don't vote because of XXXX, and I have the right to complain". ;)

It's pointless until we find out if the free DLC gravy train has ended or not. Overall, I'm hoping that the plan for DLC wasn't "free until Hammerhead, pay after". If it's worth it, I'll buy it. The rumored 560 for Kasumi is.....acceptable. But I hate the idea of being nickle and dimed to the point of practically buying another game's dollar value worth of DLC. At that point, where is the value? We aren't getting another game, so why should we pay that much for little add-ons to an existing product?

Geez that was a rant. But that's more of an overall complaint about the DLC/micro-transaction model in general. On the flip side, there are things like the expansion to Dragon Age. I don't know how long the play-time is in the Awakenings disc, but if it's significant then I would buy it. Eventually.....I am a CAG after all.
 
Speaking of which, the Polish article I linked to as well as the Mass Effect wiki (and other sources) have removed the 560 MS point price tag that had been placed on the Kasumi DLC.

Maybe it will be lower than that?
 
[quote name='Lord_Kefka']But I hate the idea of being nickle and dimed to the point of practically buying another game's dollar value worth of DLC. At that point, where is the value? We aren't getting another game, so why should we pay that much for little add-ons to an existing product?[/QUOTE]

That's my problem with DLC. It's like publishers/developers think DLC is just a way to print money.

I paid $60 for the Mass Effect 2 Collector's Edition. I figure that, on just one playthrough, that's probably at least 40 hours of gameplay time. So it comes out to $1.50 per hour. Now, if the rumored $7 Kasumi DLC price is true, and it is about 1.5 hours of gameplay, then I'm paying nearly $5 per hour for that DLC! It just doesn't make any sense. Either give us more content, or charge a lower price.
 
Everyone is forgetting something: EA bought out Bioware.

They will nickel and dime us to death. They got a lot of profit to get back over these last few quarters. They are bleeding money.
 
OK, now I'm getting wrapped up in all this again when I swore to wait until Kasumi releases to play again.....

Started on one thing and led to another and another.....

Costume packs: Looked at the screencaps from the forum. Hard to tell the difference with Garrus' armor. Anyone have a good comparison of the two in the game? It looks like the new one repairs the "battle damage".

While looking for pics on those forums, I found a thread dedicated to Garrus and it has a link to a website which covered the recent toy shows and it appears they have info claiming Garrus would be in the second wave of figures. Now I have to figure out if I want to get in on these or not....although I'm guessing we would never get the full crew (odd number including the DLC characters) so maybe not.

And just now Biofeed tweeted that they've added a character page for Kasumi.
http://masseffect.bioware.com/universe/squad/kasumi/

Something that struck me as amusing was that everyone said she was an older human thief. Guessing due to the voice clips we've heard. But the page has her age as 25.

Other funny thing, two crew members are listed as "classified"
Legion and Garrus
. Is that second one even a spoiler? Wasn't he used in the games advertisements like the Launch trailer?
 
[quote name='Monsta Mack']Everyone is forgetting something: EA bought out Bioware.

They will nickel and dime us to death. They got a lot of profit to get back over these last few quarters. They are bleeding money.[/QUOTE]

I didn't forget that....I was actually counting on it. Hopeful was the word. :p
 
[quote name='Lord_Kefka']While looking for pics on those forums, I found a thread dedicated to Garrus and it has a link to a website which covered the recent toy shows and it appears they have info claiming Garrus would be in the second wave of figures. Now I have to figure out if I want to get in on these or not....although I'm guessing we would never get the full crew (odd number including the DLC characters) so maybe not.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, the second wave is confirmed as Miranda, Mordin, Garrus, and (spoiler, I guess?)
Legion
.

This is to go along with the first wave of Shepard, Grunt, Tali, and Thane.

I'm REALLY looking forward to these figures, but then I'm a toy collector as well, so the combination is a natural fit for me. After the first two waves, they'll have done 7 of Shepard's squadmates. The only ones left that aren't DLC (Kasumi & Zaeed) are Jacob, Samara, and Jack. So there's definitely a possibility of getting the real crew (DLC characters don't actually count, in my opinion). Regardless, if they were going to skip any of the crew, I don't mind skipping Jacob, Samara, and Jack. Well, maybe Samara, but I don't know who I would've replaced in the first two waves to get her in there.

Hopefully they'll roll out even more figures beyond the first two waves. Maybe we can even see some generic enemies at some point, like the merc groups or Collectors.
 
[quote name='Lord_Kefka']And just now Biofeed tweeted that they've added a character page for Kasumi.
http://masseffect.bioware.com/universe/squad/kasumi/

Something that struck me as amusing was that everyone said she was an older human thief. Guessing due to the voice clips we've heard. But the page has her age as 25.[/QUOTE]Her age being listed as 25 blew my mind. I was expecting at least mid-30s.

Other funny thing, two crew members are listed as "classified"
Legion and Garrus
. Is that second one even a spoiler? Wasn't he used in the games advertisements like the Launch trailer?
Click to expand...
For people who went into hiding (from ME2 info) during 2009 and early 2010 it may be a spoiler. Legion makes sense to keep under wraps, though, since he's the biggest "surprise" that you bring to the team - that is, if you didn't see the initial ME2 trailer or the Enemies trailer.
 
[quote name='BingoBrown']After the first two waves, they'll have done 7 of Shepard's squadmates. The only ones left that aren't DLC (Kasumi & Zaeed) are Jacob, Samara, and Jack. So there's definitely a possibility of getting the real crew (DLC characters don't actually count, in my opinion).

Maybe we can even see some generic enemies at some point, like the merc groups or Collectors.[/QUOTE]

I'm just enough of a compulsive collector to have to get them all if I start...and not having the DLC characters (they count to me) would bug me a little. I kinda hoped it would end at 1 series like with the Dissidia figures I bought. That way I wouldn't be disappointed or compelled to get them.

[quote name='Ryuukishi']I would so get a Harbinger action figure if you could push a button and make him say "THIS HURTS YOU."[/QUOTE]

:lol:

[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']Her age being listed as 25 blew my mind. I was expecting at least mid-30s.

For people who went into hiding (from ME2 info) during 2009 and early 2010 it may be a spoiler. Legion makes sense to keep under wraps, though, since he's the biggest "surprise" that you bring to the team - that is, if you didn't see the initial ME2 trailer or the Enemies trailer.[/QUOTE]

This is true. We've opened up on that pretty much now. Are we still consider him a spoiler? Technically, he was the first squadmate shown in the first sneak preview. The one where it gives the dates of Shepards dates of service and ends with
KIA
 
[quote name='The Crotch']I kick fucking ass at keeping myself in blissful ignorance.[/QUOTE]

Yeah I knew next to nothing about ME2 before playing it. This is the only gaming site I go to regularly, and I stayed out of the ME2 thread for the most part until I started playing.
 
[quote name='Lord_Kefka']This is true. We've opened up on that pretty much now. Are we still consider him a spoiler? Technically, he was the first squadmate shown in the first sneak preview. The one where it gives the dates of Shepards dates of service and ends with
KIA
[/QUOTE]Well, I don't have him/it spoilered in the OP anymore and I've been saying his/its name without tags around it - so I guess he/it is opened up for free discussion :)

I imagine that the only people who know who/what Legion is are the people that watched said trailers before the game came out in anticipation. People finishing up ME1 playthroughs or who are finally cracking open ME2 won't automatically think "SPOILER!!!" when they see the name Legion.
 
Saw the pics in the bioware forum for the costumes. My only thought?

thanesunglasses-1.png

hotatio_caine_csi_miami.jpg


YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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[quote name='Lord_Kefka']Saw the pics in the bioware forum for the costumes. My only thought?

thanesunglasses-1.png

hotatio_caine_csi_miami.jpg


YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/QUOTE]

Using incinedary ammo eh?

Looks like this Vorcha's been...

enkindled.
 
Bioware said they developed ME2 by listening to the complaints that the "fans of ME1" had. Then how did we get a game where my GF enjoyed it more than I did? And she RARELY plays games and sucks at them.

They didn't design ME2 for me, they designed it for my GF. That's not good...
 
Because most people complained about the shooting combat sucking, the inventory system sucking, driving the Mako sucking, the repetitive planet and building environments sucking and all the graphical hiccups sucking.

And they fixed all that stuff. Your gripes apparently didn't match the gripes most had with ME1.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Because most people complained about the shooting combat sucking, the inventory system sucking, driving the Mako sucking, the repetitive planet and building environments sucking and all the graphical hiccups sucking.

And they fixed all that stuff. Your gripes apparently didn't match the gripes most had with ME1.[/QUOTE]
So you are telling me the ME fans wanted the second one to be more linear in design? And appeal more to a casual audience by introducing less management and stats? I highly doubt that.
 
Beats me, I guessing some complained. I didn't find the first game that much more open ended. It was go to a planet/city, find sidequests and do them or skip them and do the next story mission. ME2 was much the same--though the sidequests were much briefer and less involved which was a bit of a let down.

I was certainly glad to have less stats and management personally. While I like WRPGs, that's the one part I don't dig as I just want to explore, do quests and combat, not micromanage my characters in too great of detail.

But I'll also admit I'm a HUGE shooter fan, and WRPGs are distant 2nd favorite genre for me.
 
Nothing wrong with stats and inventory management if done well, but in ME1 those things were ultimately a hassle that didn't add enough fun to justify their existence. IMO it was the right decision to pare them way down and put more focus on what the game does excel at.
 
Mass Effect was very linear, Bioware just hid it well. The only thing that really separates the two games in my mind from a gameplay mechanics standpoint, is the lack of loot in the sequel. I loved collecting all the equipment and mods in the first game, but a lot of it really was useless once you unlocked Spectre gear, I think it was smart of Bioware to go in this direction in the end.
 
Sorry for the wall of text :cool::

[quote name='DarkNessBear']Bioware said they developed ME2 by listening to the complaints that the "fans of ME1" had. Then how did we get a game where my GF enjoyed it more than I did? And she RARELY plays games and sucks at them.

They didn't design ME2 for me, they designed it for my GF. That's not good...[/QUOTE]Maybe your girlfriend has better taste than you?

jokeh.png


:lol:

[quote name='dmaul1114']Because most people complained about the shooting combat sucking, the inventory system sucking, driving the Mako sucking, the repetitive planet and building environments sucking and all the graphical hiccups sucking.

And they fixed all that stuff. Your gripes apparently didn't match the gripes most had with ME1.[/QUOTE]Correct. Texture popping, framerate, cluttered inventory system, Mako controls, copy/pasted buildings, and then stale combat system were hands down the biggest complaints.

[quote name='DarkNessBear']So you are telling me the ME fans wanted the second one to be more linear in design? And appeal more to a casual audience by introducing less management and stats? I highly doubt that.[/QUOTE]Wish - The general population of ME fans (the ones that post on forums, anyways) did not want ME2 to be more linear than ME1. Result - ME2 is not more linear.

Wish - The general population of ME fans (the ones that post on forums, anyways) did not want a cluttered inventory system full of multiple copies of the same, useless weapon/upgrade. Result - ME2 does not have a cluttered inventory system. Management is made more efficient through research, weapon swapouts, and the ammo system being attached to the Left Bumper wheel.

***(assuming "less stats" meant that Shepard and crew do not have as many stats to level up during the game as ME1)***

Wish - The general population of ME fans (the ones that post on forums, anyways) did not want ME2 to have less stats than ME1. Result - ME2 does not have less stats than ME1. It has a lesser number of categories (from 13 to 7, if I'm not mistaken), but not a lesser amount of stats. Here's an example:

My Engineer from ME1:
1. Pistols - pistol damage
2. Shotguns - *bonus ability* shotgun damage
3. Basic Armor - damage reduction
4. Decryption - opening containers/passive tech explosion
5. Electronics - opening containers/passive shield boost
6. Hacking - ability 1
7. Damping - ability 2
8. First Aid - passive health bonus to Medi-gel
9. Operative - class passive skill
10. Medicine - passive medi-gel cooldown
11. Charm - Paragon persuasion
12. Intimidate - Renegade persuasion
13. Spectre Training - health/accuracy increase

My Engineer from ME2:
Overload - ability 1
Incinerate - ability 2
Combat Drone - unique class ability
Cryo Blast - ability 3
AI Hacking - ability 4
Tech Mastery - class passive skill
AP Ammo - *bonus ability*

What happened to the stats?
(in ME2)
1. Pistols (Damage) --> research
2. *Bonus Ability* --> exists in 7th slot on skill tree
3. Basic Armor (Damage Reduction) --> research
4. Decryption (Opening containers/Tech Explosion) --> No containers/"Area" specialization for 4th level of various abilities
5. Electronics (Opening containers/Shield Boost) --> No containers/research
6. Hacking (Ability 1) --> skill tree
7. Damping (Ability 2) --> skill tree
8. First Aid (Medi-gel bonuses) --> research
9. Operative (Class passive skill) --> skill tree
10. Medicine (Medi-gel cooldown) --> set at universal 3 seconds
11. Charm (Paragon persuasion bonus) --> combined with Intimidate under class passive skill
12. Intimidate (Renegade persuasion bonus) --> combined with Charm under class passive skill
13. Spectre Training (Health/Accuracy increase) --> research

My ME2 Engineer has 3 more abilities than my ME1 Engineer and also lost a passive skill that reduced the Medi-gel cooldown. Everything else (pistol damage, etc.) is taken care of through research.

No stats were lost during the making of this game. They made the stat system more efficient by letting it branch out into the research section of the game and by combining things like Charm, Intimidate, and the class passive skill.

If you meant something else by "less stats" then disregard all that :)
 
[quote name='DarkNessBear']Bioware said they developed ME2 by listening to the complaints that the "fans of ME1" had. Then how did we get a game where my GF enjoyed it more than I did? And she RARELY plays games and sucks at them.

They didn't design ME2 for me, they designed it for my GF. That's not good...[/QUOTE]

Not for nothing, but you weren't the ONLY fan of Mass Effect. I bought my 360 solely for Mass Effect. I wanted to play it so badly that I was not going to wait for the PC release. And I loved Mass Effect. But I love ME2 a lot more. To me, it is far more polished and really fixed all the issues the first game had, like the wonky combat and crappy inventory.

Anyway, on somewhat related topic, as much as I love BioWare, some of the comments that come out of their studio are very odd. Watching that video about the Hammerhead, it kind of irked me that they basically said that we need to continue to support them in order to get good content. I understand what they mean, but really, isn't it the other around? They are suppose to continue to work for our support.

Well, I was reading latest GameInformer, and they had one of those pieces where they ask the developers various questions, concerns, issues, etc. people have had about their game. Hudson actually said that they have gotten a lot of feedback about mineral scanning being "strangely addictive." Would anyone on this board actually describe it as "addictive?"
 
[quote name='DarkNessBear']Bioware said they developed ME2 by listening to the complaints that the "fans of ME1" had. Then how did we get a game where my GF enjoyed it more than I did? And she RARELY plays games and sucks at them.

They didn't design ME2 for me, they designed it for my GF. That's not good...[/QUOTE]

Okay, we get it, you like ME1 more than ME2. Welcome to the minority. Very few people share your sentiment. ME2 was both a critical and popular success. If you don't like the way the franchise is headed, then I suggest going back to play ME1 for the umpteenth time, because it's not headed back to the ME1 system (and it's for the better).
 
[quote name='DarkNessBear']HAY EVERY1, JUZ WANTED 2 LET EVERY1 KNOW I HAZ A GF N SHE PLAID ME2.[/QUOTE]

lolz.

Has Bioware said anything about when ME3 might be coming out. Will it be on the 360 at least?
 
[quote name='bigdaddybruce44']Well, I was reading latest GameInformer, and they had one of those pieces where they ask the developers various questions, concerns, issues, etc. people have had about their game. Hudson actually said that they have gotten a lot of feedback about mineral scanning being "strangely addictive." Would anyone on this board actually describe it as "addictive?"[/QUOTE]

Hell fucking no.

Since Hudson's track record when comes to interviews isn't exactly sterling (IMO) I've trained myself to disregard 90% of what he says until someone else of equal importance confirms it. Especially in this case as I vaguely recall an interview where Christina herself reluctantly admitted fan reception was more or less negative.

As for the current argument you can count me in as a part of the minority because everyone has their own personal definition of 'fixed'. I don't plan to jump into the fray though so no angsty or arrogant wall of text ranting for moi. I will say though my current concerns lie with Christina's choice to keep the same team for ME3 development if they genuinely aim to provide "richer RPG elements" in the future for obvious reasons.
 
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