Editorial Mass Effect 2 wasn't perfect?

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Tags: BioWare; Mass Effect 2

Months after ME2's release gaming sites start to dare to leak some words of critique.
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Kombo apparently <a href="http://www.kombo.com/article.php?artid=14196">didn't like the evolution of the inventory</a> in Mass Effect 2.
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<p style="margin-left:50px;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;border-top-color:#ffffff;padding:5px;border-right-color:#bbbbbb;border-left-color:#ffffff;border-bottom-color:#bbbbbb;">The shocking news is that Mass Effect 2 employs the worst system of item procurement and management I have ever seen. Even Dead Space, a survival horror title, got the basics right. It lets you choose which stuff to loot, where to keep it, whether to sell it, which parts to upgrade and so on, and that is not a game I would call an RPG or even necessarily requires an inventory. Mass Effect lets you pick up odds and ends – some Element Zero here, a weapon upgrade there, but it is all rendered meaningless by a complete hands-off, don't touch approach from Bioware. There is no real on-planet exploring to do, and there are no unique or awesome items to find that aren't relegated to some type of upgrade status. There isn't even an inventory menu.
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ME1's inventory might have been a clusterfuck, but I think there has to be some other solution to this problem than to remove the inventory altogether. Everyone knows that RPGs are about killing evil foozles and collecting their phat lootz, at least when you're not doing C&C (Courting & Copulation) so BioWare really did something wrong here and it's understandable that the RPG enthusiasts over at Kombo are very upset about the issue.
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On the other hand everydaygamers <a href="http://everydaygamers.com/2010/03/17/mass-ineffective-why-mass-effect-2-is-barely-an-rpg/">figured</a> that Mass Effect 2 is barely an RPG. Shocking. Before you start to rage, let them make their point:
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<p style="margin-left:50px;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;border-top-color:#ffffff;padding:5px;border-right-color:#bbbbbb;border-left-color:#ffffff;border-bottom-color:#bbbbbb;">One of the games most potent repercussions occurs (SPOILER ALERT) if you choose to wait and continue to build up your team instead of charging in after your captured crew. I chose to wait and paid a heavy price. Unbeknown to me, the crew was being slowly executed as I fluttered around the galaxy map launching my probes. Honestly, I was a little confused and a tad frustrated. I loved that my ignorant time wasting had resulted in real unfortunate consequences, but since when did time start moving along without my say so? I could sit at a dialog screen for 300 hours before deciding, but all of a sudden all that free time was snatched out from under me. I’m not complaining; in fact it was one of my favorite parts of the game. Yes, the world kept turning in this one instance, why couldn’t it continue to do so earlier in the game? Not to continually compare this game to Heavy Rain, but at least that game was consistent in the passing of time. Like in real life, you only have a certain amount of time to make up your mind. It builds pressure and really make my reaction one of gut instinct, a beautiful feature in a game that wants you to make up your own mind.
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Mass Effect 2 really suffers from shortcomings especially in comparison to RPGs as Heavy Rain for instance.
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Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.gamebanshee.com/news/97247-mass-effect-2-editorials.html">GB</A>

 

[Sceptic]

In before Volourn

Also, ME2 isn't perfect? what about all the 10/10 scores? I am disappoint

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Didn't play it, but is it really hard to understand that there's a time limit for saving your crew? Or do they just say "we have to do this NAO", which usually means "whenever you feel like it"? So many people seem surprised that not saving them ASAP means they die.

 

[SerratedBiz]

Oh, please. "X is in danger you must save him before Y eats him!" is old as shit and there's rarely a penalty for taking your time to help them. The problem is that we're supposed to be grateful for Bio rediscovering the wheel on this one.

 

[Silellak]

The problem is that we're supposed to be grateful for Bio rediscovering the wheel on this one.

We are? Who determined this? I don't recall anyone telling me I had to be grateful.

When I read that you lose more of your crew if you take longer to rescue them, I just thought "oh, that's kinda cool." I didn't think Bioware was AMAZING AND INNOVATIVE!!! for it, nor have I really heard anyone say otherwise. It was just a nice touch, or, depending on your point of view, another thing to bitch about.

 

[TNO]

The problem is, as noted, with all bioware games, there is never any urgency because no matter how fast or slow you take it you always come just in time.

ME1 is a case in point. You need to 'race to stop Saren finding the conduit' (yes, the plot is as bad as it sounds), but you can spend ages dicking around going from star system to star systems mailing fed-ex or capping resources. No matter what happens you end up at the climax at the very last second whether you do that or doing what any sensible character would do and going straight to him.

If ME2 really does have 'wait too long and you're fucked' elements, then that is definite incline. I can't believe people are seriously bitching about the inventory though.

 

[SerratedBiz]

I was saying it felt ridiculous that we, as gamers, should be amazed by this mechanic which was invented long ago, and hasn't been included in games because developers are lazy rather than having not thought of it before.

 

[Phelot]

I get the mans point about the time limit for saving the crew. Mind you, I haven't played the game, but it is stupid that one quest will have a time limit or consequences for taking too long and yet others don't.

We are? Who determined this? I don't recall anyone telling me I had to be grateful.

Journalists tell us so. Didn't you know that Bioware invented every thing that is an RPG?

 

[Inziladun]

The problem is, as noted, with all bioware games, there is never any urgency because no matter how fast or slow you take it you always come just in time.

ME1 is a case in point. You need to 'race to stop Saren finding the conduit' (yes, the plot is as bad as it sounds), but you can spend ages dicking around going from star system to star systems mailing fed-ex or capping resources. No matter what happens you end up at the climax at the very last second whether you do that or doing what any sensible character would do and going straight to him.

If ME2 really does have 'wait too long and you're fucked' elements, then that is definite incline. I can't believe people are seriously bitching about the inventory though.

You guys are missing the point. Quit comparing it to other BIO games and compare it to itself.

The whole damn game you were told "DO THIS, DO THIS NOW," never were there repercussions for lolly gagging. So during the course of the game you're desensitized to there ever being a real sense of urgency. You're conditioned to think that time doesn't really matter and you can go off and dick around. And then, at the very end of the game where you get the option to "Launch the Suicide Mission" or "Explore and better prepare yourself" your thought is "Oh, end of the game pending, better do all the side quests I have left" then lo' and behold out of nowhere, time all of the sudden makes a difference.

That's inconsistency, and bad game design. I agree, in theory it's great, but if they wanted to go that route, they should of consistently implemented it throughout the game.

 

[Silellak]

The problem is, as noted, with all bioware games, there is never any urgency because no matter how fast or slow you take it you always come just in time.

ME1 is a case in point. You need to 'race to stop Saren finding the conduit' (yes, the plot is as bad as it sounds), but you can spend ages dicking around going from star system to star systems mailing fed-ex or capping resources. No matter what happens you end up at the climax at the very last second whether you do that or doing what any sensible character would do and going straight to him.

If ME2 really does have 'wait too long and you're fucked' elements, then that is definite incline. I can't believe people are seriously bitching about the inventory though.

You guys are missing the point. Quit comparing it to other BIO games and compare it to itself.

The whole damn game you were told "DO THIS, DO THIS NOW," never were there repercussions for lolly gagging. So during the course of the game you're desensitized to there ever being a real sense of urgency. You're conditioned to think that time doesn't really matter and you can go off and dick around. And then, at the very end of the game where you get the option to "Launch the Suicide Mission" or "Explore and better prepare yourself" your thought is "Oh, end of the game pending, better do all the side quests I have left" then lo' and behold out of nowhere, time all of the sudden makes a difference.

That's inconsistency, and bad game design. I agree, in theory it's great, but if they wanted to go that route, they should of consistently implemented it throughout the game.

When else in the game is urgency stressed as severely as it is after your crew is captured? Most of the game is gathering your crew and ensuring your loyalty - sure, you're told the Collectors are a threat, but to my memory there's never any case of DO IT NOW-syndrome, except in two other cases: the attack on a colony by the Collectors after the first round of recruitment, and the disabled Collector ship during the second round. In both those cases, the mission starts immediately, so there's not even a choice to ignore it.

 

[Volourn]

"The problem is, as noted, with all bioware games, there is never any urgency because no matter how fast or slow you take it you always come just in time."

Bullshit. ME2 - and ME1 to a lesser degree - have time sensitive quests littered everywhere. FFS Tom complain about this being urgent is fuckin' retarded espicially since you do everything anyways. Stop the fuckin' whining here. BIO may not have invented time sensitive quests with ME2; but it did damn well with it. FFS

As for the inventory, I agree with the author. ME2 fubared it. I got used to it, and it's not bad for what it is; but fi there was a problem with ME1's invfentory (which there was); fix it don't trash it. FFS

 

[Black]

Wow, time sensitive quests in ME2, the only one that comes to mind is whether you go after collectors right away or if you "prepare" some more.
And even if you wait what does it change? Some badly written characters die and that's it, no more consequences.
A masterpiece, 11/10.

 

[Volourn]

"Wow, time sensitive quests in ME2, the only one that comes to mind is whether you go after collectors right away or if you "prepare" some more. "

Ignorant idiot.

 

[Black]

FFS why do you lie MORAN
Oh yeah Volly, remember how you explored collector's ship and (surprise surprise) it turned out to be A TRAP?
Shocking and unexpected aside, remember how those awfully written NPCs kept screaming at you to hurry up because it's going to blow your little ship to pieces any second now?
And yet not a single fuck was given if you decided to chill on the ship for hours. And hours.

 

[Insane Psychic]

To be fair, I seem to recall two minor assignments with time limits.
One was the crashing weapons freighter, and the other was the missiles launched by batarians against a human colony.

 

[SerratedBiz]

To be fair, I seem to recall two minor assignments with time limits.
One was the crashing weapons freighter, and the other was the missiles launched by batarians against a human colony.

Hm, yeah, I think Mario Bros. had a few missions like that too.

 

[SuicideBunny]

Some badly written characters die and that's it

also the fish in your aquarium, if you had any and relied on redhead fangirl to feed them. don't simply discard such important details. think of the fish!

 

[Fat Dragon]

When else in the game is urgency stressed as severely as it is after your crew is captured?

When recruiting Garrus. Aria even tells you that he doesn't have much time left before the merc gangs overwhelm and kill him. Of course, you have unlimited time and can go save his ass whenever, with no consequence if you choose to dick around for 20 hours and THEN go after him.

EDIT
Also, Thane. By the time you arrive on Illium and ask the Asari about him you learn that he's already headed out to the Dantus Towers to assassinate that woman. And with that knowledge in mind, you can leave Illium, go flying all across the galaxy doing other shit for days, and then go and recruit him and nothing will have changed. Apparently, Thane is happy to just camp out in the towers' ventilation systems waiting for you to show up. Would've been nice if you wasted time before recruiting him, you eventually learn he already did his job and left the planet while you were out fucking around, and you lose the chance to recruit him.

 

[Jaesun]

SO basically C&C and time limits == True RPG experience?