Preview Amazon Spills Some Mass Effect 2 Info

[Edward_R_Murrow]

Tags: BioWare; Mass Effect 2

Amazon.com has put up a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mass-Effect-2-Xbox-360/dp/B001TORSII/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I34X2JQJJDZVJG&colid=1JY64C6W99LUP">pre-order site for Mass Effect 2</a>, and with it, dropped some possible information on the sequel. Legitimacy is not guaranteed.<blockquote>* The second act of BioWare's epic sci-fi trilogy continues the story of Commander Shepard and humanity's first steps onto the galactic stage
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* Success - or failure - depends heavily on the crew you assemble and their loyalty to you and the mission
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* Stunning graphics and a refined dialog system will draw you into the story like never before
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* Numerous improvements to the intense, third-person shooter combat
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* Deep character customization options let you create your own vision of Commander Shepard
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[...]
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The second chapter in the Mass Effect trilogy takes you to the darkest reaches of space, where you must uncover the mystery behind the disappearance of humans across many worlds. Prepare yourself for a suicide mission to save mankind. Travel the galaxy to assemble a team of soldiers and combat specialists, and launch an all-out assault on the heart of enemy territory.</blockquote>Looks like Shepard may not have grabbed his last collar yet.
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Spotted at: <A HREF="http://bluesnews.com/">Blue's News</A>

 

[shihonage]

Prepare yourself for a suicide mission to save mankind.

ENDING SPOILED !

 

[Gay-Lussac]

Prepare yourself for a suicide mission to save mankind.

ENDING SPOILED !

I hope they improve on the last game, it was actually entertaining if forgettable.

 

[Hobo Elf]

Didn't they market/hype Mass Effect with the same features?

 

[Jim Cojones]

Success - or failure - depends heavily on the crew you assemble and their loyalty to you and the mission

This, in opposite to all other points, actually sounds interesting.

 

[Kingston]

They need to make a lot more content for this game. I was expecting BG2-level sidequests and content in ME and instead there were only a few handcrafted sidequests (pretty shoddy ones too) and the rest were shitty randomised ones.

 

[Lurkar]

Did they just copy and paste what they put down for Mass Effect and add a "2" at the end of ever occurance of the word? This is the worst thing about hype - it doesn't actually work if ALL THE GAMES SOUND THE SAME. Why even bother hyping it up with all that garbage when the only thing you need to put on the box is "MASS EFFECT 2 BY BIOWARE. It's not the shit on the back that's selling your game, meaningless lies that they inevitably become, it's the fact that it's 1) a sequel, and 2) made by Bioware. If Mass Effect wasn't changed at ALL but had a name other then "BIOWARE" on the front, it would've been much more negatively received.

 

[mikaelis]

Looks like Shepard may not have grabbed his last collar yet.

Collar grabbing resistance is growing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ9-OgBqEI4

Seriously though, I would be happily collar grabbed by cmd Sheppard, if he could grab the collars of his enemies in a more sophisticated way than in ME1 (especially horrible side quests).

 

[Syraxith]

* Deep character customization options let you create your own vision of Commander Shepard

Will I be able to pick from a ridiculously long list of beards?

 

[Azrael the cat]

* Success - or failure - depends heavily on the crew you assemble and their loyalty to you and the mission
.
.
.
and launch an all-out assault on the heart of enemy territory.</blockquote>Looks like Shepard may not have grabbed his last collar yet.

/quote]

Who here is with me in not believing that success or failure depends ONE FUCKING IOTA on the crew you assemble and their loyalty to you and the mission? Who suspects that it won't matter which crew you take along, and what their loyalty is?

Pity, I'd actually like a decent 'mission preparation' section for a mission/planet/multi-hub-based RPG. I always loved in in STALKER how, because of the strict weight limit, you'd think ahead about what you'll be doing in the next story-mission and what weapons/armour you will need (shotty for underground, sniper rifle for base assault, (high-rads+emissions-protection armour) SEVA for radiated/emission-filled area, bullet-resistant armour for straight-up gun-fight) etc. It's something I'd love to see seriously expanded upon, and having a genuine tactical element to party makeup would be a good part of it. They've already gone a step that way by levelling up the NPCs you DON'T take along for a mission, keeping them viable, but that's a bit pointless given that you never have to make any serious choices about party strategy anyway. If your a tech, just take a tank for the game, if you don't have tech skills you take a tech for the whole time:-(. Would be nice to see some missions where a whole team of stealthed techs would give rise to one tactial option, and a team of armed-up-tanks another, and a balanced team another, rather than the 'balanced team' always being best.

Re: the 'all out assault' claim: again its probably nothing but marketing-speak, but I'd quite like it if they ripped off NWN2 and let you use your entire NPC roster for the last battle. Not a big fan of 'big boss battle' rpg endings, but if you're going to have one, then it seems a bit silly that half the 'characters' are sitting on their asses during the 'epic climax'.

 

[FalloutBR]

Quote:

Prepare yourself for a suicide mission to save mankind.


ENDING SPOILED !

Only to those gullible enough who fail to realize that ME2's ending will be an inconclusive mess that will raise even more questions without answering the previous ones...

 

[MetalCraze]

Yeah basically the exactly same shit as ME1 according to hype.

Success - or failure - depends heavily on the crew you assemble and their loyalty to you and the mission

More like success - depends on the crew we force on you.

Stunning graphics and a refined dialog system will draw you into the story like never before

In reality - the same poor looking outdated X360 graphics with the same dialogue wheel.

Numerous improvements to the intense, third-person shooter combat

There was an intense combat in ME1? I thought it was slow as fuck - just like with all other console shooters.

 

[DiverNB]

ME1 had a handful of decent hand crafted side-quests. However, if you pay attention, they seem like the same exact few in every Bio game. Horrible doctor commits atrocities to unfortunate victims, secret organization creates bio hazardous chemical, etc.

They hold minor differences and are naturally made to fit into a space setting, but at their core I couldn't help but feel like I'd played those same quests in the BG series, KOTOR, and JE.

If BioWare could only expand on those quests, the ME universe has a lot of untapped potential because it's one of the few space sci-fi WRPG's

 

[Spectacle]

I'd prefer that they remove all the side quests, actually. It doesn't make sense that you take time off from saving the galaxy to look for a crashed sensor probe or some other bullshit. Can't the regular military do anything?

They should instead spend the effort on branching in the main plot, with multiple paths to reach the goal.

 

[Multiple Sarcasm]

* Success - or failure - depends heavily on the crew you assemble and their loyalty to you and the mission
* Stunning graphics and a refined dialog system will draw you into the story like never before
* Numerous improvements to the intense, third-person shooter combat
* Deep character customization options let you create your own vision of Commander Shepard

Horse faeces? But of course! Just let us peruse your wine list, first.

The second chapter in the Mass Effect trilogy takes you to the darkest reaches of space, where you must uncover the mystery behind the disappearance of humans across many worlds.

The darkest! The mystery!
I'll bring my flashlight...

Prepare yourself... for a suicide mission to save mankind!

I feel a million puppies just cried out in horror and were suddenly silenced...

Travel the galaxy to assemble a team of soldiers and combat specialists, and launch an all-out assault on the heart of enemy territory.

"In other news, a team of mentally-challenged teenagers launched an assault on the heart of enemy territory this afternoon. Witnesses report there was much heated standing under enemy fire, and shooting each other in the back ensued."

 

[Volourn]

Codexians Crying? Oh what sweet sounds I hear! :D

 

[Bluebottle]

I'd prefer that they remove all the side quests, actually. It doesn't make sense that you take time off from saving the galaxy to look for a crashed sensor probe or some other bullshit. Can't the regular military do anything?

They should instead spend the effort on branching in the main plot, with multiple paths to reach the goal.

This. I'd much rather have a focused and higher quality main plot-line, than a myriad of token Bioware side-plots. It is pretty obvious that Bioware regard their side quests as little more than a time sink for the player anyhow, so why not play to their strengths and focus their energies on the Epic plot they seem so intent on (re)peddling?

 

[Collywobbles]

Success - or failure - depends heavily on the crew you assemble and their loyalty to you and the mission

This, in opposite to all other points, actually sounds interesting.

I imagine that refers to combat/tech abilities, you will win regardless of your crew who will tag along like it or not and never die. How many conversations did it take to convince Garrus to change his life philosophy, two? Skyway might be right on this one, unless Bioware tries something different. I really wasn't impressed by the interactions the first time, especially with the missed opportunities of Garrus and Wrex to act on their own.

 

[DiverNB]

I'd prefer that they remove all the side quests, actually. It doesn't make sense that you take time off from saving the galaxy to look for a crashed sensor probe or some other bullshit. Can't the regular military do anything?

They should instead spend the effort on branching in the main plot, with multiple paths to reach the goal.

This. I'd much rather have a focused and higher quality main plot-line, than a myriad of token Bioware side-plots. It is pretty obvious that Bioware regard their side quests as little more than a time sink for the player anyhow, so why not play to their strengths and focus their energies on the Epic plot they seem so intent on (re)peddling?

It would make more sense for their to be limited time in the game, but I am willing to forego a little realism for a more fleshed out exploration experience. The whole universe is open to you because you have a ship. Just screams "EXPLORE ME"

IMO

 

[MetalCraze]

And then you find out that each planet has the exactly same set of buildings which are exactly the same inside right down to corridors and cover-behind-me boxes placement and have you killing someone.
And you can't even land on all planets - which is strange because they are all the same anyway.

 

[HanoverF]

Can't be official, the word "epic" is only used once.

 

[kingcomrade]

Success - or failure - depends heavily on the crew you assemble and their loyalty to you and the mission

Unoptimized non min-maxxed party = FAILURE
Just kidding of course, we all know the game will be easy

 

[Volourn]

But not as easy as TOEE, BL, or ARC.

R00fles!

 

[Thrasher]

:underwhelmed:

Mass Effect is $17 at Amazon.

What a deal for a screensaver!

 

[DiverNB]

And then you find out that each planet has the exactly same set of buildings which are exactly the same inside right down to corridors and cover-behind-me boxes placement and have you killing someone.
And you can't even land on all planets - which is strange because they are all the same anyway.

Which is why I said a more fleshed out experience. IE no copypasta planets and sub-stations.