I’ve always been a fan of RPGs and since (re)discovering Bioware’s amazing storytelling arts in the original Mass Effect I’ve been hooked on their games. I never got into Baldur’s Gate when it was originallyreleased and thus didn’t pay attention to their games for many years. Perhaps my tastes changed over the years or maybe I prefer their current 3D platform, but in any case I’ve come to expect quality from Bioware as in Dragon Age from a few months back. I’m glad to say the recently released Mass Effect 2 does not disappoint either ^^
Collector's Edition for PC
While I do have a 360, I chose to go with the PC version because not only do I have Mass Effect 1 on PC, I prefer PC controls over a console gamepad. Mouse+keyboard is still tops for me! Unfortunately, it seems Mass Effect 2 was designed primarily for console gamers in mind and the PC version seems less polished than it’s predecessor. A lot of owners have complaints about mouse sensitivity, crashing, and other problems. Personally, I’m very annoyed with the lack of mouse scrolling ability in-game. Mass Effect 1 had this but it seems it was dropped from ME2. All menu scrolling has to be done manually. Come on Bioware! Scroll wheels have only been around for like 15 years now =P
Aside from these technical problems (which I’m hoping will be addressed in a patch soon), the game is pretty satisfying ^^. Bioware did decide to go with a more actiony feel to the game this time around. While it does retain RPG elements with a deep, engaging story and characters, the combat system has been entirely revamped. It feels much more like a shooter with RPG components blended in. The health system is now like many FPS games in that you regenerate health if you take cover to allow your character to recover. The classes have been overhauled as well, with each type only being able to use certain weapons and powers. It has taken a bit of time to get used to but I don’t think it’s bad. It’s just different. Bioware is obviously trying to target non-traditional RPG gamers (like console FPS fans). The end result is a combat system that is much faster paced, edgier, and keeps things pretty exciting.
Go, go, go!
Thankfully, Bioware has kept strong RPG roots in the game with an excellent story and interesting characters. I’m not quite halfway through the game so I can’t make any absolute judgments on the entire story, but it’s good so far ^^. It does follow the Bioware style of character development that has been present since KOTOR. Recruit new characters, befriend them, learn what makes them tick, help them on their personal quests/requests. Whether you think that is a good thing or not is up for debate xD
Character aptly named "Grunt" ^^;
Well, I probably shouldn’t judge a game without finishing it yet, but I give Mass Effect 2 a 9/10 based on what I’ve seen/played so far. If you’re an RPG fan, you should get this game! Though you might want to play Mass Effect 1 first. It can be found on Steam and other places for about $5 pretty often :).
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I want to get a bit more ME2 before it’s time to head off to bed ;)
Ah, is “Mass Effect” that good? Well, I just grabbed the first “Assissin’s Creed” up cheaply so will be playing a bit of that.
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Mass Effect is quite good ^^.
I never got around to playing Assassin’s Creed but I’ve heard the second one is a great game. I might just skip to it ;)
i enjoyed the first mass effect (despite the frikkin’ mako driving me insane) so was planning on picking this up once my game backlog had settled down
if it’s more like an fps i’m definitely getting the pc version. i hate playing fps’ on consoles. feels so clumsy compared to good ‘ol mouse+keyboard. well, mostly ‘cuz i suck with analog sticks.
i do hope they patch things up by the time i get around to purchasing though. really really annoying when console->pc ports don’t make the obvious changes to the interface like mouse scroll support.
@smithy i got assassin’s creed off steam for cheap recently too. was pretty good but a warning about the story (which was the only thing that kept me going after the gameplay got a little repetative)… ending will more than likely leave you unsatisfied. haven’t picked up ac2 yet, so dunno if that provides more ^^;
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The Mako is gone in ME2. It wasn’t perfect in the first game but I do kinda wish they had kept it (and made it better). Exploring new planets was more what I liked.
It doesn’t play just like an FPS, but has gotten closer to it. You can still pause the action with the powers menu, target enemies, and unleash your attacks. But if you like to use your guns more, it does feel more FPS-like ^^.
Yeah, when it comes to shooters (shooter-ish?) it’s keyboard and mouse all the way. Mass effect doesn’t seem to be for me thematically though, and it’d definitely lag up my crappy graphics card ^^;…
I could chance the 360 version, but… I didn’t even shell out the money to get a legitimate Gundam Musou 2 yet :/
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Didn’t like the original? It was one of my favorite games T_T
One of my friend got this game recently and he’s full hardcore bragging about it. I don’t have a 360 and my com. is not compatible to play this game. My GPU is outdated now. :(
Sad to see it’s not on the PS3. Still running through Bayonetta atm and my next game will likely be FFXIII.
Well, I was expecting the game to run a bit poorly on my 3 year old graphics card (8800 GT), but it runs excellent, even better than the first game. And it still manages to look pretty good.
I have no plans to get FFXIII. I stopped caring about FF many years ago ^^;
Finished the game a couple of days ago, can’t say I’m extremely pleased with how the game ended (I was hoping for more xD), but it has been a great run from start to finish.
Definitely looking forward to ME3! Heard that all the choices you’ve done in ME2 carries over to ME3, so choose wisely!
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Finished already? ^^; I’m just about to go through the Omega4 relay. I’ve read varying comments on the end of the game but I don’t know the details. Prefer to save that for when I finish the game myself :D
If ME1 was any example, ME2 will also have a big impact on how ME3 plays out ^^/
I still have mine in shrink wrap. Dragon Age was such a huge time sink for me I’ve been holding off. Kind of disappointed to hear it’s a FPS, since I get nauseous when playing FPS games.
Well, the game still uses a third person perspective, but the combat does feel a bit more FPS-like. You will probably like it though :)