I'd be interested in the ME Universe shooter game, but given how it's been over two months since new DLC, I want them to focus on making up for that lost time first.
Well to be fair if they were to do a First Contact War game then it couldn't be the kind that allows you to significantly influence larger events (which is usually at the core of RPGs) since the events of that period have already been established. So if it is set in an earlier period than ME then a linear action game of one sort or another would have to be the way to go. That is assuming they want to keep things in continuity. That would be a pretty good setting mind and I can see why it's the leading rumour as there is supposed to be a comic about that era and the Illusive Man's part in it coming out next year and it's just about the only major conflict Earth ever had with another race prior to the Eden Prime War. The only other candidate I suppose would be the Skyllian Blitz, but that could be tricky since Shepard was supposed to be a part of it in two of the three possible "reputations." Still if it is an FPS multiplayer platform like Modern Warfare or Gears of War then I hope it does well and am glad to see the franchise spin-off onto non-Shep centric titles but I can't see myself playing it much...unless the single player is *REALLY* good. Like Valve good.
Eh. A Mass Effect trying to be Call of Duty isn't going to be as good as Call of Duty being itself. Much as I like the Mass Effect setting, I'll pass on that title. At least until it's in the bargain bin. The important question: Will this distraction delay ME3?
So long as there's a singleplayer campaign, I'll probably play the game, but I wont be excited for it. It will probably be fun, and I'm sure that it will be a quality product, but I just don't see it capturing my imagination like the main ME trilogy. I would like to learn more about the ME universe, and the First Contact War would be an interesting event to witness, but I'm far more interested in finding out how Commander Shepard is going to deal with the Reapers. My only actual fear about this game is that there's a possibility that Bioware's resources may be directed on this game and it may delay the release of ME3, but there's no way of knowing if that's the case. I just don't play many FPS games, and the only time I was ever excited for a FPS game was when Halo 3 was released, and that was because I wanted to see how the trilogy would end. I've played the peripheral Halo games (I've almost finished Reach) but they're not as interesting for me as I know that nothing Earth-shattering happens in them; at the end of the day, the Covenant didn't get a powerful fleet of Forerunner ships, New Mombasa was turned into a crater, and Reach was glassed... and I knew all that before playing them. This ME game, if true, leaves me feeling the same way. If it is about the First Contact war, I know what happens there because I read it in the game; I know that it ends with an armistice and that humans go on to seize control of the galaxy (in my universe ). I'm sure the game would still be entertaining, but I doubt I would feel as enamoured with it as I am ME2. Still, I could be wrong. I didn't think much about ME1 before I played it, but that game provided me with one of the most powerful experiences I had had in a game at that point. (The whole Virmire mission.)
I can see where you're coming from and why you wouldn't be as excited about it. I guess I'm less specific in my love for the ME and Halo universes - I absorb every little bit I can get my hands on (I've read all the novels, played all the games on every platform, watched Halo Legends, read every single entry in the ME1 and ME2 codices - you name it, I've consumed it). Also, I'm obviously more into the FPS genre than you are BTW, I think there is a lot to be said for storytelling within the confines of "known history" - Halo: Reach did a great job there. From the beginning, you know the end - this can be a weakness, but Reach turned it into a strength by focusing on the fates of Noble team and seamlessly setting the stage for Halo: Combat Evolved. Edit: To address concerns about this title delaying development of ME3: Folks, we're talking about BioWare here. They have the manpower and the experience to develop several triple-A titles simultaneously (proven fact). Not to mention the funding. Everything's shiny, not to fret.
I would be absolutely fine with them sticking to RPGs as well, but consider how well they designed ME2's combat mechanics. That part of the game could well enough stand on its own and puts many non-RPGs to shame in terms of sheer playability and fun. I have every confidence in BioWare being able to design enjoyable FPS mechanics (coupled with great storytelling, of course). They've come a long way since Baldur's Gate.
They put so much emphasis on the cover and shoot mechanics in ME2 that they ended up nerfing the secondary combat abilities, "streamlined" the inventory system into near-nonexistence, "simplified" the leveling up formula by turning it into a joke, and kitbashed together a laughable "plot" which they tried to distract us from noticing by making everything "dark and edgy." ME2 was a very good game, but it was a terrible roleplaying game.
Don't get me wrong, I'm right with you in terms of the dumbing down of RPG cornerstones like item drops, inventory management, upgradable gear, stat distribution, talent specs, extensive theory-crafting etc. I'm a hardcore RPGer at heart, I hate to see complexity and freedom of choice sacrificed for streamlined, console-y mechanics - but even I have to admit the actual combat in ME2 was a lot more enjoyable than ME1's and just flowed. (My perfect hypothetical ME game would be a hybrid of ME1 and ME2, as you probably can tell.) As for ME2's plot, well, that's a whole thread in itself, don't want to go into that right now
Great combat is good, yes, but it's useless without a compelling plot and characters who actually matter to the overall storyline. But I didn't really have a problem with ME1's combat. My only major issues with ME1 were the clunky inventory (which they went too far in "fixing") and just about every sidequest being resolved in the same bunker over and over--which, again, they went too far in fixing by removing the sense of wonder and danger in exploring hostile alien planets and turning every mission into a linear shoot-'em-up. I agree with you on your last point, though. I'd like to see ME3 take the combat of ME2 (minus the nerfing of the secondary abilities) and the atmosphere, plot, and characters of ME1 and merge them together.
Personally, I didn't mind the inventory getting cut down much (since the new system felt a hell of a lot more scifi than the old one), but honestly, I'm not a big fan of this whole inventory = customization that a lot of hardcore RPGers have. You can have customization outside of a traditional inventory, like the ME2 armor locker. As for the plot, it's not that much worse than ME1's plot, which was "Ancient evil awakens, plans to bring doom unless hero can stop it." The narrative was a bit weaker, but that had more to do with us getting way too much info about the Reapers in ME1 and the fact that ME2 couldn't really resolve much.
This seems to be the BioWare Montreal title, with ex-Raven employees on the team, so probably not. Still, I'm not really holding up hopes for this game. I don't blame EA for wanting to whore out the franchise while the going is still good though (more iphone games incoming?). And since everyone likes shooters, even in a game like ME2, what better way to capitalize on the franchise than to make a true Gears of War-ish spinoff?
Actually, now that I think about it, I hardly even play FPS games. The only FPS games that I've completed so far this console generation are the Halo games, Modern Warfare 1, and Portal (and I don't think Portal counts). I tend to prefer open world games, and since Mass Effect has a certain element of open-worldiness, I like the games. I haven't completed Reach yet, I still have to do the final mission to do, but I think that knowing the end does harm the game for me. Spoiler: Halo Reach The most dramatically interesting moment thus far was the cutscene when the massive Covenant fleet jumped in and you realise that the planet is screwed. But I already knew that. At the end, they threw Cortana into the fray in an attempt to make the game, and the sacrifices of Noble team, matter, but I knew the game was going to try and do something like that, I was surprised that it spent so long on other things before getting to the point. Maybe I'm wrong and the final mission will change my opinion, but for now I accept that Reach is probably the best Halo game while not being a particularly interesting Halo game. I'm not a big roleplaying gamer, ME is one of the few roleplaying games I've been able to get into. But for my money, a roleplaying game should be about playing a role and making decisions that impact the story, it shouldn't be about picking a weapon that has 2% greater accuracy than the one I'm currently using. For that reason, ME2 worked for me much better than ME1. During the suicide mission, it was my poor judgement that got Thane killed, I sent him through the vents knowing that he wasn't a skilled technician, and he died because of that. After that mistake, I was very anxious to ensure that I didn't screw up again. That, to me, gets at the heart of what role-playing should be.
Absolutely agree! I think RPG gamers in general need to get away from this idea that role playing games *need* a massive table of mostly meaningless stats, repetitive dungeon crawls and an inventory filled with equipment that's only marginally worse than what you're using, who's only purpose is to be immediately sold so you can buy equipment that's marginally better. I'm not saying ME2 was perfect in hybridising action and RPG mechanics, but it was a step in the right direction. Seriously, what crazy soldier carries around 20 extra pairs of trousers and can change clothes in the middle of a fire fight? Getting tech upgrades and purchased mods for your existing armour was much more plausible. What I would have liked to have seen mind you was a similar degree of customization with the (non-heavy) weapons. The ability to add mods and yes, even choose the paint job for my pistol or assault rifle would have made for a much broader tactical and strategic latitude. The mining was a bit of a mixed blessing. I certainly didn't miss the hassle of spending ten minutes trying to extricate the Mako from a deep ravine because I fell off a cliff trying to get to a mineral deposit but mindlessly sweeping the cursor up and down a rotating sphere just so I could get that last upgrade was just dull. I mean at least the Mako bits usually had some nice scenery. I think the scanning wouldn't be so bad if they had included the ability to buy, sell or trade the stuff at hubs like Omega, the Citadel and Illium so if you have more of "mineral A" than you can use, instead of it sitting there doing nothing you can either sell it so you can buy some upgrades from a shop or trade it for some "mineral B" you need for some research project. I gather they're looking to re-instate vehicle sections in ME3 after using the Hammerhead DLC as a sneaky beta-test. I still don't think it's quite right though; the Hammerhead had a tendency to clang into things every 20 meters and was next to useless in a fight so you're basically forced to hide behind an obstacle while blindly firing heat-seekers round the corner. Again, not a lot of fun.
Sorry about the thread resurrection, but it looks like we're gonna be getting an Alternate Appearance Pack 2 soon. xbox360achievments.org
Just finished this game. I'm pretty floored. The story itself isn't the best but the universe is so richly-populated (and a marked improvement over the first, which still managed to impress me a few times) that I'm very pleased with my purchase.
According to ME's facebook feed, the Alternate Appearance pack 2, will come out on february 8 (next tues) They even teased it with a picture:
I'm working on this on my PS3 and it is amazing. I can't believe the amount of detail that they put into it. It's easily the most detailed video game universe I have ever encountered.
I don't agree that ME2 is better overall than ME1 (it's definitely better in some ways, but it's also worse in other ways), but yeah, it's an excellent game. My hope is that ME3 will combine the best parts of ME1 and ME2 and discard the parts that didn't work. ::gasp:: They actually put Miranda in armor! It's just too bad they insist on giving every character some kind of stupid eyewear. Jack's alternate appearance outfit is perfect except for the awful visor they put on her.