reading my own posts it sounds like a stupid advertisement, but i havent been so excited about a game in quite some time. might just be the first game that i will buy dlc for (will see when i actually finish it, 20h played so far), though i hate to support this concept of bleeding out gamers...

played the pc version btw and never touched mass effect 1

one of the few games that doesnt make me click away every dialog but instead makes me wanna experience every aspect of the game in full detail

Sounds like a description of Deus Ex!

Deus Ex was my Early Fallout 3 :D and its still pure bliss

They made some mindboggling design decisions but the game is still pretty fucking great.

Is the fov adjustable?

dont know, but the fov isnt that bad for 3rd person game like this imho and the whole sp experience is adjusted to the fov anyway. i dont understand why you would want to change it in a game like this. dont get me wrong, i have always been playing quake with fov 105+ and swearing at some of the more realistic shooters who felt like playing with constant +zoom, but i didnt have any issue with fov in this game. have you tried it?

Dead space was completely unplayable for me, it felt like the fov was in the negatives. :)
As long as it's not like that, it would be great.

i'm playing ME2 right now and i'm really liking it. i'm usually the kind who can't sit through single player games for more than half an hour anymore but it's been 2 days and i'm still at it.

and yes, i have a huge problem with the fov. just feels too low on my 4:3 CRT

I think the only bad thing is I can't really be bothered to look for the elements on a second run through.

Finished it as a vanguarda paragon. All my crew survived.

Well if you've already done a run through, you'll realize that there's way too many minerals; far more than you need.

I'm doing a second run through and I'm finding that scanning planets in the system of the mission I'm doing gives me enough minerals for everything. It's not that bad at all.

i can't be bothered to look for the minerals on the first playthrough

I played it for about 12 hours or so by now, and im loving it!
Granted i didnt read about the game AT ALL, so i wasnt hyped, but its really a fantastic game :)

ME2 was awesome !

Tho i dont like its item and powerup system but its still awesome !!

why not on ps3?? :(

it is great, but i think both the paragon/renegade system and party loyalty was a bit too dumbed down. hope they take the way dragon age handled it for mass effect 3. alot of the choices are too obvious, where as in dragon age (which i haven't finished) there often aren't any 'safe' decisions and you aren't driven by light/dark points.

Ugh and Dragon Age is dumbed down itself :/

I didn't mind the paragon/renegade system, however the equipment upgrade system felt way too dumbed down. I like to find better armors and weapons, rather than spending hours gathering materials so you can research something. The levels were a bit too linear, I would have preferred more exploration and alternate routes. The entire game sort of reminded me more of Gears of War with RPG elements instead of a full blown RPG. Mass effect 2's shooting mechanics rival most 3rd person shooters, and is far superior to Mass Effect. Also the dialog and voice-acting was very good and had me listening instead of reading text and skipping to the next dialog tree-node.

They made the loyalty system pretty much followed the rest of the game, which is a shooter with quite a bit of RPG thrown into the mix instead of a classic RPG game. ME2 took what ME was trying to do, dumb down the RPG genre so shooter fans will play as well. I have a friend who mainly play shooters and his only experience with RPGs was FF-XII after I lent him it on the PS2. Usually he isn't too fond of RPG games, but he loved mass effect because it is quite simple in the character leveling system and has 3rd person shooter elements.

The way you leveled up your characters in ME was just ridiculously simple and it has been dumbed down even further in ME2. Almost no choice involved, just get some points and throw them into your favorite category. The game itself is quite good, but it could have been an all time classic if they had dared to make the character system deeper compared to ME rather than making it simpler. Something like the way you leveled in KOTOR series or other D&D based games combined with the quality of the dialog and action gameplay would have made this game land on my top 5 list of games that I've played. As it stands it is in my top 20 and a contender for game of the year.

I like to find better armors and weapons, rather than spending hours gathering materials so you can research something.

true, i was fine with most of the things they dumped down compared to usual rpg but this was a bit disappointing and annoying.

The levels were a bit too linear, I would have preferred more exploration and alternate routes.

well it is usually a compromise between atmosphere + intensity and freedom on the other hand. Stalker for example had a great open world but lacked the intensity that can be seen in linear levels that were perfected with cod mw2

it's not really the missions that get me, it's the party interactions. i don't feel i have much choice over who i recruit, or what happens in their inevertible loyalty mission, mostly because the big decisions aren't hard.
for example in dragon age there are at least 2 situations i'm aware of where a choice will lead to party members attacking you or leaving, one of which gives you a replacement. i'd like to see future bioware rpg's make the 'party gathering' (which is in every game they make) more open ended.

I didn't play ME1 - should I play that first, or can I jump into ME2 directly without know he history or any stuff from the first one ?

I think you might enjoy ME2 much more if you play through ME1.

You'll have access to a lot more background story, which is actually quite useful to figure out what's going on. The game assumes that you've played ME1, but you can get by without having done so. You'll just have to read a lot of codex (in game encyclopedia) entries.

Plus, you can import your saved game from ME1 so you'll have all the choices you made (and bonus money/levels).

thanks

but it is not that bad, the storyline is new, you are just missing some info about how some groups/species stand to each other but you mostly have the option to optionally ask about it in the dialogs

I recommend reading "Revelation" and "Ascension" (the Mass Effect books) as they give a lot more background story/information on how some things developed.

Revelation takes place BEFORE ME1. It's about Cpt. Anderson and Saren.
Ascension tells you a lot of the background story about Cerberus and the Collectors. (between ME1 and ME2)

Give them a read. They are very interesting and not long.

There's also a third novel coming out later this year and closes the gap between ME2 and the upcoming third part of the game.

I bought the first for like £1 or something in Steam sales but I've yet to play it, whenever I've seen trailers for this game I see those aliens from HALO and think it's a joke...

Get ME from the bargain bin or similar and play it first. The improvements in shooting mechanics in ME2 are so huge that it'll be hard for you to go back and play ME. The series is meant to be a trilogy so you need to play all 3 games to get the full story. I imported my character from ME and had quite a few dialogs that revolved around what I did in the first game. ME2 contains a lot of references to what you did in ME and afaik the game just picks your choices in ME if you don't import a character. You will most likely also wonder a lot about what has happened in the story prior to ME2 and reading the codex entries is rather boring and takes a long time.

awesome game

I wonder if this game features out-of-place vehicle rides and planets that look all the same. I uninstalled ME1 because of that. =( And the story was soooo hackneyed. Is this one about being the chosen one and saving the universe, too? I couldn't stop laughing in ME1 during some moments when they were saying funny bullshit with straight faces and so much pathos.

Yeah why can't there be more rpgs about going to work 9-5 and just being an average joe. Oh wait that would be the Sims.

Sims owns, I used to just build cool houses :(

They could think up something better than saving the universe. I liked KOTOR2, if you played it you know what I'm talking about! It was still a good game plotwise, although unfinished. I'm sure that there are more ideas that people could think up if they tried! Mask of the Betrayer was rather good, too, although it bordered on you being the super-power if you chose an evil path. And it was somewhat similar to Kotor2, like a smaller rip-off, as if Chris Avallone had only one idea in mind for his games =(.

It's just that it's too funny when you're the chosen one. Like in Dragon Age, they keep talking about Grey Wardens, and it's so funny you can't stop giggling all the way =). You even feel ashamed when your character has to say something along this way seriously, as if believing in all that. It's all so childish and badly thought out =)

the second kotor was a piece of shit compared with the first..

Did you really feel disgusted with kotor2 from beginning to end, or is it just an afterthought after playing? =)

the entire game felt like it had been thrown together from the parts they'd left out of the original

hah, the stupid Warden stuff. I had zero interest in all that.

I can't stand all these apocalyptic, chosen one garbage stories that all RPG's have these days, what happened to all the proper RPG's that weren't about this generic overused boring story?

How about a story about a rebellion in an occupied region/city?
- Play both sides (overlords and rebels), switch sides becoming a spy or whatever
- Game ends with rebellion being crushed or successful (You have a real impact on how the story plays out, how quick, the events that happen) which could be defined by certain events occurring or a time limit (e.g. you could kill the leaders of the other faction and it end at any time in the game, even day 0)
- Side Quests could become actual quests, mini stories and interesting and they could lock you into them if it needed to be some apocalyptic thing (providing you with a save game before it starts).
- No "impending doom" that never happens because the game doesn't want to force your hand (Oblivion) and doing the side quests would make actual sense (Being the chosen one and doing odd jobs for people while the apocalypse is on the way doesn't make much sense).

Your idea sounds good. After all, it's possible to do things for something like your own country or your own people in the game, not only for your own greatness! =(. I think that it's the major hook of RPG-games and most literature, though, if you manage to make people feel special they'll love your game or book. Now I hope I don't sound like a freak, but I like some classic books because they aren't flawed in that way, so it's possible to write something grabbing enough without using cheap tricks like imbuing the main character with super powers or anything else special. It's funny how the main character in fantasy-genre and such always must be modest to be likable, though, while the purpose of him being special is to make a reader feel proud (by projecting) in a most unmodest way. =) That's a bit hypocritical of the writers =)

Everything just gets lost when the game hinges on your greatness. Like in Dragon Age I couldn't care for Ferelden at all, although it should theoretically be the main drive of the main character. Instead the game was going on about greatness of Grey Wardens.

For me, the most important thing in an RPG is being able to create a character that has a tangible impact on the story and world around the character.

It seems to me that modern RPG's are incredibly formulaic, full of pseudo choice (e.g. Dragon Age: who do you recruit first) that have minor impact on the world or the course of the game and they implement far too many Deus Ex Machina moments.

Dragon Age is so weird, the game starts by giving you the choice to be negative to everything about the Grey Wardens then it simply goes "LOL GOTCHA" and forces you to join them.

1) I already hate the Grey Wardens and it's stupid mission/story
2) I already hate Ferelden and the the people living in it who are all morons/racist
3) The king is a moron who doesn't understand the danger of what's going on and the guy who does decides to do the stupidest thing ever

Then every event that happens only seems to strengthen the case that this land is a piece of shit where nothing good happens and everyone is a moron totally incapable of comprehending things.

The combat is excellent but the rest of the game all feels a bit formulaic and RPG by numbers for me.

the decisions in dragon age are alot better than mass effect 2 though (as in solving a problem). mass effects are mostly 'let the dude go' /'kill the dude' which is all tied in with the light/dark side points. dragon age was a step forward for the bioware rpg (it is a genre in itself at this point), unfortunately they didn't bring any of it to me2.

There are some interesting choices, though. Like, if you decide to side with the dragon cult and spill blood on the ashes. If you've got Wynne and Leliana, they turn on you and you fight them. Not that it's great, to be honest, but at least characters are reacting to your choices!

Btw don't you think that there's a bit too much religious fanaticism in Ferelden? It's ok that religion is included in the game, but it reminds so much of Christianity =( And for the folks who think it's stupid it's a nuisance to have fanatical party members who can kill you if you disrespect their prophet. Although tastes differ...

I don't mind religions but I never feel they are done well and it annoys the hell out of me when everyone babbles on about "the maker" etc.

I think it's cool that if you piss off a religious party member they react badly though (provided there is consistency in moral choices from them).

did you play through the witcher? i really liked that game. although, i formatted just before i did the last fight and forgot to copy the saves over, so i never finished it xD.

Not yet, another steam sale buy!

yeah, lol dragon age.

the give you the coice to mock the conversation partners all the time. but these npc just don't care, and its basically additional dialogue and you end up having to say the "nice" stuff anyway, for the plot to continue

someone recommend me a game like this or dragon age for a older pc. neverwinter nights?

Although very different in style compared to both games, Neverwinter nights would be an excellent choice yes.

But there is a better choice in my opinion, Knights of the old republic :)

thx will check it out

Neverwinter Nights 1 is a meat-fest. =( Neverwinter Nights 2 is ok.

baldurs gate + tales
baldurs gate 2 + throne of bhaal
icewind dale + heart of winter
icewind dale 2
fallout
fallout 2

that's it.


ignore neverwinter, its crap. strafe left strafe right? gimme a break.

Planescape?

tried it, didn't like it. 1000 bugs, no reroll = didn't live up to my expectations.

No reroll? You only get certain amount of stats when you start.

so whats confusing you?

That you don't need a reroll when you always get the same stats as everyone else. I think I ended up with 25+ in all the stats when I finished the game.

well yeah, that's what i don't like.


i finished baldurs gate 1 8 times, and baldurs gate 2 12 times. each and every took at least 6 hours of clicking reroll @ character generation. its the best part of the game ffs...

just redistributing (iwd2 style) is kinda boring, always the same start...

Well you're missing out on the best RGP experience out of all of those games. Don't be such a statwhore.

I'd play it if they upgraded the interface, I have no interest in going back to those old AD&D game interfaces :D

Ohh, Fallout 2 was and still is one of my PC favs!

The HOTU add-on for NWN is well worth playing.

"one of the few games that doesnt make me click away every dialog but instead makes me wanna experience every aspect of the game in full detail"
tell me more about it
I keep visiting Miranda to her apartment every time I use the elevator :x

They even modeled her a cameltoe :( I find myself checking her body on freelook every now and then

Apparently you can score her, I wonder if the option is also available with a female...

you didn't scored her? =[
I scored 'em all

one minor thing I don't like is this 3rd person view dilema
you have to decide:
-should I pick up my character a woman?so I consider myself as a woman -it's gay
else
-ok, I pick up a man, and now I have to see his butt for the entire day -gay again

not being able to chose the perspective sux -Oblivion give you the choice, and it is a pretty good rpg still

Talk about being insecure, jeez

I play as a chick because I prefer to look at a pretty woman over some generic male meat head. Thats also why I like to walk around without a helmet, even though it's -10% some stat or something :D

People have also reported that the female voice acting is vastly superior to the male, which I'll never know since I won't play the guy anyway.

I knew a guy who always played as a female in games. He became a she.

just fyi

cool story bro!

or do you prefer sista now?

I'm not the one with gender issues.

a swede with slash / blue?

Sounds interesting.

But I guess this won't run on a GF 9500 GT?

Might do, running 8800GTS 512mb at 1920x1200 max and no noticable low framerate moments.

If you can play other UT3 engine games, you can play ME2. Obviously it may require some settings adjustment but it will certainly be playable.

actually i think its not quite living up to the hype - i finished it on tuesday (took around 32 hours to complete including all the additional missions, exploring 100% of *all* solar systems, including the ones you had to buy maps for)
to me it feels like knights of the old republic (given that's from bioware aswell it looks even more like they just updated the gfx a bit and kept the backend minigames/rpg stuff from kotor) with a worse story and well with more stuff stolen from other franchises (starwars, startrek, independence day & matrix)
also i think it lacks the proper polish that - for example batman arkham asylum had - there were still quite a few glitches, bugs and with the DLC it even froze several times.
i also hate it when the answer you chose doesn't play out like you expected it to - i was trying to answer in a friendly fashion and the dialog suggested accusations and general dislike
most annoying to me were the fact that it's a console port done as bad as possible (no gamepad support in a game clearly designed to be played with a gamepad... srsly, wtf?!; UI not supporting mousewheel to scroll through menus? wtf²?! 'hitboxes' of the buttons in the menu smaller than the icons displayed?)
also i don't like the gameplay mechanics in combat - double tap the hide/use/sprint/etc button to climb over obstacles you just used to hide behind gets annoying - especially in the last mission. in addition to that there's only 1 real way to survive combat: hide - fire - hide. i tried playing more offensively or manually telling my squadmates to go here and there (default bound to Q and E for your 2 squadmembers) but you get toasted in no time and your squad dies far too quickly while leaving those additional controls alone means noone ever dies and you just walk along - simply: it lacks a challenge in combat, even on hard settings
it played quite well on my 2 years old machine (core2quad q6600, 4GB ram and a geforce 8800gt) on max settings 1920x1200 no framerate issues whatsoever but i think they should've spent the time they used to make the chicks asses look awesome on their faces instead because the lipsync and facial expressions (especially considering how well most of the environment looks) are really ugly
also the customer who got the DLC for free (by buying a new copy of the game, because the DLC can only be downloaded once) - or paid for it - *has to* be on the internet whenever they want to play it. that's just serious bullshit - you buy it and you get screwed so hard that you're basically *forced* to crack it so you can play it offline? srsly wtf EA/bioware.

in the end it was a good game but far from genre-defining like most reviews suggested - if you're looking to play a bioware rpg go for knights of the old republic (1 or 2), most of the dialog/complete game structure will be exactly the same except maybe more annoying minigames in me2

if i had to give it a score from my review i'd give it a
8.0/10 judging by the content (or a 7.5 for the PC version because they haven't bothered with gamepad support and/or proper usability of the menu)

actually i think its not quite living up to the hype

did it get any hype? i just read some reviews of the pc version (gamestar.de and pcgames.de) and the game didnt even get 90%

well there are so many things that change the way we experienced the game:
- i didnt encounter any bugs (ui or gameplay)
- i never played any similar game before at all, so i cant compare it to anything
- i didnt try to use my gamepad (why would i) and i like the simpliity of the one action button for hide/sprint/use...

combat is a bit static, i agree

btw in a making of video i watched they said that they were very proud about the facial expressions, eyes and stuff :D i think its not perfect at all but still the best i have seen so far quality wise.

and props for playing it out to 100% but i am sure the fun factor gets lost somewhere on the way when trying that ;) also makes the game easier cause you have better upgrades etc when you do all the side stuff

apparently the marketting campaign was huge in the US (epic adverts during handegg games etc) so there was alot of hype there.
i'm guessing you don't follow general gaming sites as much, but it was talked about alot before and during release on all major sites. it also has 96/94 (360/PC) on metacritic.

i personally found it disappoiting, but you say you haven't played a similar game before so i can see why you'd have a different pov. the game is very good (not 96%) but is a bioware rpg that has been stripped down alot from what they normally do. all their games follow a very similar path in story progression (your some random dude, you join some very exclusive orginization (jedi/grey warden/specter/kung fu masta (not joking)), you go and collect some shit (artifacts/clues/people/armies) collecting a party on the way, then it leads to some big encounter. it's been like this since knight of the old republic. however dragon age made alot of big step forwards in the story interaction and consequences of choices which haven't been transfered over to mass effect yet. in fact they removed alot of rpg features from the game (to make it more friendly for 360 modern warfare 2 players) as well.

big block of text sorry.

Bioware RPG Cliche Chart

couldn't even be bothered to finish it, not as good as the first one and that wasn't half as good as the original kotor

I am in love with Tali.

Need Halp. :(