Interview Mass Effect 2 - When Collar Grabbing isn't Extreme Enough

[Jason]

Tags: BioWare; Mass Effect 2

Softcore porn site <a href="http://www.actiontrip.com/rei/babe.phtml?pic=botd_12042009" target="blank">ActionTrip</a> presents the info gathered from a recent press roundtable with BioWare's Casey Hudson on <b>Mass Effect 2</b>, including bits on how character skill won't get in the way of your shootering and using the awesome power of dialogue to throw people off buildings.
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<blockquote>"The bigger functional difference is that we've added a new kind of dialogue response, which we call interrupts. It's basically a way to seize physical control during a conversation depending on what's going on. You'll either have Paragon interrupts or Renegade interrupts at certain times and you can let them pass. If you're a Paragon style player and you an opportunity to do a Renegade interrupt you can let pass and it's okay, you keep playing. It's more a part of role-playing as opposed to being a quick-time event where you have to do something or you die. It's not that at all. It's more about do you want to physically do something special at that moment as part of role-playing that character. If somebody that is hostile to you wonders near a ledge over a steep drop off, you might see a Paragon interrupt and know that you're character will be able to shove them off at that point. As a Paragon player you might see that and think 'no, I'm not gonna push them off the building.' Likewise, you might be talking to a character who's dying right there in front of you from an illness and you have the cure with you and just as they start sputtering their last breath you could do a Paragon interrupt and inject them with the cure right at that moment and save them. Again, if you don't like that character, you can let that pass and then that character will die."</blockquote>
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Read <a href="http://www.actiontrip.com/features/masseffect2progressreportpart1.phtml" target="blank">Part 1</a> and <a href="http://www.actiontrip.com/features/masseffect2progressreportpart2.phtml" target="blank">Part 2</a>.
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<i>Thanks to Szioul for the tip</i>

 

[Andhaira]

Why label them as paragon interrupts? Why not just interrupts? Anyhow, sounds like it will be very limited in implementation.

 

[Excidium]

Can hardly wait for this amazing and innovative feature.

 

[Dnny]

Bioware is on top of the "special needs" game segment.

Mass Effect caters to the mental institutions market.

 

[Lesifoere]

Totally not like QTEs, you understand.

 

[Emotional Vampire]

As expected from Codex.

Pretty nifty idea. They will probably completely fuck up the implementation and the game will suck anyway, but still, maybe someone uses it properly later.

 

[-Pavlos-]

This "interrupt" response was supposed to be a feature of the first game, you can see it in some of the gameplay videos from before it was released. Along with full party control, I might add...

 

[Emotional Vampire]

Don't... don't use that avatar. Just trust me on this one.

 

[Kz3r0]

This is beyond ludicrous.
Next implementation will be surprise sex while negotiating with an entire army.

 

[SuicideBunny]

so, they are incorporating the dialogue system of alpha protocol on top of a normal one? meh.

 

[M_I_C_K_E_Y_M_O_U_S_E]

This is beyond ludicrous.
Next implementation will be surprise sex while negotiating with an entire army.

Weak, try again.

 

[Brother None]

Why label them as paragon interrupts? Why not just interrupts?

Paragon /or/ Renegade interrupts. ActionTrip doesn't describe it well, but I think the building-push is a good example: the Renegade interrupt would push the sucker of the building, but while that action is available to everyone, if you're playing Paragon you might opt to skip it.

The only thing I'm doubtful about is how much info I get on what kind of interrupt action and I'm doing and how much they fit that annoyingly black-white Paragon-Renegade skill. Otherwise, the idea is absolutely rock solid, and expands the dialogue system in a rich way. It's not like *action* choices in RPG dialogue is anything new, though including them as timed events is slightly lulzy but action-RPG appropriate.

 

[Chateaubryan]

I bet ME 2 will probably features four-five of those QTE : just enough to fill a trailer or two.

 

[lightbane]

This "interrupt" response was supposed to be a feature of the first game, you can see it in some of the gameplay videos from before it was released. Along with full party control, I might add...

So they're just recycling features of the previous game that weren't implemented for no other reason than laziness and enough effort in hype and call it a sequel?

If I recall correctly, a game's sequel was suposed to bring out innovation (including plot/game mechanics, etc), aparently nowadays the concept's meaning has changed. For this reason I expect ME 3 will have the so praised CONSEQUENCES!!!! that are hyping so much now...

 

[JarlFrank]

As expected from Codex.

Pretty nifty idea. They will probably completely fuck up the implementation and the game will suck anyway, but still, maybe someone uses it properly later.

I actually agree with Emo Vamp here.

It sounds like a good idea in principle (like the dialog choices in PST that were actually actions, like breaking the neck of a dustman or picking up the chocolate of the mage and eating it) but it's probably going to be timed or something and thus become some kind of silly QTE. The principle of doing actions through dialogue is good, though.

 

[Xor]

Like many of bioware's gameplay ideas, it could be cool if done properly but they won't do it properly.

 

[GarfunkeL]

What is new? We had this in PST already and didn't Fallout have few instances where you could interact with the game world through dialog? VD has shown several screenshots of AoD that have same stuff.

But Bio has to make a QTE out of it and, as previously said, there's probably only a few.

 

[Zomg]

I predict that there are three of these in the tutorial level, one 10 hours in and one when you kill whoever is the annoying top henchman of the final boss.

 

[Xor]

I predict that there are three of these in the tutorial level, one 10 hours in and one when you kill whoever is the annoying top henchman of the final boss.

You're probably spot on.

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

I bet ME 2 will probably features four-five of those QTE : just enough to fill a trailer or two.

This. Neat idea but it I doubt it will get used much. Particularly neat idea for the more action-y Mass Effect, most other RPGs would be served better with just *Push him off the ledge* responses. Since the PC is fully voiced in ME and the game tries as hard as it can to be cinematic and move-like, this works well for it.

 

[Volourn]

"What is new? We had this in PST already and didn't Fallout have few instances where you could interact with the game world through dialog? VD has shown several screenshots of AoD that have same stuff."

*shrug* BIO's done it before themselves.

 

[Admiral jimbob]

IT'S LIKE REAL COLLAR GRABBING

 

[Talonfire]

Sounds interesting; hopefully it'll be implemented well.

 

[J1M]

Why label them as paragon interrupts? Why not just interrupts?

Paragon /or/ Renegade interrupts. ActionTrip doesn't describe it well, but I think the building-push is a good example: the Renegade interrupt would push the sucker of the building, but while that action is available to everyone, if you're playing Paragon you might opt to skip it.

The only thing I'm doubtful about is how much info I get on what kind of interrupt action and I'm doing and how much they fit that annoyingly black-white Paragon-Renegade skill. Otherwise, the idea is absolutely rock solid, and expands the dialogue system in a rich way. It's not like *action* choices in RPG dialogue is anything new, though including them as timed events is slightly lulzy but action-RPG appropriate.

They will color code them blue/red or put all of the paragon ones on the L trigger and all of the renegade ones on the R trigger. Just like how the dialog response wheel works.

Decent idea, but I see a lot of people doing save/reload type mechanics if the renegade ones always shove someone off a building. Bioware probably wont see this as a problem because they know that most of the game conversations are just a chance to increase your renegade/paragon score by a couple points.

EDIT: Btw, I much prefer the idea of increasing both of those scores than some sort of global karma where you can cancel out genocide with a few donations to some beggars.

 

[Jaesun]

Like many of bioware's gameplay ideas, it could be cool if done properly but they won't do it properly.

This... sadly.