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Review Mass Effect 2 Got Soul

Jason

chasing a bee
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Tags: BioWare; Mass Effect 2

Bossman, one of the Romanian Codex contingent, reviewed <b>Mass Effect 2</b> over at <a href="http://computergames.ro/en/games/viewitem/id/3749/name/mass-effect-2/section/review.html" target="blank">ComputerGames.ro</a>, scoring it 85/100.
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<blockquote> “So how does Mass Effect 2 stack up compared to the first one?” Well, it certainly has a lot more soul. More interesting characters. It shows the “other side” of the Mass Effect universe and neatly sets the stage for the final showdown that will take place in the last title of the trilogy. If you put it under a microscope, its shortcomings will become even more apparent and the game is now a shooter more than an RPG, but it really depends how much you’re willing to forgive for a story that’s very well presented.
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I for one don’t regret the time spent in its company, but I expect Mass Effect 3 to dump the “streamlining” (can it even get worse than it is?), combine the best aspects of its predecessors and end the trilogy with a bang. Anything less will be unacceptable.</blockquote>
 

Rhalle

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I for one don’t regret the time spent in its company, but I expect Mass Effect 3 to dump the “streamlining” (can it even get worse than it is?), combine the best aspects of its predecessors and end the trilogy with a bang.

It won't be an improvement; the point was to eliminate the half-assed RPG/classic space game stuff and make it more of a tardbox shooter.

ME3 will be the same as ME2, unless they decide to cut even more of the 'RPG' elements in favor of more cinematics.

And since it is a cash cow, it will never ever end. They will franchise it until it is a dessicated corpse of a game.
 

Gay-Lussac

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Rhalle said:
I for one don’t regret the time spent in its company, but I expect Mass Effect 3 to dump the “streamlining” (can it even get worse than it is?), combine the best aspects of its predecessors and end the trilogy with a bang.

It won't be an improvement; the point was to eliminate the half-assed RPG/classic space game stuff and make it more of a tardbox shooter.

ME3 will be the same as ME2, unless they decide to cut even more of the 'RPG' elements in favor of more cinematics.

And since it is a cash cow, it will never ever end. They will franchise it until it is a dessicated corpse of a game.

..my life is over
 
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Rhalle said:
ME3 will be the same as ME2, unless they decide to cut even more of the 'RPG' elements in favor of more cinematics.

lol m0ran

striving to be the best cinematic experience ever is the soul of rpgs

I'm oldschool, I played fucking Knights of the fucking Old Republic. Yeah, the first one. I know my shit.
 

Lesifoere

Liturgist
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Oct 26, 2007
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4,071
DraQ said:
Whose soul does it have?

From little I've seen I'm sure as hell it isn't its own.

Joss Whedon's soul, or at least a trying-very-hard facsimile of it.
 

Malakal

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Since ME2 is a little better than ME if the keep it up by ME234 we'll have a good game!

Yes, it has a soul. Small, dirty and casual but it is there.
 
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Isn't that what the codex has always said?

Mass Effect 2 has heart. It has soul. If Mass Effect 2 sang the Blues, you'd want to listen. This is a game made by people who genuinely loved what they were doing, and it's clear that rather than asking themselves "How can we best serve the market?", the developers instead asked "Wouldn't it be awesome if . . .?" It has all the enthusiasm and the quirkiness (for better and worse) of an indie game, but the production values that only a multi-million dollar budget will buy.

It has flaws - plenty of them - but ultimately it's a great game. I have had more fun with Mass Effect 2 than with any RPG released in the last few years. Mass Effect 2 is not "game as art," as Planescape: Torment and (more recently) Mask of the Betrayer have tried to be. Instead, it is "game as game", something that has been equally rare recently in the RPG genre. There is a focus on gameplay, on RPG mechanics, on depth of setting and on immersion.

All in all, I liked Mass Effect 2 very much. Someone might now ask ‘wait, what? So many flaws from the linear corridor level design to regenerating health to shitty AI, but he still says it’s a very good game?’. Well, yes, the game is definitely not flawless, but the cons are totally overshadowed by the pros, and most of the flaws are actually rather minor for this type of gameplay. The plot is rather silly, planets are underdeveloped, but then again, it’s not what this game is about. What it's about is exploration of the universe, getting to know many interesting NPCs, gathering loot, fighting challenging fights, renegade/paragon options, and… romance. Believe me when I say that the romances will imprint themselves in your memory for a long time if you play it properly, and I just can’t find words to describe how marvellous they were.

Now we can only hope that Biowares next game will have the story of Dragon Age and the gameplay of Mass Effect 2, which I might say could be the recipe for a monumental cRPG.

Mass Effect 2 is enjoyable, addictive, and deeply satisfying, and I wholeheartedly recommend it. If the Codex gave numerical scores, I'd give this an 8.5 out of 10. Since we don't, pretend you didn't see that.


The magazine even gave it the same score as the 'dex! We should sue for copyright infringement.
 

Xor

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Jan 21, 2008
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Codex 2014 PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Divinity: Original Sin Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Divinity: Original Sin 2
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