Length of ME2 compared to ME1

[Forest Dweller]

I heard it's longer.

 

[Fat Dragon]

It'll last a good 25-30 hours if you just do the main quest, which is actually pretty good imo.

There are a lot of side quests too that'll add some extra hours but they all suck. Usually just landing on a planet, blast some guys, and then you're done. Or you'll do some retarded shit like buying someone a beer/food/ship parts, or talking with Krogans about a fucking goldfish (I'm serious, that's an actual quest).

 

[SuicideBunny]

it is.
you are both required to do more missions before the story decides to carry on, and you need to do the mining shit if you don't want your people and ship to go puff during the endgame, unlike the stupid ore collecting in me, which is purely optional and only for compulsive obsessive people.
the terrible linear shooter gameplay will also make it seem way more longer than it actually is.

 

[Forest Dweller]

Hmm..

 

[Black]

Just throwing in some common sense!
Longer != better.

 

[SuicideBunny]

in this case it also happens to be a better game, despite being longer, at least as long as you don't view it as an rpg.

 

[1eyedking]

in this case it also happens to be a better game

Why?

 

[SuicideBunny]

mining or scanning for side-missions isn't as annoying as driving mako through desolate landscapes, the collargrabbing is more extreme and sometimes even funny (no helmet femshep headbutting a krogan into submission ftw), some minor characters are actually likable, like the kroganish asari matriarch bartender.
and it doesn't have those goddamn motherfucking elevators.

 

[Antihero]

Shorter for me. Couldn't keep playing as Shepard the Intergalactic Temp Agency Recruiter.

Off-topic and maybe I have a skewed comparison of it to ME1 where I used an Infiltrator, but the combat was also too tedious and so far my strategy on insanity mostly consisted of hiding behind cover to sling-shot curving warpballs into the enemy while using Jack to shockwave the other moles behind cover, since most other biotics seemed like a waste at that point, although I'm sure there's some use for them.

Meanwhile, the only way I get knocked out of cover is by rocket explosions or certain melee enemies getting close which are handily dispatched by mashing the F key.

 

[Overweight Manatee]

Too much fucking around playing psychologist-nanny for your NPC's. The actual number of plot-relevant missions is like 4, taking anywhere from 1 to 2 hours each depending on difficulty and how good of a popamoler you are.

The rest of the 95% of the game is fucking around the galaxy looking for soldiers, then babysitting their emotions by going on side missions for them so they fix their daddy issues up, because otherwise the characters are half as effective in battle and will all die horrible cutscene deaths during the main quest. The good news is that at least a few of the characters are quite interesting and likeable, contrary to the Bioware norm. You still have to do pretty much all of their missions, even though there is no logical reason you should care other then arbitrary gameplay reasons.

Also, scanning planets for +1 enchantment weapon/armor/ship upgrades, without which you will die cutscene deaths. Thankfully you can mod out the mineral scanning entirely.

In summary:
5 Hours of semi-interesting but still badly designed plot
10-25 Hours of Bioware trying to make you like their NPC's. It works for some, but you are still forced to do NPC side missions that you probably don't give a fuck about.

Off-topic and maybe I have a skewed comparison of it to ME1 where I used an Infiltrator, but the combat was also too tedious and so far my strategy on insanity mostly consisted of hiding behind cover to sling-shot curving warpballs into the enemy while using Jack to shockwave the other moles behind cover, since most other biotics seemed like a waste at that point, although I'm sure there's some use for them.

Yeah, thats popamoling for you. Peek out of cover, shoot magical glowies, pop back into cover to recharge health/shield in 5 seconds then do it again. Even worse, the game forces cover popamoling because when you aren't in cover, you take more damage when hit, you recharge powers and shield/armor slower, you are less accurate, you do less damage, etc. Also, enemy shots like to automatically home in on your location, the only way to avoid is cover. Fucking consoletardization.

 

[racofer]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PjTuSQNLI4

This video should sell it for anyone.

 

[CrimHead]

I heard it's longer.

You heard correctly.

 

[Forest Dweller]

Too much fucking around playing psychologist-nanny for your NPC's. The actual number of plot-relevant missions is like 4, taking anywhere from 1 to 2 hours each depending on difficulty and how good of a popamoler you are.

The rest of the 95% of the game is fucking around the galaxy looking for soldiers, then babysitting their emotions by going on side missions for them so they fix their daddy issues up, because otherwise the characters are half as effective in battle and will all die horrible cutscene deaths during the main quest. The good news is that at least a few of the characters are quite interesting and likeable, contrary to the Bioware norm. You still have to do pretty much all of their missions, even though there is no logical reason you should care other then arbitrary gameplay reasons.

Also, scanning planets for +1 enchantment weapon/armor/ship upgrades, without which you will die cutscene deaths. Thankfully you can mod out the mineral scanning entirely.

In summary:
5 Hours of semi-interesting but still badly designed plot
10-25 Hours of Bioware trying to make you like their NPC's. It works for some, but you are still forced to do NPC side missions that you probably don't give a fuck about.

Yeah I'd heard this. Very different structure from other Bio games. But is there a good plot reason for you recruiting soldiers? In DA you have to recruit four armies as well, and that is the majority of the game. But it makes sense, since Loghaine has betrayed the Wardens. Does Mass Effect 2 have a similar explanation? Does each companion have a specific use that you know about beforehand?

 

[Tycn]

Why are you so immensely interested in Bioware games?

 

[hoochimama]

But is there a good plot reason for you recruiting soldiers? In DA you have to recruit four armies as well, and that is the majority of the game. But it makes sense, since Loghaine has betrayed the Wardens. Does Mass Effect 2 have a similar explanation? Does each companion have a specific use that you know about beforehand?

In short: no.

And it doesn't really seem to bring anything new to the plot as far as ME3 is concerned. I'd like to be wrong though.

 

[Terror Teats]

Why is the Codex so immensely cockthirsty for Bioware games?

Amended.

 

[Antihero]

But is there a good plot reason for you recruiting soldiers? In DA you have to recruit four armies as well, and that is the majority of the game. But it makes sense, since Loghaine has betrayed the Wardens. Does Mass Effect 2 have a similar explanation? Does each companion have a specific use that you know about beforehand?

In short: no.

And it doesn't really seem to bring anything new to the plot as far as ME3 is concerned. I'd like to be wrong though.

Yeah, as far as I know Mr X just said you have to assemble your team, because you need the best to take on the threat. I wasn't paying that much attention but there might be some fleshing out of their specific use - like the Salarian scientist guy who could help you not get paralyzed from those Collector-fly things, but I think he was more the exception. Felt more like trying to complete a Pokemon collection.

 

[Forest Dweller]

Why are you so immensely interested in Bioware games?

Because I enjoy them and they're good for what they are.

But is there a good plot reason for you recruiting soldiers? In DA you have to recruit four armies as well, and that is the majority of the game. But it makes sense, since Loghaine has betrayed the Wardens. Does Mass Effect 2 have a similar explanation? Does each companion have a specific use that you know about beforehand?

In short: no.

And it doesn't really seem to bring anything new to the plot as far as ME3 is concerned. I'd like to be wrong though.

So is it kind of like Chrono Trigger, where you know where the final place is for most of the game but you can't go there until you've done all the other stuff? (Actually you can but you'd get pwned.) Because if that's so that's kinda gay.

 

[Fat Dragon]

You can go to the game's final mission pretty early on, yes. But if you don't build a strong team and build your ship up before going there, it's doomed to fail or you might complete it but a lot of party members will die in the process. It all depends on how much you prepare for it.

 

[Overweight Manatee]

Yeah I'd heard this. Very different structure from other Bio games. But is there a good plot reason for you recruiting soldiers? In DA you have to recruit four armies as well, and that is the majority of the game. But it makes sense, since Loghaine has betrayed the Wardens. Does Mass Effect 2 have a similar explanation? Does each companion have a specific use that you know about beforehand?

No, its pretty much just going around the galaxy picking up anyone who has a name and wants to join. You pick up a scientist (very good character btw), but other then that noone really contributes much or is essential to the plot. Of course, most of the characters have background information telling you how they are superhuman powerful and able to crush enemies with their mind and shit, but this is hardly reflected in game and there wasn't really anything they provided that couldn't come from buying off one of the 10 mercenary crews which you otherwise genocide in the course of finding one person.

From a pure gameplay point of view, I find it a lot more appealing then the Bioware gold standard of 'visit 4 army's, do their quests, fight final boss'. The problem is that it clashes with the setting. We're spending time finding soldiers. For a battle in the year 2200 or some shit. Its like if you wanted to take down America in the present day and decided the best way to do it was to travel around Europe looking for finest swordsmen in the land. Spending so much time finding soldiers when chances are the final battle is going to come down to following and shooting things with a ship is silly. What Shepard should be doing is building a fleet (Star control 2-style), or rather the Illusive man should have been doing it with the 2,000,000,000 credits he has to throw around whenever he likes.

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

Without being much of a spoiler the big bad aliens seem to be coming from a jump gate that NO ONE RETURNS FROM DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN so everyone assumes it's a suicide mission so you want to recruit some bad enough dudes to go through the portal with you. You don't have to do the hand holding to make the NPCs happy, but if you don't either the NPC will die or will inadvertently cause another NPC to die. CHOICES AND CONSEQUENCES?????
You also don't have to upgrade your ship if you don't want to.

And you know where the final place is for most of the game but you can't go there until you reach a certain point in the main quest progression. I'm fairly sure you don't even have to recruit all the NPCs, just the first few maybe.

Also there's seemingly no reason why you, super space man Shepard, have to go recruit all these people other than the fact that most of them seem to be in trouble of some kind and need your extreme skills to get them free. But you generally don't know that until you arrive which why the hell doesn't Cerberus just send some minions to recruit people for you.

 

[1eyedking]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PjTuSQNLI4

This video should sell it for anyone.

Fuck now that was bad.

As a game, I have no doubt it sucks.

As an interactive movie, it sucks even more due to generic design, terrible writing and sedated voice actors.

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

In addition the consequences of most NPCs dying in Mass Effect 2 will probably boil down to if you get emails from them in Mass Effect 3 or not. Ashley/Kaiden are interchangeable in Mass Effect 2 so that death in ME1 didn't matter much, and if Wrex dies in ME1 there is some other shithead on the throne in ME2. Wouldn't expect more out of ME3 but it would be nice.

 

[hoochimama]

So is it kind of like Chrono Trigger, where you know where the final place is for most of the game but you can't go there until you've done all the other stuff? (Actually you can but you'd get pwned.) Because if that's so that's kinda gay.

Not sure but in Chrono Trigger you know where the big bad guy is in the future but the game doesn't let you go out and attack him there and then, it forces you to timetravel in order to become more powerful, right?

In ME2 as soon as you find out where the final baddies are and get the means to go to them you can go straight for them, avoiding most of the content/companions in the game if you so wish.

Going there unprepared affects the outcome of that confrontation/ending and hopefully translates to ME3. (none of the resuscitated warden crap DA awakening pulled)

 

[Forest Dweller]

I don't know. Having the majority of the plot being about recruiting characters, even if they're interesting, sounds pretty lame. Other Bioware stories while formulaic at least had a well-structured plot that moved forward. At the very least, how many choices do you get to make affecting planet/galaxies? Admittedly ME1 didn't have much of that either.