Length of ME2 compared to ME1

[treave]

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?

No, you have access to the big bad the first time you time-travel right after finding out when exactly the world was destroyed. That's about 5 or 6 hours or so into the game, maximum. Use the bucket.

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

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)

Yeah, you can go attack Ragos or Ragnos or whatever the fuck. Been playing that for the first time on the DS lately and the first thing I did when I had the chance was attack the big bad monster and herp derp myself.

And Bioware has said over and over again if Shepard dies in ME2 then you don't get to import a save to ME3, since you'll be playing Shepard in ME3. When you fire ME3 up you'll just get the generic canon consequences and a new character just like making a new ME2 character.

 

[Overweight Manatee]

At the very least, how many choices do you get to make affecting planet/galaxies? Admittedly ME1 didn't have much of that either.

None/Background Flavor Text/To Be Determined in ME3.

 

[ScottishMartialArts]

Yeah, you can go attack Ragos or Ragnos or whatever the fuck.

Did they change Lavos's name for the DS? That's lame. I ChronoTrigger.

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

No no, it's Lavos. I just couldn't remember what it was called. I'm at the part where I beat up Magus (For I assume the first time) and then got pulled through a portal back to the past and I'm in the dinosaur castle.

At least Frog's more useful now that I noticed I can give him the Hero's Badge so he gets more oomph out of the Masamune. I was disappointed at first that Crono seemed to be doing more damage than him with some no-name sword.

 

[ScottishMartialArts]

Hmm, my recollection was that Frog's attack damage jumps into the lead after he gets the Masamune. I really ought to replay the game again. Are you playing the DS version on an actual DS or an emulator?

 

[kingcomrade]

The thing to understand about Chrono Trigger is that it has old school problems: physical attacks do only a bit less damage than magic and magic is limited by tech points, so use your magic for healing and AoE.

Basically the party I always end up using is Crono (good aoe good phys attack), Marle (healbot who has Haste which is the only buff spell worth casting and it's great), and then the last guy doesn't matter. You can pick someone with AoE double tech heals with Marle (I think Robo or Frog, with Frog being better because he's got more speed), or just pick Ayla and kill stuff faster.

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

Hmm, my recollection was that Frog's attack damage jumps into the lead after he gets the Masamune. I really ought to replay the game again. Are you playing the DS version on an actual DS or an emulator?

Actual DS.

And yeah KC my party has been Crono and Marle as much as I can. Had been using Robo but since I got Frog back with a super sword I figured I should use him.

 

[Radisshu]

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?

No, you can pretty much go straight away in Chrono Trigger, though fighting Lavos will be impossible at early stages unless you're on a new game +.

 

[Sceptic]

mining or scanning for side-missions isn't as annoying as driving mako through desolate landscapes

No it's not as annoying. It's much, much more annoying.

the collargrabbing is more extreme and sometimes even funny (no helmet femshep headbutting a krogan into submission ftw)

Facepalm-worthy lulz isn't really a good thing.

some minor characters are actually likable, like the kroganish asari matriarch bartender.

Maybe. YMMV.

and it doesn't have those goddamn motherfucking elevators.

That's maybe the one thing ME2 does better.

Now for all the others things ME2 does worse than ME1:
- the minigames are even stupider and this time they are unskippable
- popamole combat worse than ME1
- character system is a big decline (over what was already a not very good system)
- lack of inventory is even worse than the shitty ME1 inventory
- MQ with collectors is completely and utterly stupid

Really the only saving grace of ME2 is that the writing is better in places and that a couple of NPCs are interesting for a change. Aside from that it's worse than ME1 in every way.

 

[Freelance Henchman]

- popamole combat worse than ME1
- character system is a big decline (over what was already a not very good system)
- lack of inventory is even worse than the shitty ME1 inventory

YMMV with these. I hugely prefered the ME2 version of all of these. The non-existant inventory was better than the list of 200x ANALRAPIST VX ASSAULT RIFLE that added absolutely nothing to the ME1 gameplay but only meant that you spent a lot of time looking at a menu.