Mass Effect 2 – Media Backlash?
Now that Mass Effect 2 has come and gone with barely a blip on the gamer radar, game reviews are starting to become more realistic on how this game actually is.
“Aside from the narrative weakness of too many underdeveloped characters, the new global emphasis on skirmishes is also of concern. As stated earlier, the teammate AI and combat mechanics are greatly improved over the first game, but things have (again) gotten carried away. The architecture of most levels has been downsized to small, almost perfectly linear spaces that emphasize combat over exploration. Planetary hubs are now reduced to large rooms, and although quite beautiful, most action areas are little more than unconvincing, glorified hallways.” – GameCritics
“The story does waver when it matters most, and the planet-scanning and other hacking mini-games are quite the bore…” – Xbox World Australia
“Remove the ho-hum gunplay, and the rest is an interactive action movie that’s decent enough for one walkthrough. Don’t go for seconds, though. And if you’re still craving for a space opera fix by the time you’re done with Mass Effect 2, better rent all five seasons of Babylon 5.” – Absolute Games
“It’s a shame though that Bioware did not improve the inventory and skill system of the first game, but actually reduced it even more. I really wished there were more customization options, more ways to develop and gear up my characters.” – PC Games
One can only hope Bioware cleans these problems up for the PS3 Blu-ray release.
Here’s your blip: http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbox360/masseffect2?q=mass%20effect%202
And a rather substantial blip at that.
“Despite all of the ways Mass Effect 2 is more engaging to play and explore, after 35 remarkable hours it was the characters that stayed with us… Game of the year in January? Oh, go on then.”
“Mass Effect 2 is the perfect fusion of the shooter and RPG genres. When you’re not playing it, you wish you were. When you are playing it, you can’t imagine doing anything else. Engrossing, captivating, stunning. Roll on DLC, and Mass Effect 3.”
“Mass Effect 2 strikes a perfect balance between intense shooter action and gut-wrenching drama, set in a richly textured world on the brink of destruction. It’s a must-own for science fiction fans, who will love exploring the depths of the galaxy and fighting to save humanity.”
“We can’t do anything but to celebrate another masterpiece from Bioware, a game that has never been so close to perfection. If you have not upgraded your PC yet, it’s time to do it; if you you needed an excuse to buy an Xbox 360, now you have one. Not to play this game would be crazy.”
And so on. I’m just glad as hell that they went with 2 discs and didn’t that I didn’t have to bother with that insipid repeated and long-assed installs like with MGS4. I can have a disc switched out and the new disc in in under 30 seconds of being prompted to do so. Long ass installs, well that’s another story.
As far as a PS3 release. Not going to happen.
In a very short time it has sold well over a million copies for the 360 version alone. Add to that a near perfect metacritic score and, well I don’t see how that isn’t a blip. Already it has sold well more than Sony’s last “big” RPG of Demon’s Souls. That seems like a big blip to me.
So go blip yourselves.
@erik
“In a very short time it has sold well over a million copies for the 360 version alone. Add to that a near perfect metacritic score and, well I don’t see how that isn’t a blip. Already it has sold well more than Sony’s last “big” RPG of Demon’s Souls. That seems like a big blip to me.”
Agree with you on that one. Then again when did a Atlus game ever sell big numbers anyways? But I defintily enjoy so far what I’ve played of ME 1 and can’t wait to actually play the second one.
As far as a PS3 release goes, I think it will happen eventually but not untill well after the third game is released.
@InfaredChimera
Well for them to release the second Mass Effect for the PS3 it would be sheer lunacy for them to do so before releasing the first one. If you just start a new game and not import an old game with ME2 you are so much getting only half an experience in the sequel. There are so many minor choices that you made in the first game that have an effect in the second game. To have these whittled down to just default values is a crime.
And beyond that “your” Shepard grows on you. So much so that when you watch a gameplay video on youtube or the like and it takes a second to register that the character on the screen is Shepard as well. Then in smug satisfaction you sit back and declare your Shepard better.
@erik
Thats what I hear about Mass Effect and not only that if the second game plays a helluva alot better than the first one, then going back and playing the first one might be a little rougher experience.
“As far as a PS3 release goes, I think it will happen eventually but not untill well after the third game is released.”
I should have been a lot more clear on this. I think all three games will be released as a trilogy on the PS3 but not untill after the third game is released and after (if MS) has any exclusivity deals have ended.
Hm, well not everyone is happy with the new one. I am I love it. But where some people have seen a fast paced stream lining, others have seen a total dumbing down. And if I ever feel like doing another play through with a new character I will start it in ME1 and work into 2. I really really don’t want default choices being made for me.
“One can only hope Bioware cleans these problems up for the PS3 Blu-ray release.”
Lol, looks like the PS3 fangirls are in a tizzy that they lost LA Noire as an exclusive.
That or they’re just pissed off that WKC, the Sony exclusive RPG is flopping, and getting horrible reviews.
Aww, did ME2 take your precious Uncharted 2 and turn it into its bitch?
Apparently so! Dude Raider 2 got owned.
Well i cant wait for the ps3 blu-ray bundle of ME 1/2 to come out just like every other 360 exclusive have.
@Slimdefect
And in return we got AGENT.
@mich99
And I can’t wait to buy FF13 on the 360. But yeah, you may eventually get Mass Effect eventually, you know a few years down the road. We aren’t against throwing you our table scraps once we are done with them. Like the starving dog you are.
@mich99
I’m sure that will come to PC and 360 as well.
Rockstar doesn’t do exclusives, only timed exclusives.
But seeing as 360 games are so inferior, I’m surprised that you want them on Blu-ray, that superior format that the Japanese devs only know how to fill with PRE-RENDERED cut scenes.
@Erik
I dont care if we get in in 1 or 2 years,but the funny thing is that you guys never get our exclusives. You guys never gonna see MGS4 or Heavy rain on the 360. They stayed with the ps3 for ever not like on the 360 that every is timed. GTA4 DLC conming to the ps3, Star ocean coming to the ps3, Mass effect 1 and 2 also soon coming to the ps3.
@Slimdefect
Agent is not going to the 360 because sony paid 20 million for it. L.A noire was supposed to come out for the ps2 as an exclusive but sony wasnt happy with the results so they dropped the title and thats when Rockstar picks it up and decide to release it but in order to do so they had to give AGENT to sony because sony already had wasted 20 millions on L.A noire.
@mich99
“I dont care if we get in in 1 or 2 years,but the funny thing is that you guys never get our exclusives.”
No, but close. Rather I don’t WANT your exclusives. If I wanted them I would play them on my PS3. As I won’t play it on that system, I won’t play it on the 360 either.
“You guys never gonna see MGS4 or Heavy rain on the 360.”
Thank god.
“Mass effect 1 and 2 also soon coming to the ps3. ”
Despite there being no evidence of that? Yeah.
You also seem to have no idea that Mass Effect is going to be a trilogy. So even if it is time locked it will have to be till some time after the third comes out. So even if you are right, despite no evidence stating it, you aren’t going to see it for a LOOOONG assed time.
Yea i know its going to be a trilogy
but you guys are talking as if Mass effect 3
will be release this year. its probably going to be release during next year’s holidays or they might release the trilogy [All in one single blu ray disc] around the time mass effect 3 comes out.
No, my point is that Mass Effect 3 won’t be released this year. Hence the series won’t be released from any “time lock” until the 3rd is released after this year. Hence you aren’t going to be seeing it for a LOOOOOOONG time. And even when you do because of the hideous slow seek time of the blu-ray (it really is just a shitty format for gaming. Movies and other straight streaming media it’s great on the other hand) you will have to put up with so many installs. And I’ll swap my discs back and forth multiple times during one of your installs just to mock you.
Mich, you mean the way Microsoft payed $50 million for that getting “exclusive” DLC developed?
Also
“You guys never gonna see MGS4 or Heavy rain on the 360.”
Well that’s a relief, as I bought a console to play games, not watch bad movies.
@mich99
“the funny thing is that you guys never get our exclusives”
Yeah! Except GTA, Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy, Virtua Fighter, a handful of other lesser epic series like Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, etc.)
But it works the other way too. Because Microsoft doesn’t internally develop their big system-selling exclusives, its inevitable that some of those go multi-platform too.
What is going to eventually happen is everyone will start doing the timed exclusives or everything will be multi-platform unless developed internally. Even 2nd party companies (Polyphony Digital, Insomniac) could theoretically split from their parent company and technically go multi-platform (Bungie) or be sold to a competitor (Rareware)
If I recall correctly Halo was originally intended to be a Machintosh product. Pity it wasn’t. The Halo series is both overrated lump that gets far too much sequels and attention and a cancer on an otherwise great library.
@tendonnut
GTA was never exclusive to sony, it appeared on the pc and also on xbox.
Devil may cry 3 appeared on the xbox .
Final fantasy 1-6 were all on a nintendo platform and some of them also appeared on pc.
And anyways im talking about current gen franchises , Sony hasn’t lost as many as the 360 have. Some games that have started on the 360 and went to ps3 :
Dead rising
Bioshock
Lost planet
Star ocean
Oblivion
Kane and lynch
and many more .
Thats why sony will have the upper-hand when this gen is finish in term of exclusive games. Sony has more studios than nintendo and microsoft combine.
@mich99
And yet all of those titles that tendonut mentioned were Sony exclusives at one point. Saying that they are on other systems now is kind of the fucking point.
“Thats why sony will have the upper-hand when this gen is finish in term of exclusive games. Sony has more studios than nintendo and microsoft combine.”
What’s that old standard? “Quality over quantity”?
Also, show me a PS3 exclusive that’s sold more than New SMB Wii.
@Mich99
“I dont care if we get in in 1 or 2 years,but the funny thing is that you guys never get our exclusives. You guys never gonna see MGS4 or Heavy rain on the 360.”
Really, MGS4 sold like crap and played like crap, but was a half-way decent CGI film. What a $ony fanturd!
And sorry, but L.A. Noire looks soooo much better than Heavy Slain (another CGI movie with button presses! Wow, we can’t wait for that. Hell Alan Wake looks like a lot more fun than Heavy Rain!
Mich, take your $ony pom-poms and shove them up your arse! You’re a such a tool.