[Mikes]

Giving Bioware the benefit of the doubt... i found the ending not too bad at all.

If the Reapers actually are just "slurping" genetic material to build themselves that would indeed be cheap.

But are they? Talking on a merely physical level, how stupid is that notion really that you take a lot of organic paste to make some kind of superhard metal/shell that the Reapers are made up of in game?
But is that really what is happening there? Is it all physical? Why would they take the shape of the "host" species then? I mean they certainly aren't "growing" based on our DNA now lol.


My gut reaction was, they are taking the "essence" of a whole civilization, bodies AND SOULS and that is what Reapers are made of... the accumulation of a dead civilizations souls.

[General Battuta]

Giving Bioware the benefit of the doubt... i found the ending not too bad at all.

If the Reapers actually are just "slurping" genetic material to build themselves that would indeed be cheap.

But are they? Talking on a merely physical level, how stupid is that notion really that you take a lot of organic paste to make some kind of superhard metal/shell that the Reapers are made up of in game?
But is that really what is happening there? Is it all physical? Why would they take the shape of the "host" species then? I mean they certainly aren't "growing" based on our DNA now lol.


My gut reaction was, they are taking the "essence" of a whole civilization, bodies AND SOULS and that is what Reapers are made of.

I agree. I think that's what they intended as well.

The problem is that they didn't execute it well. They threw in this unnecessary 'origin determines form' twist, apparently just to justify a fight with a comically silly giant Terminator.

And that problem was compounded by the fact that the Suicide Mission kind of sucked in terms of actually feeling suicidal.

The original concept art for the HumanReaper was quite a bit more interesting. I wish they'd used it.

[Mikes]

Dunno, but it was kinda obvious to me that there must be some kind of metaphysical component involved ... i mean yeah, the story WOULD be outright stupid if it was merely a physical process of turning organics into some kind of metal to build a ship with that happens to look like them. The actual writing/canon up to today however does not give any indication either way, so i don't see a need to ruin my own enjoyment by jumping to that specific conclusion. I certainly won't fault a storyline for being too "openended" before its actual conclusion ... and from my experience, explaining too much and especially too early is almost always worse than explaining less than the audience would want, but leaving some room for imagination as a consequence.

And yeah, while the design of the final boss could certainly have been better (I've seen the awesome concept art as well), it didn't really detract from my enjoyment of the story.

[Locutus of Borg]

It did mine

Also, unlike the first game, most of the missions DID NOT advance the main plot.  In ME1, every mission you did advanced the okit in some way, and gave you an insight into Saren's plan. (excluding, of course, DLC)

In ME2, most of the missions are recruitment or loyalty missions, and only a handful actually advance the story.

Additionally, all the main missions can be completed in 20 minutes. Find me one person who completed Feros or Noveria in that time.

[mxlm]

And that problem was compounded by the fact that the Suicide Mission kind of sucked in terms of actually feeling suicidal.

I should add that the first time through I only lost Jack. Uh, and the folks in the chamber. And I was fairly shocked and dismayed. If I'd been losing people left and right? That would have been awesome.

I mean, apparently it can happen, but only if you don't bother with any loyalty sidequests and make terrible choices (such as my choice to have Thane maintain a barrier. Oops).

[General Battuta]

The character death rate I was pretty okay with, but the gameplay wasn't very hard even on the maximum unlockable difficulty. I wanted a Praetorian or two, at least.

[mxlm]

The character death rate I was pretty okay with, but the gameplay wasn't very hard even on the maximum unlockable difficulty. I wanted a Praetorian or two, at least.

Ah, yeah, I was wondering where the Praetorians were as I was running and gunning my way through. Incidentally, that segment made me realize that while the postmaster general sounds scary, his possessed postmen are total pushovers.

[StarSlayer]

One thing I wish they had explored was some emotional trauma on the part of Commander Shepard.  Between being mind zapped multiple times in ME1, knowing the mechanical doom is drawing upon us and being killed then brought back to life, I tend to think I'd be waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat.  I also would have liked some clarification on the implications of being brought back from the dead.  I'm mean is this like some John Sheridan/Z'ha'dum you get a few years deal?  Am I the Bionic Man?

[SpardaSon21]

In the character creation screen where you pick your class it mentions various cybernetic implants for all the classes, so yes, Bionic Man thing if only slightly.

[Locutus of Borg]

If you go to Cerberus
you will...live?

Wait until the RepoMen show up for Shepard's liver.

[Colonol Dekker]

Well I should be ok in mass effect 3. I kept the station and am completely anti-zod as always.
 
My liver remains my own

[Locutus of Borg]

THE NEXT DLC!?!?!

Check this out. These audio files were found in the Mass Effect 2 PC version.

Keep in mind that the video is other footage that the audio files have been edited onto.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSNdH6PBTB8

[Grizzly]

It did mine

Also, unlike the first game, most of the missions DID NOT advance the main plot.  In ME1, every mission you did advanced the okit in some way, and gave you an insight into Saren's plan. (excluding, of course, DLC)

In ME2, most of the missions are recruitment or loyalty missions, and only a handful actually advance the story.

I agree, I found ME1's story to be more engaging.

Now that I think of it, when you sum up the differences between ME1 and ME2, and then sum up the differences between Baldur's Gate 1 and 2, you tend to run into similarities.

[Locutus of Borg]

Boy oh boy did I rape the spelling of plot

[Mongoose]

Gotta love the one-key off hand position.

[Mikes]

It did mine

Also, unlike the first game, most of the missions DID NOT advance the main plot.  In ME1, every mission you did advanced the okit in some way, and gave you an insight into Saren's plan. (excluding, of course, DLC)

In ME2, most of the missions are recruitment or loyalty missions, and only a handful actually advance the story.

Additionally, all the main missions can be completed in 20 minutes. Find me one person who completed Feros or Noveria in that time.

I perceivced that quite differently frankly.

Mass Effect 1's main story was incredibly short and the side missions were just abysmal. It felt like two different games to me... a real short one that rocked and a longer drawn out one where you went to pointless "socalled" missions where you mostly got frustrated at the idiotic Mako driving physics and then visited the same 3 locations over and over and over to clear them out  enemies to get a minimal and mostly meaningless text message at the end. I found it to be almost grotesque... and actually disliked the first game severely for that reason. It felt like only half a game with these horrible side missions tacked on for no other reason than to artifically draw it out.

On Mass Effect 2 on the other hand i was completely sold... sure the main plot, again, was very very short.... but here, we have a large amount of side missions with quality and superb writing that you rarely see in the PC gaming world. Rarely seen such memmorable characters.... really drew me in.

Here is to hoping that they will finally pull it all together and deliver a longer kickass story line in ME3. On the other hand... it's of course entirely possible that it will be another "rally the troups" game (like Dragon Age too, incidentially - Bioware seems to have a thing for that lately) and that your previous exploits in ME1+ME2 will simply grant you extra allies for the big fight at the end.... like previous Love interest and squadmembers suddenly reappearing in time for the showdown and possibly even the Rachni queen remembering she owes you et cetera. And if you're pessimistic you'd propably say it will end up in getting an e-mail that all these previous characters really love you and are fighting the good fight at a different planet/front to keep the bad guys off your back while you save the universe in the finale.

Still... if ME3 brings us a set of characters as memmorable as the ones in ME2, i wouldn't begrudge them even for that heh.

[Locutus of Borg]

Human colonists are disappearing left and right and you're helping Kasumi do...WHAT!?

It just seems so disconnected

[mxlm]

That's always been true of Bioware's stuff, though.

Gee, my sister is in the hands of...I don't know, some disfigured ridiculously powerful mage so I think I'll go spelunking in the ****ing sewers. I'm chasing that prick through the underdark, so I'll go out of my way to mess with this strange magical machine. OTOH, BG2 wasn't trying to be an interactive movie.

[Ace]

Giving Bioware the benefit of the doubt... i found the ending not too bad at all.

If the Reapers actually are just "slurping" genetic material to build themselves that would indeed be cheap.

But are they? Talking on a merely physical level, how stupid is that notion really that you take a lot of organic paste to make some kind of superhard metal/shell that the Reapers are made up of in game?
But is that really what is happening there? Is it all physical? Why would they take the shape of the "host" species then? I mean they certainly aren't "growing" based on our DNA now lol.


My gut reaction was, they are taking the "essence" of a whole civilization, bodies AND SOULS and that is what Reapers are made of.

I agree. I think that's what they intended as well.

The problem is that they didn't execute it well. They threw in this unnecessary 'origin determines form' twist, apparently just to justify a fight with a comically silly giant Terminator.

And that problem was compounded by the fact that the Suicide Mission kind of sucked in terms of actually feeling suicidal.

The original concept art for the HumanReaper was quite a bit more interesting. I wish they'd used it.

The giant fetus looking one would have been interesting, hell a fetal terminator would have even worked.

...and it'd be entertaining for FOX News to go ballistic about the sequel being an abortion simulator

[Colonol Dekker]

Can anyone post some of said concept art?