i'll circumvent the all to common cyclical arguements regarding me1 vs me2 and just state my opinions for the community to interpret as they please:
this is a lengthy rant so tl;dr vesrion: ME2 not as immersive, ME1 immersed me in the universe and character better. im not attached to inventory and more weapons specifically, but they added personalization the ME2 lacks. ME2 feels disconnected from not only ME1 but itself (isolated stories, little connection or advancement of main plot). elevators rocked, i never complained about them; loading screens and mission complete screen really broke immersion for me, if only becuase elevators spoiled me with their awesome ability to flow the gameworld together. LOTSB and Overlord definite steps in the right direction and were awesome and single...double(?)-handedly renewed my hope for ME3.
simply put, ME1 was more fun for me than ME2. By Bioware's own definition of RPG, i find ME1 to surpass ME2 as an RPG as well. No, not becuase of inventory systems and deeper skill customization, but because of what they contributed to the role playing experience; i dont necessarily want either back. if bioware can deliver the same personalization and ultimately greater immersion into a character with some other gameplay device(s), then im all for it; but 2-3 weapons directly upgrading each other; weapon mods reduced to actual direct upgrades, a scant few armor choices, half of which of which cause shepard to splash liquor onto his faceplate and liara to voracially try to eat her way thru shepard's helmet, and a level system that is somehow supposed to be more accessible yet demands mathmatically perfect character builds just to get use out all your squad points...well, none of them did that for me.
the whole inventory/ lack of arguement (to me at least) boils down to one thing: customization. ME1 had a poorly designed and clunky inventory, i agree; but even if it got to the point where i stopped opening loot just to avoid sorting it out in the menu, it contributed to customization, and therfore personalization, and therefore, by my standards, immersion; and i think most agree thats what its all about. at the end of the day, i have no way whatsoever to customize my main weapons, barring purposefully using an obsolete weapon; my point being, the shuriken and tempest function differently gameplay wise...but it doesnt matter, because the tempest is still better in every way, so whats the point of having the choice between burst and auto fire if auto is always better? im against the system of having a few weapons that vary significantly; but the variance really shouldnt be "this one you start with, and this one is better". In ME1, my sniper was completely different than Garrus'; I fired off a single tank shell of a bullet, while garrus shot multiple disruptor rounds. they were both the exact same model, but they functioned differently; thats what i enjoyed about inventory, it allowed that kind of variation. now the only difference is that garrus can fire off as many shots as he wants while im hoarding sniper rounds like a nuclear stockpile.
which leads me my next problem; keep your pants on, i dont hate the ammo system as a concept, i just think its poorly balanced. yes, i will forever be disapointed that bioware scrapped their innovative combat system for something so generic, but i've face the facts; any ammo system is a gameplay affair, and over all ME2 did improve the gameplay alot, so i can live with it; ammo works fine in plently of other games (and as it is a gameplay affiar, i am calling it ammo and not thernal sinks, cause thats what it functionally is). However, when i found out that i was using the collector particle beam more than my sniper, i figured something was wrong; i also figured that being able to carry twice as many homing missiles than sniper rounds probably had something to do with it. The ammo system was implemented to add tension to combat, which it might do for other classes, but for infiltrators like me im sure it mostly just added frustration. I've gotten perfect headshots with every round fired and found out the spray-and-praying with my soldier still used proportionally less ammo. you know added combat tension without annoyance? the explosive rounds from me1; i knew that with every shot i would be subject to a cooldown period so i only fired when i was sure it would hit; and this is with explosive rounds that hit everything within 20 feet; on normal. my point being, that combat was tense even when i could probably hit immunity and run around meleeing everything to death. Interestingly, LOTSB managed to partially rectify this; by simply putting more ammo on the ground. I could actually replenish my sniper to a respectable degree and conserve my shots on a fight by fight basis instead of having to break out a day planner to make effective use of them. so if combat tension is what you want... im still all for the hybrid system (maybe have that whole 'stuff regens faster out of combat' mechanic, ive always liked that); but as long as you can accomplish that balance; make me think about my shots for the fight, and not annoying me through the whole level, im good. oh, pistols to. carnifax was worthless; phalanx was awesome, but note it simultaneously has more ammo and is stronger (at least thats what ive experienced); so yeah, just balance it out more, and watch for tension becoming frustration.
the armor customization... a fine idea, but poorly implemented. could have worked perfectly if the full body armors came in pieces like the normal armor... and if there was a helmet toggle. ive heard some people wanting retractable faceplates, but i know that would be a pain to animate for every helmet, so i wouldnt mind a dragon age style ' remove helmet when drinks and smooching are imminent'.
the new leveling system? my biggest problem with it is actually pretty trivial, but in rpgs its often the little things that end up being the main immersion breakers (again, at least for me). If only Bioware had known how much the level up system could have been improved if only i could, you know... actually be allowed to fully level. why oh why must a break out a calculator just to be able to make use of all my points? why not completely circumvent this issue and just break up every skill into 10 sections i could level individually, with the specialized version unlocked at the 10th point? being the absolute end of the skill, and being so dramatic a difference would force us to think about what skills to get for actual gameplay reasons instead of investing 2 points into an ammo i'll never use and sacrificing a specialized skill just to have all my points in use. Moreover, im leveling my character based on a nonsensical game restraint instead what i actually want to level, and that further disconnects me from my character.
speaking of levels... that whole more linear than the original doom, segmented gameplay structure... thats ruining immersion to; makes the world feel very disconnected. here's my overly complicated reasoning: in ME1, you went to the citadel; you couldnt convince the council, so you looked for alternatives. you went to the wards, walked into the clinc and met garrus, whos pursuing a lead that could expose saren. then you mosied on over to choras den and took out fist. with new information, you rushed to the access hallway and saved tali. you got her to safety and got your evidence, then made your way to the council chambers, the evidence is irrefutable, and your made spectre so you can track down saren without bureaucracy getting in your way. that whole time, i was in the citadel; obviously; but heres what i mean: in omega, you arrive and make your way to afterlife. you get info on your 2 targets, maybe explore the general area some more and find some interesting things, but then you get down to business. so, you make your way to mordin's recruitment level, then after your done with that, do archangel's recruitment level. niether of those are on omega; they're isolated tracks of chest high boxes and hostiles. There wasnt a connected atmosphere on omega; there was the hub area, then there was 2 'levels'. ME1 blened this together very well, but ME2 treats them as completely different entities. i hope you get my meaning.
so yeah, ME2 felt very disconnected to me; it was a series of obstacle courses, some of which involved exploring daddy issues and recoloring outfits, with the main plot so awesomely introduced in ME1 put in as an after thought. i felt disconnected from shepard, with his generic equipment and deadpan interactions with his LI; from the main plot; going after the collectors because the evil genius who traumatized me for life and consistently betrays me told me to; and from the universe as a whole, which felt alien to the one i experienced in ME1.
..but on a positive note, the combat was much more fun, there was plenty of amusing (and meaningful) fanservice, and the DLC (i am of cource speaking of LOTSB and Overlord)... just...wow. Definite step in the right direction. hell, youve basically leaped out of the bus driving down the highway to hell and grasped the side of the stairway to heaven as far as im concerned. 2 very excellent pieces of storytelling; ive already completely forgiven liara's base game interactions. The romance scene? best in the game, and a template of should've been done with the other LIs; avoiding spoilers, an oppurtunity for shepard to voice his true opinion made it all worthwhile. And Overlord may very well have made me fell more empathy than i've ever felt for an actuall human being; and thats a testament to its excellent presentation, not me being emotionally dead BTW
ME2 really felt like a case of over... or rather supercompensating for the flaws of the first...but the great storytelling and other improvements of the DLC have me hopeful that bioware can actually make a great balanced game out of ME3.
im already starting to rant off-topic, so ill stop now.
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