InfiniteCuts wrote...
*snip because I don't want to quote a massive wall of text and then drop a comparable wall on TOP of that*
...I agree with the spirit of what you're trying to argue, but I feel you're leaving out several weak points in your arguments, and I’m not sure if you’re even aware you did this:
Scale – ME1 may have felt bigger, but how much of that was purely empty space or the same environment rehashed over and over and over again? Combat environments were NOT that varied, and I feel your statement is largely in error. It was the same buildings, often with the same interior designs, even when it came to the caves. ME2 makes an in-joke about pre-fab buildings and structures because they recognized their own mistake. While they did sacrifice this for comparatively smaller spaces in ME2, each environment is unique and different
looking. Also, the hubs were larger, yes, but how often did you actually take the time to manually traverse the
entire Citadel, or did you just use the Transit to get around (which had its own load screen too!) While the
elevators were an interesting touch, having to use the Elevator every time you wanted to hear the news got old FAST, hence the news terminals. I will concede that the squad banter in the elevators was nice, but often it was the same conversation and the same responses only with very slight differences.
Physics – “Heavier”? Well, we all noticed that Shepard seems to move with a slight limp, which was odd, but it didn’t bother me too much. As for the cover mechanic…well, this is the price of moving away from the RPG-style and into the TPS-style. Cover becomes very important in a TPS, and means the difference between life or death. Cover was only unnecessary in ME1 because power combos or armor combos rendered Shepard largely invulnerable to damage. And you admit you preferred it using the thumbstick, and that’s cool, but for a lot of us, not only was using cover awkward, but Shepard’s ability to stick to walls became annoying fast. Using a button to control cover makes things MUCH easier for us. I wouldn’t have minded some sort of blind-fire, which a lot of other TPS’ use, but that’s another story. As for ragdoll physics…sure, sniping someone and sending their bodies soaring back was awesome…but you can’t snipe at NEARLY the ranges you could in ME1 anymore. We were quiet probably because the ragdoll physics of old just didn’t cut it anymore.
Art – Now here, I have the largest disagreement with you. ME1’s hub worlds and story planets were the ONLY places where unique artwork was used in the entire game. Every other word was the same base rock croppings and mountains with different color textures, and even THOSE were often reused from time-to-time. ME2 may have had less worlds to visit, but each one was different looking and offered great variety of styles, from the lush backdrop used in Overlord, to the clashing storm of Lair of the Shadow Broker. Even the N7 assignments, while short, did offer unique venues as well. To argue otherwise…As for the way ME2 tries to “impress us with flashy color combos”, sure. The technology for graphics had improved…tenfold since ME1. They went for better because the technology and budget for better was present. I don’t think anyone would’ve wanted a repeat of ME1 in that sense. You’re right though, in that ME2’s locales made it obvious if combat was coming, this is the drawback of a TPS. Hard to make your cover blend in seamlessly sometimes.
Sound – You make excellent points in that you’re right, ME2 went for more dramatic background noise, and there’s less ambience sound-effects in places where the proper use of such would be great. But I actually enjoyed the chatter. It’s weird that there’s so many NPCs in the ME1 hub worlds…but you rarely hear them talk, and only on specific triggers. I’d agree that some ambient sound effects would work too, the music does it’s job of setting the scene as well, which is WHY the music in ME2 is so memorable.
Animation – For a bit, I just sort of stared at this section. Backwards? Yes, Sheploo’s creepy face is the face that
has since launched a thousand memes, but really, the people were MUCH more expressive this time around. While there was some exaggeration, I felt it was necessary a bit. If the characters tried being TOO realistic we’d
step straight into the Uncanny Valley. But I could tell easily on people’s faces when people were sad or mad or happy. Even characters who couldn’t easily express emotion like Garrus, Legion, or Tali, it was clear when there were expressions and emotions. Why do you think Legion is so popular despite not even being remotely humanoid save for bipedal shape? They had an entire team devoted purely to the EYES of characters, to make movements look realistic. As for ragdolls, sure, enemies now have scripted reactions, but most enemies wouldn’t even exhibit reactions until you killed them in ME1. I think it’s a rather fallacious claim to state that animations have taken whole steps backwards.
Modifié par RiouHotaru, 14 novembre 2010 - 01:32 .
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