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[Ubergrog]

I understand the need for "Constructive Criticism".  I also agree with the recent Forbes article that alone, it is nothing but lip service and having a condecending attitude.  If you want to claim "art" for your games, you need to be able to accept what all traditional artists MUST accept in order for their art to grow.  

No, you do not have to read these, but you should. You can choose to be either a game developer, or an "artist".  Not both.  The developer does what he does because it is a means to an end of money, the artist wishes to express themselves and any money that comes is a side effect. 

So here is my complete Critique of the Mass Effect Series.

Mass Effect 1.

This game is effectively KOTOR finished.  The game mechanics are virtually the same.  The world is specacularly large, and in some cases, way too large. It seems like the Devs wanted to artificially increase the time played so they can advertise "OVER X HOURS OF GAMEPLAY!" on the box.  The mystery was fantastic, but the player interactions (especially the love interests) were heavily rushed.  Overall, I loved the game and the final fight was spectacularly epic on all levels (fighting through the citidel, the space conflict between Soverign and the Alliance fleet). Space opera at it's best.


Mass Effect 2.
After they Finished KOTOR's system, they threw it out.  The exploraiton was effectively deleted in favor of probes.  Sure the DLC added some back, but they were mostly tutorial based for extra credits and EXP.  New players were added, new characters introduced, and a little plot hole in 1, known as Cerberus, was dragged into the forefront. 
The gameplay had a huge improvement, being far more fluid and easier to control. Some call it dumbed down, I call it a far more effective system.  In response to the "hugeness" of 1, 2 was extremely claustraphobic.  There were brief moments of "wow this is bigger then I thought", but they are all quickly closed away once you are done out of fear that the players will suddenly start foaming at the mouth out of shock.  The game's ending was far richer then the first one, letting you see the benefits of all of your actions.  The final mission cinematics were also quite entertaining, though one tiny ship versus the giant collecter vessel takes a lot away from the "Space Opera feel".
On the whole, a shorter, but richer game.  Oh, and if you think the DLC don't matter, you're wrong. This is the first sign of EA's influence on the game development.

Mass Effect 3. 
Expanding on the ME2 system, and throwing out things that seemed "unnecessary",  suddenly our heavy weapons become plot points, and soldiers get to use SMG's for some bizzare reason. Weapons don't do what they used to do, since "being effective" like the Mattok and the Phalanx, is no longer "cool".  Even if you didn't like the guiding laser on the phalanx, it was still AWESOME to have. The N7 package was depressingly incomplete, missing the Assault Rifle and letting gamestop claim it.  The combat system is what I would describe as 'Sticky', as in, when you try and run around a corner, you tend to glue yourself to the wall instead, usually exposing yourself to incoming fire and a higher blood pressure level.  This effect is the single greatest cause of death in Multiplayer, over "Quicktime Husk/Phantom" deaths. Yes, quicktime events (the great bane of all games everywhere, press F rapidly!) enter the game, especially in multiplayer.

The story is where a lot of the budget (but not most of it) went.  Bittersweet moments followed by moments of "DUDE THAT WAS AWESOME!" filled the game.  Miranda and Thane's deaths nearly dragged tears to my eyes, while the Geth telling the Quarians that it's time to come home certainly did.  A few holes in artistic judgement cropped up (like stock images for characters), but on the whole, the game was an epic rollercoaster ride.  Until someone forgot to finish the roller coaster.

Everyone talks about the ending. They should.  First things first, we know EXACTLY where the budget went (the final fleet Cinematic), and where it ran out (the ending).  When someone tries to accuse a near-universally hated aspect of a game, it is either accused of being "Art" or "due to budget constraints".  One is honest, one is a lie.  The "legend" prompt is a perfect example of this because it is cheaper to make a prompt then to have the text fade in and out in a movie like setting. 

The ending is TERRIBLE. An abomination.  Whomever tried to claim it would be "a good idea" should be either severely punished or fired.  This is the kind of ending that Michael Bay would use to destroy another cartoon show from our childhood because it is filled with nothing but explosions.  Angry Joe summed it up fantastically here.
angryjoeshow.com/2012/03/top-10-reasons-we-hate-mass-effect-3s-ending/



Final Overview: Taken as one long story, from beginning to end, the games are a ride that diserve a place in my "Hall of Fame cabinet", which houses titles like "Star Control 2", "Legend of Dragoon", The Sega CD versions of the Lunar 1 and 2 games, "Secret of Mana" and a very, very few others.  However, the endings were similar to a Wile E. Coyote mishap; Painting a tunnel on a rock face only to be run over by a train.  Promises were made by the developers of the game, and all of those promises were abandoned in the desire to be "post 9/11 edgy".  They wanted us all to "talk about the endings, good or ill".  Now that they have it, they are trying to silence the naysayers by claiming they are a vocal minority (I seem to recall that the Facebook page is closing in on 50,000 in number, while it's competitor has yet to break the 500 mark.), while touting video game page critics as a majority. 

Shame is not appropriate. Artists who offend their customers or admireres thend to be ostracized, or worse.  I don't care if your co-founder has annouced additional content, mostly because he was not specific as to how the content was formed or how it would be implemented. Evidently we have to wait until April. Care to tell us why? Your silence rings louder then words, mostly because it is clear you were NOT expecting the reaction. 

Allow me to give you an example of another gaming company (much smaller, I know) and how it handled a hugely botched up release.  Kerberos Productions TOTALLY SNAFU'd their release of Sword of the Stars 2.  It was an unmitigated DISASTER to say the least. What did they do? They confessed that they screwed the pooch, and even opened a thread where their users and fans could say whatever they wanted to the CEO of Kerberos with the promise that he would read them all with no threat of reprisal.  Now, Sword of the Stars 2 is still in construction, all of the day 1 release content that was supposed to cost money has been released for free to make up for the huge error.  They talk to their fans and supporters on their forums every day.  You could learn a lot from their example and communicate directly and openly about what you are doing to fix your problems instead of shrowding them in secrecy. 

[Ubergrog]

bump, wow fast forums..