ScriptBabe wrote...
chemiclord wrote...
When you plan a trilogy, and your second part does absolutely NOTHING to advance the core plot, you're REALLY screwed over trying to wrap things up. As much as it is loved by the fans for the characters it introduced... ME2 was really a major part of the problem.
Having just finished a replay of game one, and then game two, I can't argue with that. The first time I played ME2 the Collectors were so creepy and I really did enjoy Miranda, Thane, Zaeed, etc. that I didn't spend a lot of time analyzing the plot. But on the replay it felt almost dull, a bit at arms length. My analysis was that the lack of a personalized villain was a problem, but in addition it really doesn't start to bend the plot back toward the conclusion, does it?
Interesting insight. Thank you.
Mac Walters said in some interview that he had hard time with coming up with story for ME2 and then came up with "It's the characters stupid!". Then later, bit before ME3 releasehe said in other interview "What the hell we were thinking!" regarding how much work it turned out to be to have all the possible variables from ME2 work in ME3. Not only who lived and who died on Suicide Mission, but if paragon / renegade choise was used in conversations etc.
There are couple of other things that aren't disussed that often but in my opinion are worth a mention.
When Karpyshyn and L'Etoile worked on ME1, they had very different opinions about what kind of place it would be. Karpyshyn view of the future was very idealistic, I think a bit like Trek and some older sci-fi works. L'Etoile's view of the future was opposite to Karpyshyn's. His view was dystopian world with huge class distinction, corruption and racism.
I don't know how they worked it out, but we know the result. ME1 established the universe very well, from very the exotic Citadel to Noveria where we are in middle of cyper punkish setting, to Zhu's hope where among other things we get to see a bit life of colonists and on top of that we encounter barracs and equipment and some data logs which gives us picture of how everyday Jane and Joe are trying to make their living.
If ME1 had classic sci-fi feeling (with it's fantastic art direction, musical score with few other things that expanded the borders of world building in games at that time) ME2 went to more "cyber punkish" direction, especially with Omega and Illum, even though ME2 Citadel is also much darker place than in ME1. We also get to visit locations like ruins of ruins of old Quarian colony and Quarian fleet, places players wanted so see after only hearing them in ME1, etc.
All this world building contributes to player experience a lot, to the point where it's even another mask to how detached the main enemy, the Collectors are from players. There is just so much more to experience in universe.
IMO, everything worked pretty well to the Collector Cruiser mission. I considered back then it like sort of writing on the wall. We get the big revelation, Collectors were Protheans, but somehow, not only me, but I remember also other people writing back then, that somehow that big revelation felt after all, insignificant.
I think part of the problem was that what there was for player to work with, was distorted over several medias. Collectors were first introduces as something very mysterious, alien and twisted in the novel ME:Ascension (Karpyshyn) and then more of how they operated in galaxy was revealed in comic, don't recall the title but it was written by Walters. In actual game, they were left too distant. I wonder if adding Harbinger taunts to player in battle sequences was done partially because producers felt that there is perhaps something missing.
I think perhaps many players experienced there was sort of void. Collectors were supposed to be the main enemy, but because players weren't able to connect with them, they IMO naturally, took Harbinger as main antagonist, or it stole that role. I think lot of people excepted show off with Harbinger to happen in ME3 because of that.
There are couple of odd things regarding Collector and Reaper plot in ME2.
Writers were wrote more content to Collectors but it was cut, there are however few oddities, like Oculi codex entry remaining in ME2 disc. Oculi was supposed to be operated by Collector engineered to that purpose. Don't recall if there were much more to it.
Then, Derelict Reaper mission was supposed to end differently. Players were supposed to get to have a conversation with it and learn it's name and story. The whole writing team was unanimous that it should be in game, but someone who was "way above their pay grade" overruled them so it was cut. I guess perhaps one point, a possibility, where to continue Reaper plot in ME3 was lost in the process.
I can understand if standing on a brake might have felt safe choice when BW was working with ME2. Then, ME3... Cerberus fanbase may appear huge but BW knew the production schedule, yet their focus wasn't on Reapers and end game. I really don't know what to think.
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