GrapeJelli wrote...
I think what has people upset (and to be honest, I found myself a little dissapointed in the RPG-liter tweaks), is the gimping of traditional RPG intensive elements. There are two major changes that I think caught original ME1 fans (who traditionally were RPG, not TPS people) by surprise.
I imagine the biggest one is loot. There are no longer any randomly dropped guns, mods or equipment. The "gotta collect 'em all" mentality plus the constant lure of new treasure is hugely fun for a lot of people. Honestly, walking around a mission stage feels pretty static now. It's mostly thermal clips you don't need, raw materials from stuff you can't use and on very, very rare occassion a new technology or gun (all of which seem to be static - no random drops).
The second is customization. I appreciate a lot of people didn't like the inventory system in ME1 (personally, I didn't mind it) but it offered really deep levels of micromanagement - you could swap out so many weapons, armors and tools, each with a series of mods you can install. That level of tweakability is a major part of the fun for RPG fans.
These two things combined remove a lot of what RPG fans find addicting. There might be something just around the corner that will make my guy 1% better!! It's the constant treadmill of optimization, skill progression and micromanagement that RPGers like.
ME2 very much prioritized the TPS streamlining of gameplay. I appreciate that's probably a better mainstream appeal decision - and not necessarily a bad one - but I think they overdid it. It makes the game feel too static - in the first 10 hours of play I more or less found nothing new to do! I'm pumping points into my two key biotic skills, shooting the same two pistols over and over and generally waiting for an opportunity to use my heavy guns. I definetly enjoy the combat MUCH more - it's a lot more fun to play - but I don't care about the outcome as much. It's not like they're going to drop a new gun I can use and taking the time to explore every nook and cranny will probablly only result in a medi-kit I can't pick up and 500 units of ore.
To be extremely clear: I think ME2 is a phenomenal game. The dialogue system is groundbreaking, the storytelling is hollywood-worthy and the characters feel real. I think Bioware is the most forward thinking development house in the world and foremost masters at pushing video games into the category of 'art.' But, unless I'm missing something, they appeared to remove huge swaths of the RPG elements which for a lot of people, make the actual PLAYING of the game a lot of fun.
I'd add that what truly differentiates an RPG from any other type of game where you play a character (RPG's, FPS, TPS and adventure games), is that it is the character's stats that determine the outcome of the action, not the player's ability to perform the action. This is why the fantasy genre is dominated by RPG's, because no player can be expected to have any ability whatsoever in casting a spell or hurling rocks with a golem. This is also why FPS's can exist, they measure the players ability to aim and shoot, the player's reflexes and hand/eye coordination, not the character's. This is also why adventure games like Myst are not an RPG, because it is the player that must perform the action (figure out the puzzle or whatnot).
For example, for those who played DAO, you needed a rouge with a certain skill to open certain doors or chests. You couldn't have Shale crush the chest or slam the door open, they were meant as tests of the character's lockpicking ability not the player's ability to come up with another solution (though perhaps that could change in the future as long as it is based on some character's ability). The player's role in all this was managing character progression and equipment, and determining party composition, battle strategy (but not ability to hit) and story progression in NPC interactions.
All that being said, I think the problem most people are having is this: For shooter fans, having to go through some dialog is tedious but it's nothing that they don't do on a daily basis (basically talk), and then they just go back to the action. For RPG fans, having to aim and shoot is problematic because they do not have those skills and would rather not get tested on them in their games. The balance is an inconvenience for TPS fans but a game breaker for RPG fans.
So some say, if you don't want to aim and shoot, don't buy the game, right? Well the problem with that is the complete dearth of good RPG's out there. Space based RPG fans don't have a choice. It's ME2 or nothing. So why gripe about ME2 and not Halo? Because in its origins the ME series was an RPG with some shooter elements which were greatly assisted by character ability or progression (an RPG hallmark). RPG fans took that in stride realizing that it broadened the appeal of the game. This is where shooter fans (and some RPG fans) came in and said the combat could have been better in ME1. But, better means improved, not completely refocused. By making ME2 a shooter (it's now player ability that's important) with RPG elements, RPG fans basically have their one and only space based RPG pull the rug out from under them.
Shooter games are not inherently good or bad. Some are excellent and some are horrible. People who like them, play them and well they should. Game store shelves are overflowing with them. In fact, I am in awe of players that have the ability to pwn in them. I, and RPG fans in general, do not have that ability and do not want to develop it, or maybe even some cannot develop it. It is not an elitist position at all. It is a recognition of out likes and limitations.
I hope this clarifies the point for those who think ME2 is an still an RPG, or even an RPG with shooter elements. It may be a great game, epic, groundbreaking, your favorite game of all time, but it is at best a Shooter with RPG elements, and that is disappointing for RPG fans who do not also happen to be shooter fans.
Modifié par TopDomino, 28 janvier 2010 - 12:19 .
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keep up the good work.
