ME2. I want to see how people feel about the changes in game mechanics
and storytelling specifically. I'm gonna start by making my
observations on some of the changes and then we'll go from there.
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Change #1: More Emphasis on Real Time Combat in ME2 than ME1
With the addition of more button mapping options, contextual teammate
control, and universal power cooldowns, ME2 is tweaked to play much
more fluidly in real time than its predecessor.
Pros: Combat is more fluid and visceral. Much less pausing in the action to bring up the power wheel and fire something off.
Cons: Generally you will stick to one or two powers with Shepard, and just
one with teammates because of button mapping and contextual power usage
for teammates. Many feel biotics are NERFed because of the restraint of
only being able to fire off one power at a time.
My Feeling: I am all for this, even though I do miss spamming tons of biotics, using
adrenaline to get them all back, and spamming again. Combat in ME1 with
biotics eventually became a systematic spamfest once you were
sufficiently powerful. The combat in ME2 is so far superior in feel and
flow, I don't have any problems with the changes. Also, team work and
strong usage of teammates is encouraged in order to execute
biotic/power combinations to cripple the enemies.
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Change #2: Heatsinks in ME2 vs Cooldown in ME1
Effectively, ME2 has ammo. This changes the combat dynamic from ME1 significantly.
Ammo quantity, however, is rarely a major concern except in large
battles on higher difficulties. It functions more as a method to
contribute to the overall combat dynamic.
Pros: Adds to revamping of combat from ME1. ME2 performs much better in its shooting elements,
having to budget your fire, having the possibility of running out of
ammunition, and using cover effectively are more important. Guns have a
much higher fire rate, but require reloading - leads to more intense
battles.
Cons: Breaks a bit from the lore of the first game
without necessarily a great explanation... Are we really supposed to
believe that in two years, EVERY gun throughout the universe that used
the old heat dispersion methods?
My Feeling: I don't care that it breaks lore a little. The functional gameplay benefits far outweigh the
negatives. ME2 combat is much more fun to play than ME1. The only issue
I have is that since the "ammo" is a heatsink, shouldn't you be able to
allow cooldown for an individual heatsink instead of being forced to
"empty the clip" and eject? I think an interesting hybrid between ME1
and ME2 would be to have ejectable heatsinks, but allow them to cool
down if they aren't completely overheated. Anyway, just my two cents.
Overall, the change is welcome and beneficial.
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Change #3: Streamlined/NERFed Character Development and Skill Tree (depending on your POV)
There aren't nearly as many skills/powers as there were in ME1,
hacking/overriding skills are native to all Shepards, level cap cut in
half. These are HUGE changes from ME1.
Pros: Not nearly as much micromanaging of Shepard and the gang. You don't have to allocate skill
points in order to be able to open doors and unlock containers. You can
also redistribute Shepard's points at the Normandy if you don't like
your distrubution. Shooting guns dependent on your skill as a player.
Cons: Not as much depth and thought goes into developing characters. Less
levels means less feeling sweet when you gain a level, and unlock new
powers etc.
My Feeling: At first, I was taken aback by this. It
seems like a huge break from RPG elements in ME1. However, as I played
the game (nearly done with my first playthrough - Veteran difficulty),
I see more depth in the system than initally apparent, and am already
planning my next playthrough. The two things I really like are: 1) it
puts more emphasis on playing the game and fighting combat then
allocating points (if I am a competent player, I can use guns
effectively right off the bat), and 2) I find myself thinking much more
about where I put points in the rest of the team... Do I give one party
member a Level 4 Squad Ammo so others can focus on different powers,
etc? In ME1, I really didn't think much about leveling up the squad,
and because there were so many powers, it always worked out well.
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Change #4: Streamlined/NERFed Inventory (depending on your POV)
Pros: Don't have to deal with super cluttered and unwieldy inventory screens,
no more "reducie to OMNI-gel", no more having Katana V, VII, VIII,
etc., and Shepard's armor is very customizable.
Cons: Significantly less guns than ME1, the loot element from ME1 is gone.
My Feelings: One of my biggest complaints of ME1 was the inventory, weapon
and armor upgrade managing, etc. etc. Especially since all of it was
level scaled. You got better guns and armor as you went along and then
you'd equip new stuff. There weren't a lot of super marked differences
between the items, there were just lots of items. Even the names were
redundant. The only thing I would have liked is to maybe see more
customizable armor options for the rest of the ME2 squad, as opposed to
just Shepard (even just cosmetically). However, for me, this change is
completely welcome and eliminates all the time I spent in ME1 making
minor tweaks that really amounted to insignificant differences.
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Change #5: Mako Exploration in ME1 vs. Scanning and Probing in ME2
Pros: Don't have to drive the Mako again, ever. Resources actually play a
role in the game, they aren't just there. Optional missions are much
more varied.
Cons: The scanning and probing minigame can become tiresome.
My Feeling: I don't miss the Mako even a little. That was a major hiccup
in ME1, exploration in general was very hit or miss. ME2 has improved
upon it siginificantly in several respects. My only complaint is that
the scanning/probing process could be a little less time consuming. Not
streamlined to an absurd degree, I think it's good to make the player
have to put in some work to get all the resources necessary for
upgrades, but I think a little TOO much time is spent on the
scanning/probing screen. Even the inclusion of Galaxy News broadcasts
while scanning or something to break the monotony would have been
great. That being said, the scanning/probing is significantly less
tiresome than the Mako, it has real in-game results that you notice
(resources leading to upgrades), and provides some sense of space
exploration. This is an improvement from ME1, but I think there is
still a lot of room for improvement going into ME3.
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Summary of my Thoughts:The developers of ME2 clearly had a mission when they made the game: put
the emphasis playing the game on story (particularly the decisions you
make) and combat, everything else should play a complimentary role to
those major elements. I believe this is a major success, and in many
respects, a step forward for RPGs. There have been many action RPGs,
but none so well capture visceral combat, excellent depth of story, and
have such serious and tangible consequences for your actions. Bioware
definitely took some huge risks in veering off the path of what an RPG
is supposed to be with ME2 by steamlining character development,
inventory, and loot. For the person who is looking for loot, stats, and
min/maxing (which there is nothing wrong with), go play a MMORPG.The
ME2 devs wanted to shift focus completely away from that and instead
make the player enjoy the story and characters, think hard about
decisions, and relish the combat experience. I cannot overstate how
awesomeness of the constant references to decisions made in ME1 and the
in-game consequences to those decisions, and the thinking players have
to do about how ME2 decisions will affect the rest of the game and ME3.
The devs set out to have people come away from the game talking about
cool battles, what they elected to do with the Geth, the changes in
characters from ME1, which squad member was the most badass, etc...
instead of talking about a Flaming Longsword of Reaving +2.For
my money, Bioware has done an absolutely amazing job with this. I am
excited to play through ME2 several times, I might even play throuh ME1
again to really nail down my decisions, and cannot wait to see how it
all comes together storywise a few years from now in ME3. I'll also be
interested to see what further game mechanic refinements are made
moving ahead.
Thoughts?
Modifié par DannyGloverfromPredator2 , 30 janvier 2010 - 03:06 .
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