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Topic kinda says it, a (mostly) paragon playthrough. I ended the game with maximum paragon points, which somehow didn't seem as difficult as it did in ME 1? Something to do with improving your class? I apologise if there isn't much 'flow' to this but I'm sort of winging this. I'll try to keep it short-ish and sweet, just as this game was.
Firstly the game mechanics have been improved greatly, this is a good thing. Unfortunately I enjoyed micromanaging my team, and picking the right weapon and upgrades for the right job. Also picking the right armour mods for the right squadmate was enjoyable. The whole customizing thing has been done away with and I'm not too impressed. The whole 19 weapons to choose from thing was very clever, just over 2 actual weapons in a class (Basic AR and Improved AR, etc) but again, I enjoyed turning over my options, do I want more shots at the cost of accuracy? Damage at the cost of accuracy? Having more stat variety in my weapons made me think. Instead now we have a slightly "rock-scissor-paper" approach to it which is unnecessary in my opinion. I can understand doing away with weapon proficiencies, but playing as a soldier that really left me with nothing much besides ammo powers which honestly seemed light to me. Look, Vorcha! Incendiary ammo for me!
I knew that ME 2 wouldn't have as much an impact on me as ME 1 would, how could it? ME 1 introduced us to the world, think Avatar. It was something we had never seen before, everything was new, aliens were exotic, the plot epic. Stop a rogue spectre, one of the most powerful agents in Council space. We then realised there was more to it, and there was an epic finale. Along the way you met interesting characters, you needed their help because you couldn't do it alone. Not much is different in ME 2, but here you're being made to get these people because again you can't do it alone. What I'm trying to say is that in ME 2 you know who you're going to get, because the man has given you a dossier with very official things and all that. The loyalty mechanic is a nice touch but I'd like the missions to have a bit more depth.
ME 1 was emotionally engaging in a way the ME 2 somehow isn't. The story really only puts humans at risk from the Collectors, and the aliens on your crew (barring those who served with you in ME 1) have too little motivation to make such a giant leap. Thane, to seek a good death. Samara, an impossible mission. Grunt, to fight powerful enemies(this isn't too hard). Mordin, because he values all life. Miranda and Jacob are on the payroll and all that, but Jack hates Cerberus. She believes it was Cerberus as a whole that screwed her up, but her loyalty mission casts doubt on that. The Illusive Man seems to have precious little to offer on Jack, despite him being an all knowing sorta guy.
I appreciate the level of detail put into levels this time and BW going to such pains to avoid a square map with roughly 3 resources, 3 anomalies/other things and a smattering of a merc base here or there, but it was done at the cost of depth to levels. I didn't mind running around the presidium, it gave me a sense of scale. The world was vast. By contrast the Citadel this time around is limited to the Embassy and a ward. Don't even get me started on the new merchant mechanic. Missions have also become a great deal shorter, in my opinion the longest mission was to recruit the professor. That was probably the work of an hour or less.
The new Normandy is of course a great place to be, but I don't appreciate the locked sections. I mean, it shouldn't be difficult to just have the area without the character meant to fill the space. I didn't do Illium till rather late in the game (this being after a few loyalty missions, the Collector ambush, etc) so there were sections of my ship, my ship that were sealed off to me. It baffled me. The engine room is an example, no Tali and Jack before recruiting them, after recruiting they're just there.
Finally, choices. This is probably the first time in any BioWare game I've played that I've had to really, really, really pause and think hard before the click. Other times it made easier because I was playing a certain character type and many of the decisions fit into my style of play easily. Playing a Good/Paragon char almost always involved 'doing the right thing'. In ME 2, more lives than you can count are at stake, many choices you make seem to have that much more weight behind them. I'm also slightly cheesed that Mordin supported preserving the station at the end, yet seemed apprehensive after. But it's a real credit to the writing that my brain was working in overtime during some of the loyalty missions. Zaeed was a cakewalk, my paragon would choose the workers every time. Mordin was much less clear cut. Legion had me thinking for more than I would like to admit over a non-organic concern. If they was Cylon's I'd have them out the airlock, is all I'm sayin. But these are just some of the examples of the moments in the game when you really sit and think.
I never thought I'd feel sad meeting Liara again but I did, what happened to the slightly naive and socially awkward young asari you met 2 years ago? I wanted to ask the question in-game, what happened? What happened to you? Also The Illusive Man pulling hidden strings, there's a curious amalgam of hate and respect for the man. On the one hand he brought you back to life, you owe him a debt of gratitude of nothing else. On the other hand you want to hold him accountable for the crimes back in ME 1. The murder of an admiral! Nothing but a mention in the news. [b]E[/]umanity's development at all costs, doesn't sit well with my paragon Shep. But I didn't get much of a chance to argue these points with him, which slightly disappointed me. The choice to leave him the base may well haunt me in ME 3, but we can only see. The ending cinematic hit me like a brick, and I may yet be vindicated in my choice, but only time will tell.
I think I've made the points I want to make, I'd just like to put it out there to anyone who'd bother to read the whole thing that the problem with having a trilogy is that the middle story tends to suffer. It has to tie the first and final story together, while staying interesting itself.
Also where is my Hammerhead? Key Binding has Vehicle controls section. I want my hovertank!
Thank you everyone at BioWare, and bring on Mass Effect 3!
Modifié par Kilshrek, 02 février 2010 - 12:46 .
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