Nozy, congratulations on a well written (if extremely long winded) thread. I don't normally attribute rationality to any character fanbase, however you do seem to be a voice of reason within your particular camp.
Was ME2 an objective success? Undoubtedly. It has been critically acclaimed by every published reviewer out there. It sold 2 million+ copies in I believe a single week during what is statistically the worst month to put a big budget title out. Nearly every complaint about the first game was addressed, and while some may disagree with the decisions made on how to address those complaints, critically there was nearly no disagreement on it being a net positive gain. The story of the game, another point of contention on these forums, can at least be agreed upon to have represented Bioware taking a chance and focusing more on a character driven story with episodic progression rather than a more straight forward narrative. I would argue that this method allowed for greater freedom to explore the universe they so carefully constructed and resulted in a much more intimate relationship with the cast as a whole, though I can already tell typing this that half the forum are prepping their flamethrowers.
However, objective a success as the game may have been, these forums are anywhere but a bastion for objectivity. This isn't meant as an insult per se, only to mean that if you care enough about the ME universe that you're devoting much of your free time here, there is almost no way you can judge either game impartially. Certain characters, themes, and gameplay mechanics resonate with you, and changes made from the first game to the second game can negatively effect the game in a way that no reasonably objective view of the game could account for.
My viewpoint of the first game is not as sunny as most on these forums. When the game first came out, I was one of the many who posted (though I was under a different handle at the time) about how, though conceptually a very strong game, Mass Effect suffered from numerous gameplay flaws and a cast of the most lackluster squad characters (I felt) that Bioware had ever done. It's actually pretty incredible looking back then and seeing what Bioware produced with the second game, because I see many mechanics suggested then that made it almost completely unchanged in ME2. Anyways, I was not alone in this sentiment that the first game sufferred from weak characters and expressed a desire for a bit more of a vibrant cast in future games in this series... there were many there.
So no, I was certainly not upset or even slightly unnerved by the lack of ME1 squaddies in ME2, particularly the LIs. In fact, I was kind of glad. I romanced one every single game, yet besides Ashley I never really cared for any of them, and even her it was not an intense kind of liking for the character but rather a cold respect for her as a realistic human being but not someone I really desired on any level. However, I understand that there were those who, like in all fandom, do attach themselves to specific characters. To those people, I understand their disappointment, however as someone who does not find themselves overly attached to characters in the games I play, at least on an emotional level, the bitterness and vitrol that has been summoned by these camps due to their role in the second game (or lack thereof) is somewhat baffling personally. Some people's perception of the entire game were simply poisoned, an infection that did not simply concentrate on the lack of their favorite character's inclusion, but tangentally in to all other plot points. On some level, I think it stems from jealousy... many people who criticize the episodic format of the game would probably have had a different opinion on the matter entirely if the character that was their favorite was given such a mission of their own. Every now and then you will see a fan who just spites Garrus and Tali fans because those two camps got something they didn't. But that's neither here nor there.
Being as character neutral as I consider myself to be (in that I feel I do not hold any particular... "obsession" probably isn't the right word, but it's the only one I can think of right now, towards any particular character), my perspective on the matter is this: Bioware intended a certain thematic route for ME2. This route was one in which Shepard was essentially alone and abandoned. Shepard is cut off from his old allies (2 years is a long time), the Alliance and Council both see Shepard as a liability, and Shepard's only allies were one of his greatest enemies in the first game. This kind of isolation was purposely intended. Because these are the themes that Bioware sought to evoke. They further compounded this isolation by making Shepard's meetings with their former LIs extremely rocky and cold, as if these weren't even the same people Shepard knew back in ME1. Many people have caracterized Ash, Kaiden, and Liara as badly written... but they really weren't. The fact that they feel so alien to you is at the very fundamental essence of the story. This required taking some liberties with the characters to move forward the thematic progression of the story, but most every author is guilty of that in some form or another. Good stories simply wouldn't exist without characters who motivate dramatic tension (hense why our lives are usually so boring in compared with the books we read... people are on a whole not a dramatic bunch who would rather just live boring but stable lives). Exacerbating this point is the fact that Bioware also included a full 6 potential romantic partners (double the last game) of very varying personalities in hopes that you will find solace in the arms of another. People tend to view this manipulation of emotions in a negative light... but it's pretty damn clear that Bioware is intending for there to be a point of romantic tension and climax in part 3 in addition to the Reaper story arc. Personally, I think this is a laudable goal, and will set up a much more fulfilling third act than it would have been if Shepard could have been snuggly wuggly with one LI the entire series. Personal preferences aside, I think it's unreasonable to criticize Bioware for trying to create far reaching themes and story arcs that are not satisfactorily resolved 2/3 in to the series.
However, remember that this is just the middle act of a greater trilogy and in typical fashion, the middle act always ends on a low note so as to carry a more spectacular finale. Bioware has already expressed that they are going to not only include the ME1 LIs in the third act, but that their roles will be quite major. I imagine early on in ME3 you will reconcile with your former LI and then need to choose between your ME1 LI and your ME2 LI.
Personally, I can't wait to break Liara's heart... but that's just me
Modifié par SurfaceBeneath, 18 février 2010 - 08:07 .
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