Mass Effect Reviews

[Pidesco]

I don't think it was meant to be transparent. I think it was just shoddy storytelling, like in every other Bioware RPG. People seem to like it though, so who am I to complain.

[Sand]

I took Jade Empire as Bioware's attempt in making an interactive Kung Fu movie. A cheesy over the top Kung Fu movie at that.

[Pidesco]

I felt they were trying (and failing) way too hard to be serious and deep with it.

 

It has lesbian sex, though. Gotta give them extra points for that.

[Tale]

I'm always of the opinions that romances in games are juvenile. Lesbian romances, on the other hand, are perfectly mature.

[angshuman]

Slashdot review

[Musopticon?]

I'll play this on Friday, I guess. Friend's getting it and I'm going back home as well.

[Morgoth]

Reading through some reviews and comments, it seems like Bioware has improved on it's strengths (story, characters), whereas they have done nothing about it's weaknesses (slow, unexcited pace of combat, not cerebral enough gameplay).

[Volourn]

"but this is no Baldur's Gate 2, that's for sure."

 

Nor was it meant to be.

 

 

P.S. "slow, unexcited pace of combat, not cerebral enough gameplay"

 

Meh. Outside of KOTOR which had combat I could live without, I find combat to be a strength of BIO.

[Tale]

I can't agree that combat is their strength. Not sure what they're aiming for, so I can't excuse or qualify their designs. But it's not exciting. Jade Empire was definitely not exciting in the combat department, though all the clicking implies it wanted to be. At the very least, they should hopefully be learning and getting better at it.

[Sand]

Sure if you only click, but I often find my self playing the "The Most Harmonic Combos" game littering the battlefield with multicolored orbs, trying to kill the enemy without touching a single orb. It makes the combat a lot more fun...

 

Well, maybe not but far more difficult...

 

Okay, its not but its something to do at least.

[Rhomal]

Does this bring ANYTHING new to the FPS genere?

 

What about any genere it is trying to squeeze into?

 

After reading a bit I don't see the big deal... another shooter that may (or may not depending on the review) have some decent voice over/story work.

 

But that aside I don't see a big deal, dime a dozen average shooter from what I am reading. Just as usual (sadly) people buying into the publishers hype machine. In Jan. I'd like to know who (if anyone) is still playing this game. Thats the true test IMO.

[Tale]

I hear the story is real good. And what I hear about development sounds interesting. Supposedly at later levels you start destroying cover.

[Xard]

Yeah, it's weird. I keep reading "OMG STORY'S SO AWSUM" from most of the reviews but I've yet have to find anything relatively interesting in storyline.

 

Also, that absolutely horrendous PC Gamer review had few very good points. And he (IT) said story wasn't original. So, who knows?

[Tale]

You don't expect pre-release reviews to spoil the story for you, do you?

[Xard]

Of course not, but all I've seen (dialogue so far, basic plot (machine aliens coming from dah deep space!), art direction, setting etc.) so far have been incredibly bland and dull. Nor I haven't heard about any interesting roleplaying options (so far just collar grabbing & according to PC Gamer's "review" options don't actually have much actual effect on world, more like just alternative dialogue lines), though glance on spoiler forums had one remotely interesting one. Apparently

you can be responsible for saving or destroying entire race. Woo!

.

Edited November 20, 2007 by Xard

[Volourn]

"another shooter that may"

 

It's not a shooter. In fact, most complaints about the combat is that it's too slow, and too much pausing, and too heavy on stats/skills influencing the combat.

 

 

Xard:

you also make a choice to send one of two amongst your party members to their deaths

 

 

There are also other choices that some of the rveiews have mentioned including one that gave the game a reasonable 80%. The game does have 4 endings, IIRC.

 

The story, itself, doesn't seem all that original though. Then again, most stories aren't. It's all a matter of how they're told.

 

 

"Just as usual (sadly) people buying into the publishers hype machine. In Jan. I'd like to know who (if anyone) is still playing this game."

 

Just a sad is the opposite of the fanboy doing their thing. You know the type. they have a theory of x game being horrible, and only pay attention to stuff that 'proves' them right yet ignoring anything that contradicts that theory. Then again, you are a known BIO hater. You can't even get ME's genre right. It's a Action RPG; not a shooter.

 

On the contrary, as big a fan of BIO that I am, I can actually read the reviews (not just scores), and have second thoughts on certain aspects of a game. ME's inventory seems quite poor in it's KOTOR way (possibly even worse), and the non main story worlds seem to be superficially shallow at worst, or time wasters for exploring and xp gainage at best.

 

 

*shrug*

Edited November 20, 2007 by Volourn

[Morgoth]

Well, that irked me from the beginning, when Bio always bragged around that you could explore so many uncharted worlds....yeah, but what am I supposed to do on them? Driving Buggy?

This is indeed a waste of time...but the Live Team have to make something to get paid. HA!

[Musopticon?]

So, the world exploring is a smathering of hot spots with some random loot and mining? Ho-hum.

[Sand]

From what I have seen and read of ME, ME is as much as a shooter as Bloodlines is.

 

Volourn is correct that it is smack dab in the middle for action RPGs. The same catagory of CRPGs as Jade Empire, Oblivion, and Bloodlines.

[Sand]

From what I have seen and read of ME, ME is as much as a shooter as Bloodlines is.

 

Volourn is correct that it is smack dab in the middle for action RPGs. The same catagory of CRPGs as Jade Empire, Oblivion, and Bloodlines.

[MLMarkland]

Strict genre delimitations are a symptom of myopia.

 

Saying Mass Effect is not an rpg is beyond silly.

[Rhomal]

> It's not a shooter. In fact, most complaints about the combat is that it's too slow, and too much pausing, and too heavy on stats/skills influencing the combat.

 

So it does not have a FPS like interface? My bad if I misunderstood the screens I saw.

 

> There are also other choices that some of the rveiews have mentioned including one that gave the game a reasonable 80%. The game does have 4 endings, IIRC.

 

I don't do console games, there limited and all about trigger finger skills for the most part. I am just commenting on the recent spat of (over) hype for average games I have seen past few years.

 

> The story, itself, doesn't seem all that original though. Then again, most stories aren't. It's all a matter of how they're told.

 

True, however, again what does ME bring thats fresh, new, better or original to the FPS (or whatever you want to call it)? For all the hype I'd expect something then a rehash of things that have already been done many times over.

 

> Just a sad is the opposite of the fanboy doing their thing. You know the type. they have a theory of x game being horrible, and only pay attention to stuff that 'proves' them right yet ignoring anything that contradicts that theory. Then again, you are a known BIO hater. You can't even get ME's genre right. It's a Action RPG; not a shooter.

 

'Action RPG' is a near oxymoron IMO. its a poor attempt on the publishers part to put a RPG cover over a shooter to try to coax CRPG fans into buying it. If you wish to fall into that PR/sales pitch trap by all means, I wont nor do I subscribe to it.

 

And how many times must I correct you? hate implies many things I do not feel or have to them. Because there last few offerings we not my cup of tea and considered them average to sub-par automatically equated to hating them? Please. Are there a few arse clowns at bioware I don't like such as georg? yes. But I have ALWAYS given them credit for a great job on the BG series and the MP aspect of classic nwn. So please stop this attempting to label me a total bioware hater. Its old and inaccurate... really.

 

> On the contrary, as big a fan of BIO that I am, I can actually read the reviews (not just scores), and have second thoughts on certain aspects of a game. ME's inventory seems quite poor in it's KOTOR way (possibly even worse), and the non main story worlds seem to be superficially shallow at worst, or time wasters for exploring and xp gainage at best.

 

On the flip side lesbian sex!!!!!11 heh

 

Not really my concern unless it comes to the PC anyways. I just wanted to point out the buzz/spin on it seems > then the actual product from what (little) I read. Could be wrong but theres nothing 'wrong' with that. thats the publishers job to make their game seem like the best thing since sliced bread. I was merely pointing that out.

[Xard]

You're being worse than Sand on his periods. Srsly.

[Musopticon?]

Worse than Sand's periods even, in fact.

[Sand]

Hey, leave me out of this!

 

Rhomal, I have to disagree with you on the Action CRPG front. I have played many "Action" CRPGs that are actually good over the years and most of them don't fit the shooter. Take Jade Empire and Oblivion. Both are excellent Action oriented CRPGs yet no shooter aspects whatsoever. Deus Ex and Bloodlines are also two great action CRPGs that do have shooter aspects but still have strong role playing capabilities. Just because the CRPG isn't turn base does not make it any less a CRPG. It just more action oriented and there is nothing wrong with that.