Shaselai's game reviews.... - Page 5

shaselai · 02-16-2010, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darren316

how comes so high compared to the gameranking average (69%) .. even rpgamer only gave it 2.5/5 and they are probebley the only people i trust when it comes to reviewing rpgs these days.

did you not have an issues with the bugs or interface issues people moaned about?

from whats been written about this else where this could be one of the biggest let downs of the years after the great first showing back in 06

how long did it take you to finish it? i've read 30 hours ish?

i am not sure what bugs they were talking about but i noticed couple of minor things:

when party members leave you can still "give" them items - minor thing really. Also the interface is a bit annoying but not really a bug though. I dont think it was a letdown really although again some minor improvements would be nice. Mass effect 2 is more of a letdown for me - cheapened the original experience with more fps elements, crap inventory and customization totally lame.

probably taken me 20ish i think. mainly because i didnt do many of the side quests as i went solo and those needed excessive grinding if not playing with others.

murray · 02-16-2010, 03:38 AM

That is hilarious. I can no longer take anything you say seriously. So far you have said the inventory system in ME1 is good, called it an FPS, complained about the way ME2 let's you go about chosing your path and said WKC is a 9 graphically.c'mon. Mass Effect 2 stripped the awful inventory and customisation in favour for the bits of the game that matter, action, story and actual role playing, making moral decisions, building relationships... Not comparing numbers and spending hours in menus.

I need to be careful here or somebody is going to use the opinion defense that gets wheeled out every so often. It's cool if that's what you think, I think the earth is flat.

Alucard · 02-16-2010, 06:00 AM

Playing with numbers and stuff is one thing. ME1's inventory is a totally different story. It was pure shit to begin with. I dont know how they agreed to that design, much less the god awful moon buggy that defies all form of gravity.

murray · 02-16-2010, 07:16 AM

Yeah they should be applauded for stripping out shit like that, makes for a more cinematic experience.

A lot of RPG conventions exist because they evolved in many ways from board/dice games, the amount if horsepower available today means conducting affairs in menus etc seems archaic and not where the genre should be headed.

Alucard · 02-16-2010, 07:38 AM

It depends on the game. Things like the Neverwinter Nights series work perfectly and actually benefit from it.

shaselai · 02-16-2010, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murray

That is hilarious. I can no longer take anything you say seriously. So far you have said the inventory system in ME1 is good, called it an FPS, complained about the way ME2 let's you go about chosing your path and said WKC is a 9 graphically.c'mon. Mass Effect 2 stripped the awful inventory and customisation in favour for the bits of the game that matter, action, story and actual role playing, making moral decisions, building relationships... Not comparing numbers and spending hours in menus.

I need to be careful here or somebody is going to use the opinion defense that gets wheeled out every so often. It's cool if that's what you think, I think the earth is flat.

The inventory in ME1 was not that bad. The ME2's lack of inventory is pretty awful. You dont get to do much of anything in customization at all. Each char might have up to 5-6 weapons to use the entire game (unless i missed something..) and they cant customize it at all. The soldier class is just a cop out - yeah lets make all the bullet elements and make it a soldier class!!! The main story is still a bit weak though - yes you can do loyalty quests to get more understanding about the companions but that is really irrelevant main storywise. I like stories that has a lot of main stuff than a bunch of side stuff. Graphics is really dependent on the grader though - you might think WKC deserve less and i can imagine why. I explained why i thought ME2's graphics rating was what it was. Maybe i should grade harder from now on heh.

Also about the path choosing in ME2, i didnt say it was bad i just said if they allow you to do it in ME3 it is kinda weird considering after all the decisions you make during the first 2 games...

shaselai · 02-16-2010, 10:17 PM

Bioshock 2 -P3S

Story- 9
The story takes place 10 years after the original and you play as a big daddy in search of your lost little sister Elenore. You meet mostly new people with a couple of old characters. The story makes a lot of references to the previous game but i guess due to them not thinking of making a sequel when B1 was released, there was no reference to the chars in B2 from B1.

Graphics - 9
Overall graphics better than last game and little sisters dont look so messed up as before. Most enemy types makes a return and sadly that makes the game more of a facelift of many enemies than a lot of new ones although big sister does look very awesome.. The levels are all different so no "blast from the past" levels.

Sound - 9.5
Voice acting is very good, music is also very good although i think B1 had more scary scenes with music than this one though. Not much complaining here. There are many voice scenes throughout the game while you are just moving around - it is pretty interesting and a good way to move the story ahead.

Gameplay - 9
As a big daddy you can use plasmids while blasting away with an array of weapons, mostly new stuff since you are a big daddy now. The plasmids are probably 50% new and 50% old. You get a bigger selection of passive tonic powers and there are many old ones as well as quite a few new ones - some from you being a big daddy.

Each level is very big and very linear as well. Basically each section is goal oriented like "fetch this key" or "pull this lever". Some goals are even idiotic like "get a ticket"... why you could hop over or just bash the door open with your drill is beyond me heh...

Overall:9.125
The good:
overall very good game, not many flaws throughout playing the game.

Bad:
enemies are repetitive and mostly rehashes from before but not a huge deal considering you are still in the same city so you can have total new enemies..

New section:
Rants: (note it contains major spoilers including ending(s)).

After beating the game i am not sure how big daddy died or perhaps he didnt. Elenore couldve saved him but instead sucked out his Adam and let him die??? Also, how exactly do normal people there survive with splicers running around and how do they not starve to deat? Unless there's a group of people which you dont see who are making food it is weird how people can stay alive down there being druggies and all.

Alucard · 02-16-2010, 11:18 PM

All the people I know who played that said the story wasnt that good, definitely lower then the first one. They also said it was kinda average. I havent played it yet but will get around to it down the line.

shaselai · 02-16-2010, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alucard

All the people I know who played that said the story wasnt that good, definitely lower then the first one. They also said it was kinda average. I havent played it yet but will get around to it down the line.

i can see why they think so. the story is certainly a bit different and as i mentioned there's not a lot of "continuity" since they probably didnt decide to make a sequel thus the new villain is a "brand new character". However, through the voice recordings and narratives throughout the game i think it is pretty good. the game is very much the same as B1 with prettier graphics and somewhat better sound. i think analogy is like those halo games - more of the same with some tweaks and perhaps better story in halo than B2 but you get my point hopefully.

Alucard · 02-16-2010, 11:43 PM

I cant say anything about the graphics but a friend playing on the pc version said they didnt even bother trying to upscale the textures. Its the same engine.

memory to zack · 02-17-2010, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murray

That is hilarious. I can no longer take anything you say seriously. So far you have said the inventory system in ME1 is good, called it an FPS, complained about the way ME2 let's you go about chosing your path and said WKC is a 9 graphically.c'mon. Mass Effect 2 stripped the awful inventory and customisation in favour for the bits of the game that matter, action, story and actual role playing, making moral decisions, building relationships... Not comparing numbers and spending hours in menus.

I need to be careful here or somebody is going to use the opinion defense that gets wheeled out every so often. It's cool if that's what you think, I think the earth is flat.

I agree with what you say. We shouldn't be making arithmetical comparisons of damage, weapons, etc... if we don't want. Factual comparison should be enough.

Bioware is trying to appeal to all types of gamers and have so far achieved that with their ME, DA franchises. One point that is missing though is bridging the gap between the oldschool RPGs and their current ones. DA: O is very number-oriented and ME2 lacks in character building.

An example of why numbers can be advantageous/disadvantageous: Seeing numbers all around removes immersion for some people and lower digits are useless (700 or 760 damage, what gives? Order of damage is the important thing). At the same if you read what damage you deal, then you'll quicker realize that there's smthg wrong with your new weapon.

shaselai · 02-17-2010, 07:04 PM

but it is not like ME2 has a huge story though. The main storyline is still relatively short. Sure you can do all the side stuff but they are mostly irrelevant to the main story so it's not like ME2 went up a notch from ME1 in story.

murray · 02-17-2010, 07:11 PM

They are so far from irrelevant, in fact the side quests in this game are more relevant than in any other game before...ever, for several reasons. There were loads of side quests in ME which had impact on ME2 and I'm sure your actions in side quests in 2 will effect 3. And most importantly, you have to do side quests to get your team loyal and get enough upgrades to survive the suicide mission, your squad don't just die because you sent them to do the wrong jobs, they die because of a mixture of things, ship upgrades, loyalty, weapon upgrades and how you assign them during the suicide mission. Its possible to have nobody survive, including Shepherd, and still complete the game. All of this will have a big impact on ME3.

To say they are irrelevant in a game where your decisions have the potential to massively influence ME3 experience is very short sighted.

Out of curiosity how many of your team lived and did you save the crew?

Quote:

Originally Posted by memory to zack

I agree with what you say. We shouldn't be making arithmetical comparisons of damage, weapons, etc... if we don't want. Factual comparison should be enough.

For me the issue is more the fact that the whole stat based thing is a hangover from dice games and role playing board games, we don't need to express things in such perfunctory manner anymore.

shaselai · 02-17-2010, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murray

You have to do side quests to get your team loyal and get enough upgrades to survive the suicide mission. Its possible to have nobody survive including Shepherd and still complete the game.

How many of your team lived btw and did you save the crew?

yes the only person died in my crew were... SPOILER ALERT!!!

Some random engineers/crew during the attack on Normandy 2. Kelly when she got smoothied

I beat everything there and yes loyalty plays a role but not neccessary. Plus the AI isnt that smart (although better than ME1)

murray · 02-17-2010, 07:38 PM

Loyality isn't "irrelevant", it's relevant because it effects the outcome of the game. It's also "necessary" to get them loyal if you want them to survive. Side quests are also relevant and necessary from a narrative stance, they're used to both prove you give a shit which later can effect their fate and also encourage you to invest in them emotionally.

Incidentally, if Shepherd dies you cannot import a save of any description into ME3.

02-16-2010, 10:17 PM	#67
shaselai RPG Fanboy Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: NY Posts: 1,917	Daddy and his little girl Bioshock 2 -P3S Story- 9 The story takes place 10 years after the original and you play as a big daddy in search of your lost little sister Elenore. You meet mostly new people with a couple of old characters. The story makes a lot of references to the previous game but i guess due to them not thinking of making a sequel when B1 was released, there was no reference to the chars in B2 from B1. Graphics - 9 Overall graphics better than last game and little sisters dont look so messed up as before. Most enemy types makes a return and sadly that makes the game more of a facelift of many enemies than a lot of new ones although big sister does look very awesome.. The levels are all different so no "blast from the past" levels. Sound - 9.5 Voice acting is very good, music is also very good although i think B1 had more scary scenes with music than this one though. Not much complaining here. There are many voice scenes throughout the game while you are just moving around - it is pretty interesting and a good way to move the story ahead. Gameplay - 9 As a big daddy you can use plasmids while blasting away with an array of weapons, mostly new stuff since you are a big daddy now. The plasmids are probably 50% new and 50% old. You get a bigger selection of passive tonic powers and there are many old ones as well as quite a few new ones - some from you being a big daddy. Each level is very big and very linear as well. Basically each section is goal oriented like "fetch this key" or "pull this lever". Some goals are even idiotic like "get a ticket"... why you could hop over or just bash the door open with your drill is beyond me heh... Overall:9.125 The good: overall very good game, not many flaws throughout playing the game. Bad: enemies are repetitive and mostly rehashes from before but not a huge deal considering you are still in the same city so you can have total new enemies.. New section: Rants: (note it contains major spoilers including ending(s)). After beating the game i am not sure how big daddy died or perhaps he didnt. Elenore couldve saved him but instead sucked out his Adam and let him die??? Also, how exactly do normal people there survive with splicers running around and how do they not starve to deat? Unless there's a group of people which you dont see who are making food it is weird how people can stay alive down there being druggies and all. __________________ Remonmiruukuti PSN/GamerTag: Shaselai

02-17-2010, 07:04 PM	#72
shaselai RPG Fanboy Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: NY Posts: 1,917	but it is not like ME2 has a huge story though. The main storyline is still relatively short. Sure you can do all the side stuff but they are mostly irrelevant to the main story so it's not like ME2 went up a notch from ME1 in story. __________________ Remonmiruukuti PSN/GamerTag: Shaselai

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02-16-2010, 03:38 AM	#62
murray <insert witty motto> Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: UK Posts: 4,426	That is hilarious. I can no longer take anything you say seriously. So far you have said the inventory system in ME1 is good, called it an FPS, complained about the way ME2 let's you go about chosing your path and said WKC is a 9 graphically.c'mon. Mass Effect 2 stripped the awful inventory and customisation in favour for the bits of the game that matter, action, story and actual role playing, making moral decisions, building relationships... Not comparing numbers and spending hours in menus. I need to be careful here or somebody is going to use the opinion defense that gets wheeled out every so often. It's cool if that's what you think, I think the earth is flat.

02-16-2010, 06:00 AM	#63
Alucard Registered User Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Australia Posts: 32,622	Playing with numbers and stuff is one thing. ME1's inventory is a totally different story. It was pure shit to begin with. I dont know how they agreed to that design, much less the god awful moon buggy that defies all form of gravity.

02-16-2010, 07:16 AM	#64
murray <insert witty motto> Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: UK Posts: 4,426	Yeah they should be applauded for stripping out shit like that, makes for a more cinematic experience. A lot of RPG conventions exist because they evolved in many ways from board/dice games, the amount if horsepower available today means conducting affairs in menus etc seems archaic and not where the genre should be headed.

02-16-2010, 07:38 AM	#65
Alucard Registered User Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Australia Posts: 32,622	It depends on the game. Things like the Neverwinter Nights series work perfectly and actually benefit from it.

02-16-2010, 11:18 PM	#68
Alucard Registered User Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Australia Posts: 32,622	All the people I know who played that said the story wasnt that good, definitely lower then the first one. They also said it was kinda average. I havent played it yet but will get around to it down the line.

02-16-2010, 11:43 PM	#70
Alucard Registered User Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Australia Posts: 32,622	I cant say anything about the graphics but a friend playing on the pc version said they didnt even bother trying to upscale the textures. Its the same engine.

02-17-2010, 07:38 PM	#75
murray <insert witty motto> Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: UK Posts: 4,426	Loyality isn't "irrelevant", it's relevant because it effects the outcome of the game. It's also "necessary" to get them loyal if you want them to survive. Side quests are also relevant and necessary from a narrative stance, they're used to both prove you give a shit which later can effect their fate and also encourage you to invest in them emotionally. Incidentally, if Shepherd dies you cannot import a save of any description into ME3.