… or Lieutenant Commander as the case would be with me.
Okay, so I finally hit the Lt. Cmd. rank in Star Trek Online today after struggling through the tedium that is the STO mission structure and I was all set to have my mind absolutely blown! So what does it feel like having received a promotion within the Star Fleet command structure?
Meh...
Yeah, kinda meh, kinda how it felt when I first started out the game. Sure, I got a new ship (I decided to go with a cruiser which is what contains the famous Constitution class starship from TNG), I got a new tier of skills, access to new items, and the ability to promote my Bridge Officers (amusingly referred to as BO in STO parlance. Guess there are no showers on board), but none of that really cried out, “The game as you knew it has changed for the better!“. It could have though, if Cryptic didn’t seem to be so terrible at designing MMOs past the character creator (just my opinion, yeah, but there is something seriously wrong with this studio).
Continue reading ‘Fire At Will, Commander…’
You can find Part 1 here.
You can find Part 2 here.
You can find the review Supplement here.
Well, seeing as the STO servers can’t decide if they’re up or down I guess I may as well make the promised final part to my review of Mass Effect 2. I’m a little pissed as I write this, bear in mind, (I’m 28 skill points away from hitting Lieutenant Commander rank in STO and therefore about to find out whether or not I wasted money on Cryptic’s latest half-hearted effort) but that kind of works because this part is chiefly devoted to stuff I didn’t like in ME2. Okay, there will still be good things in here too, just thinking about Mass Effect 2’s loveliness instead of Star Trek Online is starting to cheer me up. Okay fine, this is gonna be mostly good things. Still, there may be further review supplements down the line in case I miss anything here (and I probably will).
Speaking of final frontiers I suppose I should start off with the galactic exploration aspect of Mass Effect 2.
So how is it? Well, a mixed bag ultimately. It has been given a major facelift since the first Mass Effect and for the most part the changes are very welcome yet there is one mechanic that is so pervasive and tedious that it threatens to undo every improvement made to the Galaxy Map. Probably the biggest change has been to the manner in which you navigate through the Galaxy Map. As opposed to simply clicking on points of interest and progressing through the various zoom levels or reading a snippet of information about the object you selected, in Mass Effect 2 you have a more active role to play in your exploration of strange new worlds. Now when you’re not on the Galaxy zoom level you actually get to control a little Normandy spaceship on a 2-dimensional plane and travel between celestial entities and solar systems. It’s not exactly what you would think of as a huge improvement and in fact it simply draws out the old process of exploring planets but it does a great deal to immerse you in the universe that Bioware has crafted.
Continue reading ‘Mass Effect 2 Review: The Final Frontier’
Okay, I swear that I will post the final part of my Mass Effect 2 review later today. I actually had it mostly written out already but ended up scrapping it because my lack of sleep had spilled out onto the page. But that’s not the real reason for my lack of discipline.
It should come as no surprise that STO is distracting me from my bloggerly duties, though not in the way that it should. Truth is, I don’t quite know what to make of this game yet. As of this moment I am almost a grade 9 Lieutenant and so far this game is boring me to tears. So why am I playing then, you ask? Well, like many that must be suffering through the early levels I am hoping there is a light at the end of the Lieutenant tunnel in the form of upgrading my ship (which is why I’m playing so much to the detriment of other activities, I want to get these early levels over with!).
As it stands right now I find myself sailing through battle (which is pretty much the only thing to do in this game), employing the exact same tactics every single time, coming out on top without breaking a sweat. I’ve only died once so far and that was because I was dicking around in a Fleet action (sort of like a raid) when I got surrounded by ships that warped in and blew me back to the Stone Age. Other than that combat has been relatively tame and uninteresting, which is a shame because it seems to have a great deal of potential what with the whole juggling of power distribution and balancing of shields and managing fire arcs and what have you. Maybe if there was something else to do it wouldn’t seem so bad but so far every exchange has been pretty well the exact same encounter every time.
This is how STO is making me feel right now.
Continue reading ‘Boldly Going Forth and Procrastinating’
You can find Part 1 here.
You can find Part 2 here.
Ok, just so we’re clear, this isn’t the final part of my ME2 review. I was just listening to the latest episode of Podtoid where they discuss the latest Mass Effect and had a few things I wanted to mention before they escaped my notice, a few shortfalls to be precise. Just think of this as part 1.5 as it deals heavily with the story aspect of Mass Effect 2.
One of the biggest problems that this game has is a problem inherent to narrative game play of any sort, that being the player’s tendency to meta-game or use outside knowledge (or tools) in order to further themselves in game. At its most basic level this can be simple foreknowledge that a character in the game world would not rightly have access to though it can also present itself in the form of meticulous stat tracking (and by stat tracking I’m speaking more along the lines of statistics that are hidden from the player for the most part that can determine the likely outcome of certain scenarios in-game) or by reloading your game in the case of an unfortunate turn of events (not a series of events though, that’s under copyright). You get the basic idea.
My positive reaction to the game’s ending would have been greatly diminished had I meta-gamed (well, meta-gamed more than I had up until that point, some habits are hard to kick) and reloaded my save when Tali fell to enemy fire. Sure, I could have gone back in there and done things right gosh darnit, but then the ending wouldn’t have had quite the impact that I ultimately felt it did. The temptation was there, don’t get me wrong, but I knew (despite all my years of gaming training telling me otherwise) that doing so would have been a cop out and disrespectful to the story as a whole. But that isn’t what I’m going to nitpick; this problem of reloading saves is a very difficult problem to solve without removing a lot of player control and doing so tends to foment resentment.
Continue reading ‘Mass Effect 2 Review Supplement: Meta-Gaming’
Well, the final part of my review of Mass Effect 2 is being put off until tomorrow unfortunately as a friend of mine managed to somehow convince me to shell out the money for Star Trek Online, which I had originally intended to completely ignore for the most part. All’s fair in gaming and temptation though as I managed to get him to lust after ME2 and that carries a heftier price tag [inner voice: yet no monthly fees] (shut up you!). I must admit that it was probably Mass Effect’s glorious space epic that really pushed me over the brink and though I know that there won’t be much in the way of exploration in STO (though there bloody well should be tons of exploring to do in a Trek game!) I’m still hoping it can scratch that space adventure itch I am currently trying to soothe.
With this I think I can definitely say that this blog is most definitely NOT LotRO-centric (though to be perfectly honest, it never really was) and I think I can live with that just fine. I’d much rather write about gaming in general than focus on a singular experience and not having to follow any particular theme (outside of trying to break things down as much as possible… hey, that’s kinda like delving!) makes this far more enjoyable and therefore makes me far more likely to write.
Of late I have been more eager to put up posts on this site, though my tendency to write lengthy articles puts me off occasionally, and I hope to keep this newfound vigour going for some time. So, expect to see the final part of my Mass Effect 2 review tomorrow and also expect to see my impressions on Star Trek Online soon as well.
I’m sure I’ll get back to Dragon Age: Origins eventually, it’s only been two months after all…
You can find Part 1 here.
Now where were we? Ah yes, we just finished going over the story elements of ME2 which means it is now time to review the primary game play, and by that I mean combat. Anyone familiar with the first Mass Effect will be happy to hear that the clunky combat has been completely revamped into a far more visceral and satisfying experience, which is good because you will be spending the vast majority of the game in the heat of battle. Exploration has taken a major backseat to intense firefights and despite my own predilection for exploratory game play I have to say that Mass Effect 2 is all the better for its renewed focus.
Refining the game play of the original is actually a major design theme in ME2 with many systems being heavily toned down in order to streamline game play. In fact, I do not really consider this game to be a proper RPG at all. Sure, it has dialogue with choice and consequence but that is hardly a qualifying attribute for an RPG (after all, the vast majority of classic RPGs don’t have any C&C whatsoever!) and though there are still levels, skills, and classes it has all been stripped so bare as to almost be a pure shooter. To be perfectly honest I wish Bioware would just get rid of any pretense of it being an RPG and just focus on what makes Mass Effect great: gripping cinematic dialogue and thrilling combat. But seeing as they still want to market this franchise as an RPG I feel I must mention the new “RPG” system before moving on to the retooled combat.
Fans of the original Mass Effect will recall that as your characters would level up through combat and completing Missions and Assignments you would be allocated a number a skill points based on your current level range that you could then spend on your wide array of skills point by point. Each skill had many levels of proficiency with major upgrades staggered throughout the progression, including unlocks for skills that start out barred from use. These skills ranged from firearm proficiency to general skills such as armour use and general stat boosts to special skills like Biotics or Tech skills. There was even a skill that was tied to the class you chose and in the case of Commander Shepard you also received three more skills in the form of a special Spectre skill as well as Charm and Intimidate for use in dialogues. Unfortunately, each point spent on a skill went largely unnoticed with the barest of minimal increments in utility as they were trained, and to top it all off similar characters shared the same skills which hurt individuality amongst your squad.
Continue reading ‘Mass Effect 2 Review: Core Game Play’
So I just finished my first playthrough of Mass Effect 2 mere moments before I started typing this out and I have to say that despite all of my original optimism for this game… it totally blew me away! For once there’s really not a whole lot that I can say against this game, almost every aspect of its production has been polished to a mirror sheen (including Martin Sheen’s performance) and the developers over at Bioware really took the criticisms levied against the first Mass Effect to heart and improved on almost every game system as a result. Mass Effect 2 is a truly cinematic experience and considering how often that gets thrown around lately know that this title stands out from the pack. I’m still reeling from the thrilling ending sequence and to my mind I cannot come up with any other game ending that even comes close to being properly epic.
First thing’s first: the story. Bioware tends to catch a lot of flak for the predictable pacing in their RPGs. You start out an inexperienced loner who is thrust into a titanic struggle between the forces of good and evil whereupon you are elevated into the ranks of some mystic/elite organization and tasked with saving the world/galaxy. You tackle three to four major points of interest (in whichever order you wish), you are confronted with a shocking twist, you finish off the remaining POIs and finally you rush off to confront some ancient evil. Now, I don’t really have a problem with Bioware’s formula, what matters to me is how the story is told, not how it’s structured, but Bioware decided to mix things up a bit in Mass Effect 2.
After getting through an inspired introductory sequence players are basically given free reign to do as they will. You are tasked with overcoming an ancient evil, yes, but it’s up to you as to when you’re ready to get the job done. So if you wish you can bring the fight to your enemies right away or you can instead choose to explore the galaxy, recruit a team of seasoned professionals, and upgrade your squad and ship. All of the choices you make have an impact on future events (I assume. As I mentioned before, this was my first playthrough so I can’t know for certain but this game gives a far better impression of choice and consequence than the original did so I am comfortable to trust in the game’s branching paths), not just in this game but also in Mass Effect 3 one would assume. For instance, even when you reach an apparent point of no return you are still given complete control over what you want to do, though delaying your strike can have dire consequences.
Continue reading ‘Mass Effect 2 Review: The Story’
The more time I spend playing Mass Effect 2 the more I am impressed by the quality of writing on display (and the voice acting as well for that matter). I can’t remember the last time I have been so enthralled by dialogue in a game and I have laughed out loud many times already, and I’m not even all that far into the game yet! Of course, this level of quality is hardly surprising considering Bioware’s reputation, but even then I feel that they have truly outdone themselves this time.
What’s been especially unexpected for me is how engaging/amusing the exchanges between the NPCs have become, NPCs you would normally ignore as you continue on your mission. Not only do I find myself stopping to listen to the conversations, I have also gone out of my way to trigger every single stage of a group’s exchange which basically requires you to move away from them a few feet before moving close to them again. I whole-heartedly recommend seeking out these amusing talks as you play through the game and also make sure to check all the points of interest, such as the often amusing advertising kiosks on the Citadel station; it really helps to reinforce the notion that this is a living, breathing universe, which I feel that Bioware has captured better than anyone else to date.
Now, that’s all well and good, but that’s not really why I’m writing this post. Rather, I wished to share a truly facepalm worthy moment (a good facepalm though) that I encountered mere minutes past.
Continue reading ‘Really Commander?’
So I’ve had a chance to play Mass Effect 2 for a few hours now and so far I’m loving it. The opening sequence really blew me away and though it sort of stumbled a bit after your initial combat engagement it has quickly recovered and has me wishing that I was a Salarian and didn’t need 6 hours of sleep every day. It definitely takes a bit of getting used to the modified control scheme and other changes to the game, especially considering how recently I played through the first game, but I have been able to acclimate myself to these changes with relative ease. A couple more things I wanted to mention before moving onto the main point of this post: the new hacking minigames (yes, there is more than one this time) are a huge improvement over the original, even the PC version; also, the first time I used the Vanguard class’ Biotic Charge ability to warp into an enemy cluster and lay waste to them in seconds the first thought that popped into my mind was, “That just felt right.”
Ok, so what’s the point of this post’s title? Well, I’ll tell you right now that it’s not that I’m drunk right now, but rather thanks to a very minor, but to me very noticeable detail that Bioware has paid attention to in their latest sci-fi epic. Anyone who has had any experience with cinematic games should be well aware of how silly drinking (and eating for that matter) looks in a game. One moment you see an empty glass, the next it’s completely full, then a character picks it up, holds it in the general vicinity of their time-wasting mouth, and poof! the glass is empty again. This is a really good thing to do if you’re trying to destroy your game’s immersion.
Now, I know that such a seemingly simple process as realistically pouring and draining a glass is in reality anything but simple. It is doable however, though most devs just seem to ignore it. Not Bioware though.
Continue reading ‘Here’s to Getting Happily Drunk!’
Just got Mass Effect 2 in the mail a little while ago and I am so happy that this tortuous wait is finally over!
I don’t know what possessed me to preorder this via the EA Store website as opposed to going through my usual channels but I’m definitely glad that I went with them this time. There was absolutely no hassle involved with my order (and considering the online store is American and I live in Canada that’s certainly not always the case) and seeing as it actually arrived at my door a day before release means that I can most definitely recommend taking advantage of their services. I have no doubt that there are plenty who could attest to a more negative experience in using the EA Store but all I can say is that it worked out great for me.
Okay, enough babbling, I’ve got a universe to save!
Recent Comments