Originally Posted by Hovis Linear is a term that can be applied to any game which has a start and an end. I would tend to think though specifically it should refer to games where you go from A to B along an assigned route.
I think the term that best describes games like Fallout 3, Dragon Age and both Mass Effects is episodic. Everything is divided into chunks, these neat little quests. Dragon Age and games like it did it by areas. Fallout 3 did it with some quests, Mass Effect does it with planetary expeditions. You take on these episodes in whatever order you like pretty much, some or all of them, and then you get to the end of the game. It's linear in the sense that your start and finish, with certain variations, are essentially fixed, but you can roam pretty far and wide along the way.
The only games I can think of that are truly non-linear are those rare ones where there no agreed start or end. So for instance Mount and Blade, though it technically can be completed, tends to be a game where you just romp and stomp, maybe you become a king, maybe you become the heroic knight, maybe the marauder or trader or whatever. The X3 series as well offered that.
Regarding the alignment choices I would say that calling it 'Good or Evil' is a massive oversimplification. There is no 'evil' option in Mass Effect 2, there is no self interest, profiteering or violence for kicks. The options are what they say they are, Paragon or Renegade. I've completed it on the renegade path and completed most of it as a paragon and it's by no means as simple as goody or baddie. The Renegade is ruthless, brutal, breaking rules and faces to get the job done, the paragon will not compromise principles, and those principles are high. Neither character is evil though, both have the same desire- to get the job done, it's all about technique. The Renegade cutscenes and options are basically the What Would Jack Bauer Do? scenario, the paragon options are more your Captain Picard style violence as last resort kind of choices. Either way your character is always a 'hero'.
At first I thought that it was a hell of a lot more fun to be a renegade, but paragon has grown on me now too.
I disagree. I know it was probably meant to feel like it, but I could not escape the feeling that every action was predetermined and decided on by Illusive Man, rather than Shepard. Sure, conversation choices were my own, but everything else felt like Illusive Man was using Shepard as a pawn. The only time I felt this change was right at the end.
As for the good/evil thing, I sort of agree, but there are numerous paragon options that avoid unnecessary killing, and plenty of Renegade options that actively encourage it. Not to mention the number of times you can just not do to the paragon action and pretty much endorse a killing.
Last time I checked with my moral code, it's not exactly good to kill, or endorse it through inactivity, when your actions could directly save a life.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blademrk My copy arrived yesterday with an armour code from Play, it took me ages to figure out how to get D/L it too.
Loaded up the ME2 website, created an account, get to the screen to enter the armour code and there didn't seem to be anywhere to tell it what my gamertag was.
I spent ages searching all the profile options trying to find where to enter my gamertag. Turns out I should have just stuck the game in and registered with EA on the 360 (which then links in with the Bioware account I'd just created).
It would have been much easier to just give us a code to use on the 360 marketplace than jump through hoops on the website.
Even on PC I didn't work out the Collectors armour/Incisor rifle/Infernus armour until my second play through. I couldn't work it out immediately on launch, and didn't really want to delay playing for some shiney bits.
I finished it at about 3 this morning, straight play through with some of the side quests. I'll be restarting the original tonight (my finished save game was lost ages ago) so I can get the choices I made, not the generic ones. Possibly go full Adept this time as some of the powers are seriously sweet and the biotic combos (oh, the joy of the combos!!) can sting a touch ;D
I kinda miss hunting for armor like in me1.. dealing with the traders was a little more memorable too.. guess just less to code when you have two armors for each character- then do squad upgrades to the armor as a whole..
with the way it's setup now.. they could make content for me all day
the voice acting is good but not perfect.. there were a couple of re-takes you could tell were put together last minute.. the scanning isn't near as fun as using the rover
I'm still working the loyalty missions so I can't really comment on the end game.. the opening was one of the best ever :D
I disagree. I know it was probably meant to feel like it, but I could not escape the feeling that every action was predetermined and decided on by Illusive Man, rather than Shepard. Sure, conversation choices were my own, but everything else felt like Illusive Man was using Shepard as a pawn. The only time I felt this change was right at the end.
As for the good/evil thing, I sort of agree, but there are numerous paragon options that avoid unnecessary killing, and plenty of Renegade options that actively encourage it. Not to mention the number of times you can just not do to the paragon action and pretty much endorse a killing.
Last time I checked with my moral code, it's not exactly good to kill, or endorse it through inactivity, when your actions could directly save a life.
Thing is, you are a pawn. In games it's monumentally difficult to create a setting where you are not a pawn. It's extremely difficult to tell a story in a game if you've got the player able to go off and do his or her own thing all the time. The way ME2 handles your pawn status is good, because you do get to react to it. A game with the player free to make their own mission, set their own goals and hit their own targets is the stuff of dreams I would think. If you want a game with pre-generated content (such as the missions in ME2, as opposed to the more organically occurring content of for example Mount and Blade) then the trade off is you have to follow the path. It's a compromise but the good games pull it off.
Regarding the renegade killing folks, I think it's a case of thoroughness for the renegade. If you play it in Renegade mode Shepard takes no risks by leaving survivors or anything like that, which is cold blooded as hell, but not sadistic or a product of greed. I mean if you go evil in Fallout 3 you can nuke a town for a fistful of caps, now that's evil.
Played the game from start to end - about 18hrs in total for me.... I was like - WOOOO at the intro and story set up... nicely handled...
but...
I HATE the ending. Its like they ran out of ideas!
The first game actually had me "conned" a bit - there were times when I thought I had completed the game, only for the story to continue... I enjoyed that, falt like I was getting into a really deep game and thought it good value...
This time round, as I completed it far quicker than most other games I have (and not on easy setting either!) I felt a bit let down.. .this is just a build up for Mass Effect 3... which to be honest, better be bloody special because I WONT buy it straight away like I did this time.
No... never doing that again. Glad I didn't pay some of the obscene prices I've seen around... some as high as 60 quid! WTF?!!!
Myself, i played ME through a long time ago on the 360
On one of the many steam sales, i got ME PC, but never quite made it past about 1/3 in (too much distraction from other games)
Eventually succumbed to the good press ME2 has been getting (and the bad press Bioshock2 got, i brought ME2 with the funds i set aside for bioshock 2 after i learned about the ludicrous DRM on it, FU 2k!)
Played 20-30mins of ME2, i've so far been so impressed i've gone back to my 1/3 complete ME1 save so i can complete that then import it first :)
Nearly at the end of ME1 again now, i'm quite impressed i've been able to actually hold off playing ME2 so i can get the ME1 save
Comments 126 to 131 of 131
ReplyI disagree. I know it was probably meant to feel like it, but I could not escape the feeling that every action was predetermined and decided on by Illusive Man, rather than Shepard. Sure, conversation choices were my own, but everything else felt like Illusive Man was using Shepard as a pawn. The only time I felt this change was right at the end.
As for the good/evil thing, I sort of agree, but there are numerous paragon options that avoid unnecessary killing, and plenty of Renegade options that actively encourage it. Not to mention the number of times you can just not do to the paragon action and pretty much endorse a killing.
Last time I checked with my moral code, it's not exactly good to kill, or endorse it through inactivity, when your actions could directly save a life.
Even on PC I didn't work out the Collectors armour/Incisor rifle/Infernus armour until my second play through. I couldn't work it out immediately on launch, and didn't really want to delay playing for some shiney bits.
Worth it though.
with the way it's setup now.. they could make content for me all day
the voice acting is good but not perfect.. there were a couple of re-takes you could tell were put together last minute.. the scanning isn't near as fun as using the rover
I'm still working the loyalty missions so I can't really comment on the end game.. the opening was one of the best ever :D
Thing is, you are a pawn. In games it's monumentally difficult to create a setting where you are not a pawn. It's extremely difficult to tell a story in a game if you've got the player able to go off and do his or her own thing all the time. The way ME2 handles your pawn status is good, because you do get to react to it. A game with the player free to make their own mission, set their own goals and hit their own targets is the stuff of dreams I would think. If you want a game with pre-generated content (such as the missions in ME2, as opposed to the more organically occurring content of for example Mount and Blade) then the trade off is you have to follow the path. It's a compromise but the good games pull it off.
Regarding the renegade killing folks, I think it's a case of thoroughness for the renegade. If you play it in Renegade mode Shepard takes no risks by leaving survivors or anything like that, which is cold blooded as hell, but not sadistic or a product of greed. I mean if you go evil in Fallout 3 you can nuke a town for a fistful of caps, now that's evil.
but...
I HATE the ending. Its like they ran out of ideas!
The first game actually had me "conned" a bit - there were times when I thought I had completed the game, only for the story to continue... I enjoyed that, falt like I was getting into a really deep game and thought it good value...
This time round, as I completed it far quicker than most other games I have (and not on easy setting either!) I felt a bit let down.. .this is just a build up for Mass Effect 3... which to be honest, better be bloody special because I WONT buy it straight away like I did this time.
No... never doing that again. Glad I didn't pay some of the obscene prices I've seen around... some as high as 60 quid! WTF?!!!
On one of the many steam sales, i got ME PC, but never quite made it past about 1/3 in (too much distraction from other games)
Eventually succumbed to the good press ME2 has been getting (and the bad press Bioshock2 got, i brought ME2 with the funds i set aside for bioshock 2 after i learned about the ludicrous DRM on it, FU 2k!)
Played 20-30mins of ME2, i've so far been so impressed i've gone back to my 1/3 complete ME1 save so i can complete that then import it first :)
Nearly at the end of ME1 again now, i'm quite impressed i've been able to actually hold off playing ME2 so i can get the ME1 save
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