tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542773327630613295.post6920626714335965590..comments2020-05-11T19:30:14.785-07:00Comments on Above 49: We Will Never Save the WorldNels Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06484436433023780229noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542773327630613295.post-45257807792840965122010-02-15T20:58:35.735-08:002010-02-15T20:58:35.735-08:00@Jason T, Jared Very interesting to hear. As menti...@Jason T, Jared Very interesting to hear. As mentioned, I haven't made my way to <i>Mass Effect 2</i> yet, but I've been enjoying the first one a lot. It's the interactions with other characters that I've always found the most engaging in RPGs, so it's very good to hear <i>ME2</i> put that front and centre even though it's supposedly more shoot-y as well. Definitely looking forward to checking that out.Nels Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06484436433023780229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542773327630613295.post-89263471009379474582010-02-15T07:36:24.201-08:002010-02-15T07:36:24.201-08:00To echo what Jason T wrote, Mass Effect 2 takes a ...To echo what Jason T wrote, Mass Effect 2 takes a different direction with the decision-making. Most of the game's conflicts are extremely personal.chakannaggatshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16518546360393404237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542773327630613295.post-11601084960372897002010-02-15T06:50:24.746-08:002010-02-15T06:50:24.746-08:00I have thought about this kind of thing often, and...I have thought about this kind of thing often, and it's a big reason why I'm looking forward to Heavy Rain so much.<br /><br />I think that the people at Bioware must be thinking about it too, to some extent, given the direction that they went with in Mass Effect 2. Without giving anything away, really, the whole "save the galaxy" story takes a back seat in the sequel. It's there, but really only the focal point for a few missions, kind of like how saving the world from the apocalypse is only the focus for a few episodes in any given season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: They mention the threat, it's in the back of our minds, but the real focus of any given episode is dealing with major personal issues. This is what Mass Effect 2 is, with the pretext that everyone on your squad needs to trust you and feel at peace with their lives if you're going to be in top form to save the galaxy in the end.<br /><br />The end result is a game in which the most tense moments involve talking your friends out of doing something they might regret, or dealing with people who don't trust you. I actually kind of appreciate the shift in scope. There was some of that in Mass Effect 1, but it was much more on the periphery, in side missions that felt strangely irrelevant. Some players are angry that this is now the front-and-center focus, which I suppose I can understand. How should you feel when your favorite action series starts looking more like a drama? I guess it works out better if you like drama to begin with.Jason Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17652211402639394877noreply@blogger.com