Mass Effect

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » November 13, 2007, 4:27 am

Mass Effect and Assassins Creed are on the newsgroups so I grabbed Mass Effect to take a look.

I can summarize this game in a single word: Best-sci-fi-action/rpg-evah!

You won't be disappointed.

The story/acting is top notch. Halo 3 blows compared to this. (the story, not the multiplayer part)

The default graphics for the game are "cinema effect" which creates a sort of grainy effect. It looks great and some may prefer it but when I turned it off, the crystal clear graphics just looked too good for me to turn it back on. (either way will be good. Perhaps the cinima effect will be better or those that don't have HDTVs)

As usual with games that have character creation systems, I wasted all sorts of time perfecting my female character. I must stress that it's worth taking the time to do so as you'll be seeing a lot of your character close up. The face detail is outstanding. If you recall, I'm a big fan of Tiger Wood's character creation and Mass Effect is better but you only have to create the facial features and hair. You can name your character but the game uses the last name of the character so all the dialog in the game works. The last name is "Shepard".

There are several premade character looks you can choose from if you don't want to take the time to create your own. Also, the game starts by providing a character for you but gives you the option to create your own so either way works. There are six character classes to choose from. Three prime and three hybrid. Warrior/Tech/Bio with hybrids between those three primary abilities available as well. Warrior= guns, Tech = Engineering stuff, and Bio = inplants that allow for some telekinesis, etc.

From what the podcast dude said that played it all the way through, the game has replayability by choosing a different class.

As mentioned, the controller/UI kicks ass. Well done. You can control your squad and their actions easily. I have the accuracy helper set to high which means I don't have to be super precise aiming my weapons as that gets old fast for me.

There is an upgrade system so you can improve your abilities with weapons, and other characteristics (charm, health stuff, etc) You can take the time to spend your earned points on skills or select "autolevel" and let the game do it for you. You gain money as well but I haven't run into a store yet.

The cut scenes are plentiful and the response system gives you several ways to take the conversation depending on your choices. The dialog interactive scenes allow you to "investigate" and get some background on things so you can take your time and learn or cut conversations short and move on.

I haven't gotten far, barely far enough into the game to get into some action but the world is beautiful...textures outstanding.

There are two meters on your character screen, "Paragon" and "Renegade". Depending on your actions, those meters are affected. You also choose one of three backgrounds for your character which impact the story so I can see there's room for diversity in the story between each individuals play styles.

The game has a cover system similar to GoW as well. Nice grenade controls as well!

It looks like you can really customize your squad. It's easy to chage what they have equipped, etc.

There's tons of background stuff you can access through the "codex", journal, etc. It looks like you can save at anytime as long as you're not in a conversation which is nice.

This one has winner written all over it if you're looking for a sci-fi/action RPG.

http://www.metacritic.com/games/platfor ... masseffect

No readable reviews yet but one 98 score:

Game Informer

It's an adventure that is so captivating that you'll be counting the days for the sequel. It takes interactive storytelling to new heights, and brings the player closer to content than ever before. It's easily one of the year's best titles and one of the most impressive games to date. [Nov 2007, p.151]

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » November 13, 2007, 2:13 pm

Yeah I am so excited for this and assassin's creed it's not even funny. Thanks for the review!

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » November 14, 2007, 4:06 am

Be prepared for a shitload of interactive dialog. I've been playing for about three hours and besides a pretty short fire fight sequence, I've been running all over ships and a monster space station talking to people.

I did sort of get a lap dance which is kinda hot considering I'm playing a female.

Just a reminder to take the time to put together a face that you don't mind looking at because you'll be seeing it a lot in all of these interactive dialogs.

I do like that all of these interactive scenes aren't premade. They include your character and squad in them exactly how they look. In the equipment menu, you can toggle your helmet on and off in combat situations for looks.

If you like tons of well done dialog and and even more extensive voicework on the Codex (Encyclopedia) entries, you'll like this game. If you're impatient or are looking for action and not a slower pace, this game might not do it for you.

One thing that seems useful is to put points into your charm and intimidation skills. Increasing those adds additional dialog options to when talking to various people in the game.

It has kinda of a Fables thing going with your dialog choices.

Here's a You Tube video with comments from some of the people doing the Voiceovers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sP3raRG4K4E

Jennifer Hale does the female lead role voice for Shepard.

Scroll down on this site to see her massive list of voiceover credits:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Hale

She does have a small connection to EverQuest!

EverQuest II (2004) — Generic Racial Callouts

Considering the massive amount of dialog in this game, it may have replayability just switching between male and female voices.

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » November 14, 2007, 11:51 am

I put myself in a forced game-buying hiatus so people will have options for x-mas gifts for me this year.

Doing this a week before Assassin's Creed and Mass Effect comes out may have been a poorly though-out plan...

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » November 14, 2007, 5:52 pm

Just picked up Assassin's Creed at lunch so looking forward to checking it out tonight! Mass Effect looks pretty slick as well--may have to run back over to Mediocre Buy.

And Kunark is out....errr...good thing I have the rest of the week off!

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » November 14, 2007, 5:56 pm

Canelek wrote:Just picked up Assassin's Creed at lunch so looking forward to checking it out tonight! Mass Effect looks pretty slick as well--may have to run back over to Mediocre Buy.

And Kunark is out....errr...good thing I have the rest of the week off!

Mass Effect doesn't come out till next Tuesday!

I'll be all over that one like a fly on shit after work Tuesday

Canelek · Post by **Canelek** » November 14, 2007, 6:01 pm

Very cool. That gives me a week before I have an added decision to make.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » November 15, 2007, 2:51 am

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071115/tc_ ... hScgME1vAI

Wed Nov 14, 7:48 PM ET

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore has banned a Microsoft Corp video game which contains a scene showing a human woman and an alien woman kissing and caressing each other, a local newspaper reported on Thursday. The Straits Times said "Mass Effect" -- a highly anticipated futuristic space adventure game from Microsoft -- was banned by Singapore's Media Development Authority.

In October, Singapore's parliament decided to keep a ban on sex between men, and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that the city-state should keep its conservative values and not allow special rights for homosexuals.

Singapore is the only country to have banned the game, so far, and it is the first Microsoft video game to be banned in the city-state, The Straits Times said.

The move has caused an outcry among local and international gamers who said the decision was too strict, the newspaper said.

The report said Singapore has in the past, banned at least two other video games -- Sony Corp's "God Of War 2," for nudity, and unlisted Top Cow Productions' "The Darkness," for excessive violence and religiously offensive expletives.

That's a major overreaction.

Trias · Post by **Trias** » November 25, 2007, 4:57 am

i'm about 14 hours into this game and i'm loving it!

the action is soso but the story is awesome!

Kryshade · Post by **Kryshade** » November 27, 2007, 5:09 pm

This game rocks!

I've only just now got my ship. Haven't even left the Citadel yet, but I am loving this game. Lots of cool stories/quests. Graphics are great, sound is great. I like the combat although so far there has been very little of it. I've been in maybe 6 fights so far.

I enjoy a lot of games, but every now and then I REALLY get sucked into a game where I can't wait to get home and play it and this is one of them!

So far it's kind of like a mix of Knights of the Old Republic, Gears of War and Star Control 3.

Very awesome game, if you don't have it your missing out!!

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » November 27, 2007, 5:41 pm

The more I play this the more disappointed I am getting, I'm busy at work right now and shouldn't be posting at all, but I want to say why briefly because a few people at work and I were just bitching about it and I want to vent some more, I'll go into more detail later.

The game is advertised as a RPG, but it hardly fits the mold of any good RPG's I can think of.

1- The side quests are too damn repetitive (drop down in the stupid mako -more on that later- drive to building, kill everything), the ways that you come across them make no sense half the time, and they in no way tie into the main quest, and there aren't enough of them.

2- Driving around in the mako was fun for about an hour. After that it is annoying, and I wish that I could spend half of the time in actual battles (not in the vehicle) that I do driving around and shooting shit with the mako.

3- The planets are repetitive, more thought could have gone into them, and half of the planets in the game serve no purpose at all - you can't even land on them. All the planets look like they just took the same planet model, changed the color of the terrain, and maybe added the effect of loose soil on some or comets crashing on another, but they are basically all the same. Not to mention out of the dozens and dozens of planets the main quest only brings you to 5 of them.

4- The game is too damn short. When I play an RPG, I want 50+ hours of gameplay for the main quest, plus side quests. Not 7 hours of main quest and 10 or 15 hours at best of side quests/exploring. I know it wasn't lack of disc space that warrants this, as there is something like 2GB of free space on the dvd - so I'm not sure why they slacked so bad. I would much rather have the graphics and the absurd amount of dialogue toned down a bit to squeeze in some more gameplay.

5- Considering the game is so short, why is there SO DAMN MUCH DIALOGUE. Seriously, of the 7-10 hours the main quest takes you to complete, I'd bet about 3 hours of it is spent in dialogue/cutscenes. And if you do side quests/love sub plots/search for codex' etc that multiplies real quick. I wouldn't mind a 50 hour game being dialogue/ cutscene heavy, but there is no place for it in such a short game.

6- Lack of cities. Adding more cities would have been a great way to implement a better system for side quests, and would have just added to the game overall.

7 - Achievements. This is a big one for me, because as I've stated before, my main concern when I get a new game is getting all or most of the achievement points for it. It seems like they just made the game short for whatever reason, and then took advantage of the achievement system to add a false sense of replay value to the game.

I have thought about it, and I don't think I see any possible way you could get all of the achievements without at least 5 play throughs of the game. And when I say 5 play throughs I'm not talking about 5 times just doing the main plot.. I'm talking 5 times doing damn near all of the side quests as well.

I can't believe they think that is a good way to present a game. You make a damn game long, and make the achievements so you have to do one very THOROUGH playthrough, not so that you have to play through the same damn content 5 times.

I won't even touch on the technical issues because a lot of those are due to the hardware.

I am enjoying the game, but I expected much more than I got. I will probably play through a second time but that will be about it.

I give it a 6/10 - things above addressed properly and it would have been a 10.

EDIT: The AI of your squad is some of the worst I have ever seen.

Arborealus · Post by **Arborealus** » December 1, 2007, 7:59 am

Ermmmm I'm on my 3rd playthrough and I'm still unlock new side quest twists and I'm obsessive about dialog options...many of the sidequests are only unlocked from one choice point; dependent upon the degree of paragon/renegade you have at the time; degree of progress in the main plot etc etc. Strategies are also very different based on class and specialization choice within that class which adds a good bit of replay for me. Also you can accomplish many of the subquests in several different ways...

The environments from planet to planet are pretty damn rich (seeing the earth appear from behind the mountain of the moon was very damn

). Lighting, vistas, climates and topography were nicely varied and richly detailed. I did want more critters in the environments to interact with though but given the epic scale that might be asking a bit much. I was really impressed with the physics engine they used. The Mako handled very much like a 4x4 on climb angles directional vectors and velocity choices (It really impressed the hell out of me that I could use traversing techniques with it). The physics was also nicely used with the biotic powers. I also like that there are elements that you can discover accidentally...camps that don't show up on radar etc.

The main plot elements were well written and conceived and flowed logically. The main plot environments were nicely epic and the tasks were satisfyingly complex and not mandatorily linear which I loathe in games. The subordinate characters were well developed you can tell that a lot of thought went into the details of their backgrounds. There was no plot reason for Ashley's specism, Garrus' frustration with authority and regulation, Wrex's issues with his father. Tons of attention to detail in making a very real feeling universe...and I'm sure these are already fleshed out in more detail for the sequels. I like that they approached creating the universe with a bible and wrote plot and subplot from there out instead of wrapping a bible around a plot as an afterthought like most games...it really shows. The depth of the Codex entries is very satisfying and definitely will appeal to the sci-fi readers. It was entirely superfluous to forwarding plot but supported plot elements and added depth and flavour.

I liked the controls generally again particularly on the Mako you can turret drive and counter steer...

. The AI was fair but the task and navigation controls for the subordinate characters was pretty weak. Quite a few problems with the subordinates not successfully negotiating world geometry.

Voice acting and character synch with voice were great. I'm pretty sure if I ever meet Seth Green I'll be tempted to thank him for pulling me out of a tight spot. I still think Lance Henriksen is going to turn out to be behind Cerberus at some point...

...probably in ME II...

The Music and Sound Effects were truely cinematic quality really adding subtlety and nuance to the game making it feel more real...I played a bit with music and sound effects off and it was really unnerving. Its nice that the background conversations were environmentally relevant but situational and varied. I thought the music was great and really fit the situations and locales.

Graphically it is as beautiful a game as I have ever seen.

I like the weapons/skills system though some of the terminology wasn't clear ie weapon stability and force etc...they became more clear as I played through as pure soldier and tried all the weapons/upgrades and ammo types. The class system was good but I wish they had opened up more races and classes as possible player characters...though in plot terms this decision is for obvious reasons.

All in all...probably the best SF RPG I've ever played by a huge leap...This turned into MMO = Arb an instant addict.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » December 1, 2007, 7:19 pm

Excellent review/comments Arb!

I've been sidelined from Mass Effect since my initial experience with it and finding that I might want to try a different class (I'm pure soldier and that might not be the best class to play for the first time)

I've delayed my reentry into the game, knowing I'll have to recreate the face I like (unless there's a way to keep the face I created for my first character and transfer it to a new one)

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » December 1, 2007, 9:01 pm

Arborealus wrote:Ermmmm I'm on my 3rd playthrough and I'm still unlock new side quest twists and I'm obsessive about dialog options...many of the sidequests are only unlocked from one choice point; dependent upon the degree of paragon/renegade you have at the time; degree of progress in the main plot etc etc. Strategies are also very different based on class and specialization choice within that class which adds a good bit of replay for me. Also you can accomplish many of the subquests in several different ways...

The environments from planet to planet are pretty damn rich (seeing the earth appear from behind the mountain of the moon was very damn ). Lighting, vistas, climates and topography were nicely varied and richly detailed. I did want more critters in the environments to interact with though but given the epic scale that might be asking a bit much. I was really impressed with the physics engine they used. The Mako handled very much like a 4x4 on climb angles directional vectors and velocity choices (It really impressed the hell out of me that I could use traversing techniques with it). The physics was also nicely used with the biotic powers. I also like that there are elements that you can discover accidentally...camps that don't show up on radar etc.

The main plot elements were well written and conceived and flowed logically. The main plot environments were nicely epic and the tasks were satisfyingly complex and not mandatorily linear which I loathe in games. The subordinate characters were well developed you can tell that a lot of thought went into the details of their backgrounds. There was no plot reason for Ashley's specism, Garrus' frustration with authority and regulation, Wrex's issues with his father. Tons of attention to detail in making a very real feeling universe...and I'm sure these are already fleshed out in more detail for the sequels. I like that they approached creating the universe with a bible and wrote plot and subplot from there out instead of wrapping a bible around a plot as an afterthought like most games...it really shows. The depth of the Codex entries is very satisfying and definitely will appeal to the sci-fi readers. It was entirely superfluous to forwarding plot but supported plot elements and added depth and flavour.

I liked the controls generally again particularly on the Mako you can turret drive and counter steer.... The AI was fair but the task and navigation controls for the subordinate characters was pretty weak. Quite a few problems with the subordinates not successfully negotiating world geometry.

Voice acting and character synch with voice were great. I'm pretty sure if I ever meet Seth Green I'll be tempted to thank him for pulling me out of a tight spot. I still think Lance Henriksen is going to turn out to be behind Cerberus at some point......probably in ME II...

The Music and Sound Effects were truely cinematic quality really adding subtlety and nuance to the game making it feel more real...I played a bit with music and sound effects off and it was really unnerving. Its nice that the background conversations were environmentally relevant but situational and varied. I thought the music was great and really fit the situations and locales.

Graphically it is as beautiful a game as I have ever seen.

I like the weapons/skills system though some of the terminology wasn't clear ie weapon stability and force etc...they became more clear as I played through as pure soldier and tried all the weapons/upgrades and ammo types. The class system was good but I wish they had opened up more races and classes as possible player characters...though in plot terms this decision is for obvious reasons.

All in all...probably the best SF RPG I've ever played by a huge leap...This turned into MMO = Arb an instant addict.

Wow, amazing we can have such complete opposite opinions of the game, I wouldn't even put this in a top 20 RPG list to be honest, maybe not even a top 50. I am on my second playthrough on hardcore and at this point the only reason I am playing is for achievement points.. The other couple of my friends that decided to buy the game were massively (no pun intended) disappointed with the game as well.

Midgen · Post by **Midgen** » December 2, 2007, 3:02 am

Funkmasterr wrote:...I wouldn't even put this in a top 20 RPG list to be honest, maybe not even a top 50. I am on my second playthrough on hardcore and at this point the only reason I am playing is for achievement points.. The other couple of my friends that decided to buy the game were massively (no pun intended) disappointed with the game as well.

I think you need an adjustment...

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » December 2, 2007, 3:59 am

Midgen wrote:
Funkmasterr wrote:...I wouldn't even put this in a top 20 RPG list to be honest, maybe not even a top 50. I am on my second playthrough on hardcore and at this point the only reason I am playing is for achievement points.. The other couple of my friends that decided to buy the game were massively (no pun intended) disappointed with the game as well.
I think you need an adjustment...

Care to elaborate? I know plenty of people that have shared the exact same opinion of the game as myself, this isn't just me. The game was a major disappointment with way too much focus on graphics and unecessary cutscenes/dialogue that you can't even skip if you don't care to listen to it. I want gameplay, very solid gameplay, and graphics can follow. Anyone that can look me in the eyes and tell me that the gameplay in this game is really solid has a serious mental development issue and should think about seeking counseling to help with their mental issue, there is still hope that they can develop to the point of a normal person one day.

If you don't belive me just take a look at the official mass effect forums, 75% of the posts at least, if not more are bitching about the innumerous things they totally fucked up.

cadalano · Post by **cadalano** » December 3, 2007, 1:02 pm

picked up mass effect on Friday. so far I'm bored to death with it. The Citadel is probably the most limpdicked disappointing opener of any game i've played, which I know is a common complaint. I was psyched as hell to play Mass Effect but man its just plain boring for the first few hours and if I didnt have a buddy of mine telling me that it gets better after the Spectre promotion I would have shelved this shit.

my problem is I have extremely high standards after KOTOR. KOTOR2 was dull. This is catatonic.

The voice acting on the main male character is ridiculous too.. having Keith David on one end and the protagonist on the other is just such a huge contrast in talent it sticks out like a sore thumb. The story and character relationships are all practically verbatim recycled from KOTOR. If it doesn't get more interesting I'm not going to finish it.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » December 3, 2007, 1:13 pm

cadalano wrote:picked up mass effect on Friday. so far I'm bored to death with it. The Citadel is probably the most limpdicked disappointing opener of any game i've played, which I know is a common complaint. I was psyched as hell to play Mass Effect but man its just plain boring for the first few hours and if I didnt have a buddy of mine telling me that it gets better after the Spectre promotion I would have shelved this shit.

my problem is I have extremely high standards after KOTOR. KOTOR2 was dull. This is catatonic.

The voice acting on the main male character is ridiculous too.. having Keith David on one end and the protagonist on the other is just such a huge contrast in talent it sticks out like a sore thumb. The story and character relationships are all practically verbatim recycled from KOTOR. If it doesn't get more interesting I'm not going to finish it.

If you are past the point of being a spectre and still aren't more interested that isn't going to change. I hate to sound like a broken record, but here is the worst parts abbreviated:

1- MAKO. Jesus fucking christ, you spend entirely too much time in this thing, I would say 70% of the main quest line is spent driving the fucking mako around, andother 15% is spent on dialogue, leaving you with 15% at best actually fighting, etc (which is where I would like far more of the game to be.)

2- Planet exploration is extremely repetitive, and boring after about the fourth planet. Every one consists of: Land, check map, start driving around looking for shit that isn't on the map (completely retarded) - go to the 1 base on the planet, whose interior will be one of 4 designs that the bases in the game have, fight one of the 4 types of enemies the side quests have, leave planet, go to next planet and do the same thing.

3- I don't think the dialogue is too bad, but I did find myself making choices a couple of time that I thought would get me paragon points that actually ended up getting me renegade points, and all I could do is sit there and shake my head and wonder what in the fuck I could have possibly missed.

4- The citadel is boring, there needs to be more cities. At least half of the planets should have at least a small town on them where you go to get side quests, find unique items, etc to make them a little more interesting.

5- Since they designed the game/achievements assuming you are going to play through the game 13 times - they should really allow you to skip through the cut scenes. Really, I couldn't be less interested in sitting through them all a second time, let alone a 14th time. I have to imagine by the time I play through the third time (on insanity) I am going to be nearly in tears during some of them out of the sheer frustration of knowing them word for word.

I could say a lot more, but yeah.. They could have done sooo much better with this game.

Post by **Sylvus** » December 3, 2007, 1:26 pm

Funkmasterr wrote:leaving you with 15% at best actually fighting, etc (which is where I would like far more of the game to be.)

It sounds like RPG isn't the genre for you.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » December 3, 2007, 1:29 pm

cadalano wrote: The voice acting on the main male character is ridiculous too.. having Keith David on one end and the protagonist on the other is just such a huge contrast in talent it sticks out like a sore thumb. The story and character relationships are all practically verbatim recycled from KOTOR. If it doesn't get more interesting I'm not going to finish it.

Don't know about the dude voice, but I think the female lead voice is great. Shame you can't easily switch over without losing your progression.

I think Arb has a lot more patience in games than most because he's really old.

I haven't resumed playing but from my last experiences in the Citadel, there is a lot of running around and dialog that can drag down the game. The game is more focused on the story than action IMO. Approached with that in mind, it can be entertaining with all the extra info you can get out of the codex, etc.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » December 3, 2007, 1:46 pm

Sylvus wrote:
Funkmasterr wrote:leaving you with 15% at best actually fighting, etc (which is where I would like far more of the game to be.)
It sounds like RPG isn't the genre for you.

No, I can recall plenty of great rpg's (most of them, actually) where you spend a lot larger percentage of your time fighting/tradeskilling/exploring (mako doesn't count) than you do in mass effect. I love RPG's, I have played damn near every console rpg ever released and have liked most of them.

Arborealus · Post by **Arborealus** » December 4, 2007, 2:00 am

Winnow wrote:
cadalano wrote: The voice acting on the main male character is ridiculous too.. having Keith David on one end and the protagonist on the other is just such a huge contrast in talent it sticks out like a sore thumb. The story and character relationships are all practically verbatim recycled from KOTOR. If it doesn't get more interesting I'm not going to finish it.
Don't know about the dude voice, but I think the female lead voice is great. Shame you can't easily switch over without losing your progression.

I think Arb has a lot more patience in games than most because he's really old.

I haven't resumed playing but from my last experiences in the Citadel, there is a lot of running around and dialog that can drag down the game. The game is more focused on the story than action IMO. Approached with that in mind, it can be entertaining with all the extra info you can get out of the codex, etc.

*shoots Winnow frivolously*

Yeah good story is a huge driver for me...because I enjoy reading...

Dregor Thule · Post by **Dregor Thule** » December 7, 2007, 3:27 pm

It's strange, cause I was talking to a friend of mine who is in the same EQ2 guild as Funk and apparently Funk is telling him he loves the game! I was very confused.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » December 7, 2007, 3:32 pm

Dregor Thule wrote:It's strange, cause I was talking to a friend of mine who is in the same EQ2 guild as Funk and apparently Funk is telling him he loves the game! I was very confused.

You must be talking about Fuenke (thats his xbox live name, can't remember his eq2 name for some reason, lol) I did love the game the first day I played it. After that the closest comment to that I would have made would be something to the effect of - It's not a bad game but could have been way better-. I can also see how it may have been confusing because I said I had been spending a ton of time playing it recently (again - because I want to get achievement points, even though the game wasn't great to begin with, and is painfully boring the second time through.. we've been over this

)

vn_Tanc · Post by **vn_Tanc** » December 10, 2007, 12:58 pm

Game of the year for me.

More please.

Jice Virago · Post by **Jice Virago** » December 11, 2007, 3:28 pm

Mass Effect is not really an RPG. Its a shooter with RPG elements incorperated into it, ala System Shock. Its the Xbox, people; even the RPGs are shooters. Its a great game with excellent voice acting (if you choose the female Shepard) and descent story, but I agree with Funk that there was way too much fucking Moon Patrol in this game. More hand made adventure zones and less driving the truck around the same palate swapped mountain range would have made this the best game of the year. As it is, it will have to settle for being the closest Xbox has come to having a good RPG.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » December 11, 2007, 4:09 pm

Jice Virago wrote:As it is, it will have to settle for being the closest Xbox has come to having a good RPG.

Can you point out the good RPGs made for the PS3 this year please?

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » December 11, 2007, 4:12 pm

Winnow wrote:
Jice Virago wrote:As it is, it will have to settle for being the closest Xbox has come to having a good RPG.

Can you point out the good RPGs made for the PS3 this year please?

I don't think he was implying that. I don't think anyone would be silly enough to make that comparison, being as there wasn't a single good game released for that system that wasn't multi-platform (yes I played heavenly sword, and yes - it sucked.)

Aardor · Post by **Aardor** » December 11, 2007, 4:15 pm

Winnow wrote:
Jice Virago wrote:As it is, it will have to settle for being the closest Xbox has come to having a good RPG.

Can you point out the good RPGs made for the PS3 this year please?

What does that have to do with anything?

And Oblivion~

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » December 11, 2007, 4:17 pm

Aardor wrote:
Winnow wrote:
Jice Virago wrote:As it is, it will have to settle for being the closest Xbox has come to having a good RPG.

Can you point out the good RPGs made for the PS3 this year please?
What does that have to do with anything?

And Oblivion~

We are talking about exclusives I believe.. Counting a game that was out two years ago for a "good rpg release this year" especially when it has even been pointed out that the 360 version was actually better due to the PS3 RAM issue is kind of silly.

Aardor · Post by **Aardor** » December 11, 2007, 4:41 pm

Funkmasterr wrote:
Aardor wrote:
Winnow wrote:
Jice Virago wrote:As it is, it will have to settle for being the closest Xbox has come to having a good RPG.

Can you point out the good RPGs made for the PS3 this year please?
What does that have to do with anything?

And Oblivion~
We are talking about exclusives I believe.. Counting a game that was out two years ago for a "good rpg release this year" especially when it has even been pointed out that the 360 version was actually better due to the PS3 RAM issue is kind of silly.

Yeah, I was just trying to be an asshole and answer questions how Winnow does sometimes, i.e. purposefully missing the point. I thought Oblivion did come out in 07 for the PS3 though!

I looked for other PS3 RPGs to see if any were good and they all look abysmal other than Marvel Ultimate Alliance.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » December 11, 2007, 4:43 pm

I'm not bashing the PS3. If I wanted to bash the PS3, I'd ask for a list of games released for the PS3 this year that didn't require patches after being sold to the public for them to actually work.

Jice Virago · Post by **Jice Virago** » December 11, 2007, 4:46 pm

For the record, I really liked Heavenly Sword, but it was far too short a game. I also really like Mass Effect and am on my second playthrough of it as we speak. The PS3 has paradoxally had no real RPGS, exclusive or otherwise, since they are being stupid and trying to market the same kinds of games the Xbox market has. I do not consider Oblivion a particularly good RPG because of how monotonous it got and how easy it was, but that is a matter of opinion. All the best RPGs of the last two years have come out on either PS2 or PSP, really. NWN2 has huge techincal issues or it would get my vote for the best RPG of the year, hands down.

If you really want to know where I am comming from, here are, in my view, the top exclusive titles by console at present:

360-
1) Mass Effect
2) Bio Shock
3) Psychonaughts (Xbox 1 Arcade Download)

PS3-
1) Virtua Tennis 3
2) Motor Storm
3) Heavenly Sword

PC-
1) NWN2
2) Civ4
3) WoW BC

PSP-
1) Jean De'Arc
2) FFTactics
3) D&D Tactics

DS-
1) Elite Beat Agents
2) Super Princess Peach
3) FF: Valliant Wings

I think the best game across all platforms, for the moment, is Rock Band with GH3 being a solid number two. Bottom line for me is, as much as I like Mass Effect, its not a real RPG and the only RPGs out right now are either handhelds or PS2 games. Overall, its been a poor year for RPGs and unless Sony decides to stop trying to fight the 360 on its turf, next year will be just as lean.

PS- I maintain that the first platform to put out a barnburner RPG will take the lead. This is basically going to boil down to the 360 trying to get a real RPG out before FF13 comes out. It also suprises me that the Wii has not made any effort to produce a real RPG, beyond porting an old Game Cube game that never came stateside (Fire Emblem), but I think their hardware limitations might make developers less eager to produce a game for them.

vn_Tanc · Post by **vn_Tanc** » December 12, 2007, 12:01 pm

Jice Virago wrote:3) D&D Tactics

Did you play this? It got shit reviews but I was still tempted.

Only being buried under a mountain of unfinished/unplayed PS3 and 360 games has prevented me taking a look at this and buying WH40k Squad Commander (the demo of which I thought ruled).

Jice Virago · Post by **Jice Virago** » December 12, 2007, 3:42 pm

I personally played every game on my list. I can reasonably add Ratchet and Clank to the PS3 list and Blue Dragon to the Xbox list, based on watching my wife play them. D&D tactics got bad reviews, but if you liked the old Pool of Radiance games, you would likely enjoy D&D Tactics a great deal.

vn_Tanc · Post by **vn_Tanc** » December 14, 2007, 8:31 am

Blue Dragon was decent but overlong and had shitty achievements.

R&C is on my want list when I've finished Heavenly Sword, UT3, Uncharted, Assassin's Creed, Dead Rising, K&L, Halo3, HL2, Timeshift, Eternal Sonata and SMG. . . (><)

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » December 19, 2007, 2:49 pm

I got a copy of Mass Effect under the tree just waiting for me to rip it open in 6 days..

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » December 19, 2007, 9:26 pm

Here's the escapist's review:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/article ... ass-Effect

*~*stragi*~* · Post by ***~*stragi*~*** » December 21, 2007, 3:00 pm

dbl post

*~*stragi*~* · Post by ***~*stragi*~*** » December 21, 2007, 3:03 pm

Funkmasterr wrote:
Midgen wrote:
Funkmasterr wrote:...I wouldn't even put this in a top 20 RPG list to be honest, maybe not even a top 50. I am on my second playthrough on hardcore and at this point the only reason I am playing is for achievement points.. The other couple of my friends that decided to buy the game were massively (no pun intended) disappointed with the game as well.
I think you need an adjustment...

Care to elaborate? I know plenty of people that have shared the exact same opinion of the game as myself, this isn't just me. The game was a major disappointment with way too much focus on graphics and unecessary cutscenes/dialogue that you can't even skip if you don't care to listen to it. I want gameplay, very solid gameplay, and graphics can follow. Anyone that can look me in the eyes and tell me that the gameplay in this game is really solid has a serious mental development issue and should think about seeking counseling to help with their mental issue, there is still hope that they can develop to the point of a normal person one day.

If you don't belive me just take a look at the official mass effect forums, 75% of the posts at least, if not more are bitching about the innumerous things they totally fucked up.

you must be new to bioware rpgs because they are all the same shit, no exploration and very little combat with a great story.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » December 22, 2007, 8:20 am

*~*stragi*~* wrote:
Funkmasterr wrote:
Midgen wrote:
Funkmasterr wrote:...I wouldn't even put this in a top 20 RPG list to be honest, maybe not even a top 50. I am on my second playthrough on hardcore and at this point the only reason I am playing is for achievement points.. The other couple of my friends that decided to buy the game were massively (no pun intended) disappointed with the game as well.
I think you need an adjustment...

Care to elaborate? I know plenty of people that have shared the exact same opinion of the game as myself, this isn't just me. The game was a major disappointment with way too much focus on graphics and unecessary cutscenes/dialogue that you can't even skip if you don't care to listen to it. I want gameplay, very solid gameplay, and graphics can follow. Anyone that can look me in the eyes and tell me that the gameplay in this game is really solid has a serious mental development issue and should think about seeking counseling to help with their mental issue, there is still hope that they can develop to the point of a normal person one day.

If you don't belive me just take a look at the official mass effect forums, 75% of the posts at least, if not more are bitching about the innumerous things they totally fucked up.
you must be new to bioware rpgs because they are all the same shit, no exploration and very little combat with a great story.

I am new to them actually, I don't think I have played any of their shit before, it still sucks though ;

Ryuda_69 · Post by **Ryuda_69** » December 22, 2007, 11:57 am

Funkmasterr wrote:
*~*stragi*~* wrote:
Funkmasterr wrote:
Midgen wrote:
Funkmasterr wrote:...I wouldn't even put this in a top 20 RPG list to be honest, maybe not even a top 50. I am on my second playthrough on hardcore and at this point the only reason I am playing is for achievement points.. The other couple of my friends that decided to buy the game were massively (no pun intended) disappointed with the game as well.
I think you need an adjustment...

Care to elaborate? I know plenty of people that have shared the exact same opinion of the game as myself, this isn't just me. The game was a major disappointment with way too much focus on graphics and unecessary cutscenes/dialogue that you can't even skip if you don't care to listen to it. I want gameplay, very solid gameplay, and graphics can follow. Anyone that can look me in the eyes and tell me that the gameplay in this game is really solid has a serious mental development issue and should think about seeking counseling to help with their mental issue, there is still hope that they can develop to the point of a normal person one day.

If you don't belive me just take a look at the official mass effect forums, 75% of the posts at least, if not more are bitching about the innumerous things they totally fucked up.
you must be new to bioware rpgs because they are all the same shit, no exploration and very little combat with a great story.

I am new to them actually, I don't think I have played any of their shit before, it still sucks though ;

no offense bud... but you absolutely hate the game and wouldn't even rank it on a top 50... yet you're on your second playthrough??? and on hardcore no less???

sorry... achievements or not... i fail to understand your logic on this one.

i guess the majority of rpgs you've played have all consisted of protagonists with Androgynous traits~

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » December 22, 2007, 12:33 pm

He replaced his nicotine addiction with an addiction to achievements

Dregor Thule · Post by **Dregor Thule** » December 22, 2007, 1:36 pm

Funkmasterr wrote:I am new to them actually, I don't think I have played any of their shit before, it still sucks though ;

Give Knights of the Old Republic a try. It's only an Xbox game, not a fancy shmancy 360 game, but it's one of the best games ever IMO. If you hate that, then you just need to steer clear of Bioware completely.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » December 24, 2007, 2:23 pm

You underestimate my addiction to achievements, I am currently playing Mass Effect for the third time through, I have been bitching out loud (to an empty house, no less) about how terrible this game is (if I have to drive around in this rover much longer I might fucking scream) and how I can't wait for it to be over, all in the name of another 150 gamer points. I think that my boundaries might even be tested though if I try and go for a fourth play through, don't think I'll end up with 1000 points on this one anytime soon.

Dregor - I am thinking about giving that one a try.

I would take FF7 over damn near any game I have played since then. Good story, characters you gave a shit about, very long, and a good balance of story/cutscenes/fighting.. I don't think that is asking too much?

*~*stragi*~* · Post by ***~*stragi*~*** » December 24, 2007, 3:31 pm

Dregor Thule wrote:
Funkmasterr wrote:I am new to them actually, I don't think I have played any of their shit before, it still sucks though ;
Give Knights of the Old Republic a try. It's only an Xbox game, not a fancy shmancy 360 game, but it's one of the best games ever IMO. If you hate that, then you just need to steer clear of Bioware completely.

kotor is the same as mass effect any every other bioware rpg so yeah he does.
i think ME/bioware rpg's are great games but i'm still annoyed by them for being on rails and having limited combat.

Dregor Thule · Post by **Dregor Thule** » December 24, 2007, 10:55 pm

I play a Bioware game for the story, not for combat. Yeah, it can be cool running around as a jedi, but it's the overall story and experience I'm after. It's possible for the combat to be too much of a detriment tho.. I absolutely hated the fighting in Jade Empire. Talk about boring!

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » December 25, 2007, 11:29 am

Got this one last night. Looking forward to having the time to play it more..

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » January 7, 2008, 11:29 am

Played it through on Normal.

Absolutely fantastic game. The only gripe I had was with inventory management and the 150 item limit.

When I got close to the limit, I would just melt down my lower tier stuff to omni gel to I could get all the new shit, then go hit up a vendor and unload my lowest 2-tier gear.

I got the million credit achievement pretty damned fast.

I did enjoy ME a lot more than I did KOTOR. I couldn't get past the first planet in KOTOR on a second playthrough I was so bored. The Citadel has enough varied stuff on it that my second playthrough is a lot better. I'm going for the Renegade as well as L60 but I may need to restart cause I didn't choose Hardcore ir Insane when I selected difficulty..

I tried creating a Male Shephard Biotic but I absolutely hate the voice acting compared to the female. The Male voice seems is extremely bad and very flat.

Top notch title in my book. Great fun, great story, great replayability.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » January 7, 2008, 12:29 pm

Animalor wrote:Played it through on Normal.

Absolutely fantastic game. The only gripe I had was with inventory management and the 150 item limit.

When I got close to the limit, I would just melt down my lower tier stuff to omni gel to I could get all the new shit, then go hit up a vendor and unload my lowest 2-tier gear.

I got the million credit achievement pretty damned fast.

I did enjoy ME a lot more than I did KOTOR. I couldn't get past the first planet in KOTOR on a second playthrough I was so bored. The Citadel has enough varied stuff on it that my second playthrough is a lot better. I'm going for the Renegade as well as L60 but I may need to restart cause I didn't choose Hardcore ir Insane when I selected difficulty..

I tried creating a Male Shephard Biotic but I absolutely hate the voice acting compared to the female. The Male voice seems is extremely bad and very flat.

Top notch title in my book. Great fun, great story, great replayability.

The level 60 achievement will take you three thorough playthroughs, so be sure you are playing the class you want to when you start to go for that

Renegade/Paragon are really easy.. I just finished another miserably boring playthrough last night and got the renegade achievement before I was even faced with the decision of killing/saving the council.

I started a sentinel after that to maybe clean up some of the talent mastery achievements, but to be honest I don't know if I can deal with it.