Should I give Mass Effect 2 Another Chance?

Here is the story. I am a PS3 owner who was pretty excited downloading the demo of Mass Effect 2. I booted it up and I started to play through it but for some reason, it didnt wow me like I thought it would. Bioware games have scored some points with me in the past but there were some elements to this game that I didnt like.

The biggest gripe was with the cut scenes. They are pretty long and I cant seem to skip over them. I had to wait quite a while after the initial cut scene just to customize my character. Maybe this wouldnt be so bad if we had those Heavy Rain QT events in each cut scene. The more I think about it, the more I want games like to or any game with long scenes to have that Heavy Rain element to it. Just sitting and watching a long scene without having any control over it feels pretty outdated since Heavy Rain came out.

Another issue I had was with the speech scenes. The voice acting is very good but the facial animation is very stiff. The people rarely blink and they just feel lifeless all together. Another odd thing was that I could activate the same speech choice many times and that would kill the immersion.

I did enjoy the gameplay when I finally got to do some gunfighting. Not enough games have laser guns in them. The small problem with the mission structure. They basically just tell me "go right" and from there im pretty lost. A little arrow pointing me to the destination would help so I wont wander aimlessly.

The last complaint may sound a bit shallow but Miranda's face is just painful to look at. It wouldnt be so bad if she wasnt made to be sexy but they missed the mark with that. Her chin and overall facial structure is just manish. Its like they started with a good face but then then hit liquify in photo shop and screwed it all up.

So am I being too critical? Mass effect was pretty highly rated and I had high hopes for it but maybe I hyped myself up for it too much. Should I give it a chance and get the full game? Does the demo not do the game justice?

[jidery]

Honestly, Mass effect is a game you play to watch cut scenes, they are the best way to tell a story hands down (This is why movies are so sucessful). The story is deep and great, but you have to pay attention and get into it to like this game. The first cut scenes are long because its the start of the game, it gets shorter once things get started.

[GWAVE]

The demo does not do the game justice. The demo makes it feel like the game is 75% cutscenes with sparse gameplay thrown into there, but that is not the case. ME2 is packed with action.

Also, in response to your "I wish I could interact with the cutscenes somehow": the dialogs are pretty much this. A lot of the game is spent investigating and learning new things through dialog trees. This IS an RPG, after all. If that isn't your cup of tea, so be it.

[sdtarm]

ya you gotta wait, the game really shines when you can visit any city you want in any galaxy/system and with all its subquests, I liked this game a lot

[ABizzel1]

Listen to jider and GWAVE above me.

The story, the world/setting, and the cut scenes are the huge draw to Mass effect.

My biggest problem was the gameplay, and since you liked it you'll be fine. To me the gameplay is the weakest part of the game, and it's still not up to par (it's like a near perfect RPG, played as a mediocre TPS shooter).

Everything else is great, the cut scenes do get shorter, but there are still some long ones throughout the game. I agree with the speech thing, once you ask the question they need to kill it, but again that's a minor grip. If that's all you have against it then you should still get the game or at least rent it.

[saladthieves]

I have to agree with jidery. Mass effect has cut scenes that have to be watched because they are simply awesome. Think about it, if you were to suddenly start the demo and skip the cutscene, you immediately end up in the Normandy on fire...and then you'd be like WTF?!? I should have watched the cutscene! Seriously, if the Mass Effect 2 demo didn't really get you, then it just simply isn't your game.

[Bnet343]

"Does the demo not do the game justice?"

You just answered your own question with your own question. You can't play a demo of an RPG and expect it to be god. I imported my guy from Mass Effect 1 to Mass Effect 2. I love the storyline and carry overs. It's an epic game, my GOTY.

[outwar6010]

dude i played the 360 version like 8 times(albeit with the 8 characters i imported from me1) and its an amazing game i wish i had the endurance to play it again on my ps3 but i dont Dont lose you chance at an EPIC GAME

[toaster]

Addressing your complaints:

1) If you buy the PC version there are scripts that let you cut the uber long cutsene in the beginning if you decide to play it over and over again like I did. As what people above have said the cutscenes do get shorter. The intro is the longest in the game I think. And as you progress further, you'll want to watch the cutscenes.

2) I agree going over the same dialog can take away from the immersion but it can also help you too. If you missed something the first time through then you can listen again, you shouldn't be punished for not hearing what the NPC said to to. You have an option to skip dialogue you've already heard, or go back and listen to them again for more detail, instructions, etc..

3) The game's levels are a decent size, not enough that you'd get lost. Other than choosing what planet to go to the game is as linear as it gets, but that's ok as it doesn't pose itself as truly open world. Later levels get bigger but are still linear. You can choose what route you take to to get to your destination but there are only a few options. As for gameplay, the mouse/keyboard is much much better than control pad. The game is much more tactical shooter on PC and less of a run and gun like on consoles. You can pause the game mid action, issue commands to your teammates, reposition them, change weapons, etc.. just one click away. This is especially helpful when playing on the harder difficulties as you'll have more time to react. I'd say the PC version's controls suit Mass Effect much better.

4) I think everyone pretty much agrees on this point.. See this thread.
http://forums.n4g.com/fb.as...

Are you critical? Of course. Everyone is a critic. The demo definitely doesn't do the game justice as with most demos. Maybe this type of game isn't your style. ME2 is much more action than RPG than the first one and that's my main complaint against it. Armor customization is very limited compared to other games and the first ME. Guns as well, but ME2 makes up for that with great weapons later on in the game. Biotics play a huge part of the game as well, I don't know if the demo lets you play as different classes but it's definitely worth it to try out every class as they each play very differently. My favorite combos are using Biotics to pull enemies out of cover and then sniping them, I let my teammates handle the brute force. Any way you play it is fun though and I definitely recommend getting the full game.

Another thing I want to add is maybe you want to try the PC version. Like I said, it is by far the superior version in pretty much every sense of the word. Better controls, better gameplay, better graphics, ME1 is uber cheap now and you can import saves through all three games if you want a continuous story of your own instead of starting fresh. There are just many more benefits to the PC version, unless you care more about trophy whoring, lol.

[soundslike]

You got some testosterone issues if you think her face is "mannish". Unless you mean that only a MAN would find it attractive, then you can go and dream of a more childish face :x.

If she had a baby face nobody would treat the character as intelligent or worthy of respect.

[crimsonguard]

Get the game plz. all demos suck, should never judge a game by the demo. my opinion.

[n to the b]

if you'd said 'many' or maybe even 'most' demos $uck, wouldn't have to hit disagree but...

and anyway what's the alternative? demo is better than nothing IMO. it's unfortunate that some don't go far enuf into the game to be truly representative (ex: Brutal Legend), but you can still learn things about a game even without getting a true gameplay feel. like graphics/art style (and yes graphics do count).

[n to the b]

personally I think the series is not only great but actually raises the bar - hopefully other devs will feel the need to try and match.

[SnakeMustDie]

The PS3 demo was a horrible representation of the game. The intro was the longest unskippable cutscene in ME2 also Mordin's recruit mission is one of the most horrible part of the game(The other recruit missions are better).

[mastiffchild]

I thought the bit they chose for the demo did the series no favours and was unlikely to bring in anyone who wasn't already certain they would be buying the game. Another point is it gives the impression that ME2 is MORE RPG than shooter and it really isn't-it's more shooter with RPG elements than the true WRPG WITH shooting that the first game was and that could mislead a few people.

Whatever, it's a great game, great series(even if I DO prefer the way they did the first game overall and would be happy as hell never to scan/mine another fekkin planet as long as I live!!)and I think it's just a bit of a badly judged demo that doesn't show the game in it's best light. A bit of a shame.

I think the OP would find themselves a lot happier with the actual game and I don't go along with those saying "if you didn't like the demo then it's not the game for you" at all because it IS mainly about the action once you get going, in my eyes, which seemed to be the bits he liked and as time passes he'd get into the story and actually like watching the cutties. I'd be a bit more wary of letting people be put off a great game by a dodgy demo-VC springs to mind as a game IK didn't get at launch after being interested in the pre release press BECAUSE the demo was shocking-turns out it's one of the best games this generation and one I'd have missed out on had I not seen more of it at a mates. ME2 is similarly good and similarly badly served by it's demo(though I think finding a balance for both the games i'm talking about in a reasonable size demo would be hard!)and I'd shy away from allowing someone to use it as much of a guide to whether they'll like the final product-I really would.

On the subject of misleading demos: I'ds not read ANY of the hype for Sonic Unleashed and bought it for my youngest lad(shares his mum's love of proper Sonic) based on the gameplay in the demo for it-which was TOTALLY Werehog free and made entirely from the really satisfying Sonic, speedy bits that were actually really good(imho). Of course upon buying the game we found that it was ALL about this sodding Werehog business that was about as much fun as polio with a tiny bit of the frenetic Sonic 3D platforming the demo was full of! So, Sega selling good games with crap demos and crap games with good ones! Sad to see Bio doing the former here though.

[beavis4play]

hey - mastiff!
i've never played ME games and i liked the ME2 demo - only thing i think hurt it was how at the beginning there isn't much for people to do but watch - that might leave some folks a little hesitant about the game.

but, i can't wait - ME games and the L4D series are the 360 games i've been dying to play.

now, if only valve would give us ps3 people some kind of L4D!

[NeloAnjelo]

The only reason the cutscenes were so long was because PS3 owners needed to catch up on the story. Trust me you'll want to catch up, and you'll want to savour the story, which is what the game is all about.

I'm replaying this on my PS3.

[beavis4play]

i enjoyed the demo. i liked the conversation wheel and found the story to be VERY interesting. the game has a nice look to it and i can't wait to play!

one thing that hurts the demo (for people like the guy above) - since it's a demo, they should've focused on gameplay from the start. i could see where some were turned off by having to sit and wait around for a bit at the start. also, i'm not overly fond of the "special powers" but they're not a deal breaker.

i'd give ME2 another chance - it looks great; the story/characters are interesting and the shootouts are fun!

[MrChow666]

I say leave it, it doesnt look like this game's for you, maybe some black ops?

[Jaws007]

no really, get black ops kid. Seems you don't like story driven games. Or RPGs for that matter.

[Jaws007]

Get the first Mass Effect.

[Statix]

As someone who never played a Mass Effect title before, the ME2 demo felt more like a shooter w/ some RPG elements rather than an RPG. Which is disappointing, since I was kinda hoping for a spiritual successor to KOTOR from Bioware. Some people have told me that ME1 is more of an RPG than ME2 is; hopefully ME3 will be more of an RPG as well.

Still, it the demo was definitely a lot of fun, and the story seemed excellently executed, so ME2 is definitely a first-day purchase for me.

[WhoBurnedMyToast]

I didn't enjoy this game. I agree with you, Miranda's face is too manly. She has a huge jaw, and the only thing she has going for her is her ass.

The story is not that good. It seems like junk food for Trekkies. The whole game just hurts... Making choices never felt so clunky, and well choppy.

There is no immersion in this game, the character models are not that good, and the shooting isn't really that good either.

All in all I feel like this is a jack of all trades but master of none.

If you don't enjoy that demo you should probably skip it.

[hennessey86]

have you played the game or the demo because the game is amazing

[WhoBurnedMyToast]

Yeah I went through the whole game on 360. I'd heard so many great things about it that I had to play it. Right off the bat I didn't like the wheel thing. It just felt really jarring.

about 15 or 20 hours in (I beat it at 28 hours I think) I realized that people mostly enjoy this game for the relationships you build with your team mates, but the thing about the relationships is that it's all done through that wheel. It just feels so mechanical and dry.

I think it's fine that people enjoy this game, because a lot of effort was put forth to create this game. Great voice acting - even voiced over data files in the pause menu for back story :O! The graphics are well done, and there isn't really that many glitches (compared to other games with this same scope). The shooting was passable.

It just wasn't compelling to me. It felt like it was trying to be a T.V. Show soap opera or something, with a "Choose your own adventure book" feel to it.

These are just my opinions, and like an asshole everyone has one--I just figured I'd throw in my 2 cents about this game since it's usually so one sided.

[hennessey86]

and i must say how nice it is to hear someone talk sence about their dislike of a game instead of just trolling. I do get what you mean about the whole relationship building thing im not into that myself either but i though the shooting and action bits were quite good. I suppose thats why i prefer the second its a bit more action packed

[UKTom]

I agree that the opening cut scene (at least after the first playthrough) is a long watch. However, I don't feel you should take the demo as being representative of the game in its entirety. Sure, there is a lot of dialogue, but frankly, its a Bioware RPG, this is par for the course. It work for some and not for others. In fact ME2 arguably tones down the RPG elements when compared to its predecessor and focuses more on the combat and action.

So yes, I would say give it another go. Oh and play a class with biotics. They offer a far more enjoyable playthrough in my opinion. Happy alien-hammering!

[pixelsword]

I'm going to write about the demo too; and you're right: Miranda's face was mulegly (that's mule-ugly for those who don't know hip-hop-hillbilly slang).

[tplarkin7]

The author is of a certain type of player that has zero patience. Some gamers are always mashing the start button to skip through everything.

ME2 is a highly structured and linear game. So, the reason the author is asking for an arrow is not that he's lost. It's that he wants to blast through the game as quickly as possible.

He's like a horse with blinders. All he wants is his oats and a straight line.

[blodulv]

You're either into the story/atmosphere from the beginning and hooked, or you're not. Simple as that really. Hopefully the interactive comic will be interesting enough for PS3 owners. But there is a lot of action to be had apart from the RPG segments.

The only real problem with this game for me was the planet scanning for elements/universe exploration. If you have any bit of a short attention span, this can really slow things down and pull you out of the experience. The Mako from ME1 wasn't exactly great either, but they could've done better.

[Dsnyder]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Im glad to know that initial cutscene is the longest one. I shouldnt complain about that after playing MGS4 but I guess im just more impatient than I used to me lol. Ill probably end up getting the game after LBP2.