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I'm one that falls into the enjoyment side of things. From start to finish, I more or less enjoyed the heck out of this series. Despite the horrible mass of random things that was the first one's inventory system and the just plain silly Mako sections. Two was, for me, definitely the better of the three. And I was just as annoyed as the rest with the ending of the third. But this was, to my poor memory, one of the only games of it's time that embraced, across the series, having choices factor into the later games. This and Dragon Age, another Bioware game. I was never one to pay a huge amount of attention to the details. At least, not in so much as letting the small stuff bog down my enjoyment. Most of the arguments about what is wrong with the tutorial, in my opinion, are small things. Of course, not everyone has the same sensibilities as I when it comes to those details. All the same, I look forward to your viewpoints. You've already suggested a few things I hadn't thought of and I hope to have more tidbits like that come up. I may even delve back into the game for the.. third time? I think so.
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Jul 21, 2014 20:00
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| # ¿ May 12, 2024 17:40 |
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Lt. Danger posted:My objections are largely to do with engaging with a work on its own terms, and how Mass Effect is about Reapers in the same way that zombie films are about the undead. I find that an interesting statement. And it makes a bit of sense to me. The zombie threat is simple on the individual scale. But you'll never defeat the horde. You just don't have enough bullets. Which is much the same when it come sto the Reapers. The foot soldiers are easy. The threat is overpowering. And so you don't face the threat head on and the story becomes more about the characters than the threat itself, which provides a backdrop to tell a story. I'm a bit mystified at what sort of arc those who think ME2's time was wasted on the Collectors would expect from a ME3 where we already have the super weapon. Because once you have the means to defeat the Reapers themselves, it becomes a giant space battle. Perhaps someone who shares this view can elaborate on exactly what would make ME3 better if it were laid out that way. I'm curious.
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Jul 31, 2014 13:10
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I notice no one really delved into what sort of gameplay might come of some of these alternate ideas on how to defeat the reapers. I'm not going to say the current story is art. It's serviceable and effective enough. It would have been better if they did more tying of various themes into the prior two games. Scattering some direct references and side quests related to discovering the Crucible through the other games. But though simple I think the Crucible and what it represents is effective enough in framing the main thrust of the story. Which is to gather all together and present a united front. And honestly? Nationalism is a good enough reason to be callous about the fate of other races. Not to mention the long running theme of Shepard facing a certain discrimination and disregard from the Council. Warnings not heeded and so forth. I don't see it as implausible that in answer to all of that, which is the very reason why the Reapers rolled in uncontested and now Earth is being pummeled, along with many other worlds. It's a matter of 'I told you so, so now what are you going to do for me?'. Besides, it's not like Shepard doesn't do things to facilitate what is required. The character's focused pursuit of what is needed to save Earth might be callous, but the character itself does lend aid to get aid.
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Aug 1, 2014 13:08
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The article about the creator's dismay at Faith being sexualized by a fan amuses me faintly. One would think that he'd understand, it doesn't matter what a female character looks like in a game. It will be sexualized by someone. Even cartoons with a distinctly deformed and even unappealing art style spawn such things. It's the nature of things and will always be done by someone. Honestly? I'm one of those who is all for pixel romance. I honestly approach it from the perspective of the same in any other form of media. Except in this case you get a bit of interaction. I wont' say you get control because you're still stuck within the constraints of the writer's flowchart of events. It doesn't spur any real life feelings per se, but it does invest me more into a character in some respects. Or at least provides, in games like ME and Dragon Age, a bit of RP fix.
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Aug 3, 2014 14:32
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So, Mr. Danger, you posit that Mass Effect is the sci fi version of a good zombie movie. In which the zombies aren't the stars, they're the plot device that sets the scene and provides the overarching conflict while poking in now and then to be a more direct and immediate threat. But ultimately it's about the people and the world. I would say I agree. I've never given it much thought before, to be honest. I simply took the game as it presented itself and never paid a lot of attention to the subtext. So I am quite willing and even eager to give your opinions some thought. There's still a lot of game to go through. That's a lot of commentary to give. Thinking about some past posts about how things should have been done to be better, I find myself glad they didn't go that way at the moment. To focus more on the reaper war and a less fanciful or deus ex machina way to deal with the big bad would have made a very different game overall. And not necessarily one that was as interesting as this one was.
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Aug 23, 2014 01:15
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Thinking about romances in Bioware games gets me thinking about a few things. I think Dragon age: Origins had the better romances for their realism in a sense. It wasn't hard to say the wrong thing and spoil things. And they were more complex. Especially the Alistair romance, given it's ties to the storyline. I never went after Morigan, but she would have been similar, since there are strong storyline ties. Likewise, I think about Dragon Age 2(disappointment that it was in some ways) and the romance with Anders. That's the one I ended up following my first playthrough. Again, it was linked to the storyline and it made the ending of the game far more interesting, even if it ended up ending the romance abruptly. I think giving romances storyline ties makes them far more interesting. Though it's not required. When it comes to Mass Effect, I've gone through the Tali and Liara romances, spanning more than one game. They were an interesting contrast with Liara's being more.. normal? Probably not the right word. But in comparison to Tali's, which was more cutesy. I dabbled with a few others over various playthroughs of various games and I find I agree. It'd be more interesting if they were less one sided. You can't have full agency in an NPCs hands due to the fact that game AI is not true AI. But to have them initiate or even challenge the player due to actions not directly related to conversation would be interesting. Showing valor might lead to a 'good' companion becoming interested. Being ruthless might appeal to a character like Morigan. And shifts in how you act might prompt the character to challenge you or the like. From what I've heard, Bioware is making Dragon age Inquisition without the gamey elements that previous Dragon Age's have had when it comes to romances. As in, you can't just dump gifts on them to make them like you. I'm curious if they'll improve the formula in any other ways as well. It makes me more curious to see what sort of improvements they might make, given it looks like, so far, they're taking a good overall path with the game.
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Sep 20, 2014 15:38
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FullLeatherJacket posted:Other than that, she's not particularly a bad character, but the fact that she's written to be untouchable puts people's backs up and gives the impression that the writers wanted her to be cooler than she actually is. She's a bit like the Poochie of the game. And as someone else mentioned, a bit too try hard without any real meat to show that she actually is any good, outside of being aggressive. The only example is the old Krogan in ME2 and he's all tell and no show. She was deeply underused and seems pointless outside of being yet another background NPC. I can't say I hate her though. I was actually hoping Aria would get more use than as just a quest giver with a punctuation mark over her head. But you never see her in action. You barely see much real personality from her when it comes to her being a leader. It's a big waste of a potentially interesting character that leaves her falling flat.
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Sep 20, 2014 15:44
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| # ¿ May 12, 2024 17:40 |
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Sadly, I've been less inclined to buy up Mass Effect 3's DLC. I only have Leviathan. I might have to reconsider, eventually.
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Sep 20, 2014 16:38
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