Mass Effect 2 is better than Mass Effect

[Sashidze]

They are both awsome ^_^

[evilneko]

Thread Hop... didn't read the rest of the thread. All is directed @ OP.

 

1) Mass Effect 2 is not an RPG

 

Well, it is, if a light one. It's about as much an RPG as the Jedi Knight series. It kind of straddles the line, as many games do. This applies to both, though I doubt anyone would disagree that the first is more heavily on the RPG side than the second. Actually, I think they blend elements of shooters, RPG, and interactive fiction.

 

2) Mass Effect 2 has a weaker story

 

It does. There's nothing wrong with the returning-ancient-evil story. It's all in how it's told (a point which you did hit on, I noticed) and Mass Effect tells it well. Mass Effect 2, I think, loses some of the epic, mysterious feel of the first game. Then again, maybe that's to be expected from a sequel: the world's already familiar. Mass Effect 2 however, feels considerably smaller and more constrained than the first. Also, there was an awful lot of hand-waving going on with everyone joining Cerberus.

 

Let's put it this way: I'd much rather see Mass Effect 1 as a movie (or better yet, miniseries == more content) than Mass Effect 2.

 

3) Mass Effect 2 has weaker characters

 

The most memorable and engaging character in ME2 is Mordin. Total agreement there. I was constantly going to medbay to talk to him, so much that if there were a Mordin romance path I probably would've accidentally stumbled into it (and considering I got him to chide me for apparently trying). Jack and Grunt had their moments too. The rest of the new characters, screw 'em. I didn't care a whit about Jacob or the Cerebus *censored* (what was her name again?) The drell I could take or leave, Samara was pretty flat (at least from a character perspective, haha), Morinth a one-trick pony and just as flat as mommy, and DLC characters Kasumi and Zeed were just walking stereotypes. I still tried (and succeeded) to keep them all alive, but mainly because I wasn't going to stain my reputation. :tongue:

 

The only characters I considered complete throwaways in the first game were Kaidan and....actually, yeah, just him. Naturally, I left him behind on that one planet. I loved Tali and Liara. In the first game, they both have a kind of moe vibe. Garrus was probably the least interesting of the bunch aside from Kaidan. He still was in Mass Effect 2, though at least he was better than most of the new guys.

 

Joker of course beats 'em all, especially paired up with EDI.

 

4) Mass Effect 2 has less customization

 

Well. Yeah. It kinda does. I rather preferred the variety in the first game. I also preferred the much more interesting and deeper weapon and armor mod system in the first game.

 

Mass Effect had more talents for the player to consider and use than Mass Effect 2, and with few exceptions each could be useful depending on your play style. Talents also had many more levels, giving much finer control over how much you wanted to invest in any particular one. The Soldier may have only had a few worthwhile talent, but for a talent-centric class like the Adept, the difference between games is truly vast.

 

I liken it to the difference between Diablo and Diablo 2: In the first, everything is available to all three classes with enough work, allowing absolute freedom in customization. In the second, you're on rails, though unlike Mass Effect 2, at least you get to choose a set of rails to be locked into.

 

5) Mass Effect 2 is a smaller and shorter game

 

It is. There is much less to do and explore in Mass Effect 2. Now if exploration and side missions aren't your thing, you could probably make a pretty short game out of... both, actually, but certainly shorter in the second.

 

6) Mass Effect 2 has bad gameplay

 

This is as subjective as it gets, so all I want to say on it is that while I didn't find ME2's gameplay bad, I liked ME1's a lot better (and in fact, through mods, tried to at least partially re-implement it, with some success I might add).

 

Saying anything more on it would be like saying "I prefer the vehicle control in Saints Row 2 (where you drive with WASD and aim your gun with the mouse) over that in Borderlands (where you steer AND aim with the mouse) because it is more natural for me." In other words: pointless.

 

However, you wanted to know....

 

I liked the weapon heat system (and overall combat) in Mass Effect 1 better. To me, it encouraged more careful, tactical use of my weapons, powers and squadmates. Being a glass cannon for the first 2/3-3/4ths of the game as an Adept kind of helps that, though. Not as big a problem in the second, at least for me. I will say this though, I never became virtually death incarnate in Mass Effect 2, but then again I also didn't go through a painful glass cannon stage that would be deserving of blossoming into a god of death as I did in the first.

 

In Mass Effect 2 I almost never bothered ordering my squadmates around. I didn't feel the need unless they were doing something dumb like staring at a wall. The first one having more powers also added more tactical choices.

 

Speaking of squadmates, in ME2 I could hardly tell a difference in any of them. Either they really didn't matter much except for just being warm bodies with guns, or I was doing all the work. In the first game, there was at least a noticeable difference.

 

Anyway, I think that's enough. Besides.. it's 5AM! :teehee:

 

Oh, one final thing:

The Mako

Absolutely hated it! :wallbash:

 

I was oh so happy to see it smashed. It's like they knew players would hate it, and smashed it to give them some satisfaction. Still, had some fun times with it, like that time I forced it through the gap that it's not supposed to go through on Therum and just squished all those damned Geth. :devil:

[RebelOConner]

ME2 is better, indeed.

but the story is a whole.

mass effect 2, without the first, or even with another story which didn't follow ME1 would be less good.

[Derkins]

This first part is directed at two people iv000 and evilneko. First things first you can not and should not comment on a thread if you dont read the whole thing. What you saw were the main points that Amayakyrol made. Amayakyrol actually went through each point and debunked it saying how Amayakyrol felt about each point. If you read the whole post you will see that Amayakyrol liked Mass Effect 2 more then Mass Effect.

 

Anywho I do agree with Amayakyrol on a lot of the points but I do miss the customazation. Ok sure I can change armor color but i should not be forced to use ammo powerups AS a powerup. I found my self never using them and feeling they were were just usless peices of powerups as compaired to ME1. In ME1 I found my self keeping one of each of the ammo types in my invintory to switch when ever I wanted. So yes ME1 had more powerups then ME2 just because they changed the ammo typed to powerups. I missed all the different types of armor for my self too just because I knew in the back of my mind that everyone else playing the game had armor that matched mine just different colors.

 

Weapons? Ugh there were so few I was rather upset with this I got bored of the same gun through the ENTIRE game I was SO happy when I got the antimaterial rifle it was something different and something I enjoyed. As for planets? I consider it just as bad or worse then ME1 the recorse collecting took hours out of good game play and completly ruined the story for me. I say this because if you wanted to make your

ship/weapons/omni/armor/health ANY better at all then you had to mine planets for their recorses. It was unavoidable and rather quite annoying. I would rather take 40 different rifles then have to mine for hours to upgrade my rifle.

 

Charcters Yes I felt they were better in this game But not by much they put little work into cookiecutter charcters and they rather annoyed me with them. As I did like all of them having side stories I just couldent be bothered to do them all and suffer their rather plain conversation. Mordin was along my favroit of them but thats just me.

 

I played this game completly through two more times then I did ME1 so I would say I though of the gameplay being better in the long run. But I did find the fact as a biotic I couldent use rifles to be a MAJOR down point. in all games I prefer rifles to every other gun out there. I was really miffed not being able to use them unless I was a soldier. Again thats me. Over all I felt that ME 2 was just a better game.

For ME3 though they need to bring back some elements and the graphic better be CHRISP or they are gona recieve a lot of hate. They also better keep the DLC charcters or again they are gona recieve more hate. Same goes for the other charcters Lots of hate if you have to get completly new charcters. I would like to see more life or death decisions though. Just more realism.

 

Just my two caps

[phobert]

This first part is directed at two people phobert and evilneko. First things first you can not and should not comment on a thread if you dont read the whole thing. What you saw were the main points that Amayakyrol made. Amayakyrol actually went through each point and debunked it saying how Amayakyrol felt about each point. If you read the whole post you will see that Amayakyrol liked Mass Effect 2 more then Mass Effect

 

And I think if you read my posts I was in agreement with the TC about ME2 being better and even corrected another poster at the end of the first page.

[Derkins]

Sorry dude I ment the other guy not you I guess I just got distracted ..... :/ my bad

[evilneko]

This first part is directed at two people phobert and evilneko. First things first you can not and should not comment on a thread if you dont read the whole thing.

 

Yes I can. I was not really interested in other people's posts anyway.

 

And I did read through his entire post, as you would have noticed if you had read my entire post. I actually had his entire post quoted so I could refer back to it as I was writing, and considered inserting quotes, but in the end decided it would unnecessarily lengthen and break the flow of mine.

 

Anyway, you should look into ME2 modding, the single greatest advantage that ME2 has over the first.

[Derkins]

Modding? They finally added it? All I found was a mod that added a few pairs of clothes but it only worked on the ship. Id love to find some more mods so if you know of a good site then please pm me a link.

[evilneko]

http://www.masseffectsaves.com/mods.php is a good place to start.

 

Posted here in case anyone else was interested.I know I sure enjoyed ME2 a lot more with some mods.

[Ultimatepurge]

Man I can't choose. On one hand ME1 levels had the better atmosphere, but on the other hand ME2 is just so much fun to play.

Almost every character in the ME series are pretty cool, even your secretary (forget her name...).

The only bad one? Jacob. So flat and boring. I mean the only reason I remember him is because he was just... so bad.

 

About customization, I honestly don't care that much since I get to muck with the face a bit, and that's good enough for me. As for ME1 I put on the best armor I could find, and in ME2 I think I picked yellow/black and never looked back. Oh and put on the better stuff as I came across it.

 

But eh, ultimately? ME1 might be less fun to play, but it's like comparing two diamonds of different quality. I mean, come on, they're both freaking diamonds.

But yeah good writeups Evilneko and Amayakyrol.

Edited February 10, 2011 by Ultimatepurge