Mass Effect 2

[adam_grif]

I've finished this game several times previously, I'm more than aware of how to handle them. I just think the feel and flow of the combat involving them is shitty and unsatisfying. Your AI squadmates are dumb as bricks unless you're babysitting them.

The game is set up as such that it's necessary for YOU to take cover, but nobody else. The optimal tactic for enemies is to just charge at you, because it's impossible to take out more than a couple of them when they're close to you before you and your squad get shredded.

[Stark]

And of course, that heavy melee geth can run faster than you can spring and ragdoll you in one hit. Fucking melee geth.

[adam_grif]

The reason getting charged by Geth/Rachni/Krogans is so freakin' annoying is that when you're in cover of any kind, it takes a full second of holding the stick in one direction to get out of cover. It doesn't sound like much, but most of the enemies when indoors are about 5-8 meters away, so even if you see them coming quite often you can't leave cover to maneuver away from them in time.

[Gramzamber]

Krogans piss me off mightily. Especially that bastard in the Prothean elevator where you get Liara because if you die you have to watch that same damn cutscene again over and over.
That said by the end of the game it's trivial, either you're a biotic and can cheese lift/throw/whatever on them, or you can be a Shock Trooper with enhanced Immunity which makes you everythingproof. Seriously, who's idea was it to make a skill where you take virtually no damage, and it's cooldown is shorter than the skill duration?

[adam_grif]

Probably the same person who thought it was a good idea to give you renegade points for telling your pilot to act more professional. Or maybe the one who thought that making the scroll speed for your inventory that slow was a good thing, and that being sent back to the top of the list (containing your best items) every time you deleted a shitty item at the bottom was "user friendly" when you're trying to get rid of 30+ shitty level 1, 2 and 3 items because they put an arbitrary 150 item cap on you for carrying.

[Stark]

I think criticising the UI development is unfair since it's obvious there was no UI development.

[adam_grif]

True, true.

[Ford Prefect]

And of course, that heavy melee geth can run faster than you can spring and ragdoll you in one hit. Fucking melee geth.

GETH PRIME IS IN YOUR FACE FUCKING YOUR SHIT UP

Hell yeah, Geth Prime. It's about the only enemy which really last long enough in the face of a good assault rifle to draw out a battle ... though if you're a Bastion you can just stasis it and pound on it effortlessly. Admittedly if you're a Bastion you can stasis everything, so ...

[Gramzamber]

Heh I've only seen a Geth Prime 2 times that I can remember, and one time you could activate like 3 Geth Armatures to blast it in the face.

[adam_grif]

Sounds about right. The Juggernauts are tough early on in that respect too, but once you're level 12+ they're a joke.

[Stark]

Heh I've only seen a Geth Prime 2 times that I can remember, and one time you could activate like 3 Geth Armatures to blast it in the face.

They're just Geth Destroyers +5 levels or something. Any tall Geth can do the 'unavoidable run at light speed then melee to ragdoll you' thing. Good thing there's lift? That's particularly amusing when walking up the tower at the end.

[Ritterin Sophia]

I just hope they have at least another mission involving Shepherd's origin story (Spacer, Earthborn, or Colonist), my favorite side quest was the Spaceborn sidequest where you call the SSV Kilimanjaro the lead ship of the Alliance's new dreadnaught class and talk to it's XO, Shepherd's mom.

[Gramzamber]

Spacer is about the only origin story I like, Earthborn and Colonist are so trite with their orphan stuff. We have enough of Shepard is the Chosen One as it is without that particular trope.

[Ford Prefect]

On the other hand the Colonist backstory mission is the only one with any sort of actual emotional connection for Shepard in the game. It is pretty trite, but at the same time a mission which doesn't have a good result when you shoot someone is a good change of pace. The Space mission is just a waste of time because all you do is call up Shepard's mum. You don't actually do anything.

[Gramzamber]

Actually I liked the change of pace with the Spacer "mission" instead of "go here, shoot that.", it gave a little background on what it was like fighting the slavers, and such.

[Ritterin Sophia]

The Space mission is just a waste of time because all you do is call up Shepard's mum. You don't actually do anything.

I actually enjoyed that. It was the first time I've ever seen a Bioware main character not be an orphan, my first assumption when picking Spacer was that at some point in the game it's going to be revealed that both his parents died in naval engagements of some sort or the other. So I was greatly surprised to find that Shepherd's parents (or at least his mom) are still alive. I don't really know how to explain it other than to say it was refreshing to have a character whose backstory is relatively normal and not 'Mysterious Orphan of Tragedy No. 13536'. It humanized my Shepherd for me in that I could see why my PC Shepherd for me

[Stark]

I just hope they have at least another mission involving Shepherd's origin story (Spacer, Earthborn, or Colonist), my favorite side quest was the Spaceborn sidequest where you call the SSV Kilimanjaro the lead ship of the Alliance's new dreadnaught class and talk to it's XO, Shepherd's mom.

Next you'll expect something to have more than one shout-out before it's ignored! I do recall your background (ps three whole backgrounds) playing into your team dialogues; they're the easiest for Bioware because they're not plot-specific.

[adam_grif]

So, Shepard is all 6 million dollar man in the opening of the game, giving you an excuse to change his appearance or class if you want. I wonder if Bioware will take time out of their busy schedule of making horrible design decisions in order to put in some dialogue just in case you changed your gender or appearance drastically between games.

Like, you'll run into a character looking totally different, maybe even being the opposite gender, and they'll be all "Shepard??? I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD?!"

If they don't notice it, might end up being unintentionally hilarious.

[Gramzamber]

When they say change appearance I don't think they include gender, that being one of the "choices" of the first game, no?
But then I don't think they should allow appearance changing at all. You picked that face, now love it! Then again I guess every player who picked that annoying cuntface that is John Shepard deserves a chance to change it.

[Stark]

It needs to be more like Saint's Row, where everyone refers to your character (returned from the apparent dead, but made new and not imported) as having 'done something with your hair', even if you used to be a giant black man and were now a tiny asian grandma.

DID YOU DO SOMETHING WITH YOUR HAIR?

[General Zod]

It needs to be more like Saint's Row, where everyone refers to your character (returned from the apparent dead, but made new and not imported) as having 'done something with your hair', even if you used to be a giant black man and were now a tiny asian grandma.

DID YOU DO SOMETHING WITH YOUR HAIR?

But then fat nerds people would get all pissy about ME2 not being "super serial" and an "excellent" example of mature videogame writing.

[Gramzamber]

It needs to be more like Saint's Row, where everyone refers to your character (returned from the apparent dead, but made new and not imported) as having 'done something with your hair', even if you used to be a giant black man and were now a tiny asian grandma.

DID YOU DO SOMETHING WITH YOUR HAIR?

But then fat nerds people would get all pissy about ME2 not being "super serial" and an "excellent" example of mature videogame writing.

"Because it's a big stupid jellyfish!"

I rest my case.

[adam_grif]

When they say change appearance I don't think they include gender, that being one of the "choices" of the first game, no?
But then I don't think they should allow appearance changing at all. You picked that face, now love it! Then again I guess every player who picked that annoying cuntface that is John Shepard deserves a chance to change it.

Will find out when we get the game. And what?

Default Shepard was the only respectable looking character in the entire game. Every other dude except for the aliens looks completely retarded. And every non central human in the game either has a crewcut (if they're a dude) or the exact same style of short hair (if they're female). I dicked around with the character creator for what seemed like centuries, and it's impossible to produce something that looks good.

[Gramzamber]

When they say change appearance I don't think they include gender, that being one of the "choices" of the first game, no?
But then I don't think they should allow appearance changing at all. You picked that face, now love it! Then again I guess every player who picked that annoying cuntface that is John Shepard deserves a chance to change it.

Will find out when we get the game. And what?

Default Shepard was the only respectable looking character in the entire game. Every other dude except for the aliens looks completely retarded. And every non central human in the game either has a crewcut (if they're a dude) or the exact same style of short hair (if they're female). I dicked around with the character creator for what seemed like centuries, and it's impossible to produce something that looks good.

Respectable? I repeat, mid-1980's effete Dutch male model does not equate to respectable.
I could set all the sliders to "fuckugly" and still come up with something better than that annoying twat.

[adam_grif]

A wild GRAMZAMBER appears!

GRAMZAMBER uses OPINION.

ADAM_GRIF uses DISAGREE.

... Critical Hit!

It's Super Effective!