Mass Effect 2 Interview

[Emabulator]

http://evavhost.com/i/news/Masseffect2_5.jpg

Computer and Video Games spoke with (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=229700) Adrien Cho from BioWare about its highly anticipated action-RPG, Mass Effect 2. The interview covers various topics including improvements made since the release of Mass Effect, the size of the game and DLC.

Is the GTA IV, full expansion pack approach something you'd consider?

Cho: I think so. It depends on the scale. The price range I think is really important so that we can give players good value for their money, I think that's really important. I think we see publishers and developers on one side unfairly price things.

It's about keeping players engaged in that world and not necessarily to always make a good profit. You've got to make some profit off that, but you don't have to do it off the backs of the consumers because I think gamers are not dumb and they'll support us with their wallets or not.

[Anenome]

We're so proud of the game that I'm not worried at all. I feel like this is actually the best game that has come out of our studio in the history of BioWare. Ray was talking to me about this; of all the games we've made so far this was able to encapsulate everything we've been trying to do in games and present it in such a digestible form.

Each game we've put out has been great, each game has flaws, where as this one represents the pinnacle BioWare experience. If you're going to play one BioWare game ever in your life, this is the one to try.
- Sounds like they might be proud of this game ;)

[bean19]

I'm not that concerned about the elevators. They were hidden load screens and you can't have spectacular visuals without load screens. Whatever.

MY BIG ISSUE: Have they made the vehicles on planets (and driving around planets) fun? When I saw the vehicle in the first game I had visions of speeding about alien planets, but what I got was weird physics and terrain that seemed computer generated with little thought towards gameplay.

[Emabulator]

I'm not that concerned about the elevators. They were hidden load screens and you can't have spectacular visuals without load screens. Whatever.

MY BIG ISSUE: Have they made the vehicles on planets (and driving around planets) fun? When I saw the vehicle in the first game I had visions of speeding about alien planets, but what I got was weird physics and terrain that seemed computer generated with little thought towards gameplay.From what I've read in a few previews the vehicles have been substantially improved.

[Anenome]

I'm not that concerned about the elevators. They were hidden load screens and you can't have spectacular visuals without load screens. Whatever.

MY BIG ISSUE: Have they made the vehicles on planets (and driving around planets) fun? When I saw the vehicle in the first game I had visions of speeding about alien planets, but what I got was weird physics and terrain that seemed computer generated with little thought towards gameplay.

Yes, they've reworked the vehicles entirely, and have been waiting to reveal it. They know that and the elevators were people's primary complaint of annoyance. Their likely goal is to knock one out of the park by making the vehicular travel and combat your favorite part of ME2, lol, and to remove elevator load almost completely. The contrast between ME1 and ME2 then would be drastic and much happiness and fun would ensue ;)

As for the Mako itself, they're replacing it with a new vehicle. And the world's are supposed much improved. Let's hope they feature some jungle and forest environs, that would be sweet.

[alienchild]

Better environments (more detailed, life-like), bigger side-quests, more emphasis on gear and a longer game. That's my whishes for ME2. Other then that, the first game was almost a 10/10.

[bean19]

I'm glad to hear that they are improving ground vehicles guys. Thanks for that; it was not mentioned in the interview.

Better environments (more detailed, life-like), bigger side-quests, more emphasis on gear and a longer game. That's my whishes for ME2. Other then that, the first game was almost a 10/10.
Right. Gear was disappointing in ME1 too. It dropped all the time, but 95% of it was trash and you had to sell 100 pieces of trash in order to afford the rare items that occasionally popped up in shops. I really wanted searching about the universe and sidequesting to net me absurd gear that would OP my characters (honestly, FF taught me that sidequesting should result in crazy and fun rewards. . . but despite their strengths Bioware has never been very good about loot. They don't seem to understand what makes loot fun and instead give us random-gen trash).

Dragon Age isn't as bad about this as ME1 was as you can get some neat gear in it, though you still get far more trash than good.

[PopoWRX]

I'm glad to hear that they are improving ground vehicles guys. Thanks for that; it was not mentioned in the interview.


Right. Gear was disappointing in ME1 too. It dropped all the time, but 95% of it was trash and you had to sell 100 pieces of trash in order to afford the rare items that occasionally popped up in shops. I really wanted searching about the universe and sidequesting to net me absurd gear that would OP my characters (honestly, FF taught me that sidequesting should result in crazy and fun rewards. . . but despite their strengths Bioware has never been very good about loot. They don't seem to understand what makes loot fun and instead give us random-gen trash).

Dragon Age isn't as bad about this as ME1 was as you can get some neat gear in it, though you still get far more trash than good.

From what I've read, you can customize your gear, finding pieces and creating a suit of armor from them. Thus you can control how it looks, what kind of helmet it uses, "shininess" factor and so on. I'm wondering if that means you can customize the preorder/ce gear so that you can use it throughout the game.

[Anenome]

Right. Gear was disappointing in ME1 too. It dropped all the time, but 95% of it was trash and you had to sell 100 pieces of trash in order to afford the rare items that occasionally popped up in shops.
Have you played Borderlands by any chance >_>?

[brandonjclark]

Okay, for a Bioware guy to say that this is the best game to ever come out of their studio is reason enough for me to purchase. I know that it's the same type of drivel that EVERY other company likes to tout about their new game, but I just do not doubt this guy one bit.

ME2 has me dreaming....

[Anenome]

Oh I believe him completely. This isn't marketing-speak, this is genuine enthusiasm. This may be the game that Bioware becomes known for. This is going to be the Bioware Masterpiece, an new entry into the gaming canon. Day one purchase for me.

[Ulysses]

Time to buy that bridge that guy told me about. Looks interesting, and worth a try for me. Although I wonder if it'll not fit that Bioware cliche chart, hehe.

[lockwoodx]

- Sounds like they might be proud of this game ;)

This game is getting too much hype for it's own good.

[Anenome]

This game is getting too much hype for it's own good.
The Pope just mentioned making the entire Mass Effect dev team saints upon death, and declaring ME1 and ME2 their two necessary miracles for canonization. Somehow it seems completely and entirely justified ;)

[saulob]

What a big gun on this picture.

[Anenome]

What a big gun on this picture.

That's not a gun, that a .51 caliber hand-cannon.

[saulob]

haha, oh my :D

Sexy....

;)

[Apex]

I thought the elevators were a little bit annoying but not that bad.

One of the things that annoyed me the most, was that its a bioware game (well, not that but be patient!), bioware games were always great because of the gear. Baldurs gate series etc, even Dragon Age, your always looking forward to getting that unique powerful named item.

In Mass Effect they seemed few and far between, infact I cant even remember one.

[Reaping_Ant]

Sold, sold and sold.

For me, one of Bioware's greatest strengths always was world-building. They crafted believeable settings with interesting characters and lots of details when working with existing universes (Forgotten Realms, Star Wars) but they really excel when creating their own.

Starting with Jade Empire and continuing with Mass Effect and Dragon Age, every single one of their games has made me want to see more of the world than was actually in the game. That, and of course wanting to know how the story unfolds (DA fell a bit shot in that department), is the best foundation for a sequel there can be.

Especially with Mass Effect's huge codex, political and military struggles and diverse races, this is a setting that truly requires a sequel or two to fully explore.