Mass Effect 2 gameplay thread

**Monk** · 01-28-2010, 04:40

I already am regretting this but I completely marathoned ME2. Very close to the ending and expect to finish it when I get some time in the next couple days. Stepping away from this game can be tough at times, especially when there's tons to do! Done all the companion quests, love how they feel as integrated into the narrative as the story-missions. The Exploration quests feel a lot better but they could still use work.

It's interesting to see how your relationship with your crew can evolve over the course of the game, even though the loyalty system is a little shallow. If you talk to your crew each will eventually reveal a companion quest, some sooner than others. If you do this quest they become loyal, however, you also have the opportunity to lose loyalty with them by siding against them in a crisis. Various crew members are polar opposites of each other, and after you gain the loyalty of those opposites they will enter a situation where it's up to you to resolve it. You can side with one of them, or with enough charm/intimidate you can convince them to kill each other after the mission. The later of which is the only way to keep them both happy, as siding against someone means you lose their loyalty.

It reminds me of the way they treated Wrex in the first game, a great way to manage your party but I can't help but feel its simple in comparison to the approval system of Dragon Age.

I like the interrupt system in conversations and I think going forward this could be a lot of fun. It really lets the darker (or empathic, if you're paragon) side of your character shine through.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Originally Posted by Mailman653

Well, save your ME2 save this time, I'm more than certain you'll be able to port it onto ME3.

The loading screen tooltips lead me to believe you're right.

The only thing I have not liked, aside from mini-games and other minor annoyances...

Romance plot spoilers

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Now I should probably get back to working on those various projects due

**Mailman653** · 01-28-2010, 08:04

So who heard about the specter who...

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

@Monk

It is hard to put down indeed, its easy to spend two hours on it and not even realize it. I'm already on the 2nd disk, 360 version. I thinking I should of played on the difficulty that comes after normal, oh well, there's next time....and plenty more, I know I'll be playing it over a few times between now and ME3.

**Monk** · 01-28-2010, 08:39

Originally Posted by Mailman653

@Monk

It is hard to put down indeed, its easy to spend two hours on it and not even realize it. I'm already on the 2nd disk, 360 version. I thinking I should of played on the difficulty that comes after normal, oh well, there's next time....and plenty more, I know I'll be playing it over a few times between now and ME3.

The biggest strength of the game is how much there is to do, I think. There's exploration and resource mining for when you want something light. Companion quests for when you want something as engaging as the main line (but dont want to advance it) and the main story when you're ready to tackle another major story element. They all feel like they are part of a greater whole, and doing one doesn't make you sigh - wishing you were doing another instead. Resource mining is a great start, but I still think we need more planets with hidden goodies and less planets devoted purely to raw materials.

As for difficulty, Veteran is not tough enough for me, I am hitting the Hardcore setting as soon as I can. I suspect that for many veterans of third person shooters (and those who ever completed insanity on the first game) will feel nothing short of Veteran+ will challenge them.

More on the combat - i like the hard counters introduced to the system. Certain powers are ineffective against shields, otehrs against armor. It makes you think about what to throw at who, and makes you panic a bit when you're getting charged by a krogan with full armor - but your ace in the hole power is ineffective against him. It makes load-outs like my biotic juggling team a lot harder to run. Kudos to Bioware for balancing out combat and keeping guys like me from air-juggling entire rooms at once!

**al Roumi** · 01-28-2010, 16:15

Thanks for the info Monk and Mailman, my disk is in the post from amazon.co.uk, due to arrive tomorrow -on UK release day. Not going to get much time on it this weekend though, which is going to be hard for everyone around me probably :D

**Krusader** · 01-29-2010, 00:17

Been playing ME2 for a bit and my thoughts.

I am disappointed in Bioware when it comes to the PC edition. There are no mappable keys for weapons, and the spacebar is used for 3 actions when it could have been split up among 3 different keys instead. Plus mousewheel support for menu scrolling and doubleclicking to open things (like messages, codex entries).

Also, the galaxy map thing...maybe it's just me, but I can't understand a damn thing and have absolutely no idea what my fuel consumption is, how much fuel I have and what the percentage indicator in upper left is for. There is no tutorial entries in the Codex either (Codex is also sloppy. No double-click to open and mousewheel can't be used to scroll down or up).
Can't see the value of the "fuel aspect".

The game is fun otherwise, but as I bought it on Steam I actually did not get a manual. I actually like manuals, because I can read them if there is something I don't understand.
I will echo Monk's statements though that combat is more tactical. I have to take cover whenever I get in a gunfight, as otherwise I'll take too much damage and early on you learn to switch between weapons and powers to take out enemies (what to use versus shields, barriers, armor and vorcha/krogan). I also like how squadmates take cover and having autouse of powers enabled, it seems they use them well enough.

**Beskar** · 01-29-2010, 01:43

You could use a controller with it, if it is a keyboard problem. They are very comfortable to use. I recommend a xbox360 styled one.

Edit: They included no controller support, even though it is a port?!?! asofhkjshkjsdjkhjksahjhkjsdhfjkdhgkjh

**Wishazu** · 01-29-2010, 02:21

Buy a 360 and play it on that.

**Monk** · 01-29-2010, 08:21

Originally Posted by Krusader

Been playing ME2 for a bit and my thoughts.

I am disappointed in Bioware when it comes to the PC edition. There are no mappable keys for weapons, and the spacebar is used for 3 actions when it could have been split up among 3 different keys instead. Plus mousewheel support for menu scrolling and doubleclicking to open things (like messages, codex entries).

Also, the galaxy map thing...maybe it's just me, but I can't understand a damn thing and have absolutely no idea what my fuel consumption is, how much fuel I have and what the percentage indicator in upper left is for. There is no tutorial entries in the Codex either (Codex is also sloppy. No double-click to open and mousewheel can't be used to scroll down or up).
Can't see the value of the "fuel aspect".

Traveling between stars will pop up your fuel gauge and use it up, using Mass Relays and traveling inside a star-system doesn't require fuel. The % is the extent to which you've explored that star system.

There are some tutorials on your private terminal onboard your ship but there's only 3 of them and they largely focus on combat and squad control.

**Kekvit Irae** · 01-29-2010, 09:27

For me, the game SUCKS, and here's why:
(copied and modified from my own post on Bioware's forum)

1. Unable to map the Backspace and Delete keys. I use the arrow keys for movement (I hate WASD), and I used Backspace for the tactical HUD and Delete for holstering my weapon in ME1. Why can't I do that here?

2. Unable to remap certain functions. More specifically, during hacking, the Spacebar is still used to select the codes when hacking a bank terminal or similar item, and there is no way to map that function elsewhere. The control scheme makes me wish I bought the 360 version instead.

3. No manual crouch. I don't like using cover just to crouch.

4. Scanning worlds is slower than two Elcor doing the rumpy pumpy. I have to reposition my mouse several times when moving from pole to pole. At the very least, you could have made it only SLIGHTLY slower than moving the mouse when not scanning.

5. Storm uses the same key as Use and Cover. No, I don't want to accidentally go into cover when running. Keep those two keys seperate.

6. Miranda needs to lay off the Botox. There's only so much of that perpetual smirk I can take before I start shooting.

7. I like being able to Storm outside of combat. I don't like being restricted to fatigue outside of combat.

8. Speaking of fatigue, give us the visual indicator back! I don't like having to rely solely on "burst firing" Storm to get across a station quicker just because the only way I can tell if I'm fatigued is a very subtle audio cue. It also doesn't help the deaf ME gamers (of which my roommate is one of).

9. The new health system. Wow, health that regenerates after a few seconds if you don't get shot. I haven't seen this before! Oh wait, I have. In a hundred other games produced this decade.

10. Medigel is worthless now unless you find upgrades or if your squad dies.

11. The cover system is too overused.

12. The lack of an inventory system and weapon/armor mods no longer makes collecting a tactical decision; it removes collecting all-together.

13. The Day One DLC cant hold a candle to the Day One DLC of Dragon Age (the Normandy Crash pack would have made more of an emotional impact if it unlocked half-way through the game, not at the very beginning when the original Normandy was still fresh in our minds).

14. The DLC armor give you no option to remove the helmets. If you want to wear it, you're stuck looking like a crab, a medieval reject, or someone who got lost on his or her way to Red Faction.

15. The human embassy room is the only place on the Presidium you can go to? Lame.

16. This isn't Mass Effect. This is Gears of War.

Love the story and interactions, hate the game.