Liked Mass Effect a lot. Concerned about the sequel though.

So the original is in my top 10 games. However I just tried the demo for the second game and I don't like it as much. It seemed very dark and chaotic, where as the first game seemed more calm. You start off on your a ship, with a peaceful intro movie. Then you go on a mission which although fast paced and dangerous is nothing like what I am seeing in mass effect 2. Theres no time to relax, less features to distract you from the gunplay, which I am only half disappointed in because Mass Effect had a horrid inventory system. Basically it just feels more like gears of war to me. What happened to the non battle sequences of the game? The clubs and bars, shops, etc... Does this change after the first portion of the game or is this a pure shooter game now? The reviews seem to avoid talking about the environments...

 

I never played ME, but I've been playing ME2 for good 20 hours into the gameplay. There is definitely a great environment that is built outside of the battle. Clubs, bars, shops...Lots of quests that don't necessarily require exploring these environments in order to complete. I even got knocked out ordering one of the drinks from a bar. It was hilarious.

 

If you liked the first so much for any reason other than the story, then you'll like the second. (If the first is in your top 10 because of its story, then you haven't played the right 10 games!)

There's definitely time to walk around cities and such. The biggest change is the transitions from fighting to exploring. In the first one, you could have a couple smaller battles here and there, interspersed with non-combat areas. In the second, the divide is very stark, there is (almost?) no combat in the "main" areas, but when you enter a hostile area, you know instantly (and often, it's because you're teleported there), almost anything that moves is hostile, and there's no more talking for a while (except maybe a short discussion here and there with teammates or hostages or whatever). It definitely feels synthetic, but since the combat is quite a bit less monotonous, it doesn't ruin the game.

On the other hand, you *could* just not complete any optional combat missions (and seriously, 9/10 of this game is optional) and spend all the time you like exploring cities and talking to inhabitants.

 

Well, since you have already played ME and loved it, then there's really no reason to skip the second one. It gets better the more you play ME2, it just takes some time to get used to the new changes. Just try to play ME2 the way it was designed to be played and stop comparing it to ME, then you will enjoy it more.

You still have your own ship, each of your crews have their own personal quarters, and you can go talk to them any time you want while on ship. There are lots dialogs, definitely more so than ME.

Oh yeah, there are more places for you to explore in ME2. You can even get drunk in bars, dance in clubs, shop for new weapon/armor upgrades, etc.

It's true ME2 has bigger emphasis on combat this time, but it's all for the better IMO. I didn't like the combat in ME because it was bit easy - unlimited ammo, simple combat level design, etc.

Environments are definitely better in ME2. ME looked so bland and empty in terms of level design and the amount of objects in one room. ME2 definitely has better level design and environments, the whole universe in ME2 feels alive this time.

 

Heard ME3 was going to be MP.............can't wait...................NOT!

 

Its interesting because from the start it almost looks like ME2 is a linear/no open ended game. Very glad thats not the case. I was bit confused by the story of one (mainly because I keep forgetting it), however I thought it was quite epic. The ending scene (not the final battle, but the last cutscenes were a little flat, but it was obvious setup for a sequel. Overall I think with the compelling story, wide universe, your own freaking spaceship to commandeer, and the amazing characters and production values, pretty pretty good! One last question or two! Does the full game perform better than the demo graphics cards wise, and has the patch fixed the high mouse sensitivity?

 

Mass Effect 2 - open ended? Yeah, I guess. If you call getting to pick the order in which you complete the mandatory quest lines and having some side quests "open-ended".

ME2 is a great game, mind you. But if you don't like the combat, then you're SOL, because that's pretty much the bulk of the game. Streamlined inventory system means less fiddling around with items and more time spent fighting. The side quests are occasionally amusing, but most often just more excuses to blow up.

Open-ended is something a little bit more like... The Elder Scrolls. Or Ultima Online.

 

I played ME and ME2 and completed both of them 2 times each, I gotta say ME1's story is more epic, but almost everything else is better in ME2. I really like the new combat system, also liked the different combat styles of the 6 classes in ME2, it's just rare to find a game with good action, good story telling and good length these days imo.

ME1 has good story but the combat part isn't exactly good and the inventory system and skill system wasn't good either and were pretty confusing at times... ME2's story on the other hand pretty much has the same style as ME1 but with improved gameplay and graphics. It's definitely one of my top 10 games after finishing it 2 times using different classes and different approaches. ME2 still feels fresh and awesome even during my second playthrough with the DLCs. I want ME3 nao!

 

Played ME, couldn't stand it, never even looked at ME2... I was worried about a sequel too, worried it would bore me as bad as the first, so I didn't buy it.

 

I liked the combat in ME... it was easy, but I thought they would make it harder in ME 2 (they changed it, instead). I also liked the Mako.

ME 2 is more open-ended than ME. Just don't get hyped out by the reviews and you'll be ok.

 

I played ME2 before I played the first one and was blown away.

Played it through there times then picked up mass effect 1. Combat system was annoying as anything at first but I got used to it quickly. The storyline (esp Virmire) is the third best video game storyline I have ever played (followed by warcraft and half life).

Both games are worth every penny...well 99% of the second one at least

 

I agree with everything you said, except that I don't think ME2 is as good a port from the consoles as ME1 was. For example: why use the same button for sprint, crouch, and use?

Outside of occasional annoyances like that, ME2 is as good or better than ME1 IMO.

 

Loved the first, loved the second, and will hopefully love the third.
Second one had much deeper character development. The characters themselves grow on you more in the second one than the first. In the first, at Virmire, I decided who to leave behind from necessity, but if the same happened in the second one, I wouldn't know who to decide.
Combat system is great in the second one, although I liked the overheat system of the first one better


tl;dr: Buy the second one, you won't regret it.

 

Same here, Liked the first, Loved the second and cannot wait for the third.

Steam tells me Im onto 82 hours so far. Completed it 3 times, Done both paragon and renegade on male and paragon on female, Now Im onto renegade with female. I also have all the DLC thats come out so far.

I miss the Mako and planet exploring as in the first, but the more in depth story and better combat more than makes up for it...

 

What are you people talking about? ME2 storyline? You probably mean all the loyalty quests your crew members have, cause that's all this game is about. The reapers feels like a pathetic, stupid side quest. Only thing that kept me playing was Thane, he is the best. Other then that. It took me 3 weeks to complete the game, cause I was bored to hell. ME1 was by far superior to this game. I don't need good action and nice graphics, I get that from any recent game. I need an epic story.

 

So any word on the mouse sensitivity issue and patch graphics performance optimization?

 

I liked the first one and I completed the second one and haven't touched it since... I don't like the changes they made to the gameplay (no inventory anymore :s
For me it feels like an action movie you can watch once but you don't feel like seeing it a second time.
I played it very thoroughly and I feel like it has nothing to offer anymore.
It's not an rpg anymore and the story didn't get interesting in this on either (too cliché)

 

I played like 10 hours of Me1 but LOVED ME2. Not that I had a problem with ME1 jsut stopped playing due to other things. But ME2 was awesome. I think you'd like it.