For some weird reason, I was one of the few people who enjoyed exploring planets with the MAKO in Mass Effect. The insanely jagged terrain? Not so much. If Mass Effect 2 taught us anything, it's that BioWare knows how to tidy up its sequels and squash the not-so-good parts.
That's why I'm pumped for the free "Firewalker" add-on, which was confirmed for a March 23 release earlier today. The five-mission pack introduces us to the Hammerhead, a new flying vehicle. Take that, all you mountain-filled planets that make up the Mass Effect universe!
@masseffect2 [Twitter -- Thanks, Nick]
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Contest:
1:40 PM on 03.19.2010
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Mass effect 2 improved in every possible way as far as I'm concerned, one of the best games I played so far.
Funny, the DLC is coming out on my girlfriend's birthday (she is obsessed with the Mass Effect series). I wonder if I should wait til she gets home to tell her in person so I can hear her squee :P
Also mouse and keyboard for driving is less than ideal.
You know I'd love to see some of the future DLC being planets that are a combination of Mass Effect 1's open map and Mass Effect 2's unique environment/building settings.
That'd be the best combination....then try and include it in Mass Effect 3....even if it made the game 3/4 discs long I wouldn't care...just some freedom too explore and randomly find mini story-arc's and not On-Rails missions...
Also, if you miss the Mako you're an idiot. I have all 1200 gamerscore on Mass Effect across 15 playthroughs, and let me tell you that the Mako sidequests are by far THE WORST PART OF THE GAME.
If you feel this way you're an ass.
I enjoy some of the mako quests...not all...but some.
What I can't comprehend is they took out the mako...and replaced it with the mineral "mini Game."
I agree, word for word, with what you said. Exploring isn't a bad thing, I did it throughout ME and ME2. But the terrain and shields made using the Mako way more annoying than fun.
I don't mind exploring in the Hammerhead, so long as it's above all else, FUN. Really looking forward to Tuesday, I was so sad when I finished ME2 that anything that extends it is definitely welcome.
Ditto. There was just something serene about it. It also made the planets feel more alive rather than the strip mining of lifeless orbs in ME2.
I agree with most everyone that it was the terrain and not the vehicle that was the glaring problem.
Oh and YAY FREE DLC!
In all seriousness, have we been shown any gameplay yet? I want to be excited but I feel like it'll end up being just as linear as the othe side quests in ME2. I love this game btw.
That said, it really is worth the sixty dollars despite its evolution bringing it closer to a traditional third-person-shooter.
The impact of your decisions on the story are still very much present and are further integrated into the core gameplay than in the original. The story is compelling, if not terribly original, and the characters are involving and fun to interact with.
Mass Effect 1 was full of barren wastelands and mountains and if there was a building it was one of the same 2 or 3 that the entire galaxy apparently owns.
That being said, a few of the mineral-deposits, etc... on each planet were semi-hidden so they would only show up on your map screen when you were practically right next to them. I bet if BioWare re-released ME1 with everything pin-pointed on your map as soon as you land that people would enjoy these sections quite a bit more.
Personally, I loved exploring and finding the 'hidden' items, but this is also due to my imagining how cool it would be to actually trundle around alien worlds in a giant ATV.
I don't get biowares DLC strategy at all
ie. (hyperbole alert) a completely uncompelling plot, 18 hours of side missions (including such exciting escapades as giving dating advice and buying food), a vapid and apathetic crew contributing nothing in the way of narrative motivation, and barely a handful of actual story related quests equating to (1) A few dumb plot twists and (2) The Worst Final Boss Ever. But sure, the environments are mostly pretty, and if you don't mind engaging in repetetive, uninspired gunplay in the same repetetive, uninspired "O" shaped combat arena over and over and over again, it's a real blast.
I say all this knowing that the vast majority disagree with this point of view and that probably equates as closely to me being 'wrong' as one can actually BE wrong on a matter of opinion.
My recommendation: Play ME:1 again and just pretend it's a sequel. It's much, much better.
[From 'What Happened To My Inventory?', a talk by Christina Norman on ME2 and how to streamline gameplay features without alienating your existing fanbase]
Obviously.
EXACTLY, the vast majority of mako missions sucked balls, but there was at least 4 or 5 that revealed some really really cool stuff. Rachni ambush, Another Cerberus facility investigating rachni with a journal entry indicating another queen may be about. The place with that ark, that u mind meld with and experience prothean memories. Shit was awesome, just had to explore a bit, some of that stuff isn't even marked on your map.