Dragon Age 2ing Mass Effect 3?

[Susurrus]

So the last few days, there have been several articles on The Escapist.

Bioware are trimming numbers for your squad in ME3.

Bioware are taking out the "meaningless stats game" in ME3.

Bioware are tweaking the game to appeal to a wider market.

This sounds to me like they're doing the same with Mass Effect that they did with Dragon Age, except.. possibly more so.

Is that the impression everyone else is getting?

 

[Cabisco]

Well to me that sounds like a potentially terrifying idea. I loved Mass Effect 2, i'd be actually willing to play a near carbon copy with 'tweaked' game mechanics so I can finish my shepards story. While I haven't heard anything concrete about what they will change, I am in fear that the combination of different things that made me love Mass Effect will be gone.

I do however like to think these comments were aimed more at investors than you or I, until I see a trailer I will just remain happy I get to finish my galaxy spanning story at some point this year.

Also, you mentioned Dragon Age 2, which all my friends and many online universally hated with a passion while loving the first one so that kinda scared me.

 

[Nimzabaat]

I love these threads. So Bioware Mass Effect 2-ed Dragon Age 2, and now they are Dragon Age 2-ing Mass Effect 3? Does that mean they could possibly be Mass Effect 3-ing Dragon Age 3? When will it end???

 

[Susurrus]

Badly? I've not heard of any new features being added..

 

[Soviet Heavy]

I'm not sure which is worse, the side which yells at every change like it is the end of the world, or the smug sounding jerks who brand everyone who dislikes a game as fanboys.

Either way, I welcome the next flame war.

 

[boag]

Cant judge the game until it comes out. sorry

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

Impossible. DA:O is a set-in-stone RPG. Taking out some elements and "Mass Effecting" it didn't work out too well. Mass Effect already plays like a shooter. As one user put it, "Dragon Age 2 was the bad kind of streamlining, Mass Effect 2 was the good kind." There aren't a whole lot of elements left to cut out, anyway.

 

[CrustyOatmeal]

bioware has been slowely moving in this direction for some time. ME1 to ME2 they took out alot of the RPG elements and made it more of a shooter, they did the same to DA:O with DA2, and it looks like they are doing it to ME@ for ME3. im not surprised by the change but i do not agree with the change at all but its all about the money so unless everybody is set to teach bioware a lesson by not buying ME3 (which who in their right mind wouldnt want to finish that epic story) then they are going to continue to do these sort of things

 

[Daystar Clarion]

I'm sure Bioware know what they're doing.

Im not enough of a self entitled douchebag to start telling them how they should make great games.

 

[shadowmagus]

These threads make my head hurt.

 

[mireko]

So the last few days, there have been several articles on The Escapist.

Bioware are trimming numbers for your squad in ME3.

Mass Effect 1 had six squad members. Mass Effect 2 had 12 (13 if you count Morinth). Trimming down the squad numbers is a very good thing. Adding as many characters as they did in ME2 just leads to underdeveloped/uninteresting stock characters like Miranda and Jacob, and ruins any chance of in-mission banter or any of that fun stuff.

I agree that the "meaningless stat games" and "for a larger audience" statements are ominous, but without some context and actual gameplay information it'll be very hard to determine what the game will be like.

And Dragon Age 2 combat was nearly identical to Dragon Age: Origins except for the loot system and companion armor. If anything, Mass Effect 2 caused those changes along with the dialogue wheel.

I'm certainly not saying they won't make negative changes, just that it's impossible to tell without some solid data. At least wait until E3 or something.

 

[BreakfastMan]

Didn't people already claim that they were doing this to ME2 when it was announced? We all know how that one turned out, so I am not worried.

Also, I find it strange how the people who are complaining about ME3 and DA2 being more focused on the action elements and not on the RPG elements (though from what I have played of DA2, I honestly don't see), praise Jade Empire in the same breath. Does anyone else find that strange, or is it just me?

 

[Savber]

So the last few days, there have been several articles on The Escapist.

Bioware are trimming numbers for your squad in ME3.

Bioware are taking out the "meaningless stats game" in ME3.

Bioware are tweaking the game to appeal to a wider market.

This sounds to me like they're doing the same with Mass Effect that they did with Dragon Age, except.. possibly more so.

Is that the impression everyone else is getting?

1. It's a return to original Mass Effect squad numbers. How the hell is that a step back or even related to RPGs in general?

2. MEANINGLESS! That is the key word here. Bioware is not taking out stats just the ones that have no practical use like the 2% critical hit chance upgrade. Of course, Bioware might still dumb it down but for now the quote is being drastically misinterpreted.

3. Big whooping deal. Just remember that making a game more streamlined and accessible is different from 'dumbing down'


Seriously overreact when we have SOLID proof but not before since it just makes you look like you can't read.

 

[Tony2077]

So the last few days, there have been several articles on The Escapist.

Bioware are trimming numbers for your squad in ME3.

Bioware are taking out the "meaningless stats game" in ME3.

Bioware are tweaking the game to appeal to a wider market.

This sounds to me like they're doing the same with Mass Effect that they did with Dragon Age, except.. possibly more so.

Is that the impression everyone else is getting?

1. It's a return to original Mass Effect squad numbers. How the hell is that a step back or even related to RPGs in general?

2. MEANINGLESS! That is the key word here. Bioware is not taking out stats just the ones that have no practical use like the 2% critical hit chance upgrade. Of course, Bioware might still dumb it down but for now the quote is being drastically misinterpreted.

3. Big whooping deal.


Seriously overreact when we have SOLID proof but not before since it just makes you look like you can't read.[/quote]
1. I'm curious as to who they'll pick or if they'll let you pick

 

[thenamelessloser]

Jade Empire was more simple and dumbed down rpg mechanics than either Dragon Age 2 or Mass Effect 2 and that game came out years ago... Though, I don't really see how much more Mass Effect 2's stats can be dumbed down for the third one though. lol

I think Dragon Age 2 is probably the worst dumbing down because the first one was an attempt of playing like an older RPG such as Baldur's Gate (I think it did a gret job and more fun than the baldur's gates myself) but the second one just dumbed things down too much I think.

Mass Effects even the first one are cover based shooters with RPG elements.

If you want a great rpg with cover based shooting elements then get Alpha Protocol. (Being completely serious and now will hide. I consider Alpha Protocol one of the most underrated games.)

 

[Savber]

Jade Empire was more simple and dumbed down rpg mechanics than either Dragon Age 2 or Mass Effect 2 and that game came out years ago... Though, I don't really see how much more Mass Effect 2's stats can be dumbed down for the third one though. lol

I think Dragon Age 2 is probably the worst dumbing down because the first one was an attempt of playing like an older RPG such as Baldur's Gate (I think it did a gret job and more fun than the baldur's gates myself) but the second one just dumbed things down too much I think.

Mass Effects even the first one are cover based shooters with RPG elements.

If you want a great rpg with cover based shooting elements then get Alpha Protocol. (Being completely serious and now will hide. I consider Alpha Protocol one of the most underrated games.)

Agreed and JE came out even before EA bought Bioware!

DA2's was bad because the original showed so much promise as it seemed that Bioware had not forgotten her roots before screwing it up with the sequel by making it ANOTHER typical action RPG.

Mass Effect series has always been a shooter/RPG hybrid. We can ***** about how the game is shallow but that's the weakness of a hybrid. The two elements can only be decent and should not be treated as belonging to a single genre.

Disagree with AP though. AP had RPG stats and plenty of customization but the execution was downright bad with many of your choices being punished with levels that require intensive combat.

 

[thenamelessloser]

Jade Empire was more simple and dumbed down rpg mechanics than either Dragon Age 2 or Mass Effect 2 and that game came out years ago... Though, I don't really see how much more Mass Effect 2's stats can be dumbed down for the third one though. lol

I think Dragon Age 2 is probably the worst dumbing down because the first one was an attempt of playing like an older RPG such as Baldur's Gate (I think it did a gret job and more fun than the baldur's gates myself) but the second one just dumbed things down too much I think.

Mass Effects even the first one are cover based shooters with RPG elements.

If you want a great rpg with cover based shooting elements then get Alpha Protocol. (Being completely serious and now will hide. I consider Alpha Protocol one of the most underrated games.)

Agreed and JE came out even before EA bought Bioware!

DA2's was bad because the original showed so much promise as it seemed that Bioware had not forgotten her roots before screwing it up with the sequel by making it ANOTHER typical action RPG.

Mass Effect series has always been a shooter/RPG hybrid. We can ***** about how the game is shallow but that's the weakness of a hybrid. The two elements can only be decent and should not be treated as belonging to a single genre.

Disagree with AP though. AP had RPG stats and plenty of customization but the execution was downright bad with many of your choices being punished with levels that require intensive combat.

Well, AP was a bit odd. Once you know what're doing in the game you can have a very powerful character combat wise but still have plenty of points for other abilities, and I'm horrible at shooters but now find the game fairly easy. But yeah, first time playing when I tried to fight some of the bosses on normal, they were hard as hell. But in a sense, the game being so much easier or harder depending upon how you level up is a bit more oldschool.

 

[Susurrus]

I'm of the opinion that taking stuff out that worked is generally a bad thing, unless replaced with something superior. And we've really yet to hear of any advances. It's hardly the end of the world, and I'm actually not that bothered, because we haven't seen the final product, but if they turn ME into a stripped down thing like they did in DA2 then I'm not interested.

What does concern me is that currently their PR is saying: "Look what we've cut out since our last game!" It's really odd, to me at least.



As for returning to number of characters in mass effect... yeah, but a new game should keep the good characters, or at least some of them, and bring in new ones. YOU may not use all, but people all use different ones. I recognise that time is a limited resource, and they have a limited number of people working on it, but the only reason MORE NPCs can ever be bad is if they're taking away time from properly fleshing out others. Less is not a reason to rejoice, except if the only alternative is to dramatically impact quality.

 

[thenamelessloser]

http://www.saviors-of-queens.com/index2.html

=D

 

[c.lavranos]

Reducing the number of characters isnt a bad thing, but we should all expect it to mean that the ones that are left are *significantly* more fleshed out. Having seen Dragon Age 2, and having gone through all these articles on Mass Effect 3 - I find myself in the awkward position of not being in a rush to buy a Bioware game for the first time in...well, ever.