I think it's a good idea to trim the squad for more meaningful relationships with your friends and chosen LI. Let's face it 12 was slightly ridiculous.
Dragon Age 2ing Mass Effect 3?
- Thread starter Susurrus
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Uhh. In point of fact, both games have totally different teams working on them and Dragon Age 2 was trying to Mass-Effect 2-ize Dragon Age. I don't think this is their mindset for this project.
There were far fewer squad members in the first game. The large cast made it so conversations were smaller overall (Garrus gets stuck on his calibrations pretty quickly).Susurrus said:
They really already did this in Mass Effect 2, which was a spectacular game. They've also been on record as saying that they are enhancing the RPG aspects of the game. We really don't know what any of these quotes specifically mean. That they have put off the game until 2012 should tell us that they are adding more and not subtracting.
The first game wasn't strong in the RPG department like many think (and I've played the game a dozen times at least). Leveling basically gave you extremely miniscule and mundane improvements. Given different armor and weapons were on the same tier (Stiletto X, Razer X; Colossus VII, Explorer VII), it was always straightforward which was better (with the exception of Colossus armor vs Predator L/M/H armor). The inventory was bad in the first game because it was overabundant without encouraging experimenting with different equipment. The second game's inventory was bad because it was nearly nonexistent (though different weapons and armor pieces did give you different kinds of advantages, which encouraged experimentation).
"Tweaking" implies very small changes. This was a quote from an statement meant for investors. What do you expect them to say to investors? You're expected to present the game in a way that suggests it can outdo its predecessor. The second game appealed to a larger market than the first, but was an improvement overall.
Have you guys noticed how Bioware's releases have started to drop in quality after being bought by EA?
I'm going to try and make the below "graph" spoiler proof. Still, read at your own risk.
2007: Mass Effect 1 is released. Game in development since 2005. Albeit not perfect, it was a great RPG. Story is concluded once you stop the main enemy from destroying the galaxy. DLC is used to a minimum.
2009: Dragon Age:Origins is released. A great RPG, considered by Bioware to be the "spiritual successor" to the Baldur's Gate series. The game was in development since 2004. DLC use suddenly skyrocketed.
2010: Mass Effect 2 is released. The ending of Mass Effect 1 is rendered "meaningless". In a way, Bioware or rather EA retconned the ending. Player customization and RPG elements are kept to a minimum with the game focusing more on the TPS aspect. Still considered a great game by many gamers altough the shift was noticeable. DLC use is widespread.
2011: Dragon Age 2 is released with a development cycle of one year. The game is largely considered a disappointment. The RPG elements were downplayed and player customization and interaction was kept to a minimum. The game focused mostly on its action aspect. One of the endings of Dragon Age 2 retconned in order to bring a character back in case he/she was killed during the first game. The game is largely unpolished, probably due to the 1 year development time. DLC use is promised to be widespread.
2012: Mass Effect 3 will be released. EA/Bioware states they are incredible confident of their franchise only to later claim they are tweaking the game to "appeal to a wider market". The "stats" are apparently being trimmed which pretty much means any resemblance of character customization is gone. The TPS aspect is being advertised more and more. "So this is EA's bold new vision for BioWare: To shoehorn this story-and-character-driven developer into the already crowded shooter market." -Shamus Young.
Is anyone seeing a trend here? I sure as hell am.
Also, you can't "Dragon Age 2" "Mass Effect 3" since "Dragon Age 2" was "Mass Effect 2'd"
I'm going to try and make the below "graph" spoiler proof. Still, read at your own risk.
2007: Mass Effect 1 is released. Game in development since 2005. Albeit not perfect, it was a great RPG. Story is concluded once you stop the main enemy from destroying the galaxy. DLC is used to a minimum.
2009: Dragon Age:Origins is released. A great RPG, considered by Bioware to be the "spiritual successor" to the Baldur's Gate series. The game was in development since 2004. DLC use suddenly skyrocketed.
2010: Mass Effect 2 is released. The ending of Mass Effect 1 is rendered "meaningless". In a way, Bioware or rather EA retconned the ending. Player customization and RPG elements are kept to a minimum with the game focusing more on the TPS aspect. Still considered a great game by many gamers altough the shift was noticeable. DLC use is widespread.
2011: Dragon Age 2 is released with a development cycle of one year. The game is largely considered a disappointment. The RPG elements were downplayed and player customization and interaction was kept to a minimum. The game focused mostly on its action aspect. One of the endings of Dragon Age 2 retconned in order to bring a character back in case he/she was killed during the first game. The game is largely unpolished, probably due to the 1 year development time. DLC use is promised to be widespread.
2012: Mass Effect 3 will be released. EA/Bioware states they are incredible confident of their franchise only to later claim they are tweaking the game to "appeal to a wider market". The "stats" are apparently being trimmed which pretty much means any resemblance of character customization is gone. The TPS aspect is being advertised more and more. "So this is EA's bold new vision for BioWare: To shoehorn this story-and-character-driven developer into the already crowded shooter market." -Shamus Young.
Is anyone seeing a trend here? I sure as hell am.
Also, you can't "Dragon Age 2" "Mass Effect 3" since "Dragon Age 2" was "Mass Effect 2'd"
Read this: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/stolen-pixels/8854-Stolen-Pixels-257-The-Electronic-ArtistsDustyDrB said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't DA2 a commercial flop? I'd doubt EA wants the ME3 team to follow in those particular footsteps.AndyFromMonday said:
I still stand firmly against the idea that Mass Effect 2 or Dragon Age 2 are "dumbed down to appeal to the lowest common denominator."Ascarus said:
Compared to the vast majority of other games on the market, ME2 and DA2 are still very intelligent games. Now, I'm perfectly willing to grant that the main story in both games were not as good as their predecessors; Mass Effect 2 is suffering from middle-child-syndrome and Dragon Age 2 suffered from being released way too soon. That in mind, Mass Effect 2 made up for it with its combat improvements, increase in variety, vastly improved visuals and art design and some extremely good writing for characters and subplots. Dragon Age 2 still has some fantastic characters (Varric, Anders, Isabella, Merrill and Hawke him/herself stood out for me), and it's packed to the gills with traditional RPG elements.
My point basically is taking two games and saying they're a trend is completely short-sighted, especially when both of them appear to be middle child's in a trilogy. In a lot of ways, it's evident that Bioware is experimenting with how they want to balance RPG elements, and they're simultaneously broadening their fanbase. I fail to see how that's a problem.
ME2 i enjoyed despite the fact that there were virtually no plot related quests in the entire game. The recruitment and subsequent loyalty missions were a mixed bag for me. But i was willing to forgive that in the hopes the ME3 returned to the story and more plot driven elements that was in the first game.JeanLuc761 said:
DA2 however was terrible. absolutely awful, when compared to Origins. As I wrote in a review elsewhere here is a run down reaction you get from every party member you listed throughout the game:
Varric: I am a dwarf so I drink a lot and tell bad jokes.
Anders: The Templers are out to get me!! They are ALL evil and as a result deserve death!
Isabella: I am a pirate. I have slept with everyone. I am a poor romance version of Morrigan.
Merrill: I am naieve.
these character were mere shadows to those whom you recruited in Origins, all of which were unique, interesting and full of life.
additionally, the complete lack of a cohesive narrative in DA2 made it seem as if the Twilight series contains an ocean of complexity.
finally (and this was a short list of the problems that existed in DA2), many of the elements that made Origins so compelling were completely removed -- some for completely inexplicable reasons. it's those decisions and comments recently made by bioware that compels me to wonder if ME3 will continue this sad trend of removing every element of depth that makes RPGs what they are, in order to accommodate a larger audience (i.e. cross platform releases onto consoles where traditionally RPGs are less accessible and less popular).
I wish I could say the things I wanted to say. but that would get me in trouble with the mods. Just going to say a simple no.
I gotta be honest, everything I've heard about ME3 that makes people uneasy just makes me more hyped for the game.
Bioware are trimming numbers for your squad in ME3.
ME2 had too many characters, in my opinion. I never got a chance to get to know half of my crew as well as I'd like.
Bioware are taking out the "meaningless stats game" in ME3.
I see nothing wrong with this. The RPG elements in the series have always been awfully implemented and I won't miss em at all.
Bioware are tweaking the game to appeal to a wider market.
To this I can only say LOL, because if they honestly think they can make the third part of an extremely story driven trilogy appeal to people that aren't already fans of the series, they are deluding themselves. New players won't understand shit about what's going on.
This sounds to me like they're doing the same with Mass Effect that they did with Dragon Age, except.. possibly more so.
What they did with Dragon Age was make it more like Mass Effect, even though it's a different franchise and should have been treated as such. But all those features that suck in Dragon Age 2 actually makes sense in a Mass Effect game.
I am not worried. From where I'm standing, it looks like Mass Effect 3 will kick a lot of ass.
Bioware are trimming numbers for your squad in ME3.
ME2 had too many characters, in my opinion. I never got a chance to get to know half of my crew as well as I'd like.
Bioware are taking out the "meaningless stats game" in ME3.
I see nothing wrong with this. The RPG elements in the series have always been awfully implemented and I won't miss em at all.
Bioware are tweaking the game to appeal to a wider market.
To this I can only say LOL, because if they honestly think they can make the third part of an extremely story driven trilogy appeal to people that aren't already fans of the series, they are deluding themselves. New players won't understand shit about what's going on.
This sounds to me like they're doing the same with Mass Effect that they did with Dragon Age, except.. possibly more so.
What they did with Dragon Age was make it more like Mass Effect, even though it's a different franchise and should have been treated as such. But all those features that suck in Dragon Age 2 actually makes sense in a Mass Effect game.
I am not worried. From where I'm standing, it looks like Mass Effect 3 will kick a lot of ass.
your meta is getting all over the floor. clean it up.Nimzabaat said:
anyways, as i've always said, bioware should be trusted because no matter what, they're still making the best story-oriented games in the AAA scene.
Dragon Age tries to copy Mass Effect 1, with its copypasta environment and somewhat bland design of levels, but right now it looks worse than it, has worse story and characters and has the inner meh.
Mass Effect 2 is ME1 evolved - at least three more DA games to even get close to its level. And ME3 is better.
Mass Effect 2 is ME1 evolved - at least three more DA games to even get close to its level. And ME3 is better.