Zero Punctuation: Mass Effect 2

[Woodsey]

Mass Effect 2, eh? Interesting, I'm really on the fence about buying the game, so let's see if Yahtzee can help me with this..

So after all the rave reviews you're basing your decision on the guy whose job it is to trash everything despite its quality?

OT: Really good episode this time - definitely helps if you've played the games first.

EDIT:

Nice review, liked the ide for ME3 and i have tried EVE, its worse that Too Human

Yes, because those 2 games are totally comparable.

 

[Casual Shinji]

You'd better get a patent on the giant laser shooting space wolfs, ZP.

Those things look fucking awesome.

 

[Suskie]

Wow, people really refuse to give resource mining a break, don't they? Not that I'm surprised Yahtzee would spend 80% of the review complaining about something you can just skip altogether. The game must've been pretty awesome if that's the best he's got!

No, no you can't. Try playing through without mining, which means you'll only be able to upgrade a tiny fraction of anything and see how well you fare. Really glad I finished the game over the weekend so I can appreciate the subtle discusion.

This feels like talking about Fight Club around people who haven't seen it. If you've made it to the ending, you know what certain things mean in context. If you haven't, it doesn't give things away.

I must say though, I'm surprised there wasn't even a text based reference to the absurdity of Gilbert and Sullivan.

Well, he WAS complaining that the game was too easy

I've beaten the game twice and I did a fair amount of mining both times, but I don't see any point in which you NEED to do it. Besides, if you import a ME1 profile or replay ME2 you get a resource bonus. I started my second playthrough with around 50,000 of each element, which was awesome.

I don't mind people complaining about the mining, of course, but acting like it's a game-killer is silly.

 

[AceDiamond]

Snipers don't need teammates. In fact, they have this disgusting tendency to GIVE YOUR POSITION AWAY. I'm more just impressed that you had the patience to be a sniper in that game.

I must've been doing something wrong then, using my teammates effectively to move forward and lay down supressing fire while I snapped off headshots until I ran out of thermal clips, then choosing to move in and help reduce enemies to leaky scraps of flesh with my SMG. What in the world was I thinking?

*sarcasm off*

Anyway I have to say the mining was at least less tedious than the surface exploration even though I liked that part too (must be something wrong with me) but in either case I'm hoping Mass Effect 3 does better. Not that failing to do so will prevent me from purchasing Mass Effect 3

 

[reg42]

Great review. Nice and funny, just the way I like it. I should have played as a sniper, sniping is usually my favourite thing in shooters, I can't believe I didn't think of it.

 

[tehbeard]

pretty good review.

He stole my thoughts for ME3 with regards to resource gathering.

Hmm, flying around on jet packs... Giant wolves that shoot lasers.... *opens game maker*

Build a prototype dude, and email it to BioWare, with any luck we can get this in ME3.

Also, if anyone from BioWare is reading this thread, can you please please pretty please give us Thresher Maw pets in ME3/ME2 DLC? I promise to take good care of it and walk it often.

 

[Sinisterspider]

R.I.P commander gobbelcoque

 

[MiracleOfSound]

I never really get why Yahtzee complains about games being too easy when there are multiple difficulty settings.

He should try not issuing commands to the AI on Insanity and see how far he gets...

That is pretty much the feeling I had when watching this. Im guessing he played on normal or veteran by the way he talked about how easy it was. My first playthrough was on hardcore and there were a lot of fights that were a complete *****. Plus the complaining about the combat system just seems like he is trying to fill space and add length. The combat is vastly improved and made the game absolutely awesome. But yes obviously everyone has been complaining about the scanning and mako so they really do need to figure out a 3rd option that really makes the game epic.

Yeah I finished it on Hardcore and am halfway through Insanity and it is utterly essential to steal your squad's powers off them and order them around constantly.

The system is a little bit dodgy though, they very often don't do what you tell them. It can get annoying.

 

[jamescorck]

I didn't find mining horribly boring to be honest, but only because I found a great way to cheese the scanning (on 360) that triples the reticle speed while the accuracy of your readings remain the same (tap the left trigger at approximately half-second intervals, and if you're scanning right or left, rotate the planet with the right stick as you're doing so). It was still boring, mind you, just not the snore fest one would expect.

Also the combat really opens up if you play on Insanity as one of the less gun-savvy classes (I played as an Infiltrator on Insanity, where even a point-blank headshot from the Widow rifle with 50%-damage headshot upgrade isn't a guaranteed kill). You really start to appreciate your mass effect powers, and combining powers with your squad to double-team or triple-team a mook. The HeavyIncinerate/Warp/Lift combo quickly became my best friend on Insanity

Well I did use a similar process, but then my left trigger started doing this weird squeaky sound. I don't want to mash up my controller though. I decided to make minning only when neccesary. I also discovered that I ran out of money to acquire more probes, which made me go make a new playthrough. It still less painful than the Mako segments though.

As for combat, undoubtly, is way better than in the first game. At least your squad mates don't run in the way to block your view, and the weapons do real damage. I am playing it now in Veteran to get used for Insanity.

 

[Pentarch]

Best opening line ever!!!!!

 

[EXos]

WAHAHAHA the end is awsome.

 

[ShadeFox]

I've beaten the game twice and I did a fair amount of mining both times, but I don't see any point in which you NEED to do it. Besides, if you import a ME1 profile or replay ME2 you get a resource bonus. I started my second playthrough with around 50,000 of each element, which was awesome.

the first time I imported my ME1 char I only got 2.5k, but on my second import I got the 50k+ I think it's only on the second play through, which makes sense.

but yeah the combat is miles above in quality then the first one, I actually have to worry about when to use powers unlike in the first one. My infiltrator could basically disable sheilds/powers/weapons and do 3/4 of their health with powers alone within 1-2 seconds.

but I love my second character... I forget the class, the one that's a mix of tech and biotic, freezing then bursting enemies with throw never gets old . Neither does seeing people fly off ledges/bridges.

 

[Benjeezy]

LOL excellent review.

Still waiting for him to tear Dante's Inferno apart, but w/e.

 

[Discrodia]

Hafta say, the comparison to EVE was the funniest part of that one.

I mean, seriously, at least with EVE you can go do something interesting while you mine, in ME2 it's a freaking chore.

 

[xDHxD148L0]

I thought he would rip it appart lol, but I was surprised to see him hiving bioware props for writing.

 

[Little Duck]

How about, instead of the scanning, you can fly down to the surface of the planet in the shuttle to mineral hotspots generated by algorithms. Kinda like elite's planets were. Alternitavely you can press an auto scan button for a lower reward. Still needs something to make it fun. HEY we haven't seen any shuttle fighters in this game.

 

[ian528]

I think this is the most blah review he has done for a while. The vitriol that inhabits most of his review is missing for the main point that it is a basically good or great game. However, the elephant that was in the room that he did nod to and then move on from is the lack of real nudity in the game. I am not saying that I want full frontal nudity in every game but the love scenes in this were tame in comparison with the first one. I would have much rather had the controversy back about this title and its relationships that finding that my R-rated game has PG-13 graphics when dealing with emotionally resonant relationships. That being said it is also oddly much more graphically sexual then the first game. (Fleet and Flotilla, Varren VD, My knees are suppose to bend that way) It is somewhat jarring to hear all this talk and then be left with a character who is mostly naked (Jack or Miranda(how tight is that thing)) for the entire game and not delivering on the emotional resonance you build in the story with a good love/sex scene. That would make the cuddling that is available afterwards make much more sense. Does it vaguely remind anyone else of twilight with this sex without sex?

 

[Woodsey]

Bioware games have good writing now?

Well they sure hid that in all the games I've played by them.

That's a nice business card you have there. I'm surprised you've kept it dry whilst living under that bridge.

What?

Don't give him a second thought. Just someone who thinks a differing opinion on a game he adores is trolling. I haven't played ME2, but as for DA:O, I will agree with your above statement. Not bad writing, but horribly generic writing.

Mass Effect 2, eh? Interesting, I'm really on the fence about buying the game, so let's see if Yahtzee can help me with this..

So after all the rave reviews you're basing your decision on the guy whose job it is to trash everything despite its quality?

OT: Really good episode this time - definitely helps if you've played the games first.

I think Psychosocial was being sarcastic.
And as with all of Yahtzee's reviews, it works best if you've played as they are usually pretty biased and an opinion shouldn't be formed on the Yahtzee review.

Yeah, I did wonder if that was the case. I have seen a couple of people on here that were basing the purchase of a game solely on his "review" so I wasn't sure.