tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1229618075021986600.post8095526560637038938..comments2024-02-07T22:21:28.079+11:00Comments on Creations of AmstradHero: Baldur's Gate 2 vs Mass Effect 2AmstradHerohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02313267316109911061noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1229618075021986600.post-76230583623947058122010-08-08T03:02:48.189+10:002010-08-08T03:02:48.189+10:00I think some people miss that the whole focus of M...I think some people miss that the whole focus of ME2 was the "loyalty missions." Many people think of them as side quests, but they *aren't.* You have to complete at least two just to finish the game, and you can do up to 10 of them. They are mostly optional, but they were the focus of the game. (So they aren't side quests like the personal missions of BG2.)<br /><br />I agree 500% on the shortness and shallowness of ME2's main plot. I never really cared about the Collectors, they were off somewhere doing their thing while I was doing mine. I guess that's what happens when you get 15+ major story arcs. (12 for characters, 1 for Shepard/EDI, 1 main plot, 1 series plot.)<br /><br />I mean, we get 5 "main plot" missions and then we get 18-20 major missions for our squad. When I heard ME2 was a character-focused game, I wasn't expecting it to be so obvious.<br /><br />Thing is, ME1 only had a few main plot missions (Eden Prime, Citadel, Feros, Therum, Noveria, Virmire, Ilos.) That's about 7 missions, but each mission made you care about what the villains were. Each mission stressed either Saren or Sovereign as antagonists, and the Thorian on Feros or Matriarch on Noveria were well-known by the player before they became boss fights.<br /><br />Saying this, ME2 suffered with short missions that were basically condensed versions of the stories they could have told. (Play Mordin's recruitment mission. Tell me there wasn't a better way of telling the player the Collectors were involved than having a Vorcha monologue.) Adapting and revising a comparison I found elsewhere, Mass Effect is like reading a novel or a series of novellas while ME2 is a collection of short stories. (Get it? Collection? Nevermind...)<br /><br />Summary: there didn't need to be more main missions in ME2, we just had to care about what was happening. Freedom's Progress? Already lost. Horizon? Too short, didn't care. Derelict Reaper? Missed potential of pushing the trilogy plot forward.<br /><br />I'm going to let other people dispute my claims now, I could rant about ME2 all day...Jackkel Dragonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08150621752653550139noreply@blogger.com