Where are my Satellite Guy's gamers at?
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I got Mass Effect 2 in the mail this weekend. I'm excited to play but just need to find time to. I'm not sure ill actually be able to finish this one.
I got to play ME2 Monday for about an hour which really wasn't enough to get a good feel for it yet. So far the graphics are great and the voice is well done for the most part but I have to get use to the controls. I didn't know which character class to go with so I just went with Soldier. I'm curious what you guys picked when you did it and if you played with more than one which was your favorite. I searched online and everyone seems to have their own opinions as to what is the best.
I've played ME2 as a Sentinel, Adept, Infiltrator, and Engineer. It really comes down to your preferred playstyle. I feel like I play "soldier" in just about every other game I play; so on the one hand, it may feel more accessible and there might be less of a learning curve, but it runs the risk of making the game feel like another shooter. Sentinel offers a nice hybrid of caster/soldier and gives you the tools (warp/overload) to deal with every type of every enemy protection (shield/armor/barrier). You also get the tech armor that's great for when you get swarmed by husks. Before you get too deep you might want to read up about the different class builds on the ME wiki. Here's a link to the Sentinel.
Soldier is a good one to start with. I only ever did Soldier and Adept (Paragon and Renegade respectfully.) Yes the Soldier is rather generic, but that firepower gets the job done well. Just make sure you deploy with at least 1 biotic teammate on most missions.
Yep I was a soldier all the way through the series. I kept 2 biotics in my squad for most missions. That's the beauty of this series. You can ask several people how they play and who there preferred squad was and you can get a different answer every time. There are also story beats that change based on your decisions that make it so your game plays out differently than my game.
You didn't do two playthroughs of paragon/renegade? Or did you just stay a soldier for both?
You really are missing out on the whole experience if you don't try both allegiances. It's a very different experience and the way you interact with people changes quite a bit. It's also sort of cool how in ME2, the more Renegade you are, the more you look like a psycho with the glowing red skin and red pupils.
This reminds me.. I REALLY need to go back to ME3 and finish that second playthrough with Kate Shepard. I think deep down I may never get to it but I refuse to sell my copy to Gamestop just in case it comes to that. Quite frankly my consoles have been quite neglected since I got back into PC gaming, and this Steam sale (along with Amazon and Gamefly) isn't going to change that.
So I just finished Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons..
Once again, this is an indie game with the “story over gameplay” thing going for it, which is good, because if it was pushing gameplay as a selling point then it would do about as well as the QB of the Packers did against the Lions on Thanksgiving. The game REQUIRES a dual analog gamepad like the Xbox 360 controller as you have to control both brothers separately. If you can get your brain to adjust to this without any significant problems then you deserve a medal. The controls are not a deal-breaker, but they do lead to quite a bit of frustration. Many games I’ve played use the right analog stick to move and the left one to look, so oftentimes out of habit I’d move the right stick to try and move the “left” character. Most of my deaths in the game resulted simply from some sort of control mishap or mistake. I understand what the developers were going for trying to deliver a single player co-op experience, but frankly this game would probably have been better executed with a keyboard and mouse control scheme. However, this likely did not happen because this was also released for consoles. I guess they wanted a consistent experience among all the platforms, regardless of how frustrating it was.
Well I suppose I should go into what this game is actually about since it’s so story driven. Basically you play as two brothers who go on a semi-epic journey to find water from the tree of life to save their dying dad. Why are the kids going instead of the mom? Because the mom is dead, and it’s basically the younger brother’s fault she’s dead. No, that is not a big spoiler because they reveal this literally right after you push the “start” button. She drowns and as a result the younger one is afraid of water and swimming and needs the older brother to help him get through water areas. There’s no combat to speak of in this game for the most part. It’s really just a series of puzzle solving sequences, but they’re not on the level of traditional adventure games like Monkey Island, and instead are more like those from Uncharted and Tomb Raider, meaning they’re easy as long as you’re not severely mentally handicapped.
From watching the trailers of this game, you might think it’s a “Neverending Story-Esque” epic adventure. The trailers hide the true nature of the tone of this game. Honestly, this is one of the darkest games I’ve ever played. There were a number of parts that represented a rather jarring change in tone, ranging from slightly disturbing to genuinely f-ed up. The one that sticks out to me is a section where you basically navigate through a giant graveyard. When I say “giant graveyard,” I do not mean that there are many graves there, but rather there are a bunch of dead giants who apparently were on the losing side of an epic battle. Blood flows everywhere, there are numerous severed limbs, and it gets rather grotesque when you have to do things like push a dead giant’s arm out of the way by pushing against a spear lodged in it until the limb moves and you can progress. There’s another part right near the end where you go to very extreme and grotesque lengths to “win.” All I’ll say is that it’s akin to ripping the legs off a spider one by one. Also, while I don’t want to spoil the ending, I’ll say that had I been told what the ending was before I played, I likely would not have played this game because I would have thought, “Well, I don’t want to invest my time in a game that ends up with a payoff like that.”
That’s not to say I felt that my time was wasted playing this game. However, when answering the question of “Is this game worth my time and money,” I’d have to say yes and no. The game retails for $15, which is NOT a good asking price IMO, mainly given how short this game is. Steam clocked my game time at 3 hours, and given that there’s really no replay value in this game (unless you’re an achievement whore) it’s hard to justify $15 for this. I got it at 50% off, which is a much more reasonable price to deal with. It just so happens that this game is on sale for 50% off on the current Steam Autumn Sale. If you’re looking for an intriguing story, Brothers can deliver, but keep in mind there are many other games that deliver better at cheaper prices, such as To The Moon, which is also on sale at an even more appealing price of $2.99. Overall, I give it a B-.
Still working through Saints Row 4. Clocked in about 30 hours so far as I've just had so much fun doing all the optional missions and I just got the Enter the Dominatrix DLC package. I'll likely keep jumping from game to game for the foreseeable future to coincide with my diagnosed ADHD.
Once again, this is an indie game with the “story over gameplay” thing going for it, which is good, because if it was pushing gameplay as a selling point then it would do about as well as the QB of the Packers did against the Lions on Thanksgiving. The game REQUIRES a dual analog gamepad like the Xbox 360 controller as you have to control both brothers separately. If you can get your brain to adjust to this without any significant problems then you deserve a medal. The controls are not a deal-breaker, but they do lead to quite a bit of frustration. Many games I’ve played use the right analog stick to move and the left one to look, so oftentimes out of habit I’d move the right stick to try and move the “left” character. Most of my deaths in the game resulted simply from some sort of control mishap or mistake. I understand what the developers were going for trying to deliver a single player co-op experience, but frankly this game would probably have been better executed with a keyboard and mouse control scheme. However, this likely did not happen because this was also released for consoles. I guess they wanted a consistent experience among all the platforms, regardless of how frustrating it was.
Well I suppose I should go into what this game is actually about since it’s so story driven. Basically you play as two brothers who go on a semi-epic journey to find water from the tree of life to save their dying dad. Why are the kids going instead of the mom? Because the mom is dead, and it’s basically the younger brother’s fault she’s dead. No, that is not a big spoiler because they reveal this literally right after you push the “start” button. She drowns and as a result the younger one is afraid of water and swimming and needs the older brother to help him get through water areas. There’s no combat to speak of in this game for the most part. It’s really just a series of puzzle solving sequences, but they’re not on the level of traditional adventure games like Monkey Island, and instead are more like those from Uncharted and Tomb Raider, meaning they’re easy as long as you’re not severely mentally handicapped.
From watching the trailers of this game, you might think it’s a “Neverending Story-Esque” epic adventure. The trailers hide the true nature of the tone of this game. Honestly, this is one of the darkest games I’ve ever played. There were a number of parts that represented a rather jarring change in tone, ranging from slightly disturbing to genuinely f-ed up. The one that sticks out to me is a section where you basically navigate through a giant graveyard. When I say “giant graveyard,” I do not mean that there are many graves there, but rather there are a bunch of dead giants who apparently were on the losing side of an epic battle. Blood flows everywhere, there are numerous severed limbs, and it gets rather grotesque when you have to do things like push a dead giant’s arm out of the way by pushing against a spear lodged in it until the limb moves and you can progress. There’s another part right near the end where you go to very extreme and grotesque lengths to “win.” All I’ll say is that it’s akin to ripping the legs off a spider one by one. Also, while I don’t want to spoil the ending, I’ll say that had I been told what the ending was before I played, I likely would not have played this game because I would have thought, “Well, I don’t want to invest my time in a game that ends up with a payoff like that.”
That’s not to say I felt that my time was wasted playing this game. However, when answering the question of “Is this game worth my time and money,” I’d have to say yes and no. The game retails for $15, which is NOT a good asking price IMO, mainly given how short this game is. Steam clocked my game time at 3 hours, and given that there’s really no replay value in this game (unless you’re an achievement whore) it’s hard to justify $15 for this. I got it at 50% off, which is a much more reasonable price to deal with. It just so happens that this game is on sale for 50% off on the current Steam Autumn Sale. If you’re looking for an intriguing story, Brothers can deliver, but keep in mind there are many other games that deliver better at cheaper prices, such as To The Moon, which is also on sale at an even more appealing price of $2.99. Overall, I give it a B-.
Still working through Saints Row 4. Clocked in about 30 hours so far as I've just had so much fun doing all the optional missions and I just got the Enter the Dominatrix DLC package. I'll likely keep jumping from game to game for the foreseeable future to coincide with my diagnosed ADHD.
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About to embark on the last mission of Saints Row 4.. I have to say though... I really like it when a game does this:
Brothers and SR4 are two of the games I want to get too soon. The only reason I haven't touched them yet is because I have become absorbed in the PS4. I actually have many better PC games in my backlog but the PS4 games have gotten priority because it is the new toy. I'm sure that will wear off soon, especially because there are really no more games coming until inFamous in March.
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I was able to log some good hours in on ME2 over the weekend. I'm 16 hours in now and have really enjoyed it. The problem I'm having(not really a problem) is that there is so much info in the game that it can be hard to wrap my head around all of it. I know I am not taking advantage of all the abilities I have especially in battle. I know I can tell my squad where to go and give commands but I do not do it well. Everything seems to fast pace for me yet to actually have a strategy in battle that is different than just shooting everyone.
I realize that 16 hours in isn't a ton yet in this game and I'm hoping I will refine my skills. So far the game is living up to the hype. So many things to do in this game and so little time to do it. LOL
My biggest complaint with the game is the loading times between every break like after missions. The one that drives me crazy is waiting for load times when taking the elevator between floors on the Normandy. Sometimes I don't even want to visit a different floor because it takes so long. I'm the type that likes to check everything out after every mission and talk to every crew member. This can take almost an hour just because of the load times, how big the ship is and how many crew members you have.
I realize that 16 hours in isn't a ton yet in this game and I'm hoping I will refine my skills. So far the game is living up to the hype. So many things to do in this game and so little time to do it. LOL
My biggest complaint with the game is the loading times between every break like after missions. The one that drives me crazy is waiting for load times when taking the elevator between floors on the Normandy. Sometimes I don't even want to visit a different floor because it takes so long. I'm the type that likes to check everything out after every mission and talk to every crew member. This can take almost an hour just because of the load times, how big the ship is and how many crew members you have.
I don't recall ME2 having really bad loading times.. but then again I played on the 360 with the discs installed on my HDD. I'm assuming you're playing a disc based PS3 version?
As far as the squad thing goes, you don't have to worry much about them until you get into hard difficulty. At that point you'll absolutely need to utilize their abilities and strategize, like having them take down enemy shields, focusing on high priority targets, etc. Also, the enemies will be tougher and easier to take them down, and med-gel can be scarce at times. You'll have to tell them to take cover and run away at certain times, or else they'll just stay out and keep attacking.
As far as the squad thing goes, you don't have to worry much about them until you get into hard difficulty. At that point you'll absolutely need to utilize their abilities and strategize, like having them take down enemy shields, focusing on high priority targets, etc. Also, the enemies will be tougher and easier to take them down, and med-gel can be scarce at times. You'll have to tell them to take cover and run away at certain times, or else they'll just stay out and keep attacking.
I didn't play on hard difficulty but for the most part I played the same way as you Scherman. For the most part I just let my squad do their own thing. I think there is an option somewhere in the settings where you can toggle whether or not you want them to use their powers on their own. I kept that option turned on and they were usually pretty good about using them to help out in the fights. Sometimes I would manually tell them to use warp or some other power on a specific enemy but I never used the commands telling them where to go.
I also spent lots of time making sure I talked to the whole crew after almost every main story mission. I played on the PS3 too and I know exactly what you mean about the load times. It was definitely a pain going to other floors to talk to people because you had to wait for loading every time you get in the elevator. It's totally worth hearing what these characters have to say though, especially if you play the whole trilogy. By the end of my playthrough of ME3 Sheppard and Garrus had one of the best video game friendships of all time.
You will probably want to do the loyalty missions for at least your favorite squad mates too. Some of them are pretty interesting missions and completing them makes that character stronger. They also have implications on the story. I did the loyalty mission for each of my squad members except for one. The one I didn't do was unavailable to me because I sided with another squad member during an argument earlier in the game. When I was making that choice I didn't realize it was going to have that effect but that is the beauty of the game. You just make the choices that feel natural to you and there are positive or negative consequences that come from your choices.
I also spent lots of time making sure I talked to the whole crew after almost every main story mission. I played on the PS3 too and I know exactly what you mean about the load times. It was definitely a pain going to other floors to talk to people because you had to wait for loading every time you get in the elevator. It's totally worth hearing what these characters have to say though, especially if you play the whole trilogy. By the end of my playthrough of ME3 Sheppard and Garrus had one of the best video game friendships of all time.
You will probably want to do the loyalty missions for at least your favorite squad mates too. Some of them are pretty interesting missions and completing them makes that character stronger. They also have implications on the story. I did the loyalty mission for each of my squad members except for one. The one I didn't do was unavailable to me because I sided with another squad member during an argument earlier in the game. When I was making that choice I didn't realize it was going to have that effect but that is the beauty of the game. You just make the choices that feel natural to you and there are positive or negative consequences that come from your choices.
Let me guess about the fight..
the Miranda/Jack thing? I sided with Jack and she ended up being my romance partner. We made quite the couple.
I think you CAN make it so that you don't turn off either person, but that requires a second playthrough, or rather, you need have enough Paragon/Renegade points and you can't do that unless you imported/replayed and get that boost in the beginning.
You nailed it.
I sided with Jack too. The thing is I was actually trying to make Miranda the romance partner at that point and I didn't know I was making a decision that would cut that off. I ended up with Tali after I pissed Miranda off but Jack was one of my favorite characters in the series. I ended up with Ashley in both ME1 and ME3.
So my loving vacation with Saints Row 4 has finally come to an end..
Normally I don't like referring to other reviews to give my views on a game, but honestly Yahtzee nailed it pretty well in his review (NSFW, but then again so is Saints Row). Also I tried a number of times to write a proper review but I'd find myself writing grand opus love stories that became borderline psychotic (or insanely long), but here's a few things I did in this game that I never did in any other open world game:
Overall I give it an A. It's a shoe-in for a slot in my GOTY category.
Been playing a few other games in the meantime. Picked up The Stanley Parable at the Steam sale and the commentary version of "Gone Home" has been very interesting. Also been playing through Batman: AA again, which is just a blast to go through again (even for a third time.) I got an email yesterday from Gamefly saying Assassin's Creed 4 is on the way, so I guess I'll finally have a reason to dust off my 360.
Normally I don't like referring to other reviews to give my views on a game, but honestly Yahtzee nailed it pretty well in his review (NSFW, but then again so is Saints Row). Also I tried a number of times to write a proper review but I'd find myself writing grand opus love stories that became borderline psychotic (or insanely long), but here's a few things I did in this game that I never did in any other open world game:
- Completed all the side missions (before the story mode completed)
- Level maxed my character
- Imported my character from a previous game (yes I know you can do that in Mass Effect but that's not really an open world game.)
- Modified my character's clothes/appearance more times that I have in other open world games I've played combined.
- Paid for DLC before it was discounted and before I finished the story mode
Overall I give it an A. It's a shoe-in for a slot in my GOTY category.
Been playing a few other games in the meantime. Picked up The Stanley Parable at the Steam sale and the commentary version of "Gone Home" has been very interesting. Also been playing through Batman: AA again, which is just a blast to go through again (even for a third time.) I got an email yesterday from Gamefly saying Assassin's Creed 4 is on the way, so I guess I'll finally have a reason to dust off my 360.
I made the same choice as you. I like them both and was siding towards Miranda before the fight. I didn't realize it would end that way. As odd as it sounds for a video game, they each have their sexiness. Looks like it's going to be a kinky romance with Jack.
I plan on completely each loyalty mission and I should be able to. I did Jack's loyalty mission before I did Miranda's so they are both taken care of. So far I've done Jack's, Miranda's and Jacob's. Definitely a fun game and look forward to playing ME3 after I finish this one.
