I personally haven’t played ME2 yet. This is just my thoughts to an article I read about why Mass Effect 2 is the future of RPGs.
Is Mass Effect 2 really that good? People have been extolling great things about it. And I have no doubt that it is a good first person RPG. But seems like it is just that: a good first person RPG. There is a game in every RPG sub-genre that is. Diablo 2 provided a very addictive “Action” RPGs, a very different kind of fun. I have no doubt that Mass Effect 2 is fun, but to call it revolutionary? I don’t think that ME2 is revolutionary, it’s probably just “accessible”. And the hype surrounding it is just astounding.
Mass Effect 2 has high production values and graphics that could kill you if it wanted to. All these does not come cheap. It is not unreasonable for me to say that the capital needed for a game of such bang-whizz-kapow graphics (Ooooh, that’s such a technical term!) rivals the development cost of big-budget movies. At about S$60 a copy, ME2 needs to, and must, sell well to recoup, hence the need for accessibility. From the article above, it seems like the developers have removed all the “boring” aspects of RPGs (character statistics, inventory management, etc) to please a more trigger-happy crowd. Is the decision to make the combat more shooter-like a snap reaction to mass complains from people who play Fallout 3 like a shooter? Since shooters do sell well due to their mass appeal, why not take less risk by making ME2 more like one? Modern Warfare 2 has shown the world that shooters are immensely popular. Add some RPG elements to it and voilà! You probably have a Mass Effect 2 clone. And millions of people will lap it up. While some will hail it as the next step to RPGs. But only if you have graphics to die for.
Are RPG tropes really all that boring? Then the above screen will probably make most of this generation’s gamers puke their brains out. 7 character stats, 125 possible class combinations, tons of skills, limited skill points, and a mini-map system that depends on the level of your Cartography skill; this is a game that is immensely enjoyable to others. Sadly though, stat-driven games are reduced to a niche these days. Perhaps a lot of people do not enjoy simply because it takes too much brain cells to process whether an additional point in Lock Picks is a good choice for a Fighter. But to me, it’s these choices that define my character. Is he a jack-of-all-trades-but-master-of-none? Or is he a super-strong-killing-machine? Or does he dump every skill into Cartography in order to explore and create precise maps? The latter may be unconventional, but some people like the challenge of playing an unarmed explorer. Who’s to say that is a wrong way to play?
Level-grinding is a staple in MMOs for sure, but never have I found the need to when I played single player RPGs, unless you equate side-quests with level-grinding. I think level-grinding means to be mindlessly killing zillions of spawning creep in exchange for minimal experience for no reason whatsoever, just so you can make the cut. Side-quests, on the other hand, is more of a fun diversion, to be done if you wanted to. A few RPGs, like Eschalon Book 1, even allow you to go on and challenge the main boss while you’re still low level if you want to, by skipping all the side quests. But of course, that choice is entirely up to you. Make no mistake, you’ll die for sure, but if you want a bigger challenge, the road is there if you want. I strayed into a quest area for a higher level character, and promptly got my butt kicked.
I have no doubt that the success of ME2 will further perpetuate the first-person role-playing shooter category. The much-loved Morrowind series is a nice blend of stats and first-person-iness, but since then, the focus seems to shift more towards the latter in an attempt to please the huge FPS crowd which equates to high sales. While it’s a fun concept, I do long for more top-down isometric RPGs.
Oh wait, there’s Eschalon Book 2 and hopefully Age Of Decadence coming this year. Please excuse me while I pre-order Din’s Curse as well!
I guess I’m a dying breed. Thank God for indies!
(If anyone out there disagrees with me, you are free to provide me a copy of the revolutionray ME2 to see for myself what I have been missing. Please contact me to send me a copy. Thanks! 
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Tags: mass effect 2
