You want to turn it into EVE Online?

dohohohoho

I for once disagree with this very opinion.
If Mass Effect will be a pure shooter it will deny its RPG side. Because pure shooters do not have choices. How much choice does Doom offer?
Plus public opinion is widely disregarded during the games production process. Dragon Age 2 is a perfect example.

McDonalds outsells many restaurants too. That doesn't mean its better.

obtaining levels in oblivion was absolutly pointless if you were not aiming for 5+ 5+ 5+/1+, it was insane to even bother leveling as enemies would always be stronger then you with poor leveling, but aiming for 5/5/5 or 5/5/1 was an absolute pain in the ass,

Which, for all practical intents and purposes, works the same way as getting weaker. You get stronger and EVERYTHING ELSE, including bandits and mudcrabs, get even stronger than that.

Level 2 champion of the arena, level 50 bandits in glass armor, fuck year.

@Derp Now!!: Objectively speaking, you do grow in power, it's just that the enemies grow in power too.

@ twilight

In which case, oblivion is not an RPG as you start off strong and the level scaling makes you weak by the end

I think you need to reevaluate your definitions

[url=#user_comment_73981]@Waffles[/url]: U mad? Face it, Bio stories have never been amazing, but they were still pretty good back in the old days. However, instead of making these stories better, they focused on making their games more cinematic and better looking and allowed the whole story aspect decline.

What gave you the idea to have a Lo-Fi Hat? Any why does it look like that

Also, the team working on ME3 have stated multiple times that they're working on making the RPG elements deeper, including widely branching trees for combat skills. So there's no (rational) fear at this point that ME3 will be all-shooter.

Mass Effect was good, but even with less RPG elements, 2 was way better because the first was loaded with gameplay polish issues.

Jesus Christ this is the second person in a week who's missed what the RPG genre is about...

I'll keep it short this time. Choices, character, all that crap is the Story. Genre is gameplay. the RPG genre is about progression, about how you start off weak and end up strong, as opposed to static.

"RPGs are about choices and creating your own unique character"

This just in, the majority of shooters also fall under this category, if the terms are used as loosely as it is here.

It's like saying there's no such thing as bad playing in multiplayer games, just different playstyles. Durr

What most people prefer and what they get are to completely different things that are often missed for various reasons. I trust you understand that saying "What People Prefer" is like saying "Anyone who disagrees come at me bro!"

Tentacles gonna rape.

Me and several friends I have polled would buy that first panel on a shirt. In a heartbeat. Just sayin'.

Long live the Mako!

[url=#user_comment_73981]@Waffles[/url]: Yeah man, EA is "protecting their interests" by creating an inferior DD platform that literally scours each user's HDD and sells all relevant information to third party marketing firms. Origin is 'spyware' in the truest sense of the word. Keep defending EA though, hero.

Yeah, EA just happened to have a problem with how STEAM handles DLC right when Origin is finished. Even though the way they were treating EA was the exact same as all the other companies still happily using STEAM to sell their games.

I'll be getting ME3, but lets not pretend it is Valve's fault.

[url=#user_comment_73970]@Kissamies[/url] the trilogy ends... Corporations look to protect their interests. Selling games on Steam, a rival publisher's software, is not in EA's interest. Therefore they made Origin. Also, Valve were being dicks to EA about how they sold their DLC. Rant Over.

[url=#user_comment_73970]@Kissamies[/url] cont. but get over yourself. It's called game evolution. Bioware has improved on it's old formula a billion times over and to say otherwise is stupider than to say they've been on a "steady decline". Also, fuck you and your "looking for reasons to hate EA thing. EA are a corporation.

[url=#user_comment_73970]@Kissamies[/url] seriously.... seriously.... Bioware has only gotten insanely better since the BG days and to say otherwise is a massively stupid and asinine. Look, I get that whole "the old generation of games were great and awesome and that games nowdays are for console-fags"

"what people want" .... or what companies try to push down our throats.

Meh, BioWare has been on a slow and steady decline since Throne of Bhaal and that decline has been accelerated by the whole EA thing.

I don't expect much from 3, but I might still buy it to complete the trilogy as long as it doesn't require Origin. If it does, I don't think I'm going to bother.

I agree with trickfred, that Mako shot needs to be wallpaper'd.

[url=#user_comment_73958]@Firewind[/url] and who pays Mass Effect team?

Okay, that first frame needs to be wallpaper-size-ized!

/love the Mako

I have nostalgia over ME1, and an incredible experience and emotional rollercoaster with ME2. I don't have anything to add because I think panel 2's comparison is excellent.

All they did was improve combat! Streamline your Cookability!

I'm surprised no one's added a "no soup for you" photo note in that thar middle panel...

I loved ME1 and i liked action based gameplay of ME2. But story of ME2 was not epic lol it was stupid and full of plot holes.

...It's hard to really oppose piracy in the UK when you're being gouged to that extent for a game.

Also, people who whine about RPG elements being "dumbed down" are funny. ME1 really did have too many skill things and all ME2 did was compress it down into something less insane.

...Really the only way to support devs directly and ensuring that your money either don't just go to the retailer, publisher or the developing company's corporate side is to literally hunt down the dev team and give them the money yourself.

Games also cost the equivalent of $70 here in the UK...

Hate to play devil's advocate but buying the game does nothing to support the devs. All it does it pad the retailer's pockets.

Even buying Mass Effect from Bioware directly for example still doesn't support the Mass Effect team directly. It supports Bioware Corp...

Can I be a little rude, just for once? FUCK OFF.
Fuck off with everyone who thinks that Mass Effect 2 sucks just beacuse it lacks "RPG elements".Final Fantasy XIII has plenty of "RPG elements": too bad it's basically a CGI film in which you don't have any CONTROL whatsoever, and a grinding fun fair

[url=#user_comment_73923]@sx[/url]: Please, for the love of God, go to school and get a job. Then, maybe you'll gain an appreciation of value and show respect to those who work hard and dedicate their long hours making a game for you to play. I don't know about you, but I'd be pissed if someone stole something I worked hard for.

I agree that condensing skill selection didn't make it less of an RPG, but I do think doing away with loot lessened it substantially. Sure, it sucked having to go through my entire squad to upgrade Space Optics VIII to Space Optics IX, but the answer to that problem isn't to eliminate all choice.

[url=#user_comment_73923]@sx[/url]: ...Morality subjective and contradictory? You see, THAT'S your problem. You have a broken compass. YOU think it's a good idea to steal a game from a company that works HARD, DAY AND NIGHT, to make the game. Honestly? Buy it, or GTFO!

...shit, forgot to close the nested IF statement. Abort, abort!

More on topic (now with less ham-handed code gags), while I didn't care much for the weapons side of the ME1 inventory management, upgrading weapons and outfitting my characters with better armor was fun. I missed that in two, but was having too much fun Vanguarding things upside the head to care.

IF (pirate = true)
check (trybeforebuy = true)
IF (trybeforebuy = true)
PRINT (not so bad)
ELSE
PRINT (douche)
END IF

one thing i dont miss from mass effect 1 was the sheer number of weapons you could get, clogged up your inventory before you knew what to do if you werent careful. so glad they streamlined THAT

In the end, all we can do is wait and see...

Free copy of Excel? I don't get it; is it supposed to promote modability?

[url=#user_comment_73923]@sx[/url]: What I am really thinking? Here, lemme show you: "SX likes Mass Effect 3, because he is actually bothered to download and 'waste his time' on the game... but he is too cheapskate to pay for his entertainment" Yup. What I am really thinking.

In an RPG, decisions you make about the character are the focus of the game. From choices you make in the story to the impact levelling and item choices make on your playstyle. ME2 simplifies the second bit significantly. For me, game isn't an rpg if I'm more important to combat than my character :/

Bioware writes compelling and epic storys, and good options within that story to get a personal and strong protagonist. and thats their strongpoint. They don't really make good gameplay and their best games are blatant copies gameplay wise from other games. Like starwars d20 or gears of war.

I don't mind the streamlining of the RPG mechanics, and I have high hopes for ME3 (ME2 is in my top five games) but I totally see the Gears of War comparison. Footage looks very brown, all shooting, no plot. Shep can now roll like a Gears guy. That awful new party member?
It's worrying.

[url=#user_comment_73919]@MartyMcFly[/url]: Angry little child, aren't you? That's a lot of pent up impotent rage you've got there. Why don't you calm down tell us what you're REALLY thinking?

There is my opinion. My morality tells me if you cant just say "Duh I pirate because I don't want to spend money for a game" you should just shut up and say nothing.
Did this and faired well till I earned mone in my regular job. :P

[url=#user_comment_73889]@sx[/url] "Uh I am a tough pirate looking for excuses why I pirate!" What was that? Morality? Opinion? You should do the Kurt Cobain dance with a doublebarreled shotgun in your mouth and do the click.

In the later games, only Fable and Mass Effect gives you real RPG-Choice, even if ME3 is even more action oriented, it doesn't loose it's RPG features.

I never played mAss Effect so i cant realy comment.....and yet i did :D

I miss real RPGs. :/

At least Bioware dares to try new things every game, amirait? Much better than the shit the CoD franchise pulls of (or actually doesn't pull off).

[url=#user_comment_73896]@Nerfnow[/url] If by "paying for it" you mean "less hard drive space", then yes, you do. Otherwise, the rest of us that aren't pirating tentacle porn off of sketchy japanese sites are probably going to get away scot free. :3

Psh! Screw gravity!

[url=#user_comment_73889]@sx[/url]: Piracy is riskier (i.e. virus and stuff) Risk may (or may not) be small, but I won't compromise my computer because of it, too much important stuff goes on my PC these days for me to risk it for a game. There is no such thing as a "free meal". You always pay for it, in a way or another.

Pimp your Sheppard!
BTW, most games nowadays can be labeled as a RPG since you are impersonating someone.

Anyone notice how this comic is labeled under Magic the Gathering?

Also, I think you drew the skill bars quite well.

[url=#user_comment_73889]@sx[/url]: Man, youre so cool. Anarchy forever man.

[url=#user_comment_73870]@wkz[/url]: Sure, why not? Outside of some ridiculous sense of "morality" (Which is probably the most subjective and contradictory concept in existence), why shouldn't I pirate it? You can't offer me anything other than your opinion, which is just as worthless and subjective as one's view on "morality".

"it's clear what most people prefer."
Everything is 3D now, even Marvel vs Capcom is 3D now. I just hope that they release a new 2D metal slug game.
I miss 2D games... T__T

But... Mass Effect 3 didn't have a plot!

So ME3 comes with a free month of EVE Online?

As for RPGs vs. Stat-grinds, I favour RPGs. Interesting question for people here, what games would they consider to be RPGs, because I think that stat-grinding might make it less of one, rather then more (in that respect, though, ME2 did make exp mission-based, thus removing silly grinding aspects)

Lack of crosshairs? Yeah, no. Soldiers learn to blindfire & to anticipate where their gun is pointing, at the cost of accuracy. And you're fucking SHEPARD. You can fire without ironsights. Should just have it look like they're aiming as they're firing.

[url=#user_comment_73875]@Dumbledoofus[/url]: I'd prefer not to.

Fuck Ponies.

The sad thing is no single-player game has ever been made that has anything that even vaguely resembles real roleplaying, because in order to actually roleplay you need a system capable of interpreting anything you wish to say or do. I.e. a GM. So you'll only find true roleplaying online anyway.

This confusion about what makes a video game an RPG only started when games started to resemble role-playing and arguments began between those who played the old linear Final Fantasy style RPGs and the old school pen and paper guys playing these new blank slate games.

The problem here is RPG has never meant the same in the context of video games as it does on pen and paper. The early RPGs that defined the term in the video game world had no actual role-playing. RPG referred to a game with gameplay similar to a pen-and-paper RPGs, namely stats and dice roll combat

[url=#user_comment_73867]@sx[/url]: So because of a clash of the game's evolution with your own opinion, a game which is actually not bad no matter how you look at it, it is ok to pirate stuff?? ... I HATE EVERYTHING!!!

Turn based RPGs were the shit. Look at the persona series, it rocked!

I'll be happy as long as the pause-to-ability is still there.

And as long as I can opt out of Origin.

I'm totally cool with Mass Effect being turned into a console-tard Gears clone.

I'll happily pirate it and all of the overpriced DLC.

RPGs are about choices (which you have) and "creating your own unique character"

hahaha oh wow

Yes yes this this this. Thankee.

(Tempted to say first). My only problem with ME2 was the limited ammo.
By the way Jo microsoft excel is not cheap, so if I can get it for 50 dollars that is a real bargain.