Rob Sanders: Sanders Technology

A few years ago Canadian games developer BioWare brought us the critically acclaimed “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic” and later followed with “Jade Empire” and, more recently, “Mass Effect” and “Dragon Age”.

In 2010, BioWare (now owned by Electronic Arts) has released the long awaited sequel to Mass Effect in the form of Mass Effect 2.  If you are not familiar with the former (Mass Effect) I will briefly give you an overview, before looking at the sequel (skip this next section if you are already familiar with Mass Effect).

Overview of Mass Effect 1

In essence, Mass Effect (1) brought much of the core game play values of Knights of the Old Republic to a non-Star Wars universe.  The game is a role playing game combined with a first person shooter engine, which allows details such as weapon customization, assignment of skills and technique to team members and an almost infinite combination of choices and modifications making each play through somewhat unique.  Players choose various ways to react to the main storyline (and side missions) which come with consequences accordingly.

In this new Mass Effect universe, Star Wars’ “force powers” are represented by “biotic powers” and many of the characters are also highly adept with technical skills alongside the more traditional soldier roles.

In terms of storyline, the main character in the series is a human called Shepard (first name is configurable) who can be played as a male or female.  You start the game a member of an “Earth Alliance” which is struggling to join a sort of interstellar council (of other races).  As Shepard, you must investigate the exploits of a rogue council agent who is believed to be behind attacks on Alliance territory.  As a special operative for the council (a Spectre) you get to operate with a wide degree of latitude.  Juggling the demands of the Alliance with the politics of the council is no easy task!

Needless to say, should you survive until the end, you’ll realize that the story effectively ends as a sort of cliffhanger, in preparation for the second installment.

Looking at Mass Effect 2

At the beginning of Mass Effect 2, the story essentially picks up from where the original ended.  In order to sustain a JJ Abrams’ style “reboot”, your character (Shepard) is killed off in the opening sequence which, as you might expect, is not really the end of the line for our hero.  Your character is re-engineered courtesy of a shadowy organization called Cerberus which is mentioned a few times in the first game.  You are given a new ship (very similar to your ship from the first game, with a few surprises) and, in essence, a new squad to train and build upon.

In terms of plot line, and without giving away too much information, the essence is that human colonies are being attacked again, but this time people are being abducted.  A race called “The Collectors” are found to be behind these mysterious raids and, as usual, the council disavow the attacks.  Cerberus and Shepard must act to save the human colonies from these attacks.  That’s pretty much what you might see from the surface.

In reality though, this is a far more detailed game.

Groundwork

One of the interesting things about Mass Effect 2 is that, should you have saved games from the original, you can import them into the new game.  This is a really excellent feature and one which is really well executed.  Characters from your first play through in Mass Effect (1) come back in various ways throughout the game in Mass Effect 2, depending on decisions you made in the first game.

I’m a huge fan of continuity as it is such a reward for those who have been loyal to the franchise.  Those who have not played Mass Effect will likely miss a lot of these sly references (such as spam e-mail from Morlan!).

The New Team

Although you will cross paths with many of the main characters from the first game, you’ll mostly acquire brand new team mates in Mass Effect 2.  This is a great move, as it unlocks a number of surprising options, and even more interesting topics/dialogue.  Each team member has a specific advantage, and skill set, which can become invaluable during the game.

As with the original, a lot of the game is driven by dialogue with other characters, although you do not acquire experience points from such discussions.  Although the rationale behind detailed dialogue remains the same as in the first game (interesting concepts and topics), in some cases it is essential to find out as much as you can to complete a mission.  Despite this (in general), those who want to shoot things and talk later are not disadvantaged.

Game Quality

What really drives up the quality of this game is the solid voice acting.  There are some big names behind some of the characters including Martin Sheen as the voice of the infamous “Illusive Man” – the man behind the curtain, running Cerberus.  You’ll also potentially recognize Australia’s own Yvonne Strahovski from TV’s “Chuck” mainly as the programmers modelled her character to look like the actress herself (as a brunette).

There are also solid contributions from support vocals, I’d have to say (without doing a disservice to the quality of the former title) that the sounds, look and feel of Mass Effect 2 are markedly better than in the original release.

Changes to game play

BioWare have made a number of big changes to game play in the sequel.  The inventory system from Mass Effect has been removed and replaced with a significantly cut down version.  This is a little disappointing as it makes the game less customizable, although far more manageable.  Basic stock weapons are “upgraded” via a number of ways (purchasing at stores or finding weapon research in the field).  A note on upgrades – talk to your team mates.  They may have many helpful suggestions!

Also gone are heat based weapons, in favour of an ammo-based system (known as heat clips).  This is troublesome if you are unable to find ammo (especially for heavy weapons).  I found it was more of a problem at the start of the game when your character is significantly weaker than later in the game.  As the number of enemies increases, so does the available ammo.  It would be nice to be able to purchase ammo from stores, or to have ammo automatically replenished when you return to the ship.

The combat system has also changed slightly.  It now resembles more of a “Gears of War” style.  Your team mates have a tendency to run into open ground probably a little too much for my liking or, in some cases, they seem to fall back and abandon you.  These are minor quibbles, in general the battles are challenging and bug free.  A mix of tech, biotic and weapon attacks gives you plenty of variety to spread around.

Also, character profiles are reduced.  There are less skills and abilities to upgrade over the course of the game and player levels are fewer.  On an initial play through it is not really possible to gain higher than level 28 or so, whereas in the original you could make it to around the high 40s.  This is not altogether a bad thing, but it does make starting out a little tough.

Some quibbles

In addition to what I’ve listed above, I had a couple of concerns as I was playing through the first time. 

My main concern was over weapon customization.  Depending on your character’s class (something which defines the nature of your character’s main skills) initially, you are restricted to a small number of offensive skills, powers and weapons.  You broaden this base as you progress through the game.

If you are restricted to, say, hand pistols and sub machine guns it can be frustrating that you
can’t find weapon upgrades for these items in the early stages.  Assault rifle/shotgun/sniper upgrades seemed to be far easier to acquire, but you needed to pursue specific missions to unlock weapon benefits for the initial weapons – this seemed to make it a lot harder in combat, when you’re firing a weapon which has had no upgrades.

I’d suggest that it should be possible to purchase a wider variety of powerful weapon upgrades from stores dotted throughout the Mass Effect landscape.  Furthermore, as a Spectre (see Mass Effect 1) you should be able to obtain a wider range of powerful weapons (as you could in the first game).

This isn’t by any means a show stopper, but I’d really be encouraged by some changes to this aspect of the game.  What we ought to see is some sort of middle ground between the inventory of Mass Effect 1, and the reduced (streamlined) approach in Mass Effect 2.  It would be nice to have options for both casual non-RPG style play and a more RPG focused approach (if possible).

More Reading

This has been a relatively short review focused on a number of  key areas.  If you are interested, I’d strongly suggest this review posted on Slashdot, which does a great job of explaining a few more concepts.

Summary

A solid game which will take many hours to work through.  In terms of “re-playability”, you could play this game right through about two or three times and discover new things each time.  It’s addictive fun, and if you liked the first game, you’ll love the sequel.  Highly recommended.

Where to begin?  If you’ve played Assassin’s Creed (the original) before and even enjoyed it a tad bit, you’ll love the sequel.

Overview

The sequel (Assassin’s Creed 2 – AC2), begins at the conclusion of the original (story wise) as Desmond (the character you portray in the future) is helped to escape imprisonment.  This leads to him eventually re-entering the Animus, a machine which reads a person’s DNA and allows the person to re-live the life of one of their ancestors.

Desmond finds himself as Ezio, son of a banker in Florence, Italy during the Italian renaissance.  In a similar fashion to the original, Ezio (and, by extension, Desmond) wades into various plotlines in Florence and in other cities.  In AC2, there is less time spent as Desmond – the majority of the time is spent in the Animus.  This is fine, as most of the action takes place as Ezio.

I do not wish to give away the salient plot lines, I’ll rather focus on game play and some tactics I found useful. 

The first thing to mention is that, alike the original, Ezio does not start out with a full range of skills.  He is taught new skills and given new weapons as he progresses through the game.  By sequence 6 you should have the majority of skills, although you don’t really unlock the full arsenal until the second last sequence.

Tactics 101

Money – Florins (f) are the principal form of currency in the game.  I’d strongly advise looting treasure chests as soon as you start the game.  The faster you can upgrade the Villa’s shops and resources the more money you make.  Money was not a problem for me after sequence 4, simply by expanding the Villa ASAP.  I completed the Villa by the end of sequence 4.  You can purchase treasure maps from Art Stores.

Eagles – I’ve always found it beneficial to always synchronise with each Eagle (lookout) in each city ASAP.  Being able to see the merchants and other interesting items helps speed up each sequence.

Note: In the later stages of the game (in Venice) you may come across towers which appear un-climbable.  This means you need to continue following the story, to obtain a new skill which will allow you to climb higher.

Powder – This is a great way to disable a large group of guards.  While they are paralysed, you can dispatch up to three guards with the double short blade.

Swap weapons – Swapping weapons when you are facing a difficult guard or enemy can be a good way to throw the opponent off balance.

In Venice – Swim.  Having been to Venice (in real life) I can’t say I’d recommend this outside of the video game, but jumping into the canals is a great way to escape and can even be a faster way to get between regions somewhat quickly,

Throwing Knives – Always keep stock, these are handy (and relatively cheap) ways to dispatch guards quickly.  You can even use them in melee attacks if you have enough distance.  In later stages, you may need to throw two knives as the guards get tougher.

Know your assassination techniques – There are a couple (from the air, from hanging position) and they all play a very important role.

Vary your tactics – Sometimes, fighting is fun, but not always the best approach.  To gain pages of the codex, I found it cheaper and more convenient to use Courtesans or Thieves to lure the guards away from the entrance.

Looting the dead – It sounds vulgar, but in the latter stages of the game this is a great way to replenish your supplies of throwing knives, medicine and powder.  Essential in the last stage, as you will not have an opportunity to purchase more of these.

Search for the Seals – I was able to obtain all six seals by sequence 6, and it unlocks the armour of Altair which requires no maintenance (no repairs).  It is by far the best armour in the game, and also looks the coolest.  This is the armour worn by the figure accompanying the Black Edition.

Note: The catacombs of the six seals are the hardest part of the game.  You can achieve all of them without finishing the story mode, don;t be discouraged!  However, I would recommend getting very familiar with free running and climbing techniques, as the tombs require your complete attention.  I found the earlier tombs to be pretty hard, the later ones proved challenging due to the timed runs (having to reach a point within a specific window of time).

Game Play

Free Run – The problems we faced in Assassin’s Creed (1) seem to have been addressed in the sequel.  Although it is still (frustratingly) possible to command Ezio to death dive off a tall building, free run is much more responsive, and Ezio seems to attach himself to the proper windows, ladders etc unlike in the original. 

There are some improvements which also may take some time to get used to.  You must master these improvements to have any hope of completing all six tombs.

Locking On – The “locking on” to enemies is still a bit of a nightmare, especially when using throwing knives, so make sure you have a lock on the right enemy before attacking.  I love the double blade, the assassination skills are greatly enhanced, especially being able to assassinate from a haystack (when hidden).

Visuals

Comparison Game vs. Actual

  
In-Game Shot from Assassin’s Creed 2 in St Mark’s Square, Venice vs.. Actual shot of St Mark’s Square (Taken by me)

Like the first version, AC2 has stunningly rich visual textures and a virtual world of exploration opportunities.  The first time Ezio stepped into St Mark’s square, I instantly recognised it.  Full marks for display, the attention to detail is amazing.  Many historical venues are rendered in the game, and they all look spectacular.

The cut sc
enes work well within the game and do not distract from the overall mood and feel.  The one exception being when viewing glyphs.  It immediately cuts away from the game and into puzzle solving mode which can be a bit of a change of pace, especially when you are in the middle of a mission.

Side Missions/Collectables

There are the usual collectables (in order to reach 100%) mainly feathers, weapons, glyphs and art work.  The codex pages need to be acquired in order to complete the game, so they don’t really count as side missions.  The assassin tombs are technically optional, although wholly recommended.

Art work can easily be bought once you have bought all the other weapons and improvements for the villa.  I’d save most of the side missions for after you have completed story mode, so it gives you something to do while you go back and locate all the feathers.

Conclusion

Recommended highly as a strong game in it’s own right.  Far superior to the original, I foresee another in the series being developed and wonder how they could possibly innovate further?

Hi, well as per my annual ritual I’ve purchased Madden 2010.  I’ve been buying Madden on PC, PS2 and 360 since 1995 and recently I started to question whether I should continue to do so in the face of lagging game quality, copious amounts of plainly obvious bugs and a general lack of support for end users.

Well, in my hours’ play with the new game tonight, I’m still firmly on the fence.

Allow me to elaborate.  What I normally do when playing a brand new version of Madden is to kick off a new franchise.  I like my games to count, so why bother with an exhibition match?  Pre season in Franchise is a good way of getting the feel of the new game.

So I picked the Packers and went to work picking up choice free agents to fill the (glaring) roster holes.  Given the real Green Bay Packers have real problems with their offensive line, I fixed that right away.  After about fifteen minutes of “balancing the roster” and working within the cap space available, I had a workable team.

So when you try to a sign a player, most of the time you can’t just choose the default salary/year combo – or anywhere near it.  It’s rejected as too low or not enough years.  You then play a game running the numbers up (depending on how good the player is, this can literally take 3-5 minutes of guesswork).  This is really annoying.  Why not……….start the salary closer to what the player will take.  We all like to haggle, but this is ridiculous.  If it’s going to take 3-4 minutes to sign a free agent, then the game sucks.  I didn’t buy the game to play “see how long it takes to sign a player”.  I hate to think how long it’s going to take to resign players in the offseason.  #FAIL

EA still haven’t addressed that ridiculous "”Can’t save player changes as it will drop players below the minimum level;” garbage.  If I want to edit a player’s position and it drops me below the limit that is my business.  Just let me do it, OK?  Changing a LG to a RG should be possible.  Heck, if I wanted to I should be able to edit a player from RG to TE or CB!  This has gone on for years and is and has always been one of the glaring holes in Madden’s roster management.

What happened to the roster depth chart (showing Offensive depth, defensive depth and special teams depth)?  I can’t find it.  It’s been progressively buried into sub menus since Madden 2007, but now it seems to be gone altogether.

Now, let’s talk about playing the game (the bad things). 

• It feels like a new games engine – not sure if anyone can confirm or deny that for me?  In any case I think the graphics have regressed.  The players movements are awkward, even sloppy.
• The Quarterback’s mechanics are horrid.  Aaron Rodgers has a heck of a lot better mechanics than his animated double in Madden!  It felt like I was controlling Akili Smith or Tim Couch.
• Next – defensive pass interference.  It doesn’t get called nearly enough.  I’m watching my wide receivers and tight ends getting hit and tampered with at least 10-15 yards from the line of scrimmage, and the interference seems to lead to far too many interceptions.  That’s not right.
• The players all seem far to slow.  Even a Kick Returner rated OVR 97 has slow acceleration and speed.  I know that with Madden 2010 they decided to reset the bar on all player ratings (few players now rated above 95) to bring parity, but they seem to have crippled the players natural abilities.  This is the NFL folks, not NCAA and not high school football.  Even the Lions have players who can run fast.  Crippling the players abilities isn’t what we see on TV every weekend.
• About the only passes that really seem to connect are short ins/outs even corner/post routes have the Wide Receiver running too slow.  Because the pass mechanics are crap, it leads to weak passes which float (and are too often picked off).  I’m going to have to play with the game settings, because the default settings seem very bogus.
• Tackling is really dubious.  It was pretty bad in Madden 2009 but it is way worse in 2010.  I had a guy break four successive tackles (including a gang tackle) to return an INT for a TD and the guy was running sideways for half the return.. That’s not right.

OK, so I’ve had a bit of a bitch session, let’s talk about the positives.

• I like the new half time format.  It makes you feel like your game is one amongst many.  The info is informative, and makes it a bit more realistic.  Wish we had the 3 fastest minutes.
• There are a few more cut scenes (like measuring for first down) which is neat
• The in-game injury menu when a player gets hurt is excellent.  You can decide whether to put a key player back in and potentially risk re-injury

So that’s all I have for now.  I’ll write up more notes once I’ve managed to play a bit more and tweak the settings – hopefully I can find a more natural balance.  What I’ve seen with the default settings has made me sad.

R