25 replies to this topic

[Nc.Hroft]

Not saying this is you NC Croft, but I find that many people who like to talk trash about modern games played it once on a friend's PC and haven't the console or PC to run the game themselves. Not saying that's you, but it's a lot of other people for sure.

I dont have a console, and i never will, because i seriously believe, that consoles are evil and ruin videogaming world. As for my PC, i have pretty good one, AMD Athlon Dual Core 5600+, 4 GB RAM and Nvidia Geforce 8600. It lets me play modern games, and what i see is sad.

Modern games are too commercialized, they're made so that "average Joe" would like them (and that means "good graphics, simple gameplay and a story that he can understand"). And just like anything that's made for masses they tend to suck, with little exeptions. Even RPG.

Edited by Nc.Hroft, 02 April 2009 - 02:11 AM.

[Ismail]

The story of the saga:

Oh no! You're an orphan!

Oh no! There are evil people who want you, and you specifically, dead!

Oh no! You're the son of an important, evil figure!

Oh no! You can't advance the plot without falling into a trap so obvious that my grandchildren saw right through it, and I'm not even a father yet!

Oh no! You had a major bad thing happen to you and now you have to suffer the indignities from the game engine, having to comply with the ludricous rules of some dolts you could overpower with a flick of your wrist!

Oh no! You have to go on a badly contrived and rushed quest to get to the real bad guy!

And the last Oh no! You have to choose to become an eeeeeeevil bastard with power, or a good gimp that gets kicked around by puppies!


... You know, I just realized that, while intending to summarize the plot of BG saga, I ALSO summarized both Kotor games. Go figure.


And let's not forget the saga's NPCs, who are just as stereotypical and shallow as those of ME, and sometimes more so, in BG2. In BG1, none of them have any depth and they're about as much "persons" as the party in IWD. True, a FEW of them have actual depth in the second installment. And Imoen COULD have a lot of depth, but we never see it. It is true that the sheer number of joinable NPCs is, obviously, much bigger in BG than in ME, which also means you HAVE to play through several times if you want to get the idea of them all. Yes, BG has, as a tactical combat RPG, more replayability value; BG2 adds the value of having different NPC-related plots (some of which are absolutely ridiculous) to that.


Now, you also mention PS:T and I'll agree readily: yes, that was, as an RPG, a superior game to... well, just about everything. You also bring out Fallout - great games, but total 0 NPC character depth, or, well, 0.1 for Sulik and Myron. Fallout 3 is just weak - it's pretty and with a good system, but it's... empty. There's nothing to do in the whole wide Capital Wasteland and the ending is worse than "Jurassic Park" on SNES. Well and Warcraft doesn't really count in this case, because, y'know, totally different genre. Oh, and Morrowind is like single-player World of Warcraft.

So... out of those games you listed, only PS: T is clearly, undeniably superior to Mass Effect on the categories you brought out.


Edit: OOh, didn't notice your second post the first time around.

You post out "a plot the average Joe would understand". Well.... tbh, I'm not opposed to complex plots and complex settings. But it's also worth noting that PS: T was... well, not QUITE a commercial failure, but it sure didn't make Interplay stinkin' rich either.

Edited by Ismail, 02 April 2009 - 04:31 AM.

[Nc.Hroft]

[quote]And let's not forget the saga's NPCs, who are just as stereotypical and shallow as those of ME, and sometimes more so, in BG2. In BG1, none of them have any depth and they're about as much "persons" as the party in IWD. True, a FEW of them have actual depth in the second installment. And Imoen COULD have a lot of depth, but we never see it. [/quote
You rly should try playing with mods, not just the game itself.

[Ismail]

Not the point. The point is characterization on release, or "canon characterization" if you wish. Sure, BG2 has a bunch of awesome mods, but they're as canon as the average doujinshi is. And the lack of modding tools for ME I already pointed out.

[Nc.Hroft]

Not the point. The point is characterization on release, or "canon characterization" if you wish. Sure, BG2 has a bunch of awesome mods, but they're as canon as the average doujinshi is. And the lack of modding tools for ME I already pointed out.

Camaraderie, adventure, and steel on steel. The stuff of legends! Right, Boo?

[theacefes]

Not saying this is you NC Croft, but I find that many people who like to talk trash about modern games played it once on a friend's PC and haven't the console or PC to run the game themselves. Not saying that's you, but it's a lot of other people for sure.

I dont have a console, and i never will, because i seriously believe, that consoles are evil and ruin videogaming world. As for my PC, i have pretty good one, AMD Athlon Dual Core 5600+, 4 GB RAM and Nvidia Geforce 8600. It lets me play modern games, and what i see is sad.

Modern games are too commercialized, they're made so that "average Joe" would like them (and that means "good graphics, simple gameplay and a story that he can understand"). And just like anything that's made for masses they tend to suck, with little exeptions. Even RPG.

Of course they are commercialized so the average Joe will like them. Again (and I sound like a broken record), that's what is going to help result in the paycheck. You may not like it, but it's reality.

Nice system btw. I had an 8600 not too long ago and I loved it.

Personally, I thought the NPCs of BG2 were little more than packhorses. Sure in BG2 they added the banter system and a nice themesong but all the depth in these characters were mostly created by the reps all the many many fanfics and mods gave them from these communities.

Edited by theacefes, 02 April 2009 - 09:55 AM.