Mass Effect 2

ae. · Sep 2009

Currently working on this game my role being in the QA department. Kotaku just wrote up a nice article:

http://kotaku.com/5353343/mass-effect-2-control-impressions-thats-better-shooter?skyline=true&s=i

and here is some trailers for it:

mass effect omega trailer:

[ame]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0-98g-QjKE[/ame]

[ame]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCpK2XnIaeI[/ame]

ZacD · Sep 2009

I

Wrex, Anyone who killed him is a heartless bastard and deserves to burn in hell. I hope a midget comes up to you, bites off your testicles and/or tits, and then proceeds to piss into your eye.

ae. · Sep 2009

ZacD wrote: »

I Wrex, Anyone who killed him is a heartless bastard and deserves to burn in hell. I hope a midget comes up to you, bites off your testicles and/or tits, and then proceeds to piss into your eye.

If you liked Wrex your gonna love Grunt!

ZacD · Sep 2009

So, wait, if we kept Wrex alive, is he still going to be there? Is there a possibility of getting 2 Wrexies?

glib · Sep 2009

So is bioware outsourcing its QA to vancouver, or have you made the dreaded move to Edmonton?

ae. · Sep 2009

ZacD wrote: »

So, wait, if we kept Wrex alive, is he still going to be there? Is there a possibility of getting 2 Wrexies?

I am not allowed to discuss anything that has not been announced in any official press releases due to NDA sorry

So is bioware outsourcing its QA to vancouver, or have you made the dreaded move to Edmonton?

Bioware still does there QA in-house but has also outsourced general testing duties to Electronic Arts Canada where i am working at the moment

ZacD · Sep 2009

Rude, you better let me know when you can. :P

BradMyers82 · Sep 2009

Hey ae. the game looks really cool. This looks like an ideal game to test. Congrats again.

ZacD · Sep 2009

http://kotaku.com/5287495/no-more-bossing-ashley-or-wrex-around-in-mass-effect-2-%5Bupdate%5D

So only the cast member that couldn't die will be in ME 2 as npc's? or if you didn't kill Wrex/Ashley they'll be npc's, too? Or can you not clarify?

bounchfx · Sep 2009

so hyped for this. the first game was fucking great.

can't believe it's next year

Entity · Sep 2009

Will there finally be threesomes?

kinetichaze · Sep 2009

A brilliant game indeed, I have high hopes for the second one.

Unleashed · Sep 2009

what about some hot krogan on krogan action eh

ZacD · Sep 2009

Unleashed wrote: »

what about some hot krogan on krogan action eh

aren't all of them male?

ae. · Sep 2009

ZacD wrote: »

aren't all of them male?

"Female krogan rarely leave their home worlds, focusing on breeding in an attempt to keep krogan numbers from declining too quickly. The few remaining fertile females who can carry young to term are treated as prizes of war, to be seized, bartered or fought over."

from the mass effect wiki: http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Krogan

ZacD · Sep 2009

Ah, I remember now, hopefully there will be bigger fights.

simonroth · Sep 2009

Can't wait. Hope they make the combat a bit more responsive.

t4paN · Sep 2009

ZacD wrote: »

http://kotaku.com/5287495/no-more-bossing-ashley-or-wrex-around-in-mass-effect-2-%5Bupdate%5D

So only the cast member that couldn't die will be in ME 2 as npc's? or if you didn't kill Wrex/Ashley they'll be npc's, too? Or can you not clarify?

From what I remember from one of Ray Muzyka's interviews, if you haven't killed a character they'll be available. The game will read your saved games apparently (like in previeous RPG games where you could export a char) and continue the story (to a degree) from where you left it.

In short, if you didn't kill Ashley, the other human guy, or Wrex, they'll be there. Although I doubt they'll take the game ending into consideration, I left the council to be killed, heh heh.

ZacD · Sep 2009

t4paN wrote: »

In short, if you didn't kill Ashley, the other human guy, or Wrex, they'll be there. Although I doubt they'll take the game ending into consideration, I left the council to be killed, heh heh.

They could, expect for the the game would have to basically be a few completely different games

frostymoose · Sep 2009

I feel sorry for you man having to test mass effect. But your hard work will make the game that much better for me when it's all done & polished!! Most anticipated game of all time for me.

Btw the 2 endings to ME1 really weren't that fantastically different... And they have stated that whether or not you

kill the council

will affect the beginning of the game.

It's either the same council with a human leader which you choose or a new council headed by the human leader that you choose. Not too drastically different

t4paN · Sep 2009

ZacD wrote: »

They could, expect for the the game would have to basically be a few completely different games

Yeah that would actually take some extra designing and writting so I can't see them fitting it in. I guess they'd go with the canon which I suppose is saving those stupid fucks.

/edit I've just read frostymoose's post, well I guess we're wrong then. I like that, I didn't play as an Earth supremascist or anything, but still, having a human leader for the counsil is awesomez. The old ones were douches.

ae. · Sep 2009

Kotaku feature:

http://kotaku.com/5353339/mass-effect-2-is-more-than-what-meets-our-eyes?skyline=true&s=i

2cool4school · Sep 2009

Ooooh. Can't wait for this. First game along with Baldurs gate 2 are some of my favourite games. The fact that there aren't any "major changes", and "still feels like Mass Effect" bodes well.

Now, I want a Baldurs Gate 3 from them, with the original pre-rendered and detailed style graphics!

slipsius · Sep 2009

From what i heard about this so far, is you can use your character from the first, in the second, and yes, all actions you did in the first one will go along in the second, so characters you killed in the first, wont be in the second. read it in an interview somewhere. ill see if i can dig it up somewhere

ae. · Oct 2009

Woot! release date announced:

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6233351.html?tag=latestheadlines;title;1

Also a double woot as i also got my contract extended at EA :P

Jason Young · Oct 2009

Congrats dude.

No word on a special edition? ME1 is a favorite of mine and I want a collectible of some sort.

frostymoose · Oct 2009

OMG!! that's... that's... 30 days hath september.. apr .... that's 15 days earlier than I thought it was comin out!!

Most anticipated game this millenium for me!!

Ninjas · Oct 2009

I loved ME1, but unless someone tells me what special armor the game is designed to be played with, I don't think I will pick it up.

I don't usually pre-order, and I don't want to pay full price for a version of the game missing important items (ie, is broken).

I also don't want to get the items, only to find out they make the game too easy. I don't pay full price so I can cheat my way through a game.

Vrav · Oct 2009

Ninjas wrote: »

I loved ME1, but unless someone tells me what special armor the game is designed to be played with, I don't think I will pick it up.

I don't get it. Was Mass Effect designed to be played with one type of armour?

Irreal · Oct 2009

Man, that's a lot of "dont's"

Vrav · Oct 2009

I'm mostly cool with Mass Effect 2 because I know my dad will love it. He has been playing the first one repeatedly for months. It was cool, I enjoyed what played of it, but didn't finish the game. The character reveals for ME2 haven't really been appealing to me; it seems cliche, like they're holding back for marketing reasons... but I could say the same about Dragon Age.

So I'm probably just lost and confused.

Ninjas · Oct 2009

Vrav wrote: »

I don't get it. Was Mass Effect designed to be played with one type of armour?

If you pre-order you get access to exclusive weapons and armor. I just want to know if the game was designed to be played with the exclusive content, without it, or that it doesn't matter.

Michael Knubben · Oct 2009

I imagine it might be more about their looks than anything. Want to look like a spikey, cool knight or iron man? pre-order. Don't want to pre-order? Well, let's just say that the best armour I've got in ME1 right now is white and pink.

frostymoose · Oct 2009

Ninjas wrote: »

If you pre-order you get access to exclusive weapons and armor. I just want to know if the game was designed to be played with the exclusive content, without it, or that it doesn't matter.

Nobody is forcing you to use the exclusive content. Also it's only available from a gamestop preorder... Not wanting some extra items is a pretty weird reason not to preorder imo...

And if they made the game designed to be played only with the extra items... wtf?? Of course not...

Ninjas · Oct 2009

frostymoose wrote: »

Nobody is forcing you to use the exclusive content. Also it's only available from a gamestop preorder... Not wanting some extra items is a pretty weird reason not to preorder imo...

And if they made the game designed to be played only with the extra items... wtf?? Of course not...

Is it really so hard for you to understand the idea that the game was balanced with a specific set of items? Either the exclusive items were included in that set, or they weren't.

From the press release, they make the armor stats sound pretty beefy, but maybe there are other items in the game that are just as good. Here is the problem; I won't know until I try the game one way or the other, and by then I may have already wasted time on an experience the designers and testers didn't really intend.

Vrav · Oct 2009

Or maybe it's just a game full of superfluous crap that holds no meaning. "Cool" is so clich

achillesian · Oct 2009

mass effect is one of the few games i beat, and wait until i forgot enough of it so i could play it again, like enders game.

i second the threesome idea btw,

ae. · Oct 2009

frostymoose wrote: »

Nobody is forcing you to use the exclusive content. Also it's only available from a gamestop preorder... Not wanting some extra items is a pretty weird reason not to preorder imo...

And if they made the game designed to be played only with the extra items... wtf?? Of course not...

Exactly you dont need these items to enjoy the game but there just added bonuses for pre-ordering nothing more. They just add to the experience thats all!

Entity · Oct 2009

Not fond of the new characters besides that assassin dude, too "Prince of Persia 2 HARDCOREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE" for me

rooster · Oct 2009

Ninjas wrote: »

Is it really so hard for you to understand the idea that the game was balanced with a specific set of items? Either the exclusive items were included in that set, or they weren't.

From the press release, they make the armor stats sound pretty beefy, but maybe there are other items in the game that are just as good. Here is the problem; I won't know until I try the game one way or the other, and by then I may have already wasted time on an experience the designers and testers didn't really intend.

I hear where you're coming from Ninjas, however I don't think the first game was particularly perfectly balanced, so it probably doesn't matter too much. There's probably a cheat somewhere to get the armour anyway

frostymoose · Oct 2009

Ninjas wrote: »

Is it really so hard for you to understand the idea that the game was balanced with a specific set of items? Either the exclusive items were included in that set, or they weren't.

From the press release, they make the armor stats sound pretty beefy, but maybe there are other items in the game that are just as good. Here is the problem; I won't know until I try the game one way or the other, and by then I may have already wasted time on an experience the designers and testers didn't really intend.

Sorry, didn't read the whole release. I was under the impression that there was only the added armor. Didn't read up to the part about a "wider variety of heavy weapons" I agree with you now, a little lame and I will definately be playing without those.

I have to figure that BioWare isn't so stupid that they would design the game's difficulty around exclusive preorder content, and that's what I was trying to get at.

Ninjas · Oct 2009

frostymoose wrote: »

I have to figure that BioWare isn't so stupid that they would design the game's difficulty around exclusive preorder content, and that's what I was trying to get at.

That is probably true. At least, I hope it is. In that case, I will probably pick the game up used to protest this sort of thing.

I am fine with extra content, so long as it doesn't throw off the game experience. Cosmetic stuff is great. Even extra fighters in a fighting game I think is OK (so long as they are balanced well vs the other fighters).

ae. · Nov 2009

New enemies trailer:
[ame]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL5u2xi6mNQ[/ame]

Also the collectors edition was announced today

http://kotaku.com/5397738/mass-effect-2-collectors-edition-includes-dvd-book-comic

oalexis · Nov 2009

omfg! this game is going to be so awesome!

Quokimbo · Nov 2009

I bet that was Ashley's(Was that her name?) head at the end...:poly122: Second look, it looks like a different girl?

Looks good! Definitely getting that special edition!

flaagan · Nov 2009

Still gotta finish the first one.. heck, I haven't even left the initial space station yet! XD

XenoKratios · Nov 2009

Why the hate for the ps3?

sad face

Justin Meisse · Nov 2009

Gamestop preorders gets you the Terminus armor and the M-90 Blackstorm Heavy Weapon, preorder from somewhere else and get the Inferno Armor. If you own Dragon Age you can register it to get Blood Dragon Armor.

Consesus from fans over the special edition items in Dragon Age is that they are not uber powerful and better gear eventually drops. Here's the stats on the special edition helmet:

Bergen's Honor
Massive helmet
Dragonbone (Tier 7)
Requires: 42 strength

Armor:3.75
Fatique: 3.90%
+2 armor
+6 attack
+25 physical resistance

System · Nov 2009

ae. If the inventory is shit again im holding you personally responsible. Whoever thought that having to scroll down the entire list when selling/converting to omnigel needs to have a serious seeing too.

Also, the amount you have someone in your party should totally attribute to loyality, it fucking annoyed me to have Wrex die after ALWAYS using him! Alas, getting him his armour or being a better wordsmith attributes more?! fuuuuuu

JasonLavoie · Nov 2009

Ok seriously, does the game really look THAT good? I absolutely love the lighting / shader work going on here, atmosphere is so sick I feel like I could breath it in BOOIIII!!!

I want this and I want it now! AE... send me your build copy or something :P

bounchfx · Nov 2009

i agree, there could definitely be some inventory tweaks (why we still have bleh menus for inventory/buying/selling is beyond me, there are plenty of great examples)

that being said, this is one of my favorite 360 games, and ME2 was the most impressive game I saw at E3 this year by far. really looking forward to this.

Mass Effect 2

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