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team56th
2007-02-12, 12:42 AM
Seems like many people on GITP gaming forum don't know this game much, so let me introduce this game before MS do some heavy PR :smallcool: I'm soooo hyped of this game.

Now I will show you some screenshots with some comments. It's all real-time thing.


http://masseffect.bioware.com/_commonext/images/me/screenshots/2007/masseffect_03_400x240.jpg

As you can see, It's an action RPG developed by BioWare corporation. Precisely, the team that made KOTOR is developing this game. And published by Microsoft Game Studios, and yes, 360 exclusive.
Amazing graphic isn't it. It uses Unreal 3 engine. Yes, the one that Gears of War and Rainbow Six Vegas used recently.http://masseffect.bioware.com/_commonext/images/me/screenshots/2006e3/masseffect_06_400x240.jpg

This is Commander Shepard, which is PC. And you can change his facial feature(I'm not sure if it's like Oblivion or KOTOR or SWG), first name, gender, class, stats, voice, etc.
Shepard is a top-class soldier of humanity. For a detailed description on storyline, check this (http://masseffect.bioware.com/galacticcodex/) out.
In the background lies 747-sized prototype frigate, SSV Normandy. It's not like Ebon Hawk in KOTOR-it's much more populated and filled with story, like this.http://masseffect.bioware.com/_commonext/images/me/screenshots/2007/masseffect_01_400x240.jpg





http://masseffect.bioware.com/_commonext/images/me/screenshots/x06/masseffect_01_400x240.jpg
http://masseffect.bioware.com/_commonext/images/me/screenshots/x06/masseffect_02_400x240.jpg

See. Your character can actually talk in real-time like this, even with gestures.(I always wanted this)
Facial expression is quite impressive, and certainly you can recognize them only in movies. Check this (http://files.bioware.com/masseffect/videos/masseffect_e3demo2006_med640x360.wmv) out.http://masseffect.bioware.com/_commonext/images/me/screenshots/x06/masseffect_03_400x240.jpg

Unlike previous BioWare RPGs, Mass Effect supports a real exploration(like TES). That armored car in the screenshot is MAKO, and you will use it on a hostile planet without spaceport. You can also battle with MAKO.
BioWare stated there are actually many places to explore, and the gameplay is like 40 hrs of main quest and 20~30+ hrs of side quest kind of thing. So I'm a bit confused on this exploration thing. We'll see how this exploration will be implemented in the final game. Luckily BioWare is sooo trustworthy :smallamused:http://masseffect.bioware.com/_commonext/images/me/screenshots/2007/masseffect_05_400x240.jpg
http://masseffect.bioware.com/_commonext/images/me/screenshots/x06/masseffect_04_400x240.jpg

Battle is actually real-time. It's a combine of Over the Shoulder cam shooters like GRAW and western RPGs like KOTOR.
There are four classes; Soldier, Adept, Technical, and a mix-up of these classes. And the squad is up to 3 people(including Shepard) According to BioWare we will heavily depend on teamplay of these classes.
Adept uses Biotic power; It's like Force in Star Wars. (As I checked out the story, Mass Effect feels like an homage of classic SF movies, and I LOVE it.)I hope this would be a enough explanation on Mass Effect.
For more informations check out major game websites or magazines, or this (http://mefaq.sendu.me.uk).

Now are you interested in Mass Effect?
I want this thread to be a kind of official Mass Effect thread in GITP...

Tekar
2007-02-12, 01:57 AM
Just to try and break up the hype a bit. Hypes are not good, hypes make you buy bad games:
LINK (http://frog-blast-the-vent-core.blogspot.com/2007/01/dialoging.html)

rabish12
2007-02-12, 03:02 AM
As you can see, It's an action RPG developed by BioWare corporation. Precisely, the team that made KOTOR is developing this game. And published by Microsoft Game Studios, and yes, 360 exclusive.
$50 says they port it to PC.


Just to try and break up the hype a bit. Hypes are not good, hypes make you buy bad games:
Bleh. That article made me kind of ill, and I'm not even that interested in Mass Effect. The author made it almost painfully clear that he was grasping for things to claim as flaws with the game (something that's made even more apparent by the way that he immediately calls most of the game's design "generic" despite the fact that most of what we know about it doesn't seem that generic and that we don't really know that much about it, and he's completely lied with the part that he added to the quote from his source as the original didn't say anything even remotely resembling what he'd claimed).

And back to the first post: like I've said I'm not too interested in the game. I didn't like KOTOR too much (it seemed like a huge step backwards from BG overall) and I hated Jade Empire, so I'm wary of this one. I'm keeping an eye on it, though.

team56th
2007-02-12, 04:53 AM
A'ight, rabish, no problem for no hype, but there's always a problem with wrong information.


$50 says they port it to PC.


And, from the Mass Effect FAQ:



As we've said before, Mass Effect is planned as an Xbox 360 exclusive title. This means we are not working on a PC version and have no plans to start making one.
It is possible that one could be made in teh future, but it would certainly be a wait of a number of years before we even start to make one, let alone actually release such a thing.

blackout
2007-02-12, 05:07 AM
Must. Have. Mass Effect. Now.

Om
2007-02-12, 06:04 AM
$50 says they port it to PC.It'll take a few years.

rabish12
2007-02-12, 01:37 PM
And, from the Mass Effect FAQ:
Yeah, that's what they say. But then, they'd claimed that Jade Empire would be an Xbox exclusive, and less than two years after the game's original release it's supposed to drop on PCs.

Neo
2007-02-12, 05:27 PM
Can't be that good if its only being made for one console.

RandomNPC
2007-02-12, 06:46 PM
im with neo

Duraska
2007-02-12, 09:56 PM
One day I will play this game, and I will make my Shepard be the biggest badass in the galaxy. :smallamused:

team56th
2007-02-12, 11:48 PM
Yeah, that's what they say. But then, they'd claimed that Jade Empire would be an Xbox exclusive, and less than two years after the game's original release it's supposed to drop on PCs.

Your right there is high possibility-but at least after two year. FAQ proves it, Jade Empire proves it.

rabish12
2007-02-13, 12:49 AM
Your right there is high possibility-but at least after two year. FAQ proves it, Jade Empire proves it.
FAQ doesn't prove it (companies do make claims like this and then go back on them, you know), Jade Empire doesn't prove it (again, the gap between the Xbox version and PC version was less than two years).

Beleriphon
2007-02-13, 02:03 AM
Can't be that good if its only being made for one console.

Yeah, because BG2 isn't that good because it was only for PC. Because if it doesn't come out for every console it must mean that its a terrible game. Unless you happen to be a PS3 owner, and want to play the game but can't. At which point too bad for you!

I don't get to play FFXIII on my 360 but I'm sure that will be a terrific game.

Tom_Violence
2007-02-13, 10:01 AM
I've said it before and I'll say it again - this game will make me buy a 360. Yeah, they'll probably eventually port it to the PC, but that'll take years and I'm impatient. Plus, upgrading my PC to be able to play the damn thing will probably cost more than a 360 anyway.

Zaggab
2007-02-13, 02:53 PM
I'm really looking forward to this game, but I try not to get all hyped up over it.

neriana
2007-02-13, 03:29 PM
It might be good. However, extending "real-time" to every aspect of the game bothers me. I don't like real-time combat in the first place, as I think it constrains player choice and forces designers to oversimplify gameplay. I can see the same thing happening with conversations here, which would be an extremely serious problem for me. I see it as game design for ADD.

Neo, there are tons of great games that are only for one console. Zelda, Mario, Final Fantasy, Halo, Civ 4... actually, most great games appear on only one platform. It's the endless sports games and licensed titles that get shoved onto everything.

rabish12
2007-02-13, 03:44 PM
It might be good. However, extending "real-time" to every aspect of the game bothers me. I don't like real-time combat in the first place, as I think it constrains player choice and forces designers to oversimplify gameplay. I can see the same thing happening with conversations here, which would be an extremely serious problem for me.
Actually, I don't see how this'll "constrain player choices" as far as conversations are concerned. BioWare's other titles only had three or four dialogue options at a time, and Mass Effect looks to be no different. In fact, since you have the choice to interrupt other characters or even not respond at all, it seems like you'll actually have more choices in dialogue.


I see it as game design for ADD.
I hate how people always go after folks with ADD when games are simplified, especially because it's not accurate at all and it's completely uncalled for. The last person I knew with particularly severe ADD who played video games was a massive fan of Fallout (for a while he didn't play anything else), and most of the others did enjoy stuff like Baldur's Gate and Morrowind.

So don't rip on them like that. It's completely inaccurate and there's absolutely no need for it.

Maxymiuk
2007-02-13, 05:50 PM
It might be good. However, extending "real-time" to every aspect of the game bothers me. I don't like real-time combat in the first place, as I think it constrains player choice and forces designers to oversimplify gameplay.

Actually, if you watch the gameplay trailer (the one the screenshots came from), it shows that combat comes with an active pause option. You can then tell your teammates to take cover, what tactics or weapons to use, etc. In fact, from what I've seen, there may even be a bit too many menus to dig through.

Here's to hoping they make a good tutorial...

AaronH
2007-02-14, 12:52 PM
Yah, I was under the impression that combat in Mass Effect was going to be similar to Kotor, only with more team commands available. The video I watched was only semi reall time.....

Now, I totally understand what that reviewer is saying about about the reall time conversation system, but I honestly think it won't hurt the game enough for me to dislike the game. The rest of his argument? Sheer rubbish. I am still looking foreward to this game, screw hype, Bioware has a good track record (for me anyways), and the gameplay videos look fun and cool.

Beleriphon
2007-02-14, 03:37 PM
Now, I totally understand what that reviewer is saying about about the reall time conversation system, but I honestly think it won't hurt the game enough for me to dislike the game. The rest of his argument? Sheer rubbish. I am still looking foreward to this game, screw hype, Bioware has a good track record (for me anyways), and the gameplay videos look fun and cool.

Exactly. Bioware has never done me wrong for games, and the previews thus far appeal to my preferences for games. The "real time" combat is real time until you pause the game, issue some commands and go forward.

neriana
2007-02-14, 04:21 PM
Bioware has done wrong for me, namely in the NWN original campaign, which irritates me hugely. Other than that, they've generally put out some good games, but they don't seem willing to take chances, or able to write any truly compelling stories, without Black Isle to help them out. I'll still be playing Mass Effect, but I won't be buying it right away. There are, thankfully, enough RPGs coming out this year that I don't have to snatch every single one of them up.

Tom_Violence
2007-02-16, 08:56 AM
The conversation system is the major lure of the game for me - the standard paradigm of listening to someone talk before being given a bunch of options, which generally all lead to the same thing, bores the hell out of me these days. Its been done to death, but stuck with because its the 'way things are done'. In that sense, to say that Bioware don't take chances seems an untruth to me.

Dragor
2007-02-16, 09:20 AM
From what I've seen, Mass Effect is definetly more than enough to make me get a 360. Roll on my birthday (July. A long freaking wait.)

The graphics are good, the voice acting I can presume will be good (BioWare have always had good voices for their latest games) and the combat looks new and fresh, compared to the KOTOR-esque 'We'll give you the illusion it's real time by hiding the dice rolls'.

Hope BioWare hit it on the head with Mass Effect.

Tekar
2007-02-16, 09:25 AM
The conversation system is the major lure of the game for me - the standard paradigm of listening to someone talk before being given a bunch of options, which generally all lead to the same thing, bores the hell out of me these days. Its been done to death, but stuck with because its the 'way things are done'. In that sense, to say that Bioware don't take chances seems an untruth to me.
That problem will not be solved in mass effect if I have put my information together correctly. If you interupt someone that will have a meaning so unless you want the person to be offended you need to wait for him to finish. This is even worse because you can't just click trough dialogue you've already heard. (Of course non spoken dialogue would solve all problems but who wants to read anymore these days?)

Tom_Violence
2007-02-16, 04:08 PM
That problem will not be solved in mass effect if I have put my information together correctly. If you interupt someone that will have a meaning so unless you want the person to be offended you need to wait for him to finish. This is even worse because you can't just click trough dialogue you've already heard. (Of course non spoken dialogue would solve all problems but who wants to read anymore these days?)

It will create a more natural, fluid, way of handling conversations, and hopefully give off the impression that an actual dialogue is taking place, rather than just having pages of text read out to you. Plus, I wouldn't mind finally being able to play a character in a game that actually has a voice!! Oh, the novelty!

Beleriphon
2007-02-16, 04:34 PM
That problem will not be solved in mass effect if I have put my information together correctly. If you interupt someone that will have a meaning so unless you want the person to be offended you need to wait for him to finish. This is even worse because you can't just click trough dialogue you've already heard. (Of course non spoken dialogue would solve all problems but who wants to read anymore these days?)

The important thing here is that by all accounts there is no repeating dialogue. Once you've heard something thats it for that bit of dialogue. So no coming back to a character and trying again.