Mass Effect 2

[mysterd]

Shacknews
Footage at the GDC 09 from someone's shaky-cam.

In these approx. 3 mins, Bioware shows off different developments phases as how the ME2 game acts and looks -- from start phase to finished phase.

Some of the footages show the game either with or without any real texturing, AI, cover tactics, dialogue and etc.

Cool stuff.


GameTrailers
GameTrailers reveals more info on ME2 from GDC

Now, to the big “save game” issue everyone has been talking about…Hudson revealed that players will choose to start their game by importing their original Mass Effect save and that “your game will feel like your game”. Hudson went on to explain that the first moment of the game will in fact be different for players because of this although no specifics about what players booting up WITHOUT a saved game would bring…

Additionally, it was also revealed that the “elusive man” from the second novel based on the franchise (Mass Effect: Ascension) will in fact play a role in Mass Effect 2.

[mysterd]

SPOILER: If you have NOT finished Mass Effect 1, you might NOT want to see this trailer.

Mass Effect 2 - Is Shepard Dead Or Not Trailer from E3 2009.
If you watched Spike TV Video Games E3 09 Show last night, this is the trailer they showed on the TV show.

[Max]

All looking very nice. Just hope they provide a bit more of a 'sandbox' feel to this one...or at least provide more interesting side quests etc. Considering the sheer amount of content included in KOTOR, the limits in Mass Effect was a bit of a dissapointment tbh.

[mysterd]

ME2 PC system requirements and disc-check DRM revealed.

Mass Effect 2 PC System Requirements & DRM Revealed
Nov 25, 2009 at 1:52 AM - Andrew Burnes - 19 Comments

Here's what you need under the hood to run Mass Effect 2 on your home computer and entertainment system, early next year:

We know we have a lot of fans who are ready to pre-order Mass Effect 2, but are still waiting for information on whether their PC will run the game and what Digital Rights Management (DRM) Mass Effect 2 will use. Hopefully with the information below, you will now be able to pre-order your copy of Mass Effect 2 from your favorite retailer.


Minimum System Requirements

Operating System: Windows XP SP3 / Windows Vista SP1 / Windows 7
Processor: 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or equivalent AMD CPU
Memory: 1 GB RAM for Windows XP / 2 GB RAM for Windows Vista and Windows 7
Hard Drive Space: 15 GB
DVD ROM: 1x Speed
Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible
DirectX: DirectX 9.0c August 2008 (included)
Input: Keyboard / Mouse
Video Card: 256 MB (with Pixel Shader 3.0 support). Supported Chipsets - NVIDIA GeForce 6800 or greater; ATI Radeon X1600 Pro or greater.

Please note that NVIDIA GeForce 7300, 8100, 8200, 8300, 8400, and 9300; ATI Radeon HD3200, and HD4350 are below minimum system requirements. Updates to your video and sound card drivers may be required. Intel and S3 video cards are not officially supported in Mass Effect 2.


Recommended System Requirements

Operating System: Windows XP SP3 / Windows Vista SP1 / Windows 7
Processor: 2.6+ GHz Cure 2 Duo Intel or equivalent AMD CPU
Memory: 2 GB RAM
Sound Card: 100% DirectX compatible sound card and drivers
DirectX: DirectX August 2008
Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT, or better recommended

For the best results, make sure you have the latest drivers for your video and audio cards. Laptop or mobile versions of the above supported video cards have not had extensive testing and may have driver or other performance issues. As such, they are not officially supported in Mass Effect 2. Intel and S3 video cards are not officially supported in Mass Effect 2.


Digital Rights Management (DRM)

The boxed/retail PC version of Mass Effect 2 will use only a basic disk check and it will not require online authentication. This is the same method as Dragon Age: Origins. Digital versions will use the retailers protection system.

[Elliot Kane]

Strategy Informer have:

An interview

And a preview!

[mysterd]

Dec 24, 2009 10:47:31 GMT Elliot Kane said:

Strategy Informer have:

An interview

Strategy Informer: So, Mass Effect 2. Are you excited?

Adrien Cho: *Laughs*Well we're tired, it's been a good two years in the making, but we're definitely excited. Mass Effect 2 is the greatest game we've made in the history of our studio, so as you can imagine it's pretty exciting. We can't wait to release it out there and show it to the people of the world, show them what we've been building and improving on these past few years. It's going to be a good Christmas!

I could be wrong and all - but I doubt Mass Effect 2 (ME2) will be as great as DAO. There's just something about sequels - usually, they're too much of the same or something gets lost from the previous installment (personality, charm, fresh-ness, etc). Usually, in a gaming sequel, it takes A LOT of improvement from the previous game to take it somewhere truly special.

Don't get me wrong - I'm still very highly looking forward to ME2 and all, since I loved ME1. I could be wrong here - but I just don't really think there was too much to improve on since ME1.

I really think Bioware's next revolutionary game will be SWTOR - I hate to say this since I ain't the biggest MMO nut. I think it's going to take a lot of what make SP-RPG games great, translate that into the MMO realm, and take MMO's to a new land of greatness and epic-ness nobody has ever seen before.

[mysterd]

NEW Trailer
Mass Effect 2 - Launch Trailer.

DLC #1
Mass Effect 2 - The Cerberus Network DLC announced for PC and X360.
Buy Mass Effect 2 brand new, this DLC is yours free.

For those who don't buy ME2 brand new, this DLC's price has yet to have been to disclosed.

Mass Effect Will Go Beyond The Planned ME Trilogy
There will be MORE Mass Effect games after the Mass Effect Trilogy is done with.

[mysterd]

IGN Review - 9.6 for PC and X360
Video Review.
Written Review.

Improvements over the original

Speaking of pleasing people, BioWare listened to every last bit of criticism leveled at Mass Effect 1. That game, particularly on Xbox 360, suffered from a few technical and presentational issues. This sequel is a much, much cleaner experience. Long elevator rides and slow-loading textures are gone, replaced with (occasionally lengthy) loading screens. Generic cut-and-paste side quests and empty planets to explore have been totally ripped out. Pretty much everything that anybody took even the slightest issue with in Mass Effect 1 has been axed or rebuilt entirely.

"Streamlined" Inventory and Skill Systems

The improvements aren't only technical. The inventory and skill systems have been made more manageable, streamlined to the point that they might initially appear too thin for a role-playing game. Keep playing, however, and you'll begin to see strength and depth emerge as you further customize your squad.

One of the biggest reasons why this streamlined approach to character customization works is the retooled character classes. The same six specialization options are back, ranging from the Jedi-inspired biotic users to the technically inclined engineer. This time, however, they've been defined and differentiated much more clearly, each getting its own set of weapon specializations and unique skills. Playing as a soldier is a vastly different combat experience compared to the vanguard or infiltrator. Each class has its own approach to battle, which is then further defined by how you choose to outfit your squad and where you assign skill points. By the end of the game, everything about Mass Effect 2 will be shaped by your choices – from the story to the ebb and flow of combat.

Minor Technical Issues

Even though it's a cleaner production, Mass Effect 2 isn't a perfectly polished game. I've played through the game twice and during that time experienced sound cutting out, my character getting stuck in the environment and full game crashes. Thankfully, these miscues are infrequent, which allows the art style to shine. Mass Effect 2 is a visual treat, filled with breathtaking landscapes and an awesome attention to detail.

If you're playing on PC and have a powerful rig (I took Shepard for a spin on an Alienware Intel Core 2 Quad 2.00 GHz prcoessor, dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M cards, and 6 GB of memory), it will look even better.

PC's HUD is different from X360

On PC, the heads-up display is a bit different, custom built to work with a keyboard and mouse. Both versions are largely identical, though you will get a few more options for customizing hot keys and skill usage on the PC. Which works better for you will be a matter of personal preference.

[mysterd]

GameSpot Review - 9.0 for PC and X360
SPOILERS ARE INCLUDED IN THEIR REVIEW
Written review.
Video Review in HD.
Video Review in Low-Def.

BitTech.Net - 10 for PC version.
Written review.

IncGamers - 9.6 for PC and X360
Written review.

AtomicGamer - 96% for PC version.
Written review.

GameSpy review - 5 stars for X360.
Written review.

Ars Technica - X360 Review.
Written Review.

[Elliot Kane]

I shall be getting this, I think. A space based cRPG is rare enough to be worth checking out, even without all the rave reviews. With...

[Ubereil]

Will you get the first one though? It's a game like BG where you can play your character from the first game if you want to. And the first one is really good too, at least if you can stand the FPSish combat system.

Übereil

[Elliot Kane]

Ube - I would have it already, if not for the ludicrous DRM they put on it. If they ever release it with an acceptable DRM, I will get it, otherwise not.

[Ubereil]

What's so intrusive about the current DRM for ME?

Did you get Dragon Age, by the way?

Übereil

[Elliot Kane]

DA's on my shelf. ME has it's own thread and all the DRM details are in that.

[Ubereil]

Well, your three pet peevers seemed to be "connect online once every tenth day" (which they ditched), register your game online when you install it (which you have to do with Dragon Age and ME2 as well), and the install limit.

So, we're left with the install limit (since, apparently, you've got nothing against registring your product on EA.com). If you run out of installs you call EA and you get new installs. There are not-completely-unrealistic doomsday scenarios where you won't be able to play using your CD verision, at which point I'm sure you can find cracks online if you want to replay the game. I'm not planning on replaying it once I've finnished it so I don't really care.

That is if you don't want to use this thing.

Übereil

[Elliot Kane]

WTF?!? You don't have to register DA online. Or ME2, according to the write up. If you do, I won't get ME2. DA is a simple disk check - or at least that's what it said in the various write ups. Won't be able to test that until i get a new computer, but even so...

You CAN register DA if you want extra stuff, but you don't have to.

The official DA announcement, Ube:

"We’re happy to announce that the boxed/retail PC version of Dragon Age: Origins will use only a basic disk check and it will not require online authentication. In other words, the retail PC version of the game won’t require you to go online to authenticate the game for offline play. We have chosen not to use SecuROM in any version of Dragon Age that is distributed by EA or BioWare."

[Ubereil]

Jan 27, 2010 20:17:08 GMT Elliot Kane said:

You CAN register DA if you want extra stuff, but you don't have to.

Aha, that's why I registered it. Well, it appears EA/Bioware have learnt since ME1 at least. Doesn't change the DRM on ME1 though, but I doubt they'll ever do that to be honest.

Übereil

[Elliot Kane]

You're likely right there, Ube.

[mysterd]

Jan 27, 2010 22:06:52 GMT Ubereil said:

Jan 27, 2010 20:17:08 GMT Elliot Kane said:

You CAN register DA if you want extra stuff, but you don't have to.

Aha, that's why I registered it. Well, it appears EA/Bioware have learnt since ME1 at least. Doesn't change the DRM on ME1 though, but I doubt they'll ever do that to be honest.

Übereil

I wish they'd remove the Securom authentication and install limits from ME1 PC.

Only good thing about the Steam version of ME1 PC is that it only deals w/ Steamworks. It doesn't have Securom and the extra unnecessary install limit crap. Though, if you ain't tolerant of Steamworks DRM - yeah, you're stuck w/ Steam.

I do have DAO - and yes, disc check only. If you want to register for the Bioware Social Club thing, up to you - but, you'll need to do it if you download the FREE DLC for those who have new copies of DAO and even buy DLC directly from Bioware/EA.

[Terrordar]

I was surprised.

This is one of the best games I've played in years. I'd even go as far as to say it is better than DAO (though DAO has a few things about it I honestly liked more, as a whole ME2 seems better)

I was stunned by the storytelling, the scripted conversations, the outcomes of my choices, refined combat.

The only thing I really disliked was inventory. Everything but was fantastic.