mass effect 2 sucks?

Is it just me, or is this game really uninteresting? I mean, the whole reason bioware games are great is because you really get attached to the characters and their stories. This game is one seemingly unrelated side quest after another. There is no focus, and no intrigue. They throw a bunch of back story at you so fast and then move on to something else, so you really don't care about it. Plus, it doesn't really seem to affect the game much to choose different dialog options. I am finding it excruciating to do these recruitment and loyalty missions, and that is basically the entire game... plus I understand when I am done, I am practically at the end. Seems a little silly to generate all of this dialog and back story detail around a slew of characters that you MIGHT use for one mission?

tranceFusion:

Is it just me

Yes.

I agree as far as under utilization of the characters. I'd have rather seen half as many characters get twice as much attention.

I'll start off with saying i was a huge fan of the game and the first one; so just a heads up that my disagreement may be a little biased

 

However, i didn't take it that way at all POTENTIAL SPOILERS: My reasoning about all the characters and the back story about them is, regardless of whether you use them or not, for the task at hand you would still need to build a new crew.  Loyalty in a crew would be paramount, as would knowing the people you are working with.  I personally wanted to know more about the characters and wished there was a bit more i could've learned about some of them.  I just didn't find it to be as pointless as you did

If you didn't play the first game, I can see how maybe, maaaaaaaaaaaaaybe you might feel this way. But even with that stipulation, ME2 stands alone as a monument to modern game design. It's got a compelling story, fast-paced action, and drop-dead gorgeous graphics. 

Long story short, I think it might just be you

Possible spoilers

I'm a huge Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 fan.  Probably my favourite RPGs (flaws and all), but I had this discussion with kevlar51 a few days ago.  I feel ME had a great story and disappointing (to some, not me) game play.  It seemed to do a decent job at capturing emotion, but lacked emotion at times (mostly side-quests).  I didn't find I was all that attached to more than a few crew members as there wasn't a lot to recruiting them.  "Hey, I'm going after Fist/Saren, join me."  Another slight disappointment in ME was the side-quests.  They have implications on ME2, but they are extremely bland and very little attachment is developed which is disappointing because of Cerberus' (and others) role in ME.  You don't see it if you don't do the side missions.

ME2 has amazing game play (except for the scanning, bring back the Makko), does an amazing job of creating loyalty among the new team.  I wish some of their back stories had a little more weight and they would actually talk to you on the ship.  I think they could have done a much better job here, but they still did a better job than ME.  I agree to an extent with the OP, the plot in ME2 < ME.  I think they could have done more with the Alliance vs. Cerberus angle and I was disappointed they didn't.  I feel the experience was simplified a little too much in an attempt to polish the game up over the first one.  I think Bioware did a great job of setting up ME3, but the main story in ME2 let me down a bit.

I just started my first runthrough this weekend so I can't really comment on the character development yet.

However I am loving the game so far.  From the refined combat system to the fantastic opening sequence, and the smooth framerate.

kiguruMix:

If you didn't play the first game, I can see how maybe, maaaaaaaaaaaaaybe you might feel this way. But even with that stipulation, ME2 stands alone as a monument to modern game design. It's got a compelling story, fast-paced action, and drop-dead gorgeous graphics. 

Long story short, I think it might just be you

I did play the first, and thought it was amazing. Of course it had its little problems. I was excited when this game started because the opening sequences were just incredible.. then it started to fall down. I don't find the story compelling, because it is all over the freakin place.. and the "RPG" elements are now so dumbed down that they are just a waste of time. If it isn't going to have a compelling story or rpg elements, I might as well just be play an action packed refined shooter like gears of war.

So.. It sounds like it is just me, but I stand by my argument

It is very much just you.  Some characters just have better stories than others though.  I felt Miranda and Jacob were wholly uninteresting.  But I still cared enough about their survival in the final mission.  And knowing that you could lose any of them going into that mission really struck a chord.  I actually jumped up and cheered at one point in that final sequence.  Magnificent game.

The first ME had one of the best stories I've ever heard in game, but I gave up on it because the gameplay felt like a tedious chore. I'm assuming ME2 is more brilliant story and more boring gameplay.

exolstice:

I'm assuming ME2 is more brilliant story and more boring gameplay.

I'd say it's reversed.  Brilliant, smooth gameplay (too streamlined for me) and a mediocre story.

cheeznrice:

exolstice:

I'm assuming ME2 is more brilliant story and more boring gameplay.

I'd say it's reversed.  Brilliant, smooth gameplay (too streamlined for me) and a mediocre story.

BULL****! Great gameplay and an even better story. They just pulled a Bioshock with the ending....

G-Nitro:

cheeznrice:

exolstice:

I'm assuming ME2 is more brilliant story and more boring gameplay.

I'd say it's reversed.  Brilliant, smooth gameplay (too streamlined for me) and a mediocre story.

BULL****! Great gameplay and an even better story. They just pulled a Bioshock with the ending....

Ah, G-Nitro. If we didn't have you to tell us that someone's opinion is wrong, who would?

ME2 had much smoother gameplay but I still had some big problems with it. The dialogue trees in ME2 did not really improve from ME (ie choose the red option for renegade...). Wished there were more interesting equipment items. Possible Spoilers: Last but not least, the ending of ME2 was retarded in comparison to ME1. The ending boss was frankly insulting to me.

tranceFusion:

I mean, the whole reason bioware games are great is because you really get attached to the characters and their stories.

Ahahahahaha

ME2 is the best game Bioware has ever made. Or at least the least mediocre. The RPG elements are worse than ever but that's okay because it's like they completely cropped the pretense of being an RPG altogether and decided to focus on making an awesome sci-fi TPS. The storyline was definitely filler but I found it to be much more entertaining and better presented than Dragon Age or Mass Effect 1. I sincerely doubt they'll be able to keep up this rate of improvement for Mass Effect 3 but I'm still actually interested in the sequel.

G-Nitro:

BULL****! Great gameplay and an even better story. They just pulled a Bioshock with the ending....

What are you smoking? The writing was great (I was amazed that this quality of writing came from a bioware game) and the presentation is almost peerless, but the plot itself is nonsense. It doesn't move forward a single inch. At the end of the game all you've managed to accomplish is killing the aliens who tried to kill you in the beginning. Right back where you started. This might have worked for a spin-off interquel or something but considering this is part 2 of a trilogy it's pretty poor design on BW's behalf.

taintedzodiac:

Ah, G-Nitro. If we didn't have you to tell us that someone's opinion is wrong, who would?

You rang?