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Where in the Citadel is Mass Effect 2?

Surprisingly, one of my favourite games of last winter was Mass Effect, the space-opera RPG from western-developers BioWare. I say surprisingly because, despite the sci-fi setting and interesting RPG mechanics, I typically gravitate towards the JRPG sub-genre instead. Much was made of the game-affecting decisions you would make over the course of the journey, and while only two ultimately meant anything in the context of the ending, it was those choices that made me really connect with the game. I started to really care about the fate of this little universe and its characters, and I wanted to find out what would happen next after the game finale.

So it’s with that declaration in mind that I ask BioWare: where is part two? It was stated time and time again during development that the game was intended to be part of a grand trilogy, and that we would be able to take our character’s progress directly into the next game, with the decisions we have made still affecting the galaxy. We were given an enjoyable side-quest in DLC form with “Bring Down The Sky”, but it was short-lived and self-contained.

The last piece of information we received about Mass Effect 2 was in March of this year, and only that it would “blow us away”; given that, it seems that the ETA for the title will be sometime in late 2009. Whilst I would absolutely prefer BioWare to spend the time and resources making an improved sequel, the wait is slightly concerning. At the current rate of development, the final chapter of the trilogy will spin off into the next console generation (a la Halo 3), which will probably force Bioware to recondition a lot of the game resources for a new set of hardware.

So what about you? Would you prefer that the next entry in a story-focused franchise only have minor tweaks but be released within a year or two, or would you want it to be a genuine advancement but take a little longer to go gold?

I couldn\'t make a Mass Effect post without showing this - signed by game composers Jack Wall and Richard Jaques

I enjoyed the music in the game as well, so I had my copy signed by game composers Jack Wall and Richard Jaques

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16 responses to “Where in the Citadel is Mass Effect 2?”

  1. Skill avatar
    Skill

    For me, its not about improvement, just about the volume of story.
    I want another game of the same quality, rather than not as good, like KOTOR 2 was.

  2. Kirsten avatar
    Kirsten

    I’m not looking for a part in a trilogy to be an evolution gameplay-wise. It’s a trilogy – it’s meant to be all the one game, no? I’ll expect an evolution in the next game from Bioware, when this three part game is done.

    I didn’t even like it back when Jak II was a totally different game from Jak & Daxter. It was so different I didn’t see the point in using the Jak franchise for it (other than the fact that it would make money). They should have just made a new IP.

  3. GlitterUK avatar
    GlitterUK

    The more I hear about this game the more annoyed I get. I loved this game but was really annoyed when the game finsihed and did not allow me to carry on. So I was unable to get some of the achievments that I almost had or finish off the last few galaxies I hadn’t searched yet, so I started again and thought instead of being boring I would make a new character, even although I was now quite attached to the first one. For the first time since I got my Xbox, 2 years ago, I decided to clear out my hard drive and memory card and I deleted all my Mass Effect saves as I thought I wouldn’t need them anymore. Then someone tells me that if I had chosen my first character the second time round she would still have her level and weapons etc and now you go and tell me I need her for the next game. I think i’m going to cry, seriously cry.

  4. Nick avatar
    Nick

    Mass Effect is one of my most loved games on the 360 I got the collecters Ed and cherish it like a good woman. I maybe would like to see some neat features but not to much that the game has changed from awesome to great. Awesome games are so much better.

    Bring it out either next year.

  5. Van-Fu avatar
    Van-Fu

    We can use our characters and skills in the next game? Coolio.

    And strangely, my girlfriend always wants to tidy up my digital space. Read emails have to be deleted, save games have to be deleted if I don’t have the game anymore. But I always tell her that you never know. As a cautionary tale, I am going to show her GlitterUK’s regret (sorry to use you as an example, Glitter, but whosoever helps one person, helps the whole world entire, or something like that, right?).

  6. Skill avatar
    Skill

    Very poetical.

  7. Van-Fu avatar
    Van-Fu

    If it saves one digital life, it was all worth it, right?

    Van-Fu
    Quoting profound statements out of context since 1977

  8. Laura avatar
    Laura

    But but but what about the alternative endings to the first one, what if you were naughty and let the council be destroyed? Will Kaidan and Ashley still be in the second game even though you sent one (the one you didn’t want to pull) off to die. My inner geek needs to know these things now! Someone out there knows!!

  9. Skill avatar
    Skill

    Ok, that’s not quite as I heard it.
    Can’t quite remember where I saw this discussed, but I think it might have been on the BioWare site.

    The idea, as far as I know (which isn’t far), is that its likely to be closer to the progression between KOTOR and KOTOR 2.
    You would use a new character, learning new skills, but in a world affected by your first playthrough.

    Some of the companions from game one will return, and some will be new allowing them to maintain the plotline regardless of who survived.

    References can be made throughout the game to the actions of your Shepherd depending on your actions from the first game. Did you kill the psychic alien queen? Which sub-missions did you complete?
    Well, these can be commented on in-game or even affect which missions you’re offered. Your Commander Shepherd could even appear as an NPC.
    But the core plotline, again, can be left to the developers to craft without too much concern.

    Do you remember the background choices you made at the start of the game? Were you an orphan, what was your military record, etc?
    Well, having a game save from ME1 would be a bit like that. A series of pre-made background choices.

    That way new gamers can play without needing to play ME1 and old gamers can have their experience added to.
    Best of all (some?) worlds.

  10. Ben avatar
    Ben

    Pull Kaidan or Ashley? Pfft, I ended up with Liara, nothing like inter-racial reproduction to help unite galactic races.

    I think for me, Mass Effect had one thing that a lot other games haven’t, and that’s some really good character development.

    By the end of the game you really did (presuming you did a lot of the side quests and spent time getting to know them) which meant that it wasn’t just Shepard saving the universe, but Shepard, Wrex, Liara, Ashley etc

    Great game and can’t wait for the sequel(s)

  11. Kirsten avatar
    Kirsten

    Glitter – you deleted your character on a game that’s part of a trilogy? You also didn’t check up if you could start again with your character on a second play through on the internet or even in the manuel? You are a fud.

    (It’s ok, she’s my sister.)

  12. Michael avatar
    Michael

    What the hell is a fud?

    About your question, Scott, I’d go for the latter option – yes, I loved Mass Effect and WANT the sequel but I am fully prepared to wait as long as it takes for it to be everything it could be.

  13. John avatar
    John

    It looks like I need to re-visit this one. I’m almost ashamed to say I played about an hour in and got kinda bored. Perhaps I missed the point.
    When I need a break from Grid, I’ll drop ME back into the drive and see what I’m missing.

  14. Kirsten avatar
    Kirsten

    There’s definitely a slow bit in the middle but it’s worth getting past, John.

  15. GlitterUK avatar
    GlitterUK

    Well I pointedly did not mention this as I did not want to point any fingers but as I am being called a fud I feel i should point out that when the game ended I immediately went on MSN and asked Flare if there was anything I could do because I just couldn’t believe a game would be made so badly as to leave me in such a situation but FLARE told me no that was it and tough luck. SO I think it is safe to say that FLARE IS THE FUD!!!!!!

  16. Wendlandt avatar
    Wendlandt

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