Mass Effect

[Huma_22]

<blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
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<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by DaveSimmons:<br><blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
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<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">It's just his opinion...why try to discredit him or dismiss him? You're acting as if you have some sort of <b>personal stake</b> in the game. </div>
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<br>I do: if it stinks, I don't get to enjoy it -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_frown.gif -- </div>
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<br><br>I feel the same way, but getting into a hissy fit when anyone doesn't like it (not saying you have) isn't going to make it any better when it's released.<br><br>Honestly can't remember the last time I was that emotionally invested in a game before its release.

 

[The Faceless Rebel]

You must not have played the Bioshock demo. -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif --

 

[morello]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Seriously, one can expect a multitude of opinions on such a highly scrutinized game...I think what the Destructoid guy was getting at, however badly worded it was, is that the interactive cutscenes may not be the end-all be-all that they were originally hyped as by Bioware. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>That may well be the case, but is it too much to ask for people (especially those with websites, it's really not a big deal if the average forum poster decides to take an uninformed stance) to make such judgements on more than 20 minutes of gameplay?<BR><BR>I mean the guy didn't exactly say, "from what limited amount of Mass Effect I saw, I think this game may not live up to expectations." No, that wouldn't generate nearly as much traffic. From his 20 minutes of video, it's like he wanted to beat the living shit out of the game, like he has some sort of vendetta over it.<BR><BR>And I still don't think this guy has ever played an RPG game, or previous Bioware one for that matter.<BR><BR>There's a certain amount of knowledge and pedigree that you'd expect from someone who's giving their opinion on a game, that is if you want to use their opinion as something more. It'd be like having a person with no background in art give a breakdown of some famous piece, they're likely to be wrong beyond all expectations. This guy comes across as someone who has no knowledge of RPG games to me, so why he's giving his opinions on something he knows nothing about, I don't know.

 

[Nerfgun]

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<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by morello:<br>And I still don't think this guy has ever played an RPG game, or previous Bioware one for that matter. There's a certain amount of knowledge and pedigree that you'd expect from someone who's giving their opinion on a game, that is if you want to use their opinion as something more. It'd be like having a person with no background in art give a breakdown of some famous piece, they're likely to be wrong beyond all expectations. </div>
</blockquote>
<br>I call that an <b>"Ebert"</b>. -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif --

 

[morello]

Gamespot has a new, much better written preview of the game up. Unfortunately for the haters, it's a generally positive one.<br><br><blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> After the combat ended, we witnessed some dramatic story points that we can't tell you about just yet. But we did get to see Mass Effect's innovative interactive dialogue system put to its fullest use when Sheppard and one of his crew members got into a heated discussion over a particularly crucial topic. As we've reported frequently, the game gives you a number of dialogue--and in some cases, action--options as you progress through a conversation. In this case, <b>we saw that this particular version of Sheppard had spent talent points in the charm and intimidation categories, giving him two extra response options (in red and blue) that he wouldn't have had otherwise</b>. Apparently, you won't even be able to complete some of the optional side missions without sufficient levels in these categories. <b>At any rate, the confrontation came to a head, and Sheppard had to make a decision between all six options, some of them quite extreme.</b> (Again, unfortunately, BioWare wants certain plot points to remain secret for now.) This situation certainly exemplified the freedom you'll have to handle even the most tense, pivotal situations in multiple and diverse ways. </div>
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<br><br>The difference between this and the last one, is this one actually talks about stuff you'd expect to hear from someone who's played an RPG game before -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif --

 

[Bammer]

I think the Destructoid thing is like a problem you want to have.<BR><BR>In this thread, we are used to plain text for dialog, so a 2d ragdoll talking is better, and a 3d model with no facial animation is better still, and a 3d talking head like in Oblivion is really awesome, and a Mass Effect with full on characters that act, but could act with more zazz, is the best it's ever been.<BR><BR>Some joker that doesn't play RPGs thinks "Hey, all these people aren't totally convincing me that they're fully resolved living individuals". That he could even begin to expect that is a triumph of gameplay evolution.

 

[Huma_22]

This forum cracks me up sometimes.<BR><BR>Professional review sites are only credible when they write reviews that we want to hear.<BR><BR>How many times have we seen Gamespot, IGN et al trounced on this forum (they advertise for the developers!!!11) and then see the exact same detractors starting threads with <B>"[Insert hotly anticipated game here] gets a 9 from Gamespot!"</B>?<BR><BR>If Gamespot gives this game anything less than a 9, how much do you bet someone's going to be saying, <B>"They don't know what the fuck they're talking about!!1"?</B>

 

[morello]

How credible are reviews in your opinion when they don't even play the game they are reviewing? <BR><BR>Read the fucking thread.<BR><BR>The point of all this is that idiot based all those insults and comments (which as pointed out, none really even apply to what one judges an RPG on anyway), without playing the game.<BR><BR>I don't know about you, but giving a professional review or even judgment of a car, without driving it, certainly seems a little shady to me.<BR><BR>I don't know why anyone would care what the fuck someone has to say about a game, when they go off saying shit about it without even playing it. That's just embarrassing. And then you have people like you claiming, look how people get upset over it, as if his review is perfectly grounded and fair.

 

[Huma_22]

But the guy didn't review the game.<BR><BR>He gave his opinion on how the facial animations and other aspects of the game looked to him. That's it.<BR><BR>In fact he specifically said that he wouldn't comment too deeply on gameplay because he didn't get to play it.<BR><BR>If viewing footage of the game in action isn't enough to form an early judgment on, then what exactly are you basing your excitement (and angrily defensive stance) on? Just like you, the guy has seen footage of the game, and he's shared his feelings on it.<BR><BR>And for that you're calling him an idiot and cussing out people who say he has the right to an opinion?<BR><BR>Kinda sad, man. But hey.

 

[morello]

I'm basing my angry defensive stance on the fact that no reputable website has any right to take that sort of obnoxious stance on what looks to be a AAA title from watching a mere 20 minutes of game play (actually it's closer to 15 to be more precise), and not expect to be ridiculed.<BR><BR>Explain to me why we care about someone's opinion who has seen less of the game than ourselves, hasn't played the game, and who appears to have no knowledge about RPGs?<BR><BR>The answer: We don't. Their opinion is worth about as much as the dirt on the ground. Maybe less.<BR><BR>You think that'd stop such a person from slamming the game on a 'reputable' site. Clearly Destructoid lacks any dignity whatsoever.

 

[hoyle1911]

I've always found that critical writeups tend to be the most informative, as this Destructoid guy has done. I too was disturbed to see him be down on the voice acting, but I wasn't too bothered as Bioware voice acting does tend to lean on the "script reading" side instead of something completely natural like a good film or theater play. At least it won't be like Oblivion where 3-4 people do the voices for 100 characters, while Patrick Stewart does a guest reading for 5 minutes.<BR><BR>It sort of goes with the territory that Bioware scripts are wordy. Too wordy for conversation to be honest. But Mass Effect does seem to be meeting in the middle between KOTOR and a regular conversation.<BR><BR>Destructoid guy saying the facial animations and voice work isn't the end-all-be-all is a good dose of reality. I wasn't expecting perfection anyways, just a solid evolution of Bioware RPGs. Our expectations of the conversation system were probably too high to begin with.

 

[hoyle1911]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by morello:<BR>How credible are reviews in your opinion when they don't even play the game they are reviewing? <BR><BR>Read the fucking thread.<BR><BR>The point of all this is that idiot based all those insults and comments (which as pointed out, none really even apply to what one judges an RPG on anyway), without playing the game.<BR><BR>I don't know about you, but giving a professional review or even judgment of a car, without driving it, certainly seems a little shady to me.<BR><BR>I don't know why anyone would care what the fuck someone has to say about a game, when they go off saying shit about it without even playing it. That's just embarrassing. And then you have people like you claiming, look how people get upset over it, as if his review is perfectly grounded and fair. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>This is just a patently bad post, although not surprising. I'm glad the Internet is more than just sheep nodding their heads giving everything a 10. <BR><BR>I read previews and reviews specifically to hear what I don't want to hear. The flaws and real world impressions that knock us off of cloud nine. Fuck this goddamn mentality that anyone giving less than glorious praise is instantly crucified. Why. Read. Anything. If not for different opinions? Why even post on this message board, any message board, if you're only looking for something agreeable that suits your own little viewpoint?<BR><BR>And the guy from Destructoid is not "an idiot". Grow up.<BR><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> I'm basing my angry defensive stance on the fact that no reputable website has any right to take that sort of obnoxious stance on what looks to be a AAA title from watching a mere 20 minutes of game play (actually it's closer to 15 to be more precise), and not expect to be ridiculed. </div></BLOCKQUOTE> <BR><BR>He has every right. He's living in a free society, and it's just his opinion.

 

[The Faceless Rebel]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Huma_22:<BR>This forum cracks me up sometimes.<BR><BR>Professional review sites are only credible when they write reviews that we want to hear.<BR><BR>How many times have we seen Gamespot, IGN et al trounced on this forum (they advertise for the developers!!!11) and then see the exact same detractors starting threads with <B>"[Insert hotly anticipated game here] gets a 9 from Gamespot!"</B>?<BR><BR>If Gamespot gives this game anything less than a 9, how much do you bet someone's going to be saying, <B>"They don't know what the fuck they're talking about!!1"?</B> </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>You should have seen the fanboy firestorm that erupted when Gamespot dared to give The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess only an 8.9. The reviewer was getting death threats at one point.

 

[morello]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I read previews and reviews specifically to hear what I don't want to hear. The flaws and real world impressions that knock us off of cloud nine. Fuck this goddamn mentality that anyone giving less than glorious praise is instantly crucified. Why. Read. Anything. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>So you still don't get it huh? <BR><BR>Why read a preview about a 15 minute video? You really think it's fair to slam a game just because you want to with no care for what actually matters in the game? <BR><BR>Do you like going to websites about DS or Wii games and reading about people bitching about non-HD graphics in every review? Sure sounds like it.<BR><BR>The point is this guy's review is unfounded. Anything based on 15 minutes of gameplay shouldn't be used to pass judgement on a 20 hour RPG game.<BR><BR>But you can go back to your bubble of ignorance and keep ignoring the fact, and act like it's perfectly fine for a website to post unfounded hate and the sort, because hey, it's a different perspective. Doesn't matter that it's not grounded at all. <BR><BR>I'm pretty sure I can take 15 minutes of almost any game ever made and make a convincing argument that the game's a piece of shit (actually a 3 year old could do a better job than Destructoid did).

 

[gsb445]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Nerfgun:<BR>I call that an "Ebert". </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>You know, it's a shame that Ebert so thoroughly stuck his foot in his mouth with the whole "art" debate (although I do understand his argument even if I don't agree with his restrictive definition of "art"), because the guy is actually very knowledgeable on the subject of film and I almost always get something out of listening to him discuss that topic in detail. Unfortunately, he sometimes comes off as abrasive and overly impressed with himself, and it he can be genuinely off-putting when he lapses into his "I am The Ebert, tremble before my intellect" mode.

 

[onkeljonas]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by morello:<BR>Why read a preview about a 15 minute video? You really think it's fair to slam a game just because you want to with no care for what actually matters in the game? <BR><BR>Do you like going to websites about DS or Wii games and reading about people bitching about non-HD graphics in every review? Sure sounds like it.<BR><BR>The point is this guy's review is unfounded. Anything based on 15 minutes of gameplay shouldn't be used to pass judgement on a 20 hour RPG game. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>He criticises voice acting and facial animations, both of which was presumably shown in the demo.<BR>Why don't you think 15 (or was it perhaps 16.5?) minutes can give an impression of the quality of facial animations and voice acting? Perhaps they enable the FacialAnimationBonusPack and VoiceActingQualityAddIn after half an hour of gameplay?<BR><BR>Now of course what he was shown may not be indicative of the final game, but this late in development that would actually be surprising. What he saw didn't impress him – on the contrary it was below his expectations. Why is it such a problem that he tells it to us?<BR><BR>Apparently he wasn't the only one there who was disappointed, so perhaps ME just got more hype than it should have. Certainly there is no reason to become so hostile because you think his points aren't valid.<BR><BR><BR>Personally I still look forward to ME, but it is definitely good to get some more down-to-earth commentary. No game is without its flaws, and I have no doubt ME will be worth buying despite whatever flaws it might have.

 

[Nerfgun]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by gsb445:<BR>You know, it's a shame that Ebert so thoroughly stuck his foot in his mouth with the whole "art" debate (although I do understand his argument even if I don't agree with his restrictive definition of "art"), because the guy is actually very knowledgeable on the subject of film and I almost always get something out of listening to him discuss that topic in detail. Unfortunately, he sometimes comes off as abrasive and overly impressed with himself, and it he can be genuinely off-putting when he lapses into his "I am The Ebert, tremble before my intellect" mode. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>It is a shame, because I agree with you; he usually knows what he is talking about when it comes to film. But he didn't just stick his foot in there, he got all the way to the upper thigh, <I>and then</I> came back later for the other one. His response to Barker's remarks was just dripping with smirking sarcasm and wholly lacking substance. I was surprised to read it. <BR><BR>Anyways, N'Gai Croal ripped him a pretty good one. Hopefully he'll stay in his corner.<BR><BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">morello:<BR>The point is this guy's review is unfounded. Anything based on 15 minutes of gameplay shouldn't be used to pass judgement on a 20 hour RPG game. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Well to be fair, we all saw 2-3 minute trailers that got us excited about Mass Effect in the first place. But one thing the Destructoid guy said: that the "general mood" was similar to his own. If that was actually the case at PAX then there ought to be other write-ups of the demo that say much the same thing. I have yet to see such summaries.<BR><BR>And if the guy really is just spouting off/trolling for hits then we've probably given him way more attention already than he deserves.

 

[morello]

His points aren't valid. He hasn't played the game. No one will convince me of anything, when they haven't even played the game they are attacking.<BR><BR>He claims the game lack life, looks like a generic FPS, boring weapons, unconvincing game play, subpar facial animations, and poor voice acting.<BR><BR>All from a 15 minute video without playing the game. I'm sorry if I'm not convinced, and the jury's still out on this one for me.<BR><BR>If you honestly think we'll be seeing 5's and 6's coming in on this game's reviews, and not 9's and 10's, well you have a broken crystal ball there.

 

[Ajar]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by morello:<BR>The point is this guy's review is unfounded. Anything based on 15 minutes of gameplay shouldn't be used to pass judgement on a 20 hour RPG game. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Then why aren't all of the glowing previews unfounded as well. I didn't notice you complaining about those or calling their authors idiots.

 

[morello]

Because I find it's easier to ignore previews, until they start talking trash about games to get attention.<BR><BR>It's common knowledge that previews go over a game's potential. It's not out of place in a preview to give out glowing praise, just about every preview does this, because a preview is meant to get you interested in the game, and show what the game has to offer.<BR><BR>Previews are also often full of information about the game's features, such as the gamespot one I linked to above. It explains some of the features of the character building and their effects on the game, and explains how the squad based combat can be used effectively.<BR><BR>I expect criticisms from websites, especially flagrant ones that fill up the entire preview, to be well founded. In order for that, normally you have to play the game to understand what you're talking about. It's clear to me this guy has not.

 

[arhra]

Easy solution to this argument - stop trying to determine whether or not you trust any particular media source's impressions, and watch the whole damn thing yourself.

 

[>_<]

Hmmm the voice acting is very bland and I was keeping an open mind about the facial animation until the general appeared who's face is so stiff he looks like he's suffered multiple strokes.<br><br>Disappointed -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_frown.gif --<br><br>Edit to say something nice: facial animations aside, the character animations are nice enough and the backgrounds are pretty.

 

[arhra]

The way i look at it is sure, it's a little stiff compared to something like Heavenly Sword's fully mocapped cutscenes, but that's a rather unfair comparison - we're not talking about a few cutscenes in a 6 hour game here, we're talking about at least 30-40 hours of game, with complex branching conversations, and compared to older games in a similar vein (KotOR, Oblivion, etc), it's a pretty fucking massive step up. The voice acting does seem a little bland, though, which can probably be forgiven for the vast majority of conversations (when you think about how many lines the Sheppard actor will have to have recorded, you can imagine that it could get a little wearing...), but if major plot point cutscenes/conversations are that flat... -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_frown.gif --<br><br>Also, just found this demo on Gamespot (warning: minor cutscene spoilers, so avoid if you want to go in completely dark, nothing particularly huge if you've already been following previews/etc though). More of an interview/demo type thing, and mostly focussed on combat, but it looks fucking awesome to me.

 

[>_<]

I'd have said stiff compared to in-game rendered facial animations in, say, HL2 or Doom 3. Its like they're carved in wood. Keanu would be proud, no doubt. I'm also unmoved by the idea that its ok to sound bored because you've had to talk for 40 hours when you're being paid to sound interested -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif --<br><br>Anyway I'll stay in the "reserve judgement till I see it in the flesh" camp for now but I <i>am</i> worried it's going to be quite an immersion killer.

 

[donlo]

<blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by >_<:<br>Hmmm the voice acting is very bland and I was keeping an open mind about the facial animation until the general appeared who's face is so stiff he looks like he's suffered multiple strokes.<br><br>Disappointed -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_frown.gif --<br><br> </div>
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<br><br>Animation aside, you have to keep in mind the dynamic nature of the dialouge. They had to record their lines in such a way that they could be interrupted, or responded to in a varity of ways. You dont want someone to have an upbeat tone while the main char is being a jerk (or do you?) so instead of mapping out what kind of emotion every line should have ( a daunting task even for a good movie director, let alone a game dev) they went with flat and even. As long as all the dialouge is spoken I'm happy, I've played one too many Nintendo/Japanese games with text only -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_frown.gif --

 

[Nerfgun]

I just watched the 3-part developer walkthrough... here's what I thought:<BR><BR>The facial animation is in fact quite stiff. They just don't have any range to them. You can see this in particular on the Admiral, at the end of the 2nd part and beginning of the 3rd when the audio sounds like he is yelling (over the engines) and the guy's face looks like someone from Quake. Also the lip sync is pretty janky in spots, I guess that is generated on the fly based on the soundfile. Shepherd is supposed to be a stoic type so its not so bad for him, but you can see it there as well. Aliens, well, that Nylix (?) guy's face looks like its made of bone or something so its not so apparent when he doesn't pull any faces. (And I still say his voice is <I>terrible</I> without any weird audio effects, he sounds like a guy in a rubber mask.) I think this is a totally valid criticism.<BR><BR>Is it still better than any RPG I've ever seen? Oh hell yes. Much, much better than KOTOR or Oblivion. Because I know there are zillions of lines of dialog and its a modular construction, if you will. The actual <I>body</I> mo-cap is quite excellent, the direction of live cuts (the camera angles) are fantastic. The lighting is superb. The the design... wow. Absolutely drool-worthy. They completely nailed that particular Shiny Space kind of aesthetic. I'm just agog at the art direction.<BR><BR>So my take from the video is that yes, their faces don't emote very well, but this aspect is <I>so overshadowed</I> by the sheer bucketloads of awesome in several other aspects that I can hardly bring myself to care. <BR><BR>The combat looks fun too, although I did have a bit of a concern seeing Shepherd blow those flying drones out of the sky - the muzzle flare from his gun takes up practically the whole screen which made it seem like he could hardly miss. But that is one gun, and as we know there are several (and upgradeable). I also love the fact that you actually see the guns on his back, it's always nice when they don't use the Portable Hole solution for characters (Snake, I'm looking in your direction...)<BR><BR>The RPG menus also looked completely kickass, nice clean design, very accessible, very straightforward. I have a particular love for radial menus and they are present in spades - the dialog chooser is very nifty.<BR><BR>So I guess I have to agree with Destructoid guy if we wanted to focus on facial animation in particular; I just don't understand why he would get so hung up on this point in the face of all this other clearly high-production-value stuff. It's like picking on the crappy torch effects in God of War. <I>So what?</I> The game looks frickin' awesome.

 

[Huma_22]

Threads like this could benefit from an "Age" label under usernames.

 

[Daemonic]

^^ (to Nerfgun's post) I agree pretty much completely. After watching those three videos... OMG OMG OMG OMG I want it now... screw the bland facial animation/voice acting, it doesn't mean squat to me.

 

[Ajar]

I'd love to have really solid voice acting -- for example, it was extremely effective in BioShock -- but it's hardly a dealbreaker. I didn't mind it in Oblivion and Mass Effect is obviously light-years ( -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif -- ) ahead of that.

 

[Crolis]

omg, those trailers might show some facial animation problems but screw that, they just made me want this game like 500x more. I was worried about the combat, till now.

 

[hoyle1911]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by morello:<BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I read previews and reviews specifically to hear what I don't want to hear. The flaws and real world impressions that knock us off of cloud nine. Fuck this goddamn mentality that anyone giving less than glorious praise is instantly crucified. Why. Read. Anything. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>So you still don't get it huh? <BR><BR>Why read a preview about a 15 minute video? You really think it's fair to slam a game just because you want to with no care for what actually matters in the game? <BR><BR>Do you like going to websites about DS or Wii games and reading about people bitching about non-HD graphics in every review? Sure sounds like it.<BR><BR>The point is this guy's review is unfounded. Anything based on 15 minutes of gameplay shouldn't be used to pass judgement on a 20 hour RPG game.<BR><BR>But you can go back to your bubble of ignorance and keep ignoring the fact, and act like it's perfectly fine for a website to post unfounded hate and the sort, because hey, it's a different perspective. Doesn't matter that it's not grounded at all. <BR><BR>I'm pretty sure I can take 15 minutes of almost any game ever made and make a convincing argument that the game's a piece of shit (actually a 3 year old could do a better job than Destructoid did). </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Man, stop attacking the guy's character like some immature poster. I know three year olds and they are wonderful people, but no they wouldn't do a better job. Grow up.<BR><BR>For the 15 minutes, it's ample time to get a sense of voice acting and character animation. I don't need 15 minutes to know a good X-Files actor's ability, or a good Disney, Warner, or Pixar animation. How much time do you need? As for gameplay, yeah it's just an impression. Some of the most informative articles are the ones you completely disagree with. No need for drama over something that's relatively benign. <BR><BR>And it's not a review, it's a preview. He hasn't passed final judgement and says as much in his post. How did you feel about Mark from 1up slamming Too Human months ago? He disclosed he got a bad impression from it, but also stated he reserves final judgement on the review code.

 

[Semi On]

Perhaps some have vastly higher expectations of what digital puppets should look like when simulating human conversation than I. However, I've seen a lot of video from the game, at this point, and it's at least enough to keep me excited. It's not perfect, but it's a vast improvement over what I've seen in the past. To a certain degree, this sort of thing gets worse as the graphics get better. A low res cartoon doesn't bother you so much as a high res human model. But I certainly haven't seen anything that turns me off to the game.<BR><BR>My biggest concern is what kind of character I'm going to build the day it comes out?

 

[Psion]

A jerk? -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif --<br><br><br>I'll be interrupting the hell out of everyone for my first playthrough, I can pretty much guarantee that. My character build will be maximized to make this as entertaining as possible. I'm thinking tech nerd.<br><br>Now if I could find a way to cue a Phoenix Wright-esque "OBJECTION!" to the interrupt, I'd probably <i>never</i> stop doing so.

 

[Nerfgun]

<blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Semi On:<br>My biggest concern is what kind of character I'm going to build the day it comes out? </div>
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<br>I liked the bit I saw where you get to choose your "background"... the two choices were:<br><br> • loose-cannon war hero mercenary who doesn't take shit from anyone, or<br> • the sole survivor of a mysterious horrible colony disaster<br><br>-- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif --

 

[hoyle1911]

<blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Psion:<br>A jerk? -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif --<br><br><br>I'll be interrupting the hell out of everyone for my first playthrough, I can pretty much guarantee that. My character build will be maximized to make this as entertaining as possible. I'm thinking tech nerd.<br><br>Now if I could find a way to cue a Phoenix Wright-esque "OBJECTION!" to the interrupt, I'd probably <i>never</i> stop doing so. </div>
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<br><br>The ultimate badass conversation choice in Mass Effect is when you shoot the guy in the face. Hopefully, there's a pimp slap or drop kick option before the guy gets got. Knowing those good mannered Canadians, however, there will unfortunately be no torture option.<br><br>Jack Bauer in space? Jack Bauer will slice off your fingers because he's in a hurry, and THERE'S NO TIME!!!

 

[hoyle1911]

Just saw it. It is stiff and rather monotone. However from the trajectory of KOTOR to Jade Empire to Mass Effect, it's a solid evolution. Pretty good for a Bioware fan, but objectively it is rather weak compared to say acting on a SciFi channel show, X-Files or Battlestar Galactica. We'll just have to wait for the next game to see how Bioware solves the issue of emotion. Record multiple takes of the same line? Happy, sad, muted, angry. <br><br>It reminded me of the voice acting in Deus Ex. Bland but not terrible. I am somewhat disappointed they didn't take things further than they did, but oh well. -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_frown.gif --<br><br>Edit: Just saw it a 2nd time. I understand the difficulty of saying a line in the wrong tone when they should be happy or sad or whatever, but the weakness carries over to the scripted parts too. The girl in the white suit has rather phoned-in lines, and the general seems to have inappropriate jumps between monotone and yelling. I'm talking strictly about the scripted dialog where there's no conversation tree.<br><br>Not sure how Bioware's development process works, but they fucked up somewhere on the communication with the talent. I don't think the voice actors were aware of what the scene looked like beyond a general description, while the animators didn't seem to animate according to the dialog, like how animated films are usually adjusted and corrected. It's ... inappropriate. My suspicion is the voice actors only had the text to work with and no visuals, while the animators had text and no audio. Something bad happened here.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Maybe in the future they put Prozak in the water? Maybe they put it in the water at Bioware?

 

[Nerfgun]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by hoyle1911:<BR>Knowing those good mannered Canadians, however, there will unfortunately be no torture option. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR> View image: http://www.thoughtbubble.cx/ryan/bloggerpics/mass_effect_torture.jpg

 

[Agreschn]

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<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Nerfgun:<br><blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Semi On:<br>My biggest concern is what kind of character I'm going to build the day it comes out? </div>
</blockquote>
<br>I liked the bit I saw where you get to choose your "background"... the two choices were:<br><br> • loose-cannon war hero mercenary who doesn't take shit from anyone, or<br> • the sole survivor of a mysterious horrible colony disaster<br><br>-- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif -- </div>
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<br><br>Actually, there are three options, but close. -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif --<br><br>IGN has a write-up which talks about the character creation system, playing as male vs. female, and the background you can choose for your character and how it'll affect gameplay choices. Of course, no solid answers concerning dialogue or anything is given but it gives you an idea of what you can be.<br><br>Pre-service: choices: Spacefarer (always lived in spaceship), Colonist (knows what people have had to deal with when setting up colonies), and Earthborn (born in the slums of earth)<br><br>Background choices (like Nerfgun mentioned above): Ruthless (you'll do whatever it takes to get the job done, consequences be damned), Sole Survivor (you're the sole survivor of a battle that looked doomed for your side), and War Hero ("you were instrumental in one of the Human Alliance's greatest victories - some say you're a hero, but you feel guilty for those you couldn't save").

 

[donlo]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by hoyle1911:<BR> My suspicion is the voice actors only had the text to work with and no visuals, while the animators had text and no audio. Something bad happened here. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>I think this is what happened too. While many think that movies and games have nothing in common I think this could have benefited from a few animators and voice directors from someone like Pixar. They know how to handle "digital actors" as it were.