170 replies to this topic

[Xayun]

E3 Teaser

There goes both our speculation and any suspense there may have been

[Caelumeg]

REJOICE

E3 Teaser

There goes both our speculation and any suspense there may have been

Negative. ME2 opens with the Normandy being destroyed/severely damaged and most of the crew killed, similar to KOTOR2. Shepard and probably most of the rest of the major NPC's survive but are presumed dead for most of the rest of the game.

That's still my guess.

Also, will suck cock 4 trailer song name.

[Lt ledhead]

Im glad sheppard is alive, and intrigue by what this game might bring, will def buy.

[Caelumeg]

ALRIGHT

UPDATE TIEM BEETCHES

LOTS OF E3 GOODNESS!

This is all I could collect from the E3 previews around the web:

So apparently Shepard does live in ME2. Casey Hudson has stated that the trilogy will indeed focus on Shepard, so I doubt there will be a replacement.

What we know after E3: Keep your ME1 saves, you can import your Shepard, along with all the decisions you made in the first game. Major choices you made will continue on to affect the sequels (exactly which ones weren't specified anywhere). At least some major NPCs will return (unless you killed them/allowed them to be killed, in which case, they'll remain dead. Sorry, Kaidan.)

Players who didn't play ME1 will be able to start off a new Shepard in ME2 and will be brought up to speed with the story so far, probably based off a default point (since ME1 could have had different endings).

It wasn't specified whether all the living NPCs return, and if they don't then which ones do - but there's a quarian in the trailers and in some screenshots so I'd assume that's Tali (although they all do look alike.) Also, romances are said to carry on from ME1 and continue in ME2, and of course there will be new romantic interests to meet in ME2.

The story takes place 2 years after the events of ME1, and focuses on the mass disappearances of humans across the galaxy and Shepard's attempt to discover the source. Shepard accepts a mission from a certain "shadowy organization which is devoted to the survival of humans at any cost" (no, you didn't destroy Cerberus in ME1, if you were wondering. You only tickled them a bit,) and is now searching for the galaxy's top operatives to help out on what is deemed a "suicide mission". The story is said to be much darker than the previous game - while in the first part you saw the clean, utopian face of the galaxy, in the grittier second chapter you will get to travel to society's dangerous underbelly, where the stakes are higher, as you search for the galaxy's best and brightest to help you face an even greater threat than before.


Stop here if this is all you care to know. Verified spoilers to follow!










So apparently, Shepard is still alive - for now, at least. However, Casey Hudson has said that Shepard's death is also a major motif in the story. The mission is captioned a suicide mission for a reason and there is a strong possibility major characters will die - including Shepard.

Bioware apparently really wants Shepard's actual death to be a real possibility, and not just you running out of hit points in some random gunfight. Throughout the game there will be many sequences in which Shepard will be faced with a difficult situation that could indeed result with our main character dying. Bioware stated that the mission "doesn't need Shepard to survive in order to end". Take from that what you will.

I'm serious now, the following is spoilerific. I'm pretty sure it won't ruin the game for you, but don't say I didn't warn you.

An example for this was given behind closed doors at E3 so there are no videos, but from what I know it focused on the mysterious attack on the Normandy we can see in the trailers. The exact description varies slightly in the articles I've read, but what I know for certain is that The Normandy is destroyed by some unknown attacker. It is unclear whether this scene occurs in the opening of the game, but personally I doubt Bioware would reveal a major scene far down the storyline. Also, similar sequences will apparently be plentiful throughout the game: Shepard is faced in a tough spot where he might not make it through. While evacuating as many of the crew as possible, you can either save yourself, or help out a comrade, while going down with the ship.

This is were the details get a little mixed up - from what I gathered, Shepard's suit takes damage and begins to leak oxygen, while a crew member is in the threat of being sucked out of the ship. It's unclear whether you can help a brother out in this scene, but even Shepard might die too and get sucked into space. According to this article , the result depends on a 'skillful game' you play, and whether or not you have allies who will cover your back.

Different articles describe how Shepard can either choose to save himself in an escape pod or let as many of the crew out as possible while assuring them he (or she) will find another way to safety, before being blasted through the exploding end of the Normandy, and again out into space.

This article has the most detailed description of this scenario that I could find:

During the presentation, we were shown a sequence where the Normandy comes under heavy attack and faces imminent destruction. Although the ship is breaking apart, the crew is loath to abandon their posts, especially Joker, who thinks he can somehow hold everything together. During this sequence, the player will face a number of choices, including who gets shoved into an escape pod against their will. Shepard makes his way to the cockpit and steps has to step out into vacuum to get there, showing the full extent of the damage the Normandy has sustained. From there, he tries to reason with Joker but ultimately forces him out of his seat and into a pod. However, an explosion prevents the captain from getting in too. The final scenes end with Shepard floating helplessly out into deep space with a leaking oxygen tank. So, there you have it... all bets are off with Mass Effect 2. No character is safe, including Shepard himself. This is one of many different endings, but we're guessing that the majority of them would involve a similarly painful sacrifice. Players that manage to keep Shepard alive will be able to import him into Mass Effect 3, but no hints were given as to who might fill his shoes should he die.

More, taken from this article:

At this point BioWare’s Jason Hudson stressed that you and Commander Shepard can make it, through a complicated web of correct choices throughout the many hours of gameplay, but “…we do not expect you to survive.”

These "Shepard death" endings seem to be abundant in this game. I could come up with a few theories:

Shepard can actually die in any of them, and is replaced by a new character we create upon our protagonist's demise, or alternatively by a major NPC - highly unlikely, I think, but not completely impossible. Besides the assurances that Shepard is the focus of the trilogy, it would be a much greater complication story-wise to reasonably replace Shepard with a new guy, especially if it could happen at any point - and could just as well not happen at all.

Shepard doesn't actually die, but survives and rejoins with the team later on in the story - also unlikely, again would be a headache for the development team.

Shepard does die, and the game either ends or the player reloads a saved game and takes a different route that Shepard survives - most likely by far, I think. In other words, instead of a regular "game over" screen like in the previous game, this time Shepard's deaths will have a cinematic touch, but the essential result is the same. This could make Shepard's deaths an interesting thing to behold on their own. They could either work like death endings in a choose-your-own-adventure book, giving our wrong decisions a romantic presentation, or just be glorified game-over screens that only give the illusion of choice in largely linear scenarios - depending on the execution. We'll see. Either way, the desire to make Shepard survive while dying is an actual possibility will undoubtedly make the player feel that much closer to the character. Again, I think this is my most likely theory, but it's just my theory.

And, if he doesn't make it through to ME3? ME3 will probably start with the story continuing as if he had survived, only instead of you importing your final save (since you didn't actually finish ME2's story through to the very possible end,) you'll be making a new Shepard, and continue on from there. That's my guess.



Official end of official spoilers.






There are at least two new alien species in this game - the Vorcha, a highly aggressive and ruthless, but extremely adaptive new race, and the Drell. No info is available on the Drell just yet, but the behind-closed-doors E3 demo showed off a new Drell character, called Thane, who is the galaxy's top assassin. A high enough claim, it seems, to make Shepard seek him out to recruit him for the mission. (It's possible Thane is the green wide-eyed new alien we can see in the trailers.)

We can expect lots of combat improvements over ME1, with 9 new weapons types, including a heavy weapons type like the missile launcher and "nuke gun", and physics- and location-based combat damage, like blown off heads and limbs and the "concussive rounds" weapons upgrade that knocks enemies down on their backs. Aiming and accuracy were improved, as well as the cover system. Also, it's said that while in ME1 Shepard had only 20 cover animations, in ME2 we have over 200.

Some criticism over how in ME1, watching conversations take place got boring as the camera was mostly still, were addressed in ME2. Now the camera moves fluently through the dialogue to keep interest in the goings on. This is apparent in the gameplay vids, especially the one with Shepard being guided by an unnamed asari on the way to locate Thane.

An update to the dialogue system was shown too, the new Interrupt action. Sort of like a quick time event for conversations, a flashing icon will appear in appropriate times, and Shepard can surprisingly break up a conversation and use extreme means to bully the victim, like pushing him out of a window in mid-sentence.

Two new party members can be seen in the gameplay vids - a man and a woman. The woman is unnamed (unless it's actually a post-makeover Ashley) but the man is Jacob, the protagonist of the iPhone tie-in Mass Effect Galaxy, a 2-hour nonessential spinoff that also helps bridge the gap between the previous game and ME2.

ME2 is scheduled for release early 2010 and will come out for both PC and the 360.

That's all I could find for now. Personally I can't be more hyped up for this game than I already am.

EDIT 2; THIS JUST IN:

Take a look at this:

Non-spoilery details are as follows:

* mass effect 2Choices are being made to have a more meaningful impact upon the player, and there are strong possibilities that supporting characters within the party may die depending on the player's actions in progressing through the story.
* The vehicle controls have been completely revamped.
* A newly designed inventory interface.
* The elevator system has seen a complete rehaul, providing players with a sense of scope of where they are within the confines of the building and the direction in which you travel.
* There is no more noticeable texture "pop-in".
* Secondary races like the Volus and Elcor have been given new visuals and animations to make them seem more realistic and interesting. At present, they look immobile and featureless.
* Enemy combatants and monsters have seen a complete overhaul of their animations, abilities and AI to provide a better combat experience for the player.
* As expected, new weapons, alien races, enemy monsters and team members have been added to the game. Some old party members and locations make a return in the sequel.
* Among the new weapons are one that reduces your enemy to dust, and a highly destructive "nuke gun".
* Interior locations are many times larger, and feel much less claustrophobic.
* If you are particularly zealous in playing either a Paragon or Renegade character in Mass Effect 1 and 2, you will be treated to extra-special endings in Mass Effect 3.


You shouldn't read the rest of the article unless you've already completed the first game. Storyline spoilers are as follows:

* You will play as Shepard for a good portion of the game.
* There will be a Geth party member containing the persona of Ashley or Kaidan, depending on whichever one of them died in the first game.
* There are signs that the Geth are becoming more intelligent and showing traits of a non-machine sentient species.
* Thane, the Assassin, is a new character who can join your party. He belongs to a species of aliens called the Drell, newly introduced to the Mass Effect setting.
* An unnamed Salarian party member has been revealed as the "Clint Eastwood of scientists".
* The locations you'll be able to visit include a Krogan planet; Illium, an Asari planet; Omega Station, home to pirates and outlaws and situated within an asteroid field; and a Cerberus corporation outpost, all of which are locations that play great significance in the new game.
* The story of Mass Effect 2 continues where the original game left off, with the DLC in-between, but with a main focus on the Cerberus corporation and its enigmatic leader, rather than the fight against the Reapers, who yet remain a constant threat to sentient civilization. Human colonies are vanishing, and it's up to Shepard to investigate these disappearences in what the magazine terms a "suicide mission".
* The 'grand ending' of the Mass Effect Trilogy is expected to far exceed anything we'll come to see in Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2.

This is based not on E3 (notice the publication date), but on the OXM Magazine ME2 special, which is the latest issue I believe. I wish I could get my hands on it, but it's impossible for me atm. If anyone has it and wants to elaborate some, please do.

Anyway, they say new DLC is under development for ME1 to further help bridge the gap between ME1 and ME2. Also I remind you there's a fairly excellent sequel novel to ME1 that takes place before ME2, Mass Effect: Ascension, which was written by the games' lead writer. I highly recommend it.

[Lt ledhead]

Thanks for all the added info man, I knew most of it already but I didn't know they had released gameplay vids. I can't wait for this game!

[Billy...]

Why would Sheppard be dead?

I played the first game and it didn't even look like he died.

[Caelumeg]

Why would Sheppard be dead?

I played the first game and it didn't even look like he died.

The first teaser trailer that was released ended after saying that Shepard was killed in action, so it got everyone speculating.

[Lt ledhead]

That had me nervous hahaha, and Im stoked about this new feature that allows us to carry on with our old character.

[Caelumeg]

UP DAIT BEESHES

(I'll stop that now. Honestly.)

Casey Hudson is up with a developer diary with lots of answers: the suicide mission, the characters, ME1 savegame files, recurring characters from ME1, Shepard's death and more. He says everything better than I could so just read it.

When we say that Shepard can die in Mass Effect 2, it’s not something that happens at points in the middle of the game. Yes, you can “die” in gameplay as normal but that’s not what we’re talking about here. It’s not a “Game Over” screen. It’s not a gimmicky thing where you make a choice, “die”, and reload to continue to the “real” ending. When you get to the very end of the story in Mass Effect 2, you will get one of a wide variety of climactic and satisfying endings. Depending on how prepared you were, your ending may involve Shepard making the ultimate sacrifice to accomplish the mission.


If you do die in the ending of Mass Effect 2, it will not come as a surprise, nor will it be random. It will be pretty obvious that you headed into the final mission knowing that Shepard probably wouldn’t make it out alive. Throughout the middle of the game you are building up information, resources, a team, and a ship that will be able to do the job, and although you can jump straight to the final mission at a certain point, you’ll have a good feel for whether you’re likely to survive it.

Part of what makes the final mission dangerous in a more profound way is that each squad member could potentially die a real, story-based death during that mission as well. You might have an ending where Shepard’s entire team survives, or where the entire mission is a bloodbath and everyone (including Shepard) is killed, or anything in between. And for all characters, death in Mass Effect 2 means they won’t show up in Mass Effect 3.

Oh thank god, that actually sounds awesome. I'm still very curious about the destruction of the Normandy then, if Shepard possibly dies there, when exactly does it happen and how do we survive it?

Video interview with more (but different) info here, including new team members, combat and exploration, and consequences - don't miss it!

[Master C]

Gawd-damnnnnnn

[Hellswarm]

O GAWD O GAWD O GAWD

I JUST PLAYED ME1 FOR THE FIRST TIME TODAY

O GAWD O GAWD

[Spowis]

(for old times sake)

A guarantee that I'll be able to punch another god-annoying reporter in the face is all I need to buy this game on release. However, reading through the thread, my god it's sounding epic.

Edited by Spowis, 21 July 2009 - 08:00 AM.

[Lt ledhead]

The new info sounds awesome. I love how every character has the possiblity of not making it through the game, its going to make things quite climactic and insane throughout the story.

[Hellswarm]

Nooo! Kaidan! I'm so sorry

[BottleRocket]

i thought Mass Effect was an epic game but it lacked the exploration of a RPG like Elder Scrolls or Fallout 3. You have the Normandy and you can explore planets that just seem to have the same things on them or nothing at all.

basically, i hope theres more exploration in the second lol. The story was really good aswell. Hope the second is just as good.

[Caelumeg]

New character revealed: a krogan named Grunt:

Link

New Mass Effect 1 DLC was released a while ago, along with a new patch that fixes up some critical bugs. The DLC is 5$ but from what I hear it's not all that good and you might want to pass on it. The patch is available separately though. Check out the main site for either of them.

[Dohregard]

I just got back around to finishing the first one, can't wait for the 2nd!

[Lt ledhead]

Thane is a badass, watched the whole demo and the ending cutscene with him in it is awesome!

[Xayun]

New Screens

Check out the first screen. I've been waiting to see the King Badass of Mass Effect's return in ME2. Predictions: upon Shepard meeting him again, Garrus kills Shepard and becomes the protagonist, as he is fucking awesome. There is much rejoicing

[j-tak]

New Screens

Check out the first screen. I've been waiting to see the King Badass of Mass Effect's return in ME2. Predictions: upon Shepard meeting him again, Garrus kills Shepard and becomes the protagonist, as he is fucking awesome. There is much rejoicing

my homeboys back mofos! awww shit its going down!

Edited by j-tak, 06 November 2009 - 10:52 AM.