Don't remind me. That was the work of Hamburger Helper, one of the BioWare "writers" who also made such jeweled comments as: "There should be a button to skip combats, because single moms have to make dinner and don't have time to play through combats"

Don't remind me. That was the work of Hamburger Helper, one of the BioWare "writers" who also made such jeweled comments as: "There should be a button to skip combats, because single moms have to make dinner and don't have time to play through combats", and "Does it even matter what you did in Mass Effect 1? You probably don't even remember what you did in Mass Effect 1. I don't remember what I did in Mass Effect 1."

That actually appeals to me. Sure, combat is a huge appeal of the game, but I find a lot of games just have too many fights. Dragon Age was a real offender for that one.

And it's not just single moms who have to make dinner.

With some games I wouldnt mind a skip combat button (fade and deeproads in DAO spring to mind)

Also didnt Gaider pretty much tell fans its their game, and they will do what they want, considering the retcons of some characters who should be dead. Why even have an import feature ? It also looks immature considering those are writers basicly making things up as they go, then when fans complain they pretty much say "because we want to".

Just a big warning, Mass Effect 2 was a big failure.

Yeah, but see above. The Fade and Deep Roads were a major grind (the Deep Roads is what put me off the game in my first playthrough), but that's because of poor design. Adding a skip combat button just turns games even more into movies. Dating sims exist for a reason - people who don't want to go through combat sequences should play those.

Absolutely agreed - though I'd recommend starting with Mass Effect and then playing its sequel. It's basically a cross between Star Trek and reimagined Battlestar Galactica - the fantasy-alien side of sci-fi but gritty enough to be interesting.

Yeah, but see above. The Fade and Deep Roads were a major grind (the Deep Roads is what put me off the game in my first playthrough), but that's because of poor design. Adding a skip combat button just turns games even more into movies. Dating sims exist for a reason - people who don't want to go through combat sequences should play those.


It's EA. They don't want a game that only players of ME1 and ME2 will buy, they want a lowest common denominator game with flashy graphics and dating sim role-playing that as many people as possible will buy.

There are always things you'd like to do differently, but nothing I can really point to as a thing we cut that I regret. I guess Ulysses, but that was a necessity, and it all worked out in the end. The only other big ticket items that were cut were romance options for companions and post-endgame content, but in both cases neither was ever actually implemented in any way. We cut them before any actual work was done. In the case of post-endgame content, we've already explained why we didn't do that, and for romance, it was clear that it wasn't going to be fun or interesting in any way. Also Avellone really hates romance in games.

Funny bonus fact: if you romanced Cass, the plan was that you were both going to get drunk and wake up married. And there was an idea where if your rep was high enough, the player would get married to their companion by the King, with him singing, "Love Me Tender" a la Nic Cage in Wild at Heart. Which of course never, ever would have been possible (we'd have to pay insane amounts of money for performance rights to an Elvis song).

But again, none of that ever really existed. Just ideas thrown around on paper.

Sorta off topic, but I never really understood why "romance" was even in games. I just dont get it. Kinda makes me like Obsidian more because Chris avellone apparently dislikes them to, reducing the number in their games.

Demographics. I haven't checked up on this lately, but I'm pretty sure that RPGs are disproportionately played by single male teens and middle aged women. Both of these are huge markets for virtual romances.

Just curious, but where do you get the BSG? I just can't quite see the influence.

But im a single male teen, I dont care about romances... Unless it is liked to unlocking an achivement. I dont know if thats better or worse

Yeah, but the solution to that problem is not to add a skip combat button, the solution is to keep your fights refreshing and varied - i.e. fix that problem on a game design level. Adding a button to skip the fights is ridiculous: if you don't like the fighting sequences, watch a damn movie.

Just curious, but where do you get the BSG? I just can't quite see the influence.

Sorta off topic, but I never really understood why "romance" was even in games.

Demographics. I haven't checked up on this lately, but I'm pretty sure that RPGs are disproportionately played by single male teens and middle aged women.

When I am queen:
- There will be no more than three foes in any given cell. Three is plenty enough to give your trigger-finger a workout without getting bored. The exception to this rule is if they are one-shot kills like Left 4 Dead.
- There will be no more boss fights. I don't think I've ever played a boss fight that I've enjoyed - though the ending of Mass Effect 2 did it about as well as these things can be done. Having one foe that is just something you have to hit for three times as long as the other enemies is just really, really boring.

In Mass Effect 2, the sequence after jumping through the Omega 4 relay put me in mind of the equally "suicidal" mission at the end of BSG.

Deus Ex. The old or newest one.

When I am queen:
- There will be no more boss fights. I don't think I've ever played a boss fight that I've enjoyed - though the ending of Mass Effect 2 did it about as well as these things can be done. Having one foe that is just something you have to hit for three times as long as the other enemies is just really, really boring. (Worst offender: Bioshock. Terrible ending to a really great game.)

Same reason as buying a house in the game: if you tie the player to the world, it gives them a reason to want to save it. You might as well ask why romance is in any fictional narrative.

Though I do agree that Tali going from nerdy asixual tech geek to obsessive, shy, stammering romanceable cutie-pie was one of the worst changes in ME2.

Just one more reason to play FemShep. :tongue:

The whole "we want to romance Tali/Garrus!" thing just completely goes over my head.

1st: there's no such thing as a AAA dating sim