why do people say ME 2 is not an rpg ?

Alot of people are saying ME 2 is not an rpg. I'm not sure where this comes from. Anyone who's played a good amount of ME 2 knows its combat has much more depth than ME 1. In ME 1 you had a total of 21 talents. In ME 2 you have 34 different powers. Mass effect 2 is also a longer game, has more romance options, more dialogue etc. So ME 2 is not an rpg just because they got rid of the inventory?

The people who say this are usually old-schoolers who define an RPG as Baldur's Gate/Neverwinter Nights/Pokémon, and nothing must be different. Sure, there are some classic RPG elements that has been removed from Mass Effect 2, but this doesn't remove it's place in the RPG genre. Just ignore these people, they are overzealous.

The whole mining thing reminded me of why I don't play JRPGs as much....

Anyway there are a lot less options in Mass Effect 2 when it comes to how you want your character to work and that's probably the issue. But honestly you can't really get through the game with guns because everyone and their mom has armor. Husks have armor. Even varren have armor. Freaking varren have armor... Why do freaking varren have armor? Nevermind...

Anyway, it takes a lot of strategy to beat the game especiallly if you play on insanity. I am trying to play insanity NG+ and it's really, really hard. Most people say it's a waste but I already got past the collector ship so there's no point in stopping now. 8) Maybe on certain difficulties you can shoot through everything but when you turn it up you're going to get turned into swiss cheese that way. 3 seconds without cover and you die. And I'm using a sentinel....

Well some people say that JRPGs aren't RPGs, so whatever :P

The whole mining thing reminded me of why I don't play JRPGs as much....

Anyway there are a lot less options in Mass Effect 2 when it comes to how you want your character to work and that's probably the issue. But honestly you can't really get through the game with guns because everyone and their mom has armor. Husks have armor. Even varren have armor. Freaking varren have armor... Why do freaking varren have armor? Nevermind...

Anyway, it takes a lot of strategy to beat the game especiallly if you play on insanity. I am trying to play insanity NG+ and it's really, really hard. Most people say it's a waste but I already got past the collector ship so there's no point in stopping now. 8) Maybe on certain difficulties you can shoot through everything but when you turn it up you're going to get turned into swiss cheese that way. 3 seconds without cover and you die. And I'm using a sentinel....

anthonycg

It is an RPG, however it's a rather shallow action RPG with a massive emphasis on the action.

Leveling up is virtually meaningless, there are too few abilities which have little to no real impact in combat, pitiful loot, paltry customization options, lack of exploration...it's pretty stripped down. However, what saves it as an RPG are the choices and the impact that the main character makes on the story, characters and the gameworld.

. So ME 2 is not an rpg just because they got rid of the inventory?

dkdk999

Most of my characters role comes from the leveling up system but ME2 railroad you into a role.

because...for the most part...u dont have to think...all u have to do it make some very basic decisions and...the gunplay is very simplistic...the game is overall waay too easy...as a game is awesome...as an rpg...its abit too simple

For the same reason people say Demon's Souls isn't an RPG. They both have very light RPG elements. It doesn't really matter either way.

In ME 2 you have 34 different powers.

dkdk999

I'm like 10 hours into the game and I've only seen like...6 :P

Where are these 34 powers you speak of?

Because they think RPG's are supposed to be turn-based.

Who cares what label it's under? it's obviously an RPG light/action/adventure hybrid and even so, it's a great game.

It's a very shallow game as far as RPG gameplay elements go.

well you're character only has a few powers compared to the last game. But most characters have a few unique powers and it adds to sort of alot. Doing side missions unlocks new powers for you to add to your character. Though you can only add one power. link ishere

It's a type of RPG. But it isn't what an RPG is in the classic sense. It's an action/adventure game, much like the Legend of Zelda, Fallout, Star Fox, Castlevania and whatever else. The reason people don't see it as an RPG because there is really only one way to do things. Unlike some of the games I've mentioned (Fallout, Zelda), you can spend hours just exploring, searching for new items, towns, quests, etc...and in ME2 there really isn't any of that. You can go to other planets to mine, but you can't really go explore some of the planets...or at least I didn't find much to do other than two or three short side quests.

I don't mind it being called an RPG, but it really isn't. Role-playing game is a vague term, and because of that, really any game is an RPG, but based on the original genre, Mass Effect 2 is not.

imo there's 2 rpg categories. rpg(which most people call jrpg) and western rpg. it still doesnt feel right to simply call games like this or borderlands "rpg". and for the record, i do love mass effect and borderlands.starwarsjunky

[QUOTE="starwarsjunky"]imo there's 2 rpg categories. rpg(which most people call jrpg) and western rpg. it still doesnt feel right to simply call games like this or borderlands "rpg". and for the record, i do love mass effect and borderlands.dkdk999

, but it really isn't. Role-playing game is a vague term, and because of that, really any game is an RPG,

livingundead

[QUOTE="dkdk999"][QUOTE="starwarsjunky"]imo there's 2 rpg categories. rpg(which most people call jrpg) and western rpg. it still doesnt feel right to simply call games like this or borderlands "rpg". and for the record, i do love mass effect and borderlands.starwarsjunky

RPGs usually have a good story behind them, and I think ME2 had a complete lack of story behind it in comparisons to the first Mass Effect. Going from the intro of ME2 to the end, nothing really changed and you didn't learn anything new about the Reapers, and if there are completely new characters in Mass Effect 3, then what was the point of Mass Effect 2?

Thats my two cents, but on RPG elements...they were there, but when comparing those elements to say the first ME, well the first clearly has more RPG elements.

i.e:

Mass Effect: Action RPG

Mass Effect 2: Role Playing Shooter (RPS)

The development team at one point said (I can't find the news story) Mass Effect 2 was a heavily influenced by Gears of War, so there's your proof!

For me ME2 is a "TPSrpg" (note the small "rpg" letters), or a Action rpg.

I would not say that its not a rpg. Its just a very bad rpg.

For me the purest kind of rpg's are table top ones. They give you the ultimate freedom in "playing" anyway you want.

Now that can NEVER happen in a rpg for computers / consoles but that dont mean that there are no good rpg's that are still quiet close (but still miles away) from being a pure rpg.

So it come down to a few things that are important for me in a "pure" rpg.:

Exploration, freedom with choices, factions / npc reaction / world change, abilities / spells / stats to build your character any way you want, inventory (stats), good lore / story. So yeah if i want to play a smooth / fast talker i can do that... Or if i want to be a combat mage, a rogue with moral codes, a pirate (you get the point).

ME2 lack in alot of the aspects... No freedom, imaginary choices (in the end its all about "pure

The problem is that outside of dialog and some choices Mass Effect 2 railroad you into narrow roles.

You can say third person shooter with RPG elements like S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games are first person shooters with RPG elements.