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Small-Scale Question Sunday for November 3, 2024

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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I adored bioware up until the launch of Mass Effect 2 (I disliked the party and character driven aspect compared to the knowledge quest of the first part), though that ME3 was too full of fanservice and had too shitty ending and haven't been seriously invested in them.

Presumably you also are familiar with Shamus Young's analysis/Let's Plays on this subject?

You mean the attempt to use every pejorative in the dictionary over the ~40ish articles to show how much he hates it? I loved ME2 and it is most replayed game from ME series for me. Gameplay was vastly improved compared to ME1.

You mean the attempt to use every pejorative in the dictionary over the ~40ish articles to show how much he hates it?

No, he means the attempt to show how much the writing changed in a way which made the second game (and especially the third) not appeal to people who loved the style of the first. He didn't hate the games, far from it. He loved the first game, and he loved parts of both of the second two (where they kept the tone of the original). He even agrees with you that the gameplay got better in ME2.

Shamus Young’s review of Arkham City broke that game for me unfortunately. Once he’s pointed out all the ways that the story doesn’t really make sense, it’s hard to un-see.

Shamus Young's Mass Effect retrospective is a genuine treasure. He puts his finger on exactly what went wrong with the series, in a way I never was able to do myself. The only real area where I disagreed with him was that I thought the gameplay, as well as the story, took a sharp step back in Mass Effect 2.

Yup. He managed to wrap in word what I felt war wrong brilliantly.

Damn. The guy has died. May he rest in peace.