679. 1Upsmanship: Mass Effect 2 (Feat. Tamoor Hussain)
Added 2024-01-24 14:00:11 +0000 UTC
Managing Editor of GameSpot, Tamoor Hussain joins Michael and Adam about a conversation of what makes Mass Effect 2 one of the most memorable games of all time: RPG mechanics, characterization, and story exposition being a highlight. But does it land on the celestial hard drive? DOES IT?
Tamoor Hussain: https://twitter.com/tamoorh
Michael Swaim: https://twitter.com/SWAIM_CORP
Adam Ganser: https://twitter.com/therealganz
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Comments
Sorry, not sure if it was said before, but the Mass Effect story line is basically Babylon 5 written by a teen.
D
2024-01-25 19:04:13 +0000 UTCIn Swaim's defense, l replayed Link to the Past recently, and yeah, it hasn't aged as gracefully as my nostalgia goggles were telling me it had. It's not *bad*, don't get me wrong, but l feel like my memories of it were fonder than my actual experience playing it, both then and now
Mat Brady
2024-01-25 06:29:51 +0000 UTCI loved the shoutout to The Saddest Party on the Citadel, that was a great series.
Magnanimous
2024-01-25 00:10:10 +0000 UTCAmazing as always. I gotta say, because I find no flaw in any previous guest that Tamor has to be my favorite one so far. I really hope to hear from him on the pod again.
drunkencoyote
2024-01-24 21:11:30 +0000 UTCSo cool to see Tam make a Small Beans appearance! Been following him for a while, so the convergence is neat.
Cory Mull
2024-01-24 20:24:07 +0000 UTCMass Effect was the first game that Bioware developed for multiple systems at the same time. It was a lot more work, but the dev team wasn't given any more time or support, it was grueling. The staff decided that the management team was also caught unaware of how much harder this type of development would be, and that the next project would be better. The next project was Dragon Age: Origins and it wasn't better. When DA:O shipped roughly %80 of the dev staff quit. Mass Effect 2 was made by a team of new developers fresh out of school, and since they were all making starter salaries, Bioware could afford to hire a larger team. That's why ME2 felt so much more modern and polished then ME1 and it's also why the writing is so disconnected from what was established in ME1
John Pratt
2024-01-24 19:20:32 +0000 UTCThank god for Adam speaking out about the story for this one. I love the Mass Effect series, but the 2nd game is given so much undue praise for its fun characters, when it so badly mangles its story (to a degree that you can essentially skip the entire game and not lose any major plot threads). During its development, EA fired the original writer of the mass effect series (who did have a larger scope in mind) and continued to rotate out staff and fluctuate funding as EA loved/loves to do. It had a pretty rough development cycle if I recall correctly, so to hear it praised for its cohesiveness and vision baffles me. I think alot of people enjoy the lore and universe of Mass Effect, which is mostly established in 1 (and torn to shreds by three)
Russell Fournier
2024-01-24 18:08:49 +0000 UTCI for sure walk around just thinking ‘Thane, the Drell from Mass Effect’
Max Tether
2024-01-24 16:51:58 +0000 UTCSmall Beans has been really barbecuing some of my favourites recently so this had me on tenterhooks 😅
Vindalf
2024-01-24 16:19:05 +0000 UTCI am listening, in the bath (shower) and I really was thinking about the Drell, Thane. About how he was the ine I lost in the finale of this game and I still feel bad from time to time.
BenGrimmsThing
2024-01-24 14:26:12 +0000 UTC
