Mass Effect 2 Targeting Shooter Fans

Bioware are taking aim at a new audience with their latest work, Mass Effect 2. While still assuredly an RPG, it appears the game’s trying to covet fans of a different genre, shooters.

Mass Effect 2 project director Casey Hudson has told Kotaku that the game’s shooting mechanics have been tweaked to appeal to the sort of gamer who plays things like Modern warfare 2.

“When it comes to the shooter quality of the game there are things that a really experienced shooter is looking for,” Hudson said “The feel, the precision, things like that, so we made sure those things are there as well.”

“We do have third-person shooter combat. That was a big thrust, including that. That world continues to evolve with games like (Modern Warfare 2). We need to put Mass Effect 2 combat against the very best that is out there, and say this is absolutely state of the art shooting. I think in combat moments they will feel it is the same sort of game.

“Before, if you got a role-playing game that meant only one thing: You’re going to be playing a medieval fantasy with lots of rules that is turn based and includes this whole list of things.

“The weapon that you are firing is still something you bought in a store and you customized it with resources you added. In the combat areas you are fighting your way through areas, you’re shooting, you’re planning your squad, you’re doing all of the same things in this one as in the first Mass Effect, but each element works a little bit better. You have independent control of your squad, the powers are more interesting and more class based and more powerful.

“[Still], it’s no less of an RPG.”

While the original is one of my favourite games this generation, its shooting mechanics were sub-par. Thankfully the RPG elements are being kept firmly in place, as the last thing anyone would want is for the game to degenerate into an all-out action shooter.

Source : Kotaku

Last Updated: January 13, 2010