I also apologize if this has been brought up before (it's new to me
).First, I should say I personally feel ME2 is NOT an cRPG, so you may feel that colors my thinking, and you are entitled to you opinion, as I am. Second, I also feel ME2 is an enjoyable game, fun to play with a good story, reasonably done.
I've been, for some time now, trying to decide what game ME2 is most like. Mostly I've been comparing it, in my head, to other cRPGs (old and new), and none fit. I'm not really sure what triggered the thought process that brought me to my conclusion, but a few days ago it occurred to me what game ME2 is most like. Mass Effect 2 most closely resembles "Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy".
Jedi Academy, if you recall, is a shooter. Ok, it's a shooter with light sabers, but a shooter none the less.
As I started to compare the two games, I found more and more similarities between them. Here's what I came up with:
Cut-scene driven story
No inventory, just weapon selection.
No looting, just ammo drops.
Player morality choices having only limited effect until the very end.
Short, fairly linear missions.
Player customization (though JA is limited in this, it's more the limits of the tech at the time than designer choice)
Limited number of player abilities that can be upgraded a few ranks as the player "levels".
...and if I think about it, I can probably come up with more...
And yes, ME2 has some things JA does not have, upgrades for you equipment, small (tiny, really) side missions, and NPC team mates while JA did have a few missions where you had help (I remember the "Chewie" mission fondly). But I think these differences are minimal, and point more to differences in game-play: JA combat was all about the lightsaber and powers, and ME2 is more about your armor, guns, and powers.
Again, it's not that I didn't like ME2, I enjoyed it, but it isn't an RPG.
