MASS EFFECT 2 has been annonced but will be ariving soon
http://uk.gamespot.com/xbox360/rpg/masseffect/news.html?sid=6188036&om_act=convert&om_clk=newsfeatures&tag=newsfeatures;title;2

have they been working on both games at the same time???

No.

If you read the article it is obvious that, as BioWare states towards the end, they have basically developed an engine now. Instead of building it from the ground up, Mass Effect II can simply use the event triggers/graphics/physics from the first game, but implement it in new settings and with new stories.

well, here's to Mass Effect 2 - may it build on the original's success while eliminating its predecessor's few flaws.

I'm wondering how they'll deal with the fallout of the Renegade/Huggy Wuggy choice at the end of the game.

I just hope they fix the combat, the (speaking system?) was great, even though you couldn't be evil without being an ass, so they sould just leave the speaking system alone and please fix the combat, it was a big let down.

UsefulPlayer 1:
you couldn't be evil without being an ass.

I would like to be an arse without been evil.

I think it will be fun(?) to see how they play it, could put the endings together or upload you game save..

Perhaps they can do a lil questionaire like in KotOR:II that basiclly covers your desired interest of light/dark side of the force... er or... effect of mass? that way you can have both story arks without having to beat it both ways.

Neat i'm a Paperboy.

sweet. i really enjoyed the first one and i imagine that the next one will improve. should be a good game.

I hope Garrus is in the sequel, he's awesome. Interestingly enough both he and Williams are on the box art however **SPOILER** you can choose whether Williams gets left to die or not **END SPOILER** You would have thought Liara would be on there instead.

Anyway, awesome game, and as AngryMan said "may it build on the original's success while eliminating its predecessor's few flaws". I hope they especially tighten those Mako sections. I didn't find them overly annoying but they did get a bit tedious at times. Also, how the hell can it climb almost vertical cliffs and not be affected by the different gravitational levels of the individual planets.

Saskwach:
I'm wondering how they'll deal with the fallout of the Renegade/Huggy Wuggy choice at the end of the game.

Spoiler: Click to View

I heard in an interview that you can chose you characters from previous games to continue the storyline.

Fire Daemon:

Saskwach:
I'm wondering how they'll deal with the fallout of the Renegade/Huggy Wuggy choice at the end of the game.

Spoiler: Click to View

I heard in an interview that you can chose you characters from previous games to continue the storyline.

I'd like to see a cure for the Krogan genophage. Wrex is a great character, and this would really enrich the story.

Programmed_For_Damage:
Also, how the hell can it climb almost vertical cliffs and not be affected by the different gravitational levels of the individual planets.

Read the Codex entry for the Mako - turns out that little fella has its own Element Zero core.

I'm looking forward to the idea that the sequel might be a multi-console game. This isn't me bashing any system, and I can't remember if Bioware was exclusive to MS and lost it, or was a personal preference... but it'd be nice to see a Bioware release on multiple consoles.

And even if it doesn't, it doesn't bother me much. Just like the first game, I can wait until it comes out for the PC and play it then.

Fire Daemon:
I heard in an interview that you can chose you characters from previous games to continue the storyline.

A thing that bothers me with that is that you can replay a game with the same character in the first one. So can complete it both good and evil. What then?!

PurpleRain:

Fire Daemon:
I heard in an interview that you can chose you characters from previous games to continue the storyline.

A thing that bothers me with that is that you can replay a game with the same character in the first one. So can complete it both good and evil. What then?!

Then they have two slightly different universes is my assumption. One that deals with the Renegade endgame choice and one that presents the Kumbayah one. Maybe they'll even have a slight separation between the two Renegade choices. But really, what I'm asking is the same as you. What will these differences? How pronounced? Will gameplay and plot be affected at all?

I wonder if you would be able to have sexual relations with in the next Mass Effect? Maybe it will happen to be a green alien this time. Or maybe you can get a lesbian thing going with your female character.

What they really need to do is have a lot more boss fights with more allied abilities. The game was a great success but, i was very unhappy that when my Medi-gels were in cool down, my allies couldn't heal me or put up a barrier to protect me. The game was very easy though, but it would have been nice.

By the way? Has anyone got that odd shaped key yet? I wonder what you get when you put it in that odd orb on that planet. (not to spoil it though.)

Saskwach:

PurpleRain:

Fire Daemon:
I heard in an interview that you can chose you characters from previous games to continue the storyline.

A thing that bothers me with that is that you can replay a game with the same character in the first one. So can complete it both good and evil. What then?!

Then they have two slightly different universes is my assumption. One that deals with the Renegade endgame choice and one that presents the Kumbayah one. Maybe they'll even have a slight separation between the two Renegade choices. But really, what I'm asking is the same as you. What will these differences? How pronounced? Will gameplay and plot be affected at all?

Amybe they'll make a different character in the same universe. Maybe a different time period. I think that would work better. Like KotOR2

Hrrm so what we basically want bioware to do is make Mass Effect 2 like KOTOR 2 was like KOTOR. SHould be easy enough for them. heres hoping they dont utterly cock it up

I was definatly not going to superquote everything above me... Anyways, I think that the plot and gameplay will be largly effected. In example a paragon task was to release the Rachni Queen. Since it was an achievement, I would not be surprised to see her show up with the rachni as one of your allies against the Reapers. This works the same way with renegade, some things will change depending on ur actions.

I'm assuming that if you choose not to use a previous character that you will have the oppurtunity to have a clean slate, but I think the developers are going to make this game with the people who will use older characters in mind as opposed to the people who are going to jump into the franchise at its sequal

Programmed_For_Damage:
Anyway, awesome game, and as AngryMan said "may it build on the original's success while eliminating its predecessor's few flaws". I hope they especially tighten those Mako sections. I didn't find them overly annoying but they did get a bit tedious at times. Also, how the hell can it climb almost vertical cliffs and not be affected by the different gravitational levels of the individual planets.

Argh, the Mako. After a particularly bad acid trip, I came up with the following:

Imagine that you've got a cow, and you need to take it to market. But the cow can't move, y'see, so you have to push it along in your wheelbarrow. But then, right, these people start firing heavy ordnance at you, because they don't want you to take your cow to market. So you fire back, but all you've got is a water pistol and one of those Australian Geographic foam rockets that misses half the time.

That's what driving the Mako is like.

Moogly Googly Good:
MASS EFFECT 2 has been annonced but will be ariving soon

Think you might have misinterpreted.

interview:
"Well, the first one took three and a half years, but because we've got a lot of the tools and a base level now, it's not going to take that long. I'd say soon, but not real soon."

Soon, but not real soon. That could be pretty much Christmas until mid 2008 or even later. I wouldn't count on Christmas release considering the developers have some titles in the works for this year. I would guess somewhere around q1 or q2 next year is a realistic "Soon, but not that soon." Be ready for me to bump this post in 12 to 14 months.

Everybody complains about driving the Mako... so I find it odd that I didn't have much trouble at all, even in really heavy terrain. The odd time I'd get stuck, yeah, but better than 99% of the time I could get the Mako out of the ditch myself. Got to some really odd locations, too, courtesy of those kick jets. And if anything the main cannon with its zoom sight was just too good; if I had any opportunity to maneuver and bombard from long range, the rest of the fight tended to be stepping over corpses to get to the objective.

(Then again, I've played a lot in tank sims.)

For me, the real "cow in a wheelbarrow" experience was HL2's airboat. Admittedly, that may be because I was playing it on the 360... I get the feeling that the airboat's physics were tailored for mouse-and-keyboard controls, leaving us thumbstick guys a bit adrift. But in comparison, the Mako was a lithe and precise predator.

-- Steve

Anton P. Nym:
Everybody complains about driving the Mako... so I find it odd that I didn't have much trouble at all, even in really heavy terrain. The odd time I'd get stuck, yeah, but better than 99% of the time I could get the Mako out of the ditch myself. Got to some really odd locations, too, courtesy of those kick jets. And if anything the main cannon with its zoom sight was just too good; if I had any opportunity to maneuver and bombard from long range, the rest of the fight tended to be stepping over corpses to get to the objective.

(Then again, I've played a lot in tank sims.)

For me, the real "cow in a wheelbarrow" experience was HL2's airboat. Admittedly, that may be because I was playing it on the 360... I get the feeling that the airboat's physics were tailored for mouse-and-keyboard controls, leaving us thumbstick guys a bit adrift. But in comparison, the Mako was a lithe and precise predator.

-- Steve

I agree, although it was a bit annoying before I found out it could zoom in so much. And I don't play tank sims.

I have no problem with the Mako as a vehicle, but I have a problem with the fact that clearly BioWare forgot to write the one Codex entry that would have cleared up the greatest mystery of the game - the one for the technology section, where it explains how the Mako projects some sort of subspace field around it like a sort of skin that changes the gravitational constant of the universe in a highly localised area around the vehicle, thus explaining why every planetary body in the game seems to exert exactly 1G of downward force against you.

And also, how they managed to miniaturise such technology to the point where it could fit inside ceramic armour-ply suits to keep your every step on the surface of Luna from sending you seven feet off the ground.

Copter400:

Programmed_For_Damage:
Anyway, awesome game, and as AngryMan said "may it build on the original's success while eliminating its predecessor's few flaws". I hope they especially tighten those Mako sections. I didn't find them overly annoying but they did get a bit tedious at times. Also, how the hell can it climb almost vertical cliffs and not be affected by the different gravitational levels of the individual planets.

Argh, the Mako. After a particularly bad acid trip, I came up with the following:

Imagine that you've got a cow, and you need to take it to market. But the cow can't move, y'see, so you have to push it along in your wheelbarrow. But then, right, these people start firing heavy ordnance at you, because they don't want you to take your cow to market. So you fire back, but all you've got is a water pistol and one of those Australian Geographic foam rockets that misses half the time.

That's what driving the Mako is like.

To be fair the foam rocket does have some tricks to hitting things. Like fire slightly in front of the target (as in imagine the rocket has the momentum your vehicle has-which I'm guessing it does) and you will spot on hit targets while strafing around them. Unless of course you're on uneven ground like half the goddamn surface area of any goddamn planet.
The water pistol still sucks though.

Rath709:
I have no problem with the Mako as a vehicle, but I have a problem with the fact that clearly BioWare forgot to write the one Codex entry that would have cleared up the greatest mystery of the game - the one for the technology section, where it explains how the Mako projects some sort of subspace field around it like a sort of skin that changes the gravitational constant of the universe in a highly localised area around the vehicle, thus explaining why every planetary body in the game seems to exert exactly 1G of downward force against you.

And also, how they managed to miniaturise such technology to the point where it could fit inside ceramic armour-ply suits to keep your every step on the surface of Luna from sending you seven feet off the ground.

uhmm... it's all right there in the Codex.

Armour suits are absolutely laced with Element Zero micro-cores - millions of them. These cores do things like preserve the suit's integrity, project the kinetic barriers, or kinetically adhere you to the nearest flat surface of your choice.

The best demonstration of this is

Those suits are capable of projecting some very sophisticated Mass Effect fields for the sake of preserving their occupant in a fighting state - up to and including a local artificial gravity field (hence why you can walk, rather than float, on the Normandy). The same is true of the Mako - its hull is laced with Eezo cores that allow it to generate its own local artificial gravity field as well as projecting its own kinetic barriers, and adjusting its own mass so that it can be dropped from a low-flying frigate, or can "jump" using those little retro-thrusters on the underside.

The problem is that Mass Effect fields have no effect whatsoever on the laws of thermodynamics, which is why it's still possible to boil or freeze to death if you go to a really hot or cold planet, why your guns overheat, and why the Normandy's stealth equipment is time limited.

Eezo is the Mass Effect universe's "Unobtanium" - it neatly solves all of those little problems that are preventing us from doing things like travelling faster than the speed of light right now.

@Angryman - Well colour me informed. Thanks for that. It's taken care of those nagging questions, which while they didn't affect my enjoyment of the game, had me thinking WTF?