Mass Effect II will have 'richer' side quests

by Alexander Sliwinski { Mar 12th 2008 at 4:00PM }

In an interview with MTV's Multiplayer, BioWare General Manager Greg Zerschuk says Mass Effect II's side quests will be "a little bit richer." He says the company is looking into ways to auto-generate content and possibly tie those into the main story. He'd like to make sure that side quests stay to the side, but that there's something "purposeful about them."

Zerschuk explains now that the technological backbone for Mass Effect is there, the sequel should be much better. He uses the company's Baldur's Gate series as an example, explaining that the the first one was a very solid game, but that the sequel allowed things to be taken "to a whole new level."

Tags: bioware, mass-effect, masseffect, zerschuk

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Fernando Rocker @ Mar 12th 2008 4:11PM

File Under: Sony PlayStation 3?

I didn't know it was coming to the PS3... anyway... that's great, it's a good game.

But there are two RPG's that I'm looking forward, more than Final Fantasy... Tales of Symphonia for Wii and Tales of Vesperia for PS3. I love that series =)

Fernando Rocker @ Mar 12th 2008 4:13PM

... Tales of Vesperia for *360

Scotto @ Mar 12th 2008 4:20PM

I am really excited for Mass Effect 2. I enjoyed the first one immensely, warts and all. Giving them a year or two to smooth out the graphics and inventory system, as well as improve on the missions, should result in an even better game.

I love Bioware. They alone almost make me proud to be Canadian, haha. That, and Ubisoft Montreal.

- Scott

Curtis the Claw: Brawl Code 1075-0441-3284 @ Mar 12th 2008 4:32PM

Bioware is owned by EA now aren't they? I'm surprised we aren't getting a Wii, DS, and PSP version as well.

XanthouS @ Mar 12th 2008 4:33PM

Did you really think EA bought the developers to continue releasing console exclusive games?

It's EA.

E

A

I'd be surprised if Mass Effect II wasn't watered down for the Wii, spun into a DS/PSP series, released down the road for PC, and had a mobile and iPhone version released.

Scotto @ Mar 12th 2008 4:37PM

@ XanthouS:

My guess is that Bioware probably had some stipulation that EA would allow them to remain somewhat autonomous in both creative and executive decision making, while EA would basically be allowed to ride the gravy train in return.

I can't imagine a developer like Bioware just selling themselves out, given EA's reputation, as well as their own rabid following.

- Scott

E.J. @ Mar 12th 2008 4:45PM

If it does come out for PS3, let's hope that the port is done properly, unlike The Orange Box. I love Mass Effect, but it's buggy enough as it is.

I also hope that the first one comes out on the PS3 so people that haven't played it can experience the game without being lost in its sequel.

@Scotto
"I can't imagine a developer like Bioware just selling themselves out"
They're owned by EA now, so isn't that too late? ;)

ballistic3188 @ Mar 12th 2008 4:20PM

Great news. I appluad them for taking constructive critism well. it fixes the main flaw i had with Mass effect.

rv @ Mar 12th 2008 8:37PM

The side quests were really repetitive and didn;t have that much of an effect on the story. Better side quests will definitely be awesome.

Burritoclock @ Mar 12th 2008 4:21PM

Where do you see anything about the PS3.

E.J. @ Mar 12th 2008 4:46PM

It's tagged/filed as a PlayStation 3 article. Look by the title.

Cal @ Mar 12th 2008 4:25PM

Does it come with free controversy from Fox again?

Jhongerkong @ Mar 12th 2008 4:26PM

If it has richer sidequests, then I better ask them for a loan.

Huey2k2 @ Mar 12th 2008 4:31PM

Mass Effect 2 could only be as good as the first and just extend the story and I would be happy. I absolutely adore the first one although some tweaks to the combat would be appreciated.

Also I'm not sure why it's filed under PS3, as there is no announcement whatsoever that the second game is PS3 bound, and MS has stated many times that they will do whatever they can to make sure that the trilogy remains a 360 exclusive.

Maverick Saturn @ Mar 12th 2008 5:35PM

Microsoft hasn't got a say in the matter, its EAs now, they make the decisions. So if they wanted to release the first on PS3 today, its up to them.

Although, being EA and all, its safe to assume for the moment, it will be multiplat.

Huey2k2 @ Mar 12th 2008 6:41PM

Well considering MS published the first ME, I'm pretty sure they will have a big say in what ends up happening with ME2, especially considering the bottomless bag of money MS has.

XanthouS @ Mar 12th 2008 8:32PM

MS certainly has a big pile 'o money. The question is, how much is enough to convince EA not to set up an entire franchise on the PS3. Not only would EA lose out on a significant portion of the market for ME2, but they'd be losing out on every new iteration of the game in the future (even MEXIII on the Xbox2520).

Marty @ Mar 12th 2008 4:57PM

Joystiq is apparently taking it upon itself to confirm Mass Effect 2 for PS3, sans any official word or proof.

Scotto @ Mar 12th 2008 5:05PM

Exactly. Not to mention, I read an article in OXM a couple of months ago, where an anonymous employee at Bioware stated his assurances that the game would remain XBOX 360 exclusive.

I cannot imagine that Microsoft wouldn't have been all over the Bioware acquisition, making sure that they retained the Mass Effect franchise for their console. Especially since they published the first one, for crying out loud.

Now to see if this vanishes into the ether.

- Scott

Ludwig Kietzmann @ Mar 12th 2008 5:28PM

Please take note: We've now filed Mass Effect II under "driving," which means that it's 100% confirmed to be a kart racer.

As you can see, categories are easy to assign and are there for your and our convenience. When it comes to a game from a multiplatform publisher which officially has no target consoles associated with it, is "PlayStation 3" really such an upsetting stretch?

Marty @ Mar 12th 2008 5:41PM

I see your point Ludwig, but I still think it's irresponsible to post it under PS3. By your logic, it really shouldn't be listed under ANY system yet, anyway (if you want to get technical about it). :P

Ludwig Kietzmann @ Mar 12th 2008 5:51PM

Yeah, now that I've made my point (categories != confirmation), I've gone ahead and changed it based on the last official word we got. I also removed "driving," even though you spend an awful lot of time in the Mako. ;)

Marty @ Mar 12th 2008 5:59PM

Ah man... now I am bummed. I was totally ready to fill that thing with mushrooms and red shells.

Corbo @ Mar 12th 2008 5:05PM

That's good to hear. One of the most annoying things about the original (other than the inventory system) was that the sidequests all got to feel very similar. Some more substance to their plots would be nice but I'd settle for, oh say, MORE THAN TWO FLOOR PLANS IN THE ENTIRE FRICKIN' GALAXY!!!

Also, [insert question about filing under PS3 here].

player66 @ Mar 12th 2008 5:17PM

Mass Effect II will have 'richer' side quests; Translation, "Mass Effect II will have phat loot!"

carbuncle2322 @ Mar 12th 2008 5:35PM

I hope they do a better job at this iteration. While I enjoyed the whole Mass Effect "experience" after I completed it I didn't even consider starting it again so I traded it in. Hopefully the next one will have something that will be bring me bak for more.

Maverick Saturn @ Mar 12th 2008 5:37PM

Tell me about it, and better DLC, not that they were bad, just could have been honed on a bit more.

carbuncle2322 @ Mar 12th 2008 5:40PM

I agree. DLC did suck. I still play Jade empire and KOTOR. I just didn't with this game. I don't know why. Im a SCI FI buff but it just didn't click with me. I need a FALLOUT 3!

Sythlia @ Mar 12th 2008 6:09PM

I can understand completely. I regularly run through Baldur's Gate saga, KOTOR and Jade Empire on a regular basis, but I have a hard time feeling the same way about Mass Effect.

Maybe it was a lack of character development/interaction that I missed from past Bioware games. Sure, the elevator convos were nice, but that was really it for interaction outside of certain quests. If they keep the same crew going into Mass Effect 2, I guess I can overlook character development if we get some more info on the crew as the game progress.

For now, I'm not hyped at all for Mass Effect 2. It's a pity, but I felt like the game took a step backwards to appeal to a larger audience.

I'm pensive about Fallout 3 as well. Since there's not a huge amount of info, I'll continue to watch how it develops.