Mass Effect 2 Interview: Beyond Space - PAGE 1

BioWare is set to release the second installment in its sci-fi "shooter - RPG" Mass Effect trilogy quite soon, and with that we had a chat with the game's Project Director, Casey Hudson. In the conversation to follow, we get the answers to your burning questions, covering genre, DLC, new characters, PC gaming, and more.

Why did you decide to make a sequel to Mass Effect?  Did you plan to make a series pretty early on?

Mass Effect was designed as a trilogy from the very beginning.  To ensure that fans would be aware of the investment we were making in this universe – and in them – when we announced Mass Effect back in 2005 we presented it as the first game of a trilogy.  It’s been very satisfying to still be on target with the plan to deliver an ambitious trilogy six years after we started work on the first game.

Are any new classes planned? What kind of gameplay roles/niches do you think these will fill?

Mass Effect 2 uses the same six classes from the first game, however the new skills allow these classes to further differentiate from each other by providing more specialized gameplay.

The game takes a darker tone, similar to Dragon Age.  Why go in this direction?  Can you compare the two titles in this sense? How has each influenced the other?  How does a darker approach suit the Mass Effect universe?

Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age are quite different, not just in terms of genre but the overall experience we’re trying to capture. 

BioWare PR previously stated the game is primarily a "shooter" because people are scared of the word "RPG."  Apparently this is why regenerating health was implemented as well. Adrien Cho recently said a lot of gamers crave depth, however, and ME2 will definitely go that route. Can you comment on this fear of RPGs and any gameplay elements (including health regen) that may have been implemented because of it?

I’m not much one for worrying about exact genre labels, but like its predecessor, Mass Effect 2 is most accurately defined as a shooter - RPG.  The term “RPG” means different things to different people.  To us at Bioware, it simply means that the game has a number of important pillars of gameplay, instead of just combat.  To us, an RPG provides opportunities for exploration, non-linear story development, deeply customizable character and equipment progression, and of course intensely satisfying combat.  Those are things that most players can appreciate, and they create a more well-rounded experience.  That’s why we’re starting to see them creeping into games of all genres. 

As for the shooter aspect, much of the moment-to-moment experience does revolve around combat, and that style of realtime, intense combat offers the key challenge in the game.  Therefore it’s useful to call out the shooter aspect when defining the genre of Mass Effect 2.  Ultimately, labeling a game with a genre is an increasingly difficult thing to do, but shooter-RPG seems to best capture what this game experience is about.

So, in-game relationships. Forums have been filled with fans begging for Tali and Garrus to be made available. Any plans on expanding the relationship possibilities to include more candidates, if not your former Quarian and Turian allies?

Yes, with more team members on board your ship, you’ll have more opportunity to choose among different possibilities for a love interest.

Guys got to pick between some lovely ladies in the first game while girls had Kaidan, unless we wanted to go the girl on girl route. Are the sexes going to be a little more balanced this time?  Dragon Age seemed to have that down pat with two women, two men.

Yes, with more options to choose from, both genders with have a variety of possible love interests.