The RPG of 2010: Mass Effect 2 or Final Fantasy 13?
2010 is looking to be a good year to be a gamer. While 2009 was a great year for gamers; as we have played some of the finest titles this generation such as Killzone 2, Arkham Asylum, Uncharted 2, Assassin’s Creed 2, Forza 3 and many more, next year could be the best year for gamers since this generation started back in 2005.
The first quarter of 2010 will bring to us some of the most anticipated games this generation. Two of those are favorites among RPG lovers, Mass Effect 2 and Final Fantasy 13. While I have enjoyed some JRPGs this generation (Lost Odyssey, Tales of Vasperia, and Varlkryie Chronicles just to name a few), WRPGs are becoming the dominant choice for RPG gamers around the world, unlike last generations. So, If you look closely at the title of this article, you are going to see a battle not just between two of the most anticipated role playing games this generation, but also between two different style of role playing: the western style VS the Japanese style.
Mass Effect 2 is the sequel to the highly acclaimed space opera RPG, Mass Effect. The game takes place in the year 2185, two years after the conclusion of Mass Effect. With the Reaper invasion stopped and Saren and the geth defeated, Commander Shepard learns that entire human colonies are mysteriously vanishing. Shepard won’t act solely by himself, so in addition to his team mates (old and new ones), he will be joining with the human supremacist organization Cerberus to resolve the mystery behind the vanishing of the human colonies.
The infamous conversation wheel system will make a comeback in the sequel but with more complicated moral choices this time. Mass Effect 2 also features regenerating health as its primary health mechanic, instead of being able to heal with “medi-gel” as in the first game. In addition, the overheat system for weapons has been replaced with collectible ammunition. The game’s visuals has been improved drastically, and some of the glaring technical issues has been ironed in the sequel.
On the other hand, you have Final Fantasy 13, which its plot revolves around the fal’Cie who has constructed a paradise for humanity: the shell-like city of Cocoon, which floats high above the surface of the world known as Pulse. Both Pulse and Cocoon are maintained by their own fal’Cie. Cocoon’s fal’Cie created life forms and machines for its inhabitants to use, and humanity flourished. Over time, the people of Cocoon began to fear for the safety of their world, and they worried that it would be cast down from the sky into the hell that they saw Pulse to be.
Final Fantasy 13 will be the first game in the series to have HD visuals, and the result to this will be a fantasy journey like no other. The game uses an overhauled turned based battle system; multiple commands can be stacked into slots per turn and released at the same time to form a combo. The number of command slots increases as the characters grow in strength. Also, the game does not make use of MP but introduces “cost points” for each command, which determine how many times the commands can be used per turn. Summoning fierce creatures and casting your favorite magic attacks will make a comeback but with a next generation feel to it.
Bioware will bring to us a sequel to one of the most beloved games this generation, at the same time, Square Enix will also bring the most popular RPG franchise ever for the first time to HD consoles. So, I have a couple of questions for you folks to answer: Which game will offer an overly better role playing experience in 2010? And will Final Fantasy 13 bring the JRPG genre to the top of the game?
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Sorry. None of them… The Witcher 2.
Posted on November 28th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
Well, given the circumstances that I’ve played Mass Effect 1 and I enjoyed it very much, Mass Effect 2 is essentially the same game with the same characters , same gameplay, and new races but different story.
Final Fantasy XIII on the other hand is completely new. Each Final Fantasy game has always had different characters, different story, different gameplay yet still an RPG, and epic length.
I’d anticipate FF13 to be a game of the year contender for 2010 alongside God of War 3 and others. Mass Effect 2 will still be an awesome game but I don’t think it’s story and length can compare to Final Fantasy XIII’s story. The gameplay is drastically different between both so people who lean toward shooters and action RPGs will tend to edge toward Mass Effect 2.
Posted on November 28th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
The biggest RPG of 2010 is Pokemon Heart Gold & Soul Silver. As for the biggest RPG on home consoles next year……ME2 is nowhere near the quality of FF XIII. It will either be Final Fantasy XIII or White Knight Chronicles, most likely the advantage will go to FF.
Also – WRPG’s becoming the dominant choice??? LOL – WTF? Japanese RPG’s still outsell Western RPG’s by a country mile, JRPG’s are still the dominant choice for gamers by far and most likely they always will be.
Posted on November 28th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
It depends, if the ppl’s likes!!! For me, I”ll go for Mass Effect 2, coz I really like that fancy combination between action and a rpg…!!! I enjoyed Mass Effect due to his graphics, history and everything…!!! And To see this new game coming out and improving all thoses features, I’ll definetly go for mass effect 2…!!! Sorry FF13…!!!
Posted on November 28th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
definitely DEFINITELY FFXIII GOTY 2010 !!!!!!!!!!!!!
but one thing i don’t like in FFXIII is that kid named “Hope” he blasted Snow away in tgs trailer WTF didn’t like him sinc then !
Posted on November 28th, 2009 at 10:16 pm
ME2 all the way. Have no idea how the above poster can think its gimped out of the gate because it’s a continuation of an established story instead of completely new and untested.
Empire Strikes Back anyone?
Posted on November 28th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
Though I’m a huge Final Fantasy fan (I own every single game in the main series), my vote goes to Mass Effect 2.
I never took WRPGs very seriously. I played Diablo 2 but didn’t enjoy it much. Having heard a lot of good stuff about Mass Effect, I decided to give it a try. Biy, was I impressed! It’s the best game I’ve played this gen so far and the best RPG I’ve played since Final Fantasy X, probably even better than it. The game has charisma, great characters, a superb plot and it’s artistic!
Posted on November 28th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
[...] Full Post [...]
Posted on November 28th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Thats the easiest choice in my life. Ive played Mass Effect 1 but it doesnt live up to any FF game imo. Ill probably play ME2 after im completely done with ff13 and versus or something.
Posted on November 28th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
FFXIII for me !
japanese games always the BEST
love you JAPAN !
Posted on November 28th, 2009 at 11:51 pm
Who’d thought it would have ever came to this?
East vs West
Posted on November 29th, 2009 at 12:20 am
mass effect is for adults.. the storyline and mythology behind the series is really well done.. the depth of the various alien races and the history of the mass effect galaxy is second to none, it can hold it’s own against any fantasy universe created.. including star trek or star wars mythology. final fantasy is for children.. i mean let’s be honest.. look at the way the characters are drawn and the lead roles are teeny bopper fantasies.. i need a mature game that explores mature issues.. not some teenage fantasy nonsense.. i’ll take mass effect 2 over final fantasy anyday.. loved ff when i was younger.. but my tastes have evolved.. and i like my games to do the same.
Posted on November 29th, 2009 at 12:23 am
Final Fantasy Versus 13 in terms of gameplay, Mass Effect 2 in terms of visuals and Final Fantasy 13 in terms of creativity.
Posted on November 29th, 2009 at 12:53 am
ff13 hands down
Posted on November 29th, 2009 at 1:57 am
ME2’s gameplay is much better than FF13’s clunky battle system. However, FF13 looks more visually stunning.
Posted on November 29th, 2009 at 4:08 am
JRPGs lost it a long time ago. Even the best RPGs games from Japanese developers (Demons souls for example) are not JRPGS.
And when it comes to RPGs Bioware are kings. The only thing that can somehow threaten their throne in 2010 is if somehow Betheshda pulls out another Elder Scrolls or Fallout game.
Posted on November 29th, 2009 at 11:58 am
Jap RPG’s can go take a big jump off a cliff… they suck… the battle systems are so clunky and old fashioned… Jap RPG’s are dead in the West, or at least they should be.
Also, the graphics on FF13 look so last gen, how can anyone with any sense say otherwise. Just look at the picture above… it’s just ps2 HD… seriously where’s the graphical findelity in there?! Just a FLAT grass texture streched over some polys!!! No bump map, no grass planes, no nothing…. typical Jap stuff, bright cheerful colours with no defined shadowing. I’m so over that art style…
And you can bet your life it’s got some dumb-ass story about a 13 year old boy dominating the universe (that’s it Squaresoft, appeal to the sad emotionally immature geek with ya sad enoitionally immature geek backstory…. YAWN)
There is NO comparison with ME2… with ME2 (if ME1 is anything to go by) you can bet the story will be mature and push the boundaries, you can bet the graphics will stun, and the combat system will be very slick and highly playable (Plus innovative… unlike the countless crap JRPGs out there).
ME1 was in a league of it’s own… I can guarantee that ME2, when compared to ff13, will be head an shoulders the superior RPG.
Mass Effect rules the RPG world
Posted on November 29th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
FFXIII has huge advantage over ME2, the user base is bigger and it will come out multiplat in the west while ME2 is primarily going to be seen as a 360 WRPG (even if it does come out on PC).
And its worldwide not NA only (which for some reason is the only one most considered WEST in the world of gaming). So FFXIII will win hands down.
I love ME as much as the next RPG gamer but old school feel rules and FFXIII fits the bill
Posted on November 29th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
FFXIII for me. You can’t argue with the success of FF. Up till now FF7 is still in the top 10 spot in PSN ever since it’s release in the PSN. Lots of new games came out in the PSN and none of them were able to kick it out of top 10.
Posted on November 29th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
ME2 is a game for women, non – gamers and children….no real comparison at all. It would be better comparing the clunky battle system, last – gen graphics and teenage alien storyline of ME2 to something like a Super Barbie RPG. Bioware’s RPG’s can’t stand up to JRPG’s even a little. JRPG’s outsell wetsern RPG’s by a country mile and it’s no wonder, JRPG’s have the clear edge in quality.
Final Fantasy XIII all the way, ME2 may have been cool if i was still in pre – school but for those of us that have grown up our taste for good games has as well.
Posted on November 29th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
hahahahahahha.. david macphail sounds like a 12 year old!!!! hahahahhaa.. to even suggest that final fantasy is for a more mature audience than any bioware rpg, much less mass effect is laughable.. it is a guarantee by his statements that 1. he has never played the game, and 2. he still wears disposable diapers…
Posted on November 29th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
In opposition to most comments appearing here which have one sentence saying which title they like best and spend the rest of the time flaming the other choice I’ll explain my choice while listing what I liked and didn’t like about both games’ previous installments.
I’ve played every main FF title except for the first and while I love the series it’s been going downhill since they introduced X-2 *shudder*. While the graphics beat out ME2’s the combat system looks like it resembles XII a lot which I didn’t like, turn based and ATB fighting systems were far superior to gambits and AI governed attacks systems imo. On the plus side the story looks genuinely interesting and the art style is beautiful.
I didn’t play ME till I bought it for $20 on PC earlier this year since I’d never owned an 360 and it blew me away. The amount of data they crammed into the codex and the detail they spent making to world believable really drew me in. Add to that the fact that the main character was finally voice acted I really felt that I was Shepard and my actions were affecting the surrounding galaxy. On the bad side the planet exploration was dull and teammates (while intriguing from a story perspective) were essentially useless in the game except for use as a meatshield.
In the end I’m more excited for ME2 despite the fact that I bought my PS3 at launch because of FFXIII just because Bioware is always able to fully immerse me in the game as shown by how much I loved BG2, NWN and recently Dragon Age.
Posted on November 29th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Hahahaha, Dave doesn’t know that names and the beggining of sentences start with a capital letter, he can’t be older than 5. Hahahahaha………..his parents must be too poor to afford to send him to school.
It is a sure thing from his statements that:
A – He has never played/seen Final Fantasy.
B – He still needs his mommy to help him get dressed in the morning.
Posted on November 29th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
funny thing about david macphail.. he misspells western in his first post and apparently doesn’t know how to spell beginning in his second post… diapers, learn how to spell before you claim somebody is too poor to afford school… hahahahahahahahahaha… case closed.
Posted on November 30th, 2009 at 3:25 am
Funny thing about Dave, he STILL doesn’t know to start names or the beginning of sentences with a capital letter despite already being told…………diapers. Learn how to use proper sentence structure before telling someone else not to say you can’t afford to go to school………case closed, diapers.
Posted on November 30th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
I have played all the FF games since their breakthrough with VII and the most i liked VIII , X and X-2.I Also happen to have played Mass Effect and from what i can tell Mass Effect 2 kicks ass.Kicks FF XIII Ass.Realy Mass Effect 2 has better graphics,better characters,better soundtrack(FF has Leona Lewis mainstream rnb/pop/trash) and pretty much is a better game.FF 13 is just a game for the name.Believe me FF13 is anything close to the older Final Fantasy games.I hope i’m proven wrong but till then Mass Effect 2 all the way.
Posted on December 4th, 2009 at 12:45 am
Mass Effect 2 will be so very epic!, but veteran players know that Final Fantasy is King and synonymous’ with RPG’s. FF11/FFX-2/FF12 (other teams)
People who are close minded are gonna miss FFXIII, too bad, cause its gonna raise the bar with all those interactive combos [Gestalt Mode]/CGI.
Im cheerin’ for western RPG’s, yes, but the land of the Rising Sun is just Big-Poppa on dat. March 9th is gonna give me 60+hrs of japanese GOLD!!!
Posted on December 7th, 2009 at 5:34 am
Why choose? i’ll be getting both anyway.
Besides, I don’t like comparing Japanese and Western RPGs, they’re two completely different sides of the same coin.
Mass Effect 2 looks interesting, as does FFXIII.
Also, is it just me or does FFXIII remind me of an obscure PC game called Septerra Core?
Posted on December 24th, 2009 at 6:23 am
Personally, I’m looking forward more to Mass Effect 2. I played Mass Effect and loved it- it’s one of my favorite games of all time. FF XIII looks like it could be cool, and if I buy it, it would be the first JRPG I’ve ever played. (Kudos to Square Enix for putting XIII on the 360).
Epedemic’s comments are inaccurate- hardly any of the characters from ME1 rejoin your party in ME 2. Sure, a couple aliens of the same race as past party members join you, but that hardly makes them the same characters. Also, Mass Effect will take up two discs, so it certainly won’t be on the short side.
Also, Dave MacPhail macfails. Hardly surprising. I doubt he’s even played the first Mass Effect.
Posted on January 10th, 2010 at 8:39 am
Wow…. Dave MacPhail. I’ve read this entire forum through and you, by far are the biggest idiot I’ve ever seen. Oh ya ME 2 all the way. Sry FFXlll.
Posted on January 23rd, 2010 at 9:47 pm
in fact we all love final fantasy series,and most of JP RPG fans did so ,it should be the greatest RPG game, and mass effect 2 is perfect too ,but i am not a western RPG fan,i like it ,but …. sorry mass effect 2.
Posted on February 3rd, 2010 at 12:49 pm
1. Mass Effect had great rpg elements..2. Mass Effect have by far the most SHITTIEST sound effects for the guns & its not flashy. In conclusion, never have I seen such disrespect to such an established franchise.
Posted on February 3rd, 2010 at 10:33 pm
Before i say anything i would like to let everyone know that im a huge ps3 fanboy and that i really hate the 360. with that said Mass Effect 2, i hate to say, is one of the best games i have ever played period. i honestly believe that this game should most definitely be nominated for game of the year(witch i know it will be). the only game i have had slightly more fun with was UC2………ok i take that back, i cant believe im going to say this but ME2 is the best game ive played. -sorry playstation god, please dont smite me- lol
Posted on February 6th, 2010 at 4:37 am
obviously some people here couldn’t see McPhail’s sarcasm
Posted on March 6th, 2010 at 7:27 pm
I grew up on final fantasy but mass effect is seriously on a level of its own. what final fantasy 7 was to the games industry when it came out, mass effect is to the games industry today, it sets standards.
Posted on March 9th, 2010 at 9:49 pm
OK for anyone that argues if mass effect 2 is better look at their metacritic score’s, 96 for ME2 and FF13 82. If you argue about the fanbase’s look at the comments. Everyone who picked FF whatever is in the negative ratings. So just for all you FF whatever fan’s, mass effect is flat out 100 hundred times the game. Congratulations Bioware on the RPG of the year.
Posted on March 11th, 2010 at 7:49 am
I choose ME2. Plus it gets larger with DLC’s while FF13 stays the same linear story.
Posted on March 13th, 2010 at 10:09 am
Screw these games I’m waiting for Fallout New Vegas before RPG of 2010 is decided.
Posted on March 14th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
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