RPGs: Has Mass Effect 2 Ruined Them All?

Calling Mass Effect 2 a “masterfully streamlined action/adventure” in their latest editorial, Bitmob partially blames BioWare’s sequel for the mediocre reception being given to Alpha Protocol and most likely future “clunkier” RPGs.

I loved the first Mass Effect (Xbox 360) and spent more time with it than any RPG I had played before it. When it comes to Mass Effect 2, though, I’m pretty outspoken with how disappointed I am with the direction Bioware took with the series. And it’s not that Mass Effect 2 is a bad game. In fact, in many ways it’s a great game. But it isn’t a conventional RPG anymore; Bioware stripped out most of the defining elements of an RPG and turned the game into just a great action adventure.

…

Case in point is Obsidian’s Alpha Protocol (PC, Xbox 360, PS3), which releases in just a few days. The game has been receiving generally negative reviews so far, and while I don’t doubt it deserves some derision (I haven’t played it but expect it to be a fun but flawed experience), I doubt that it would be treated this way if Mass Effect 2 hadn’t streamlined the RPG experience so masterfully.

And I don’t use the word “masterfully” as praise for Bioware; as I’ve already mentioned the game is great but it’s no RPG. Alpha Protocol, though, is billed as an RPG, and it sounds like it comes closer to the original Mass Effect than that game’s sequel did. So what does this mean for those of us who prefer the clunkier RPG experience; the Oblivions, the Fallout 3s, and Dragon Age: Origins, for example? These are games that are fun and expansive, but can also often be ugly, slow, and downright buggy.