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Mass Effect 2 Unplayable on SD TVs?

February 03, 2010 in News comments 37

If you only own an SD TV, then you may be out of luck while playing Mass Effect 2 on it. Users are complaining about not being able to read the text and BioWare said it was by design choice.

If you haven't made the jump to HD TV and plan to buy Mass Effect 2, you'll be in for a slight surprise. Thanks to a design choice by BioWare, those with an SD TV
may have a hard time reading the text in the game for mission, equipment, and planet descriptions.
MattyF via examiner.com »
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Most recently commented on by on Feb 10, 2010

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  • 1
    Bale Fire Feb 4, 10
    I remember Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts having a similar problem. Provided the outcry is big enough, Bioware should fix it.
  • 1
    Curt Connors Feb 4, 10
    I noticed this myself, I have an average 32" TV and reading the text was a bastard at times.
  • 0
    dwg14390 Feb 4, 10
    I have a problem with audio.
    Not gonna spoil this, but I'm not the only one who hasn't had audio problems with Samara's (asari) Loyalty side-quest.

    The fight was ruined and I had to watch in on youtube
  • 1
    ThreeTwoFiveSix Feb 4, 10
    Dead Rising was pretty hard to read on SD displays as well..
    You would think they would test games on a variety of displays.
  • 1
    Dio Feb 4, 10
    If you're a gamer, you shouldn't own a SDTV. End of story.

    There's no excuse for hooking up your nice $400+ Xbox360/PS3 to a crappy old SDTV. That's like putting caviar on dog shit. Get with the times, man.
    • 10
      Onvacation Feb 4, 10
      theres little things in life called priorities, might have heard of it?
      • 1
        Dio Feb 4, 10
        If you have enough money to buy a PS3/360 plus all the games, I'm sure you have enough money to buy a moderately priced HDTV. You could get a nice 23-inch 1080p HDTV for about $250-$300, depending on the brand.
    • 7
      VeGiTAX2 Feb 4, 10
      @TwilightPrince

      If someone is gamer it means they play video games, not that they're wearing their net worth around their neck. It's not a hobby exclusive to the super rich that excludes any class of people, anyone can jump in and enjoy themselves.

      Also there isn't an entry level PS3 or 360 that comes in at $400+ time to update those figures.
      • 0
        ruledbysecrecy Feb 4, 10
        Whatever dude. Go buy and HD5970.
        • 2
          VeGiTAX2 Feb 5, 10
          "Whatever dude. Go buy and HD5970."

          Go buy what and a 5970? I already have a PC that runs the game fine. Don't assume that I'm speaking about myself in my comments. There's a reason people use third person references, in this case I'm talking about the gaming culture as a whole. Gamers on SD screens shouldn't be forced to upgrade, for a family a $200 gaming system might make more sense instead of the cost of travel or other items that stack up.

          Whatever though right? you're gonna hook everyone up with HD screens and 5970's where's the sign-up list?
        • 0
          ruledbysecrecy Feb 5, 10
          Yikes. Sounds more like you need an FX5200.
        • 1
          VeGiTAX2 Feb 5, 10
          I wish, I heard it's unstoppable. Just look at the price of it here.

          FX 5200
        • 0
          ruledbysecrecy Feb 5, 10
          I heard the shader model tessellation is second to none.

          I just bought 2. Crossfire baby!
    • 1
      Storm* Feb 4, 10
      I can't afford an HDTV right now. Been saving up for one but it will be a while.

      This game's not as bad with text as Tekken 6 was for me. Good god the text was killer. I couldn't read a damn thing, and there's so much to do with story, customization, etc. there.
    • 3
      Curt Connors Feb 4, 10
      quote TwilightPrince
      There's no excuse for hooking up your nice $400+ Xbox360/PS3 to a crappy old SDTV. That's like putting caviar on dog shit. Get with the times, man.
      Sorry, for many people who don't live at home anymore with parents buying electrical toys there are more important things to buy like power, heat and food.
      • 0
        Euphoric Feb 4, 10
        Heat is free in Australia. You get bonus humidity as well.
        • 2
          Curt Connors Feb 4, 10
          quote Euphoric
          Heat is free in Australia. You get bonus humidity as well.
          Yeah, but you guys pay to be cooled, so it evens out
        • 0
          Euphoric Feb 5, 10
          Touche. I knew there was a hole there somewhere
    • 4
      BANDITO ATTACK Feb 4, 10
      i think the general consensus here is that you're a douche.
  • 0
    BANDITO ATTACK Feb 4, 10
    here's a challenge: go pick up sacred 2 (rent it or something), and play it on a non-hd tv, preferably 27, or 32 inch screen.

    i guarantee you can't read anything in the game.
    • 0
      Storm* Feb 4, 10
      Try Tekken 6 whilst your at it. xD
      • 0
        Subzer0 Feb 9, 10
        quote Storm
        Try Tekken 6 whilst your at it. xD
        I recommend you trying Dead Rising.
    • 0
      Ammy and Issun Feb 6, 10
      I last rented it when i had a SDTV and i could read everything in the game fine
  • 1
    Hideo1 Feb 4, 10
    The same thing happened with Dynasty Warriors 6, but I managed. I wouldn't call it unplayable, just try not to strain too hard for extended periods of time XD
  • 1
    Guugley Feb 4, 10
    Surely this is something that they should have stated BEFORE they released the game?
  • 0
    Red 9 Feb 4, 10
    I'm pretty sure with most games these days the text is designed for HDTVs. Though HDTV or not, the text still should be larger. I don't care if my HDTV allows me to see finer detail, the letters are still small.
  • 3
    Miss Razz Feb 5, 10
    Don't quote me on this, but iirc under 50% of gamers have a HD TV. It only makes sense to give games an SD TV compatible option. That way, nobody is left unsatisfied.

    Honestly, though, I don't understand why so many next-gen games have such small text anyway. Even on a HD TV, I've found myself having to sit closer to the TV sometimes just to read certain games' text.
  • 2
    Curt Connors Feb 5, 10
    quote twilight Prince
    I'm just saying it's common sense that if you own a next generation system, you need a next generation TV to make the most out of it. If you choose not to own an HDTV, then don't complain about not being able to read the text of a game that was clearly designed for HDTVs.
    The thing is, if they make a game to perform superbly on HDTV's then more power to them. If however it works really badly on a standard TV then it should be clearly marked as unsuitable for SD. The text in Mass effect (and Dead Rising especially) is bordering on the defective on a TV system that is supposedly supported.
  • 0
    Livewire_19 Feb 5, 10
    I'm kind of with TwilightPrince on this, an HD screen is crucial to get the full experience out of current gen games (except the Wii, it's sometimes very depressing to play the Wii on a HDTV).
    I'm also a bit surprised so many don't own HD set, especially if you own multiple current gen systems.

    It doesn't take much penny pinching to save up enough money to afford a decent PC monitor to hook your console up to. If you resist the urge to rush out and buy full price games and and avoid other unnecessary spending like on music and Starbucks you can afford a decent HDTV or monitor in no time at all.

    With that said, they should have the option to bump the font size up a bit for those that absolutely have to use a SDTV. Microsoft still sells Arcade models that don't come with cables for HD, so they should know that a good portion of Mass Effect 2 buyers are still stuck with 480i TVs.
    • 1
      Hideo1 Feb 5, 10
      quote Livewire_19
      I'm kind of with TwilightPrince on this, an HD screen is crucial to get the full experience out of current gen games
      Why? If I bought games on looks alone my collection would be terrible. Saints Row 2 was a brilliant game but it looked like utter crap. I can't understand how one who considers themselves a gamer can put so much of their mind into looks instead of anything else that actually makes it a game.
      • 1
        Dio Feb 5, 10
        The whole point of "next generation" consoles is for better looks. Use some common sense dude. Technology is always increasing and graphics keep getting better, and an HDTV is essential for getting the most out of your system.

        Buying a nextgen system and playing it on a SDTV is like buying a brand new Mercedes but painting it a mixture of green, brown, and purple. Sure, the car is still going to run smooth, but it's going to look like crap. You gotta make the most out of your investment.
        • 1
          Miss Razz Feb 6, 10
          Sorry to butt in, but I need to disagree with something here...

          quote
          Buying a nextgen system and playing it on a SDTV is like buying a brand new Mercedes but painting it a mixture of green, brown, and purple. Sure, the car is still going to run smooth, but it's going to look like crap.
          Next-gen games certainly don't look crap in standard definition. Sure, they're crisper and more detailed in HD because that's what they're made for, but they still look damn pretty in SD.

          But then, nobody's having problems with graphics on SD. The graphics generally look fine. It's the small text that's a bitch. Even people with HD TVs are having a problem with Mass Effect 2's text, if the game's forums are anything to go by.
        • 1
          Storm* Feb 10, 10
          Exactly. It's not about the graphics, it's about the goddamn text. Having the HDTV is like a perk, smoother colors and such, and yes people would see a difference in the graphics, but that's not the point...how the text can be so small is beyond me. Why is that getting in the way of SD/HD differences? I'm with Curt on this, at least label that we'll have trouble with some text on a SDTV. :S

          I tend to think of it like a flashlight that needs batteries. You can get better, longer lasting batteries, sure, but it's generally going to light up the same amount. We can have our upgrades with an HD, but text? Come on, that's just silly.
  • 1
    dwg14390 Feb 5, 10
    My problem isn't the size of the text, (my eyes adjusted somehow) it's the damned color.

    Sometimes I have to wing it and go by choice (if my character is a paragon I just choose the top choice without reading) mainly because of that damned lightblue/yellow color.

    During bright locations it's almost IMPOSSIBLE to read. The text is to bright. Would it kill them for basic black text with a white outline? That's my real beef about the text.
    • 0
      Hideo1 Feb 5, 10
      Well, if you haven't tried it already, is there a way to change it? In Fallout you could change pip-boy color and that changed the text too, so maybe there's a similar mechanic. I dunno, just a suggestion.
      • 0
        dwg14390 Feb 5, 10
        No you can't change it. It stay's blight blue/Yellow.


        Darker colors with oultines would have been much better.
        • 0
          Hideo1 Feb 5, 10
          Unlucky dude. Should have got the PC version, I bet there's already a mod out for it

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