I'm a bit late to the Mass Effect party

I'm a bit late to the Mass Effect party
Tweet Topic Started: Jul 27 2011, 03:38 AM (527 Views)
Vondongo	Jul 27 2011, 03:38 AM Post #1
Moo. Posts: 5,434 Group: Member Member #130 Joined: October 15, 2008	But I feel like a tool for bashing this game before I bought it. The name made me think of a shooter. People praising its graphics (and sometimes physics) engines reinforced this. Oh and I didn't know their developer was Bioware, the guys behind Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, outright one of the best games ever made. Found the second one at Target for twenty bucks, which I'm playing now. Ordered the first one off Amazon for twelve (I buy things instead of using torrents; if I was supposed to get goodies for free, I'd be able to ask and receive quickies from lady friends as favors) and that'll be in the mail in a couple more days at the most. Which I'll then play from the start till I finish and start a new game in the second one. ME2 is amazing. Runs perfect and there's nothing about it I don't dislike. Voice acting is superb. Character design is great. Dialogue flows very smoothly and is totally involved. The morality system is much better than the one from KOTOR. Combat is good. Nothing revolutionary but for its part it's fine. Like the characters, like the plots, like the subplots. Who knew that defying everybody and saying to Mordin "Fuck you, trying to ruin Krogan was stupid" doesn't net you "evil" points like it would in some linear game. And despite having a sci-fi theme, it doesn't seem hokey like Star Wars. It's not so far-fetched or convoluted and plays out more like realistic fiction. Also there aren't like 50 thousand different species of aliens, or guys in brown coats with glowing green swords. Anyway, I guess I'm buying the third one too. Yay.



Incog	Jul 27 2011, 07:27 AM Post #2
CHEERIO! Posts: 21,769 Group: French Member #6 Joined: December 13, 2007	so what's it about? the story? is it a fps?
	Black tulip Tribute to the the greatest of the great.


The_Fry_Cook_of_Doom	Jul 27 2011, 07:35 AM Post #3
:OOOOOOOOOOOOMAAANN Posts: 18,587 Group: A414A Member Member #35 Joined: January 11, 2008	Yeah Mass Effect is awesome; but ME2 had a number of disappointments, in addition to its certain improvements, to the perspective of someone who is fondly attached to the first game. Both of the games are good, though, and I, too, am in earnest anticipation of the third.
	Jam It's okay to be mad at your fiends sometimes


DragonLegend	Jul 27 2011, 10:48 AM Post #4
Field Marshal Posts: 15,575 Group: Member Member #40 Joined: January 19, 2008	RPG + sci-fi = I avoid it like the plague.



Vondongo	Jul 27 2011, 12:43 PM Post #5
Moo. Posts: 5,434 Group: Member Member #130 Joined: October 15, 2008	Incog Jul 27 2011, 07:27 AM so what's it about? the story? is it a fps? Explaining the story without spoiling much is nearly impossible. Combat plays out somewhere between a true third-person shooter and the battle interface from KOTOR. It's basically an RPG game in space, yet it doesn't seem so goofy as most other sci-fi stuff because the human element is really emphasized in everything.



Incog	Jul 27 2011, 01:05 PM Post #6
CHEERIO! Posts: 21,769 Group: French Member #6 Joined: December 13, 2007	icic wats rpg is terraria rpg?
	Black tulip Tribute to the the greatest of the great.


Vondongo	Jul 27 2011, 01:17 PM Post #7
Moo. Posts: 5,434 Group: Member Member #130 Joined: October 15, 2008	idk, never played Terraria.



The_Fry_Cook_of_Doom	Jul 27 2011, 05:22 PM Post #8
:OOOOOOOOOOOOMAAANN Posts: 18,587 Group: A414A Member Member #35 Joined: January 11, 2008	Incog Jul 27 2011, 01:05 PM icic wats rpg is terraria rpg? Final Fantasy is an RPG.
	Jam It's okay to be mad at your fiends sometimes


Incog	Jul 27 2011, 06:05 PM Post #9
CHEERIO! Posts: 21,769 Group: French Member #6 Joined: December 13, 2007	wats ff
	Black tulip Tribute to the the greatest of the great.


The_Fry_Cook_of_Doom	Jul 27 2011, 06:21 PM Post #10
:OOOOOOOOOOOOMAAANN Posts: 18,587 Group: A414A Member Member #35 Joined: January 11, 2008	It's an RPG. Go play it.
	Jam It's okay to be mad at your fiends sometimes


Vondongo	Jul 27 2011, 09:41 PM Post #11
Moo. Posts: 5,434 Group: Member Member #130 Joined: October 15, 2008	First one just came in the mail. Yay.



The_Fry_Cook_of_Doom	Jul 28 2011, 05:42 AM Post #12
:OOOOOOOOOOOOMAAANN Posts: 18,587 Group: A414A Member Member #35 Joined: January 11, 2008	Yay!
	Jam It's okay to be mad at your fiends sometimes


Vondongo	Jul 29 2011, 10:03 PM Post #13
Moo. Posts: 5,434 Group: Member Member #130 Joined: October 15, 2008	Party selection seems to be the same thing most of the time in 1. Either I take Wrex and Tali or Liara and Garrus. Kaidan is too weird because he's Carth from KOTOR and Ashley just kinda sucks.



The_Fry_Cook_of_Doom	Jul 30 2011, 06:50 AM Post #14
:OOOOOOOOOOOOMAAANN Posts: 18,587 Group: A414A Member Member #35 Joined: January 11, 2008	>Go Wrex and Garrus >Give Wrex's shotgun and Garrus' sniper rifle high explosive rounds >Easy mode! :)
	Jam It's okay to be mad at your fiends sometimes


Vondongo	Jul 30 2011, 01:37 PM Post #15
Moo. Posts: 5,434 Group: Member Member #130 Joined: October 15, 2008	Most of the Mako assignments get Garrus and Wrex on the same team just because I'd rather just clear everything out ASAP and be done with it instead of wasting time trying to crack all the high-security stuff. I don't choose easy though. :P



The_Fry_Cook_of_Doom	Jul 30 2011, 06:39 PM Post #16
:OOOOOOOOOOOOMAAANN Posts: 18,587 Group: A414A Member Member #35 Joined: January 11, 2008	Yeah, I always play on hardcore; but a garrus/wrex combo with high-explosive ammunition makes the game very easy at times.
	Jam It's okay to be mad at your fiends sometimes


Vondongo	Jul 30 2011, 07:35 PM Post #17
Moo. Posts: 5,434 Group: Member Member #130 Joined: October 15, 2008	If I could make one complaint about the first ME it's that inventory management is annoying. New items every 5 minutes and I have to redistribute to everybody.



The_Fry_Cook_of_Doom	Jul 31 2011, 06:22 AM Post #18
:OOOOOOOOOOOOMAAANN Posts: 18,587 Group: A414A Member Member #35 Joined: January 11, 2008	+1, although it was the very many items I could collect that afforded me an impression of a larger universe in ME1.
	Jam It's okay to be mad at your fiends sometimes


Vondongo	Jul 31 2011, 03:25 PM Post #19
Moo. Posts: 5,434 Group: Member Member #130 Joined: October 15, 2008	Friggin' husks and creepers. Why are there zombies in every game? Yawn.



The_Fry_Cook_of_Doom	Jul 31 2011, 04:48 PM Post #20
:OOOOOOOOOOOOMAAANN Posts: 18,587 Group: A414A Member Member #35 Joined: January 11, 2008	Yeah, there was a lot of agitation about the side-missions which frequently contained either husks or thorian creepers as the principle form of opponent.
	Jam It's okay to be mad at your fiends sometimes


Vondongo	Jul 31 2011, 05:53 PM Post #21
Moo. Posts: 5,434 Group: Member Member #130 Joined: October 15, 2008	I do some of the side missions but with all three of the basic planets done and Virmire next, I don't really feel like backtracking back and forth on the map just to keep finding new missions where I have to drive on mountains using the mako, fight some armatures, hit an underground base with really bad music, and then be done with things.



The_Fry_Cook_of_Doom	Jul 31 2011, 05:58 PM Post #22
:OOOOOOOOOOOOMAAANN Posts: 18,587 Group: A414A Member Member #35 Joined: January 11, 2008	If you like feel like going onto Virmire, then do it; Virmire onwards is when ME1's experience is best imho.
	Jam It's okay to be mad at your fiends sometimes


Vondongo	Aug 1 2011, 08:45 PM Post #23
Moo. Posts: 5,434 Group: Member Member #130 Joined: October 15, 2008	Amazing how the game actually forces you to kill off one of the main characters. I sent Kaidan to die because with the third game, it seems like the storyline with him if he survives is going to be a little less interesting. Didn't realize that whoever you picked for Ilos was your party for the rest of the game; I ended up finishing with Ashley and Tali (I pick someone other than Wrex to do a mission just for once and I can't bring him to the end of the game, wtf).



Vondongo	Aug 11 2011, 08:41 PM Post #24
Moo. Posts: 5,434 Group: Member Member #130 Joined: October 15, 2008	GO FOR THE OPTICS, CHIKTIKKA! GO FOR THE OPTICS!



The_Fry_Cook_of_Doom	Aug 12 2011, 06:03 AM Post #25
:OOOOOOOOOOOOMAAANN Posts: 18,587 Group: A414A Member Member #35 Joined: January 11, 2008	Tali was a bad squadmate in ME2 Unless you were fighting Geth. Otherwise
	Jam It's okay to be mad at your fiends sometimes


Vondongo	Aug 12 2011, 06:06 PM Post #26
Moo. Posts: 5,434 Group: Member Member #130 Joined: October 15, 2008	No way, Tali's awesome. Her and Grunt will beat anything in close quarters. If someone hides you can call out Chiktikka to force them out, and for firefights she's good at stopping anyone who tries to outflank. Also the shield drain is basically an ultra-powerful version of Overload. I like her more than Legion, because he can't defend himself up-close very well and while his shields make him a decent tank, Grunt is a much better tank all-around. Also also, Tali's probably the best-written character in the second game. Only characters who come close are Garrus and Jack, but Jack is more or less just a crazy bald lady for the whole time through.



The_Fry_Cook_of_Doom	Aug 12 2011, 06:14 PM Post #27
:OOOOOOOOOOOOMAAANN Posts: 18,587 Group: A414A Member Member #35 Joined: January 11, 2008	Hmm, tanky is a rather precarious capability for a squadmate on the higher difficulty levels, although energy drain is certainly very useful as a bonus ability for Shepard. I thought it to be more effective to maximise the damage output of your squadmates before they were no longer available, so very popular with me was combos such as Miranda + Thane, where Overload/Warp + Throw, or Warp + Unstable Warp would annihilate singular enemies. I mostly played as a vanguard, though; high burst damage was my preference, and sometimes I needed to get rid of just one or two enemies to turn a Biotic Charge from suicidal to immensely effective.
	Jam It's okay to be mad at your fiends sometimes


Vondongo	Aug 12 2011, 06:29 PM Post #28
Moo. Posts: 5,434 Group: Member Member #130 Joined: October 15, 2008	Oh if you're a vanguard, then Tali's not nearly as good to have on your squad since that's two people who don't have range. I prefer soldier for the weapons variety and concussive shot, after you get it to Lv 4 and turn it into the wide-range version you can drop swarms of husks and rip them apart with the assault rifle or shotgun. Tali/Grunt and Thane/Garrus are my two favorite combos though I mix in Miranda, Jacob and Mordin in a lot too. Jacob sort of sucks at the beginning of the game, but once you get the Pull Field he can set whole groups of enemies up for a concussive shot (since they're suspended it does way more damage). What I like to do with Grunt and Tali is call out the drone to pull the distraction, send in Grunt after he armors up (even better if it's close quarters and he has the Claymore) and then send in Tali right after, so she can flank with the shotgun while the other two distractions are going on. Thane/Garrus dominates pretty well since they can do the push/shot combo and have a lot of firepower between them. And again, I'm predisposed towards using squadmates who are better-written since they're more interesting to have around. Just feels like it adds more to the storyline that way.



The_Fry_Cook_of_Doom	Aug 12 2011, 07:28 PM Post #29
:OOOOOOOOOOOOMAAANN Posts: 18,587 Group: A414A Member Member #35 Joined: January 11, 2008	Hmm that's a sort of gameplay I've never really attempted. I have played as the soldier, but I mostly depended upon my own weapons (And honestly, the gameplay got a little tiresome after I chose the Revenant LMG as my bonus weapon). Playing as the vanguard never ceased to be interesting; although every combat circumstance was often a repetition of the same thing, the fighting was forever intense when your screen was red, and you're charging into a group of three enemies because you're anxious to restore your shields, and it is the speed of their annihilation which determines the success of your operation. I did manage to play as all the classes in time; the adept was crazy fun when I played on veteran difficulty, and the sentinel was quite possibly my easiest experience. The vanguard was what stuck to me in the end, though; I could never get tired of the playstyle.
	Jam It's okay to be mad at your fiends sometimes


Vondongo	Aug 12 2011, 07:38 PM Post #30
Moo. Posts: 5,434 Group: Member Member #130 Joined: October 15, 2008	The key to Soldier still being a challenge later on is either not taking the Revenant or taking the Revenant and not getting the accuracy upgrade. It's terribly inaccurate at long range even if you only use burst fire at that point. Consistently amazed at how well-done the dialogue and arc development are. Side missions, romance, consequences from the first game, etc. All mapped out really well.



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