Mass Effect Series
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Ami
Playing All The Stuff!
- AKA
- Amizon, Commander Shepard, Ellie, Rinoa Heartilly, Xena, Clara Oswald, Gamora, Lana Kane, Tifa Lockhart, Jodie Holmes, Chloe Price.
So I take it you're near the end, or you've finished it? It's been great hearing about your experience with the game, it's refreshing when new people get into the trilogy and
Keveh Kins
Pun Enthusiast
Finished it last night but decided not to post because I wanted to digest the ending a bit...and sleep 
I had Anderson break into Udina's office and deliver that awesome super-man punch.
Really, really enjoyed the fight through the Citadel. It felt epic in scale as a final battle should. Made it to Saren and Fred Tatasciore did a great job giving his Bond Villain "joining us is the only true hope" type speech. I managed to talk him down only for Saren to then blow his own head off, which was a total shocker to me.
At this point I had Joker, after a good ten minutes of deliberating on the decision, rescue the Council in spite of their immense idiocy in handling the entire situation up to that point.
If Joker had died in doing that, I'd have been immeasurably pissed. I like Joker.
At any rate, I was feeling well chuffed with myself and thinking "Wayhey! Talked my way out of the final boss fight!"
Nope. Nope nope nope nope nope
Saren/Sovereign (Sareveign? Eh? No?) was very creepy and honestly it was very harrowing to see the extent of Saren's cybernetic modifications. Saren was a dick before Sovereign, but man was that a harsh deal. Particularly with how much he seemed to fight Sovereign and how he had his doubts, to see him ultimately fail and be subjected to that level of modification was very poignant.
The boss fight itself wasn't overly difficult, but he was a bitch to keep up with once he started really hopping about the place. I liked that Saren thanked Shephard before killing himself (this was earlier). There was something very poetic about a Turian who hates humans being able to regain control (albeit briefly) of his own destiny because of a human. It was very poetic, in my opinion.
Didn't believe for a second that Shephard had died because "hey, sequels!" Honestly though, I don't think I'd have believed it even if I'd been playing it back when the game first came out, there's too much groundwork and set up for the sequels to kill the main character off so readily. Incidentally, Shephard's smile when we discover he survived is the goofiest, most awkward lookin' thing xD
I had Anderson become the human Councillor, because whilst Udina is a very effective politician he's kind of a wankshaft and reminds me too much of Enda Kenny and Joan Burton to ever make him likeable. Sexy Keith David motivational speech at the end there, which alone was enough to make me happy with my choice
All in all, I quite enjoyed Mass Effect. The side missions have a "Go to this one planet you can land on in this cluster, collect the collectables then go here and shoot this thing then leave" formula that's far too repetitive to justify the sheer amount of them. I know they're optional, but I've been told some of them affect the story in the sequels so you end up feeling obliged to do as many as possible and it does start to wear after a while.
The plot was very interesting, and really picks up in the third act. From Virmire onwards it just shoots into Orbit, once Sovereign enters the equation everything just becomes much more engaging and interesting. My main criticism with the game is that the supporting characters don't do much of anything. Garrus has his sidequest, and that's it. Ashley and Kaidan have their choice on Virmire, and that's it. Wrex has his moment on Virmire too but it's small in relation to the overall events of the story. Liara's arc ends with Benezia unless you romance her, to be honest. Tali doesn't do anything of any real significance after you recruit her.
It all just seemed very "Go and talk to these people after this mission to get their thoughts on something they had no impact on or relation too."
Maybe I'm just looking at it the wrong way, mayhaps I'm too used to Final Fantasy-esque storytelling where every character has a big impact in some way on the story. Or mayhaps it's all just setting up for the sequels. It never irritated me too much, I just thought it was poor use of the characters when they all have great potential and interesting personalities.
Genuinely though I did enjoy Mass Effect. I'm going to take a bit of a break for a bit and then it's on to Mass Effect 2. I'm downloading it right now and sweet Jaysus, the file size is even more gargantuan
I had Anderson break into Udina's office and deliver that awesome super-man punch.
Really, really enjoyed the fight through the Citadel. It felt epic in scale as a final battle should. Made it to Saren and Fred Tatasciore did a great job giving his Bond Villain "joining us is the only true hope" type speech. I managed to talk him down only for Saren to then blow his own head off, which was a total shocker to me.
At this point I had Joker, after a good ten minutes of deliberating on the decision, rescue the Council in spite of their immense idiocy in handling the entire situation up to that point.
If Joker had died in doing that, I'd have been immeasurably pissed. I like Joker.
At any rate, I was feeling well chuffed with myself and thinking "Wayhey! Talked my way out of the final boss fight!"
Nope. Nope nope nope nope nope
Saren/Sovereign (Sareveign? Eh? No?) was very creepy and honestly it was very harrowing to see the extent of Saren's cybernetic modifications. Saren was a dick before Sovereign, but man was that a harsh deal. Particularly with how much he seemed to fight Sovereign and how he had his doubts, to see him ultimately fail and be subjected to that level of modification was very poignant.
The boss fight itself wasn't overly difficult, but he was a bitch to keep up with once he started really hopping about the place. I liked that Saren thanked Shephard before killing himself (this was earlier). There was something very poetic about a Turian who hates humans being able to regain control (albeit briefly) of his own destiny because of a human. It was very poetic, in my opinion.
Didn't believe for a second that Shephard had died because "hey, sequels!" Honestly though, I don't think I'd have believed it even if I'd been playing it back when the game first came out, there's too much groundwork and set up for the sequels to kill the main character off so readily. Incidentally, Shephard's smile when we discover he survived is the goofiest, most awkward lookin' thing xD
I had Anderson become the human Councillor, because whilst Udina is a very effective politician he's kind of a wankshaft and reminds me too much of Enda Kenny and Joan Burton to ever make him likeable. Sexy Keith David motivational speech at the end there, which alone was enough to make me happy with my choice
All in all, I quite enjoyed Mass Effect. The side missions have a "Go to this one planet you can land on in this cluster, collect the collectables then go here and shoot this thing then leave" formula that's far too repetitive to justify the sheer amount of them. I know they're optional, but I've been told some of them affect the story in the sequels so you end up feeling obliged to do as many as possible and it does start to wear after a while.
The plot was very interesting, and really picks up in the third act. From Virmire onwards it just shoots into Orbit, once Sovereign enters the equation everything just becomes much more engaging and interesting. My main criticism with the game is that the supporting characters don't do much of anything. Garrus has his sidequest, and that's it. Ashley and Kaidan have their choice on Virmire, and that's it. Wrex has his moment on Virmire too but it's small in relation to the overall events of the story. Liara's arc ends with Benezia unless you romance her, to be honest. Tali doesn't do anything of any real significance after you recruit her.
It all just seemed very "Go and talk to these people after this mission to get their thoughts on something they had no impact on or relation too."
Maybe I'm just looking at it the wrong way, mayhaps I'm too used to Final Fantasy-esque storytelling where every character has a big impact in some way on the story. Or mayhaps it's all just setting up for the sequels. It never irritated me too much, I just thought it was poor use of the characters when they all have great potential and interesting personalities.
Genuinely though I did enjoy Mass Effect. I'm going to take a bit of a break for a bit and then it's on to Mass Effect 2. I'm downloading it right now and sweet Jaysus, the file size is even more gargantuan
Lex
Administrator
Squeeeeeee Keveh. Squeeeeeeeeeee.
Congrats on the end of ME1. Don't take too much of a break now, I want to hear moar. And all of your criticisms re: the characters will be addressed later thankfully. Don't forget to download all your DLC! If you're playing on the PS3 then I think you need to download the extra squadmates with a code in your box or something, but I know some of it is included (such as Lair of the Shadow Broker). You will have to buy the arrival DLC but that's meant for very late/post-game ME2 anyway so don't do that until you know how you feel about it.
Congrats on the end of ME1. Don't take too much of a break now, I want to hear moar. And all of your criticisms re: the characters will be addressed later thankfully. Don't forget to download all your DLC! If you're playing on the PS3 then I think you need to download the extra squadmates with a code in your box or something, but I know some of it is included (such as Lair of the Shadow Broker). You will have to buy the arrival DLC but that's meant for very late/post-game ME2 anyway so don't do that until you know how you feel about it.
Shadowfox
You look like you need a monkey
Great to see you enjoy the game so much, Keveh The ME games were some of my favourite games in the recent several years.
This was one of the things about the ME1 that I felt was a little bit of a letdown (the main one being the terribly clunky inventory system). There wasn't a lot of character conversations, the in-depth type that really get us to know them better. During my first playthrough, I kept coming to talk to each of my shipmates between missions, and I found that I very quickly reached the limits of their dialogue. The sequels definitely improved on this, though.
Are you getting the DLCs for the sequels? Some of them really do provide a lot of opportunities to get to know your squadmates and romance options.
The ME games were some of my favourite games in the recent several years. This was one of the things about the ME1 that I felt was a little bit of a letdown (the main one being the terribly clunky inventory system). There wasn't a lot of character conversations, the in-depth type that really get us to know them better. During my first playthrough, I kept coming to talk to each of my shipmates between missions, and I found that I very quickly reached the limits of their dialogue. The sequels definitely improved on this, though.
Are you getting the DLCs for the sequels? Some of them really do provide a lot of opportunities to get to know your squadmates and romance options.
Ami
Playing All The Stuff!
- AKA
- Amizon, Commander Shepard, Ellie, Rinoa Heartilly, Xena, Clara Oswald, Gamora, Lana Kane, Tifa Lockhart, Jodie Holmes, Chloe Price.
I easily count the Shadow Broker DLC as one of the best for the sequels, if not Citadel. Then again, it's hard to choose between these two. Just play Citadel after finishing the third game. Carlie told me to take this route and trust me, it's worth it.
and just finished Sur'Kesh. My Insanity run is going well, despite dying about five times. Determined now to get through this because I need a break from Dragon Age: Inquisition. It's basically going to be a re-run of my original ME3 save, just on Insanity. I've got all the missions listed down in a notepad that are remaining for the specific trophy.
Besides that, just need the "two non-customisable armours" one. Going to wait until I have 100,000 credits (currently holding just over 58,000). I wish I'd picked them up the first time around, but I was spending credits like a shopaholic for anything I needed in the war. I suppose getting a lot of side quests and stuff will get there sooner rather than later.
I just want my well-deserved platinum now and that'll be the trilogy done!
Besides that, just need the "two non-customisable armours" one. Going to wait until I have 100,000 credits (currently holding just over 58,000). I wish I'd picked them up the first time around, but I was spending credits like a shopaholic for anything I needed in the war. I suppose getting a lot of side quests and stuff will get there sooner rather than later.
I just want my well-deserved platinum now and that'll be the trilogy done!
Keveh Kins
Pun Enthusiast
Should I complete the Bring Down the Sky DLC thing before moving on to ME2?
Does it affect the story at all or is just one of those DLC aside type things?
Does it affect the story at all or is just one of those DLC aside type things?
Joker
We have come to terms
- AKA
- Godot
It's got a bit of Mako riding in it (urgh), but it also features one of my favorite skyboxes in the game. Because omg it's awesome.
You can freely avoid the very meh Pinnacle Station DLC, though. (it's a combat arena challenge-type thing - great rewards but no story relevancy, and you only need to beat the levels once each so the replay value is low)
You can freely avoid the very meh Pinnacle Station DLC, though. (it's a combat arena challenge-type thing - great rewards but no story relevancy, and you only need to beat the levels once each so the replay value is low)
Keveh Kins
Pun Enthusiast
Schtartin' my Mass Effect 2 playthrough now.
I am excite
Think I'm gonna change classes just for variety's sake, if I can
I am excite
Think I'm gonna change classes just for variety's sake, if I can
Keveh Kins
Pun Enthusiast
My playing got completely waylaid by my mam's inability to use the printer 
I've yet to even get past the opening screen.
What's the differences between each individual class, ability wise? Like, is one more biotic focused, another more tech focused and whatnot?
I've yet to even get past the opening screen.What's the differences between each individual class, ability wise? Like, is one more biotic focused, another more tech focused and whatnot?
Lex
Administrator
Adept = Pure biotic, only player class with access to Singularity
Soldier = boring and shit, adrenaline rush
Engineer = Pure Tech, only class with access to combat drone
Vanguard = Combination of Biotic and Soldier, only class with biotic charge (the BEST), has ammo powers too
Sentinel = Combination of biotic and tech, only class with access to tech armour
Infiltrator = Combination of Tech and Soldier, only class with tactical cloak
There's also weapons to consider. In ME2 certain classes can only equip certain weapons i.e. Adepts can only use Heavy Pistols and SMG's but at the midway point you can choose to unlock a third weapon class - I usually go for assault rifles. In ME3 this mechanic is scrapped entirely and instead a weight system is put in place which is much better (i.e. you can equip every weapon but having them all will result in a slower cooldown of powers so it's more economical to equip one or two weapons.
FWIW Vanguard can equip heavy pistols, SMG's and shotguns. I either unlock the sniper rifle or the assault rifle when given the choice, but this varies.
Everyone has access to heavy weapons.
Soldier = boring and shit, adrenaline rush
Engineer = Pure Tech, only class with access to combat drone
Vanguard = Combination of Biotic and Soldier, only class with biotic charge (the BEST), has ammo powers too
Sentinel = Combination of biotic and tech, only class with access to tech armour
Infiltrator = Combination of Tech and Soldier, only class with tactical cloak
There's also weapons to consider. In ME2 certain classes can only equip certain weapons i.e. Adepts can only use Heavy Pistols and SMG's but at the midway point you can choose to unlock a third weapon class - I usually go for assault rifles. In ME3 this mechanic is scrapped entirely and instead a weight system is put in place which is much better (i.e. you can equip every weapon but having them all will result in a slower cooldown of powers so it's more economical to equip one or two weapons.
FWIW Vanguard can equip heavy pistols, SMG's and shotguns. I either unlock the sniper rifle or the assault rifle when given the choice, but this varies.
Everyone has access to heavy weapons.
Keveh Kins
Pun Enthusiast
The Normandy!!!! 
Joe
I KEEP MY IDEALS
- AKA
- Joe, Arcana
If you want the most FUN, definitely go for Vanguard. Without a doubt it is the most enjoyable, especially as you go in fresh from ME1 without knowing the joys of Biotic charge.
If, however, you like a particular weapon more than anything else then pay attention to the classes. Infiltrators, for instance, are the only class that can use Sniper Rifles before the mid way point. Snipers are also highly improved from the kind you saw in ME1 so don't let that game put you off them if you usually love them.
Once you hit that mid-way point and are offered the chance to receive weapon training, you also have another choice. If you're already training in a weapon (Vanguard=Shotgun, Soldier=Assault Rifle, Infiltrator=Sniper) then you can INSTEAD choose to get access to the best weapon for that weapon type. This is the only way to get access to these grand weapons so, if you do LOVE sniper rifles, then pick Infiltrator then opt for further sniper training later. Black Widow is beast. Same goes for the other advanced weapons.
Personally, I play Adept because my favourite weapon is the pistol. All other classes can use the pistol, but Adept is the class that gives you the most extra stuff to compensate for the lack of proper weapon training. It gives me a good bit of variety on the battlefield.
I'd say pick your class based on the weapons you intend to use. If you're not fussed about weapons, pick Vanguard.
If, however, you like a particular weapon more than anything else then pay attention to the classes. Infiltrators, for instance, are the only class that can use Sniper Rifles before the mid way point. Snipers are also highly improved from the kind you saw in ME1 so don't let that game put you off them if you usually love them.
Once you hit that mid-way point and are offered the chance to receive weapon training, you also have another choice. If you're already training in a weapon (Vanguard=Shotgun, Soldier=Assault Rifle, Infiltrator=Sniper) then you can INSTEAD choose to get access to the best weapon for that weapon type. This is the only way to get access to these grand weapons so, if you do LOVE sniper rifles, then pick Infiltrator then opt for further sniper training later. Black Widow is beast. Same goes for the other advanced weapons.
Personally, I play Adept because my favourite weapon is the pistol. All other classes can use the pistol, but Adept is the class that gives you the most extra stuff to compensate for the lack of proper weapon training. It gives me a good bit of variety on the battlefield.
I'd say pick your class based on the weapons you intend to use. If you're not fussed about weapons, pick Vanguard.
Keveh Kins
Pun Enthusiast
Oh hey, that Cerberus crowd got an upgrade in this game, no longer recurring side mission villains. Suck it, Turks!
Keveh Kins
Pun Enthusiast
And Tali's back, yay!
Keveh Kins
Pun Enthusiast
I went with Vanguard in the end up, because it seems like a good hybrid class
Also, mhmmm.....Martin Sheen
Also, mhmmm.....Martin Sheen