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RTTP: Mass Effect 2 changed my life in gaming forever

Anon67

Member
I bought the trilogy and am trying to get through the first game but it's so awful. The story and lore are super interesting but playing the game is so cumbersome.
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
One thing you can say. Bioware isn't afraid to change things up. (For better or worse)

None of the games are perfect, but they have always made a game I enjoy. It is a tough problem though. My perfect game would probably be quite different from others "Perfect" Bioware game.

I think that ME4 will be closer to DA:I than what some people on GAF will like.

Pretty much. Each of the three games have their strengths and weaknesses. I'm hoping Andromeda is something a bit different but also a sweet spot for the stuff I like. But we'll see.

what you have to understand about that is, Me2 was my first exposure to the franchise. I didn't get to experience Me1 first. If I did, perhaps I would share the sentiment of Me1 being the overall better experience. Either way, I do feel that I am in the minority of the ME fan base, being a hardcore fan but having played the series on PlayStation.

Oh I know, was just sharing my perspective. I think ME2 is by far the most appealing entry point, and I can see why a lot of people jump in and went "holy shit, this is amazing", and found it hard to go back and play the first.
 
Mass Effect 2 is one of my favorite games of all-time. I liked 3 as well, more so than most, but 2 is the epitome of the series by far for me. Still very excited for Andromeda.
 

JeffG

Member
Oh I know, was just sharing my perspective. I think ME2 is by far the most appealing entry point, and I can see why a lot of people jump in and went "holy shit, this is amazing", and found it hard to go back and play the first.
The first can come off as quite janky when you see it for the first time.

I tried it once. Quit. Then tried it again and got through it.

I then jumped into ME2. I didn't play any of them "right". I didn't talk to any of my team in between missions. Lost every one you could in my first suicide mission.

Basically, missed the point of Bioware games. lol Once I saw some stuff that I missed, I went back and played 1 and 2 about 10 times to try and see all that could be seen.
 

Fathead

Member
1 nailed the story in a way that no other game I've played ever matched. The shooting and inventory, along with the power tree are clunky and I wont even go into the mako.

2 and 3 polished the shooting and simplified the inventory and powers. But they never quite get to the way the first game's story was an experience.
 
I love ME2, but it always felt like a "soft reboot" to me. ME3 feels very much like the sequel to ME2, but I feel like we never got a true sequel to ME1. If that makes sense.
 

MrDwels

Neo Member
Should I start playing Mass Effect 3 again? I stopped finishing halfway hearing how disappointing the ending was.

Keep going, it's a great ride up until the end. The ending left me very disappointed and angry when I first saw it, but over time I came to accept that that was just the way it was. However the DLCs like Citadel and Omega almost make up for the awful ending. Keep playing, finish the story. I felt that the character interaction and stories were well done. Some closure is better than no closure in my opinion.
 
ME2's only major weakness was the story/plot, but as a game it absolutely rocked. Overall, this is how I would rank the games:

ME1 ---> Best story/theme/atmosphere
ME2 ---> Best overall fun factor
ME2 ---> Best combat/gameplay mechanics

I've often said Mass Effect is the sum of its parts. This is essentially what I mean by that.
 
Oh I know, was just sharing my perspective. I think ME2 is by far the most appealing entry point, and I can see why a lot of people jump in and went "holy shit, this is amazing", and found it hard to go back and play the first.
the only reason I'd feel that way is coz of the shooter gameplay, though. I didn't dig the heat meters all that much, I like how they went back to traditional clips after that.

if they remastered these goddamn games for new gen, I'd probably play through Me1 and get to really reevaluate for myself which game I like more.
 

Dennis

Banned
ME2's only major weakness was the story/plot, but as a game it absolutely rocked. Overall, this is how I would rank the games:

ME1 ---> Best story/theme/atmosphere
ME2 ---> Best overall fun factor
ME2 ---> Best combat/gameplay mechanics

I've often said Mass Effect is the sum of its parts. This is essentially what I mean by that.

I think ME1 was more fun. The story and atmosphere and sense of exploration really increased my enjoyment.

ME2 had some great characters though. And the whole assemble your team gimmick worked surprisingly well.
 

DarkFlame

Banned
The whole trilogy is excellent,albeit the third being a bit more streamlined than i would like.The first one had the best story,but the rougher edges and the second one is the most balanced in terms of gameplay and story
 
ME2's only major weakness was the story/plot, but as a game it absolutely rocked. Overall, this is how I would rank the games:

ME1 ---> Best story/theme/atmosphere
ME2 ---> Best overall fun factor
ME2 ---> Best combat/gameplay mechanics

I've often said Mass Effect is the sum of its parts. This is essentially what I mean by that.
i'm actually of the unpopular opinion that Me2 had the best combat and gameplay mechanics. the only things in Me3 that I liked gameplay wise was that you had unlimited sprint, both in and out of combat, and you could wear your suits with more variety; helmets wouldn't automatically be on all the time if you wore custom suits.
 
Such a great game, such a lame final boss.

Edit: Oh god I want to read your Mass Effect X Yakuza fanfiction so badly.

Okay, does nobody get that the final boss was a perfect 70s/80s Sci-Fi monster?

Mass Effect 1 was better. It only kept getting worse.

ME1 had incredibly shitty combat and exploration. ME2 gets so much shit because it ruined what a lot of people see as traditional RPG elements (and by that I'm of course including jank).
 
Play the first and build up your character across the trilogy. DO NOT play the third game without the extended ending, Citadel, and maybe Leviathan and Javik.

If he's played 2, he's did the Motion comic thing, which is ok.

For the expansions--buy everything except Omega. The last-two aren't really optional.
 
1 nailed the story in a way that no other game I've played ever matched. The shooting and inventory, along with the power tree are clunky and I wont even go into the mako.

2 and 3 polished the shooting and simplified the inventory and powers. But they never quite get to the way the first game's story was an experience.

3 both polished the shooting and fleshed out the inventory and the powers, to an even greater extent than 1.

ME1 was a good game that was hugely diminished by its mechanics. ME2 fixed most of its problems, but the plot was weaker and it was oversimplified mechanically. Arguably better character writing, though. ME3 is the absolute mechanical epitome of the series, but as has been said in my places, has the worst story by... well, a lot.

If they can recover the story momentum, I have every bit of faith in the world that ME4 will blow the other games out of the park.
 

entremet

Member
Why is the DLC for ME3 still pretty expensive? Very weird. I can get the game cheaper lol.

I loved ME2. Once my favorite gaming experiences last generation.
 

Jigorath

Banned
Main plot sucked.

Shooter gameplay was pretty clunky.

Environments were boring and linear and offered very little room to explore.

Characters were good though. And I mean really good. Getting to know them and exploring their side stories was the best part of the game. Probably the best cast of any Bioware RPG.

Give me Mass Effect 1's plot and worldbuilding, Mass Effect 2's characters, and Mass Effect 3's gameplay and there's a great sci fi RPG there.
 

Kalamari

Member
One of my favorites as well, the characters, the storytelling, the loyalty missions, the badass speech by Shepard at the end, it changed the way I think about video game narratives. The gameplay was par excellence.
 
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