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[Patryn]

Doing the various loyalty missions now, about halfway through ME2. I thought these games would keep me occupied till ME3 came out, epic fail.

They're both pretty short. If you stick just to the main storyline of ME1 and don't do a lot of sidequests, you can finish it in under 10 hours. I know that my first runthrough of ME2 was just under 30 hours, and I did most of, if not all, the sidequests (but this was prior to the meaty DLCs).

They've never been presented as these epically long games.

 

[x-Lundz-x]

They're both pretty short. If you stick just to the main storyline of ME1 and don't do a lot of sidequests, you can finish it in under 10 hours. I know that my first runthrough of ME2 was just under 30 hours, and I did most of, if not all, the sidequests (but this was prior to the meaty DLCs).

They've never been presented as these epically long games.

While the main story might be considered short compared to game like Skyrim, there is still plenty to do. On ME1 I have only completed one of the main worlds after you leave the Citadel and I am sitting at 22 hours played right now. Plenty to do in these games if you want to do them.

 

[MrOogieBoogie]

Replaying Mass Effect for the first time in years (on PC this time), and man, I don't remember the game looking so... average. A lot of ugly textures, aliasing, etc. Thankfully the art direction compensates for some of the game's technical shortcomings, so overall it still looks good.

But man, what the hell is it with BioWare and clothing/armor textures?

 

[Bisnic]

Replaying Mass Effect for the first time in years (on PC this time), and man, I don't remember the game looking so... average. A lot of ugly textures, aliasing, etc. Thankfully the art direction compensates for some of the game's technical shortcomings, so overall it still looks good.

But man, what the hell is it with BioWare and clothing/armor textures?

Yeah, comparing the graphical difference between each Mass Effect games...there is a lot of improvements in each of them, ME1 looks outdated now(thankfully the art and pretty skyboxes saves it, i love some huge red/blue sun or giant moon in the sky). Armor & clothing texture is still shit in ME2 though, and i expect the same for ME3 sadly.

 

[Wiggum2007]

Replaying Mass Effect for the first time in years (on PC this time), and man, I don't remember the game looking so... average. A lot of ugly textures, aliasing, etc. Thankfully the art direction compensates for some of the game's technical shortcomings, so overall it still looks good.

But man, what the hell is it with BioWare and clothing/armor textures?

Playing on the 360 it's the opposite, going back to ME1 things like armor and clothing textures are much higher res than in ME2(minus some ugly outliers), especially noticeable on Shepard's armor. The trade off of course being that I don't have to wait 10 seconds for the textures to load in ME2, lol.

 

[ElectricBlue187]

What is this from?! I see it's on the top floor of the Zakera Ward, but I've never done this ..

Just keep asking the Turian bartender for a drink over and over

 

[X-Frame]

So wait would that be considered an Easter egg? Since its not a side mission .. maybe there are other things I have missed in my many playthroughs.

 

[ElectricBlue187]

So wait would that be considered an Easter egg? Since its not a side mission .. maybe there are other things I have missed in my many playthroughs.

Just look around YouTube there's tons of stuff that you'll miss if you only played through a few times

 

[Bisnic]

Just look around YouTube there's tons of stuff that you'll miss if you only played through a few times

I remember bringing Grunt in Garrus recruitment mission...when i met that Krogan leader before the battle, he got into an argument with Grunt and blew the head of the Vorcha that was next to him.

...then i brought Garrus into Mordin recruitment mission...you know, the same mission where there is a deadly virus for any non-human races. Garrus didnt like that and i still told him to follow.

 

[ScreenSplitter]

"We're just co-workers!"
"Yeah but we've been co-workers for five years, aren't Salarian years like dog years?"
"Okay-- now that's offensive!"

 

[nel e nel]

OK, now that I have most of the side missions done in ME1 I am back to the main story. On Noveria, after you fix the tram and go to the labs there is a restricted area with two gun turrets watching the door. Is there a way to get there without causing world war three? I can't remember if that is a bonus area or not that you are eventually given access. I hacked the door and things did not go over well for me.

There is a back door entrance downstairs in the lab area. It's where you talk with the Volus survivor that's a little bit batty. I believe you can 'earn' a key by helping the doctor get meds for the affected employees.

Less renegadey, but also less XP (unless you take the elevator back to the restricted area and kill off everyone)

 

[nel e nel]

Maybe I'm just an idiot, but I killed the queen and haven't heard anything about it in 2. Although haven't the screen shots for 3 shown outlines of Rachni?

If you killed the queen you won't hear anything about it in 2. If you save her, on Ilium you get a visit from an Asari...'ambassador' who gives you a message from 'a friend you made on Noveria'

EDIT: correction, if you do kill her, apparently there is one of the audio news updates that mentions that rachni clones were being made on Noveria, but none were found left (alive?)

 

[Bisnic]

Am i the only one who thought he was hearing Metroid Prime music in some barren planet's buildings in ME1? You know, the ones filled with crates and "enemies everywhere!"?

 

[ScreenSplitter]

EDIT: correction, if you do kill her, apparently there is one of the audio news updates that mentions that rachni clones were being made on Noveria, but none were found left (alive?)

Nope, you get that news message if you save her as well.
If you think about it, the facility would have been empty either way. The Queen didn't stick around.

 

[Blue Ninja]

Finished Eden Prime and the Citadel. Finished up on a bunch of sidequests, including the 'scan the keepers'-one (those guys' locations are burnt into my mind for all eternity), the consort one (this time without banging her), and a few other random stuff. Next up is the Artemis Tau cluster.

Game's still great, even though the dialog scenes are often wooden as fuck, with choppy animations and lame camera angles. That and the combat are the two areas where ME2 rightfully reigns over its predecessor.

 

[Bisnic]

Game's still great, even though the dialog scenes are often wooden as fuck, with choppy animations and lame camera angles. That and the combat are the two areas where ME2 rightfully reigns over its predecessor.

I personally find it funny how npcs all have the same animation when they're done talking to you.

*Turns head to the right and slowly walk away*

 

[shingonation]

Another sample of Clint Mansell's music in ME3:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=werXI-QLR9c&feature=related

 

[Moaradin]

I personnally find it funny how npcs all have the same animation when they're done talking to you.

*Turns head to the right and slowly walk away*

Lol they do that in SWTOR also.

 

[KKRT00]

I remember bringing Grunt in Garrus recruitment mission...when i met that Krogan leader before the battle, he got into an argument with Grunt and blew the head of the Vorcha that was next to him.

...then i brought Garrus into Mordin recruitment mission...you know, the same mission where there is a deadly virus for any non-human races. Garrus didnt like that and i still told him to follow.

Now bring Legion to Flottila

 

[Blue Ninja]

Lol they do that in SWTOR also.

And in Dragon Age, I think.

By the way, will the ME3 demo be available day 1 on Xbox Live for Silver members as well? I'm assuming yes, since they're lifting the Gold restriction for the multiplayer section, but still.

 

[Forsaken82]

But man, what the hell is it with BioWare and clothing/armor textures?

that was actually one of my only complaints with the game. Up close the clothing textures looked like dog shit. Looked like someone with shaky hands was painting on a wacom tablet. Colors bleeding over seams... just really fucking ugly.

 

[Lifejumper]

Another sample of Clint Mansell's music in ME3:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=werXI-QLR9c&feature=related

Wow.

 

[Patryn]

Another sample of Clint Mansell's music in ME3:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=werXI-QLR9c&feature=related

Needs more Vangelis.

 

[Mr_Zombie]

that was actually one of my only complaints with the game. Up close the clothing textures looked like dog shit. Looked like someone with shaky hands was painting on a wacom tablet. Colors bleeding over seams... just really fucking ugly.

I remember when I first started ME1, the moment I saw Dr. Chakwas I quit the game and started fiddling with my graphic cards settings. I couldn't believe those textures were supposed to look that bad; I thought there was something wrong on my end.

 

[Red Blaster]

There are some ini adjustments you can make that improve the textures a bit in ME1.

http://forums.gametrailers.com/thread/texture-fix-for-steam-version-/1006791

It still wont look great but it's a pretty noticeable step up from the vanilla settings.

 

[rozay]

Another sample of Clint Mansell's music in ME3:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=werXI-QLR9c&feature=related

Where is this played/where was it obtained? The final Earth mission is using Sam Hulick's music.

 

[Lifejumper]

Where is this played/where was it obtained? The final Earth mission is using Sam Hulick's music.

Pretty sure its ripped from the leak.

 

[Wiggum2007]

Another sample of Clint Mansell's music in ME3:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=werXI-QLR9c&feature=related

I might get burned at the stake for this, but all we've heard from Mansell so far is sad melodramatic piano and it makes me *yawn*. I'm relieved that Sam Hulick and the ME2 DLC music crew are returning (RIP Jack Wall's involvement), I need more of Dat Synth (tm). I'll of course reserve final judgement on Clint's involvement until release, hopefully he has some more exciting stuff up his sleeve.

 

[Blue Ninja]

Thresher Maws still suck. That is all.

I might get burned at the stake for this, but all we've heard from Mansell so far is sad melodramatic piano and it makes me *yawn*. I'm relieved that Sam Hulick and the ME2 DLC music crew are returning (RIP Jack Wall's involvement), I need more of Dat Synth (tm). I'll of course reserve final judgement on Clint's involvement until release, hopefully he has some more exciting stuff up his sleeve.

You're not alone. I like what I've heard so far (well, I'm not a big fan of the supposed 'main theme' I've heard, but I'll reserve judgment until I actually hear it coming from the game itself), but it hasn't really convinced me that he's the right guy for the Mass Effect franchise. I wish they would've kept Jack Wall.

 

[ScreenSplitter]

Pretty sure its ripped from the leak.

 

[Thunder Monkey]

I might get burned at the stake for this, but all we've heard from Mansell so far is sad melodramatic piano and it makes me *yawn*. I'm relieved that Sam Hulick and the ME2 DLC music crew are returning (RIP Jack Wall's involvement), I need more of Dat Synth (tm). I'll of course reserve final judgement on Clint's involvement until release, hopefully he has some more exciting stuff up his sleeve.

*punches wall*

DON'T MAKE FUN OF MELODRAMATIC PIANO! He's had a bad week!

 

[EatChildren]

I'm a sucker for Mansell's melodramatic piano tunes, but I too do hope his contributions go a bit further, not just for variety's sake, but because he's exceptionally talented at pure synth work as well. It would be a shame to waste his skill on one specific style of composition.

Though given the large roster of composers, and the fact some tracks from the previous games will return, I wouldn't be surprised if this were the case.

Also, BioWare has some Mass Effect 3 related news today. Not sure what it is.

 

[darkpaladinmfc]

Lair of the Shadow Broker was a lot shorter and didn't have as much dialogue as I hoped, now on to Arrival to wrap ME2 up.

 

[GSR]

Also, BioWare has some Mass Effect 3 related news today. Not sure what it is.

I was under the impression we'd be getting something tomorrow, since they mentioned they had to delay the news that was supposed to come out yesterday (for the public) but they haven't said anything about it releasing today.

 

[KKRT00]

I might get burned at the stake for this, but all we've heard from Mansell so far is sad melodramatic piano and it makes me *yawn*. I'm relieved that Sam Hulick and the ME2 DLC music crew are returning (RIP Jack Wall's involvement), I need more of Dat Synth (tm). I'll of course reserve final judgement on Clint's involvement until release, hopefully he has some more exciting stuff up his sleeve.

I feel exactly the same, its just not Mass Effect music. I wont judge before listening to full OST, but i'm already missing Jack Wall.

 

[Blue Ninja]

Shit, just realized I'm gonna have to fight an Armature on foot. I'm level 13 and I'm still wearing the starting armor. :lol

 

[Wiggum2007]

I'm a sucker for Mansell's melodramatic piano tunes, but I too do hope his contributions go a bit further, not just for variety's sake, but because he's exceptionally talented at pure synth work as well. It would be a shame to waste his skill on one specific style of composition.

Yeah that's why I was originally really excited about his involvement, we'll see what the final game brings I guess.

*punches wall*

DON'T MAKE FUN OF MELODRAMATIC PIANO! He's had a bad week!

It's not him it's me!

 

[nel e nel]

Also, BioWare has some Mass Effect 3 related news today. Not sure what it is.

Big news is that Chris Priestly announced that they will not have enough PHYSICAL copies of the CE to meet demand.

/gladIpreorderedlastNovember

 

[Wiggum2007]

Was there a DLC squad member included in the CE or am I imagining things? Hopefully it'll be available for purchase day one for those of us who didn't order the CE. And be fully fleshed out with dialogue trees on the Normandy etc. unlike Kasumi/Zaeed.

 

[Reluctant-Hero]

Big news is that Chris Priestly announced that they will not have enough PHYSICAL copies of the CE to meet demand.

/gladIpreorderedlastNovember

Excellent!

/gladIpreorderedonjune6th2011

 

[Blue Ninja]

Big news is that Chris Priestly announced that they will not have enough PHYSICAL copies of the CE to meet demand.

/gladIpreorderedlastNovember

Hmm, I have it pre-ordered... But I'm gonna make a phone call to my local store nonetheless. The bullshit they pulled off with Reach's Legendary edition is still fresh on my mind.

 

[shingonation]

Was there a DLC squad member included in the CE or am I imagining things? Hopefully it'll be available for purchase day one for those of us who didn't order the CE. And be fully fleshed out with dialogue trees on the Normandy etc. unlike Kasumi/Zaeed.

Yes, yes and yes.

 

[Wiggum2007]

Yes, yes and yes.

 

[EatChildren]

I was under the impression we'd be getting something tomorrow, since they mentioned they had to delay the news that was supposed to come out yesterday (for the public) but they haven't said anything about it releasing today.

Maybe I've got my time zones wrong.

 

[Sai]

Big news is that Chris Priestly announced that they will not have enough PHYSICAL copies of the CE to meet demand.

/gladIpreorderedlastNovember

:/ Even though I've contacted EA's customer service twice, and they've assured me that my order has been placed, I'm worried that I won't be able to get my copy from the Origin Store—at least, not right away.

Should've just stuck with my CE preorder at Gamestop.

 

[Blue Ninja]

Took down that armature on my first attempt. I'm a boss.

I'd forgotten how horrible this game's inventory was, though. Mods. Millions of them. All the same, yet all different. Say what you want, but ME2's system (or lack thereof) is better than this.

 

[EatChildren]

Took down that armature on my first attempt. I'm a boss.

I'd forgotten how horrible this game's inventory was, though. Mods. Millions of them. All the same, yet all different. Say what you want, but ME2's system (or lack thereof) is better than this.

Deep down, I wish ME2 had more loot. I like the direction they went, but it needed something more. Weapon mods maybe, I don't know. ME2 was far too empty in that regard. Too few weapons to find, no way to customise them, and no promise of finding extra bits and pieces.

But, that being said, it's still in concept superior to ME1. ME1's inventory and loot is one of the most accurate examples of filling your game full of spreadsheets and assuming that equates to role playing. A significant portion of the crap you picked up was useless, and you spent more time selling accumulated rubbish than actually customising your character.

I get what BioWare was trying to do, but the incrimental weapon stats didn't work at all. Same problem as Skyrim really; far too easy to find one weapon with higher stats/level than others very early on, making 99% of the loot you pick up for hours completely obsolete.

ME3 seems like a bit of a hybrid between the two. Around twice as many weapons (if not more), a simple weapon mods system, and the ability to somehow level up your guns too.

 

[Wiggum2007]

One thing I liked about my ME1 replays is that I melted down virtually everything I pick up giving me all the omni-gel I needed to skip that simon-says minigame every time it came up. Lovely!

I saved the Collector Base secretly hoping that all those colonists were melted down into omni-gel, allowing me to skip every mini-game that might pop up in ME3.

 

[Sai]

I saved the Collector Base secretly hoping that all those colonists were melted down into omni-gel, allowing me to skip every mini-game that might pop up in ME3.

... o_o;

 

[rozay]

The early access information+checker+opportunities to qualify were supposed to go live on their site yesterday, but that got delayed till today and now Priestly is saying they are having technical issues on their end so it still isn't up.