I'm struggling to finish Mass Effect
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HP_Wuvcraft
Banned
ME1 is janky and clunky as fuck. The character interactions are so bland compared to who they are portrayed to be (Wrex in particular). The introduction of the Reapers is quite possibly the worst writing in an RPG (seriously, Tali just tells you everything within five seconds of meeting her). The inventory system is an unmanagable mess, and the planets you can explore are all mounds of dirt.
I really do not see how you can call it the best BioWare game.
Have you never played Baldur's Gate 2 or KOTOR? Even Dragon Age, a completely by-the-numbers fantasy, has better everything than Mass Effect 1.
In the interest of opening up a can of worms defending ME2 in a way that I rarely see it defended:
While the general consensus with regards to Mass Effect writing is that Mass Effect 1 is the game that has, by a wide margin, the strongest overarching plot - and that's absolutely correct - I think that it's equally true to say that Mass Effect 2 is the game that has, by just as wide a margin, the strongest overarching theme throughout the game's writing - namely, 'self-determination vs becoming what others have made you'.
It's explored fairly consistently and through a number of fairly interesting angles throughout the game. And even though much of the game's 'story' is composed of characters who don't interface with one another, and small plot threads that don't directly tie together, that thematic consistency brought a sense of coherency to the game's writing that, at least in my own, personal opinion, was a lot deeper and more interesting than simply having a plot where every major mission begins and ends with direct connections to each other and to one central sequence of events.
New Vegas is the best game mentioned in this thread, bar none.
While the general consensus with regards to Mass Effect writing is that Mass Effect 1 is the game that has, by a wide margin, the strongest overarching plot - and that's absolutely correct - I think that it's equally true to say that Mass Effect 2 is the game that has, by just as wide a margin, the strongest overarching theme throughout the game's writing - namely, 'self-determination vs becoming what others have made you'.
It's explored fairly consistently and through a number of fairly interesting angles throughout the game. And even though much of the game's 'story' is composed of characters who don't interface with one another, and small plot threads that don't directly tie together, that thematic consistency brought a sense of coherency to the game's writing that, at least in my own, personal opinion, was a lot deeper and more interesting than simply having a plot where every major mission begins and ends with direct connections to each other and to one central sequence of events.
New Vegas is the best game mentioned in this thread, bar none.
Fudgepuppy
Banned
Mass Effect 2 is the best in my opinion, simply because of the sense of despair and lonliness it conveys.
Phat Michael
Banned
Mass Effect 1 is a great game with some large bugs and Flaws.
Mass Effect 2 - incredible at the time. Loved the story, the loyalty missions are great and the DLC is fantastic (LOTSB, Kasumi especially) - the combat is a lot more tightened up, great sound and graphics (at the time) and i really liked the whole "recruiting for a major war" theme going through it. At the time, it was a very huge step up from number 1.
Mass Effect 3 - the combat is incredibly tight and polished. The multiplayer is one of the best things about it as well - ive gotten 400 hours from the multiplayer and ive finshed the SP Campaign 3x (Normal, Hard, Insanity). The DLC can be very good, especially the Citadel DLC which is the best DLC ive ever played.
Story was great - lots of tough decisions to make.
Dont listen to a lot of the negative impressions in this thread - its the same people who come into every bioware thread over and over and regurgitate to the same bullshit. I.e. - "The ending was so bad, it ruined the previous two games for me" (i dont see how that is possible) or "its too much of a shooter" - its not, the combat is absolutely fantastic especially with the balances/cooldowns/weapon selections.
Its my favourite series of the current gen and it really draws you in to it's world. While the first one might have aged a little badly, the overarching story from 1 - 3 is fantastic.
Mass Effect 2 - incredible at the time. Loved the story, the loyalty missions are great and the DLC is fantastic (LOTSB, Kasumi especially) - the combat is a lot more tightened up, great sound and graphics (at the time) and i really liked the whole "recruiting for a major war" theme going through it. At the time, it was a very huge step up from number 1.
Mass Effect 3 - the combat is incredibly tight and polished. The multiplayer is one of the best things about it as well - ive gotten 400 hours from the multiplayer and ive finshed the SP Campaign 3x (Normal, Hard, Insanity). The DLC can be very good, especially the Citadel DLC which is the best DLC ive ever played.
Story was great - lots of tough decisions to make.
Dont listen to a lot of the negative impressions in this thread - its the same people who come into every bioware thread over and over and regurgitate to the same bullshit. I.e. - "The ending was so bad, it ruined the previous two games for me" (i dont see how that is possible) or "its too much of a shooter" - its not, the combat is absolutely fantastic especially with the balances/cooldowns/weapon selections.
Its my favourite series of the current gen and it really draws you in to it's world. While the first one might have aged a little badly, the overarching story from 1 - 3 is fantastic.
don't worry OP. It gets much better after that. I was BORED to death during the initial part as well (partly cause I was trying to go full completionist and many of the side missions were the same/boring) and I was wondering what all the Hype was about.
But the story really picks up after that, and when I completed the game, I was just Blown Away. The end level alone was worth it and if you like KOTOR, I thought the last few levels had influences from that.
I think you'll like ME2 much more though, its very streamlined and an amazing game
But the story really picks up after that, and when I completed the game, I was just Blown Away. The end level alone was worth it and if you like KOTOR, I thought the last few levels had influences from that.
I think you'll like ME2 much more though, its very streamlined and an amazing game
Damn skybox enthusiasts, look at what you've done!
Log, don't listen to those guys. If the part you're struggling with in ME1 is the gameplay, then absolutely give ME2 a try. The combat improves monumentally in ME2. It's like night and day. Trust me.
And since this is turning into the ME1 vs ME2/3 thread...
So not true.
And this depends on what you mean by better Logz. Do you want more actiony Gears of War style shooting mechanics? ME2 and ME3 are full of those, but the roleplaying mechanics take a good hit. You lose a lot of the customization in terms of character creation as far as abilities and things to level go in favor for a much more streamlined system. The story in ME2 wasn't nearly as good as ME1 IMO either, but everyone has different opinions on that. Story aside, I don't really care for how they handled the progression of the story either. It felt more sectioned off/level based, especially with those end mission summaries.
ME2 doesn't have any Mako sections either, so there's that. It's replaced by planet probing where you shoot probes at planets and get materials for ship/gear improvements. Personally I liked the Mako sections because of the physics, even if they're wonky. I completely understand why people hate the thing though.
Don't do the side missions then
Ok seriously, what RPG elements did ME1 have that ME2/3 lacked? The endless stream of garbage "loot"? The needlessly obtuse level up system where you could spend points to increase your tech burst by 0.1 meters at a time? Good f'ing riddance! I'd take the arsenal of unique weapons and branching power tree of ME3 anyday. In fact, the way that the power tree in ME3 forces you to make trade-offs leaves you with a much more customized character than grinding levels until you fill out all the point allotments in ME1.
This this this. The gunplay is literally the only thing I like more in ME2 compared to the first.
I loved the first game. Had a great time with it. Saying that, ME2 is still an excellent game
If you're already in Virmire, it must not be that bad.
Beside, all you have left is one planet(that is shorter than Feros/Noveria/Virmire) and the final mission. And the final mission is worth seeing.
ME2 doesn't have the Mako, it has a better squad, better graphics, no shit inventory with tons of worthless loot to manage, better graphics, better combat.
The only things worse than ME1 i would say is the main story and soundtrack. Sidestories are pretty good though. I would have prefered if the Mako got improved instead of completely removed, but oh well...
Beside, all you have left is one planet(that is shorter than Feros/Noveria/Virmire) and the final mission. And the final mission is worth seeing.
ME2 doesn't have the Mako, it has a better squad, better graphics, no shit inventory with tons of worthless loot to manage, better graphics, better combat.
The only things worse than ME1 i would say is the main story and soundtrack. Sidestories are pretty good though. I would have prefered if the Mako got improved instead of completely removed, but oh well...
HP_Wuvcraft
Banned
Making features needlessly complex is not good design.
How could you possibly get more complex from ME1?
there are three games, so lots of combinations of opinions. And ME seems to bring out all of them here
"first one is great, rest were shit"
"first one was meh, ME2 was where it started to get good. 3 is crap though"
etc..etc...
The style of game changed a fair bit between 1 and 2, so why not just read a summary of 1 (or watch on youtube?) and start on 2?
edit: reading your comment about fallout - maybe you're not a big fan of RPGs?
"first one is great, rest were shit"
"first one was meh, ME2 was where it started to get good. 3 is crap though"
etc..etc...
The style of game changed a fair bit between 1 and 2, so why not just read a summary of 1 (or watch on youtube?) and start on 2?
edit: reading your comment about fallout - maybe you're not a big fan of RPGs?
jonnyp
Member
Completely agree.
Diablohead
Member
ME1 can be really hard to adept to but the game and lure is so good I revisit it every year it seems. Mako can be a bitch but I don't mind them.
This, but if you do enjoy the ME3 ending, well...
This, but if you do enjoy the ME3 ending, well...
Monocle
Member
Definitely.
I loved exploring planets in the Mako. I assumed that aspect of the game would be expanded and improved for ME2, but instead it was removed completely. :\
ME1 is still my favorite by far, it has the best story, best music and for a first game in a trilogy it's amazing, yeah the inventory management is baaad but it's tolerable.
ME2 has the best graphics, game play and characters, it's a very close second to ME1.
ME3 is one of, if not the biggest disappointment this gen to me, worse graphics and art style than ME2, none of my previous choices mattered, shit antagonists and new characters, crap last level and endings...etc.
ME2 has the best graphics, game play and characters, it's a very close second to ME1.
ME3 is one of, if not the biggest disappointment this gen to me
, worse graphics and art style than ME2, none of my previous choices mattered, shit antagonists and new characters, crap last level and endings...etc.I replayed ME1 again on PC at the start of the year and it's still easily my favourite of the lot. It's got the best story out of all three games and I still quite like the RPG elements. Hell I even liked the Mako sections, the physics were obviously mental but there was just something cool about going to another planet and actually driving along it's surface looking for stuff. Ok a lot of the surfaces/areas were copy/pastes but I still enjoyed it and it felt like I was actually out there in space exploring. It has a much 'bigger' feel to it IMO.
That's one of the things I hated about the sequels, they had a chance to really improve those ideas but they took the easy option. Turned it into a shooter instead and killed off all exploration. What do we get instead ? Fuckin scanning. Ugh.
Of course that's not to say Mass Effect 2 and 3 are bad games, not at all, but I never felt as involved with them as I did the first game despite having better shooter mechanics etc.
That's one of the things I hated about the sequels, they had a chance to really improve those ideas but they took the easy option. Turned it into a shooter instead and killed off all exploration. What do we get instead ? Fuckin scanning. Ugh.
Of course that's not to say Mass Effect 2 and 3 are bad games, not at all, but I never felt as involved with them as I did the first game despite having better shooter mechanics etc.
Last year I replayed Mass Effect after beating its sequel and I couldn't believe how badly it had aged. Was not a fun time.
ME2 is better, and may in fact be the best in the series. I'm midway through ME3 right now and it's good, but the series may be losing its novelty to me.
Keep going, check a guide to make sure you're well prepared for the final battle (you need to be balanced with biotics or something), and finish what you started, because better days are ahead.
ME2 is better, and may in fact be the best in the series. I'm midway through ME3 right now and it's good, but the series may be losing its novelty to me.
Keep going, check a guide to make sure you're well prepared for the final battle (you need to be balanced with biotics or something), and finish what you started, because better days are ahead.
Yeah, it's really sad how most of the choices you make in the first two games have negligible effect on the third. This is why I've always said that mass effect 3 could've had a perfect ending at release and I still would've considered it to be a big letdown. Bioware promised that our choices would make a difference but you could load saves where you made radically different decisions and end up playing largely the same game.
I've come to accept that if you just removed all of the core "story" sections of Mass Effect 2, it works a hell of a lot better. Its greatest flaw was it was supposed to be the heart of a trilogy and it just ignores that role in favor of telling a series of tales about new characters. It would probably work as the first part of a trilogy, but not as the second game.
Phat Michael
Banned
also in me2, Thane Krios is the most bad ass character in videogame history.
Exploding8
Member
Honestly if you aren't enjoying Mass Effect by that point you probably aren't going to enjoy the rest of the series. I loved and still enjoy the first Mass Effect, its a good game, so if you aren't enjoying its probably just not the right series for you :/
Phat Michael
Banned
get to me3 and experience your first biotic explosion then give your verdict. multiplayer also sharpens up your in game SP combat skills immensely.
I had a long reply all typed up, but I'll leave it at just this: I never really liked Thane. He has a little too much of the Poochy in him.
It's a shame, I loved the hell out of ME1 and consider it one of the best games I've played last gen. Travelling with the Mako was a great pleasure, but if you're not enjoying it I don't know what to tell you. I think it's worth finishing, if only for the story and to be able to carry your Shepard to the next game.
I know opinions are opinions, but stupid, hyperbolic ones like these should always be ignored.
DeaconKnowledge
Member
Don't like ME, don't like Witcher, Don't like Fallout - sounds like you don't like RPGs.
Spideyknight
Banned
Highlighted the part where you went wrong.
There's nothing ME1 does better than it's sequels? Are you mad? How about actually matter. What was the point of ME2? Seriously you could completely skip and/or ignore the game and jump straight from 1 to 3 and not miss a beat. The "suicide" mission could just as easily refer to the ending sequence of ME1.
As for being mechanically more sound? Sure, if you don't want to deal with RPG in your RPG.
Honestly after ME1 the series jumped the proverbial shark and went soaring into the rubbish bin. That's really a shame, since the first one did a grand job in setting up the universe and general tone.
Extreme opinions aren't ignored when a majority agrees with that opinion, no reason to ignore it just because it's a minority opinion.
Mass Effect's RPG elements are superficial at best, Witcher 1 gameplay sucks, and Fallout isn't for everyone, even big RPG fans. Don't get me wrong, I love Mass Effect, but not because the first game had shitty RPG elements.
Screaming Meat
Unconfirmed Member
I'm afraid that when the ME series stopped trying to be the new Starflight, I stopped caring...
I could not finish it either. Somehiw, the last third or fourth of the game gets pretty boring... (
.
Nevertheless, I like those storydriven and character focused games and have to play ME someday. Already bought the game in the XBL Ultimate Game Sale for 2,93 ( as well as Dragon Age)
nearly exactly when you loose your squadmember
Nevertheless, I like those storydriven and character focused games and have to play ME someday. Already bought the game in the XBL Ultimate Game Sale for 2,93 ( as well as Dragon Age)
Triggerhappytel
Member
To me, Mass Effect has aged very well. It felt more like a RPG with shooter elements than a shooter with slight RPG elements like the later ME's did.
Still, I was sad that the Mako wasn't in ME2 & 3.
Yeah, I think the Mako is great. So much more exciting and interesting than planet scanning in ME2. I haven't played ME3 yet so I can't comment on its Mako equivalent.
GuitarAtomik
Member
I'll go ahead and chime in.
Mass Effect 1 story wise is still pretty great. Probably the best out of the 3 from an RPG perspective. But gameplay wise it has not aged very well. Honestly, it was never that great in the first place. The characters feel stiff, the shooting is unsatisfying, the level aesthetics and layouts are repetitive, and Mako combat is the worst.
That said, if you can soldier through it I think it's worth it. Just put it on easy if you have to because going in to the second games with all of those decisions and specifically side story material will make 2 and 3 more enjoyable. There's so much you will miss by not going in to the sequels with those saves even with the story comic that lets you choose what happened.
ME2 and 3 are a LOT better mechanically (try not to play as a Soldier though) and will probably fix most of the problems from a gameplay perspective that you have with 1. Your mileage may vary with the story and RPG elements though. I actually did enjoy ME2's story (even though it's more of a set up for the final game) because the characters were really good and the fact that they could die added a cool element. I can't deny that you don't have as many options to customize your character though.
ME3 is definitely the most sound mechanically but the story does kind of fall off save for a few moments since they have to wrap things up. If you enjoy ME2 though, it's worth playing through. You'll still probably enjoy the majority of it.
Mass Effect 1 story wise is still pretty great. Probably the best out of the 3 from an RPG perspective. But gameplay wise it has not aged very well. Honestly, it was never that great in the first place. The characters feel stiff, the shooting is unsatisfying, the level aesthetics and layouts are repetitive, and Mako combat is the worst.
That said, if you can soldier through it I think it's worth it. Just put it on easy if you have to because going in to the second games with all of those decisions and specifically side story material will make 2 and 3 more enjoyable. There's so much you will miss by not going in to the sequels with those saves even with the story comic that lets you choose what happened.
ME2 and 3 are a LOT better mechanically (try not to play as a Soldier though) and will probably fix most of the problems from a gameplay perspective that you have with 1. Your mileage may vary with the story and RPG elements though. I actually did enjoy ME2's story (even though it's more of a set up for the final game) because the characters were really good and the fact that they could die added a cool element. I can't deny that you don't have as many options to customize your character though.
ME3 is definitely the most sound mechanically but the story does kind of fall off save for a few moments since they have to wrap things up. If you enjoy ME2 though, it's worth playing through. You'll still probably enjoy the majority of it.
Ironically, I think this "cool moment" did more harm to the series than good. It's the reason why barely any of my ME2 squad is on your ME3 squad. Hell, as I recall they originally didn't even want to make Tali a squad member until several writers pushed super hard to make the change.
Phat Michael
Banned
no idea what this means. I love his voice, back story and his whole raison d'etre.
Mass Effect 2 was my favourite out of all them, Bioware listened to a lot of the complaints about the first games ie Mako, Elevator loadings, shooting. Personally, I loved driving the Mako around in ME1 and the elevator loading screens made for some nice dialogue between the squad members.
Mass Effect 2 really focuses on the characters, and I loved it for that.
Edit: Also, the ending and last 2 hours or so of ME1 is the best in the series.
Mass Effect 2 really focuses on the characters, and I loved it for that.
Edit: Also, the ending and last 2 hours or so of ME1 is the best in the series.
hardcastlemccormick
Banned
For me, Mass Effect 1 and 2 were basically the same game: flawed with repetitive and uninteresting gameplay, but with interesting settings and situations to pull you through.
What I mean is that he feels like the writers tried a little too hard to make him "badass" and "cool".
GuitarAtomik
Member
Yeah, I wish they had found a way to still incorporate them more heavily in to 3 since that was easily my favorite group of characters. It still made for an awesome second game though.