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Years later, what is the best Mass Effect game? (With full content/DLCs !)

The best Mass Effect game is...

  • Total voters
    242
KyoZz

KyoZz

Tag, you're it.
⚠️ PLEASE VOTE ONLY IF YOU PLAYED THEM ALL WITH FULL DLCs ⚠️

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Ok so let's make this clear once and for all, what is the best Mass Effect game? And I'm talking with all DLCs, this is especially true for ME2 and ME3.

I'm saying this because ME1 was my favorite before the LE, but playing the trilogy with all of it's content was a revealing experience. ME3 is the absolute culmination of Shepard's journey and it's amazing.
So many touching scenes (Mordin, Tali's home world, the Ardat-Yakshi...) made it my new favorite.

So GAF, what do you think?
 
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Mass Effect 1 is the best

I love Mass Effect 2 for what it is and for what it is it might be my favourite, but its different to the point of being more like a spin-off.

Mass Effect 3 is the biggest rollercoaster in gaming constantly going from great to garbage and vice versa.
 
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LordOfChaos said:
2 for the base game and 3 for the DLC
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Take each game as a whole package with all DLCs.
ME2 and 3 have been stripped of so much interesting content that it would be unfair to judge these two games without all the DLC. Especially 3.
 
Mass Effect 2 is the best because it has the least to do with the reaper plot and instead feels like good downscaled mostly character driven season of a Sci FI show with episodic adventures.
 
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2. Never replayed the series but I should. I love the universe. Bought the legendary edition two times lol.
 
1 > 2 > 3 in my opinion.

But I'll be honest I have a soft spot for Andromeda. I liked that game for what it tried to do, and spent hours in it despite all things.
 
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2 > 3 > 1 > Andromeda for me

Two is shortest, but great DLC and great flow. 3 actually is very good and arguably the best. It's only not the best, for me, because of the end. Everything before that was great. 1 is great, but only if you stay off the planets. I love it for that time, but going back to it the planet traversal is rough.

Then there's Andromeda... I think it actually has arguably the best combat. It's just the rest of the game is much worse.
 
ME1 had the best world building with tons of great lore. But combat sucked.
ME2 had good character development. And combat was much better.
ME3 improved gameplay a bit. But story was very lacking, especially the ending.
 
Mass Effect 1 felt closest to a proper RPG, so I'd have to go with that. I know 2 got a ton of praise at the time, but as much as I liked it, I was a little disappointed that it devolved into a straight-up shooter.

1's biggest issue is that it suffered from Bioware syndrome at the time, which was that every game was basically just "GATHER THESE PEOPLE", and then the actual plot is done in 30 minutes.
 
I believe I like 2 the most but honestly, I see this trilogy as a single package. Can't play one without playing them all.
 
ME2. I thought it improved on 1 and got rid of some of the boring bits. I was really into the story by the time ME2 starts and it got better from there with better gameplay and characters.
I thought ME3 was the next best. I liked the co-op multiplayer but it's unfortunate it resulted in the single player being slimmed down from 2.
 
Still kinda blows my mind they got Martin Sheen of all people to play the Illusive Man. And he did such a fantastic job portraying him.

Or maybe its because I just watched Apocalypse Down last weekend.

Well whatever, I choose ME1. Even though it only has "Bring Down The Sky", it's still a great side piece, plus the fact that introduces Batarians before everyone got properly introduced to them in the sequel.
 
I went with ME1, but if they had simply went with the 'indoctrination theory' ending for 3 it would've been an all-timer.
 
The first, it plays worse and is short, but the introduction of the reapers and the characters is some of the best story that has been done in games.

2 does almost everything better, but the story feels like a placeholder between 1 and 3, and pales in comparison to the immense story beats of the first.

3 is mostly excellent but for the ending, it has some of the heaviest and most crucial parts of the story, but it felt very similar to 2. Where 2 felt fresh and big compared to 1, the third game feels like a continuation of 2. And to be honest, this is the game I remember the least from. I seem to remember it was more linear? and was it 3 that had the leviathen dlc? that was amazing.

Andromeda misses completely on the story. There is some cool stuff in the game but the story and characters are so dull.
 
ME2 the undisputed goat, all hype with that ending, ME3 didn't have a chance with the bar set so high, even if they made actually ending options that were good and not the trash we got...
 
kpopSuperstar said:
The first, it plays worse and is short, but the introduction of the reapers and the characters is some of the best story that has been done in games.

2 does almost everything better, but the story feels like a placeholder between 1 and 3, and pales in comparison to the immense story beats of the first.

3 is mostly excellent but for the ending, it has some of the heaviest and most crucial parts of the story, but it felt very similar to 2. Where 2 felt fresh and big compared to 1, the third game feels like a continuation of 2. And to be honest, this is the game I remember the least from. I seem to remember it was more linear? and was it 3 that had the leviathen dlc? that was amazing.

Andromeda misses completely on the story. There is some cool stuff in the game but the story and characters are so dull.
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I see that many people are voting without having played it in a long time or without all the DLCs. That's what I wanted to avoid as it's very unfair for ME2/3 but oh well

I think you should give a chance to ME3 with the Legendary Edition. Do a full, new playthrough. It's 100% worth it.
 
Mass Effect 2 for me. 3 is also great, the multiplayer wave mode was cool and the Citadel expansion is the best dlc of the series, but overall I like 2 more.

Trying to get the perfect ending on 2 was memorable and I enjoyed the ending a lot.

I didn't care much for the first game and I disliked Andromeda so much that I never finished it.
 
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KyoZz said:
I see that many people are voting without having played it in a long time or without all the DLCs. That's what I wanted to avoid as it's very unfair for ME2/3 but oh well

I think you should give a chance to ME3 with the Legendary Edition. Do a full, new playthrough. It's 100% worth it.
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I played these games a lot. I played 1 around 6-7 times. 2 I played 3 times, and the third game I played 2 times.

The series is getting old now, 3 came out 14 years ago, and the last time I played it must have been around 2017 or so. 2 and 3 blends together for me.
 
Yeah 2. Best climax, best ending, best characters.

3 is underrated though, it gets too much hate for the mid finale. Everything else about it was very good. 1 I tried replaying recently, I just can't anymore. There's way too much frustrating shit in that game. The nostalgia glasses are too tight for some of you.
 
The best is the second but my favourite is the third because the multiplayer is just perfection. Still annoyed they didn't include it with the remaster.
 
I find 3 more replayable, and I think I enjoy the DLC more. But I don't think I've ever connected with a game more strongly on an initial playthrough than I did with ME2. Just peak.
 
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LordOfChaos said:
2 for the base game and 3 for the DLC
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That was my original thought as well, but Lair of the Shadow Broker is so fucking good.

I'm going ME2 just because of that.


Lorianus said:
Mass Effect 2 is the best because it has the least to do with the reaper plot and instead feels like good downscaled mostly character driven season of a Sci FI show with episodic adventures.
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ME2 feels like the actual realization of what they wanted to do with Dragon Age 2 before development on that game went to shit.
 
Story: 1 > 2 > 3
Gameplay: 3 > 2 > 1

Ironically, despite not ranking first in either of the categories, I'd say 2 is the best since it has the best balance between Story and gameplay.
 
Oh man thats a tough pick, this is one of my all time favorite franchise. Its arguable its the #1 seed.

I love them all for the obvious reasons already named by everyone else, but gun to my head... I guess ME1. It started it all and still just has this sense of epicness and mystery and discovery to it even years later after Ive already played it numerous times.

Just defines exactly what i want in an epic space opera. But honestly I love them all, they all do something special.
 
I fell in love with the franchise with ME2 like most but I have to admit Mass Effect 3 gameplay is top notch. Definitely the best game in the trilogy.
 
Playing them around their respective releases, 1 was the most fun and immersive. But when replaying the LE a few years ago I actually had the most fun with 2, and by a lot. Never finished Andromeda.

It's close but my vote goes to 2.
 
ME1 is the best base game overall.
ME2 has the best DLC.
ME3 is the best to play and most fun mechanically.
 
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