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[IoCaster]

Excellent game so far. I haven't really had any serious technical issues yet. I'm probably 16-17 hours in and I've only done the Feros portion of the main quest. Lot's of roving around the galaxy trying to scrounge up loot and credits. I usually take my time in RPGs anyway, so I figure to spend about 30 or so hours on my first playthrough.

I have to admit that the Mako is a PITA to handle in a shootout. The controls are just not intuitive for me and I usually manage to get myself hung up on obstacles frequently. The foot combat was easy to get a handle on and the cover system is adequate. I'm not using the tech or biotic stuff all that much. Mostly a slow creep to cover and ranged attacks with my Infiltrator. I'm pretty much sticking with Ashley and Garrus on this playthrough. It's going to be a mostly bullets and brawn effort with high paragon leanings.

Second time through is when I go midieval on those punks.

 

[firehawk12]

Yeah, that's how I got it the first time, but I thought I'd do them just to be sure. I'm also trying to get to 60... and even though surveying only gets you 133 points, I figure it's better than nothing.

 

[Super_Chicken]

Love the outfits the chicks wear drool....

I'll take screens of my chick I made her look like jennifer garner from alias.

 

[Kitschkraft]

Just started but this is an amazing game. Easily GOTY so far though I haven't yet played Mario. Lots of polishing issues and I'd like more of the powers to be passive; the menus and squadplay needs some work (see GRAW series or even Full Spectrum Warrior) but besides those things the game is a brilliant experience. I even like driving over the "empty" planets.

I really hope the game is much, much longer than PepsimanvsJoe has indicated a few posts before this one. If it's 30 hours while doing all the sidequests then I'm about halfway through even though I feel like I just started. I've only done one "main quest" mission (on Feros) so the idea that I might be, at 12 hours, nearly halfway through is very disheartening and difficult to believe. Say it ain't so, GAF!

Some people are saying 30 hours, some 50, some are saying as low as 15...I don't think that anyone is being dishonest about it though. I myself am usually the type to take my time in games, especially games like this when you just don't know if there is a crate somewhere in the room that you missed..... I visited every planet, found every "Unkwown object", looked under every nook and cranny, and did all the quest.....a good bit of my time was taken up just riding around in the Mako searching for those damn mineral samples. Even when I devised a little system to do it quicker, it still takes quite a bit of time, because even when the marker shows up on the screen, you usually have to climb mount everest to find the damn things. Thats one quest I won't be completing on my next playthrough, xp be damned...:lol

If you take away the side planet driving times, it's probably shorter then both Kotors....and if you take away the side planets, it definitely is. Overall though, I'm more then happy with the time. More was done in a shorter amount of time...unlike most intricate videogame stories, I actually understand every single bit of the story in Mass Effect. Nothing was thrown at me that made me have to reevaluate something I thought I already knew, nothing came off as seeming to be out of place, and nothing came off as making no freaking sense (coughhalo3cough).

I would just play the game and let the story take you where it takes you. You don't really understand the story as much as you think you do until Virmire, thats where everything is really laid out...thats the arc of the story imo. After that, you still may feel the game is "short", but you won't feel that the story is short...if you understand what I mean. At first, I couldn't understand how I was "X" amount of planets away from the end either....the beauty of this game is that it makes sense though. The story doesn't need 100 twist and turns, sending you to 8 different planets, just to complete itself, this universe that Bioware created feels very authentic.

 

[laceystorm]

i just played through for the first time, only doing the main story, and was 15:30 hrs. one of the best ending to a game in a long time and a fantastic game. easily goty. going to go back with my upgraded character and play the game again, doing all the side missions.

 

[X26]

About Wrex

Spoiler

I've beaten the game twiuce sofar. First time I went renegade and never had Wrex in my party, second time I went paraog nand always had Wrex i nmy party. I've seen it mentioned in the thread about whether Wrex can be saved, but in both of my playthroughs nothing ever happens to Wrex. So yea, what's the story behind this?

 

[BravoSuperStar]

Almost done on my 2nd play through, just hit lvl 55. I missed getting the ally achievement the first time around. I don't like how the "point of no return" is not really clear. But its motivation to play through again, I suppose.

I got to thinking, there are alot of soldiers on the Normandy. It would have been cool to have a mission or something where you landed on a planet and have a massive battle with the entire crew coming out to fight in a huge, halo-esque battle. I'm sure the framerate would choke and die, but maybe in mass effect 2 or something?

 

[firehawk12]

About Wrex

Spoiler

I've beaten the game twiuce sofar. First time I went renegade and never had Wrex in my party, second time I went paraog nand always had Wrex i nmy party. I've seen it mentioned in the thread about whether Wrex can be saved, but in both of my playthroughs nothing ever happens to Wrex. So yea, what's the story behind this?

Something happens on Virmire that might be of interest. It's impossible to avoid... so I guess you just didn't notice it?

 

[Vyse The Legend]

About Wrex

Spoiler

I've beaten the game twiuce sofar. First time I went renegade and never had Wrex in my party, second time I went paraog nand always had Wrex i nmy party. I've seen it mentioned in the thread about whether Wrex can be saved, but in both of my playthroughs nothing ever happens to Wrex. So yea, what's the story behind this?

You must have a decent charm/intimidate skill, because if you don't

Spoiler

Ashley snipes him on Virmire, before he kills you.

Edit: Also, completing the Wrex Family Armor sidequest always you to avoid this outcome.

 

[arhra]

About Wrex

Spoiler

I've beaten the game twiuce sofar. First time I went renegade and never had Wrex in my party, second time I went paraog nand always had Wrex i nmy party. I've seen it mentioned in the thread about whether Wrex can be saved, but in both of my playthroughs nothing ever happens to Wrex. So yea, what's the story behind this?

It's the "impossible situation" that's mentioned in the Charismatic achievement.

Spoiler

If you haven't done certain things and/or skilled up charm/intimidate sufficiently, it's impossible to calm Wrex down on Virmire when he's worked up about the genophage cure, and... well, let's just say it doesn't end well.

 

[zombi]

I WANT to love this game. I'm trying SO hard to love this game, and I do to a point, but the technical flaws, glitches, and such with the game are so frustrating. It just rips you right out of the experience. This game soooo should have been delayed.

Also, after Uncharted, the gunplay is just really weak. But it really is the technical problems that are frustrating, buttons not working, hiccups and freezing which throws you off so bad you end up killed and having to load and watch a cutscene for the 14th time.

I really hope I'm not the only one who is having a really hard time dealing with all these problems.

Not the only one who had those problems. I did/do too. The game is (for me at least) pretty frustrating unless your a soldier in terms of difficulty and overall ugh-ness, once I made a new character as a soldier the game was infinitely less frustrating. I agree though I really wanted to love it, to be transported to a sci-fi epic world, but I wasnt and for me the game was good. I really enjoyed it, had a lot of fun with it, hell Im even playing through it again, but it wasnt amazing, goty, or anything like that. Too many problems that continually ripped me out of the game world and in a time where we have other games that manage to immerse you so fully into game worlds, I was ultimately let down in that respect. I feel like Im sounding super negative, but the potential was there for such an amazing game, and you can see it within grasp, that I feel that much more let down because of that. But like I said, I liked it overall, it was good.
I had a lot of fun with it, but overall the story left me asking, "thats it?" a few planets in and Im done? It was a fun, good game, but it certainly didnt raise any bars for games to come for me.

 

[Feint331]

speaking of problems the framerate is really starting to get to me, esepecially in heated firefights it drops to 5fps and you basically relying on pure luck to hit anything because the lag is so bad. for example toward the end of the hotlabs, that has to be the worse part of the entire game. a squad full of inferno bullets and rocket soldiers don't go well with performance.

 

[Kitschkraft]

Just beat it a bit ago, btw.

10/10 (I could care less about the semantics of a perfect score, this game is 10 worthy in relation to other games that I've deemed 10 worthy...)

Time : 49 hours, 35 minutes.
Level : 50
Achievements : 22 of 45; 535 points.

Spoiler

I let the council live. It's funny, I started out the game trying to play as a renegade...but I just don't have the heart to make a lot of those renegade choices.

It's a toss up between this and Bioshock for GOTY for me. I only beat Bioshock once, want to just start up my second game of that, but I dunno, New Game+ for Mass Effect is so tempting....Mass Effect has so much more replay value due to the type of game that it is, and Bioshocks last few levels didn't leave as good of a taste in my mouth as the last level in this did (Amazing, I'm still hyped).

I want to say a lot but theres sooooo much to be said, I don't even know where to start.

 

[Vyse The Legend]

speaking of problems the framerate is really starting to get to me, esepecially in heated firefights it drops to 5fps and you basically relying on pure luck to hit anything because the lag is so bad. for example toward the end of the hotlabs, that has to be the worse part of the entire game. a squad full of inferno bullets and rocket soldiers don't go well with performance.

Nope, the worst is fighting the Thorian. If a ton of Creepers agro and someone uses throw, it's all over for the framerate.

 

[X26]

Well that explains it. Both playthroughs I resolved that situation through charm or intimidate. I know atleast one thing I'll be doing differently next time I reach that part

 

[bengraven]

I want this game so badly I'm protesting it's existence and refusing to pick it up.





Please God, send me $60.

 

[beerbelly]

One quick question, the New Game+ mode allows me to use my current character and keeps all of my items and level ups?

 

[Onions]

I'm like 8 hours into Mass Effect -

Spoiler

just encountered the Thorian and recieved the
Prothian cypher

- and Jesus, what a tasty burger/game that is!

Spoiler

Eden Prime, the Citadel, the Council, Saren, Fist, the Thorian, driving the Mako, the Prothian
Vision...

:O

I hope stuff like that keeps coming.

I must go now, for there are pizzas to be eaten and synthetic asses to be kicked. <- Me smilin 'cause of Mass Erect.

 

[DesertEasy]

One quick question, the New Game+ mode allows me to use my current character and keeps all of my items and level ups?

Yep, does all of that.

 

[BravoSuperStar]

Nope, the worst is fighting the Thorian. If a ton of Creepers agro and someone uses throw, it's all over for the framerate.

the worst framerate dip I encountered was in

Spoiler

Noveria, after benezia when you flood the lab and come out of the containment room and the place is full of arachni. I charged into that room and it had to be getting less than 5fps for a good 30 seconds straight

 

[beerbelly]

Yep, does all of that.

That's awesome. This guarantees that I'll play through the game at least 1 more time. Thanks.

 

[∀ Narayan]

Nope, the worst is fighting the Thorian. If a ton of Creepers agro and someone uses throw, it's all over for the framerate.

I remember on certain parts, the framerate would enter a single-digit phase.

There's no excuse for this garbage. Especially when you consider how long the game was in development.

Bioshock used Unreal Engine 3, right? For being an UE3 game, it's certainly surprising to see that it doesn't have many technical flaws.

 

[Edag Plata]

Not the only one who had those problems. I did/do too. The game is (for me at least) pretty frustrating unless your a soldier in terms of difficulty and overall ugh-ness, once I made a new character as a soldier the game was infinitely less frustrating. I agree though I really wanted to love it, to be transported to a sci-fi epic world, but I wasnt and for me the game was good. I really enjoyed it, had a lot of fun with it, hell Im even playing through it again, but it wasnt amazing, goty, or anything like that. Too many problems that continually ripped me out of the game world and in a time where we have other games that manage to immerse you so fully into game worlds, I was ultimately let down in that respect. I feel like Im sounding super negative, but the potential was there for such an amazing game, and you can see it within grasp, that I feel that much more let down because of that. But like I said, I liked it overall, it was good.
I had a lot of fun with it, but overall the story left me asking, "thats it?" a few planets in and Im done? It was a fun, good game, but it certainly didnt raise any bars for games to come for me.

I hear you about the frustrating part...what were you before you started over as a soldier?

 

[GauntletFan]

By the Goddess!!

Just finished the game. Infiltrator, Level 48, and game registered 27 hours (so it's somewhere in the 30+ hour range in real time)

Ending was fantastic.. last two levels looked amazingly beautiful.

GOTY

 

[Jirotrom]

I'm playing as a female shepard, is it possible to get with both kaiden and the Asari, I'm trying to get tension going on between my crew

 

[GauntletFan]

I'm playing as a female shepard, is it possible to get with both kaiden and the Asari, I'm trying to get tension going on between my crew

Hmm, not sure.. I played thru as the default female Shepard. Kaiden did make some moves but it creeped me out so I didnt take it any further.

 

[Vyse The Legend]

Ok,

Spoiler

the Thorian

fight on Insanity took almost an hour. It takes like 10-15 shotgun blasts to kill one creeper. Jesus.

 

[zombi]

I hear you about the frustrating part...what were you before you started over as a soldier?

I was a vanguard

 

[firehawk12]

I'm playing as a female shepard, is it possible to get with both kaiden and the Asari, I'm trying to get tension going on between my crew

Eventually he'll make you choose. Too bad.

 

[Havok]

Ok,

Spoiler

the Thorian

fight on Insanity took almost an hour. It takes like 10-15 shotgun blasts to kill one creeper. Jesus.

I just finished that same fight on Insanity a couple hours ago. Sledgehammer Rounds saved me sooo many times. You'll be happy to know that the

Spoiler

Noveria fight

is much easier than that one.

Edit: Just got Extreme Power Gamer. Good God that took forever.

 

[firehawk12]

I was a vanguard

Really? Just bring Ashley along and you have most of the soldier stuff.

 

[zombi]

Really? Just bring Ashley along and you have most of the soldier stuff.

I never could get them to attack in any successful way, in the end it was me as a soldier, Liara and Tali. I thought the ai was better at handling the biotics and tech side than the gun stuff.

 

[Dina]

Hmm, not sure.. I played thru as the default female Shepard. Kaiden did make some moves but it creeped me out so I didnt take it any further.

I don't really see how that would creep you out. I went all the way with Kaiden after

Spoiler

Ashley went the way of the dodo.

You really don't see anything so I wasn't too creeped out by it.

 

[firehawk12]

I never could get them to attack in any successful way, in the end it was me as a soldier, Liara and Tali. I thought the ai was better at handling the biotics and tech side than the gun stuff.

I found with weapons, you have to micromanage to make sure that they are using the weapons they're able to use.
I had Ashley on Assualt Rifles and Sniper Rifles, but she'd pull out the shotty or pistol sometimes. Bah.

 

[Aurora]

This game has some of the worst achievements I've ever come across.

Most of them are brilliant in that they actually affect and enhance the game itself, but when it comes to the requirements for obtaining them... diabolical.

Take the Scholar achievement for example. You need to complete all codex entries for primary races (Council, Non-Council and Extinct). On the surface this seems like a nice little achievement rewarding the player for taking the time to research the different races. However, there is one particular entry (the Prothean entry for the Extinct Races section) which can only be obtained at the very beginning of the game - before even landing on Eden Prime. What's worse is that the particular conversation which holds the entry is locked, and by that I mean once the conversation is over you immediately spawn on Eden Prime with no way of initiating the conversation again. So if you do not Investigate at that exact moment you can never do so again, thus making it impossible to get the achievement without restarting. Absolutely awful design.

The absurdity of the Ally achievements is well known already so I won't bother repeating it here.

Thirdly the "use this ability 75 times" achievements are piss poor. I'm playing the game as a Soldier so I don't have access to Lift, Throw, Warp, Singularity, Barrier, Stasis, Damping, AI Hacking, Overload, Sabotage or Neural Shock. That's almost a quarter of the game's achievements that are locked just because of a gameplay decision I made at the start of the game. This is just terrible design especially considering the game's default character John Shepard himself is a Soldier. I know some will argue that these achievements are to encourage us to play with a variety of classes but that's just bullshit. Since I'm a Soldier it's only natural that my Squad members will be Biotic and Tech users. I will be using their skills via the ability wheel throughout the game which is exactly what I would be doing if I chose to be a Biotic or Tech user myself. There is absolutely no reason why my Allies shouldn't count towards unlocking the achievements, especially when it is me selecting these Biotic and Tech abilities ingame.

To get all 1000 achievement points in Mass Effect you have to complete the game a minimum of 4 times, and that's with knowing exactly what has to be done in every run. Some of these achievements are so specific that they are virtually impossible to obtain without prior knowledge and thourough planning. This essentially means 5 runs are required since there is no chance a first time player will have played in the way required to get the achievements. Five runs required for all achievements? In my eyes this is just unforgivable.

 

[Edag Plata]

I was a vanguard

I guess there's half of my problem right there?

 

[BravoSuperStar]

Wall-o-text

Thats why they call them achievements.

 

[SlasherJPC]

So what would be the best class to use that uses some biotics and weapons. Already went through the game a a soldier so

 

[Naeblish]

Omg, hardcore from lvl 1 is fucking HARD.

 

[firehawk12]

The only ones I don't agree with are the "spamming" ones, because really, that's what you'll do to just get them.
The Ally achievements are annoying because you're basically forced to use the same characters for the whole game.

 

[Ventrue]

Omg, hardcore from lvl 1 is fucking HARD.

Hardcore gets easier after the first planet and you're able to use abilities. I just finished the Thorian on Insanity and, well

I don't like the ally achievements because I hate doing the uncharted worlds.

So what would be the best class to use that uses some biotics and weapons. Already went through the game a a soldier so

Vanguard is exactly that.

 

[SeaOfMadness]

does anyone know if there's any reason to get more paragon points once you get the paragon achievement?

i just got the achievement and now i'm wondering if i should just finish the game as a renegade or is there some bonus for adding paragon points past where i'm at?

 

[Vyse The Legend]

Hardcore gets easier after the first planet and you're able to use abilities. I just finished the Thorian on Insanity and, well

I don't like the ally achievements because I hate doing the uncharted worlds.

Insanity is easy. It just takes forever to kill organics.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

These people claiming 5fps are either full of shit or their Xbox 360s are broken. The game never gets bad enough to turn into a slide-show (which is what 5fps is). The framerate can get bad, but it never drops below the teens even in the worst situations.

 

[Mark D]

does anyone know if there's any reason to get more paragon points once you get the paragon achievement?

i just got the achievement and now i'm wondering if i should just finish the game as a renegade or is there some bonus for adding paragon points past where i'm at?

There's no bonus for filling up one side of points completely. You can start being a renegade but you won't be able to get that achievement in the same playthrough if you've already gotten the paragon one (unless you use a glitch). Whichever one you have more points in will slightly alter the outcome of your ending.

 

[WrikaWrek]

I would pay for DLC content that included more hairstyles.

 

[Ventrue]

Insanity is easy. It just takes forever to kill organics.

The problem is the unpredictable one hit kills and resistances. Oops, turns out the Krogan charging me can't be lifted and meeles me in one hit.

 

[Vyse The Legend]

The problem is the unpredictable one hit kills and resistances. Oops, turns out the Krogan charging me can't be lifted and meeles me in one hit.

Yeah, I don't have those problems, because my Soldier is a tank. I just use 80% immunity and nothing can hurt me.

 

[Ventrue]

Yeah, I don't have those problems, because my Soldier is a tank. I just use 80% immunity and nothing can hurt me.

Yeah, soldier probably has insanity a lot easier.

 

[MirageDwarf]

Where do you sell items? I've 150 items already and don't want to dismantle them for omni-gels.

Thirdly the "use this ability 75 times" achievements are piss poor. I'm playing the game as a Soldier so I don't have access to Lift, Throw, Warp, Singularity, Barrier, Stasis, Damping, AI Hacking, Overload, Sabotage or Neural Shock. That's almost a quarter of the game's achievements that are locked just because of a gameplay decision I made at the start of the game. This is just terrible design especially considering the game's default character John Shepard himself is a Soldier. I know some will argue that these achievements are to encourage us to play with a variety of classes but that's just bullshit. Since I'm a Soldier it's only natural that my Squad members will be Biotic and Tech users. I will be using their skills via the ability wheel throughout the game which is exactly what I would be doing if I chose to be a Biotic or Tech user myself. There is absolutely no reason why my Allies shouldn't count towards unlocking the achievements, especially when it is me selecting these Biotic and Tech abilities ingame.

Yeah I think whenever I use my party members' ability it should be counted towards achievements. Game is really forcing you to play with different characters plus more than once in any character class to unlock "extreme power gamer".

I guess I will only play it one more time on hard difficulty settings since game just ends when you finish main story line. I wanted to play it again for side quests and want to get spectre weapons.