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[The Nature Roy]

music is awesome, i hope there will be a soundtrack.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000XXWKAW/?tag=neogaf0e-20

 

[Sallokin]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000XXWKAW/?tag=neogaf0e-20

37 tracks of awesome!

 

[Zzoram]

EGM scores:

mass effect: 9, 9.5, 9

I think standards are finally going up after all the 10s lately. I'm happy to see those 9s

 

[JayDubya]

Can anybody answer approx. how long it takes to get the requisite # of kills with a certain weapon/ability that allows you to specialize with it even if your class doesn't?

I want to use a Vanguard who can specialize with the assault rifle. I'm thinking about using a soldier until I get enough kills to open up that possibility and then starting over again to use my preferred character. However, I probably won't do this if I have to get 7 hours into the game first or whatever.

Woah weird. I dunno, first I heard of this.

There are achievements for 150 kills with a given weapon, though.

 

[Mr. Spinnington]

Lets not shit up this thread with review scores discussion. No matter the score, it always gets ugly.

Okay, now there's a review thread.

 

[Tieno]

Okay, now there's a review thread.

Thanks man. Most high profile PS3 game threads turn to shit and it almost drives me mad. I hope it doesn't happen to this one as it has been fairly interesting with some good and informative impressions from people here.

 

[The Nature Roy]

Woah weird. I dunno, first I heard of this.

There are achievements for 150 kills with a given weapon, though.

Yep, and they are tied together. Once you get an achievement for a weapon/skill you can pick it as an extra ability when you create a character. You are only allowed to pick one, however, no matter how many achievements you have earned.

I was just wondering how long it would take to score those 150 kills, say if I used the assault rifle exclusively.

 

[Duderz]

How long is this game supposed to be?

I may end up skipping Assassin's Creed for this.

 

[Tieno]

How long is this game supposed to be?

I may end up skipping Assassin's Creed for this.

I'd imagine somewhere between 15-20 hours for the main quest and up to 40 hours depending on how much sidequests and exploring you do.

 

[Sallokin]

Yep, and they are tied together. Once you get an achievement for a weapon/skill you can pick it as an extra ability when you create a character. You are only allowed to pick one, however, no matter how many achievements you have earned.

I was just wondering how long it would take to score those 150 kills, say if I used the assault rifle exclusively.

It's going to take you at least 5 or more hours to get that many kills. I mean you spend minimum 1.5 - 2 hours in the Citadel alone at the beginning of the game.

 

[Nab]

Hey.

I just thought I'd ask on behalf of me and all the other people quietly still drooling over the screenshots littered in this thread...

Can someone take a screen/picture of the same thing twice, once with the film grain effect turned on and again with it off, so we can compare?

Thankyou.

Also, I can't afford to get this game until Christmas. How ****ed off am I? The answer is very.

 

[JayDubya]

I was just wondering how long it would take to score those 150 kills, say if I used the assault rifle exclusively.

Interesting.

* Pistol Expert - Register 150 Pistol Kills - 10G
* Shotgun Expert - Register 150 Shotgun Kills - 15G
* Assault Rifle Expert - Register 150 Assault Rifle Kills - 15G
* Sniper Expert - Register 150 Sniper Rifle Kills - 15G
* Lift Mastery - Use biotic Lift 75 times - 15G
* Throw Mastery - Use biotic Throw 75 times - 15G
* Warp Mastery - Use biotic Warp 75 times - 15G
* Singularity Mastery - Use biotic Singularity 75 times - 15G
* Barrier Mastery - Use biotic Barrier 75 times - 15G
* Stasis Mastery - Use biotic Stasis 75 times - 15G
* Damping Specialist - Use Damping Field 75 times - 15G
* AI Hacking Specialist - Use AI Hacking 75 times - 15G
* Overlord Specialist - Use Shield Overload 75 times - 15G
* Sabotage Specialist - Use Sabotage 75 times - 15G
* First Aid Specialist - Use medi-gel 150 times - 15G
* Neural Shock Specialist - Use Neural Shock 75 times - 15G

If these are the only ones you can pick up, then Assault Rifle would be a good choice, as it's exclusive to Soldiers. Same with Singularity. Looks like you can't pick up Reverse Engineering or Assault Training this way, either.

So you could make an Infiltrator with some of the advanced tech skills of an Engineer. Or a Vanguard with some Biotics they otherwise wouldn't have.

A Sentinel that actually had a Weapon skill might be kind of cool.

 

[Duderz]

I'd imagine somewhere between 15-20 hours for the main quest and up to 40 hours depending on how much sidequests and exploring you do.

Between school and work and other games and a social life, where will I find time for all these games?

 

[Nab]

And a question which I expect few if any will be able to answer:

If you do the new game thing and start over with weapon things unlocked... Are there limits to those things?

I mean, if you start over with a new class and choose to take some of the unlocked skills to beef your guy up a bit at the beginning, do you take them in the PLACE of the usual default skills (like, take a fully levelled up shotgun thing and put it in place of one of your biotic powers), or in addition? (putting crazy weapon stuff on top of all your engineering/biotic powers)

If it's in addition you could really make a beast of a character...

 

[JayDubya]

Between school and work and other games and a social life, where will I find time for all these games?

Next year. Christmas always has a glut of greatness that should last you until the following summer, or even fall.

And a question which I expect few if any will be able to answer:

If you do the new game thing and start over with weapon things unlocked... Are there limits to those things?

I mean, if you start over with a new class and choose to take some of the unlocked skills to beef your guy up a bit at the beginning, do you take them in the PLACE of the usual default skills (like, take a fully levelled up shotgun thing and put it in place of one of your biotic powers), or in addition? (putting crazy weapon stuff on top of all your engineering/biotic powers)

If it's in addition you could really make a beast of a character...

Yeah, and we still don't know what the fuck the "prestige classes" are.

 

[Eric WK]

Between school and work and other games and a social life, where will I find time for all these games?

Looks like you already have it budgeted.

 

[The Nature Roy]

It's going to take you at least 5 or more hours to get that many kills. I mean you spend minimum 1.5 - 2 hours in the Citadel alone at the beginning of the game.

Thanks. I've been torn between soldier and vanguard anyway, so I'll probably start as a soldier and decide when I get to that point whether or not I want to continue on or start over.

My opinions on the matter will probably change anyway once I actually dig into the game and find out what it's really like rather than guessing how I want to play based on speculation.

 

[MaizeRage25]

I'd imagine somewhere between 15-20 hours for the main quest and up to 40 hours depending on how much sidequests and exploring you do.

Sounds right.

 

[BitchTits]

How long is this game supposed to be?

I may end up skipping Assassin's Creed for this.

Same. The recent reviews of AC have turned a must have into a 'only if it's going cheap or I'm in a mood to spend'.

Mass Effect sounds like the non-Mario Galaxy game I want to spend the rest of 2007 snuggled upto.

 

[The Nature Roy]

And a question which I expect few if any will be able to answer:

If you do the new game thing and start over with weapon things unlocked... Are there limits to those things?

I mean, if you start over with a new class and choose to take some of the unlocked skills to beef your guy up a bit at the beginning, do you take them in the PLACE of the usual default skills (like, take a fully levelled up shotgun thing and put it in place of one of your biotic powers), or in addition? (putting crazy weapon stuff on top of all your engineering/biotic powers)

If it's in addition you could really make a beast of a character...

You only get to pick one and it's in addition to the regular skills. For example, you could pick an Infiltrator who can use a shotgun (and level up in it). The shotgun would start off at the beginning level, however, not fully loaded up.

 

[Naeblish]

And would you be able to unlock new skills again by putting points in that 1 new skill? Like a sentinel picks the pistol skill on a new playthrough, and after putting 5 points in pistol he/she unlocks shotguns.

 

[Nab]

You only get to pick one and it's in addition to the regular skills. For example, you could pick an Infiltrator who can use a shotgun (and level up in it). The shotgun would start off at the beginning level, however, not fully loaded up.

So... To unlock it for future characters you have to have used it a certain amount of times, basically. You pick one thing you've been good at with your current character and slap it on a new character in addition to the new characters beginner skills?

And alternatively you can jump right back in with the exact same character, can't you?

 

[LukeSmith]

I'd imagine somewhere between 15-20 hours for the main quest and up to 40 hours depending on how much sidequests and exploring you do.

I am currently at 18 hours. I have completed two "story planet/areas" after gaining access to the Galaxy Map, but I have pretty meticulously gone through each star system en route to the story planets and gone back and forth from the Citadel -- an area that apparently can serve as a sidequest hub. It's definitely a your mileage may vary on the length, but reviewers told me i've completed about 1/4th of the "story." No, that doesn't mean that I think the game will take 72 hours, I'd assume that all told I'm 50% into my final gameclock.

 

[Kestastrophe]

I've played this game for 20 hours now (I am a level 28 Vanguard) and I have to say that it is surprisingly tactical. In some instances, if you don't use the right power at the right time, then you could be in serious trouble.

The Mako is fun to drive around in. You can pretty much drive straight up mountains, with only the steepest ones (i.e. 90*) being impossible to traverse. Also, it is impossible to flip it.

 

[The Nature Roy]

So... To unlock it for future characters you have to have used it a certain amount of times, basically. You pick one thing you've been good at with your current character and slap it on a new character in addition to the new characters beginner skills?

And alternatively you can jump right back in with the exact same character, can't you?

Sounds right.

 

[JayDubya]

So... basically it would behoove you to NOT go ahead and new game + without playing through the game as another character with a unique skill you want?

Maybe?

So confused.

What I really want to know about at this point, and it would answer a lot of questions, is how exactly the "New Game Plus" feature works.

 

[Zzoram]

EGM's review says the classes are unbalanced. I hope it isn't too unbalanced.

 

[Cornballer]

I thought this thread was amusing over on the Bioware forums - Request for Dev Tips on Maximizing Mass Effect Experience. Here's one Bioware employee's response.

Get out and see your family and friends once in a while. The game lasts tens of hours, but family and friends can last you the reset of your life.

While Mass Effect is a single-player game, play among friends; for some, watching someone play a game is nearly as exciting as playing it themselves.

Talk to everyone, possibly more than once.

Play the way you want the first time out. follow the story, get involved in the relationships with other characters, the party members, politics and the galactic goings-on. Once you've finished the game once, then pause to pick and choose the way you want to go. Saving the metagaming and min-maxing to subsequent playthroughs allows a more "pure" game experience.

Avoid hints, spoilers, and tips on your first playthrough unless you're maddeningly stuck and have tried everything you can think of.

Form your own opinion on game features, game length, and controls after you play. After all, the platypus is an awesome creature but sounds really silly and dumb when you try to describe it. Like the opposite of any Pauly Shore movie.

Tell your friends and acquaintances. Spread the word of Mass Effect's awesomeness, but don't spoil anything for them. Get them to see the awesomeness for themselves!

Once the right forums are up, post your experiences and get all the secret, hidden, and hard-to-find info and features and places, so that the next time you replay it will be that much more epic.

 

[Zzoram]

I thought this thread was amusing over on the Bioware forums - Request for Dev Tips on Maximizing Mass Effect Experience. Here's one Bioware employee's response.

:lol

He's right though, min-maxing my characters in RPGs is often what kills the fun.

 

[Doodis]

:lol

He's right though, min-maxing my characters in RPGs is often what kills the fun.

Forgive my ignorance, but what exactly is min-maxing?

 

[newsguy]

Get out and see your family and friends once in a while. The game lasts tens of hours, but family and friends can last you the reset of your life.

Nerdian slip?

 

[Zzoram]

Forgive my ignorance, but what exactly is min-maxing?

Min-maxing is when you carefully plan out your level ups and attribute and skill point allocations with a specific end goal in mind that results in the most powerful character, as determined in advance. In Elderscrolls games, it requires a blank sheet of paper to keep tallys of what skills you've leveled up during your current character level.

 

[Zzoram]

Nerdian slip?

:lol

 

[Doodis]

Min-maxing is when you carefully plan out your level ups and attribute and skill point allocations with a specific end goal in mind that results in the most powerful character, as determined in advance. In Elderscrolls games, it requires a blank sheet of paper to keep tallys of what skills you've leveled up during your current character level.

Thanks, now I know. And knowing is half the battle.

 

[Iama]

Yes, absolutely, and I would imagine the Liara one would play out almost entirely identically with a male or female Shepard.

A male Shepard can romance Liara or Ashley. A female Shepard can romance Liara or Kaiden.

If previous Bioware romances are any indication, one could turn down the scene or never express interest in any of your squad mates, thus preventing the scene from triggering.

Is Liara the blue alien?

If so, perfect. I was frigthened that male character can't romance Asari

 

[Agent Icebeezy]

The fact of the matter is, since Kmart broke street date, the corporation as a whole is going to get fined in some kind of way. Like when Best Buy let go of Warcraft 3 early, they didn't get anymore until after Xmas. Since they have already broken street date, they should let all Kmarts sell the damn game.

 

[pswii60]

The fact of the matter is, since Kmart broke street date, the corporation as a whole is going to get fined in some kind of way. Like when Best Buy let go of Warcraft 3 early, they didn't get anymore until after Xmas. Since they have already broken street date, they should let all Kmarts sell the damn game.

I don't think they'll get fined, they'll just lose all priveleges from MS. No more POS, guaranteed pre-release shipments, etc. At least that's what they do here in the UK if a retailer breaks a date either a) on purpose or b) makes no attempt to rectify the situation afterwards. Argos made a mistake with Halo 3 but quickly rectified it for example, so no issues.

 

[Iama]

So now 9s are shockingly low!

Reviewers should go over 10s next year, I like what that Italian mag did with SMG. :lol

Mario è (is) Mario.

Got an 11

 

[GhaleonEB]

Form your own opinion on game features, game length, and controls after you play. After all, the platypus is an awesome creature but sounds really silly and dumb when you try to describe it. Like the opposite of any Pauly Shore movie.

:lol

Perfect, and so true.

 

[p3tran]

my impressions:

in just 15 minutes the game throws at you a very impressive plot and you get really-really happy thinking that you just started to play this great game


/end impressions

 

[Cornballer]

Looks like IGN just put up the Adept and Vanguard combat vids. I don't think we've seen these yet, right?

EDIT: Nevermind. These are the same ones from Gamespot the 10th.

 

[Coin Return]

Faptastic new GameTrailers video, "Duck and Cover":

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/27824.html

 

[Nab]

I really hope they release a video of the Sentinel class combat... I want to see just how little weapon stuff they actually use and how they get to take down their enemies... I've heard some cool stuff about them blowing up enemies weapons in their hands with sabotage mines and then throwing them around with a couple of the biotic powers until they eventually die from being bashed against rocks over and over.

 

[Tobor]

Do I have to keep all weapons equipped on my Sheppard even though he will never use them?

PS. This game is so crazy awesome.

 

[tegdf]

does anyone know when Gamespot, IGN and 1UP will put up their reviews for the game?

 

[Zzoram]

does anyone know when Gamespot, IGN and 1UP will put up their reviews for the game?

I assume next week, when the game comes out.

We already know 1UP will give it a 9.0 since the lead EGM review did (and 1UP just reuses the lead EGM review).

EGM gave it 9, 9.5, 9

 

[jet1911]

There's a lot of "new" videos on Gametrailers.

 

[Zzoram]

There's a lot of "new" videos on Gametrailers.

The close quarters one has a minor spoiler. Target practice has a bit of one too. Dang!

 

[Sallokin]

Hey, here are two videos I made. Three things:

A. I know they're not very exciting
B. Yes I know it's WMV and that sucks too. I'm really not too savvy when it comes to video compression/converting.
C. Yes my girlfriend is excited about Wondercon lol.

If you have any questions feel free to ask. The first video should be the galaxy map one, and the second video is me messing around on a planet and showing some menu stuff.

http://rapidshare.com/files/69562336/a.wmv.html

http://rapidshare.com/files/69562949/b.wmv.html

 

[jet1911]

The close quarters one has a minor spoiler. Target practice has a bit of one too. Dang!

I like the way Ashley "dies" in the Close Quarter vid.... it's so sudden. :lol