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[Patryn]

My favorite game of all time, flawed as it may be.

I never thought I'd see it here. I envy those of you who get to experience it for the first time.

Just know that it's kind of different from ME2 and ME3. You can definitely see the heritage, but you can also see how the series could have gone in a different direction.

 

[Felix Lighter]

Mass Effect introduces its universe so damn well.

There are things you can keep in mind to minimize the general clunkyness. For example, inventory-wise, sell excess stuff whenever you have an opportunity, don't hesitate to convert items to omnigel. You'll reach a point in the game where every kill results in 2 or 3 inventory items, which completely overwhelms the inventory system if you don't stay ahead of it.

 

[sTeLioSco]

a classic pre-ea bioware game from the dying breed of the aaaa rpg

buy.









(be warned its not like me2/3)

 

[Tash]

My favourite game of this generation. Can't wait to play through this again.

QFT, I did hold off as long as I could and just recently finished it (also because I waited for the extended ending). I plan to start with the first one again. I still remember when

Spoiler

I saw my char walk up and become the first human spectre

...I still get goosebumps just thinking of it.
Oh and the OST.......so totally amazing.

The elevator rides though...

 

[21st century cowboy]

I've not played any of the mass effect games. Do I need to read any of the books before starting the first game? Is there an order I should play the games and read the books and comics?

 

[HardRojo]

I haven't played ME3 since I could never bring myself to finish the second one but the original ME is one of my favorite western RPG's of all time. I think these screens from the PC screenshot thread sum up the reasons why quite well (not mine):

That is beautiful.

 

[Bisnic]

I've not played any of the mass effect games. Do I need to read any of the books before starting the first game? Is there an order I should play the games and read the books and comics?

I've never read any of the Mass Effect comics or books. You really don't need them to understand the story of the games.

 

[Killthee]

I've not played any of the mass effect games. Do I need to read any of the books before starting the first game? Is there an order I should play the games and read the books and comics?

You can skip the books, they're mediocre at best and only serve as backstory for some of the side characters.

 

[ScreenSplitter]

Enjoy playing a very dated game then having everybody tell you it's the best in the trilogy.

 

[sTeLioSco]

I've not played any of the mass effect games. Do I need to read any of the books before starting the first game? Is there an order I should play the games and read the books and comics?

i just played the 3 games....

no comics or anything.

(get the extended ending now that is free if don't like playing 200hours for 20 seconds of ending in an "epic trilogy")

 

[funkystudent]

The best mass effect game except for the part where you play it.

Will still buy and relay 1 + 2 on ps3 before 3.

 

[Tizoc]

If the PSN ver. runs at a smooth framerate I'll get it off EU PSN...So long as it's price is similar to the US release.

 

[RPGCrazied]

Can't wait to see the digital foundry of this, it ran pretty badly on 360.

 

[Schobeleth]

I want to see if I can get someone to buy this for me for Christmas, lmao. I've been wanting to play it, but refused to play 2-3 until the first hit PS3. I knew it was coming, it just had to. If there is the chance to make a lot more money, companies will work around legal red tape and go multi-platform.

 

[Cornbread78]

I almost forgot to mention that $15 is an excellant price for this as well. Seriously, Killzone 1 for $15 and now ME1 for $15, PSN, here I come!

 

[Felix Lighter]

I've grown to truly enjoy Mass Effects gameplay but that's after many playthroughs and fully understanding its limitations and its strengths and weaknesses. As a pure shooter, ME 2 and especially ME 3 are much better but I think biotics were handled better in the original.

 

[sTeLioSco]

Enjoy playing a very dated game then having everybody tell you it's the best in the trilogy.

how is black ops 2?

 

[Patryn]

If nothing else, ME1 has one of my favorite game soundtracks of all time. The main theme, Virmire Ride... so good!

There's a reason ME3 cribbed most of its best music directly from it.

 

[Bisnic]

I've grown to truly enjoy Mass Effects gameplay but that's after many playthroughs and fully understanding its limitations and its strengths and weaknesses. As a pure shooter, ME 2 and especially ME 3 are much better but I think biotics were handled better in the original.

I dunno, ME1 doesn't have that great feeling of Biotic Explosions like ME3 does after using something like Singularity + Throw. And powers are much more customizable when you have different choices like +50% force of explosions or increased radius that ME1 lacks.

ME2 though... Biotics were really shit in this game with their long cooldowns, no customization except the last point, and lack of specials effects for explosions.

 

[dummydecoy]

Not sure if want. I mean, I want to play these games but the performance issues I've read about ME2 and 3 is a huge turn off. I don't suppose they went back and optimized the games for this rerelease right?

 

[Killthee]

Not sure if want. I mean, I want to play these games but the performance issues I've read about ME2 and 3 is a huge turn off. I don't suppose they went back and optimized the games for this rerelease right?

AFAIK, ME2 and ME3 are the same games just in new packaging. They are patching ME2 with support for ME saves, but I doubt they would bother optimizing it as well.

 

[djtiesto]

Enjoy playing a very dated game then having everybody tell you it's the best in the trilogy.

It's a dated game but it's still the best game in the trilogy

Did they make the sidequests more interesting? i.e. more than 4 layouts for side dungeons? If they did that, and overhauled the sluggish engine, I'd totally pick this up. The original ME was the definition of a flawed gem.

 

[immortal-joe]

Was very disappointed to find out the PC version does not play nicely with controllers, even with 3rd party apps and patches.

So even if this thing runs like crap, I'll still give it a shot just for the sake of using a DS3.

 

[Skellig Gra]

Pro Tip: Don't go to Noveria first or you will regret it.

 

[Felix Lighter]

I dunno, ME1 doesn't have that great feeling of Biotic Explosions like ME3 does after using something like Singularity + Throw. And powers are much more customizable when you have different choices like +50% force of explosions or increased radius that ME1 lacks.

ME2 though... Biotics were really shit in this game with their long cooldowns, no customization except the last point, and lack of specials effects for explosions.

ME3 was a huge improvement over ME 2 but I wanted my individual cooldowns back, I guess.

 

[The_Monk]

Wrex.

 

[sTeLioSco]

Wrex.

Shepard.

 

[GeoramA]

Will grab ME1 off PSN. Dunno when I'll get to it thanks to a ridiculous backlog.

 

[Subitai]

Wrex.

This.

I missed having a Krogan in my crew in ME3. I'm holding out hope for a DLC character.

ME3 was a huge improvement over ME 2 but I wanted my individual cooldowns back, I guess.

And This.

Biotics for control and less for damage. Garrus/Ashley would clean clean up with sniper rifles what Liara/Wrex put on the ground.


Finally, explosive ammo!

 

[Baconsammy]

So we still have no idea if ME1 is just a straight port, bad framerate and all?

ME2 is my favorite in the series, with 3 a close second, but ME1 outside of the poor performance is a tremendous game. The combat simply wasn't as fleshed out as part 2. And I loved loved loved the Mako portions. Just me and my little space jeep tooling around planets enjoying the beautiful views. If they made a concerted effort to fix the performance, I will double dip. Probably my favorite series of games this or any gen.

 

[eot]

Such a weird disconnect between most critics and GAF, it seems, with respect to which of ME1 or 2 is the better game.

I jumped straight into ME2 and it ended up being one of my favourite games of the gen. It's a shame that I'm not entirely recovered from the ME3 fiasco, so I don't think I'm ready to start ME1 right now.

Criticis were assessing the game back in '07, people here are looking at it in hindsight so it's only natural that the opinions change. It also helps that it becomes easier to deal with the clunky mechanics in ME1 the more familiar you are with the game.

I dunno, ME1 doesn't have that great feeling of Biotic Explosions like ME3 does after using something like Singularity + Throw. And powers are much more customizable when you have different choices like +50% force of explosions or increased radius that ME1 lacks.

ME2 though... Biotics were really shit in this game with their long cooldowns, no customization except the last point, and lack of specials effects for explosions.

I prefer the Adept in ME2 (they weren't shit FYI, they're broken in ME3 SP though). Triggering explosions on Throw is dumb, it makes the power pointless as an actual throw.

 

[Trick_GSF]

Looking forward to going on a Mass Effect binge over the Christmas period.

 

[chiablo]

I almost forgot to mention that $15 is an excellant price for this as well. Seriously, Killzone 1 for $15 and now ME1 for $15, PSN, here I come!

Mass Effect 1 and 2 were $5 each on Steam a few days ago.

 

[Lima]

Is it confirmed to have trophies? I think I would go back and play trough all of them on PS3 if that were the case.

 

[Killthee]

So we still have no idea if ME1 is just a straight port, bad framerate and all?

ME2 is my favorite in the series, with 3 a close second, but ME1 outside of the poor performance is a tremendous game. The combat simply wasn't as fleshed out as part 2. And I loved loved loved the Mako portions. Just me and my little space jeep tooling around planets enjoying the beautiful views. If they made a concerted effort to fix the performance, I will double dip. Probably my favorite series of games this or any gen.

Posted by the trilogy producer so take it with a huge grain of salt:

Then there was building the original Mass Effect for the PlayStation 3.

Fortunately, we had a huge head start because of the work we had done with Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 for PS3. With that said, the original Mass Effect game was built completely differently than its successors, as we’ve learned a lot of lessons since then about how-to and how-not-to build a game. To be completely honest, I thought that it was unlikely that we could port Mass Effect in less than a year. It might take three years. Maybe even twenty-three! Fortunately, the team at Edge of Reality, an external team we’ve worked with in the past on many projects, thought otherwise. So we decided to try.

There were some complications. The audio technology that we originally used was no longer supported by its developer… and the engine didn’t support the PS3. “No problem,” said Edge of Reality, and they found a solution. The levels and art assets in Mass Effect were massive and streaming into memory would probably have to work differently on the PS3 – which is NOT a trivial issue. “Shouldn’t be a problem’” said Edge of Reality, and they found a solution.

Then there was performance. At the outset, we didn’t know what we’d find with Mass Effect, and wouldn’t know until we were hip deep in development. We needed to see the game in motion to make fixes, and fixing performance issues isn’t easy. It’s a little like realizing you’ve lost your car keys and then trying to answer, “When are you going to find your keys?”

We found a solution, but the solution took a lot of time and effort. It wasn’t easy, but early this summer, we had the game running and feature complete – something that made eyes bug out of heads around the office. We were near the end of the project, and had tucked in for the big push. There were definitely more than a few late nights. During (Canadian) Thanksgiving weekend, I ended up working 65 hours! But these types of deadlines and pushes are always made easier when you are working with awesome people. We all banded together. Our internal team cranked into high gear and Edge of Reality really turned on Beast Mode and started crushing bugs. We worked around the clock to ensure the game performed at, or better-than, the performance metrics that we had from the Xbox 360. And they did it. Mass Effect on the PS3 runs pretty damn well.

Is it confirmed to have trophies? I think I would go back and play trough all of them on PS3 if that were the case.

ME? It's a new game, it has to have trophies to pass certification. ME2 and ME3 are the same games so they'll use the same trophy sets as the current retail versions.

 

[Tagg9]

Posted by the trilogy producer so take it with a huge grain of salt:

I'm a little dubious on trusting anyone after the Wii U port debacle, but let's hope this is the case.

 

[The_Monk]

Wrex.

Shepard.

Carry on.

Played on the 360 the first one, finished ME2 twice and have the Collector's Edition of ME3 for the PS3. I love the series but I'll have to check an unboxing of the trilogy first.

Did not however played the DLC that it is included on this version of ME1. I wonder if it's any good with a decent length?

 

[Cornbread78]

Mass Effect 1 and 2 were $5 each on Steam a few days ago.

Yeah well that is PC... I'm talking consoles here.

 

[Killthee]

Carry on.

Played on the 360 the first one, finished ME2 twice and have the Collector's Edition of ME3 for the PS3. I love the series but I'll have to check an unboxing of the trilogy first.

Did not however played the DLC that it is included on this version of ME1. I wonder if it's any good with a decent length?

It's good for what it was at the time. A brand new side mission with unique assets instead of the same boring layout of the base game sidemissions. It's about an hour long and it's not as good as the ME2 DLC though.

 

[Fruitster]

If the PS3 version of ME really does run well, then i'll definately double dip. One of the best games ever for me. Janky at times, flawed, but I'll always love it far more than the two sequels despite that.

 

[Canis lupus]

I have the game on 360 but since PS3 has become my main console I'll buy it again.

 

[AgentP]

So we still have no idea if ME1 is just a straight port, bad framerate and all?

What on Earth does it mean to port a frame rate? It is a function of the hardware, engine, optimizations, etc. It comes down to the talent of the guys porting and the amount of time/money they spend doing it.

 

[sixteen-bit]

PS3 owners can finally experience the best Mass Effect game.

Yep.

 

[Baconsammy]

We worked around the clock to ensure the game performed at, or better-than, the performance metrics that we had from the Xbox 360. And they did it. Mass Effect on the PS3 runs pretty damn well.

That part bothers me. Sounds like their performance benchmark was the 360 version, which was bad. Also "pretty damn well" isn't the choice of words I'd personally choose if something I worked on was really good.

I'm a little dubious on trusting anyone after the Wii U port debacle, but let's hope this is the case.

The Wii U port of ME3 is one of the most praised games on the system at the moment.

What on Earth does it mean to port a frame rate? It is a function of the hardware, engine, optimizations, etc. It comes down to the talent of the guys porting and the amount of time/money they spend doing it.

OK captain literal. It was me asking if the game ran as shitty as the 360 version.

 

[Bladenic]

I need to platinum ME2 still, guess ill wait to do the carry over now, and maybe do a third ME3 playthrough with Kaidan.

 

[Castor Krieg]

ME1 is the best game, clear example how unsure Bioware was at the beginning of this gen so they still ket some RPG elements. Later on they were cut out and shit like scanning planets came in.

The story is also probably the best.

 

[ScrabbleBanshee]

Mass Effect 1 and 2 were $5 each on Steam a few days ago.

Mass Effect 1, Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age Origins and Dragon Age 2 as a bundle were $14.99 all together on Amazon recently. Mass Effect 3 could be had at Green Man Gaming for about $9 around that same time as well.

 

[dark10x]

ME1 is the best game, clear example how unsure Bioware was at the beginning of this gen so they still ket some RPG elements. Later on they were cut out and shit like scanning planets came in.

The story is also probably the best.

Unfortunately, they seemingly misunderstood some of the complaints in the original game.

People bitched about elevators hiding loading screens. Their solution? Just go back to using loading screens. :\ Talk about killing the immersion.

People bitched about the empty planets with repetitive missions. Their solution? Ditch the whole thing completely and replace it with scanning. Now they don't have to build anything extra at all!

Things like that really bothered me in ME2. They removed a lot of the exploration (the Citadel was reduced to almost nothing), they streamlined everything to the extreme, tossed out inventory, etc. They definitely made some improvements but they lost so much in the process.

 

[ScrabbleBanshee]

Unfortunately, they seemingly misunderstood some of the complaints in the original game.

People bitched about elevators hiding loading screens. Their solution? Just go back to using loading screens. :\ Talk about killing the immersion.

People bitched about the empty planets with repetitive missions. Their solution? Ditch the whole thing completely and replace it with scanning. Now they don't have to build anything extra at all!

Things like that really bothered me in ME2. They removed a lot of the exploration (the Citadel was reduced to almost nothing), they streamlined everything to the extreme, tossed out inventory, etc. They definitely made some improvements but they lost so much in the process.

I can agree with one thing you said, the citadel is supposed to be huge but in ME2/ME3 it feels like a grocery store.

 

[Bisnic]

I prefer the Adept in ME2 (they weren't shit FYI, they're broken in ME3 SP though). Triggering explosions on Throw is dumb, it makes the power pointless as an actual throw.

I dunno, i always imagined Adepts as a class that shouldn't rely on weapons, and they did in ME2 because of the long global cooldowns.

At least in ME3, with a light weapon, you can spam your powers every 2 or 3 seconds. And Throw is still decent even if used as an actual throw, just to... throw that Cannibal who is in your way, faster than combining 2 powers for an explosion.