Mass Effect

[DikaSmausha]

Uhh I never called you stupid. The story has so many different possibilties, you have to like it.

[Stormborn]

You don't have to like it. If you don't like ME's story, don't play the game, no one is forcing you to.

[philfredobob]

Uhh I never called you stupid. The story has so many different possibilties, you have to like it.

ok , i admit you didnt say i was stupid directly , but saying that ''thinking MEs story is bad is stupid'' is kinda insulting , since i think MEs story is bad .. but never mind , i apologize
but nobody HAS to like it !

You don't have to like it. If you don't like ME's story, don't play the game, no one is forcing you to.

i never said anyone was forcing me , i was asking about the second game , seeing if it had changed in a way that i might start to like it , to see if i should try and play it again , thats all , yes im not a huge fan of the story at the moment , i was asking to see if it had changed ... and if the gameplay had improved a little bit

anyways , i have dragged this off topic , and i am sorry

[DikaSmausha]

it is fine, I should have worded that better. Sorry.

[The Raven]

There ain't actually a lot of different endings...Only a lot of options that don't matter :)

[DikaSmausha]

In ME3, yes.

[Stormborn]

Huzzah, more multiplayer dlc released for ME3, seems EA are going to milk this franchise until it is dead.

[Veck]

I thought the DLC was free? I fail to see how they can milk a cash cow when there's no money going into it.

[Stormborn]

Over milking a cow will dry up the milk regardless of cash changing hands.

[The Tom]

Let's not forget that the longer people keep playing multiplayer, the longer they continue paying to win. I'll play ME3's multiplayer when it comes out on Steam aka never.

[Stormborn]

Yeah you can spend about £1,500 on ME3 multiplayer at the moment.

[The Raven]

Let's not forget that the longer people keep playing multiplayer, the longer they continue paying to win. I'll play ME3's multiplayer when it comes out on Steam aka never.

You have to pay to play multiplayer on origin?

[Stormborn]

No as far as I'm aware everything has been free to play, although Bioware/EA have included a number of options that you can purchase to increase your chance of survival etc. If you buy everything that is available I've read that it adds up to about £1500

[ClottedCream]

Which you can buy with In game Credits, too.

[Stormborn]

Bioware have announced the first single player story driven DLC for Mass Effect 3: Leviathan will be released in summer 2012.

[DikaSmausha]

I know there is a thread for this, but that thread is dead, so I am starting a new one.(If a mod has a problem with this, I apologize)
I know this series has a lot of controversy, with some people outright hating it because of the ending, but this is still one of my favorite game series, and would like to discuss it. So discuss anything about the ME universe here.

[Taters]

Well, I do have a problem with it, so I merged them.

[Skrofler]

You want my opinion? Allright, suit yourself.
I don't hate Mass Effect because of the ending, and I don't hate it at all, because I didn't get past the first mission. But I don't see why I should continue playing. It's just a typical console cinematic shooter and not my kind of game.

1. Playing this game is quite like watching a bad action flick only I have to keep pressing buttons to make it advance, much like a lot of Square Enix games really. Watching a film I could at least enjoy a brew and some snacks while just watching but ME keeps bugging me for short sequences of gameplay between the films and I don't see the point. Actually, I don't know which is more pointless - the film or the game.

2. The gameplay is that linear type of shooter/action/rpg that I really don't get excited by. Not being able to explore (or even jump) turned me off The Witcher and Dragon Age too. Cover based gameplay combines with low risk encounters is no bonus either.

3. Constantly evaluating new items to fit my squad. This is a great feature in a strategy game where resource management and unit assignment is the object of the game. In a shooter it just becomes a chore. Why would I want to spend that much time in menus again? Oh right, it's because...

4. The action was kind of lame too. I don't even have to aim very well to hit (yes, I adjusted the settings). I get it now. The half-assed transparent plot, the low budget script, the trendy RPG elements added, they are just constant distractions from a pretty poor shooter.

5. Forced 3rd person in what should be an FPG annoys the hell out of me. Why do devs keep doing this to us? I lost my 3rd person virginity with Just Cause 2, which I picked up on recommendation from Yahtzee (who usually has good taste), and after searching all the menus thoroughly I just couldn't believe they would make a game like that with no 1st person view.

I don't know if this is the general state of modern FPGs/TPGs and I'm just old fashioned. With the rep this game has I was expecting the next Half-life or Deus Ex, but awrite, I'll give ME one more chance tonight. I quit at some train station on the first map. I shall endure for as long as I can and see if the game picks up pace a bit or suddenly becomes challenging...
Oh yeah, I just remembered, I started at veteran but I could see there were two more difficulty levels grayed out. WTF? Are they trying to make me trudge through the snooze version first and THEN expect me to want to play it again just to get some action? That's the kind of design that makes me want to go throw my used PC parts at the EA headquarters... This is an EA game right?... checking box labels... Of course! Who else would promote something like this?
Great! Now I've worked myself into a frenzy and I changed my mind again. I won't be playing this tonight. Maybe after I sleep off the rage for a few weeks.

[Scrambles off to find the ME review at Zero Punctuation]

Found it! http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/ ... ass-Effect
While I agree with most of Ben's points, his prediction that RPG fans would (or might) like Mass Effect for its RPG elements seems random. I find the opposite to be equally true. Why would a shooter with RPG elements excite RPG fans if the result isn't a good RPG (or any positive result)? If you like that blend it's probably the RPG elements that you like and not necessarily RPGs.

[Ripcage]

[Insert stuffz here]

Which ME were you playing? The first ME was a mediocre game at best as the side quest were mostly "shoot stuff and return to me with some data" type quests, there were only three romance sub-plots even though Garrus and Tali are romance options in later games, and the combat was awful due to [&@%!] controls and only being able to map one power. The main quest is interesting, but not enough to save the game as there are not a lot of endings (Only two as far as I know). ME1 only sets the stage for ME2 by introducing you to the story and characters, and really does not need to be played to enjoy the whole series.

[Xarnac the Conqueror]

Mass Effect died after 1. 2 was basically a linear action game that ruined the story and gameplay because of EA interference (wanting to dumb it down). And by then, 3 didnt even matter since the series was already ruined and made into a cash grab joke.

[Ripcage]

Mass Effect died after 1. 2 was basically a linear action game that ruined the story and gameplay because of EA interference (wanting to dumb it down). And by then, 3 didnt even matter since the series was already ruined and made into a cash grab joke.

I don't understand how 2 "ruined" the story, but if you say so. I partly blame EA for ME3's ending because Bioware was most likely pushed to reach deadlines so they had to cut corners. Big, important corners.

[Moeboid]

I haven't played ME1, just ME2 and ME3. Both started and finished in the last two weeks. I thought ME2 was a really good game. Didn't enjoy ME3 as much, but it was still good; I don't regret the hours I put into it, at least. I have no idea what I liked about ME2 and 3. The story isn't spectacular, but seriously, are there any space operas with good stories? Is the Halo series, or even the (best) Star Wars movies any better? No, not really. I think me liking it might have something to do with the strength of the characters (Legion and Mordin in particular). Few games have such strong characters. There's even some character development in ME2 with all the loyalty missions - And they didn't ruin them with bad voice acting and ultra-limited animation (ie. Oblivion - not that any or the characters were strong to begin with).

I don't feel like I should write this without commenting on the ending: I didn't hate it as much as other people did. It bugged me, but not in a bad way. Throughout ME2, I built strong friendships with all my crew. As a soldier, I guess the mission should be more important than anything else, but by the end of ME3, I cared about my crew far more than I cared about the mission. I hesitantly romanced Tali in ME2. Hesitantly, because it felt kinda irresponsible. Like I said, the mission should come first, and I knew that it wouldn't if I was romantically involved with another character. But I did it anyway because hey, it's part of the game and I'm more of a 100% completion guy than a role playing kinda guy (yep, boss of all factions in all ES games. Totally unrealistic) - I just thought it'd be a shame if I never saw it. But I was right. When Tali was saying her final goodbye, saying, "I just want more time." (to be with me, obviously) I found myself thinking, "Yeah, so would I..."

I'd read about the ending before I played it, and I knew that I'd die. It really did feel like a shame. So many characters had included me in their plans for the future (all my crew, really - not just Tali). Knowing that there was no way to give them that future really didn't motivate me to finish the game. Of course, being a game, it gets quite boring living outside the main story for extended periods of time, so I certainly wouldn't recommend it as a more satisfying alternative.

So the ending did bug me, but not in a bad way. Sometimes there aren't perfect solutions. That's life. I don't like it, but I accept it. I might even go as far as saying that I'm glad that it didn't end like a Disney movie.

[Skrofler]

Which ME were you playing? The first ME was a mediocre game at best as the side quest were mostly "shoot stuff and return to me with some data" type quests, there were only three romance sub-plots even though Garrus and Tali are romance options in later games, and the combat was awful due to [&@%!] controls and only being able to map one power. The main quest is interesting, but not enough to save the game as there are not a lot of endings (Only two as far as I know). ME1 only sets the stage for ME2 by introducing you to the story and characters, and really does not need to be played to enjoy the whole series.

ME = Mass Effect of course. Well I don't know about the controls. It's pretty okay for a console port. I'm guessing you didn't play the PC version. This is a list of improvements that came with the port.

• Streamlined equipment and item management
  New HUD control screen replaces power wheel for easier mouse input
  Ability to give both squad members individual commands
  Customizable hotkey system for biotic and tech powers
  Considerable decrease of texture pop-in
  Dedicated forward and reverse buttons replace view-dependent control of the Mako
  New minigame for decryptions

So why are people miffed about the ending then? I read the plot summary on wikipedia.

Spoiler:

Is it because Shepard dies?

[Ripcage]

Which ME were you playing? The first ME was a mediocre game at best as the side quest were mostly "shoot stuff and return to me with some data" type quests, there were only three romance sub-plots even though Garrus and Tali are romance options in later games, and the combat was awful due to [&@%!] controls and only being able to map one power. The main quest is interesting, but not enough to save the game as there are not a lot of endings (Only two as far as I know). ME1 only sets the stage for ME2 by introducing you to the story and characters, and really does not need to be played to enjoy the whole series.

ME = Mass Effect of course. Well I don't know about the controls. It's pretty okay for a console port. I'm guessing you didn't play the PC version. This is a list of improvements that came with the port.

• Streamlined equipment and item management
  New HUD control screen replaces power wheel for easier mouse input
  Ability to give both squad members individual commands
  Customizable hotkey system for biotic and tech powers
  Considerable decrease of texture pop-in
  Dedicated forward and reverse buttons replace view-dependent control of the Mako
  New minigame for decryptions

Played the original Xbox 360 game and enjoyed the first playthrough. Never played PC or PS3 versions.

[DikaSmausha]

Mass Effect died after 1. 2 was basically a linear action game that ruined the story and gameplay because of EA interference (wanting to dumb it down). And by then, 3 didnt even matter since the series was already ruined and made into a cash grab joke.

Mass Effect 2 was dumbed down compared to Mass Effect, but the series wasn't ruined. That is like saying that the TES series is ruined because each game has been dumbed down. Mass Effect 3 actually brought back RPG elements. The series is not, by any means, a cash grab joke. Maybe some people don't like the series, but a well developed game with tons of lore isn't a cash grab.