So I finally bought Mass Effect...

seriouslywhat

So after buying crackdown a while back for next to nothing and enjoying it immensly I decided to look at cheap games second hand that got great reviews..

So I finally bought Mass Effect.

Anything I should know before starting to play to make it as enjoyable as possible and less tedious.

I watched the IGN Video Review yesterday which seemed to say it was riddled with small problems like saving the game (pet hate of mine) and trouble when shooting, glichy etc..

They say its an epic game but little problems dont help.

Has there been any fixes/patches since release a while back?

ntlbell

seriouslywhat wrote: »

Has there been any fixes/patches since release a while back?

pop it in the drive and you'll find out?

me-skywalker

seriouslywhat wrote: »

I watched the IGN Video Review yesterday which seemed to say it was riddled with small problems like saving the game (pet hate of mine) and trouble when shooting, glichy etc..

They say its an epic game but little problems dont help.

Has there been any fixes/patches since release a while back?

Never had any saving problems, never any toruble shooting except that its too easy when you pick soldier class haha, but its the best calss to get through the game


Only thing is be warned: ELEVATORS!!!

seriouslywhat

ntlbell wrote: »

pop it in the drive and you'll find out?

good one.

No I havent done that yet as I had work to go to and telly was in use last night so I'm goin home very soon to set up for a few hours at it.

30 hours is what IGN reckon it has in it for finishing. Decent amount of playin time by the sounds of it. Hope it doesnt get borin.

And so much for my play through the games I have before buyin any new ones!! :rolleyes:

Sticky_Fingers

seriouslywhat wrote: »

Anything I should know before starting to play to make it as enjoyable as possible and less tedious.

Only thing to know is that it is an epic game that will give you hours of enjoyment. Any problems (inventory system is a bit cack IMO) are tiny in comparison to the games overall awesomeness. Then you have ME2 to look forward to which is one of the best games I've played in a long time.

Blazer

Enjoyed both of them..both very good games..sure there's some flaws but all games have them.
For me the positives outweighed the negatives and great replayability in them.
Don't forget to keep your save games
Keeping your save game from ME1 can be used in ME2 and then onto ME3 when it comes not..not too well implemented in ME2 but they're promising big things for it in ME3.

mlindsay215

Take you're time, complete all the side quests as they impact various response in ME2, and if possible don't play ME2 until you have found the perfect end game for you. Otherwise you will kick yourself when you start it up.

Healium

Be patient. The game may seem a bit dated now, but the combat system and inventory is heavily improved in ME2. Aiming is a bit crap in ME1

Cunning Alias

God damn lifts!! You will know soon enough.

If you hate it, don't give up on the series. Grab ME2. I thought the 1st one was a bit slow but made my way through it anyway. The 2nd one is a massive improvement.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

I didn't mind the lifts at all, far preferred them to the constant "loading" screen you'd get in half life 2 every new area if your machine wasn't up to spec when it first came out

TouchingVirus

mlindsay215 wrote: »

Take you're time, complete all the side quests as they impact various response in ME2, and if possible don't play ME2 until you have found the perfect end game for you. Otherwise you will kick yourself when you start it up.

I did very few side-missions in ME1, while my friends did them all. There isn't anything to be gained from them in the discussions we've had over the two, nothing plot pivotal. The side-missions won't impact on a whole lot in ME2, save for a bit of dialogue here or there. So if you're into backstory and that then do the side-missions. If not then cruise on through, you're hardly missing anything.

My advice: Stick with it. I found the first 10 hours of ME1 to be pretty mundane stuff, but after that I was hooked, racking up another 20 hours in two days until I was done.

More advice: Purchase ME2. If you finish ME1 you will need to play it. If you don't you have two games to trade in.

um7y1h83ge06nx

I thought it was one of the best games I played in many years.

However, the first few hours were very mundane so stick with it.

keith_d99

Was thinking of just jumping ME2 ... is it really that important to play ME1 first?

FutureGuy

I played ME1 and got a little bored of it. About 3 months ago, I bought ME2. Best game I have ever played. Truely incredible on every level.

I'm currently playing through ME1 and I can see all the ways that ME2 is better. However, now that I know what's going on, ME1 is very enjoyable.

mlindsay215

keith_d99 wrote: »

Was thinking of just jumping ME2 ... is it really that important to play ME1 first?

Definitly stick with ME1, it makes ME2 that much more enjoyable, you build a repitoir with the characters, get inside them and see what makes them tick, if you really immerse youself in the game you will understand the struggles of ME2 that much more, not to mention feel a degree of sadness at the opening scene of ME2 as a result from played ME1 as you've gotten "close" to the main character.

nevelator

Install the game to the HDD if you have the room - should make the loading times shorter. You'll still cringe at the thought of elevators though.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

am I the only person on the planet who was very impressed with mass effect 1 but kinda dissapointed with me2?

um7y1h83ge06nx

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

am I the only person on the planet who was very impressed with mass effect 1 but kinda dissapointed with me2?

I sort of feel that way too sometimes.

The combat and inventory/weapon management was a lot more involved in ME1 than ME2.

Of course, ME2 is superior in almost every other way but the dumbed down combat sometimes p*sses me off.

VALIS

Texture drop ins can be a bit jarring sometimes, I found, but otherwise it's a great game--a true modern day RPG. I spent about 32 hours playing through but I suspect that a lot of that can be shaved off if you're not the sidequest type.

ME2, although I was wary at first due to drastic changes to the inventory and to an extent leveling up characters (much simplified) proved even more the masterpiece; I actually dug the dumbed down inventory because I felt it stripped some unnecessary tedium out of it (I have the attention span of a fish). And ME2's latest DLC was so good, I cannot wait for ME3.

SeanyMc22

Picked up ME1 for €8.99 new in HMV today. Looking forward to it as missed it first time round thanks to College.

Sticky_Fingers

Paul Shaggy Mucous wrote: »

I sort of feel that way too sometimes.

The combat and inventory/weapon management was a lot more involved in ME1 than ME2.

Of course, ME2 is superior in almost every other way but the dumbed down combat sometimes p*sses me off.

There was a few things taken out of ME2 that I liked in ME1, though definitely not the inventory system, it was bloated and unwieldy. I would periodically have to shift through it and get rid of loads of equipment that I didn't want or need, not much fun.

I seem to be in the minority with regards the Mako, I actually liked trundling around in it exploring planets and I felt it gave the ME universe a sense of vastness and immersion. I am however glad they got rid of the cookie cutter bases, though my brother contends that it gave it a sense of realism since everything in the ME universe would be mass-produced and modular and outposts would all look the same.

me-skywalker

Its a crime to jsut jump straight into 2 without h playing the first one!!

This lays the backgournd to the story and universe and plots and characters! And on its own is a an epic game!!

Raze_them_all

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

am I the only person on the planet who was very impressed with mass effect 1 but kinda dissapointed with me2?

No I love me1 alot more rpg like with the proper side quests(though the buggy thing was annoying) dicovering characters and

choosing who lives and dies

Me2 just layed them out there and then

VALIS wrote: »

Texture drop ins can be a bit jarring sometimes, I found, but otherwise it's a great game--a true modern day RPG. I spent about 32 hours playing through but I suspect that a lot of that can be shaved off if you're not the sidequest type.

ME2, although I was wary at first due to drastic changes to the inventory and to an extent leveling up characters (much simplified) proved even more the masterpiece; I actually dug the dumbed down inventory because I felt it stripped some unnecessary tedium out of it (I have the attention span of a fish). And ME2's latest DLC was so good, I cannot wait for ME3.

I wouldn't class it as a true modern rpg tbh, maybe an american one, I prefer Jrpg's for there inventory systems, proper battles, not just shooting!! I always hate how in rpg's if a character has a gun he can shoot and shoot all day, yet in a cut scene in only takes one bullet to be killed

Sagat06

TouchingVirus wrote: »

My advice: Stick with it. I found the first 10 hours of ME1 to be pretty mundane stuff, but after that I was hooked, racking up another 20 hours in two days until I was done.

Exactly my experience of it... took a long time to get in to it (1 year between games) but once I did... christ I loved it. And yeah finish 1 before playing 2, it sets it up for you.

The lifts :mad: pick the wrong floor and its like aahh ffs :mad:

calex71

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

am I the only person on the planet who was very impressed with mass effect 1 but kinda dissapointed with me2?

No that I was unimpressed with the game over all as such but really did feel dumbed down in terms of RPG elements in ME2 It got replaced with the even more annoying scanning of planets bits, though that said driving around them in the 1st game was a bit nuts.

AdMMM

keith_d99 wrote: »

Was thinking of just jumping ME2 ... is it really that important to play ME1 first?

When you can pick up Mass Effect for something like €6 in GameStop, there's really no way to justify skipping it! I bought both at full price and never regretted it.

seriouslywhat

€6 in gamestop?! Damn it I payed €10 in xtra vision. Knew I shoulda had a look around!!!:mad:

VALIS

No way, when I was looking around in physical retailers all copies were around 18 euro so I thought I was getting a deal at 15.49 from a seller on play!

Still worth it.

hightower1

Have to say I enjoyed ME1 way more than 2. 1 felt like a proper RPG where 2 just felt like a half assed shooter with a VERY thin RPG premis tacked on.
Much preferred 2's story though.

It was a clear marketing decision though to make 2 dumbed down to appeal to the bigger shooter market compared to the RPG market.
Think of it this way... th erpg fans bought ME1 and loved it so they were a sure bet to buy ME2 no matter what , by changin it to a more shooter based game they could only stand to entice in more purchases.

Long term though is will it hurt ME3 sales? If they remain with the shooter rather than RPG format I wont buy, will just lend off a mate. If it goes back to RPG style then will defo buy.

Sure you end up with shed loads of inventory but thats the joy of playing an RPG, selling it and raking in the loot, grinding fights to level up and get that wicked powerful item! If I wanted a shooter I buy a shooter , if I want a RPG I buy an RPG... please dont try and turn it into a mongrel of the two. It never really works well. I disliked fallout for the same reason, felt like an ok RPG but the combat felt like a 3rd rate shooter. Be one of the other ME3 PLEASE!

hobochris

I never got into ME1, everything felt like it took so long, just going between the embassies felt like forever.

Of Course I started ME1 after completing fallout 3 which is arguably the best xbox game ever.

Jayd0g

+1 on enjoying the mako in ME1 Have yet to play ME2 though, only half way through ME1 at the moment.

Must admit though, I got a planet guide for Mako exploration, so that I knew when I'd found X number items on a planet I'd stop exploring. Once I paid attention to the mini map, it was fine. If you use the radar, you can cover an entire planet in 2 or 3 passes across the map.

Elevators are really annoying though. Usually make a cup of tea while they load.

mlindsay215

If you install the game to you're hard drive the dialouge in the elevator should run, then by the time its finished you should only need to wait a few seconds. Good times.

steel_spine

I definitely recommend playing through ME1 before 2. Me1 does drag a bit at the start while you're getting a feel for the game, but stick with it.
I've played ME2 from an ME1 import, and also just started a fresh game in ME2, and being able to import your character just makes it so much better.
And if you don't play ME1, you miss out on Wrex, which is a crime.

Jayd0g

Just finished Mass Effect for the first time Look forward to seeing how the plot is developed further in ME2!

Limerick3

I still have to finish ME1, need to finish it:cool:

keith_d99

Started on Mass Effect 1 ... following advice here. And sure enough first 10 hours were indeed boring enough (confusing even), but then game suddenly takes off - and wow what a game!

Looking forward to rest of this and ME 2.

Mass Effect 1 ... is very glitchy on Xbox by the way (most glitchy game I have experienced) - but it doesn't take away from the enjoyment. Apparently sorted for ME 2.

BlitzKrieg

I f*cking hate the mako.


I enjoyed ME1 enough but yeah the save issue and sheer annoyance of the mako put me off completing it until I had to before trying ME2.

Once past those two issues I pretty much loved everything else and I was thrilled to carry my shephard on into mass effect 2 (he's so badass he looks like niko from GTA 4 in his 50's) and the choices I made. I think those elements made mass effect 2 such an imense joy to play and I look forward to the same effect in mass effect 3.

But stick with mass effect 1 it easily had the better villain of the two games.

tman

BlitzKrieg wrote: »

But stick with mass effect 1 it easily had the better villain of the two games.

I'm assuming you mean Saren there, but I still get goosebumps thinking about your first encounter with

Sovereign

Mass Effect 1 was a damn fine game despite some flaws imo, I definitely wouldn't advise anybody to skip straight to the second game anyway.

RolandIRL

Is it just me but i found ME1 to be very short and honestly a bit boring. now i love a good RPG, but i'd play a game maybe for a few hours some evenings, and other RPGS (KOTOR/Oblivion) have kept me going for a few weeks/months especially with Oblivion when you can continue on after the main quest. but ME1 i had finished in less than a week. i found it too short tbh and that kinda pissed me off. i did a few of the side missions but the main quest was too easy despite being on the hardest difficulty.
there was a load of little things that irked me as well (elevators, saving and the Mako exploration)

Has the second one improved any, like has the main quest become longer?

VALIS

The main quest seems longer yes; I believe there are more story related missions between the recruitment missions and loyalty missions. That said, both games took me approximately 30-32 hours each to complete. Throw on top of that the dlc (one 'episode' of which--Lair of the Shadow Broker--- is in my opinion intrinsic to the goings on in the ME universe) and you might get an additional 6 or so hours. Also, the variety of environments is better and graphics more lustrous in ME2.

Also in ME2 you can continue after the main quest.

Dave_The_Sheep

If I'm honest, I found Mass Effect 1 to be less than compelling. Sure, the story is decent, but the gameplay itself was repetitive and the combat quite poorly imlemented. I got Mass Effect 2 though, when it was on sale and I've heard the combat is much better.

I never finished the first game, I finished the Noveria section and gave up after that. It just wasn't pulling me back, sadly. I'll probably give Mass Effect 2 a go someday, but I'll feel bad for not having finished the first one.

VALIS

Combat in ME1 wasn't too refined as much as I love it, ME2 is much more refined and streamlined--the combat experience is a lot like Gears of War. I think it hits the right note with action and RPG elements.

pwd

I much preferred ME1 personally. I thought ME2 was made far too easy, thanks to the automatic healing, and as far as I remember, the enemy AI was more passive. In ME1 it was good to try to flank the opponents etc. In ME2 the only tactics that seemed necessary was run to cover.

I liked the vehicle segments in ME1, and was surprised they were removed because in ME2 because of unpopularity.

They're both excellent games though.

VALIS

I liked Mako too actually, and would much rather physically explore a planet than scan them from space (then again, probing Uranus was a cheap laugh). There is a substitute for Mako fans utilised in some of the dlc though, even if it's not quite as fun (but it does at points lend itself to some cool platformer style action). And there's

the flying car section in LotSB

I found ME2 about as hard as ME1, or at least death was inevitable every time I came up against those larger mechs. I found that by doing the side missions in 1 before the main missions, between the swag and EXP, you would be more than powerful enough to take on anything; whereas in ME2 leveling up only seemed to subtley enhance your character.

Sisko

If you are going to play these games you have to accept that its not so much an RPG as other bioware games are, a lot of it due to the fact that your character was given a voice actor.

However once you get over this aspect of it (I was initially very disapointed with me1 having played the KOTOR games) the game has one of the best stories I've seen from sci fi in a while, the universe the ip.

But most interesting of all, the game has one of the best characters I've come across in a long time. Commander Shepard, female commander Shepard that is.

To truly get the most from this game you must pick the female lead character. The difference is ridiculous.

Considering it is less of an rpg and more of a interactive movie the lead characters performance is extremely important to the experience.

Commander Shepard is one of the best female protagonists of all time and one of the best video game characters of all time, or would be, if bioware had never put the choice in there and had it as the female lead only. But due to the choice naturally most people will pick male and have a completely diluted experience versus the female character, largly due to the cliche space jock male character and bland voice acting performance.




It's a damn shame.

I only picked the female character by chance, I hated the fact that my character had a voice and his accent and lines made me cringe so I played the female character and generally leaned her towards a lot of the renegade options and the game turned out to be brilliant, bringing her into the sequel really soldified the whole thing as the 1st game while setting everything up was still trying to 'find its place'.

Since then I've always recommended to all my friends or anyone I know picking up the game to choose the female lead and they;ve all agreed it turns the story from a B movie to a tripe A title.


As for the games themselves, gameplay wise ME1 seemed experimental and messy great story but had to push my way through it.

ME2 couldnt be any different , the gameplay is fantastic, the gun fights , the pace , so much more refined. I rushed through ME1 but I savoured ME2 replaying it on insantity. I even see potionel in multiplayer I found the combat so good.

Still while it did remove a lot of the messy aspects of it there was some things they went too far in removing. Like armour for you and your squad, just looks a little odd running around in full armour while some of your squad are in this heavy gun fight with you, wearing normal clothes.

Hopefully ME3 will meet it somewhere in the middle.

DarkJager

Sisko wrote: »

If you are going to play these games you have to accept that its not so much an RPG as other bioware games are, a lot of it due to the fact that your character was given a voice actor.

However once you get over this aspect of it (I was initially very disapointed with me1 having played the KOTOR games) the game has one of the best stories I've seen from sci fi in a while, the universe the ip.

But most interesting of all, the game has one of the best characters I've come across in a long time. Commander Shepard, female commander Shepard that is.

To truly get the most from this game you must pick the female lead character. The difference is ridiculous.

Considering it is less of an rpg and more of a interactive movie the lead characters performance is extremely important to the experience.

Commander Shepard is one of the best female protagonists of all time and one of the best video game characters of all time, or would be, if bioware had never put the choice in there and had it as the female lead only. But due to the choice naturally most people will pick male and have a completely diluted experience versus the female character, largly due to the cliche space jock male character and bland voice acting performance.




It's a damn shame.

I only picked the female character by chance, I hated the fact that my character had a voice and his accent and lines made me cringe so I played the female character and generally leaned her towards a lot of the renegade options and the game turned out to be brilliant, bringing her into the sequel really soldified the whole thing as the 1st game while setting everything up was still trying to 'find its place'.

Since then I've always recommended to all my friends or anyone I know picking up the game to choose the female lead and they;ve all agreed it turns the story from a B movie to a tripe A title.


As for the games themselves, gameplay wise ME1 seemed experimental and messy great story but had to push my way through it.

ME2 couldnt be any different , the gameplay is fantastic, the gun fights , the pace , so much more refined. I rushed through ME1 but I savoured ME2 replaying it on insantity. I even see potionel in multiplayer I found the combat so good.

Still while it did remove a lot of the messy aspects of it there was some things they went too far in removing. Like armour for you and your squad, just looks a little odd running around in full armour while some of your squad are in this heavy gun fight with you, wearing normal clothes.

Hopefully ME3 will meet it somewhere in the middle.

I didn't really notice any difference between male or female Shepard to be honest. They are pretty much the same apart from the character models.

Saying that, I like that it gives the option to choose. I generally don't go near games with female lead characters, simply for the reason I like to be immersed in the character I'm playing as and the character being the opposite sex sort of breaks that for me.

Sisko

I find self immersion into the character when the character has a cheesy american/canadian accent with really bad acting impossible and instead I immerse myself into the story, directing it as I go. More like metal gear solid or dues ex or something.

Self immersion is only possible when your character is not voiced, which I did with dragon age and kotor etc.

ME fails at this, but it succeededs greatly when you approach it from the Dues ex angle.


Also I dunno how you can't see the differene between the two, its staggering. I actually forgot about how bad it was, having avoided all videos of me2 till I beat it, re-watching the epic monologes shepard makes near the end done by the male character on youtube was a shocking and sobering realisation that while so much is down to excellent writing, actors performance needs to hit the nail on the head to sells those lines.

It was like rewatching starwars with someone like robbin williams playing han solo instead of harrison ford , just makes you appriceate how suited ford is for the role and how damaging a miss cast actor can be to the entire story.

VALIS

I've seen the point of 'FemShep's' voice acting being better arise a few times over the internet, and Jennifer Hale is a seasoned voice actress (she's great in the MGS games) but as has been brought up here, being a man, playing as a man helps with the immersion or at least makes the character that bit more identifiable to me. And from the vids I've seen of female Shepard she doesn't seem substantially better/different; Mark Meer does a good self-confidant/arrogant Commander with that neccessary occasional touch of humour and humility.

Sisko

I think the anti female hero attitude a lot of guys have is really narrow minded and spoiling themselves of an experience, why I wish it was simply Jennifer Hales Shepard only in the game so peoples eyes would have been opened to such a thing.

Its rare for female protagonists to be given any justice in games or movies. If Hales shepard was the default shepard I think it would have made a larger impact on the industry as a whole.


Its just a fact that she does a better performance of the role then Meer but people would still pick the male no matter how bad the voice acting due to preconceived notions of how female protagonists act etc.

I had the same such notions till I played it. And the shattering of those stereotypes is one of the things that makes the character far more interesting.

The idea that female shepard is for female players and male for male players is also pretty narrow minded. Its a shame really. Meer was hired more for the sound of his voice then the acting ability it would seem.

VALIS

In my opinion Meer did an exceptional job. As far as anti-female hero sentiment goes I don't know how prevalent that is when some of the most iconic videogame characters are female e.g., Lara Croft, Jill Valentine, Claire Redfield, Lightening of FFXIII and the many other strong female characters throughout the FF games, Sheva Alomar, Heather from SH3, Aya from Parasite Eve... the list goes on.

Actually I personally preferred Jill's campaign over Chris's in Resident Evil, being immersed in the character of such a linear story experience isn't as important to me, but personally, if I'm playing as a character in a deeply non-linear story it helps to play as a guy to get me involved.

Raze_them_all

VALIS wrote: »

In my opinion Meer did an exceptional job. As far as anti-female hero sentiment goes I don't know how prevalent that is when some of the most iconic videogame characters are female e.g., Lara Croft, Jill Valentine, Claire Redfield, Lightening of FFXIII and the many other strong female characters throughout the FF games, Sheva Alomar, Heather from SH3, Aya from Parasite Eve... the list goes on.

Actually I personally preferred Jill's campaign over Chris's in Resident Evil, being immersed in the character of such a linear story experience isn't as important to me, but personally, if I'm playing as a character in a deeply non-linear story it helps to play as a guy to get me involved.

Not a strong lead female character at all tbh