Mass Effect 2

Zero-Cool

Hey lads, I know there are other ME2 threads, notably the big one with 11,000 views but there are a lot of spoilers in there from Xbox & PC users who have cleared the game multiple times. Since this is being released on PS3 in the new year, wanted to make a new thread but still have it open to Xbox/PC lads, hence whey it's in the games section and not PS3 section.

Anyway, I never played 1 or 2 before but played the demo on the PSN and thought it was well class! I think i'll def have to pick this one up. I heard it uses ME 3 engine and has an interactive comic that you can 'play' and you make choices from the 1st game and load it up for ME2 to continue the story, very clever stuff. Also, this will include all the patches and DLC released so far!

So, for people who already played through, is this gonna be worth a purchase? and any PS3 guys gonna pick it up?

If you can and if it's available, go pick up ME1.

Zero-Cool

Deleted User wrote: »

If you can and if it's available, go pick up ME1.

I was thinking that alright, try and squeeze it in before ME2 and then copy the story I used in the interactive comic to continue on. Just my PC is a donkey so don't know how it will run. How long does it take to clear ME 1 with just doing main story missions?

Maybe 15-20 hours, but I'm not sure if that's accurate. Is ME1 not available for the PS3? That's a bit lame.

Zero-Cool

Deleted User wrote: »

Maybe 15-20 hours, but I'm not sure if that's accurate. Is ME1 not available for the PS3? That's a bit lame.

Thanks man, naw, Microsoft own the rights to ME 1 apparently

That doesn't make sense -- the best part of ME2 is importing your character that you spent a lot of time and seeing how it changes the world.

Zero-Cool

Ya, they said the interactive comic will cover the big points from ME1 but I might give ME 1 a go, must be cheap on PC at this stage. At least ME 3 is out later this year so I can jump straight into that then (If I like ME 2 anyway!)

Gunmonkey

I got ME1 for around €7 last year in the Steam sale, and its on sale again until 6pm on Steam for €7.49.

Heres the system reqs, doesnt look too intensive:
Supported OS: Microsoft Windows® XP with SP2 or Windows Vista*
Processor: Intel P4 2.4 Ghz or faster / AMD 2.0 Ghz
Memory: 1.0 GB RAM or more (2.0 GB for Vista)
Graphics: DirectX 9.0c compatible, ATI X1300 XT or greater (ATI X1300, X1300 Pro, X1600 Pro, Radeon 2600 HD, and HD 2400 are below minimum system requirements); NVidia GeForce 6800 or greater (7300, 7600 GS, 8500 are below minimum system requirements)
Hard Drive: 12.0 GB or more free hard drive space
Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible
DirectX®: 9.0c

Zero-Cool

Ah great price! I have dual core 2.2ghz and geforce 7600gt, just under the specs, hope it is playable anyway.

Taltos

Have played both and really preferred ME1.
For me ME2 was just too linear, too scripted - maybe I am remembering with rose tinted glasses but I really enjoyed the on-world exploration of the first one with the buggy sections.

Dont get me wrong - go and get ME2 - it will set you up nicely for ME3 - and ME2 for the PS3 is rumoured to have a bit more to account for no ME1 game save - plus - if you need it - for the PS3 it has been built using the ME3 engine - so you will get a preview of what we will soon see with ME3.

Enjoy - and maybe play a few times - I am lazy and once completed have no interest - but might go back again.
So far for me the only games worth replaying are Arkham Asylum & the 2 games with Drake, oh and of course Oblivion & Fable 2.

Kiith

Taltos wrote: »

maybe I am remembering with rose tinted glasses but I really enjoyed the on-world exploration of the first one with the buggy sections.

You're definitely remembering it with rose-tinted glasses

The buggy was awful.

Zero-Cool

Hey lads, I will be getting a new laptop in the new year. The graphics card is a Radeon HD 4500 with dedicated RAM. Can anyone tell me if this will play Mass Effect 1? Getting mixed views online, one guy said he has it and runs fine, another said no chance. Would love to play it on a laptop instead of desktop.

Gunmonkey

I would say so, I have a Geforce 8800GTS and runs both ME1 + 2, the Radeon 4500 is around the same class.

Sure buy it anyways, costs peanuts nowadays.

Zero-Cool

Gunmonkey wrote: »

I would say so, I have a Geforce 8800GTS and runs both ME1 + 2, the Radeon 4500 is around the same class.

Sure buy it anyways, costs peanuts nowadays.

Ya, will get it after work, can't really go wrong with the price. Was looking up classes, I don't have a clue whether I want to play as a soldier or mage guy. Don't really like using magic in games and I like shooting guns but heard the soldier is a bad way to play the game.

Taltos

Kiith wrote: »

You're definitely remembering it with rose-tinted glasses

The buggy was awful.

I loved that damn buggy - better than the freaking radar detector...

Josey Wales

I used to have an Xbox 360 and played the original Mass Effect when it came out. It was my favourite game on the 360. I'm delighted now that the Mass Effect 2 is going out on the PS3. Really looking forward to picking this up in January.

I hope I can remember all the decisions I made in Mass Effect so I can continue my experience that I started in the first one.

funky penguin

I just completed ME1 on the XBox, and I'm trying to decide whether to get 2 on the xbox or PS2.

Probably XBox because of price and my save file.

Is the second a huge improvement? I liked the first, but I thought repetitive level structure made it drag a bit at times (only so many times I could see that colonial structure....). Still, it's much better than Dragon Age! I can't believe I only heard about the series last month!! :eek:

Canis Lupus

funky penguin wrote: »

I just completed ME1 on the XBox, and I'm trying to decide whether to get 2 on the xbox or PS2.

Probably XBox because of price and my save file.

Is the second a huge improvement? I liked the first, but I thought repetitive level structure made it drag a bit at times (only so many times I could see that colonial structure....). Still, it's much better than Dragon Age! I can't believe I only heard about the series last month!! :eek:

Iiit's a good game and plays very much like the first. I only played through once as... a sentinel I think was the class type and everything is much more simplified but I thought that was a fault rather than a plus. Instead of picking up weapons as you go etc you get them as the game progresses. Stuff like that.

It's no deal breaker and I'd still highly recommend the game but if you were getting a touch jaded with 1 then I'd say hold off playing it for a bit.

WolfForager

Has anyone tried the (PS3)demo?? There's a truckload of screen tearing in it, sort of off putting.

Sarky

funky penguin wrote: »

I just completed ME1 on the XBox, and I'm trying to decide whether to get 2 on the xbox or PS2.

Probably XBox because of price and my save file.

Is the second a huge improvement? I liked the first, but I thought repetitive level structure made it drag a bit at times (only so many times I could see that colonial structure....). Still, it's much better than Dragon Age! I can't believe I only heard about the series last month!! :eek:

It's much more streamlined in some areas. They went a bit too far in some areas, such as removing the inventory entirely when all they really needed to do was allow that heap of identical items to stack. No vehicle sections either, unless you get some of the DLC (And I thought the Firewalker thing was a bit meh). Speaking as someone who enjoyed the Mako sections despite the dodgy handling, it does take away a bit from the exploration side, all travel now is pretty much cutscene. And the scanning planets can be pretty annoying. On the other hand, I guess it freed up time to work on environments. You won't be as bored looking at scenery in ME2, it's significantly more varied.

On the other hand, the combat has been streamlined really quite well. You can't use every weapon, and most enemies are very resistant to a certain skill set, so you really have to work your team tactically to get the most out of them. The addition of ammunition after the first was odd, but it works well enough, and needing to conserve shots sometimes makes for extra challenge. Sniping is a lot more interesting in ME2 due to the addition of headshots, invisibility cloaks, and a few seconds of bullet time when you aim.

XP is streamlined too, you get a set amount for each mission, and the level cap is 20 or 30, can't remember which.

Dialogue and characters have improved. Being able to cut dialogue short with Renegade/Paragon actions is well-done

Overall, I miss some aspects of the inventory and weapon mods, but ME2's still an improvement, and well worth getting. Get it on XBox for your save file, it's really satisfying to listen in on news or visit a planet and see what your actions in ME1 caused. The continuity is excellent. Between news and exploring I think most of the choices you make in ME1 are carried over to ME2.

Fanny Cradock

sheehy83 wrote: »

Hey lads, I will be getting a new laptop in the new year. The graphics card is a Radeon HD 4500 with dedicated RAM. Can anyone tell me if this will play Mass Effect 1? Getting mixed views online, one guy said he has it and runs fine, another said no chance. Would love to play it on a laptop instead of desktop.

You are a little short on details (CPU, RAM) but I would imagine that you will be fine. Run this little program when you get your laptop. It will analyse your system specs and give you an answer.

Zillah

Josey Wales wrote: »

I hope I can remember all the decisions I made in Mass Effect so I can continue my experience that I started in the first one.

Prepare to be disappointed. At least with the PC version, if you don't have a save then they just give you a default setup and you have no control over it. It's pretty stupid and unforgivable really. There's a point near the very start where you're sitting with someone and she asks you a couple questions about the first game. I think "Ah, that's a clever way to let me tell the game what I did in Mass Effect 1", but then they just tell you what the situation is and move on.

It would be so easy to have a brief conversation that will configure your primary decisions from the last game, but they didn't bother. Mass Effect 2 is a lot of fun but there's some stuff in there that really annoys me to be honest. Don't get me started on the downsides of starting with no paragon or renegade score.

Kiith

Zillah wrote: »

Prepare to be disappointed. At least with the PC version, if you don't have a save then they just give you a default setup and you have no control over it. It's pretty stupid and unforgivable really. There's a point near the very start where you're sitting with someone and she asks you a couple questions about the first game. I think "Ah, that's a clever way to let me tell the game what I did in Mass Effect 1", but then they just tell you what the situation is and move on.

To be fair, they cover the main 3 choices that happen in the 1st game. Other things like relationships and decisions made with less important characters only come into play with a ME1 save game...which is how it should be done tbh.

Zillah

Kiith wrote: »

To be fair, they cover the main 3 choices that happen in the 1st game.

Which three and what do you mean "cover"? The council is dead, you let the same sex human die, you killed Wrex, you killed the Rachni queen, you didn't romance anyone. I don't remember there being any option to change any of this.

There's no reason they couldn't have had

Miranda run a series of "memory tests" where you can tell her exactly what your decisions were/would have been in those situations. They already started that scene in the shuttle, another two minutes there and you could programme in the majority of your decisions.

It allows people who have lost their saves to rebuild the world they had and it lets new players flesh out their character and the story they're about to play.

Sisko

Zillah wrote: »

Prepare to be disappointed. At least with the PC version, if you don't have a save then they just give you a default setup and you have no control over it. It's pretty stupid and unforgivable really. There's a point near the very start where you're sitting with someone and she asks you a couple questions about the first game. I think "Ah, that's a clever way to let me tell the game what I did in Mass Effect 1", but then they just tell you what the situation is and move on.

It would be so easy to have a brief conversation that will configure your primary decisions from the last game, but they didn't bother. Mass Effect 2 is a lot of fun but there's some stuff in there that really annoys me to be honest. Don't get me started on the downsides of starting with no paragon or renegade score.

You forget your talking about the PC here.

Theres a save editor mod that allows you to select all the detailed choices you made in me1 and its dlc, and save it onto your ME2 save.

So you can totally customise it the way you want, even change gender mid game, or class etc etc.

But its handy if you beat ME1 on a console and play me2 on your pc, apart from importing your me1 face, you can continue on from what you did in me1 if you so wish.


All hail PC gaming.

Zillah

Oh yes, there are third party options. That doesn't say anything about the game design decisions made by the developers though.

Kiith

Zillah wrote: »

Which three and what do you mean "cover"? The council is dead, you let the same sex human die, you killed Wrex, you killed the Rachni queen, you didn't romance anyone. I don't remember there being any option to change any of this.

There's no reason they couldn't have had

Miranda run a series of "memory tests" where you can tell her exactly what your decisions were/would have been in those situations. They already started that scene in the shuttle, another two minutes there and you could programme in the majority of your decisions.

It allows people who have lost their saves to rebuild the world they had and it lets new players flesh out their character and the story they're about to play.

Sorry, when i said 3 main choices, i meant the main decisions that affect the actualy story, not just side missions. Did Ashley or Kaiden die on Virmire, did you kill Wrex, and did you save the Council (iirc). When i started ME2, i was asked if things had happened the way they did in my save game. I said that Ash died, Wrex is alive, and the Council was saved. I had been 'romancing' Ash (so i could bang Miranda after she died ). I had assumed that if i had said they happened differently, that the outcome would have changed. Maybe i'm wrong though, as i never disagreed with what Miranda asked at the start.

I agree with you though, that if you didnt have a save that they should have built upon the scene in the shuttle. Having carried over a save game, i actually loved how it was done. Every now and again running into someone you saved, and having them comment on how they've been since it happened.

Sisko

I agree that the conversation in the shuttle should have been a way to make your choices from me1, as I assumed thats what it was when I 1st played it, although I didnt need it as I played me1 on pc and kept my saves.


However when I had a look at the save editor mod out of interest and saw the sheer amount of decisions you could tick from me1 , well they most certainly couldn't have had all that in the shuttle conversation at all.

Miranda "So shepard , do you remember talking to an annoying guy called Conrad Verner , if so what did you say to him"

"Do you remember punching a reporter"?

etc etc etc

Zillah

Kiith wrote: »

Sorry, when i said 3 main choices, i meant the main decisions that affect the actualy story, not just side missions. Did Ashley or Kaiden die on Virmire, did you kill Wrex, and did you save the Council (iirc). When i started ME2, i was asked if things had happened the way they did in my save game. I said that Ash died, Wrex is alive, and the Council was saved. I had been 'romancing' Ash (so i could bang Miranda after she died ). I had assumed that if i had said they happened differently, that the outcome would have changed. Maybe i'm wrong though, as i never disagreed with what Miranda asked at the start.

I agree with you though, that if you didnt have a save that they should have built upon the scene in the shuttle. Having carried over a save game, i actually loved how it was done. Every now and again running into someone you saved, and having them comment on how they've been since it happened.

Yeah, she asks you some questions but your only options are consistent with the story (either that from your savegame or from the 'default' setup), you can't actually change anything. It is a shame, really wish I had my old save. I might start again and see about rebuilding what I remember with the editor.

Sisko

tis straight forward enough, ticking boxes of what you did etc. You wouldnt even have to start from the start , you can edit any save so you could load up an early save and edit then and continue on from there.

You can import faces and stuff too if you wanted to change you characters face.

(this would mean making a new character making their face, then import exporting the face then importing it to the save of your main character though but its good that its possible)

funky penguin

Got this yesterday.

It's really good, a great improvement on the first in terms of combat. Once I got used to the commands, I really see the benefits of them. Once or twice, Jack has ran off into battle and died on me though..

I like the story so far

(maybe a little too A-Teamish), but the Cerberus thing is interesting. It is a little Harry Potterish with the whole 'I know Shepherd was right about Saren AND the Reapers, and he saved the Citadel and the the Galaxy, but he just hasn't give me enough reason to believe him'. I'm also sick of telling people I'm not part of Cerberus.

Really enjoying it anyway!

Zero-Cool

My new laptop should be here next week. Hopefully it will be able to play Mass Effect 1, have it ready to go! If it plays it smooth with nice graphics, I will just get ME 2 for the PC as well.

Intel® Core™ i5-430M Dual Core Processor, 17.3" HD+ Screen, Windows 7 64-bit, 3GB RAM, 500GB HDD, Dedicated ATI 5650 Graphics.

Mad to get stuck into this game!

KerranJast

I got back into ME2 bigtime over the last week. Finished plowing through 2nd runthrough as Space Bitch aka Renegade Femshep. I'd forgotten how epic the game is.
Only thing bugging me now is my laptop is probably too old for ME3 and it looks like I'll have to upgrade to play, unless there's some way of converting PC saves to 360 (which I doubt).

SeantheMan

It was awarded Gametrailers game of the year

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/game-of-game-of-the/708672

Spunge

How would this run on an x1950 pro ?
Im guessing not very well.

The first one ran ok though.

WolfForager

SeantheMan wrote: »

It was awarded Gametrailers game of the year

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/game-of-game-of-the/708672

And Eurogamers...

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-12-23-eurogamer-readers-top-10-games-of-2010-article?page=2

Kiith

And mine

SeantheMan

Kiith wrote: »

And mine

Mine too ,,,which to me is more important than Eurogamers

SK1979

Game of 2011 for me too. Actually only got it and played it over Christmas. Threw 35 hours into it already though. Fantastic fun.

Just finished a playthrough though, and not perfectly happy with the squad remaining (4 died). It said that I had the option of keeping Shephard at his current level and all his guns and starting again. How do you actually kick this off as I seem to be just rambing aimlessly round tidying up some small quests at present?

Mitch Connor

SK1979 wrote: »

Game of 2011 for me too. Actually only got it and played it over Christmas. Threw 35 hours into it already though. Fantastic fun.

Just finished a playthrough though, and not perfectly happy with the squad remaining (4 died). It said that I had the option of keeping Shephard at his current level and all his guns and starting again. How do you actually kick this off as I seem to be just rambing aimlessly round tidying up some small quests at present?

start a new game and it will ask do you want to import your old charactor (same as it allows you to use a ME1 save)

SK1979

Cheers Mitch. Doh on my part, probably should've checked that first....

2-1 Get in!

Sisko

Why don't you just load up an earlier save and play from there

SK1979

Well I dont think I really had the option to reload an earlier save. The latest manual save I had was about 6-7 hours gametime before.

Also, as I had f*cked up Samara and Thane's loyalty mission, I dont think you can repeat them? Plus I blew up the space station with the Geth on it so that made Legion disloyal to me. They were 3 who died, plus Garrus (but that was a mistake, I sent him down up the shafts and then obviously hadn't killed all the collectors before venting the final gas?) so I'd prefer to go through the whole game again and change a few decisions to see if I can save all. Can you repeat Samara and Thane's mission again?

tman

SK1979 wrote: »

Well I dont think I really had the option to reload an earlier save. The latest manual save I had was about 6-7 hours gametime before.

Also, as I had f*cked up Samara and Thane's loyalty mission, I dont think you can repeat them? Plus I blew up the space station with the Geth on it so that made Legion disloyal to me. They were 3 who died, plus Garrus (but that was a mistake, I sent him down up the shafts and then obviously hadn't killed all the collectors before venting the final gas?) so I'd prefer to go through the whole game again and change a few decisions to see if I can save all. Can you repeat Samara and Thane's mission again?

Not really a spoiler - You can't repeat any missions in the game unless you load a savegame from before you started that mission or start a new game.
You're better off starting all over with your existing Shepard if you've finished it already

Sisko

I make a new save file for every level I start and finish in the game. Then I quick save constantly during the missions.

Its only a few bytes of hd space. :P

But yeah I understand if you didnt save that often why you'd need to start again etc.

** if youve not beaten the game don't read on **

Of all the people what made you send garrus into the shaft? The game gives pretty obvious hints as to who should go. A tech expert. Wouldn't send anyone else unless you actually want them to die, which reminds me of this :

(skip to 12:40)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tuMrfwQLz4

Mordin died for me in my ending and I have absolutely no idea why. The scene where shep radios joker asking did everyone make it back to the normany, you just see mordins body on the ground and joker replying with something like "all the survivors got back in time".

I was like WTF? NO THEY DIDNT!!!?????????

WHAAAAAAA?????????????

When I looked up other peoples endings on youtube characters that died for them all had these dramatic deaths, and all their deaths had a reason, they either didnt upgrade the ship or picked the wrong roles, I did everything right from what I understand regarding all this, yet mordin randomly dies a random death. And I don't even see how he dies.

Kiith

Sisko wrote: »

you just see mordins body on the ground and joker replying with something like "all the survivors got back in time".

I was like WTF? NO THEY DIDNT!!!?????????

WHAAAAAAA?????????????

Are you sure he actually died? I had something similar, with either Mordin or Garrius looking like they had died at some stage, but they were all fine, and i got the achievement for everyone surviving.

KerranJast

It's a common glitch in the game (PC version anyway) which pops up just before the battle against

the Human-Reaper embryo

if you're doing great and haven't lost anyone. I've seen it happen to a load of different characters but they do survive.
I replayed recently as Renegade Femshep and Miranda got hit but was helped up by Shepard and said something like "I'll make it Commanda" in her sexy Aussie accent

If you really want to see behind the logic of the Suicide Mission check out this page -> http://www.giantbomb.com/mass-effect-2/61-21590/guide-how-to-survive-the-suicide-mission-save-everyone/35-385092/

Loads of spoilers there obviously.

Sisko

Random glitch? Hmmm thing is I beat the game then loaded up my save just before the mission and replayed it because I wanted to have my last hour of the game recorded as a kinda mini movie style thing. However I stayed completely faithful to all the choices I made before, and mordin randomly dies in the same place again.

Also theres no mistake that he got killed, you see shepard put her hand on his coffin at the end of the game etc etc and its registered as him being dead when I got to pick team members in any pre-suicide mission, missions I'm doing. (shadow broker etc)

The scene where he dies, you litterally just see a shot of his body on the ground dead as running feet move past him (collectors as far as I remember) and thats it.

Btw if you mention renegade femshep, you should watch all of that vid I posted , you'll enjoy it

KerranJast

Ha yeah the Ironside segments were a good touch. Uberbitch

Sounds to me like Mordin is actually dying so if there's a coffin involved. Is he in his research area on the ship afterwards?

Were all your team loyal? Did you pick the right people for the right jobs?

Sisko

Yes he's completely dead, I just assumed it was cause I didn't use him that much, but I liked the character.

Yes all characters were fully loyal. Legion in the shafts, good auld garrus (the legend) was my squad leader both times. Samara did the whole biotic shield thing and I sent grunt back with my crew.

Jack and thane were my squadies till I could have garrus back then it was thane and garrus.

I remember reading someone saying once that if you choose not to blow up the station , then at least 1 squad member dies. But I doubt thats true.

KerranJast wrote: »

Ha yeah the Ironside segments were a good touch. Uberbitch

just for the craic, feeling reminiscent about the game, A completely different type of video but the very same shep lol

(spoilers etc)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8_irFX5XZo

Kiith

Sisko wrote: »

Yes he's completely dead, I just assumed it was cause I didn't use him that much, but I liked the character.

Yes all characters were fully loyal. Legion in the shafts, good auld garrus (the legend) was my squad leader both times. Samara did the whole biotic shield thing and I sent grunt back with my crew.

Jack and thane were my squadies till I could have garrus back then it was thane and garrus.

I remember reading someone saying once that if you choose not to blow up the station , then at least 1 squad member dies. But I doubt thats true.

I had Legion in the shaft, Garrus lead the other team, Samara was the biotic, and i sent Jacob back with the survivors. And i blew the station as well. Everyone survived. On Mordin's loyalty mission, what happened? Did you get the 'good' or 'bad' end?