Must....play....Mass Effect....NOW!

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Dear lord, this title looks to be the absolute Bee's Knees. Star Wars, Green Lantern & Lensman good-ness galore!

I'm trying to figure out if I'll play it first evil-y or good-ly...man or woman.

[Adem]

I plan on getting a 360 soon and this will be one of my first games. I can't wait either.

[Kevin M.]

I have been watching this game for a long time now, and I am excited about this game. The whole RPG, and customization element looks awsome. And I love the real time dialouge choice. Man I want this and Bio Shock to come out all ready.

[Agent Helix]

This is one of the games that's convinced me that a 360 really is a must-have.

[Void]

After KOTOR and jade empire I am convinced taht Bioware can do no wrong. Mass effect is going to raise tha bar and they fit it all on one disk.

[Kevin M.]

After KOTOR and jade empire I am convinced taht Bioware can do no wrong. Mass effect is going to raise tha bar and they fit it all on one disk.

I want to see what they are going to do for a sequal for Mass Effect, if they do one. Hell I want to see the next gen Jade Empire, and KOTOR

[BlairH]

Mass Effect will smoke human bones! It looks awesome.

[Headhunter]

It looks incredible, the 360 has an unbelievable string of quality titles throughout 2007 so far. Once the Wii gets rolling (I haven't enjoyed my limited experience with Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess so far), I'm really going into the poorhouse... :)

[Kevin M.]

It looks incredible, the 360 has an unbelievable string of quality titles throughout 2007 so far. Once the Wii gets rolling (I haven't enjoyed my limited experience with Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess so far), I'm really going into the poorhouse... :)

You are not the only one.

Here is the offical next gen battel: NINTENDO VS MICROSOFT

[Shawn Hopkins]

I can't wait for Mass Effect either. It may be the first game I've ever reserved, just so I can get it on the first day.

[1WEBHEAD]

So this game is like Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, but in a future outer space universe? If so sign me up! :D

[Serik]

The X360 has seen some awesome games thus far. If they don't port Mass Effect to the PC, I might actually buy the console.

[SpydaWeb]

Mass Effect is still planned as a trilogy, isn't it...it along with Too Human were originally announced as Trilogies with both allowing you to use the character you created in the sequels.

[Lester C.]

Mass Effect is going to be a kick ass good game. It's Bioware so that's a given. Still I don't get why you guys are so excited. Yes, it's going to be good but Bioware takes it time to do the job right so we might be years away from this awesome game.

I know I am coming off as a prick but I'm not. I've seen people pump themselves up for years waiting for a movie or game. Then after years of waiting and whipping themselves up in a frenzy they are always massively disappointed because at the end of the day nothing can live up to that kind of unending and unyielding hype. I would spare you the pain that Fable fans felt even though Fable was actually a decent game.

[Xero Kaiser]

Mass Effect is going to be a kick ass good game. It's Bioware so that's a given. Still I don't get why you guys are so excited. Yes, it's going to be good but Bioware takes it time to do the job right so we might be years away from this awesome game.

I know I am coming off as a prick but I'm not. I've seen people pump themselves up for years waiting for a movie or game. Then after years of waiting and whipping themselves up in a frenzy they are always massively disappointed because at the end of the day nothing can live up to that kind of unending and unyielding hype. I would spare you the pain that Fable fans felt even though Fable was actually a decent game.

Uhhh...no. It's due out Q2 2007. In fact, Bioware hinted that it'd be out before July. Seeing as the game itself is basically done, I have no idea why you're going on about it being years off.
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/771/771319p1.html

LOL2U and all that

[Lester C.]

Uhhh...no. It's due out Q2 2007. In fact, Bioware hinted that it'd be out before July. Seeing as the game itself is basically done, I have no idea why you're going on about it being years off.
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/771/771319p1.html

LOL2U and all that

I hope you're right but they did the same thing with Kotor 1 and several other games. I just don't want you guys to be disappointed if it doesn't live up to the hype. Is that so wrong?

[BlairH]

I hope you're right but they did the same thing with Kotor 1 and several other games.

I don't think they did. Bioware are usually reliable when it comes to getting their games out on time.

If you want to see an example of a studio that is REALLY tardy, look at 3D Realms. Duke Nukem Forever will be out "any day now"...

[Sheldon]

I also don't remember KOTOR 1 being delayed, at least not for xbox. The PC version I have no idea.

[DrDoomX]

This game is going to rock, and I think my gamestop guy told me it comes out June 5, 6 around there. Anyway this game is going to rock. I hope anyhow, but its Bioware, so we shall find out. Its interesting to note that this game is the first of a trilogy that will span the 360 lifespan. So yes, we will see more Mass Effect games before the next gen comes....I for one are very excited for this.

[SwordChucksMaster78]

Damn, all this talk is making me want a 360 even more!

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Delayed till September?

KHAAAAAAAAAAAAN!

[Alex]

Game informer did a write up, where the developers used the phrase "Jack Bauer in space".
I've gone from wanting the game to wanting to have carnal relations with it.

[Lester C.]

Delayed till September?

KHAAAAAAAAAAAAN!

It looks that way (http://www.gamespot.com/news/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=25584833&sid=6169548&om_act=convert&om_clk=newstop&tag=newstop;title;3). If anyone has a problem with this I direct them to play Kotor 2 or Pirates of the Caribbean. A late but bug free game beats and early but bug filled game any day of the week.

[Jmacq1]

Game informer did a write up, where the developers used the phrase "Jack Bauer in space".
I've gone from wanting the game to wanting to have carnal relations with it.

Hahahahahah!

Sig please?

And yes, this game sounds totally awesome. The more I see, the more I'm looking forward to it.

[Lester C.]

The part that has me the most excited is that their will be multiple story paths in the game, and what happens in the other game is determined on how you play part 1. I'm not sure how they are going to pull that off, but I trust in Bioware and will purchase a 360 like I purchased an Xbox to play the original Kotor.

[Jmacq1]

The part that has me the most excited is that their will be multiple story paths in the game, and what happens in the other game is determined on how you play part 1. I'm not sure how they are going to pull that off, but I trust in Bioware and will purchase a 360 like I purchased an Xbox to play the original Kotor.

I wouldn't get your hopes up -too- high. It may very well be no more than some dialogue changes and -maybe- a couple sub-quests and whatnot.

For example, instead of contradicting or answering "Atton Rand's" questions about Darth Revan's gender, fate, etc...the game just automatically pulls that info from the previous game's savedata. And thus the references get turned to "He" and the micro-cutscenes with cameos of characters from the last game are set into place.

Though how that would work with multiple saves is a mystery to me.

That, and I'd be thrilled if it was something more encompassing and ambitious than that.

[DrDoomX]

I wouldn't get your hopes up -too- high. It may very well be no more than some dialogue changes and -maybe- a couple sub-quests and whatnot.

For example, instead of contradicting or answering "Atton Rand's" questions about Darth Revan's gender, fate, etc...the game just automatically pulls that info from the previous game's savedata. And thus the references get turned to "He" and the micro-cutscenes with cameos of characters from the last game are set into place.

Though how that would work with multiple saves is a mystery to me.

That, and I'd be thrilled if it was something more encompassing and ambitious than that.


Actually from what I understand its supposed to be very very ambitious. The Ending you get at the end of Mass Effect will effect the way the other games go, and ultimatley effect the series. So yes, its not going to be just subtle changes, its going to be some very very major changes to the game...

[Thorlief]

one word, Bioware, is enough to cream my pants til my socks
and theyre also developing a RPG for the DS...omg

[Thorlief]

ok, time to resurrect this thread and continue our fapfest


between this and Galaxy this November is going to be the best month ever.

[G. Wayne]

I was going to wait until Xmas to pick this up, but I may just go ahead and buy it (or have someone pick it up for me anyway due to the gaping wound I'll have in my stomach at the time) on the 20th as a coping mechanism for my surgery on the 15th. Yeah. That's the ticket. Yeah. :D

Course knowing my luck, I'll end up getting stuck in the hospital for a week.

[DaeJi]

This game is so awesome looking and sounds so amazing that everytime I think of it my pants fall down!

[1WEBHEAD]

This game is so awesome looking and sounds so amazing that everytime I think of it my pants fall down!

Mine get tighter.:o

I find extremely awesome games from Bioware extremely hot and sexy.

Ladies, get you copy this upcoming Tuesday.;)

:cool:

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Bless those who break the street date because I got to play Mass Effect.

Beware! It is not the Second Coming of Christ as some have prophecised. It is quite good though. KOTOR with a slick new coat of paint and a developer that's getting better and better at their craft with each new game.

[Thorlief]

KOTOR with a slick new coat of paint and a developer that's getting better and better at their craft with each new game.

this, to me, is like First, Second and Third coming of Buddha sitting on Jesus' hand while the Divine Shiva and Muhammad are playing paintball in the courtyard with Moses cooking some tacos

[DaeJi]

According to some reviews I've read, this game is basically KOTOR made next-gen. Which means it's probably going to be the best game released on the 360 since it came, one of the best games of the year (if not the best), and an automatic buy-on-sight that puts other games released this year to shame (save for Mario Galaxy). Basically, everything anyone could want in a video game.

[Lester C.]

According to some reviews I've read, this game is basically KOTOR made next-gen. Which means it's probably going to be the best game released on the 360 since it came, one of the best games of the year (if not the best), and an automatic buy-on-sight that puts other games released this year to shame (save for Mario Galaxy). Basically, everything anyone could want in a video game.

Before I go nuts I thought this game was a rpg/shooter? Does this game have Kotor's battle engine or am I playing Halo which I hate. At last I hate the genre as Halo has done for Microsoft what Mario did for Nintendo.

[1WEBHEAD]

Before I go nuts I thought this game was a rpg/shooter? Does this game have Kotor's battle engine or am I playing Halo which I hate. At last I hate the genre as Halo has done for Microsoft what Mario did for Nintendo.

My friend said the game is kinda like Gears of War and KOTOR rolled into one.

Maybe it's not the best description but it's something.

[Ramiel]

I think the battle system is real time battle similar to Jade Empire.

[Jake V]

It's real time, but you can stop time and give orders to your squad. No turn-based combat. You can set it so your squad thinks for themselves, and their AI is pretty good. They switch to the right weapon for a given situation, and use their "biotic" abilities whenever they think they should.

I've been playing for 13 hours now, and it's probably the best game I've ever played. (gamertag- "the antistar")

[Thorlief]

so basically, like Kotor. Which I much appreciated

[Bored at 3:00AM]

The trickiest bit about the combat is not playing it like a straight up shooter--which it resembles almost exactly. But once you look under the hood, you realise there's a lot more going on for you to play with.

[Thorlief]

heh, I think I would play ME even if there were no fights at all.

[Hiromi]

GAH Give me my PC port!

[Ramiel]

so basically, like Kotor. Which I much appreciated

More like Jade Empire I think, not a huge difference but a little.

Some reviews finally starting to come in and there quite good, lowest I've seen is a 4 out of 5, but all the rest are at least 9s.

[Thorlief]

hm, not as good as I was hoping it to be but still they deliver a top notch story. I can pass on a couple of glitches without much trouble

sure seeing Halo 3 scoring more than ME kinda hurts

[Ramiel]

hm, not as good as I was hoping it to be but still they deliver a top notch story. I can pass on a couple of glitches without much trouble

sure seeing Halo 3 scoring more than ME kinda hurts

Unfortunately I expected it to be less rated then Halo 3, not to say I don't think it'll be better, but I just don't see a lot of people surpassing H3's score simply because it's Halo.

[BYC]

Strong reviews so far. I'm gonna check the local stores and see if anybody is selling early as reported by people on GameFAQs.

The biggest problems I'm seeing from the reviews is AI and iffy combat system. Jade Empire's was so bad, I hope Bioware learns from that.

I also hope the story isn't the standard Bioware fare (you are special, you get allies, you fall in love, BIG PLOT TWIST, choose good or evil, win, ending based on if you're good or evil).

[Jmacq1]

There is no "good and evil" in the game. More like "Idealistic" or "Ruthless" but you're saving the galaxy no matter how much of an a-hole you are about how you do it.

[BYC]

There is no "good and evil" in the game. More like "Idealistic" or "Ruthless" but you're saving the galaxy no matter how much of an a-hole you are about how you do it.

That's what was reported yeah. But Jade Empire was suppose to be like that as well. I'll believe it when I see it.

[EmeraldOutlaw]

Jade Empire was like that, it just depended on how you play it. The reviews I've read have me a little worried about some of the glitches and bugs this game has. But I'm sure they'll throw out an auto update or two before long.

And even the apparent poor AI and sucky commands I still can't wait to play it.

[Ramiel]

Jade Empire's was so bad, I hope Bioware learns from that.

What was wrong with Jade Empire's combat?

[BYC]

What was wrong with Jade Empire's combat?
Have you played Jade Empire? Jump over enemy, attack, repeat. That's it.


And even the apparent poor AI and sucky commands I still can't wait to play it.

Same. I'm getting myself really hyped for it. Which is bad :D

[DF2506]

I want to Gamestop today and they said that they've had Mass Effect for A WEEK now! They said that they will be selling it tommorrow!!!! YES! I can not wait! This game is going to be so cool!

Its amazing they've had it for a week though. I'd say thats the earliest I've seen them ever get a game. Wish they could have sold it last week (lol), but oh well. I have my copy pre-ordered and paid off. All I have to do is go over there tommorrow and pick the game up! Man, I'm looking forward to it so much!

DF2506

[Ramiel]

Have you played Jade Empire? Jump over enemy, attack, repeat. That's it.

That didn't work every time, especially when magic was involved or the opponent was much taller or faster then you.

[DaeJi]

Reading some reviews, none of the faults look to be game breaking in any way what so ever. More like minor annoyances that can be ignored and won't get in the way. I cannot wait to play this game, it looks soooooooooooooooooooo good!

[1WEBHEAD]

Reading some reviews, none of the faults look to be game breaking in any way what so ever. More like minor annoyances that can be ignored and won't get in the way. I cannot wait to play this game, it looks soooooooooooooooooooo good!

I think it's safe to say that this post represents what everybody here is thinking. :D

[Genma:TheDestroyer]

That didn't work every time, especially when magic was involved or the opponent was much taller or faster then you.

I tended to just upgrade Mirabelle and blow a hole through everyone.


"Magnificent Bastard"? Dunno about that, but he had an awesome weapon.

[DF2506]

I'm going to get my copy tommorrow when Gamestop opens! Can't wait! Its going to be so great getting this game, taking it home, and playing the heck out of it!

One thing I've noticed from most of the reviews: they say its more of an rpg then anything else, which is definitly what I want! I'm so sick and tired of first person shooters at the moment and I want to play a really cool rpg! Though I gotta admit: the third person shooter aspect of Mass Effect does look pretty cool too (nice to see the person your playing when your shooting) !

In any case, its going to be VERY nice to have something different and cool to play on the 360 other then the first person shooter genre (which we've been getting plenty of lately. Don't get me wrong: I love Halo 3, Bioshock, and the Orange Box, but I'm ready for something different).

DF2506
" I saw the Mass Effect art book plus stradegy guide package at Gamestop today and wanted it, but I didn't have the extra $35. lol! Oh well, getting the game tommorrow! "

[1WEBHEAD]

My mom's going Christmas shopping tomorrow and I've been MORE than obvious on what I want. :D

[Jake V]

Just beat it earlier today. I unlocked "hardcore" difficulty and can now get up to level 60 with my characters.

Gonna go a second time on hardcore and make totally different dialogue choices. I'll try to do all the side-quests as well.

Seriously. Playing it through again can be like playing through a totally different game.

[Jared H.]

From gamespy:

It's a rare thing when a game comes along with the power to move a player emotionally. Warts and all, you'll want to experience Mass Effect if you have any interest at all in enjoying one of the greatest efforts that modern videogaming has to offer. Mass Effect takes interactive entertainment to breathtaking new heights and is wholeheartedly recommended. This is one of the best games of the year, and will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the greatest games ever made.

Wowzers.

[Ramiel]

Pick it up at Wal-Mart today about 12:05 in the morning, had to wait in a good 20 person line. Though, of course, me and only one other person had any interest in Mass Effect, everyone else was getting Rock Band and at least one was there for Live Free Or Die Hard.

Anyway, I played about 3 and a half hours into and so far, already, I'm blown away. The story has already hooked me, the music is terrific and the conversations and people's looks and reaction just seem so realistic it's amazing.

I know I read in a few reviews the combat was weak, I got to disagree, I like it. It's kind of like a slower paced Gears Of War. I expected to be that almost from the beginning, I guess a lot of people were expecting GOW paced action with RPG elements and not the other way around. Either way, it's awesome so far, definitely worth the money I paid

[Alex]

I know I read in a few reviews the combat was weak, I got to disagree, I like it. It's kind of like a slower paced Gears Of War. I expected to be that almost from the beginning, I guess a lot of people were expecting GOW paced action with RPG elements and not the other way around. Either way, it's awesome so far, definitely worth the money I paid
Yeah, i just went out and bought it and have been playing for an hour or so.
As for the combat being weak...well, heres how im seeing it.
I can have kotors combat system straight up, where i tell a guy to shoot, and then wait for him to shoot.
I can have a turn based fighting system, or i can have real time.
And this game gives me real time shooting, and more kotorish "Spell casting", and im loving that.
It makes it feel like an rpg that has fun combat.

[Alex]

Oh, almost forgot, the most shocking thing so far?
In the character creation screen, when you move the head to see what your guy looks like from the side, he actually turns his head...like a human would turn their heads.
Most realistic people in a game ever, none of that dead corpse look to be found, great facial animations, and they move like people.

[Thorlief]

hah, thanks for the impressions. i'm getting mine in a couple o'days, but I must finish Galaxy first. And...I don't want to...

[1WEBHEAD]

SHUCKS!:mad:

My mom went to go get it but they ran out since I didn't pre-order it. . .

:mad:

[DF2506]

Well...I picked up Mass Effect today!!! :)

Here are my quick impressions so far:

Pros

-Great graphics: the enviorments, the cutscenes, the faces, everything just looks very cool!
Alien design-Wow. Lots of cool looking aliens in this game. Some look better then Star Wars aliens even, imo. Definitly a thousand times better then Star Trek (lol). And I like Star Trek.
-Main character designing-I really like this. Making my own Shepard face was cool and thanks to some input from a friend, I think my Shepard turned out good.
-Really good story so far
-Combat is really fun so far (and not super easy, even though it is on easy). Wheel system is cool, weapons are (mostly) excellent, and powers are cool. I like it!
-Though, thankfully, imo, you can definitly tell this is an rpg. Its focused more on the story, character interaction, etc then it is the combat. I love that. Its really cool to explore and interact with the characters
-Great soundtrack. The soundtrack definitly reminds me of 80s sci-fi movies
-Menus are super slick and nice. I like 'em. The Codex is a handy feature too.

Cons

-There is some slowdown (aka lag) once and awhile but its mainly when the game loads an area. This is done very fast, so its really no big deal. You will notice it, so I thought I'd mention it.

-Its cool that certain ablites are for certain classes, but if you can't really use a certain weapon like say...the sniper rifle...then it might be ok if they didn't include said weapon in that class. Its a nitpick I know, but it still kind of bugs me that I can't use the sniper rifle/scope on Vanguard class....lol. OH well. Next plathough I'm going to be Infiltrator (sp?).

Anyway, not very many cons. This game is just excellent! I love it. VERY happy I got it today!

You will notice on my impressions I didn't cover traveling the galaxy or using the Mako (rover). I actually haven't done either thing yet (though I will soon). I'll let you know what I think of both once I see them! :)

DF2506
" Definitly 360 game of the year, imo."

[EmeraldOutlaw]

Awesome. Outstanding. Best time I've had gaming in a while. As said, the graphics are phenomenal, character design (including npcs) are mind blowing, as are the facial expressions. The combat isn't as bad as I'd heard, and actually very enjoyable.

I wanted to kick as much as as possible so I picked Soldier Class. The sniper rifle is cool as the crosshairs moves away from where you're aiming when you aren't as skilled in that area. I assume that once you level up your sniper skill that will slow down. Cool feature.

And the customizability of everything is absolutely incredible. I've got some armor piercing bullets for my assault rifle. I have yet to try the shotgun, but I'm looking forward to it. I also like how the guns are all shown as being on your person, not just appearing for nowhere when you switch to them. They unfold all sci fi like, which I really love.

Alright, no more talking. Need play more. :p

[Ramiel]

Yeah, i just went out and bought it and have been playing for an hour or so.
As for the combat being weak...well, heres how im seeing it.
I can have kotors combat system straight up, where i tell a guy to shoot, and then wait for him to shoot.
I can have a turn based fighting system, or i can have real time.
And this game gives me real time shooting, and more kotorish "Spell casting", and im loving that.
It makes it feel like an rpg that has fun combat.

Exactly, this is a RPG with GOW type gameplay, not GOW type of gameplay with RPG elements. I can't help but shake my head when I see that as a con on a review I read, especially since the combat is well over fine.

I just started going to other planets, man, this game just feels so massive and awing it's crazy. I also got to The Rover, I really don't see where all the complaints are coming from here, I had no problem with it at all, it's actually a little fun, I mean it would suck it you had to do it for a long period of time, but I'm usually out of it and search stuff within 10 minutes.

This game rocks, I already like it better then Bioshock and Assassins Creed.

[DF2506]

Exactly, this is a RPG with GOW type gameplay, not GOW type of gameplay with RPG elements. I can't help but shake my head when I see that as a con on a review I read, especially since the combat is well over fine.

I just started going to other planets, man, this game just feels so massive and awing it's crazy. I also got to The Rover, I really don't see where all the complaints are coming from here, I had no problem with it at all, it's actually a little fun, I mean it would suck it you had to do it for a long period of time, but I'm usually out of it and search stuff within 10 minutes.

This game rocks, I already like it better then Bioshock and Assassins Creed.

Yep. Its definitly an RPG. I know my friend who loves GOW (and especially first person shooter stuff) didn't really care for Mass Effect. He said he wasn't interested in the rpg elements and yes he did compare the combat to GOW, but in such a way that makes me think he likes GOWs combat better though. Personally I like Mass Effects combat better. Of course, overall, I'd say Mass Effect is a TON better then GOW (graphics, gameplay, story, etc are all MUCH better).

Also I love the Mako. Its alot of fun! Shooting, traveling the surface, etc. Its a lot more fun then Halos vechiles, imo.

And the game does indeed rock. Oh and as much as I love Bioshock (best first person game this year IMO), I think I definitly like Mass Effect better and I know it has more long lasting appeal then Bioshock. Of course I wouldn't say that to my first person obessed friend. He'd prob look at me like I'm crazy. lol.

Haven't played Assassin's Creed, so I wouldn't know there. I'll prob rent that sooner or later though.

Mass Effect is definitly my RPG of the year & 360 game of the year!!

DF2506
" Call me crazy if you want, but if I did have to pick one game overall that would win game of year, I'd prob pick Super Mario Galaxy! Mass Effect would be a very close runner up though! "

[Jmacq1]

For any that are wondering:

I picked up the Limited Collector's Edition (or more accurately had it delivered from Amazon), and as far as extra features go, it's pretty nicely loaded out:

Bonus DVD:
4 Documentaries, three of which are all about the making of Mass Effect, one of which is a history/overview of Bioware. All of them are both informative and casual enough to be entertaining. The history of the company is actually very interesting, but sadly it almost seems like a retrospective now that the company has been bought by EA. Really makes me wonder how the guys on the doc would talk about the company now (or more like a year from now after the changes from the sale become more apparent). It's about an hour's worth of programming, all told.

10 songs from the Soundtrack

A huge gallery of concept art and development pics.

A whole mess of gamer pics and dashboard themes, none of which are recycled from the preorder disc.

All the Mass Effect trailers, to include the TV spot that wasn't on the preorder disc.

A handful of game trailers for stuff outside of Mass Effect, all of which are recycled from the preorder disc.

Other Goodies:
"Galactic Codex: Essentials" - A 36 page booklet that's written from an in-universe perspective as a "primer" to the setting. Provides a basic history and overview of the setting with a nice layout and lots of artwork.

"Mass Effect - A Future Imagined" - The nigh-inevitable artbook. Lots of development and production art. About the same size as the "Assassin's Creed" artbook that folks got for preordering, but not quite as nice because it's softcover.

A separate folder that securely holds both discs (the game and the bonus disc)

A nice little tin to hold it all in.

All in all, I'd give it a 9 out of 10 on the bonus stuff scale. About the only other thing they could've done is add some silly little collectible trinket like a little replica of the Normandy or whatnot.

[Chiasm]

I can tell that this game is going to make me buy a 360.

[Thorlief]

one more fing day and this baby is mine.

[DF2506]

Love this game. It just gets better and better.

The world I'm on right now is pretty cool. Lots of indoor levels, but some cool outdoor stuff too. And man..the boss fight I'm at now is pretty hard too. Definitly going to have to figure out a stradegy for it. lol.

Such a fun and cool game. I'm looking forward to playing more of it later today if I can. Might not be able to though because of Thanksgiving. We'll see! lol.

DF2506
" And on that note, happy Thanksgiving eveyone! "

[Alex]

I've got for or five hours of playtime, im still on the second planet you go too, im still seeing new stuff.
I just talked to an alien i think was inspired by friggen eyore from winnie the pooh.

[DF2506]

Wow. The area I'm at now...wow! Just my favorite area yet. So cool. I'm pretty much done with the area now though. Its short (side mission related), but....I want to look around the surface a bit more. Man...this game is so awesome. Every planet I've been to so far has been cool, love driving around in the Mako, finding little side areas, looking at the scenery in the sky, etc. Also talking to my crewmates on the Normandy has been very cool too! And combat is fun! I like the shotgun a lot.

Anyway, having a great time with this game. I can definitly see the downloadable content potential in this game too! Hope Bioware does get that out next month...

DF2506

[EmeraldOutlaw]

And combat is fun! I like the shotgun a lot.


DF2506

Personally, I like the sniper rifle. :D

And yeah, the DL content potential is through the roof. I'd like to see a few more in depth side quests.

[DF2506]

Personally, I like the sniper rifle. :D

And yeah, the DL content potential is through the roof. I'd like to see a few more in depth side quests.

Haven't been able to use the sniper rifle (well I can, but theres no scope...*sigh* ) because I did the Vanguard class. Didn't know you couldn't use the sniper rifle with that class. So ya, next time I play I'm prob going Solider or more likely Inflitrator! :)

Shotgun is definitly my favorite on Vanguard.

Oh and I definitly want to see a few more in depth side quests! Maybe a new planet to explore/fight in and..hmm..either a wrecked spaceship to visit or an adandoned space station. Something like those. I don't know. Bioware could prob come up with something cooler then that even. Anyway, I just hope we get a new sidequest or two, with some new equipment to pick up in the areas too. Definitly hope Bioware announces something soon...

DF2506

[Ramiel]

I've got for or five hours of playtime, im still on the second planet you go too, im still seeing new stuff.
I just talked to an alien i think was inspired by friggen eyore from winnie the pooh.

Ah, yes, the Elecor, love those guys.

[Alex]

Ah, yes, the Elecor, love those guys.

Do we see more later?
I just got the normandy, and have been flying around seeing whats what.
Went to an abandoned spaceship and did a side mission that had nothing to do with anything.

[Jmacq1]

I learned the hard way that Soldiers do not fare well against Biotic Users (at least not without serious Biotic protection on their armor...which I don't have/can't afford yet).

But I've completely filled out the party membership roster and done a double-handful of side-quests. The only thing that's annoyed me so far is some of the planets that are available right at the start of the game have a lot of crates/lockers/crashed space probes that apparently can't be opened without fairly high Decryption/Electronics skills, forcing you to come back later. I don't mind some backtracking in games (and admittedly I started doing side-quests before really pursuing the main plotline too much), but it'd be nice to be able to "clear" a planet in one fell swoop....particularly the planets that are only visited for side-quests.

[Xero Kaiser]

You're not missing anything other than some extra loot. And your electronics skill doesn't have to be really high to unlock them, so you'll get them soon enough.

So far I'm 20 hours in and I've spent the last 13 of those hours just doing sidequests

[Jmacq1]

You're not missing anything other than some extra loot. And your electronics skill doesn't have to be really high to unlock them, so you'll get them soon enough.

So far I'm 20 hours in and I've spent the last 13 of those hours just doing sidequests

At this point I need all the loot I can get. Stuff's so dang expensive in the stores that even with all the running around and resource collecting, I can still barely afford the decent stuff, much less enough of it to outfit the whole party.

My only other complaint with the game (a very minor one): Apparently in the future, someone decided that elevators were going too fast, so they slowed them all down to a snail's pace.

I mean seriously, I'm fine with the little messages you get over the loudspeaker that sometimes lead to side-quests, but the extra minute or so of "dead time" during most elevator rides is really kind of annoying.

[EmeraldOutlaw]

I agree with you 100% about the elevators. I do like the PA announcements but when you're off on some planet taking the elevators there really aren't any. So...it'd be nice if it was speeded up a bit.

And yeah, stuff is pretty expensive. I did a huge long quest where I was picking stuff up and getting cash from killing lots 'o enemies. I get back to the Normandy and see that I have around $28k. I said to myself "Oh, now I can buy a decent weapon...but not a great one.

But, all in all, I think if these two things are my biggest beefs with the game, things are pretty sweet. :)

[Ramiel]

Do we see more later?
I just got the normandy, and have been flying around seeing whats what.
Went to an abandoned spaceship and did a side mission that had nothing to do with anything.

Theres a few scattered about throughout the game so far, though I'd love to see one as a playable character.

A personal complaint I have with the game is the shop system. A. Things are extremely expensive, it's going to quite awhile before I buy something at the shop before going broke and I have a fairly decent amount of credits. B. With weapons and armors, I wish it would tell you if and how much better/worse it is then your current equip. You basically have to memorize your current stats, which isn't a big deal by any means, but it'd be a nice touch.

Also, those elevators are painfully slow. I know it's like a nice way of loading, but when given a choice of watching my characters stand there for a minute or watching a still image with information on it like KOTOR and Jade Empire, I think I may take the latter.

Though, these complaints are so minor it really doesn't matter and really doesn't effect the game much

[Jmacq1]

Theres a few scattered about throughout the game so far, though I'd love to see one as a playable character.

A personal complaint I have with the game is the shop system. A. Things are extremely expensive, it's going to quite awhile before I buy something at the shop before going broke and I have a fairly decent amount of credits. B. With weapons and armors, I wish it would tell you if and how much better/worse it is then your current equip. You basically have to memorize your current stats, which isn't a big deal by any means, but it'd be a nice touch.

Also, those elevators are painfully slow. I know it's like a nice way of loading, but when given a choice of watching my characters stand there for a minute or watching a still image with information on it like KOTOR and Jade Empire, I think I may take the latter.

Though, these complaints are so minor it really doesn't matter and really doesn't effect the game much

On the first point: Agreed on the expenses, but there -is- a way to compare stats from the shop menu. I forget exactly which button it is, but look around on the inventory and/or shop menu, as I know it's displayed there. Press the button and the stats for the equivalent weapon on all three party members will appear (if you're outside the ship) or just Shepard of you're using the Requisition Officer in the hangar bay.

That's the other thing....I figured that the elevator trips were loading times...but in some cases that just seems bizarre given that larger areas don't seem to require those "loading pauses." (For example, the elevator to the hangar on the Normandy still takes forever, despite the total size of the Normandy not being as big as say, the Wards on the Citadel). Then again, I guess the graphic intensity of the galaxy map and/or engine core probably mandates the separation.

[Ramiel]

On the first point: Agreed on the expenses, but there -is- a way to compare stats from the shop menu. I forget exactly which button it is, but look around on the inventory and/or shop menu, as I know it's displayed there. Press the button and the stats for the equivalent weapon on all three party members will appear (if you're outside the ship) or just Shepard of you're using the Requisition Officer in the hangar bay.

That's the other thing....I figured that the elevator trips were loading times...but in some cases that just seems bizarre given that larger areas don't seem to require those "loading pauses." (For example, the elevator to the hangar on the Normandy still takes forever, despite the total size of the Normandy not being as big as say, the Wards on the Citadel). Then again, I guess the graphic intensity of the galaxy map and/or engine core probably mandates the separation.

Oh, well, ok that's good then, that just fixes that problem. And I was only assuming that's what the elevator trips were, just glorified loading screens. I mean, if that's not the case, then man, that just sucks

[Jmacq1]

Oh, well, ok that's good then, that just fixes that problem. And I was only assuming that's what the elevator trips were, just glorified loading screens. I mean, if that's not the case, then man, that just sucks

I'd think they almost have to be, otherwise there's just no excuse for them taking as long as they do.

[DF2506]

Elevators are definitly load times. Most of the time it doesn't tell you that, but I have had it say loading once and awhile while in the elevator.

Also: if you check the menu out while in the elevators, you'll notice that you can't save. Plus the Codex doesn't talk at all while you're in elevators. Though you can look at it and read stuff. Plus you can check equipment, your squad, and journal.

Personally, I'd rather have the elevators and the other cool loading screens in Mass Effect, then the static load screens in other games. Those are extremly boring imo.

Anyway, I love the side missions in this game. There are just a lot of them and its really cool traveling to different planets (and other places) and exploring them. I like finding artifacts on the planets and making my way over to the main objective (aka side mission). Thats pretty much all I'm doing right now. I wanna make this game last as long as I can. Just finished another side mission recently and soon I'm going to look in my journal and see what else there is.

I do have a couple of main missions to complete, but those will have to wait for now. :)

DF2506

[Jade_GL]

If you are at a shop and need to see your current armor or weapon versus what you want to buy, you can compare by pressing Y. I didn't know this detail until I played a while though because I wasn't really looking for it. Also, I avoided shops as much as possible and spent all my money on the licenses for my homeboy on the Normandy. I just never really saw the need to buy stuff when I was always finding new things just from exploring.

I played the game for almost 20 hours I believe and have now completed one play through the game. I played as a female Vanguard class which was pretty sweet. I managed to get 480 achievement points in the first go through (without walkthroughs or anything).

One thing I can't wait for is downloadable content. I really want them to expand the universe and add more side quests that tie into the main storyline. Not just smugglers on a distant moon or some random shite, but stories that have little details that tie into the main quest. There are some in the game already obviously, but I want more. I guess I am just being greedy. :)

Anyway, totally awesome game. I am going to play it again and try to do everything the exact opposite of the way I did it the first time around.

[Thorlief]

well this game is supposed to be a trilogy, so I wouldnt count on meaty downloadable content. Obviously I'd be happy to be proven wrong

[Jade_GL]

well this game is supposed to be a trilogy, so I wouldnt count on meaty downloadable content. Obviously I'd be happy to be proven wrong

True. I just hope that the downloadable content isn't just some random missions. I want them to be as well thought out as the rest of the game. Of course, since they promised content, I would expect they have some interesting things up their sleeves.

But yeah, I'm not expecting anything earth shattering either. :D

[1WEBHEAD]

Okay!

Whoof, I'm not even half way done. I love this game. I love what Bioware is giving me. First Bioshock, now this?!

This game is truly one of, scratch that, THE BEST 360 GAME I'VE EVER PLAYED.

I love you Halo 3, I love you Bioshock, and I do have the hots for you Gears of War but this one just takes the cake! :D

I like the way this game works.

I'm glad Bioware took the time and put in the effort of putting all the diolouge in entirely voice-acting form instead of boring, dull text. It really has a powerful impact. I also love how they threk in the "Film grain" look to make it look more cinematic.

I'm a Vangaurd dude. He's sorta like a mix Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. I can't use my sniper or assult rifle but I kick more than enough ass with my pistol and shotgun.

I'm mostly the nice, but assertive guy who rarely plays "the asshole" card. I think I'm getting close to Ashley liking me.

The Joker is great.

This game is just so.....MUCH! There's so much to do! so many options! I don't think I will soak it all up in a 2nd passing. But no matter. I'll be more than happy to replay this game until I get all 45 achievements.

Man this game is something else.

5/5

What? Oh, the bad stuff? Yeah the elevator are slower than Kelly Pickler and there are a few lags here and there but those are minor nitpicks. Totally my GAME OF THE YEAR.

I don't know how they're going to handle the DLC but they can definately count me in for that and the upcoming trilogy. :D

[Jmacq1]

I'm loving the idea of downloadable content, no matter what it is.

However I'm less thrilled about the trilogy given Bioware's recent buyout by Electronic Arts. So far Bioware is claiming that they still retain full creative control over the games they make, but we'll see how long that lasts when they try to put out another game with some of the content that Mass Effect has (and the "M" rating that goes along with it). Not to mention that EA seems like a company that'd be inclined to try to rush Bioware into getting "Mass Effect 2" out by say...holiday season of next year. Which means you very well may end up with a KotOR II situation.

Anyway, the bottom line is that Bioware's new corporate parent makes me VERY nervous in terms of how the sequels might be affected.

[Thorlief]

I agree with all of your concerns. If EA would really be capable to ruin Bioware's astonishing curriculum then we'd suffer a great tragedy here

[1WEBHEAD]

I don't see how EA could screw up a beautiful thing like MASS EFFECT but then again, they have failed to stop dissappointing me every chance they get.

[Kid Kamikaze10]

I agree with all of your concerns. If EA would really be capable to ruin Bioware's astonishing curriculum then we'd suffer a great tragedy here

They haven't screwed up the developers of Burnout yet, so I think Bioware will maintain their greatness.

[Ramiel]

Hopefully EA will let Bioware be and do as they wish and just publish their games. Hopefully EA will not get too deeply into Bioware's business and try to do things like creative change or speed up the process to get things out quicker, though I do expect to see Bioware's games much more multiformated then before.

[EmeraldOutlaw]

Yeah, I continue to be optomistic about the buyout. I'm not huge fan of EA, but I'm hoping their resources can help Bioware get more of their great product out.

[xAgentx Iron Fist]

screw cod4 {still getting}
screw the orange box{still getting}
mass effect looks like the highlight of my christmas{:D :D }

[EmeraldOutlaw]

For those who have played it...what class have you played as? And what path did you take, paragon or renegade?

I chose to go as a pure soldier, but I think I'm going to go through as an infiltrator my second time through. I went through as a straight laced good guy. But I think I might try a little more hard assed my second trip through. Kind of like that Roughneck leader from Starship Troopers. Liked, respected, but kind of a hard ass.

[Jade_GL]

For those who have played it...what class have you played as? And what path did you take, paragon or renegade?

I chose to go as a pure soldier, but I think I'm going to go through as an infiltrator my second time through. I went through as a straight laced good guy. But I think I might try a little more hard assed my second trip through. Kind of like that Roughneck leader from Starship Troopers. Liked, respected, but kind of a hard ass.

I played as a female, super good, Vanguard class. I got almost all the Paragon points I could (my bar was completely filled looking well before I got to the endgame). I like the Vanguard class because you get biotic powers, but I also got use of the shotgun, and the shotgun was wicked by the end of my game. I was one-shotting people.

Next time I want to play a scarred, nasty renegade character. I think I will go for maybe a pure soldier or more tech savvy class. Also I have to decide if I want to try it as a female again (cause I am a girl and like playing as one) or if I want to try as a male and see how different situations are because of gender.

Just thinking about it is getting me excited. :D

[Ramiel]

For those who have played it...what class have you played as? And what path did you take, paragon or renegade?

I chose to go as a pure soldier, but I think I'm going to go through as an infiltrator my second time through. I went through as a straight laced good guy. But I think I might try a little more hard assed my second trip through. Kind of like that Roughneck leader from Starship Troopers. Liked, respected, but kind of a hard ass.

A pure solider and I took the paragon path this time through. My second go through I'll probably hit up the Vanguard class and go renegade and just be a plain ol' dick/bitch.

[EmeraldOutlaw]

I really like the fact that, to the best of my knowledge, the paragon/renegade points don't actually have any real effect on anything other than public perception of you. Whereas in Kotor, and even Jade Empire a little, the light/dark would have a modifier on some skills. So, in some spots you would have to take a certain path to boost your skills whether you wanted to or not.

I'm really looking forward to really speaking my mind on the second play through. There were a couple of spots (won't spoil anything) where I really wanted to blast people for what they'd done but didn't because I was all paragon.

[Ramiel]

I'm really looking forward to really speaking my mind on the second play through. There were a couple of spots (won't spoil anything) where I really wanted to blast people for what they'd done but didn't because I was all paragon.

I hear that, I plan on really blasting the Council this time through

[EmeraldOutlaw]

Yeah, you and me both.

[Jade_GL]

Yeah, you and me both. I can't wait to give Udina a piece of my mind. No really, I wish I could somehow make my renegade character knee him in the groin.

But I'll probably have to settle for just saying something really bitchy.

[StreetFighterRyu]

Game Revolution's review (http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/xbox360/mass_effect) of Mass Effect. Case you're interested.

[Ramiel]

Game Revolution's review (http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/xbox360/mass_effect) of Mass Effect. Case you're interested.

So the cons are crappy graphics (Ok, I guess, I've yet to see that), Crappy driving (I hear this a lot but I think the driving is fine, I've had little problem) and the autosave, what's wrong with the autosave, I mean sure they are few and far between but you can save anytime before or after a big fight.

I mean, an A- is still an excellent score by all means, but those cons are so nitpicky

[Jmacq1]

Yeah, I actually enjoy cruising around in the Mako. Sure it's not as responsive as your average driving game and it handles a little funky...but it's not designed to be a driving game, and it ain't a normal car. And besides, blowing the heck out of stuff with the Mako's weaponry is loads of fun.

I'd say the "exploration" piece probably could have been expanded a bit more, but I wouldn't call it a weak point.

But crappy graphics? Uhm....no, not even close. A few graphic glitches? Absolutely, most notably the texture lag (And I hope Bioware can come up with an update that mitigates that).

But then again, I already noted my complaints above. Mostly the interminable elevator rides. The money issue seems to go away around the level 25-30 mark, though the top-end stuff remains expensive in the stores.

[Jared H.]

Not only do I love this game from the bottom of my heart, my fiance is also addicted to it.

[DF2506]

So last night I beat Mass Effect!

Wow. What an awesome ending (and cool music during the credits). The main quest is definitly short, but the sidequests do add time and I know that I really should have done even more sidequests then I did (did a lot, but there were even more to do). Wow. Love this game.

So what am I going to do now? Well.....after I beat the game last night I already started a new character!! lol. :)

This time I'm playing as a female. Her name is Kara Sheppard (named after Kara aka Starbuck from Battlestar Galatica) and she's an Inflitrator (can use the sniper & tech ablities). Also...she's totally a renegade! Every time on the dialogue I have her say the renegade thing. So far I've seen Sheppard punch a guy out, shoot another guy, and also letting the council, Anderson, and that idiot Ambassador have it! And wow, this is even more fun then my first play through (which is saying a lot). Oh and I've encountered a couple things so far that I missed on my first playthrough (other then the renegage stuff). Man this game is so great!

Can't wait to play more of it.

DF2506
" The replay value on this game is amazing."

[DaeJi]

WOW, I love this game. Having only played eight hours into it, I already know that this is going to be one of my favorite games, ever. I haven't had this much fun in a game since Jade Empire. I love the conversations, the helping people, the romances, the character creation (but man, my girl has hips!), and I lovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelo veloveloveloveloveLOVE that my character has actually spoken dialogue!!!!! Even the slight flaws don't bother me at all; not the elevator, not the Mako, and I enjoy the combat.

[BYC]

I've avoid this thread like the plague to avoid spoilers and such since I picked up ME a week ago.

It's a great game. The production values are really high, and the presentation is amazing. Other than those 2 points, I feel the rest of the game is good. But those 2 really hold everything together. Everything feels bigger, more epic, and more intense since the production values and presentation really brings everything else up.

Like the Mako. Medicore at best, but fill in the exploration, add the story, and viola, it feels much better. The dialogue is as good as it can be in a game without being too much of a cliche. It's always a good thing, since we know we're playing a game, but the dialogue has to feel natural enough not to obivously standout as a video game.

The game gets better and better, as a game should be. I wasn't that sure it was a great game until around the Feroes, when the game just felt grand finally. It won't win Game of the Year, but I think it should win RPG of the Year definitely.

[StreetFighterRyu]

" The replay value on this game is amazing."

Well, is like KOTOR. You have multiple choices, with multiple consequinces, ect.

And the graphics aren't bad. I mean it's not number one but it's not crappy.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I'm finishing off my second playthrough now.

I would recommend starting off as a Paragon Soldier first to figure out how to best play the game, then going for Renegade Adepts or Engineers on your second go round.

You also get to use all the bonuses you unlocked from your first game.

[Jared H.]

Be sure you unlock the Assault Rifle Achievement before tackling the game on a harder difficulty level. Unlocking the Achievement allows any new character you make to use Assault rifles even if they normally would not qualify. This would allow such neat things as Singularity or Lift followed by a hail of rifle fire.

[Jmacq1]

You can do that with almost every skill in the game (get an achievement that lets you use it with any character class when you start a new game).

However you only get to select one bonus skill for each new character.

Additionally, when you beat the game you can start a new game with your old character (in fact it's best to do this if you're trying to get the "get to level 60" achievement).

It also lets you get some more options in some of the early conversations (since if you're like me, your charm/intimidate wasn't high enough to explore all the options early in the game).

[EmeraldOutlaw]

So I'm nearing the end of my first play through and just now looked at the achievments. I already got the assault rifle achievment but I wasn't actually sure how (until now).

I was wondering, does anyone know how to check to see how many kills you have with a particualr weapon? Or is it just more of a crapshoot until you actually unlock the achievment?

Oh, and I also would like to voice my displeasure with the stupid Salarians. Not only did they help to screw over my Krogan buddies, but they really give off that grade school tattle-taler vibe. You know, that kid who will do or say anything to get ahead and take you down a peg. I've read on the Bioware forums where people have wanted to have these guys as party members in the next game but they can screw right off as far as I'm concerned.

[Jmacq1]

Yeah, it's pretty much a turkey-shoot to get the weapon achievements. But it doesn't take much, particularly on the "main quest" worlds. I basically did the Assault Rifle achievement while doing side-quests, got the Shotgun while going through Feros, and am working on pistol through Noveria. Yeah, saving the Sniper Rifle for last.

Basically, if you want to max out all the achievements as fast as possible, you have to play through the game at least three times:

Once as a Soldier, once as an Engineer, once as an Adept, or alternately play through one time with each of the "hybrid" classes (Technically you could max all the skill/weapon achievements on just two playthroughs (Engineer and Adept) though, since you can still get the achievements for weapons even if you aren't "trained" in a weapon).

Once pure Paragon, once pure Renegade

Max out your charm/intimidate on at least one play through, to resolve an "impossible" situation with charisma (there are two places in the game where this can occur).

Romance at least one of the options to completion (Sorry, the Asari Consort doesn't count).

Once on "any" difficulty (to unlock Hardcore), Once on Hardcore difficulty, once on Insane difficulty.

Each time you play through, pick two of your companions and stick with 'em pretty much the whole game. Don't repeat any of them on subsequent playthroughs (this and the "difficulty setting" achievements are the only ones that absolutely mandate you play through the game three times).

So yeah....that's a lotta playing to unlock all the achievements. But with the bonuses that many of these achievements give, it's actually pretty well worth the effort.

[EmeraldOutlaw]

Damn...oh well. I was planning on playing through another time anyway but I'm definately going to have to pay more attention to what I'm doing.

I believe I did resolve one of the impossible situations but I missed out on some of the ally achievements. Most of the time I was just picking who I liked...then trying to do a more balanced team...just have to pay more attention next time.

[1WEBHEAD]

What are the impossible situations?

[EmeraldOutlaw]

Virmire and one at the end of the game...as far as I know.

What a game man, what a game. I really enjoyed everything about the game, especially the ending. Now enjoying my second playthrough as a renegade/hard ass infiltrator. I want to get the ally achievments this time, but I'm not sure who I want in my party for 60% of the game. I'm thinking Ashley and either Kaiden or Wrex.

Who did you guys decided to take with you most of the time? Or was it a case, like my first playthrough, of mixing it up and trying everyone?

[1WEBHEAD]

Virmire and one at the end of the game...as far as I know.

What a game man, what a game. I really enjoyed everything about the game, especially the ending. Now enjoying my second playthrough as a renegade/hard ass infiltrator. I want to get the ally achievments this time, but I'm not sure who I want in my party for 60% of the game. I'm thinking Ashley and either Kaiden or Wrex.

Who did you guys decided to take with you most of the time? Or was it a case, like my first playthrough, of mixing it up and trying everyone?

Thanks I'll keep an eye out for those two. (I haven't gotten that far, side quests keep me busy)

I'm a vangaurd and I kick major ass with Ashley and the blue chick so that's who I'm playing with most of the time.

On my second playthrough, I plan on being a hard-ass jerk with Rex and the dark purple alien that has the cool mask. :)

[Jade_GL]

My first play through I kept Kaiden in all the time (he's my homeboy, I told you!) and I switched between Garrus and Tali.

I started my badass/soldier play through last night. I also switched up genders and went male this time, since I was female the first time. I plan on using Tali and Liara this time as my crew.

I love the lines that come up when you play the hardass/renegade type. I was alone and playing the game, laughing my butt off half the time with some of the stuff he was coming up with.

[EmeraldOutlaw]

My first play through I kept Kaiden in all the time (he's my homeboy, I told you!) and I switched between Garrus and Tali.

I started my badass/soldier play through last night. I also switched up genders and went male this time, since I was female the first time. I plan on using Tali and Liara this time as my crew.

I love the lines that come up when you play the hardass/renegade type. I was alone and playing the game, laughing my butt off half the time with some of the stuff he was coming up with.

Same here. Some of the stuff said just seems like stuff I would probably say in the same situation and it's pretty hilarious. I can't remember who I told to kiss my ass, but it was outstanding. :p

And I decided on using Wrex. Some of his lines early in the game that I missed last time are also pretty funny...

Guy: The consort...well...she...

Wrex: HA! You've never been have you, kid?!?

Besides, Kaiden is going to die with the Salarians anyway...chose Ashley last time, probably going to do it again. :p

[Jade_GL]

Same here. Some of the stuff said just seems like stuff I would probably say in the same situation and it's pretty hilarious. I can't remember who I told to kiss my ass, but it was outstanding. :p

And I decided on using Wrex. Some of his lines early in the game that I missed last time are also pretty funny...

Guy: The consort...well...she...

Wrex: HA! You've never been have you, kid?!?

Besides, Kaiden is going to die with the Salarians anyway...chose Ashley last time, probably going to do it again. :p

Ok, here's how it goes with me...

I killed of Ashley last time, but I will probably save her this time around. I had to keep Kaiden alive last time because he was my boyfriend... Well, I was constantly buttering him up with compliments about what kind of a man he was, etc. ;)

But I will switch it up this time I think, just to see what happens.

[Ramiel]

Well, I just beat the main quest, I loved the ending but I can't help but feel a bit pissed because I didn't get either the completionist or any of the ally achievements. I did over 50 quests and put Tala and Wrex in my party every mission since I got them. I planned to go through it anyway so I guess it doesn't really make any difference I'll just a get a guide and get all the quests I must've missed

[Jade_GL]

Well, I just beat the main quest, I loved the ending but I can't help but feel a bit pissed because I didn't get either the completionist or any of the ally achievements. I did over 50 quests and put Tala and Wrex in my party every mission since I got them. I planned to go through it anyway so I guess it doesn't really make any difference I'll just a get a guide and get all the quests I must've missed

I got completionist first time through buuuuuut I only got the achievement for having Kaiden in my team the whole time. I had Garrus in my team for a ton of time, but I guess I didn't have him in long enough. Agh! I only used Tali for maybe a few side quests and none of the main quests.

So I feel your pain. :D

[1WEBHEAD]

Got completionist just now without finishing the main quest. (yet)

[StreetFighterRyu]

The driving is just fine....what's the beef then? The driving acts like Battlefield 2. So it's all good then.

[1WEBHEAD]

The driving is just fine....what's the beef then? The driving acts like Battlefield 2. So it's all good then.

I never got the Mako hate.

I thought they were pretty fun. Mowing down geth, taking down towers/turrets and battling surprise under ground giant lizards, I don't see that as boring. . .

[StreetFighterRyu]

I never got the Mako hate.

I thought they were pretty fun. Mowing down geth, taking down towers/turrets and battling surprise under ground giant lizards, I don't see that as boring. . .

Not boring. The GR review was stating that the driving sucks. And some people said so too. But it doesn't. My buddy had a problem with the driving but I don't have a problem with it. Is just like Battlefield.

[EmeraldOutlaw]

I can understand where some of the hate comes from, and I would like to see some fine tuning on the driving. But once I got the hang of it, I really didn't have a problem.

And I, as well, was pretty pissed I didn't get the completionist achievement. On this play through I think I'll go the plan 1WEBHEAD had (I think)...do as many of the sidequests right off the bat. Plus that way, I can make the main quest a little more cinematic by completing it all in order.

[Jmacq1]

Just be aware that some of the side-quests don't "unlock" until you finish certain main-quest worlds.

I don't think any new side-quests unlock after Virmire, though....

[Ramiel]

Just be aware that some of the side-quests don't "unlock" until you finish certain main-quest worlds.

I don't think any new side-quests unlock after Virmire, though....

How many side-quests and stuff do you actually have to complete to get the achievement? All the info says is 'the majority' of the game and I'm assuming that the Ally achievement is linked to it since it has the same 'majority' claim.

[Jmacq1]

I'm not sure, but I've seen the "75-80% of the total game" number kicked around a lot on various message boards as the criteria for "majority" of the game. How that's calculated I really don't know. I got the "Completionist" feat last night, but no corresponding Ally feats, though I've used Tali and Liara almost exclusively (except occasionally while running around on the Citadel and in the portions of the game where they weren't available/before they were recruited).


Of course I've also heard that the "Ally" achievements might be a little buggy.

[1WEBHEAD]

I can understand where some of the hate comes from, and I would like to see some fine tuning on the driving. But once I got the hang of it, I really didn't have a problem.

And I, as well, was pretty pissed I didn't get the completionist achievement. On this play through I think I'll go the plan 1WEBHEAD had (I think)...do as many of the sidequests right off the bat. Plus that way, I can make the main quest a little more cinematic by completing it all in order.

Yeah, I did all the side quests the game threw at me (except the PLANET/MINERAL scanning ones) before I even went to Feros or Virmire.

I'd just go out Planet scanning in other solar systems and I'd get all kinds of SOS's and transmissions. . .Sometimes people stopped me while I was at the Citadel and asked me for help. . .

[BYC]

Now that I've beaten the game and played it more, it's unfortunate that the game is more shallow than I thought it was regarding the side quests and planet exploration. I really really hate the fact mines. bunkers, and bases all have the same overall area, but just different layout. That annoys me to no end.

I'm also annoyed that Bioware can't seem to use the HD to cache things. All this disc access stuff also seems to be a Bioware trademark. The load time and graphic glitches seem to always in their games. It's almost they focus exclusive on graphics, story, and game engine, but forgot to get good programmers to make sure the game runs smoothly.

Sometimes I wonder how great a game could be if we had Bioware do all the production and direction, and Square do solely the execution and programming.

[Jared H.]

Bioware is having to deal with the fact that not all Xbox 360 owners have a hard drive, which annoys me to no end. I personally think there should be an option for those of us with the hard drive to load some of the game data to it to decrease loading times, etc.

[BYC]

Bioware is having to deal with the fact that not all Xbox 360 owners have a hard drive, which annoys me to no end. I personally think there should be an option for those of us with the hard drive to load some of the game data to it to decrease loading times, etc.

They seriously thought that? Really? Shouldn't it be like a HUGE warning on the label saying if you were an idiot and bought the Core, you can't play this game. Go spend another $100 - $179 to get a 20 or 120 HD. Know this actually angers me more heh.

[EmeraldOutlaw]

http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/xbox360/file/930279/50960

Found this FAQ that explains some of those completionist and ally achievements.

[Ramiel]

http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/xbox360/file/930279/50960

Found this FAQ that explains some of those completionist and ally achievements.

Hm, I missed about 8 side quests, guess I need to pick up a guide or something. Ah, I'm such a nasty, nasty achievement whore

[EmeraldOutlaw]

Aren't we all? :p

[1WEBHEAD]

Hm, I missed about 8 side quests, guess I need to pick up a guide or something. Ah, I'm such a nasty, nasty achievement whore

ME too, what's your total gamerscore?

Mine's 7100. . .

It's not much . . .

[Jared H.]

ME too, what's your total gamerscore?

Mine's 7100. . .

It's not much . . .

Just under 6000 here. I blame having multiple consoles.

[Ramiel]

ME too, what's your total gamerscore?

Mine's 7100. . .

It's not much . . .

Only 5705, I haven't had a lot of time or money for gaming this year so it slim.

[1WEBHEAD]

Just under 6000 here. I blame having multiple consoles.

Is Nintendo hussling in between you and your lovely 360?:p

Only 5705, I haven't had a lot of time or money for gaming this year so it slim.

That's still alot higher than most of my friends. I plan on renting Fight Night round 3 and King Kong and that new Avatar game just because my friends who have it say that they're all "easy scores". . . .

Man, I'm such a geek. . .

[Ramiel]

That's still alot higher than most of my friends. I plan on renting Fight Night round 3 and King Kong and that new Avatar game just because my friends who have it say that they're all "easy scores". . . .

Man, I'm such a geek. . .

By far, the easier score I've seen is Samurai Warriors 2, it's just unlocking people, which is easy and can be done in like less then a week. Not done it myself, I couldn't urge myself through that game that many times.

But, anyway, Mass Effect really doesn't have many hard achievements outside the Completionist and Ally ones (not hard, just frustrating). All the others are a few 100 kills or use so and so this many times. The only one I thought I'd have a dick of a time with would be Tactician, but I ended up getting in in that last playthrough

[Jared H.]

Is Nintendo hussling in between you and your lovely 360?:p





Dude, Mario.

[1WEBHEAD]

By far, the easier score I've seen is Samurai Warriors 2, it's just unlocking people, which is easy and can be done in like less then a week. Not done it myself, I couldn't urge myself through that game that many times.

But, anyway, Mass Effect really doesn't have many hard achievements outside the Completionist and Ally ones (not hard, just frustrating). All the others are a few 100 kills or use so and so this many times. The only one I thought I'd have a dick of a time with would be Tactician, but I ended up getting in in that last playthrough

yeah, it's just a matter of doing them and replaying the game.

Not that that's a bad thing. :D

[StreetFighterRyu]

Just be aware that some of the side-quests don't "unlock" until you finish certain main-quest worlds.

I don't think any new side-quests unlock after Virmire, though....

Yeah, I'm aware of this. I'm sure is not that different from KOTOR series right? As far as I can remember since I last played them.

[Jmacq1]

Yeah, I'm aware of this. I'm sure is not that different from KOTOR series right? As far as I can remember since I last played them.

The only difference being that with KotOR, all your side-quests took place on the same worlds that the main plot took you to, as opposed to hopping around to 20 or 30 worlds that you wouldn't necessarily have to visit at all.

As far as the game goes:
I finished Virmire last night. And while I'm not one to get all that emotional about my games anyhow, I must confess that the "inevitable party member death" scene really didn't feel like it had as much impact as it should. Maybe because I hadn't really been using either possible character much in my party, but it just didn't have the "oomph" that it felt like it should've. I probably would've felt worse about losing Wrex, but I managed to talk him out of getting himself killed. ;)

[Alex]

As far as the game goes:
I finished Virmire last night. And while I'm not one to get all that emotional about my games anyhow, I must confess that the "inevitable party member death" scene really didn't feel like it had as much impact as it should. Maybe because I hadn't really been using either possible character much in my party, but it just didn't have the "oomph" that it felt like it should've. I probably would've felt worse about losing Wrex, but I managed to talk him out of getting himself killed. ;)

Ok, totaly in spoilers.
I felt the same way. I can't even remeber the name of the guy i let die because i never used him. I also didn't understand what he was doing, didn't seem as important as the bomb.

Anyone who played through the noveria bit get the feeling the guys who made the game were Ender's Game fans?

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Take a look at this demo from 2006. Obviously the combat and conversation gameplay has been dumbed-down substantially from what it was supposed to be. The cinematics also seem much more fleshed out than what the released game has.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsx3JICOnNM&feature=related

Damn shame. As good as the game is, it could have been so much better. Glad they made Sheppard a bit more handsome though. The version they had in the demo doesn't quite work to me.

[Jmacq1]

I don't know if I'd call it "dumbed down" so much as "Streamlined" but yes, there are definitely features in the older versions that I wish would have carried over (most notably a more in-depth squad control system and/or the ability to control individual squad members). The slightly more detailed cinematics were a nice touch, too, though I don't see a lot there that's too different from what we got...aside from the specific conversations not occurring in-game.

However I think some of that was given up to maintain a more "cinematic" experience. If "you" become John Shephard, it doesn't make a lot of sense for "you" to suddenly become Kaiden Alenko in the middle of a fight. It really seems to me like this is the closest I've ever come to actually "playing a movie." I just think their ambition might have outweighed their capability...or more accurately the storage capacity of a single X-Box 360 disc...just do multiple discs already! I don't think people mind having to switch discs if the game experience is worth the trouble.

Still, the things that had to be cut out or streamlined for this iteration might make it back into the sequel. At the very least, I'd be very surprised if several of the criticisms levelled at the game aren't rectified in some manner with the sequels (Full squad control, less cookie-cutter side-quest worlds, faster elevators, etc...).

I admit one aspect of video game RPGs in general that I'd really like to see evolve is inter-party interactions. Mass Effect does better than some in this regard, with bits of small-talk between characters here and there and a bit of the interaction in the "briefing room" bits, but it still kind of seems like Shephard is the only member of the crew that talks to/has a relationship with all the other members of the party outside of that briefing room. Why don't Wrex and Ashley debate the merits and flaws of various weapons manufacturers? How about Garrus and Tali being attracted to each other (since neither are a romanceable option for the main character)? How about Kaiden and Shepard competing a bit for Liara's attentions? Or uncovering that the Requisitions Officer and Dr. Chakwas are trying to hide an illicit (and illegal) affair? ;) Like I said...this game is great and does a great job with fleshing out the main characters' relationships to his crewmates, but pushing it one or two steps further would make the world seem that much more "alive" to me. Shift the characters' positions on the ship a bit in-between missions and let them be having some of those "side conversations" you overhear in some areas of the game. That's really all it takes...and could be really entertaining, to boot.

On a side/sequel note, I have to admit I'm very curious as to whether they'll let you play as Shephard in the next game. I tend to doubt it, because they'd have to come up with some contrived reason as to why he forgot all his skills and lost all his resources between games (since I just can't see them let folks continue from their "end of game" character....though it'd be totally awesome if they did). More likely he'll be a cameo-character (probably in an Anderson-like role) and a possible mentor for a new human Spectre.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I agree. I think it would be a smart move to have the protagonist of the sequel be the newest XO of the Normandy with whichever Sheppard you saved as your captain....until he/she is either killed off or kidnapped early on in the game for you to either rescue or avenge.

Otherwise, the character levelling and romance subplots would be pretty screwed. However, Bioware may have something else up their sleeve. Perhaps they'll kill off Ashley, Kaiden, Liara and Wrex right off the bat and severely wound Sheppard (thereby explaining the need to level back up again as recovering from his/her injuries).

I can understand not allowing players to "be" the other members of your squad, but more control has to be given over them. Having them follow you around like puppy dogs is just fine on the easy difficulty settings, but it makes the harder difficulty levels pretty lame, particularly when there are some obvious sniper points in the environments that you simply aren't able to use effectively because you can't give individual squad commands.

I appreciate that Bioware is trying to push the bounds of what an action RPG can be but right now they've got an awesome RPG with a really half-assed squad shooter. Hopefully, they can beef it up to half-way decent squad shooter for the sequel---although who knows when that'll come out.

I'd guess we've got at least a two year wait for the next game even though they'll be using the same game engine. These games are simply too epic to crank out faster than that. KOTOR 2 is the poster boy for that.

[Jmacq1]

I'd guess we've got at least a two year wait for the next game even though they'll be using the same game engine. These games are simply too epic to crank out faster than that. KOTOR 2 is the poster boy for that.

Amen to that....

My only beef with potentially not-being-Shepard in the next game is that they clearly seem to be setting him up for bigger and better things. Or at least his story doesn't seem quite "finished" when the game is over.

Still, including him as a major supporting character in later games would probably be enough. Or maybe at some point at the climax of the third game, you get to form your squad of all three main protagonists from the series, all levelled-up and ready to kick butt. ;)

And in truth, "new" protagonists not only solves the "why did they forget/lose everything?" problem, it also solves (by and large) the romance issues, too. You can give the new character new romance options (or bring back Tali, darnit!), and depending on how your "saved" Shepard played out, have him/her married/living/attached to whoever they ended up with in that game.

[1WEBHEAD]

So okay, you can only have sex with the Asari chicks and Kaiden if you're a girl?

I tried really hard for Ashley to like me but did Bioware pull her option out of the game at the last minute?

Because I saw a trailer that had her and Shepard kissing like you do at the beginning of the sex scene. . . . . . .

I think another option for the "why am I not as powerful as I was at the end of the first game" is Shepard and gang lose a fight/war and everybody is killed except Shepard and when the rescue team finds him, he has amnesia and lost all of his eqipment and skills. . . . . . . .

Just throwing it out there. . . .

[Jmacq1]

But that falls right into what I call a "contrived excuse" for why you have to start over. Been there, done that, and it's both annoying and cliched.

Personally, I'd love to see them simply ramp it up to "epic levels" for the sequel, give him some more skills to choose from/to put points into, etc...but I doubt it'll happen. It's just more convenient to do a new protagonist. Or they'll have him start over and give no explanation whatsoever. Though I'd be willing to accept that if they at least gave a "bonus" to some starting skills based on how high they were in your last game (like 1-3 "bonus points" in those skills to start with).

And from my understanding, a lesbian relationship with Ashley was never intended to be a possibility for the game. No more so than a male-male romance with Kaiden and male-Shepard. It was always "lesbian romance with the blue alien chick" that was being hyped up. I'm pretty sure the trailer you mention was showing male-Shephard and Ashley.

[Jade_GL]

As for the romance thing...

I had this idea when I was thinking about the game, and maybe it's impossible to do, but I thought it would solve the romance sub plot thing in the sequel.

For some reason, you have to get split up from some members of your team (including romantic partner) and take on new ones. You can either romance a new team member, or completely stay loyal to the one from the first game. Then at some point in either the second or third game, the first romantic interest comes back. If you haven't romantically engaged someone else, you can re-open your romantic subplot with the person you first were in a relationship with.

Then you can get an achievement called *Loyal* that says that you were loyal to your first love in the game.

Of course, this could be impossible in the game, but I think it would make for an interesting subplot. Do you pick the new hottie on your crew and move on with your life? Or do you stick to your first relationship even if it means no romance for you for all the second game?

I don't know, I was just trying to work out the mechanics of having a romance subplot in the first game somehow being believably carried out in the sequels.

[Jmacq1]

I think that'd be a cool idea, actually. And in keeping with the decision-making dynamic of the game. Being loyal could net you a big paragon bonus, while playing the field could net some renegade points.

But then again, if Tali were brought up as a romantic option....I might not be able to resist! ;)

Truth be told, I was rather let down by the Liara romantic plot. She's just kind of bland and boring to me. I'm trying Ashley on the second play-through and admit she's got more going for her personality-wise, but Tali always seems really glad to see Shepard, is tough/strong without being "manly" and has that sexy accent going for her. Surely I'm not the only one that wanted to see under that mask!

[1WEBHEAD]

I think that'd be a cool idea, actually. And in keeping with the decision-making dynamic of the game. Being loyal could net you a big paragon bonus, while playing the field could net some renegade points.

But then again, if Tali were brought up as a romantic option....I might not be able to resist! ;)

Truth be told, I was rather let down by the Liara romantic plot. She's just kind of bland and boring to me. I'm trying Ashley on the second play-through and admit she's got more going for her personality-wise, but Tali always seems really glad to see Shepard, is tough/strong without being "manly" and has that sexy accent going for her. Surely I'm not the only one that wanted to see under that mask!

Yeah, she's alot hotter and cooler and IMO but I found it impossible to sleep with her. . .is it just me?

[BYC]

Ashley is more real than Liara. Liara throws herself at you, and is easy to get. Ashley is harder, and if you romance both, more than likely Ash won't be the one. The easy way is to ignore Liara completely.

I've been on the Mass Effect forums a lot, and apparently it's been announced for a while Sheperd will be the PC for all 3 games. There's tons of threads about how much your decisions will carry over to the next, if there's gonna be an official canon (which I think there will be), and endless other stuff.

I think they should reset the levels back to 1 however. It's a gameplay mechanic, and shouldn't affect the storylines. Everybody in the story already knows Shep is a hero/badass, so within the story, they can just create more powerful enemies instead of making the starting level 60.

[Jmacq1]

Still if they're going to carry over the same character, I'd like to see -some- nod to the work you did in the previous game as far as your character goes.

I'm also really curious as to how this whole "decisions carrying over" bit is going to work considering the way they allow you to restart the game with your levelled-up character, but on the second play-through you can make totally different choices morality-wise. Where's the savegame data going to be drawn from? Your first playthrough "ending" or the second, or are they somehow going to "quiz" you like they did in KotOR II (which might be the easiest option after all).

And yes, Liara was easy to get, but I don't think Ashley's that much harder as long as you devote yourself to her. You are playing a male character, right 1WEBHEAD? There's no female romance option with Ashley. She apparently doesn't swing both ways. Just talk to her after every mission, explore all the dialogue branches, and generally "be nice" to her.

And yeah, playing through both ways I'm thinking it's definitely "Paragon Default Shepard with Ashley" that's the likeliest option for "canon" Shepard. But I'll definitely have to finish my "renegade" playthrough and see that ending before I can decide for sure. Still, certain points in the game really seem to hammer home the whole "you really should/shouldn't do this" side of things (like for instance, if you say you're going to destroy the Rachni Queen on Noveria, they give you one more "branch" to change your mind, whereas picking the "let her live" option doesn't) But then again, that particular plot element was one that positively screamed "going to show up in the sequel(s)"....

[BYC]

Although Ashley has only eyes for men, it seems like Ashley has the flirty tone of speech with femShep as well. Until I told her she was out of line when it came to aliens on the ship, both Ash and femShep sounded like they were interested in each other. Pretty hot :D

I definitely think small things will carry over to the next game from the previous save. But I don't think anything major will carry over.

[Genma:TheDestroyer]

I don't know if I'd call it "dumbed down" so much as "Streamlined" but yes, there are definitely features in the older versions that I wish would have carried over (most notably a more in-depth squad control system and/or the ability to control individual squad members). The slightly more detailed cinematics were a nice touch, too, though I don't see a lot there that's too different from what we got...aside from the specific conversations not occurring in-game.

However I think some of that was given up to maintain a more "cinematic" experience. If "you" become John Shephard, it doesn't make a lot of sense for "you" to suddenly become Kaiden Alenko in the middle of a fight. It really seems to me like this is the closest I've ever come to actually "playing a movie." I just think their ambition might have outweighed their capability...or more accurately the storage capacity of a single X-Box 360 disc...just do multiple discs already! I don't think people mind having to switch discs if the game experience is worth the trouble.

Still, the things that had to be cut out or streamlined for this iteration might make it back into the sequel. At the very least, I'd be very surprised if several of the criticisms levelled at the game aren't rectified in some manner with the sequels (Full squad control, less cookie-cutter side-quest worlds, faster elevators, etc...).

I admit one aspect of video game RPGs in general that I'd really like to see evolve is inter-party interactions. Mass Effect does better than some in this regard, with bits of small-talk between characters here and there and a bit of the interaction in the "briefing room" bits, but it still kind of seems like Shephard is the only member of the crew that talks to/has a relationship with all the other members of the party outside of that briefing room. Why don't Wrex and Ashley debate the merits and flaws of various weapons manufacturers? How about Garrus and Tali being attracted to each other (since neither are a romanceable option for the main character)? How about Kaiden and Shepard competing a bit for Liara's attentions? Or uncovering that the Requisitions Officer and Dr. Chakwas are trying to hide an illicit (and illegal) affair? ;) Like I said...this game is great and does a great job with fleshing out the main characters' relationships to his crewmates, but pushing it one or two steps further would make the world seem that much more "alive" to me. Shift the characters' positions on the ship a bit in-between missions and let them be having some of those "side conversations" you overhear in some areas of the game. That's really all it takes...and could be really entertaining, to boot.

See, that's one thing that I think KOTOR II did pretty well. Atton and the Handmaiden tended to snipe whenever they got within ten feet of each other, Canderous couldn't understand why the Zabrak engineer still held a grudge after all these years ("It was just war"), HK, if you assembled him seemed to go out of his way to provoke practically anyone on the ship and so on. It got to the point where you could hardly hear yourself think, because that had to be one of the most dysfunctional crew ever.

[BYC]

As good as Bioware is, I always thought Black Isle was stronger. Bioware probably realized in order to make more money with games, they sometimes needs to be dumbed down/generalized more. As much as I love Bioware, most of their RPGs have the same formula, and they don't deviate from that formula too much. Bioware makes their games with more black and white. Black Isle has more shades of grey. Planescape: Torment was a great example of this.

[EmeraldOutlaw]

I've been thinking about it and I know it probably isn't going to happen, but for a sequel I wouldn't mind having a party of you and three others...and that's it. Add another character during exploration/combat and have you as a unit/platoon. I think this way we could get to know all the teammates really well and therefore, huge story events would mean a lot more when they happen to your buddies.

I wouldn't even mind not being a Specter. It would be cool if the threat of the Reapers let the council to create several of these little units to further help the Specters or carry out more of the councils orders. I'm not sure how many Specters there actually are, so this is really just a way for me to fit in the idea of a tighter squad. :)

There could be bickering between units, one-upping each other, one lead by a real dick, etc. etc. I think this would allow for even cooler interactions between you and the council and for better storytelling ideas.

This also means you bypass the whole being Shepard but losing your skills thing. It could also mean that you are not the only one who could possibly save the universe (really overused scenerio IMO)...you're just kind of doing your job, as are many others.

As far as combat goes, I think they've got a pretty solid foundation to build on here. I like the combat the way it is, but building on it to further develop the squad aspect of it can't hurt at all. Voice commands would be cool.

Anyway, just my two cents.

[Jade_GL]

I have been using Tali and Wrex as my team in my second play through and they have some great conversations in the elevator scenes and when you talk to them in certain situations around the Citadel.

I think that they should take this to the next level having them say stuff when not prompted, and make it even more antagonistic if the situation fits. I won't spoil anything since since I know that everyone may want to try their own different combinations of team members, but the Tali/Wrex combination is giving me some very funny bits of conversations.

[Fatguy]

This game is making my butt hurt right now....I just CANNOT seem to get past the Matriarch fight! :mad:

[Jmacq1]

OK, I'm gonna feel like a total sap for this, but still:

After Virmire, and just after stealing the Normandy, I swear I got a little misty-eyed when Wrex (obviously I kept him alive on Virmire) says to Shepard quite matter-of-factly: "You'll get us through." Knowing what Wrex had to sacrifice on Virmire and what you've learned of Wrex's personality throughout the game, it was honestly touching to see the big lug just make that quiet little affirmation of his faith in you/Shepard. It wasn't overwrought or melodramatic, just...there.

Just another "little moment" that helped make this game totally awesome for me.

[1WEBHEAD]

So you have to do 15 missions and 45 assignments to get you ________ ally achievement. I got 5 missions done and 20 assignments done with Kaiden and Tali.

I also working on my renegade achievement. :)

Playing thru the game twice almost makes it feel like I'm playing a different game since there are so many ways an assignment/statement can effect the outcome.

[EmeraldOutlaw]

So you have to do 15 missions and 45 assignments to get you ________ ally achievement. I got 5 missions done and 20 assignments done with Kaiden and Tali.

I also working on my renegade achievement. :)

Playing thru the game twice almost makes it feel like I'm playing a different game since there are so many ways an assignment/statement can effect the outcome.

Agreed. I'm finding so much more now that I'm taking my time. I did a fair number of sidequests first time through, but this time I'm going from planet to planet. Plus the responses you get from renegade statements are great.

[Ramiel]

So you have to do 15 missions and 45 assignments to get you ________ ally achievement. I got 5 missions done and 20 assignments done with Kaiden and Tali.

I also working on my renegade achievement. :)

Playing thru the game twice almost makes it feel like I'm playing a different game since there are so many ways an assignment/statement can effect the outcome.

Yeah, I plan to be doing that myself whenever finals and such are over. I going with the GameSpot guide as of now and trying to find all the achievements I possibly can. I'm going to try and get all the achievements, that's a good 3 or 4 playthroughs, God, I love this game

[1WEBHEAD]

Agreed. I'm finding so much more now that I'm taking my time. I did a fair number of sidequests first time through, but this time I'm going from planet to planet. Plus the responses you get from renegade statements are great.

Yeah, like at first, I was being a paragon kinda guy and I didn't find out that the dock worker on Eden Prime was actually a illegal weapons dealer!


Yeah, I plan to be doing that myself whenever finals and such are over. I going with the GameSpot guide as of now and trying to find all the achievements I possibly can. I'm going to try and get all the achievements, that's a good 3 or 4 playthroughs, God, I love this game

Yeah, the first time I played it was for poops and giggles and the being all paragon. Now this second time around, I'm a rengade soldier trying to get the ally, sniper/action achievements. :)

[EmeraldOutlaw]

Yeah, like at first, I was being a paragon kinda guy and I didn't find out that the dock worker on Eden Prime was actually a illegal weapons dealer!

Me neither. It was pretty nice getting those two little "gifts" from them upon threat of me kicking their asses.:p

Completely missed it the first time I played through.

[Ramiel]

Yeah, like at first, I was being a paragon kinda guy and I didn't find out that the dock worker on Eden Prime was actually a illegal weapons dealer!

You can find out he's a weapons dealer as a Paragon, too, I did

[1WEBHEAD]

Me neither. It was pretty nice getting those two little "gifts" from them upon threat of me kicking their asses.:p

Completely missed it the first time I played through.

Yeah, you get grenade upgrades I think. .. I also completely missed all of the people hiding in those little space/future trailer parks. . .

You can find out he's a weapons dealer as a Paragon, too, I did

Must have missed it then . . .who knows what I'll find the third time around!

Is it just me or is finding all of the keepers extremely frustrating?
I have 20 out 21 .. . .

[Ramiel]

Is it just me or is finding all of the keepers extremely frustrating?
I have 20 out 21 .. . .

Urg, indeed they are, I never did find the all the filthy things

[EmeraldOutlaw]

Yeah, you get grenade upgrades I think. .. I also completely missed all of the people hiding in those little space/future trailer parks. . .



Must have missed it then . . .who knows what I'll find the third time around!

Is it just me or is finding all of the keepers extremely frustrating?
I have 20 out 21 .. . .

Sorry man, I thought you were referring to the people hiding in the trailer. They gave me a new pistol and an upgrade for it. I missed them completely the first time.

I found out they were weapons smugglers but I didn't know about the lazy napping dock worker.

[Basara]

Is it just me or is finding all of the keepers extremely frustrating?
I have 20 out 21 .. . .

The last one is in a spot that ain't on the maps. It's a small hallway joining the Wards to the Presidium. You can get there two ways:

1) The elevator to the Presiduim outside of Flux.
2) The elevator to the Wards from the Financial District.

The hallway is also the first place you must go to investigate the suspicious signal you detect on one of the gambling machines.

[Agent Helix]

There should be an Elcor party member.

A romanceable Elcor party member.

[Jmacq1]

There should be an Elcor party member.

A romanceable Elcor party member.

The hilarity factor alone would be priceless.

[Agent Helix]

Seductive : I want to sex you up, Human.

[Jade_GL]

Seductive : I want to sex you up, Human.

Snort.

I am eagerly awaiting this in the upcoming sequels.

[Jared H.]

Seductive : I want to sex you up, Human.

This would be the greatest thing ever.

"Throes of passion: yes, right there."

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I'm very interested to see what they can do with the sequels here. This game did most of the heavy lifting by setting up the world, the conflict and the characters (and the game engine, of course). Seeing Bioware work out the kinks and really cut loose should be even more fun than this one is.

[Agent Helix]

This would be the greatest thing ever.

"Throes of passion: yes, right there."

"Sympathetic : Don't worry, it happens to everyone."

I'm starting to get frustrated at the point I'm on. Right now, I'm trying to fight that Krogan Battlemaster that's attempting to take Liara (or Liana, whatever. The blue one.), and all his Geth homies. I'm a Vanguard class, unsure of what level (though as I can't leave at this point and go level up somewhere, sort of a moot point). I've got Wrex and Garrus in my party, and I can take care of all the Geth with little problem. But that Krogan just kills everybody dead. Basically turns blue, charges somebody (usually me), and they die. I just can't get past him.

[Jmacq1]

The biggest thing with that Krogan is to keep moving and peck at him. If you stay mobile he'll tend to alternate which team member he's "targeting" and you should be able to eventually take him down. You've basically got to outlast his immunity power. I had a lot of trouble with him the first few times I tried, too.

I'm assuming your biotic powers aren't having much effect on him, so I wouldn't worry about those/use them on the Geth.

[Agent Helix]

Okay, so he IS immune temporarily? I thought I was just too weak to fight him, and had gotten myself screwed with my leveling/equipment.

I'll give it another shot tonight. That Armiture fight earlier in that area gave me fits, and I actually had to temporarily turn the difficulty down to get past it.

[Jmacq1]

Okay, so he IS immune temporarily? I thought I was just too weak to fight him, and had gotten myself screwed with my leveling/equipment.

I'll give it another shot tonight. That Armiture fight earlier in that area gave me fits, and I actually had to temporarily turn the difficulty down to get past it.

Yeah, he has access to the "immunity" ability granted by the "Fitness" skill. That's what happens when their health bar turns white temporarily. And to top that off I think he can use Barrier as well. He's basically unstoppable while both are "up."

Oh, I forgot to mention: Phasic/Proton and/or toxic rounds might help, too.

As you go through the game, you'll run across more and more people with those immunity and barrier abilities. They're a real pain to fight. But few of them seem to be as nasty as that Krogan Battlemaster.

[Agent Helix]

I've been using Phasic rounds with Sheppard, but Wrex and Garrus I think are both using Armor Piercing, since I've primarily been dealing with Geth. I should switch one of them to Chemical rounds and try that. Would you recommend shotguns or assault rifles against this guy?

[Jmacq1]

I used the assault rifle myself. Better at range and you want to stay as far away from the guy as you can.

[Ramiel]

I used the assault rifle myself. Better at range and you want to stay as far away from the guy as you can.

Agreed, I tried using Shotguns the first time around fighting him and I ended up on the floor most of the time and was flat out massacred.

[BYC]

Use Sabotage to turn off his weapons, Overlord to bring down the shields, and Dampening to turn off his skills. Then just shoot.

[Agent Helix]

Thanks for the advice, Jmacq1. With some different ammo and upgrade combinations, and a change in tactics, I was able to get past the fight after a few more tries. I actually felt really gratified when I jumped out from cover behind him, and shot him right in his big stupid head.

[Fatguy]

HUZZAH, I just beat the game with my Infiltrator today. What a great ending. This game, in every aspect, is just great.

I just started an Adept character now (with sniper rifle ;) ), I wanna see how the Biotic side lives!

[Ramiel]

I just finished the game on Hardcore a little while ago, it wasn't too bad since I had access to all the Spectre grade weapons and such, except Korgans. I'm taking a bit of a break from it as of now, when I come back to it I'll go through on Insane and get the last two Ally Achievements I need.

[Chiasm]

I'm maybe 1/2 to 2/3 done now - haven't done Feros, Virmire or anything past that yet but I've done every single side quest to this point.

Its a great story but its feeling very repetitive. Everyside quest planet is virtually identical to the last and every building is literally identical. It would be nice if they would at least vary it. Its making the side quests very monotonous.

[BYC]

As with most RPGs, once the story is revealed, the game quickly becomes boring. Bioware did a good job of hiding how small the game is. Every dungeon/base/mine is the same map, different layout. All systems have only one area to explore.

On my 2nd playthrough, I was already feeling how tedious the game can be. By my 6th one (for achievements), I pretty much skipped all the collection quests. I didn't even bother trying to find them or even bother with non-explorable planets/astroids/ships.

I barely felt challenged for most of the playthroughs. The game because very easy once one realizes biotics changes everything. Biotics have 4 stuns type skills (Lift, Throw, Singularity, and Stasis), along with Warp to reduce damage resistance. Tech skills are useful, but they don't disable the enemy like biotics. My current game I'm running my soldier, Ash, and Tali. Without the biotics, the combat gets much longer, but not anymore challenging. It just takes longer to hammer through enemy shields and armor without Warp and stuns. However, the ability to tank just about anything is fun.

[Chiasm]

Anyone manage to make level 60 with their character on a 2nd playthrough? I'm currently at level 59 but it doesn't look promising that I'll hit 60 as there is a 200,000 difference between the two levels. I'm currently about 180,000 short of level 60 and I've got maybe five side quests left and then its on to Ilos. So I probably won't make it. I think I killed my chances on the first playthrough as there came a point that I got tired of doing side quests and ended up missing a bunch. Now on the 2nd playthrough I'm tediously doing everything and I'm even finding myself jumping out of the Mako to take on enemies on foot just for the extra XP.

[BYC]

Anyone manage to make level 60 with their character on a 2nd playthrough? I'm currently at level 59 but it doesn't look promising that I'll hit 60 as there is a 200,000 difference between the two levels. I'm currently about 180,000 short of level 60 and I've got maybe five side quests left and then its on to Ilos. So I probably won't make it. I think I killed my chances on the first playthrough as there came a point that I got tired of doing side quests and ended up missing a bunch. Now on the 2nd playthrough I'm tediously doing everything and I'm even finding myself jumping out of the Mako to take on enemies on foot just for the extra XP.
I haven't been able to. I made 60 on my 4th try, although my 3rd try was a bare bones run for testing out getting the allies achievement (before it was confirmed it's based on number of quests completed). I think even over at Bioware's official ME boards it's not possible to get it on 2 playthroughs.

[Jmacq1]

Yeah, that level 60 gap is huge. I hit 59 on Virmire, and had already completed all but one available sidequest (the morality based one as my meter hadn't peaked on either side on my second playthrough). Still have to play through Ilos and the Citadel.

However there are a couple places in the Citadel where you can rack up a lot of points. Places where some Krogan warriors and Geth spawn in large numbers for a long time.

Oh, and yeah, hopping out of the Mako and taking down every enemy you can on foot helps (particularly Geth Armatures). You can even "soften up" the Geth Colossus with the Mako then finish them off on foot for a boost. Thresher Maws are the only thing I stay in the vehicle for.

[Shades0077]

So I'm completely behind the times, but I only got my 360 about a month ago, and I just started playing Mass Effect last week. I'm pretty impressed so far. What amazes me the most is that while I am probably one of the worst FPS players ever, I'm really digging the gunplay combat.

I haven't progressed through the story very much yet, I keep getting distracted by side missions. They're good distractions though. I'm playing through Renegade style first, and some of the dialogue options have been hilarious. Punching people out, like the reporter lady, definitely earns top marks in my book.

[1WEBHEAD]

Anybody download the 'Bring down the sky" extra mission?

[Lester C.]

My only problem with the game is the Adept class. I hate how all the powers don't damage your oppent but rather effect the environment around your oppenent.

[Jmacq1]

My only problem with the game is the Adept class. I hate how all the powers don't damage your oppent but rather effect the environment around your oppenent.

Uh...what?

Lift and Throw both do damage to the opponent. Particularly if used in conjunction. Actually, pretty much every adept power does damage, and lots of it once you level it up.

[Jared H.]

Anybody download the 'Bring down the sky" extra mission?

Yes, but I have yet to try it.

[Jade_GL]

Anybody download the 'Bring down the sky" extra mission?

Yes, and I finished it in about an hour. It was ok, I just wish there was a bit more to it. Still, I liked going back into the world and seeing some new stuff and playing the new mission.

[Lester C.]

Uh...what?

Lift and Throw both do damage to the opponent. Particularly if used in conjunction. Actually, pretty much every adept power does damage, and lots of it once you level it up.


Not really. For instance lift picks someone up but you have to shoot them in order to damage them and the same goes for singularity. Throw only hurts them if they fly into something. Warp primary function is to lower their shields. Stasis is pretty useless as you can’t damage them while they are knocked down.

This also works in both directions. While fighting biotic in the game is annoying, as immobilize you for a bit, they rarely damage you. For Mass Effect two I want the Adept class to be more offensive orientated in their powers.
.

[Elegance Liberty]

I'm absolutely obssessed with this game right now.

The fact that the entire ending sequence from the Condiut onward -especially the 100% Paragon path- gives a HUGE series of shivers down my spine on the 4th or 5th time through is a huge testament to just how GOOD this game is.

Suddenly... I have no desire to ever play a Final Fantasy game again.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Has anybody played the expansion pack? Does it add anything new or interesting to the mix?

[BYC]

Bringing down the Sky adds a new planet to explore (it's actually an astroid, but it's setup like a planet). The map itself has about 8 items to check out, most of which are hidden until one location has been explored (as in, they doesn't show on map until one location has been explored). 4 bases/dungeons to fight through, and the final area has Paragon/Renagade choices. Completing the missions give a 50 point achievement.

800 points ($10 USD) is the price point, and I think it's worth it. It adds about 2-3 hours total of gameplay. Since I completed it as a level 60 soldier, I couldn't tell if the fights were difficult. The only things that ever bother me are mass biotics (basically you are grounded the entire time, usually with Warp applied so you can't absorb that many hits), good snipers, or I'm messing with a Geth Colossus. I haven't bothered playing the map since the day it was released, and with my other characters (most are near 60).

[Lester C.]

Has anybody played the expansion pack? Does it add anything new or interesting to the mix?

Bringing the Sky is NOT an expansion pack. According to Bioware there is about 90 minutes of new material. A true expansion has about 30 hours of material.

[cactusmaac]

Does the game autosave when you finish? I didn't notice any saving going on after the final boss fight and your dialogue choices when you interact with the Council right at the end. Also if you start a new career does that wipe out your old saved games or do they remain?

[StoneGold]

Does the game autosave when you finish? I didn't notice any saving going on after the final boss fight and your dialogue choices when you interact with the Council right at the end. Also if you start a new career does that wipe out your old saved games or do they remain?

There's an overall game save, so that you can start a second game with the new stats, but it doesn't save over the last mission. Supposedly, it will also save your character for use in the sequel.

[adoggoesmeow]

I loved the adept class, stunning people and all that. Was thinking about doing a play through as an engineer class, what do they play like and are thier powers usefull? More useful then the Adept class?

[Lester C.]

This sucks. The main reason why I bought this on the computer was to get rid of the long loading times that are disguised as elevator rides. Well even though I have a very expensive computer I am still waiting though those damn elevator rides due to the dialog that takes place in the elevator.

[Neal R]

I loved the adept class, stunning people and all that. Was thinking about doing a play through as an engineer class, what do they play like and are thier powers usefull? More useful then the Adept class?

I thought the engineer's talents were awesome. It was especially effective if you had the other two classes in your party. Destorying shields on one target and your teammate takes it out with a shot or two. Destroying weapons was cool too. But I'd have to say my favorite of the engineer class was the AI hacking bits. It was really funny to hack one of the drones and watch it suddenly take out the other drones coming for you.

I can't comment on the usefulness of the powers verses the adept class as on my first playthrough I went with the solider class. I am actually right now playing as an Adept and I find it to be most challenging.

[Agent Helix]

After stopping playing for some reason called GTAIV, I picked this back up again last night and picked up where I left off. I forgot how fun and imaginative this game could be. I admit I'd gotten a bit bogged down with it by trying to do too many of the side-missions, and burning myself out before, but the main campaign is top-notch entertainment.

[Agent Helix]

But I still want my romanceable Elcor party member.