Just started playing it tonight. Anyone else? So far I'm pretty impressed. The shooting could be better but I've only done the first level and have yet to try out all the guns.
I really, really like the character development though. You can create your character from different appearances, alter them a bit, give your character a bit of a background that presumably shapes how they interact with people. Right now I'm playing as a a woman, Kendra. She is a soldier, shaved head, lesbian, (at least in my head... does a sexuality aspect ever get introduced?) and very ruthless. I like that you have conversations with people and can answer different ways.

It is a great game. Far from a true RPG but a great game nonetheless. Sure the shooting mechanics could have done with some work but it is a nice change from the more pure RPG combat mechanics we're used to and considering this is definitely at the lite end of the RPG spectrum it is a good fit.

I loved Mass Effect. It wasn't perfect but I could not put it down until it was finished. A great first hello for Bioware on Microsoft's latest platform. Good to see PC owners are finally getting a shot at it too.

I just got to a part where I was on some planet in a vehicle that could jump. It was soo difficult to control the vehicle. Not fun!

You'll get used to it. I found the Mako a heap of fun once I got the hang of it. Just remember it can't roll... if you land on your roof it will flip the right way up. In other words just floor it! :D

People, I don' t know if I should paly Mass Effect while being 16. I' ve seen some articles about the gamplay, and some trailers. I started to really want this game( I like RPGs and sci - fi) , but the rating pushes me away. I' ve seen R - rated movies containing nudity, violence and language. Besides, romancing someone is not in my plans, I' m going to stay single.

Romance is optional and is in some ways difficult. If you don't speak to the right character at the right time and choose the correct responses, you could miss the opportunity for romance. Even if you choose to pursue it, there is no nudity. It's violent as many games are, but no gore or dismemberment. It's a great story and I don't think it's too mature for a 16yr old, but that depends on your personal maturity level.

Ah happy days - I remember discovering ME for the first time.

Yes, it's great. ME1 is great story-wise and for atmosphere - you get to really love the characters. I loved LOVED L-O-V-E-D my femShep(s) and still do.

ME2 and 3 are better for gameplay - the controls improve a lot.

I think ME2 is best to play as a GAME though ME1 is still my favourite for the creation of sense of place, story and character. ME3 has some truly great and wonderful moments (bring tissues) though - ahem - the end could use work (biggest controversy of the whole series and I installed the end-mod which makes it more sensible).

BTW when you've struggled with the Mako a bit and sworn quite a lot (we all did that), the thing to remember as you're working through some of the samey planets, is that the entire end of the game (from Virmire on) is a complete blast. Finish up everything else (you want to) before you go to Virmire though: it's a one-way ticket. Also, if you can afford it, do get the dlc Bring Down the Sky.

Anyway, enjoy - it's worth taking your time, talking to everyone, and just enjoying it for what it is - warts and all (and there are some warts but it's mostly the best fun you can have with a computer game).

Did I mention I was a fan?


The romance, as Gnat said, is totally optional. It's also incredibly tasteful and sweet. I'm a grumpy older adult and I liked it - more d'aw than g'nnnnnt (IYSWIM). There was a big hoo-ha at the time as some religious prudes squawked about the 'nudity' but, hell, there's precious little to see even with the Liara romance. It's sweet not tacky. I'd be perfectly happy for a mid-teen to see that. In fact, given the romance is mutually-respectful and developed out of a positive relationship, I'd be keen for them to see that (in an education sense). I'm not so sure about the violence and language but you'd have to judge that for yourself. I didn't find the violence bad - it's not particularly bloody or aggressive. Language, I'm afraid, passes over me like water off a duck - but then I'm a grumpy older adult - so sorry can't advise you on that. However, overall what I'd say, is that it's the story and the characters you remember, not the gore or language and certainly not the 'nudity' (such as it is).

edit:
OMG I can feel another re-run coming on.

Yes, do get Bring Down the Sky. It's still free:

https://help.ea.com/article/mass-ef...-dlc-redemption

Hmm... that says Bring Down the Sky Redemption. What, did it receive an update? It's 849MB, looks just right for the compressed archive dlc. Anyway, more instructions are here:

http://social.bioware.com/forum/Mas...-9618640-1.html

BDtS is more difficult because they have those gd Varren creatures on their side. I beat it once on Insanity, never again.

Love it, have installed and I find the mako hilarious and enjoy driving it off mountains or making jump if high places.

But didya like your pet Varren in ME2?

Insanity ... yes. I play on hardcore for the most part now. I had to give up my first insanity run in that mine on a planet in the middle of nowhere when you get swarmed by Rachni - hate those where you have no cover.

Y'know BDtS wasn't free when I got it.

I play on easy or normal but I still find the game hard at parts. Where do you get a pet varren from? I never had one, I could play fetch with it with my boyfriend Garrus. I love you Garrus .

Maxon, it was cool and I would have named it Burrito, but I couldn't get the Varron on the ship, it is only there at the... er... campsite. Artemis, you get the Varron on Tuchanka in ME2. Once you get to the main cell, turn left and see the vendor there. You can figure out what the Varron likes very easily. But fighting against them... no. They are very much like those pet hounds of the Qlingon people, maybe worse.

No - all you get is the robodog in ME3, and all that does is run round the cargo deck (and probably poops oil in the corners).

Campsite? CAMPSITE?? I'll have you know that's Wrex's throneroom.

Garrus is awesome, Artimis, though I never romanced him (Kaidan girl all the way).

That's why you make multiple characters, so you can romance everyone. Or at least that's what I did.

Anyway...I'm not entirely sure what I can say about this series that don't make me sound like an incoherent babbling fanboy, so I guess I'll just say that it's amazing and I totally understand why all of my friends that have played it got into it in a big way.
I shamefully haven't played ME3 yet (I am poor and wiped myself out just buying the DLC for ME2 and I have no way of affording the third game and DLC yet.) but I've cleared both games and am...slowly working on second and third characters.
I'm consistently totally bowled over by how...lore heavy it is, for lack of a better term, I love worlds with extensive worldbuilding and detailing and this game nails it. I'm constantly just going "wow" when I play through it. :')

That implies I would be able to resist Kaidan's advances in the first place.

I went back several levels to keep Garrus alive as when I frist when into the collecter base he got killed forever so I replyed a huge part of the game so I can save him and romance which I did. He is the only character I have done that for and I have his figure . Best present for a garrus fan girl!!

And now Virmire is coming close... I know what' s gonna happen there, so I am thinking of using cheats to keep both Ashley and Kaidan alive. But I read that in that case I won' t be able to import the game to ME2 normally. I mean, I want to keep both of them alive, but I also want to find out what happens after the first game. I' ve searched for different hex editing instructions, but found nothing I needed. My plan is to use cheat to save both, then when I finish ME1, edit the data to have only one survivor, then import to ME2 safely, and when it' s imported, hack the data once again so there will be both. Are there any good tutorials/ instructions on ME1 hex editing that goes beyond just talent points( I don' t use cheats except for this case) . Because if I won' t find a way, I' ll be forced to make that choice.

...That just seems like it would be hella game-breaking if you were planning on importing. Especially considering that they aren't squadmates in ME2 and I believe you can only have one in ME3, since both games are coded to only have one of them in it anyway. If you don't mind doing the whole post-Virmire sequence twice, why not just save before the decision, then make two separate games where one or the other lives? Seems like a lot less potential for glitching there...

I just finished playing through ME2 for the second time, with my same Shepard. I...didn't really do anything different, but I just really wanted to play through the game again without having to finish one of my other ME1 saves. Now I should probably work on my Mshep save in the first game, I've only cleared one plot world and since I like to 100% everything I still have a lot of assignments to go. I just want to romance Tali in the second game, ;~;

Well, as far as I know, having both won' t cause any serious glitches in ME1( at least it looked okay on the YouTube videos), but would cause some trouble with ME2. I don' t know about ME3, and I' m still thinking if I should play it, because Shepard along wtih half of the squad mates dies there no matter what I do( which, IMO, ruins all " it all depends on your decicions" flavour) . It' s okay about Ash and Kaidan, because at least I can choose between them, but when half fo the crew( mostly those from ME2) are going to die inevitably, it doesn' t look good.
Well, I play as Femshep. but like I said, I' m not going to romance anyone. And it' s not about ratings or nudity. It' s more about... That I' ve had enough trouble by falling in love with a fictional character and then being tortured inside because I didn' t want to break the canon couple and let my OC be with that character. So I don' t want anything like that to happen once again. My Shepard might be single, but it' s okay, and she' s still a badass. Besides, I think I already blew the chance to romance Kaidan in this playtrough, because when I talked to him in private, when he got friendlier to me, I cut him off. I regret this however, I sholdn' t have been that rude.

Man, I sounded like an idiot 5 years ago.


Had I never played a game before?

I never actually did finish ME1 either, which is kind of a good thing because I look forward to playing all 3 in the series in succession and wrapping myself up in them. I guess I've been saving them. Once I get some time I'll go back to the series and enjoy them - probably on my stream once I get that up and running again.

When everything is said and done, the second game remains my favorite--which is not to say it doesn't have problems (it seems like every ME game has a particular hook that just does not work well), but the Suicide Mission sequence is my favorite conclusion in the series and the recruitment process is very enjoyable.

The Suicide Mission is incredibly nerve-wracking, for me at least. Even though I've played it through twice, following guides to the letter to make sure no one dies, there's still very much a "oh god did anyone die am i going to have to start all over again" feeling running through it the whole time. Of course, there's also the fact that I love all the squadmates and don't dislike any of them (unlike ME1, sorry Ashley) which means I actually want them all to live.

Now I just need to wait for Origin's once a year sale so I can get ME3 for a passable price, before gouging myself on the DLC for it like I did with ME2. What I wouldn't do to have it on Steam, argh. (this has nothing to do with how I obsessively track just how much time I sink into these games, nope)

Damn - I didn't notice your original post was five years old. What's with all the thread necromancy recently?

Anyway, you know putting it off so you can play it as all one long story isn't going to happen unless you push it? It'll just get left behind with all the other games you intended to play. That's what I'm like anyway. I had to make a schedule this summer to make sure I played everything I've bought in the last year. Get on with it I say!

Well, since I' m a perfectionist, I don' t think I will accept any income except the one where everyone survives. Otherwise I will redo the Suicide Mission over and over until I achieve what I want. So in my case, no one gets left behind as well.
Also, I found the new characters in ME2 rather interesting. Who is your fave squadmate in ME2?

Nah, I'll play it. I just want to have my stream back up and running when I do, and I'm living in an apartment right now with horrible internet so streaming isn't an option. Next month I'm in a place with a stable, fast connection. This fall and winter I'll get to the games I've been saving: Mass Effect series, Dragon Age series...and I'd like to play Morrowind too, I just wish it was available as Skywind already. The Morrowind Overhaul didn't do much for me when I tried it - the game still looked like crap. I'm considering Morroblivion, but I don't really like the Oblivion mechanics and the graphic style really only works for Oblivion, it doesn't really feel transferable.