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So I beat the game last night....

Got to agree with Kevin that ME1 is the best from the series.

That and many other points.

johnscott10 wrote:Got to agree with Kevin that ME1 is the best from the series.

That and many other points.

It was an awesome game, you start out having to prove your worth as the first official human spectre, find out one of them is rogue and start hunting them down while all the while there's a huge underlying sub plot of this synthetic take over of the galaxy you discover...you actually felt like you were doing something, going around to all the planets and discovering bases and shady gak going on in them...I don't know, the character development for all the characters was so good and fleshed out, the following two were a joke practically. It just felt like you were being told "go here and do this, good Shepard *gives treat*". Even more so in the third one. I mean, there was SO much going on in the background everywhere and you were always off in your little pocket dimension bubble of cover based fighting away from EVERYTHING...even when you had it felt like you were just...doing your own thing.

I don't know, I'm just still in that "I just beat the game and I'm bummed about it" melodramatic stage.

Yes, but in ME1 everything is all new and shiny. Obviously you're not going to be as awe-struck by things like the Citadel and the universe as a whole after you've seen it multiple times.

Agreed. I played the first one multiple times when it came out, and read every snippet of information in the Codex. Everything you find is new and exciting.

The next two games introduce new things, but really it's just returning to the world that you fell in love with in 1. They add things, change some things, but all in all you now know what to expect.

KamikazeCanuck wrote:Yes, but in ME1 everything is all new and shiny. Obviously you're not going to be as awe-struck by things like the Citadel and the universe as a whole after you've seen it multiple times.

If you were to remove the obvious "new and shiny" aspect that made it good even then ME1 is still the best in the series, they tried to get back to it for ME3 but did miss it by a bit. The story is much better, its alot more challenging than the others, you have worlds to actually explore (even if they are a bit small) and the Mako, god I loved some of the stuff you could pull off.

I'm one of the few people that liked the Mako too. I think ME3 is the best because it took the best of the first 2 games and combined them. ME1 had better RPG elements and exploration and ME2 had better combat. I think ME3 is the best of both worlds.

My only big problems with ME1 were the clunky inventory and that controls were like trying to steer a brick through a blizzard in the middle of august around a mountain and under a waterfall. I can say a lot of mean things about ME2 but at least the controls were better

Ugh... Mako.

Love hate right there.

I really enjoy exploring. It's fun, and it's exciting, you get to find stuff!

But every single surface you land on is the same freaking thing in a different color with a different weather effect and it drove me nuts. It was fine at the time, but when replaying it multiple times it was just painful.

The 'level design' if you can call it that feels like someone went around with a terrain editing tool, pulled up mountains EVERYWHERE, and then went home and got drunk.

Correction, probably drunk during terrain creation.

No trees. No water. No strangth and interesting bits of terrain at all. They could have just stolen some levels from Smuggler's Run and called it a day, at least those are less boring.

When you FINALLY get to Virmire, look at the difference!

It's a beautiful, well crafted world full of jungle and steep cliffs. There's the gorgeous water, the funny crab creatures, and that ominous storm off in the distance.

I still remember that storm. How the bright and shining beach is contrasted by that dark and brooding storm out at sea. You can see the black clouds, punctuated by flashes of lightning in the distance. It seemed to hint at what was coming.

I loved that.

Sure, you can't put that much crafting into all the random planets you land on compared to a story mission, but the difference was so incredibly jarring to me. So no... I do not recall the Mako jaunts with fond memory. It just reminds me of how stupid the map setup was, and how crappy the sidequest planet design was.

KamikazeCanuck wrote:Yes, but in ME1 everything is all new and shiny. Obviously you're not going to be as awe-struck by things like the Citadel and the universe as a whole after you've seen it multiple times.

I played through that game enough times to get every single achievement....Awe-struck had nothing to do with it, it was just a really good, well thought out game.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Chemical Cutthroat wrote:Ugh... Mako.

Love hate right there.

I really enjoy exploring. It's fun, and it's exciting, you get to find stuff!

But every single surface you land on is the same freaking thing in a different color with a different weather effect and it drove me nuts. It was fine at the time, but when replaying it multiple times it was just painful.

The 'level design' if you can call it that feels like someone went around with a terrain editing tool, pulled up mountains EVERYWHERE, and then went home and got drunk.

Correction, probably drunk during terrain creation.

No trees. No water. No strangth and interesting bits of terrain at all. They could have just stolen some levels from Smuggler's Run and called it a day, at least those are less boring.

When you FINALLY get to Virmire, look at the difference!

It's a beautiful, well crafted world full of jungle and steep cliffs. There's the gorgeous water, the funny crab creatures, and that ominous storm off in the distance.

I still remember that storm. How the bright and shining beach is contrasted by that dark and brooding storm out at sea. You can see the black clouds, punctuated by flashes of lightning in the distance. It seemed to hint at what was coming.

I loved that.

Sure, you can't put that much crafting into all the random planets you land on compared to a story mission, but the difference was so incredibly jarring to me. So no... I do not recall the Mako jaunts with fond memory. It just reminds me of how stupid the map setup was, and how crappy the sidequest planet design was.

I agree, the level design did have a lot of cut and paste to it, that was probably my main complaint about the first game. A lot of repetition. But at least there was something going on for a lot of it. Running into thresher maws, having to get out of the mako to navigate narrow canyons, rachni popping up out of nowhere. You gotta remember too, even though there wasn't much going on on the planets, if you look at every other planet in our system as well, how many of them have anything but barren dead wastelands? None. Why would it be any different anywhere else? There would be the odd pearl of the ocean like earth and virmire, but not every planet will be a lush green, or have wonderful waterfalls and oasis in the desert.

What I really don't get, where the feth was the hover tank in 3? They introduced it in that gakky DLC in ME2 and then did NOTHING with it...it's not even on the fething SR2 I don't think (or was it? I didn't really look for it).

And to the guy a few posts up, I disagree that this is the best of ME1 and ME2. This was more like ME2-light. They stripped out so much of the stuff that made this game an actual RPG that it was basically damn near an on-rails 3rd person shooter. And for anyone that stayed to the end of the credits, that scene at the end is evidence of this fact if you truly are playing part .

Kevin949 wrote:

What I really don't get, where the feth was the hover tank in 3? They introduced it in that gakky DLC in ME2 and then did NOTHING with it...it's not even on the fething SR2 I don't think (or was it? I didn't really look for it). [/spoiler]

If I recall Cortez(Shuttle Pilot), or w/e his name was, did mention something about it, though I don't remember exactly what.

Chemical Cutthroat wrote:Ugh... Mako.

Love hate right there.

I really enjoy exploring. It's fun, and it's exciting, you get to find stuff!

But every single surface you land on is the same freaking thing in a different color with a different weather effect and it drove me nuts. It was fine at the time, but when replaying it multiple times it was just painful.

The 'level design' if you can call it that feels like someone went around with a terrain editing tool, pulled up mountains EVERYWHERE, and then went home and got drunk.

Correction, probably drunk during terrain creation.

No trees. No water. No strangth and interesting bits of terrain at all. They could have just stolen some levels from Smuggler's Run and called it a day, at least those are less boring.

When you FINALLY get to Virmire, look at the difference!

It's a beautiful, well crafted world full of jungle and steep cliffs. There's the gorgeous water, the funny crab creatures, and that ominous storm off in the distance.

I still remember that storm. How the bright and shining beach is contrasted by that dark and brooding storm out at sea. You can see the black clouds, punctuated by flashes of lightning in the distance. It seemed to hint at what was coming.

I loved that.

Sure, you can't put that much crafting into all the random planets you land on compared to a story mission, but the difference was so incredibly jarring to me. So no... I do not recall the Mako jaunts with fond memory. It just reminds me of how stupid the map setup was, and how crappy the sidequest planet design was.

Don't forget the Thresher Maws. Enemies which melt your Mako's armour in a single shot and occasionally erupt right beneath you, causing an instant game over. I can remember I basically tried to avoid all flat expanses of terrain because I knew there'd be a damn Thresher Maw waiting for me.

Manchu wrote:I'd read to Fornax ... for the articles.

I could dig that.

If anyone has questions about the ending, the answers are all right here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QT4IUepvrU1pfv_B95oQj0H84DlCTUmzQ_uQh1voTUs/preview?pli=1&sle=true

Manchu wrote:I find the Asari to be aesthetically off-putting.

Am I the only one?

I find the Asari to be hot as hell.
To bad they are not real...

johnscott10 wrote:Got to agree with Kevin that ME1 is the best from the series.

That and many other points.

Well I think ME2 was much better it had a little more story behind it and was more of a challenge.

Brother Coa wrote:

Manchu wrote:I find the Asari to be aesthetically off-putting.

Am I the only one?

I find the Asari to be hot as hell.
To bad they are not real...

For me Tali is the best female character hint to my romance scene but that's me and you like your choice.

I was speaking for Asari in general not just Liara...

Brother Coa wrote:I was speaking for Asari in general not just Liara...

I know.

WHAT THE FETH. Seriously, WHAT THE FETHING FETH? I really hope Bioware releases an alternate ending as free DLC. I cannot stand to see my favorite video game trilogy ever end like that.

In a happy bit of news I think we can all get on board with, Retake Mass Effect (one of the fan movements pushing for a fix to the ending) has successfully raised $80,000 and donated it to Child's Play, a charity that operates toy drives for children's hospitals.

Its kind of weird when you think about it, unless they're getting $80k worth of ME3 copies , but charity is charity XD

black templar wrote:

johnscott10 wrote:Got to agree with Kevin that ME1 is the best from the series.

That and many other points.

Well I think ME2 was much better it had a little more story behind it and was more of a challenge.

I don't really see how its a story when its 80% go here, recruit member and repeat with the odd mission or 2 that deals with the collectors. Though saying that most of the recruiting missions can be skipped. ME1 had a better story as you start with a vision you can't make sense of. While pursuing Saren you uncover a plot to destroy the galaxy.

As for more of a challenge?? I would have to disagree aswell, it may just be weapon balance but killing stuff in ME1 was alot harder than ME2 imo. ME1 i swapped between pistol and sniper rifle. in ME2 a pistol was more than enough. I only used the sniper coz I liked headshots lol. If you compare the final bosses of each game then ME1(Sarens reaper form) has the harder boss than ME2(human robot reaper thing).

To each their own I guess.

I love how people compare ME1 to ME2 and just say "ME2 was a bunch of side quests and go here do this", and then elaborate on the entire story of ME1.

ME2 was better than ME1, and ME3 is better than ME2. Its just how it is.

Karon wrote:I love how people compare ME1 to ME2 and just say "ME2 was a bunch of side quests and go here do this", and then elaborate on the entire story of ME1.

ME2 was better than ME1, and ME3 is better than ME2. Its just how it is.

lolno


Heres something a guy from bioware said:

" This is in addition to our existing plan to continue providing new Mass Effect content and new full games, so rest assured that your journey in the Mass Effect universe can, and will, continue.”

Mass Effect 4?

As for more of a challenge?? I would have to disagree aswell, it may just be weapon balance but killing stuff in ME1 was alot harder than ME2 imo.

It was harder but only because combat was as much a battle with the controls/mechanics as with the enemy. Then there's the ludicrously long cool down times on abilities. I played through the game on insane and never used them. Ever. But then I was playing Vanguard and shot guns were OP as all bojangles in ME1 XD

EDIT: Of course there will be a Mass Effect 4 EA doesn't give up on a franchise until it stops making money.

LordofHats wrote:It was harder but only because combat was as much a battle with the controls/mechanics as with the enemy. Then there's the ludicrously long cool down times on abilities. I played through the game on insane and never used them. Ever. But then I was playing Vanguard and shot guns were OP as all bojangles in ME1 XD

Yea I have to agree with the abilities, its very rare that I use them in any of the ME games. I do however use grenades a fair bit in ME3 though thats not so much an ability. Ok the sniper rifle had issues with the controls/mechanics, but the pistol was fine if you aimed down the sights. Can't say much about shotguns, never use em.

Karon wrote:I love how people compare ME1 to ME2 and just say "ME2 was a bunch of side quests and go here do this", and then elaborate on the entire story of ME1.

Well its not surprising, ME2 story is Go to a colonized world which no longer has humans. After a few missions, Go to world who still has humans but being abducted. Then eventually find collector ship, steal the IFF then onto suicide mission. The recruiting missions are pretty much filler. You don't need to do all of them but the missions in ME1 all had a connection to Saren in one for or another.

ME2 fixed the cool down issue (I wish they hadn't dumbed down the tree doing it but w/e I settled). That and ME2 didn't have as many redundant abilities as ME1 did (I could be remembering the ME1 abilities incorrectly though, like I said I hardly ever used them). I remember the engineer/Infiltrator especially having like 4 abilities that mostly did the same thing? And Biotic powers before fully upgraded weren't that different from each other barring singularity.

I guess I'll take a look. I'm gearing up for a full replay through ME1 and ME2 to prep some save files. Lost all of mine when I forgot to copy them when I switched to a new hard drive XD EDIT: Which you'd think I'd remember to do after having already lost all of them one the time I switched saves a year or so before

LordofHats wrote:ME2 fixed the cool down issue.

I guess I'll take a look. I'm gearing up for a full replay through ME1 and ME2 to prep some save files. Lost all of mine when I forgot to copy them when I switched to a new hard drive XD

Ill agree I like the "ammo" based system over the overheat system, annoying when you want to snipe but cant due to overheating. I myself done the exact same thing with saves so I can still remember all 3 games a decent bit. Played all 3 of them in like 4 weeks, would have been less if my partner hadn't stole my comp for playing Skyrim lol.

My only issue with ammo in ME2 was that I found some weapons didn't have enough in reserve, which made using the Mantis for example on higher difficulties really annoying. Kept running out of bullets -_-

That and I kind of liked the overheat system as an idea. I'd have liked a mixing of the two models rather than completely dumping heat for ammo. But oh well. Can't say I was that invested in it.

Karon wrote:
ME2 was better than ME1, and ME3 is better than ME2. Its just how it is.

I like how you think

For those who enjoy watching Yahtzee trash talk things I remembered that I hadn't checked his section on Escapist in awhile. Low and behold he's got his ME3 review:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/5497-Mass-Effect-3

Not his funniest review ever but it got a few good chuckles in for me.