Mass Effect

[thecommabandit]

But aren't character flaws meant to make you relate more to a character by making them less like a perfect ideal?

[Jessica]

I've gotten too bored with this game to finish it.
I'll probably uninstall it when I need space to play fallout 3.

[Belial]

But aren't character flaws meant to make you relate more to a character by making them less like a perfect ideal?

No, they're supposed to make the character more "true". More realistic.

"True" and "likeable" are not necessarily correlated properties.

[Jebobek]

But aren't character flaws meant to make you relate more to a character by making them less like a perfect ideal?

No, they're supposed to make the character more "true". More realistic.

"True" and "likeable" are not necessarily correlated properties.

Yes, and on a side note, "likeable" and "relateable-to(meh grammar)" are also not necessarily correlated properties.

Meaning that you can "get into" a character even if you love to hate them. I think this is why LOST is popular. Also, I hate some stuff that I do, but when I see other people to it on TV/video games I relate to it and I like it better.

[Gelsamel]

Just recently finished a play through, doing most of the side missions.....

This is the BEST FUCKING GAME EVER. The ending was SO FUCKING AWESOME.

[Vanguard]

I loved this game for one reason, above all:

Spoiler:

I talked the main villain into shooting. himself. in. the. head.

In what other game is *that* a viable end to a long-awaited confrontation?

They only allowed that because

Spoiler:

He gets back up as Sovereign.

But yes. Very epic.

[Thenzon]

I got this game about a week ago, loved every minute of it.
I do have one large problem with it though; the frequent and sometimes long loading times.

[Cleverdan22]

When I got the game, I asked for advice on what class to play from two of my friends. One had played a soldier, one had played whatever the psychic class is, and they argued for like half an hour about which class was better. Twas a fun experience.

[Vanguard]

When I got the game, I asked for advice on what class to play from two of my friends. One had played a soldier, one had played whatever the psychic class is, and they argued for like half an hour about which class was better. Twas a fun experience.

Since it's pretty much a Hack n'slash with Guns, it doesn't really matter. Except with the phychic classes you use pistols instead of assault rifles. As a Vanguard class (Whodathunkit), I had powers but rarely needed them.

[Ledah]

I just started playing a few days ago. So far it's being pretty awesome, except maybe for one thing... my team is as good at fighting as a blind limbless kid. They rarely shoot anything well, they have 0 survival instinct, etc. Also, I believe I haven't mastered the trick in dispatching dudes that go melee distance -.-

[Xaddak]

When I got the game, I asked for advice on what class to play from two of my friends. One had played a soldier, one had played whatever the psychic class is, and they argued for like half an hour about which class was better. Twas a fun experience.

Since it's pretty much a Hack n'slash with Guns, it doesn't really matter. Except with the phychic classes you use pistols instead of assault rifles. As a Vanguard class (Whodathunkit), I had powers but rarely needed them.

Except there's an achievement you can earn that unlocks assault rifles for everyone.

That's right. Adepts with Assault Rifles. You have no idea how deadly I was. Maxed Barrier more than compensated for only having light armour.

[Axman]

I don't think there's not a way to be deadly in this game.

After my first run through I went with the Mr. Bond class, I don't remember what it's called, and I was still fucking ripping through all the guys with my pistol.

Eventually it got so boring that I used nothing but stun+pistol whip.

This game has difficulty scaling issues.

[SlyReaper]

My first play-though, I played as the tech/bionic hybrid class, whatever it's called. Weak weapons, weak armour, but I had great fun throwing enemies around like rag-dolls with my blue phychic awesomeness.

[Eleni]

I loved this game for one reason, above all:

Spoiler:

I talked the main villain into shooting. himself. in. the. head.

In what other game is *that* a viable end to a long-awaited confrontation?

It's not the same thing, but at the end of Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark,

Spoiler:

you have the option of commanding Mephistopheles to die, which is pretty fun. Because he does just die. It's totally cheap though (well, not in terms of in game money--it costs a whole heap of gold), since unlike in Saren's case, he doesn't get up again for one last battle. The game just ends. And besides, the thing with Saren shooting himself makes sense as interesting character development (and demise). The thing with Mephistopheles is just a matter of the absolute rules set up in the game universe.

But overall HotU is just not as good a game, and the characters and storyline are less interesting. So yeah... Mass Effect is awesome.

[thecommabandit]

So, trailer for Mass Effect 2

Spoiler:

A geth head hacked onto Shepard's body? What's the point in that? O_o What benefits would Shepard's body have over a geth one? Gotta admit I didn't see that coming, though. It'll be interesting to see what the fuck's going on.

[Xeio]

So, trailer for Mass Effect 2

Spoiler:

A geth head hacked onto Shepard's body? What's the point in that? O_o What benefits would Shepard's body have over a geth one? Gotta admit I didn't see that coming, though. It'll be interesting to see what the fuck's going on.

I think it's a bit too sketchy to even guess what's going on. Maybe he became a geth? :X

[The Skoot]

Spoiler:

Maybe it's a Borg assimilation-type thing? They get all of his memories and abilities and suchlike, which with Shepard having all that stuff put in his head by the beacon, and being the one to stop the Sovereign, would be pretty valuable.

That trailer's definitely piqued my interest. Can't wait until they release more information.

[sir_schwick]

Belial wrote:
I loved this game for one reason, above all:

Spoiler:

I talked the main villain into shooting. himself. in. the. head.

In what other game is *that* a viable end to a long-awaited confrontation?

In Deus Ex you could activate both Gunther and Navvara's kill switches instead of fighting them. By the time you got to fighting Hermann Gunther it was a long-awaited confrontation.

[Quasar]

Mass Effect is basically one of the best RPGs ever... The combat was good, but it truly shone during the conversations... Jennifer Hale as the female Shepard was pitch perfect. The Depth of Field effects too gave the conversation scenes a real film-like quality, with only a few minor odd details (threatening Fist anyone?) to break the illusion.

As for the ME2 trailer:

Spoiler:

Wasn't expecting that one at all... Almost seems a shame, having had such a fantastic experience during my first playthrough, I really wanted to continue playing as the same character. It might be interesting to start over in a post-Sovereign galaxy, but I personally hope it's just an trick to get attention (like when the HL2: Ep2 trailers made it look like Alyx was dead)

[Belial]

So, trailer for Mass Effect 2

Spoiler:

A geth head hacked onto Shepard's body? What's the point in that? O_o What benefits would Shepard's body have over a geth one? Gotta admit I didn't see that coming, though. It'll be interesting to see what the fuck's going on.

I think it's a bit too sketchy to even guess what's going on. Maybe he became a geth? :X

It looked more like the geth was wearing his armor.

[Zapheod]

How I missed this game when it came out for the PC I will never know.. but I have spent the last 3 days playing this game. I have not sat down for 8+ hour straight to play a game in such a long time that I forgot what it was to love a game.

Soldier first time through on hard(not actually very hard unfortunately) and now playing through as an Adept on Hardcore.

Thanks forum for turning me into an unproductive lump of flest for the forseeable future.

[Hybrid Soldier]

I can't wait for Mass Effect 2, even though there is not much info on it just that they are making it

[Eleni]

That Mass Effect 2 teaser is so cruel. It's not nice to tease!

Spoiler:

No, Shepard can't be dead! She ditched that lousy armor long ago for Kassa's black and red Colossus armor.

[Hybrid Soldier]

That Mass Effect 2 teaser is so cruel. It's not nice to tease!

Spoiler:

No, Shepard can't be dead! She ditched that lousy armor long ago for Kassa's black and red Colossus armor.

Yeah I want to know what happens! Because that trailer raises so many questions

[Whispering]

Yeah I want to know what happens! Because that trailer raises so many questions

Tis a trailer it's supposed to do that at least good ones anyway. Me I can't wait for the new game waiting till 2010 is a bit much though.

[Vanguard]

Geth got a raid-wide buff it looks like ^_^

[RealityPlusPlus]

360 has more than enough games to merit it's purchase. Assassin's Creed, Bioshock, Halo 3, GTA IV, and many others in addition to the two you mentioned, Orange Box and Mass Effect. All of these are great games well worth a playthrough, and having played it, I can say that Mass Effect is just as awesome as you think it is. Also, Assassin's Creed is really good.

Money's tight though, I think the video game industry is gonna take some hits in dough from America in the next couple years if we don't start getting our shit together.

[bigstrat2003]

It seems you're replying to the OP, and since you're new, friendly FYI: the discussion has long since moved on from there. That said:

360 has more than enough games to merit it's purchase. Assassin's Creed, Bioshock, Halo 3, GTA IV, and many others in addition to the two you mentioned, Orange Box and Mass Effect.

Exactly one of those is a 360 exclusive (Halo 3), so exactly one of those merits purchasing a 360 (with the possible exception of GTA 4, if you're interested in the DLC). If you can get it on another platform, there's no compelling reason to get one or the other.

[ArgonV]

I remember that at the end, when climbing the Citadel, I had an Assault Rifle with 2 level 8 heat sinks, which meant I could fire continuously without overheating my weapon. It did less damage though. My shotgun, on the other hand, had 3 level 8 damage buffs, which meant I could one shot off before it overheated, but that shot took everything out but the biggest, baddest Geth. Twas fun.

I also opted to let the council die so we could have a shot at Sovereign. Seemed like the sensible thing to do. Little did I know that meant Humans were the lead power in the Universe.

[thecommabandit]

I remember that at the end, when climbing the Citadel, I had an Assault Rifle with 2 level 8 heat sinks, which meant I could fire continuously without overheating my weapon. It did less damage though. My shotgun, on the other hand, had 3 level 8 damage buffs, which meant I could one shot off before it overheated, but that shot took everything out but the biggest, baddest Geth. Twas fun.

I also opted to let the council die so we could have a shot at Sovereign. Seemed like the sensible thing to do. Little did I know that meant Humans were the lead power in the Universe.

The final sequence when fighting your way to Citadel Control is still my favourite part of the game. It had a tangible sense of urgency that I haven't found in any other game's closing levels.

As soon as I found some Snowblind rounds I used them; they do cold damage so have some nice shield bypass, decrease the target's accuracy and slightly lower your rate of fire, so you never overheat. But you should try loading ANYTHING with High Explosive rounds. A pistol overheats in three to five shots with them.

The first time I let them die too, but I didn't like that the end basically said "Humans are awesome, everyone's afraid but we're strong! We'll lead the galaxy!" and didn't make any point at all of humans CONSTANTLY whining about their 'low' place in galactic affairs. Saving the Council was far more satisfying because the induction of a human onto the Council felt more deserved.

[ArgonV]

Well, it seemed like the logical thing to do. It seemed there were 2 choices: You could either save the council and lose a decent shot at Sovereign, or let the council die (it's only three people + the personnel aboard that ship) and RESCUE THE FRIGGING CENTRE OF GALACTIC CIVILIZATION. What would you choose?

I always thought the council were a bunch of whiny bureaucrats, I cut their transmissions off each chance I got. I wasn't happy with the way it played out though, but in the spirit of true role-playing I decided that those were my choices and this was the outcome. At least I gave the admiral the position and not that spineless ambassador.

I did replay that section and saved the council, but that was purely out of curiosity.

[Phen]

I remember that at the end, when climbing the Citadel, I had an Assault Rifle with 2 level 8 heat sinks, which meant I could fire continuously without overheating my weapon. It did less damage though. My shotgun, on the other hand, had 3 level 8 damage buffs, which meant I could one shot off before it overheated, but that shot took everything out but the biggest, baddest Geth. Twas fun.

I also opted to let the council die so we could have a shot at Sovereign. Seemed like the sensible thing to do. Little did I know that meant Humans were the lead power in the Universe.

The final sequence when fighting your way to Citadel Control is still my favourite part of the game. It had a tangible sense of urgency that I haven't found in any other game's closing levels.

As soon as I found some Snowblind rounds I used them; they do cold damage so have some nice shield bypass, decrease the target's accuracy and slightly lower your rate of fire, so you never overheat. But you should try loading ANYTHING with High Explosive rounds. A pistol overheats in three to five shots with them.

The first time I let them die too, but I didn't like that the end basically said "Humans are awesome, everyone's afraid but we're strong! We'll lead the galaxy!" and didn't make any point at all of humans CONSTANTLY whining about their 'low' place in galactic affairs. Saving the Council was far more satisfying because the induction of a human onto the Council felt more deserved.

Ya, I didn't save them first either. Kinda annoying that the game interprets it that way, when it's actually more because, holy shit, we need to take out Sovereign ASAP.

[RealityPlusPlus]

It seems you're replying to the OP, and since you're new, friendly FYI: the discussion has long since moved on from there. That said:

360 has more than enough games to merit it's purchase. Assassin's Creed, Bioshock, Halo 3, GTA IV, and many others in addition to the two you mentioned, Orange Box and Mass Effect.

Exactly one of those is a 360 exclusive (Halo 3), so exactly one of those merits purchasing a 360 (with the possible exception of GTA 4, if you're interested in the DLC). If you can get it on another platform, there's no compelling reason to get one or the other.

Yes, but almost all of them have access to xbox live, which is by far the best console online system.

[bigstrat2003]

It seems you're replying to the OP, and since you're new, friendly FYI: the discussion has long since moved on from there. That said:

360 has more than enough games to merit it's purchase. Assassin's Creed, Bioshock, Halo 3, GTA IV, and many others in addition to the two you mentioned, Orange Box and Mass Effect.

Exactly one of those is a 360 exclusive (Halo 3), so exactly one of those merits purchasing a 360 (with the possible exception of GTA 4, if you're interested in the DLC). If you can get it on another platform, there's no compelling reason to get one or the other.

Yes, but almost all of them have access to xbox live, which is by far the best console online system.

O.o

By best you mean worst. Any time I have to pay to play games online, that's fail right there. I broke down my idealism and bought an XBL subscription, but I still hate it. It's Microsoft ripping you off just because they can (they don't even give you dedicated servers, for God's sake! The developer has to do that!).

[Kag]

You can get 1 year cards for $30 without much challenge. You're just being cheap.

It's pretty much beyond question that XBL is a superior service to PSN.

edit: although I will note that NXE is incredibly stupid.

[Endless Mike]

I like NXE, actually. For a gaming system, anyway. As a general media hub, it would be pretty awful. And yeah, XBL is WAY better than PSN if for no other reason than that you only need one login (unless you're playing EA games ).

[bigstrat2003]

I'm not really being cheap (I pay for XBL because I have no choice if I want to use it), it's a cost/benefit analysis.

PSN/Nintendo WiFi: I can play games online.
XBL: I can play games online.

I have to pay for only one of these. Microsoft charges me for the privilege of XBL, but doesn't add anything to justify that cost. That's why I hate it. If I was getting a fair trade, I'd be OK with it... but as it is, Microsoft is just ripping me off because they can.

[Kag]

I'm not really being cheap (I pay for XBL because I have no choice if I want to use it), it's a cost/benefit analysis.

Your measure of the benefit is wildly inaccurate if you want to do anything more than enable online functionality in your games.

You may not think it's worth it, but Microsoft does add something for your money.

[SecondTalon]

You may not think it's worth it, but Microsoft does add something for your money.

And.. in a genuinely curious question... that is?

I mean, I don't own a XBox of any sort, and I'm mostly down with the PC gaming scene... hell, the only reason my Wii is online is so I can buy NES games. So, I suppose what I'm asking is - what is it that Microsoft adds to the experience that justifies a cost? Steam doesn't have a cost. Battlenet is also free. What do they add?

[Kag]

Compared to Steam? Pretty much nothing. I would actually say Steam is a better service (if only slightly), but XBL isn't competing with Steam, it's competing with PSN, which doesn't have the game invites, voice chat, or quite as good of a marketplace.