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March 28, 2024, 10:57:42 PM

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Memories of Mass Effect

Started by pk1yen, February 03, 2011, 02:45:57 PM

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pk1yen

Right - I got Mass Effect 2 for Christmas, and I haven't started it yet because I was waiting until I'd given Fallout New Vegas a thoroughly good seeing-to. But I'm done with Fallout now, and Fable 2 hasn't yet been the gripping adventure I thought it would be - so I'm ready to start Mass Effect 2, and Fable 2 can wait.

I played the original when it came out, and I know that the sequel carries on your team and story from the first one. But my worry is, that I can't rememeber a single bloody thing from the first one - storyline-wise, character-wise, or the choices that I made on my first playthrough.

To maximise the pleasure I get from Mass Effect 2, should I replay the first one to get me back up to speed (and maybe make some slightly different choices, that I might have made differently had I played it for the first time now?) - or is the joy in the continuity in living with your mistakes, and being reminded of all the things you forgot from the first one?

My only worry is that I'll remember more than I think from the first one if I replay it, and then won't be arsed to do all the side-quests and things that I did the first time round, thus making it a pointless exercise. Plus it's a huge investment of time to replay it properly if it's not going to gain me much in the way of enjoyment for the second one.

I think I convinced myself to live with my mistakes and start the second one. The alternative is, of course, to load up my old save file and mop up some remaining side-quests. But that doesn't seem very exciting really when there's a whole new adventure waiting.

Ignatius_S

If you're planning to play the third one, which I think it out fairly soon, I would think about playing the first one again - I wouldn't have said this about the second game.

In the second one, the decisions from the first don't matter hugely but, from what I've seen about the third there's going to be much more of an impact. I suspect the default decisions that new characters will make things a little more tricky.

Although I was playing ME1 for a second time to import into the second one, I got a bit bored and decided just to play ME2 from scratch - one reason I did this I wanted to keep Wrex, but realised I was going to have to play the game another time in order to have enough influence points.

However, if you're playing the PC version, check the Web - there was one bloke with too much time on his hands (and I salute him for it), who made available saves of different gamee, listing the decisions that were made and this I say, would be the way to go.

I wouldn't worry about not remembering what happened in the first - I suspect it will come flooding back to you and that one reason, why I found the game a lot of fun (but in quite a lot of ways, I prefer the first).

pk1yen

I just loaded up the first one - and I found my original save file only had a playtime of 22 hours. I could have sworn it had been longer. Maybe I've been spoiled by my 80 hour Fallout stint, or 200 hours on Pokemon Soul Silver, but 22 hours seems like nothing.

Though apparently I last played it on the 22nd November 2005, which explains why I don't remember it much.



EDIT: ... wait, but it wasn't out in 2005, was it? I didn't even have a 360 until Halo 3, which must have been 2007. I sense shenanigans.

Egyptian Feast

Quote from: pk1yen on February 03, 2011, 03:16:18 PM

Though apparently I last played it on the 22nd November 2005, which explains why I don't remember it much.



EDIT: ... wait, but it wasn't out in 2005, was it? I didn't even have a 360 until Halo 3, which must have been 2007. I sense shenanigans.

I think that's the default date on the Xbox. It resets itself everytime I unplug the fucker from the mains.

Mister Six

There was a gap of a few years between me finishing ME and starting ME2 and a lot of it came back to me as I played. However, I'd probably suggest starting ME1 from scratch and going through it again. I think you'll be able to appreciate the overarcing story more.

bitesize

i forgot loads of stuff from ME1 when playing ME2, so most of the nice little touches that hark back to what you did were completely lost on me. apparently the PS3 version of ME2 comes with a motion comic type thing with a few choose-your-own-adventure style choices to make, so that you can brush up on what happened in the 1st one (since it never came out on PS3) - wish they'd done something like that for XBoxers too.

odds on i'm gonna forget what happened in ME2 by the time ME3 comes out... i gotta shit memory.

madhair60

I got ME1 in the Steam sales.  Did the first mission and enjoyed it, but mother of fuck the Citadel is making me want to uninstall it forever.

Still Not George

Whoever tagged "mostly standing in elevators" - spot on.

Mister Six

Quote from: bitesize on February 04, 2011, 10:32:14 AM
i forgot loads of stuff from ME1 when playing ME2, so most of the nice little touches that hark back to what you did were completely lost on me. apparently the PS3 version of ME2 comes with a motion comic type thing with a few choose-your-own-adventure style choices to make, so that you can brush up on what happened in the 1st one (since it never came out on PS3) - wish they'd done something like that for XBoxers too.

Originally there was supposed to be a conversation between you and Miranda where she'd test your 'memory' on various events from ME1 (ie, say 'And do you rememebr what happened to Wrex..?' and you could tell her that you had to kill him, or that you talked him down) but that was obviously cut from the final game. Shame.

Ignatius_S

Quote from: Mister Six on February 04, 2011, 11:43:46 AM
Originally there was supposed to be a conversation between you and Miranda where she'd test your 'memory' on various events from ME1 (ie, say 'And do you rememebr what happened to Wrex..?' and you could tell her that you had to kill him, or that you talked him down) but that was obviously cut from the final game. Shame.
They could have had answers where you were trying to bluff your way - "I'm still choked up about Wrex... if I ever get my hands on the bastard who killed him..."

Mister Six

Quote from: Ignatius_S on February 04, 2011, 01:32:10 PM
They could have had answers where you were trying to bluff your way - "I'm still choked up about Wrex... if I ever get my hands on the bastard who killed him..."

That wouldn't get the message across to people who didn't play the first game though.

pk1yen

Well, I started the first one again - figured 22 hours was a small price to pay if it made the second one better (I've not got much on at the moment ... )

Not been as repetitive as I'd thought - though the Citadel can go fuck itself, with it's boring locations, boring layout and boring fucking elevators. Plus I can never find all those bloody Keepers.

Still Not George

I had to look up the last couple in the end. I sincerely hope there's a pay-off for that in the last game, or Bioware will be getting a visit from Mr Halfbrick.

pk1yen

I think I tried to look the locations up last time, but all I found was a list of them - and the game doesn't tell you which one's you've found, so I couldn't be arsed to go through them. Been haunting me for years, that - so maybe it's a good thing I can finally do it at some point.

I've been enjoying roaming around the planets again actually. Pales in comparison to Fallout, and thinking about it, I have no idea why it's enjoyable, considering it's basically going from A -> B -> C. But still.
Collecting lists of things satisfies my inner OCD.

Ignatius_S

Quote from: Mister Six on February 04, 2011, 07:10:26 PM
That wouldn't get the message across to people who didn't play the first game though.
Granted, but it would have amused me no end.

Still Not George

Am really, really enjoying playing through ME2 as a Paragon atm. Which is unusual, I generally prefer to play baddies where possible.

Fry

I hated the first game, it came so highly recommended but I found it incredibly boring. Whenever I play I get up to the big spacestationy bit where you have to go and kill some space kingpin in a futuristic neon slumclub sort of place and I just get fed up and turn it off. I can't even say why, I just find it basically uninteresting.

I feel like I am missing out on a big thing :o(.

thugler

I thought it was okay, but the actual gameplay was very repetitive and even dull after a while.

pk1yen

I'm almost finished with my second playthrough -- more than a bit annoyed I forgot about
Spoiler alert
the decision of who to sacrifice on Virmire.
[close]
Just went charging in and couldn't get out again. I'm also regretting my decision slightly, but not much I can do about that.

Running out of steam doing the side-missions. Not even sure I'm free to do anymore, now
Spoiler alert
the Alliance has decided to impound my ship forcing me to steal it back.
[close]
I might have no choice but to fly to the ending, I can't remember.

All-in-all -- not as boring or dull as I'd thought it would be to replay - but I'm looking forward to getting on to the second one where I don't know 90% of the missions already.

And hopefully no more
Spoiler alert
FUCKING ELEVATORS
[close]
. The one in the Normandy in particular takes the piss - it moves at a fucking snail's pace.

HappyTree

It's funny how we get different things from games. I loved the Citadel, that was the best bit! Wandering around talking to people. The lifts were a little slow but not that annoying really.

I started ME2 with my Paragon saved game in which I saved the universe, etc. As far as I could tell the only boost was that I had some money. I couldn't remember all the ins and outs from ME1, but never mind. I wouldn't say not replaying ME1 spoiled my enjoyment.

ME2 has a better inventory, the only thing that I find poor is that you have to keep on buying fuel in the space map. And I quite liked the planet buggy. The Citadel in ME2 is vastly cut down, I wish it were as big as in ME1.

Wrex is crap. I don't like big, blundering characters.

Still Not George

Quote from: HappyTree on February 15, 2011, 11:14:30 AMME2 has a better inventory, the only thing that I find poor is that you have to keep on buying fuel in the space map.

And the fact that you can't buy ammo or power cells anywhere.

Actually, the very fact that you need to pick up "power cells" in the far fucking future. After leaving a ship with a giant power core. FUCK OFF WITH YOUR NONSENSICAL LIMITATIONS.

pk1yen

Quote from: HappyTree on February 15, 2011, 11:14:30 AM
ME2 has a better inventory

Oh, god I forgot to mention how awful the inventory in ME1 is. I dread looking through canisters and crates half the time, just because I don't need any more fucking items - but my Fallout sense of scavenging wins out and I end up with 20 assault rifles I'm not trained to use ... and then have to go through them individually, turning them to omni-gel (not to mention piles of shit ammo types with different numbers next to them.

Having to scroll down to the bottom of a  huge list of items to delete the shit ones for each individual item because it sends you back to the top every time is driving me insane.

And does it not add items to your inventory until you actually check your inventory? I look through crates, pick up some shit stuff because pressing A once is easier than pressing X 5 times - then I check my inventory twenty minutes later, having been given an important item like the
Spoiler alert
anti-Thorian gas
[close]
, only to find I'm forced to turn it and everything else to omni-gel to get out of the menu, even though I've been carrying it fine for 20 minutes.

Mister Six

Finally completed the Overlord and Shadow Broker DLC for Mass Effect 2. Save for some cool haunted house moments Overlord felt a bit flat, but Shadow Broker more than made up for it. So many great little twists, and letting you
Spoiler alert
romp around the Shadow Broker's office and arse about with his data
[close]
is a great idea. I hope there'll be more DLC, though, because otherwise the upgrades and money I've collected will be wasted.

What I've realised while playing the DLC, however, is that I just don't really enjoy the core gameplay in Mass Effect 2. The 'cover/situationally appropriate special attacks/Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!' stuff is wearyingly repetitive, for a start.
Spoiler alert
The lightning conductors, tossing people into the air, and the fight against the Shadow Broker
[close]
changed things up a little, but the gunfights all too often boil down to the same thing over and over.

And the pared-down inventory and biotic/tech systems disappoint me as well. No cool guns and toys to pick up from downed enemies and only incremental improvements to existing biotics/tech powers robbed me of the nagging 'Wonder what I can get at the next level?' itch that carry me through the likes of Fallout and Dragon Age. And because some of those powers are a bit crap (does anyone seriously care what kind of special ammo power-up they have? Does anyone fret about taking a shredder ammo character with them instead of a warp ammo one?) I never found myself pondering where to deploy my squad points - I just mechanically threw them into warp/throw/slam/overload/whatever other power I'd deemed useful and moved on.

It's the writing that gets me through the game - no, more than that: it's the writing that elevates the game beyond its limitations. The stories, the characters, the world-building, even the little chats that you can eavesdrop on... they're brilliant. I'll play this game, and this DLC, through again once I've completed Mass Effect 3. And probably many times after that. But it won't be for the game.

HappyTree

Yeah I preferred the upgrades in ME1, it felt like you were doing something useful when you applied the latest Geth-busting ammo to your gun. My character in ME2 also seems not to like assault rifles which are my favourite. But I'm not playing the game for the combat, in fact I adopt the rather scaredy cat tactic of sending my 2 cohorts ahead to fight for me and hiding behind a crate making people levitate in the air. I'd far rather they took the hits and I healed them than risking my own skin which can result in having to play the scene all over again.

In fact, the combat is a bit of an annoyance for me, I'm trying to play it like an adventure game. I hope ME3 has less combat and more cool sneaking around stuff.