ModernChivalry.org
Miscellaneous => The Sallyport => Topic started by: Sir William on 2014-08-26, 14:09:15
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Why did no one tell me how epic and awesome this game is? Holy cow...its like I'm in my early 20s, I start playing for a while, I look up and holy crap, its 2am! I've only been playing it for the last couple of days but its like any time I can get on it, I'm on it. lol
I'm wondering if I should go back and play the first two...its like, what if Star Trek were really cool...it'd be Mass Effect! Ok, that might be a touch blasphemous but seriously, what a solid great game so far. I haven't been into a game like this since...I think Grand Theft Auto 3 came out, or later, Red Dead Redemption, or Oblivion. The first Assassins Creed. I was really over the moon w/those ones (GTA3, AC1). This feels very similar; the exploration is similar to AC IV: Black Flag, but instead of the Southern hemisphere of Earth, you get a whole lot of outer space. I didn't know what to expect, don't know the story or the characters (beyond doing some reading up so I could understand what Sir Ed's N7 costume armor that he made was about), mechanics or anything else for that matter.
I can't wait to go home and play it, I'm busy as hell at work and still, I've got a small corner of my mind plotting my next jump- I think the exploration part of it is probably more fun than the main campaign (thus far). I'm still at only 50% readiness so the Reapers are safe for now...
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Talk to Sir Edward. :)
My brother played through them all and enjoyed them; multiple times on at least a couple of them. The storyline can change, and if I remember right, can change based on what you did in previous games (on the same console/account, of course).
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I would love to...don't know if I'll have time, but this game is making me want to.
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I own a few of them but never got into them...combat is too slow...same problem with dragon age...
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I really enjoyed Mass Effect 1 and 2. I made it half way through 3 but something or other distracted me and I never went back to it. I certainly will at some point, those games are great. I always thought Bioware handled ME much better than Dragon Age. Although DA3 looks promising!
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Yes, the trilogy is one of my favorites... all time favorites.
ME3 is fantastic by itself, but OMG, you miss SO MUCH detail if you don't play the other two first. Entire groups of characters that you got to know in the previous games will return in the third. And they don't show up at all if you never met them (and imported your savegames). It adds a lot of depth and context to what's happening, beyond just the start of the story and how you've been investigating the reapers from the start.
The first game takes a little time to get into (I think it's a bit slow for the first few hours), but taken as a trilogy, it blows away just about anything else I've played.
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Don Jorge, are you sure we're talking about the same games? I've not encountered slow combat- I mean yes, you have the option of exploring different questlines based on who you talk to, but I like the breaks in-between combat situations. You have options when it comes to combat, weapon loadouts, power arrays, for you and your landing party and you get to choose what each carries; you can even reassign what powers they'll use.
Sir Edward- I got the feeling going in that I was probably missing out on something- considering the amount of time I've already put in (30 hours and I only started it last week lol) I don't know if I'll have enough time to go back to the other two. But maybe...because I have to say, I haven't been awed like this since GTA IV came out. V was nice, but they went light on story to add more gameplay elements that, for me, didn't need. Cool stuff, just wasn't really for me.
As I said, this is like Star Trek for me- if I were able to have my own ST type of life, this would be it. The developers and artists have created an incredibly detailed world- it must look life-like on PC. I spent a LOT of time looking out of observation decks/windows, walking around and listening in on conversations. I didn't even speak to the crew at first (other than the required cut scenes)- I thought they were just like, you know, automatons to take up screen space...I'm getting a kick out of EDI. And I think I missed a romantic opportunity with Liara (the asari Shadow Broker), kinda blown about that. The reporter's flirting, and so is the new girl.
This game is just too awesome. I liked DA, but this blows it away on all fronts. I don't know why they don't just make a medieval game in the style of Mass Effect. But with technical advisers who know what they're talking about, not the D&D crowd that usually gets to do the descriptions of armor, weapons and objects.
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And here I am halfway through a Halo marathon.
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As I said, this is like Star Trek for me- if I were able to have my own ST type of life, this would be it. The developers and artists have created an incredibly detailed world- it must look life-like on PC. I spent a LOT of time looking out of observation decks/windows, walking around and listening in on conversations. I didn't even speak to the crew at first (other than the required cut scenes)- I thought they were just like, you know, automatons to take up screen space...I'm getting a kick out of EDI. And I think I missed a romantic opportunity with Liara (the asari Shadow Broker), kinda blown about that. The reporter's flirting, and so is the new girl.
Yeah, you can start the romance with Liara in ME1. She has a brief appearance in ME2, and then you can continue the romance in ME3 when she's back on your team. The third game ties all of the little sub-plots and character stories together, and brings back a large portion of the ME1 team.
In ME2, technically all of your squad members can live or die based on your decisions, and who survives will have noticeable impact on the outcomes and choices you can make during ME3. It's crazy how complicated it is.
But yeah, you have to expect to spend about 40 hours in each game.
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As I said, this is like Star Trek for me- if I were able to have my own ST type of life, this would be it. The developers and artists have created an incredibly detailed world- it must look life-like on PC. I spent a LOT of time looking out of observation decks/windows, walking around and listening in on conversations. I didn't even speak to the crew at first (other than the required cut scenes)- I thought they were just like, you know, automatons to take up screen space...I'm getting a kick out of EDI. And I think I missed a romantic opportunity with Liara (the asari Shadow Broker), kinda blown about that. The reporter's flirting, and so is the new girl.
Yeah, you can start the romance with Liara in ME1. She has a brief appearance in ME2, and then you can continue the romance in ME3 when she's back on your team. The third game ties all of the little sub-plots and character stories together, and brings back a large portion of the ME1 team.
In ME2, technically all of your squad members can live or die based on your decisions, and who survives will have noticeable impact on the outcomes and choices you can make during ME3. It's crazy how complicated it is.
But yeah, you have to expect to spend about 40 hours in each game.
Just curious, who will I miss out on? There's been references to the previous games but I wonder how much I'm missing.
So, I'll admit I've gotten a bit lazy as a gamer...there's a lot more games I want to play than I have time to play them, so I've taken to watching gameplay/cutscene movies on YouTube. Gives me the gist of the story, some of the gameplay and its generally a lot shorter than it would take me to get thru a game. So I'm watching ME1, its about 4 hours, which is a lot easier to deal with than 40 (and trust me, I could easily stretch that to 80 just because). Sometimes I envy those guys who get paid to play video games, even tho I know they don't make a lot of money. At least, not the testers; not speaking on those 'pro' gamers.
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Yeah, this is a good way to enjoy the series if you don't have time to play it, is this "movie series" edited together like a TV show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6swl0H_RUA&list=PL61B5E0DC94526D3E (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6swl0H_RUA&list=PL61B5E0DC94526D3E)
All of your surviving squad members can return with cameos, or to join your team again. Plus, minor characters that you rescued or helped may come back and give you some dialog and some war asset points.
The video series above has all the main characters, but doesn't include all of the DLC missions (just a couple of them). If you watch it, I'd recommend watching it to the end, so you can see what you missed in ME3, but don't go past where you've played. You don't want the spoilers.
Also keep in mind that the videos only show one outcome for every situation. Scenes can play out very differently depending on your choices, and that will also impact future interactions with those characters, or other events that depend on past choices. The biggest being who lives or dies (the video series above saves as many of the characters as possible, so that you can see their return in ME3).
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Guess I need to pay mass effect.
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Naythan, yes you do. I beat it early Sunday morning and restarted it after I woke up Sunday afternoon. lol
It is difficult to go the Renegade route- I always have problems with that stuff; I know its just a game but a lot of the responses for that part are more pragmatic than I ever could be. Still, an awesome game- thanks for that vid link Sir Edward, I'm going to check it out.
Turns out, there're 8 different endings? They were sure people would play it that much to find them all? Well...having seen one already, I know I'll see at least two of them. ;)
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It's really more like 3 endings, with some variations in the level of destruction and who survives in the end, depending on your war assets. It's those 3 selections (assuming you even get all three available to you) that matter the most.
There was a huge public flap about the endings when the game first came out. People felt like all those massive amounts of decisions you made along the way, got distilled down to 3 endings that were very similar to each other. After the "extended cut", which added detail to the endings, I think they're fine. Most of the reaction, I think, was from a vocal minority who didn't get the exact ending they wanted.
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Well isn't that more meaningful? If the whole game your making decisions, and sacrifices, then finally there is that big decision.
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It's really more like 3 endings, with some variations in the level of destruction and who survives in the end, depending on your war assets. It's those 3 selections (assuming you even get all three available to you) that matter the most.
There was a huge public flap about the endings when the game first came out. People felt like all those massive amounts of decisions you made along the way, got distilled down to 3 endings that were very similar to each other. After the "extended cut", which added detail to the endings, I think they're fine. Most of the reaction, I think, was from a vocal minority who didn't get the exact ending they wanted.
Well, I didn't have any problems with the ending, other than it ended. Then it tosses you back on a previous save which was a bit weird- but other than that, I thought it was a good ending to a great game. A couple of the AA guys had told me, before I finished, that the ending was straight crap. Glad I disagree. lol
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For anyone reading this do yourself a favor and play all 3 games back to back, and get all the DCL for ME2 and ME3 the first time you play it. Not only does it make the games better but it makes the endings more meaningful. Especially try the Citadel DC for ME3.
I didn't like some stuff that happens in ME2 nor any of the endings much, but I still feel like the Mass Effect Trilogy has no equal anywhere.
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For anyone reading this do yourself a favor and play all 3 games back to back, and get all the DCL for ME2 and ME3 the first time you play it. Not only does it make the games better but it makes the endings more meaningful. Especially try the Citadel DC for ME3.
I didn't like some stuff that happens in ME2 nor any of the endings much, but I still feel like the Mass Effect Trilogy has no equal anywhere.
QFT.
Most of the DLC is really good in both of those games. "The Arrival" in ME2 helps explain a detail about why you are where you are at the start of ME3. "Leviathan" gives some great back-story. "Citadel" is the final DLC they made and gives a lot of meaningful character development (and was Bioware's "farewell" to the story). Lots of really, really good stuff.
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I'm going backwards now...I'm on ME2. I looked at some gameplay vids for ME1, but couldn't go back that far visually (it was a bit off-putting). I just got it; once I finish it, I'll probably go do ME3 for a third time, but this time w/the DLC. I honestly didn't expect to like it that much but damned if I don't love it. ME2 looks very similar to ME3, at least as far as the visuals go, it isn't the leap back like going to ME is.
So, is it canon that Shepard dies? I read that a new ME is being dev'd for the new systems, so maybe it'll be a whole new adventure w/new characters? I dunno...I like Shepard (as I've played him, which is myself, really- even looks like me lol).
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i still haven't finished me2. i think it was snowing somewhere last i played in the game
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So, is it canon that Shepard dies? I read that a new ME is being dev'd for the new systems, so maybe it'll be a whole new adventure w/new characters? I dunno...I like Shepard (as I've played him, which is myself, really- even looks like me lol).
SPOILERS BELOW
Huge spoiler for those who haven't gotten that far, but pretty much it's written to have that heroic ending. The answer is always somewhere between "yes", and "probably, but maybe he/she somehow survived" depending on the ending you get.
Shepard's story is over, and the new games will go in a different direction.
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Ah well...I guess he had a good run. Plus, he'd been dead, blasted to pieces once already. I wonder what that'd be like?
For those reading who haven't played, I am playing on a 360 so the graphics concerns I have are probably not as jarring for someone playing on a PC. If the first ME wasn't so...well, lets just call a spade a spade, its ugly- but for 2007, it was cutting edge. Now though, the lighting, shading, lack of textures all make for a less than stellar game for me. Wish I'd played it when it first came out, though.
I feel like I need to reiterate how awesome this series is- I really like the interactions, side missions, characters and conversations, being able to go just about anywhere on the starmap is just ultra cool. As I've played, I noticed, at least in ME3, that the game is actually quite linear once you land- but giving you the option of going anywhere you want from the start- I wish every game did that, but then, if it did- would we value that as much? Probably not.
Anyone who is a sci-fi fan of any genre should pick this game up and play it.
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So, I was sitting there, playing ME2, seeing some familiar faces and realized- as much as I like knowing what's going to happen, it'd be more fun to see it as it happened so I get all the references. I came across a trilogy pack (brand new unopened) in Gamestop that had all three together in one box so you know what I did. Graphically speaking, it isn't as jarring as I expected- and of course, it isn't as cool as the other installments (weapons and tactics are understandably rougher) but I'm getting a kick out of doing it from the beginning.
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So, I was sitting there, playing ME2, seeing some familiar faces and realized- as much as I like knowing what's going to happen, it'd be more fun to see it as it happened so I get all the references. I came across a trilogy pack (brand new unopened) in Gamestop that had all three together in one box so you know what I did. Graphically speaking, it isn't as jarring as I expected- and of course, it isn't as cool as the other installments (weapons and tactics are understandably rougher) but I'm getting a kick out of doing it from the beginning.
Awesome! You won't regret that at all. :)
I highly recommend getting all of the mission DLC for ME2 and ME3, and import your savegames from one to the next. And yes, you'll probably find yourself playing ME3 again to see how your choices, and the characters you met, get carried through. :) Everyone who is on your team in the first two games (who survive) will appear again in the third. If you didn't see them in the third, and now you're getting them on your team in the first two, it's probably because it treated it as though you never recruited them.
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Video link isn't their, but I foolishly watched the honest trailer for the game; though many spoilers, I still want to play the game. Eventually. When I take money to buy it. :)
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So, I was sitting there, playing ME2, seeing some familiar faces and realized- as much as I like knowing what's going to happen, it'd be more fun to see it as it happened so I get all the references. I came across a trilogy pack (brand new unopened) in Gamestop that had all three together in one box so you know what I did. Graphically speaking, it isn't as jarring as I expected- and of course, it isn't as cool as the other installments (weapons and tactics are understandably rougher) but I'm getting a kick out of doing it from the beginning.
Awesome! You won't regret that at all. :)
I highly recommend getting all of the mission DLC for ME2 and ME3, and import your savegames from one to the next. And yes, you'll probably find yourself playing ME3 again to see how your choices, and the characters you met, get carried through. :) Everyone who is on your team in the first two games (who survive) will appear again in the third. If you didn't see them in the third, and now you're getting them on your team in the first two, it's probably because it treated it as though you never recruited them.
I've already decided that I'd have to see it through all the way to the end and tbh, I really enjoyed 3 so why not? I was but a few hours into 2 so I didn't see anything major in the plot dept (even though I know how its all supposed to work out). I'm nearly done with 1; its almost like a job because I just want to get through it to get to 2 (which is the one I don't know).
Naythan, you can get them really cheap. I think 1 and 2 are like $6, 3 was $9. I went and bought the trilogy pack brand new so I could get all the DLC codes that came with it. I fully intend to explore all of that! I've played alot of space-themed games, this is the best one, hands down, I've ever played. Oh sure, Wing Commander was great, especially for its time, one or two of the Star Wars games were good, Star Trek however, was horrible- great for a tv show but sucky for a game (its all very slow and ponderous), StarCraft was a great series of games but Mass Effect- takes the whole cake.
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I've already decided that I'd have to see it through all the way to the end and tbh, I really enjoyed 3 so why not? I was but a few hours into 2 so I didn't see anything major in the plot dept (even though I know how its all supposed to work out). I'm nearly done with 1; its almost like a job because I just want to get through it to get to 2 (which is the one I don't know).
Naythan, you can get them really cheap. I think 1 and 2 are like $6, 3 was $9. I went and bought the trilogy pack brand new so I could get all the DLC codes that came with it. I fully intend to explore all of that! I've played alot of space-themed games, this is the best one, hands down, I've ever played. Oh sure, Wing Commander was great, especially for its time, one or two of the Star Wars games were good, Star Trek however, was horrible- great for a tv show but sucky for a game (its all very slow and ponderous), StarCraft was a great series of games but Mass Effect- takes the whole cake.
Yeah, I always take it with a grain of salt when people tell me how great a particular game is. Not all of them appeal to me in the same way. But I'm SO GLAD I believed people on this one. It's truly epic as a trilogy. It's engaging, and you come away attached to all the characters, and feel like you've lived through the adventure with them. I love the fact that the story really captures the psychology of the different characters and factions, feels like an established, living world, and as the story progresses, you can feel the desperation, loss, and sacrifice start to weigh on people.
It warms my heart to find people discovering it too.
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Dang it, guys...now I'm going to have to add another series to my list of "Games I'd Like to Try...Eventually".
I've heard great things about it pretty much since the first one came out, though.
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I'll tell you Douglas, I only decided to play the 3rd one a month or so ago. I'd heard of it, but having played other space themed games, which were good, they didn't grab me and make me want to find others. So, while I heard of ME, it was mostly PC players I heard about it from so I discounted it from the start, seeing as I don't play PC games anymore. Previous experience has taught me that most games built for PC and ported-to-console tend to fail miserably at some point. Except this was no port.
I think I've gone on enough about how epic this is, and I'm like Sir Edward- one man's epicness is another man's God-I-wish-it-would-end-already. lol
As Sir Edward noted, the story arc and the characterizations are very approachable; even the Paragon Shepard isn't the stick-in-the-rear douchebag those types of characters normally end up having to be like. I think that having the ability to decide how you will respond to a given query or conversation, and have that response carry weight only adds to the immersion into the game. People you talk to remember your words (and actions) from previous encounters- so that subsequent contacts with these people will be colored by their perception of you.
I'm usually not a jerk, so I don't play as one but I have to say, there's one or two personalities in the game that make you want[/it] to be one, just to deal with those people; but I didn't want any hits on my ratings so I kept it civil. I think I like it so much because a lot of your responses, and the conversations you have sort of play out like real, normal people would talk. It is all very well voice-acted and mo-captured; naturally the earlier games aren't quite so slick looking, but considering how old they are, they're pretty damn good looking. 3 looks amazing.
I'm actually going to be sad when I reach the ending in 3 for the final time; it has been a journey.
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I told you guys :)
Just save yourself some grief, and start out playing the whole trilogy from 1 to 3 getting all the DLC for ME2 and ME3. The ME1 DLC you can skip.
There simply is no equal to the Mass Effect trilogy. There is no series of games with the same breadth, depth and character as Mass Effect. There are other good games, great games even - but no trilogies of them where each game plays the same character through a single story across 3 games with the storytelling passion cranked up to 11. My inner gamer wept when it was finally over knowing there was nothing else like it in existence to continue the feeling.
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After playing it through, watch this...
Malukah - Reignite - Mass Effect/Shepard Tribute Song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re32xnyYP3A#)
It's not a spoiler, except that it has lots of general imagery of the characters.
I watched it before playing, and I was like "ok, that's nicely done". But after playing, while you're still in that awe-struck state after completing all three of them and seeing the ending credits, this song can drive you to tears. The good kind. Bittersweet, wonderful tears, mixed with a multitude of emotions. It's amazing.
Her blending of several musical themes from the series is just BRILLIANT.
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Have you listened to some of her other covers? Her voice has a haunting quality- much like Amy Lee (but w/out the incredible range, so far as I can tell anyways); she did a few of the Skyrim tavern songs that came out better than what's in the game.
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I am probably late posting on this topic, but hey, I love the Mass Effect Trilogy. I got Mass Effect 1 on a whim because it was in the bargain bin. I had heard about but never played it. As soon as I started playing, I knew I was in for something great. Going through the trilogy was a wonderfully engaging experience. The decisions that I had to make in those games were truly harrowing. There legitimately times when I would ponder choices for upwards of ten minutes before making my decision. These were usually the points where I felt someone was going to die if I messed up, (and they did). Mass Effect, for me anyway, is better than Star Wars. The immersion factor is amazing. Mass Effect 3 is my favorite. They worked a lot of the problems from 1 and 2. Plus, the scale of that game is astounding! The systematic genocide and/or enslavement of all sentient life in the universe? The stakes don't get much higher than that. I would probably buy Mass effect all over again if it comes out for the Xbox One.
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No worries on bringing up old topics. Here we usually prefer that, over starting a new one.
Yeah, it was engaging to a degree unlike anything else I've played. I agonized over choices. I rushed home from work on most days because there was a war going on, and they needed me, and why doesn't anyone else understand that!?! :)
It was such a rich and vibrant universe, with characters that can make you really care about what happens to them. And I actually miss them... I don't think any other game series has ever done that to me before. :)
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I know the feeling. It is too easy to get attached to the characters in Mass Effect. Especially Mass Effect 2. The loyalty missions really fleshed out each characters backgrounds. Garrus Vakarian was the man! That is a brother in arms if there ever was one. Tali was also one of my favorites. To go against your entire race to fight for what you believe in. Rock on Tali.
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Dang, I still really need to get and play this series. It sounds right up my alley. And Assassin's Creed. And Red Dead Redemption. And....
But hey...at least I finally got around to the Uncharted series, and I'm about 2/3 of the way through The Witcher series. Slow progress is still progress. ;)
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Assassin's Creed is fun, if a bit repetitive. Red Dead Redemption is an amazing game though. Very immersive and very entertaining. There are always things to do. The world is huge and open, much like the the western area was, so just getting from point A to point B is an adventure. I highly recommend that game.
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Red Dead Redemption is absolutely incredible. It's got incredible writing, a great script, and one hell of a memorable cast of characters. Plus its just really fun. You should watch the review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cHap89_lFk
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Hahaha! Good ol' Yahtzee.
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I played all of the aforementioned games and all of them are great, some in their own way (like AC) and some, just because of 'teh awesumness'; RDR was what an open-world Western themed game should be. Its predecessor, Red Dead Revolver opened that door; the less-acclaimed GUN was also pretty ok, if only because the Punisher was the lead vocal (Tom Jane). But Redemption was everything I ever wanted in a Western-themed game...it had it all. I even liked the fact that you only had one experience with a car- and it was like a half mile journey at best. It was really well written, well acted and well developed. Loved it. The best AC game, beyond the first (which, being during the Crusades means its automatically my favorite) is Black Flag. Oh, the epic story arc of Ezio was awe inspiring, but the most fun I've ever had in an AC game was in Black Flag. You play as a sailor turned rogue and its a pretty good story but the best part of that game was the open world- and the best way to traverse said open world was by boat. The sailing aspect was so much fun I logged more hours just sailing (and yes, attacking other ships, and strongholds and towns and islands- you get the drift, so to speak); upgrading your ship with newer, better and more- armaments, shielding, etc etc. I remember when I first crossed shipping lanes with a Legendary battleship- purely by accident and I barely scraped by the lives of myself and my crewmen! And they sang sea shanties- that you had to find first on land. The story became second string once I got on that boat. Oh man, it was pure awesome.
So the latest, Unity- it was good, nice story, great visuals in revolutionary era France- but it was all ON FOOT. No horseback sequences, no carriages, no boats- just the huge island of France and everywhere you went was by foot. Or the teleport cages, but those don't make traveling fun, only expedient.
As for pure epic-ness, Mass Effect hit me like when I first read the Hobbit, or saw Star Wars- took me a while to get my head around it. There have been few games that caused me to take a step back and attempt to see the larger picture- Grand Theft Auto 3, Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, Assassins Creed I, just a few that come to mind. Games that made me think, not just on what was going on at the time, but what was to come, and how to effect it in such a way as to be what I wanted it to be. A lot of games make that promise, but a lot also do not deliver in that regard.
The question is- how much further can they go in games before it gets old hat? There's only so many flavors of fetch-it quests you can go on before they start to mash together; multi-step fetches get old after a while, too. I've seen serious themes explored in games (The Walking Dead series of games, The Last of Us, Heavy Rain, etc), in some instances that made me cringe. As I go on, I find myself wanting that visceral experience over style or popped out graphics, you know? Ten years ago I would've been salivating at the idea of a new Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat (or Killer Instinct, used to love that one) but now I've no desire to play any of those. They look great, but my twitch skills have been slowly perishing and tbh, I need more substance than simple fighters will give me. Guess I'm getting old after all. lol
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After seeing that Napoleon has a British accent in Unity, I can't bring myself to play it. Then again, I was never a real fan of the AC series. The whole AC series seems like something the History Channel would make: Ancient aliens, conspiracy theories, end of the world, and a smattering overly romanticized history. I hated Conner in every way I could hate a character. And I got sick and tired of being an errand boy and not an assassin.
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Had it been overly boring and replete with historically accurate data, it would not have made the sales it did, I'd wager. FWIW, I wasn't a fan of Connor either- so much so, that I quit the game 8 hours in and only once tried to continue (at Sir James' behest, as he'd noted it was worthy just for the story) but I just couldn't get behind the guy. As for Napoleon's accent, I hadn't really noticed- just chalked it up to the Animus' translators.
I'm with you on errand boy quests, but they do serve a purpose in letting you get to know the environment. I typically explored on my own anyway just to see what was out there.