Mass Effect Discussion (spoilers)

[Azuardo]

Better on 360 over PS3, huh? That's a first. If that's the case, then I think I'll go ahead and get it for 360. I really don't want to buy it if I can help it, make sure I enjoy the first and move on to the second and third.

I believe the PS3 versions suffer from some framerate issues when compared to the 360 version. There's actually a lot of games that run better on 360 than PS3, but when a game's built for the PS3 first, it's the other way around. I do own the PS3 versions myself and I've come across graphical glitches, although I don't know if they're PS3-specific, and I have heard of glitches being in all versions of the games - lazy on BioWare's part. Ultimately, not one version is unplayable, but I suppose given the choice, you'd rather go with 360.

But yeah, safe to buy ME1 first, see how you like it, then move on. I'm sure you'll want to get them all :]

 

[APZonerunner]

ME1 & 2 are on Steam. ME3 is only on Origin, unfortunately.

How are they RPGs? Two ways, really--

1) As previously mentioned, you have a party of characters. In RPG tradition, when you go on missions and quests, you select who comes with you. Different characters fit into archetypal RPG classes with their powers. In the ME universe, the equivalent of magic is Biotics and Tech; Biotics is a bit like the Force, where you can manipulate space and warp time and things like that. Tech is hacking technology and things like that; that all plays into combat. There's combinations you can do by ordering your allies to act in a certain way; Hey, Biotic, lift that guy off the ground, and then I'll use my Biotics to throw him backwards, things like that.

Within all these powers you level up, and there's a basic tech tree that branches, so you can get different variations on powers depending on how you level them; do you want them more or less offensive, etcetera. You create your own character and you choose their class; do you want to be a soldier, who just uses guns (basic third person shooter gameplay) or do you want other powers?

2) Story stuff. I think in terms of playing a role, this is the bit that really draws people to ME. The choices you make are big, have an effect, and carry from game to game. I was seeing consequences to choices I made in 2006 or 2007 in 2012 in the first game when I played Mass Effect 3, which was pretty amazing. The choices you make really attach you to the characters and your personal story, which will be different to everybody else's, which I think is great.

The core gameplay controls like a third person shooter, but there's a lot of RPG stuff under the hood. I've seen people do playthroughs of ME1 where they don't use guns at all and ONLY use the powers, so there's a lot of scope there.

Look for a copy of ME1, but it may be the case now that the cheapest way to buy it is to buy the trilogy box set.

 

[Azuardo]

Ah, yes, Origin. That's why I'd never seen a Steam deal for ME3 -_-

 

[Sapientia]

I believe the PS3 versions suffer from some framerate issues when compared to the 360 version. There's actually a lot of games that run better on 360 than PS3, but when a game's built for the PS3 first, it's the other way around. I do own the PS3 versions myself and I've come across graphical glitches, although I don't know if they're PS3-specific, and I have heard of glitches being in all versions of the games - lazy on BioWare's part. Ultimately, not one version is unplayable, but I suppose given the choice, you'd rather go with 360.

But yeah, safe to buy ME1 first, see how you like it, then move on. I'm sure you'll want to get them all :]

Another question I thought of. Is there DLC for all three Mass Effect games? I remember, really vaguely, something about DLC...just curious, really.

 

[Azuardo]

Another question I thought of. Is there DLC for all three Mass Effect games? I remember, really vaguely, something about DLC...just curious, really.

There is indeed. In fact, DLC plays quite an important role in this series. Depending on whether you go PC or not, you might want to try and look into getting a version packed-in with DLC already, if possible. I mean, I know for fact that ME2 on PS3 already contains some DLC episodes on the disc, but this isn't the case for the 360 version of that game, as far as I am aware, and you would need to purchase any ME2 episodes for 360 separately. I would guess that with Steam, you might be able to buy bundles of games + DLC, but I can't say for certain.

There are two DLC expisodes in ME2 that grant you completely new characters, and one in ME3 which does the same thing. It would be ideal not to miss out on these. ME3 in particular has a lot of very important story DLC on top of this (APZ talked about it earlier in the thread), although I have sadly missed out on much of it, because it is expensive when you add them all up. I'm waiting for a ME DLC sale on PSN, which I believe is happening soon, so that will be my chance to snag them all and catch up on what I missed out on.

While people will say that the DLC is very important and that you really should try your best to get a hold of them (not least because the missions themselves from them are also awesome, and in many cases, better than the actual main games missions), it's not a huge deal if you don't/can't. Even though I already got some DLC free because they were PS3 versions, I did still miss out on some, and I missed out on all of it in ME3. But what I will say is that this series, even with missing many of the DLC, still became one of the most fantastic series I've ever played. Considering I only started playing it in 2012, and the fact that it already ranks right alongside FF and Zelda as my fave games series, that really is saying something. At least with the fact that I have missed out on DLC (particularly with ME3), I still have a lot more to look forward to! There must be a good few hours worth of gameplay for me still to discover because of them. So I would say that, if you can't get them, it's okay, though getting the extra character DLCs in the games would be recommended, but otherwise, try looking into getting the rest/all of it in the future.

 

[APZonerunner]

Azuardo covered it pretty extensively above, but here's my take on all the DLCs. I've reviewed some of them on RPG Site, so definitely worth hopping over there and searching for the DLCs in question if you want more info.

@Azuardo, you may find this a good record of what ones are worthwhile when a sale finally happens.

ME1:

• Bring Down the Sky - Cheap or Free depending where you buy the game. Fun, worth your time, slightly different twist on the rest of ME1. Has minor repercussions in later games - background stuff in 2 changes based on this, and in 3 a major sidequest changes based on actions you take here.
• Pinnacle Station - Shitty wave-based combat area, don't bother unless you're really into the combat. Has a cool reward, though, an apartment for Shepard.

ME2:

• Cerberus Network Stuff (Normandy Site, Firwalker etc) - Free. No reason not to.
• Zaeed - Free. New squad/party member & a fun mission. Changes the final mission strand significantly and adds several pieces of side content to ME3. Must-have.
• Kasumi - As with Zaeed, new squad/party member with the same consequences. Awesome character, a Japanese Thief girl with a stealth speciality. Her mission strand has you infiltrating a party and planting bugs and things, James Bond style. It's cool & different. Must-have.
• Overlord - Awesome DLC that brings back planet exploration in a vehicle (removed from 2 proper) and tackles some major series themes in a different way. That said, not essential. But highly recommended.
• Lair of the Shadow Broker - Must-have. A largely enclosed story that's like a movie - 3-4 hours of content all in one go with a very defined arc. Not only badass as all hell, but massive repercussions in ME3. My favourite slice of Mass Effect period.
• Arrival - Important story DLC leading into ME3 with terrible ass combat. How much do you value knowing all the story beats?
• A bunch of DLC weapons - Optional. How much do you like combat? Some of these are pretty good. My go-to gun is in one of these packs.
• A bunch of DLC costumes - I think these are pretty crap, but they're not bad designs if you want them.
• Genesis - Unnecessary if you've played ME1.

ME3:

• From Ashes - An additional squad member. Series-shatteringly important, it fills in MAJOR gaps in the lore. Bit of a dick move by EA, cutting this from the core game, it's vital. This squad member has a mission, some incredible flashbacks and also commentary throughout the game and scenes on the ship. Major. Required.
• Extended Cut - Free, Major, must have. Don't finish the game without this.
• Leviathan - Major foreshadowing and a big info dump for the ending wrapped in cool, experimental gameplay. Mass Effect meets LA Noire (or Phoenix Wright), you're solving a murder by finding clues and using them to narrow down where in the galaxy the killer fled to. When you get there, there's an awesome creepy Dead Space-like horror atmosphere and then some combat. Highly recommended.
• Omega - Boring snoozefest in gameplay with some really cool story nods for fans. Find out what happened to a major ME2 location and the people behind it. Oh, and -- female Turians. Skip unless a mega fan of the series, this location or the people in it.
• Citadel - Major goodbye to the cast and crew of the games. Perfect cadence ending to the series. Highly recommended, but noy necessary.
• A bunch of DLC weapons - Optional. How much do you like combat? These are less good than the ME2 ones.
  
• A bunch of DLC costumes - I think these are pretty crap, but they're not bad designs if you want them.
  
• Multiplayer DLC - All free, varying in quality but multiplayer is amazing. Must-have.

 

[Azuardo]

Cheers, @APZonerunner.

This is why it was good that I only game on the PS3, because ME2 on it actually contains just about all of the DLC there is for that game. Zaeed and Kasumi were great characters, and I particularly liked Kasumi's mission. Though I agree; that Shadow Broker mission was fantastic. When I first played the game, I didn't know it was actually DLC because the missions are already loaded and ready to go in the game. I played through that mission first time round believing it was a mission I had to do. It was only the second time around, after I realised it was DLC, that I understood just how huge of a DLC it really was.

The ones I am actually missing are the following:

ME1 - Pinnacle Station
ME2 - Arrival
ME3 - All of the non-free ones.

I had contemplated getting the ME1 and 2 DLCs but I chose not to. Though if they're in this apparent upcoming DLC sale in the near future, I'll likely just buy everything I'm missing. I intend to at least pick up pretty much all of the ME3 DLC.

As a side note, I've read almost everything there is in terms of novels and everything (including the DLC, really, but it's not the same as playing it) on the Mass Effect wiki website (www.masseffect.wikia.com), which is a fantastic source of information, and a must-read for fans. I honestly don't remember the last time I'd been so deeply enthralled into the lore of a game before. Though there are some new books trickling out now that I've yet to read up on.

 

[APZonerunner]

The only shame about Shadow Broker being bundled on PS3 is that it's really designed to be played post-game as an end to the story, but it unlocks mid-game. Shame.

I've read the first three novels (not the terrible fourth Kai Leng eating cereal one). Not touched any of the comics, though, not much of a comic person.

Would love a nice, thick coffee-table book of the text from the codex.

 

[Azuardo]

Yeah, same on comics, really. That's why that wiki is handy to sum it all up.

As for Kai Leng... Shit and unnecessary.