Did you get the Expanded Galaxy mod? Too bad if you missed out on it. You'd have to start a new game if you were to install it now. But I'd say it's worth it.
Well thats what I have my friends like Liara and Tali for anyway.CaitSeith said:But those alone aren't as effective as a super charged tackle, followed with a shotgun blast with fire ammo on the face and a psychic energy explosion. The Vangard class is my high-risk / high-reward / high-fun recommendation.Samtemdo8 said:I will never play anything else but a Soldier in Mass Effect.
Guns are just so much more effective than gadgets and magic.
Well, there's one major issue here. Over Veteran (Hardcore, Insanity) biotics and CC effects become massively less effective. Since all enemies, including trash, gain extra protections and having *any* protections precludes biotics and CC effects from working, weapons become much more relevant. Tech abilities or abilities that do bonus armour dmg vs armour, bonus shield dmg vs shield, etc. are necessary to strip protections off.Meiam said:Playing at insanity changes that quite a bit, you don't have the time to really line up your shoot (you die way to fast) you have to make every time you take a peak out of cover count for everything so tech and magic become a lot more useful.
I played trough ME2 as adept on insanity and it wasn't much of a problem, warp is one of the strongest power in the game and you can place a singularity down before stripping the armor/shield, so that has soon as it's removed enemy get CC. It is probably the weakest class but not that much of a problem.KingsGambit said:Well, there's one major issue here. Over Veteran (Hardcore, Insanity) biotics and CC effects become massively less effective. Since all enemies, including trash, gain extra protections and having *any* protections precludes biotics and CC effects from working, weapons become much more relevant. Tech abilities or abilities that do bonus armour dmg vs armour, bonus shield dmg vs shield, etc. are necessary to strip protections off.Meiam said:Playing at insanity changes that quite a bit, you don't have the time to really line up your shoot (you die way to fast) you have to make every time you take a peak out of cover count for everything so tech and magic become a lot more useful.
It's why Adepts and Vanguards are naturally handicapped at Insanity, simply because they're main abilities are essentially disabled off the mark. Singularity doesn't work, the CC from Charge doesn't work, you can't set up a combo, etc.
It's a little sad TBH, it's a major flaw with the game's basic mechanics. It's not a hard thing to deal with tho, just play on Vet and have a more enjoyable biotic experience.
I tried to go full Renegade in the genophage mission. But Mordin went ballistic when Shepard pointed out how Mordin had previously said the genophage was necessary! "I MADE A MISTAKE!" he screamed, more to himself than to Shepard. No talking convinced him; he turned his back at Shepard and walked towards the elevator. I... I didn't had the heart to shoot him on the back with the Renegade interrupt. That was one of the best and more dramatic moments of character development in the series.bartholen said:14 hours in, just finished the genophage mission on Tuchanka. Decided to cure it, 'cuz Wrex is mah bro. Honestly there's rather little to say. Everything I've liked about the series is present, and most of it improved. The combat is genuinely enjoyable, and actually varied enough to keep it interesting. ME2 most often just devolves into repeating the same routine over and over, and compared to ME3 ME1's combat seems barely functional. The renegade dialogue choices make way more sense, and come across as genuinely human, instead of deliberate overt dickishness like in ME2. The Normandy feels more alive than ever since the companions move around and talk to *gasp* each other! All the consequences of choices made throughout the games are showing up big time, either in small (Kasumi showing up) or great meaning (shouldn'ta destroyed Maelon's research, oops). I'm already planning another playthrough with a femshep, just so I can do some calibration with Garrus.
Mass Effect is one of the very few video games I actually consider to be RPGs because you spend more time role-playing than anything else. To me, most RPGs are akin to basically calling Mirror's Edge a shooter because it has some shooting in it as most RPGs have very little actual role-playing and player agency in them. Witcher 3, for example, has very little role-playing in it. Role-playing and player agency are the core of what makes an RPG an RPG, not the mechanics. An RPG can have literally any type of gameplay mechanics it wants whether it's "pew pew" shooting or basically DnD combat or even no combat at all (the vast majority of fictional and nonfictional characters don't fight hordes of enemies, I want to role-play as them too). Mass Effect always focused first and foremost on the role-playing regardless of what direction the combat was taken, and Mass Effect and Anthem are immensely different games.votemarvel said:Combat for me in the first game was the best. You know little things such as being able to use low cover without being pressed against it did help.
What really did it for me was how even in a single class how varied things could be. Even as a Soldier for example you could specialise in close quarters combat or dedicate everything to long range, even be a jack of all trades but a master of none. Bring in the bonus powers and you made things even more different, a Soldier with Decryption was awesome.
2 and 3 in order to appeal to the pew pew crowd created a poor Gears of War clone combat system, pushed the balance firmly in favour of the gun based classes, with not only the most damage from weapons but also able to take the most hits. Which was fortunate since, heavy weapons aside, all the enemies developed pinpoint accuracy.
I do find it funny when people lament the direction that Bioware are on when those very same people praised it with Mass Effect 2.
That is exactly why Mass Effect is such a great RPG series (regardless of how you feel the "quality" of the overall story turned out). My friend and I had at least an hour long discussion about the whole genophage situation and what was the "right" decision. That's what makes Mass Effect a legit great RPG, the role-playing. Whereas other RPGs don't actually focus on the role-playing aspect and I don't actually consider a game like Witcher 3 to be an RPG because the lack of role-playing and player agency. Anyway, back to the ME3 genophage decision. I choose to side with the salarians and I shot Mordin in the back because he was disobeying an order from his commander and because he was jeopardizing the one actual shot of defeating the reapers (at that time in the story with the knowledge Shepard had). You/Shepard saw that there was literally no way of defeating the reapers militarily so getting the krogans to help was only going to ever-so-slightly delay the reapers and the only option was "figuring out" the crucible. And maybe one of those salarian scientists that you'd get from screwing over the krogans actually turns out to be the key scientist that makes the breakthrough. Of course, I realize from a meta standpoint that that couldn't have happened because you can't make it so one player decision makes you win/lose against the reapers, but from a realistic standpoint, it's logically possible. So, I shot Mordin in the back to get more scientists because that was the only way to beat the reapers before basically the deus ex machina that happened at the end.CaitSeith said:I tried to go full Renegade in the genophage mission. But Mordin went ballistic when Shepard pointed out how Mordin had previously said the genophage was necessary! "I MADE A MISTAKE!" he screamed, more to himself than to Shepard. No talking convinced him; he turned his back at Shepard and walked towards the elevator. I... I didn't had the heart to shoot him on the back with the Renegade interrupt. That was one of the best and more dramatic moments of character development in the series.bartholen said:14 hours in, just finished the genophage mission on Tuchanka. Decided to cure it, 'cuz Wrex is mah bro. Honestly there's rather little to say. Everything I've liked about the series is present, and most of it improved. The combat is genuinely enjoyable, and actually varied enough to keep it interesting. ME2 most often just devolves into repeating the same routine over and over, and compared to ME3 ME1's combat seems barely functional. The renegade dialogue choices make way more sense, and come across as genuinely human, instead of deliberate overt dickishness like in ME2. The Normandy feels more alive than ever since the companions move around and talk to *gasp* each other! All the consequences of choices made throughout the games are showing up big time, either in small (Kasumi showing up) or great meaning (shouldn'ta destroyed Maelon's research, oops). I'm already planning another playthrough with a femshep, just so I can do some calibration with Garrus.
That's interesting. I've been playing a pretty even split between Paragon and Renegade, and got a paragon prompt instead. Didn't take it, because it was such a beautiful completion of Mordin's character arc from Josef Mengele to a savior of the krogan.CaitSeith said:I tried to go full Renegade in the genophage mission. But Mordin went ballistic when Shepard pointed out how Mordin had previously said the genophage was necessary! "I MADE A MISTAKE!" he screamed, more to himself than to Shepard. No talking convinced him; he turned his back at Shepard and walked towards the elevator. I... I didn't had the heart to shoot him on the back with the Renegade interrupt. That was one of the best and more dramatic moments of character development in the series.
you mean in 1 box with a CD Key?Samtemdo8 said:Still waiting for the Master Chief Collection version of Mass Effect. Where all 3 games are in one disc.
That's a pretty harsh and inaccurate assessment of ME2 Mordin there. Even Maelon, whose research methodologies appal Mordin during his Loyalty Mission is a far cry from Mengele. Really if you're looking for a 'Mengele' in ME, it's Cerberus, with shit like the Teltin facility. Extravagant, cruel and ultimately a pointless failure.bartholen said:That's interesting. I've been playing a pretty even split between Paragon and Renegade, and got a paragon prompt instead. Didn't take it, because it was such a beautiful completion of Mordin's character arc from Josef Mengele to a savior of the krogan.
Oh yeah, I meant more in terms of Mordin's in-universe reputation especially among the krogan and the degree of the things he did.Megalodon said:That's a pretty harsh and inaccurate assessment of ME2 Mordin there. Even Maelon, whose research methodologies appal Mordin during his Loyalty Mission is a far cry from Mengele. Really if you're looking for a 'Mengele' in ME, it's Cerberus, with shit like the Teltin facility. Extravagant, cruel and ultimately a pointless failure.bartholen said:That's interesting. I've been playing a pretty even split between Paragon and Renegade, and got a paragon prompt instead. Didn't take it, because it was such a beautiful completion of Mordin's character arc from Josef Mengele to a savior of the krogan.
If the look of Miranda was natural then Yvonne Strahovski must have been attacked by a swarm of bees before she was modelled into the game. She looks far too puffy.Samtemdo8 said:it just felt unnatural compared to my alles like Miranda Lawson.
My dislike of the combat in the Mass Effect sequels isn't a total hate as I really like the separate melee button.Phoenixmgs said:Mass Effect is one of the very few video games I actually consider to be RPGs because you spend more time role-playing than anything else. To me, most RPGs are akin to basically calling Mirror's Edge a shooter because it has some shooting in it as most RPGs have very little actual role-playing and player agency in them. Witcher 3, for example, has very little role-playing in it. Role-playing and player agency are the core of what makes an RPG an RPG, not the mechanics. An RPG can have literally any type of gameplay mechanics it wants whether it's "pew pew" shooting or basically DnD combat or even no combat at all (the vast majority of fictional and nonfictional characters don't fight hordes of enemies, I want to role-play as them too). Mass Effect always focused first and foremost on the role-playing regardless of what direction the combat was taken, and Mass Effect and Anthem are immensely different games.
I was here really for the Citadel DLC (a way more positive discussion).bartholen said:But whatever, the ending is what we're here for.
That's the best ending IMO (at least it gave a better sense of closure than any of the original ones).bartholen said:At first I got the very worst ending of all by accident. I just wanted to mess with the game and shot at that stupid star child. Then he went "Screw you guys, I'm goin home". All that follows is a stupifyingly short cutscene of Liara having made a recording of the Reaper war.
I'm not surprised about your reaction.bartholen said:It was so bad I went back and played the Synthesis ending. I thought "Well this is a very interesting concept, and a pretty neat vision of the future. I wonder what the other endings entailed". Voiceover. That's all the difference there is. It's literally the same cutscene and slideshow with different filters over it. And apparently this is the Extended Cut ending, Jesus Christ!
But even putting aside how lazy and rushed the endings are, they don't really fit thematically into the series nearly at all. Okay, the conflict between organics and synthetics is there with the quarians and the geth, but that's just one facet of the Mass Effect universe. The theme of control is only hastily brought in in the third game with Illusive Man's incessant yammerings about controlling the Reapers. The ending is acting like the conflict between organics and machines is the main theme and whole point of the series, and it really isn't. The differences between the two are never elaborated or explored outside the quarian/geth paradigm, there's never any deeper delving into what makes something human versus a machine. The Reapers could be just Tyranids or Zerg or Martians or any other generic all-devouring alien threat for all the depth they're given.
And let's not forget the complete lack of closure or even a proper climax. The last boss fight basically amounts to a holdout scenario with normal enemies, after which you press a button and the rest is completely railroaded. All there is for all the characters I learned to know and love is some chatting and a final speech. And the London level is completely generic and boring.
bartholen said:It really is astonishing just how badly they screwed the pooch on this ending, even with the damage control they did afterwards. I'll just think from now on that the Citadel DLC actually takes place after the ending...
And this is what I was here for!bartholen said:...where Shepard just shot the Catalyst dead, killed all the Reapers by staring at them very hard and walked away from the explosions, shirtless and wearing sunglasses.
And then came back to everyone and banged Liara's brains out.
And then Tali and Garrus go on a drunken honeymoon rampage across the galaxy. And Grunt and Wrex introduce heavy metal music to Tuchanka, making krogan moshpits the new top extreme sport as well as suicide method in the galaxy. And Miranda and Jack resolve their conflicts by shagging each other senseless per Shepard's suggestion. And Javik becomes the new almighty grumpy old man troll god of the hanar. And James flexes so hard that Ash gets pregnant just by looking at him. And Zaeed gives up his mercenary life to pursue tapping Samara's ass, and her teasing him about it in a tsundere way. And Kasumi... shit, I don't want Jacob to cheat on his wife, but I absolutely adored Kasumi's character, so I want her to get the happiest ending possible. Fuck it, she and Shepard start a sort of Batman/Catwoman friendship across the galaxy where Shepard always catches her but oops, somehow she got away again. And Legion, Mordin and Thane, bless their souls, are getting plastered in whatever afterlife they end up in.