Should I play the first Mass Effect?

[SGT_Noobnuts]

I'm a modest fan Bioware's big money maker series and I've played through 2 and 3 countless times. I played the second iteration on PS3 with its late release on that console and bought 3 when it came out. With that in mind should I play the first game anyway now that it is available on digital download on PSN?

I already know the story of the first game since I could make my choices through the comic book thing at the start of the second game so I already know the major events that will play out in the first iteration (Genophage, Rachni Queen etc etc).

With that said I heard that the combat isn't as 'shootery' as the latest ones and there are vehicle sections in the game as well.

So should I still get the game and play through the experience of "perfectly" remaking Captain Picard in the first game and then play through the whole narrative to the end? Or should I just stick with comic panels at the start of the second Mass Effect?

 

[R4ptur3]

Well I think you might as well give it a go. There are quite a few people who preferred the gameplay in 1 than in 2 and 3. I wouldn't say it's less shooty but there's no cover system and it has an inventory instead of just a few set weapons. Plus, while I haven't seen this comic book thing I would imagine it doesn't cover the whole story of the first game. Also there's Wrex, and Wrex is boss.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Mass Effect 1 is an absolutely marvelous introduction to that universe. The atmosphere of that game is something special. There's some kind of aura of mysticism surrounding everything. It's very hard to explain. And you may not feel it because you played the other two games first. Getting to know the characters and the galaxy for the first time is unforgettable, though. For me, Mass Effect 1 is like that Deus Ex meme. Every time somebody mentions it, I have to install it and give it another playthrough. I'd say that it's a must.

 

[Frezzato]

Mass Effect 1 is an absolutely marvelous introduction to that universe. The atmosphere of that game is something special. There's some kind of aura of mysticism surrounding everything. It's very hard to explain. And you may not feel it because you played the other two games first. Getting to know the characters and the galaxy for the first time is unforgettable, though. For me, Mass Effect 1 is like that Deus Ex meme. Every time somebody mentions it, I have to install it and give it another playthrough. I'd say that it's a must.

This. This is worth a bump. This explains exactly what it's like playing ME1 for the first time.

You really felt like an explorer in ME1. And they gave you the freedom to screw around with equipment and technology. Want to mix two Frictionless Materials X heat sinks with explosive ammo? Try it and see.[footnote]If you do decide to play it, don't sell anything unless you have a better replacement. I'm referring to the Shredder VII and Tungsten VII rounds. Don't sell all of those.[/footnote]

God, and the music, so good. It's futuristic, dystopian, and sometimes eerie.

 

[LetalisK]

I thought the first Mass Effect was an overall mediocre game, but I'd still recommend playing through it once just to get the experience.

 

[Directionless]

Absolutely. It's a flawed gem. Dont expect the polish of the sequels, but expect a lot of really cool gameplay and exploration elements. Theres just a lot more to the game than the sequels, but i do admit that the lack of streamlining can be a bit jarring coming from the sequels.

 

[BrotherRool]

I'd say go for it. The combat can be pretty atrocious especially in the sidequests, and the mako isn't fun and the party isn't very well developed, but the story is really good and it goes a lot deeper than reading the comic did. There are some characters and events and choices that are made for you even when you use the comic thing to make them.

Saren is a good villain and the introduction to the Reapers is amazing. Mass Effect 1 has a 100x better version of the Citadel too. As someone who went ME2, ME3 and then ME1 I still heartily recommend ME1

Mass Effect 1 is an absolutely marvelous introduction to that universe. The atmosphere of that game is something special. There's some kind of aura of mysticism surrounding everything. It's very hard to explain. And you may not feel it because you played the other two games first. Getting to know the characters and the galaxy for the first time is unforgettable, though. For me, Mass Effect 1 is like that Deus Ex meme. Every time somebody mentions it, I have to install it and give it another playthrough. I'd say that it's a must.

When you play it third a lot of the introduction-introduction parts come off a bit false. It's much more obvious that Shepard and other people keep asking questions and explaining things which should be really really obvious to everyone speaking. When you've spent two games with the Asari having a person say the equivalent of 'did you know there were no male Asari!' has a different effect.

The introduction to the Citadel is still great though and the big reveals.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Here are three identical threads to this one with multiple answers and viewpoints already waiting:
Thread 1 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.839350-Poll-Should-I-even-bother-with-Mass-Effect]
Thread 2 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.394404-Poll-Question-regarding-the-Mass-Effect-Trilogy]
Thread 3 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.852743-Worth-Playing-Mass-Effect-1-3-from-Game-1?page=1]

Everything that could possibly be said in response to this question has been in amongst the pages linked to above.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

Yes why not. Though it may be disappointing when playing it after 2 and 3. I enjoyed the story and it gives a background to the game world like what the husks are etc. Also Wrex is awesome.

 

[TT Kairen]

If you really enjoyed the gameplay in 2 and 3, you're going to hate it in 1. There's only one design for each type of gun (no, 5000 different stat pages with different names doesn't make it a different gun, they act the same), and instead of modular armor you just get full suits, though the modding does sort of make up for it. If you play a power-based class then you will hate life for the first third of the game, seeing as how all of your powers have about a full minute of cooldown time. All of these combine to form very stale, slow combat.

That said, the overarching plot is the most solid in the series. Saren is an excellent villain, not just faceless monsters like the Collectors or Reapers. The party in full leaves something to be desired compared to the second game (Tali is just a quarian exposition-dump, Garrus hadn't really come into his own yet), but Wrex almost single-handedly carries it in that regard. Joker doesn't say much which is disappointing, and the rest of your non-squad crew could just not exist for all they're worth.

Environments look good, but a LOT of buildings/mines/bases get re-used over and over, which for some reason nobody gave this game shit for but they tore Dragon Age 2 a new asshole over (that was MORE explainable in-universe by the way).

Overall I think it's the weakest entry in the series, but even though I have more than a few criticisms, I'd still give it a go just to see how far the series came.

 

[MysticSlayer]

If you've already played 2 and 3, then you should already have a decent grasp on the world and characters, and that will take away a lot of what made the first game good in the first place. It may still be worth playing, though, just to fully experience that game's take on the world. All three games gave a different perspective on the galaxy, and while ME3 is my favorite, the original is still very interesting and certainly better than ME2. Also, there's quite a bit of subtext in the plot that makes it worth experiencing for far more than just the decisions that you make.

With that said, though, the gameplay is easily the worst in the series. The vehicle sections were such a pain that I couldn't even enjoy the planet exploration. The AI is horrible, ranging from the stupid friendly AI that will stand in the way of your grenades to the enemy AI that charges you without consideration for their own life, but given the weapon damage to enemy health ratio, it actually makes it more unfair for the player. The difficulty curve is horribly done, with the game going from enjoyably difficult to annoying difficult to pathetically easy over the course of the game. It also has a serious issue with copy/paste environments.

Overall, though, I would advise the first game. Its strengths do outweigh the weaknesses, but do understand that it isn't perfect, and having played the sequels does sort of take away from one of the greatest strengths of the first.

 

[DanielBrown]

Buy it on the Steam sale instead. It's on the next community's choice at the moment and will probably win, so you'll only lose two euro/dollars for it. Definetly worth it for that price. Pay attention to the previous sentences, OP.
Personally my ranking of the games are ME2>ME3>ME1. First one felt really outdated the second(and last) time I played years ago. It isn't a bad game, but in my opinion ME2 had the perfect mix of shooter and RPG.

 

[McKitten]

I already know the story of the first game since I could make my choices through the comic book thing at the start of the second game so I already know the major events that will play out in the first iteration (Genophage, Rachni Queen etc etc).

With that said I heard that the combat isn't as 'shootery' as the latest ones and there are vehicle sections in the game as well.

Game is more clunky then the latter two, but not necessarily less of a shooter. It is not so much of a hug-the-wall shooter, but on the other hand you can actually play it run&gun style.
But generally yes, the good thing about ME1 is that it has the best storyline in the series (the only good one, really), the bad one is that the gameplay is quite clunky in many ways and it's less streamlined.

 

[VonKlaw]

If you want to play through it for the atmosphere (which was brilliant) or to actually see the story choices, then it's absolutely still worth a playthrough. But...

It might just be me, but (having played through it again last month) the actual gameplay really hasn't aged well.

On a side note, don't buy the PS3 version if you can help it. It had horrible frame rate issues when I played through it (it felt more like a slideshow when there were loads of explosions on screen) and the final boss was bugged to hell.

 

[seaweed]

It's very rough around the edges but I think it's the best in the franchise.

 

[Seracen]

Buy it on the Steam sale instead. It's on the next community's choice at the moment and will probably win, so you'll only lose two euro/dollars for it. Definetly worth it for that price. Pay attention to the previous sentences, OP.
Personally my ranking of the games are ME2>ME3>ME1. First one felt really outdated the second(and last) time I played years ago. It isn't a bad game, but in my opinion ME2 had the perfect mix of shooter and RPG.

I would also add that the graphics mods for ME1 go a long way towards reducing any blemishes people may point at it. It may increase your initial loading time, but the game looks almost prettier than the later outings with the mods enabled. In any event, these games are quintessential for me, and the reasons I own an XBOX. I later got them at discount for PC, and am happy I did!

 

[TT Kairen]

If you've already played 2 and 3, then you should already have a decent grasp on the world and characters, and that will take away a lot of what made the first game good in the first place. It may still be worth playing, though, just to fully experience that game's take on the world. All three games gave a different perspective on the galaxy, and while ME3 is my favorite, the original is still very interesting and certainly better than ME2. Also, there's quite a bit of subtext in the plot that makes it worth experiencing for far more than just the decisions that you make.

With that said, though, the gameplay is easily the worst in the series. The vehicle sections were such a pain that I couldn't even enjoy the planet exploration. The AI is horrible, ranging from the stupid friendly AI that will stand in the way of your grenades to the enemy AI that charges you without consideration for their own life, but given the weapon damage to enemy health ratio, it actually makes it more unfair for the player. The difficulty curve is horribly done, with the game going from enjoyably difficult to annoying difficult to pathetically easy over the course of the game. It also has a serious issue with copy/paste environments.

Overall, though, I would advise the first game. Its strengths do outweigh the weaknesses, but do understand that it isn't perfect, and having played the sequels does sort of take away from one of the greatest strengths of the first.

Are you me? Seriously our posts say the same thing and are even structured in the same way!

 

[Windcaler]

In my opinion the first Mass effect is the best of the first two (the third I have not played due to my personal boycott of the game). There are some very annoying sections such as planetary exploration in the Mako and the fact that you have infinite ammo regulated only by an overheating mechanic. However for my money I always felt like the original mass effect gave enough room for exploration and actual roleplaying to make me happy with every character Ive conceived so far.

Your enjoyment might be hurt by the fact you've played the other games and know the bullet points but theres still a lot the original game has to offer beyond those bullet points. Theres also something to be said about the art behind mass effect. In recent years I only really consider Mass effect, Dragon age Origins, and a few of the stories in The old republic as good representations of art in video game culture that have been published by EA.

I think its worth a playthrough at the very least.

 

[mrdude2010]

I had a great time with the first one, you should definitely give it a shot. It's more RPG than the other 2 games, which for me was a bit of a positive, but can be a negative for some people.

 

[MysticSlayer]

If you've already played 2 and 3, then you should already have a decent grasp on the world and characters, and that will take away a lot of what made the first game good in the first place. It may still be worth playing, though, just to fully experience that game's take on the world. All three games gave a different perspective on the galaxy, and while ME3 is my favorite, the original is still very interesting and certainly better than ME2. Also, there's quite a bit of subtext in the plot that makes it worth experiencing for far more than just the decisions that you make.

With that said, though, the gameplay is easily the worst in the series. The vehicle sections were such a pain that I couldn't even enjoy the planet exploration. The AI is horrible, ranging from the stupid friendly AI that will stand in the way of your grenades to the enemy AI that charges you without consideration for their own life, but given the weapon damage to enemy health ratio, it actually makes it more unfair for the player. The difficulty curve is horribly done, with the game going from enjoyably difficult to annoying difficult to pathetically easy over the course of the game. It also has a serious issue with copy/paste environments.

Overall, though, I would advise the first game. Its strengths do outweigh the weaknesses, but do understand that it isn't perfect, and having played the sequels does sort of take away from one of the greatest strengths of the first.

Are you me? Seriously our posts say the same thing and are even structured in the same way!

At this point, I think pretty much everyone knows where the first game's strengths and weaknesses lie. A few people would disagree, but by now, I think it comes down to people's tolerance of the bad parts versus enjoyment of the good parts. As a result, I'd imagine posts recommending/condemning the game will be very similar.