If I was to start playing Mass Effect...

GreenMint

GreenMint

GreenMint

Soldato
Joined
11 Dec 2003
Posts
21,634
Location
Sol
Always been very curious about the Mass Effect games, people seem to love them, but I have never, ever played one!

Just got an email from ShopTo about ME3 coming this year and it got me thinking I'd like to get into the series, so start at ME1 or is ME2 a good startoff point?
 
Always, always 1.

It's a 3 part story where your character and actions carry all the way through, you'll be missing out on so much if you start half way.
 
If your gonna start into them new, start with 1 and work through keeping a saved game from #1 for use in #2.

That said some people might be put off by the length of time #1 takes to get going where as #2 gets into it quicker.
 
Well, 1 can be had pretty cheaply now, and working in education I have the summer hols coming up in 3 1/2 weeks :) Think I'll take the gamble on it!
 
TimBrad said:
Always been very curious about the Mass Effect games, people seem to love them, but I have never, ever played one!

Just got an email from ShopTo about ME3 coming this year and it got me thinking I'd like to get into the series, so start at ME1 or is ME2 a good startoff point?
Click to expand...


This year? amazon states a 2012 release :confused:
 
My bad, was EA games for the upcoming year, ah well, more time to get to know the other 2 till Forza 4, Fifa 12, Saints Row 3 and MW3! :D
 
Shamikebab said:
Always, always 1.

It's a 3 part story where your character and actions carry all the way through, you'll be missing out on so much if you start half way.
Click to expand...

I'm curious to know what else of the story you miss out on from not playing the first.

When I briefly played ME2 on the PS3, it gave me a comic type thing at the beginning of the game, where I was taken through the story of ME1 and was able to make the critical choices from the first game, that impact the story and characters in the second.

I'd agree with your point though that it must be much more rewarding to have that single character over the course of several games. :)
 
K1LLSW1TCH said:
I'm curious to know what else of the story you miss out on from not playing the first.

When I briefly played ME2 on the PS3, it gave me a comic type thing at the beginning of the game, where I was taken through the story of ME1 and was able to make the critical choices from the first game, that impact the story and characters in the second.

I'd agree with your point though that it must be much more rewarding to have that single character over the course of several games. :)
Click to expand...

There's at least a dozen instances I noticed in Mass Effect 2 that directly relate to smaller side quests in Mass Effect 1 that aren't in the comic book. While none of them are important for the story arc itself, they're still fun little things that make your character carried over seem a bit more worth it.

Many of the smaller quests involve you just getting an email from one of the ME1 parties to say hi and give you an update on life, but others you'll bump in to across the game and possibly have small side quests or at least conversations with.
 
you could get ME Genisis and skip #1 but its a lot more rewarding to have played through the whole story. both are amazing games and can be brought for about £13 each now - well worth it IMO
 
As others have said you can go straight into ME2 and get the Genisis interactive comic book to catch up on the story.

Hell, if you're happy with just generic choices then watch the entire comic book on YouTube :)

However, unlike others I wasn't a massive fan of the first game. Favouring fast action FPS games I found the first ME shooting mechanic to be annoyingly clunky. Saying that, loved the story and played it all the way through. Took me 3 years on and off though... ME2, on the other hand, I completed in a week.
 
I really enjoyed ME2 a lot more but I do feel that it was important to have played the first game.

Took me almost a year to bother to finish it (stopped when you are on the outside of the citadel not knowing how much was left :rolleyes:) but then I got hooked and finished it once more before moving on to ME2 so that I got the characters I wanted, did most side quests, etc.

Was nice in ME2 to meet characters again and reminiscence about what happened. It actually made me more "attached" to my character. I could never change the look of my female Shepard now for example :p

If you don't do the side quests it's not really that long of a game anyway so I say go for 1 first!
 
Definitely, the ME series are one of my favourite game series.

I've recently started to play through ME1 and forgot how good it is and how different it is to ME2, which is still a fantastic game.
You can get a downloadable comic for ME2 that shows you through ME1 and lets you choose certain choices that were in ME1 but i'd say go and play it instead.

You can get both for stupidly cheap, I picked up ME1 on pc for £5 despite having it on 360.
 
Play ME1 because it's a great game with an epic story, then play ME2 so you can be disappointed with the changes they made :p
 
TimBrad said:
Always been very curious about the Mass Effect games, people seem to love them, but I have never, ever played one!

Just got an email from ShopTo about ME3 coming this year and it got me thinking I'd like to get into the series, so start at ME1 or is ME2 a good startoff point?
Click to expand...

I've just bought it off of ebay because like you I was curious.... I just cant get into it at all though :(

I just dont get any of it, I dont understand whether branching every line of questioning is needed (like in LA Noire for instance), I dont understand the giving of orders or powering up your squad mates (can this just be ignored?) and I dont get the combat either :/

I'd really like to get into it and then play the 2nd in preparation for the 3rd but I cant see it happening...
 
Questions on the left are just info but you need it for achievements if you go for them.

Stuff on the right makes it move on. Top right is good karma and bottom right is bad karma.
 
Was the majority of the questioning and stuff scrapped in ME2, or did I just not play it enough to get those parts? All I remember from ME2 was selecting a question with the analogue stick and just pressing A/X, then they answer me, and I ask them something else. Seemed really simple, was the first game more expansive with the conversations? ME2 from what I played was very similar in conversation choices to Fallout 3/NV.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom