Missing out if I get Mass Effect 2 w/out having played the 1st one?

KatanaDV20

KatanaDV20

KatanaDV20

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Hey ya'll...:D

So Ive been excitedly reading all about this Mass Effect 2 on all the gaming review sites but I wanted to ask you OcUK gamers something.

I've never played the first Mass Effect. Would those of you who have played it say its a bad idea to just dive into the 2nd one? Would I really be missing out on a lot of stuff or is the game-design in ME2 friendly enough to allow a n00b to dive right in without having played what came before...?

Thx
 
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I guess my question would be - why don't you want to play the first game? It's well worth playing, IMO.
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A good question :) I honestly never paid any attention to it when it came out. Its only now that all the buzz surrounding the 2nd one has made me sit up and take notice. Im like "Hmm whats all this fuss about Mass Effect 2?" lol.

But yea hmmm...u made me think now. Im so slow at those kinda games by the time I finish ME1 they will have released ME3!
 
I was thinking along the same lines but when I read that you can carry over your character etc that sounded pretty sweet so made sure to grab ME when it was on offer over the holiday sales!
 
KatanaDV20 said:
Hey ya'll...:D

So Ive been excitedly reading all about this Mass Effect 2 on all the gaming review sites but I wanted to ask you OcUK gamers something.

I've never played the first Mass Effect. Would those of you who have played it say its a bad idea to just dive into the 2nd one? Would I really be missing out on a lot of stuff or is the game-design in ME2 friendly enough to allow a n00b to dive right in without having played what came before...?

Thx
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I don't know yet, though I'd play through the first one before the second mainly because Mass Effect 1 is probably one of my all time favorite games, and it's still worth playing, I've played it over and over.
 
you would definatley benefit from playing the first game, there is so much information about the mass effect world in the codex and scattered around the world that it would really give depth when you come to play the second game. ME 1 is also one of my favorite games, ive completed it around 6 times to date
 
I came here with the same question, so it was good to see it asked already. Will definitely get the 1st one now. How long on average do you think it will take to complete?
 
The first game was very good overall i thought, even if it does follow the overly familiar Bioware formula at times. According to Steam i have played ME for a total of 34.8 hours, but that included redoing the last part of the game twice, and also playing the free DLC. I also explored every planet (had no other games to play at the time lol) which soon adds up, but there is no benefit in doing this if you just want to play the game to get used to the characters and universe etc.. before ME2.

At a guess i reckon a straight forward run through of the main quest would be maybe 14-18 hours. If you did the side quests add perhaps another 10 hours, then all the other assignments (rescue missions, finding the ore deposits etc..) probably accounted for another few hours.
 
Buy ME1 now and then by the time you get around to pick up ME2 it will be el cheapo in the shops or will have a steam deal sometime. Plus the type of game ME is you'll be missing out a lot from not playing the first one.
 
Probably, the first game adds a lot of depth to characters, Shepard included.

Grab ME1 and just blast through the main story and maybe a few side missions, won't take you that long and you'll definitely enjoy ME2 more for it.
 
I'm coming up to finishing my second ME play through in under 2 weeks. Decided to do a bit of a speed run to see what the benefits of carrying a level 60 character over are. Making sure to complete some side missions too (such as the free DLC mission) in case any decisions made there carry over. I'm hoping they do though I'm not expecting any minor decisions to have effects.

I'd advise playing through it, it'll give you a good idea of the universe and character classes along with the back stories of characters crossing over to ME2.

p0rks0da said:
At a guess i reckon a straight forward run through of the main quest would be maybe 14-18 hours. If you did the side quests add perhaps another 10 hours, then all the other assignments (rescue missions, finding the ore deposits etc..) probably accounted for another few hours.
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Much less imo, I'd say around 8. I managed to complete 4 of the main missions in one 6 hour playthrough, then again I am a biotic with a party of a biotic and tech specialist which makes everything 10 times easier.
 
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Well yes but skipping all side quests and skipping through dialogue hardly counts when you judge playtime for the first few plays. Even more so if you're doing New game+
 
Never played the original but I bought it when it was on special with EA for 3 quid or something. So thought why not.
Just started playing it, so I am kind of "1 part" behind. But hopefully by the time I finish ME, ME2 will be on budget-ish :D
 
Yeah you'd be missing a lot, it's coming in halfway through the story really. They'll probably have some sort of recap to get you up to date but its not the same as playing it.
 
Evilsod said:
Well yes but skipping all side quests and skipping through dialogue hardly counts when you judge playtime for the first few plays. Even more so if you're doing New game+
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Given that most of the side quests are essentially pointless I'm not fussed about them, and I don't skip the dialogue as my "final" ME1 playthrough is all about choices. Hammering the space bar usually serves to have the game pick for me.

I'm about 11 hours through having got 2 story missions to go and having done a fair few side quests. Yes this is with a level 55 character (41 at the start of the playthrough) however I completed the first run in just under 10 hours. Again, not skipping any dialogue as I like the choices :p.

The best way to make your game longer is to pick a non biotic team. Fire-fights are often much longer, increasing the overall game time. What other class can defeat most enemies by simply throwing them off the map?
 
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