OT- Mass Effect 2
The game looks awesome and I really want to play it since I've got nothing but free time on my spring break. The problem is I've never played the first Mass Effect. I can't know what I was doing at the time it came out and I somehow ended up never playing it.
Is it worth playing through the first game before I get Mass Effect 2?
February 27th, 2010 at 12:22 PM ^
I think ME2 stands alone pretty well. I never played the first one, but from what I understand, the gameplay is quite different between the two. ME2 has a lot better combat interface.
As for story, ME2 does a good job of filling in blanks. I don't think you'll be lost or anything.
February 27th, 2010 at 12:27 PM ^
well a lot of the decisions you make in the first game influence the second game...and i actually liked the first one better (from what ive got to play on 2 so far)...but my xbox broke whe i was like halfway through the 2nd one and now i have to wait for it to get repaired...but definitely worth playing the first one, and its not very long if you dont do side missions
February 27th, 2010 at 12:35 PM ^
Those decisions only matter if you import your character. You can set up a blank character with your own story if you choose not to play it.
As for the first half of the game, I felt the same way during my first 15 hours or so of ME2, but the second half went MUCH better. Probably one of the top 3 games I've played in the last 5 years. And that's coming from someone who isn't an RPG fan.
February 27th, 2010 at 12:39 PM ^
You don't need to play the first one, as the game does a good job of giving you the backstory. The first one is really fun, but the second game is amazing. Just amazing. I just finished my second playthrough.
February 27th, 2010 at 12:44 PM ^
ME2 is the shit. I also didn't finish ME1 and fully understood the story of ME2.
February 27th, 2010 at 12:49 PM ^
You should play Mass Effect before playing 2 because Mass Effect is an excellent game in it's own right and by playing it you make Mass Effect 2 even better.
February 27th, 2010 at 1:07 PM ^
Mass Effect 2 is inferior to the first game, but is still fun to play, you will not get lost in the gameplay.
February 27th, 2010 at 2:38 PM ^
If you are really a Solipsist, I think you need to re-evaluate your life . . .
–noun
1.
Philosophy. the theory that only the self exists, or can be proved to exist.
Here's the kicker-
2.
extreme preoccupation with and indulgence of one's feelings, desires, etc.; egoistic self-absorption.
(BTW, I'm not begin entirely serious.)
February 27th, 2010 at 1:33 PM ^
Ok, thanks guys. It will save me $30 not buying a used copy of the first game. Now I'm off to Gamestop before I die of boredom.
Edit: Screw it! I'll get both. All the games I was looking forward to this spring have been delayed until the fall. I need something to feed my addiction until then.
February 27th, 2010 at 2:55 PM ^
I'm not sure, but ME1 is a Platinum Hit now, it should be available new for $20-30. Don't buy a used one from Gamestop.
You can even download ME1 to your Xbox and not even have to use a disk.
February 27th, 2010 at 3:04 PM ^
At some places, it might be on sale for $15, but don't buy it used.
February 27th, 2010 at 1:47 PM ^
I don't understand how everyone can say it was worse than the first game. They fixed everything that sucked in the first game. In the first game you have to explore random planets in your boring little ground vehicle and it drove me nuts, the combat is waaaaay better, which is a majority of the game. They also took out having to organize way too much inventory for no reason. There are more story lines in the 2nd game, but I feel the story was better in the first. Overall, the second was way better IMO.
February 27th, 2010 at 1:48 PM ^
That's the opinion of everyone else I had talked to about the game before this thread.
February 27th, 2010 at 1:56 PM ^
I am currently going through my 3rd time on ME2 on insanity. Talk about frustrating... I doubt I can finish, I might restart with a soldier (I think they are the easiest, they just power through). The hardest parts are hordes of husks, the flying prothean thing, and those damn giant robots. Whenever one of these situations occur, I expect to die 5 to 10 times. I feel like Michael Cera in Superbad, "I'm-- What? .... If you can't even win, then why am I playing?". I guess this is the challenge of INSANITY!!!!!
February 27th, 2010 at 2:14 PM ^
Yeah, I did it once on regular with Soldier not knowing what to expect. I'm going with Veteran infiltrator on my second time through. Just haven't had time to get sucked back into it. I'm addictive when it comes to games. Once I open an RPG game, I have to beat it. I cannot do ANY thing else until I've beaten it, even if the first 15 hours was boring as hell.
February 27th, 2010 at 2:53 PM ^
I did my first playthrough with soldier, and the second I went as vanguard, and I really liked it. Felt like a Jedi.
February 27th, 2010 at 6:17 PM ^
They fixed many of the flaws in the first one. Unfortunately, I think that they created some new flaws in the second one. For instance, planet scanning is way worse than that rover ever was. Plus, ditching that little one mile square radius of planet exploration has a way of feeling like they've shrunk the universe: you just wander around a bunch of small tracks of combat experience.
That cumbersome inventory management system is gone but the the skill trees have been massively cut down. I'm not sure that I like my persuade / intimidate scores being tied to my paragon / renegade score.
Yes, combat is way better but the interface (I played on PC) took several steps backward. Whomever decided to take away hotkeys to bring up the journal, codex, party screens, and all that is an idiot.
Honestly, I like both games. Neither one of them is really great, but I'm still eagerly awaiting Mass Effect 3.
February 27th, 2010 at 2:13 PM ^
Mass Effect 2 is an outstanding game. You can play it without ME1 and it's still a great game, but one of the cool things about ME2 is that it takes into account all the decisions you made from the first game, so obviously playing only the second game by itself takes away this ability.
Honestly though, unless you're a big time RPG guy, Mass Effect 2 is the superior game in pretty much all respects. They took some of the RPG elements out of the game to make it more shootery (something I enjoyed), and it's pretty much the perfect blend of the 2 genres. Absolutely get it.
February 27th, 2010 at 9:57 PM ^
I played ME1 this week since I got ME2 online. I went right through the main story without caring much about the side quests. ME1 is a very good game in itself. Took me about 12 hours to beat the entire game.
I'm now 15 hours into ME2 and I still have to finish 7 loyalty missions. So far there's only been one moment that stuck me from the first game to the second game. Other than that there have just been random mentions of the first game into the second. You can definitely play ME2 without playing the first one.
BTW, I don't think either ME game is a RPG game. I think they're a 3rd person shooter mixed with an RPG. People told me the same about Fallout 3, but it still felt like Fallout was an RPG. ME feels more like a shooter.
ME2 isn't as great of a game as I expected either. It's basically find a mission, shoot through that mission, finish mission, repeat. I don't think it's as great as everyone makes it out to be since it's basically rinse, wash, repeat. Still one of the better games I have played though. Maybe after I finish the loyalty missions it will pick up a bit.
I highly recommend playing Mass Effect 1 before playing Mass Effect 2. Even though you don't need to, carrying over your character from ME1 gives the second game a special feel. Numerous characters that you travel with in the first game show up again in the second game and those meetings just won't feel the same if you haven't played the first game. Characters in game #2 talk about decisions that you made in the first game. If you don't playt the first game, these conversations won't have any meaning to you.
Play the first game. Story is too important to miss out on it.
Regarding ME2, I'm still fairly early in it, but I'm not at all a fan of what they did with the role-playing system. Too stripped down/dumbed down with no Charm/Intimidate skill like the first game. But the combat does seem to be better so far.
I started playing ME2 not having played the first one, and didn't get into it that much. I then went back and played the first one, which is very good, and then had no trouble getting into the second one. Both are worthwhile.