Reviews Ten Years On: Mass Effect

Like Dragon Age, the original is the only one I would ever contemplate playing. Bioware are the absolute masters at taking something that isn't broken, and breaking it.

 

Very much enjoyed Mass Effect 1 and 2, each in a different way. I still know Mordin's Gilbert and Sullivan song by heart. Hated ME3 from the very beginning though for some reason, but ploughed through it. The only good thing about that game IMO was the Marauder Shields memes and fan lore.

EDIT: The Indoctrination Theory was also great fun, though it obviously hinged on a lot of conspiracy theory-tier logic.

 

Mass Effect 2 is an example of being one of the greatest sequels ever.

I tried playing through Mass Effect again last year, but it's not dated too well in my opinion. Mass Effect 2 still looks passable and Mass Effect 3 with high resolution mods still impresses.

 

This. That game was borderline perfection.

 

Funny, I couldn't stand the shooting and had to stop after 4 hours or so. I found it beyond tedious!

 

I would play ME1 again, only if the Krogan in ME1 wouldn't be so insanely hard to beat .

 

I could not agree more. Mass Effect 1 was superb, and I thoroughly enjoyed it (favourite games from the past Baldur's Gate 2, Neverwinter Nights and the like). When I played Mass Effect 2 - a game which I couldn't bring myself to finish - I was so disappointed. The "streamlining", to me, meant stripping out all the bits of the game I most enjoyed (and still enjoy, playing games like Divinity: Original Sin 1/2).

Instead, we got to compare weapons with no meaningful basis on which to make a decision, lost the vehicular combat and had to "scan" endless planets to mine materials in a pointless mini-game.

I understand that I'm in the minority on this one (as well as most things in general on here!) but honestly I was so appalled at ME2 that I abandoned it AND ME3 and have never touched them since.

 

I was a complete ME junkie, ploughed hours into all three games, the lore was just so abundant and rich. Like most though I definitely enjoyed 2 the most, I replayed 1 as I completed it by accident and was horrified that suddenly everything was over, I think compared with 2 it feels like something's missing. 3 for me could have been so good, I actually enjoyed every minute... up until it ended. Yup the historic ending really was that bad, it had me going through shock after completion. I still get triggered by the after-credits music, it was just such a disappointing and wasteful end to a great buildup. Also no Tali face was the let down of the game (aside from the ending).

 

I've started playing Andromeda recently and it reminds me of playing ME1 for the first time.

 

From article:
"The other great and enduring idea that Mass Effect establishes is Shepard herself."

Your subtle as a brick point might have had more weight if you didn't use the default Shepard in the screenshots.

 

ME1 was ok but it wasn't quite the game Bioware originally promised.
ME2 is one of my favourite games.
ME3 was good... right up until the return to Earth [so the the ending and mission preceding it]. Don't have the heart to replay for the 'extended cut' ending.
Haven't played MEA so don't have an opinion on it but was disappointed to hear it was a bit pants.

 

ME1 remains my favourite for both gameplay and story. I wasn't impressed when ME2 made it more shooter-y. The only thing that lets down ME1 nowadays is the graphics.

Rick really needs to play Citadel, it's possibly the best DLC/expansion in gaming history. Only The Enemy Within for XCOM comes close. My strategy for ME3 is to play through until just before leaving to confront TIM, have the Citadel party and then quit on the high note.

 

The thing about 2 that got me is at the start, everyone acts like 1 never even happened. Like whats a Reaper? Naw it was just your imagination. The transition is jarring, goes from a full on assault of the Citadel to everyone having their memory erased apparently.

I tried to play 1 again a few months ago but I just couldn't get into it. The interface is so bad and the game is overall quite clunky.

 

The. ****ing. Mako.

 

'It was a training exercise'...

 

On the other hand, without that weird discrepancy we would've never had this golden moment of a Turian doing air quotes with his 3-fingered hands:

Still makes me chuckle

 

Mass Effect 2 is probably the best game i've played since getting back into having a home computer.

 

Mass Effect 1 was fantastic, but ME2 was dull enough that I never completed it or reached ME3. What a way to take an interesting game (both in terms of world, presentation, and gameplay) and dike out all the fun bits. No planetary exploration, bog-standard FPS gameplay ("hey guys, remember when our guns didn't need totally-not-magazines-they-re-heatsinks-honest?") and far too much of it, and most of the characters seemingly forgetting anything that happened in the last game.

 

Loved 1
Loved 2
Enjoyed 3 - ending was meh, but i've never really been sure what people expected? or what could've been better?