[360] Mass Effect

The best is when you set the AI to only use powers defensively, and then manually control all 3 party members using the power wheel, that's when the combo's can really get going.

My garrus is pretty bad-ass actually, his Master Overload attack is like 150damage to everything in 10m, and 600 damage to enemy shields and lowers their defence by 30%. His sabatoge is similar in damage, but overheats enemy weapons rather than damaging shields. He's like the perfect support character for my vangaurd, plus he can take care of first aid, electronics, and decryption for your whole party.

Actually, it seems the Tech class have more offensive powers than the Biotics. Has anyone tried that biotec/tech hybrid class? It seems like a combination that would be extremely powerful later in the game...

 

Well, if that happens, the threads would only be 3 pages long. Kidding. Actually, not so much.

For those who have the game, is the story and feel of the world more epic Space Opera with big themes like Star Wars or more personal and intimate like Star Trek or maybe somewhere in between?

 

Who can I sell stuff to? My inventory is tapped out most of the time and I got enough Omni Gel to last me a lifetime!

 

At all the vendors!

 

It's definitely more like Star Wars, if only because of the independence of the characters. Star Trek is more rigidly defined with organizational structure. I definitely get more of a Star Wars vibe out of the game.

I'm 8 hours into it now, and I'm not sure what reviewers were talking about when they said there's noticable bugs. Perhaps I'm lucky or perhaps reviewers got a different pre-final version, but I've not noticed any yet. Closest would be almost being trapped in by one of my squadmates blocking the only exit, but I moved away and they moved away as well, then I left.

So far, I think it's fantastic. Easily the best character models I've ever seen in a video game, and in a story and emotional-driven game, that makes all the difference.

 

The handiest place is in your ship itself.

To the right, or left of the galaxy map, go through the doors, and down the stairs, then take the elevator down to the bottom level.

Here you'll find your quartermaster, which can buy/sell goods, but also a bunch of your party members ready to chat, like ashley

 

I'm playing as a Soldier right now, the SO is playing as an Adept and having a lot of problems with it. Specifically, the Adept seems to not have any useful offensive biotics at all. The pistol is basically always used as the weapon, and it's pretty inaccurate for Adepts. Is there anything to know about using Biotics in combat to make them more useful?

 

I'm just starting out as a Adept right now, so far I'd say: hang back and use your squad as bait. Try and use them to draw out the enemies and then use your powers to make them vulnerable, or protect your squad if they get rushed.

Up on the dpad to send your troops somewhere. When an enemy comes into range, press right to have your squad target the highlighted enemy. Also, remember your squad has special abilities with multiple weapons that you should use.

For example, you can have Ashley use "carnage" with the shotgun to blow a huge shot off, then switch her to assault rifle, have her use "Overkill" until that runs out, switch to Pistol have her use Marksmen until that runs out, go back to shotgun fire off another carnage shot...etc

The best offensive powers are definately Lift, Singularity and Throw. Barrier however is, by far, the most effective power as far as keeping you alive so make sure to invest in that heavily.

Also, make sure to invest enough points to get the pistol up to Marksmen, and use that skill as often as possible, it's extremely effective at dropping enemies at all distances.

 

So . . . for someone who loves shooters and has never played an RPG, is Mass Effect a worthwhile purchase?

 

If you like an epic story, with tons of optional missions, then yes definately. The mechanics work pretty well, but won't quite stack up to GRAW or other 3rd person shooters.

 

The Bioware RPGs are never quite full-on Oblivion territory; the few RPG mechanics other than fetch quests and speech trees should serve you perfectly well. The shooting system is also perfectly serviceable.

It's a terrific game, and one you shouldn't miss if you own a 360.

 

If you're after a shooter, you should go elsewhere. I think the major detractors of this game went into it thinking it's a shooter, when it's really a by-the-numbers RPG. Sure, the combat is shooter-like, however it's just their version of RPG combat.

Jade Empire's probably the closest comparison I'd make - if you love fighters, you wouldn't necessarily like JE. If you love shooters, you wouldn't necessarily like ME. And I definitely think the Mass Effect/shooter relationship is more distant than the JE/fighter relationship.

However if you're after an RPG, this is a great bet. It's very rough on a beginner to the genre. I've enjoyed RPG's for over a decade, and ME definitely doesn't pull punches regarding complexity of navigating the universe, or how it implements its combat mechanism. If you can be patient and don't mind making some mistakes in order to learn how the game works, I'd definitely pop this on your list.

It also is not too heavily action-oriented, which is certainly un-shooter-like. Of the 9 hours or so I've spent in the game, a good five or so of those was purely dialogue and quest-seeking. Again, it's no shooter.

Having said that - I'm really digging this game. I put in a huge time-sink yesterday, knocking off side-quests after leaving Citadel. Eventually I felt like taking on a more dialogue-based section, so I jumped into one of the main-quest-line missions, on the corporate world.

I adore the way the game basically drops you in and says, "do what you like". If you feel like talking to people and learning purely about the universe - completely optional - there are hours of entertainment there alone. If you feel like some logic-based puzzles, such as helping someone out through being nice, being nasty, being charming, or just via killing a whole bunch of bad guys, that's a path you can take too. If you feel like dropping onto a strange planet and kicking the ass of a few pirates or scoundrels or whatever else was lurking about, do that. You get XP for each of the above, so you can level up, too. You aren't punished for dilly-dallying.

The one time I got frustrated was in that side-quest where the biotic people have a hostage. I just couldn't beat them... I'd walk into the room and be on my ass on the spot until my death. Hopefully I can take them after some levelling.

Also, in terms of stability, I honestly haven't noticed any frame-rate issues... though I am on a brand new 360 (#3, thanks MS!) after RROD'ing. Texture pop-in also isn't too much of an issue for me. Luckily for me I have an EB on-the-spot swap warranty. I also have an HDMI-enabled 360 now. Woo I would almost suggest the issues flagged are in part the signs of a struggling 360 over a struggling game.

 

Thanks guys. I think I'm gonna give it a go. Not sure how I'll like the RPG side of it, but if nothing else it will expose me to what seems to be a good RPG experience.

If anyone has any suggestions for a complete noob, by all means please share.

 

Just beat the game. One hell of a ride. The main story gets so tense towards the end. Can't wait for part 2 and 3!

Spoiler

I let the council die and made Captain Anderson in charge. Taking down Saren was quite easy. I have Liara and the Quarian as my squad mates to compliment my soilder Shepherd and that was a great combo throughout. Gonna revert to a saved game and see the ending where I save the council.

Question: I did some side quests after escaping from the Citadel. If I return there, will there be any issues? I want the exp to level up.

 

My soilder class with Liara and the Quarian chick as my squad mates kicked ass throughout.

 

My basic recommendations are:

• Read the manual cover to cover a few times before popping the disc in. Take particular note of the controls in combat
• Think about your class roll now, not when you have the screen pop up asking you once you pop the disc in. Having said that, you definitely sound like you'd enjoy the soldier class.
• Balance your team (obvious, duh, but still!) - have someone who can kick ass with bionics you, and don't neglect the tech/engineering/security options. Otherwise you'll be locked out of a lot of lockers and items
• If you really want a taste of why some gamers are falling all over this gaming experience, pop some points in a dialogue-based class... I'm talking charm/intimidate (one or the other). They really help you open up with your squad, while giving you an idea of the branches the game takes
• The autosave is there to stop you from shooting yourself in the foot... but they are not the Halo-type autosaves, where you're pretty much guaranteed a short hop to your last save. Be prepared to pop into the save menu until you're comfortable with the controls enough to think you'll kick ass in combat
• Don't stress about doing "everything" the first time through - this game is built for multiple play-throughs.

That's about it. Hope you enjoy, and definitely keep us posted.

 

Dude, oblivion isn't exactly a good measure of an RPG. Not in terms of dept anyway.

In fact, due to the unlinearity of Mass Effect and the linearity of Oblivion, id say MAss Effect is ten times the RPG oblivion is. In Oblivion, sure you can free-roam in a game world, but all the quests are only solveable in 1 way, and there is only 3-4 different types of quests (kill,pickup\delivery,protect,talk)

 

Spoiler

What happens to the Ashly chick everyone keeps talking about? Is she the one who dies? Someone said Wrex dies, too.

A nice rundown of the story would be cool for us non-360 owners

 

Laa-Yosh just got a 360, so you have no excuse for non bought one falcon

 

I have a feeling Joshua will be experiencing next-gen mostly on PC for the foreseeable future.