Mass Effect

[C']

This game continues to frustrate and then blow away the frustrations by impressing twice as much.

Currently working through the Feros mission line. Started off annoying thanks to the crappy vehicle controls but once I got to exploring the

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ExoGeni HQ

was a lot more involving. I’m starting to enjoy the combat more now that I have an understanding of how Techs work (I’m playing as Infiltrator so don’t have access to Biotics) and it’s helped reduce my earlier confusion about combat. AI team mates are still pretty stupid though, often just standing there whilst they get blasted.

It’s the story and scripting that impresses the most. Was downright eerie when you figure out that

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the colonists you spoke to at the start of the mission were actually under the control of the Thorian, but actually made some sense when you think back about your conversations (especially with the woman operating the crane)

. Credit also has to go into how conversations pan out and how important your bio selections at the start actually influence how people react to you. The number of permutations is massive.

This game is definitely a grower.

[capcom_suicide]

I'm not a very good RPG player.

If I set the automatic powerup option, low difficulty and smart AI team mates, will this make the game fairly straightforward for a noob?

I'm hoping to enjoy the comabt, and the story. I don't have the skills or interest to build the character skills painstakingly.

I was wondering if setting these options would allow me a casual play through?

[EvilBoris]

It's a very rudimentary RPG (You can level up choose your dialog) I wouldn't worry.

Don't take this the wrong way, I loved the game!
Playing as a soldier made the game play like a bad 3rd person shooter , nearer the end of the game when I had leveled up it played like an average shooter.

[Synthesthesia]

I'm not a very good RPG player.

If I set the automatic powerup option, low difficulty and smart AI team mates, will this make the game fairly straightforward for a noob?

I'm hoping to enjoy the comabt, and the story. I don't have the skills or interest to build the character skills painstakingly.

I was wondering if setting these options would allow me a casual play through?

I wouldn't say any of it was painstaking really.

It tells you in the menus which weapons are stronger or w/e with green numbers.

Building the characters skills is just a matter of leveling up and dishing out the points as you desire

So yeah, not very difficult imo mate!

Play through on casual if you want an easier experience, i did get frustrated a couple of times on normal.

[Dazzyman]

Im totally hooked on this. Done the second main mission now (voiced by her what played Diana Troy in STNG) and even though I enjoyed the sub missions at the Citadel I do wish I hadnt wasted any time on them as their a massive diversion really and I thought a waste of time to the proper sub missions.. At least I know now so second play thru I wont need to bother. The main missions are great for me, Im even enjoying the sub missions you discover on route.

If I was saying to someone new coming to it just dont bother when you reach the citadel on a lot of stuff just go off and do the missions if your not a patient person or you will get tired of it easily as their is a cracking game fighting engine in their for a RPG when the missions start and a very good story. Im playing it on the veteran level (the bosses and main mobs level up with you and have more armour) and Ive died quite a few times, but its been fun and not frustrating for me.

Edit - Done a couple more hours and 2 sub missions just popped up without searching so it shows even more that you dont have to wander the Citadel forever on first go. Bugging me who was voicing the stuff I was getting sent from HQ then I reliased its the god Lance Henrikson

[C']

I think I'm starting to see where the GOTY comments are coming from now. It's still not my personal pick but now that the game is opened up to me, I'm really starting to appreciate what Bioware have achieved.

It's almost Deus Ex like (without the air vents) in terms of the level of freedom it offers you, and every time you think you're being a bit clever and 'breaking the rules' the game reacts to what you have done as effortlessly as if there was only a linear script to follow (whether it be the triggering of an event or NPC characters'' dialogue reflecting your actions). The programmer's seem to have thought of every permetation.

Explored my first uncharted planet. I realise that they are not all fully explorable (a few previous only allowed me to scan for sub quest items/assignment starters) but when you do get down to the surface there's enough there to make it worth your while, in terms of bonus goodies and sub quests. Not only did I pick up items for Assignments (of the 'Find X amount of this item' variety) but also stumbled across an abandoned series of mines containing a couple of pieces of choice weaponary (including a tasty looking shotgun).

Combat is starting to click more now too. Being an Infiltrator my only weapons training is in Pistols and Sniper Rifle so was pretty much Pistol only for the first 10 hours or so, but really getting to grips with the Sniper and it can be very effective when popping out of cover for one shot kills. Is funny when Kaiden (sp?) uses Lift on the Geth and then I snipe them out of mid air.

Brilliant game.

[Welrain]

Just got this after ummm and ahhing for a while. Brilliant so far, completly cured my cod4 addiction! The amount of mythos behind the game is amazing, I'm taking my time, talking to everyone, reading the codex and enjoying the sights. This is goty for me so far.

I've not noticed any probs with slowdown, texture popin or tearing yet but I'm still in the citadel.

[PeteJ]

Almost 30 hours in and just cleaning up some side quests before I start the final mission (I believe). I absolutely adore this game, it is almost everything I had hoped for.

My only disappointment comes from the poor design on the uncharted worlds. The effort put into the main story planets should extend to more of the side quests too. It's a big ask I know, but it would make the game even more special.

Some of the choices you have to make though, wow.

[EvilBoris]

I've not noticed any probs with slowdown, texture popin or tearing yet but I'm still in the citadel.

The Popup will come.

[Jashin]

It's definately a contender for GOTY for me, despite it's many, many problems. A second playthrough really shows how flimsy many elements of the execution of the design are. The combat never quite gets the balance right, even on hardcore - it's generally too easy. Everything feels really robotic. The supposedly populated envoronments look empty and lifeless. Making a concerted effort to play as a renegade the second time round, and it doesn't make much difference to the dialogue. The side missions use a laughable amount of repeated indoor environments, literally unchanged for the most part. The inventory system in ridiculously unfriendly to use, as is the incredibly uniformative UI in general.

Having said that, I absoultely love the game. It has a definate something about it, although I stuggle to articulate what that might be. It has a series of brilliant moments, from the great main missions, good storytelling, to seeing your ally use throw and seeing an enemy go flying through the air for hundreds of feet if you're on a planet. It's great. Go figure.

[Dazzyman]

Aye Im finding it completly compelling (about 24hours so far and still got one first mission to do!!!). Ive benched everything on purpose though as if I sway to another game I know I will loose patience with the extensive talkys. As one game to play all the time though for me Ive not got bored yet and find it enthralling and Im happy to devote my time to it. Yep the side quests are bland on the planet, the vehicles meh and the corridors are average but Id still do them all day long as Im finding the action of the side quests great on veteran as their leveling up fantastic against me and my guys have some great stuff to use against them. Cant say Ive had thick AI either I just tell them to cover a area and their fine.

[El Leone]

Just completed this for the third time on Insainity, and also managed to get to lv 60 as well. There's not many games which can get me stop playing Halo for a few weeks, but this is one of them. Easily GOTY.

[Spatial]

Finished the game this afternoon.

An awesome

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heroic

ending with some great bits pretty much from

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Ilos

right up to the end of things.

Plenty of room left for the proposed sequels too

I ended up somewhere around the 25-26 hour mark and has definately been one of my top games of 2007 for overall entertaining experience and enjoyment.

It was easy for me too, although for different reasons

Now I've finished I've been rereading the thread and reading the spoilers (hence the delay).

For that choice I saved *big spoilers*

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Williams - it was a tough call and really was a split second decision. The fact that I was trying to bed her might have had something to do with it.

But that didn't stop me feeling bad for Alenko who was also pretty upgraded by that point and his biotics were coming in handy.

Also I did the same thing as you with Wrex and I talked him around. Although I would have also been quite happily if it had ended up in a hail of bullets - which it might very well do on my next play through.

Same with Saren at the end, I felt inclined to try and talk him around even though I was tempted to just put a bullet between his eyes

[PeteJ]

Just finished it here, just over 30 hours and level 49! Doh.

Absolutely loved it, I was under its spell from early on however towards the end it just ramps up the brilliance several times over. The final sections are beautifully realised.

I really hope the sequel comes soon, I'm completely hooked on the world they've created.

[C']

My opinion on this game has turned around completely. Initial few hours I thought it was a solid, if unspectacular title that seemed overly confusing.

Now, I am seriously considering it as a GOTY contender. It really is a game that you get completely lost in and hours fly by without you realising. Some people don't seem to get on with the combat, but it's really clicked with me and some of the firefights can be quite intense. A personal favourite was

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storming the Prothean ruins searching for Liara T'Soni. A tight encounter in a winding cavern with Geth taking up positions in watchtowers and the cliff tops where my focus on Sniper Rifle skill points paid dividends.

I do agree with some of Jashin's comments. I think this game is a perfect example of a flawed masterpiece. The technical deficiencies (which admittedly seemed most prominent in the Citadel, and were much less noticeable on the planets), slightly confusing equipment/inventory system and the cumbersome method of using Tech Skills/Biotics are flaws I can immediately think of but they really do fade into significance as the world Bioware has created is so beautifully realised and the game such fun to play that the flaws fade into insignificance.

The only sad part is reading the posts here of people statiing they have finished as it only reinforces the fact that at some point I am going to reach the end.