Buy Mass Effect 1 & 2 or jump straight to 2, please help!

Rael

Hi folks,

I've seen the trailers and review for Mass Effect 2 and I'm really interested. It looks excellent and I'm loving all the foortage out there I'll be honest, I dislike RPGs but from the reviews they say it's RPG lite and there's more emphasis on the combat/shooting. Plus as I'm getting older I'm willing to try new experiences

I'm concerned over one aspect though, I've read that your decisions from ME1 are imported into ME2, will have an impact at certain points and may even carry over to ME3. So my question is should I buy ME1 and then ME2 or just jump straight to ME2?

Thanks!

Gunmonkey

Hrm......I would go with ME1 then ME2, its nice and satisfying to have a character from the first game show up and say thanks/**** you in the second based on your actions. Plus you get wrapped up more in the universe and the various alien species. And yes, it is more action focused than other RPGs, but there is still a lot of dialouge and quests and such.

Captain Chaos

The first one is more RPG/Shooter and the second is more shooter/RPG. The first one is fairly different from the second in that in the second game you are good with all your weapons but in the first at the very start you will be missing targets a good bit but you have no ammo to worry about.

While the decisions are there they don't make that big a difference to the second game overall but playing the first game first will help flesh out the second game when you play it.

Grumpypants

I played a bit of the first but never got the time to get into it. I played the second one and didn't think i missed out on much but im sure it would be enjoyable to play the first one first but not essential.

Im hoping to go back to the first and it will have a prequel feel to it now.

#Daniel

I didnt play the first one at all, but ME2 caught my eye. I read up on the first games story on wikipedia and I honestly can say I had no trouble following the story in the second game, although I'm sure there were plenty of references and old faces which I probably didnt notice. This may also be helpful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5ns3lSWPs8

DeVore

I played 1 but lost my save in a HDD crash. You wont miss anything if you havent played 1... but it does add a little to the story (especially when you meet old friends).

The thing is, 1 is a great game! You should play it for that reason alone.

But no, you wont be at a loss as to whats going on in 2. Read the wikipedia entry and you will be up to speed if you dont play 1.

DeV.

AdMMM

You can get ME1 for something like €7 in GameStop. You really have no excuse not to have this game!

It's a fantastic introduction to the whole Mass Effect universe and while you can certainly play through ME2 on its own and feel like you're not missing much, it's only when you consider that the relationships you built up in ME1 affect your decisions in ME2 that you'll regret not playing it!

muppetkiller

I much prefered the first game..and i think by the time you finish it the second one will be in the bargin bin

ricman

I,m playing ME 1 on veteran ,me2 has more refined shooter controls ,you dont have to spend alot of time upgrading weapons and swapping ammo type,weapon upgrades in me2.
ITS a great game in my top ten on the 360 .I find it to be a very enjoyable shooter ,ie its great to upgrade you teamates in biotics and just concentrate on using your xp to increase the shotgun and assault weapon power.
I,D recommend tali and wrexx as teamates, choose the soldier class ,otherwise you cant max out the weapons or armour,if you want to play it as a shooter.
UPGRADE their biotic powers on throw/stasis and you have a well balanced team.
I PLACE them on one side ,and shoot from the other side ,catch the enemy in a crossfire.THERES alot of strategy in this game, as you use a combination of different biotics and weapons depending on what enemy you are fighting at any one moment.
ITS a much better shooter than i expected and it gets better as you pick up new types of ammo and weapon upgrades.
I,D LOVE a modern combat fps that had a 3 person squad where each member specialises in different types of weapons and abilitys, ie one fast sniper,one heavy armour and machine gun unit,one engineer etc and you can control them all as a squad as in mass effect .
Some of the characters from me1 show up in me2 ,so its like seeing star wars 2,be4 star wars 1.I,LL be buying me2 in the next week preowned.
I THINK the story will mean alot more if you play me1 first.
IT reminds me abit of bioshock cos in both you can use special powers on the enemy and then finish em off with a shotgun or machine gun.
I MAXED out the throw ,shield and stasis powers as thats enough to defeat any enemy even on the veteran setting.IF you wanna ugrade all weapons and max out 3 biotics it takes about 30hours to get thru.WHEN YOU GET a chance set shock trooper as your secondary class,in order to acess to all weapons /ammo types upgrades.IE i,m playing as a soldier/ secondary class shock trooper .

Moiph

Definitely go for Mass Effect 1 first, it's good to know the story of the first one going into the 2nd game. Plus the first one is a great game in itself too.

landsleaving

Personally I wouldn't recommend ME1 too strongly, it's full of annoyances, isn't a huge amount of fun and can be frustrating at times. It gets good near the end when you can use your weapons and abilities, but at first you might as well be trying to kill a fly with a water pistol. Getting to that point is kind of an endurance test though.

ME2 on the other hand is great, fun from the get go, no buggy graphics, more interesting in general, far easier to use the abilities, less absurd weapon/menu system. But it is rpg-ish more than many say imo, you definitely get stronger as the game goes on in a really noticeable way.

The story is good though, and as others have said it is cool to have your character continue his story, so if you're really into a world you can get sucked into get both, it's a rewarding world to explore, just a lot more so in 2 because the combat is aslmost as fun as the story.

Captain Chaos

I'd have to disagree with a number of points there. The story of ME1 is actually far more interesting and has far more going on than ME2. ME1 is setting up everything. The back story, all the characters, how the galaxy works as a unit, how all the races interact and how humans got beyond the solar system to where they are. They even explain how all the sci fi technology works in theory. The story is one big mystery and you are not sure who or what the real threat is.

ME2 is just, very linear in compared to it. You have a big mission, collect your team and do it. You already know how everything stands from the first game. They could have added so much more to the second game but they kept it fairly basic story wise compared to ME1.

Also using ability has not actually changed from ME1 to ME2, its exactly the same. ME2 is far less of an RPG than ME1. ME2 is more of a squad shooter than anything else.

Yes the combat is not great at the start of ME1 but it improves greatly as you level up and get better gear. In ME2 you are almost unstoppable from the get go as they made it more of a shooter so you will hit where you aim always.

Rael

Thanks for all the replies guys, just to keep you informed, I ordered ME1 today. Thanks for all the advice

landsleaving

Captain Chaos wrote: »

I'd have to disagree with a number of points there. The story of ME1 is actually far more interesting and has far more going on than ME2. ME1 is setting up everything. The back story, all the characters, how the galaxy works as a unit, how all the races interact and how humans got beyond the solar system to where they are. They even explain how all the sci fi technology works in theory. The story is one big mystery and you are not sure who or what the real threat is.

ME2 is just, very linear in compared to it. You have a big mission, collect your team and do it. You already know how everything stands from the first game. They could have added so much more to the second game but they kept it fairly basic story wise compared to ME1.

Also using ability has not actually changed from ME1 to ME2, its exactly the same. ME2 is far less of an RPG than ME1. ME2 is more of a squad shooter than anything else.

Yes the combat is not great at the start of ME1 but it improves greatly as you level up and get better gear. In ME2 you are almost unstoppable from the get go as they made it more of a shooter so you will hit where you aim always.

Actually I agree that 1 has the better story, I just meant that it's let down by the combat so 2 is better because you get to enjoy the story more. I felt like I had to suffer for story in 1.

I find the abilities to be far more fun in 2, barely even use weapons at all at this stage, whereas in 1 I never bothered with them. Guess it boils down to how you play.

Kev_ps3

I picked up ME1 for 12euro used yesterday in Gamestop:)

me-skywalker

#Daniel wrote: »

I didnt play the first one at all, but ME2 caught my eye. I read up on the first games story on wikipedia and I honestly can say I had no trouble following the story in the second game, although I'm sure there were plenty of references and old faces which I probably didnt notice. This may also be helpful:

Ridiculous statement.. dont listen to this. While the story may be easy to follow and not too complex there are side quests, minor story arcs, character interactions major nad minor and major plot points that have a variable of endings that the player determines and influences. The outline of the whole game will be different for every gamer and that includes when ME3 comes out. So definitley bite the bullet and play the first one just burst through it and then you can enjoy me2 properly.

Blazer

Definitely get ME1..
What game choices you make will carry onto ME2 and ME3 when it comes out. Plus you get bonuses for doing so..more minerals/more cash etc.

Plus check out drunk shepherd on the Citadel
especially about 1.35

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhRi00rY_DI&feature=related

ShiverinEskimo

ME1 -

Pros: Story line is ten times more absorbing and the characters are much more fleshed out.

Cons: Elevators and Mako levels.

ME2 -

Pros: Combat is better and powers are more involving and easier to use.

Cons: No character customisation, characters are nowhere near as fleshed out, scanning planets, story line is linear and predictable, interactions with characters from ME1 is pitifully wasted.

I loved both and can't wait til the third but they need to strike a better balance between RPG and Shooter. More story/items/character bio/random sidequests please and less relentless action (one or two quests relying on speech/decision making would be nice instead of solving every problem with a gun).

Blazer

ShiverinEskimo wrote: »

ME1 -

Pros: Story line is ten times more absorbing and the characters are much more fleshed out.

Cons: Elevators and Mako levels.

ME2 -

Pros: Combat is better and powers are more involving and easier to use.

Cons: No character customisation, characters are nowhere near as fleshed out, scanning planets, story line is linear and predictable, interactions with characters from ME1 is pitifully wasted.

I loved both and can't wait til the third but they need to strike a better balance between RPG and Shooter. More story/items/character bio/random sidequests please and less relentless action (one or two quests relying on speech/decision making would be nice instead of solving every problem with a gun).

excellent points....the story is ME1 was miles better with some great side stories..
In ME2 the side missions just felt tacked on...it definitely felt like a dumbed down version of ME1...saying that..the combat was much better however having all your powers having to recharge when using one was a bit ridiculous..each power should have had it's own recharge time.
Hopefully ME3 is a big improvement.
I still enjoyed ME2 but the 2nd time around I was able to complete it way faster..

ricman

ONCE you upgrade the assault rifle, and shotgun ME1 is a pretty good shooter .USING the incendiery or toxic bullets makes the weapons more lethal.
BUT the sniper rifle in ME2 is much easier to use, it doesnt waver in telescopic mode.IN me1 you can use me1wiki to find which planets have valuable minerals or sidequests otherwise you,ll spend hours visiting planets which have nothing valuable or significant .
ITS worth doing all the sidequests to gain xp,or items to upgrade your weapons,armour,or biotic powers.