Is Mass effect 1 needed?

[Madman148]

ok guys, I know that alot of people are loving Mass Effect 2, but I never got round to playing the 1st one, and therefore have not yet bought the 2nd. Mass Effect 2 has been growing on me but there is just one question that is bugging me:

do I really need to buy or borrow the 1st mass effect to play the 2nd, or does it not make that much of a difference?

 

[Toasty Virus]

It will help introduce you into the games universe and allow a few characters to turn up in ME2, But its nothing major.

 

[Cherry Cola]

Just read up on the story to Mass Effect 1. If people are so worried that they won't get the story of ME2, why is the first line of thought "Do I need to spend money on another game?" instead of "Do I have to read about it online?"

 

[BubbaJeff]

I'd recommend it. If anything, its a superb game.

 

[Velvo]

I find it an excellent game. You'll know some of the characters better if you play the 1st, and you have the chance for a slightly different beginning in mass effect 2. It's mostly story and cosmetic (same shepard and extra xp and junk) but if you can rent it or borrow it, I suggest it.

 

[fix-the-spade]

Bluntly, no. Mass Effect 2's plot is (mostly) self contained, you can play it to begin with and it isn't utterly head bending.

BUT
You should get both and play 1 first. It goes fairly cheap now and the it's still better than 90% of the other games out there. Regardless of the plot gubbins it's well worth playing.

 

[Jenova65]

Bluntly, no. Mass Effect 2's plot is (mostly) self contained, you can play it to begin with and it isn't utterly head bending.

BUT
You should get both and play 1 first. It goes fairly cheap now and the it's still better than 90% of the other games out there. Regardless of the plot gubbins it's well worth playing.

This ^ (plus kudos on the use of the word 'gubbins', there)
Mass Effect is a game well worth playing regardless of it's connecting points with ME2 and will affect your game in 2 in lots of little ripple effect ways, consequences that may or may not be important for 3, for example

Spoiler

choosing to release the Rachni Queen creates a tantalising encounter with an Asari who has a message from the Queen, Awesome moment.

 

[IrrelevantTangent]

Is it required? Not necessarily, no. Should you do it anyway? Most likely yes.

Because there are certain important decisions in ME 1 that can carry over to ME 2, and if you don't import your character, you'll be stuck with a 'default' list of decisions Shepard made and you won't be able to change any of them. Importing a finished ME 1 character ensures you'll have made the impacts in ME 1 that you want to carry over to the sequel, and you'll also get a few nifty bonuses for importing a character.

Tl;dr- you don't have to, but I highly recommend it.

 

[Amnestic]

You should, you don't have to. Especially if you buy ME2 on the PC where you can just download someone else's ME1 endgame save for you to import.

 

[bladeofdarkness]

you should absolutely play the first one first and import your character
people who play the second game first will enjoy it
people who play the first game, and then port their character, will enjoy it on a whole different level

 

[Clirck]

I just finised ME1 again while had finished ME2 and realized that ME1 is a lot more story driven, deep game. ME2 is like a little mittle snack in the middle of the 1 and 3, I guess. I strongly in every way recomend playing Mass Effect 1.

 

[Woodsey]

PLAY IT.

If one of the main attractions of the series is the growing repercussions of your actions, why would you want to miss out on a third of those choices?

Its exceptionally fulfilling to see the effects of your actions in the second.

 

[Kiefer13]

You don't strictly need to play the first one before you play ME2, but I would certainly recommend it. The way seemingly insignificant side characters from ME1 showed up again (presuming they survived) in ME2 was very cool, I thought. The ability to carry on your save file from the first game was an excellent idea.

 

[reg42]

It's really cheap now anyway, so I would recommend it. PLus, you'll need more connected to your Shepard after spending 2 games with him.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

More so than any game before. The save data transfer does a lot.

 

[Coffeemaker]

You don't NEED Mass Effect 1 to play Mass Effect 2.
That being said, Mass Effect 1 is still one of the best games I have ever played. Also, getting Mass effect 1 and importing your character from it, into Mass Effect 2, does have some cool (if minute) impacts on mass Effect 2.

 

[MurderousToaster]

If you want a good game, get ME1. It's a good, deep RPG that will keep you in for hours on end.

Seriously, though, what is up with all these Mass Effect threads?

 

[Fire Daemon]

It helps. The important information is revealed and you can learn of the plot on Wikipedia but by playing the game you learn some of the finer details and you get to continue your save file. I would suggest playing the first, first.

 

[Jandau]

ok guys, I know that alot of people are loving Mass Effect 2, but I never got round to playing the 1st one, and therefore have not yet bought the 2nd. Mass Effect 2 has been growing on me but there is just one question that is bugging me:

do I really need to buy or borrow the 1st mass effect to play the 2nd, or does it not make that much of a difference?

Yes and no.

You don't NEED it, but it would help you understand the game world and set up your own character. Importing a ME1 character sets the tone of the game and starting a new ME2 character means you get a "default" protagonist that screwed up pretty badly in the first game.

However, you could read up on the game's story and side quests, and then look up some saved games on the internet. You can play the game with a fresh character, but you'll be missing out. The game is richer with an imported character.

 

[SomeBritishDude]

I honestly don't know. Personally I think it's just not good enough to be worth what it adds to Mass Effect 2. It has some great bits but those bits are surrounded by crap.

The second game is amazing though, can't recommend it enough.