Is Mass Effect just shooting?

[ZombieGenesis]

After playing some of Biowares other games I was interested in getting Mass Effect( and 2) but on seeing the gameplay and screenshots it looks like nothing but... shooting.
Now in my RPG's I cherish my meele combat beyond all else. Would I be dissapointed with Mass Effect?

 

[PettingZOOPONY]

If thats what your looking for yes, you can melee but its limited. You pretty much have guns and magic as your weapons.

 

[Flishiz]

When you've got a sniper rifle and enemies are jumping up give you a high five for that awesome headshot, then it's melee. Otherwise no dice.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

It is a shooter, yes, but each class has abilities it can use in battle. For instance, tech users can overload weapons, destroy shields and overall make it difficult for an enemy to use technology.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

No there is melee combat but if you want to do that you may as well use shotguns to help with it. One thing I will say to the games detriment(first one only I have yet to play second) with the ability system it feels like it needs a keyboard. I feel like I should have all the abilities hot keyed as selecting abilities using the wheel pauses the game. This is very flow breaking. This single thing ruined ME combat for me on ability heavy classes.

The melee for the most part is kinda useless. Unless you are a soldier with heavy armour and a high level of shield boost, immunity, adrenaline skill line and combat Exoskeleton with energised plating I would recommend against it. Those things are highly necessary to make it viable.

 

[JeanLuc761]

Mass Effect is a hybrid (Third Person Shooter mixed with RPG). All of the combat is shooting and while there is a staggering amount of dialogue (Probably 20 hours worth in ME2 alone), combat comprises a good 60% of the game or so.

So, if you don't like shooting at all, you'll probably dislike Mass Effect. If you can ignore it, the story and the characters are some of the best I've seen in a game and the universe is likely to be one of the greatest ever created.

 

[The Apothecarry]

Mass Effect is not about melee combat (although there is a charge and melee attack) at all. Combat-wise, it's an awkward Gears of War clone with better stuff.

If you want to do cool stuff, you'd probably want to be a Biotic (I know that Vanguards have a special charging melee attack in ME2 which is loads of fun). If you want more melee than anything, Mass Effect is probably not your game.

Note: I have only played Mass Effect as an Infiltrator and Engineer. If there's more to the Mass Effect melee system, please tell me!

 

[MetalGearblack]

It is not just shooting there is a lot of great dialog and a great story, but there is shooting. You should start with Mass Effect 1, but Mass Effect 2 has better shooting and Mass Effect 2's Vanguard allows to teleport slam into an enemies face so you can melee him or her to death or shoot at point blank range.

 

[gigastar]

Shooting constitutes of about 50% of what you have to do in either Mass Effect game.

The rest of the things you have to do are based on whether youre a natrual dick or a nice guy.

 

[Ophiuchus]

Nope, it's mostly talking. And talking. And talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking. And then maybe a bit of shooting before it drags you back to the talking.

Oh, and the reading. Dear lord, the text logs.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

Mass Effect is not about melee combat (although there is a charge and melee attack) at all. Combat-wise, it's an awkward Gears of War clone with better stuff.

If you want to do cool stuff, you'd probably want to be a Biotic (I know that Vanguards have a special charging melee attack in ME2 which is loads of fun). If you want more melee than anything, Mass Effect is probably not your game.

Note: I have only played Mass Effect as an Infiltrator and Engineer. If there's more to the Mass Effect melee system, please tell me!

See my above post on certain things that make close combat a viable but kinda situational option on lower levels of ME 1 difficulty. I wouldn't know for higher difficulties as I have yet to use my Soldier on them. It is number 5.

 

[gigastar]

Note: I have only played Mass Effect as an Infiltrator and Engineer. If there's more to the Mass Effect melee system, please tell me!

Vanguards have the biotic charge ability, which is exactly as it sounds. You charge in close at very high speed and going through walls and sometimes even up on balconies youre not supposed to be on.

The resulting impact turns your victim tender. Follow up with either your right arm or a shotgun blast is up to you.

Also note that, like all abilities, it will not stun if the target has any kind of armor active.

 

[Woodsey]

Now in my RPG's I cherish my meele combat beyond all else. Would I be dissapointed with Mass Effect?

Its set in the future with real-time combat, so yes, when it comes to combat.

Obviously there's a lot of delicious dialogue too.

EDIT: Actually, no. There are biotics, where you'll spend more time using powers (think the Force, only not called the Force), but its not swords and fists melee.

Nope, it's mostly talking. And talking. And talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking. And then maybe a bit of shooting before it drags you back to the talking.

Oh, and the reading. Dear lord, the text logs.

What text logs?

 

[SenorNemo]

There's no real melee action really, at least not the same way there was melee in KotOR, but it is more than just shooting. You can play it like a shooter on the easier difficulties, but try playing it at the game's most difficult without giving out commands to your party and using your powers extensively, and your pretty much toast. Mass Effect is most fun when using biotics and engineering powers along with your trusty firearms. Map your most used ones to controller buttons for best results. Still, if you walk in expecting traditional D&D style RPG combat, you're going to be disappointed. Mass Effect is definitely a role-playing game - role playing means "you play a character on a mission as you interact with NPCs and travel about the game's setting," not "your computer has a set of d20s that it rolls every time you open a door" - but its gameplay is undeniably different.

I heartily recommend both the first and second.

 

[LordFisheh]

Nope, it's mostly talking. And talking. And talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking and talking. And then maybe a bit of shooting before it drags you back to the talking.

Oh, and the reading. Dear lord, the text logs.

You don't have to read the logs. Unless you're interested, there's absolutely no reason to do so.

 

[GrizzlerBorno]

Not if you play with an Adept.

Okay there's a little bit of Sharp shooting with a pistol. But for the most part it's pinning baddies to ceilings or Using superpowers to split their flesh from their bones.

Great story though. If you're on the fence, let me help you with that: GET THE GAME(S)....NOW!

 

[madwarper]

As others have noted, the Mass Effects have little melee. But, not none.

In ME1, melee attacks were pretty random. Most of the time I hit people, I was trying to do other things, like shoot them.

In ME2, the melee attack were given its own button. And, while no where near as effective as shooting the enemy, it does allow you to get in some extra damage on someone incapacitated (Pull, Concussive Shot, etc) while conserving ammo (stupid FOXTROTing heatsink).

What text logs?

The Codexes. (Codi)?

 

[Woodsey]

As others have noted, the Mass Effects have little melee. But, not none.

In ME1, melee attacks were pretty random. Most of the time I hit people, I was trying to do other things, like shoot them.

In ME2, the melee attack were given its own button. And, while no where near as effective as shooting the enemy, it does allow you to get in some extra damage on someone incapacitated (Pull, Concussive Shot, etc) while conserving ammo (stupid FOXTROTing heatsink).

What text logs?

The Codexes. (Codi)?

Oooh right - he made it sound as if there was obligatory reading.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

After playing some of Biowares other games I was interested in getting Mass Effect( and 2) but on seeing the gameplay and screenshots it looks like nothing but... shooting.
Now in my RPG's I cherish my meele combat beyond all else. Would I be dissapointed with Mass Effect?

It is much more combat oriented than the first one. So, 50/50?