Poll: Should I even bother with Mass Effect?

[Spiridion]

As someone who didn't like the ending of ME3 (even after the extended cut), I'd still say play all three. Everything else makes it worth it. Or, at least, you should try to play ME1 and if it feels like too much of a slog as far as gameplay goes then go ahead and jump into ME2 with the interactive comic.

 

[Tono Makt]

I've loved Bioware's other work, such as Dragon Age Origins, and I've really wanted to get into more sci-fi as opposed to fantasy.

Conversely, I heard that Mass Effect 1 is arduous to play. And, well, Mass Effect 3's ending...that's a litany of topics in and of itself.

On the one hand, I'm largely unspoiled, including 3's ending, and the idea of an epic, multi-game, sci-fi Shooter/RPG sounds pretty sweet.

On the other hand, I hate the thought of having to trudge through 1 before getting to the good gameplay of 2 and then get to the end of 3 and be disappointed with the conclusion.

Third option: I've considered just playing Mass Effect 2 on its own. I'm a PS3 owner, so I can get the PS3 version with the interactive comic of 1 plus all the DLC (And it's CHEAP! As in $5 cheap.) Can I just enjoy 2 as its own thing and forget about 1 and 3?

I welcome all manner of gaming advice on this.

It all depends on what you want out of the game. If you want pure gameplay, avoid ME1 as it is quite different from ME2 and ME3. If you are looking for a 100+ hr story across 3 games, play the shit out of all three games on the easiest setting. Yes, you can go and do the 15min interactive comic book thing instead of playing ME1, but that misses a LOT of the little things that WILL come back to be referenced in ME2 and ME3, and while they aren't huge they are like wonderful little Easter eggs. (Emily Wong, I'm lookin' your way! And the Asari scientist who was studying Indoctrination. And the list can go on for a long, long time.)

If you can, get all the DLC for 1 and 2 that is Storyline based. Weapons and Appearance packs, meh, screw'em. But ones where you're doing missions - Overlord for ME2, Bring Down The Sky for ME1 (I think that's the name of it, can't remember off hand and not interested enough to google it) - are also important and referenced in ME3.

As for the end of ME3... yeah, the last 15 minutes is pure crap with a few chocolate sprinkles thanks to the Extended Cut. The rest of the game is still worth playing, and had the game ended right when Shepard pushed the button to activate the Catalyst, it could have been one of the best games ever. So once you get to that point, just put the game on mute or turn it off and don't let the ending ruin it.

 

[Dire Trout]

I'll tell you what I tell everybody else these days: play all three, because they're still totally worth it. But turn off the third one ten minutes before the ending and write your own conclusion in your head. You'll be much happier that way.

 

[ZorroFonzarelli]

Play all three! Absolutely! Just get ALL the DLC for ME3, and you won't hit that speedbump.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

I say play all three at least once so you can get the full experience. After that, you can decide if you want to play them again, or just certain games in general. And who knows? You may be one of the people who like the ending to Mass Effect 3 and the series as a whole.
Personally, I hated it and feel that I wasted a good deal of time waiting for that conclusion, so what I do know is get all the way to the end of three (before the point of no-return) and play The Citadel DLC and just say the series ends there instead. Makes me feel a lot better.

 

[skywolfblue]

I found the story wasn't exactly it's strongest in the first either.

That's something you don't see everyday.

Yeah, I'm kinda at-odds with the majority opinion on that one. I found Saren to be a cliché villain in a bad way, Benezia was nonsensical, the companion quests rather shallow compared to ME2, even Sovereign just plays the "I'm aloof and mysterious" card completely straight without interest. I don't see what other people see in it. *shrug*

 

[Sniper Team 4]

I'll tell you what I tell everybody else these days: play all three, because they're still totally worth it. But turn off the third one ten minutes before the ending and write your own conclusion in your head. You'll be much happier that way.

Does a fifty-page story count as doing that, or am I disqualified because I typed it out and didn't keep it in my head? ;-)

 

[an annoyed writer]

Play all of them, and play the PC versions because if you hate the ending, you can tell it to go fuck itself and mod your own one in! The games themselves are most definitely worth a playthrough(or 20). I think that the reason behind the ending controversy is BECAUSE the people cared so damn much about the games and their characters, and if people are that attached to them, that alone should indicate how damn good it all is. Keep in mind, I say this as someone who hates both the original and extended endings, and I still think they're all worth a damn.

 

[Mr.Fable]

I found the story wasn't exactly it's strongest in the first either.

That's something you don't see everyday.

Yeah, I'm kinda at-odds with the majority opinion on that one. I found Saren to be a cliché villain in a bad way, Benezia was nonsensical, the companion quests rather shallow compared to ME2, even Sovereign just plays the "I'm aloof and mysterious" card completely straight without interest. I don't see what other people see in it. *shrug*

For me, it's not so much the plot as it is the atmosphere and world building. It just gives me this really great feeling of exploration and wonderment. Similar to the feelings some people have to the original Star Wars trilogy and the original Star Trek.

But yeah, play all three! They all have their high points.

 

[RedDeadFred]

Play all 3. It's possibly the best new series to come out of this past generation of gaming and deserves to be played from beginning to end.

Mass Effect 1 may have the weakest combat system but it certainly is not bad and the story is very good. Saren was probably the best villain in the series.

Mass Effect 2 has good combat and an even better story. It's one of my favourite games ever and IMO, the best game in the series.

Mass Effect 3 has the best combat system (IMO, it's as good as any of the best third person shooters) and the supposedly tacked on multiplayer is actually a ton of fun. Despite what people will say about the ending, the story is actually very good. It ties up a lot of longstanding plot lines in hugely emotional and satisfying ways. The ending (with the Extended Cut -seriously, make sure you get that) may not be up to par with the rest of the series but it still ties everything up nicely and unlike what a lot of people seem to think, it DOES make sense.

 

[Eamar]

Another vote for all three.

I can only speak from personal experience, but I loved all three for different reasons. Sure, none of them is perfect, and yes I hated the ending of 3, but that doesn't take away from the overall experience of the rest of the trilogy. I'd say the relationships you build up with the characters alone are worth playing the whole thing. A comic can't replace that, imho.

 

[Dire Trout]

I'll tell you what I tell everybody else these days: play all three, because they're still totally worth it. But turn off the third one ten minutes before the ending and write your own conclusion in your head. You'll be much happier that way.

Does a fifty-page story count as doing that, or am I disqualified because I typed it out and didn't keep it in my head? ;-)

Whatever works, man. I'm pretty sure that whatever you came up with was at least as good as what they did. (Or maybe it's "what he did." I don't know if we ever got definite confirmation that the producer kicked all the writers out and did the whole ending himself...)

 

[Mylinkay Asdara]

I'm replaying all three right now, matter of fact. Play them 1, 2, 3 for the whole effect is my suggestion. Yes, there's some inconstancy in the gameplay between 1 and 2 which finds a middle ground (I think) in 3 between RPG "talk to all the townies" and shooter stuff. Yes, the original ending for 3 is? well that wound isn't totally healed yet, but the extended ending is the balm for that.

At first I only had played 2 and then 3, because I'm on PS3 and we didn't have access to 1 for awhile. Playing all 3 together now is the only way I go to it, because there are differences, some larger and some more subtle, between playing all 3 and starting mid-series at 2 or just doing a start-up 3 game. Do Not do a start-up no import 3 game and expect it to go wonderfully. There are some serious discrepancies between the "default" start up state of the world and what a majority of people would have done given the chance. My fiancé played a straight out of the box ME3 and our experiences varied widely. Well, now they have a comic for 3 now too I hear, so maybe it's better (haven't played with that, no need).

The comic opening of 2 does help a lot, but it doesn't do 1 justice at all and really keeps it to the broadest of strokes - which is a detriment in recurring reactionary npc interaction later down the line. Still, if you go in at 2 it isn't the worst thing you could do - and I will admit that I play 1 on casual because the shooting is? difficult due to configuration. Not terribly refined aiming let's just say.

 

[Zhukov]

Play all three if you're going to play any at all. Any shortcomings in particular games are worth struggling through in exchange for being able to import your saves.

Yeah, the ending is, well... the ending. But at least you'll know it's coming. Plus you can start with the slightly better extended cut.

I'd also recommend the following DLCs:

- Overlord (ME2)
- Lair of the Shadow Broker (ME2)
- Stolen Memory (ME2)
- Extended Cut (ME3)
- Citadel (ME3)
- Leviathan (ME3)
- Omega (ME3)

 

[heroicbob]

Is it just popular to say that you didn't like the ending? I'll admit that i was frustrated with it, it only seemed to be applicable to a very narrow set of choices throughout the game(s) none of which applied to my shepard but at the same time people never mention the things about the game that i consider big problems with it, i enjoyed mass effect 2 because it dispensed with the tediousness of the first game while still maintaining a large and expansive galaxy to explore. In mass effect 3 it never really felt like i was traveling anywhere because the only place i could go was the citadel, i wont even mention the direct contradictions on the war and the reapers plan of attack,

mass effect 3 should have been 2 or 3 games on its own with a much different story flow for it to really work

 

[bug_of_war]

Just play all 3, they all have their golden moments and their less than ideal scenarios.

ME1 has a really good story and some characters and their interactions/missions are quite cool albeit very short or not fun in a sense of game play. The story and main missions however are extremely interesting, with the main antagonist, Saren being more a victim than a legitimate enemy which makes fighting him really interesting. ME1's biggest let down, the game play is really really average and was the reason I almost gave up on the entire game. Combat takes some getting use to, you'll be annoyed at the ludo narrative dissonance where in which you're told to be a highly trained soldier yet for some reason your abilities in both weapon wielding (FUCK using the sniper) and power usage start off at base levels (though this is present throughout the entire game for obvious reasons) and it's not as easy to use a variety of team mates and you will probably find yourself sticking to only the same 2 throughout the game. The planet exploration is quite boring as there is very little to actually explore other than a mostly barren planet with some rocks that you can scan and some random enemies to kill (the latter only ever branching off to side quests every now and then). As for the Mako, it's okay if you only use it when the main mission tells you to, other than that using it in planet exploration is done only because it's faster than being on foot, it's controls do not work well for climbing mountains (and there are too many planets with mountainous terrains).

ME2 has the BEST squad mates out of the entire trilogy, all of them being quite useful and having really good side quests. Weapon usage at the start feels better than ME1 as you can shoot straight (and the sniper rifle is steady(but not dead steady)) and the enemies react to being hit. The games story is good and does keep the pressure high, but it's nothing special (does have some good reveals and will pull you through). Weapon selection is way worse in this one than any of the other games as you only have 2 choices for each weapon class (eg. AR/SMG with burst fire or full auto, sniper rifle with high damage or large clip) there's not weapon modification and the only way to make them better is to upgrade them through Mordin's lab. It's not so bad, but it is annoying when ME1 and 3 both give you the ability to make a unique weapon for yourself. Side missions (bar the loyalty ones) aren't really worth the effort doing or finding, you will probably find one or two squad members annoying for reasons that only work for you (I hate Tali...) and when it comes to moving around in the ship to talk to everyone you may get annoyed at having to go through so many loading screens.

ME3 has the best combat out of all the games. Shepard feels mobile and skilled (at least with weaponry) from the very start, and the addition of heavy melee attacks is quite welcome. You must remember though that this whole game does follow a third act structure, it is the conclusion to the series and thus you will spend time tying up loose ends, most of which are done really well and have a satisfying conclusion that does take into account past choices (the fate of the Krogan, Geth vs Quarian being the biggest and best examples). The leveling system was my personal favourite of the 3 games as it's not as bloated as ME1 but not as straight forward as 2, you can uniquely upgrade your abilities after the 3rd upgrade to suit your play style. Grenades are a huge plus in combat, but are by no means game winners, enemies for the first time REQUIRE you to come into battle with a team mixed of biotics, techs, and soldiers and this makes the (albeit small roster of) team mates so much more useful and makes combat interesting. However, there are missions that do suck and the reactions/attitude of some NPCs may cause you to want the Reapers to win (or at least wipe them in particular out). Though I and a decent chunk of people did enjoy or at least not get upset by the ending, I will say that many were dissapointed by it, this however should not stop you from giving the series a go.

So yeah, play all 3, don't skip the last 10 minutes and see what you think.

 

[Camaranth]

All 3. There is something special about carrying YOUR Shepard (or 4 so far in my case) over the course of all 3 games. And seeing all the little changes they brought forward.

Going back to ME1 after 3 can make the combat a bit arduous but just knock the difficulty down to casual and skip some of the side missions. Who cares!

Also there is now trilogy pack which includes some of the key DLC. I don't buy dlc on principle but I've considered picking up the trilogy even though I have all 3 games already...

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

Play them all, play them completely and do it immediately.

Mass Effect 1 is only arduous for boring people, the stories of all 3 are excellent and the shit revolving around the ending is hugely overblown.

Yes, the ending to Mass Effect 3 is not nearly as good as it could have been. However, it really isn't that bad. It doesn't retroactively ruin everything as so many people seem to think.
Be sure you install the Extended Cut before you play it as it makes the ending much more conclusive.

They have flaws. The Mako is hard to drive, the planet scanning in 2 is tedious and there is, of course, the previously mentioned ending, but on the whole it's one of the great series of gaming.

Also, you should seriously consider going FemShep. Hale is a far superior voice actress, but the real reason to do it is so you can romance this beautiful bastard:
[img/]http://cdn.staticneo.com/w/masseffect/thumb/a/af/Garrus_Vakarian.png/310px-Garrus_Vakarian.png[/img]

 

[w9496]

ME1 is a clunky mess when it comes to all things combat, but the choices you can make throughout the game and the interactions with less important NPCs make it worth it all in a way. If you are having cold feet because of ME1, then just set the difficulty to casual an play strictly for the dialogue and story. It's worth it to import your Shepard into the other games.

2 and 3 are fine games by themselves, but I feel they work better with a hand crafted Shepard rather than using the comic.

 

[The Madman]

The ending does indeed suck, but it's one hell of a great time getting there and as the ol' Chinese proverb goes: "The journey is the reward!"

Even 3 has its moments of greatness and is worth playing. Frankly if it weren't for that horribly botched ending I think 3 might have been the best of the trilogy, but alas.