Mass Effect 1 was my favorite. To me it was just the most fun. I really felt like I was exploring the universe and meeting interesting alien cultures. The second one tried to get all edgy and dark, and the third one well...
Poll: Which Mass Effect was the best?
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1 for me. I think it had the best story, pacing and antagonist.
Plus it ranks as my favorite game of AHL TIMEZ!
Plus it ranks as my favorite game of AHL TIMEZ!
ME3 is my fave for the payoff it provided for the whole trilogy and the amazing ending. That game had me tearing up regularly and then left me thoughtful and pondering at the end.
ME2 is my next fave for the great interpersonal relationships.
ME1 if my third favorite. It was decent...but the ending was too Hollywood in an irritating way.
ME2 is my next fave for the great interpersonal relationships.
ME1 if my third favorite. It was decent...but the ending was too Hollywood in an irritating way.
I liked what Mass Effect 3 did with exploration. It did a good job taking ME2's scanning system and streamlining it so you get better payoff for less repetition, and the Reaper Awareness system was a good way to add tension. I would have enjoyed an opportunity to land on a planet and have an ME1-like vehicle exploration section--maybe on a populated planet like Earth, Tuchanka, or Thessia.
The one element that really puts ME3 above the other two, in my opinion, was the inventory system. ME1's was just bloated, loading you down with 5 duplicates of every weapon and upgrade and making you micromanage all your squadmates' armor. ME2, on the other hand, was too simplified--there were too few weapons with not enough of an upgrade system, and forced loadouts (i.e. infiltrators can't carry assault rifles). ME3's system of cumulative weapon mods and weapon weight mechanic took the breadth of ME1 and made it streamlined and intuitive.
The one element that really puts ME3 above the other two, in my opinion, was the inventory system. ME1's was just bloated, loading you down with 5 duplicates of every weapon and upgrade and making you micromanage all your squadmates' armor. ME2, on the other hand, was too simplified--there were too few weapons with not enough of an upgrade system, and forced loadouts (i.e. infiltrators can't carry assault rifles). ME3's system of cumulative weapon mods and weapon weight mechanic took the breadth of ME1 and made it streamlined and intuitive.
Very good question,
I liked ME1, im playing it through now again with a fem shep, and im enjoying it. ME1 was addictive the first time i played it, but its showing its age. Nice story, but nostalgia is all i get out of it now.
ME2 was amazing, i loved it, and thought all the build up to the suicide mission was great, thought the final mission itself could have been longer and more difficult, but aside from that, an epic game.
ME3 was fucking amazing right up until "That" part.... up to then i was hooked... the story was incredible, the urgency, the atmosphere, the tension. Superb... i was on the edge of my seat right up to the end. The cover mechanic annoyed the hell out of me at times and the quest tracker was archaic , but otherwise.... christ... it was beautiful.... up until that point.
Thinking about it ME3 is my favourite. I just hope bioware fulfull their promise about the ending(s) and make it so that the 'War Assets' actually count for something...
But warts and all... im glad i got into this series. Had one hell of a journey
I liked ME1, im playing it through now again with a fem shep, and im enjoying it. ME1 was addictive the first time i played it, but its showing its age. Nice story, but nostalgia is all i get out of it now.
ME2 was amazing, i loved it, and thought all the build up to the suicide mission was great, thought the final mission itself could have been longer and more difficult, but aside from that, an epic game.
ME3 was fucking amazing right up until "That" part.... up to then i was hooked... the story was incredible, the urgency, the atmosphere, the tension. Superb... i was on the edge of my seat right up to the end. The cover mechanic annoyed the hell out of me at times and the quest tracker was archaic , but otherwise.... christ... it was beautiful.... up until that point.
Thinking about it ME3 is my favourite. I just hope bioware fulfull their promise about the ending(s) and make it so that the 'War Assets' actually count for something...
But warts and all... im glad i got into this series. Had one hell of a journey
Currently playing through all 3 of them. Out of ME1 and ME2 it's actually the 1st one dispite the flaws. The combat is clunky as is the inventory system, but I liked the choice in items. It also has this certain charm to it which I just can't find in ME2. That's more of a personal taste thing though.
All appeal to different things, for me. When I want a first-rate sci-fi RPG ME1 is the game for me.
For my action fix, I need look no further than ME2.
For a nice blend of both, plus added insanity and deus ex machina ending, I'll look to ME3.
The final 10-15 minutes aside, I think ME3 blows the other 2 out of the water in most respects. It's just a fantastic game. Rewrite the ending and replace a few of the fetch quests with real ones and it'd be damn near perfect, in my book.
For my action fix, I need look no further than ME2.
For a nice blend of both, plus added insanity and deus ex machina ending, I'll look to ME3.
The final 10-15 minutes aside, I think ME3 blows the other 2 out of the water in most respects. It's just a fantastic game. Rewrite the ending and replace a few of the fetch quests with real ones and it'd be damn near perfect, in my book.
Me1, though is a close call between that and me2.
Most of the annoyances people cite in me1 (bad combat, clunky inventory) don't bother me too much and I even enjoyed the combat. Me1 is just the better game for my tastes. Though I did get annoyed with the mako.
Me2 had its drawbacks but the good outweighed the bad and its ending mission was a great climax.
If me3 is a case of an ending making the game worst (for me at least), me2s ending made the game retroactively better.
Most of the annoyances people cite in me1 (bad combat, clunky inventory) don't bother me too much and I even enjoyed the combat. Me1 is just the better game for my tastes. Though I did get annoyed with the mako.
Me2 had its drawbacks but the good outweighed the bad and its ending mission was a great climax.
If me3 is a case of an ending making the game worst (for me at least), me2s ending made the game retroactively better.
I think I'm an odd sort here. Me1 I thought was ok but not great the first time round but every time I have tried to re-play it, it bores me to tears. Me2 blew me away. Yeah it was dumbed down from me1 but I got so involved in the story line and the characterisations I had to take a few "sick days" from work to finnish it as I couldn't do or think about anything else. I am one of the rare breed who acctualy liked ME3 including the ending even with the plot holes. It reminded me of one of those sureal 70's sci-fi films and left me with the same confused/bemused feeling and kept me thinking about it for at least a week after I finished. I didn't feel let down by it as I stayed away from the hype before release and didn't read any of the now infamouse comments. Even so it didn't feel like there was enough to it and there where chunks missing so my order would be. me2, me3, me1.
I ended up saying Mass Effect 2, but each one has something that it does MUCH better than other two. One had the best atmosphere and story. It felt like a grand scifi space opera. It was fantastic. But it played like crap compared to the other two. Three played the best, did really well with the story (MINUS THE END, for example, how Mordin was handled was beautiful), but still didn't have the feeling of one. And 2 did character focus the best, with much improved combat from 1.
I've always thought the first was the best. I remember chomping at the bit when the game was release for 360 and I ended up watching through most if not all the way throug ha 'Let's Play' of the game and I still enjoyed my first playthrough regardless.
The following ME's didn't have the same effect on me, though ME2 is very good and so is ME3 until...well, you know.
The following ME's didn't have the same effect on me, though ME2 is very good and so is ME3 until...well, you know.
The first was my favorite because it actually felt like an RPG with shooter mechanics, as opposed to a shooter with RPG mechanics.
Also, I really liked the elevators, the conversations were awesome, and the ride never really too much longer than for the characters to finish talking. Maybe the Xbox version had longer load times or something?
Also, I really liked the elevators, the conversations were awesome, and the ride never really too much longer than for the characters to finish talking. Maybe the Xbox version had longer load times or something?
I've only ever played the demo of 3 but I've beaten the other 2 multiple times. The original was my favorite by far though: any class can use grenades, the Mako scenes make the Galaxy seem huge too. Also, they don't say fuck or shit in the original. I don't know why but that bugged me in the second and, demo of the third. The only thing I don't like about the original is the limited number of squad-mates but I can still have an almost all-alien party so there's that.
I like Mass Effect 2 the most. It's still my favorite game ever. Both the first and third games would also make my top five (though it's too early to really call that on Mass Effect 3). I don't know how I'd rank them against each other, though.
As far as Mass Effect 2 goes, I love it every part of it. But most of all, I love the characters. It's a big squad with lots of interesting conversations. I also loved visiting alien worlds and learning more about their culture, as well as shadowy figures such as The Illusive Man and Aria. There were many improvements to the combat, though some systems were oversimplified. And the ending was just an absolute thrill, with actual life or death consequences based on your choices.
For Mass Effect...
The first game (which, again, is a top fiver for me. And it's a game I've played over a dozen times, with the vast majority of those playthroughs being mostly completionist) had a few things drag it down for me. I hated the Mako and exploration in general in it. I really don't see how anyone can miss that. Those secondary planets were dull and tedious, to the point that I'd rather scan planets than roll around on the Mako. There were some good storylines, but the method of reaching them was terrible. The inventory was the worst in the series, and I'll stand by that. Though there was a lot to manage, there was very little meaningful choice in managing it. There was almost always a clear-cut "best option", which meant 95% of what you find is just junk to sell. I don't have a problem with the combat in it like some do (I appreciate each installment's combat on its own merits), though Mass Effect's Insanity mode is easily the worst in the series. Instead of changing enemy tactics and aggression, they just made them all bullet sponges. It wasn't challenging, it was tedium.
But despite those issues, I love the first game to death. The tone had this amazement to it. I really felt that feeling of smallness in a vast universe. It also has the benefit of being where we were first introduced to the races, cultures, systems, and political bodies that inhabit the Mass Effect universe. I feel that every time I play it. And like I said before, I actually like most of the gameplay (basically everything that's not Mako-related). And the soundtrack was also fantastic.
For Mass Effect 3...
I only really have two big issues with this game, but they both hurt. One is the ending, which is a given. The other is Shepard himself. Our control over what he says is taken away far too often. Why did they suddenly do this in the third game? It was a terrible choice. Every time Shepard speaks without me selecting the dialogue option, I just want to cringe. Don't do that. Besides those two things, Mass Effect 3 is a wonderful game with a whole lot of best-in-series material. Best gameplay, best level design, best soundtrack (probably my new favorite game soundtrack. And I was highly skeptical of Mansell coming in. I actually derided the choice for him to do the soundtrack), best story-telling (until the end). It packed a whole lot of emotional punch and had all sorts of little tidbits that sweetened the entire package.
So to be more concise, I'll put it like this: I like Mass Effect 2 the most. I put Mass Effect and Mass Effect 3 as equals.
As far as Mass Effect 2 goes, I love it every part of it. But most of all, I love the characters. It's a big squad with lots of interesting conversations. I also loved visiting alien worlds and learning more about their culture, as well as shadowy figures such as The Illusive Man and Aria. There were many improvements to the combat, though some systems were oversimplified. And the ending was just an absolute thrill, with actual life or death consequences based on your choices.
For Mass Effect...
The first game (which, again, is a top fiver for me. And it's a game I've played over a dozen times, with the vast majority of those playthroughs being mostly completionist) had a few things drag it down for me. I hated the Mako and exploration in general in it. I really don't see how anyone can miss that. Those secondary planets were dull and tedious, to the point that I'd rather scan planets than roll around on the Mako. There were some good storylines, but the method of reaching them was terrible. The inventory was the worst in the series, and I'll stand by that. Though there was a lot to manage, there was very little meaningful choice in managing it. There was almost always a clear-cut "best option", which meant 95% of what you find is just junk to sell. I don't have a problem with the combat in it like some do (I appreciate each installment's combat on its own merits), though Mass Effect's Insanity mode is easily the worst in the series. Instead of changing enemy tactics and aggression, they just made them all bullet sponges. It wasn't challenging, it was tedium.
But despite those issues, I love the first game to death. The tone had this amazement to it. I really felt that feeling of smallness in a vast universe. It also has the benefit of being where we were first introduced to the races, cultures, systems, and political bodies that inhabit the Mass Effect universe. I feel that every time I play it. And like I said before, I actually like most of the gameplay (basically everything that's not Mako-related). And the soundtrack was also fantastic.
For Mass Effect 3...
I only really have two big issues with this game, but they both hurt. One is the ending, which is a given. The other is Shepard himself. Our control over what he says is taken away far too often. Why did they suddenly do this in the third game? It was a terrible choice. Every time Shepard speaks without me selecting the dialogue option, I just want to cringe. Don't do that. Besides those two things, Mass Effect 3 is a wonderful game with a whole lot of best-in-series material. Best gameplay, best level design, best soundtrack (probably my new favorite game soundtrack. And I was highly skeptical of Mansell coming in. I actually derided the choice for him to do the soundtrack), best story-telling (until the end). It packed a whole lot of emotional punch and had all sorts of little tidbits that sweetened the entire package.
So to be more concise, I'll put it like this: I like Mass Effect 2 the most. I put Mass Effect and Mass Effect 3 as equals.
Mass Effect 1.
ME2 had quite nice character development however.
Mass Effect 1 has thus far had the best elements all around.
After Mass Effect 1, they just seemed to remove a lot of the features I really enjoyed about the game.
ME2 had quite nice character development however.
Mass Effect 1 has thus far had the best elements all around.
After Mass Effect 1, they just seemed to remove a lot of the features I really enjoyed about the game.
ME1 on PC is as close to a perfect game as I have ever played. ME2 and ME3 are both amazing games (minus 3's ending etc etc.), but they really don't capture the magic that made ME1 so interesting and fun.
2 or 3 likely 3. 1 had such shitty combat I could not say it was the best. I am sorry but the combat was just bad.