Mass Effect

[Hot Heart]

The thing I found tricky as an Adept is that you have to think about how you're aiming your powers. Got so used to just telling squadmates to do them during other playthroughs that I got lazy and would send lots of biotics into walls.

 

Not that those walls didn't deserve it. Bastards.

[TheMightyEthan]

I just play as Soldier and then bring other squad mates with me based on what powers I want to have. I like being tanky too much to do anything else.

[Luftwaffles]

So I've started playing Mass Effect 1 again after picking it up in a recent steam sale, and by god it has aged well. It came out in 2008 and gameplay and graphics wise it still feels better than some 2011 releases. Guns feel sharp, textures are good, and it doesn't feel stale at all for a game that's close to 4 years old. Not sure why I felt compelled to share that, but it really surprised me.

[Hot Heart]

Actually, it came out in 2007. It is over four years old.

[deanb]

No he's correct in saying it came out in 2008, he did say he picked it up on Steam after all. It didn't come out for another half a year on PC.

[Strangelove]

I hope the Arrival goes on sale soon on PSN. Or at least before ME3.

[Hot Heart]

No he's correct in saying it came out in 2008, he did say he picked it up on Steam after all. It didn't come out for another half a year on PC.

I guess you can say it has aged well graphically, even though the PC version did get a little 'bump', but pretty much everything else is still the same.

[Vargras]

BioWare decided to celebrate a bit after winning 'Most Anticipated Game of 2012" at the VGAs.

 

 

Have some Ashley in Spectre armor.

 

(Tags contain image with pretty minor spoilers.)

Edited December 15, 2011 by TheMightyEthan
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[TheMightyEthan]

All in all a pretty minor spoiler, but I know I would have preferred not to know, so I'll assume others might feel the same.

[deanb]

Wait whut. I'm pretty sure that's not the same Ashley I killed off on Virmire.

[TheMightyEthan]

Yeah it is, her hair and makeup's just different. Probably reworked the facial model a little bit too.

[Vargras]

Wait whut. I'm pretty sure that's not the same Ashley I killed off on Virmire.

 

I get the feeling someone regrets saving Kaidan now.

 

 

EDIT: Also, what the fuck - how come Ashley gets fancy Spectre armor and I don't?

 

The same spoiler again, didn't you catch on after I hid it the first time?

Edited December 15, 2011 by TheMightyEthan
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[deanb]

Not at all. There was a reason I allowed her to die at Virmire. That particular moment in ME2 where you meet again does somewhat make you go "ungrateful bastard" but I hear it's "ungrateful bitch" on the other side too.

[Waldorf and Statler]

Yeah when you meet her back in Mass Effect 2, especially if you romanced her, she acts like a total fucking cunt. Then she sends you an email with a fucking smiley face and expects everything to be better? Nuh-uh missy, you fucked up. I moved on to Miranda.

 

 

Honestly the only real reason they redid her character design is so people who moved on from her to another love interest will feel like they made a terrible mistake. I don't. Miranda was a more interesting character imho so I'm sticking with that. As long as she's not indoctrinated as I'm assuming Cerberus is.

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

Honestly the only real reason they redid her character design is so people who moved on from her to another love interest will feel like they made a terrible mistake.

 

People think this in-depth about the relationships in ME? Seriously? They're not the slightest bit fleshed out. They're just a slightly interesting diversion from all of the other shit you're doing.

[Cyber Rat]

Having a voice actor means it's in-depth. Disregard the fact that you only have to keep choosing the nice options when talking and doing a side mission to be loved forever.

[TheMightyEthan]

Not at all. There was a reason I allowed her to die at Virmire. That particular moment in ME2 where you meet again does somewhat make you go "ungrateful bastard" but I hear it's "ungrateful bitch" on the other side too.

"How dare you not contact me for a year?! Oh, you were dead? WHAT KIND OF AN EXCUSE IS THAT?!"

 

Lady, you psycho. On my one Shep who didn't hook up with anyone else the only RP reason I could find for it was that he was still too torn up about Ashley, not that the still felt loyalty to her.

[Hot Heart]

As for the whole relationships thing, they may not have fleshed it out but I'm sure people like interpreting things themselves. I wouldn't say it's anywhere near 'in-depth' but it's enough for people to latch onto.

 

For example, take Kieron Gillen's bit on Zaeed in here:

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/05/20/messiah-complex-prt-1-leaving-mass-effect-2/

 

With regards to Ashley, there's also the fact that she has literally 'let her hair down', which may suggest she has removed the stick from her cloaca.

 

Anyway, it's all harmless. Enjoy your own game.

[Waldorf and Statler]

Honestly the only real reason they redid her character design is so people who moved on from her to another love interest will feel like they made a terrible mistake.

 

People think this in-depth about the relationships in ME? Seriously? They're not the slightest bit fleshed out. They're just a slightly interesting diversion from all of the other shit you're doing.

 

This is a Bioware title. There's a reason they keep putting romances in the game, and it's because males [which are a great percentage of their demographic] have proven that they are interested in romance, as shallow as it is. As long as it's not mooshy and gooey oogey. In fact a lot of my favorite games have a romance sub-plot.

 

Some may obsess with video game romances, I simply really enjoy them as it adds to my Shepard's personal story. The story of the man that is good throughout the entire game but then does what may be considered the evil final choice [let the council die, keep the base]. What can I say, my Shepard is only human.

Edited December 15, 2011 by Waldorf And Statler

[TheMightyEthan]

I would classify my main shep as good, but he's definitely a moral relativist. He weighs the pros and cons and take the choice he sees as representing the highest likelihood of doing the most good. So if it's a choice between letting the council die to maximize the likelihood of defeating Sovereign or saving the Council but potentially losing the Citadel and allowing the Repears into the galaxy then yeah, he'll let the Council die. He'll wish that it hadn't come to that, but when it does he'll make the tough call and recognize that no one, not even the Council, is worth losing the entire galaxy for.

[Strangelove]

As someone who didnt play ME1 before ME2, Ashley is a complete and utter bitch when you run into her. I cant imagine her being likable in ME1 because of how cunty she acts in ME2.

And I guess that shows the real flaw in only "playing" the ME1 interactive comic instead of the actual game. Or not. I dunno.

Edited December 15, 2011 by Strangelove

[deanb]

In ME1 she's a racist.

[TheMightyEthan]

She's kinda bitchy in ME1, but nothing at all like in ME2.

 

Honestly between her and Kaiden I had to kill Kaiden every time because I just cannot stand what a pussy he is.

 

*Edit* - Yeah, she's a little racist against non-humans at the beginning, though she improves throughout the game (kind of like Pressly).

Edited December 15, 2011 by TheMightyEthan

[Strangelove]

I killed Kaiden just because he seemed like a boring guy. His character design was really bland. Plus, the party is already enough of a sausage fest as it is.

[Hot Heart]

I would classify my main shep as good, but he's definitely a moral relativist. He weighs the pros and cons and take the choice he sees as representing the highest likelihood of doing the most good. So if it's a choice between letting the council die to maximize the likelihood of defeating Sovereign or saving the Council but potentially losing the Citadel and allowing the Repears into the galaxy then yeah, he'll let the Council die. He'll wish that it hadn't come to that, but when it does he'll make the tough call and recognize that no one, not even the Council, is worth losing the entire galaxy for.

Funny thing was, I did not truly 'roleplay' this. Effectively, I 'gamed the system' (possibly an idea for an article there, although I'm sure others have touched on this before). I figured there's no way they'd have the Worst Ending Ever as a possibility in the first part of a game trilogy and the dialogue seemed to imply that the real cirumstance was about incurring greater losses for the Alliance Navy i.e. humans.

 

I killed Kaiden just because he seemed like a boring guy. His character design was really bland. Plus, the party is already enough of a sausage fest as it is.

For a lot of people, he was Carth. That was reason enough.

Edited December 15, 2011 by Hot Heart