Holy Mass Effect!

[ilnadmy]

Some of you know my KOTOR1 story, where I played through the game a second time in 6 hours non-stop, then had a debilitating migraine for the entirety of a 24-hour trip to the US. Well, yesterday was another one of those BioWare/airplane stories. After spending close to 24 hours traveling to the US, I got back to campus and visited a friend's place, who happened to have brought his 360 and Mass Effect. I started playing the game, and the only thing that made me stop at the 3:15 hour mark was the jet lag. The dialog is amazing, the story is entertaining, and I must say the combat is really fun (although I could use some more Medi-gels). Yeah, the textures pop in 5 seconds late, which is pretty annoying sometimes, but I'm willing to overlook that for how amazing the game is.

I have to give it to the 360, this is the second 360 game I've played that made me go, "Damn, I wouldn't mind buying a 360 just to play this game," the first being Gears of War. I'm still waiting for that feeling on the PS3.

[ThaMaskedGamer]

They give the game an 8.5, but the write-up is very fair pointing out a lot of the "problems" with the game as well as highlighting its strengths.

For me, this game is incredible and seems destined to be one of the best games I have ever played. I have to say I haven't ran into a lot of the problems Gamespot mentions. I've never had my party stuck on game geometry or the Mako stuck to where I've had to re-load. There is often lack of game geometry integrity, but I've not gotten stuck due to it. I've never had a thresher maw emerge underneath my vehicle, though I guess it could easily happen, and if it does yeah that's an easy kill for the thresher, but that's life, not a "problem."

They point out problems with the menus, such as not easily being able to back out of a menu, or not being able to deselect a power. I guess these things are true, but I never saw them as bothersome or a problem or even annoying, I never gave them a second thought until I read it in the review. When in combat you pause and open up the power menu, if you select "stasis" but change your mind, you cannot just backout, you have to use "stasis" or select another power. This is usually not a big deal because the biggest thing is being able to change your selection. That is what happens most often is you pick a power and then think, oh let me use this one instead. The game allows you to do that, but you just can't choose nothing. They make a big deal out of it, it isn't as bad as it sounds.

But pretty much the review is spot-on and i'm surprised they gave it an 8.5. Some of the smaller missions do begin to get boring especially because they use the same couple of room or ship layouts. But the randomness of the game overcomes that because you will go to a planet or a location or a ship, and all of a sudden its brand spankin' new.

I can't say enough about the game, it really is special. But I figure the more I say that, the more people will dislike it. I just couldn't imagine missing this game this generation. I think the great thing, assumming the quality stands up and they get the rights away from MS, is the sequel will be on the PS3 and possibly the PC. The bad thing is of course you probably have to wait 2 years for the sequel.

[Mochan]

Not going to say anything about ME or my Bioware hate crusade now but I'll just point out that a game that has problems like ME does deserves to have an 8.5 no matter how good the game is. Games shouldn't be given perfect or nigh perfect scores for having real technical issues and minor problems.

[Glockstar]

Thank you Mochan.


Mass Effect is a GREAT game. But it's stature didn't occur to me until I was completely done with it. That TMG and ilnadmy are raving about it after only a couple of chapters or a couple of hours in... that's scary.

ilnadmy hasn't really seen or experienced the flaws yet. I think TMG got past them by now, but, for whatever reason, just didn't see them.

[DrunkenThumbmaster]

Thank you Mochan.


Mass Effect is a GREAT game. But it's stature didn't occur to me until I was completely done with it. That TMG and ilnadmy are raving about it after only a couple of chapters or a couple of hours in... that's scary.

ilnadmy hasn't really seen or experienced the flaws yet. I think TMG got past them by now, but, for whatever reason, just didn't see them.


Well I hope you can get pass the A$$ kicking the Pack are going to get this weekend courtesy of my New York Football Giants!!

Oh and RBH talk your $h!t now I haven't forgotten that comment you posted in the NFL thread.

As for Mass Effect I just left the citiadel so I'm still really early I like it alot. I'm not buying anymore games till March (so BO and DMC will have to wait) I just have to many to finish that I actually want to finish and I really need to start playing more rank Halo 3 matches to get my rank up.

But yeah go Giants!

[Gamer From '78]

Some of you know my KOTOR1 story, where I played through the game a second time in 6 hours non-stop, then had a debilitating migraine for the entirety of a 24-hour trip to the US. Well, yesterday was another one of those BioWare/airplane stories. After spending close to 24 hours traveling to the US, I got back to campus and visited a friend's place, who happened to have brought his 360 and Mass Effect. I started playing the game, and the only thing that made me stop at the 3:15 hour mark was the jet lag. The dialog is amazing, the story is entertaining, and I must say the combat is really fun (although I could use some more Medi-gels). Yeah, the textures pop in 5 seconds late, which is pretty annoying sometimes, but I'm willing to overlook that for how amazing the game is.

I have to give it to the 360, this is the second 360 game I've played that made me go, "Damn, I wouldn't mind buying a 360 just to play this game," the first being Gears of War. I'm still waiting for that feeling on the PS3.

Glad to hear you like Mass Effect so much. Unfortunately, I've been neglecting it in favor of Rock Band and Assassin's Creed right now, and my new PS3 is eating away at my playtime as well. I was talking to AOE Apocalypse last night on the phone, and told him that the characters, worlds, and just about everything else in Mass Effect is just so fleshed out. It truly is a great game.

I can't knock it for technical niggles. I haven't been that far into the game, but stuff like pop-in isn't a "career ender" for me when it comes to games. I think back at how many NES, SNES, Genesis and other games I played that had game-stopping slowdown and lockups and think to myself "Hey, pop-up textures occasionally and a dipping framerate ain't so bad."

[Glockstar]

Well I hope you can get pass the A$$ kicking the Pack are going to get this weekend courtesy of my New York Football Giants!!

Oh and RBH talk your $h!t now I haven't forgotten that comment you posted in the NFL thread.

As for Mass Effect I just left the citiadel so I'm still really early I like it alot. I'm not buying anymore games till March (so BO and DMC will have to wait) I just have to many to finish that I actually want to finish and I really need to start playing more rank Halo 3 matches to get my rank up.

But yeah go Giants!

Haw! You can talk all the smack you want but you know exactly what's going to happen to your over-achieving team: the same thing that happened to them in week 2: they're gonna get their azzes whooped.

Duhn duh duhn duhn duhn...

[Cuddly Knife]

Is there really five second pop-in?

Five seconds is such a long time.

[Glockstar]

It's not "pop-in", it's the textures filling in. And yes, it sometimes takes a good five seconds for it it to all load.

But I'm with everybody else, it doesn't really ruin the game. It takes you out of it for a couple of seconds, but it only takes another five seconds of gameplay and then you're right back into it and it's forgotten.

[Cuddly Knife]

Ah, so it's the same thing that I saw on the Fatal Inertia demo. It really bigged me on that game. Does it happen everytime you load into something?

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

Oh and RBH talk your $h!t now I haven't forgotten that comment you posted in the NFL thread.

I forgot what I said. It may have been along the lines of the Giants suck, they won't make the playoffs, or Eli is garbage. I forgot. They are on a streak, but that streak is going to end Sunday. I think Coughlin is deserving of a contract extension, though. I still don't like the Giants. Overrated, overachieving team.

Go Chargers.

[Dancer O_o]

Is there really five second pop-in?

Five seconds is such a long time.

I timed it at different places in the game, no less than 2 seconds and no more than 6 seconds...most of the time about 4 seconds...I swear the texture pop-in is worse in the second half of the game, but I could be wrong. The game hangs too, save often...

[ThaMaskedGamer]

Well Mochan and Glock all I can say is given Bioshock, Halo3, COD4, Uncharted, all the acclaimed games of this year, I would rather have M.E. with its technical problems. On top of that after about 25 hours in I've gotten more gameplay from this game than any of them, more gameplay from this game than any other game except for Forza2, and this from one play through and i'm still not done. And the diversity, variety, the voice acting, the story, is just more fleshed out and well conceived than any of those games. My only question is when does the movie come out.

If this was a continuos action flowing game, the technical problems would be an issue, but the very nature of gameplay and the fact it is an rpg, makes these technical problems really just appear as niggles. You can say a texture load at the start of a mission is a big deal, but that's like dinging Halo3 for not having the facial animation and mouth and eye synching in its FMV that M.E. has. Those things are more important in M.E. and not a big deal in Halo3, fast framerates and texture loading is more of an issue in a game like Halo3 than M.E. But I guess to each his own.

[Mochan]

Well Mochan and Glock all I can say is given Bioshock, Halo3, COD4, Uncharted, all the acclaimed games of this year, I would rather have M.E. with its technical problems

Well I can understand that, out of all the acclaimed games from last year Bioshock COD4 etc. etc. I would rather have Persona 3.


I really can't say how bad the technical issues in ME are since I haven't played it. I was of the impression that ME was still a good deal action shooter so despite the pause button gameplay the framerate is still important.

Framerate is important even in games with pause gameplay like the Total War series or perhaps more to the point even Baldur's Gate. Back when I played BG2 I only had an AMD K6-22 and the game chopped quite a bit, it was very annoying even though it was pause-based gameplay.

[Glockstar]

If this was a continuos action flowing game, the technical problems would be an issue, but the very nature of gameplay and the fact it is an rpg, makes these technical problems really just appear as niggles. You can say a texture load at the start of a mission is a big deal, but that's like dinging Halo3 for not having the facial animation and mouth and eye synching in its FMV that M.E. has. Those things are more important in M.E. and not a big deal in Halo3, fast framerates and texture loading is more of an issue in a game like Halo3 than M.E. But I guess to each his own.

I don't give a frack about the texture loads. They were a minor annoyance. (Actually, more of an embarrassment than anything.)

The issues that I had a problem with were: the inventory management system; the suck azz Mako; and the boring and repetitive side quests.

But the biggest thing I had a problem with was with the framerate. It was absolutely terrible (an understatement!) in parts. Cost me my life a bunch of times. You finish Noveria? You're telling me you didn't have any problems with that part (you'd know what part I'm talking about if you finished that mission)?!

[ilnadmy]

fast framerates and texture loading is more of an issue in a game like Halo3 than M.E.

So why do you refuse to admit that the texture pop-in in Halo 2 was an issue?

[Cuddly Knife]

It wasn't an issue, because it was split-second pop-in, and it was only in cut-scenes.

[Glockstar]

So why do you refuse to admit that the texture pop-in in Halo 2 was an issue?

Don't you have to notice something in order for it to be an issue?

[ilnadmy]

Oh come on, the first time I booted up Halo 2 I noticed it in the very first cinematic, and it was a regular issue throughout the game.

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

The issues that I had a problem with were: the inventory management system; the suck azz Mako; and the boring and repetitive side quests.

But the biggest thing I had a problem with was with the framerate. It was absolutely terrible (an understatement!) in parts. Cost me my life a bunch of times. You finish Noveria? You're telling me you didn't have any problems with that part (you'd know what part I'm talking about if you finished that mission)?!

I don't remember having a big problem with the framerate. Noveria? If that's what I'm thinking it was, then nah, framerate wasn't an issue there either.

The side missions weren't bad when I really wanted to get into some action. The inventory system did seem a bit unorganized. Having only 150 slots available for stuff seems like a lot, but it wasn't. I had to take a few minutes here and there just do dump stuff into omni-gel (had over 1,00 when I was finished) and get rid of the useless upgrades and armor that most of my characters couldn't use.

Too bad the Mako portions weren't made like the Dragonfly portions in Jade Empire (it deserved the 9.9 Ilnadmy :)) where you could skip them if needed. I don't want to see that contraption in ME2, and whenever I start ME again, I'm avoiding the exploration just so I don't have to put up with that thing. I'm glad someone else noticed how annoying the Mako parts were in the game.

[ThaMaskedGamer]

I don't give a frack about the texture loads. They were a minor annoyance. (Actually, more of an embarrassment than anything.)

The issues that I had a problem with were: the inventory management system; the suck azz Mako; and the boring and repetitive side quests.

But the biggest thing I had a problem with was with the framerate. It was absolutely terrible (an understatement!) in parts. Cost me my life a bunch of times. You finish Noveria? You're telling me you didn't have any problems with that part (you'd know what part I'm talking about if you finished that mission)?!

Yeah I finished Noveria, I don't know what part in particular you had a problem with? I beat Benezia without dying once. But I had her daughter with me a biotic, I also had a Krogon with me with partial biotic skills.

The Mako doesn't suck, it is too powerful. Nothing can take it out and it can take everything out with a few shots. Well a Thresher can take it out, but you don't run into those that often. I only use the Mako to take out Heavy Turrets. Everything else I just drive right into the action and get out and fight on the ground.

I do agree that some of the side missions are beginning to get a little boring. But then you had problems with absolutely incredible missions like Noveria too?

[ThaMaskedGamer]

I don't remember having a big problem with the framerate. Noveria? If that's what I'm thinking it was, then nah, framerate wasn't an issue there either. I don't remember either, but I was pausing like crazy every 5 seconds so I don't want to say it isn't possible if it was played straight through. Also, in that battle with Benezia, a movie kept loading after each time you weaken Benezia.

<b>
The side missions weren't bad when I really wanted to get into some action. The inventory system did seem a bit unorganized. Having only 150 slots available for stuff seems like a lot, but it wasn't. I had to take a few minutes here and there just do dump stuff into omni-gel (had over 1,00 when I was finished) and get rid of the useless upgrades and armor that most of my characters couldn't use.</b>IMO the inventory system was excellent. I know it sounds like i'm brushing aside problems. But with other Bioware games your inventory was based on how strong your character was, if you had a weak character like a Mage, you couldn't carry anything. And everytime you went over your weight, you were immobilized! If you had a strength amulet on or a charm or something and took it off, and your strength went down, you had to unload inventory. That was a mess. Even Oblivion's inventory system was a mess. I think this is the cleanest and easiest to manage inventory system i've seen in a major western rpg. On top of that this game actually has race specific armor.

<b>
Too bad the Mako portions weren't made like the Dragonfly portions in Jade Empire (it deserved the 9.9 Ilnadmy :)) where you could skip them if needed. I don't want to see that contraption in ME2, and whenever I start ME again, I'm avoiding the exploration just so I don't have to put up with that thing. I'm glad someone else noticed how annoying the Mako parts were in the game.</b> I didn't love the Mako parts, I didn't see them as a big problem either. Definitely not as fun as the Warthog in Halo. At first I thought you'd be fighting other vehicles, but nope. I just saw the Mako as a way to get from point A to B, better than walking like in so many other games.

[ilnadmy]

I think this is the cleanest and easiest to manage inventory system i've seen in a major western rpg.

You obviously haven't played The Witcher.

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

I didn't love the Mako parts, I didn't see them as a big problem either. Definitely not as fun as the Warthog in Halo. At first I thought you'd be fighting other vehicles, but nope. I just saw the Mako as a way to get from point A to B, better than walking like in so many other games.

How much exploration are you doing? I went all out, trying to find the different minerals, the different symbols, signias or whatever most of those things were on any planet I could land on. I found everything, and received 0 gamerpoints for it. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.......

[Glockstar]

Yeah I finished Noveria, I don't know what part in particular you had a problem with? I beat Benezia without dying once. But I had her daughter with me a biotic, I also had a Krogon with me with partial biotic skills.

LOL So I guess I can ditch this leafy and branchy hat I made and come out of these bushes now eh? I was trying to be secretive, be all hush-hush, and keep things on the down low... to avoid spoilers. But you blew that; here's you: 'HUH, YOU MEAN BENEZIA?!'

Yeah Benezia. I had other moments of ridiculously poor framerate too (early on) but the boss fight with her... it was like the game was completely broken. If you were watching me play it you would have been sick to your stomach. Dizzy at least. The framerate dropped down to about 4 or 5 frames a second. That's not an exaggeration! Music starts, I see my character get frozen by Benezia, I regain control, knuckle down and get ready to do some shooting... a second later my party is all dead, another second later and I'm dead. WTF just happened?! I saw the bad guys start across the catwalk... then next thing you know they were behind us, and we're all dead. It was so freakin' bad! I didn't think I was ever going to get thru it - and I don't know how I did.

I have a theory on this though... You say you had her daughter with you? (I'm sure everybody that had her in their party at the time took her with them too.) I didn't. Because I couldn't. I played the missions "out of order" - she wasn't in my party yet. (I didn't get her until late.) BioWare insists that there is no order, no right way or wrong way to tackle the missions. But I think the game (the computer, or whatever you want to call it) was looking for something in particular - and that something wasn't there.

I'm going to be replaying the game here in a little bit. I'm (obviously) going to do the first three missions in a different order. :wink5: But if I experience that horrendous slow down and gawdawful framerate again... I'm going to kill you frackers.


The Mako doesn't suck, it is too powerful. Nothing can take it out and it can take everything out with a few shots. Well a Thresher can take it out, but you don't run into those that often. I only use the Mako to take out Heavy Turrets. Everything else I just drive right into the action and get out and fight on the ground.

The Mako sucked. The physics were terrible. It was like trying to drive a helium balloon. Which was crazy, considering how when we see it (time and time again, every time we go visit a new planet) drop from miles up in the sky it lands on the surface and sticks... like an anvil plunked down in quicksand. But then we get control of it... and a virtual pebble will send it bouncing and bounding out of control. I got stuck, on static objects, twice and had to reset my game.

[Mochan]

You obviously haven't played The Witcher.

Forget the Witcher, what was wrong with Diablo? If we're just talking clean and easy to manage Diablo was already great.

My favorite inventroy system by far is still Ultima VII 2. Sure the inventory could get messy but that's what happens when you put things in a back pack. It was the most realistic inventory system (though granted it still boggles me how you can fit say a halbert into a backpack but that applies to just about every RPG) and the sense of carrying items and having them on your person was unparalleled in this game. Too bad no other RPG ever used the same system.

Oh yeah you want an Western RPG Inventory with no mess? Check out Gothic 3. Just keep loading it all in the backpack! There is no limit, it's like a black hole. Everything is arranged there is just a number telling you how much of that you have, it can be 30,000 and it wouldn't be a problem. From your comments on hating how removing strength buffs makes you overburdened, this sounds just like your thing.

[DrunkenThumbmaster]

Giants Giants Giants Giants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Cuddly Knife]

I hate it when games put a cap on how much I can carry of stuff. Granted, most of the time it's probably to avoid people spamming items(heath and what-nots) throughout the whole game, but still.

And damn the Giants. OT win, I wish the kicker would've shanked it like the one before.

[DrunkenThumbmaster]

If he would've missed that 3rd one. I personally would've murdered that bastard myself.

[Robert-The-Rambler]

If he would've missed that 3rd one. I personally would've murdered that bastard myself.

I did not expect him to make it after shanking twice to the left.

[ThaMaskedGamer]

LOL So I guess I can ditch this leafy and branchy hat I made and come out of these bushes now eh? I was trying to be secretive, be all hush-hush, and keep things on the down low... to avoid spoilers. But you blew that; here's you: 'HUH, YOU MEAN BENEZIA?!' Doh! My bad. Usually I put a notice if I'm going to talk about spoilers, I forgot ILLnadmy probably hasn't gotten this far, but reading this may spare him the problems you had.
<b>
Yeah Benezia. I had other moments of ridiculously poor framerate too (early on) but the boss fight with her... it was like the game was completely broken. If you were watching me play it you would have been sick to your stomach. Dizzy at least. The framerate dropped down to about 4 or 5 frames a second. That's not an exaggeration! Music starts, I see my character get frozen by Benezia, I regain control, knuckle down and get ready to do some shooting... a second later my party is all dead, another second later and I'm dead. WTF just happened?! I saw the bad guys start across the catwalk... then next thing you know they were behind us, and we're all dead. It was so freakin' bad! I didn't think I was ever going to get thru it - and I don't know how I did.</b>LMAO sounds like you just got whooped up by a pretty powerful biotic hee hee:p I mean that's pretty much going to happen if you try and fight her straight up with guns. I reached her about 25-28 hours into the game, so I pretty much had my fighting methodology down to a science. As soon as I saw her I put a stasis on her, and kept it on her because the Krogon can attain stasis as well as Benezia's daughter. My team actually went down in that fight, but I used my character's revive skill. It was a close fight, but I beat her the first time. When I did shoot her I think I used like Cryo V or higher bullets.

You don't need to have her daughter with you, I just think you probably need to be at a certain level and you need to have at least one biotic on your team when you fight her. What's his name Kane would probably do just as well if not better depending on how you progressed him. But the basic pattern for her is just to freeze her and deal with her minions. It was pretty easy for me to because i really didn't have to move. My character uses Sniper Rifles and I have that skill maxed out with a rifle that does 220 damage, couple that with 'assassination' and I was droppin' fools dumbells.

You also gotta equip armor upgrades, I used Medical Interface V or VI, and I've got some pretty tough armor.

<b> BioWare insists that there is no order, no right way or wrong way to tackle the missions. But I think the game (the computer, or whatever you want to call it) was looking for something in particular - and that something wasn't there.
</b> I don't think there is an order, but I think there are certain sections of the game you will have a hard time doing without a powerful biotic. In fact I usually take one because I did one side quest without one and almost couldn't finish it, after that I said to myself never leave the ship without a biotic!

<b>
I'm going to be replaying the game here in a little bit. I'm (obviously) going to do the first three missions in a different order. :wink5: But if I experience that horrendous slow down and gawdawful framerate again... I'm going to kill you frackers.</b>LOL, that slow-down was probably some mo-jo Benezia hit you with lol! Sounds like she gave you a run for your money lol.



Yeah RBH i'm doing all the insignia, minerals, and prothean data disc searches etc. Basically, whenever I go to a system, no matter what the mission I start with the closest planet to the star, then make my way out ring by ring. So I make sure I visit each planet in each system. It kinda sucks that you don't get any achievement points for finding that stuff, I didn't know that until you just mentioned it, now I wonder if I will continue to look for all that stuff. Oh well, I probably will.

No ILLy, haven't played the Witcher, hopefully it will come to PS3 or 360 otherwise I guess i'll never play it.

[ThaMaskedGamer]

I'm a Cowboys fan, no way I thought they would be Dallas, but the Giants wanted it more. Then I thought no way they are gonna beat the Packers, but it was clear the Giants just had more desire than the Packers.

Here it was freezing cold, in Green Bay, and in the fourth quarter it was the Giants who began to wear down Green Bay. The Pack just didn't have any more fight, when they got the ball back with like 2:48 seconds, I figured Favre would march right down the field for a storybook ending. They were three and out!

This is probalby the worst team for N.E. to play coming out of the NFC, they gave them a run for their money just to try and stop their perfect season! Imagine how hard the Giants will play them in the super bowl. Pats win though, crown their arses!

[NEO-360]

I forgot what I said. It may have been along the lines of the Giants suck, they won't make the playoffs, or Eli is garbage. I forgot. They are on a streak, but that streak is going to end Sunday. I think Coughlin is deserving of a contract extension, though. I still don't like the Giants. Overrated, overachieving team.

Go Chargers.

The Patriots will biatch slap them all before its all said and done. Now that we know its going to be The Patriots and The Giants look for Eli and his squad to get the beating of their lives at the Super Bowl. Look for Tom Brandy and co. to be champs yet again.:thumbsup: Plus, I have to get back to Mass Effect myself. Been playing too much of Assassin's Creed.

[DrunkenThumbmaster]

Look for Tom Brandy and co. to be champs yet again.:thumbsup:

I guaranntee "Tom Brandy" and co. won't do sh!t. If Tom Brandy and co. even show up I'd stick a Wii up my A$$.

[NEO-360]

I guaranntee "Tom Brandy" and co. won't do sh!t. If Tom Brandy and co. even show up I'd stick a Wii up my A$$.

I wanna see that Wii lodged deep inside your arse. In the regular season they whipped the Giants badly. This will be no different. :thumbsup:

[DrunkenThumbmaster]

Ok remember we're waiting on Tom Brandy and Co. How about this if they do show up Tom Brandy and company I'll post a pic of me being violated by a wii.

If Tom Brandy and Co. Don't show I want you to put in your sig for 1 year. That's your Folkens personal man whore.

Deal???

[ilnadmy]

Neo, you man enough to back up your words? I say go for it.

And DTM, I just saw your "subtitle" (I don't know what else to call it) and laughed my ass off. Good one. :D

[NEO-360]

I have nothing but faith in my Patroits. The Giants are toast!!:p

[Cuddly Knife]

LOL, Thumbs, you're a hoot! No one understands what just happened, I guess.

"Tom Brandy". LMFAO!

[ilnadmy]

Yo Neo, put that sig in already. The chances of you seeing "Tom Brandy and Co." is a flat zero.