totally new to the mass effect world - what is it about, and how to these games work?

[rockstarjazz]

i may be somewhat late to the party but i dont care. plus mass effect andromeda is in the making so it might benefit me in getting recent knowledge.

no spoilers please like who dies or whatever, but can someone breif me concisely what mass effect is about? i have never played these games before and am at the stage where i'm pondering what to play next. i admit i never played an RPG either (!). the only game i played that looks like mass effect on the surface is dead space but am sure the two are different. other games i played include the rockstar games, god of war series and resident evil series, so mass effect seems different but i find the space theme and its details appealing, like theres a proper story trying to be told here?

also how do the games work, is there a linear story to follow? the reviews say these games are endless sprawls which makes it seems like theyre too big; how do you keep track of everything?

and finally, what other things can you do other than shooting and customising? are there any puzzles or any other fun things to do in the mass effect series. what are the nature of the missions apart from getting from A to B?

thanks

[xZoneHunter]

Basically, Mass Effect is set in a universe where you - Shepard - has to save it from an unknown entity. In Mass Effect 3 specifically, the main thing you'll be doing is going around the galaxy to round up alien allies to help you in this fight.

 

The story itself is pretty linear. There are some sidequests but nothing that'll keep you busy for hours on end. That being said the story is really good, even if you did not play the first two games. You won't have much problem getting into the game as a lot is explained. although the best aspect are the characters, your squad. If you spend enough time to get to know them you'll soon see yourself getting quite attached to them. 

 

Gamplay-wise the 3rd game is pretty much a 3rd person shooter with some RPG elements. You can level choose between different classes, level your character, unlock new abilities from a skill tree, etc. The missions themselves are also pretty much what'd expect from an RPG. Although it's not really going from point A to B all the time, there is a lot of variety between them. Mass Effect also features a morality system where you can choose different dialogue options throughout missions & sidequests that'll determine on whether you're a paragon (good guy) or renegade (bad guy). Depending on how paragon/renegade you are different dialogue options will open as well as certain story choices.

 

^above applies to the 3rd game only, as i thought the OP was asking info about the 3rd game only....

 

But yeah the 1st game & 2nd game are a lot more RPGey than the 3rd game. But the gameplay is more or less the same.

Edited February 27, 2016 by Zone Hunter

[Dragon-Archon]

This is a summary of the first few minutes of Mass Effect:

The game is set in the future where humanity discovers alien ruins on Mars. This leads to a huge leap in the development of space travel and eventuall humanity discovers a Relay, which can be used to warp to other Relays. After several decades humanity has become part of the galaxy and this is where the game starts. You play as Commander Shephard and you can determine your background, personality and gender. At the start of the game another alien ruin has been discovered on a human colony. The previous one on Mars held a lot of knowledge, so humanity wants to study this one too for its secrets. However, when you get there, the colony is already under attack. 

 

Without spoiling anything the trilogy is about uncovering a huge secret and working to avert a certain event. You can make different choices and these lead to different outcomes (though not always). It's possible to import save files from Mass Effect to ME2 and from ME2 to ME3, thus keeping all your decisions.

 

There is weapon custumization in ME and ME3, but the ones in ME2 can only be upgraded. I think the story is really interesting and there's a lot of lore that adds to the depth.

[PREDRAG-K]

Mass Effect is a 3rd person shooter with RPG elements (like exp, leveling up your character's stats, and learning skills).

It's a space exploration game. With missions and sub missions all taking place on widely different planets. You meet and recruit a bunch of different humans and aliens to help you. During gameplay, you choose which 2 to take in the mission with you. Each one has different skills, stats, weapons, and maybe some sort of connection to the mission that gives unique dialogue.

The games are very story heavy. You make "good" or "bad" choices throughout. Major choices, and minor ones. Each one affects your alliance (either "good" or "bad") Choices open up different branches of the story tree. One major choice will lead you on one path, where a different choice leads you down a different path. Your choices may affect who lives and who dies on your crew. And your choices carry over with every game. A character that died in ME1, will not magically appear in ME2.

This makes for great replayability. You can go one playthrough in all 3 games as a "good" character. Then do another playthrough as a "bad" character, and get a drastically different story.

The games are pretty long, depending on if you like to do all sidequests in RPGs (and who doesn't?). The gameplay is somewhat standard 3rd person cover shooting, with a few "magic" elements (certain powers). It doesn't have any puzzles that I remember. It's more of a giant open space adventure. You build a crew, explore planets, and kill bad guys.

I highly recommend the series. I was hesitant to jump into it awhile back, but now it's one of my favorite game series. Just a warning however, ME1 is kind of different from the other 2. It's a little slower, and more RPG based as opposed to shooting based like 2 and 3. It's my least favorite of the 3, and it usually is the one that makes people ignore the series. If you need to, start with #2. On PS3, #2 gives you the story of #1, and let's you make all the major choices to set up your world. That's only if you can't get into #1.

[Happy]

In a universe of chest-high walls you fight against aliens and robots from all over the galaxy that all just happen to be humanoid in form. Work your way around an extensive skill tree with dozens of different combinations you'll never even know were there unless you're playing on higher difficulties. Build a team out of a variety of different interesting characters but always end up dating Tali. Make moral choices that allow you to choose between Jesus and Satan, but nothing inbetween. Then shoot more dudes.

The games are all kinda dumb if you think about it but they're also pretty good. Mass Effect 2 in particular has a really slow start but it greatly rewards you if you keep at it. I know most people do, but i really don't see it as a RPG in the traditional sense, it has RPG elements but that's about it.

Edited February 27, 2016 by Happy

[PREDRAG-K]

Build a team out of a variety of different interesting characters but always end up dating Tali Jack

[Happy]

Build a team out of a variety of different interesting characters but always end up dating Tali Jack

I'll consider this a formal declaration of war.

[Dr_Mayus]

In a universe of chest-high walls you fight against aliens and robots from all over the galaxy that all just happen to be humanoid in form. Work your way around an extensive skill tree with dozens of different combinations you'll never even know were there unless you're playing on higher difficulties. Build a team out of a variety of different interesting characters but always end up dating Tali. Make moral choices that allow you to choose between Jesus and Satan, but nothing inbetween. Then shoot more dudes.

The games are all kinda dumb if you think about it but they're also pretty good. Mass Effect 2 in particular has a really slow start but it greatly rewards you if you keep at it. I know most people do, but i really don't see it as a RPG in the traditional sense, it has RPG elements but that's about it.

Pretty much this

 

[Dragon-Archon]

Build a team out of a variety of different interesting characters but always end up dating Tali.

 Build a team out of a variety of different interesting characters but always end up dating Tali Jack

 

Build a team out of a variety of different interesting characters but always end up dating Liara or Miranda.

[Happy]

Everybody is completely insane.

[rockstarjazz]

thanks for this. some people say that the first one isnt as good as the following two, so would it be a good idea to start at ME2 or start properly with 1?

how hard are the plats for these games? i noticed on psnprofiles that the plat is quite rare and the games come with an 'insanity' difficulty - how hard is its hardest difficulty in comparison with, say, dead space 2 hardcore or evil within akumu? is it stupid hard or can i do these modes on newgame+?

[Arkthur]

Mass Effect is Star Trek with better guns. 

[Pirelli913]

thanks for this. some people say that the first one isnt as good as the following two, so would it be a good idea to start at ME2 or start properly with 1?

how hard are the plats for these games? i noticed on psnprofiles that the plat is quite rare and the games come with an 'insanity' difficulty - how hard is its hardest difficulty in comparison with, say, dead space 2 hardcore or evil within akumu? is it stupid hard or can i do these modes on newgame+?

This is how I classify the series:

 

ME1 had the best plot, but its side quests are pretty repetitive. I definitely recommend playing through at least the main story missions of ME1 with at least a few side quests as characters from side quests in 1 will appear in 2 and/or 3. The plat for 1 requires a MINIMUM of THREE playthroughs, but other than that, it's not difficult. And Insanity difficulty, if I recall correctly, won't be unlocked until you've beat the game once, so you can use your New Game Plus character.

 

ME2 is, without a doubt, the single greatest gaming experience I ever had the pleasure to play. That said, its one drawback is scanning planets for resources. This is boring and tedious, but if you want resources for the best equipment, it needs to be done. However, aside from that, the game was phenomenal and unlike ME1, all side quests are unique. I don't know if it can be plat'd in one go, but you can come pretty close.

 

ME3 had the best gameplay, but sadly, it was the most linear. The side quests are basically just fetch quests. But it has four purchasable DLCs (From Ashes, Leviathan, Omega, Citadel) all of which are worth the cost and can be considered side quests with unique stories. If you import an ME2 character into ME3, you can potentially start ME3 at level 30. Insanity isn't that difficult. In fact, I think Insanity was the hardest in ME2, but overall, the plats for 2 and 3 are easier and less time consuming than 1. Let us know if you pick up the trilogy and your thoughts on it!

Edited March 2, 2016 by Pirelli913

[Azaan60]

DO NOT SKIP MASS EFFECT 1.

One of the main draws of the franchise is the ability to carry over your choices into the next game, skipping ME1 will severely ruin that.

ME1 also introduces you to the lore and characters in the ME Universe. When you start ME2 you won't be as invested into the characters and a lot of stuff will go over your head.

ME1 is very clunky but if you soldier through it, it'll pay off.

Also make sure you play all the dlcs for all 3 games as well.

[Time4Tiddy]

I agree that the side quests in ME1 can get a little monotonous, and pretty much all Mako transit sections are horrible, but beyond that, I really love the first game.  The main storyline is very good with lots of moral choices that will affect the later games significantly.  ME2 is better in almost all ways that ME1, but you're talking about a game that is a solid 7.5/8 vs. a game that is a 9/9.5, it's not as if ME1 is bad.  They are both really good, and you'll miss out on a lot if you don't play them in order.  Don't stress about the ME1 platinum, it's an extremely long grind that will require 3 complete playthroughs and probably some additional partials.  Just play through it once and then move on.

[Splathew]

Mass Effect is life. Just play them now...

[Yami]

Everybody is completely insane.

 

Don't tell me you chose Ashley lol !

 

Tali best girl by miles Liara is a fine second

 

As for OT, everyone pretty much stated it already, but I want to add that even though the story is linear, how you handle it is certainly not and the story hits really deep.

At least for me it did 

[Time4Tiddy]

Oh should mention - on the RPG side of the game, while it's played like a shooter, in terms of skills/abilities, basically Soldier is your "fighter", Engineer is your "thief", Adept is your "mage".  The other three classes combine some abilities from two trees: Vanguard is fighter/mage, Sentinel is thief/mage, Infiltrator is fighter/thief.  All six of the class types are represented by one of the companions, so you can be whatever you want.  While personally I think the hybrid classes are more fun, if you think you'll want to try for platinum on ME1 at some point, you're best off choosing a pure class because of certain trophies only pure classes can get.  Again, specifically to save time on the platinum in the future, you would also want to pick two companions that supplement your class and stick with them for the entire game - there is one trophy for each companion if you do 75% of all missions with them in your party.

 

If you just want to play through to enjoy the story and create a game state for ME2, then play whatever you want and mix up your party as you see fit.  

[PSXtreme_]

On 3/1/2016 at 5:23 PM, Arkthur said:

Mass Effect is Star Trek with better guns. 

SOLD! Today I'll start playing Mass Effect! ?

[Remilia Scarlet]

It's Star Wars and Star Trek's glorious fuck child

[LiaraLight]

As a huge fan of Mass Effect I will reinforce what people have said here and say don't skip the first game! It has important plot points and develops a stronger bond between the player and their Shepard to be with them from the very beginning

 

Also, although I'm not usually a big fan of purchasing DLC, the extra content for Mass Effect 2 and 3 is well worth the price if you wait for them to be on sale in the PS Store. Lair of the Shadow Broker is one of the best DLC in my opinion! 

 

Anyway welcome to the squad, I hope you enjoy the series as much as I do.

[Pershing24]

Currently replaying Mass Effect 1 to get some more trophies, and yeah its definitely not the best of the series, but still worth playing as it set the story off to a good start, and can be beaten relatively quick if you don't focus on the side mission, but you will need to do most of them to get the platinum.

 

What I like about Mass Effect is that it is like a straight forward third person shooter, but the RPG elements like specific classes, upgrades, abilities and squad mates are all there. You then use them all to benefit from the combat to get through enemies quicker. For instance, you could just shoot at a AI with a shield all you want, which will kill him, or you could order your engineer class to overload his shield, then weaken him with a sabotage, and finally finish his off with a sniper rifle.

 

Here's the thing though, Mass Effect doesn't just focus on combat, in fact depending on how interested you are in the world, you can talk to people/aliens, read up on codex and explore the world as you see fit. Mass Effect isn't a game for everyone, but if you enjoye sci-fi RPG/shooters, then this is a must play for you.

[LrryLegend]

Please play Mass Effect 1.  Alot of people go on and on that 2 is the best of the series.  1 is my favorite game of all time.  Just wait till you get too... Ilos... : )