Who doesn't like Mass Effect, and why?

[IntroPhenom]

Dragon Age is one of my favorite video game series.  Having fantasy elements, like monsters and magic, bows and wands, always lets me lose myself in the game.

 

I've heard a lot about the Mass Effect series, of course, and since Bioware did both series, a while back I bought the Mass Effect Trilogy for dirt cheap.  Since then, however, I tried to play Uncharted: Golden Abyss on my VITA, and hated it.  Without easy, exact shooting (preferably some sort of lock-on mechanism) my enjoyment of such games wane.  I did not play Golden Abyss for more than half an hour before giving up.  (Whether GA and ME share relevance or not is up for debate.  My brain made a connection, and I went with it.)

 

So, finally the question: Hoping to hear reasons from those who didn't greatly enjoy the ME games, or from those who can offer some insight about how I might enjoy them, what are your thoughts?  Please ask clarifying questions if you wish.

 

Important note: I'm mainly concerned about the game play; I can suffer through a tedious story if need be.

[starcrunch061]

Did you start with Mass Effect? Combat in that game is REALLY wonky. ME2 is a lot better in that regard. ME3 is about the same as ME2. 

 

I did enjoy ME and ME2, and ME3 to a lesser extent, but I feel your pain on them nonetheless. I can completely see why someone would dislike ME from a combat standpoint. 

 

Story-wise, I think that ME is great, ME2 is solid, and ME3 is weak. None of them compare to Dragon Age, IMHO, but like you, I love that series as well.

 

Hope this helps?

[IntroPhenom]

1 hour ago, starcrunch061 said:

Did you start with Mass Effect? Combat in that game is REALLY wonky. ME2 is a lot better in that regard. ME3 is about the same as ME2. 

 

I did enjoy ME and ME2, and ME3 to a lesser extent, but I feel your pain on them nonetheless. I can completely see why someone would dislike ME from a combat standpoint. 

 

Story-wise, I think that ME is great, ME2 is solid, and ME3 is weak. None of them compare to Dragon Age, IMHO, but like you, I love that series as well.

 

Hope this helps?

 

I haven't started any of them yet due to being hesitant at not liking the games.  Good to know the first has some sloppy combat.

 

Thanks for the response.  I know it's silly to ask others if I would enjoy a game, because really, how would anyone but me know?  With such a popular franchise, I figured opinions might abound.  I'll probably give it a go at some point.

1 hour ago, starcrunch061 said:

Did you start with Mass Effect? Combat in that game is REALLY wonky. ME2 is a lot better in that regard. ME3 is about the same as ME2. 

 

I did enjoy ME and ME2, and ME3 to a lesser extent, but I feel your pain on them nonetheless. I can completely see why someone would dislike ME from a combat standpoint. 

 

Story-wise, I think that ME is great, ME2 is solid, and ME3 is weak. None of them compare to Dragon Age, IMHO, but like you, I love that series as well.

 

Hope this helps?

 

Just noticed you finished I am Setsuna, which I recently began.    Honestly I could stare at snow for hours and be content, so maybe I'll like it a little more than you did.  Good review, though.

[madbuk]

I played through the trilogy, and they're good games, but I definitely prefer Dragon Age. I might be biased because shooters in general aren't really my thing, but on top of that the story in 1 didn't really grip me at any point, and I didn't start enjoying the combat until Mass Effect 3, either. 3 was definitely my favourite, I actually really enjoyed all the time I spent with 3, but it's worth playing all 3 so you're not skipping parts of the story. And it'll let you appreciate the improvements that are made as the series progresses too.

They didn't exactly make me want to rush out and buy Andromeda too, though.

Edited January 10, 2018 by madbuk

[digitalman123]

Honestly, I feel like the only person who was never "grabbed" by Mass Effect 2. I've tried playing on like four separate occasions and just don't seem to be able to play for more than two sessions. I've thought about it, and honestly, it might be the gameplay for me. It just doesn't feel that great, pretty boring cover-based shooting. I think a lot of people give the game more leeway because of the story, but that just wasn't "grabbing" me either, but I think mostly the lackluster gameplay is the reason I just can't get into it.

[Stargazer2600]

Mass Effect is very good for your first time around story wise. However after that, the magic wears off fast. I have completed mass effect from start to finish at least 7 times I think and after that I don't even wanna look at it anymore. 

But should you play it? hell yes. its a great game and the trilogy deserves a go

[Wavergray]

Mass Effect 1 has the best story but the worst gameplay.

 

Mass Effect 2 has the weakest story but arguably the best gameplay.

 

Mass Effect 3 has a stronger story then ME2 but a weaker story than ME1 and it's gameplay is a faster version of ME2.

 

Overall if you like sci-fi space stories story-wise Mass Effect should be pretty good. If you like third person shooters once again it should be okay.

[Withanx]

On paper, Mass Effect should be totally up my alley. I like RPGs and I loooove Science Fiction. I started by trying to play Mass Effect 2 but I can't remember why I didn't start with 1. I was underwhelmed. I couldn't even tell you what the story was. I remember it feeling like maybe I was just missing the story from the first one and I got maybe halfway through and stopped playing. Plus I was used to much tighter gunplay. A little while back Mass Effect 1 came to Xbox backwards compatibility so I decided to give it a try. That game did not age well. Battle is super clunky, and I've heard people say it's about the story, but the battle happens a lot and is as much a part of it as the story. Plus the story is just buried under a multitude of conversations that felt interminable. I didn't really care what people had to say, and going back to each and every person after you completed and action felt more like a chore than anything else. What I think is that people who started with 1 when it first came out were treated to something relatively unique and so they latched on to it and remember it and replay it with a lot of nostalgia propping it up. Because I don't see how 2 was much better based on my experience. So I think you had to have come in at the beginning to really appreciate it, I guess. Maybe I'm way off here, but I just couldn't get into the games as much as I wanted to. 

[cckerberos]

I would say that the original Mass Effect trilogy is more consistent over all than Dragon Age (which maintains story elements but swerves from CRPG to Mass Effect-lite to open world over the three games).

 

The story of the first ME game is great but a lot of the gameplay choices don't feel great in retrospect. The shooting mechanics are based not just on the player's aiming abilities but also in-game stats. And most people hate driving around in the Mako. ME2 hit a sweet spot with both story and gameplay, IMHO, and ME3 then pretty much just carried on with ME2's momentum (until crashing and burning at the end).

[SaltyCat]

I don't like sci-fi much.

[GunfighterHefty]

Honestly, with all the abilities at your disposal, I don't see solid shooting mechanics mattering as much in this game series. 2 and 3, the gunplay is serviceable, 1 is kind of wonky, as others have said. I really enjoyed the story overall, I think 2 has some of the best character development (I enjoyed Thane and Kasumi a lot). And if you then get into the story and characters, ME3 had that "nostalgia" DLC pack I really enjoyed as well. 

[MonadStanley]

I played 2 to the end, 3 a bit, same for 1, so I will only tell about my experience with 2. I felt like game had super nice plot and world, but when it come to the combat it was just super boring.

[Super-Fly Spider-Guy]

I don't.

 

Short version, story bored me, setting was dull, and to be entirely honest I just don't go for RPGs so I was never their target to begin with. Hell, even KOTOR, I can't get into it, I've tried on several occasions and platforms (most recently through Xbox BC) and it just sucks ass. I hate how it plays, the story isn't gripping so far, the combat is beyond annoying, the graphics are subpar, and so on. And I fucking love me some Star Wars. I've clocked just about every Star Wars game I've come into contact with, I can't bring myself to play KOTOR for more than an hour or so after starting before I get mindnumbingly bored. 

 

Maybe Bioware just don't do it for me, and that's okay.

 

Also I tried Andromeda on the EA Access 10 hour trial thing, got a couple hours in, seemed okay, better than the others anyway, but ultimately still a boring, dull, game, to me anyway.

[Pirelli913]

ME1 had a phenomenal MAIN story (best in the series), but game play is lacking and side quests are boring and repetitive. You really only need to do those if you want a complete 100% experience of ME1 to ME2 to ME3 imported character.

 

ME2 was, by far, the best game in the trilogy. It had phenomenal locations and hub worlds to explore (especially Illium) and all side quests, unlike ME1, are unique. The only downside is scanning planets to collect resources to upgrade weapons. It's a tedious, boring process.

 

ME3 had the best combat (and arguably the best DLC - all of which is worth it) but the story was a bit too linear and the ending left a lot to be desired. That said, I always say it's not about the destination, but about the journey, and the journey through all three games is top notch.

[Kiaranseanjay]

I recently finished the ME series, and all in all, I really enjoyed it! Although I played 1 quite a while ago, I definitely recall the combat feeling a bit clunky. But the story, and characters were compelling enough to keep me playing. I also seem to be one of the few who enjoyed the MAKO and the planet exploration side of it lol.

 

I loved ME2, but looking back at it, the story wasn't that great. A large part of the game is essentially just you, the commander, recruiting other people to your crew. Although that might sound a little lacklustre, it felt pretty fun. The character interactions are the best in this game IMO.

 

Coming straight from ME2, 3, right away didn't pull me in as much. BUT after a few missions I was loving it. Gameplay-wise, ME3 is the easiest. I did it on Insanity and rarely died, certainly not anywhere near as much as I did in ME2. Somethings did feel a little rushed, but didn't bother me.

It was a satisfying end to the trilogy.

 

Funnily enough though, Dragon Age Origins did not click with me. I still have yet to complete a single playthrough. 

 

I would absolutely recommend ME though. It is dirt cheap, so why not! :-)

[NutellaOrgies]

I thought mass effect was the best series last generation. Sure it had a shit ending in 3 but it never got boring at all.

[MoonStrut-]

On 1/11/2018 at 3:16 AM, IntroPhenom said:

Since then, however, I tried to play Uncharted: Golden Abyss on my VITA, and hated it.  Without easy, exact shooting (preferably some sort of lock-on mechanism) my enjoyment of such games wane. 

 

Important note: I'm mainly concerned about the game play; I can suffer through a tedious story if need be.

 

I'm not a big fan of FPS games but I really enjoyed all Mass Effects. The shooting is not too strict and the game has an option for aim assist if necessary, though even with the default setting I've been able to clear insanity difficulties despite sucking ass at shooters. I found Mass Effects gameplay of shooting and weaving abilities and skills in between to actually be really fun.

[Bullstomp]

Mass Effect is one of the best series last generation,  in my opinion. In fact, Mass Effect 2 has, in my opinion, the best ending sequence of any video game, ever. I had to platinum each game.

 

That being said, these games are no pushover. If you want a challenge with compelling gameplay look no further. Especially completing ME2s Suicide Mission on Insanity and keeping everyone alive. But man, what a ride!

[Stargazer2600]

4 minutes ago, Bullstomp said:

Mass Effect is one of the best series last generation,  in my opinion. In fact, Mass Effect 2 has, in my opinion, the best ending sequence of any video game, ever. I had to platinum each game.

 

That being said, these games are no pushover. If you want a challenge with compelling gameplay look no further. Especially completing ME2s Suicide Mission on Insanity and keeping everyone alive. But man, what a ride!

I actually didnt find the suicide mission that hard on insanity lol. I think I had a harder time with some of the parts on ME3 on insanity over the suicide mission.

[IntroPhenom]

7 hours ago, MoonStrut- said:

 

I'm not a big fan of FPS games but I really enjoyed all Mass Effects. The shooting is not too strict and the game has an option for aim assist if necessary, though even with the default setting I've been able to clear insanity difficulties despite sucking ass at shooters. I found Mass Effects gameplay of shooting and weaving abilities and skills in between to actually be really fun.

 

Aim assist!  Now that sounds like a feature I can appreciate.  I figured abilities and skills would come into play, but I didn't want to dig too much in fear of ruining the surprise of playing a 'new' game.  Good stuff, thanks!