X360 - New Mass effect Screenshots

[Blank]

Originally Posted by Soygen

I see people saying things like Commando Infiltrator or Operative Infiltrator. At what point do you choose these 'sub-classes'? Or have I already and I'm just too retarded to remember doing it?

IIRC, at level 20 (edit, might be 30... I forget) or something you get a quest to go to the moon of Earth. Doing that mission allows you to pick a secondary class sort of thing.

[Zerai]

It is pretty cheap. But then it's pretty hilarious too. I don't feel too bad about using it because of fucking Krogans. They go immune and rez themselves, and all kinds of shit like that. Fuckers deserve to get outwhored!

[Shots]

Originally Posted by Zerai

It is pretty cheap. But then it's pretty hilarious too. I don't feel too bad about using it because of fucking Krogans. They go immune and rez themselves, and all kinds of shit like that. Fuckers deserve to get outwhored!

I preferred to use Lift on charging Krogans and such, then I just kill them as they float gently past me (it's pretty funny to use Lift on a charging monster). Best thing is to use someone like Lliara and have some Biotics yourself, then you get double the lifting fun.

[Delenar]

Originally Posted by Blank

IIRC, at level 20 (edit, might be 30... I forget) or something you get a quest to go to the moon of Earth. Doing that mission allows you to pick a secondary class sort of thing.

lol, I missed this part of the game entirely.

[Zerai]

First time I played I thought it was level based. I dinged like 35 on that mission and I got that pop up. But since it happened with the ding I just assumed.

Then I played the second time and I did it at like 20 and I got it.

[Soygen]

Is it a side mission or main mission?

[Zerai]

Side mission. You get it after dinging a certain level. Alliance Command messages you about a rogue VI on the moon. You then go to Local System (which is our solar system).

[Soygen]

Cool. Thanks.

[Nakilos]

I haven't played the game, but a challenge through a rough introduction without any hand-holding is fine, IMO. Too many games hold your hand and tell you exactly what to do all the time. I like a few challenging games in my library. It sounds like it isn't ridiculous (like Lair), just that they expect you to figure things out for yourself. Fine with me.

Well my gripe is just with a lot of RPGs lately are just rediculously easy, and they have mostly always been that way. I mean I had a hard time with them at times when I was a kid but playing through them now probably 95% of RPGs can be walked over with minimal effort. Since I got my PS2 I was like ok, I'm going to slam through all the RPGs I never got around to. Besides a choice handful, I've been mostly disappointed at how much they are like watching a game being played, no real challenge, its just like walking to an ending.

What is good about Mass Effect is how well balanced it is. All the weapons are good, in the right situations. All the powers are good, again in the right situations, and as far as powers go you don't have to max them out for them to be effective. My first playthrough my points were pretty retarded, but rank 1 Lift was fine for what it did, and I forget but I think I only had Throw at like 5-6, absolutely sufficient for what I need. The only exception seems to be techs since they have a requirement for decryption and such. So with that in mind really players can just kind of get into it and develop their out strats for dealing with everything. I also appreciate the very minor hand holding, really on Eden Prime, you are shown how to shoot, how to bring up your menus, how to get behind cover, and thats pretty much all you need. I died a lot my first playthrough, but I'm doing an Infiltrator on Hardcore now and from the start it wasn't too bad. There is just so much cover like everywhere (exception being the assorted planets you do little side quests on), people just got to look for it. The party AI isn't genius, but the basic commands I've found are more than adequate to get them to kill shit and not just run in and die in the process.

Its just been a trend in games, there is so much in game explanation I think players become accustomed to being told what to do and where to go and the lack of it ends up a problem for some. In spite of that there is still some convenience things like assignments npcs ending up on your map, reasonably quick travel in the Citadel and really just getting planet to planet, and again tons of cover. I think its a pretty good balance overall in this game, just fix up the annoyance shit for the second one and it will be an incredible series.

[Kirun]

Just finished it today on normal, plan on going through in a few weeks or so on hardcore and then insane.

Amazing, amazing game. It's definitely a contender for GOTY. It's a toss-up between it and Bioshock for me. Had it not been for numerous technical issues, it'd be far and away the GOTY and possibly one of the best games in the last 5 or so years.

I'm sort of curious about something though. Supposedly your decisions are going to carry over to ME2 and ME3, which only makes sense, especially when you consider the ending and the part on Vermire, but which of your playthroughs is going to be saved if you do multiple playthroughs? Has anybody heard anything from Bioware on this?

[Zerai]

Originally Posted by Kirun

Just finished it today on normal, plan on going through in a few weeks or so on hardcore and then insane.

Amazing, amazing game. It's definitely a contender for GOTY. It's a toss-up between it and Bioshock for me. Had it not been for numerous technical issues, it'd be far and away the GOTY and possibly one of the best games in the last 5 or so years.

I'm sort of curious about something though. Supposedly your decisions are going to carry over to ME2 and ME3, which only makes sense, especially when you consider the ending and the part on Vermire, but which of your playthroughs is going to be saved if you do multiple playthroughs? Has anybody heard anything from Bioware on this?

Pretty sure it will be just importing a character. I imagine if you play multiple times with 1 character, it'll be the last run.

[Rezz]

Odds are that instead of saving all the information from a single playthrough, it has a series of flags. Free the Rachni? There's a flag. Character's Female? There's a flag. So that instead of importing over your entire save and then some, it'll just load whatever game and have the flags flipped so that certain events/characters and backstory are either there or something else is in it's place. Load a different character with different flags flipped, and the story will be different for that save. They could do it the hard way, but that seems the safest bet.

edit: It'll probably just take the most recent playthrough, as Zerai said.

[Aborath]

A little thread necromancy here...

Now that you've all had time to thoroughly digest it, I'm curious to know what people's final opinions are on Mass Effect, and where it stands in the annals of console RPGs.

[Blank]

Originally Posted by Aborath

A little thread necromancy here...

Now that you've all had time to thoroughly digest it, I'm curious to know what people's final opinions are on Mass Effect, and where it stands in the annals of console RPGs.

I'm not nearly the fanatic that Sean is when it comes to RPG... but (for what it's worth) it's the best RPG on the 360 right now IMO. Granted I've only played Blue Dragon and a bit of Eternal Sonata :\... that's pretty much their entire RPG line up anyway.

I still prefer KOTOR over Mass Effect though. I found the combat more enjoyable in KOTOR and I seem to recall my decisions in KOTOR having more of an impact than in ME... might be fanboy goggles on though, but having played it through twice (and 2/3rds!), seemed like most any response you give will get basically the same response out of people.

(EDIT) I will say that Noveria (I think that's the one) is the coolest level ever though. It seems like the level where your decisions and crap greatly influence how you handle the planet. I haven't found that to really be the case else where. For example (spoilers):

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

When I went to Noveria the first time, I turned in the Hanar (alien dude) into the authorities when he asked me to deliver some package. That's how I got my pass the first time. Second time I ended up going through another building helping some dude, basically in an area that I never even explored my first time through.

Later on (on first play through), I helped some doctor get something so he'd give me access to some maintenance tunnel to reach the end boss for that level. My second playthrough, I did some other quest first involving a bomb, and when I returned to the people, the end boss told them all to kill me... I ended up wiping out everyone instead :P

[Aztlan]

Personally, I enjoyed it a lot. The story is really good and it is well told throughout the game. I agree with Blank, that the combat mechanics were superior in KOTOR, but it was still a lot of fun.

I'm on my 2nd play through with a different class and I'm still finding new dialogue and quests. (I thought I did them all on the first play through)

So with all that said, it's one of the best games and best RPG's I've played in several years.