Mass Effect
Quaunaut
The longest seven days in history... Join Date: 2003-03-21 Member: 14759Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
The longest seven days in history... Join Date: 2003-03-21 Member: 14759Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
in Off-Topic
Okay, so I got this too(oi).
So far, the only negatives I can point its way is that the autosave feature SUCKS, Royally, and the lack of a tutorial does end up hurting it(Press Y to use First Aid!). Other than that, the difficulty on medium is good, and you actually do have to use tactics- Sniper Rifles for long range, Assault for medium, Shotties for close, and 'casters'(folks who use Biotics) use Pistols for backup. Strategy wise, its a great solo playing game. But your teammates suck hardcore. If it wasn't for brilliant commentary(I literally haven't met one party member yet that I don't want in my party. They all have neat quirks), I'd want to go it solo ingame.
Story is pretty good. Enjoying each bit, and each character is interesting enough that you really do want to find out more about them- whether they're some random side character who was arguing with a guard on the street, or if they're a party member.
I'm about 3 hours in, and so far my favorite part is the conversation system. Always entertaining. Second would go to Combat- if it wasn't for the dumb AI(on your side- enemy AI is pretty great), it'd be near perfect(Note: THIS IS NOT AN ACTION GAME. JUST BECAUSE THE RETICLE IS OVER THE ENEMY DOES NOT MEAN YOU HIT. RPG ELEMENTS STILL IN BACKGROUND!).
So far, the only negatives I can point its way is that the autosave feature SUCKS, Royally, and the lack of a tutorial does end up hurting it(Press Y to use First Aid!). Other than that, the difficulty on medium is good, and you actually do have to use tactics- Sniper Rifles for long range, Assault for medium, Shotties for close, and 'casters'(folks who use Biotics) use Pistols for backup. Strategy wise, its a great solo playing game. But your teammates suck hardcore. If it wasn't for brilliant commentary(I literally haven't met one party member yet that I don't want in my party. They all have neat quirks), I'd want to go it solo ingame.
Story is pretty good. Enjoying each bit, and each character is interesting enough that you really do want to find out more about them- whether they're some random side character who was arguing with a guard on the street, or if they're a party member.
I'm about 3 hours in, and so far my favorite part is the conversation system. Always entertaining. Second would go to Combat- if it wasn't for the dumb AI(on your side- enemy AI is pretty great), it'd be near perfect(Note: THIS IS NOT AN ACTION GAME. JUST BECAUSE THE RETICLE IS OVER THE ENEMY DOES NOT MEAN YOU HIT. RPG ELEMENTS STILL IN BACKGROUND!).
Comments
How's the exploration of planets?
NWN was i guess there money maker to start mass effect, nwn was really not much fo a upgrade really so i guess it was good for them to take a little longer on polishing mass effect. the weird thing about mass effect was its graphics were killer awsome even back when the first snipet sof screenies and news were released. but not they are pretty damn snazzy if you ask me. sounds fun i still dont know if ill get it yet have just seen a fair bit on assassins creed and have been waiting for Ai of this capasity for a LONG TRUCKING TIME.
How's the exploration of planets?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The art style is the first one I've enjoyed from Bioware(other than Jade Empire, where the combat turned me off). I dunno, I like it. And the combat certainly isn't dull- not by a longshot.
The frame rate though is DEFINITELY very erratic. Insanely so.
As for exploration of planets: I don't know yet, haven't personally gone and hit any unexplored ones. I went to do a side-quest and ended up skipping ahead in the main mission(note: Not that I triggered something early, but the person I was looking for just happened to be there. I was originally supposed to go to another planet to find someone who would then tell me where she was).
I'll post more later.
The complaint about dumb AI for your members isn't without warrant, but I think it comes down to issuing orders properly and keeping an eye on your minimap. Whenever one of my friend's party members was getting shot up, he just used the Move Foward order and pointed them to the nearest cover, and then used the Hold order, which makes the AI use that cover.
Also: STORMING IS REALLY FAST AND DON'T TRY TO MANEUVER WHILE DOING IT.
The complaint about dumb AI for your members isn't without warrant, but I think it comes down to issuing orders properly and keeping an eye on your minimap. Whenever one of my friend's party members was getting shot up, he just used the Move Foward order and pointed them to the nearest cover, and then used the Hold order, which makes the AI use that cover.
Also: STORMING IS REALLY FAST AND DON'T TRY TO MANEUVER WHILE DOING IT.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yeah, but I shouldn't have to use a system that cumbersome to get my guys to not stand out in the open. Considering the rather intelligent AI(I can't tell you how many times I've yelled "HOW DID HE KNOW TO RUSH!?") for the enemies, I just wish I could've gotten similar.
Not to mention, people die so fast in this it makes it hard. I've gone from full Shields/Armor(wearing Heavy armor as a Soldier) to dead in 3 seconds before from a single target. Pain(Note: I got myself into that situation. You really do have to use tactics).
The travel system is very big. You pull up a galaxy map on your ship the Normandy, then select a star cluster, a system, then a planet. This is where several different quests come into play. Upon selecting a planet you normally have the option scan the planet for valuable minerals to help construct ships for the alliance, during a scan you might find other unique quests which pop up once you find a particular item. Second option is generally land, however I find that in each system you are given only one planet that is available to land on. Maybe later others might be unlocked for certain missions, I dunno I haven't had a reason to go to the same system twice. Once you land on a planet you jump into your Mako, a small APC equipped with a turret and some sabot rounds. You pull up your map and look for any identifiable markers. <i><b>NOT ALL QUEST/LOCATIONS ARE MARKED</b></i> some of them you have to stumble upon. Like mineral deposits and anomalies. This is the galaxy travel in a nutshell. You don't sit around waiting to reach the next gate like in Eve or Earth and Beyond. You click a system, you activate your Element Zero drives and bam you're there.
<u><b>Combat;</b></u>
The enemy is highly intelligent, will rush, sneak up on, jam your radar, and utterly obliterate you if you're not properly equipped or do not use tactics.
All weapons have available upgrades, depending upon your enemy you may want to use Anti-personal rounds against organics, Armor-piercing against synthetics/robots, it varies. The same goes for your armor, depending on what your fighting you may want to equip certain protective upgrades. Say you're toe to toe with a group of crazed Biotic terrorists. Well, you want the upgrade that offers protection against Biotics (duh).
Your party is ######ing retarded. You must make sure they are under cover at all times or they will get wasted, fast. You must stay under cover as often as possible to make sure you don't die as well.
If you are rushed by multiple tango pull your right button, not the trigger. That opens up the option for tech/biotic attacks. Make sure you spread it out, have one guy use throw on the merc to the right, have another use marksman on the merc to the left. If you neglect to use your special abilities you in heavy combat you will perish. After a firefight use your shield boost, get your shields back up asap. Use your medi-gel with the y button, unless you have first aid upgrades installed on your armor, or have special passive abilities like soldier's regen.
Sadly for me, I chose an infiltrator. I like sniping, which sucks for me cause 9/10 the enemy will rush you making every firefight a close quarters one. For the smart enemies who stay in the back, this is where my rifle comes to play. It's also good for mounting an attack on a fortified position on before you enter a complex. Say, a privateer base that has snipers. You can either drive through it with your Mako and blast everyone or you can park off in the distance, out of range of any turret and pick off enemy snipers from afar. Much fun!
<u><b>Dialog/cutscenes;</b></u>
Absolutely magnificent. I have noticed a few oddities in the VO, like when you're talking to the C-sec officer in the academy on the citadel. It's like the whole session wasn't done at once, the voice was rendered different some times, or a different person recorded it all together. This has only happened to me twice in about sixteen hours of gameplay so far, so I wouldn't be too worried about it.
Otherwise, the VO is of the absolute highest quality and the dialouge options carry variety. While your character never says exactly what you click, if you replay that same conversation and click say a more aggressive response her dialouge is completely different. I've taken it upon myself to be a ruthless ###### and have taken the opportunity to execute people I deem unworthy of living twice so far. Doing this in a cutscene is sooo much more fun than in a combat situation. It's just, I can't describe but the best word I can come up with is liberating.
<b><u>Graphics</u></b>
There are visual hiccups in framerate during the game, they are pretty often but never really interfere with gameplay. As the camera changes perspective it retextures or removes fog from the angle and it takes a second or two to apply the right texture. Usually you'll notice this on your character's armor. So far, other than that which is really a small complaint for such a great game I haven't found any other graphical glitches.
<u><b>Odd similatiries to KOTOR;</b></u>
This one's not odd but anyone who's played KOTOR will see it. Firstly, CARTH!!! The man who VOed Carth also VO's Kaiden in the game! Woot!
KOTOR has a Jedi council.... Mass Effect has a Galactic council.
Jedi/Spectre
In KOTOR there is an ancient race who vanishes millinia ago, Mass Effect an ancient race which dissapeared 50,000 years ago... Both were responsible for all life and or all technology in the universe.
KOTOR; Bad guy searching for superweapon to destroy mankind. Mass Effect; Bad guy searching for superweapon to destroy mankind. Huzzah!
So far, those the only similarities I have noticed.<u></u>
So when you're on a planet, what can you do? Explore all the surfaces and terrain? Are there random cities and towns here and there?
<!--quoteo(post=1661623:date=Nov 23 2007, 06:13 PM:name=PerfectionsFlaw)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PerfectionsFlaw @ Nov 23 2007, 06:13 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1661623"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><b><u>Graphics</u></b>
There are visual hiccups in framerate during the game, they are pretty often but never really interfere with gameplay. As the camera changes perspective it retextures or removes fog from the angle and it takes a second or two to apply the right texture. Usually you'll notice this on your character's armor. So far, other than that which is really a small complaint for such a great game I haven't found any other graphical glitches.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
That ###### does not fly with me; they should have just dropped the graphics a step. And from what I've seen, it wouldn't make that much of a difference.
<!--quoteo(post=1661636:date=Nov 24 2007, 12:58 AM:name=PerfectionsFlaw)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PerfectionsFlaw @ Nov 24 2007, 12:58 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1661636"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Not to mention that I've put in my 16 hours so far and have only completed one main quest. That's how many side quests there are, just as I was about to begin the another main mission I stumbled upon another side quest. Seriously, this game is filled with secondaries and it seems like you can go forever without touching the main mission. Sort of like Oblivion.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
That's something that'd have me hooked, like in Morrowind I didn't really know squat about the main quest until a few side missions later.
Again, the frame rate does skip pretty often. The textures only messup during cutscenes, when bouncing back and forth between characters. Believe me when I say, this game though it could have been polished some more is still a very awe-inspiring experience.
That ###### does not fly with me; they should have just dropped the graphics a step. And from what I've seen, it wouldn't make that much of a difference.
That's something that'd have me hooked, like in Morrowind I didn't really know squat about the main quest until a few side missions later.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
1. Well, it depends. The planets seperate into 3 different types:
Unexplorable: Self explanatory
Uncharted: You drop down in the "Mako"(aka the APC/Rover thing), can get out of it at any time, with tons of mountains and stuff between maybe 5 or 6 points of interest on the map. These points of interest may be a quick sand-worm vehicle boss battle, an outpost that you take on the ground, or just something to stop off and check on.
Colonized: Generally either 1 city, or a town with outlying area, all with a central theme. Sometimes the Mako has a feature here, and usually this all is story areas- note, this includes side quests. This is the best stuff.
2. Well, it comes with the engine. Its a hit, but the graphics are so good that you forget once its in there- though I've had times- times that annoyed the ###### out of me- where the texture took 20 or 30 seconds to load while gameplay is still going, and I'm just staring at it.
3. I haven't done too many side quests yet! I will now though, now that I got my ideal party together(for me): Me(Soldier), Liara(Biotics lady, and soon to be interspecies homosexual partner yay), and Space Muslim(seriously, Tali is a space Muslim. Not trying to insult Muslims, but its like her race's entire backstory was stolen from the religion). Now its time for me to do some exploring.
I'm thinking the input from your squadmates could use a little work, since their dialogue only really changes after the main quest planets. The layout is very similar to KotOR; you essentially get 3 'follow the main questline here' main planets, with another unlocked after you complete 1 or 2 of the initial ones (I don't remember exactly). Although this is likely also a morbid positive aspect: you wont need to take the incredibly slow elevator down to the cargo deck of the Normandy to speak with the majority of them. Don't let that fool you though, those planets can take quite a while to complete.
Beyond that, many of the quests are simple "go to this system and find something", which is also a bit disappointing, but there are some good ones thrown in. They're also spread out enough that you feel like you're in a universe with a little life. I've also seen quests related to my original player configuration (Earthborn / Sole Survivor), which tended to be decently interesting. Most of them are still fun, there's just not a lot of meat to many of them. Some of the side missions have the most intense and fun combat sections (so long as you don't think I'm referring to Mako combat, which is always kind of annoying, albeit easy).
One of the big draws is probably the weatlh of background information you can get from the game. You can spend time speaking to the aliens and learning about their culture, finding codex information points to update your encyclopedia (where primary entries have voiceovers), reading planetary reports (some of which are interesting, but provide no other benefit), or ...gambling on the Citadel or something. Speaking of which, if you are playing the game, be sure to revisit the Citadel after plot missions, since there's new quests around (the ship inspection and interview are not to be missed - but if you come back, I don't think they can be).
I'm a bit disappointed with the variety of weapons and armors and upgraded (not so much the variety really, so much as the vague lameness that comes from having a Lancer I superceded by a Lancer II, III and IV, with few new names entering the fray, and - as of yet, for me - no unique items (although rare or unique items have to be in there somewhere, there's a little label for them).
The graphical pop-in doesn't bug me. It's no worse than Halo 2, and it doesn't occur consantly like Halo 2, either. Once an area loads you'll rarely see it. More annoying are the inexplicably slow elevators (due to the fact that fast transportation takes mere seconds of loading, but elevators force you into 10-second long monotonous tube rides. Autosaving can be tedious as well, especially if you're on an outdoor world where there's little chance for loading and the autosave to kick in (so if you're outside and you haven't saved recently - get on it), usually it does a decent job.
I think most of the other stuff has been covered relatively well. If you like RPGs, mostly based on story, but are willing to find that story yourself, this is likely going to be a good game for you. If you like twitch combat and tactical action, the game has aspects of those, but that is not the reason to buy it (the tactics and combat AI fall flat on their face pretty often, and combat is still partially based on your skill point allocation). If you're scared of the combat, there's plenty of options to make it easier, so that shouldn't be a problem for anyone wanting the story elements (with cool, in-depth sci-fi background).
loving that the first battle i got into was difficult (the one where you disarm the tram bombs). KOTOR's greatest fault was how stupidly easily it was. having said that, ME's first battle was only difficult because my ###### team-mates decided to stand still and die, and as i'm the combat/tech class i can only use pistols, so i had to roadie run up to the geth to frag them.
i'm not sure what the weapon stats mean, relatively speaking. e.g. is losing 10 accuracy worth it for +10 damage? does range make a difference to % to hit? is it worth using types of guns i'm not trained in? what's the optimum distance for this or that gun? etc...
i'm thinking the game's biggest strength is its epic proportions, so i'm not going to make a judgement until i'm a lot further in the game.
loving that the first battle i got into was difficult (the one where you disarm the tram bombs). KOTOR's greatest fault was how stupidly easily it was. having said that, ME's first battle was only difficult because my ###### team-mates decided to stand still and die, and as i'm the combat/tech class i can only use pistols, so i had to roadie run up to the geth to frag them.
i'm not sure what the weapon stats mean, relatively speaking. e.g. is losing 10 accuracy worth it for +10 damage? does range make a difference to % to hit? is it worth using types of guns i'm not trained in? what's the optimum distance for this or that gun? etc...
i'm thinking the game's biggest strength is its epic proportions, so i'm not going to make a judgement until i'm a lot further in the game.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Unless you have a sniper rifle, range makes a big difference. In that first battle how far away were you from the enemy exactly? Could you barely make him out? Because if you and Kaiden both had pistols and Ashley had her automatic rifle there is no real way from where you start to actually win that battle. Gotta move closer. When trading off accuracy for damage, make sure it's with a close quarters weapon. Like say a shotty or a pistol. If you make the trade with a sniper rifle or an assualt rifle, you'd probably feel it.
Using weapons you are untrained in... I've only done this once and my character couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with it.
annoyingly, they could target me <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
For those of you who will be pursuing the Girl on Alien Girl romance, let me say: Its really done well. I was extremely surprised. Note, I also did it the Paragon way.
Biotics become insanely powerful, when used correctly- upon getting my Asari biotics woman, near instantly she was doing incredible things- not only pushing people into eachother(whoop dee doo), but using Lift on entire groups of enemies at once- rendering them completely unable to defend themselves while I pick them out of the sky. Its changed every battle from "Decently Hard" to "Laughably Easy".
Also, my other team-mate is my Tech Guy/Sniper. Later on, when he's at about halfway through the sniper line, suddenly he is taking enemies all on his own. Very able.
All in all, I'd say that while they still aren't super intelligent, once they get more powerful they make up for the lack of tactics with pure ability, and you feel overpowered because of it. Having one ally throw all your enemies into the air so you and your sniper can pick them off at will is awesome. And I don't even have to snipe anymore- my sniper takes care of it. And my "Oh ######" moments get saved by Biotic girl- before I had to rely on my own cooldowns and a ton of grenades to succeed. I haven't used a grenade for nearly 5 hours of game time.
Furthermore, I have what are either the best weapons in the game, or the second best- the actual Spectre Prototype weapons. Holy bejebus are they powerful. The assault rifle doesn't get unaccurate until the 30th shot(And it has an overheating maximum of 49!), the shotgun not only gets nice range but it'll oneshot anyone who you have the crosshair over, the Sniper Rifle completely rips through shields- usually, I kill enemies with it before half their shields are gone.
And, I have absolutely insane armor- its heavy armor, with 56 physical armor, but then, here's the kicker: 430 Shields. That, plus my Shield Modulator, gives me 540 shield HP, then my normal HP is at 411- it takes enemies *forever* to kill me. Note that *none* of my trees are maxed out but Charm, Intimidate, and Spectre. My armor has 3 levels to go, my shotgun has 6, my AR has 8, my pistol has...like a gajillion, and my Sniper Rifle doesn't have a single point. Halfway through Fitness, and halfway through my Specialization(gained at level 30, gives an extra level tree): Shock Troop(makes me into an even bigger tank).
I think once I max out Fitness and Shock Troop, that I should have a total of 600 HP, or more. Either way, its a ton.
I'll post more another time, its getting late and I'm getting tired. Oh: And keep on truckin' through the story. It dies down at one point, but really goes insane at a certain point.
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>Hell, they try and kill off 3 of your party members, possibly more.</span>
I'm a Paragon, m'self, though I definitely kill certain people when they've wronged me, or others, purposely. The <span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>sucker out of Chlora's Den, or that Exi-Geni brat</span>...mm, brains.
Sadly, I was only home for a week and I couldn't explore to my hearts content so the next couple runs on hardcore and insane should be fun when I get to play them.
New game+ was a pleasant surprise when I found it.
Did anyone else fell that the Paragon/Renegade seemed a bit to much like good and evil. There were some choices that I felt were moral choices(Good/Evil) and not Doing it by the book/ Whatever it takes which these two traits are explained as.
Sadly, I was only home for a week and I couldn't explore to my hearts content so the next couple runs on hardcore and insane should be fun when I get to play them.
New game+ was a pleasant surprise when I found it.
Did anyone else fell that the Paragon/Renegade seemed a bit to much like good and evil. There were some choices that I felt were moral choices(Good/Evil) and not Doing it by the book/ Whatever it takes which these two traits are explained as.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Not at all. I felt like I was really roleplaying with this one- I always reacted with my gut usually, and generally what I wanted to happen, happened. I'm a good person, but there is a reason why I'm a Paragon who chose "Ruthless". I get ###### done.
Not to mention that Mass Effect was the first part of a triolgy that Bioware intends to see through to the end. So hopefully they won't be giving any rights to Obsidian any time soon =P. Also, I heard from Game Head that the creators of Mass Effect (Bioware) want to make it so that in the second game you can take your save from the first and continue playing along the story line that you created. Depending on your ending. I don't see how this is even possible as many there are a few different endings and either one may change the way the entire game plays. It's a good idea though and I hope they can implement it.
The game is short, under the lines of text and side quests. You could probably pull the main quest in around 8-10 hours or so...but many of the sidequests are at least partly engaging (and the ones on the Citadel don't really require that much travelling, like some of the more boring EVA-type planet exploring ones). It's also worth at least one replay as the opposite gender and a different class with different backgrounds (if you don't want to go with less extreme replays).
(They really need to research exogeology, most sidequest planets have lame, nigh-identical topography)
Relativity! That's what happens when you go faster than light. Time messes up.
The game is short, under the lines of text and side quests. You could probably pull the main quest in around 8-10 hours or so...but many of the sidequests are at least partly engaging (and the ones on the Citadel don't really require that much travelling, like some of the more boring EVA-type planet exploring ones). It's also worth at least one replay as the opposite gender and a different class with different backgrounds (if you don't want to go with less extreme replays).
(They really need to research exogeology, most sidequest planets have lame, nigh-identical topography)<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yah, everytime you pause or go to menu or save game time lapses and it seemed like I put in a good fourty hours at least. Not including deaths and redos and all that ######. Still though, it's a decent amount of time. I like how near the end of the game I finally get to use my god damned neglected sniper rifle. Without the Mako to drive over enemies, if you haven't it's like GTA. Easiest way to hulk a Colossus or an Armature is to kick it's feet out from under it then shoot it then rinse and repeat. Anyway, on the last main mish I got to go crazy with my rifle. Since the rest of the game it felt like I was pistol whipping every enemy on the map.
I totally agree with the planets though, they had to be the worst part of the game. While all were different looking and pretty, I found that a lack there of lakes, rivers, trees, bushes any wildlife besides a few random critters was very unappealing. I mean we get all these beautiful models and textures but not one friggn tree?
it seems like I'm the only one annoyed at the biotics/tech system. The combat plays like an action RPG, so I really resent having to deal with a clunky tech wheel whenever I want to cast something. the least it could do is auto-cycle your abilities each time you use the cooldown on one - eg, I use 'push' and the game auto-assigns my RB to the next biotic off cooldown... really makes me want to start over as a pure combat class so I don't have to deal with biotics/techs as much/at all. at least the AI is apparently able to use their techs without my input.
I guess what it boils down to is that I'm spoiled by PC gaming. Really, why don't consoles ditch controllers already? or at least make kb/mouse control an option? what I wouldn't give to be able to select my abilities with the number keys =/
I really liked the system. If it had been as you described, i would probably have been using the wrong ability by accident constantly.
I finished the game in, according to the gameclock... 16 hours... I dont care what time was deducted, the game was still way shorter than I expected, though I definately enjoyed the main quest while it lasted.
On the other hand ... are there any side quests in the game that are even remotely interesting?? I didnt come across any. Every "side quest" I did, was like a cookie-cutter copy of something else I had already done. The few boss battles that there were in the main game were interesting - are there any unique fights outside the main quest that you might not easily run into??
Another quest, <span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>the earth moon mission</span>, is semi-important as it gives you a new class, or rather, lets you advance further down your class than the 6 or so boxes you can give in it in the beginning.
No unique fights from what I gather though, as in boss(y) battles anyway.
The absolute worst part about the game, IMO, is the inventory system. There were no sub-categories such as armor/upgrades/ammo type/rifle/pistol and so on. The only way to find out what you had properly was to go to the equipment menu and work from there. Also as a direct result, getting rid of useless items was hard as hell when you were selling them. You couldn't know if the item was useless unless you had your entire party's stats displayed in the menu. As it may be useless to the three that were displayed some other character might need it. This is why in my second time around I have no armor for Liara whom is currently wearing a fricking scorpion I.
I will buy the second installment, no matter what. The game was that good and I have faith in bioware as a gaming developer. If improvements are not made in that game it may, however, divert me from buying the final. They need to fix their real-time rendering as textures were applied before my eyes it became annoying. The chop was not very fun either and was a direct result of the former issue. They need to get rid of the cookie cutter missions, entirely. As I played the game for the second time I found a total of eight unique missions.
The Earth mission, a mission where a pirate tries to kill you, the monkey datapad mish, the old comrade/biotic leader mish, the asari diplomat looking for her sister mish, the gang lady wanting you to kill her rivals mish, krogan armor, and the crazy scientist.
While these were slightly more enjoyable they seemed alot like all the other craptastical scenarios that bioware put you through. Those are the only uniques I've seen as I went through every planet before even starting the main campaign.
Also, scouting the map for crashed drones and turian dog tags seemed like a chore. It was not fun at all. If they want to maintain my intrest they can say once I hit the surface I received a signal from someone in distress or something, but putting a marker on a map to get me to drive to a location to open a box for a few items is retarded. I expect better from bioware.
The alien planets sucked, no wait they blew. The only well designed levels were on the main campaign. Every other planet was either fire planet, green planet, rock planet, or toxic planet. There was no wild-life, no trees, no bushes, no grass, no lakes, no animals, no rivers, absolutely nothing to make the planet indistinguishable from the last except for the color. To their credit if you stop driving and simply look up you will be awe inspired. The detail put into what's above your little head is just awesome. There's just something about being on the moon and looking up to see earth that is cool.
More enemies would be nice. I am glad that the only vermin-like enemies in this game were Rachni and Varren. The rest were humans, krogans, asari, salarians, turians... basically all the sentient life forms.
Sadly their AI was retarded. Upon entering a room you would most likely be either rushed by all the foes inside. Which several times lead me to camp my team down the hallway and simply draw them through a gauntlet of grenades and biotic mischief. They don't hide, they rarely snipe, they always scream 'we're under attack' several times in a row. They never work together, they rarely take any form of cover. As I said most all the enemies will bum rush you once you step into sight. Maybe three at most will be snipers and stay behind cover for the duration. By the time you get to them the rest of their mates are dead making them utterly useless and easy to dispatch.
Krogans seemed to be the only smart AI's in the game. As their health ran low they would run at you and bash your face in, which added character and challenge. Also, when you think one is dead and you're like 'whew' they may stand right back up to do some more damage before being permenantly extinguished. Krogans are tough like that and are by far the most fun enemy. They are few and far between though.
The worms; While it may sound like a good idea to have the player drive around in circles or zig zag around the map while shooting at one of these behemoths, it's really not all that fun. Especially since it only takes one melee hit or two ranged attacks for you to be toasted. The worms cheat sometimes, popping up right underneath you and knocking the Mako upside down, preventing you from running.
Armatures and Collusi; Seriously, they are supposed to be hyper-intelligent geth in the form of a tank. A tank, which can't ######ing move. They stand there and simply move their footing every now and then to get a better aim at you. There is no attempt to flank or outmaneuver the mako, which has ######ing wheels! Wheels beat legs all the time, I can drive circles around these guys and knock them off their feet easily. Which makes geth tanks virtually useless for the AI. You simply run them down, back up and fire the main cannon, then wash rinse and repeat until they are dead.
This may sound like alot of complaints, but it's easier to complain than congradulate. Even with these bugs, glitches, and oversights this is still probably one of the better RPGs I've played. I have played my share. I look forward to bioware's second installment of the Mass Effect series and encourage anyone who hasn't played this game yet to go rent or buy the title. While I may have complained alot I really love this game. It seperates itself from other cliched RPGs on the market. There are no whiney teens, no gorgeous healers, no amnesia, NO GIANT RATS/or other vermin. The voice acting is superb and character interractions are the best I've ever seen. Finally, I am allowed to make ACTUAL in my character's reaction instead of being the silent protagonist. Choices that I haven't seen in a game since Fallout 2 or Oblivion.