Is it worth playing the Mass Effect trilogy for the 1st time in 2024?

[Skinwalker]

It's not a trader, it's an Asari shopper with an Elcor next to her. Don't remember which shop.

 

[Drakortha]

FFFUUUUCKKKK!!!!!!

I only recently played through Fallout 4: Far Harbor and I absolutely HATED the Dima's memories quest where you have to go through the memory blocks of a synthetic AI. Now during my first time playing through ME3 there's a mission where you have to go through the memory blocks of Legion. It's the EXACT SAME QUEST!

It's the worse mission in ME3 by far. Yet Bethesda had the bright idea to plagiarize it. Fuck me the AAA games industry is shit. They didn't even stop to think for a second if it's entertaining for the player. It's just stupid endless gimmicks and exposition dumps because they are too fucking lazy to write a story we can influence like the first 2 games.

Betraying Wrex is the only part worth playing ME3 for because it actually feels like a satisfying story arc with consequences. The rest of the game is retarded action set-pieces and your companions trying to fuck you every 5 minutes. I got through the first 2 games not even knowing there were romantic options until I hit ME3 where it becomes obvious everyone is interested. It's like everyone on the Normandy knows the trilogy is coming to an end so they're all a sudden trying to get into Shepard's pants before it's too late.

 

[Old Hans]

FFFUUUUCKKKK!!!!!!

I only recently played through Fallout 4: Far Harbor and I absolutely HATED the Dima's memories quest where you have to go through the memory blocks of a synthetic AI. Now during my first time playing through ME3 there's a mission where you have to go through the memory blocks of Legion. It's the EXACT SAME QUEST!

It's the worse mission in ME3 by far. Yet Bethesda had the bright idea to plagiarize it. Fuck me the AAA games industry is shit. They didn't even stop to think for a second if it's entertaining for the player. It's just stupid endless gimmicks and exposition dumps because they are too fucking lazy to write a story we can influence like the first 2 games.

Betraying Wrex is the only part worth playing ME3 for because it actually feels like a satisfying story arc with consequences. The rest of the game is retarded action set-pieces and your companions trying to fuck you every 5 minutes. I got through the first 2 games not even knowing there were romantic options until I hit ME3 where it becomes obvious everyone is interested. It's like everyone on the Normandy knows the trilogy is coming to an end so they're all a sudden trying to get into Shepard's pants before it's too late.

I cant believe you betrayed Rex you fat, dumb horses ass

 

[jackofshadows]

Shooting Mordin in the back is nice too but the Wrex scene is top notch, yeah. Although pretty much no one acknowledges that, lazy almost as Alistair's execution.

 

[Drakortha]

I cant believe you betrayed Rex you fat, dumb horses ass

These are the best moments of the trilogy. I want drama and consequences in my story. It beats the 'reapers attack another settlement' tripe. Being shoehorned into being the one hero who can save the galaxy gets old and doesn't afford a lot of player agency to develop my character into more of an anti-hero. But I'll take being the villain any chance I can get.

ME3 could have been awesome if you had the opportunity to choose between the Alliance or Cerberus for the campaign. I can't understand why they made Shepard work with Cerberus in the 2nd game but then flip-flop by making them Alliance again in ME3. It could have made for some more interesting decisions and replay value if you could choose to keep the contract you had with Cerberus in ME2 and keep working for the man, or break it off to re-enlist with the Alliance. It would have been the perfect way to branch out for the final game.

 

[Old Hans]

I cant believe you betrayed Rex you fat, dumb horses ass

These are the best moments of the trilogy. I want drama and consequences in my story. It beats the 'reapers attack another settlement' tripe. Being shoehorned into being the one hero who can save the galaxy gets old and doesn't afford a lot of player agency to develop my character into more of an anti-hero. But I'll take being the villain any chance I can get.

ME3 could have been awesome if you had the opportunity to choose between the Alliance or Cerberus for the campaign. I can't understand why they made Shepard work with Cerberus in the 2nd game but then flip-flop by making them Alliance again in ME3. It could have made for some more interesting decisions and replay value if you could choose to keep the contract you had with Cerberus in ME2 and keep working for the man, or break it off to re-enlist with the Alliance. It would have been the perfect way to branch out for the final game.

On a side note, playing ME3 for the first time recently, I didn't even realize Shepard got arrested until some NPC mentioned it, and there is no explanation why Shepard is even mad at the illusive man.

 

[Drakortha]

On a side note, playing ME3 for the first time recently, I didn't even realize Shepard got arrested until some NPC mentioned it, and there is no explanation why Shepard is even mad at the illusive man.

ME3 honestly feels like it retconned ME2 almost in it's entirety. Very little of what you do in that game affects ME3 outside of a few dialogue quips and some suspicion from Kaiden/Ashley. A few of ME2's characters reappear but are mostly relegated to a single side mission or cameo. None of them return again as companions which is probably my biggest disappointment with ME3's companion lineup. You get some roided out Jock who's got nothing to say but cringe quips and a boring AI who only serves to dump long drawn out exposition on you at every turn.

 

[TheTravelingDemon]

Absolutely is. You can even get the whole trilogy on Steam for a decent price. (certain sales.) The 1st and 2nd game is the only two I can comment on seeing as those are the only two I've played so far, but from what I heard the 3rd isn't that bad either. Just not the new new one, forgot the name. Heard that one is kinda shit.

 

[Ravielsk]

ME3 honestly feels like it retconned ME2 almost in it's entirety. Very little of what you do in that game affects ME3 outside of a few dialogue quips and some suspicion from Kaiden/Ashley. A few of ME2's characters reappear but are mostly relegated to a single side mission or cameo. None of them return again as companions which is probably my biggest disappointment with ME3's companion lineup. You get some roided out Jock who's got nothing to say but cringe quips and a boring AI who only serves to dump long drawn out exposition on you at every turn.

I have said this in other Mass Effect threads but it bears repeating. There is no such thing as a Mass effect trilogy. Its a collection of games from which each is from a different trilogy and different part of said trilogy.

Mass Effect 1 is the first part of a trilogy that never got its second and third part.
Mass Effect 2 is the reboot of 1 and it also never received any of its sequels.
Mass Effect 3 is the final chapter of a trilogy that never got its part one and two.

They are all set in the same universe and with the same characters but each is effectively its own isolated timeline hence why the continuity between the games is so shaky. It is also the reason why ME3 ending had to always suck because its an ending meant to conclude a three act conflict that never had it second act and the first was done twice but each time in a completely different direction.

 

[Drakortha]

This is the kind of thing that happens when a franchise gets taken over by a new developer with a whole new team, or there being a long time between sequels. But each Mass Effect came out in 2007, 2010, and 2012 respectively and largely had the same team, writers, and director.

I'm replaying ME2 again and yeah, their choice in direction is bizarre. It's still good and worth playing though.

 

[Orud]

Mass Effect 2's main plot is so bare and pointless that you can go straight from ME1 to ME3 and it almost feels like a direct sequel. It even makes more sense that ME3 starts in a court after the shit you pulled at the end of ME1, than getting dragged there after the ME2 DLC.

 

[mediocrepoet]

This is the kind of thing that happens when a franchise gets taken over by a new developer with a whole new team, or there being a long time between sequels. But each Mass Effect came out in 2007, 2010, and 2012 respectively and largely had the same team, writers, and director.

True.

I'm replaying ME2 again and yeah, their choice in direction is bizarre. It's still good and worth playing though.

Buddy, you have some of the worst taste in games on this entire site. Holy hell.

 

[The people of Duckburg]

Mass Effect 2's main plot is so bare and pointless that you can go straight from ME1 to ME3 and it almost feels like a direct sequel. It even makes more sense that ME3 starts in a court after the shit you pulled at the end of ME1, than getting dragged there after the ME2 DLC.

I didn't play 3 since I dropped the series after the disaster that was 2, but as I understand it, they never actually specify why you're on trial. The obvious reason is that you blew up a bunch of space minorities in the Arrival DLC, but because it was DLC they couldn't clearly state it since not every player would have played it. So they negated everything you did in 1, finally did something related to the main plot in a DLC for 2 (though not really since you stop it), but then couldn't reference it in 3 because people could import their save without doing it. Everything is so backwards.

 

[Ravielsk]

This is the kind of thing that happens when a franchise gets taken over by a new developer with a whole new team, or there being a long time between sequels. But each Mass Effect came out in 2007, 2010, and 2012 respectively and largely had the same team, writers, and director.

Yes, that is the norm. Mass Effect however is the the exception to that norm. What happened was that the first game was mainly the brainchild of one writer(I forgot the exact names) who had a particular vision. However with Mass Effect 2 the original writer was basically showed into a cornet and given an advisory role. The new guy had his own vision that heavily conflicted with the ME1 so he "unofficially" rebooted the series by killing Shepard and immediately reviving him minutes later to wipe the slate clean.

Everything else then followed from that one fuck up.

 

[Drakortha]

Buddy, you have some of the worst taste in games on this entire site. Holy hell.

No, I just don't like the taste of cock like you do.

I suppose you think I ought to be praising Baldur's Gate 3 like everyone else on the site? What's the problem. Does ME2 not have enough gay representation? It took me about 30 hours to beat ME2 and in all that time I wasn't exposed to anything gay. Not even once. Meanwhile, the Codex's new golden child BG3 has gay shit all over the trailer and the marketing. I still haven't played it, and I never will. Not even for 1 second.

 

[Skinwalker]

In ME2, is it worth visiting every single star system and clicking on every single planet in hopes of getting a cool random side-mission? Or is just the scanning for resources minigame and occasional crap like exploring an annoying crumbling ship?

 

[mediocrepoet]

In ME2, is it worth visiting every single star system and clicking on every single planet in hopes of getting a cool random side-mission? Or is just the scanning for resources minigame and occasional crap like exploring an annoying crumbling ship?

(Almost?) entirely scrubbing for resources as I recall. Pretty wank "gameplay".

 

[DicLupa]

In ME2, is it worth visiting every single star system and clicking on every single planet in hopes of getting a cool random side-mission? Or is just the scanning for resources minigame and occasional crap like exploring an annoying crumbling ship?

Assignments can show up as Anomalies when scanning planets, occasionally. But EDI will tell you when one has been detected if you just want to do those. Still have to visit every planet, but you don't have to probe them for the notification.

 

[Skinwalker]

Mordin's quest was fairly interesting. Well, the quest itself was standard-issue ME2 mission, but the ethical dilemma was interesting. Given that the Salamandrians had already caused massive infertility on the Shark people, is it morally right to try and reverse it, even though the Shark people are extremely violent, reproduce very quickly when not infertile, hard to kill, and live a thousand years? Or should the status quo be maintained? Or should all Shark people be wiped out before they unify and kill billions anyway?

You don't get to choose any of these options, but it's interesting to think about.

 

[Iucounu]

You don't get to choose any of these options, but it's interesting to think about.

Brace yourself for ME3's eloquent Paragon resolution!

 

[Tyranicon]

Something tells me BioWare needs money.

 

[mediocrepoet]

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Something tells me BioWare needs money.

Please help. We're all going to get fired.

 

[kapisi]

Can't wait for "Corinne on games" YouTube channel

 

[Skinwalker]

Really, a geth party member?

Is it only by a lucky cohencidence we didn't get a darkspawn party member in DA2? They were clearly working their way up to it, with the sudden talking darkspawn appearing in Awakening (and never mentioned again).

What's with Bioware and their fascination with ultra-collectivist hivemind entities that are universally hostile, until the game suddenly goes "acktshually, they're not all bad, bigot"? Oh right, they're gay leftards.

 

[Wasteland]

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Something tells me BioWare needs money.

It's funny how "Historical Low" could perfectly describe the price, or the game itself, or Bioware's contribution to the whole category of human endeavor.