Favourite game - 1, it was the first one I played and the one I’m most familiar with.
Least is 3, it was the first game I encountered with day 1 dlc, so didn’t get any. Last ME game I bought too, Jokes on me I guess because I got the remaster instead.
I enjoyed KOTOR/II before it and I was hoping for more of the same, more HK-47 really. No HK but the play is familiar: go to a planet do some quests, X person wants to talk and on to the next.
Mass Effect Andromeda is mostly hated, but hot damn, it’s disappointing that it was, because it brought back all the best aspects of the original Mass Effect and iterated upon them greatly. Open world planets to explore with a big, fun to drive vehicle.
I would say it’s main failing was the story and the companions, which was generally forgettable, but the world building was quite good and the environments were beautiful.
For all the failures of the facial animations and dead eyes upon release, the actual game itself is really beautiful when it comes to scenic vistas and so on. Part of the trouble is you spend a large mount of the early game stuck inside samey indoor environments with these dead eyed NPCs, so when it came out, the opening of the game gave people a bad view by focusing you on the games worst offenses right out of the gate. That’s a hard hill for a lot of people to climb over, understandably so.
I just think it was incredibly disappointing because it was in many ways a way stronger game (gameplay-wise and environment-wise) than Mass Effect 2/3. It was a huge step up in quality for the franchise, but because of a botched story and facial animations, it nearly killed the franchise entirely.
It was also one of those games that suffered from Gamergate bullshit. Complaints of Sarah Ryder not being attractive enough and complaints too many LGBT characters. I remember when I used to think EA was lying that they thought they won Worst Company from The Consumerist because they had anti-LGBT people doing write-in campaigns against them. I believe them now, even though it felt like they were hiding behind that at the time. Because those are bullshit complaints.
Also, is it just me or did Baldur’s Gate 3 prove you could do a modern version of one of these games in the classic isometric overhead view style?
I’d love to see a Mass Effect style game in a modern isometric overhead view turn-based tactical combat type situation, like X-COM but more like an RPG than a tactical combat game with minor RPG elements.
Andromeda has the biggest difference I’ve ever seen between low graphics settings and high ones. I wonder if the lack of recognition for its beautiful environments isn’t mainly that they just weren’t beautiful on most people’s systems.
One thing that really soured my taste with Andromeda was the very clunky, but for some odd reason still necessary platforming. It always ground things to a halt for me and reminded me I was playing a video game, which is not a fun feeling. Like recognizing that actors are on a set in the middle of the movie.
They also did not really explore what different species could look like. It just felt like any group I could’ve seen in the Milky Way when they had given themselves an excuse to do literally whatever they wanted. Like halo 4 choosing to have me fight the not-covenant again after 3 rounded the story out and gave them a mechanism for dropping the chief literally anywhere at any time.
I also found most of the squadmates to not be very memorable. It felt like they were going out of their way to make sure they didn’t resemble any of the previous ensembles.
That being said, I think the game did an incredible job of not falling into the usual paradigm of “this is the good option, this is the bad option.” There was a lot more nuance to some of the decisions and it really had me stopping and thinking about how I wanted to proceed.
Still, I never finished the game. Got several dozen hours and it was enjoyable enough, but a lot of dropped balls.
If it weren’t for the last season of Game of Thrones, the last 35 minutes of Mass Effect 3 would still be #1 on my list of “fastest ways to rapidly obliterate everything your fans love, retroactively, forever.” Somehow the Star Wars Prequels are #3.
I remember being confused by the ending but tbh never to the extent it ruined the rest of the franchise retroactively. Not even Andromeda managed to so that! I still have fond memories of ME and I'm constantly tempted to replay it with the legendary edition, if only I had the time.
Agreed. First playthrough should 100% be vanilla. I do mod a few things on subsequent playthroughs though. Personally I like to give myself infinite paragon/renegade (through a save editor), because I like being able pick a renegade option when I think my Shepard would do that, without having to worry about maxing my paragon for important choices. I also prefer playing biotic classes because they’re more fun, but want a sniper rifle, so I mess with the save to give sniper rifle competency to my class in ME1. Finally I’m trying the happy ending mod this playthrough to see if I like it.
It’s honestly fine vanilla, but quality of life wise for ME1, I liked the mod that gave the mako (ground vehicle) infinite boost, and infinite sprinting for all 3.
There's really just a metric ton. I found this video that has a way to install a bunch at once, but just keep in mind there may be some other mod out there you'd like too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Eqg9fDClCM
It really is that way! I've been telling myself it's time for another LE playthrough for a year now but I'll say it again. A modded playthrough is on my LIST! I love the Expanded Galaxy Mod with all my beating heart =)
Mass Effect 2 and 3 are up there with some of the best shooters I’ve played. It’s just so smooth. And the weight/CDR system is incredibly simple yet impactful. I’ve played through 3 several times. Yes, the story beats weren’t always great. Still fun.
EDIT: Since we’re posting favorite builds: Sentinel gang. What’s that, I have access to literally everything you need to beat any enemy? Yes please.
Mass effect is one of my favorite series ever! I’ve played through the trilogy at least half a dozen times now. It’s my cozy game I always have a playthrough going in.
Mass effect 1 was incredible for its time, and still pretty good today. The biggest mistake I see people make is not talking to everyone on the ship in between missions (this is true for the whole series); if you don’t you’ll miss the best part of the game. Also make sure to pick an interesting class, probably something with biotics. Infiltrator and soldier are boring to play compared to sentinel or biotic.
Mass effect 2 was the game that shifted the series from an RPG to a cover shooter. The mechanics were much better, but it removed some of the fun. I remember the first time I played it I was heartbroken the citadel was so much smaller than in the first game. I’d say 2 has the best DLCs of the trilogy (Shadowbroker is unrivaled). I love the structure of 2 as well, but there’s definitely a few gotchas where if you do a mission too soon it’ll lock you out of finishing important side quests if you want a good ending.
Mass effect 3 is great, the mechanics are more mature than 2, the story and “omg” moments are the best in the series; and (especially with the DLCs) it really fleshes out the backstory of the galaxy and races in a way the first two games didn’t. I do wish the team on the ship was a bit bigger, but the citadel dlc is definitely a close second best in the series; and makes up for it imo.
As for the ending of 3 (mild mood spoilers):
spoilerI like my games to have a happily ever after ending, and that there really isn’t one kinda bums me out. I get why the writers did it, and I don’t fault them for it; but I’m looking forward to my current playthrough using the happy ending mod for a non cannon ending that won’t leave me kinda sad after finishing the game haha
So all in all, I think the trilogy is incredible, and everyone should try it. That said you’ve gotta go in with an idea of how to play it (this is true for all the games, but especially 1), because the games will let you miss a lot of stuff (like crew interactions, important side missions that affect the ending of the game and encounters in later games, etc.). It’s definitely a trilogy that’s better the second time through bc of it, or just find a good non spoiler guide/video for tips.
I’ve only played mass effect 1. I completed it around five years ago and absolutely loved it. I always have difficulty completing games, but for this one I read all the codex entries, completed all the quests I could find and really absorbed it all.
The opening is so memorable, it immediately gave me this epic sense of scale and importance and this lasted throughout the game.
I’m thinking of maybe playing it again as femshep and then continuing on with 2 and 3, although I’m not sure if it will match my original experience.
Can we take a moment to appreciate how Metroid II really did the groundwork for what Super Metroid perfected? I don’t think SM would have flown to the heights it has had Metroid II not taken the risks it did.
Edit: this wasn’t intended as a reply to a comment and should have been it’s own comment!
Can we take a moment to appreciate how Metroid II really did the groundwork for what Super Metroid perfected? I don’t think SM would have flown to the heights it has had Metroid II not taken the risks it did.
Edit: this wasn’t intended as a reply to a comment and should have been it’s own comment!
Metroid II is my all-time favorite game in the series. It introduces her ship, introduces her iconic look, and is the last game in the series to not include the “break this with this item” blocks. I just love everything about that game.
Metroid 2 turned its technical limitations into claustrophobic feeling. It has aged surprisingly well if you disregard the visuals. I started my Metroids with Prime, but og M2 is the oldest I have actually played through. NEStroid has many outdated features that makes the gaming impractical like starting with 30 health, slow healing, save system, difficulty curve etc. Playing M2 felt closer to Super than NES. The spider ball was also neat. I even liked the experimental soundtrack even though that’s an unpopular opinion.
It really was a masterwork in that regard. I really see a lot of the creative genius of that era revolving around working around hardware limitations. Metroid II really did make me rethink what the Game Boy was really capable of back then. How it managed to play so well when the Castlevania games struggled to resemble their NES counterparts really told a pretty telling story in its own right.
Out of the 2D metroids, I think Super Metroid still takes the cake. Dread and 2r are still pretty good but there is a reason why super metroid game design gets taught in college game design courses. One of the best games of all time probably, still trades blows even with good modern metroidvanias. I played it for the first on in the Wii back when I was in high school so this isn’t even nostalgia talking, I even played it after the Prime games.
For the 3d ones, both Prime and Prime 2 are classics imo. Just the sheer immersion is something you don’t find too often in video games. Prime 2 gets a lot of flak for the ammo system and dark world constant damage, but I think those were useful improvements to balance the game since Prime 1 is quite an easy game. They do add a decent amount of friction to traversing the world and makes the dark world feel actually dangerous to be in. Prime 3 was a bit more forgettable but still not a bad game.
Have to disagree with you on echoes - I loved the game, but it IMO it was much easier than Prime 1 - the most difficult boss was the probably the boost guardian midway through rather than any of the endgame bosses. The ammo system made the standard power beam too centralising which was boring, and the dark world damage just served to slow the player down, since the light fields regenerated your health.
The ammo system rewarded you with ammo for the opposite color of beam you were using, so you are actually totally free to ignore the power beam most of the time without running into supply issues. Even when you wanted to only use one color, like the light beam when you’re on Dark Aether, use the one you don’t want in combat to shoot crates and plants and stuff to farm good ammo for the fights.
I’ve played most of the metroid games, and i know theres a ton of nostalgia for super metroid, but to this day nothing has matched the feeling of exploration and awe from Metroid Prime. Every place in the game was so radically different, and the ability to scan and learn about the environment was so unique, and exactly what i didn’t know i needed. Learning the lore and finding out what happened to the planet only by analyzing everything made the world feel like it had died, and it’s death was a tragedy. All the enemies you encounter are just local animals that don’t know better, or had been corrupted by pollution. That is, until about halfway through the game when you meet actually hostile, malicious intelligence, and the combat steps up exponentially.
It’s fantastic. I still remember being amazed at the fogging and raindrops showing up on the visor the first time you step off your ship on Talon IV. I had never seen graphocs so good, and such attention to detail, and the game was already 4 years old.
The only game i’ve ever played that felt similar was subnautica, and while it had the wonder, it lacked the melancholy and insane combat.
@SadSadSatellite@knokelmaat the only games in the franchise I haven’t played are the prime ones. I think I owned the trilogy for Wii U and never got to it.
Look up “primehack”, it’s a modded version of Dolphin emulator which is specifically for playing the Metroid Prime trilogy. Modernised controls and lots of little QoL improvements, it’s my first experience of Metroid and I loved it!
I see this sentiment a lot and I’ve disagreed. Something didn’t really click for me with Metroid prime - I much preferred the side scrollers. I think it has to do with controllers - up until then I was a mouse and keyboard person, the controller was jarring and janky.
Maybe I should revisit the series. I never thought it was a bad game, maybe I’ll appreciate it more the 2nd time around.
I do love me some Metroid games whatever the form.
I’d argue Echoes was better in just about every way. It built on everything they made Prime great, while managing to improve on the things that needed improved. I love the whole Prime trilogy, but Echoes felt like it was the best in the series.
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