It's been... umm... yeah...
So, it's been awhile.
Hi.
[ignores crickets chirping]
I've been off playing Mass Effect Trilogy, which I got for my birthday a few months ago.
I came into this trilogy pretty much unspoiled.
I knew the main character was named Shepard, and it's a space odyssey type game.
Oh! And there's a vehicle that made people rage quit the first game.
And, since I was taking notes for something else, I thought I'd share them!
I am gamer, hear me roar! :)
So, there is spoilers under the cut for Mass Effect. I'm going to do Mass Effect 2 and 3 in a separate post.
I am currently halfway (I hope) through mass Effect 3. So, watch spoilers for that. Why 'I hope'? Because, I'm at 40 hours! Nice, big game.
I'm going to try and keep all thoughts in Mass Effect. I know what happens here effects Mass Effect 2, and even Mass Effect 3. But, trying to keep those games out of this post. They'll get their own post.
I'm playing a female infiltrator. I always play female if it's allowed, and infiltrator just seems to be my sort of player.
However, I've noticed that I just don't use powers. I use the ammo powers, but nothing else much. I got myself the sniper rifles talent as soon as possible. When it comes to modern or futuristic games, I love sniper rifles.
Bizarrely enough, in fantasy settings, I just can't make a bow and arrow work. I've tried. Oh, how I've tried. Maybe because I need the sniper scope to work it.
It may be anachronistic, but someone make me a sniper scope for my bows in Skyrim. Make it happen! :)
My way of fighting a battle is to stay in cover as far back, with a sniper rifle, and just use that while the other two members of my party run around and do their thing. It works pretty well. I carried that battle style, for the most part, through all three games. I adore the cover concept. And, how easy to use it is.
And, for Mass Effect, once I got them, I wandered around with Garrus and Wrex as much as possible. I like Garrus's style, and I developed a soft spot for the Krogan. Helps that Wrex is the epitome of a tank in RPGs...
Ok, into the game. Most of this is bullet points I jotted down while playing. So, I'll expand on them if I can... Also, I'll try to give place names for the locations I had the thoughts on... But, sometimes, I can't tell. I went to a lot of planets!
I love the dialogue wheel. I'm less likely to press a wrong button on a wheel then a list. Just the way my brain works.
Prologue
Don't turn away from Saren! Never turn your back on the 'friend' who shows up randomly! Bad! Bad!
See? Told you.
But, I've come to assume all the characters in the prologue will die. So, I try not to grow attached to someone unless they survive the prologue.
Citadel
I find it strange that bodies vaporize so quickly. And, I just automatically get the stuff from the dead. Then again, no need to loot is awesome.
Oh, my! They put Battlestar Galactica (The Quarians) in the game! Awesome!
I'm looking at shops, and I so need more money. They want 30000 for something! And me? I have 350... Upgrade are expensive! Hopefully, stuff I find in battle will be better. That's what I'm going to tell myself.
Quasar = Blackjack without cards. Ooo! I love Blackjack. And, I appreciate the fact that they put a sub-game to in this that doesn't require a long list of semi-confusing rules. (Yes, Final Fantasy games, I'm looking at you.) However, it just isn't a good money maker for me. I need 30000 just for one item. 200 a hand? Pfft... It'll never happen.
The generic yell of 'enemies are everywhere!' can stop now. Please.
I really like the Elcor race. I find them interesting to chat to.
The elevators have elevator music! LOL!
Huh... I didn't realize I had DLC in this game until I went looking for how to do something. Huh. It's Bring Down the Sky. Which, I'm tempted to just leave Terra Nova to it's fate. I hate vehicle battles. Which I have a feeling is going to happen quite a bit in this game. In vehicles, I swerve so much, I get fed up, 'lock' on a location, stop, and shoot. Yeah, doesn't work with this game. That's what I get for going off and playing some side quests before pushing on with the main mission.
Does this mean Terra Nova was in a time vacuum? Because, there's a 4 hour countdown on the asteroid. Which didn't start until I got there. Or, were the bad guys thinking 'Lets just wait until... Ah, there's an Alliance cruiser. Start the flares up for real!' Later: Yes, it is in a time vacuum. I gave up, left, came back about twenty hours later in gameplay time... it's still at the beginning of the 4 hour countdown. I've gotten better at driving. My mode of driving the Mako: Go forward enough that the enemies are in the sights, fire the cannon, back up and find cover when mako's life is low. I still hate Thresher Maws though.
Find Liara T'Soni mission: I'm on Therum, and my first thought? Oh, look... Lava! As if my driving isn't bad enough. Of course, it got better when I remembered the idea of cover. Oh, and the fact that I can get out of the Mako! Which took me so long to figure out since they don't list that in the manual or keymapping that I saw. Had to end up pressing every key on the keyboard until I figured it out.
Okay, I think I'm getting the hang of the whole driving thing. I love my cannon, yes, I do.
I just wrote this on my whiteboard: I <3 Sniper Rifles!!!! I use whiteboards when gaming so I don't waste paper with all my notes, and the keys I always forget.
I love how the dialogue choices aren't what Shepard really says. Made up example: You choose "It's Okay" off the dialogue wheel, Shepard says "Buck up, soldier!"
The Asari view of 'pure bloods'. Now, that's an interesting twist. And, yes, I'm thinking Harry Potter when it's mentioned.
An Elcor as Hamlet! Yes! I'd pay to see that!
I love the space travel and exploration of planets bit. It's very soothing, and I have to survey every planet I can... (In Mass Effect. More on planet exploration in the next two games)
I'm enjoying the ongoing fight between the Human customer and the Turian merchant in the upper market on the Citadel. Almost every time I run through there, I get a new section of their fight. I'm just waiting for one or the other to start a firefight...
If I had played this before Dragon Age: Origins, I wouldn't be so 'eh' about the relationships between Shepard and other members of my crew. But, since I have, it's letting me down. It does let me see the progression Bioware has for relationships though. And, look, I'm starting to believe you can be ninja-manced in any Bioware game...
At 20 hours, I met my 'saturation point'. When I play games, I play for hours at a time (Today, I played six hour so far). And, I can't stop. I play and play and play and play. Then comes the point where I've played so much, I'm all 'eh'. I still want to play, but I keep getting distracted by other things. I have to finish this game to go to Mass Effect 2, so onward!
20+ hours in
And, I just got a concequence to an action that I didn't like. I just helped the Doctor in the Citadel with her little blackmail problem, and followed the clues. So, Adimral Kahuku knows more about Banes? Well, let's go looking for him. Can't find him. Can't find him. Searched the Citadel, he isn't even hiding in Chora's Den. So, I search for him in a walkthrough. Oh, that's right. I found his corpse during a Cerubus mission. But, that's the reason for the missing marines mission. Did I miss something? I completed the Cerberus missions, but I don't remember Banes anywhere. Did I kill him without noticing? Or, was he a plot point that isn't resolved in this game? I figured it out (I'm sure I either killed him during the Cerberus missions, or he's holed up in a crevice on a little moon...) At the end of the Cerberus missions, I thought they were a mostly evil organization, and was glad I stopped their plans in the galaxy...
After driving the Mako around for awhile, I suddenly had this thought, which is now my head canon: "Commander Shepard: The craziest, most reckless Mako driver in the Fifth Fleet, maybe beyond. It's like being in a starship at full speed, helmed by a four year old. Actually... I'd feel safer with the four year old."
Just finished Vimire. And, I find that I'm a little sad that Ashley died, but, nothing like the usual "NO! THEY CAN'T DIE!" vibe I get from other games... Huh... Hopefully, I'll care more for Mass Effect 2 and 3...
And, personally, I'm sad to say that the reason I let Ashley die is because I'm romancing Kaiden... Yeah... I'm a bad person.
Every time I leave a planet bound building, I have a fear that my Mako had been stolen. For a second, I think it's gone. Then, I see it, and I sigh in relief. "Mako-jack. For your peace of mind!"
I've been thinking off and on about the dynamic of a human Spectre. On one hand, I'm a Spectre. Laws don't affect me. On the other, I'm human. I still have to follow human laws and protocol. So, according to the galaxy, I can do basically what I want, 'for the greater good'. Destroy a colony? Sure, as long as it ends up saving more lives than were killed. On the other hand, to humans. Destroy a colony? You better have a damn, damn good reason for it!
Oh, reminds me, I do have all the major DLC for the games... In case you were wondering.
Noveria Eh, another mission, another base... Then, I met Han Olar. His story? Made me tear up! The poor Volus!
I have this written, but since I've been talking and arguing with Udina through Mass Effect 2 and 3, I can't remember exactly what it was: Citadel after lockdown. Udina, you Rat Bastard!!
Oh, I remember now. He tried to take away my ship. You'll pay for that. Oh, yes, you will.
Ok... Bioware is known for reuse of sets. Which I can understand, it saves compiling time on the game. In the Dragon Age series, it started to wear. Dragon Age Origins, not a whole lot until the last fourth of the game. Dragon Age II, I got tired of the sets real quick.
However, in Mass Effect, it was realistic. I think it's the whole 'organic' vs 'non-organic'. In an organic setting, things grow bit by bit. A house here, a wall there, etc. However, in the Mass Effect world, ships and space stations are built to a set standard. So, the ships I boarded were all the same shape, because they were built the same. So, the reuse of sets never grated on me.
Total time: 35 hours
In the end, I let the Council die. Only a little bit because they kept pissing me off....
And, I made Anderson the human Councilor. That decision because I thought Udina was a worm, and he tried to take away my ship.
On to my Mass Effect 2 post...
Hi.
[ignores crickets chirping]
I've been off playing Mass Effect Trilogy, which I got for my birthday a few months ago.
I came into this trilogy pretty much unspoiled.
I knew the main character was named Shepard, and it's a space odyssey type game.
Oh! And there's a vehicle that made people rage quit the first game.
And, since I was taking notes for something else, I thought I'd share them!
I am gamer, hear me roar! :)
So, there is spoilers under the cut for Mass Effect. I'm going to do Mass Effect 2 and 3 in a separate post.
I am currently halfway (I hope) through mass Effect 3. So, watch spoilers for that. Why 'I hope'? Because, I'm at 40 hours! Nice, big game.
I'm going to try and keep all thoughts in Mass Effect. I know what happens here effects Mass Effect 2, and even Mass Effect 3. But, trying to keep those games out of this post. They'll get their own post.
I'm playing a female infiltrator. I always play female if it's allowed, and infiltrator just seems to be my sort of player.
However, I've noticed that I just don't use powers. I use the ammo powers, but nothing else much. I got myself the sniper rifles talent as soon as possible. When it comes to modern or futuristic games, I love sniper rifles.
Bizarrely enough, in fantasy settings, I just can't make a bow and arrow work. I've tried. Oh, how I've tried. Maybe because I need the sniper scope to work it.
It may be anachronistic, but someone make me a sniper scope for my bows in Skyrim. Make it happen! :)
My way of fighting a battle is to stay in cover as far back, with a sniper rifle, and just use that while the other two members of my party run around and do their thing. It works pretty well. I carried that battle style, for the most part, through all three games. I adore the cover concept. And, how easy to use it is.
And, for Mass Effect, once I got them, I wandered around with Garrus and Wrex as much as possible. I like Garrus's style, and I developed a soft spot for the Krogan. Helps that Wrex is the epitome of a tank in RPGs...
Ok, into the game. Most of this is bullet points I jotted down while playing. So, I'll expand on them if I can... Also, I'll try to give place names for the locations I had the thoughts on... But, sometimes, I can't tell. I went to a lot of planets!
I love the dialogue wheel. I'm less likely to press a wrong button on a wheel then a list. Just the way my brain works.
Prologue
Don't turn away from Saren! Never turn your back on the 'friend' who shows up randomly! Bad! Bad!
See? Told you.
But, I've come to assume all the characters in the prologue will die. So, I try not to grow attached to someone unless they survive the prologue.
Citadel
I find it strange that bodies vaporize so quickly. And, I just automatically get the stuff from the dead. Then again, no need to loot is awesome.
Oh, my! They put Battlestar Galactica (The Quarians) in the game! Awesome!
I'm looking at shops, and I so need more money. They want 30000 for something! And me? I have 350... Upgrade are expensive! Hopefully, stuff I find in battle will be better. That's what I'm going to tell myself.
Quasar = Blackjack without cards. Ooo! I love Blackjack. And, I appreciate the fact that they put a sub-game to in this that doesn't require a long list of semi-confusing rules. (Yes, Final Fantasy games, I'm looking at you.) However, it just isn't a good money maker for me. I need 30000 just for one item. 200 a hand? Pfft... It'll never happen.
The generic yell of 'enemies are everywhere!' can stop now. Please.
I really like the Elcor race. I find them interesting to chat to.
The elevators have elevator music! LOL!
Huh... I didn't realize I had DLC in this game until I went looking for how to do something. Huh. It's Bring Down the Sky. Which, I'm tempted to just leave Terra Nova to it's fate. I hate vehicle battles. Which I have a feeling is going to happen quite a bit in this game. In vehicles, I swerve so much, I get fed up, 'lock' on a location, stop, and shoot. Yeah, doesn't work with this game. That's what I get for going off and playing some side quests before pushing on with the main mission.
Does this mean Terra Nova was in a time vacuum? Because, there's a 4 hour countdown on the asteroid. Which didn't start until I got there. Or, were the bad guys thinking 'Lets just wait until... Ah, there's an Alliance cruiser. Start the flares up for real!' Later: Yes, it is in a time vacuum. I gave up, left, came back about twenty hours later in gameplay time... it's still at the beginning of the 4 hour countdown. I've gotten better at driving. My mode of driving the Mako: Go forward enough that the enemies are in the sights, fire the cannon, back up and find cover when mako's life is low. I still hate Thresher Maws though.
Find Liara T'Soni mission: I'm on Therum, and my first thought? Oh, look... Lava! As if my driving isn't bad enough. Of course, it got better when I remembered the idea of cover. Oh, and the fact that I can get out of the Mako! Which took me so long to figure out since they don't list that in the manual or keymapping that I saw. Had to end up pressing every key on the keyboard until I figured it out.
Okay, I think I'm getting the hang of the whole driving thing. I love my cannon, yes, I do.
I just wrote this on my whiteboard: I <3 Sniper Rifles!!!! I use whiteboards when gaming so I don't waste paper with all my notes, and the keys I always forget.
I love how the dialogue choices aren't what Shepard really says. Made up example: You choose "It's Okay" off the dialogue wheel, Shepard says "Buck up, soldier!"
The Asari view of 'pure bloods'. Now, that's an interesting twist. And, yes, I'm thinking Harry Potter when it's mentioned.
An Elcor as Hamlet! Yes! I'd pay to see that!
I love the space travel and exploration of planets bit. It's very soothing, and I have to survey every planet I can... (In Mass Effect. More on planet exploration in the next two games)
I'm enjoying the ongoing fight between the Human customer and the Turian merchant in the upper market on the Citadel. Almost every time I run through there, I get a new section of their fight. I'm just waiting for one or the other to start a firefight...
If I had played this before Dragon Age: Origins, I wouldn't be so 'eh' about the relationships between Shepard and other members of my crew. But, since I have, it's letting me down. It does let me see the progression Bioware has for relationships though. And, look, I'm starting to believe you can be ninja-manced in any Bioware game...
At 20 hours, I met my 'saturation point'. When I play games, I play for hours at a time (Today, I played six hour so far). And, I can't stop. I play and play and play and play. Then comes the point where I've played so much, I'm all 'eh'. I still want to play, but I keep getting distracted by other things. I have to finish this game to go to Mass Effect 2, so onward!
20+ hours in
And, I just got a concequence to an action that I didn't like. I just helped the Doctor in the Citadel with her little blackmail problem, and followed the clues. So, Adimral Kahuku knows more about Banes? Well, let's go looking for him. Can't find him. Can't find him. Searched the Citadel, he isn't even hiding in Chora's Den. So, I search for him in a walkthrough. Oh, that's right. I found his corpse during a Cerubus mission. But, that's the reason for the missing marines mission. Did I miss something? I completed the Cerberus missions, but I don't remember Banes anywhere. Did I kill him without noticing? Or, was he a plot point that isn't resolved in this game? I figured it out (I'm sure I either killed him during the Cerberus missions, or he's holed up in a crevice on a little moon...) At the end of the Cerberus missions, I thought they were a mostly evil organization, and was glad I stopped their plans in the galaxy...
After driving the Mako around for awhile, I suddenly had this thought, which is now my head canon: "Commander Shepard: The craziest, most reckless Mako driver in the Fifth Fleet, maybe beyond. It's like being in a starship at full speed, helmed by a four year old. Actually... I'd feel safer with the four year old."
Just finished Vimire. And, I find that I'm a little sad that Ashley died, but, nothing like the usual "NO! THEY CAN'T DIE!" vibe I get from other games... Huh... Hopefully, I'll care more for Mass Effect 2 and 3...
And, personally, I'm sad to say that the reason I let Ashley die is because I'm romancing Kaiden... Yeah... I'm a bad person.
Every time I leave a planet bound building, I have a fear that my Mako had been stolen. For a second, I think it's gone. Then, I see it, and I sigh in relief. "Mako-jack. For your peace of mind!"
I've been thinking off and on about the dynamic of a human Spectre. On one hand, I'm a Spectre. Laws don't affect me. On the other, I'm human. I still have to follow human laws and protocol. So, according to the galaxy, I can do basically what I want, 'for the greater good'. Destroy a colony? Sure, as long as it ends up saving more lives than were killed. On the other hand, to humans. Destroy a colony? You better have a damn, damn good reason for it!
Oh, reminds me, I do have all the major DLC for the games... In case you were wondering.
Noveria Eh, another mission, another base... Then, I met Han Olar. His story? Made me tear up! The poor Volus!
I have this written, but since I've been talking and arguing with Udina through Mass Effect 2 and 3, I can't remember exactly what it was: Citadel after lockdown. Udina, you Rat Bastard!!
Oh, I remember now. He tried to take away my ship. You'll pay for that. Oh, yes, you will.
Ok... Bioware is known for reuse of sets. Which I can understand, it saves compiling time on the game. In the Dragon Age series, it started to wear. Dragon Age Origins, not a whole lot until the last fourth of the game. Dragon Age II, I got tired of the sets real quick.
However, in Mass Effect, it was realistic. I think it's the whole 'organic' vs 'non-organic'. In an organic setting, things grow bit by bit. A house here, a wall there, etc. However, in the Mass Effect world, ships and space stations are built to a set standard. So, the ships I boarded were all the same shape, because they were built the same. So, the reuse of sets never grated on me.
Total time: 35 hours
In the end, I let the Council die. Only a little bit because they kept pissing me off....
And, I made Anderson the human Councilor. That decision because I thought Udina was a worm, and he tried to take away my ship.
On to my Mass Effect 2 post...