Mass Effect 2

[daerdevil]

I'm embarrassed to say I never got ME1.  All of this talk about ME2 is whipping me into a frenzy.  I'm guessing I should get a platinum copy of the 1st version before worrying about the sequel (especially with the character import feature).  Just a quick question for the uninitiated:  are all of these character customization options available on the 360?  My PC isn't up to snuff for post 2007 games.

[Podmark]

I'm embarrassed to say I never got ME1.  All of this talk about ME2 is whipping me into a frenzy.  I'm guessing I should get a platinum copy of the 1st version before worrying about the sequel (especially with the character import feature).  Just a quick question for the uninitiated:  are all of these character customization options available on the 360?  My PC isn't up to snuff for post 2007 games.

My understanding is that the PC and 360 versions of both games are virtually the same.

[GhostMachine]

GhostMachine are you on PC or 360? It's just the 360 that had the delayed Zaeed I think.

PC. I don't have a next-gen system. Still using a PS2 for non-PC games.

[GogglesPizanno]

I was afraid of having reality come crashing into my expectations, but so far I'm totally loving it. The reworked combat mechanics downplaying the weapons and upping the use of powers I like a lot, its more fun to play (and having jimmies of warp energy that arc around corners when fired is just cool).

[captmorgan72]

I am playing this game as I did ME1, making choices that I would make in real life. So I have to ask

Spoiler

how do you feel about working for Cerberus now? They are a interesting black ops organization that has done some very dark things in the name of humanity. They did however spend an enormous fortune to resurrect Shepard. That and building the new Normandy, which is far more advanced than the first Normandy. Kinda hard not to feel grateful for that. Also, their methods may be dark, borderline evil, but they are in the interest of humanity. I look back in history at some of the things my country has done (U.S.) that was definitely dark, borderline evil but in the name of freedom and liberty, or so they would tell us. Makes you wonder if you are on the right side (referring to Cerberus). I love that the game makes you think about these things.  

[GogglesPizanno]

I am playing this game as I did ME1, making choices that I would make in real life. So I have to ask

Spoiler

how do you feel about working for Cerberus now? They are a interesting black ops organization that has done some very dark things in the name of humanity. They did however spend an enormous fortune to resurrect Shepard. That and building the new Normandy, which is far more advanced than the first Normandy. Kinda hard not to feel grateful for that. Also, their methods may be dark, borderline evil, but they are in the interest of humanity. I look back in history at some of the things my country has done (U.S.) that was definitely dark, borderline evil but in the name of freedom and liberty, or so they would tell us. Makes you wonder if you are on the right side (referring to Cerberus). I love that the game makes you think about these things.  

Spoiler

Personally i think the Cerberus thing is a red herring. That you are supposed to feel conflicted about it, and at some point in the game (or maybe part 3) the rug is gonna get pulled and its gonna turn out that cerberus is really not what it appears. Or maybe I'm just letting my conspiracy ideas run away with me. As for gameplay, I'm playing it as very grey and not helping cerberus any more that I have to. But then I kind of play the characters that way with all groups... I generally take the "What would Jack Bauer do" approach.

[Uncle Yuan]

So, is ME1 something I should play through before this?  I'm thinking that it is a good enough game that I should play it in any event, but does the story/characters/what have you make more sense having played the first game?

I here I am still trying to get through Dragon Age.  (I've been out of the country for the last three weeks, and right before I left I learned that I had screwed up the romance I was working on and so had to restart.  So, a long ways to go yet.)  Now with ME1 & 2 to contemplate, Bioshock 2 due soon . . .

[captmorgan72]

Spoiler

Capt. Anderson sent me a message asking me to return to the Citadel to talk to him and the Council. I tried to reason with them and explain about the Reapers but they told me I was delusional. After everything I did for them (I saved them in ME1) they just blow me off. They even suggested that I do something for them to "win" back their trust and then they would reinstate me as a Specter. I told them to stick their suggestion up their arse. Right there and then, I was done with the Council and my full allegiance is now with Cerberus.

[Ares_God_of_War]

So for christmas I got a new 120 gig HD for my Xbox and during the transfer is said some files were corrupt. I didnt find out which until I tried to import my character over. My fav save got deleted

[GhostMachine]

Spoiler

Capt. Anderson sent me a message asking me to return to the Citadel to talk to him and the Council. I tried to reason with them and explain about the Reapers but they told me I was delusional. After everything I did for them (I saved them in ME1) they just blow me off. They even suggested that I do something for them to "win" back their trust and then they would reinstate me as a Specter. I told them to stick their suggestion up their arse. Right there and then, I was done with the Council and my full allegiance is now with Cerberus.

Hmmmm.....

Spoiler

I let the Council die in ME1. Issued the order to concentrate on Sovereign (basically took this option because the Council were a bunch of boneheaded morons), so the Council's ship got blown up. When I went to the Citadel in ME2, I talked to Anderson (now Counsilor Anderson) and got my Spectre status back. Only thing is, Udina showed up and I really wish there had been a Renegade response option (so I could deck him or something). Really hope that there's an option to do something to Udina (deck him, kill him or leave him to die) in ME3.

Oh, and when you finally meet Conrad Verner (the fan from the first game) on Illium, there's an option to shoot him in the foot. 

[Midnight]

I happened to be extremely ill when ME2 was finally released (true story, I don't play hooky) and beat the game yesterday. Epic.

Fun fact though: My imported game went counter to the "canon" that new players get. I didn't kill Wrex, saved the Council, Anderson over Udina... very odd. The canon route isn't as goodie two-shoes as I expected.

"Those were the days, us against the unknown, killing it with big guns... good times." --Urdnot Wrex

[Midnight]

I am playing this game as I did ME1, making choices that I would make in real life. So I have to ask

Spoiler

how do you feel about working for Cerberus now? They are a interesting black ops organization that has done some very dark things in the name of humanity. They did however spend an enormous fortune to resurrect Shepard. That and building the new Normandy, which is far more advanced than the first Normandy. Kinda hard not to feel grateful for that. Also, their methods may be dark, borderline evil, but they are in the interest of humanity. I look back in history at some of the things my country has done (U.S.) that was definitely dark, borderline evil but in the name of freedom and liberty, or so they would tell us. Makes you wonder if you are on the right side (referring to Cerberus). I love that the game makes you think about these things.  

Spoiler

Personally i think the Cerberus thing is a red herring. That you are supposed to feel conflicted about it, and at some point in the game (or maybe part 3) the rug is gonna get pulled and its gonna turn out that cerberus is really not what it appears. Or maybe I'm just letting my conspiracy ideas run away with me. As for gameplay, I'm playing it as very grey and not helping cerberus any more that I have to. But then I kind of play the characters that way with all groups... I generally take the "What would Jack Bauer do" approach.

Ding ding ding ding ding, we have a winner. Not everyone played through all the side missions in ME1, but a lot of the stuff Cerberus did was outright nasty.

[Podmark]

Yeah in my game Wrex lived, I saved the council, and chose Anderson (of course I did, he's Keith David!!), and I saved Kaiden.

[GhostMachine]

Mine Wrex lived, I let the Council die (took the `concentrate on Sovereign' option), chose Anderson, and saved Williams. (Williams was the one Shepard romanced)

Apparently if you start a game from scratch, rather than transferring one over from ME1, Wrex is dead, the Council died, and Shepard sacrificed Williams. Guess that means Liara was probably the one romanced, too. Don't know if Anderson or Udina got the Council job, though. (I started a new game from scratch to play around with the face maker and made a female Infiltrator, then played her up until the start of Freedom's Progress)

Udina is a jerk, so I don't know why anyone would choose him over Anderson. And Keith David is one of my favorite actors, live action OR voice. (I wonder if Keith David and David Keith have ever been in the same movie?) Hard to believe that Steve Blum does the voice of Grunt; he's one of my favorite voice actors, but tends to use the same voice or a variation of it in almost everything he does.

[TheMarvell]

I'm only a portion into the game, but I do find the "canon" way interesting. So basically the canon way is the renegade way? Interesting. I took the paragon way my first run, renegade on my second...and both times I couldn't kill Wrex. I convinced him to say as a paragon by being persuasive, and similarly as a renegade by intimidating him.

Spoiler

Killing the council does seem like the right choice though, regardless. I saved them my first time, and in the sequel after meeting up with them for the first time, I wish I hadn't. Instead of taking their second specter offering, I told them to shove it.

but man, the most pleasing thing so far that hearkens back to the first game is meeting Emily Wong, the reporter, again. I took the renegade option this time. If you know what I'm talking about, it's a very laugh-out-loud moment, but only because it's in a game.

[GhostMachine]

You're confusing the reporters, Marvell. Emily Wong was the nice one you did missions for. She shows up on the Galactic News if you view it, and later on you get mail from her.

Spoiler

I didn't take the Renegade option with the other reporter, because I didn't want the points, and I already knew what happens if you do it, because there's a video showing it somewhere. Instead I used the Paragon conversation option, which still puts her in her place.

Two moments I did go Renegade, and really enjoyed:

Spoiler

Meeting Conrad Verner, I took the option to shoot him in the foot (Not sure if that actually earned Renegade pts, but it seemed something a Renegade would do, and it was a conversation option, not a flashing one), and during the mission to recruit Thane I took the Renegade option when interrogating a merc who refused to talk and tossed him out a window.

Does anyone know where you get the shield and fuel improvements for the ship?

And apparently Kelly is only a romance option if you flirt with her enough to get her to have dinner with you, then don't romance anyone, and reload the game after doing the final mission. (This game doesn't end once you beat it like the first one did)

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

One thing I have to ask here is about the language.  That's the one thing that concerns me, it appears to be far, far worse than ME1, but it seems that nearly all of the stuff they've had to bleep out of the ads came from Subject Zero.  Is she pretty much the main source of most of the language in this game?  Can you avoid recruiting her?

Another odd thing is that they seem to be over-emphasizing biotics.  It seems that nearly every recruitable characters is a biotic, which I find oddly unballancing, and only the returning characters are techs.

[Midnight]

I'm only a portion into the game, but I do find the "canon" way interesting. So basically the canon way is the renegade way? Interesting. I took the paragon way my first run, renegade on my second...and both times I couldn't kill Wrex. I convinced him to say as a paragon by being persuasive, and similarly as a renegade by intimidating him.

Spoiler

Killing the council does seem like the right choice though, regardless. I saved them my first time, and in the sequel after meeting up with them for the first time, I wish I hadn't. Instead of taking their second specter offering, I told them to shove it.

but man, the most pleasing thing so far that hearkens back to the first game is meeting Emily Wong, the reporter, again. I took the renegade option this time. If you know what I'm talking about, it's a very laugh-out-loud moment, but only because it's in a game.

Spoiler

The council isn't very helpful in ME2, period. In my first run (saved the council, Anderson as human rep) they basically saw me as a political nuisance but gave me back my Spectre status. In my second run, (council killed, Udina as rep), they wouldn't even speak to me.

Does anyone know where you get the shield and fuel improvements for the ship?

Shield is from Tali, fuel is from... I *think* Samara. All of the recruits have one upgrade available in the Investigate conversation option.

One thing I have to ask here is about the language.  That's the one thing that concerns me, it appears to be far, far worse than ME1, but it seems that nearly all of the stuff they've had to bleep out of the ads came from Subject Zero.  Is she pretty much the main source of most of the language in this game?  Can you avoid recruiting her?

Another odd thing is that they seem to be over-emphasizing biotics.  It seems that nearly every recruitable characters is a biotic, which I find oddly unballancing, and only the returning characters are techs.

Subject Zero swears the most. You have to recruit her, but you can minimize your exposure to her character. After recruitment, you can basically ignore any of them. There's some language in other parts of the game, but I can't give specific examples. I'm largely desensitized so I may not notice it as much as others.

Biotics aren't unbalanced in this game. You only get two or three biotic powers per character, there's a pretty long cooldown, they're not superheroes really. I honestly like the tech powers better; more debuffing, less crowd control.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

That's not what I meant by unballancing.  I'm sure biotics are not any more powerful than the other two areas.  What I meant is that it is represented by far more characters than other class type combinations, instead of having it evenly ballanced like the first game. With the first game, you had basically one character from each class, slightly customized or the character, but basically that's what it was.  But practically everyone in the new game seems to be either biotic, or biotic/soldier.

[Midnight]

ME1
Kaiden - Sentinel (Biotic/Tech)
Ashley - Soldier (Combat)
Liara - Adept (Biotic)
Wrex - Battlemaster/Vanguard (Biotic/Combat)
Garrus - Infiltrator (Combat/Tech)
Tali - Engineer (Tech)

ME2
Zaeed - Soldier (Combat)
Legion - Infiltrator (Combat/Tech)
Samara - Vanguard (Combat/Biotic)
Tali - Engineer (Tech)
Mordin - Engineer (Tech)
Archangel - Infiltrator (Combat/Tech)
Miranda - Adept (Biotic)
Grunt - Soldier (Combat)
Jacob - Sentinel (Biotic/Tech)
Thane - Vanguard (Combat/Biotic)
Subject Zero - Adept (Biotic)

They're featured more in promotional material because of the neato physics. Honestly, there's more characters with "powers" in general. Of course, there's almost twice the number of characters as well.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

Hmm--I read that Grunt was a Battlemaster which means biotic/soldier.

Anyhow, yeah, this list does seem to indicate that they just over-promoted the biotic characters.  That answers my concern rather well, thanks.

[GhostMachine]

There's more foul language in the game besides Jack (Subject Zero's real name), but she does the majority of it. The Asari crimelord you have to deal with on Omega uses the `f' word during a sentence if you keep the conversation going, and Shepard and others use the `a' word (for rear end) a few times, but yeah, Jack uses foul language a LOT.

Doing characters' loyalty mission not only increases their chance of surviving the final mission and gives them an alternate outfit to wear, but it also gives them a bonus power, which you can also have Shepard learn or later on pick as a bonus power in a new game or restart.

Oh, and I got the shield upgrade as a reward at the end of Tali's loyalty mission (fortunately I had enough Paragon pts to make the trial's outcome favorable). I'm guessing from what Midnight said that the fuel increase is a reward from the end of Samara's....

Little spoiler about Samara's loyalty mission that's interesting - read if you need/want Renegade pts:

Spoiler

At the end of Samara's loyalty mission you can apparently choose to help Morinth kill Samara and let her replace Samara on the team, but it'll earn you a lot of Renegade pts. Morinth is probably more useful, as her special power is basically a version of AI Hacking that works on Organics instead.

I still need to do Samara and Thane's loyalty missions and then do some mining before I go after the IFF.

Oh, and I'm playing Shepard as a Vanguard and I've hardly ever used Charge. I find Shockwave and Pull to be much more effective, unless the target has no defenses.

[captmorgan72]

I think I am seeing some similarity with the plot of ME2 and the tv show Alias.

Spoiler

Cerberus is looking more and more like SD-6 from Alias and with the Illusive Man being ME2's Arvin Sloane. I still don't trust him but I do believe that he is doing more to protect humanity and the galaxy from the Reapers than the Alliance or the Council. For this reason I continue to be a loyal agent with Cerberus.

I recently ran into Ashley and she was disgusted with me for joining Cerberus. She backed away from me (after hugging me) like I was infected with a disease after learning I am with them now. The way I see it, they deserve my loyalty. They brought me back from the dead, built me a far superior Normandy and put together a list of people that can best help me against the threat that faces us. The Alliance and the Council are pretty much useless to me as they offer little or no help. There is that chance however, that I am being used by Cerberus for a sinister reason. Until I see evidence of that however, I am with Cerberus.  

[Midnight]

I think I am seeing some similarity with the plot of ME2 and the tv show Alias.

Spoiler

Cerberus is looking more and more like SD-6 from Alias and with the Illusive Man being ME2's Arvin Sloane. I still don't trust him but I do believe that he is doing more to protect humanity and the galaxy from the Reapers than the Alliance or the Council. For this reason I continue to be a loyal agent with Cerberus.

I recently ran into Ashley and she was disgusted with me for joining Cerberus. She backed away from me (after hugging me) like I was infected with a disease after learning I am with them now. The way I see it, they deserve my loyalty. They brought me back from the dead, built me a far superior Normandy and put together a list of people that can best help me against the threat that faces us. The Alliance and the Council are pretty much useless to me as they offer little or no help. There is that chance however, that I am being used by Cerberus for a sinister reason. Until I see evidence of that however, I am with Cerberus.  

You'll have an interesting endgame.

[captmorgan72]

A thought just occurred to me.

Spoiler

What if Cerberus killed me and set it up to look like the enemy of humanity did it. Then rebuilt me and supplied me with everything I need to get their agenda done? 

[captmorgan72]

When do I recruit Steve Rogers for my team?

Spoiler

There are several super soldiers on my team and I am not even done recruiting. First there is me, Commander Shepard was killed and brought back to life and in my case genetically/cybernetically enhanced. I was a soldier in ME1 and now a Vanguard in ME2. Then there is Miranda, who was genetically/cybernetically enhanced to be the perfect human soldier. Jack was tortured/trained/enhanced to be the ultimate biotic warrior. Grunt was genetically created to be the perfect Grogan super soldier. Not even done recruiting and I feel like I can take on the galaxy with my team. 

[GhostMachine]

If anyone is playing a class that can use this sniper rifle, see if you can pull off the feat I did this earlier this morning (started a new game using a non-imported female Infiltrator) that I'm still smirking about :

On Grunt's loyalty mission, see if you can take out the boss Krogan with a sniper shot to the rear end. (Probably easier to do if you're an Infiltrator and use the cloak, though) I was planning to head shot him, but he turned around just as I was about to fire, so I decided to hit him in the left butt cheek instead.

[Ares_God_of_War]

So yeah I finally got ME1 beat the way I wanted it that I lost before and then beat ME2 beat it last night. I saved Wrex, Romanced Ashley, and promoted Anderson. Also there were a few other things I decided to do that ended up making cameos in the game in building a long term army. ME2 was alot harder than ME1 and I liked that. The ground enemies packed a bit more punch and you actually needed cover this time around instead up just strafing and shooting your enemies.

Spoiler

So for ME2 I did everyone's loyalty missions and paragoned my way through the jack/miranda and tali/legion arguements. Since your romance carries over I didn't do any on this go round and toward the end of the game I got to stare at Ashley's picture in my cabin before the final fight. I destroyed the station becqause I can just see that biting us in the arse with Cerberus.

[Talavar]

Just beat ME2 myself and happily...

Spoiler

my Shepard lived, and so did everyone on my team.  Huzzah!  I don't think I've ever received so many Xbox achievement points in so short a time as beating this game (Suicide Mission: 50, Mission Accomplished: 125, Against All Odds: 15, No One Left Behind: 75, and Long Service Medal 75).  Craziness.

Looking back over the whole game, I've really enjoyed it and think it's a marked improvement over the first Mass Effect.  Here's looking forward to ME3!

[GhostMachine]

New free DLC coming later today. Should be up 12:00pm Mountain Time (which is....2:00pm EST?). A new shotgun and Cerberus Assault Armor. (I'm guessing the armor will be like the various bonus armors in that it can't be recolored and the helmet can't be removed, but it looks cool)

Word is that there's eventually going to be a new character released

Spoiler

Named Kasumi, and will be found on the Citadel

, but there's no idea when. There's still no word on when the Hammerhead will be released, but since it will also require new missions (unless they do something crappy and just make it replace the shuttle for landings), I'm betting it won't be any time soon.