Mass Effect 2 Thread

[maxy]

Zaeed is so glitchy, he keeps skywalking above cover

I wont be using this guy again...

I had the same thing with Miranda,i was like "next time,you stay at home,skywalking bitch"
Going to main menu and reloading fixed that.

But on Veteran i had no "bugs".

[demi]

Shepard is actually tolerable, he doesnt care this time. More variety, more life. Some of the stuff he says takes you by surprise since last time he was like a piece of cardboard.

[GilloD]

Shepard is actually tolerable, he doesnt care this time. More variety, more life. Some of the stuff he says takes you by surprise since last time he was like a piece of cardboard.

Martin Sheen does an awesome job and whoever does Jacob does a pretty good job of bringing a disposable black guy to life.

[Third]

Btw, spoiler regarding Samara

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What did you guys do with Samara/Morinth? I let Samara die because she was boring, and Morinth is awesome.

[close]

WTF?

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I never knew you could kill Samara in that mission. Samara killed Morinth during my playthough. Do you recruit Morinth after you kill Samara?

[close]

And the AI of the team is so bad. They're way too slow or get stuck behind an obstacle.

[Third]

Really? 

Good thing I have Samara then. She's pretty hot, in a weird way. But a bit too old for my taste. 

I'm almost 40 hours in now. I think I can finish the game but I'm doing all the sidequests and trying to 100% the galaxy.

btw..

About the story mission I have to do next:

spoiler (click to show/hide)

I've recruited everyone and can go to the centre of the galaxy. Is that the last mission?

[close]

[demi]

God damn the Horizon level was BRUTAL, that last bit. I actually GLITCHED the environment, I tried to get on a wall, but it boosted me on top of some crates and I couldnt get down. Luckily the enemies couldnt touch me and were glitched themselves (would do the same movements back and forth) so I was tossing fireballs. I got down somehow eventually.

The "boss" was just as distinguished mentally-challenged, I love how you can just circle around a crate and it will not do a single thing to you. Glad that's over, at least.

Also, the Particle Cannon is BEAST, holy shit

[Third]

Don't you use the DLC heavy weapon that creates a black hole and uses mass effect? Now that's a heavy weapon.
I still have to use the mini nuclear heavy weapon.

[maxy]

God damn the Horizon level was BRUTAL, that last bit. I actually GLITCHED the environment, I tried to get on a wall, but it boosted me on top of some crates and I couldnt get down. Luckily the enemies couldnt touch me and were glitched themselves (would do the same movements back and forth) so I was tossing fireballs. I got down somehow eventually.

The "boss" was just as distinguished mentally-challenged, I love how you can just circle around a crate and it will not do a single thing to you. Glad that's over, at least.

Also, the Particle Cannon is BEAST, holy shit

I am on that level right now,final fight....oh shit

[demi]

Don't you use the DLC heavy weapon that creates a black hole and uses mass effect? Now that's a heavy weapon.
I still have to use the mini nuclear heavy weapon.

Takes too long to charge, and on insane you are dead if you stand for more than 5 seconds

Particle Cannon is instant and eats away quickly (even more if you are cloaked)

[maxy]

The Horizon level is finished...running in circles,fighting on strategically good places and making sure that AI stays alive.

[demi]

There was nothing strategic about the first bit with the Scions and the Husks... after that it was pretty smooth sailing I think.

[demi]

lol, inserting disc 2 for some random mission i found

[GilloD]

lul. Got bugged during the Arcangel battle- Shepard would ONLY strafe , but the shots were appearing as if he were facing forward. But I couldn't take any cover. Got killed and it went away

[Stoney Mason]

There is still a lot of glitchy stuff which is par for the course for Bioware. I was walking in a space station one time and hit up against the environment and suddenly I was leviatating into the air. I've seen the Shepard facing glitch. And sometimes your teammates or your enemies start moving in a glitchy manner as they try to navigate the environment.

Fortunately though only one crash bug.

[GilloD]

Biggest Upgrade: Auto Saves that are more frequent than like one every fucking hour.

This sequel is a total success in every way. I (Like 2 or 3 hours in. Got Arcangle. Haha. Fucked up spelling, GilloD)

spoiler (click to show/hide)

got Garrus. BATTLE SCARRED GARRUS RULES but he is still the worst character. I'm running Shep/Weird big lipped British lady/Crazy scarred Merc guy. I liked Jacob, but.  Anyway, after Mordin Solus now. Psyched to see how that turns out.

[close]

[Raban]

^^ About that:

spoiler (click to show/hide)

If you recruit Morinth you can sex her up but after you finish, she'll kill you and the game will end FOR GOOD

[close]

I really want to do that, but I'm a female. She's still making advances on me, though. I'd rather have my Shep die in an amazing orgasm then continue to deal with the Illusive Man's bullshit.

[The Fake Shemp]

Mordin is awesome.

... what is everyone's feelings on Grunt?

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Beat it last night, 30 hours. Great sequel, and exactly what I want from a "story-heavy RPG". My feeling is I did about half the side content. Some completely non-spoilery but still tagged thoughts on the last mission.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Jesus, they weren't kidding when they called it a "suicide mission." I totally Rank D'd that motherfucker. I need to go back and get everyone's loyalty maxed, try some different strategies, and see if I can get the No One Left Behind achievement.

[close]

Some slightly more concrete thoughts on the last mission, though still plot and spoiler-free:

spoiler (click to show/hide)

I loved the tension as soon as it starts, but ... not so sure about the last 15 minutes... Uh ... really? Well, there's always Mass Effect 3! Coming soon!

[close]

The Assassin was my favorite character by a fair bit.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

I was kind of surprised how many romance options there were with the crew this time around. I'm playing Female Shepard and the game started to lead me down a fun, sexy time with Garrus before I backpedaled furiously.

[close]

[The Fake Shemp]

Thane + Garrus are the best. Thane is awesome.

I just beat it, game is totally awesome. One of the most rewarding games/sequels in awhile. The last shot was

... How long until Mass Effect 3?

[The Fake Shemp]

I banged Miranda because I love her on Chuck. I have a feeling that helped me out near the end of the game. I'd be interested to see what happens in the story if you don't bang her.

[The Fake Shemp]

Xbox 360 swan song, please.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

I lost Grunt, Legion and the bounty hunter dude. I was pretty sad about Grunt.

[close]

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Suicide Mission Body Count Spoilers:

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I sent Legion down the tube and he STILL died after opening the door, wtf. Thane got eaten by bugs at the end of the Long Walk. I lost Zaeed escorting people back to the ship. Jack and Mordin died during the final escape. BRING YOUR DAUGHTER TO THE SLAUGHTER.

[close]

SUPER SPOILERY ENDING DISCUSSION
(not actually NSFW)

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Why are the Reapers building the Stage 3 boss from Contra III? This is a dumb master plan. I can appreciate that Bioware wanted to end the game on something more exciting than ME1's Saren fight, but I can't say that a GIANT SPACE TERMINATOR was necessarily the right call. After the whole game was a semi-serious Space Opera, that one play felt a bit too Roger Corman for my tastes.

I turned down the Reaper Tech, which pissed off The Illusive Sheen to no end.

[close]

[maxy]

Holy shit,what a murderer you are

 :'(

[The Fake Shemp]

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I lost Grunt when I had him be the DISTRACTION TEAM, which I thought would have been PERFECT for the greatest Krogan in all the land!

[close]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

I thought the giant HUMAN REAPER was also a little hokey, but it was a relatively easy fight and the thought of a giant Galactus-like thing destroying Earth tickles my nerd fancy.

[close]

Guess the last game is for all the marbles, though.

I'm tempted to replay so...

spoiler (click to show/hide)

I don't lose Grunt. And I kind of want to try renegade. (I'm such a boy scout.)

[close]

[Stoney Mason]

The third edition will definitely come out on the 360. Not the next gen console. They want to sell it to the biggest base. They will start the next after that of course on whatever are the next gen consoles. As far as release date, just calculate a 24 month cycle and you have your release window right there.

As far as length I'm 23 hours in and I can tell I'm not close to being finished. But then I tend to play RPG's slow and I'm doing EVERYTHING. Every optional quest I come across including scanning planets to find the hidden ones.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

I'm definitely replaying so that

spoiler (click to show/hide)

I don't lose Thane. I definitely want to take him, Legion, and Grunt over to ME3.

[close]

I also saw people talking about

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Getting Morchin instead of Samara? wtf? Are there any other "multiple slot" characters?

[close]

[Vizzys]

Beat it last night, no one left behind 

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well except for most of the crew who got liquefied, which im told is averted if you dont fuck around the galaxy after getting the iff, but eh

the key to making sure everyone survive is getting all the ship upgrades and if any crew member isnt loyal, they die, no matter what

choosing the right roles is also important, I let jacob run the secondary team twice, legion in the tube for hacking, jack as the biotic, mordin to help the crew escape (not sure if this one matters) but it all went well

loyalty is easy, just speak to a teammate to get their mission and do it, I recommend saving miranda/jack till the end since if you dont have 80% paragon/renegade one of them will become unloyal until you have max paragon/renegade to talk them back into good terms, same thing happens with tali/legion they get into a arguement you have to diffuse

if you continue the game you can have conversations with the crew about the ending some of them are pretty funny

I will miss edi and jokers bickering though, it seems like they are not fighting anymore, which is too bad I enjoyed the dynamic there, like when joker referred to AI as ship cancer

[close]

there are a lot of things that come to mind as choices that will make mass effect 3 pretty different, im curious how they will handle them, like for instance

spoiler (click to show/hide)

you can leave grunt in the tube for the whole game apparently

[close]

would that make him different if you open it in ME3?

[Raban]

I also saw people talking about

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Getting Morchin instead of Samara? wtf? Are there any other "multiple slot" characters?

[close]

Not sure, but in order to do this, you have to keep picking the left dialog options.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

At the end of the game, all I could think of was this:

spoiler (click to show/hide)

                         "I'll swallow your soul!"

                                  /

[close]

Clarification on how Suicide Mission Body Count works:

spoiler (click to show/hide)

My theory is that you lose one character for each "disloyal" party member, but not necessarily that character. Both Legion and Thane were loyal to me, but they still died. Jacob was disloyal but did not die (not on-camera, at least). Mordin, Jack, and Zaeed were all disloyal and got cremated.

[close]

[Howard Alan Treesong]

My Renegade playthrough is gonna be as a Super Racist

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Leave Grunt in the tube, space Legion, basically fuck over aliens and alien party members any chance I get.

[close]

[The Fake Shemp]

I can't wait for Mass Effect 3, where EDI and Joker hate fuck

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Just started playing and cleared mission 1. I really don't know why they added this crazy artificial thing called missions. Lame ass and only takes you out of the universe.

Missions rule, Bioware ripping off Crisis Core total.

JRPGs

Seriously, though, missions are great.

[The Fake Shemp]

I thought the pacing and missions were handled ten times better than it was in the original. Mass Effect 2 felt like an episodic television series.

[Stoney Mason]

I thought the pacing and missions were handled ten times better than it was in the original. Mass Effect 2 felt like an episodic television series.

This.


Honestly what it feels like is a Star Trek that is relevant for this generation. This taps into that Star Trek nerd vibe I have but its better and cooler than that with a better story certainly than that last Star Trek reboot movie. I'm rolling around the universe with a cool crew and friends I like. It doesn't get much better.

People think stuff like Halo is good storytelling and fantasy and I've never been in that camp. That game's story has never seemed interesting to me or even understandable. This game by comparison is light years ahead of that.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

The character quests especially felt like an awesome TV episode. "Next week, on Mass Effect 2, we learn about Thane's dark past!"

[Raban]

I really don't like the mission structure. Showing a canned image of the Illusive Man with a bullet-point rundown of your mission after every plot-point sucks ass and totally takes me outta the game.

[Stoney Mason]

I'll go out on a limb and say that unless the game fall aparts in the last 3rd, this has been my favorite game this gen outside of multiplayer titles. Certainly what I played so far has been my favorite based on my personal tastes and biases of course. When I finish I'll do the usual good and bad and what I liked and didn't like but there is no need to mince words. I'm enjoying the hell out of what I've played so far.

They took what I thought was a great concept in the first that was hampered by a host of issues that brought down the original into something I could barely bring myself to finish and had me quite skeptical for the sequel. Unlike most games where I feel I am dragging myself towards the finish line, I've loving this and instead truly excited and that is what is pulling me through the game.

I'll stop fanboy wanking here. Just giving my thoughts.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

/agree

I'm clearly a "holistic experience" weakass gamer, and I'm also a sci-fi fanboy. Even so, damned if Mass Effect 2 isn't exactly what I want out of a big budget AAA title. It's fun, it's snappy, it's well-written but to-the-point, it's a non-stop roller coaster of content and adventure. I haven't been this "into" a game all generation and assuming ME3 doesn't completely shit the bed, it's gonna be one hell of a trilogy.

Joe pointed out how rare it is for a trilogy like this to be on the same engine for all the games. In fact, once ME3 comes out, you could make the import invisible and do a quick UI pass and release "Mass Effect Trilogy" as a single, 100 hour RPG. How fucking rad would THAT be?

[Great Rumbler]

ME2 actually DOES have lesbian sexy time! And with a human woman this time! 

[The Fake Shemp]

Patel hit the nail on the head.

It felt like a big-budget science fiction television show, where the main crew has to battle their past, we meet new friends every week and go on adventures that typically link to the "big baddie" - which is the epic season finale. It's like Joss Whedon's Star Trek.

[The Fake Shemp]

I guess this game is selling a ton. I think Mass Effect 3 is comfortably in the bag. If EA is smart, they'll release Mass Effect 1 & 2 on the PS3 in like a year and a half - right before Mass Effect 3.

[FatalT]

I rented it from Blockbuster. Mwahahaha

[Great Rumbler]

One of the things I really like about this game, that ME1 didn't do, is that you actually get to SEE all these places you hear about in conversations and codexs.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

The Quarian Flotilla, Krogan homeworld, seedy mercenary cities, and so on.

[close]

It really adds a level of immersion that the first game lacked.

[Stoney Mason]

One of the things I really like about this game, that ME1 didn't do, is that you actually get to SEE all these places you hear about in conversations and codexs.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

The Quarian Flotilla, Krogan homeworld, seedy mercenary cities, and so on.

[close]

It really adds a level of immersion that the first game lacked.

The best immersion thing they did was simply make places look different. Everytime you go to some new place it looks different than some other place. That alone adds a shit load of immersion where you feel like you are traveling through the universe. The first game failed their big time because not only was the layout the same, their just wasn't much variety to the look of things.

And just as I suspected I don't miss tooling around in that Mako.

It makes it feel even more like Star Trek because it just feels like you are beaming down to all these exotic places.

[The Fake Shemp]

And banging aliens from across the galaxy

... so apparently if you cheat on your romance from the first game, it could have consequences in the third game? Fuck that. Ashley had her shot and space is cold and lonely. You can't hold that against a man.

[maxy]

    BIOWARE’S MASS EFFECT 2 HAILED AS 1st BLOCKBUSTER OF 2010

    Game Earns Rave Reviews, Sells 2Million Units in Week One

    Guildford, UK (January 29, 2010) – Forty perfect scores. Two million units. One pop culture phenomenon. BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), announced today that Mass Effect™ 2 has sold-in over two million units worldwide in its first week of release*. Lauded for its intense shooter gameplay and deep, hand-crafted story, Mass Effect 2 has earned an average review score of 96** — making it the second highest rated game of all time on the Xbox 360 platform***. Mass Effect 2 has earned 40 perfect scores, amassed over 30 editor’s choice awards and is donning the front cover of 20 magazines worldwide. On launch day, the term “Mass Effect” was in the top 10 trending topics on Twitter and most searched on Google News. MSNBC.com said, “Mass Effect will go down as one of the most influential video game series of all-time.”

    Dr. Ray Muzyka, co-founder, BioWare and Group General Manager of the RPG/MMO Group of EA said, “Mass Effect 2 is poised to be one of the biggest games of 2010. We could not be more proud of the game’s universal acclaim and early commercial success.”

    Mass Effect 2 launched this week hot on the heels of BioWare’s Dragon Age: Origins, the studio’s dark fantasy RPG which shipped in fall 2009. Dragon Age: Origins has earned an average review score of 91****, making it the highest rated original intellectual property from EA in the last year. Mass Effect 2 follows in BioWare’s tradition of delivering excellence on every front: gameplay, story, character development and visuals. Mass Effect 2 is an epic shooter/RPG set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life and mysterious, uncharted planets. In Mass Effect 2, players step into the role of the heroic Commander Shepard, leading a crew of some of the most dangerous operatives from across the galaxy on a mission so challenging that it’s potentially suicidal. Featuring intense action, a rich storyline, space exploration and engaging character interaction, Mass Effect 2 delivers an unparalleled gaming experience.

    Mass Effect 2 is available for the Xbox 360 and the PC and is 15 by the BBFC. For more information, follow the development team on Twitter at http://twitter.com/masseffect2 or visit the game’s official UK website at http://getmasseffect.ea.com.

 

 
  Xbots

 

[Great Rumbler]

One of the things I really like about this game, that ME1 didn't do, is that you actually get to SEE all these places you hear about in conversations and codexs.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

The Quarian Flotilla, Krogan homeworld, seedy mercenary cities, and so on.

[close]

It really adds a level of immersion that the first game lacked.

The best immersion thing they did was simply make places look different. Everytime you go to some new place it looks different than some other place. That alone adds a shit load of immersion where you feel like you are traveling through the universe. The first game failed their big time because not only was the layout the same, their just wasn't much variety to the look of things.

And just as I suspected I don't miss tooling around in that Mako.

It makes it feel even more like Star Trek because it just feels like you are beaming down to all these exotic places.

This too.

[The Fake Shemp]

Huh? I thought it was a pretty competent shooter this time around. I mean, it's no Gears, but it's pretty engaging.

[Great Rumbler]

Huh? I thought it was a pretty competent shooter this time around. I mean, it's no Gears, but it's pretty engaging.

Yeah, it's not amazing or anything, but it's big improvement over the first game. This time around I've actually been using my teams powers and planning some strategies, rather than just running and gunning on my own. For the most part, it's actually necessary to play it that way, otherwise you get quickly overwhelmed and killed.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

I'd rather have characters with two powers I love to us than eight powers I never fucking touch

[Great Rumbler]

I'd rather have characters with two powers I love to us than eight powers I never fucking touch

Definitely. I hardly ever used my teammates powers in ME1 since they were pretty useless. I mean, just go in and shoot guys with your machine gun, that's pretty much all you had to do. ME2 doesn't work that way at all.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Drag On Age: Boringins

[The Fake Shemp]

I traded in Dragon Age towards the purchase of Mass Effect 2. DID I MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE?

[Howard Alan Treesong]

I traded in Dragon Age towards the purchase of Mass Effect 2. DID I MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE?

+8 Paragon

[The Fake Shemp]

Piracy

[Stoney Mason]

I sort of like DA: Origins but I dunno if I'll touch it after ME2. It's a much better game all around.

I think they are both pretty great for a lot of very different reasons from each other. Bioware is on quite a roll. Buying them was the smartest move EA ever did.

[Mupepe]

soooo... i haven't read any of this thread because I don't want to hit spoilers, but did they actually do the shit where I can bring over my character from the first?

[Raban]

This pirated copy has glitches coming out the anus. I hope my save works when I eventually buy the retail game. I think after I beat it I'm gonna take a fat break the whole year and do my second time through when I buy the game during the inevitable markdown it will receive on the Steam Holiday Sale.

[The Fake Shemp]

I sort of like DA: Origins but I dunno if I'll touch it after ME2. It's a much better game all around.

This is sort of my feeling as well. I actually enjoyed Dragon Age, but it was one of the titles that I didn't really bond with nor do I plan on playing anytime again. Maybe if the expansion is awesome, I'll pick that up - but I plan on playing Mass Effect 1/2 again.

[The Sceneman]

this game is so good