Mass Effect 2 Thread

[iconoclast]

Free DLC is coming out tomorrow if you signed up for the Cerberus network (I think it was required to get any of the DLC).  It's new armor and a new shotgun that is supposed to have more range and armor piercing, maybe make that vanguard class less gimped at higher levels.

Nice, that should help a little. The shotgun in ME2 sucked compared to ME1, I wound up using my SMG for 90% of the game. Charge is useless (on insane at least) until you get it to level 4, then you regain half your shield and slow down time for a couple seconds once you hit someone with it. Pull is kinda useful, but since the enemy needs to have no shields/armor/barrier for it to be effective, it's kinda pointless. Same goes for shockwave, except it's even less useful. So Vanguard will probably still suck.

I'm ready to buy all DLC they release though... as long as they come with achievements.

[MCD]

This worked for me for the survivor achievement:

Tali vents

Miranda 1st team leader

Jacob sends group back

Samara biotics

Garrus 2nd team leader

Thane Grunt final fight

copy pasta stolen from demi.

[bork]

Wish I had gotten Legion earlier.  I keep wondering what kind of reactions, if any, the various NPCs and characters (Tali is the obvious one!) would have towards it walking around.

If you're going for full Paragon, you better wait until your done doing side quests to get Legion.

Too late.  Is that going to have some sort of effect on the ending outcome?  I want everyone to survive with this play-through.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

After one or two missions following when the activation of Legion, the Reaper IFF will be installed. Shephard and the other team members will leave the ship in a shuttle while Joker and EDI test the IFF. After you're gone, Collectors take over the ship and kidnap everyone aside from Joker. If you don't go after them immediately following this, all the kidnapped crew will be killed.

[close]

Too late for them then!     Can I still get with somebody for the paragon achievement in time though?  Plus is the survivor achievement going to work?  If not it doesn't matter; gonna replay this at least once anyway.

[The Sceneman]

this worked for me:

Tali vents

Jacob 1st team leader

Mordin sends group back

Samara biotics

Miranda 2nd team leader

Thane Tali final fight

got the cheev all G

[Third]

My first suicide mission team:

Mordin vents - died, even in Loyal status
Samara 1st team leader
Jacob sends group back
Jack biotics - Legion died while trying to escape. Jack wasn't loyal to me, so it was her fault.
Garrus 2nd Team
Tali and Thane final fight

So two persons died.

I restarted the mission and did the following:

Legion vents
Garrus 1st team leader
Jacob sends group back
Samara biotics - everyone survived this time around. Samara rocked.
Miranda 2nd team..
Tali and Legion final fight.

No deaths this time around.
I really don't know why I chose Mordin for the vents the first time around. Maube because I didn't care much for him.

[fistfulofmetal]

how do i change my advanced training powers? i had shredder ammo and researched barrier and it replaced shredder ammo

and i want shredder back

[The Sceneman]

youre stuffed, start a new game

[demi]

how do i change my advanced training powers? i had shredder ammo and researched barrier and it replaced shredder ammo

and i want shredder back

uh... respec again

[fistfulofmetal]

i figured you could research advanced training until you filled up the quick slots.

[Don Flamenco]

So i've done every last loyalty mission, sidequest, and assignment you can do before IFF.  How much more can I do in this game?  Just wondering if more stuff to do opens up.  I know about the last recruit and his loyalty mission...that's about it. Not sure how much story is left.

[Great Rumbler]

So i've done every last loyalty mission, sidequest, and assignment you can do before IFF.  How much more can I do in this game?  Just wondering if more stuff to do opens up.  I know about the last recruit and his loyalty mission...that's about it. Not sure how much story is left.

You're pretty much at the end.

[Don Flamenco]

So i've done every last loyalty mission, sidequest, and assignment you can do before IFF.  How much more can I do in this game?  Just wondering if more stuff to do opens up.  I know about the last recruit and his loyalty mission...that's about it. Not sure how much story is left.

You're pretty much at the end.

noooooooooooo

don't want this game to end  :'(   30 hours, but it feels like nothing.  I could play it for another 30 easily...

[The Fake Shemp]

MASS EFFECT 2: GAME OF THE DECADE

[Don Flamenco]

I don't normally go for the super hard modes in shooters since they often feel imbalanced with off-screen shots/emphasis on luck, but I think I'll go for insanity on this one. maybe my first 1000

[Stoney Mason]

I don't normally go for the super hard modes in shooters since they often feel imbalanced with off-screen shots/emphasis on luck, but I think I'll go for insanity on this one. maybe my first 1000

Insanity is a bit annoying. I probably would have done hardcore on my second playthrough in retrospect if you actually want to enjoy yourself but I'm so far into it now, that I'll stick with it.

The achievements in this game are pretty easy also and I'm not one that will ever go out of the way to get those.

The only ones I probably won't end up with are the one where you have to kill enemies knocked back by a punch and the pursue a successful relationship since hot lesbian action isn't allowed this go around.

[MCD]

you can go lesbo with kelly.

[Raban]

you can go lesbo with kelly.

I knew it, but I didn't really pursue it because I thought it would be fruitless.

[Green Shinobi]

No lesbo with Tali is probably the worst decision made by a developer this gen.

[demi]

I don't normally go for the super hard modes in shooters since they often feel imbalanced with off-screen shots/emphasis on luck, but I think I'll go for insanity on this one. maybe my first 1000

Insanity is a bit annoying. I probably would have done hardcore on my second playthrough in retrospect if you actually want to enjoy yourself but I'm so far into it now, that I'll stick with it.

Ugh, so casual. Dont discuss difficulty anymore

[Stoney Mason]

Ugh, so casual.

Damn straight. I play for the fun. Not the faux difficulty. It's annoying. I'll eventually beat it as it requires no extra skill but simply the patience to sit there and wear down enemies.

Much like COD is on Veteran. Its fine for people who want to play like that. Just pointing out what it is.

[bork]

Finished at 38 hours; glad you can talk to the crew when the game is over...missed the paragon achievement but was able to get it post-credits.  Nobody died on my team, but only the good doctor survived out of the ship's crew.  Maybe if I'm crazy enough I'll restart and play through again without letting that happen, but I'd rather go full-on renegade and be 100% asshole Shephard next time.  Plus I want to see how different it is when changing decisions around in the original game.

[fistfulofmetal]

i kinda want that N7 hoodie bioware has for sale. but its 60 bucks. :\

[Don Flamenco]

i kinda want that N7 hoodie bioware has for sale. but its 60 bucks. :\

generally a good idea not to buy video game apparel

nsanity is a bit annoying. I probably would have done hardcore on my second playthrough in retrospect if you actually want to enjoy yourself but I'm so far into it now, that I'll stick with it.

The achievements in this game are pretty easy also and I'm not one that will ever go out of the way to get those.

The only ones I probably won't end up with are the one where you have to kill enemies knocked back by a punch and the pursue a successful relationship since hot lesbian action isn't allowed this go around.

so it is kinda cheap then?  I'll try it out and see how it is.

[Stoney Mason]

so it is kinda cheap then?  I'll try it out and see how it is.

I wouldn't say cheap. More just time consuming. Everybody has a ton of shielding and it feels like there are more waves in some cases (could be wrong on that waves part but it feels that way).

[demi]

HOLY GOD DONT LISTEN TO HIM

It's the hardest difficulty. OF COURSE THE WILL HAVE SHIELDING

Sorry you have to use those skills?

Aside from that shitty mech mission I griped about - which I completely annihilated upon a later visit, and the Horizon level, Insane is cake.

Please dont be a cancer, play on Insane.

[Stoney Mason]

HOLY GOD DONT LISTEN TO HIM

It's the hardest difficulty. OF COURSE THE WILL HAVE SHIELDING

Sorry you have to use those skills?

IGNORE DEMI. HE TALKS IN CAPS BECAUSE HE THINKS THAT'S COOL.

Dude, I'm not saying anything about people who want to play on Insanity. It's fine. if you dig it then cool. More power to you (and me since I'm playing on that level also)

It doesn't require a lick more "skill" however. It simply requires more time. If it required a ton more "skill" personally I would be down. It doesn't. Calm down.

[cool breeze]

I played on hardcore and I liked the higher difficulty.  On normal it was just like "pick whoever to go with you" and it was just about layering on damage to the enemy.  I felt that my choices for squad members and my own actions in a battle were required more planning.  I ended up enjoying it more than playing it regular.  Still, the ability to position your squad was mostly useless even at higher levels, I thought.

[Stoney Mason]

I played on hardcore and I liked the higher difficulty.  On normal it was just like "pick whoever to go with you" and it was just about layering on damage to the enemy.  I felt that my choices for squad members and my own actions in a battle were required more planning.  I ended up enjoying it more than playing it regular.  Still, the ability to position your squad was mostly useless even at higher levels, I thought.

The only real two differences for me have been you have to stick behind cover which eliminates some of the natural movement that can occur in the game which makes certain classes more useful than others by far. I also now micromanage the rest of my squads abilities as they don't use them very well which sort of exhibits some of the weak buddy AI that reminds me of Dragon Age.

[Kestastrophe]

Friendly AI is still annoying, but it is so much improved from the first game. Teammates wouldn't follow you or wouldn't attack in many cases in the first game, and I've yet to see anything like that in this one. They also take cover in this one, which I don't remember them doing in the first one.

[Don Flamenco]

if insane forces me to use more power combos, that'll be cool.  I like using those, but most of the enemies go down in a few shots on normal, aside from the larger mechs.

[Stoney Mason]

Friendly AI is still annoying, but it is so much improved from the first game. Teammates wouldn't follow you or wouldn't attack in many cases in the first game, and I've yet to see anything like that in this one. They also take cover in this one, which I don't remember them doing in the first one.

I've had some cases where they didn't follow me. And weirdly sometimes they disobey my "go here" commands. I still think that part is kind of sketchy but then that happens in lots of games where you have squad mates I guess.

if insane forces me to use more power combos, that'll be cool.  I like using those, but most of the enemies go down in a few shots on normal, aside from the larger mechs.

You will definitely do more combos as a method of ending fights early. I agree on the lower difficulties that concept is often not necessary other than being something cool to do.

[iconoclast]

I played on hardcore and I liked the higher difficulty.  On normal it was just like "pick whoever to go with you" and it was just about layering on damage to the enemy.  I felt that my choices for squad members and my own actions in a battle were required more planning.  I ended up enjoying it more than playing it regular.  Still, the ability to position your squad was mostly useless even at higher levels, I thought.

Positioning the squad and using their powers whenever their cooldown was up was pretty important for me. If I didn't move them to a decent position they would usually die pretty quickly, which can be pretty troublesome if there's an enemy type that rushes.

By far the hardest part of the game was

spoiler (click to show/hide)

the first time you go to the collector ship

[close]

The harbringers and scions on their moving platforms would tear up my squad pretty quickly, and then I'd be fucked.

[The Sceneman]

Finished at 38 hours; glad you can talk to the crew when the game is over...missed the paragon achievement but was able to get it post-credits.  Nobody died on my team, but only the good doctor survived out of the ship's crew.  Maybe if I'm crazy enough I'll restart and play through again without letting that happen, but I'd rather go full-on renegade and be 100% asshole Shephard next time.  Plus I want to see how different it is when changing decisions around in the original game.

yeah thats what Im gonna do, replay ME1 as 100% asshole (and to mop up the last few cheevs) and import that save for my ME2 Insanity play through (also as an asshole). Lent my copy of ME2 to a bro already becuase he was poor and horny as to play the game.

I really hope we see some sizable DLC for this game in the future. Like really big, say The Ballad of Gay Tony size (8 hours or so)

[Don Flamenco]

can you keep all your shit for new game+ and do an insanity run or do you have to keep it on the same difficulty?

[demi]

You can do NG+ on Insane

[bork]

yeah thats what Im gonna do, replay ME1 as 100% asshole (and to mop up the last few cheevs) and import that save for my ME2 Insanity play through (also as an asshole). Lent my copy of ME2 to a bro already becuase he was poor and horny as to play the game.

Started on ME1 under the name "Asshole Shepard" tonight.  Initially as a male, but ended up going back and making a female again.  The female voice actor is just better, IMO.

I really hope we see some sizable DLC for this game in the future. Like really big, say The Ballad of Gay Tony size (8 hours or so)

Definitely want something bigger and better than "Bring Down The Sky" from the original.  ME1's DLC was a real let down.

[Stoney Mason]

The female voice actor is just better, IMO.

Agreed funny enough. My shepard was a female in both games but I've heard the male deliver some lines in youtube videos and he often comes off poorly imo compared to the female.

[MCD]

female voice is too deep.

male is sexier.

[bork]

female voice is too deep.

male is sexier.

The female Shephard is more of a man than the male Shephard is.    I made Asshole Shephard a butch lesbian.

[Purple Filth]

female voice is too deep.

male is sexier.

The female Shephard is more of a man than the male Shephard is.    I made Asshole Shephard a butch lesbian.

I would say Male Shep for strictly Paragon and Fem Shep for strictly renegade.

[demi]

playing female when you are a guy

weeaboo creeps

[tiesto]

playing female when you are a guy

weeaboo creeps

That's what I did!

spoiler (click to show/hide)

my Shephard looks a bit like a blonde version of my g/f too

[close]

[Yeti]

I'm at the point in the game where the Illusive Man wants me to contact him in the comm room to go the collector ship, can I just ignore him for now and finish rounding out my party and doing loyalty missions or will that have negative consequences?

[demi]

I dont think you can skip the collector ship, it wont let you leave. The mission after is the one you want to avoid until you finish everything.

[Yeti]

Isn't the mission after it the one where if you don't do it immediately

spoiler (click to show/hide)

your crew ends up dead? 

[close]

[demi]

No... its after that. Its story related, you will know

[Don Flamenco]

Finished at 32 hours.  Did basically everything, besides scanning all the planets and the one Citadel assignment where you have to give someone a fake ID. 

amazing game, so fucking improved it's not even funny.  But instead of that insanity run, I think I'll just wait until some DLC comes out. 

About the Legion/Tali argument:

spoiler (click to show/hide)

I lost Tali in the final mission because I wasn't given a renegade option to break up her and Legion's argument after Legion's loyalty mission.  I could only choose whether to let Legion send stuff or make him stop.  I let him send stuff, so Tali hated me.  Do you lose Legion's loyalty if you make him stop?

[close]

About the last mission:

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Does Kelly count towards the "Save everyone" achievement?  Is it just random whether she dies or not?

[close]

[demi]

It's either or with the decision, and Kelly doesnt matter

[Don Flamenco]

as in, you have to lose one of their loyalties?  that sucks.  I was almost full renegade, like 10 points away, and I didn't get the option.

[demi]

No, you can save it during, and after. Just go back and talk to them again. I paragon'd Miranda into being loyal again cause shes a dumb slut.

[Don Flamenco]

ahhh, I had no idea!  might do that right now actually.

[MCD]

1015/1015

amazing game.

[AdmiralViscen]

When's the first DLC coming out?

[demi]

Well theres a reason why you have to do everything beforehand...

[MCD]

IF I MUST SHEPARD, I WILL TEAR YOU APART

IF I MUST SHEPARD, I WILL TEAR YOU APART

IF I MUST SHEPARD, I WILL TEAR YOU APART

[fistfulofmetal]

i bought that n7 hoodie from bioware

[Raban]

i bought that n7 hoodie from bioware

[fistfulofmetal]

i know. but it's cool. whatevs

[AdmiralViscen]

The wife demands I only play the game when she's around so she can watch the story unfold. I'll play a bit and hope I don't reach any major story parts.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Is getting the IFF a huge story critical mission? Or is it like the Collector's Ship.

[close]

My fiance is the same way. I started a separate file on her gamertag as a female Shep with her making her own background decisions. She obviously didn't have an ME1 file to load though.

[Purple Filth]

i bought that n7 hoodie from bioware

huh that hoodie looks awesome plus minimal.

The only problem i see is that it costs 60 bucks