Mass Effect: I don't get it

[RadarScope1]

WHY TALI! WHY!

Uh... 'cause she looked cool? Seriously, I think that's why I picked her! Her voice is terribly annoying, I'll say that much.

[MrPopo]

WHY TALI! WHY!

Uh... 'cause she looked cool? Seriously, I think that's why I picked her! Her voice is terribly annoying, I'll say that much.

How can you not like a slavic alien in an environment suit? Hell, she got turned into a romance option in ME2 because of fan demand.

[Gamerforlife]

I played it on the 360 too. You know, the system it was actually originally designed for. Anyway...

I played as a soldier. Use the asari, manually have her use biotic abilities like lift or that black hole ability I remember her having. She should be able to neutralize enemies with her abilities letting you easily gun them down with Sheperd. Though I found she was often quite good at using her powers without me interfering. Use explosive rounds, I can't tell you how useful and FUN they are in that game, especially if you really want to have fun with ragdoll physics. Shotguns and sniper rifles is what I think I focused on(with explosive rounds for BOTH), though the assault rifle was decent too. I don't think the pistol was all that great as I recall. No, Mass Effect is not Halo 1. Tali is handy for jamming guns or making Geth fight eachother. I think I usually just sent my team in to get the enemies attention and also help me see where they are, usually making sure Liara used some biotics to open up the skirmish, then I run in and kick ass. Use cover when necessary, your shields will regenerate.

This is pretty much how I played the game. Biotics are EXTREMELY important making the Asari the best character(also who I picked for love interest, Ashley=annoying) and explosive rounds are EXTREMELY overpowered. Oh, and the much maligned Mako is easy to use too. Your shots are more likely to hit if you zoom in when firing. Also, using the zoom feature lets you attack many enemies from a distance, so snipe those bastards and remember the mako has TWO weapons, make good use of them both.

[darthmunky]

The key to this game is taking lots of cover during battles and take your time, don't just run in blasting the shit out of everything unless you're using a high leveled character. Just like Gears of War, if you don't ever take cover, you die.

[MrPopo]

I played it on the 360 too. You know, the system it was actually originally designed for. Anyway...

You might have a point, except that third person shooters are always better on the PC because of the controls. Plus, the improved the interface to work well with keyboard + mouse.

[RadarScope1]

I played it on the 360 too. You know, the system it was actually originally designed for. Anyway...

I played as a soldier. Use the asari, manually have her use biotic abilities like lift or that black hole ability I remember her having. She should be able to neutralize enemies with her abilities letting you easily gun them down with Sheperd. Though I found she was often quite good at using her powers without me interfering. Use explosive rounds, I can't tell you how useful and FUN they are in that game, especially if you really want to have fun with ragdoll physics. Shotguns and sniper rifles is what I think I focused on(with explosive rounds for BOTH), though the assault rifle was decent too. I don't think the pistol was all that great as I recall. No, Mass Effect is not Halo 1. Tali is handy for jamming guns or making Geth fight eachother. I think I usually just sent my team in to get the enemies attention and also help me see where they are, usually making sure Liara used some biotics to open up the skirmish, then I run in and kick ass. Use cover when necessary, your shields will regenerate.

This is pretty much how I played the game. Biotics are EXTREMELY important making the Asari the best character(also who I picked for love interest, Ashley=annoying) and explosive rounds are EXTREMELY overpowered. Oh, and the much maligned Mako is easy to use too. Your shots are more likely to hit if you zoom in when firing. Also, using the zoom feature lets you attack many enemies from a distance, so snipe those bastards and remember the mako has TWO weapons, make good use of them both.

Thanks. I got the suggestion on another board to use Lift and other biotics. Problem is, I don't have Lift yet. She has Shield Boost, Marksman, Damping and Sabotage. I think I am just under powered. I've straight to Rift Station from the Citadel, zero side quests so far. On another forum, someone informed me that many players choose Noveria as the final main planet, not the first, because it's more difficult. Not sure how I would have any way to actually know that as a new player, but whatever.

I'll try to remember the explosive rounds. The main thing I've been doing with my ammo is picking the upgrade that boosts general weapons force.

[MrPopo]

As I recall, the enemies scale in terms of damage and health, but they always have the same set of abilities and use the same patterns. So if you come early your team doesn't have the flexibility to deal with the enemies. Really I'd recommend you do every sidequest you run into. The dialog choices alone are usually worth the price of admisison. Especially if you're Renegade.

[dsheinem]

I just thought I'd jump in here instead of creating a new thread - I finally started playing this game a few weeks ago and am absolutely loving it. I had played Dragon Age previously, so I definitely see how ME influenced that game. And even though ME's systems and combat seem much simpler (not always for the better), the storytelling and polish are already surpassing DA.

Anyway, just wanted to gush a little. Oh and for those of you who have played before

*****SPOILERS*****

So I just ended the mission where I planted the nuke and blow up Saren's facility, but my trip to that planet cost me two crew members . Is that typical? Did I screw up royally by losing Ashley and Wrex?

Also, I previously handled the missions on two other planets - one picking up Liara and one taking out Benezia, so this is the third "major" planet finished after the initial trip to the citadel. So far I am about 11 hours in - how much more of the game is left (% or hours)?

******END SPOILERS*****

Anyway, I am hoping to finish this up and play ME2 before Dragon Age 2 comes out - the first third of this year will be BioWare heavy! Are the expansion DLC missions for either game worth playing through? With DA, the DLC was very hit and miss.

[MrPopo]

So I just ended the mission where I planted the nuke and blow up Saren's facility, but my trip to that planet cost me two crew members . Is that typical? Did I screw up royally by losing Ashley and Wrex?

You're forced to choose between your two human crewmates; someone always dies in that event. I'd say you screwed up cause Ashley's much better than what's his name, but you have to lose someone. As for Wrex, if you use the necessary speech options (which might require high enough Paragon or Renegade) then you can talk him down and keep him.

Also, I previously handled the missions on two other planets - one picking up Liara and one taking out Benezia, so this is the third "major" planet finished after the initial trip to the citadel. So far I am about 11 hours in - how much more of the game is left (% or hours)?

If I recall right, you have 3-4 hours left in the game.

Anyway, I am hoping to finish this up and play ME2 before Dragon Age 2 comes out - the first third of this year will be BioWare heavy! Are the expansion DLC missions for either game worth playing through? With DA, the DLC was very hit and miss.

I haven't played any ME1 DLC. ME2 I've played the free stuff for buying a sealed copy and I've picked up Lair of the Shadow Broker. The two character DLC packs include their loyalty mission but the characters themselves are kind of flat; they don't really integrate into the story once the mission is over. So I'd look over their skill sets on a wiki and decide if that appeals to you. The Firewalker DLC isn't worth spending money on, but is a fun diversion if you get it for a new copy. You get a couple of missions on planet where you pilot a hovercraft around, which turns into a lot of vehicle platforming. Lair of the Shadow Broker, though, I would highly recommend. It resolves a background plotline from ME2 and looks to set up some stuff for ME3. Plus, one of the levels included as part of that DLC is really cool aesthetically.

[dsheinem]

If I recall right, you have 3-4 hours left in the game.

That's disappointing. I probably sunk 40 hours into Dragon Age with an initial play through and another 25 or so with Awakenings and the DLC. 15-20 hours doesn't seem like it is enough space to let this story unfold. I guess that's what ME2 and ME3 are for...

On the bright side, losing a crew member fairly far into the game isn't a big deal. I thought I'd still have a large % of the game left with a depleted roster.

I purposefully bought the PH edition of ME so that I have all the DLC and extras on disc, so maybe I'll give them a spin if some people suggest they are worth the time. I downloaded the ME2 DLC stuff when it was cheap, but I may wait until just before ME3 releases to play it...