What's So Great About Mass Effect?

[Will Report Flying Cars]

Bought this, always heard great things about it.
5 hours in and it feels like I'm playing a visual novel with really short combat sections that are clunky and slow. I've had maybe 5 fights in 5 hours.
The story isn't overly great so far either.

[Malhagor]

Well, By the end it gets better. ME 2 or 3 have more combat

[⦀⦙ChrisMoon⦙⦀]

The Story, crew, universe 5 Hours is nothing. Keep on playing!
Second one and Third one has better Combat.

[𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗚𝗔]

It's a slow burn in the start, especially combat. The pacing of the first 5-8 hours of ME1 has quite uneven pacing, it's really story and exposition heavy with very little combat. Doesn't help that when combat does finally arrive ME1 shooting isn't the greatest. ME2 is a huge step up in terms of how the guns feel and combat is a lot snappier. ME3 is straight up actually fun in firefights.

That being said, even though I'd like to say it gets better later, if the story and characters so far haven't really caught your attention then maybe it's just not your type of thing? Like for me the sight of the citadel instilled a sense of awe and "I wonder what it'd be like to be there," trying to understand from the curve of the presidium's ring just how huge the station actually is and how massive each of the arms are, how many people, aliens and humans could be living there. If it does nothing for you maybe the rest of the game or even series is not gonna really do anything for you either. It hurts me to say as it's personally one of my favorite stories, squad of characters and game universe but everything is not for everybody. Maybe this is just not your thing and that's okay despite what anyone else here might say.

[senitewolf]

Sort of what the others said. ME1 starts pretty slow.
Even once it picks up, if you expect a game with lots of great combat you might want to move on, because this is not it (nor is ME2 or ME3 despite what some may say).
Overall the series lives from the lore it builds, the characters you keep on interacting with, the fact decisions you make do matter (i.e. you meet characters in later parts if you save them), etc. But combat and character skills never go particular deep and have their flaws through all three parts.

[barzai]

The question here--as always--is, "...compared to what?" Tell us what your favorite RPG is and we'll be happy to let you know if ME is/is not like that, and in what ways.

[moody]

It was all about the music and atmosphere and the lore of Earth and the Alliance and the Turian Wars and getting to where ME1 came into the the time line and so many things.

Bioware at it's finest. I don't even think any studio could make games like this anymore.

When you hit those credits at the end of Mass Effect 1 after a 100% playthrough and then going into ME2 was the best gaming of all time for me.

[KripTed]

What isn't great about it? It's 100 times better than Andromeda and Starfield. The story, the atmosphere, the characters, the dialogue, the acting, the music, the romance options. Combat is clunky but that's probably because of when it was original made in 2007.

[Will Report Flying Cars]

Publicado originalmente por Malhagor:

Well, By the end it gets better. ME 2 or 3 have more combat

Okay I'll keep trying.

[Will Report Flying Cars]

Publicado originalmente por Harbinger:

It's a slow burn in the start, especially combat. The pacing of the first 5-8 hours of ME1 has quite uneven pacing, it's really story and exposition heavy with very little combat. Doesn't help that when combat does finally arrive ME1 shooting isn't the greatest. ME2 is a huge step up in terms of how the guns feel and combat is a lot snappier. ME3 is straight up actually fun in firefights.

That being said, even though I'd like to say it gets better later, if the story and characters so far haven't really caught your attention then maybe it's just not your type of thing? Like for me the sight of the citadel instilled a sense of awe and "I wonder what it'd be like to be there," trying to understand from the curve of the presidium's ring just how huge the station actually is and how massive each of the arms are, how many people, aliens and humans could be living there. If it does nothing for you maybe the rest of the game or even series is not gonna really do anything for you either. It hurts me to say as it's personally one of my favorite stories, squad of characters and game universe but everything is not for everybody. Maybe this is just not your thing and that's okay despite what anyone else here might say.

Oh I see, I'll keep trying and see if it grips me.
I see now it came out in 2007 so maybe I must just be patient

[Will Report Flying Cars]

Publicado originalmente por senitewolf:

Sort of what the others said. ME1 starts pretty slow.
Even once it picks up, if you expect a game with lots of great combat you might want to move on, because this is not it (nor is ME2 or ME3 despite what some may say).
Overall the series lives from the lore it builds, the characters you keep on interacting with, the fact decisions you make do matter (i.e. you meet characters in later parts if you save them), etc. But combat and character skills never go particular deep and have their flaws through all three parts.

Do I have to play 1 to understand 2?

[Sultryhag]

Publicado originalmente por Will Report Flying Cars:

Publicado originalmente por senitewolf:

Sort of what the others said. ME1 starts pretty slow.
Even once it picks up, if you expect a game with lots of great combat you might want to move on, because this is not it (nor is ME2 or ME3 despite what some may say).
Overall the series lives from the lore it builds, the characters you keep on interacting with, the fact decisions you make do matter (i.e. you meet characters in later parts if you save them), etc. But combat and character skills never go particular deep and have their flaws through all three parts.

Do I have to play 1 to understand 2?

Well the story continues but there is a summary in the beginning in the form of a comic to help you make the decisions you would have made and you will lose out on the achievements.

Honestly the story will have less of an impact if you don't have any attachments to the people you have picked up. Their stories are important. Even when I replay the series I start from ME 1. You cannot get any real flow without playing the series from 1 but if you don't enjoy good story and lore and only interested in combat there are far better games that do combat better.

I recall when I first saw one of my squad mates again in 2 how genuinely happy and pleased I was to see them again. So bad ass too. You would miss out on the feels if you skip ME 1 but if those things mean nothing to you then it's irrelevant.

[Alex_x86]

Keep in mind that the latest game (Mass Effect 3) was released in 2012 the oldest was in 2007. So at the best the trilogy should be judged by the standards of 12 years ago.

Way back in 2007 ME had a great story, interesting companions combined with a bit clunky (even by that day standards) combat, a bit boring planet exploration which had quite repetitive outpost design, however great (by the time) main story level design. But by today's standard? I don't know since I played the game lot of times and my judgement clouded by remembering how it was on the release.

It's basically like trying to judge Duke Nukem 3D: it was a great game way back in 1996, however good luck to any new player of today to get through it.

[Midas]

Think of it like the original Star Wars trilogy:
-The first one is a bit slow and simple compared to the others, and focuses a lot on establishing characters and building the world, but gets a lot more exciting towards the end.
-The second one is a lot more exciting and fast-paced, going to more interesting places and pushing the boundaries further, but it doesn't mean a lot without the context of the previous one.
-The third one focuses more heavily on the excitement, turns the tables on the good guys, and has the climactic finish tying everything together.

Can you skip the first one or second one and start with the next one? Sure, but you miss out on a lot if you do.

[barzai]

Publicado originalmente por Midas:

Think of it like the original Star Wars trilogy:
-The first one is a bit slow and simple compared to the others, and focuses a lot on establishing characters and building the world, but gets a lot more exciting towards the end.
-The second one is a lot more exciting and fast-paced, going to more interesting places and pushing the boundaries further, but it doesn't mean a lot without the context of the previous one.
-The third one focuses more heavily on the excitement, turns the tables on the good guys, and has the climactic finish tying everything together.

Can you skip the first one or second one and start with the next one? Sure, but you miss out on a lot if you do.

Also very like the LotR trilogy, and many others.

If I may allow myself the observation, that is the classic three-act pattern of good fiction since at least Shakespeare and probably going back to Homer!

[Jeebs]

The story is the whole reason for playing Mass Effect. If you don't like it, that's fine. If you prefer action-packed games with little talking and few cutscenes, then these are not the games you're looking for.

I personally think the story is good. It's got a lot of plot holes, but that's true of just about any video game's story. It does a really good job of drawing you into the setting though, in my opinion, which is the draw for most people.