**Official Mass Effect 2 Thread** - The Thread of Unique Planets, New Species and Amazing Scores

[Kabob]

So I picked this game up as it's tough to say no when K-Mart is selling it for $20. Finally fired it up yesterday and wow I'm enjoying this more than the first one, mainly because the combat is superior. It's still pretty early but I've added Archangel and the merc to my crew and am working on the doc now. Can't wait for this to really get going once I've assembled everyone.

Hrm, I might have to swing by K-Mart on the way home to check that out.

*edit* On another note, does anyone else's mind go to the gutter when you see EDI talking? I mean come on...

 

[BoberFett]

I got in on the $20 deal at Kmart as well, I couldn't pass it up.

And while I still have some of the same complaints as before, I am starting to enjoy the combat more now that I'm getting used to it. It's definitely different than ME1 which I really did enjoy; ME2 isn't bad, just different.

At this point my biggest complaint now is how you can sometimes unexpectedly be yanked from a mission area before you've explored and found everything. It'd be way to easy to miss not only money and minerals, but important upgrades as well. All it takes it stepping through a doorway sometimes and you're whisked away with no way to get back to the previous area. At least in ME1, most storage bins were full of junk that you'd probably just sell or omni-gel anyway, but now there are actually important things to find.

 

[AceStallion]

It's not an FPS at all. You stay in 3rd person the entire game... so I'm not sure what you're getting at.

oops..sorry about that..yeah i meant 3rd person RPG shooters..any good ones out there for PS3?

 

[Kabob]

I wasn't aware of the ME2 deal. Called K-Mart, it's back up to $40

 

[BoberFett]

Yeah, it was only for a couple days last week, and was only advertised on the Kmart blog according my friend that told me about it.

 

[Fingolfin269]

I wasn't aware of the ME2 deal. Called K-Mart, it's back up to $40

That sucks. And the Hastings deal appears to be dead as well. I'll keep an eye out for you.

 

[Kabob]

Played some more, a few more questions:

Spoiler

I got the Asari Judicator on my team and did her loyalty mission. Man, getting her daughter to take me back to her apartment was surprisingly tough. Question though, at the end when they're locked in their duel of death and you have to choose who to kill I killed the daughter. She claimed she'd join my team, if I did kill her mother instead does she join your team or do you just end up with a slightly different plotline and the same original Judicator teammate?

I'm trying to get the romance achievement as well but it looks like right now both Miranda and Jack have a thing for me...can you do more than one romantic plotline or do you have to make an ultimate choice?

I got onto the collector ship and got to choose from the 3 strong weapons. Went with the assault rifle...wow it packs a punch...on armored units it does more damage than my Collector particle beam.

Unfortunately I have to return the game today, it's in my car (boo). Maybe they'll let me check it out again if there's no holds on it...

 

[Beev]

Played some more, a few more questions:

Spoiler

I got the Asari Judicator on my team and did her loyalty mission. Man, getting her daughter to take me back to her apartment was surprisingly tough. Question though, at the end when they're locked in their duel of death and you have to choose who to kill I killed the daughter. She claimed she'd join my team, if I did kill her mother instead does she join your team or do you just end up with a slightly different plotline and the same original Judicator teammate?

.

Spoiler

It's kind of dumb imo. The daughter just shapeshifts to look like her mom and acts like her and everything. There is nothing different afaik.

 

[R Nilla]

Spoiler

It's kind of dumb imo. The daughter just shapeshifts to look like her mom and acts like her and everything. There is nothing different afaik.

Spoiler

Although I think you can sleep with her if she joins your crew and then she kills you. Otherwise not much difference aside from a conversation or two in her quarters.

 

[Kabob]

Well that's no good...I was hoping for a major change of plot depending on which route you took...massive paragon or renegade points.

 

[Qbah]

Well that's no good...I was hoping for a major change of plot depending on which route you took...massive paragon or renegade points.

Spoiler

Morinth also has a different special power. She can mind control organic enemies (like AI hacking on synthetics and same restrictions - only after shields/barriers/armor is gone). And one or two crew members notice a slight change. But yeah, nothing else besides you knowing it. And you can "sleep" with her after the mission - she thinks your mind is strong enough to resist her (or she's most likely playing you). You die and are greeted with the Load screen Samara's Reave is an exceptional skill though - damages barriers, double damage to armor and stuns+life sucks organics after defenses drop

 

[Kabob]

Meh, I'd trade 'em all for another soldier class like Ashley. I'm going to try to find a copy of both ME games, finish this one off and then replay straight through both with a Renegade character (I never choose to be the bad guys).

 

[Beev]

I've never played through as a paragon. I'm always a total bitch. Also:

FEMALE SHEPARD IS BEST SHEPARD

 

[Kabob]

Yeah, when I started the original Mass Effect I wasn't sure if making a custom Sheppard would change the game in some way, so I decided to stick with default. I'd probably have gone with a female if I'd known the game was identical.

Back to ME2 concerning romances; Theoretically I can strike up a new romance or be "faithful" to my love interest from the first game, right? Do I still get the Paramour achievement if I am faithful? As I understand it, potentially said original love interest may be back in ME3...

Maybe I should get the game and play through several times to cover all bases

 

[Kabob]

D'oh!!! Took ME2 back to the library on my lunch break hoping I could sweet talk 'em into letting me renew it...no go. Guy wouldn't even check it in until I left (so I couldn't just get it off the shelf). That library is ~10 mins from work on my way home, I work next door to the downtown library (in the same library system but they don't transport games) so I drove back to work and went into the library next door and put it back on hold...if I can I'll pick it up on the way home. Hopefully it worked.

 

[Kabob]

Sorta frusterated with the game near the end and the lack of choices I have...

Spoiler

I want to do all the loyalty missions but I got the IFF relatively early on and it forces you to either do the final mission or lose my crew, neither of which I want to do. Wish it didn't start said "suicide mission" until I was ready for it...as it is I'm missing 4 of my team loyalty missions.

 

[QuikWgn]

I actually played all possible 'alignment possibilities' all the way through in ME1 which i believe was 9 total playthroughs. I have only done one full playthrough in ME2 with my paragon which was a male Sheppard. My full renegade Sheppard was a female, so we'll see how that ME2 playthrough goes. With everything I've had going on IRL I have just not had the time to dedicate to it. It's not like Forza or Half Life where I can just pick it up and bash for 45 mins. But I do have a 4 day weekend over 4th of July and i think I'll start playthrough 2 then.

 

[BoberFett]

Sorta frusterated with the game near the end and the lack of choices I have...

Spoiler

I want to do all the loyalty missions but I got the IFF relatively early on and it forces you to either do the final mission or lose my crew, neither of which I want to do. Wish it didn't start said "suicide mission" until I was ready for it...as it is I'm missing 4 of my team loyalty missions.

I haven't started that mission yet, but I could see where it was heading, so I did every other possible mission first before doing it. The ME games seem to love throwing you down a path at certain story choke points, never to return to where you were.

 

[Mr. Bluntman]

My thoughts? Pretty good game (especially if it's dawn before I know it while playing) through and through. The combat is more streamlined and definitely faster paced. Voice acting is really good. Graphics are great for a 360 game, and even on the PC @ 1920x1200 with 4X FSAA with supersampling it looks good, but the low resolution textures in places knocks off a few points in the presentation department. A straight visual port, pretty much.

But I'm quite pissed I didn't get to see Tali's face. Grrr...

 

[Kabob]

I haven't started that mission yet, but I could see where it was heading, so I did every other possible mission first before doing it. The ME games seem to love throwing you down a path at certain story choke points, never to return to where you were.

Saw you on a new game, time for playthrough #2?

But I'm quite pissed I didn't get to see Tali's face. Grrr...

If that's your biggest complaint then you're doing alright. Heck, in my game

Spoiler

Tali was the first teammate killed off...d'oh!

 

[Shilohen]

Spoiler

I want to do all the loyalty missions but I got the IFF relatively early on and it forces you to either do the final mission or lose my crew, neither of which I want to do. Wish it didn't start said "suicide mission" until I was ready for it...as it is I'm missing 4 of my team loyalty missions.

Spoiler

Why? I got mine relatively and purposely late, but I cannot see how they can force your to take the Omega 4 relay. Unless you mean that the Collectors captures some of your members if you get the IFF too early when some members are not loyal? Legion was not loyal yet when the Normandy was attacked and I didn't lose him.

Spoiler

I got my Against All Odds on the first try and never thought it was hard or anything. Used loyal Tali as technician, loyal Garrus as team leader, loyal Jack as biotic, loyal Miranda as team leader, sent loyal Zaeed back to the ship with the remaining crew

 

[Kabob]

Spoiler

Why? I got mine relatively and purposely late, but I cannot see how they can force your to take the Omega 4 relay. Unless you mean that the Collectors captures some of your members if you get the IFF too early when some members are not loyal? Legion was not loyal yet when the Normandy was attacked and I didn't lose him.

Spoiler

I got my Against All Odds on the first try and never thought it was hard or anything. Used loyal Tali as technician, loyal Garrus as team leader, loyal Jack as biotic, loyal Miranda as team leader, sent loyal Zaeed back to the ship with the remaining crew

Spoiler

Oh I got the Against All Odds achievement as well. But I didn't get to finish almost half of the loyalty missions.

I got the IFF too early and it forces you to choose between doing loyalty missions and lose your captured crew or skip out on everything else and save your crew. I choose the later and in the process my non-loyal members Tali, Grunt, Mordin, Garrus, and Thane all died and my loyal teammates Legion and Jack both died as well. Only teammates who lived were Miranda (part of my final team), Jacob (biotic holding up the shield), and Samara (escorted everyone back to the ship). Don't have the DLC so I don't have the extra characters. I just don't like how I was forced to make that choice at that time.

 

[Shilohen]

Spoiler

Oh I got the Against All Odds achievement as well. But I didn't get to finish almost half of the loyalty missions.

I got the IFF too early and it forces you to choose between doing loyalty missions and lose your captured crew or skip out on everything else and save your crew.

Spoiler

Oups, I meant No One Left Behind... I think I chose to keep on building loyalty, but I was only missing Legion's at the time. I could not save the crew's psychologist (forgot her name) nor the girl in the engine room. So I get that if I'd gone directly through the relay, I would have been able to save most of them? Oh well, I'm already playing a new play through anyway so I'll correct that.

 

[Kabob]

Spoiler

Oups, I meant No One Left Behind... I think I chose to keep on building loyalty, but I was only missing Legion's at the time. I could not save the crew's psychologist (forgot her name) nor the girl in the engine room. So I get that if I'd gone directly through the relay, I would have been able to save most of them? Oh well, I'm already playing a new play through anyway so I'll correct that.

Spoiler

I don't think you can save the engine room girl (if that's who the first girl I saw was) but yup, you do get to save the assistant/psychologist if you go straight through.

 

[BoberFett]

But I'm quite pissed I didn't get to see Tali's face. Grrr...

Hahaha, you went for the Quarian punani too?