Mass Effect 2

[Jon AS]

I'm thinking about buying a 360 again for this game, since I thought the original was one of the best titles on the system. Is it better than Dragon Age?

I'd rather suggest getting a better PC, it's not like you need anything resembling a high-end machine for either DA or ME2. Comparing both games is a bit difficult, as I've said before.

Dragon Age is longer, though it does have a few of really boring, long and repetitive sections. With ME2 I was generally too caught up in the action to be bothered by this (also individual missions are relatively short).

ME2 has better character models, animation and clearly the ME team has a much better understanding of the limits of their game engine (see: DA sex scenes...or maybe better don't see). The ME games have a very cinematic visual direction, not just in cutscenes but in dialogue. While in DA characters stand face to face and just talk at each other with minimal facial expressions (except for the PC, who is silent), dialogue in ME2 is more dynamic and the dialogue wheel makes many conversations play out completely seamless.

DA has a much more tactical combat system, particularly on the PC, while ME obviously focuses on the action aspect.

Storywise they are about equal, but DA has more character interaction, particularly amongst party members. On the other hand 95% of all interaction between PC and NPC in DA takes place while hanging around at camp, while in ME2 it is bound up with the loyalty missions. Said missions are also generally more interesting than the DA NPC-centric sidequests (let's go and talk to three people in different places to get Sten's sword back!).

Both games are excellent though not flawless.

I ended up destroying the Collector base since giving the IM anything that powerful... felt wrong. I imagine on any other playthroughs I do, I'll do the same. I only managed to get to level 26 and I don't think that there's anything left for me to do in the game so I imagine that I'd have to play a plus game to get up to 30.

Another of the perks of importing a level 60 ME1 character is that you'll hit 30 on the first time through. Gives a feeling of completeness that I very much appreciate.

[Poobah]

I was reasonably happy finishing off around level 26 and then getting my last four levels at the start of my insanity game.

I like the fact that they actually gave a reason for Jack being so violent: IE: She had been literally conditioned (with drugs, etc.) to feel pleasure when fighting. That's very creepy.

Yeah that was pretty damn disturbing.

Managed to keep everyone alive the second time through. Man Hardcore is a big step down from Insanity in terms of challenge. I might actually go back to Insanity for my third run.

Mordin is up their with the greatest video game characters. The writing alone is very good, coupled with the great voice acting and excellent animation and direction in his scenes it becomes fantastic.

Legion was interesting, but mostly for the insight into the Geth it provided. I kind of liked Grunt, he is clearly too inexperienced to have much depth, but there is something heartwarming about him learning to hate Turians. I agree on Jacob. Jack's story is completely devoid of surprises as far as I can tell, which puts her behind Miranda and Thane in my book. Zaeed is just kind of there.

Samara is about on the same level as Miranda and Thane. I love how the Asari authorities try to keep Justicars away from aliens because of cultural incompatibility.

I agree that after insanity other difficulty levels are very meh. I downloaded a ME1 full-paragon Shepard so I could have a universe where I didn't kill everything I encountered and encourage human dominance in my two years previously incarnation, and I'm playing that through on Hardcore. It's a total walk in the park compared with Insanity. Playing as an infiltrator I'm getting frustrated with the sniper rifles though. Either I have the semi-automatic one that I love like my own child on my insanity soldier play through (for it's zoom/accuracy and incredible RoF with that accuracy, especially with adrenaline rush) or I use a sniper rifle I can 1-headshot-kill with but which has less ammo reserves than the average Texas outhouse. Tactical cloak is very fun, but I'm quickly getting very tired with having to switch ammo powers all the time or rather the fact that switching ammo powers invokes a bloody global cooldown.

Reave is ridiculously good, I love it. Though it makes me wonder.

Samara's daughters are all Ardat-Yakshi, well with a power like Reave which literally sucks the life out of the target, I think I can see where they get it from.

I too liked Samara and her interactions with the Asari authorities. I liked her story and her character/moral code too.

<After swearing allegiance to Shepard>

Samara : If you make me do anything very dishonourable, then I shall have to kill you when this is all over.

(or something to that effect)

I liked Jacob quite a bit but I made a conscious effort to go and talk through all the conversations with the various characters on my ship. I agree he's a bit less developed than others but he comes off as a general nice guy trying to do some good but caught up to his ass in all this dodgy commando shit. I don't actually think there was any character I felt was super undeveloped or who I didn't like that much; I was disappointed that I had so little time to spend with Legion because by the time I've recruited him I'm locked into the end game, but he has a hell of a lot of good stuff packed into his dialogue and loyalty mission. I really liked the extra conversation options and stuff with EDI that helped develop her as a character after the pre-endgame sequence...

Once she's fully integrated into the ship. The stuff she says there went a long way to move her from sort of... vaguely interesting, but loitering in the background and only really viable as a character when interacting/reacting to another more developed character to feeling like a concrete and real character who I could appreciate in and of herself.

Any dialogue between her and Joker are totally awesome.

I just saw

and I've got to say that Vanguard looks ridiculously fun+intense.

[WhiteHaven]

Some funny pics:

http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/4039/1265839904953.jpg

http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/9430/1265841102542.png

http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/233/1265658070085.jpg

http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/9899/1265864365963.jpg

[mcbigski]

For me, the funniest thing in the whole game was the advertisement for the Elcor performance of Hamlet.

[a wooden chair]

For me, the funniest thing in the whole game was the advertisement for the Elcor performance of Hamlet.

It's all about Blasto the first Hanar Specter.

[Jon AS]

It's all about Blasto the first Hanar Specter.

"This one has no time for your solid waste excretions."

[mcbigski]

It's all about Blasto the first Hanar Specter.

I missed that one - where is it?

[a wooden chair]

I missed that one - where is it?

I believe you can hear all about Blasto and his exploits on Illum in the background chatter/advertisements. Or youtube!

Enkindle this!

[Jacen]

(Persuade) Personally, I found the convo in that one bar between the Turian playing the nice guy role, talking to a female Quarian about her romance problems with a human.

[Durckad]

(Persuade) Personally, I found the convo in that one bar between the Turian playing the nice guy role, talking to a female Quarian about her romance problems with a human.

That one's pretty good.

The bachelor party in the same bar is pretty funny as well.

Also the Matron Asari whose father was a Krogan.

[WhiteHaven]

(Persuade) Personally, I found the convo in that one bar between the Turian playing the nice guy role, talking to a female Quarian about her romance problems with a human.

Somehow this quest won't pop up for me :worried:

[Jon AS]

Somehow this quest won't pop up for me :worried:

It's not a quest, just a conversation between a Turian and a Quarian sitting in the bar on Ilium.

[WhiteHaven]

It's not a quest, just a conversation between a Turian and a Quarian sitting in the bar on Ilium.

So I can only listen? Meh the official Strates Guide told me otherwise. Meh.

Btw...the black suite for Miranda? Damn. I mean, look at her...you know...peach.

[Jon AS]

So I can only listen? Meh the official Strates Guide told me otherwise. Meh.

Btw...the black suite for Miranda? Damn. I mean, look at her...you know...peach.

I always wondered who buys these game guides. I mean, I would have thought that with those things being notoriously incorrect and the internet making all information on a game you could possibly want available for free they would have gone the way of the dodo by now.

And Miranda looks good no matter what she's wearing.

[WhiteHaven]

I always wondered who buys these game guides. I mean, I would have thought that with those things being notoriously incorrect and the internet making all information on a game you could possibly want available for free they would have gone the way of the dodo by now.

And Miranda looks good no matter what she's wearing.

Yeah well. I am never going to buy another guide - that's my first one ever and I think my last one. Because I did not want to spoil the storyline so I did not read those pages where the main story line is covered. I only read where to find the Assignements. But heck, a lot of those informations in there are just wrong.

Jack is hot, too. I can imagine she likes my fetishes :P

Hmm..I think my sudden interest in sex with VG characters is a direct result of drinking Jack Daniels.

[Merentha]

"This one has no time for your solid waste excretions."

This one does not recall if he has depleted his thermal clip. This one wonders if the criminal feels fortunate.

[Poobah]

All right, so, I need some help.

I'm stuck on Insanity on the Collector Ship mission. My lack of options is what's killing me pretty much. Usually I can play tactical and retreat/use scenery and cover and all that shit. But the first fight of the mission pretty much gives you only one piece of cover and enemies flanking you constantly. Even if I can deal with the Scions who float around on those platforms flanking me and totally destroying my Squad Mates whose AI is way too stupid to deal with the Scion Shockwaves then well, I'm still screwed because Harbinger shows up and rushes me, knocks me out of cover and performs the coup de grace.

I'm thinking about reloading and changing my bonus power to Area Reave for this, maybe even not bring Miranda and have someone with more durability take her place? I'm a soldier by the way so I have no cool Adept/Vanguard/Infiltrator tricks up my sleeves, alas.

[Jacen]

The Hanar voice sounds so much like this one character from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. It's been a long time since I've seen that show....can't think of it!

[Relic]

All right, so, I need some help.

I'm stuck on Insanity on the Collector Ship mission. My lack of options is what's killing me pretty much. Usually I can play tactical and retreat/use scenery and cover and all that shit. But the first fight of the mission pretty much gives you only one piece of cover and enemies flanking you constantly. Even if I can deal with the Scions who float around on those platforms flanking me and totally destroying my Squad Mates whose AI is way too stupid to deal with the Scion Shockwaves then well, I'm still screwed because Harbinger shows up and rushes me, knocks me out of cover and performs the coup de grace.

I'm thinking about reloading and changing my bonus power to Area Reave for this, maybe even not bring Miranda and have someone with more durability take her place? I'm a soldier by the way so I have no cool Adept/Vanguard/Infiltrator tricks up my sleeves, alas.

im dreading this too. i figure ill do every available mission before the ship to try and get as powerful as i can, but i dont know how ill get past that sequence even then. Maybe with the Cain heavy weapon?

[Merentha]

Area Reave is amazing, for what its worth, though every cast of it means you can't use Adrenaline Rush. If you've got the Cain, that seems to be the time to bring it out. What weapon did you pick? The Widow completely destroys Scions, but an Adren Rush and emptying a clip into the Scion's head should also do the trick. For soldiers, Warp or AP ammo, bizarrely, seem to be some of the best bonus powers. They allow you to use your global cooldown on nothing but Unity and Adrenaline Rush, and since your best role is killing things, the two best (imo) ammo powers make you even more focused on shooting things really, really well. Area Reave only incapacitates people if they have no armor, and everything (as I'm sure you've discovered) is armored on Insanity.

Which companions are you using? Miranda's alright at taking out shielded and barrier'd enemies, but Warp just doesn't seem that strong to me. Garrus and Zaeed seem to be pretty strong candidates to bring along, since both get both types of heavy rifle and Zaeed has Inferno grenade. Mordin's incinerate is wonderful at armor and can (I believe) strip all the armor off a group of Husks at once, meaning Area Reave becomes a viable skill for you to bring. Speaking of Reave, Samara is a perfectly useful companion in her own right, since she gets both Reave and assault rifles.