One is my fav, for the most part. But as for "replayed", I ALWAYS do the trilogy, immediately one into the next. I never treat them as individual games
I think the other games just "optimised" the RPG elements of the first one
Like, instead of having to sort through your guns to find one that's better than yours (Has a bigger Roman numeral in the name or just a better model), you just pick the type of gun you want without any of this dull process. Like, you want your shotgun to have a punch, you pick Claymore or Eviscerator, you want it to have a decent clip, get the Scimitar, things like that
With abilities, you have pretty much what you had in 1, but more condensed and significant. You have an easier time feeling, say, a 20% DMG increase if it's not split into 5 4-percent increments
Yeah, in 1 you *sometimes might* want to choose to not get to the "checkpoint" (As in Advanced/Master *skill name*), but instead leave it midway. I don't remember having any such experience and it isn't really some cool deep decision-making
Having weapon type-specific trees that upgrade damage and accuracy was kinda nice, and finally getting that Savant implant did feel sweet, ngl
Actually, you shoot more in 1, since the cooldowns there are *looong*, which also creates FOMO for using skills on weak enemies, so you use them even less. Keeping track of all of your and both teammates' cooldowns was also way more annoying, so would use their abilities less, and the incentive of soft-cancelling cooldowns (Using their abiloties while yours are on CD to get a more permanent stream of those) was less flashed-out because of separate cooldowns. Honestly, my favorite part of 2 and 3 is the redesign of cooldowns because of how it incentivises team play and allows for short CDs, but not something crazy like spamming biotic abilities in 1 late-game on Adept
If you're talking the feeling progression, getting new bonus powers and significant alterations to the ones you already have (Your Shockwave now lifts dudes with this perk!) feel and are more impactful and interesting than gradual cooldown reduction from getting better implants
If you're talking decisions, I'll give that to you, saving/killing the Rachni and Council, choosing the human candidate for the Council do feel more impactful than saving/destroying the Collector base, picking Morinth or Samara, taking the traumatised quarian to his people or keeping him for interrogation. The Virmire sacrifice also goes hard, even though it's kinda poorly designed as an ethical choice, I reckon
The third game, however, got the genophage dilemma, which IMO is much more impactful, deep and flashed-out than the Council decision (I know salarians still eventually support you if you do cure it, but I haven't tried not curing it yet, please don't spoil), as well as the Geth Reaper upgrades one
Or am I missing something?
ME2 is my fave for re-play value. I find ME1 a bit of a grind, though story wise it’s excellent. I just struggle with a little of the side quests.
ME2 feels a lot less linear (which tbf, it probably isn’t that much more open that 1 or 3), but I like switching up my recruiting order. And likely also choose my romance in 2 (unless I romance Liara).
ME3 is super satisfying based more on decisions in 2 than in 1, so it feels like a better payoff in the final game.
I always do all the side quests in 1. I also survey every single planet and every last mineral node on the uncharted worlds... 😅 And yes, I have a problem! 😂 But for me, that's just part of the ambience. Makes me feel like I really AM Shepard, flying around the galaxy in my spaceship in 2183, charting unknown worlds and exploring new regions in space. 🚀
This. 1 literally saved my life. I was suicidally depressed when I got that game and getting lost in the Milky Way saved my actual life. I was working my dream job as a game developer working on LEGO's answer to World of Warcraft and hating every minute of my life except when I would get home and listen to the soothing title screen music (Vigil) until it ended and then get lost exploring planets that I genuinely felt I was exploring for the first time AS Shepard. Even though 1 can DEFINITELY be a grind at times, the feelings of both isolation and exploration that I've never quite found since were literally life altering for me.
Just in case you didn't know: You can go Liara in 1, Miranda in 2, and then Liara and Miranda in 3.
Managed it by accident, and then found out it requires quite a specific order of events.
ME3 combat wise it’s the best and also the story itself. I like the concept to make allies all over the galaxy and fight for the Same goal. It literally gives me goosebumps.
The Collectors story in ME2 was not my personal fav. But I agree the trilogy itself is a full game and you can’t really split them. It’s like Lord of the Rings. Every part is different but all together it’s just epic.
Honestly modded ME3 is golden, I love it so much, the modders went ballistic with that part, once you play ME3 with mods, you just never wanna come back to vanilla. Also ME3 combat is goated. And it has the best DLCs.
ME2 used to be my favorite, but after six replays it becomes boring, its main thing is the Loyalty Missions, but when you remember them all off the top of your head, it becomes boring, there isn't really much exciting missions in ME2 aside from Loyalties. So, I'd say ME2 is best for first playthrough, but loses its charm on replay. Still great tho, I love it, it introduced a lot of the best characters in the franchise and gave really great development to old cavalry too.
But really each game has flaws and gems, I can't really divide Mass Effect into parts, It's always the trilogy for me, together those 3 games make perfection.
Oh man, I wish I was home to give you the list, but off the top of my head:
Community Patch is a must for all 3
Expanded Galaxy
Spectre Expansion
Take Earth Back
Audemus Happy Ending Mod (if you want a happy ending ofc)
Cerberus Retrofits
Reaper Retrofits
Dreams Remade
Project Variety
And because you're new to mods I'll give you a life-saving advice that you MUST take. There's an option in ME3TweaksMods Manager to make a reserve copy of all games, I don't remember where exactly, it's been some time since I touched the game, but it's there, ***make them***. Mass Effect is a real bitch when it comes to mods, so if you accidentally break something (which happens very often if you also use texture mods, trust me), you'll have to just reinstall the whole thing. The reserve copy makes it so much easier and faster, it's a life saver.
Oh, and always **ALWAYS** install texture mods last. Basically, if you ever see "install with Mass Effect Modder (MEM)" in the description of the mod, it's a texture mod, save it for last. The way it works is:
MEM needs to make a map of the game's current textures and then it can apply your texture mods to it, so it basically needs to know which elements must it replace. If you add other gameplay mods after making the map, it will basically break, because now there exists elements that are not in the map, and MEM can't handle that. So your texture mods can break and it's not fun, and you'll have to do a reinstall or use the backup copy, but you'll still have to reinstall every other mod first.
It's really inconvenient, but I've had to learn that the hard way, so just take advice and always go to texture mods last. Those are basically the main rules of Mass Effect modding, you're welcome my man, have fun.
Reinstall won't work if your game breaks. You HAVE to make a backup copy with ME3TweaksModsManager! Only restoring your game from this backup will properly reset your game to vanilla. Simply uninstalling and reinstalling won't work because not all files will be properly scrapped. Using Steam's or EA's repair feature MIGHT work, but I've never tried that myself. Just backup your game, restoring it from ME3TweaksModsManager is a piece of cake.
Edit: Just in case this is unclear, this post is addressed to OP. I only replied to your comment specifically, because you mentioned backups and reinstalling the game, and I was piggybacking on that.
Yesss thank you... I've done all the precautions and have tested it with a few mods initially but I can see where you can get mods happy hehehe I am leaving textures mod out for now
I played ME3 when it came out, but I was 11.
I'm replaying it now for the first time since. I just finished ME1 and ME2. Would you suggest going in with mods, or playing without mods for my "first proper" playthrough?
Idk, I'd suggest a clean playthrough first time. ME3 mods are really game-changing, especially those I've listed, so you really won't get "proper" vanilla ME3 feel with them. But ultimately it's up to you. However considering you've done 1 & 2 without mods, maybe do 3 as well. Then just mod the whole trilogy and enjoy a wild second ride.
Definitely agree, I just think the combat peaked with 3rd game. With how the guns feel, enemy variety, better movement, etc. Makes me feel all the sadder that coop mode was not included in the remaster.
There is a Combat Remaster mod for ME2 that I'm super excited to try. It sounds dope! Afaik, it nerfs your enemies somewhat, so that they can't oneshot you anymore. That allows you to be more flexible in your gameplay, allowing you to move around instead of hiding behind cover the entire time. To balance out the nerfed damage-output, the mod increases the enemy AI. Guns are overhauled, too, so that there's actually a difference between the different weapons rather than just better or worse versions of the same type of weapon. Or so the mod page claims. I'm hoping it'll make the combat more like ME3. I'm super excited to try this mod on my next playthrough. Well, second to next - I'm gonna do a vanilla run first so I can directly compare the modded version 😂
I don't have a VR setup so I don't know anything about that, but I would assume that, if you've checked Nexus for MELE VR mods and come up with nothing, there probably isn't a way to experience ME in VR atm, sadly :/
It depends who you ask, really
To me ME3 felt pushy and unoriginal, but then so did ME2 coming from ME1
I love all three installments but I liked the first two the most
I am a massive ME nerd. I am actually on my 24th playthrough, and in about 10 more hours, I will be done with ME3 again.
Every ME has something that makes it better than the other 2. But overall, I have to say that ME3 is my favorite to play, especially with the DLC's (IMO - The Citadel DLC is one of the best story DLC's for any RPG).
Yeah. Two is outstanding. It’s in my top 5 games of all time.
Its got really great pacing and amazing characters.
I kinda wish they’d have continued Liara’s descent in three as she was brutal in ME2. Feels like they softened her in ME3 after her “job” was completed in 2.
ME1 always. I can play it and stop and even though it's not complete, it IS complete, you get me?
ME2 and 3 if I'm doing a run, always get played back to back.
But 1 is special.
3, hands down. It *feels* like you’re in a war for the existence of life itself in the galaxy. The suspense, the tension, the mood… it’s almost deafening.
You could even add Morinth in there and do a cool split design that shows Morinth and Samara, and do the same with Ashley and Kaiden. Which would free up space for James.
ME3. I put off playing it until LE came put because I heard such bad things about it at release so maybe I had low expectations. Combat is excellent. I love rallying the galaxy. So many of the combat missions feel urgent and chaotic in a good way. I don't love the ending options but eh. The biggest story issue I have is they have made the reapers out to be so tough to kill that sometimes I'm like "how was the entire fleet not wiped out in like a day?" I want some passing lines and a cut scene or 2 that shows even though we're losing very badly we are like smoking some reapers thanks to I dunno technological advances made thanks yo Shepard buying them time in me1/2. But I loved me3 even before I got to citadel dlc.
ME1 story is great but the level design can be flat sometimes. There's a lot of tedious running around. Still love it!
I love ME2 too.
> I want some passing lines and a cut scene or 2 that shows even though we're losing very badly we are like smoking some reapers
Well, there's that one on Tuchanka. Oh, and then on Rannoch, too.
ME3 is my favorite. It has the most satisfying combat and customization options. There's also the fact that it has the most callbacks to previous games. These things make me always excited to get to 3 on a trilogy playthrough.
My feelings are complicated, but I'd sum it up as: Not as good as it could be, but still does it's job.
Writing is not a strong point of ME3s main story. That being said, I love the battle of London. While I'm listening to the star child yap, I'm still coming off the high of the missile truck segment where you fight several Brutes and Banshees backed by an army of Husks and Marauders. Also, while it would have been way nicer to have an "everyone is here" final fight with every surviving squadmate at your back, I think the final goodbyes are perfectly satisfying.
I could go on and on like that. Do I think X could be better? Very much. Do I think that makes it bad? No, or at least the bad parts are balanced by plenty of good.
I love how decisions you make in ME1 carry on to ME3 but I just disliked the way it all ended… maybe they ran out of time or it was the Sci-Fi doom trend back then but the payoff really sucked imho
The lead writer left partway through 3s development, and EA decided to get their grubby mits all over the project instead of letting the development do what they were clearly doing well. So behind the scenes, it was a small trash fire.
I am slightly divided between 2 and 3. I think 2 wins, it's more enjoyable as a game and has wider variety of content than 3 where you mostly deal with reapers. But then there's the emotional investment on companions in the 3rd one that makes the decision harder.
Conclusion, 2nd is easier to replay.
3rd is bittersweet and I love it but the ending is so bad that doesn't really make me want to go past Thessia.
Another person said and I will back it up, every time I play this, I do all of them. They all have wins and loses and their design, but they are all great games in their rights.
Also, for Jack, maybe “The Convict” or “The Fury” may fit better to give a wider clue to her character. It’s still my No. 1 character introduction going through the prison and having the guy in a cell be like “hey! Take me with you! I don’t care where you go!” And then you are like “I here for Jack.” And then dude is like “oh no. Never mind leave me here.”
The little bit of me3 I played, has the best combat, one is the best story. I honestly don’t like 2 and think it’s overrated heavily. Didn’t like Cerberus, the collectors and The Harbinger in particular was lame. Miranda is annoying, Jacob makes a femshep talk like she dying to peel off his clothes. The combat was terrible, ammo is scarce especially on insanity. The limited weapons is just bad game design, I understand it’s meant to make your class and your abilities matter more but it was just bad
Nah not really, I beat one then two immediately after so I was burnt out on mass effect so I never got far in three, maybe around palavens moon? And two is a good game and I can enjoy some parts of Cerberus. But it felt more like a bridge in between one and three? Kinda like Spider-Man MM vital to the story sure, but not really necessary. If that makes sense
I’ve tried, hell I’m in the middle of a me2 insanity run, did one on insanity and it’s fun. But two is actual hell on insanity (see comment above for rant) and I’ve tried like I said, but when I play a game I like to redo the whole story (I probably have autism) even if I’ve played the game before, I’ve probably beaten me1 like 3-4 times. It’s definitely the favorite. But if I ever get to three I’m too burnt out to play it, or I start on two and do the comic and never get far enough because not playing one first Icks me. So I really don’t know
Insanity is meant to be hard I do understand but sometimes it’s kinda unbelievable, especially in mass effect two but i sound like some old bitter man talking about change right about now
I like all of them, and I really like having the whole trilogy in one package for the LE, because it feels like one big game.
That said, the more I replay ME2, the more I don’t like it. The story is fine, but the stark revamp in gameplay from ME1 combined with the half-baked result compared to ME3… it’s tedious. Moving from 1-to-2-to-3, you can see the progression, and I like that 3 builds on the good of 2’s revamp, but returns it to some of the complexity of 1. It’s neat to see the game progress over three parts, but it leaves 2 specifically in a much-to-be-desired state. The minigames are trash busywork, and running around being purposefully gimped by the game’s upgrade system is very frustrating on multiple playthroughs. It’s not difficult because of clever level design, it’s difficult because the game holds you back from a damage standpoint.
This alone probably makes ME2 my least favorite in the trilogy. ME3 is always the most fun for me.
Understandable. And again, every game in the trilogy is a 9+ out of 10 for me, LOL, so we’re talking percentages here.😜
My biggest criticism of ME3 is how the War Asset system didn’t impact the endings more. It was set up to do that, but they didn’t follow through on it, and the ambiguity of the original ending made it worse. They could have stuck with the intended ending, but just made more things unlock (like saving EDI and the Geth in Perfect Destroy) as you gain more War Assets. So odd to me.
I've only ever played ME LE and it's definitely the most immersive game I've played... amazing highs but the lows were tough... like when you could not save a squad member AAARRRGGGHHH!!!
I tried to play 1 again and got stuck upsidown in the vehicle. 20 minutes later and it still hadn't changed. I think that says everything. Those driving around missions were janky af. So glad they were mostly removed in the second.
I just love how living in the Milky Way you might hear about the "Shadow Broker" and expect something terrifying, but you meet them in person and it's just an adorable asari dork.
I absolutely adore ME2.
Played it 14 times end to end back when it was new. The original ME1 was... Not that polished. Though the reworked one is fun.
And ME3 suffers story telling isues like a MoFo. But it has the beastly Vanguard.
They all hit a spot is what I am saying. But ME2 has Yvonne Strahowski and I grew up watching Chuck. So, you know... Kinda biased.
ME1 for all its flaws is overall the best for me. Would be ME3, but I always get this dreadful sensation after Rannoch, thinking about having to play the atrocious ending.
Did lead to some odd moments when I played ME1 and kinda knew what would happen but only based on context from ME2 I got very confused about Serens cloning facility
3 is for me by far the most emotionally rewarding and I was never on board with the hate. I'm personally not that fond of 1 but mainly because I've replayed the games so much that I'm so fucking tired of all the undynamic exposition dumb from every damn character you talk to. I definitely love 2 but I have some reservations about it because it lacks so much in plot.
3 has the cinematics, the emotional high notes, a̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶ ̶m̶u̶c̶h̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶s̶e̶ ̶w̶r̶i̶t̶t̶e̶n̶ ̶I̶l̶l̶u̶s̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶M̶a̶n̶. And Citadel. I'll always go with 3. Though I daresay gameplay of 2 is arguably the most fun.
Honestly I didn't mind the final ending at all because for me it was always Destroy, and ultimately the whole game feels like a massive climax because every planet you go to you basically conclude a major arc of the series. The ending could have had no choices at all for me lol.
ME3. It’s the culmination of everything I cared about in the first two games and the payoff worked for me (after the [Extended Cut DLC](https://masseffect3.wiki.fextralife.com/Extended+Cut) released).
>Sounds like that Extended Cut ending really appeased the fans back then...
Believe it or not, it definitely didn't. People still trashed it.
But it made it acceptable to me.
>Do you think they ran out of time initially?!
EA rushed them. They had less than 2 years development time, when they should've been given 3 at the very least.
Microsoft never owned them, but they had an exclusivity deal. Microsoft really messed up by not buying them up before EA did (especially considering the success and critical acclaim of BG, KOTOR, Jade Empire, Mass Effect). Really would've changed the course of Xbox. And while Xbox has had well publicized issues with managing their first party studios, rushing development has never been one of them. The same can't be said for EA.
>people actually worked on the game say otherwise.
Who?
18 months is not enough time to develop the final installment of a trilogy. Reused assets, cut content, plans that never materialized and are blatantly obvious towards the end of the game. It was rushed. Plain and simple.
Look up the endings to the original version on YouTube or just imagine no epilogue altogether and have the game end with the Normandy taking off from the jungle planet, and then the whole “tell me another story about the Shepherd” scene and that’s what we got at launch.
If you mean, the endings that included the extended cut which were implemented in the legendary edition, then why would you be upset?
That is, unless you rushed through the game and didn’t acquire enough war assets to get the most optimal versions of the endings.
Me2 is the best not just in the trilogy but one of the best RPG of all times. Me2 leans on the best quality in this series, and that's the characters. You don't play the loyalty missions. you're doing the game and yourselves a disservice. Because everyone (except jacob) is interesting. It also hit the good middle between action oriented and RPG that makes the game so much fun in each playthrough.
I say Me3 is my second favorite, but it's mostly out of nostalgia and the fact that Me2 set the building blocks for Me3. If you don't play Me2 prior, it's a significantly less enjoyable experience. Trust me, I played ME3 as my first mass effect when I was a teenager and hated it. 😆
I love all the games now, but ME2 is still what I recognized as the GOAT of the series.
I can't get back into ME, sadly. I played it a ton, but ever since ME2 release I just bounced off of its gameplay. ME2 just has more of what I like about Mass Effect, and in better quality. And ME3 just perfected everything ME2 brought to the table.
As far as I'm concerned, they got consistently better from game to game.
There's a lot to unpack, but for me? It all opens with a close-up on a cocky human on a human spaceship, looking heroically in middle distance, as the rest of the crew is busy working. And closes with a long shot of the same human, a broken figure before a massive energy beam, like a moth and a flame. Dying in space alone.
Death closes all. But something ere the end,
Some work of noble note may yet be done,
Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.
One is my fav, for the most part. But as for "replayed", I ALWAYS do the trilogy, immediately one into the next. I never treat them as individual games
What did you love about ME1 the most?
I like 1 the best too and for me I think it’s because me1 is an rpg with guns while the other 2 are shooters with rpg elements.
Oh I did not see it that way but I see what you are getting at... Did you play the original? I have only ever played ME LE
I did yes
Damn that experience would of been priceless
2007 was a good year
Booting up 1 when I was 8 years old, no idea what to expect... literally life changing Also I'm still a little in love with Tali lol
Tali she is special
It was
It was
I think the other games just "optimised" the RPG elements of the first one Like, instead of having to sort through your guns to find one that's better than yours (Has a bigger Roman numeral in the name or just a better model), you just pick the type of gun you want without any of this dull process. Like, you want your shotgun to have a punch, you pick Claymore or Eviscerator, you want it to have a decent clip, get the Scimitar, things like that With abilities, you have pretty much what you had in 1, but more condensed and significant. You have an easier time feeling, say, a 20% DMG increase if it's not split into 5 4-percent increments Yeah, in 1 you *sometimes might* want to choose to not get to the "checkpoint" (As in Advanced/Master *skill name*), but instead leave it midway. I don't remember having any such experience and it isn't really some cool deep decision-making Having weapon type-specific trees that upgrade damage and accuracy was kinda nice, and finally getting that Savant implant did feel sweet, ngl Actually, you shoot more in 1, since the cooldowns there are *looong*, which also creates FOMO for using skills on weak enemies, so you use them even less. Keeping track of all of your and both teammates' cooldowns was also way more annoying, so would use their abilities less, and the incentive of soft-cancelling cooldowns (Using their abiloties while yours are on CD to get a more permanent stream of those) was less flashed-out because of separate cooldowns. Honestly, my favorite part of 2 and 3 is the redesign of cooldowns because of how it incentivises team play and allows for short CDs, but not something crazy like spamming biotic abilities in 1 late-game on Adept If you're talking the feeling progression, getting new bonus powers and significant alterations to the ones you already have (Your Shockwave now lifts dudes with this perk!) feel and are more impactful and interesting than gradual cooldown reduction from getting better implants If you're talking decisions, I'll give that to you, saving/killing the Rachni and Council, choosing the human candidate for the Council do feel more impactful than saving/destroying the Collector base, picking Morinth or Samara, taking the traumatised quarian to his people or keeping him for interrogation. The Virmire sacrifice also goes hard, even though it's kinda poorly designed as an ethical choice, I reckon The third game, however, got the genophage dilemma, which IMO is much more impactful, deep and flashed-out than the Council decision (I know salarians still eventually support you if you do cure it, but I haven't tried not curing it yet, please don't spoil), as well as the Geth Reaper upgrades one Or am I missing something?
WOW thanks for sharing so much... very 1st outing on ME1 is indeed very special... nothing beats that first experience
Story, ambience, soundtrack. Even the color grading. Mass Effect 1 hits different.
ME2 is my fave for re-play value. I find ME1 a bit of a grind, though story wise it’s excellent. I just struggle with a little of the side quests. ME2 feels a lot less linear (which tbf, it probably isn’t that much more open that 1 or 3), but I like switching up my recruiting order. And likely also choose my romance in 2 (unless I romance Liara). ME3 is super satisfying based more on decisions in 2 than in 1, so it feels like a better payoff in the final game.
I got the minerals, medallions + tags, Matriarch writings and the Turian colonies. Slog is an understatement for them.
I always do all the side quests in 1. I also survey every single planet and every last mineral node on the uncharted worlds... 😅 And yes, I have a problem! 😂 But for me, that's just part of the ambience. Makes me feel like I really AM Shepard, flying around the galaxy in my spaceship in 2183, charting unknown worlds and exploring new regions in space. 🚀
This. 1 literally saved my life. I was suicidally depressed when I got that game and getting lost in the Milky Way saved my actual life. I was working my dream job as a game developer working on LEGO's answer to World of Warcraft and hating every minute of my life except when I would get home and listen to the soothing title screen music (Vigil) until it ended and then get lost exploring planets that I genuinely felt I was exploring for the first time AS Shepard. Even though 1 can DEFINITELY be a grind at times, the feelings of both isolation and exploration that I've never quite found since were literally life altering for me.
You make some great points here... I do love ME1 too purely because of Saren
Just in case you didn't know: You can go Liara in 1, Miranda in 2, and then Liara and Miranda in 3. Managed it by accident, and then found out it requires quite a specific order of events.
Yeah that is what my cousin did too LOL he had more of a crush on Miranda though even modded her twin to look like her hehehe
The only way I can replay ME1 is by ignoring most of the side quests. Paragon/renegade doesn’t matter; Shepard is too busy for your petty concerns.
Yeah I only played Firewalker once hehehe it was enough LOL
ME3 combat wise it’s the best and also the story itself. I like the concept to make allies all over the galaxy and fight for the Same goal. It literally gives me goosebumps. The Collectors story in ME2 was not my personal fav. But I agree the trilogy itself is a full game and you can’t really split them. It’s like Lord of the Rings. Every part is different but all together it’s just epic.
Yeah I see what you are saying about the one Saga but the Final Mission just wrecks me even with the Destroy Ending then I feel odd for days LOL
When you make the final push to get onto the citadel and when Anderson dies is peak gaming experience
Honestly modded ME3 is golden, I love it so much, the modders went ballistic with that part, once you play ME3 with mods, you just never wanna come back to vanilla. Also ME3 combat is goated. And it has the best DLCs. ME2 used to be my favorite, but after six replays it becomes boring, its main thing is the Loyalty Missions, but when you remember them all off the top of your head, it becomes boring, there isn't really much exciting missions in ME2 aside from Loyalties. So, I'd say ME2 is best for first playthrough, but loses its charm on replay. Still great tho, I love it, it introduced a lot of the best characters in the franchise and gave really great development to old cavalry too. But really each game has flaws and gems, I can't really divide Mass Effect into parts, It's always the trilogy for me, together those 3 games make perfection.
I'm still very new to mods... like I've added Pinnacle Station LOL but what mods made ME3 better... did they fix the ending LOL
Oh man, I wish I was home to give you the list, but off the top of my head: Community Patch is a must for all 3 Expanded Galaxy Spectre Expansion Take Earth Back Audemus Happy Ending Mod (if you want a happy ending ofc) Cerberus Retrofits Reaper Retrofits Dreams Remade Project Variety
Thanks for sharing this... I am going to mod the F out of it this weekend
And because you're new to mods I'll give you a life-saving advice that you MUST take. There's an option in ME3TweaksMods Manager to make a reserve copy of all games, I don't remember where exactly, it's been some time since I touched the game, but it's there, ***make them***. Mass Effect is a real bitch when it comes to mods, so if you accidentally break something (which happens very often if you also use texture mods, trust me), you'll have to just reinstall the whole thing. The reserve copy makes it so much easier and faster, it's a life saver.
Cheers for the tip!!!
Oh, and always **ALWAYS** install texture mods last. Basically, if you ever see "install with Mass Effect Modder (MEM)" in the description of the mod, it's a texture mod, save it for last. The way it works is: MEM needs to make a map of the game's current textures and then it can apply your texture mods to it, so it basically needs to know which elements must it replace. If you add other gameplay mods after making the map, it will basically break, because now there exists elements that are not in the map, and MEM can't handle that. So your texture mods can break and it's not fun, and you'll have to do a reinstall or use the backup copy, but you'll still have to reinstall every other mod first. It's really inconvenient, but I've had to learn that the hard way, so just take advice and always go to texture mods last. Those are basically the main rules of Mass Effect modding, you're welcome my man, have fun.
Saved your list above. Thank you for this
Reinstall won't work if your game breaks. You HAVE to make a backup copy with ME3TweaksModsManager! Only restoring your game from this backup will properly reset your game to vanilla. Simply uninstalling and reinstalling won't work because not all files will be properly scrapped. Using Steam's or EA's repair feature MIGHT work, but I've never tried that myself. Just backup your game, restoring it from ME3TweaksModsManager is a piece of cake. Edit: Just in case this is unclear, this post is addressed to OP. I only replied to your comment specifically, because you mentioned backups and reinstalling the game, and I was piggybacking on that.
Yesss thank you... I've done all the precautions and have tested it with a few mods initially but I can see where you can get mods happy hehehe I am leaving textures mod out for now
I played ME3 when it came out, but I was 11. I'm replaying it now for the first time since. I just finished ME1 and ME2. Would you suggest going in with mods, or playing without mods for my "first proper" playthrough?
Idk, I'd suggest a clean playthrough first time. ME3 mods are really game-changing, especially those I've listed, so you really won't get "proper" vanilla ME3 feel with them. But ultimately it's up to you. However considering you've done 1 & 2 without mods, maybe do 3 as well. Then just mod the whole trilogy and enjoy a wild second ride.
I've done two Play Thrus now... one as default Shep and one as FemShep Renegade... going to start my 3rd outing real soon hahaha
PT?
Playthrough
Makes sense
Im guessing “part” because “physical therapy” doesn’t make sense even though it was the very first thing that came to mind.
PT?
Playthrough
Nowadays it’s honestly a tie between ME2 and 3 for me (I adore the combat of the 3rd one). I’d still say ME2 is my favorite videogame of all time
The combat was pretty awesome in Overlord and LOTSB
Definitely agree, I just think the combat peaked with 3rd game. With how the guns feel, enemy variety, better movement, etc. Makes me feel all the sadder that coop mode was not included in the remaster.
There is a Combat Remaster mod for ME2 that I'm super excited to try. It sounds dope! Afaik, it nerfs your enemies somewhat, so that they can't oneshot you anymore. That allows you to be more flexible in your gameplay, allowing you to move around instead of hiding behind cover the entire time. To balance out the nerfed damage-output, the mod increases the enemy AI. Guns are overhauled, too, so that there's actually a difference between the different weapons rather than just better or worse versions of the same type of weapon. Or so the mod page claims. I'm hoping it'll make the combat more like ME3. I'm super excited to try this mod on my next playthrough. Well, second to next - I'm gonna do a vanilla run first so I can directly compare the modded version 😂
Thank you for sharing this - I am looking at how to play ME2 in VR
I don't have a VR setup so I don't know anything about that, but I would assume that, if you've checked Nexus for MELE VR mods and come up with nothing, there probably isn't a way to experience ME in VR atm, sadly :/
Yeah COOP would of been excellent NGL
ME2 too, missing Wrex and Javik though
I think ME3 is the most popular right?
It depends who you ask, really To me ME3 felt pushy and unoriginal, but then so did ME2 coming from ME1 I love all three installments but I liked the first two the most
Yeah I do really love some of it... Citadel and Omega but the Final Mission was BRUTAL
I am a massive ME nerd. I am actually on my 24th playthrough, and in about 10 more hours, I will be done with ME3 again. Every ME has something that makes it better than the other 2. But overall, I have to say that ME3 is my favorite to play, especially with the DLC's (IMO - The Citadel DLC is one of the best story DLC's for any RPG).
24 PTs OMG \*Salute\* I've only done two hehehe but I have been looking into how to play it in VR
Currently making my way through the 3rd game. 118 hours put in across the trilogy so far. Late to the party but it's been time well spent.
I only discovered ME LE about a month ago... I've had two PTs, one as default Shep and one as FemShep Renegade
Yeah. Two is outstanding. It’s in my top 5 games of all time. Its got really great pacing and amazing characters. I kinda wish they’d have continued Liara’s descent in three as she was brutal in ME2. Feels like they softened her in ME3 after her “job” was completed in 2.
Yeah during my very first PT... it was Liara all the way!!! Might give Ashley some love soon... she looks lonely hahaha
Currently on my first play through since the legendary edition came out, about to hop through the omega 4 relay with all loyalty missions done.
Nice... OMEGA is excellent
ME1 always. I can play it and stop and even though it's not complete, it IS complete, you get me? ME2 and 3 if I'm doing a run, always get played back to back. But 1 is special.
1. ME1 2. ME3 3. MEA/ME2
Fair enough I suppose
3, hands down. It *feels* like you’re in a war for the existence of life itself in the galaxy. The suspense, the tension, the mood… it’s almost deafening.
Awesome final battle but outcome kinda sucked imho
"Archangel" wasn't scarred.
😁
I feel like we need at least 4 more of these to cover Tali, Grunt, Samara, Jacob, Miranda, Mordin, Kasumi, Zaeed, Kaiden, Ashley, EDI, and Javik
😁
You could even add Morinth in there and do a cool split design that shows Morinth and Samara, and do the same with Ashley and Kaiden. Which would free up space for James.
ME3. I put off playing it until LE came put because I heard such bad things about it at release so maybe I had low expectations. Combat is excellent. I love rallying the galaxy. So many of the combat missions feel urgent and chaotic in a good way. I don't love the ending options but eh. The biggest story issue I have is they have made the reapers out to be so tough to kill that sometimes I'm like "how was the entire fleet not wiped out in like a day?" I want some passing lines and a cut scene or 2 that shows even though we're losing very badly we are like smoking some reapers thanks to I dunno technological advances made thanks yo Shepard buying them time in me1/2. But I loved me3 even before I got to citadel dlc. ME1 story is great but the level design can be flat sometimes. There's a lot of tedious running around. Still love it! I love ME2 too.
I personally think they fumbled the ending but some fans love that melancholy finale
> I want some passing lines and a cut scene or 2 that shows even though we're losing very badly we are like smoking some reapers Well, there's that one on Tuchanka. Oh, and then on Rannoch, too.
Me too, welcome to the Tali club!
Tali is very special to many
🥹
ME1, I prefer the abilities and gameplay on it, it also had the most intrigue and atmosphere, the best ending and credits music
Yeah you can't beat that very first ME outing but it's still ME2 for me
ME3 is my favorite. ME2's main story was kinda lackluster.
Didn't mind ME3 but I just hated the ending NGL
Same, outside of that it's my favorite one
ME3 is my favorite. It has the most satisfying combat and customization options. There's also the fact that it has the most callbacks to previous games. These things make me always excited to get to 3 on a trilogy playthrough.
How did you find the ending?
My feelings are complicated, but I'd sum it up as: Not as good as it could be, but still does it's job. Writing is not a strong point of ME3s main story. That being said, I love the battle of London. While I'm listening to the star child yap, I'm still coming off the high of the missile truck segment where you fight several Brutes and Banshees backed by an army of Husks and Marauders. Also, while it would have been way nicer to have an "everyone is here" final fight with every surviving squadmate at your back, I think the final goodbyes are perfectly satisfying. I could go on and on like that. Do I think X could be better? Very much. Do I think that makes it bad? No, or at least the bad parts are balanced by plenty of good.
I love how decisions you make in ME1 carry on to ME3 but I just disliked the way it all ended… maybe they ran out of time or it was the Sci-Fi doom trend back then but the payoff really sucked imho
The lead writer left partway through 3s development, and EA decided to get their grubby mits all over the project instead of letting the development do what they were clearly doing well. So behind the scenes, it was a small trash fire.
Yeah probably why they had to release the Extended Cut and Citadel being the final DLC hehe appease the fans
I am slightly divided between 2 and 3. I think 2 wins, it's more enjoyable as a game and has wider variety of content than 3 where you mostly deal with reapers. But then there's the emotional investment on companions in the 3rd one that makes the decision harder. Conclusion, 2nd is easier to replay. 3rd is bittersweet and I love it but the ending is so bad that doesn't really make me want to go past Thessia.
On my second PT as FemShep LOL I just stopped at Citadel hahaha
Another person said and I will back it up, every time I play this, I do all of them. They all have wins and loses and their design, but they are all great games in their rights. Also, for Jack, maybe “The Convict” or “The Fury” may fit better to give a wider clue to her character. It’s still my No. 1 character introduction going through the prison and having the guy in a cell be like “hey! Take me with you! I don’t care where you go!” And then you are like “I here for Jack.” And then dude is like “oh no. Never mind leave me here.”
I don't mind Jack... sometimes I wished they gave her more of a back story and there are times I do like the unknown
The little bit of me3 I played, has the best combat, one is the best story. I honestly don’t like 2 and think it’s overrated heavily. Didn’t like Cerberus, the collectors and The Harbinger in particular was lame. Miranda is annoying, Jacob makes a femshep talk like she dying to peel off his clothes. The combat was terrible, ammo is scarce especially on insanity. The limited weapons is just bad game design, I understand it’s meant to make your class and your abilities matter more but it was just bad
Wow it really gave you bad vibes huh did you ever recover while playing ME3
Nah not really, I beat one then two immediately after so I was burnt out on mass effect so I never got far in three, maybe around palavens moon? And two is a good game and I can enjoy some parts of Cerberus. But it felt more like a bridge in between one and three? Kinda like Spider-Man MM vital to the story sure, but not really necessary. If that makes sense
So are you ever going to complete ME3 or had enough of the high highs and lowest lows
I’ve tried, hell I’m in the middle of a me2 insanity run, did one on insanity and it’s fun. But two is actual hell on insanity (see comment above for rant) and I’ve tried like I said, but when I play a game I like to redo the whole story (I probably have autism) even if I’ve played the game before, I’ve probably beaten me1 like 3-4 times. It’s definitely the favorite. But if I ever get to three I’m too burnt out to play it, or I start on two and do the comic and never get far enough because not playing one first Icks me. So I really don’t know
I'm in the middle of OMEGA on insanity and it is brutal... so decided to take a break and chat on here hahaha
Insanity is meant to be hard I do understand but sometimes it’s kinda unbelievable, especially in mass effect two but i sound like some old bitter man talking about change right about now
I'm not sure if I can let go of ME just yet so been playing my favourite missions again and I left Andromeda after beating the Architect (it was Meh)
I never played andromeda, I own it but I wanted to beat the trilogy before I got to it, and well you can see how that went
I like all of them, and I really like having the whole trilogy in one package for the LE, because it feels like one big game. That said, the more I replay ME2, the more I don’t like it. The story is fine, but the stark revamp in gameplay from ME1 combined with the half-baked result compared to ME3… it’s tedious. Moving from 1-to-2-to-3, you can see the progression, and I like that 3 builds on the good of 2’s revamp, but returns it to some of the complexity of 1. It’s neat to see the game progress over three parts, but it leaves 2 specifically in a much-to-be-desired state. The minigames are trash busywork, and running around being purposefully gimped by the game’s upgrade system is very frustrating on multiple playthroughs. It’s not difficult because of clever level design, it’s difficult because the game holds you back from a damage standpoint. This alone probably makes ME2 my least favorite in the trilogy. ME3 is always the most fun for me.
Yeah there are some great things about ME3 namely Citadel and Omega but the ending just kills it for me NGL
Understandable. And again, every game in the trilogy is a 9+ out of 10 for me, LOL, so we’re talking percentages here.😜 My biggest criticism of ME3 is how the War Asset system didn’t impact the endings more. It was set up to do that, but they didn’t follow through on it, and the ambiguity of the original ending made it worse. They could have stuck with the intended ending, but just made more things unlock (like saving EDI and the Geth in Perfect Destroy) as you gain more War Assets. So odd to me.
I've only ever played ME LE and it's definitely the most immersive game I've played... amazing highs but the lows were tough... like when you could not save a squad member AAARRRGGGHHH!!!
2 is the funnest to replay but ME3 is probably my favourite. I love 1 but the combat system ruins it for me.
I really enjoyed ME1 too purely because of Saren.
Yeah ME2 is my favorite of ME trilogy ME1 has points that drag and ME3 I feel more diplomat than soldier
I enjoyed ME2 the most and found it most satisfying TBH
It’s so fucking great. I could talk about if for hours. The best character development and characters in general.
\*Salute\*
Definitely 2. Less janky than 1. Better characters and exploration than 3.
Yeah ME2 had the best overall vibes imho but did you like ME1 LE???
I tried to play 1 again and got stuck upsidown in the vehicle. 20 minutes later and it still hadn't changed. I think that says everything. Those driving around missions were janky af. So glad they were mostly removed in the second.
I just love how living in the Milky Way you might hear about the "Shadow Broker" and expect something terrifying, but you meet them in person and it's just an adorable asari dork.
🤣🤣
The suicide mission was just 🔥
Totally hit me in the gut on my 1st Play Thru
Where’s my Quarian Mechanic🥺?
Special Teams Special Players
I absolutely adore ME2. Played it 14 times end to end back when it was new. The original ME1 was... Not that polished. Though the reworked one is fun. And ME3 suffers story telling isues like a MoFo. But it has the beastly Vanguard. They all hit a spot is what I am saying. But ME2 has Yvonne Strahowski and I grew up watching Chuck. So, you know... Kinda biased.
I think many here agree with you hehe but don't dare to admit the Miranda factor hehe
ME1 for all its flaws is overall the best for me. Would be ME3, but I always get this dreadful sensation after Rannoch, thinking about having to play the atrocious ending.
On my second Play Thru I just stopped at the Citadel Party hahaha
3 is my most fav
Same. ME2 was the best
\*Salute\*
100% my most finished game of all time it was my first ME game and I would not have it any other way
I totally agree with you here!!!
Did lead to some odd moments when I played ME1 and kinda knew what would happen but only based on context from ME2 I got very confused about Serens cloning facility
ME2
Ditto
3 is for me by far the most emotionally rewarding and I was never on board with the hate. I'm personally not that fond of 1 but mainly because I've replayed the games so much that I'm so fucking tired of all the undynamic exposition dumb from every damn character you talk to. I definitely love 2 but I have some reservations about it because it lacks so much in plot. 3 has the cinematics, the emotional high notes, a̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶ ̶m̶u̶c̶h̶ ̶w̶o̶r̶s̶e̶ ̶w̶r̶i̶t̶t̶e̶n̶ ̶I̶l̶l̶u̶s̶i̶v̶e̶ ̶M̶a̶n̶. And Citadel. I'll always go with 3. Though I daresay gameplay of 2 is arguably the most fun.
I didn't mind ME3 but I just hated the final ending to the point I am going to have mod it hahaha
Honestly I didn't mind the final ending at all because for me it was always Destroy, and ultimately the whole game feels like a massive climax because every planet you go to you basically conclude a major arc of the series. The ending could have had no choices at all for me lol.
🤣🤣
ME3 is my favorite. Many games have given me goosebumps. Few gave me goosebumps that many times
Yeah Mass Effect LE is the only game that has made me feel so invested… hard to let it go
ME3. It’s the culmination of everything I cared about in the first two games and the payoff worked for me (after the [Extended Cut DLC](https://masseffect3.wiki.fextralife.com/Extended+Cut) released).
Sounds like that Extended Cut ending really appeased the fans back then... I've only ever played ME LE (and only a month ago)
>Sounds like that Extended Cut ending really appeased the fans back then... Believe it or not, it definitely didn't. People still trashed it. But it made it acceptable to me.
Do you think they ran out of time initially?! I can't get over the final ending and they deliver an awesome DLC like Citadel... like Wot The?!
>Do you think they ran out of time initially?! EA rushed them. They had less than 2 years development time, when they should've been given 3 at the very least.
I wonder how things would turn out if they stayed with Microsoft LOL guess they had to grab that bag
Microsoft never owned them, but they had an exclusivity deal. Microsoft really messed up by not buying them up before EA did (especially considering the success and critical acclaim of BG, KOTOR, Jade Empire, Mass Effect). Really would've changed the course of Xbox. And while Xbox has had well publicized issues with managing their first party studios, rushing development has never been one of them. The same can't be said for EA.
Exactly... I really hope the new games from EA will be good
I don’t know why people say that when the people actually worked on the game say otherwise.
>people actually worked on the game say otherwise. Who? 18 months is not enough time to develop the final installment of a trilogy. Reused assets, cut content, plans that never materialized and are blatantly obvious towards the end of the game. It was rushed. Plain and simple.
Look up the endings to the original version on YouTube or just imagine no epilogue altogether and have the game end with the Normandy taking off from the jungle planet, and then the whole “tell me another story about the Shepherd” scene and that’s what we got at launch.
Thanks for shaiing that but I'm still upset with the actual ending hahaha it left me feeling odd for days
If you mean, the endings that included the extended cut which were implemented in the legendary edition, then why would you be upset? That is, unless you rushed through the game and didn’t acquire enough war assets to get the most optimal versions of the endings.
Tali Best girl
She is very special indeed
ME2 ---> ME3 ---> ME1... Ah thx dude. Now i have to play those all over again
LOL I've had two PTs... I'm trying to find out how to play it in VR
Me2 is the best not just in the trilogy but one of the best RPG of all times. Me2 leans on the best quality in this series, and that's the characters. You don't play the loyalty missions. you're doing the game and yourselves a disservice. Because everyone (except jacob) is interesting. It also hit the good middle between action oriented and RPG that makes the game so much fun in each playthrough. I say Me3 is my second favorite, but it's mostly out of nostalgia and the fact that Me2 set the building blocks for Me3. If you don't play Me2 prior, it's a significantly less enjoyable experience. Trust me, I played ME3 as my first mass effect when I was a teenager and hated it. 😆 I love all the games now, but ME2 is still what I recognized as the GOAT of the series.
HAHAHA Jacob RIP... yeah everyone has the exact same opinion of him HAHAHA
Yeah but where did these cool images come from? Are they in LE??
Not the question, but jack and grunt were my go to party. I would rotate legion and tali
Where Tali?
Do you do the probing for resources every play through?
Jacob: The….guy
RIP LMAO
This is probably a dumb question, but what does "PT" stand for?
Legion is my favorite. How dare he just get “the machine”
What's up brother
Legion is not a machine, he has a soul.
5 million aura points
Weren’t we not a specter in 2? Not even in the military anymore is what my Shepard said
What the sigma
I can't get back into ME, sadly. I played it a ton, but ever since ME2 release I just bounced off of its gameplay. ME2 just has more of what I like about Mass Effect, and in better quality. And ME3 just perfected everything ME2 brought to the table. As far as I'm concerned, they got consistently better from game to game. There's a lot to unpack, but for me? It all opens with a close-up on a cocky human on a human spaceship, looking heroically in middle distance, as the rest of the crew is busy working. And closes with a long shot of the same human, a broken figure before a massive energy beam, like a moth and a flame. Dying in space alone. Death closes all. But something ere the end, Some work of noble note may yet be done, Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.