Mass Effect: Legendary Edition |OT| The Lazarus Project (Open Spoilers)

[Lafazar]

ME1 insanity difficulty was retooled and made much more manageable; no longer a slog, more of a slightly harder than hard mode

ME2 insanity is still a slog though; infiltrator is the easiest way to do it but most encounters just take so much longer than on normal

ME3 insanity is as it was; pretty challenging at parts, annoying in a few specific instances (grissom courtyard lmfao), but a good challenge and very doable with all classes

going from ME2 to ME3 was like finally getting a nice glass of water after a day of thirst

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What annoyed me most about ME2 was how many encounters seem to keep spawning new enemies for an unreasonably long time and keeping you glued to cover since you die so quickly without it. But when you play as Infiltrator you can often just cloak and rush to the next checkpoint and never have to fight most of these enemies (works in some places in ME3 too). It feels completely inconsistent and immersion breaking that the number of enemies you have to fight depends on your playstyle or character class.

The beginning of ME3 has a similar bullshit moment with the first encounter that normally ends when you deplete your ammo (which I didn't know at the time). I just used my powers (since my import Shepards powers killed most enemies in one hit) and enemies kept respawning for seemingly forever.

Some really bizarre design decisions there.

 

[SofNascimento]

What annoyed me most about ME2 was how many encounters seem to keep spawning new enemies for an unreasonably long time and keeping you glued to cover since you die so quickly without it. But when you play as Infiltrator you can often just cloak and rush to the next checkpoint and never have to fight most of these enemies (works in some places in ME3 too). It feels completely inconsistent and immersion breaking that the number of enemies you have to fight depends on your playstyle or character class.

The beginning of ME3 has a similar bullshit moment with the first encounter that normally ends when you deplete your ammo (which I didn't know at the time). I just used my powers (since my import Shepards powers killed most enemies in one hit) and enemies kept respawning for seemingly forever.

Some really bizarre design decisions there.

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ME2 had just enough enemies to make the combat flow as it should. In fact, one of the problems with ME3 is how few enemies you have in a lot of missions. Which makes combat trivial. There was nothing bizarre about ME2's design. Well, actually, there was one bizarre thing: the combat drone. Depending on where you use it it will count as Shepard being in that position, which can stop enemies coming into the fight. But besides that, enemy numbers will always feel correct.

 

[Lafazar]

ME2 had just enough enemies to make the combat flow as it should. In fact, one of the problems with ME3 is how few enemies you have in a lot of missions. Which makes combat trivial. There was nothing bizarre about ME2's design. Well, actually, there was one bizarre thing: the combat drone. Depending on where you use it it will count as Shepard being in that position, which can stop enemies coming into the fight. But besides that, enemy numbers will always feel correct.

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Well let's agree to disagree. I thought a lot of the encounters were just too long and repetitive on Insanity for my taste.

But what's weird no matter what is that the number of enemies spawned depend on your position. I find it really immersion breaking to repeat a challenging encounter several times and then just finding out I could have skipped most enemies by just rushing past the first wave. It makes no sense that there are less enemies if you advance more quickly.

 

[SofNascimento]

Well let's agree to disagree. I thought a lot of the encounters were just too long and repetitive on Insanity for my taste.

But what's weird no matter what is that the number of enemies spawned depend on your position. I find it really immersion breaking to repeat a challenging encounter several times and then just finding out I could have skipped most enemies by just rushing past the first wave. It makes no sense that there are less enemies if you advance more quickly.

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I think this is a common design in games. Certainly a lot of games allow you to rush encounters without dealing with all enemies. I wouldn't call it immersion breaking though, I mean, the only reason you know there are fewer enemies is because you played the level more than once. I think it's a... impasse situation here. ME2 have waves of enemies because, at least as I see it, they are necessary for a proper flow of combat. You can't throw all enemies at once, so you have to make them arrive in groups. And if the player gets too far too quickly, the enemies would spawn right on top of them, which could be frustrating. So the solution Mass Effect found is that after the player gets through a certain threshold the enemies won't spawn.

That's a very specific situation though. I wouldn't be surprised if most people don't even know about that. Playing as a Vanguard for example, which is a extremely aggressive class, that will almost never happens. If you get far enough without dealing with enemies that you will make them stop spawning, odds are you're surrounded and soon to be dead. The Infiltrator gets by because of cloak, but that will only happen if you're positively trying to advance quickly through the level. A more natural playthrough will result in the desired number of enemies showing up. Not to mention this is not something that happens literally every time.

 

[Typographenia]

Well let's agree to disagree. I thought a lot of the encounters were just too long and repetitive on Insanity for my taste.

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This is my first time playing through on insanity, and I have to say this was absolutely my feeling in the first major part of the game.
I don't know if the missions I've been doing later have reduced numbers of enemies that spawn in encounters or if it is the balance of having improved abilities and efficiencies with squad/tech/biotics, but it has improved.

It changed my experience playing vanguard from always using shotgun and popping around the field to really needing to switch up my weapons due to running out of ammo and feeling more fragile at the outset. Starting to really get the rhythm again now, and doesn't seem like 6 waves of enemies in a location now.

 

[Era of not Yakuza]

I had the craziest dream, the world was going through an invasion like the Mass Effect Reapers mixed with the monsters from A Quiet Place

Also, I lost all my save files thanks to a problem with Windows yesterday. Luckily I had the chance to finish the game before.

 

[SofNascimento]

I had the craziest dream, the world was going through an invasion like the Mass Effect Reapers mixed with the monsters from A Quiet Place

Also, I lost all my save files thanks to a problem with Windows yesterday. Luckily I had the chance to finish the game before.

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That's not crazy at all. I've already posted proof here. Emily Blunt and Mass Effect are cosmically linked. This is just the universe trying to make you imagine her as Shepard. Which would be the solution to all the world's problems.

 

[Deleted member 18400]

Despite all the guides telling me to do the Lair of the Shadow Broker after the suicide mission, I think I'm just going to do it after Horizon once I get Thane Krios and Samara off Illium.

Its too good of a DLC and has too much shit in it to wait till the end of the game!

I will wait and do Arrival after though.

 

[nihilence]

$35 for physical and steel book art bestbuy.
I have no time to play it but that price is pulling me in.

I still have the dlc from 3 on my 360 unplayed.
But I wanted that steel book.

Never mind looks like steel is all gone.

 

[Villa]

Just finished the trilogy, never having played Mass Effect before. I loved it! I went Paragon Sentinel MaleShep in all 3 games.

Easily the best thing about the series is the world, lore and characters. I'm a big sci fi fan, I love star trek, so I loved the rich, complex world with memorable, distinct alien Civilizations. I think that's a harder job than it seems, but the fact that I instantly know and remember the asari, salarians, turians, krogan, quarians, geth, protheans, elcor, hanar, volus, batarians, vorcha and krell is pretty amazing. And it's just a well put together universe, it was obviously very well planned (aside from the humans ridiculously quick rise to prominence).

The gameplay was fine, the RPG bits were fine, graphics were fine (I imagine very impressive at the time). But while the world and story kept me interested in the long term, it was the characters, writing and choices that kept me interested in the moment-to-moment. Obviously Garrus is the steadfast sidekick that everybody loves. Tali and Liara are great, well voiced and well written. Mordin, Miranda and Legion were highlights from 2. And I was surprised how much I liked Javik for saying he was only introduced in 3.

All 3 games were great and have their own advantages. But I actually think they got better with each game. Yes, Mass Effect 3 was my favourite! It had my favourite structure to it, and benefited from the back story and previous choices it was built on top of. I loved the premise of going around the galaxy desperately trying to gather anything and anyone to your army for a last attempt to stave off galactic extinction. It had some great, epic set pieces too. And it also helps that it was more focused and streamlined, without the boring, repetitive mako exploring or planet scanning!

Overall, very glad I finally got a chance to experience this series. And I'm glad a new Mass Effect is in the works! Hopefully it lives up to the quality of this trilogy. Depending on how long that takes to come out, I might try out a Renegade Vanguard FemShep in the meantime!

 

[TheUnsungHero26]

Leviathan is such a fantastic DLC. While it's still within the limitations of ME3, it's structure is much closer to the previous games with a nice mix of non-combat and combat areas.

Crucially, it--and other ME3 DLC--make great use of your squad mates, which is something the other games don't in their DLC. It's so nice to actually have unique dialogue from Garrus, Ashely, Javik, etc. In the DLC.

 

[SofNascimento]

I've seen a glimpse of the future and I have news about ME4: As I suspected, Shepard will be back. Their (still alive) body was found by a secret group and kept in stasis until the events of the game. Not Cerberus mind you, they won't be in the game... think something more like the Revanites from The Old Republic. They somehow knew that Shepard would be needed in the future on account of a big crisis (which will be the focus on the game) so that's why they kept Shepard safe. That group will be mostly gone by the time the game takes place, but we will uncover parts of their history and how they knew about the current crisis as we progress through the campaign looking for Shepard.

 

[anexanhume]

I've seen a glimpse of the future and I have news about ME4: As I suspected, Shepard will be back. Their (still alive) body was found by a secret group and kept in stasis until the events of the game. Not Cerberus mind you, they won't be in the game... think something more like the Revanites from The Old Republic. They somehow knew that Shepard would be needed in the future on account of a big crisis (which will be the focus on the game) so that's why they kept Shepard safe. That group will be mostly gone by the time the game takes place, but we will uncover parts of their history and how they knew about the current crisis as we progress through the campaign looking for Shepard.

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Played by Bredan Fraser.

 

[Era of not Yakuza]

I've seen a glimpse of the future and I have news about ME4: As I suspected, Shepard will be back. Their (still alive) body was found by a secret group and kept in stasis until the events of the game. Not Cerberus mind you, they won't be in the game... think something more like the Revanites from The Old Republic. They somehow knew that Shepard would be needed in the future on account of a big crisis (which will be the focus on the game) so that's why they kept Shepard safe. That group will be mostly gone by the time the game takes place, but we will uncover parts of their history and how they knew about the current crisis as we progress through the campaign looking for Shepard.

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there must be always a Sheppard in the Galaxy

 

[gnarlyxcharlie]

Haven't been this hooked on games in awhile. Forgot how much I loved this series and I'm really enjoying 3's DLC

 

[SofNascimento]

Just finished Priority: Rannoch and I noticed they tweaked the boss fight to make dodging the laser a little easier. A nice improvement. I wish there were more of these small improvements that can greatly improve the quality of the experience.

Also, this game still need patches. The problem with enemies falling down and not getting up can lead to some very annoying scenarios where the enemy stays out of reach and you can't go forward. Moreover performance isn't as good as it should be. We know the LE was a success, I hope they don't abandon it so soon.

 

[HououinKyouma]

Citadel DLC is just perfect. God.

I ran into some things I must have missed all those years ago. Just a joyous ride with truly hysterical and sad moments/tributes. I don't think I've experienced a piece of content that knows its characters better than this.

 

[SofNascimento]

Just finished Priority: Thessia, and ignoring Priority: Earth and the ending, which are in a tier of their own, it is probably the weakest point in the trilogy, certainly in ME3. It's just so utterly forced and shallow. The idea that simply getting to the Asari temple would win the war is bizarre, and the fact that the writers try to force that idea to the player is obnoxious. And twice more so how the game wants to make the fact that you didn't get that data feel like a major defeat. Shepard being all mopey and stuff after the mission is hard to watch. And the scene with your crew when Shepard asks if anyone knows where Cerberus is hiding makes me positively want to turn off the game. I also used to dislike Liara spoiled child attitude in this mission, but this time I felt more symphaty towards her, not only she is still very young for Asari terms, but also witnessing not only the fall of her planet, but also realizing her utter failure as both an archeologist and as the Shadow Broker must take its toll. The only good thing in this mission is Javik.

Also, one of the weak links in the ME trilogy lore is population numbers. In this mission we once more hear how there are trillions of people in the galaxy, yet it always feel that each race is almost confined to their homeworld. Thessia should represent but a small percentage of all the Asari in the galaxy, yet its fall is handled like if the entire Asari raced is suddently doomed. It's like every other race is like humans, with the vast majority of their population in their home planet.

 

[Maledict]

Almost no science fiction setting gets the numbers right. It's as if writers brains can't quite cope with the size of numbers that would occur at interplanetary levels. Be it 40k with their 1000 strong space marine legions, to Mass Effect mere billions populations. None of it works. They always wildly lowball how those settings would function:

 

[Deleted member 17184]

Yeah, that kind of stuff is very hard to accomplish. Easier said than done. ME1 didn't have any other quarians besides Tali nor elcors/hanars walking in the Citadel because of technical limitations. ME3 was done when one of its platforms only had 256 MB of RAM available and that really takes a toll on development.

But yeah, I think Thessia was meant to be the infamous act 2 low point, and I'm glad writers are starting to move away from the three-act structure in some games. For it to work as they intended, the asari needed more. As a player, you're invested in the Priority: Tuchanka because of the genophage; you have allies who are krogan and Mordin, who slowly changes his mind what modifying it. With Thessia, you only have Liara, but her story is more tied to the Shadow Broker. In terms of the asari race, you're not really invested.

A story by itself isn't that engaging. What truly matters is the characters, and how emotionally invested you are with them.

 

[HououinKyouma]

Oh my god, I got the same black screen glitch at the very end that I had during my original '12 playthrough of the extended cut lol. Round 2, here we go.

Overall though, with the Leviathan DLC + the Extended Cut DLC....the ending ended up being serviceable IMO. Doesn't quite meet the "highs" that I would expect from the series, but also not a slap in the face that the original ending was. It's some nice closure.

All I know is I am READY for ME4, whenever it arrives. I'm a little nervous about how they'll pull it off, but this series is too special to end with Andromeda.

 

[TheUnsungHero26]

Is the "Always Prepared" achievement bugged? I've bought two non-customizable armor sets, yet it never popped.

Anyway, I just finished up ME3 Citadel. It's by far my favourite piece of DLC in any game. It's such an amazing send off for the trilogy.

Going to wrap up the rest of ME3 today and post some thoughts later.

 

[Kapryov]

I have finally finished Mass Effect 3 for the first time since release, and this is the first time I've seen the extended cut content.
I went with Control this time, it made sense for my paragon Shepard. It was ok. I did Synthesis back in the day.

Overall ME3 still leaves a bit of a sour taste in my mouth, but it's not as bad as it was. Some of the redone scenes at the end don't seem to make any sense anymore with the extended stuff added in (Why does the Normandy try to escape the blue electric field that wasn't seen damaging other ships? Why crash on some weird jungle planet and then take off again?)
Of course I had to go back to that TV Tropes page to read all the leaked script stuff that never came to be. We deserved a better ending to the series, but with the patches and DLC at least what we have now is ok.

On an annoying extra note, I didn't get the Long Service Medal achievement, despite importing my Shep from ME1 all the way through. I didn't get any achievement for finishing ME3!
Not sure if this is because I had to alter the difficulty early in ME3 or not, as when I imported from ME2 it changed the difficulty to Casual by itself for some reason, took a little while to notice.
It's just an achievement, but hey I'm using these in the rewards app, achievements are free money.

 

[gnarlyxcharlie]

Am I an idiot for thinking of giving andromeda another shot after I finish me3?

 

[Barnak]

Am I an idiot for thinking of giving andromeda another shot after I finish me3?

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It all depends on how you felt when you first played it. If you hated it, or were disappointed, I doubt you'll feel any different now.

If you thought it was ok, as long as you ignored the mindless sidequests coming straight out of an early 2000s MMO, then, sure.

 

[SofNascimento]

In terms of galaxy-wde stories, the only sci-fi that I've seen that got numbers correct in The Culture.

 

[Zebesian-X]

Overall though, with the Leviathan DLC + the Extended Cut DLC....the ending ended up being serviceable IMO..

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Serviceable is a good word for it, yeah. I was totally content the whole way through the final mission. Didn't hurt that I was still riding the high of the Citadel DLC. Any lingering ending issues I had felt inconsequential after that joyride

 

[HououinKyouma]

Serviceable is a good word for it, yeah. I was totally content the whole way through the final mission. Didn't hurt that I was still riding the high of the Citadel DLC. Any lingering ending issues I had felt inconsequential after that joyride

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Exactly, I was in the same boat. I did the Citadel DLC right before the end and it's just the perfect send off.

 

[Vashetti]

I finished all three games a while back now and got 100% trophies, but it's a real shame EA/Bioware has seemingly cut the cord and won't be patching anymore. I'm honestly baffled that Vigil in ME1 is going to stay as is, I'm not even epileptic but found it extremely uncomfortable to look at the screen.

 

[SofNascimento]

So, I got the final dialogue with Javik and he talks about how during the Prothean war against the Reapers his ship was captured and all his squad was captured and then sent after him, battle after battle. Eventually he killed them all.

And this got me thinking, imagine if that happened with Shepard. It was probably not possible, but part of me has always wondered what would happen if they divided ME3 in two games. Now picture the first half ending with the Normandy getting capture, and in the ME3 part 2 all your crew would be after you. It would be amazing.

I should add that technically that did happen with certain characters like Jack, Legion and Morinth, but it was a small detail that was easy to miss. There was no weight put behind those moments.

 

[gnarlyxcharlie]

Okay, what the fuck is the deal with the clone fight. I had to drop down to normal to beat him. Dude would just lock me up and spam me with nova or whatever. That was infuriating and all the fire was making the frame rate awful on Ps5.

 

[Deleted member 85465]

I think it has been 2 months since I paused my play through of the trilogy (finished 1, have not started 2.)

Waiting for a patch, since I read a lot of minor issues with 2 and 3.

Two months later, looking today for info. I could only find the EA forums "popular" thread being about Bioware going radio silent about whether there are going to be more patches, reminds me of the old days with ME3.

Some things don´t change it seems, still hopeful for another patch, not in a hurry to replay the games.

 

[gnarlyxcharlie]

I think it has been 2 months since I paused my play through of the trilogy (finished 1, have not started 2.)

Waiting for a patch, since I read a lot of minor issues with 2 and 3.

Two months later, looking today for info. I could only find the EA forums "popular" thread being about Bioware going radio silent about whether there are going to be more patches, reminds me of the old days with ME3.

Some things don´t change it seems, still hopeful for another patch, not in a hurry to replay the games.

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What do you need patches for? Can't really think of anything significant I encountered

 

[Zebesian-X]

I think it has been 2 months since I paused my play through of the trilogy (finished 1, have not started 2.)

Waiting for a patch, since I read a lot of minor issues with 2 and 3.

Two months later, looking today for info. I could only find the EA forums "popular" thread being about Bioware going radio silent about whether there are going to be more patches, reminds me of the old days with ME3.

Some things don´t change it seems, still hopeful for another patch, not in a hurry to replay the games.

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My playthrough of 2 and 3 were pretty flawless FWIW. 1 had some audio issues though. Think they patched that but I haven't actually gone back to look

 

[JMY86]

I just grabbed a used copy for my Series X from Gamefly for $16.19 with a Groupon coupon but that is a shitload of great content for the price. I am super excited to jump back in...

 

[Deleted member 85465]

What do you need patches for? Can't really think of anything significant I encountered

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Some achievements are still bugged it seems (paramour II and III), performance in the Cidadel dlc in ME3 is wonky, (there is even a post above mine about that), supposedly ME2 and ME3 look darker than the original, multiple little bugs from the og games still there, like Shepard looking down while on the normandy, (ME2) etc., its little stuff, but it can be patched.

 

[Barnak]

Some achievements are still bugged it seems (paramour II and III), performance in the Cidadel dlc in ME3 is wonky, (there is even a post above mine about that), supposedly ME2 and ME3 look darker than the original, multiple little bugs from the og games still there, like Shepard looking down while on the normandy, (ME2) etc., its little stuff, but it can be patched.

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I feel like you're going to wait for a long time, if forever. They haven't released anything since 2 weeks after launch I think?

I played ME2 and ME3 on a base PS4, and the Citadel DLC was just fine for me, so I guess it depends on the people? The games didn't feel any darker than the original versions I used to play on PC.

I've had a few rare crashes, but other than that, it's pretty stable and look nice.

 

[Deleted member 85465]

I feel like you're going to wait for a long time, if forever. They haven't released anything since 2 weeks after launch I think?

I played ME2 and ME3 on a base PS4, and the Citadel DLC was just fine for me, so I guess it depends on the people? The games didn't feel any darker than the original versions I used to play on PC.

I've had a few rare crashes, but other than that, it's pretty stable and look nice.

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The last update was on June I think, which fixed some stuff. I can wait a few months to see if they patch it, though it would be nice if Bioware just said if support has been dropped or not.

 

[Deleted member 17184]

Some achievements are still bugged it seems (paramour II and III), performance in the Cidadel dlc in ME3 is wonky, (there is even a post above mine about that), supposedly ME2 and ME3 look darker than the original, multiple little bugs from the og games still there, like Shepard looking down while on the normandy, (ME2) etc., its little stuff, but it can be patched.

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They said they couldn't fix some of the original bugs in the LE. So if they release a new patch, I'd probably expect it to focus on LE-specific bugs.

 

[Kapryov]

I got some annoying bugs in my playthrough too.

A few crashes, in a couple of cases in ME1 the audio would just stop which meant a crash was incoming.
Massive slowdown in ME1 on one planet with a big LOADING message blocking the screen, to the point the game had to be restarted. I took a video of this, it was choppy as hell.
Out of sync audio during the last conversations of the Citadel DLC.
Paramour III achievement never popped up. I can't be bothered to go back now, my oldest save is well after that point.
Long Service and the ME3 completion achievements also didn't do squat, actually had to reload the last mission, which put me in front of the beam and made me play through the final conversation all over again (which took ages, it doesn't let you skip anything, I went full renegade and chose Destroy out of irritation).

I think they're done with patching the game now though, some annoying bugs but nothing really game breaking.

 

[Teddy]

I've only experienced a couple bugs so far (only on ME2 so far, should be finished with it today or tomorrow).

In ME1, my game crashed entirely during the first Citadel section, this happened twice with two separate characters so I want to say I think it's fairly common.

In ME2, my Shepard got caught doing a a side facing animation during Tali's recruitment mission. This meant I couldnt walk or run straight or go into cover, so I died pretty much straight away.

Those are my only two bugs so far after about 60 hours so far.

 

[Omanisat]

The audio in one and three is pretty fucked; unless you're standing right next to them you'll never hear anything they're saying. I remember hearing about all these new players who didn't take the Mako on Ilos and kinda fucked themselves over; and I wonder how many did that because they couldn't hear your squadmate tell you to that you should take the Mako.

 

[SofNascimento]

What do you need patches for? Can't really think of anything significant I encountered

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PC Performance in the first place. ME1 still runs quite poorly for me. ME2 and ME3 are better but still struggle at some parts. Also, one of the bugs with ME2 and ME3 that they should fix is enemies falling into the ground and not getting up again. Not only this can make firefights less exciting but also compromise your advance if the enemy falls in the wrong place. There were a couple of times I had to reload because of this.

And I will forever say they should have added a way to change your Shepard appearance mid-game. This is a must to any RPG.

Personally I chose to believe the dream that they are waiting to release a big patch with the announcement of ME3MP. We know they said it was possible, and the LE seems to be a major hit.

 

[Nollemaster]

I'm almost done with ME3 after 2 months of playing the LE and I must say I am impressed with the quality of the DLC in ME3. I only bought the ME2 DLC back in the day and I ended up pretty dissapointed because despite them being fun, their quality could not live up to the main game.

I am so delighted there is 3 DLC's worth of content I never experienced, which is on par with the quality of the main game if not better. I can't believe the squadmates actually have dialogue this time around. The Omega DLC was a fun ride with some amazing setpieces (particularly the EEZO mine). I finished Leviathan yesterday, which I thought was incredibly well done. I'm now doing the Citadel DLC last before finishing the game and I really like it so far (maybe a bit too snarky for my taste sometimes but I get this DLC is intended to be more lighthearted).

 

[Deleted member 18400]

I'm doing the Shadow Broker tonight, then its on the to suicide mission and Arrival after, and I will be done with ME2.

It cannot be stated how much the level design and side quests improved in Mass Effect 2, everything looks unique and gorgeous. Dialogue is so much better with your companions. I have a hard time with people who claim ME1 is superior, I just don't get it lol.

As far as bugs go, in ME2 (not finished as stated above) I had one crash to the desktop on PS5 during the final fight for the Tali recruitment mission.

 

[SofNascimento]

I'm finally done. The journey has come to an end.

It's been a long time since I played with the Extended Cut, maybe I played it only once or twice with it back in 2012. And I have to say, it's way better than I remember. It's impressive how much it changes from the original, it's not just a few more lines and scenes to offer context. There is a different tone to it, a more clear, more reasonable tone. It feels more connected to the story you experienced. The extra dialogue with the Catalyst isn't simple about more context, it changes the nature of the scene. Just like all the epilogues. The original ending feels like an excuse of an ending, a copout. The EC feels like an actual way to end the trilogy. It might not be perfect, it still doesn't fix everything, but it has a passing grade. I'm at peace.

Priority: Earth still a lackluster final mission though, far, far, faaaar from the Suicide Mission 2.0 that it should have been. But there are things that I like about it. One is the visuals. Not in London, which is very uninspired, but on space. Both in the form of the space battle but particularly when you get to the Citadel, which is beautiful. And the final room, in which you talk with the Crucible, might very well be the most stricking vista I've even seen in a Sci-Fi. The way you're "below" the Earth, and no matter where you turn it will always be on top of you, with the stars and the battle in the background. Extremely inspired stuff. The other one is the quite moment where you can have a final word with your squadmates and some other characters before launching the final push. I wish all squadmates was there in person (and you should pick anyone to be with you rather simply the ME3 crew) but it still very nice. It makes you think of the long journey you went through with this characters. I particularly like Javik's and Liara's last words. Javik saying all the souls who have ever lived are looking to Shepard now gives me goosebumps, and Liara's gift is quite sweet. Wrex speech to the Krogan is also great. Of course, there is a bizarre turret section in the middle for some reason, which you don't even have to shoot anything. You can just wait.

Now the quesiton is: engineer or infiltrator for my next playthrough...

 

[gnarlyxcharlie]

I just cannot push through Andromeda. It's seriously so fucking bad. There is almost zero of what made the series great in the first. The characters are bland, every alien might as well be human, the vaults are too samey and boring, the traversal feels slow and clunky, the story is wildly boring despite being a neat concept. I think I'm done with it. Hopefully mass effect 4 has little or nothing to do with it.

 

[Barnak]

I nearly had a heart attack when my game crashed in ME2 just when I had finished the last loyalty(Zaeed, just before he kill Vido) mission with only IFF, suicide mission and DLCs left and when I relaunched the game, i had a corrupted save data error saying it would be deleted with just "OK" as an option.. Thankfully nothing was deleted and the game started back on the exact cutscene I was when it crashed, but fuck...way to scare the hell out of me. This is on base PS4.

 

[SlickVic]

Took me about 3 months, but finally finished replaying the trilogy today so just wanted to share some of my thoughts. I don't often replay games, but I have to say it's kind of fun to go back to narrative driven games like this over a decade later. I remembered the general big story beats, but going through the replay, I often didn't remember how individual quests/stories ended (like how some of the loyalty missions play out in ME2), or entering ME1 and conflating some of the events of Feros and Noveria as examples. Perhaps it's not quite as exciting as playing through everything for the first time and having no idea what to expect, but it was still nice to relive some of those memories again (especially with some of the great voice acting performances from Jennifer Hale and the rest of the crew). And seeing some of the visual improvements in 4K on the Legendary Edition was also a nice treat.

I've always enjoyed the story of these games (to me that also includes beats that are off the critical 'main story' path, like getting to learn squadmate backstories, recruitment/loyalty missions, smaller stories on the Citadel, etc), but I feel I enjoyed them a bit more on this playthrough compared to my initial one. I think playing all these games in (relatively) quick succession, compared to initial release with years gap between each game, helped keep the plot points from game to game more fresh in my mind (as well as being able to keep track of smaller decisions that carried over with save import).

Also, having all the DLC integrated into the games from the get-go (and not playing through them after beating their respective games) made me look at some of them in a different context, particularly for ME3. For example, I remember playing Leviathan a few months after finishing ME3 back in 2012 and thought the revelation there was neat but also was less interesting to me at that time (I suppose I had moved on). But revisting these games now, I enjoyed Leviathan more as a 'middle chapter' in the ME3 and adding backstory to the Reapers. Similarly, I enjoyed Omega more as a story occuring in the middle of a ME3 playthrough rather than coming to it after beating the game. On the other side, with the Citadel DLC (which I loved), playing it right before the game's final story mission did feel a bit disjointed in terms of tone. With the general desolate tone of ME3 with the Reaper invasion, I think it's tough to 'fit' a more lighthearted story like Citadel into the game. I first played Citadel years after it came out (in turns years after experiencing ME3's ending) and I think I prefered Citadel that way. In that context, it just felt like a good sendoff for the trilogy (not just ME3) without needing to worry too much about the trilogies ending.

I also did an Adept playthrough this time (compared to Soldier my first time) and really enjoyed mixing in biotic abilities (and combos) between gunplay. Of the entire series, I still think Andromeda had the most satisfying combat to me (granted even that's been a while now since I last played it), but the blend of biotics and gunplay/cover shooting is something I really enjoy in this series, and I enjoyed playing a more biotically-oriented class this time to take more advantage of that.

Overall had a great time playing these games. It was sad to see the story end again (and saying goodbye to Commander Shepard and the rest of the crew), but it also makes me excited to see what comes next for Mass Effect.

 

[JMY86]

Just started on Mass Effect 2, I still vividly remember my first playthrough years ago. The first five minutes into the game and everything completely goes to shit, wow what an intro!

I have played through this game so many times with a Vanguard and somehow I did it again, it is just such a fun class...