Video & PC Game Discussion

Is it the sandvich?

James wrote: Gosh, Mass Effect is quite enjoyable.  It took me all evening just to complete one set of quests!  There's a lot of tactical knowledge required and as this is my first playthrough, it takes a bit longer.

Balance is a little dodgy in both games. What class did you use?

Today I picked up a disc of Sega Genesis games for my XBox360. Includes all the Genesis sonics, Golden Axes, Vectormans, Streets of Rages, Comix Zone, Dynamite Headdy...nostalgia mayhem 

James wrote: It's my first playthrough so I'm doing what I always do and go as a fighter.  So in this case, I'm a Spacer War Hero Soldier. I'm still getting used to gameplay and also still working out which characters work best.  I'm not even sure which is the best way to level a lot of them up.  As this is my first playthrough though, it allows me to find out what sort of character suits my play style best. Although not well trained in them, I have used the sniper rifle to my benefit a few times.  I never run into situations and always use my radar (if it's not blocked) to seek ahead.

Soldier is easiest to use and pretty awesome by the end of the game (due to the huge damage resistance from heavy armors). Sniper rifles are pretty terrible in ME1, though.

My first character was a spacer war hero, but an adept. For the sake of nostalgia, I just fired up a new character, a colonist sole survivor vanguard. Man, controls were a lot clunkier than I remembered.

Gamemako wrote: James wrote: It's my first playthrough so I'm doing what I always do and go as a fighter.  So in this case, I'm a Spacer War Hero Soldier. I'm still getting used to gameplay and also still working out which characters work best.  I'm not even sure which is the best way to level a lot of them up.  As this is my first playthrough though, it allows me to find out what sort of character suits my play style best. Although not well trained in them, I have used the sniper rifle to my benefit a few times.  I never run into situations and always use my radar (if it's not blocked) to seek ahead. Soldier is easiest to use and pretty awesome by the end of the game (due to the huge damage resistance from heavy armors). Sniper rifles are pretty terrible in ME1, though. My first character was a spacer war hero, but an adept. For the sake of nostalgia, I just fired up a new character, a colonist sole survivor vanguard. Man, controls were a lot clunkier than I remembered.

May mate says the Adept is the most enjoyable to play.  I may give that a go.

Oh and I am abusing that silly Medic's terrible grasp of economics.  I've got 100k of credits in the bank.  Oops.

I haven't done much exploring yet but have yet to find decent Omni-tools or Bio-amps (apart from that one you get from the dude in the free DLC).  I'm sure I'll pick some up on my way but the vendors don't sell decent ones at the moment.

I'm fine with armours and weapons though.

Oh and upgrades are also hard to come by and I accidentally sold my Heatsink IIIs which are useful for my Assault Rifles (my main character has one).  I'm sure I'll find more quite easily.

Is it more enjoyable playing as a renegade?


Edited by James - December 19 2011 at 10:27

How do you level up your squad members?  I was curious to know which weapon you made primary for Liara as obviously she's an Adept and has no weapon trees?  I realise she'll be using her Adept skills but a weapon is useful for backup, of course.

Edited by James - December 19 2011 at 11:26

Wrex does look useful, yep.  I managed to get some good armour for him early on and now I've got some new Hahne-Kader for him.

He has a lot of useful skills.

I think Kaiden may be required for Electronics, although I think Garrus has it too.

I think I decided to get a decent pistol in the end for Liara and put some upgrades in it.

I wish there was a way of controlling individual squad members as the AI using a sniper rifle seems a bit silly to me.  I also wish there was an easier way of both viewing the stats of my party inside the Normandy (having to go outside with 2 members just to see what I levelled them as is annoying) and also a way of swapping party members outside of the Normandy (although the way it's done is actually more realistic).

If you take the wrong party to a planet, it could prove to be annoying!

James wrote: Wrex does look useful, yep.  I managed to get some good armour for him early on and now I've got some new Hahne-Kader for him. He has a lot of useful skills. I think Kaiden may be required for Electronics, although I think Garrus has it too. I think I decided to get a decent pistol in the end for Liara and put some upgrades in it. I wish there was a way of controlling individual squad members as the AI using a sniper rifle seems a bit silly to me.  I also wish there was an easier way of both viewing the stats of my party inside the Normandy (having to go outside with 2 members just to see what I levelled them as is annoying) and also a way of swapping party members outside of the Normandy (although the way it's done is actually more realistic). If you take the wrong party to a planet, it could prove to be annoying!

Kaidan, Garrus, and Tali all have decryption. You don't really need electronics, but it is useful for overload and the shield bonus, and all 3 characters also have it. If you're not a tech character, you will need someone with decryption, which means you have to bring one of the three with you. Garrus is a good all-around choice, IMO, as he is quite effective in battle as well due to his medium armor and assault rifle skills. Tali is a bit one-sided, being effective only against mechanical opponents, though her core talent also increases shields, so she tends to have really thick shields (a total of +480 with her core talent and electronics maxed). Kaidan is just a sentinel, so you know what to expect: poor armor and health, poor weapon skills, versatile set of abilities if you need them. Personally, I'd take Garrus usually or Tali if I'm fighting only Geth or machines.

The AI is generally pretty terrible. Also, I usually end up picking a party and sticking with it. Too much trouble to keep up with everyone. Aside from having one tech, everything else is pretty much whatever you want.

Gamemako wrote: Sniper rifles are pretty terrible in ME1, though.

Wait, what?  Once you get high-end weapons, sniper rifles are the best by far.  Pinpoint accurate, kill anything in 1 shot.  Even at short range I'd usually choose a sniper rifle

Triceratopsoil wrote: Gamemako wrote: Sniper rifles are pretty terrible in ME1, though. Wait, what?  Once you get high-end weapons, sniper rifles are the best by far.  Pinpoint accurate, kill anything in 1 shot.  Even at short range I'd usually choose a sniper rifle

Er... what difficulty are you playing on? They don't kill anything in one shot on difficulties above Normal, they overheat in 2 shots, and they shoot so damn slowly it hurts. In fact, let's compare the best shotgun and the best sniper rifle:

(Sniper rifle)
HMWSR X
336 damage
2 shots before overheat
86 accuracy

(Shotgun)
HMWSG X
378 damage
7 shots before overheat
91 accuracy

So yeah, shotgun outdamages sniper rifle, has knockdown effect, and can fire many more shots before overheating. That is independent of the inherent risk of all-eggs-in-one-basket shooting. Of course, keep in mind that the real end-all-be-all is the assault rifle: it is effective at all ranges and does the best damage. The problem is that only soldiers can use it.

(Assault rifle)
HMWA X
384 damage
77.3 shots before overheat
77 accuracy