Mass Effect 3 Discussion Thread

Can anyone confirm what version of what weapons & weapon upgrades amount to the least weight loadout? I'm looking to have the best weapon(s) available while still have an excellent recharge rate for my engineer.
 
On a separate note, I'm seeing a few people in the thread who are newcomers to the series. Mass Effect 1 is fairly dated, and the gameplay is easily the worst of the 3. The combat really does blow compared to the others. That being said, the story and character interactions make up for it. Going back and playing old games can sometimes be difficult to do once you are used to more modern titles. Mass Effect 2 is easier to go back to. While dated graphically, it still looks OK and it's a fun game. But for those who wish to do neither and are unfamiliar with the series, you should watch the following videos when you have time.

Mass Effect in 10 Minutes
Mass Effect 2 in 10 Minutes
 
CrimsonKnight13 said:
Can anyone confirm what version of what weapons & weapon upgrades amount to the least weight loadout? I'm looking to have the best weapon(s) available while still have an excellent recharge rate for my engineer.
Click to expand...

I don't know them all by weight and name yet, but I'll get there I'm sure. The work bench / modifcation stations let you cycle through and see them all. Whatever is the lightest initially will probably be the lightest in their fully upgraded form. SMG's and pistols tend to be the lightest weapons, followed by sniper rifles, assault rifles and shotguns.
 
Dan_D said:
I don't know them all by weight and name yet, but I'll get there I'm sure. The work bench / modifcation stations let you cycle through and see them all. Whatever is the lightest initially will probably be the lightest in their fully upgraded form. SMG's and pistols tend to be the lightest weapons, followed by sniper rifles, assault rifles and shotguns.
Click to expand...

I'll see what I can find out as well.
 
spacing guild said:
So what's the deal with this gig? This game any good?
Click to expand...

So far it is. I'm about 9 hours in. The atmosphere of the game is a little more like ME1 with game play closer to ME2's. Though the items and armor customization stuff is an improved yet hybrid version of the two.
 
been playing as an Adept all the way from ME1...it's served me well...weapons and biotics are a nice combo...the combat in ME3 sems a bit more difficult as you get wave upon wave of heavily armed enemies right from the beginning...I'm playing on Hardcore difficulty and it seems more challenging then the previous games...enemies take a lot more hits to bring down and now they mix things up by throwing grenades, using those shields etc
 
polonyc2 said:
been playing as an Adept all the way from ME1...it's served me well...weapons and biotics are a nice combo...the combat in ME3 sems a bit more difficult as you get wave upon wave of heavily armed enemies right from the beginning...I'm playing on Hardcore difficulty and it seems more challenging then the previous games...enemies take a lot more hits to bring down and now they mix things up by throwing grenades, using those shields etc
Click to expand...

BioWare stated that they intended this one to be more difficult than the previous games. I don't think it's harder than ME1. That was the most difficult for me because of the absolutely shitty combat controls, responsiveness, poor weapon accuracy, etc. It wasn't until I got to Virmire that I had good enough gear and was high enough level to actually feel somewhat effective in combat. I'm not going to lie, I had to play that bitch on the lowest difficulty setting. Yet hardcore was about the perfect setting for the second game, though sometimes it was still fairly easy. You just had to think more about what you were doing before you did it. Insanity wasn't much worse for most missions, but there were some that I couldn't quite get past on that setting. BioWare said veteran in ME2 is the new normal for ME3. I'd say that statement is pretty accurate, but they also said ME3 was the most challenging Mass Effect game to date, which I don't think is true at all.
 
lol @ the camel toe in this game too..

masseffect3201203062209.png
 
The first game doesn't really look good enough for you to see a lot of camel toe. It's not detailed enough. The second one has a lot of it. Miranda's being the most prominent. Even the hexagonal pattern of her white outfit accentuates this as lines on the hexagons come together right at the appropriate or rather inappropriate spot. Me3 is just following tradition here. :)
 
Dan_D said:
BioWare stated that they intended this one to be more difficult than the previous games. I don't think it's harder than ME1. That was the most difficult for me because of the absolutely shitty combat controls, responsiveness, poor weapon accuracy, etc. It wasn't until I got to Virmire that I had good enough gear and was high enough level to actually feel somewhat effective in combat. I'm not going to lie, I had to play that bitch on the lowest difficulty setting. Yet hardcore was about the perfect setting for the second game, though sometimes it was still fairly easy. You just had to think more about what you were doing before you did it. Insanity wasn't much worse for most missions, but there were some that I couldn't quite get past on that setting. BioWare said veteran in ME2 is the new normal for ME3. I'd say that statement is pretty accurate, but they also said ME3 was the most challenging Mass Effect game to date, which I don't think is true at all.
Click to expand...

plus the enemies in ME3 don't just sit back and let you pick them off from a distance...some of them move up on your position (especially those guys with the shields)...I'm enjoying ME3 but can't compare it yet to the previous games as I'm still too early in the game...ME has always been about story and characters versus action or role playing so as long as they keep up that end then I'll be very happy
 
polonyc2 said:
plus the enemies in ME3 don't just sit back and let you pick them off from a distance...some of them move up on your position (especially those guys with the shields)...I'm enjoying ME3 but can't compare it yet to the previous games as I'm still too early in the game...ME has always been about story and characters versus action or role playing so as long as they keep up that end then I'll be very happy
Click to expand...

Which is actually an improvement. I'm not sure I'd call it improved AI, because they'd do that in hardcore and insanity in ME2, but they've brought that mechanic down to lower difficulties in ME3. What made ME1 so damned hard is that you almost had to use powers, even as a solider just to score hits with weapons at all. Your ability to point the cursor had almost nothing to do with it. At least not until later parts of the game. You couldn't take much damage and your weapons didn't do crap for damage until they were upgraded or replaced.

And so far, story and characters are good. I'm not saying the game doesn't have flaws, I think it does, but I'm still enjoying it.
 
ME1 combat could be maddening. That game had a habit of putting difficult boss battles after long cutscenes. When you died, you had to watch it all over again, no skipping possible. Besides that, which can be avoided by playing easier difficulties, you can play through all of ME1 in about a day or two, 8 hours or so. ME2 takes a lot longer.

ME3 combat is the best in the series. Good stuff.
 
Ritorix said:
ME1 combat could be maddening. That game had a habit of putting difficult boss battles after long cutscenes. When you died, you had to watch it all over again, no skipping possible. Besides that, which can be avoided by playing easier difficulties, you can play through all of ME1 in about a day or two, 8 hours or so. ME2 takes a lot longer.
Click to expand...

The fight with the Krogan Battlemaster in Mass Effect was one of the hardest things I have ever done in a game. And yeah, after about the 5th time I saw that cut scene I was pretty pissed off. That's actually what made me bump the difficulty down to easy mode. As I understand it, those who used character classes which had biotic and tech attacks had a far easier time because the guns suck so bad early on. Even on easy I found the game most challenging. However, things changed in ME2. Once they made it so all powers shared the same cool down they essentially castrated the other classes to a large degree. The solider became the class that was the least challenging to use because you literally had a weapon for every situation. Sometimes biotics were needed to make some fights easier, but that was no problem because you had tons of them in your crew. Miranda, Jacob, Thane, Samara, and Jack were all capable in this regard. Since they had the same global cool down for their powers, but separate from yours with careful squad management you were essentially borrowing the one biotic ability or tech attack you needed for the job, and using your guns for the rest.

You can pretty much do the same thing in ME3, but you've got to be quick about it and strategic about how you are positioned, which enemies you deal with, etc. because the guys with shields for example will come up on you. So you've got to deal with them fast. The only way I've been able to deal with them one on one is to hit their extremeties with a sniper rifle or shotgun, or use grenades. Hit detection is pretty good in the game, but it's not perfect, so the grenade is the only sure method and even then you've got no control over where the thing rolls. So landing it where you need it can be a challenge. As I understand it the classes in ME3 balance out a bit better in single player than they did in earlier games.

I miss my Arc projector from ME2. :(
 
CrimsonKnight13 said:
I see that there is no replacement for it in ME3 & that's quite saddening.
Click to expand...

Well I have encountered the black hole gun thing. I did use it once but it only had one or two shots in it. The game wouldn't let me keep it. Which is bullshit because Shepard is clearly a hoarder. Hoards fish, hamsters, people, guns, armor, models, and various keep sakes. Shep's quarters were looking a bit messy at the end of ME2. (At least for me.)
 
I really want to play this game.. but I don't want to support the Day 1 DLC bullshit :(
 
Apparently I am one of the few that actually preferred ME1 to ME2. The only problem I had with ME1 is the insane amount of inventory time required. I felt it was a lot more tactical and required a ton of planning and control compared to 2. ME2 just left me wanting (from insane inventory to no inventory, very little control over leveling your characters, tactics being pretty much unneeded, very short main story, etc). This is coming from someone that played ME1 through on the hardest difficulty though.

I lost my save games and have been running through the games to have my own save game imported. It felt like a large step backward moving from 1 to 2 and an improvement from 2 to 3 (from the small amount I have played, I just re-finished ME2 last night).

It isn't Fallout 2 to Fallout 3 bad, don't get me wrong. I still enjoy both ME1 and ME2 considerably.
 
Rizen said:
I really want to play this game.. but I don't want to support the Day 1 DLC bullshit :(
Click to expand...

I will tell you this. Collector's Editions and Digital Deluxe editions get the day 1 DLC Ashes to Ashes for free. Furthermore, I played the mission last night. I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's worth it. If nothing else for the squad member you get out of the deal. Conversations with him are, illuminating to say the least. The mission itself is pretty standard stuff though. The real value comes from the squad member and you really get some major questions about the Mass Effect lore answered by that person and some things clarified. It will change your perception of some things in the lore. Not necessarily in a bad or good way, but it will change them. And you do get a new weapon out of the deal as well. I think it's worth it, but honestly, just buy the digital deluxe edition, get the excellent music, added weapons (which are also good) and then get Ashes to Ashes included. That's the best way I think.
 
Last edited:
kcthebrewer said:
That is a massive problem. 800 Bioware points is $10 for 45 minutes means it is 100% not worth buying if you did not get the CE/N7.
Click to expand...

Well that's debatable. After having been through it, I can't agree, but then again I bought the N7 Collector's Edition. So I didn't pay $10 for it. I have over 500 hours logged between Mass Effect 1 & 2. I am willing to bet I'll have well more than 100 hours logged in this game as well. So when it comes to Mass Effect, I can actually justify a lot of DLC in my mind. Price wise, a movie costs around $10 or so per person for just 2 hours. So go with a friend and spend $20 without concessions. A game which gives me no less than 40 hours of game play at $79.99 (and probably many more hours than that in my case) is a huge bargain in my mind. It isn't as if they charged $10 for the Normandy Crash site DLC from the second game. (It was a free launch day DLC, and a cool one, but it wouldn't have been worth money.) Like Zaeed or Kasumi's DLCs, you get the new squad member and a new weapon. If you like the squad member (and I do) then it may be worth having for the next 30 hours of game play. Additionally, the elements of the story contributed to by the DLC are worth it in my book, but that is entirely subjective.

I'd rather the DLC be free too, but $10 for a couple hour long DLC, or an hour long DLC that adds a little something to the rest of the game is totally worth it to me.
 
I don't really agree with the notion that the DLC is free in the collectors edition. It's part of the extra $20 you are paying and realistically, the other stuff you get in the DD version isn't really worth $10. I mean... an in game hoodie and dog and some guns?

That said, with the 20% off GMG is running on the DD version, I'd say it's now at a price point that makes sense... about $64.
 
drako said:
I don't really agree with the notion that the DLC is free in the collectors edition. It's part of the extra $20 you are paying and realistically, the other stuff you get in the DD version isn't really worth $10. I mean... an in game hoodie and dog and some guns?

That said, with the 20% off GMG is running on the DD version, I'd say it's now at a price point that makes sense... about $64.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I see your point. Though I actually like the in-game hoodie and the N7 weapons are actually really good. In fact, I'm using most of them.
 
I am not saying it should be free (I own the N7 as well), but $10 is an absurd amount for so little game content. To put it in perspective you can get an entire game such as for that and get many hours of enjoyment of it. You can't really compare it to movies. It is a $60 game for at least 20 hours of gameplay. How is 45 more minutes worth $10?
 
Last edited:
Just curious: has anybody figured out how to mod the game yet? I had a lot of fun playing around with the weapon settings in ME2. I refuse to believe that both SP and MP share the same, unmoddable file.
 
Pezzy said:
Just curious: has anybody figured out how to mod the game yet? I had a lot of fun playing around with the weapon settings in ME2. I refuse to believe that both SP and MP share the same, unmoddable file.
Click to expand...

Your right they do both share the same file, but it is very moddable. Although I haven't been through it in an in depth manner unfortunately what I have seen leads me to believe that cheating in multiplayer through tweaks may be possible at this point.

You can change the same things in coalesced for single player that you could in me2.
I opened it up right off the bat to see if there were some performance options that were left out of the menu in game, there are a couple but they didnt really do anything, much to my disappointment. Like I said I haven't finished going through it yet, when I have something worth pointing out I'll post it here.
 
Dan or anyone who isn't a hater,

I know you guys wrote your thoughts out already, but i'm trying to be extremely selective of what I read since my copy isn't in yet. As a sincere Mass Effect fan, will you tell me what I want to hear? Is it better or worse than ME2?

Thanks in advance.
 
At this point I'm ready to just stop playing.

I've never in my life felt so depressed while playing a game in my life, and the way things are going I don't see how, in any possible way, this is going to end on a happy note or resolve itself in any way that I'm going to like.

I know this is supposed to be humanity's last hope and all and I get the whole "darkest hour", but usually in games/movies like that there is always something to work for that will save everything after busting your ass so that the hero can ride off into the sunset and a well earned beer. The places this plot is going are more depressing than the evening news tbh.

If I wanted depression and misery I could look around at my own life. I play games to have fun and atm other than very, very brief moments, I'm not having the kind of fun I usually get from games.

It plays well, it looks good, it's awesome to see the old faces I loved so much from ME2 back in action in various forms, but the track this train is on doesn't make me want to keep playing after about 15 hours into it.
 
shansoft said:
Based on the reviews, I wouldn't say that...

It's Dragon Age 2 all over again.....
Click to expand...
I haven't played either... but I don't see how. It sounds like ME3 is very similar to ME2, whereas DA2 was evidently a big departure from DAO.
 
ME3 is no DA2. I think Dan_D gave a fairly level headed discussion of the various points that have people foaming at the mouth. I'm having fun with ME3 and that's more than I can say about DA2.
 
shansoft said:
Based on the reviews, I wouldn't say that...

It's Dragon Age 2 all over again.....
Click to expand...

LMAO. That is such a huge load of bullshit.

ME3 is basically ME2 with some updated mechanics and a continuation of the story. Nothing more, nothing less.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top