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Mass Effect (Xbox 360), pertains to Star Trek

i enjoyed ME when i played through it, but it certainly wasnt an amazing game (for me). i felt that if i wasnt in a dialog tree the game fell apart. the gameplay portion of the game needed a lot of work. by the end, the fighting was kind of fun, but so one-sided that it got boring... especially since i was just trying to get to the end. (think of it like the random fights in old school RPGs when you were way over powered. it's just a waste of time)
 
by the end, the fighting was kind of fun, but so one-sided that it got boring... especially since i was just trying to get to the end. (think of it like the random fights in old school RPGs when you were way over powered. it's just a waste of time)
Which difficulty level were you playing on?
 
There is no basis whatsoever for decrying it as a "first/second person shooter" (presumably you mean "third person shooter" as no portion of the game is played in first person, and I've never heard of a second person shooter).

Unless you press the right-stick, of course. :rolleyes:

My point is that the combat mechanics of physically moving your target sight to the enemy's location then pressing the fire button is reminiscent of shooting games, unlike most "action" RPGs where you press the corresponding button for your attack and then it just attacks. You don't need fast reflexes and skill at aiming with a joystick just to be able to hit the enemy, like you do in shooting games and Mass Effect.

By the way: Your edit failed.
 
My point is that the combat mechanics of physically moving your target sight to the enemy's location then pressing the fire button is reminiscent of shooting games, unlike most "action" RPGs where you press the corresponding button for your attack and then it just attacks. You don't need fast reflexes and skill at aiming with a joystick just to be able to hit the enemy, like you do in shooting games and Mass Effect.
Would you really say that - on the lowest difficulty plus maximum auto aim setting - "fast reflexes" are needed? I'd rather describe it as basic hand-eye-coordination - point the crosshair in the general direction of the target, pull the trigger, guaranteed hit, no matter what type of weapon is used. You don't need precise aiming, you don't need the cover system, you don't even need your squad mates.

Of course, ME being "reminiscent of shooting games" is a given. But I still stand by my assessment that ME's gameplay experience is customizable enough to fulfill pretty much anyone's needs and preferential style of play.
 
What character class would you recommend to give the best non-shooting-game play experience?

Adept, Engineer or Sentinel perhaps...?
 
by the end, the fighting was kind of fun, but so one-sided that it got boring... especially since i was just trying to get to the end. (think of it like the random fights in old school RPGs when you were way over powered. it's just a waste of time)
Which difficulty level were you playing on?

i dunno... default difficulty would be my guess. though i doubt upping the difficulty would fix my qualms with the gameplay. it will take longer to kill guys, but the controls will still feel kinda mushy, the animations still kinda stiff.
 
There is no basis whatsoever for decrying it as a "first/second person shooter" (presumably you mean "third person shooter" as no portion of the game is played in first person, and I've never heard of a second person shooter).

Unless you press the right-stick, of course. :rolleyes:

Which is a zoom function, for anyone who isn't being ridiculously pedantic.

My point is that the combat mechanics of physically moving your target sight to the enemy's location then pressing the fire button is reminiscent of shooting games, unlike most "action" RPGs where you press the corresponding button for your attack and then it just attacks. You don't need fast reflexes and skill at aiming with a joystick just to be able to hit the enemy, like you do in shooting games and Mass Effect.
It's true that it relies on player skill to a degree, but that's still no basis for decrying it as a shooter when the player's effectiveness still relies so heavily on char. stats. And honestly, the shooting mechanics aren't particularly twitchy when compared to actual shooters.

But, whatever floats your boat.

By the way: Your edit failed.
Ah well, at least you have some company.
 
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What character class would you recommend to give the best non-shooting-game play experience?

Adept, Engineer or Sentinel perhaps...?
Adept as a pure 'caster class' definitely feels very RPGish, especially when you become more and more powerful and rely more and more purely on your Biotics.

I did complete playthroughs with all the available classes, and although I'll remain a Soldier at heart (yes, I like RPG-shooter-hybrids ;)), I have to say, Adept is one of the most rewarding experiences, especially on Hardcore and Insanity difficulty (that is, starting a level 1 character on said difficulty - using an existing higher level one diminishes the challenge).

You will feel pretty fragile (hello cover mechanics!) and you will have to rely on your squad to soak up much of the incoming damage - 'tank' the enemies, if you will - as well as deal a significant amount of damage, as your character will often be largely concerned with crowd control, especially against larger groups.
 
i dunno... default difficulty would be my guess. though i doubt upping the difficulty would fix my qualms with the gameplay. it will take longer to kill guys, but the controls will still feel kinda mushy, the animations still kinda stiff.
Oh, you didn't mention your gripes with the controls and the animations in your earlier post.

The feeling of 'overpowerdness' can definitely be dealt with by upping the difficulty (I'd recommend to unlock Insanity!) and choosing a character class that is more fragile in general - Engineer or Adept spring to mind, Infiltrator and Sentinel to a lesser extent.

Also, starting a fresh and therefore undergeared character on Hardcore or Insanity helps, too. Most ME veterans never ever play a character to max level anymore, because at some point the game becomes trivial even at Insanity, especially once you get your Spectre X type gear.
 
i've thought of restarting and trying a different character... but instead i got pulled into other games... maybe in a few months if nothing new comes along, and i've tired of my second playthrough of fable 2, i'll return to ME. i'll definately take your advice into consideration... any advice on how to avoid doing missions that require me to drive that lame jeep aroung?
 
any advice on how to avoid doing missions that require me to drive that lame jeep aroung?
Even if you skip the Uncharted Worlds completely, there still are the unavoidable Mako parts in three of the storyline missions (Noveria, Therum and Virmire).

Nobody really likes the way the Mako's handling feels, but I for one got used to it to a point where it hardly bothers me at all. It's possible to do the Mako parts on foot, of course it takes a lot longer and it's, on higher difficulty levels, quite a lot harder (on the other hand, you get a killing XP bonus while travelling on foot).

I'd recommend either practice/getting-used-to or inviting over a friend who's comfortable doing the driving (which is precisely what I did for a buddy of mine in a weekend long Mass Effect-athon. Turns out I'm a really great Mako taxi driver.) :lol:
 
The Mako is frustrating beyond redemption, I kept falling of the bloody cliff the first couple times. Besides that, Mass Effect is an amazing game, IMO best RPG on the 360, until I play Fallout 3... back on topic, just got a new HDD (60 GB ) for my 360, and all my old data has been lost so I'll defenatly be starting a couple more playthroughs. So just some thoughts what kind of Shepard should I make? Physically facial wise I'm going to make him look like the Shat:lol:. But for what class? I'm open for suggestions.
 
It really depends on your style of play. If you don't care for magic-type stuff but prefer to simply use brute force, then go for Soldier. If you like a mix of combat and magic, go for Vanguard (my personal favorite). I'm not really familiar with any of the other classes, as I haven't played them, so I'll leave the recommendations for those to others.

As for Shepard's face, I had a really hard time making my dude look normal, so I just went with the default face created by BioWare. Is it just me or does he seem impossible to recreate? I spent ages on it one night just to see if I could do it, and I couldn't.
 
It really depends on your style of play. If you don't care for magic-type stuff but prefer to simply use brute force, then go for Soldier. If you like a mix of combat and magic, go for Vanguard (my personal favorite). I'm not really familiar with any of the other classes, as I haven't played them, so I'll leave the recommendations for those to others.
Agreed. I'd really recommend the highly specialized Engineer and Adept "archtype" classes if you've mainly played Soldier and/or Soldier variant "hybrid" classes and want a nice change of pace, as both of them really change the way you're approaching encounters throughout the game (that is, at least, at higher difficulty levels).
And if you have indeed tried out both before, go for a different class specialization this time - for example, a Nemesis Adept plays a whole lot different than a Bastion Adept.
Also, playing a class you have never played before makes experimenting with new squad setups and compositions much more rewarding, as you will rely more and more on your team mates.

As for Shepard's face, I had a really hard time making my dude look normal, so I just went with the default face created by BioWare.
It's certainly not easy to create a "normal" looking face with the editor, but people like Newtella have proven how powerful a tool it really is - especially in in the female version.

Newtella's "Fiona" Shepard

"Dana Scully" Shepard

That said, I went for the default look with my male Shepard(s), too. Pretty content with my female Shepard, though.
 
I only bought this game because it was marketed as an RPG.

I was very disappointed when I got it home and found out it was a first/second-person shooter game.

I hadn't been that disappointed since I bought FFVII: Dirge of Cerberus on the PS2.

:(

Let every Geek Worship Thee. Goddess among us.
 
Thanks for the help, and the info. I'll load my guy's face as soon as possible, It might be either Pine Kirk, or Shatner Kirk just for shits and giggles:lol:. Anyhoo, thanks again for the feedback. I now go on a quest to find a digital camera.
 
I tend to play as the good guy in most RPGs, too - but ME will reward you with some of the funniest dialogues - especially in "side quests". It's well worth a complete Renegade playthrough, believe me ;)

I loved, "Did someone piss in your security chief's coffee this morning?"
 
I tend to play as the good guy in most RPGs, too - but ME will reward you with some of the funniest dialogues - especially in "side quests". It's well worth a complete Renegade playthrough, believe me ;)

I loved, "Did someone piss in your security chief's coffee this morning?"

Frak! I just sold this game on Ebay. Oh well, maybe I'll buy it again for cheap.

This game needs more customization for the Shepard model, though.
 
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