Mass effect 2 Launch and impressions (the REAL One)

[wonderpug]

Sorry if this is a repeat question:

Are there more places to buy stuff than Omega and the Citadel?

I'm 20 hours in and have yet to come across an SMG...or very many armor upgrades and whatnot...I'm finding tech upgrades and such,.....

Do the goods that the merchants at Omega and Citadel change?

Keep in mind that there's not really any difference between store items and items scanned on missions, other than whether it costs you cash or materials. A particular SMG may be in a store, in a mission, or in an [UPGRADES] conversation tree, and if you don't explore the right spot you might not get it.

[ATB]

AFAIK, i've never even seen an SMG.

[wonderpug]

AFAIK, i've never even seen an SMG.

How far are you in the game?  I remember getting my first new SMG option fairly early on, but I also think it was the only new one I found the entire game.

The upgrades aren't necessarily better, either. I preferred the default sniper rifle all the way to the end. 

[Chaz]

I've heard there was a third SMG and it was awesome, but I never found it.    Which was actually okay, because by the end, I was using tech and biotics almost exclusively anyway. 

[ATB]

AFAIK, i've never even seen an SMG.

How far are you in the game?  I remember getting my first new SMG option fairly early on, but I also think it was the only new one I found the entire game.

The upgrades aren't necessarily better, either. I preferred the default sniper rifle all the way to the end. 

Does upgrade = item itself?

So if I buy an SMG upgrade, does that mean I suddenly have SMGs or do I have to find an SMG on which to perform the upgrade?

[TiLT]

You start with an SMG unless you're a Soldier. In the latter case you can't get an SMG at all, I think.

[Chaz]

It should be noted that your starting SMG is designated as a Machine Pistol, but is actually an SMG.

[ATB]

Ahh!

The burst weapon. Got it.

duhhhh.

[CeeKay]

I've been playing my renegade infiltrator from ME1 and I have to say I'm not digging the class so far; I kinda wished I had changed it when the game started.

[wonderpug]

I've been playing my renegade infiltrator from ME1 and I have to say I'm not digging the class so far; I kinda wished I had changed it when the game started.

Really?  I loved my Infiltrator/Assassin the whole way through. One hit headshot kills through shields and armor are tons-o-fun. The cloak let me be a bit more aggressive, too. Health getting low?  Go invis and calmly find some good cover to recharge.  Plus you've got disruptor bullets to bring shields down, then the tech power whatsit to bring down armor, so you're in good shape for everything but biotic barriers.

I wasn't a bi fan of the AI Hacking skill, but it did come in handy at times.

[Chaz]

Really? I've loved AI hacking in both games.  Use it on the synthetic with the heaviest weapon, let it do it's thing, and then blow it up after all its buddies are gone.

[Barrakketh]

to wonderplug re: one of his spoilered questions

Spoiler for Hiden:

If you want to see a compilation of team member deaths during the suicide run, a guy has posted up a bunch on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkRxe_R6SqI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVifl3BBZ0I&feature=channel

[wonderpug]

Awesome, thanks.

[Roguetad]

I've been playing my renegade infiltrator from ME1 and I have to say I'm not digging the class so far; I kinda wished I had changed it when the game started.

Really?  I loved my Infiltrator/Assassin the whole way through. One hit headshot kills through shields and armor are tons-o-fun. The cloak let me be a bit more aggressive, too. Health getting low?  Go invis and calmly find some good cover to recharge.  Plus you've got disruptor bullets to bring shields down, then the tech power whatsit to bring down armor, so you're in good shape for everything but biotic barriers.

I wasn't a bi fan of the AI Hacking skill, but it did come in handy at times.

I played an infiltrator for my 2nd playthrough and it was much more my style than the sentinel I played for my 1st playthrough.  I took warp ammo as my bonus power right from the start, and went the assassin route too.  Widowmaker + all of the assassin upgrades = 1 shot carnage.  If you like the single target damage of the 1st sniper rifle, you will love the Widowmaker.  It's funny but I felt safer as an infiltrator than I did as a sentinel with tech armor.  When things got ugly I could cloak and go find a place to regen, and then resume the fight a few moments later.  Clearing a room before the bad guys even have a chance to clear the door and take cover is all kinds of awesome.

[Ridah]

Is there a way to buy upgrades without having to initiate conversation with Mordin again every time? So annoying...

[CeeKay]

Is there a way to buy upgrades without having to initiate conversation with Mordin again every time? So annoying...

well there's the upgrade station in the tech lab, it's near the doors on the wall.

[wonderpug]

Is there a way to buy upgrades without having to initiate conversation with Mordin again every time? So annoying...

well there's the upgrade station in the tech lab, it's near the doors on the wall.

The one on the right says "Upgrades," and just tells you what you've bought, while the one on the left says "Research" or something, and let's you research.

[CeeKay]

Is there a way to buy upgrades without having to initiate conversation with Mordin again every time? So annoying...

well there's the upgrade station in the tech lab, it's near the doors on the wall.

The one on the right says "Upgrades," and just tells you what you've bought, while the one on the left says "Research" or something, and let's you research.

forgot about that other one, somehow I've always managed to hit the actual upgrade one without even looking.

[Doopri]

thanks for the earlier advice / info - chaz i DID go with my offline profile just to see all the import stuff.  its pretty neat integration - ive bumped into a few characters and even had some dialogue moments.  also - LOTS of emails

the best by far was

Spoiler for Hiden:

the asari who let the spider queen take her over to relate that shes doing well on some remote planet

been playing the game a lot, still not sure of my opinion.  it definitely made me miss mass effect 1 more than anything though.  certainly feels more like an action-adventure with variable levels, than an rpg.  kinda does for 3rd person shooters what fable 2 did for its genre.  decent diversion but i sure hope this isnt the trend for bioware or rpgs (which i doubt it is because bioware has ALWAYS been nicely "all over the place" and experimental with their games).

[Ridah]

No wonder I was noticing more texture issues all of a sudden, the second CD needs to be installed separately!

[Gratch]

A couple random questions:

-  Is there anywhere to buy more galaxy maps, other than the shop on Illium?
-  Is there ever a quest associated with the "Mad Prophet" on Omega?
-  Do any of the anomaly missions give more than 150'ish XP?  Trying to get a character up to 30 (even with the 25% boost from playthrough #2) is a bitch.  I'm at 28 and have done all the main and loyalty missions, so all I can do now is hope to track down some anomaly missions and hope I can ding 30.
-  Anyone solve the minor "crime" quest on the Citadel (between the Quarian & Volus) or find who is looking for the stolen ID's?
-  Frustrated Inquiry:  Isn't there a single Hanar or Elcor to talk to in the entire game? 
-  Final mission question: 

Spoiler for Hiden:

I'm trying to get through the suicide mission without losing anyone.  For those that have done it, what was you specific team set-up?

-  And finally, why can't I stop playing this game?

Did find another strange bug today on one of the loyalty missions.  I completed the mission and got the popup saying his power was unlocked.  The squad screen shows him with a glowing red 'loyalty' circle under his feet and his info screen says he's loyal.  However, when I try to put points into the skill his loyalty mission unlocks, it tells me "This squad member is not loyal."  WTF?

[jersoc]

the stolen ID people show up after that lizard guy's mission I believe, that or is was garrus. whoever has it on the citadel.

[Turtle]

In my first play through I hit level 30, doing everything there was to do in the game.  However, I think I had a small experience bonus from

So far, there's nothing associated with the Mad Prophet.  However, there's still major (and free) DLC to come out.

The investigation between the Quarian and Volus can be solved by asking around the shops in the area where they're found.  You'll find people who could use the IDs (or not if you're Paragon) around one of the citadel stairwells.

Final mission:

Spoiler for Hiden:

First, get all loyalty and upgrades to better your chances, this includes individual character upgrades like Jack's biotic strength.  Use a tech expert for whoever goes into the vents, make sure it's a computer tech expert.  Not someone who's tech specialty is biology like Mordin, or someone who just happens to know tech like Miranda or Garrus.  This means Tali or Legion.

For squad leaders, you want people with actual leadership ability, not just experience.  This means Garrus or Miranda, maybe some others.

When rescuing your crew, I sent back Samara, since she's good at protecting people being a Justicar.  Grunt also works I've heard, same for Zaeed.

For the biotic shield against the seeker swarms, you want raw biotic power as much as discipline, this means Jack or Samara, or Morinth.  For the second fireteam leader, it's the same as before, Miranda or Garrus will do.

For the final battle, I'm not sure what factors in, but I took Mordin and Tali.

Oh, and I finally got that bit a dialog from Liara that a lot of people miss explaining what she did and why she's got so much baggage now.  It was heartbreaking.  Looking forward to seeing what she becomes in ME3.

The gameplay is just plain fun this time around, which is why I keep finding myself replaying it so soon after finishing it.

[CeeKay]

Frustrated Inquiry:  Isn't there a single Hanar or Elcor to talk to in the entire game? 

there's an Elcor shopkeeper on Omega, no Hanar that I can remember though.

[TK-421]

For a good chuckle take Garrus and Tali on a visit to the Citadel and listen to them "reminisce" about the elevator rides.

[Beer Goggles]

Oh, and I finally got that bit a dialog from Liara that a lot of people miss explaining what she did and why she's got so much baggage now.  It was heartbreaking.  Looking forward to seeing what she becomes in ME3.

The Mass Effect comic also covers what happened between her and the Shadow Broker, earth-clan.  The latest paperback book explains why the quarrians hate Cerberus.

[CeeKay]

For a good chuckle take Garrus and Tali on a visit to the Citadel and listen to them "reminisce" about the elevator rides.

ooo, have to check that one out.

[rickfc]

I'm in the middle of my second playthrough, and I'm actually exploring all the galaxies for side missions, etc.  I found this mission which was totally awesome:

Spoiler for Hiden:

I found a distress signal for a ship that had crashed 1 year prior.  When you choose to land, the shuttle drops only Shepard off on top of a gigantic, derelict space ship.  EDI tells you that disturbing the wreckage would cause the ship to over the edge.  As you walk around the wreckage, you hear the guttural sounds of the ship creaking.  Every once in a while, Shepard will halt as the wreckage shifts, and you see this gigantic ship swing over the edge.  There's not much else to the mission other than getting to the front, but it was a nice change of pace.  Awesome.

[jersoc]

that mission is so god damn buggy though. i got stuck in the air randomly so many times and had to restart the entire thing over.

[Gratch]

Just finished playthough #2.  Had a blast playing as the a-hole (something that has never happened before, btw), and sad to see it end again.  However, I'm a little annoyed at the final mission:

Spoiler for Hiden:

I did every single thing I could possibly find in the game.  Level 30, all missions completed, 100% of every galaxy explored, all armor and almost all weapons completely upgraded (I missed a heavy pistol upgrade somewhere along the way).  As was suggested both here and GameFAQs, I sent Tali into the vents, send Grunt back with the survivors, and had Miranda lead the alternate teams.  Thought I did everything right, but somehow Mordin was killed at the very end of the mission.  Frustrating, especially since he was my favorite character.  Also frustrating that I ended up just *this* much short of being full Renegade.  Not that it would have mattered, mind you, since there's nothing else to do.

It was also interesting to see the different ending when you decide to save the Collector ship.  Just what in the hell is the Illusive Man?  He's got those freaky machine-looking eyes that just can't be human, and he seemed a little too pleased about his new Collector toy.

The is the first and only game I've ever played all the way through back-to-back. The final time was about the same as my fist run (28 hours), mainly because I was able to skip through many of the conversations.

[Gratch]

that mission is so god damn buggy though. i got stuck in the air randomly so many times and had to restart the entire thing over.

Strange.  I played through it twice with no problems.  One of my favorites the first time around, but loses a little impact the second time when you know what happens.

[Azhag]

I got stuck in the air on that one and had to restart.... then I got stuck again and said screw it.

[rickfc]

that mission is so god damn buggy though. i got stuck in the air randomly so many times and had to restart the entire thing over.

I got stuck in the air on that one and had to restart.... then I got stuck again and said screw it.

Just out of curiosity, did you guys have the game installed on your HDD?

[TiLT]

Just out of curiosity, did you guys have the game installed on your HDD?

Why would that make a difference?

Btw, add me to the people who had that mission bug out on me. I played it on PC.

[jersoc]

that mission is so god damn buggy though. i got stuck in the air randomly so many times and had to restart the entire thing over.

I got stuck in the air on that one and had to restart.... then I got stuck again and said screw it.

Just out of curiosity, did you guys have the game installed on your HDD?

yes, cause i have the pc version.

[Doopri]

I got stuck in the air on that one and had to restart.... then I got stuck again and said screw it.

while i didnt get stuck on that one, i HAVE gotten stuck on others and i FUC@%ng HATE this game.  in the past ive heard people talk about glitches in other games, where theyve gotten stuck and i though "hmm cant be that big a deal, i havent hit it and even if i did..."

wow i suddenly sympathize with you all.  ive had it happen a couple times and its ALWAYS on the most annoying F#@&ing mission.  just now i had to quit the game, about ready to smash the shit out of something in anger because not only did it glitch out, it did so

Spoiler for Hiden:

on the mission to deactivate some beacon, where visibility is poor, the map doesnt work and im wandering around in a cloud of chlorine gas... awesome... cant wait to do this one again because i ended up fucking moonwalking on thin air...

 this is the second time its happened on a mission id consider a huge pain in the ass.  while it wouldnt normally matter as much to me, the fact that it seems to happen on missions that i really have NO desire to do again (due to weird environmental effects or just sheer "pain-in-the-ass-ness") is a real kick in the pants.

oh yea and also - going back to do the

Spoiler for Hiden:

mission where i can only deactivate ONE missile, only to have it glitch out and record the same exact result - ALWAYS "spaceport/economic center saved" DESPITE getting "Thousands of lives saved" in the post-mission report - PRICELESS!  especially for a game that tracks and records every move... at least i wont have to worry about what happens in ME3 - PLEASE do dragon age 2 before this mess you bastards!!!

[Razgon]

Strange...on the xbox I didnt have a single issue, and I've completed the game twice now.  Not even the stuck on air thing, which I get must be annoying.

[wonderpug]

If optional missions are pissing you off, why not opt not to do them?

[rickfc]

Just out of curiosity, did you guys have the game installed on your HDD?

Why would that make a difference?

The game shows a few of the same bugs as the 1st one when being played from the disc on the 360, such as textures loading slow, the game (briefly) pausing to load new areas, etc.  I didn't realize that everyone that's been complaining about these things were playing on the PC.

[kadnod]

Finished this over the weekend.  I hit some bugs, too, but still had a great time with it.  I think Fallout 3 + Broken Steel beats it out as best RPG of this generation, but it's a close thing.  If ME2 gets some quality DLC, it could easily take the lead.   

Hopes for ME3

Spoiler for Hiden:

1) Improved resource gathering.   I didn't find the planet-probing too tedious, but it could definitely be improved on.  Perhaps adding a mechanic where you could just trade credits for resources in a pinch would be a good idea?  And from a story point of view, I didn't quite get why I was allowed to collect precious ores on inhabited planets without having to deal with the natives.  Was my goody-two-shoes Shepard stealing platinum from poor miners the entire time? Maybe this was explained away in the codex somewhere, but it seemed a bit weird to me.  Now that I think about it, restricting resource-gathering to uninhabited worlds, but making the per-world rewards greater, could be a good way to add to the sense of exploration while speeding the whole process up. 

2) Return of (most) of the crew from ME2 as full-fledged NPCs.   I imagine this might be hard to pull off, given the wide variety of possible deaths at the end of ME2, but I really hope at least half the crew makes this kind of transition.  Mordin, Tali, Legion and Garrus are all great and I'd hate to see them reduced to Liara-style cameos (or less) in the next game.  Heck, make Liara a member of the crew again, too. 

I wouldn't be surprised to see Kaidan in the next one, but I've got a feeling he's being set up as some sort of anti-Shepard big-bad for the series finale. 

3) Less hokey endboss.   Speaking of antagonists, I (sorta) get why the Collectors were building a giant terminator at the end of the game, but it was still kind of silly.    Maybe a human-reaper didn't have to look like a really big dude?   I hope Harbinger's ultimate bad-ass form doesn't turn out to be a giant robot T-Rex or Trilobite or something.