Podcast # 505 - "Mass Effect"

[Vartok]

Loved the podcast so much I am listening a second time through to get more details.  I have never had much patience for gaming but this one is really getting Vartok excited to go out and get a state of the art game console, or should I stick with a PC version?  Have they ever ported the original game one to later machines?  Only the experts know for sure.  And what about all that "romancing"  :laugh:

Great job you two.  Loved your natural repartee.

Now over to iTunes to DL some ME music.

V

[Feathers]

It was broken on purpose.

Not that I've ever played this game but, really?

Surely, if they didn't like a game feature thy'd have removed it properly rather than just breaking it and leaving it there. (I guess this report offends the professional software engineer still lurking somewhere inside of me.)

[ChrisMC]

Loved the podcast so much I am listening a second time through to get more details.  I have never had much patience for gaming but this one is really getting Vartok excited to go out and get a state of the art game console, or should I stick with a PC version?  Have they ever ported the original game one to later machines?  Only the experts know for sure.  And what about all that "romancing"  :laugh:

Great job you two.  Loved your natural repartee.

Now over to iTunes to DL some ME music.

V

Thanks, Vartok. Yes, the music is amazing in all 3 of these games. Lots of stand out tracks. All 3 games can be played on the XBOX 360 or PS#, which have gone down in price since the newer systems are now out. I believe you can get each game for 20 dollars or less, and you'll have many hours of enjoyment.

[Bromptonboy]

Same regarding the first game.

We only have a Wii in the house, so I have to do the PC route.

[Jobydrone]

Rico skip one and start with two.

Belay that order, Mr. Rico. ALL of them are awesome and worthy of play. Especially since the story builds with every game. Carry on.

My thinking on that suggestion has nothing to do with the quality of the game (game 1 is truly awesome although I think that compared to 2 & 3 the first game is pretty dated by now) the problem is the time committment.  I'm not sure Rico has 60+hours to play all three, and the unskippable Mako missions in game 1 were kind of a drag for me.  If there was more variety and interesting rewards for the vehicle based exploration in the first game, I'd say unequivocally to go for it, but I'd estimate about 20% of the game is spent having to drive around the same environments over and over and over again for no discernable reason or reward.  You could read a wiki to get the story points for game one, and then jump into ME2 where every element of the game was improved about 1000%.

[Bromptonboy]

60 hours!  Holy Toledo..

[Jen]

Rico skip one and start with two.

Belay that order, Mr. Rico. ALL of them are awesome and worthy of play. Especially since the story builds with every game. Carry on.

My thinking on that suggestion has nothing to do with the quality of the game (game 1 is truly awesome although I think that compared to 2 & 3 the first game is pretty dated by now) the problem is the time committment.  I'm not sure Rico has 60+hours to play all three, and the unskippable Mako missions in game 1 were kind of a drag for me.  If there was more variety and interesting rewards for the vehicle based exploration in the first game, I'd say unequivocally to go for it, but I'd estimate about 20% of the game is spent having to drive around the same environments over and over and over again for no discernable reason or reward.  You could read a wiki to get the story points for game one, and then jump into ME2 where every element of the game was improved about 1000%.

You can skip the side missions (driving all over the universe is not necessary, just on main missions).  Stick to the main mission and the game will be faster...but WHY would anyone want to do that? I'm a completionist and my right eye starts to twitch when you make such suggestions, sir. ;)  I just did another play through recently and it holds up well in my opinion.  By comparison, I find it difficult to play through Knights of the Old Republic again. I want to, I try, but I can't get all the way through it. Not that I need to, I've played it 9 million times. Maybe it will motivate me to play it for the 9 million and 1th time if we do a game review on The Star Wars Stacks. :D

[Jen]

It was broken on purpose.

Not that I've ever played this game but, really?

Surely, if they didn't like a game feature thy'd have removed it properly rather than just breaking it and leaving it there. (I guess this report offends the professional software engineer still lurking somewhere inside of me.)

Well, that was in 2007. I don't know if they fixed it or not. But the word on the web was that it was too easy to take out opponents so they "broke it" to make it more challenging. It worked rather well in the other two games.

[Jen]

Loved the podcast so much I am listening a second time through to get more details. I have never had much patience for gaming but this one is really getting Vartok excited to go out and get a state of the art game console, or should I stick with a PC version?  Have they ever ported the original game one to later machines?  Only the experts know for sure.  And what about all that "romancing"  :laugh:

Great job you two.  Loved your natural repartee.

Now over to iTunes to DL some ME music.

V

Yeah! I'm glad you liked it, Vartok. Thank you for the complement.

To answer your questions:
It's available for the PC, XBOX and I THINK the PS3.

Which is better? That's a proverbial can of worms. :) That's like asking people if they prefer Chevy or Ford, PC or Mac. I think it depends on where you are the most comfortable, sitting in front of a computer or sitting on the couch/your favorite chair. I prefer lounging when I game, so I lean towards the XBOX, but I've played a number of games on the PC (Halo, KOTOR, SWOR, and many others).  Also, I hate using the keyboard to game. The controller is more an extension of me and I've honed my muscle memory playing many games with a controller—it's hard to give it up.

[billybob476]

That's where my XBox 360 wired controller comes in, I use it on my PC for tons of stuff.

[ChrisMC]

Nobody skip anything. If you want to play, this game rewards your time investment. The beginning of 2 is SO much better if you've spent countless hours playing "your" Shepard.

No skips. Dems da rules.

[Vartok]

So if I get the newest XBOX will game one still be compatible with it?  If yes that is the way I will go!

V

[Jen]

So if I get the newest XBOX will game one still be compatible with it?  If yes that is the way I will go!

V

Yes, sir! :) In fact, it is something you can now download on XBOX LIVE...you don't need to buy a physical package.

[Jen]

Chris, I feel like we've become Mass Effect Evangelists. :D  Bioware and EA should totally hire us!

[Jobydrone]

So if I get the newest XBOX will game one still be compatible with it?  If yes that is the way I will go!

V

Yes, sir! :) In fact, it is something you can now download on XBOX LIVE...you don't need to buy a physical package.

It's NOT available on Xbox One, just the Xbox 360 and PS3.  There are rumored plans for an upgraded remake on the newest systems, but for now you can only play on last gen hardware.  There's a trilogy set that packages all three games for the price of one game, maybe the best bargain in gaming.  And of course, Mass Effect 4 is slated for an October 2015 release on the current generation hardware.