Gaming Mass Effect Series

Really really pumped about this one. Whereas ME1's reach kind of exceeded its grasp regarding the exploration, this game has the potential to be amazing in that regard.

 

The whole trilogy is available on Backwards Compatibility on Xbox One, if that helps any? That said, because it'll ask you to log into the same accounts, it seems reasonable to assume that it'll check your account rather than game saves.

 

I really wish they would release the trilogy (remastered) for the PS4 prior to Andromeda's release.

 

It would be nice if Andromeda had some bonuses from old save data (even if it was something like extra money), but considering the generation gap, I doubt it. And they've already said something along the lines of the ME3 ending not affecting the story at all (disappointing, but not surprising). Ideally something like the Dragon Age Keep would be nice, but I doubt it, Andromeda seems more like a clean break.

I have the ME trilogy on both 360 and PS3 (there was a PSN flash sale that had the trilogy at $5 once, couldn't resist), but only played through the whole of ME1 on 360 way back when. Can't quite bring myself to play through it again on PS3 (that, and I have far less free time now than before). And I'm not going to get a XB1 just to replay ME, though it does sound tempting. And I half-suspect they'll come out with some "remastered" port of the trilogy someday, another reason I haven't gotten through replaying ME for a long while.

I think I read somewhere that these characters left between ME2 and ME3? So they would probably have been out of range by the time the Reaper War started. Wonder if there will be any explanation for why something of this scale wasn't brought up in the main trilogy (set up in secret, crazy idea, etc.). Along with possible cameos (I wouldn't be surprised if Cerberus agents popped up again).

Wonder when they'll release more information, like an actual date. They probably don't want it to get lost in the big holiday rush, but not sure if there are any other big events for an announcement. Are the VGAs still a thing? Or maybe they'll just hold their own press conference after Christmas.

 

They've already said that they won't be releasing remastered editions of the ME trilogy.

As for when Andromeda is set, it says that in 2185 "the Andromeda Initiative is scheduled to launch." I don't know how that fits in with the trilogy but that's when it leaves the Milky Way. The whole text for the year is:

"The Andromeda Initiative is scheduled to launch. Privately funded and operating independently from the Systems Alliance, the Initiative’s mandate is to make a 600-year journey to the Andromeda galaxy in hopes of establishing a new home world. This impending galactic journey represents the most ambitious undertaking of any Milky Way race to date…"

 

Really?? Where did you read this? Also, it would be cool to see any form of nods to the original game. Nothing heavy, but a couple of winks to certain names or events would be cool.

I still think a First Contact prequel game would be epic.

 

Yeah, the main site says they're leaving in 2185. ME3 takes place in 2186 I believe, so they depart just before the events of that.

EDIT: I just remembered that it looked like Earth had already been attacked by the Reapers in the trailers though. Hm...maybe they leave right after that then?

 

Bioware needs to do a remastered version of Knights of the Old Republic, dammit.

 

There is a KOTOR thread if you want to contribute this there. Otherwise I wholeheartedly agree.

 

Been thinking about this trilogy a lot since N7 Day. I still maintain 3 is the best (it's my favourite game of all time in fact). Even started a let's play series, hoping to finish it before Andromeda comes out.

 

3 was the culminating game, but for me the best will remain where it started. Elements of exploration, decisions that seemed to really change things, and the fresh new take on the galaxy no one had seen before. Sure the combat was primitive, but I'll always love the first Mass Effect.

 

Sorry for the double post -
HAPPY 9th BIRTHDAY MASS EFFECT!!!

 

I'd say that Mass Effect 2 is my favorite in the trilogy. It's perhaps one of my favorite games as well.

 

2 is definitely my favorite. The whole suicide mission lived up to the hype, and was one of the best experiences I've ever had in a game I think.

 

I've only played the first two, but I agree the second is the strongest of the series I have played to date. Really wondering if I should bother with the third given the mixed reviews and the fact that Andromeda is not a continuation.

 

3 is superb. The more I think about it, the more it solidifies in my mind that it's my favourite game of all time.

 

The three games in the ME Trilogy all had their own individual "best of" hallmarks for me. I felt ME1 did the best job of filling out the universe and even though it did a so-so job on the exploration aspect, that was something I missed in ME2 and ME3. Having that back in Andromeda as a fully-developed game element will be welcome. ME2 did the best on plot and memorable moments; I think part of the reason 3 took so much flak was that topping the Suicide Mission sequence and the overall feel of having your own eclectic "Dirty Dozen" on the Normandy was a hard act to follow. ME3 had its issues, but the vastly improved combat system makes it the one that's had the most replay value for me.

I've actually been doing NG++ playthroughs on ME3 lately; generally I'm using it as an opportunity to play through the whole game with fully evolved skill trees and weapons loadouts (soldier with a Suppressor X/Venom X/Typhoon X loadout, hello) as well as make some minor optimization tweaks to my character builds. For one, I'm starting to pay attention to grenades as something more than a dump stat; previously I hadn't made much use of them. After some trials in the Armax Arsenal Arena I realized they could be quite handy; the most fun was using the infiltrator's sticky grenade with the Rank 6 Proximity Trap upgrade to deal with Phantoms trying to drop in behind me.

As far as what might carry over from the ME Trilogy to Andromeda, I can think of a few elements. Certainly the idea that the Andromeda Initiative is a privately funded, human-led program and launching from Sol (which makes some sense given it's probably the Council world closest to the galactic rim) screams Cerberus influence. Also, if it indeed launches in 2185, between ME2 and ME3, there are a number of decisions from ME1 and ME2 that could carry over. In particular, if the four arks each contain a Council species (as evidenced by the presence of asari and salarians in the trailer), the fate of the Council in ME1 could affect whether the Andromeda Initiative is a collaborative project or if humans are the ones giving the orders (which could make a big difference in how you relate to alien characters 600 years later in Andromeda).

 

I'd recommend still playing 3. As has been said, the combat is the best in the series, and there's lots of really great story aside from the rough parts, especially if you get the DLC.

 

I could not disagree more in regards to 3 being considered best in the series. To me, that ending will forever taint whichever the few bright spots that game had.

ME2 was however the best installment IMO. And flawlessly carrying out the suicide mission, with the theme blaring out in all its glory as the Normandy made its escape...yeah, definitely one of gaming's best moments ever.

 

ME1 had the best overall ambiance and story, ME2 had the best companions and set-pieces, and ME3 had the best gameplay.

ME1 had the worst gameplay, ME2 had the worst overall ambiance and story, and ME3 . . . basically had to compensate for ME2 having been a filler episode instead of a second act.

 

A major problem with ME3 was that you could definitely tell what parts of it were rushed in development, which led to some pretty ho-hum locations like Palaven's moon, etc. And pretty important story elements had to be fleshed out/fixed in either the Extended Cut or DLC, which is never a good sign.

 

Taken as a whole package though, with those included, there's not really that many issues. The Extended Cut in particular fixes most, if not all, of the problems I had with the ending.

 

I think ME3 is still my least favorite game of the trilogy. Its still a great game, with plenty of great moments (and some moments were the culmination of trilogy-long plotlines), but a lot of it was also disappointing. ME2 was partially a sidestory (and honestly poked plotholes in ME1's story, such as if they had the Collector army, why bother with Saren and the geth) but it was building up to something. Then they changed writers and... yeah. Although the original ending probably wouldn't have been perfect too, but the ending... yeah, it was horrible. Not just the color choice, but how little most of your choices mattered (maybe a different line here or there depending on your choices). Not to mention that it required multi-player to get to their idea of a good ending (or an annoying app, though they've probably adjusted that by now). Now, ME2's suicide mission and its "golden" ending, now THAT was an ending.

I think most people would choose ME2 as the best, for the refined combat and the excellent squad (at 12 strong, and most of them were awesome). Honestly, I still miss the exploration and lore bits of ME1. Driving the Mako was annoying, but I liked being able to just get out and look at the sky sometimes. ME2 improved on a lot of ME1, but was also an early warning sign of how little your choices matter (whatever you decided for Anderson, only about five minutes are different). So for me its a tossup between ME1 and ME2 as the best game, with ME3 as the definite third (but still mostly good) game.

 

That went out with the Extended Cut DLC - it didn't just change the ending but did a few other things to the game as well.

EA didn't do themselves any good by sending people straight onto ME2 then ME3, because if you do that ME3 seems like a massive downer, whereas, after playing ME1, where the entire fleet can barely defeat a Reaper, then ME3 having everyone be helpless in the wake of the Reaper invasion makes perfect sense.

Really, the best combination would be to move ME2's suicide mission to ME3 as the finale because it is a setpiece in every respect.

What happens to ME2? Series becomes a duology.