Anyone playing Mass Effect?

Damn, I keep forgetting I own this.  I got so caught up in the achievement whore challenge recently, plus got sucked into Frontlines and Culdcept Saga and I put this one away (same goes for the other RPGs I own - Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey and Eternal Sonata).

Plus, Mass Effect is supposed to be getting some kickass download content soon with new alien races and new storylines.

Too many games, too little time .......

I hear you, Slumberland, and that learning curve is precisely why I always start a 2nd character when I'm about halfway through in the Bioware games.   Heck, it took me nearly a full playthrough to really grasp the differences among enemies, what they're vulnerable to, or immune to, and how to recognize them visually and especially audibly thanks to their various shouts and outbursts, or clicks and whirrs (for a long time, all enemies were just red triangles to me!).

What really opened up the combat for me was when I started to 'KoTOR it.'  By that I mean liberally using the R-bumper to pause it and figure out wtf was going on as well as target up a series of attacks for me and my team. 

Going through it a second time (and more) I was struck by how fresh a lot of the early stuff seemed to me, because it was surprising how long ago I had gone through it with the first guy.  Further, knowing what I am supposed to be doing and where I am supposed to be going helped me enjoy the combat and the immersive details a heck of a lot more than on the first run through.  For a long time with my first guy, I was just running through the side quests without caring what was going on in terms of the story, so on future playthroughs, all the connections and details could shine through, and for me those are the best parts of the game.

But the combat really does keep me coming back.  I can't tell you how many times, even with uber characters, I've come oooooh so close to dying.  And in this type of game, that's what it's all about, just barely hanging on and getting through.  And don't forget about starting fresh with a completed character, either.  Crank that difficulty up and get ready for some great shopping for that top gear.  Plus, even though your character is set the way you finished, your teammates start with nothing assigned and a butt load of talent points, so you can really tailor each one to be as functional as possible with your combat style.


PS You will start ME2 with not only your character but also many plot elements (who's dead, who's alive, who's on the council, etc), so there's another good reason to play through more than once or twice.

And let's just say it, 'lift then throw' never, ever gets old!  I haven't yet thrown anyone into orbit yet, but almost!  They get so tiny when they go flying over the hills way over there. . .

There is some added content for this on Marketplace as of this past week.