Mass Effect Series Options

[Voran]

After my abrupt game halt in Fable 3, due to a presently unfixed bug, I found myself wanting to rinse the taste from my mouth, so I popped in a game that had bought when it first came out, but never quite finished.

Mass Effect 2. I bought it when it was first released, but this was also during my pre-HD tv days, so I quit playing about halfway through because my eyes were killing me. It was sort of a game I had forgotten I had even after I got my 46" HD, but while rummaging through my 360 games realized I hadn't finished it yet.

On a side note, I have this habit of starting games but not finishing them, usually because work picks up and my other life responsibilities merge to stop me from playing. Some games I've gotten but still haven't finished, Arkham Asylum, Prototype, Assassin Creed 2. Should give them a try again, as those were also pre-HD tv days for me, so I bet they look pretty now (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Anyhoo.

Mass Effect 2. I finished the game (perfect ending, everyone lives, paragon). And realized what a great game it was because it immediately made me inclined to play Mass Effect 1 again.

Having played both (still playing a new game with ME1, new character route) so closely together made me realize some of the changes between 1 and 2, and made me think of changes I hope occur for #3. I'll try to break them down by categories...in no particular order.

1. Levelling. ME 1 is traditional fare, though with a surprisingly large level range, theoretically capping at 60, but your first run through gets you to around 50 I think. ME 2 takes kind of an abbreviated approach, capping at 30, though your first play through will probably take you to around 26 or so. At least if you're trying for perfect ending. If you don't mind sadder outcome, you could grind to 30. In either case, reaching max level in a normal playthrough doesn't really change your experience much, you don't NEED to be maxxed level.

2. Related to #1, skill development. Each level you gain skill points that go to certain skills. ME 1 has a fairly large skill tree, which kind of explains the 60 level cap, you need all the skill points to fill out stuff. ME 2 on the other hand has a much smaller skill tree. Though in some ways they eliminated some of the 'mandatory skill sinks'. For example in ME 1, if you wanted to play a guy who persuaded or intimidated, you needed to invest points into it (up to 10), likewise it was mandatory to have a tech user in your party if you didn't have tech skills yourself, otherwise you wouldn't be able to open chests/lockers or in some cases, doors. So ME 1 is more restricted in a way, forcing you to burn points or adopt a certain party structure. ME2 eliminated that by dumping skill points into conversation entirely, making it still possible to do paragon/renegade conversation options but linking it more directly to your paragon or renegade scores themselves. Likewise bypassing locks and such became a minigame that isn't dependant on your skills.

3. On the other hand, in ME 2, most things like weapon and armor skills have also been discarded. For both you and the npcs you recruit, you no longer really have a say in what they wear or what they can use.

4. Related somewhat to 3, Inventory. ME 1 has a dense inventory system, both in its size and its...well...dumbness. Its a cumbersome system to go through, not very friendly when your inventory slots start filling up. On the other hand in ME1 you can play with armor types, mods, weapons, mods, ammo mods, etc etc. In ME2, its all secondary. You can't really buy weapons or armor anymore, and you can't fiddle with the paper-dolls of your npcs. You can select weapons they use, but in limited fashion. Heck, in ME2, you can't even sell things anymore. To be fair, within a normal playthrough you do pretty much end up with enough credits to buy the things you need (upgrades from stores), but in a sense it becomes less like a C-RPG and more like a C-FPS.

more to follow

[Zyerne]

ME1 is on my to buy list so if you've got any more, I'll be reading (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Critias]

I don't have any experience with ME2, but I can safely say ME1 is one of the finest RPGs I've ever played. I've just been busy with school, so didn't let myself buy ME2 (much like Fallout: New Vegas and a whole host of other games) because I knew I'd just throw myself into it instead of doing homework or writing...but trust me, if you can find ME1 for a good price, grab it. I have trouble imagining a Shadowrun fan that would be disappointed with it.

[Zyerne]

Not too worried about price, I'm guessing it'll be around $15 (converted from £), it's one of those "must play" games for me. Fallout 3 wasn't, I hadn't played the earlier ones but my kid picked it up and NV now is.

[Wounded Ronin]

Durh, I got more into KOTOR than Mass Effect 1, which I still haven't finished. I dunno, I guess the storyline of ME isn't as sucking me in as much.

[Voran]

I'm going to take a slightly different approach than originally intended, though hopefully musing on the same overall things.

ME1, is something of a traditional Bioware crpg, the type of product they put out when you know they aren't under deadline or external pressures and appear to have a full development cycle. Unlike say, Kotor 2.

It takes a slightly different approach as well, combining elements of the 3rd person cover based shooter, with CRPG. As it was initially console based, its menu and interface were bundled to work with a xbox type controller, rather than the full keyboard + mouse setup typical of crpgs. Consequently, it doesn't always succeed in cramming the functions we would consider streamlined into the mix. As noted, the inventory system is rather clunky, and unlike PC type crpg setups, you can't jump to a new screen (inventory tab, quest log, journals, etc) directly as you usually can in a PC version, you effectively have to exit out of whatever menu you're in and start anew. Consequently navigating the interface in ME1 tends to take more time, and has resulted in some of the comments of frustration/annoyance in regards to the game.

In terms of gameplay, it took some getting used to. I recall at the time of release the main comments were from people who played 3rd person shooters and couldnt get into this game, as they weren't really expecting the rpg elements. Basically at lower levels, without skill investment in weapons, frankly you're going to suck at the 3rd person shooter aspect. In the sense that your character can't hit the broadside of a barn. At higher skill levels and point investment, it becomes more like a traditional shooter, you point, you're accurate, it dies. CRPG types had some difficulty with the lessened squad control compared to say Kotor or Neverwinter. You can't jump directly into control of a squaddie, so they're on AI most of the time, with occassional orders you give them.

ME2 cleaned it up a little, by eliminating the skill points investment into weapons specifically, it became more like an fps/3rd person shooter, in that it was more an issue of weapon used to determine accuracy, cementing the idea that your character is pretty much badass from the start. Which kind of makes sense, as you import your character (more or less) from the first game into the 2nd one, so it makes allowances that you're pretty well trained by the time you play ME2.

ME1 enjoys/suffers from the traditional rpg loot setup. ME1 has level based loot, higher level interactions give better loot, mostly to keep game balance. On the downside, this can lead to some oddities. As loot is level based, containers/lewtboxes you open at different times can yield different quality loot. Lets say there's a chest in one of the maps. I open it at level 7 and I get a certain degree of loot. But if I leave it alone and come back when I'm level 56 or so, it magically now has level-equivalent loot.

This looting mechanic does lend to some weirdness. For example, at one point, I'm on Earth's moon, exploring, and I come across an old CCCP probe, depending on my level, it can contain crap, or decent/good gear. Which is odd, if you consider basically I'm looting something from the cold-war era that manages to have ME current level of technology goodies stuck inside it. Its a variation on the "How the hell is a wolf carrying a +3 sword?" issue of drop tables for loot. You can loot multiple suits of armor and weapons from boxes that are smaller than the copier-paper boxes you see IRL. You can loot the stores of derelict ships floating for hundreds of years and find high-end 'modern' gear you can use.

On the other hand, ME2 approaches it a little more 'realistically'. You don't really do mass looting in ME2, and things more or less make sense. You download schematics for upgrades, or scan a modified weapon you find lying next to some guy you just whacked. In a sense this is also the way ME2 handles its balance, you're never going to find all the upgrades except through progression through story. You can't really power-level either, and level has no effect on the quality of your loot. The downside is a very spartan loot system in comparison to what we expect with bioware type crpgs.

I noted before that in ME2 you can't really change the gear of your NPC squaddies, other than selecting from weapons you have in the weaponlocker (minimal, at best you have maybe 3 variations within assault rifle, shottie, pistol, sniper, etc) and you can't change their armor (save for visual change if you get them to 'loyal' loyalty). The bonus is their default armor tends to look rather badass. The women in particular...daaaamn. And the loyalty costume change makes them look nice too. The downside to ME1's extreme variation is that you can end up like I am now in my current playthrough, I've got my main in a really nice suit of armor but its black with...neon red highlights. Or my Krogan, running around in White with PINK highlights. It becomes tempting to wear crappier grade armor that looks better, than be the neon lightshow brigade.

ME1 to ME2 also had a big shift in weaponry. Both in the number of guns you can play with, but also the 'ammo style'. ME1 used an infinite ammo basis. However, the issue became heat. Heat is generated each time you fired a weapon, and if your weapon overheated it was 'stunned' for a dangerous period of time. (Think overfiring a plasma rifle from Halo). Mods allowed you to adjust accuracy, heat mitigation, ammo, etc. So at higher levels you could have a weapon that you pretty much held the trigger down and never overheated (like the rotary cannon on a Halo warthog). ME2 changed this mechanic to 'thermal clips', making weapons sorta still 'infinite ammo' but now more significantly limited by payload. Thermal clips are basically heat sinks for your rifle that you discard when taxed and have to pop a new one in....(Hmm, think Scorpius' cooling rods in his head). The downside is you CAN run out of ammo for a weapon during a mission, unlike ME1 where basically as long as you managed your shot rate, you can fire forever. The in-game explanation for such is rather flimsy, and its a mechanic I hope they dump for ME3.

ME1 was also traditional crpg mob-grind to powerlevel. You got xp for capping foes, plus mission complete. ME2 ditches the idea of xp for foes, you can slaughter a whole base of people and it has no impact on the mission xp you'll get. Which in a way is kinda nice, as it also lends to the idea that you're already near the top of your game in-character wise when you start ME2, you don't really grind through lowbies, it gives the sense that you start with credible threats that you can handle accordingly. I don't really mind if they maintain this in ME3, as you can import your ME2 character again, so by ME3, your main is a veteran Spectre agent, now responsible for kicking ass on a galactic scale, TWICE. Having to grind through mooks for xp wouldn't make as much sense.

In sorta that same way, I do appreciate the combat approach change from ME1 to ME2. It does sort of become like a FPS in the sense that damage to you is based on the weapons the foes carry, so if they're running with weapons similar to yours, it makes sense they're deadly, even if they're comparatively fragile. In this way ME2 also quietly underscores how much of a badass you are, as you take out foes in your little 3 man squad that are seen on screen wiping out entire platoons of npcs. Its also nice in ME2 that at times you'll hear background NPCs talking about it too. "Holy crap, that's shepard, he took out a thresher maw (think DUNE sandworm with mandibles and spits acid) on foot!" You do quietly feel epic, though again, the loss of varied loot can be felt.

Money has always been a weird thing in rpgs. ME1 was traditional, you got loot/cash from enemies killed, plus looting, which you could then sell in markets. There was a slight disconnect being this super badass agent in charge of a top of the line ship, and you had to goto the market yourself to buy/sell. ME2 took it in another step where you gained money like xp, at the end of a mission more or less. You could also get more money by hacking terminals and the like during missions. ME2 money was less of an issue, you more or less ended up with all the money you needed anyway. Still, i'm hoping they find another variant for ME3, handwaving it perhaps with the idea that you have all the money you need, but purchases will be based on rarity of items.


--more later

[Thanee]

ME1 is on my to buy list so if you've got any more, I'll be reading (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Buy it. Now! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Really!

PC version, if you have a choice. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Bye
Thanee

[Zyerne]

I don't have a choice.

I don't have a 360 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

[Thanee]

Good for you! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Bye
Thanee

[Voran]

A couple more game mechanics.

1. The Mako. The Mako is a 6 wheeled ATV with jumpjets and a big turreted cannon/machine gun atop. Sounds cool right? Unfortunately not. I have one general rule of thumb when it comes to any sort of 'driving experience' in my games: It should be more fun than driving in real life. Related to that, driving in a game, should NEVER suck more than driving in real life. Unfortunately, the Mako experience is kind of like that. An interesting concept, but poor implementation, resulting in a portion of gameplay in ME1 that has the added crime of being mandatory in some cases. I won't go into specifics, since it makes me want to RAAAGE, but it wasn't very good.

Ultimately, it was so bad of an experience, and the fandom outcry great enough that the 'driving' portion of the game was more or less removed from Me2. To be fair, ME2 later provided free content with a driving experience that ME1 should have provided, a hover tank with jump jets, improved handling and well...more fun.

2. Squads. Now, squads have always been an interesting concept in RPGs. Or "Parties" as you may prefer. We've all become familiar with the traditional approach: You have perhaps 6 or so party members in your entire company, but you can only field 2 with you at a time. Yet these game usually takes the approach that the 'off screen' party members are also in your same location, even if they can't participate. They'll show up for the post-boss-smackdown cutscene, panting as if they just fought alongside you as well, but generally, aside from games like FFX, where you could actively swap in party members from 'offscreen', traditional crpgs more or less lock you into your party.

In ME1, the only way to switch party members was to hoof it back to the ship, enter and exit. In Me2, it was a little easier, you could head to your shuttle, pick the 'request new party' tab and swap them, but still, basically limited to you + 2.

In the end stages of ME2, you do finally get a sense of party unity, as you assign party members to roles in the final battles, joint efforts that occur 'off screen' but simultaneously with your onscreen party, which you hear over your commlink or see via cutscene. It gives the sense that this elite crew you pulled for the gig is actually ALL doing things, rather than the usual "My two heaviest hitters with me while the rest of the team...I dunno sits around while we fight Ultima Weapon" or something.


Here's what I'd like to see in ME3 (or any other game that has additional party members, such as Dragon Age, etc). Either a general reduction in party size, something like 4 guys, but all can be on the screen at the same time, ala Republic Commando, or a throwback to the 'support ranks' found in some older rpgs, where the front line does all the work, but the backrow provides passive consistent bonuses. To be fair, this second idea probably won't fly as well, since in ME2, its theoretically possible to have over 10 npc party members to choose from. (over 10 because it varies by your DLC and choices). The game would kind of loss its sense of urgency if you could field 3 fireteams at once. It worked for the last stages of ME2 because it was basically your 3 fireteams versus a frickin army.

Still it'd be nice if those reserves DID something, even if its stuff like 'if you assign them to this support slot, they provide bonuses' hm...kinda like Mafia Wars on Facebook, a friend in this slot boosts your cash reward, a friend here boosts you energy costs, a friend here increases your effective defense rating, etc etc.

[Wounded Ronin]

I thought the Mako was one of the funniest parts of ME1, especially using it to run over enemy infantry. Wheeee!

[Doc Chase]

Never played either of them.

[Backgammon]

Richard K Morgan (of Takeshi Kovacs novels fame) is rumoured to be working on content for Mass Effect 3.

Pantsplosion.

[Tiralee]

Mass Effect 1 - / - Mass Effect 2

1: Resources:
You can find loots while driving the mako! - / - Or you can sit there for 20 minutes a damn planet to score enough rare elements to upgrade your ship/weapons
Stupid idea of a mini-game.

2: Getting out
Mako! Or as I call it, Grand Theft Auto Mars. Seriously, I LOVED killing thresher Maws, smugglers (Only time I really got to use the sniper rifle as it's intended to be, rather than as a 1-shot railer in close combat) and looting like a PCP-fuelled Pirate - / - Or lovingly-rendered planets filled with, well, not much. Of anything really. Ohh, scary music, where's the bad guy?! Oh, Grunt's already killed him and is using the schmo's skull as an ashtray.

3: Inventory
Dear god, where did I collect this crap? How do I get rid of it all...oh, wait, I'm rich now? Sweet, let's buy a set of...of crap, now I'm peniless, need to hack some smuch's terminal for creds... - / - Or...uh. How many upgrades? Oh, 20. And they do...ok, so I look a little different, and can run a little faster. UnHuh. Ammo! There's got to be something that'll blow a hole through...no?

4: Stuff
Guns! Guns! Guns! And Ammo! And, ohh, cryo rounds X with stabilisers in the assualt rifle for non-stop shooting goodness. Watch Wrex live up to his name! - / - Oh, holy god, the nice man gave me a heavy pistol, that's accurate. Whoa! It shoots! And I'm out of ammo. Grunt -> Kill.

5: People
What a bunch of knuckle-draggin screwups. - / - Oh, another bunch of knuckle-draggin' screwups with ANGST, poor emo Turian go cry me a river.

6: Enemies
Ok, so I'm a general baddass...andohholycrap, killkillkill! Ok, yeah, I'm good, let's get the healing and looting on. - / - I'm a ressurected baddess who can punch and shoot and, oh, and I'm out of ammo. Stupid, STUPID mechanic.

7: Story
Oh, a spectre, he's dead or an evil guy in the next 30 minutes...well, that was fast. Hmm, ok, universe-threatening peril, I'm gonna need some assistance for this. And Guns. More Guns. - / - "I...Live....AGAIN" although that whiney bitch is going to cop a rail-gun enema if she doesn't shut the hell up. Cutscene/locations shift/Smoking man, uh, so 90's. Tell me Gillian Anderson's going to do a voiceover soon. Oh, a friend! Hi there, so, what's happened for the last couple of years..Oh, mission now? And hey! Another Friend, it's ok, she's cool. Hey, minions, shut it, we go way back, so keep maintaining that corn-cob posture. Wait, I've done 2 missions now, and not gotten new guns>?! What the hell is with the ammo system? Damn you Wheaton!

8: Ending
<Wordlessly lights a cigarette, blows a smoke ring over the destruction that's floating through the airless void.> - / - "I wonder if they're aiming for a Mass Effect 3?"

9: Eyecandy
Yup, blue-skinned chick, that's a no-brainer - / - Ok, so why isn't prison Penny here jumping my Fem-Shep? What? Garius...uh, ok man, never thought about it wthat way...(shudders, escapes) Oh, hey, another blue-skinned chick, you guys are total sluts, right...uh a monk. Who's had daughters. God damn it so much. Yo, fish dude...ok, hell no. Grunt, oh thank god, you're not into that sort of thing, those selection choices were getting freaky....

10: Humour
Ok, yeah, nice. Oh, eastereggs:) - / - Heh, heh, heh, scary drill Sarge is funny! Og, Seth Green...why doesn't he be more funny? Enemy combatants...I'm sorry, you didn't live long enough to speak much, I'll reload and let you chat some more before I...GRUNT! Bad! Naughty! Ah, screw it, let's see if Jack and space-barbie have started a make-out fight in front of Gairus yet.... Nope, damn.

Apart from the horrid inventory and purchase/sale menus, ME1 rocked hard.
ME2 really was "me too". Could have done so much more, but they...skimped on it.

Tir.

[KarmaInferno]

9: Eyecandy
Yup, blue-skinned chick, that's a no-brainer - / - Ok, so why isn't prison Penny here jumping my Fem-Shep? What? Garius...uh, ok man, never thought about it wthat way...(shudders, escapes) Oh, hey, another blue-skinned chick, you guys are total sluts, right...uh a monk. Who's had daughters. God damn it so much. Yo, fish dude...ok, hell no. Grunt, oh thank god, you're not into that sort of thing, those selection choices were getting freaky....

Well, at least in the last paid downloadable content patch, the blue-skinned chick from the first game gets to join your party again.



-k

[Critias]

I didn't hate the Mako levels as much as some people did. Partially, I had a lot of fun abusing their XP system -- the toughness of a challenge, when they threw a bunch of bad guys at you in the Mako, was partially based on the armor and weapons of the Mako. If you started a fight in the tank, but got out to murder stuff on foot? Your XP shot through the roof, because the difficulty was set based on you kicking ass in the tank, but the XP you earned, you got (once you disembarked) as though fighting on foot.

Really, ME1 had its quirks, sure...but no game is perfect, and I feel like ME1 came pretty damned close. It certainly raised the bar for console RPGs.

[Voran]

I didn't hate the Mako levels as much as some people did. Partially, I had a lot of fun abusing their XP system -- the toughness of a challenge, when they threw a bunch of bad guys at you in the Mako, was partially based on the armor and weapons of the Mako. If you started a fight in the tank, but got out to murder stuff on foot? Your XP shot through the roof, because the difficulty was set based on you kicking ass in the tank, but the XP you earned, you got (once you disembarked) as though fighting on foot.

Really, ME1 had its quirks, sure...but no game is perfect, and I feel like ME1 came pretty damned close. It certainly raised the bar for console RPGs.

Hm, I'll have to give that a shot. Usually I just main cannon them to death. Its fun watching them fly.

Oh, for Mass Effect 2, in terms of conversations, I did appreciate the ability to do paragon or renegade 'interrupts'. The most common one seen in trailers and such was the fun, 'interrupt the guy by throwing him out the window of a megaskyscraper'. Some of the renegade interrupts were just hilarious.

[Jhaiisiin]

I loved ME1. The Mako missions always took a long time because I insisted on getting all of the quests, even the side quests and mineral collections and such, all completed. But otherwise, I enjoyed the hell out of it. Ran through 4 different characters start to finish so I had different options coming into ME2.

ME2... Gods, I've lost hours upon hours to that game. I didn't mind the limited ammo system because I was able to manage my ammo enough that it rarely was an issue, even on the harder difficulties. Loved the voice acting and the storylines. I let it just draw me in and I'm jonesing hardcore for ME3. All I can say is if you do play ME2, make sure to get the Shadowbroker DLC. All others are really optional, but that one is a must. That DLC is just fantastic all around.

Definitely a fanboy of the ME series.

[Wounded Ronin]

Well I just finished ME1 and started ME2 importing the character.

I only played ME1 through once.

I felt that most of the squaddies in ME1 were pretty useless. In the beginning I'd use them to draw fire while I went to work with the sniper rifle. Later on they kept getting killed really easily so I ran them like the Marines in Damage Incorporated...just have them follow you and run in big circles around the walls of the room while you fire at the enemies.

I LOLed during the final battle of the game because all my squaddies went down and I killed the boss easily, but tediously, by keeping my non-overheatable assault rifle firing on the last boss for like 10 minutes straight. Just running circles around the room like we're playing Shogo or Blood or something because NPCs don't know how to lead targets. You don't even have to zig zag.

However, the story was decent enough, and believe it or not there was one thing that I did which I regretted for the whole rest of the game, and even into the next game. But since I look down on save-monkeying to get a flawless result, I ran with it, even though I still am not too happy about what happened.

[ Spoiler ]

I sacrificed Ashley Williams instead of Kaidan. But of all the team mates, Ashley Williams was the one, the only one (except for maybe Wrex), who was worth two shits. Whenever I took Kaidan in my party he was always going down like a drunken sorority girl whenever things started to get thick. At the time I was playing through that part of the game I didn't know the game would actually kill one NPC, and I was trying to decide in character to put the most dependable team member in charge of the all-important bomb. Also acting in character I thought it would make more sense to commit to one course of action than to start to do that but then double back and try to do something else. But, ever since I lost Williams, I pretty much felt that I was stuck with crap for team mates. I'd take Wrex, and then person #3 would always be the weak link who would always be spending all the battles lying incapped on the floor.

For the rest of the game I regretted not having Williams any longer, and felt disappointed that there were no end battle dialogue choices where you could say something like, "This is for Ash!" or something like that.

When I fired up ME2 and saw that it noticed that William had died in the previous game, I felt a pang of regret again, since it meant that my favorite NPC who supported my play style could have been available, but maybe would not be given the events of ME1.

Lots of people would have reloaded, but not me. It was the first time in a very long time that a RPG affected me emotionally in some way...Planescape: Torment was the last and only one to do that.

Well, here's to the improved FPS mechanics of ME2, where I can no longer draw the correct weapon I want by using the function keys.

[WyldKnight]

I think it's funny when people say how crappy the team mates were when I found them incredibly reliable. Nothing strengthened my love for them more then when once of my weapons was over heating, to many enemies were on me, and suddenly they were all lifted into the air or blasted with a carnage attack. Honestly all I had to do to make them useful was tell them to take cover near me and every once and a while order them to use a special ability. My usual group was Wrex and Kaidan (the only leveled headed character in the whole game) or Ash and Garrus. I always found a use for them.

[Jhaiisiin]

Ditto on their reliability. Part of it stemmed from making sure they were geared out properly and managing their health/abilities appropriately. My favorite team was a beefed up Liara and Tali combo when I was playing my solider class character. It rounded out the party, made me prepared for everything, and Liara's Singularity could ruin a whole squad of enemies in no time flat. That's right, float there helplessly while I rain assault weapon rounds on you!

[Voran]

Yeah, even if you aren't going for specific character achievements (turian ally, krogan ally, etc) you do sort of end up (in ME1) finding a stable loadout for your 2 npc partners. Well, rather, it kinda works best if you do. Its a little unfortunate that in some cases some characters take a backseat simply due to their lesser abilities.

While all characters can be tweaked individually, since you control their skill points, some lack durability, others lack punch. If you're playing a game without a main character as electronics/decryption skills, you pretty much have to have 1 with you as an NPC.

Still, my Vanguard liked to roll with Garrus and Wrex. I tried a different route this time and expanded on their abilities rather than 'all into weapons' like I did during an early playthrough. It worked well. Wrex was a tank supreme, big points into armor, barrier, fitness, etc. Plus master warp. Garrus covered the decryption and electronics, as well as dampening, and I only went 'advanced' into his assault rifle/sniper trees. Playing Veteran Mode they chewed through the entire game. Wrex never went down. Garrus did on occassion, mostly because we were fighting those big Geth tank things you're supposed to try and fight in the Mako, which can 1 shot you with their energy blasts.

[Critias]

I played ME1 with a Vanguard, and normally ran with Ashley and Garrus. Ashley I liked because I could just pour points into her Soldier-y armor and toughness abilities (along with assault rifles) and just kind of...not worry about her. I knew she'd survive most of whatever, I knew she'd shoot folks that she saw, and I didn't have to worry about it. Garrus was my go-to tech guy (that I mostly just kept around so that I could open locks and junk), and other than that I did much the same -- boosting armor and toughness stuff whenever I could.

Basically my whole team was treated, like Marines, like "riflemen first." (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) Including my Vanguard.

On the ME2 front? I just saw how danged cheap it is on Amazon, especially used, so I'm hoping to snag it pretty soon.

[Wounded Ronin]

I feel the same way about NPCs. I want ones I don't have to micro manage; I know that even if they aren't going to be combat geniuses, that they'll mostly stay in the fight, do some damage, and draw some fire.

One aspect of the game play that sort of supports that, as well as sticking with a Soldier template for my main character, is how they really improved the FPS elements in ME2. Now the FPS elements play well enough that I feel like I'm better off totally focusing on that part of the game (i.e. very fast visual processing, rapid target acquisitions and headshots, situational awareness, and appropriate movement and use of cover) than I am stopping to think about what powers to use when, and designating certain NPCs to be subjected to certain powers or special affects.

As someone who above all enjoys challenging FPS games, I can go ahead and headshot a distant target in what feels like half a second if I'm really focused and in my FPS zone. If I stop to dicker around with powers or what have you, though, the efficiency of the FPS headshot game just drops, and I end up doing worse, even with the use of the powers. There's a certain zone you get into that's just very very fast reflexes, reactions, and application of general principles, and you can't have that at the same time as pausing the game and hmming and hawing over what power to use. Sometimes I've got the sniper rifle out and as the next wave of enemies runs around the corner I'm in that zone and pop pop pop I am able to headshot half of them while they're still getting into position. Sometimes I'm just not in the zone and I get, like, one shoulder hit and a couple of misses. That's why I'm actually slightly unhappy that they appeared to have unbound the function keys in order to pull out a particular weapon.

[Critias]

Exactly. I'm not a micromanagement fan, myself. I never liked sidekicks/party members in Fallout 3, I never really counted on them in Mass Effect, and I'm not sure how much I'm looking forward to them if/when I pick up Dragon Age. I'd rather play as a solo hero and not have to worry about keeping NPCs alive, keeping them useful, etc, etc. The times that I really enjoy having them in my group, in a video game RPG, are few and far between. I can acknowledge they've been done well -- Baldur's Gate games, lots of the Star Wars RPGs, Mass Effect, etc -- but I still just don't...I dunno. Don't really care for it.