# Mass Effect 2 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 18, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2/525457 "2010-01-18T19:06:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2/525457/1 "2010-01-18T19:06:30Z")
Well, it’s just around the corner. Since we have a Dragon Age thread, I think Mass Effect deserves one as well. I’ve actually remained amazingly ignorant of the details. The only things I really know are that the combat/level system changed and choices can carry over. I also know exactly one story element, which apparently will be obvious when you get to it, just to avoid it. I’ve been meaning to replay ME 1, but I can’t decide on romance option. I might just do Liara (I did Ashley last time) and suck it up if I don’t like it. However, if you do all the sidequests first (though I may just skip the surveying ones just on principle this time), hours-wise it’s not exactly a long game between the be the choice between the two and the end so I could establish a completed save file for both. Anyway, remember, keep story stuff in spoiler tags until release and use your best discretion on it after release. I think Mass Effect 1 is old enough and people participating in this thread can be expected to have played it, or at least know about the story, so open spoilers on anything from the original. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2/525457/2 "2010-01-18T19:38:44Z")
I’m excited but wary. Probably going to wait until reviews come out and then try to snag a copy on Ebay for 20 bucks off or so. ---
**Author:** ![Jihi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jihi/32/17768_2.png) [@Jihi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jihi)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2/525457/3 "2010-01-18T20:45:43Z")
I was a huge fan of the original Mass Effect and I’m very excited for the sequel. I actually just finished a second complete playthrough of the first one over the weekend just to make sure the story was fresh in my mind. My first character, (I consider her my “main”) was a fairly consistent paragon and when I started playing my alternate I was intending on going full renegade but near the end I just couldn’t bring myself to pull the ‘renegade’ trigger on a couple of crucial points. I made Wrex back down rather than shooting him and I decided to save the Council. I made sure to give the Council a lot of shit through the entire playthrough and I really wanted to give them a huge middle finger at the end, unfortunately after you take down Sovereign there just isn’t much left, aside from choosing the human representative. No spoilers, but I have a vague notion of how the story is supposed to playout in the sequel based on trailers, interviews, demonstrations at conventions and such. Really looking forward to the sequel next week. The one thing that gives me pause are some statements made implying that they’re trying to make the gameplay more ‘shooter-oriented’, but I’m not really sure what that means. The first one was a pretty heavy third person shooter to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2/525457/4 "2010-01-18T21:45:41Z")
I don’t think shooting Wrex is really Renegade. In fact, I believe you can actually intimidate him to calm down. A renegade/paragon split there would be more like if Wrex had actually betrayed you can you ran into him working for Saren. THEN I’d agree that it’s Paragon = save, Renegade = kill. As it was, it was in your best interest either way to save him. ---
**Author:** ![Jihi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jihi/32/17768_2.png) [@Jihi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jihi)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2/525457/5 "2010-01-18T22:13:19Z")
Yeah, there’s a number of different ways that confrontation can end using charm or intimidation to get him to back down, or you can shoot himself or have Ashley do it. I used intimidation, but I discovered, (after consulting an FAQ) that if you’ve done his sidequest earlier that he’ll back down even if you don’t have enough points in either of the persuasion skills if you don’t straight out give the order to shoot him. So I wound up with 25 paragon points I didn’t really want at the time. This despite the fact that my response to his objections at destroying the Krogan cure was, “Shut up and fall in line.” 😛 You’re right though, it’s not a straight up paragon/renegade split. ---
**Author:** ![Darkhold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@Darkhold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darkhold)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2/525457/6 "2010-01-19T06:53:53Z")
You can still kill Wrex if you did his quest. People seem confused on this. If you do his quest it makes a couple of the non-persuade options make him stand down, but if you do something like renegade/renegade/neutral dialogue Ashley shoots him. I accidentally did this on my last playthrough a couple of days ago so I know it can be done. I’m pretty frustrated as I lost all my savegames in a re-install and so I’m having to go through the game again (after just having gone through it to get a save for ME2) and I’ll have to go through a second time just to get to 60. Then I’ll likely go through once more to have a paragon save. In the last save I’m just going to cheat the XP when I get to the end instead of doing another playthrough (you get extra skill points based on your level when you import apparently). The developers have implied that nearly every choice you make in ME1 carries over. Even small ones like how you treated Conrad. They’ve mentioned a few of the big ones and there’s only around 5 or so. I’m willing to bet the others are little more then small lines of dialogue or cameos. ---
**Author:** ![CutterJohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@CutterJohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CutterJohn)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2/525457/7 "2010-01-19T07:36:19Z")
I’m looking forward to ME2, though a bit wary as well. Gameplay has been changed a fair bit from what we all know and love. Classes now each have unique powers, and the powers are a bit crazier. The infilitrator, for instance, gets cloaking, while the vanguard gets a charge ability that shoots you through objects at a target as a blue ghost thing. You no longer select the armor for your henchmen. They just look like the developers want them to look. Not sure if their class progress is modifiable or not. Armors have actual modifiers on them(+speed, +health, +damage, etc), so there is more variation there, and not a pretty much linear progression from bad to good. No clue if they have armor slots any more. Heat is gone. Now weapons take ‘Heat Clips’, which actively cool the weapons. Essentially, its just ammo, since if you run out, you can’t shoot anymore. Heavy weapons will require actual ammo to use. Grenades are gone. They say this is acceptable because there is a grenade launcher weapon, but in ME, grenades could be used by any class, while I’m pretty sure only soldiers get heavy weapons. Special ammos are gone, replaced by squad ammo buffs. You no longer equip special ammo… Instead you hit a button and the current clip of squadmates ammos are changed to a specific ammo type. I’ve heard nothing about the other weapon mods though. You no longer need electronics skill to hack things, so no more being required to bring one along to access 95% of crates in the game. In fact, I don’t think there is even an electronics skill anymore. From what I saw, the skill trees were HEAVILY cut back, to something like 6 or 7 total skills, all of them primarily combat oriented. Theres more, but it shows that there have been a lot of changes to base gameplay, so be prepared for the game to be quite different, and even for your old character to play completely differently. Not sure I agree with all of those changes, but some of them seem like good ideas. I especially like the increased class differentiation. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2/525457/8 "2010-01-19T13:00:17Z")
I’ve pre-ordered ME2 via steam and am looking forward to it. However I am having trouble with the first ME. I made a few changes to my computer and now ME won’t play properly. It starts up but is so laggy as to be unplayable. All my drivers are as current as can be and I have no problems with any other games…I really hope I don’t have this issue with ME2. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2/525457/9 "2010-01-19T20:03:42Z")
I have just stopped watching videos or reading anything about the game. I’m going to buy it. But I suppose there were details I would have preferred knowing rather than having them sprung on me by the actual game. Although the attempt at a universal ammo in Deus Ex 2 bugged me (the ammo was nannites, so worked in every gun), I was fine with the way Mass Effect did away with ammo management. But I was most dissatisfied with the auto-loot system in which the enemy’s goods just teleported into your inventory. I can see the kind of nonsense they were trying to avoid, but it felt like the game was dumbed down for the console-tards. ---
**Author:** ![Tanbarkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@Tanbarkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanbarkie)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2/525457/10 "2010-01-19T21:09:59Z")
> [@Johnny\_Angel](#): > > I have just stopped watching videos or reading anything about the game. I’m going to buy it. But I suppose there were details I would have preferred knowing rather than having them sprung on me by the actual game. > > Although the attempt at a universal ammo in Deus Ex 2 bugged me (the ammo was nannites, so worked in every gun), I was fine with the way Mass Effect did away with ammo management. But I was most dissatisfied with the auto-loot system in which the enemy’s goods just teleported into your inventory. I can see the kind of nonsense they were trying to avoid, but it felt like the game was dumbed down for the console-tards. Well, this console-tard was grateful that Bioware automated a looting process that was was a mind-numbing time-waster in every other RPG ever made. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2/525457/11 "2010-01-19T22:12:46Z")
Auto-loot certainly had issues, which I’m sure we’re all aware of, but I found it much preferable to Dragon Age where you could spend half the length of the battle you were just in going in between corpses and looting them. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2010, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2/525457/12 "2010-01-19T23:08:01Z")
Oh, also for anyone interested: Tonight on SciF… _sigh_ SyFy they’re having an episode of Sci vs Fi with Mass Effect 2. I think it’s around 6:30 or so. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2/525457/13 "2010-01-20T03:06:48Z")
> [@CutterJohn](#): > > Classes now each have unique powers, and the powers are a bit crazier. The infilitrator, for instance, gets cloaking, while the vanguard gets a charge ability that shoots you through objects at a target as a blue ghost thing. Possibly promising. I may have to boot up some of the ‘test’ characters I made in ME 1 and level them up high enough to make it worth importing them. > [@CutterJohn](#): > > You no longer select the armor for your henchmen. They just look like the developers want them to look. No no no, bad Bioware, bad! No biscuit. > [@CutterJohn](#): > > Armors have actual modifiers on them(+speed, +health, +damage, etc), so there is more variation there, and not a pretty much linear progression from bad to good. No clue if they have armor slots any more. Sounds good. > [@CutterJohn](#): > > Heat is gone. Now weapons take ‘Heat Clips’, which actively cool the weapons. Essentially, its just ammo, since if you run out, you can’t shoot anymore. Heavy weapons will require actual ammo to use. Fuck that noise. I thought that limitless ammo allowing for true run and gun was the best innovation of ME 1. If this isn’t handled well it may actually be a deal breaker for me. It’d be like having to have blaster clips in KoTOR. > [@CutterJohn](#): > > Grenades are gone. I never really used grenades with anybody but my main, but I do not like this. > [@CutterJohn](#): > > Special ammos are gone, replaced by squad ammo buffs. You no longer equip special ammo.. Instead you hit a button and the current clip of squadmates ammos are changed to a specific ammo type. Fucking horrible. One of the best things in ME 1 was the ability to set your sniper up with an ammo designed for DPS and a Soldier with something to quickly cut through shields at close range, or what have you. Blargh. > [@CutterJohn](#): > > From what I saw, the skill trees were HEAVILY cut back, to something like 6 or 7 total skills, all of them primarily combat oriented. Maximum suck. I’m smelling Deus Ex 2. I’m going to have to wait until I see a friend play it before I plunk down cash. This has got me… perturbed. ---
**Author:** ![Daedelus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Daedelus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daedelus)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2/525457/14 "2010-01-20T03:26:51Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > I’m excited but wary. Probably going to wait until reviews come out and then try to snag a copy on Ebay for 20 bucks off or so. Just an FYI (in case you didn’t know), you’ll have to pay extra to access the Cerberus Network and the free DLC, etc. I’ve already pre-ordered, and have pretty much committed to purchasing the entire trilogy. I have some reservations around the changes of the skill trees/ammo/armor, but BioWare has never let me down before and I’m banking on them continuing said trend. Plus, seriously, it’s ME2. You’re telling me you’re not getting it? Hah. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2/525457/15 "2010-01-20T03:35:50Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > Possibly promising. I may have to boot up some of the ‘test’ characters I made in ME 1 and level them up high enough to make it worth importing them. Don’t bother, I read something to the effect that nothing other than choices crossover. You may get a bonus (passive buff or special armor for example) for having a max level Shephard, but otherwise everything, even your class, is going to be changeable and different. > [@CutterJohn](#): > > Classes now each have unique powers, and the powers are a bit crazier. The infilitrator, for instance, gets cloaking, while the vanguard gets a charge ability that shoots you through objects at a target as a blue ghost thing. This is good, while a lot of the powers where useful, they lack any flair and were all kind of basic. > [@](#): > > You no longer select the armor for your henchmen. They just look like the developers want them to look. Not sure if their class progress is modifiable or not. On one hand this is lame, on the other it does avoid the side effect of having a tough-as-nails Krogan in pink armor because it happens to be the best you have (just as an example). > [@](#): > > Armors have actual modifiers on them(+speed, +health, +damage, etc), so there is more variation there, and not a pretty much linear progression from bad to good. No clue if they have armor slots any more. I’m torn on that one, on one hand I liked the simplicity of the other system, on the other hand it’s not good form to balk at customization of any sort. > [@](#): > > Heat is gone. Now weapons take ‘Heat Clips’, which actively cool the weapons. Essentially, its just ammo, since if you run out, you can’t shoot anymore. Heavy weapons will require actual ammo to use. I heard this and still think it’s stupid. Know what would be cool? Have heat clips be like grenades (as in, a small quantity emergency use item) and if your weapon overheats have the option to burn a heat clip to instantly cool it down if you can’t wait for it to cool down. I think no ammo was the best thing about ME. Not that I mind ammo in other FPS’s, but it meshed really well with Mass Effect. > [@](#): > > Grenades are gone. They say this is acceptable because there is a grenade launcher weapon, but in ME, grenades could be used by any class, while I’m pretty sure only soldiers get heavy weapons. To be honest, I probably won’t notice because I rarely used grenades anyway, but it still begets the question: why? > [@](#): > > Special ammos are gone, replaced by squad ammo buffs. You no longer equip special ammo.. Instead you hit a button and the current clip of squadmates ammos are changed to a specific ammo type. I’ve heard nothing about the other weapon mods though. It kills some versatility, on the other hand, if buffs from different members can stack it could make for some interesting power team builds. I suppose a positive is that you don’t have to switch the whole party between shredder and tungsten rounds every 5 minutes. > [@](#): > > You no longer need electronics skill to hack things, so no more being required to bring one along to access 95% of crates in the game. In fact, I don’t think there is even an electronics skill anymore. At first I didn’t like this, but then I remembered how much of a pain it was being unable to loot stuff in Noveria when I wanted to bring Liara instead of Tali for story reasons. > [@](#): > > From what I saw, the skill trees were HEAVILY cut back, to something like 6 or 7 total skills, all of them primarily combat oriented. If the new skills are good enough it may redeem it, otherwise this is a really bad move. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2/525457/16 "2010-01-20T04:24:04Z")
Can someone tell me if my video card meets the game requirements? According to Steam the system specs are > [@](#): > > DirectX 9.0c compatible NVidia GeForce 6800 or greater (7300, 7600 GS, 8500 are below minimum system requirements) I have a GeForce 9600 GT card with current drivers. I can’t think of anything else that may be an issue. ---
**Author:** ![Daedelus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Daedelus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daedelus)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2/525457/17 "2010-01-20T04:41:14Z")
You should be fine, Ike. Though, not sure how demanding the higher end graphical settings will be, but you’ll at least be able to run the game (and more likely than not, run it at average settings). ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2/525457/18 "2010-01-20T11:42:14Z")
> [@Tanbarkie](#): > > Well, this console-tard was grateful that Bioware automated a looting process that was was a mind-numbing time-waster in every other RPG ever made. Infidel! We purists know an RPG is an inventory management system with a story. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2/525457/19 "2010-01-20T14:08:57Z")
> [@Daedelus](#): > > You should be fine, Ike. Though, not sure how demanding the higher end graphical settings will be, but you’ll at least be able to run the game (and more likely than not, run it at average settings). The issue is that I can’t even get to the options to change them. The game runs like a slide show and it takes about 15 minutes to get to the options screen and then I can’t make any changes. I’ve done everything that the support website says. I’m getting a bit pissed off TBH. ---
**Author:** ![CutterJohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@CutterJohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CutterJohn)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2/525457/20 "2010-01-20T14:23:39Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > This is good, while a lot of the powers where useful, they lack any flair and were all kind of basic. Yes, I agree. There was little real distinction between the hybrid classes in ME1, and some classes were just plain duds(sentinel…) > [@](#): > > On one hand this is lame, on the other it does avoid the side effect of having a tough-as-nails Krogan in pink armor because it happens to be the best you have (just as an example). Well, the good news is that the armors are very customizable. They come as a mesh, and you can alter colors, patterns, etc, on them. So if you like the camo look, most every suit can be camo. There is also a greater variety of helmets(i.e. more than one), and a couple I saw were very intimidating(i.e. not a bubble). > [@](#): > > I’m torn on that one, on one hand I liked the simplicity of the other system, on the other hand it’s not good form to balk at customization of any sort. I’ve since heard that there may be more than one piece of armor, so that may fill in the customization gap. I too will be kinda disappointed if there is zero customization, though happy that the armors actually differ somewhat. Cross your fingers. > [@](#): > > I heard this and still think it’s stupid. Know what would be cool? Have heat clips be like grenades (as in, a small quantity emergency use item) and if your weapon overheats have the option to burn a heat clip to instantly cool it down if you can’t wait for it to cool down. I think no ammo was the best thing about ME. Not that I mind ammo in other FPS’s, but it meshed really well with Mass Effect. Indeed, I had the same thought, of why not let the ambient cooling still occur, maybe even at a slower pace to emphasize use of the thermal packs. It would then also make sense as a new technological innovation, instead of a retcon. It would be even cooler if the environments would vary the cooling rate.. an airless moon would cool very slowly, for instance, and clips would be virtually required. But then thats a bit more RPG than ME wants to be. > [@](#): > > To be honest, I probably won’t notice because I rarely used grenades anyway, but it still begets the question: why? Quite so.. I concede I rarely used them, but I see no reason they couldn’t have been buffed up to usefulness, especially by the engineer classes. > [@](#): > > It kills some versatility, on the other hand, if buffs from different members can stack it could make for some interesting power team builds. I suppose a positive is that you don’t have to switch the whole party between shredder and tungsten rounds every 5 minutes. Very good point. And half the ammos were quite useless anyway. It seems it will make ammo selection a more tactical choice based on current circumstances. Though I also saw no mention of shredder/tungsten ammo. I believe the weapons now have an inherent strength vs shields/armor. > [@](#): > > At first I didn’t like this, but then I remembered how much of a pain it was being unable to loot stuff in Noveria when I wanted to bring Liara instead of Tali for story reasons. Classic RPGs balanced this capability by not having everything locked. Having a lockpicker was a good perk, and the additional loot helped offset the loss of a better combat skill/character. They also had Bash Lock, which had a chance of destroying the contents. Granted you really HAD to have a lockpicker in ME, but it could be balanced so that its nice but not absolutely necessary. > [@](#): > > If the new skills are good enough it may redeem it, otherwise this is a really bad move. Yes.. They seem to be playing up combat RPG, and ignoring other aspects to a certain extent. We’ll see. I do agree that some streamlining was necessary. One other thing I’ve since learned thats extremely disappointing.. The complete loss of the Mako. Rather than improve the planetary exploration missions with more scenery, and more free roaming missions, they just dumped the concept entirely. All secondary planets are on foot, on specially made missions. Granted, this certainly will be better than what was offered in ME1, but still… I think they could have just improved it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mass-effect-2/525457.md?page=2)