Anyone else seriously underwhelmed by Mass Effect?

Finished it not more than five minutes ago and I must say that is was not all it's cracked up to be.

Sure the main story was compelling and the interactive movie feel was cool, but the side quests were quite lackluster (almost painfully bad) and don't even get me started on the Mako.

It definetly has some high points but this game is simply not that great for a AAA title. Kotor I and Kotor II (along with several other RPGs) are easily better than this game.

I agree KOTOR>>>>>>>>Mass Effect

The combat feels lame and most planets are way too linear, what happened to kotor planets? Only one like it was the one with the snowy surface, some others like Feros are terriby linear.

The sidequests are cheap and unessacary. Also some dialogues/scenes are pretty meh, like when they turned your character into a spectre.

Overall i found Mass effect a simple game that you make dialogue choices without any WOW moments in story or decent action or rpg combat. Also its pretty short with few planets to explore, for its time in development i expected more.

I dont get why the pc version worths a 9.0? Pc has superior standards especially in rpg gaming.

I agree KOTOR>>>>>>>>Massy Effect The combat feels lame and most planets are way too linear, what happened to kotor planets? Only one like it was the one with the snowy surface, some others like Feros are terriby linear. The sidequests are cheap and unessacary. Also some dialogues/scenes are pretty meh, like when they turned your character into a spectre. Overall i found Mass effect a simple game that you make dialogue choices without any WOW moments in story or decent action or rpg combat. Also its pretty short with few planets to explore, for its time in development i expected more. I dont get why the pc version worths a 9.0? Pc has superior standards especially in rpg gaming.dakan45

I disagree with you on other topics Dakan but here I think you hit the nail on the head.

Although I thought there were some pretty cool moments towards the end and some of the choices you had to make were pretty heart wrenching. It still doesn't make up for the copy & paste sidequests and stupid vehicle sections.

Judging by your game ratings... i got to say that most of them are even lower than mine :shock: There are things we dissagree like dead space, half life 2 oblivon and fallout 3 or far cry 2 but i agree with all the other ratings you have and i mean all of them. Even hl2 episode 2

Its kinda funny really, how i hate games but you rate them lower than me and the game i really like "cod4" i gave it an 8.5 because i thought it deserved that but you gave it a 10.

Then i am the hater... well its not my fault that we usually talk about games that i dont like in this forum.

I didn't play KOTOR, so I was absolutely overwhelmed by Mass Effect. While it was more linear than the space exploration aspect might at first lead you to believe, it wasn't linear like Halo, which is what I, without any prior extensive hyping/reading, expected from a game that started as a 360 exclusive.

From now on if you know somebody that wants to play it warn them, like somebody should have warned you, the side quests are horrible and they ruin the game, it's not even worth bothering with them, at all, and the Mako was awesome :P it's pretty much the only reason I started doing side quests after I finished the game.

The level desing was perfect, it's not a fantasy game, it's a sci-fi game, you have big, open spaces, sterile environment, simple and clean forms for the structures. They did the best so far, no other game set in space had such a great design, not even KotOR 1 and 2 tho they were better for irrelevant planets, unlike ME.

Judging by your game ratings... i got to say that most of them are even lower than mine :shock: There are things we dissagree like dead space, half life 2 oblivon and fallout 3 or far cry 2 but i agree with all the other ratings you have and i mean all of them. Even hl2 episode 2

Its kinda funny really, how i hate games but you rate them lower than me and the game i really like "cod4" i gave it an 8.5 because i thought it deserved that but you gave it a 10.

Then i am the hater... well its not my fault that we usually talk about games that i dont like in this forum.

dakan45

My ratings are screwy. I find it very difficult to tag a game with a number.

Plus it's also hard to accurately judge how good a game is on a numbered scale when I try to play only well-reviewed and well-liked games. Skews my perspective.

Yes, it's quite a drab game.

From now on if you know somebody that wants to play it warn them, like somebody should have warned you, the side quests are horrible and they ruin the game, it's not even worth bothering with them, at all, and the Mako was awesome :P it's pretty much the only reason I started doing side quests after I finished the game.

DanielDust

a while back there was a thread, with vote, about NWN2 gold edition vs. ME. it's probably the first time I've ever seen ME lose in any kind of vote. we asked people to vote only if they've played both games.

it's not just you who's underwhelmed by the game.

a while back there was a thread, with vote, about NWN2 gold edition vs. ME. it's probably the first time I've ever seen ME lose in any kind of vote. we asked people to vote only if they've played both games.

it's not just you who's underwhelmed by the game.

teardropmina

I liked it, although it's a really crappy RPG. I played it around the time Star Trek was launched, pretending it was related to that movie - that certainly helped me to enjoy it more.

I liked it, although it's a really crappy RPG. I played it around the time Star Trek was launched, pretending it was related to that movie - that certainly helped me to enjoy it more.

Baranga

Compared to most game releases in recent times, other than Bioshock - Mass Effect is quite a good game.

Of course I think ME2 will be much better as improvements are made.

You still need to play KOTOR its so much better than kotor 2 in every way. But seriously Aton had very interesting background in kotor 2dakan45

Well my biggest complain is the blant level design, i dont know i think bioware needs to make more complex level dessign.dakan45

And that's one of the reasons I could never get through KOTOR. Hey I get it Tatooine is supposed to be covered in sand. But that was the whole level. Just sand and a cave at the end.

I also find it extremely difficult to play through these quasi turn based D&D combat systems now. Im not downplaying any of the games that use it because it offers a wide variety of tactical decisions and it can be fun to use strategy to beat the odds, and the story on some of them are outstanding. But I personally really enjoyed the combat for Mass Effect, was a breath of fresh air for me.

I thought most of the side missions were underwhelming in Mass Effect. But the main storyline was great. And the last level was amazing.

I really enjoyed it, side quest sucked and it wasnt that great of an rpg or shooter but great game

[QUOTE="dakan45"]Well my biggest complain is the blant level design, i dont know i think bioware needs to make more complex level dessign.Chyropraise

And that's one of the reasons I could never get through KOTOR. Hey I get it Tatooine is supposed to be covered in sand. But that was the whole level. Just sand and a cave at the end.

I also find it extremely difficult to play through these quasi turn based D&D combat systems now. Im not downplaying any of the games that use it because it offers a wide variety of tactical decisions and it can be fun to use strategy to beat the odds, and the story on some of them are outstanding. But I personally really enjoyed the combat for Mass Effect, was a breath of fresh air for me.

I thought most of the side missions were underwhelming in Mass Effect. But the main storyline was great. And the last level was amazing.

I agree about D&D not everyone who wants to play a rpg has to be a hardcore rpg player. Well atleast kotor had mor diverse enviroments and more open, i want atleast one planet in mass effect that has a small town/village and some big plains wth a cave or two to explore, just like tattoine and Danttoine.

Yeah I was VERY disappointed with ME and I was hyped for it and awaiting its port for the PC only to be utterly disappointed. Mostly because of the ff:

1. Only 1 interesting location with shops etc.. (Citadel)

2. Stupid AI

3. Broken melee system

5. Weak gunplay 6. No heavy weapons

7. Very light choices and consequences

8. The inventory could have been better Gamerz1569

I agree with those... they made combat very lame in my opinion. It just didnt have that take cover and shoot action rpg gameplay they hyped the game to be

4. Annoying bugs

8. The inventory could have been better

After ME (and JE) I'm quite hesitant to buy anything with "Bioware" in it, 50$ doesn't come out of nowhere. Gamerz1569

ME is a mediocre RPG, but it was bug free for my playthrough.

inventory system I think is the most annoying aspect of the game; boring side quest at least we have a choice not to; the "loot" is forced after battle...the point of "loot" is that we get to the looting. if they want to go all console with forced loot, they shouldn't have set the inventory limit.

and yeah, since KotOR, Bioware's RPG has been in a downward spiral.

the "loot" is forced after battle...the point of "loot" is that we get to the looting. if they want to go all console with forced loot, they shouldn't have set the inventory limit.teardropmina

I just dont get it:

"you have reached the item limit, you are forced to salvage any remaining items"

"OK"

What you mean ok? why cant i open my inventory and manage what want to drop or destroy? Or why cant i just leave the box i just opened and manage my items in the inventory and then click on that box on the ground again and pick the remaing items Am i asking something irrational? Or something that has not been done before? I can belive that after all that time in development they didnt bother to add something so simple.

I agree, there are far better RPGs out there like Kotor. But it was a good experience all in all and one of my favourite games this gen, it was just too light on the RPG elements like skills, loot, choises and stuff. And with relatively weak side quest, characters, barren maps etc. there isn't that much replay value, it's more of an action game in my book.ManicAce

While I did enjoy the game, I agree that the copy/paste of side quests environments were annoying. And I have the feeling that the excessive Makao driving needed, was only put in to prolong play time.

The story and main quest planets were definetly worth th money, and I will not hesitate spending money on ME2.

I played the game on the hardest difficulty the second time around and I found the game much more challenging requiring me to often time switch weapons on the fly and deal the enemy ai who stay covered while others flanked me or charged. The gameplay would have been pretty good if the friendly AI were at least semi competent fighters as most of the times they'd die within a minute of a gunfight and therefore I found I could only use them in small skirmishes or to lay ambushes.

I was disappointed in the lack of variety for weapons/armor. For some reason I was hoping for a more...Diablo type choice in weapons and maybe some unique weapons/armor

There are some good, but very vague, stories in the side missions which are fleshed out more in the novels. Really this is a complaint on the game because the game should be self sustaining and not require buying other mediums to get the most out of it. However those that do are treated with a bit of fan service I guess.

I found the story by far the best part and rarely is there a game this drenched in political nonsense as this game was and not since KOTOR have a played a game where the main character could become almost as bad as the madman he pursues (prior to Saren meeting Sovereign) The only thing that sucks is that the player is never shown the ramifications of his actions. Throughout the story the PC meets people from different races that talk bad about the way Saran does things and I would have liked to see some NPCs treat Commander Sheppard the same especially if one designs him as a patriotic xenophobe.

Overall I didn't expect much out of Mass Effect so I really wasn't disappointed. What I was treated to is one of the better stories in recent years and a pretty decently fleshed out sci fi universe giving its meager years in development. I guess most of my enjoyment comes from knowing this series is a work in progress and wondering what happens next when I load up my rule following Commander Sheppard and my evil rogue Sheppard.

I find the more RPG players expect every game to be Baldur's Gate II and Planescape Torment, the more they are disappointed which makes me wonder why some of you are even buying RPG's anymore. If I bought every FPS expecting it to be Half-Life I'd have killed myself by now. That's considering the fact that FPS's, even ones I don't like, are finished in usually 8 hours max. Some of you guys play every RPG out, all 40+ hours of it kicking, fighting and complaining all the way… I find it kind of funny.

Slept on it and I've woken up with an even stronger dislike for the game. The breakdown goes something like this:

Pros:

- Bioware did an extremely good job of fleshing out the backstory. They essentially created a whole universe from scratch and it was very impressive and detailed.

- Aliens and the graphics and design which surrounded them was again extremely well done. Very original and interesting.

- The graphics are top notch without being too demanding and things like lip syncing are well done too.

- Some of the choices were brutal and therefore pretty heart wrenching to make. One of the few times the game elicited any real emotion in me.

- The interactive movie element is well implemented.

Cons:

- Romance subplot was rushed and badly done. I really couldn't have cared less.

- Party backstories are pretty shallow. For a game in love with long speeches they could have at least added more banter. As a result I really didn't care for most of my NPCs.

- Many of the scenes which were supposed to be "epic" fell flat. i.e. Becoming a Spectre.

- Mako sections have a number of problems including poor combat system, very bland terrain, and hypersensitive controls.

- Pretty much every sidequest and every side planet was awful. Two words: copy, paste.

- While story is decent it fails to really engage. It feels very generic and bland.

- Stupid mini-game for everything which requires skill.

- While the actual shooting is good everything else is not. Weapons and armour are just boring upgraded versions of each other. Looting system is just dumb. Party combat is non-existent, it's essentially just Shepard. The fact that you can't switch characters annoys me. Complete lack of tactical depth.

- Way tooooo easy even on the hardest setting.

In conclusion, I'm not saying the game was bad, just HIGHLY ovverated. IMHO it's a very mediocre game clothed in pretty graphics. Also painfully consolish, and I've never had a problem with console games before.

If this is the way RPGs are going well then I really don't want to be a part of it. The next time I rent a modern day RPG I'm making sure my expectations are very low as Smerl suggests.

And to anyone who hasn't played Kotor 1 but loved Mass Effect, play Kotor. It's Mass Effect except vastly superiour in every aspect except graphics.

- Stupid mini-game for everything which requires skill

Welcome to the brave new world of dumbed down console ports. I too have a problem with the the waste of time that these "challenges" require. Either I have the skill, or I don't.

- Some of the choices were brutal and therefore pretty heart wrenching to make. One of the few times the game elicited any real emotion in me.MrWednesday14

Yes, Mass Effect was spectacularly average at best. Then again, I haven't liked a Bioware game since BG2 so.... :shock:

i was not underwhelmed

i just did not do side quests so it was fine...

obviously its worse than kotor

but still a good game

I liked it.

[QUOTE="MrWednesday14"]- Some of the choices were brutal and therefore pretty heart wrenching to make. One of the few times the game elicited any real emotion in me.naval

Yes, it was a crap game.dont-read-this

Mass effect is probably not a AAA title, but it's definitely AA. I wasn't bothered by the side quests because the main quest was too compelling to bother with anything else.

I think what they should have done was focus on making it seem like you could actually travel through the galaxy, instead of just random places in it. Of course they can't fit billions of solar systems in the game, but I think it needs waaaaaay more.n_kors