...that I'm not the only one that thinks this game is a mess? I've put 15 hours into this game and I can't take any more of the bad gameplay and bugs. Is everyone else seeing the same issues and they just like it so much that they're willing to ignore the problems? I was willing to forgive the bad framerate and hiccups, and the 5-10 second freezups, but it's way more than that.

I'm in the snow base at the moment trying to keep from quiting (another game where you have to shoot bugs?). Combat is an exercise in frustration. Why is my health bar green? I assume that it means I'm poisoned, but it never goes away while it does for my squad-mates after a few seconds. It doesn't change when I use a medi-pack thing either (which barely heals me in this state). Why can't my squad shoot anything? It seems like I'm the only one doing real damage. Why do they get stuck behind doors? Why do I have to go down an elevator and down 2 hallways to be allowed to save, even when no enemy is near?

I'm mostly posting this because I haven't seen anything other than gushing, giddy praise, and to vent my disgust at having spent $60 on yet another sloppy game that's unfinished. I really want to love this game because the atmosphere and story are really good. I know some people here have already finished this and love it. Is there something further into the game that completely redeems all the problems? Did anyone else feel this way at the start and come to really like the game?

We already have plenty of Mass Effect threads. We don't need another one.

...that I'm not the only one that thinks this game is a mess? I've put 15 hours into this game and I can't take any more of the bad gameplay and bugs. Is everyone else seeing the same issues and they just like it so much that they're willing to ignore the problems? I was willing to forgive the bad framerate and hiccups, and the 5-10 second freezups, but it's way more than that.

I'm in the snow base at the moment trying to keep from quiting (another game where you have to shoot bugs?). Combat is an exercise in frustration. Why is my health bar green? I assume that it means I'm poisoned, but it never goes away while it does for my squad-mates after a few seconds. It doesn't change when I use a medi-pack thing either (which barely heals me in this state). Why can't my squad shoot anything? It seems like I'm the only one doing real damage. Why do they get stuck behind doors? Why do I have to go down an elevator and down 2 hallways to be allowed to save, even when no enemy is near?

I'm mostly posting this because I haven't seen anything other than gushing, giddy praise, and to vent my disgust at having spent $60 on yet another sloppy game that's unfinished. I really want to love this game because the atmosphere and story are really good. I know some people here have already finished this and love it. Is there something further into the game that completely redeems all the problems? Did anyone else feel this way at the start and come to really like the game?

Finish the game and find out.

here's a question:

how many game saves do you have? i know this seems like a meaningless question - but for the vast majority of my game i did NOT stagger my saves (i think i kept 2). however towards the end, i started adding multiple saves... and it was only then that i started seeing the glitches others had posted about.

it could just be coincidence - but...

and i'm not talking about texture pop-in, frame rate or squad AI. i'm talking about hick-ups, getting stuck in geometry, etc.

i love the game - but i agree its got a lot of bugs.

...that I'm not the only one that thinks this game is a mess? I've put 15 hours into this game and I can't take any more of the bad gameplay and bugs. Is everyone else seeing the same issues and they just like it so much that they're willing to ignore the problems? I was willing to forgive the bad framerate and hiccups, and the 5-10 second freezups, but it's way more than that.

I only experienced two frustrating things: the occasional load screen in the middle of a hallway (only on the Citadel), and the very frequent and noticeable texture pop-in.

I also once had one of my squad mates refuse to follow me any more. He would respond to commands to move to a specific location. This persisted until I quit and reloaded the game, which was odd. It only happened once.

I'm in the snow base at the moment trying to keep from quiting (another game where you have to shoot bugs?). Combat is an exercise in frustration. Why is my health bar green? I assume that it means I'm poisoned, but it never goes away while it does for my squad-mates after a few seconds. It doesn't change when I use a medi-pack thing either (which barely heals me in this state).

Green means you're poisoned. How long it lasts and how much damage it does depends on your character type and armor upgrades mainly.

Why can't my squad shoot anything? It seems like I'm the only one doing real damage.

Which characters are you using for squad mates and what sort of weapons do they have? Make sure they haven't decided to use a weapon that's junk (i.e., you've given them an awesome assault rifle, but they decided to use the lowly shotgun they already had). Also make sure you're not trying to get engineers or biotics to shoot things, it's not what they do.

Why do they get stuck behind doors?

No idea. I never saw that behavior. I'd think the up on the d-pad command would get them to go somewhere, or maybe the follow command.

Why do I have to go down an elevator and down 2 hallways to be allowed to save, even when no enemy is near?

I did encounter a few areas where it seemed like I had to go inordinately far from enemies to save. There was never really a reason to. Combat in this game is extraordinarily easy, especially once you get some decent armor and weapons.

I'm mostly posting this because I haven't seen anything other than gushing, giddy praise, and to vent my disgust at having spent $60 on yet another sloppy game that's unfinished. I really want to love this game because the atmosphere and story are really good. I know some people here have already finished this and love it. Is there something further into the game that completely redeems all the problems? Did anyone else feel this way at the start and come to really like the game?

I was never disgusted, but I also quickly lost the initial impression of this game being unbelievable. It's definitely not the best game this year, but it is very good. I'm guessing you went to Noveria first. It was not the coolest story quest to me. The other ones are really neat, especially the last few. Combat gets quite fun when you've leveled up and gotten some neat talents and good ability with the weapons. Running into a room and arming the high level Marksman ability and a good pistol is really awesome. Sames goes for using Overkill with the assault rifle, or Assassination with the sniper rifle.

Most of the uncharted planets are fairly uninteresting. I was very disappointed that there are literally only 4 or 5 dungeons in this game, with different configurations of which doors are unlocked inside them. Some randomly generated rooms would've been nice. I think that would've kept the uncharted worlds much nire fresh.

here's a question:

how many game saves do you have? i know this seems like a meaningless question - but for the vast majority of my game i did NOT stagger my saves (i think i kept 2). however towards the end, i started adding multiple saves... and it was only then that i started seeing the glitches others had posted about.

it could just be coincidence - but...

and i'm not talking about texture pop-in, frame rate or squad AI. i'm talking about hick-ups, getting stuck in geometry, etc.

i love the game - but i agree its got a lot of bugs.

I had 80 or 90 saves and didn't experience the bugs some complain about.

here's a question:

how many game saves do you have? i know this seems like a meaningless question - but for the vast majority of my game i did NOT stagger my saves (i think i kept 2). however towards the end, i started adding multiple saves... and it was only then that i started seeing the glitches others had posted about.

it could just be coincidence - but...

and i'm not talking about texture pop-in, frame rate or squad AI. i'm talking about hick-ups, getting stuck in geometry, etc.

i love the game - but i agree its got a lot of bugs.

I've been saving every few minutes. I've gotten 3 bad disc errors and had to reboot so I have no choice but to save constantly. I might go buy one of the new Falcon 360s because I can barely hear the dialog over the jet engine that is my 360 console.

Green means you're poisoned. How long it lasts and how much damage it does depends on your character type and armor upgrades mainly.

I've been poisoned for the entire snow base area. I can't get rid of it. It has to be a bug because medi-gel only heals me about 5% of my health.

I've tried again to keep playing but I can tell I'll just end breaking something if I keep attempting to play. I put it on Ebay and hopefully I can recoup half my money. I just don't have the ability to overlook the lack of effort they put into the gameplay. I've never had a frustrating experience like this in any game. I've played worse games, and I've played games with bugs, but never anything this frustrating and disappointing.

This game looked to be a complete lock to be an awesome game, so maybe that's why it drives me nuts. I can see that it SHOULD be an incredible game but it takes too much work to like it. Imagine anticipating Gears of War for a long time and then it's ruined by stupid, obvious problems.

I also once had one of my squad mates refuse to follow me any more. He would respond to commands to move to a specific location. This persisted until I quit and reloaded the game, which was odd. It only happened once.

I've had to force Wrex into a room before by pushing him to get his big backside to cover me. lol They do say to hell with orders sometimes.

I've been poisoned for the entire snow base area. I can't get rid of it. It has to be a bug because medi-gel only heals me about 5% of my health.

I've tried again to keep playing but I can tell I'll just end breaking something if I keep attempting to play. I put it on Ebay and hopefully I can recoup half my money. I just don't have the ability to overlook the lack of effort they put into the gameplay. I've never had a frustrating experience like this in any game. I've played worse games, and I've played games with bugs, but never anything this frustrating and disappointing.

This game looked to be a complete lock to be an awesome game, so maybe that's why it drives me nuts. I can see that it SHOULD be an incredible game but it takes too much work to like it. Imagine anticipating Gears of War for a long time and then it's ruined by stupid, obvious problems.
Have you leveled up. How much a medipack heals you has to do with your first aid skill I beleive. Have you upgraded your weapons and armor. I always put a medical interface on my armor and it regenerates my hitpoints a few seconds after it gets you to full hit points it will fixes the poison issue.

Combat for me only sucked at lower levels once I leveled up it became pretty easy. My second play through combat was a little easier except I was playing a Biotic Tech so I had to change my strategy from using weapons to really concentrating on using my powers and just the pistol since none of the other guns (even upgraded ones) ever becaame accruate enough... couldnt even hold the left trigger to zoom in with them because its not a skill of my character.

Also MAKO combat problems that I heard of and had (ie not being able to shoot enemies when not on the same plane thus making mako combat frustrating) actually dont exist (except on proper extreems) when you know the apparently super secret skill of clicking the thumbstick to zoom in (why does the game not tell you this I will never know).

I didnt like the game well at first, I loved it when I finished it and am playing it again and will play it probably 2 more times or so. However not every game is for every person, if I didnt already have ME I would trade you Orangebox for it.

Like Knights of the Old Republic before and Oblivion, it is best to keep at least 2, but I prefer 3 game saves and just keep rotating them as I save, that way I can always go back to any of them if something goes wrong.

I've been poisoned for the entire snow base area. I can't get rid of it. It has to be a bug because medi-gel only heals me about 5% of my health.

I've tried again to keep playing but I can tell I'll just end breaking something if I keep attempting to play. I put it on Ebay and hopefully I can recoup half my money. I just don't have the ability to overlook the lack of effort they put into the gameplay. I've never had a frustrating experience like this in any game. I've played worse games, and I've played games with bugs, but never anything this frustrating and disappointing.

This game looked to be a complete lock to be an awesome game, so maybe that's why it drives me nuts. I can see that it SHOULD be an incredible game but it takes too much work to like it. Imagine anticipating Gears of War for a long time and then it's ruined by stupid, obvious problems.

If med packs are not healing you that much, your first aid skill is low. Maxed out, it should nearly fill a health bar. The green will go away, but with your first aid so low you would have to use a lot of med packs. When your health bar is near full (and you have some points in first aid) using a health pack heals the green, but you need to be near full or to the point where one health pack would take you over your max hit points. You obviously did not pay attention to what your squad/NPCs was telling you. They let you know when you are coming to an area that might need something different. Its a roll playing game, you need to think about what you are doing. If you are entering an area that something poison's you, swap out your armor upgrads for ones that make you immune to poison. You are going up against synthetics and you have mods in your weapons that hurt organics, its not going to work that well, and vice versa. You need to change and adapt to your situation.

Your squad is using weapons they are not experts in, switch them. Did you put points into certain weapons? Use those. If they are biotic experts, their weapons will suck, its why they are biotic.

The only hic up on my end is the texture load when entering an area, otherwise it has run flawless.

I've never had to go down an elevator, hallway, etc. to save. If the save option is greyed out, then an enemy is near by. I simply backup and the save option becomes available. Never NOT been able to save when I wanted.

Your just not able to play an RPG or something. Third time through the game and its easily the best game out there, and best game released in years. Nothing you've said has impacted myself, but I also play it as a roll playing game, tweaking skills, pausing the game, selecting abilities, etc.

I have not seen too many bugs. I save ALOT too, as I do in most rpg's. I have not ever had to go far away to save yet. When I kill all the enemies, the save option usually appears.

The teammates can be a pain, but I guess that is realistic ;)

I am really liking ME, but I too have seen several bugs that are making me wonder (and I am not one to get on message boards and complain) While playing last night, I had to re-do a certain boss battle in the Rift Station on Noveria because My squad mate used lift on the boss and the boss came down and got stuck in the wall! I've never had this happen on a 360 game. I also agree that my squad AI is quirky at best. They refuse to attack when I tell them and will just shoot at rocks, or crates or anything between them and the target I designate. They also will shoot me if I am in their line of fire.
Finally, I am so annoyed with the line "ENEMY IS EVERYWHERE!!" being shouted during every single battle, often times more than once I don't know if Shepard is saying this or if its one of my squad mates, but I wish they woudl come up with something else. Despite it's flaws though, it's a fantastic game, and I haven't even come close to finishing it yet, so I can't wait to truly see what all this fuss is about.

Ah, so that's what a green health bar means. I wondered what that was all about. I must have zoned out when that part was explained in the game (or it's in the manual, which I admittedly did not read all the way through). I need to hurry up and finish Assassin's Creed so I can get back to this game.

You really have to immerse yourself in the game to truly love and appreciate it. Yes, it does have flaws and glitches, what game doesn't? Nothing in this world is perfect. This game is having and will have a massive effect (hehe) on gaming as we know it. Don't focus on the bad, appreciate the game for what it accomplishes.

I dunno, it didn't take me long to figure out that getting a character back to full health cures the poison status. Equip a medical upgrade into your armour (if a character doesn't already regenerate health) and the poison will be cured in no time.

I've used the medipacks a lot of times before the snow planet and they always healed me relatively well. Now that I'm poisoned, hardly anything happens and the poison doesn't go away. I've played Oblivion and several other RPGs over the years so it's not like I don't know how to play an RPG.

This game has very poor documentation when it comes to some gameplay aspects and it keeps me from getting immersed in the game. I have no clue what those licenses are that the vendors sell, the manual says nothing about melee in combat(I picked up a armor mod that enhances melee power but have no clue how to hit someone), and the inventory system is bad-- though nowhere near as bad as Oblivion. These are just things that come to mind now-- when I'm playing it's just one thing after another.

I can read tons of back story and trivia in the Codex about everything in the game EXCEPT the stuff I really want to know in order to understand the gameplay. I've played a lot of RPGs but this one is just sloppily made. I got to the point last night that I just couldn't comprehend anyone being able to play this game. I think some people are just really forgiving with flaws in video games. It gave me a headache.

Sorry for the rant on this game but I had intended to try and keep trying to like this game. I sold it for $32 on Ebay and I think I will feel better when it's gone. No more automatic video game buys for me anymore. If this game can turn out like this, I'm not taking anymore chances. I'll just rent first even if it takes a few weeks to get a game.

I have the same gripe about this game. It just doesn't stand out. The battle system is subpar and the pace is kinda slow at times. I can ignore the hiccups and framerate problems but the game feels more like a story rather than a game. And don't even get me started on Assassin's Creed. How Ubisoft can actually release such a terrible game baffles me.

Well considering a guy on your own ship tells you what the licenses are about...as many times as you would like to ask... I dont know what to tell you except congradulations on selling it now you can move onto games that make you happier.

Well considering a guy on your own ship tells you what the licenses are about...as many times as you would like to ask... I dont know what to tell you except congradulations on selling it now you can move onto games that make you happier.

And the licenses themselves tell you they are for the quartermaster (or whatever his title is) on the Normandy.

I do agree that the documentation for the game is terribly lacking. There should be one or two pages on inventory and upgrades. There is no excuse for not listing the Zoom function on the Mako. I personally haven't had problems with getting stuck in walls, but I accept that others have. Still, I love this game.

honestly, it took my 15 hours to get into it. I thought it was crap at first, but then it picks up and quickly...then it's over. Battles will get a lot better and easier once you level up and I found I actually enjoyed the battles once I got more xp.

This is the first game I've played that I really couldn't stomach, yet heard a lot of good things about. Games like Halo or Gears of War seem to be almost unanimously loved. This game seems to have a love/hate quality about it. I still think you have to WANT to love this game a lot in order to enjoy it.

I like games where the action part of the game is well-oiled and fits like a glove. I don't want to feel like I'm fighting the game. For me, the immersive potential and deep scope of Mass Effect are inaccessible because the gameplay is so rough. I understand that some people can look past that and let it go, but I get nuts when games are like this. It makes me want to strangle the designers for botching a game that could have been unbelievable.

I like games where the action part of the game is well-oiled and fits like a glove. I don't want to feel like I'm fighting the game. For me, the immersive potential and deep scope of Mass Effect are inaccessible because the gameplay is so rough. I understand that some people can look past that and let it go, but I get nuts when games are like this. It makes me want to strangle the designers for botching a game that could have been unbelievable.

The action part of this game works *very* well, eventually. I think it is a little inexplicable that you start with someone that can't hit the broad side of a barn, given his exemplary military background, but that's what it is. It's definitely not botched in the action portion. Some of the technical issues, sure.

Maybe it is because I never play FPS's, but I never found the combat to be an issue in Mass Effect (aside from the lack of documentation).

This is the first game I've played that I really couldn't stomach, yet heard a lot of good things about. Games like Halo or Gears of War seem to be almost unanimously loved. This game seems to have a love/hate quality about it. I still think you have to WANT to love this game a lot in order to enjoy it.

I like games where the action part of the game is well-oiled and fits like a glove. I don't want to feel like I'm fighting the game. For me, the immersive potential and deep scope of Mass Effect are inaccessible because the gameplay is so rough. I understand that some people can look past that and let it go, but I get nuts when games are like this. It makes me want to strangle the designers for botching a game that could have been unbelievable.

I think you have to WANT not to like the game. Great point huh?

Games are like art, everyone has a different view and it is perfectly valid so don't tell me I am willing myself to think the game is good.

How can you not know what the licenses do? The guy on your ships lays it out for you and he repeats this information any time you ask throughout the game. Wow, you really are not playing it as a roll playing game then. Talk to people, learn.

No game out there lists every single thing about their game in the manual. None. It would the size of a novel to list every possible thing that could happen in the game, what every conversation means, what every weapon does, what every upgrade does, etc. Talk to people, learn, pretty straight forward.

Obviously the license issue does not belong in a manual. But there was important information omitted. You won't learn, in game, how to zoom the Mako's targeting system. The inventory screens are not terrible intuitive either. Manuals should really cover the interface well, and this game's manual did not. Still, one of the best games I've played on the 360.

With all the conversations, stuff to read, and generally huge amount of information, it's not surprising to miss something like the license explanation or any number of other things in the game. I don't listen in rapt attention to every line of dialog in the game. If I have an item in my inventory, it should have a satisfactory description or explanation.

You can say it's an RPG and you have to explore to find things out, but that's just an excuse for the designers to be lazy about documentation. The examples I gave are just a few of things that don't seem to documented very well. The whole time I was playing I was aggravated by stuff like that. There is a sense you get of a game after playing it for a little while and "well-designed and well-executed" is not the impression this game gives.

I do agree there are issues with the manual, but the description for the licenses explains what to do with them. It is not like you need to dig through the Codex or find some obscure person to talk to. The description tells you the licenses are for the quartermaster on the Normandy, and you can ask him for more details.

The manual should tell you how to buy things. It should not detail every decision you should make, what you should buy, who you should talk to, and so on. If you don't want to read the description of an item, don't complain you don't know what the item does.

Yeah Mass Effect isnt that good honestly. I mean It built this reputation of being amazing and I think everyone just assumes its good because its supposed to be. Its not the technical glitches that hold it back though because what really matters in an rpg is the story and the characters and to a lesser extent the gameplay. Problem is that the story is so predictable and I couldnt care less about any of the characters. Any one of them could up and die and I dont think I would of cared. Then the last thing keeping it down is the lack of instructions. I seriously didnt know the Mako had a cannon or a zoom untill the last frickin time you drive it, and I still don't know what the licenses are.

I will admit though that the world and the backstory of the game are really quite interesting and well thought out but it is a shame that even Bioware couldnt make a good game around it. Its a serious shame because it could have been one of those games we talk about for years. So much potential.

With all the conversations, stuff to read, and generally huge amount of information, it's not surprising to miss something like the license explanation or any number of other things in the game. I don't listen in rapt attention to every line of dialog in the game. If I have an item in my inventory, it should have a satisfactory description or explanation.

You can say it's an RPG and you have to explore to find things out, but that's just an excuse for the designers to be lazy about documentation. The examples I gave are just a few of things that don't seem to documented very well. The whole time I was playing I was aggravated by stuff like that. There is a sense you get of a game after playing it for a little while and "well-designed and well-executed" is not the impression this game gives.

When you are sitting there looking at the shop keeper's items and you saw License, and you read the description of the license and it says for the Normandy's courter master. That didn't ring any bells in your head? You didn't go talk to him to see what it was about? That is what you do in RPG's you discover something, you go talk to someone about it, etc. The description of the item was VERY specific on what it was for.

I seriously didnt know the Mako had a cannon or a zoom untill the last frickin time you drive it, and I still don't know what the licenses are.

I'm pretty sure the manual lists the cannon button, and licenses are explained in game. Only the lowest power zoom for the Mako is explained in the manual. I'd imagine most people never learn there is anything better.

When you are sitting there looking at the shop keeper's items and you saw License, and you read the description of the license and it says for the Normandy's courter master. That didn't ring any bells in your head? You didn't go talk to him to see what it was about? That is what you do in RPG's you discover something, you go talk to someone about it, etc. The description of the item was VERY specific on what it was for.

+1

If people are complaining about the lack of information in the manual...they would surely be complaining about a manual that is 50+ pages thick. I assume it would take at least that many to document the game.

Remember the days of computer gaming (which of course still exist) and all those lengthy manuals that some thrived on and others simply ignored? Console gaming has for the most part moved away from manuals providing all the information. I used to game on PC..have since moved to console gaming (many years ago).

But I for one welcome the lengthy manual if it were there (but I am sure cost is a concern). I also welcome the chance to learn and explore "in game" were required. Perhaps if it is not done well, then obviously there is an issue. IMO, the game does fine with providing enough information...if you understand the genre and know how to look for what you need for information.

People really must consider the amount of story and dialog they have put into this game. They have given you an interactive story/movie/game to play along with/as.

Not everyone's idea of a "game" for sure. But if you need to fault it...move on to something you enjoy....please.:o

I would like a way to organize the stuff you pick up. Everything in the inventory is a jumble. But the game is great.

I would like a way to organize the stuff you pick up. Everything in the inventory is a jumble. But the game is great.

I like how they do the upgrades. The one that is installed is on top, the rest are listed in order of most powerful to least powerful. Makes it much easier.

I like how they do the upgrades. The one that is installed is on top, the rest are listed in order of most powerful to least powerful. Makes it much easier.

It would be nice if it at least put the 8 identical upgrades I have together, instead of scattered throughout the other items of the same level based on when I picked them up. It would also be nice if it didn't jump back to the first item in the list when I start converting things to omni-gel.

Other than those two problems, it's a serviceable, though not particularly user friendly, interface.

It would be nice if it at least put the 8 identical upgrades I have together, instead of scattered throughout the other items of the same level based on when I picked them up. It would also be nice if it didn't jump back to the first item in the list when I start converting things to omni-gel.

Other than those two problems, it's a serviceable, though not particularly user friendly, interface.

Hmmm, not sure I am seeing that. Mine is sorted on how strong the item is. All my level 1's are together, and all the level 1 of the same type are together, I don't recall them being scattered around.

I agree about the omni gel conversion, that is annoying. Especially when near the end when you have so much money you don't need to sell anything, I just use omni-gel on everything so I convert a lot.

Hmmm, not sure I am seeing that. Mine is sorted on how strong the item is. All my level 1's are together, and all the level 1 of the same type are together, I don't recall them being scattered around.

I agree about the omni gel conversion, that is annoying. Especially when near the end when you have so much money you don't need to sell anything, I just use omni-gel on everything so I convert a lot.

What I get is all level 1 items together, but then in that grouping it appears to be sorted by when I picked up the item or maybe most recently equipped it. So I might have 3 or four level 1 chemical rounds, then a level 1 proton rounds, then another level 1 chemical rounds.

I have really enjoyed the game. My main complaint is that once I get 150 items I can't look at ALL my items and keep only the ones I want. If I have 150 (x pistol)III and I auto loot 8 (x pistol)VII through a geth firefight I have no choice but to convert the 8 better weapons to gel since I have no room. I would like to be able to dump 8 of something I already have and keep the better items. I find it funny that once I have over 150 items it asks me if I want to convert them, yet I really have no choice ( or none that I have been able to find). That is my main gripe. Otherwise I enjoyed the game.

You definitely need to take a pro-active approach to inventory management. After a couple of missions/sidequests I'll hit a merchant and dump all my lower powered upgrades, and other multiple items. I've never had a problem with hitting the 150 limit since starting to do this.

Hmmm, not sure I am seeing that. Mine is sorted on how strong the item is. All my level 1's are together, and all the level 1 of the same type are together, I don't recall them being scattered around.


What I get is all level 1 items together, but then in that grouping it appears to be sorted by when I picked up the item or maybe most recently equipped it. So I might have 3 or four level 1 chemical rounds, then a level 1 proton rounds, then another level 1 chemical rounds.

I think you guys are looking at two different ways inventory is displayed. WilliamR is describing the way you see your inventory when you see sell stuff to a merchant. Ferrisg is describing how you see items when you are looking at changing weapons or upgrades.

I think a lot of the gripes about this game are, unfortunately, par for the course with longish, non linear games. Kotor 1 & 2, Jade empire, oblivion, morrowind, all had similar graphical issues and keeping track of things in those games was just as difficult, especially if you put any of them down for a few days. I also think that Bioware, reviewers etc did the game a disservice by marketing it as an action game/shooter, it's an rpg through and through made up to look like a shooter.

All that being said I loved the game, but I went in with the expectation of it being a lot like Kotor/Jade Empire so I wasn't let down at all, whereas if I was coming at it expecting another Gears I probably would have been. Here's to hoping that Bioware works out some of these issues for the 2nd and 3rd games in the series.

For an RPG, there is surprisingly little to do in Mass Effect. Atleast, once you do the Citadel quests (took me maybe 3 hours to do them all), there is nothing to do other than the main quest. There are side planets you can go to, but they are all the same barren wasteland =/.

I could gripe forever, so I'll just make a list:

The combat is broken. The squad system is terrible and non-functional, the cover system doesn't work, you can't reasonably play as a biotic user on anything but easy mode.

The market system is broken. There is nothing to buy. You earn EVERYTHING for free as you play the game. You earn so much stuff, that you have to delete things (One at a time....grrrrrrr) almost every time you finish a mission. There are no uniques to buy, no legendary items to seek out, just a standard arsenal of uninspired weapons ranging from *Name* I to *Name* VI (or maybe VII, I stopped caring after about VI).

The visuals are buggy. Textures pop in and out at random, the framerate dips often, etc

There is nowhere to explore. Exploration is one of my favorite parts of an RPG, and Mass Effect fails miserably. Oh sure, you can explore the barren wasteland planets, but what do you find? A gold deposit...yay...?

The biggest thing that kept me from truly enjoying the game though, was that it's a step back from forward thinking games like Oblivion. Ok, sure, Mass Effect has a TON of dialogue, but you don't really get to make any hard choices (except for one, I won't spoil) and basically you get to choose between good and slightly less good, instead of between good and evil like on Kotor, Oblivion, etc.

I wouldn't give Mass Effect game of the month, much less game of the year.

Atleast, once you do the Citadel quests (took me maybe 3 hours to do them all), there is nothing to do other than the main quest. Incorrect, many quests are initiated through exploration of solar systems.

There are no uniques to buy...Incorrect, the most powerful weapons and armor are purchased.

These are short responses that I could greatly expand, but the point is made. In light of the inaccuracies and hyperbolic generalizations in your post above, I believe your opinion will be weighed accordingly.

I am playing as a full biotic character on insane and not having that much difficulty (although on insane it does appear to be much harder to find good stuff and the enemies take more damage). Cover works great for me and I can set up my team to distract or cause damage to an enemy while I flank.

Incorrect, many quests are initiated through exploration of solar systems.

Incorrect, the most powerful weapons and armor are purchased.

These are short responses that I could greatly expand, but the point is made. In light of the inaccuracies and hyperbolic generalizations in your post above, I believe your opinion will be weighed accordingly.

Many quests are initiated..sure..but they are quests on the same barren wasteland planets that you'd be going to anyway. For instance, on the moon you fight out of control robots, in the same circular building as every other "quest" on those barren wastelands. There is nothing *Worthwhile* to do.

As for the weapons and armor, I said there are no uniques, as in there is nothing to buy that isn't an extra couple of digits added to damage (which doesn't even seem to be of any consequence when you are actually fighting). You can complete the game without ever buying anything, and that is a failure on Bioware's part.

Give me uniques. Give me an unlockable gun that shoots fire, or lightning, or something. Not the 5th iteration of the same gun I started out the game with. Or the fifth iteration of the armor I started out with.

Many quests are initiated..sure..but they are quests on the same barren wasteland planets that you'd be going to anyway. For instance, on the moon you fight out of control robots, in the same circular building as every other "quest" on those barren wastelands. There is nothing *Worthwhile* to do.

As for the weapons and armor, I said there are no uniques, as in there is nothing to buy that isn't an extra couple of digits added to damage (which doesn't even seem to be of any consequence when you are actually fighting). You can complete the game without ever buying anything, and that is a failure on Bioware's part.

Give me uniques. Give me an unlockable gun that shoots fire, or lightning, or something. Not the 5th iteration of the same gun I started out the game with. Or the fifth iteration of the armor I started out with.

First you said there is nothing to do other then the main quest once you leave citadel. Now you say there are quests. Fact is, there are a lot of quests in this game. It is an RPG and it lives up to that. Once you start the main quest, and you return to the citadel, it opens up all new quests you can do on Citadel you couldn't do originally. Hacking terminals opens LOTS of quests throughout the galaxy. Some are on the planet (sure they use the same buildings, but the quests are cool). Some are for boarding ships lost out there. There is also quests that give you the ability to specialize your character once you reach level 20. There are also side-quests on almost all the planets you visit. There are tons of quests in the game. I have the guide book, trust me, there are a ton of side quests.

There are unique items only available via purchasing. These items also give you more upgrade slots that you can customize your armor/weapon even more then before. With this customization you can make a weapon that causes incinderary damage, or a weapon that instantly freezes someone, or poisons someone and they slowly die. Lots of variety and it does what you want (making an item unique). Sure a beam of light isn't shooting out of the weapon but its effect is still cool and different for each upgrade type (i.e. an explosion of cold).

The biggest thing that kept me from truly enjoying the game though, was that it's a step back from forward thinking games like Oblivion. Ok, sure, Mass Effect has a TON of dialogue, but you don't really get to make any hard choices (except for one, I won't spoil) and basically you get to choose between good and slightly less good, instead of between good and evil like on Kotor, Oblivion, etc.


It's a little weird that Oblivion has become the gold standard for Western RPGs, and I'm a little confused about how you have to make any choices in Oblivion with respect to good versus evil. There are NO choices to make in Oblivion, because there are NO consequences to what you have done previously. You can go through Oblivion with a guidebook and just do every single quest without regard, because the world doesn't change based on what you do. Even the class system reflects this. There's absolutely nothing that locks you into a class. I have a thief/agent sort of character that wears leather armor, but there's nothing to stop me from becoming a plate wearing battle-mage if I want. Some people may find it refreshing that no matter what you do, you can still do everything, but to me a game isn't compelling if there aren't consequences to what I do. The real world doesn't bend to your every whim, but in Oblivion you control EVERYTHING. Nothing happens unless you want it to happen.

I loved Fallout, for this very reason. There were quest lines that you could follow that would involve killing some NPC, and therefore lock out whatever questline that NPC eventually would have given you.

This game is awesome. I'm not sure why some individuals and reviews are complaining about the technical issues, as I have only encountered a few, such as:

1) Slow texture loading. Same thing happens in Gears of War. This seems like an issue with developing for the 360 itself.
2) Framerate issues--haven't encountered any of these
3) Character gets stuck. Sometimes my squad mates will stand next to me while I'm near a crate or something, and I'll get stuck. I have to wiggle myself out. Has maybe happened 3 times the entire 17 hours I've played so far.
4) Random loading while walking. Happens more frequently than any of the other problems, but not ridiculously annoying.

Other than that, I think this game is great. Yeah, some of the side quests are repetitive, but it's an open-ended Western RPG. Certainly an improvement over KOTOR, an amazing game in its own right.

I finished the game a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed it quite a bit. While the framerate was choppy at times, it was still very managable. I always found the combat entertaining and the cover system worked fine for me. The final level ended up being quite intense and memorable.

My main complaint with the game would probably be that most of the sidequests played out the same way: fly to a planet, explore several anomalies, go to the main structure, have a shootout (or talk to somebody), end of quest. If anything, I would have reduced the number of sidequests and applied some of those resources to adding one or two more locales to the main quest (which, is actually pretty short for an RPG).

It's a little weird that Oblivion has become the gold standard for Western RPGs, and I'm a little confused about how you have to make any choices in Oblivion with respect to good versus evil. There are NO choices to make in Oblivion, because there are NO consequences to what you have done previously. You can go through Oblivion with a guidebook and just do every single quest without regard, because the world doesn't change based on what you do. Even the class system reflects this. There's absolutely nothing that locks you into a class. I have a thief/agent sort of character that wears leather armor, but there's nothing to stop me from becoming a plate wearing battle-mage if I want. Some people may find it refreshing that no matter what you do, you can still do everything, but to me a game isn't compelling if there aren't consequences to what I do. The real world doesn't bend to your every whim, but in Oblivion you control EVERYTHING. Nothing happens unless you want it to happen.

I loved Fallout, for this very reason. There were quest lines that you could follow that would involve killing some NPC, and therefore lock out whatever questline that NPC eventually would have given you.

It's not the gold standard, but it's a much more free world than Mass Effect. In Mass Effect, you choose between good and not so good. In Oblivion, you can play the entire game as evil, or as good, or as a mixture. There are certainly consequences for your actions in Oblivion, as you get a bounty on your head, and the people in the cities know that you are a marked man (and some run from you, etc etc). For another example of consequence, if you kill someone, you will never get to do a quest that he or she may have had for you.

I'll be busy shopping for the next few days, and I'm running out of time to debate the demerits of Mass Effect, but I'll just say that Bioware can, and has, done MUCH better in the past.

Oh and explaining a Unique item properly would take all day. Needless to say, Mass Effect doesn't have any.

The sandbox RPG is still ahead of its time. All that openness comes at a price, as technology and tools advance the price becomes less. I expect a lot from the next Elder Scrolls :)

Oh and explaining a Unique item properly would take all day. Needless to say, Mass Effect doesn't have any.

Yes it does, dude, you have no idea what you are talking about. You obviously never found the unique item called the pulse rifle. It has no upgrade slots since it is already so powerful. It fires out a pulse of energy in a straight line. Nothing like it in the game. The graphic on the screen shows the pulse coming out in a straight line. The graphic when it hits someone is also unique as the ball of plasma hits them and it explodes on them, the rifle also looks different when you find it and read about it. Completely unique item, nothing like it in the game, unique effect, unique ability, unique graphics, unique power effect, unique item all around. You really shouldn't make claims like this when you are just trying to dog the game or something and haven't seen everything in the game.

Yes it does, dude, you have no idea what you are talking about. You obviously never found the unique item called the pulse rifle. It has no upgrade slots since it is already so powerful. It fires out a pulse of energy in a straight line. Nothing like it in the game. The graphic on the screen shows the pulse coming out in a straight line. The graphic when it hits someone is also unique as the ball of plasma hits them and it explodes on them, the rifle also looks different when you find it and read about it. Completely unique item, nothing like it in the game, unique effect, unique ability, unique graphics, unique power effect, unique item all around. You really shouldn't make claims like this when you are just trying to dog the game or something and haven't seen everything in the game.

I did not know of this weapon... I must have it. :)

Yes it does, dude, you have no idea what you are talking about. You obviously never found the unique item called the pulse rifle. It has no upgrade slots since it is already so powerful. It fires out a pulse of energy in a straight line. Nothing like it in the game. The graphic on the screen shows the pulse coming out in a straight line. The graphic when it hits someone is also unique as the ball of plasma hits them and it explodes on them, the rifle also looks different when you find it and read about it. Completely unique item, nothing like it in the game, unique effect, unique ability, unique graphics, unique power effect, unique item all around. You really shouldn't make claims like this when you are just trying to dog the game or something and haven't seen everything in the game.

How is the pulse rifle like a traditional RPG unique item? It's just another rifle in the game. Yes it has a cool animation, but that's really it. There are also better assault rifles than it available.

It's a little more difficult to try and have unique items in a sci-fi world full of multi-world commerical conglomerates that mass produce everything from armor and weapons to omni-tools and medi-gel.

The traditional fantasy RPG is much riper for truly unique one of a kind items to exist, due to manufacturing still being done via manual labor, rather than huge scale automation.

How is the pulse rifle like a traditional RPG unique item? It's just another rifle in the game. Yes it has a cool animation, but that's really it. There are also better assault rifles than it available.

Because, by definition alone it is unique. He was complaining there are no unique items, when in fact there is. It is unique in that it does not let you upgrade (no other weapon in the game does this). It is unique in that the animation it uses when fired is not used by any other single weapon. It is unique in that the effect it has and does on people (graphics, etc.) are not on any other weapon in the game. See, it is unique, no other weapon in the game does any of what this rifle does, what else would it need to do in order to be unique then?

You could say no weapon in any game has ever been unique then. Even the gravity gun from say Doom isn't unique then. Its just a rifle that affects gravity. You hold every weapon in your hands, they have a graphic tied to them, when they fire they do something. What else is there? He said a weapon that shoots out flames. Well, this shoots out balls of plasma, unlike anything else in the game. Its unique and hard to find/get to top it off.

Not sure how you CAN'T qualify it as unique.

Is that the Geth assault rifle?

The Xmas Samurai is approaching troll status, but I wouldn't call the pulse rifle unique because my party has three of them.

Because, by definition alone it is unique. He was complaining there are no unique items, when in fact there is. It is unique in that it does not let you upgrade (no other weapon in the game does this). It is unique in that the animation it uses when fired is not used by any other single weapon. It is unique in that the effect it has and does on people (graphics, etc.) are not on any other weapon in the game. See, it is unique, no other weapon in the game does any of what this rifle does, what else would it need to do in order to be unique then?

A unique item in an RPG game is literally a one-of-a-kind item. They generally also have capabilities that are significantly different from other items in the game. The Geth pulse rifle is simply another weapon in the game. It is almost a unique item, because it does behave a little differently, but not quite. The developers were very correct in classing it as an assault rifle.

You could say no weapon in any game has ever been unique then. Even the gravity gun from say Doom isn't unique then. Its just a rifle that affects gravity. You hold every weapon in your hands, they have a graphic tied to them, when they fire they do something. What else is there? He said a weapon that shoots out flames. Well, this shoots out balls of plasma, unlike anything else in the game. Its unique and hard to find/get to top it off.

Not sure how you CAN'T qualify it as unique.

The misunderstanding here is that nobody is talking about items that are different from things other games have. A unique in an RPG is a specific thing, not simply saying "This is something other games haven't really done."

I'm racking my brain trying to think of unique items in any SCI-FI RPG and coming back with none. none in traditional paper and pen (GURPS, Shadowrun, Warhammer40k) and practically none in computer/console RPGs (except maybe the red-ryder in Fallout... but that's still just a rifle)

Can whomever's complaining please point out some SCI-FI rpg that has a 'unique' weapon that no one else in the game world has, or one that isn't just 'bump up a stat or two' ? because I sure can't and would love to see an example of one.

Now, on ME, I do have a 'unique' Spectre Sniper rifle that I love, with the class IX damage+heat mod and the class IX optical scanner thing (IIRC) and for fun, I have the +500% anti-tank shell mod.

My own 'gripe' is that i wish the mods I add would change the look of the weapon slightly... like adding a scope or silencer to the 3D model. But hey, if you're spending that much time looking at your weapons, you're not spending nearly enough time enjoying the story. :D

Oh. Slightly different question and I've tried all the buttons on the gamepad... but is there a way to change the minimap/radar to go further than 40m? My sniper sorely needs better radar. :)

Oh. Slightly different question and I've tried all the buttons on the gamepad... but is there a way to change the minimap/radar to go further than 40m? My sniper sorely needs better radar. :)

Are you referring to the sniper rifle? When you zoom in with the left trigger you can use the right tumbstick (push down) to zoom in even further (just like the Mako).

I didn't know the sniper rifle could do that!

I didn't know the sniper rifle could do that!

Yes. It zooms in ridiculously close. Just push in on the right thumbstick. I was able to pick bad guys off that you can't even see when you look with your naked eye. They never knew what hit em. :)

Personally...love the game. Agreed about the issues - framerate gets jumpy at times, wonky combat system, terrible inventory control...but, the story, etc, more than make up for it.

Are you referring to the sniper rifle? When you zoom in with the left trigger you can use the right tumbstick (push down) to zoom in even further (just like the Mako).

no, the miniradar on the bottom right that's stuck at 40m in personal mode and 433m in Mako mode.

The firstperson scope-zoom on the sniper and mako are awesome though, but useless if your radar doesn't point out the foes further than 40m... you'd think with anti-grav and all, they'd have better radar.

For instance, let's say i'm about to storm the castle and it's protected by some geth in sniper towers. I'm around 400m out, so my Mako radar sees them. I get out to do some sniping... and poof, my radar's back down to 40m and useless.