Mass Effect 2 Discussion - Fight for the Lost

[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']ATTENTION

To all of the Mass Effect 2 owners out there who may not have any/all of the DLC for this game (either because you're broke, missed out on a deal, etc.), I just wanted to let you know that Xbox.com currently has a poll on the My Xbox page (after linking your account) at the bottom of the page regarding the Member's Choice Deal of the Week. Basically, users get to vote on what they want to become a Deal of the Week in July.

Mass Effect 2 (Select Game Add-Ons) is currently one of these options on the poll, so I want everyone who reads this to go vote now!!![/QUOTE]

id love to but i dont see the option to vote on my "my xbox" page.i either way i hope it wins because i just started playing yesterday and naturally i dont have any of the dlc.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']So, if I'm deciding to start up an Insanity run, what's the best course of action?[/QUOTE]
If you can, import a character from ME1 and make them a Soldier. The enemies will all scale down which makes it much easier, and you will need the added health a soldier has aswell. Importing a high lvl ME2 character is not recommended since it will scale every enemy up to your lvl and make the beginning way harder.
 
Yeah I played Insanity from the start, level 1. It's doable and easier actually, just make sure you unlock the right stuff at the right times and don't go into the hard fights (the specifics on this has escaped me atm). I did it as an engineer believe it or not because you can rely on using your tech powers from a far reserving that precious ammo.
 
[quote name='Spybreak8']I did it as an engineer believe it or not because you can rely on using your tech powers from a far reserving that precious ammo.[/QUOTE]
I did Insanity with an Engineer also. Everyone says Soldier is easier but to me, it's easier to manage most fights in the game by digging into a good cover position and flinging your infinitely-recharging protection stripping powers, than by relying on guns alone. It's true that you won't have as much health, but if you're using cover properly, you can and should be taking very little damage-- if any-- so ultimately that extra health doesn't help you as much as additional offensive power would have.
 
The hardest part of an Insanity run is the start, notably Archangel's mission. It's best to tackle that one at low levels just to make things more palpable. While the Collector's Ship was challenging, it wasn't insane like the Archangel mission. But by the rest of the game it became really enjoyable.
 
ME2 DLC on sale now:

Arrival - 280 MSP/$3.50 (50% off)
Lair of the Shadow Broker - 400 MSP/$5 (50% off)
Kasumi - Stolen Memory - 280 MSP/$3.50 (50% off)
 
Well, it's better than no sale at all. I'll just pick up all the DLC this week since I don't have any of them. Excited to dive back in after I finish my 2nd playthrough of New Vegas.
 
I wish Genesis was on sale. If I ever did a new character (have 2 on 360 & 1 on PS3) it would be nice to get that on sale so I wouldn't have to play 1.
 
If they had to drop one of the DLCs from being on sale, I guess Overlord would have to be the one. Stolen Memory and LoTSB have obvious perks for completing them, which makes them necessary in my book, though as Arrival is the epilogue and lead-in to ME3, I suppose it's more "important" than Overlord.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']Arrival is the lamest though. :whistle2:#[/QUOTE]IMO, the first half was lame, save the two combat sequences, though the second half where you started to break out of the facility, I enjoyed the combat quite a bit.
 
so i havent played this game in a month i feel like im nearing the end soon and recently just grabbed all the DLC for half price. turn the game on and im like ok lets do this story mission and i just realized i finished the arrival im bummed at myself because i really wanted to save the dlc until after i beat the game, i know it probably doesnt matter in what order you complete everything but i wish it was better labeled, i really didnt know i was playing the dlc mission. a few small gripes i hope are fixed in mass 3....the powers. what i mean is i have my enemy targeted and i use the blast power and it doesnt hit the enemy because it hits a stupid lamp on a desk instead....come on now, it makes a guy go flying 10 feet but cant get past a desk lamp? that started getting annoying but im still moving along.
 
Did anyone else find ME2 a little disappointing compared to the first? The combat and controls in general were great. They were a great step up from ME1, but the quests felt kind of bland. It was pretty much the same thing over and over. Recruit person, do loyalty quest, continue story line. Not much in the way of side quests really. There were some interesting ones, but they never took more than 5-10 minutes to complete. Just throwing that out there for discussion.

The ending was fantastic though.
 
[quote name='DarkRider23']Did anyone else find ME2 a little disappointing compared to the first?[/QUOTE]No, because they know I'd yell at them :D

/somewhat serious.
 
[quote name='DarkRider23']Did anyone else find ME2 a little disappointing compared to the first? The combat and controls in general were great. They were a great step up from ME1, but the quests felt kind of bland. It was pretty much the same thing over and over. Recruit person, do loyalty quest, continue story line. Not much in the way of side quests really. There were some interesting ones, but they never took more than 5-10 minutes to complete. Just throwing that out there for discussion.

The ending was fantastic though.[/QUOTE]

pretty much agree with this entirely... but bioware as a whole has been making their RPGs less and less... RPGy... Mass Effect 1 to Mass Effect 2 / Dragon Age to Dragon Age 2. Less and less gear and less and less exploring, more linearity. There's still obv. great story there and everything, but I feel they're sacrificing lots of RPG elements to make the combat more engaging... I don't really like the more linear stuff, and less gear, 'cause I love to level up and feel more and more powerful in an RPG. but we'll see what they do with ME3 I guess.
 
[quote name='DarkRider23']Did anyone else find ME2 a little disappointing compared to the first? The combat and controls in general were great. They were a great step up from ME1, but the quests felt kind of bland. It was pretty much the same thing over and over. Recruit person, do loyalty quest, continue story line. Not much in the way of side quests really. There were some interesting ones, but they never took more than 5-10 minutes to complete. Just throwing that out there for discussion.

The ending was fantastic though.[/QUOTE]

Mass Effect 2 is still one of the best games I have ever played - ever, but I did prefer ME1 over ME2. I didn't like how they removed the inventory and armor and the like. The item management system in ME1 was clunky (on the console at least) but I would have preferred a streamlining of the inventory interface rather than a removal of the different grades of armor, weapons, and upgrades.

I can see your point about limited side quests, also. I'm on the fence about whether I missed the constant Mako segments from the first game or not in the second one... they got tedious sometimes, but it also made the universe feel a lot bigger since you spent a lot of time on different-looking worlds. Then again, they were usually empty except for a handful of bandits and sand worms. In any case, I prefered Mako segments to the scanning in ME2 which is tedious from start to finish.
 
Mass Effect 2 was like the sequel of any medium, the setting and back story was already put in place so this was the intense action part. In that sense it was amazing. I still remember the first time I did the Collector mission. As for exploring, Bioware let you go to all the galaxies and explore every planet in the system. Not many people probably even read the descriptions for each planet or spent a lot of time mining but it made the game a lot bigger for me, like how in the first the Mako did. True there wasn't as much RPG elements with Mass Effect 2 but that was made up for with the varying decisions you were allowed to make. I still liked Mass Effect a lot because it set everything up and you got attached to the characters but ME2 did it all over again and I wasn't bored because of that for one bit.
 
Those who frequent this thread know I'm a huge ME fan, but ME1 is my favorite. Not only of the series, but my #1 game of all time. ME2 is #2 on that list. The main thing I can attribute to 1 over 2 is the space exploration. I actually enjoyed the roaming around on the Mako, not knowing when a Thresher Maw would pop up, or what cool artifact I'd see next. Two particular "findings" come to mind, they are 1) seeing the Earth from the moon was way cool, then 2) when I found the prothean sphere artifact purely by blind exploration.

Being able to tool around in an unexplored moon just gave a sense of awe that I loved. While ME2 has kickass action sequences and damn good storytelling, ME1 had that sense of awe that ME2 just didn't capture in such a grand scale. And don't even get me started on how much better the ending of ME1 was over ME2......
 
[quote name='iNFiNiTE HORiZON']pretty much agree with this entirely... but bioware as a whole has been making their RPGs less and less... RPGy... Mass Effect 1 to Mass Effect 2 / Dragon Age to Dragon Age 2. Less and less gear and less and less exploring, more linearity. There's still obv. great story there and everything, but I feel they're sacrificing lots of RPG elements to make the combat more engaging... I don't really like the more linear stuff, and less gear, 'cause I love to level up and feel more and more powerful in an RPG. but we'll see what they do with ME3 I guess.[/QUOTE]

I really missed the variety of weapons that we had in ME1. I don't know why Bioware decided to go with the upgrade system in ME2. It was really bland. As a Vanguard, I was just using the same Shotgun and Pistol for about 70% of the game.
 
Story: ME2 > ME1
Action/Gameplay: ME2 > ME1
Graphics: ME2 > ME1
RPG depth: ME1 > ME2

Overall Winner: ME1

Until Mass Effect 3, that is...
 
[quote name='drktrpr1']Story: ME2 > ME1
Action/Gameplay: ME2 > ME1
Graphics: ME2 > ME1
RPG depth: ME1 > ME2

Overall Winner: ME1

Until Mass Effect 3, that is...[/QUOTE]

Are you sure you know what overall means?
 
[quote name='DarkRider23']I really missed the variety of weapons that we had in ME1. I don't know why Bioware decided to go with the upgrade system in ME2. It was really bland. As a Vanguard, I was just using the same Shotgun and Pistol for about 70% of the game.[/QUOTE]As opposed to exactly how many shotguns you used in ME1 after obtaining the HMWSG X? (note: this number should be zero)

The variety of shotguns in ME2 was vastly different in ME1. Come with me as I compare the "variety" of the shotguns in both games:

ME1:
Shotgun A - 100 damage/8 shots before overheat/50 accuracy
Shotgun B - 95 damage/7.5 shots before overheat/55 accuracy
...
Shotgun Z - 101 damage/6 shots before overheat/60 accuracy
HMWSG X - 378 damage/7 shots before overheat/91 accuracy


ME2:
Eviscerator - high damage, rips through all enemy protections
Claymore - highest base damage, useful against all types of protections, reload after every shot
Geth Plasma Shotgun - highest potential damage (charged-up shot), extremely lethal versus Barriers and Shields


Which do you think is actually more varied? 19 guns that have minor numerical/statistical differences who all combined don't compare to the one great Shotgun in the game, or a set of 5 shotguns (I only listed 3) who all have potential strategical differences based on what class you chose and what playstyle you incorporate during the missions?

[quote name='drktrpr1']Story: ME2 > ME1
Action/Gameplay: ME2 > ME1
Graphics: ME2 > ME1
RPG depth: ME1 > ME2

Overall Winner: ME1

Until Mass Effect 3, that is...[/QUOTE]Mass Effect 2, for you, won three out of four categories...yet it's still the inferior game?
 
[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']Mass Effect 2, for you, won three out of four categories...yet it's still the inferior game?[/QUOTE]

That's the point, at least for me. ME2 has great graphics, gameplay, etc. etc. but I still REALLY, REALLY miss the customization and depth aspects of Mass Effect 1, which is why I'm really looking forward to ME3. I'm hoping ME3 will effectively combine the RPG and Action/Sci-fi/Shooter genres.
 
[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']As opposed to exactly how many shotguns you used in ME1 after obtaining the HMWSG X? (note: this number should be zero)

The variety of shotguns in ME2 was vastly different in ME1. Come with me as I compare the "variety" of the shotguns in both games:

ME1:
Shotgun A - 100 damage/8 shots before overheat/50 accuracy
Shotgun B - 95 damage/7.5 shots before overheat/55 accuracy
...
Shotgun Z - 101 damage/6 shots before overheat/60 accuracy
HMWSG X - 378 damage/7 shots before overheat/91 accuracy


ME2:
Eviscerator - high damage, rips through all enemy protections
Claymore - highest base damage, useful against all types of protections, reload after every shot
Geth Plasma Shotgun - highest potential damage (charged-up shot), extremely lethal versus Barriers and Shields


Which do you think is actually more varied? 19 guns that have minor numerical/statistical differences who all combined don't compare to the one great Shotgun in the game, or a set of 5 shotguns (I only listed 3) who all have potential strategical differences based on what class you chose and what playstyle you incorporate during the missions?[/QUOTE]
First! The traditional style (which ME1 used) gives players a distraction from the corridor-shooting and a reason to hope when entering a new area. ME2 did this to an extent with the odd credit hack or maybe an upgrade, but 1: these couldn't be put into action immediately like the weapons/armour/amps/tools (the latter three of which did have far greater differences than the weapons), and 2: due to the scaling of enemies in ME2, most of the upgrades... well, you couldn't even feel them. All they did was let you keep pace.

Second! It wasn't just the core items themselves, but the mods you put on them. Identical pistols are pretty damn different depending on whether you put double heatsinks with radioactive rounds or scram rails and exploding ammo. ME2 has weapon upgrades, yes, but they are entirely linear, rather than being modular.

EDIT: Also, the skill point/leveling system in each game...

[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']Mass Effect 2, for you, won three out of four categories...yet it's still the inferior game?[/QUOTE]
All four categories are not necessarily weighted the same.

Shit, who said there are only four categories? What about sound? Originality? Replayability? Pacing?

For what it's worth, I consider ME2 a far better game than ME1. I'm hoping Bioware will tone down some of the more radical changes (Inventory is clunky? Fine, NO INVENTORY AT ALL!) and find some middle ground while keeping the refinements of ME2.

And, yeah, I wish the paragon/renegade system would get scrapped, but I also wish Bioware and Obsidian would merge and remake Planescape Torment. And, hell, let's get an X-Com remake while we're at it.
 
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weapon attachment are lol and most were lame as well, there's only like 5 that are usefull and the rest do crap like 500 overheating.

its not cool shooting one pistol shot every ten minutes to do big damage


[quote name='DarkRider23']Did anyone else find ME2 a little disappointing compared to the first? The combat and controls in general were great. They were a great step up from ME1, but the quests felt kind of bland. It was pretty much the same thing over and over.[/QUOTE] [quote name='iNFiNiTE HORiZON']I don't really like the more linear stuff, [/QUOTE]


yea and going to a planet in ME1 and going into the same building to kill a bunch of guys ISNT BLAND AND REPETITIVE?
 
[quote name='timesplitt']weapon attachment are lol and most were lame as well, there's only like 5 that are usefull and the rest do crap like 500 overheating.

its not cool shooting one pistol shot every ten minutes to do big damage[/quote]
1: Five more useful attachments than we currently have (aside from the fact that five is a bit of a lowball - don't forget armour attachments).
2: Not the point. The point was that finding new and interesting items and combinations is actually interesting (and keeps things feeling new), and a large part of why people play games like these, and yes, there is a cuntload of middle ground between "Dammit, human enemy, gotta switch from armour piercing to shredder (Also, do husks count as organic or synthetic?). Okay, geth again, gotta switch back. Wait, Krogan mercenary, switch to..." and ME2's super-streamlined system. A lot of us are hoping that ME3 lands somewhere inside of said cuntload.

[quote name='timesplitt']yea and going to a planet in ME1 and going into the same building to kill a bunch of guys ISNT BLAND AND REPETITIVE?[/QUOTE]
I was pretty damn glad to see the Mako gone myself, but you're still off-point.
 
Sorry to resurrect an old thread but I figured why fill up the ME3 thread with ME 2 talk.

I'm finally giving a serious go at Insanity. Importing a level 58 character from ME1. I'm undecided on class. By far, I'm best with the vanguard but I hear that's a weak class for insanity. I'm torn between soldier or sentinel. I hear infiltrator is great but I suck with that class and with sniper rifles.

Any tips, advice or suggestions? Not only on which class but which ally's and weapons are recommended and so on.
 
all i can say is i played as a sentinel and really only had difficulty in the beginning.

the reason being is that all the enemies will start level matched to you, but your level doesn't mean too much because you need upgrades to really become powerful(which aren't factored into enemy leveling)

So each upgrade you collect makes the game a bit easier.. and by the end its really not too tough at all as long as you are patient and stay in cover
 
[quote name='chubbyninja1319']Any tips, advice or suggestions? Not only on which class but which ally's and weapons are recommended and so on.[/QUOTE]
Learn to get good with sniper rifles. :) Seriously, staying really far away from the enemies is a huge help in ME2 Insanity. There are lots of instances where you can kill enemies before they approach you or even know you are there.

I beat ME2 Insanity with an Engineer. Incinerate and Overload are huge, since basically every enemy is going to have at least armor and often shield too. Hunker down in cover and spam those powers! I took Squad AP Ammo for my bonus power since it grants good bonus damage against armor and health.

I took the sniper rifle specialization, so my go-to weapons were the Viper, Locust, and Carnifex. The Locust is an amazing gun-- good damage, nonexistent climb. Your first order of business should be to do Kasumi's loyalty mission and go get this gun.

For squadmates, once again, sniper rifles are key. Especially if you have the Incisor, which is glitched so that squadmates do much more damage with it than they are supposed to. ;) Thane and Zaeed are your go-to guys depending on whether you think Warp or Inferno Grenade will be more useful against the enemies in a given mission. Zaeed also has Squad Disruptor Ammo which is great for the few geth missions.

And of course of course of course, the last spot in the squad is always filled by Miranda. No exceptions! Warp and Overload, +15% squad weapon damage, and great survivability make her crazy overpowered.

Skip all the loyalty missions you can, except for Thane and Samara since they feature no combat, Zaeed because you want Inferno Grenade, and Kasumi because you want the Locust. Everybody else is expendable, just make sure you'll have who you need for the final mission. (I f'ed up and Thane got killed on the approach to the Collector Base, so I had to use Garrus instead. It was doable but not ideal.)

So those are my recommendations. Good luck. :)
 
Soldier's AR has always been super useful, any ability that gives you a boost to your durability, damage, and slows down time is full of win. plus they get like every wpn in the game w/out restriction iirc.

I haven't finished my insane run, but it's always been easy going when you have legion, tali, or both. the drones are too good for drawing fire. I'd probably take Tali and Samara or Legion and Miranda or Jack.

...and whatever Ryuu said, he's the resident expert on ME + here.
 
[quote name='100xp']...and whatever Ryuu said, he's the resident expert on ME + here.[/QUOTE]
Hardly. :lol: I've only beaten it once on Insanity, X has beaten it multiple times with every class, he's who you really want to listen to.
 
Your first order of business should be to do Kasumi's loyalty mission and go get this gun.

Nothing has ever been more true. This is the best SMGs have ever been in the series.
 
[quote name='100xp']...plus it never hurts to have a hot asian female space ninja on your squad as early as possible.[/QUOTE]

I actually used Kasumi a lot on Insanity. We double infiltrated the shit out of everything.

Otherwise my go to crew was Garrus and Thane. Miranda is probably a better choice because she effectively combines the two of them, but I hated her at the time, so there's that.

You really just need an answer to shields, barriers, and armor since it's arbitrarily applied to all enemies on insanity. Husks are a blast, and Thane's throw field was actually extremely useful for some of those Collector segments because of them.

The Collector Platform segment was the only one I had any issue with. That was a huge bitch, and to me, everything paled in comparison to it.
 
[quote name='IanKazimer']I actually used Kasumi a lot on Insanity. We double infiltrated the shit out of everything.[/QUOTE]

...Hot.
 
Ha, you guys are coming through as expected. Thanks!! So I need to get good with an infiltrator.....or would a soldier and use the sniper rifle be okay? Maybe ill play some me3 MP as an infiltrator to see bow that goes.

Hey, Ryuu next up I'll be pinging you for tips on the ME1 insanity speed run! :)
 
[quote name='IanKazimer'];);););););););););););););););)[/QUOTE]

Kasumi as love interest for Mass Effect 3!

Wait, nevermind, I saw the thread title and forgot that this wasn't still 2010.

Kasumi as meaningless 30-second cameo for Mass Effect 3!

[quote name='chubbyninja1319']Hey, Ryuu next up I'll be pinging you for tips on the ME1 insanity speed run! :)[/QUOTE]
Easy. :)

1 Level 60 Soldier
1 Maxed Immunity
1 Assault Rifle with maxed Frictionless Materials

Bake for approximately 6 hours.

Makes two servings [Hardcore and Insanity].
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']Kasumi as love interest for Mass Effect 3!

Wait, nevermind, I saw the thread title and forgot that this wasn't still 2010.

Kasumi as meaningless 30-second cameo for Mass Effect 3![/QUOTE]


Still bummed. Will not talk about. In my head we're lesbian infiltrating ninjas til the end of time.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']Kasumi as love interest for Mass Effect 3!

Wait, nevermind, I saw the thread title and forgot that this wasn't still 2010.[/QUOTE]

I'm still a little irked that never happened. Same with Shiala. Way to dump a whole lot of salt in my Shep's game BioWare.
 
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