Mass Effect 2 gameplay thread

[gaelic cowboy]

Possible spoilers regarding Liara DLC?

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSNdH6PBTB8

There's been rumours circulating about this for a while but if the voice clips are genuine I'm kind of disappointed with what they've done with Liara. She went from the Asari scientist fascinated with the protheans to a really dark and indifferent character who's consumed by the desire for revenge which I don't quite understand. I'm ok with the fact the shadow broker tried to kidnap me, why can't she just let it go?

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Well if its true then I believe its got to do with the whole story in the Redemption comics which deal with a time between the start of ME2 and your resurrection by cerberus. I guessing that Liara is trying to free someone from the shadow broker possibly Thane who is an early character in it. I got a copy of the first one with my game copy looks like Thane helped her to find shepard and she handed you to cerberus to save you from shadow broker. Actually now that I think of it Thane is from the main game I forget the actual name of the guy but it obviously him

[rajpoot]

Another drell. Feron in the comics. Most likely dead.

[tibilicus]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Well if its true then I believe its got to do with the whole story in the Redemption comics which deal with a time between the start of ME2 and your resurrection by cerberus. I guessing that Liara is trying to free someone from the shadow broker possibly Thane who is an early character in it. I got a copy of the first one with my game copy looks like Thane helped her to find shepard and she handed you to cerberus to save you from shadow broker. Actually now that I think of it Thane is from the main game I forget the actual name of the guy but it obviously him

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I knew that was the case as I've read about some of redemption on the wikia but to me that still doesn't excuse the massive character shift for Liara. Pretty much the only female character which is trustworthy is Tali. I really feel that Miranda has the cold female character nailed, we don't need another.

Also coming out of the rumour mill on the Bioware social is a DLC which according to Christina Norman will make Femsheps "very happy". Cue speculation... Now!

[gaelic cowboy]

Also coming out of the rumour mill on the Bioware social is a DLC which according to Christina Norman will make Femsheps "very happy". Cue speculation... Now!

Good I played from Me1 to Me2 on a female character like has been said earlier in the threads it just seemed a better character fit the male guys voice kinda annoyed me dunno why strange

[Mailman653]

I wouldn't know what could make female Shep's in particular "very happy", the only thing that comes to mind is a new romance. Currently I think they only have the option of two aliens and a human.

[tibilicus]

I wouldn't know what could make female Shep's in particular "very happy", the only thing that comes to mind is a new romance. Currently I think they only have the option of two aliens and a human.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

A cure for Thane Krios maybe? That's about all I could think of.

[DisruptorX]

I'm Commander Shepard and this is my favorite store on the citadel.

I'm Commander Shepard and I'd like to remind you that slavery is an integral part of the Batarian caste system.

[Scienter]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

A cure for Thane Krios maybe? That's about all I could think of.

That was my first guess, too.

Re: Liara,

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I was actually ok with what they did to her in ME2, I thought she was kind of naive and boring in ME1.

<- don't know if I need the spoiler tags for this, but better safe than sorry.

[Mailman653]

I believe its been two months since ME2 came out? I think the spoiler rule has expired now.

[frogbeastegg]

The extra strict spoiler policy has expired. Standard arena spoiler policy applies.

[Secura]

Really chuffed to have just finished ME2 for the first time, my thoughts on the end past the tags:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I was unable to ensure Jack's loyalty again, but did have enough Paragon points to diffuse the Tali-Legion dispute and keep them both on-side. I had about 95% Paragon rating overall before going to the Relay, and I couldn't find any other means of increasing it to win Jack over, so took the chance and the jump through Omega 4 (after getting my romance on with Garrus :D).

Some of the cutscenes had me pretty worried; heavy damage to the ship, Miranda getting shot... pretty stressful. I went along with the standard team set-ups for each choice (Tali as tech-spec, Samara as biotic shield, Mordin leading Chakwas/Chambers etc back to the Normandy, Miranda as leader on both occasions), and then ended up with that tough choice at the end.

I heard that leaving the bigger party members behind (Grunt, Garrus, Jacob) would ensure that those holding the line had a better chance of doing so without dying, so I simply took Tali and Legion along with me and left everyone else behind, crossing my fingers that Jack wouldn't end up with a bullet in her head despite the fact I wanted her to.

I found the final boss to be anti-climatic at first; destroying four vial chambers? But then the bloody thing came back and the fight was really on then; Tali was utterly useless, just had her hide back and use her auto turret when it was available; Legion was much more effective, basically able to one-shot those darn Harbingers while I concentrated on the Reaver with the Collector Particle Beam weapon.

Cue another heart attack on my part when the cinematic comes up and it looks as though Tali and Legion were dead, only for them to be simply pinned beneath some wreckage. I enjoyed the whole 'leap of faith' thing at the end, got my "Survive the suicide mission" achievement and then thought that I'd missed out on Leave Noone Behind achievement. Turns out I just had to tell the Illusive Man to get lost, return to my crew and the achievement popped up and I did the happy dance. xD

Amazing game, can't wait to go back through and pick up the achievements I missed (Lvl.30, fully upgraded weapon, etc etc). The third installment looks set to be fantastic, really glad I can import my character. :3

[tibilicus]

Really chuffed to have just finished ME2 for the first time, my thoughts on the end past the tags:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I was unable to ensure Jack's loyalty again, but did have enough Paragon points to diffuse the Tali-Legion dispute and keep them both on-side. I had about 95% Paragon rating overall before going to the Relay, and I couldn't find any other means of increasing it to win Jack over, so took the chance and the jump through Omega 4 (after getting my romance on with Garrus :D).

Some of the cutscenes had me pretty worried; heavy damage to the ship, Miranda getting shot... pretty stressful. I went along with the standard team set-ups for each choice (Tali as tech-spec, Samara as biotic shield, Mordin leading Chakwas/Chambers etc back to the Normandy, Miranda as leader on both occasions), and then ended up with that tough choice at the end.

I heard that leaving the bigger party members behind (Grunt, Garrus, Jacob) would ensure that those holding the line had a better chance of doing so without dying, so I simply took Tali and Legion along with me and left everyone else behind, crossing my fingers that Jack wouldn't end up with a bullet in her head despite the fact I wanted her to.

I found the final boss to be anti-climatic at first; destroying four vial chambers? But then the bloody thing came back and the fight was really on then; Tali was utterly useless, just had her hide back and use her auto turret when it was available; Legion was much more effective, basically able to one-shot those darn Harbingers while I concentrated on the Reaver with the Collector Particle Beam weapon.

Cue another heart attack on my part when the cinematic comes up and it looks as though Tali and Legion were dead, only for them to be simply pinned beneath some wreckage. I enjoyed the whole 'leap of faith' thing at the end, got my "Survive the suicide mission" achievement and then thought that I'd missed out on Leave Noone Behind achievement. Turns out I just had to tell the Illusive Man to get lost, return to my crew and the achievement popped up and I did the happy dance. xD

Amazing game, can't wait to go back through and pick up the achievements I missed (Lvl.30, fully upgraded weapon, etc etc). The third installment looks set to be fantastic, really glad I can import my character. :3

About Tali being useless in the final fight, on insanity I've found her useless for pretty much the whole game. Why does her combat drone need a 30 second cool down if it's going to be destroyed in less than 5 seconds?

As a plus, she can use a shotgun though which puts her on par in terms of usefulness with jacob.

[Krusader]

About Tali being useless in the final fight, on insanity I've found her useless for pretty much the whole game. Why does her combat drone need a 30 second cool down if it's going to be destroyed in less than 5 seconds?

As a plus, she can use a shotgun though which puts her on par in terms of usefulness with jacob.

Aye. Hadn't it been for Legion's sniper rifle both of them would be useless. I usually take along Mordin, Grunt, Garrus, Thane or Miranda. Overloads, Warps, Incinerates + different ammo types make them IMO the most useful.

[Secura]

The reason I took those is because the information I recieved about that final choice suggested that the success of the defenders relied upon who was left behind.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

For the final choice, it's all based upon the characters relative 'defensive ability', it seems; some are high (Jacob, Garrus, Miranda, Grunt), others are low (Jack, Mordin, Tali, Legion). If you leave behind enough of the 'high values', you're more than likely going to ensure that those with them survive. This link explains it well.

I didn't have Jack's loyalty, wanted the 75G for the achievement, and was really cagey about her dying so I ended up taking her with me at all points up to that part. At the final choice, I decided to have Mordin head back to the Normandy with the crew (cos he's squishy too, loyal or not) and then take Tali and Legion with me. Samara, Thane, Garrus, Grunt, Miranda, Jacob and Jack all stayed behind to hold the line, and it worked out.

Unfortunately for Tali, I feel her weapon combination of Shotguns/Pistols just doesn't really do her any favours. She needs a weapon with a higher rate of fire, or more health to offset the fact she prefers to be up-close with the shotgun. Otherwise she's simply a weaker, more tech-orientated version of Grunt or Jacob.

Legion's actually pretty decent, his unique sniper rifle sorta made my jaw drop at how powerful it was, but I feel that the fact he's geth and he comes into the game so late doesn't really give you much scope for relating to him as you might Garrus or Miranda, for example.

[Scienter]

Aye. Hadn't it been for Legion's sniper rifle both of them would be useless. I usually take along Mordin, Grunt, Garrus, Thane or Miranda. Overloads, Warps, Incinerates + different ammo types make them IMO the most useful.

Like you, I used Garrus, Grunt, Thane, and Mordin a lot. I found Mordin less effective in combat but he's so funny that I wanted to take him along just to hear him talk. Sometimes I used Samara and Jack together for a crazy kill everything with biotics party. My Vanguard and Jack had maxed out Shockwave by the end, it was fun to have two characters using it at once. :P

[Wishazu]

The reason I took those is because the information I recieved about that final choice suggested that the success of the defenders relied upon who was left behind.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

For the final choice, it's all based upon the characters relative 'defensive ability', it seems; some are high (Jacob, Garrus, Miranda, Grunt), others are low (Jack, Mordin, Tali, Legion). If you leave behind enough of the 'high values', you're more than likely going to ensure that those with them survive. This link explains it well.

I didn't have Jack's loyalty, wanted the 75G for the achievement, and was really cagey about her dying so I ended up taking her with me at all points up to that part. At the final choice, I decided to have Mordin head back to the Normandy with the crew (cos he's squishy too, loyal or not) and then take Tali and Legion with me. Samara, Thane, Garrus, Grunt, Miranda, Jacob and Jack all stayed behind to hold the line, and it worked out.

Unfortunately for Tali, I feel her weapon combination of Shotguns/Pistols just doesn't really do her any favours. She needs a weapon with a higher rate of fire, or more health to offset the fact she prefers to be up-close with the shotgun. Otherwise she's simply a weaker, more tech-orientated version of Grunt or Jacob.

Legion's actually pretty decent, his unique sniper rifle sorta made my jaw drop at how powerful it was, but I feel that the fact he's geth and he comes into the game so late doesn't really give you much scope for relating to him as you might Garrus or Miranda, for example.

You don't have to go through the relay immediately after recruiting Legion. As I mentioned in a previous post, bottom of page 6 I think you can get alot more mileage out of him if you go to the derelict Reaper before recruiting Tali, then take Legion aboard the migrant fleet. A few interesting exchanges ensue between Legion and the Admirals.

Legion is my favourite character, his sniper is very powerful, he can absorb alot of damage when his shield boost ability is upgraded, I love the way he speaks and he's Geth! Take the time to chat to him as much as pos, you will not be disappointed.

Addendum: Has anyone else seen him do the Robot dance when you enter the AI Core?

[al Roumi]

Like you, I used Garrus, Grunt, Thane, and Mordin a lot. I found Mordin less effective in combat but he's so funny that I wanted to take him along just to hear him talk. Sometimes I used Samara and Jack together for a crazy kill everything with biotics party. My Vanguard and Jack had maxed out Shockwave by the end, it was fun to have two characters using it at once. :P

I took Mordin on any mission mostly involving biological enemies - Neural shock and cryo-blast are great, incinerate is good on the big mechs' armour. Thane's Shredder ammo also makes him a good team mate for biological enemies. I mostly then used Garrus, Miranda or Zaeed against sinthetics.

[Mailman653]

Hammerhead DLC, March 23rd

[tibilicus]

New Kasumi DLC trailer.

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/ka...s-effect/63465

Playing a vanguard in a dinner suit looks really fun.

[Krusader]

Coming out 23rd. Will cost some Xbox points and PC bioware points.
If I end up buying this, it will solely be to fix Garrus' armor. Looks like a hobo-dino at times. Don't like the sunglasses on Jack & Thane at all, but at least Jack got some clothes.

[Mailman653]

Heh heh, they made Shep look like a Cerberus James Bond in that video. As for the DLC costumes.....I don't know about that but they look nice.

[Krusader]

Firewalker DLC out along with Costume Pack.

Haven't bought costume pack and the Firewalker (Hammerhead tank with 5 missions) was not much to cheer for, then again its free.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

First mission is just a tutorial on how to do things. Unfortunately what pops up on screen are not the correct keys to press. Apparently its a problem on both PC & X360. And being a non-native English speaker I thought the "Mine" key was about laying mines, not mining for minerals or mission objectives.

You then get 3 missions you can do in any order. One is to race through a icy canyon and collect 10 data nodes (using mine key to collect them when hovering above a beacon thingy) before your engine is incapacited due to cold. At least the Hammerhead becomes visually icy and your boost & jumping is reduced to lower temperatues.
Another mission is to hover through a volcanic area, locate a base, use some sensors which causes seismic activity and you need to race your Hammerhead to an exit before lava & stone kill you. The third mission is to collect five artifacts while killing geth.
Last mission unlocks after doing "volcanic mission" and that is killing rocket drones while taking down generator shields and then entering base and thats just running to a Prothean relic. You find a Biotic Damage upgrade in there though.

The controls on the PC at least are good enough, better than the mako, but then again different vehicle types. But i was sorely disappointed with with weaponry. Only weapon is a "homing missile launcher". You dont even need to target enemies, just fire away and the missiles home in, as long as you keep the launcher somewhat horizontal. No secondary weapon. When I fought some Geth even though I kept crosshair on a geth a bit farther away the missiles homed in on nearest enemy.

All in all, had this been paid content I wouldn't have bothered. I hope if they ever make an expansion they will integrate the Hammerhead in a much better way. This just felt tacked on and done in a hurry.

[al Roumi]

Thanks for the review Krusader!

[Lemur]

Finally broke down and bought the game. I have no willpower.

[Ser Clegane]

Finally broke down and bought the game. I have no willpower.

The real challenge to my willpower came when I had it had to make sure that I do not spend too much time playing it (I did not spend so much time with a game for ages).

[Krusader]

Kasumi DLC out for sale...560 points.

Only tested it a bit...don't know what to say so far.

[Mailman653]

Kasumi DLC out for sale...560 points.

Only tested it a bit...don't know what to say so far.

Looks pricey IMO.

[rajpoot]

Would be grateful if some one could tell what exactly is the DLC like....is Kasumi a full and proper character or is she like Zaeed Massani?

[Krusader]

Would be grateful if some one could tell what exactly is the DLC like....is Kasumi a full and proper character or is she like Zaeed Massani?

Zaaed when it comes to interacting with her aboard Normandy and recruitment is just talking on the Citadel.

[tibilicus]

I will probably end up buying it but it doesn't hate the fact I loath DLC as a concept.

I pine for the days where we actually had expansion packs which had enough content to justify the price tag. Now we're left paying any where from £5- 10 for something which lasts about 30 minutes and is ridden with bugs most of the time.

The only DLC I ever played which was worth the money was the Fallout 3 DLC, and that's only because Broken Steel raised the level cap. I guess the GTA 4 DLC is meant to be pretty good too, but these are of course the exceptions which prove the rule that DLC was created solely for the purpose of ripping of loyal fans and smashing the consumer base open like a giant money pinnate.