Hi all. Over the holidays, I went ahead and purchased both Mass Effect 1 & 2 from the Steam sale, intending to play both because of all the praise they receive from the internet and my friends. I have tried playing Mass Effect 1 (I borrowed it from a friend for the 360) before but I quickly grew bored of a side mission I was working on (not to mention it involved vehicular combat...) and quit playing the game. So, now that I'm about to give it a second chance, what tips do you have for me so that I may have a fun experience with the least amount of boredom and frustration, while still seeing all the game has to offer? I realize that what I'm asking for is a bit specific, but bear with me, please.

EDIT: Spelling.

As much as I love Mass Effect 1 I would recommend skipping it and just going to 2. The game play will most likely not give you a lot of satisfaction. If you want a full expereince you will have to play both though, if they have that dlc comic thing for 2 on Steam get it so you can just skip 1 without losing anything.

@michaelfossbakk: Pro-Tips: knock it down to easy. A lot of my enjoyment from ME1 stemmed from the fact that I knew combat was absolute ass on anything higher. Knock it down to easy, and the Mako stuff won't be nearly as bad. Also, you don't need to do -every- side mission. Companion quests are a must, though, as well as the missions you get from Hackett. They often relate to shit that'll show up in ME2.

And return to the Citadel after every major story mission. Conrad Verner will be waiting, and he's just a joy to see.

@Oldirtybearon:

1. "Easy" isn't too easy, is it?

2. What are companion quests? Why are they more important than other side-quests, or in other words, why aren't other side-quests as rewarding/important as companion quests?

Avoid exploring random planets and don't play on anything above normal.

@michaelfossbakk: Don't bother with a lot of the side mission stuff, knock the difficulty down (as stated above by other fine fellows) and talk to all your party members after every mission in detail (they are dotted around the ship).

The companion quests are ones that these dudes/dudettes will ask for help with (like, locating a suit of armour or a fleeing criminal) and only come after talking to them for a while.

Also, max out the which speech variant you want (either Charm or Intimidate) ASAP, it makes for more interesting interactions.

If you really don't like the game, just download a save from MassEffectSaves and skip on to 2, it's a far better game.

Hope that helps.

@michaelfossbakk said:

@Oldirtybearon:

1. "Easy" isn't too easy, is it?

2. What are companion quests? Why are they more important than other side-quests, or in other words, why aren't other side-quests as rewarding/important as companion quests?

Easy is fine. Unless you're familiar with the incredibly wonky AI in the game, anything above normal is hell.

Companion quests are just personal quests given by party members. It isn't so much about rewards as it is just doing it for more story.

If you get bored don't do the side quests (unless they're specific to someone on your squad). If you don't find yourself loving the gameplay, then just speed through it. The main reason to play ME1 is to get the beginning of the story instead of jumping into the middle of it in ME2.

@michaelfossbakk said:

@Oldirtybearon:

1. "Easy" isn't too easy, is it?

2. What are companion quests? Why are they more important than other side-quests, or in other words, why aren't other side-quests as rewarding/important as companion quests?

Ccompanion quests are side quests you do with you party members, I can't remember all of the benefits but they do get more skills I think. Garrus and Wrex you get for talking to them. Tali you complete by giving her Geth data, Liara you complete by taking her to Noveria, and Ashely's and Kaiden's are completed by picking which one lives and which one dies.

Sidequests are really only good for experience and money as well as some achievements with letters or minor characters showing up in ME2 with some context. Most of the sidequests are poor vehicular combat sequences but the companion quests are more action based.

Alright. It seems like I should take the difficulty down to "easy" and only do the main quests and companion quests.

Don't play as a Soldier. Every one of my personal friends that didn't enjoy ME1 said they didn't like the combat, and they all played as Soldiers. I'd recommend a Vanguard. 
 
 
Also, Easy honestly might be so easy that you get bored because everything's a cakewalk. And as others said, don't feel compelled to explore random planets. That stuff is fine if you're super immersed (like I was) but your net gains are very little.

Just play the ME2 first. I really didn't like Mass Effect the first two times I played it. But after playing and loving Mass Effect 2, I went back again and enjoyed Mass Effect.

@Irvandus said:

As much as I love Mass Effect 1 I would recommend skipping it and just going to 2. The game play will most likely not give you a lot of satisfaction. If you want a full expereince you will have to play both though, if they have that dlc comic thing for 2 on Steam get it so you can just skip 1 without losing anything.

Do not follow this persons advice.

The story in Mass Effect is where the heart is. It is fantastic, and with 3 upcoming, you'll want to have your decisions in order! Beside, you can bumrush the main story and finish it between eight and twelve hours.

As for Mass Effect 2, the main story is where it all is. There isn't much of a story per se, since you will be spending time aligning your allies and solving secondary issues while the big, final fight comes up.

Don't play as a Soldier. Every one of my personal friends that didn't enjoy ME1 said they didn't like the combat, and they all played as Soldiers. I'd recommend a Vanguard.   Also, Easy honestly might be so easy that you get bored because everything's a cakewalk. And as others said, don't feel compelled to explore random planets. That stuff is fine if you're super immersed (like I was) but your net gains are very little.

@michaelfossbakk: What bored you, exactly? The combat? Poring through menus? The Mako? I'd suggest playing on normal and enjoying everything the world(s) has to offer, but that's just me. ME1 is one of my favorite games this gen, even w/ its flaws. Definitely play as a Vanguard or somebody who can lob biotic powers. Combat's not a high point anyway and is fairly easy on normal. I didn't mind the Mako but i know lots of people hated it, so I don't know what to tell u there. Rock on, sir or madam. You have 3 weeks to get thru 2 games!

@stryker1121: It was just the fact that I was about four hours into the game (I think) and was bored by the side-quest I was doing. Hopefully I don't fall into the same trap or am just more motivated to play. I definitely won't finish both in three weeks, but thanks for the encouragement. ;)

P.S.

It's sir if you really wanted to know. ;)

@michaelfossbakk: I'm about 50/50 on telling you how to and whether you'd enjoy it or not. The affect of it being a great game really takes time. I didn't understand the full game until my third play through. It's probably good you got the first (and second I guess) on the PC, since the original has a great chance of being faster than the 360 version if your computer's powerful enough. Anyways, although everyone is saying skip the side stuff, I think that in the end, you'll feel the best if you do everything in the game. When it comes to searching other planets, that's where it becomes a chore rather than it is fun, but I think you should stick with it, because in the end you'll reap the benefits.

It helps with the sequels by having an overall better experience. I suggest being soldier (although that's not saying much since that's what I always have been), and don't worry so much about the vehicle sections because it's really up to you to use it for most missions. I think you just need to give it more time, and in the end, your feelings will change for the better about Mass Effect, whether it is a huge change, or small. Some may disagree, but the sequel to me is better in (about) every aspect. At first, when transitioning into the sequel, some small things will make you wonder why it had changed, but then you'll notice it doesn't matter much, and it was all for the better.

Mass Effect is one of those series (especially the sequel) that I have a hard time saying is one of my favorites, but really, it is. The sequel to me is one of the best sci-fi games out there, and I think you'll enjoy it a lot as well. When it comes to DLC, I recommend buying all for ME2, and none for the first, unless you're truly that... hardcore, I guess you can say. Everyone has a difference in opinion of course, but like I said before, you definitely need to give it much more time to sink in, and you'll like it a lot. It kind of has a learning curve, but that's one of the few problems; not because it has the learning curve, but because after you play it a lot, you'll find out it shouldn't have been that hard to understand.

I'm no Mass Effect expert, but if you wanted to ask me any more questions about this and beyond, you can go right ahead. I feel like I rehashed a few things I said up there, so if I did, sorry about that. OH! All of the side stuff, you can do it before or after you beat the game, so there's no need to rush the side stuff.

@Landon said:

I really didn't like Mass Effect the first time I played it, but after playing and loving Mass Effect 2, I went back and enjoyed Mass Effect.

Yeah, this is true for me. Sorry for the edit.

@Video_Game_King: lol

I recommend either the lowest difficulty, or the second-to-lowest one. The game is not enjoyable (clarified: to me) when it's on the hard setting. It's a good game, but ME2 is better. Even without as many 'rpg mechanics', I still enjoyed ME2 more. That Mako drove me insane!

I've only recently got into the first game, and still got a copy of the second in it's wrapper on my shelf.

Loving the first one, and I've only heard good things about the second.

Hoping to get it all done before the release of 3.

Erm...better get cracking then.

I'm also looking at doing a second playthrough. I bought ME2 at launch, and I still haven't played through the damn thing, because I lost my save file during a PC upgrade. And then I discover about 6 hours in that the default ME2 storyline is pretty much what I didn't do in ME1. I could get someone else's save, but looking at the list of things that are actually tracked, I don't remember half of the things involved with what I did. So I already know that I'm going to tackle this a little differently this time around:

• Choose a different class. I went with a Soldier the first time around. I'm planning on rolling a Vanguard this time.
• Don't obsessively try to finish all the side-quests when they all become available. That way is a quick way to get burned out on the same cave/starship/space station template.
• Get the other person killed. Because I have no idea how their story ends.
• Get some Renegade points in there. I played a Paragon the first time through, and this time I want to play something a little more...believable? I know it was the "right" thing to let some people go, but really, some of them really deserved a space-shotgun to the face.