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Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:
As much as I like the Mass Effect games, boy has the first game not aged very well, it's super easy to break the game wide open with the Biotic Adept class, which is what I always chose because Space Magic is awesome.

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Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:
I seem to recall that Saren's character model isn't supposed to have him covered in robotics just yet but Bioware didn't have time to give him a non robo model or something along those lines.

Which makes the Council scene in a little while highly amusing, as the Council defends Saren when he's standing there with glowing blue robotic eyes and plastered in Geth technology.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:

Up Circle posted:

She's racist m8. I don't have time to consult my exhaustive research notes on Ashley Williams sorry I can't debate you on this, but it is the smallest of small fries. In my heart of hearts I think we both know that she dislikes aliens with an intensity that overrides any semantic differences we are having.

I'd dislike aliens too if I'd spent my life being poo poo on by humanity because my Grandfather surrendered to the Turians because he was massively overwhelmed by them, this is kind of why Ashley isn't fond of them, is it an excuse? Not really, but it is a main reason for it.

Until now, Shepard and Anderson are pretty much the only people who haven't given Ashley the stink eye for being related to General Williams of Surrendered to Turians fame.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:

Psion posted:

ME3 is not kind to Ash in terms of both character and mechanically as a squadmate, ME3 is kind to Kaidan in both. Also Citadel has some good Kaidan scenes. Food of my people!

It's not a huge deal either way - both their roles are small in the remainder of the franchise (for some reason? ;)) but a lot of people who kept Ash alive from ME1 read about what Kaidan got in ME3 and then either save edited or started Yet Another Trilogy Replay. Having done both, I think in the grand scheme of things it makes more narrative sense for Kaidan to stick around, but ultimately who cares, do what you like.

I guess there's not much point in giving Ashley or Kaiden larger roles in ME2/3 when one of them blows up in nuclear hellfire later in the game, and for me, it was always Kaiden, 100% of the time, because I did not care for him at all, even in 3.

I had the same issues with Jacob from 2, did not care for him one bit.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:

Inferior posted:

Star Trek and Star Wars have their sexy colorful lady aliens as slave girls. Mass Effect puts them in charge of the galaxy. Progress!

I did like the random drunk dude in ME2 who wonders if the reason all species find Asari attractive is because they're just mind tricking everyone, all the time.

That would make sense, the Asari were heavily genetically altered by the Protheans, Javik himself tells you this, and it is a great scene.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:

hard counter posted:

Javik/Protheans probably did not see the actual frogs/apes the sentient species came from since they were around as recently as 50,000 years ago. They would have probably seen all the different species at their most primitive state though - at the time humanity was anatomically modern but probably did not have a developed language (possibly implies a subtle biological change hadn't occurred yet) and essentially lived/acted no better than the other apes near as we can tell, barring uprightness and tool use.

That first impression probably makes it worse honestly, salarians were apparently so primitive protheans didn't have moral objections about consuming them as food.

Javik mentions that the Asari were the most developed of the primitive races back when they were discovered by the Protheans in that they were the Asari versions of Cave people huddling around fire for warmth, kinda sucks they sat on the supreme knowledge they were given rather than share it, information that could have helped prepare for the Reapers.

Then again, wouldn't humanity or one of the other races have done the same?

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:

Lord_Magmar posted:

That includes all the usual problems with elves. For example the third game makes it fairly obvious the Protheans tried to prepare them to destroy the reapers this time and they did nothing with it. Or at least that's my understanding of it. It's why they always have the best technology, when someone else makes something better they just find the appropriate bit of tech to make theirs better again.

The reason the Asari have the best technology is all because the Protheans hand picked them to lead the next cycle and gave them a fully functional beacon stuffed with technology that would help them prepare the Galaxy for the Reapers return, but instead they sat on the bulk of this information and used it only to better themselves, as mentioned earlier, Javik is very, very displeased when he finds this out.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:

mauman posted:

Yeah, but I find it hilarious that they have an active blockade around their planet ready to shoot any of them that reach space.

The Yahg are basically a fusion of Krogan brutality and Salarian intellect, look at the current (As of ME 1 and 2) Shadow Broker, he's one such a creature, and is probably one of the deadliest non Reaper enemies you face in the series

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:

Transmogrifier posted:

Pretty sure in the mission in ME3 to rescue Eve, there's a log that talks about the Salarians planning to covertly uplift the Yahg actually.

The Reapers also don't attack the Yahg homeworld since they aren't classed as an advanced species, technology wise, so a few people half jokingly say they'll be the ones leading the next cycle should the Reapers win.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:

SubponticatePoster posted:

I vaguely remember them talking about how the Protheans observed humans, but that might have been in regards to the ruins on Mars and not the amulet thingy.

An update on updates: going out of town tonight to celebrate my birthday :toot: will be back tomorrow and will get us a new video posted in the next couple of days.

Yeah, the Protheans were watching humanity but severed all contact once the Reapers came knocking.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:
I'm actually glad most of the Reaper Forces and the Geth don't talk in combat because hearing "ENEMIES EVERYWHERE!" "HOLD THE LINE"" and " GO GO GO!" a million times in ME1 drove me crazy.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:

Pvt.Scott posted:

I like all of the straight laced simple characters in games like this. I have a universe to save, I'm not here to play nanny. At least if I give Kaiden or Ashley or Jacob a gun I know they'll stop blubbering long enough to give me fire support. Why the gently caress would I want to take a naive, civilian, inbred blue-space-hooker equivalent of a twelve year old with me into combat over an actual soldier? Stay on the ship and science you blue harlot!

She's powerful in combat though, Biotic Adepts break the game completely.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:

Up Circle posted:

Oh I forgot samara/morinth. Samara was cool I guess, except she always reminded me how biotics in cutscenes came across like insanely powerful goku-esque superhumans and then in game you never get to punch someones head into mush.

The joke is pretty much on you if you choose Morinth though, she gets Reaperfied in 3 and ends up as a Banshee.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:

Bobfly posted:

Heh heh, it's fun how everyone's mostly just looking forward to ME2. Myself included! drat, that was a fun game. Should play it again. drat you, Bioware, for releasing ME1 for PS3 and triggering my neuroses.

Let's not be too hasty, Mass Effect 1 does have the conversation with Sovereign and that is the highlight of the game for me.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:
This was also the first video game Ali Hillis, Liara's voice actor did vocal work for, so she sounds a little flat compared to 2 and 3, and the dozens of games she's appeared in since.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:

Up Circle posted:

I never bought Liara as a stone cold killer. Her conversations in 2 had me literally laughing out loud at the entire concept of her and all that shadow broker nonsense.

If you are in a relationship with her, she more or less says that her stone cold killer speeches are just an act she puts on as a public face.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:

SubponticatePoster posted:

Now that we've got everyone I'm gonna do a lap around the ship and do some chatting. This won't make for a super exciting video so I can either split it up over a couple of updates or just get it out of the way, whichever folks prefer.

Tali doesn't really have anything amazing to say, she's pretty much a walking Encyclopedia for Quarian culture in ME 1, expect to hear the word "Pilgrimage" a lot if you do chat to her.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:

DeusExMachinima posted:

Tali isn't literally made of cardboard though. And also not doomed to always get left behind in a nuclear blast. :fry:

You can make up for this though by siding with the Geth in ME3 which results in the entire Quarian race being wiped out, Tali included!

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:
The first Mass Effect book has a sequence where a Batarian goes to a brothel and chooses a human woman to be with for the evening, however, he's planning on torturing her to death for the crime of being a disgusting human, funnily enough it's Saren who comes to her rescue, only because he wants to torture said Batarian for information, saving the girl was just incidental.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:

Kurieg posted:

It back fills in some lore, but it also opens up some giant plot holes with the catalyst talk that you can't actually address.

It does, however, contain me3's quotient of telling a godlike entity to gently caress off, and some good dungeons.

I made a guess not long after ME2 came out that Harbinger would be the Reaper King or something similar and the Leviathan DLC came out and confirmed my dumb guess, he's the first Reaper to ever be created and also the most powerful.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:

Aces High posted:

well they already hosed themselves by going all in on that stupid ending, so Leviathan is just them doubling down on it.

The writers responsible for the ending are gone from Bioware, aren't they?

Drew Karpyshin, who was ME1 and 2's writer, amongst other things has returned to Bioware after a hiatus so he could write his own book series.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:

Kurieg posted:

Conrad? :allears:
Did they fix the save bug for the PS3 release?

The PS3 version of Mass Effect 1 was a more or less straight port of the 360 version, bugs, animations glitches and all, it was a little disappointing.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:

Kurieg posted:

I wanted the paramour achievement and my only other option was a 90 year old pre-teen, it felt really creepy in my first playthrough.

She's only 106 that's at least 18 in Asari years! :v:

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:

hard counter posted:

Thessia must've had really forgiving predators if someone could spend a whole century being a useless baby

That's part of the problems with being a species that has a natural lifespan of 1000 years, you can afford to spend a few hundred years doing nothing important, which has the knock on effect of causing you to stagnate as a species as you spend centuries doing nothing, while shorter lived species like Humans actually do the grunt work and get things done.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:

Aces High posted:

aren't the krogan a long lived species as well? At least that's the impression that bartender gives in ME2

They are, but unlike the Asari they blew their homeworld back to the stone age and the genophage did the rest.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:
I never pick the two options to treat that dick Admiral with respect, it's just too funny to not piss him off, since he is a dick, as mentioned.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:

Poil posted:

edit
Oh god, the combat dialog. I had completely suppressed that. I will destroy you! I will destroy you! Go go go! I will destroy you! Enemies everywhere! I will destroy you! You must die! Go go go!

This is why the Geth are the best opponents, they don't talk in fights.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:

DeusExMachinima posted:

Hm, now that you've got me thinking of the endings and how they can drastically change things about the Reapers. The inclusion/exclusion of those details would still be notable either way even millenia afterwards. I wonder how they'll work out any potential reverse-engineering of Reaper tech (or hell, how our choices affected the mass relays themselves and the Milky Way societies that depend on it) without transferred save data. The Reaper tech idea is making me wonder what our hero ship for ME4 will look like or how it'll work. And speaking of getting to Andromeda in the first place, there's only one kind of ship in ME that's confirmed to fly in intergalactic space. Especially interesting in terms of getting around since there may not be any relays in Andromeda.

Trying to be vague here since I know a poster said they were mostly unspoiled and wanted to follow the LP.

Of course they may just try their damnedest to gloss over the ME3 endings and associated poo poo storm. :v:

I'm fairly certain Andromeda is a soft reboot of the setting because trying to account for all possible choices in Andromeda would be a nightmarish clusterfuck, better to start again than have the game tainted with the Reaper poo poo from the trilogy.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:
I actually liked the sequence that lead up to the Collector Base invasion although it gets pretty funny if you didn't finish every companion sidequest and thus make them loyal, because some of them die in that sequence, on my very first run of ME2, I only lost Grunt as he died during the hold the line sequence when you go to fight the Giant Terminator.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:
I always did the Hot Labs quest after dealing with Benezia, you don't have to fight Captain Ventralis that way since you can just walk back to the tram and avoid him, it doesn't make much of a difference though really.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:
The Benezia fight is pretty buggy with all the biotic attacks flying around, it's very possible to end up stuck inside a wall when you get ragdolled around by them, this isn't very fun at all.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:
I see or rather hear that glitch with Chellik is still in place after all these years, if you didn't notice, his last bit of speech with you was missing the metallic sounding effect Turians have when they speak.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:
I like Feros, you can tell that something's wrong from the moment you speak to someone and it's all very spooky and if you are doing a full renegade run, this place is even better.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:
There's some very flirty dialogue between Shepard and Liara in Lair of the Shadow Broker in 2 if you are in a relationship, it makes for a funny contrast with what happens throughout that content.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:
It always cracks me up seeing Saren riding around on his goofy little hoverboard in battle, it totally wrecks his badass persona.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:
Since Mass Effect 2 is near, you'll soon be very familiar with a particular phrase, it's almost as infamous as the combat dialogue from ME1 and it-ASSUMING CONTROL!

(That was the phrase by the way, you'll hear it a lot, more so on higher difficulties)

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:
Amusingly the modesty underpants covered more skin than Morrigan's default outfit which barely covered her chest.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:

Covok posted:

Nah, screw that. We should totally romance Garrus and make things awkward.

Also, does anyone ever fight Saren in the final battle? I think everyone goes for the option that causes him to off himself.

You get to see Saren riding his dumb hoverboard again though, that is worth the fight.

Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:
Overthinking things also makes it more awkward. :v:

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Judge Tesla
Oct 29, 2011

:frogsiren:

Up Circle posted:

im of the opinion that liara is basically high-functioning autist among the asari, so if you sleep with her in 1 you are basically a pedophile and exploiting someone with a disability.

Do you write for Fox News by any chance? I remember a controversy from there around the time of this game's release. :v:

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