Mass Effect 2: More waxing goddamn nostalgic.

[Mr Ben]

This is one of those choices that has to be made. There is no other option. I mean, there is, but it's just there to keep you on your toes, make sure you're paying attention.

I believe the other option is to get him to manually overide the docking controls, which ends up with Anderson getting shot. He still turns up at the end though despite this, he's that damn good B)

[Rudi von Starnberg]

What about all the cool cameos in ME2, though? Do they happen in a non-ME1 save?

By and large, no. The characters in question just aren't there if you don't import.

[Vaya.]

By and large, no. The characters in question just aren't there if you don't import.

I don't understand why they'd do that. Ever if you don't play mass effect most are pretty well explained in 2.

[Rudi von Starnberg]

Nah I think it'd just bemuse new players, really.

"Hi I'm here on behalf of some giant bugs, they want you to know that they're doin' good."

- yeah, best that it's import-only.

[RubberJohnny]

I don't understand why they'd do that. Ever if you don't play mass effect most are pretty well explained in 2.

Because you killed them.

[Uzi]

I don't understand why they'd do that. Ever if you don't play mass effect most are pretty well explained in 2.

Nah, it would be pretty stupid for people like Helen Blakely or whatever her name was to come up to you and say " remember me? You did this obscure side mission for me in 2007 and now I'm here doing XX" Would have no context unless you played the first, and even if you had and didn't import, the multiple choices would have meant there was no way for the game to be coherent with what you did.

It would be like some stranger coming up to you in the street and talking about the night out you had together when you've never met them before in your life. You'd think they were a mental.

[Angles Morts]

I'm pretty sure one person here got it, using option ii. Art, perhaps.

Hey, I didn't do that badly! I only

let Legion, Samara, Mordin (no idea why he carked it) and half the crew die! I was most pissed off about losing Kelly, now I'm going to have to shag a male. Maybe Commander Chardonnay has got something for blue aliens.

[Vaya.]

only that one could there be a problem with.

Fist/the crime lord? they explain themselves pretty well

[Monkeyboy]

Right, so I completed this on "Normal" with little difficulty, and I'm getting ready for a brand new playthrough, starting from scratch with a level 1 character. Seeing as there's only an achievement for the "Insanity" setting, how hard is it? Is it safe to skip "Veteran" and "Hardcore"?

edit: Also, are there any ready made settings for character creation? Say, for example, someone might have hit upon the settings to make your male Shepard look like Elvis or Barry Chuckle. Basically something that lists settings for the celebrity of your choice, to save you the hassle of working it out yourself.

[Gorf King]

Right, so I completed this on "Normal" with little difficulty, and I'm getting ready for a brand new playthrough, starting from scratch with a level 1 character. Seeing as there's only an achievement for the "Insanity" setting, how hard is it? Is it safe to skip "Veteran" and "Hardcore"?

edit: Also, are there any ready made settings for character creation? Say, for example, someone might have hit upon the settings to make your male Shepard look like Elvis or Barry Chuckle. Basically something that lists settings for the celebrity of your choice, to save you the hassle of working it out yourself.

Insanity is *probably* ok with a new character, like you seem to be intending to make. Just don't, whatever you do, start an Insanity run with a NG+ character, like I did. Not if you've the same skill level as me, anyway.

Actually, I'll have to get back into this. I haven't had a go for a few nights, after leaving my Soldier stuck behind a barricade with a Geth Prime and assorted other mechabastards about 10 feet away, and nowhere else to hide. I'll never, ever finish this playthrough.

[Rudi von Starnberg]

Right, so I completed this on "Normal" with little difficulty, and I'm getting ready for a brand new playthrough, starting from scratch with a level 1 character. Seeing as there's only an achievement for the "Insanity" setting, how hard is it? Is it safe to skip "Veteran" and "Hardcore"?

edit: Also, are there any ready made settings for character creation? Say, for example, someone might have hit upon the settings to make your male Shepard look like Elvis or Barry Chuckle. Basically something that lists settings for the celebrity of your choice, to save you the hassle of working it out yourself.

There is a Mass Effect Faces site somewhere but I can't find it on Google right now.

The thread over on SomethingAwful has a repository of some face codes. Barack Obama Shepard is a favourite of mine.

[Sng]

You know at the start when you're in the shuttle being asked about your history? I accidently clicked "we should move on" at the first question so they didn't ask me anything. Did I miss something worthwhile? I didn't complete ME1 so there's no save file I'm starting with.

[donpeartree]

Insanity is *probably* ok with a new character, like you seem to be intending to make. Just don't, whatever you do, start an Insanity run with a NG+ character, like I did. Not if you've the same skill level as me, anyway.

Wait... what the hell? Shouldn't it be easier with an NG + character? Or am I missing something vital here?

[Uzi]

You know at the start when you're in the shuttle being asked about your history? I accidently clicked "we should move on" at the first question so they didn't ask me anything. Did I miss something worthwhile? I didn't complete ME1 so there's no save file I'm starting with.

It just goes through some decisions made in ME1 if you didnt play it, its not a big deal- you can read up on it in more detail if you wanted too anyway

When did you get a 360 btw! Must add you to my friends list just so I can say "I got Soong on my XBOX friends list" and peeps gonna be like whaaat etc

[Monkeyboy]

There is a Mass Effect Faces site somewhere but I can't find it on Google right now.

The thread over on SomethingAwful has a repository of some face codes. Barack Obama Shepard is a favourite of mine.

Ah, think I've found it. Is this the one you were thinking of? http://www.masseffect2faces.com/

I've decided to go for Vin Diesel. http://www.masseffect2faces.com/index.php?faceID=274

Insanity is *probably* ok with a new character, like you seem to be intending to make. Just don't, whatever you do, start an Insanity run with a NG+ character, like I did. Not if you've the same skill level as me, anyway.

Actually, I'll have to get back into this. I haven't had a go for a few nights, after leaving my Soldier stuck behind a barricade with a Geth Prime and assorted other mechabastards about 10 feet away, and nowhere else to hide. I'll never, ever finish this playthrough.

My skill levels aren't amazing, so starting from scratch sounds best. I gather the baddies are all levelled up hard bastards on NG+?

[Sng]

It just goes through some decisions made in ME1 if you didnt play it, its not a big deal- you can read up on it in more detail if you wanted too anyway

When did you get a 360 btw! Must add you to my friends list just so I can say "I got Soong on my XBOX friends list" and peeps gonna be like whaaat etc

Haha, nearly bought one the other day but I can't at the moment... too broke. I'm playing on PC.

[Uzi]

Haha, nearly bought one the other day but I can't at the moment... too broke. I'm playing on PC.

Ahhh yeah forgot about the PC version for a sec

You should pick up ME1 on the PC then if you like 2, its great on there

[Rudi von Starnberg]

Wait... what the hell? Shouldn't it be easier with an NG + character? Or am I missing something vital here?

I'll explain this for the nth time (although to be fair, at least three of those times were for Fneeb ).

NG+ carries over your weapons and armour and level, but no upgrades. Enemies are levelled as well, so you're fighting level 30 enemies with level 1 damage/armour/shield bonuses, as opposed to the +50% damage upgrades and so on that you had at the end of the game. On top of that, the weapons that you get later aren't flat-out better than the basic weapons, just different, so having access to all your weapons doesn't even the playing field. It's a lot harder than starting afresh but gets easier as it goes on.

[Space Renegade Ulala]

I'm playing on Veteran at the moment, it feels so laughable compared to Hardcore yet I do like the fact you're not stuck waiting a couple of minutes before you can unload on everyone with your biotic buddies. Watching Thane throw the drones off the platforms while *I* gave Harbinger the "if I have to tear you apart then I will" treatment with a facefull of Warp Ammo was gloriously theraputic but really, after spending nearly 45 minutes on that bit on Hardcore, it feels like there should be another setting inbetween them both.

Next up: 10 pin bowling with Jack. Except we're using cybernetic zombies instead of pins.

e - Oooh, new Kasumi endgame spoiler

She can hack the Collector Base as well. I can take my Legion-Tali'Zorah Combat Drone Dream Team all the way to the Contra 3 boss after all!

And she calls you 'Shep', the cheeky mare.

[Sng]

Ahhh yeah forgot about the PC version for a sec

You should pick up ME1 on the PC then if you like 2, its great on there

I got about halfway through it but the combat really turned me off. Much preferring ME2.

[Vulgar Monkey]

e - Oooh, new Kasumi endgame spoiler

-----

And she calls you 'Shep', the cheeky mare.

You get that from hacking the files?

I presume that dlc hasn't popped out without my notice just yet...

[Rudi von Starnberg]

Yeah, people have been digging around in the game's files (though not Ulala). There's voice acting for that bit in the install and everything.

And fix the spoilers man.

[donpeartree]

I'll explain this for the nth time (although to be fair, at least three of those times were for Fneeb ).

NG+ carries over your weapons and armour and level, but no upgrades. Enemies are levelled as well, so you're fighting level 30 enemies with level 1 damage/armour/shield bonuses, as opposed to the +50% damage upgrades and so on that you had at the end of the game. On top of that, the weapons that you get later aren't flat-out better than the basic weapons, just different, so having access to all your weapons doesn't even the playing field. It's a lot harder than starting afresh but gets easier as it goes on.

Aha. Cheers for clearing that up.

[revlob]

I'm starting a ME1 female renegade Vanguard, maybe by the time ME3 comes around I'll have got her through ME2.

[donpeartree]

Is there a way to reduce the amount of minerals you need to get the upgrades? I could have sworn that my girlfriend's required materials were slightly lower than mine but she didn't know why.

[Gorf King]

NG+ carries over your weapons and armour and level, but no upgrades. Enemies are levelled as well, so you're fighting level 30 enemies with level 1 damage/armour/shield bonuses, as opposed to the +50% damage upgrades and so on that you had at the end of the game. On top of that, the weapons that you get later aren't flat-out better than the basic weapons, just different, so having access to all your weapons doesn't even the playing field. It's a lot harder than starting afresh but gets easier as it goes on.

This is it, really. I don't know the specifics of the levelling up of enemies, but if the levelling-to-match is taken literally then yes, it will get easier as the game goes on (sort of, difficulty spikes aside), but since you'd never get to level 30 in the first playthrough until right at the end of the final battle it's only then, if then, that you'll have as 'easy' a time of it as you had on a first playthrough - assuming that first playthrough was itself pitched at Insanity level.

I don't know if that's exactly the way it works, but it certainly feels like it. It's fucking brutal.

[Lothar Hex]

Is there a way to reduce the amount of minerals you need to get the upgrades? I could have sworn that my girlfriend's required materials were slightly lower than mine but she didn't know why.

Difficulty setting maybe?

Anyway, a question I would like to ask, which Krogan do you prefer? Wrex or Grunt?

While I like Grunt and his quasi naivety, dark humour, and perchance for irrational violence I think I prefer Wrex for his darker humour, world-weariness, and rational violence. Grunt will headbutt a door out of sheer instinct to get it open. Wrex will look at the door, carefully consider all options, and then choose to headbutt it.

[Space Renegade Ulala]

Wrex will always be best but it has to be said that Grunt is a hell of a lot better than most people feared he would be originally. He's actually quite a lot of fun to bring along.

Doing Mordin's loyalty mission at the moment and Thane just sniped a Vorcha pyro's gas tank as I was lining up the shot myself - the explosion looks AMAZING in zoomed slow-mo, you can actually see the poor thing's head flying away from the exploding fiery mess that is its body.

Ahem.

[Mr Ben]

How can they put the Mako in this when its only missions and no exploration of planets?

[Anubis]

Is there a way to reduce the amount of minerals you need to get the upgrades? I could have sworn that my girlfriend's required materials were slightly lower than mine but she didn't know why.

Not certain about this but I think I saw somewhere that engineers get a bonus that means upgrades cost less in minerals, I may well be wrong though.