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[BFEL]

The biggest change between 1 and 2 was the change from late TV Star Trek tone and visuals to more of a Star Wars used future kinda deal.  For a narrative focused game that's going to make a big difference in whether people like it, and its not something you can be objectively wrong or right about.  I'll admit I never played 3 but it seemed like it also shifted the tone and style significantly.

In the article I linked this is his main point of contention. They took a thing that was well loved with a consistent, developed world and handed it off to another writer who wanted to write a wholly different story. Then they did it again for 3.

Shamus compared it to "if J.K. Rowling had handed Harry Potter off to Terry Pratchet after the 4th book or so" and made the point you did, that while either isn't objectively better, the mere fact that it changed so much ruins the experience for those in for the long haul.

[KingofstarrySkies]

I fucking despise mass effect 1, and I really wish I didn't. It's just so clunky and slow and boring to slog through. Two was much more fun.

[NullForceOmega]

I like the majority of ME1, but dear fucking hells getting anywhere is like driving in mud covered by four feet of wet snow.  Also, Mako is actually the worst space tank ever.

[Taricus]

Yeah, while the gameplay of ME1 wasn't the best, it's the writing that's really the standout point for it; well thought out and fairly well executed. That, however, trails off with ME2 and ME3. Ironically the gameplay got smoother as the writing got worse so...

[KingofstarrySkies]

...I honestly felt that me2 was waaayyyy better written. Three was also fairly well written besides the dull endings, which got fixed.

[hector13]

2 is best. 3 was awful. 1 was alright, excepting the Mako, and excessive inventory stuff.

[itisnotlogical]

I think I got a different pleasure out of Mass Effect than what critics of the sequels (or fans of the original, if you prefer) did.

I didn't especially care too much about the hows and whys of the plot or universe. I never read the Codex, except if there was a plot point I was really struggling to understand or a reference I didn't get. I found a lot of the lore to be pretty generic sci-fi ripped from Star Trek. There's the long-lived democratic race (Vulcans to Asari), the angry warrior race with a genetic defect (Klingons to Krogan), the cyborg enemy that forcibly converts its victims (Borg to Reapers with a bit of Alien thrown in at the end), warp drive (Mass Effect engines), so on. Beyond the specific words used, there's little that's truly unique about the Mass Effect universe.

I liked the characters. I liked finding out a little bit more of their history after every mission. I liked learning about their homeworld and their personal struggles. I liked Joker's growing relationship with EDI through 2 and 3. I loved Liara asking for your input about her histories of you. I loved Tali's anxiety about her pilgrimage and Garrus' dark times on Omega. I remember Kaidan's confrontation with Shepard on Horizon a lot better than I remember that mission itself. I liked ME2 so much better than 1 because it's almost all character introductions; most of the main quests are building up a rogue's gallery of interesting new characters, and then you get to interact with them even more for the loyalty missions.

I loved 3 in particular so much because it gave my Shepard a personal conflict that I felt was lacking in a game where I could decide that Shepard's personality changed at the drop of a hat. The dream sequences, her reaction to the [spoilers] on Thessia, having to reassure her crew as the outlook only gets more grim; these are the reasons I played Mass Effect. I didn't care if the ending was exactly as bad as everyone said it was, because I got to see Tali getting wasted in the Normandy's galley and Garrus and Vega trading tall tales in the crew lounge. Those are the moments I take away from ME3 and the series as a whole, and they're enjoyable to me.

[KingofstarrySkies]

I played it because characters, yes. Bwoinking Garrus was a personal success on every level.

[Akura]

I played it because characters, yes. Bwoinking Garrus was a personal success on every level.

Remember, ingestion can cause hallucinations, so don't, ah... ingest.


Am I the only one disappointed with the reveal of Tali's face? Not the least because they basically photobombed a stock picture? While the model used in the photo is nonetheless hot, it looks nothing like I expected Tali's face to look like, especially since you can see the outline of her face through her mask.

[itisnotlogical]

I didn't get to see Tali unmasked in my game, but upon looking it up that is really disappointing. I would have preferred it remaining a mystery.

[SOLDIER First]

ingestion is the second-best part

[KingofstarrySkies]

I believe that the original Quarians in me1 were actually, like... Rat people. Or something similar to that. They weren't really super attractive. It got retconned, however.

I tihnk.

[Sirus]

I'm pretty sure that all we knew about quarians in ME1 was that they were mammals. Being rodent-like was just a fan theory IIRC.

[NullForceOmega]

I'm pretty sure Tali's faceplate has always been translucent, and the outline of her face has always been basically human.

[Sirus]

Both of those are true. Even with ME1's muddy graphics it seemed pretty obvious to me.

^{_{still loved the meme involving her ME2 faceplate removal though}}