The Mass Effect.

[Ashval]

[Caliana]

Upon returning to Tuchanka:

EDI: "..also, killing the thresher maw has produced several breeding requests for Grunt, and one for Commander Shepherd"
Grunt: "HAH!"

[Caliana]

Okay, I figured out what's been bugging me about Volus everytime I talk to them. At first I kept thinking "mole men in space", but now....

[Shigy]

Awkward moments in combat dialogue. Grunt + Harbinger

Harbinger: I know you feel this.
Grunt: RIGHT ON YOUR ASS!


I need an adult.

[Caliana]

EDI has made it to my favorite quotes list. (Though Joker is still my fave"

EDI: [Shepard launches a probe at Uranus] Really, Commander?
[Shepard launches a second probe]
EDI: [exasperated] Probing Uranus.

Commander Shepard: EDI isn't a crutch. I want your eyes on everything.
Flight Lieutenant Jeff 'Joker' Moreau: Eyes are easy, Commander. I've got eyes covered.
EDI: I believe covering your eyes would be counter to Shepard's intention.


Shepard: I noticed that you're calling EDI 'her' and 'she' now.
Joker: Huh. No. I hadn't really noticed that. EDI, should I've noticed that?
EDI: No, Jeff. It is not worth noting.
Joker: Well, there you go, Shepard. Looks like we haven't noticed anything.

And why I will always <3 Tali

Garrus Vakarian: Do you ever miss those talks we had on the elevators?
Tali'Zorah: No.
Garrus Vakarian: Come on. Remember how we'd always ask you about life on the flotilla? It was an opportunity to share!
Tali'Zorah: This conversation is over.
Garrus Vakarian: Tell me again about your immune system.
Tali'Zorah: I have a shotgun.
Garrus Vakarian: Mmmmaybe we'll talk later.

[Ashval]

I love that you're enjoying this so much.

Is it bad that I can finish every one of these quotes in my head as soon as I start to read the first couple of words?

[Caliana]

At the insistence of a friend, I bought the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC. I'm reading the background files on all the companion characters. So far, Dr Solus' "STG Mission Report" is giving me giggle fits. I guessed what a cloaca was by context and vague familiarity, looked it up just in case, and sure enough. The back and forth about obstructed cloacals, and the retort that the other guy is a "walking cloacal" amuse me greatly.

[Ashval]

I didn't realize that DLC didn't come with your collector's edition. I'm glad you got it. That DLC is awesome.

[Caliana]

I didn't realize that DLC didn't come with your collector's edition. I'm glad you got it. That DLC is awesome.

I know it came with a few addons and stuff, but it definitely didn't come with LotSB and the Genesis thing. I'll have to look at my origin tool later to list off what it did and did not come with. I looked it up to see if it came with a list, but all it says it "PLEASE NOTE: Mass Effect Trilogy includes Mass Effect Pinnacle Station and Bring Down the Sky" ¯\(º_o)/¯

[Caliana]

Okay. According to the info section on my Origin profile these are all the packs. Since I ordered my trilogy pack straight from Origin, I think anyone who does the same will get all the packs I put a (P) beside (unless they change something).


~Mass Effect 2: < (P) indicates Provided >
(P) Mass Effect 2 Documentary
(P) Mass Effect 2 Digital Art Books
(P) Mass Effect 2 Soundtrack
Genesis
Arrival
Alternate Appearance Pack 2 (Tali, Grunt, Miranda)
Lair of the Shadow Broker
Firepower Pack
Aegis Pack
Overlord Pack
Equalizer Pack
Kasumi - Stolen Memory
Alternate Appearance Pack 1 (Garrus, Thane, Jack)
(P) Firewalker Pack
(P) Cerberus Arc Projector
(P) Cerberus Weapon and Armor
(P) Zaeed - The Price of Revenge
(P) Cerberus Network
(P) Normady Crash Site

~Mass Effect 3
Alternate Appearance Pack 1
Genesis 2
Leviathan
(P) Extended Cut
(P) Reckoning
Citadel
Groundside Resistance Pack
Omega
Firefight Pack
(P) Retaliation
(P) Earth
(P) Rebellion
(P) Resurgence
From Ashes

[Ashval]

Okay, out of that list...here's what I'd recommend that you try to get (if you can afford it)...

Mass Effect 2...

Kasumi - Stolen Memory: Kasumi is one of my favorite characters and has some fun cameos in ME3. Also, you also get a VERY nice SMG out of this pack. For me, this pack was just a notch below Lair of the Shadow Broker, but that's probably because I have a huge crush on Kasumi.

Overlord Pack: This is not a MUST HAVE, but I really enjoyed the story and combat with this pack. (also, make sure you run over or shoot the cow-like animals on the planet for some giggles)

Most of the rest of the packs are weapon/armor packs...fun to spice up a new playthrough, but not necessary. The alternate appearance packs were mediocre.

Firepower Pack: Adds three excellent weapons to the game. The Phalanx pistol is a VERY nice gun if you're into pistols...think pistol meets sniper rifle. It's probably the highlight of this pack. The geth shotgun and the Mattock assault rifle are both solid weapons as well.

Aegis Pack: This pack gives you a great set of armor (stat-wise), but I think it's a bit ugly personally (and it's not like ME2 is that hard to beat without better armor). The incisor sniper rifle that is included is a good choice for companions like Garrus, Zaeed or Thayne to use, but it's not ideal for the player.

Equalizer Pack: I didn't care for anything in this pack really. Then again, I tend to dislike most of the head armor and themed full-suit armor sets in ME. I'm a mix and matcher.

As for Mass Effect 3 (I'm SO glad they included the Extended Cut endings)...

Citadel - There is no other DLC in any of the games that matches up to this one. It is the cream of the crop. Pure hilarity will ensue. Get this DLC. Also, I recommend putting off most of this content until you near the end of ME3. Some conversations with your crew members will reference side quests, but only if they've already been done. Much like on your ship, walk around your apartment a lot and just eavesdrop on the conversations so that you hear all of the dialogue between your companions.

From Ashes - I'm bummed they didn't include this one for you. I really recommend it. Javik is a highly entertaining (and cranky) companion, and he has some great moments in The Citadel DLC as well. I'd put this as a must have with The Citadel if you can afford both.

Leviathan - I enjoyed this DLC, and it did a lot to explain the origins of the reapers. I wouldn't say it's must-have if you need to pick your battles financially, but it's fun.

Omega - I'd put this in the same category as Leviathan, but I'd probably choose Omega between the two. Aria is an interesting character to me. Plus, you get a LOT of content with this. The battles are long (yet fun).

Groundside Resistance Pack - It's another weapon pack, but it gives you a pretty good bang for your buck with seven weapons being added. Still, I'd consider this very optional. The Executioner Pistol and N7 Typhoon Assault Rifle are the highlights.

Firefight Pack - And yet another weapon pack. This includes two of the best SMG's in the game (IMO) with the Blood Pack Punisher and Geth Plasma Submachine Gun, but I wasn't floored by the other guns. You can probably save your money.

Anyway, those are my thoughts.

[Caliana]

Good advice. Thanks

I already bought Lair of the Shadow Broker. I was thinking of getting Citadel soon as I remember both you and another friend recommending that one. I just started 3, but I'm thinking of going back and redoing 2 a bit first.


"Hey EDI, nice body. Now you look like a sex bot instead of a sex toy." <---

[Ashval]

Just curious...did you lose any crew members in the suicide run?

[Caliana]

No, cause I'm badass (and all my companions save for Jack were set to Loyalty bonus)

[Ashval]

No, cause I'm badass (and all my companions save for Jack were set to Loyalty bonus)

Loyalty bonus alone won't save them. You made the right specialist choices. Good for you!

[Mawerick]

Dammit, you're making me wanna to a replay of the whole thing again!

And as I don't own all the DLC's, I'd have to get those too...

[Caliana]

I'm trying to play through all three somewhat quickly without much skipping (I messed up in ME1 because I didn't realize the quest I was doing was one of those "time to go to the final boss" kind of quests) simply to complete the game in a "things I want to do before I die" sort of way, but I play to come back and do many, many more playthroughs.

I really like the dialogue and character interactions in 3, but I HATE the combat (I like the way you can take cover, jump gaps, etc, but it feels like the weapons are intentionally craptastic to make modding necessary, and I don't like having to micro manage weapon upgrades and stuff )

So far 3 has some of the best lines of the 3. "I don't need luck, I have ammo!" and Joker making cracks about Jack trying not to swear. ".. what do you have a swear jar? I bet if we emptied that thing we could build a new cruiser"

To add, I really wish I could take screenshots in this game. There are so many col looking scenes that I want pics of, possibly for wallpaper or collection. I found it amusing that I'm crawling through a tunnel with a blowtorch on my hip, and there's flame coming out of it. <insert imminent fart jokes here>

[Ashval]

I wasn't sure about the combat in ME3 at first, but it grew on me quickly. I love it now. The other two games feel slow to me after playine ME3.

And, I LOVE micro-managing weapons/gear/companions. So, that wasn't an issue for me.

I'm glad you plan on doing several playthroughs. That's the way I do Bioware games. They're amazing at making their games very replayable.

Yep, I think I'll be picking my ME2 engineer playthrough back up tonight. Just talking about it has me itching to play again.

[Shigy]

If you are running one and two through steam you can use the steam overlay to take screenshots. Can't remember if origin has a similar feature or not.

[Caliana]

If you are running one and two through steam you can use the steam overlay to take screenshots. Can't remember if origin has a similar feature or not.

I don't have it on steam, I have the box set from Origin.

I've noticed to my dismay that Windows 7 doesn't let met take screenshots of games like I used to be able to. I can't control+ print screen anymore, at least not in games. All I get when I paste the pic into irfanview/paint is a full black screen