should i buy mass effect?

December 26, 2009 6:01 PM

steam has mass effect for $20. is it worth buying and playing now?
posted by leemajors to Computers & Internet (18 answers total)

It's not worth buying anything on Steam right now until either it becomes a daily deal or the 3rd rolls around and you can be sure it won't be discounted (further).
posted by ODiV at 6:26 PM on December 26, 2009

Response by poster: lol. yeah, been there, read the reviews. i'm a games reviewer too. but never played mass effect and wondering whether, a year on, and with mass effect 2 coming, whether it was worth forking out 20 bucks for.
posted by leemajors at 6:28 PM on December 26, 2009

Oh wait, it's not even discounted right now. Pretty much everything on Steam is on sale. This might be a hint that it will be going on sale, though I can't say for sure.

If you can wait until Mass Effect 2 comes out at the end of next month, it's a good bet it will drop further after that.
posted by ODiV at 6:30 PM on December 26, 2009

Response by poster: i thought 20 bucks was pretty cheap as it is...
posted by leemajors at 6:32 PM on December 26, 2009

Best answer: Yes. It's a great game, and it's not exactly ancient (i.e., you won't think it looks/plays like a retro title) -- and the character you create now, assuming you finish the game with him/her, will transfer into the ME2 world.
posted by ellF at 6:32 PM on December 26, 2009

FYI, Torchlight (pretty excellent diablo clone) is $4.99 on steam right now, an incredible deal.
posted by Oktober at 7:03 PM on December 26, 2009

What ellF said.
posted by Silvertree at 7:07 PM on December 26, 2009

If you like other Bioware titles (Jade Empire, Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age Origins, Baldur's Gate), it's similar.

It's very well done, very pretty, and best enjoyed for Bioware's specialties: character interactions, voice acting, and romance. Plus it's great if you like Star Trek and always wanted your own spaceship.

I found the combat a little disappointing... the weapons seem too much alike-- and the moral choices a bit bland. But it's still a worthwhile game.
posted by zompist at 7:29 PM on December 26, 2009

It was absolutely worth the $5 I paid for it a few weeks ago on Direct2Drive. Having played it, I would say it would have been worth $20 to me (although without such hindsight, I might have scoffed at paying that). I am now eagerly anticipating my pre-ordered copy of ME2...!
posted by asciident at 8:15 PM on December 26, 2009

Oh heck yes buy it now. I freaking love that game, and your character will transfer over to Mass Effect 2 with all the implied effects on the plot and such (though you'll be allowed to switch classes if you start hating your choice by then). If you bother with the all the sidequests and achievements and such that game is going to keep you busy for weeks, or if you skip them and just do the main quest and the Bring Down the Sky DLC quest you've got a trim little weekend romp through the galaxy. It's probably the best game I've played in the last year (bought it in June).
posted by sandswipe at 9:27 PM on December 26, 2009

It's a great game with decent graphics that are not too dated. It's more shooter/action oriented than Knights of the Old republic.

If you have the option, I'd strongly recommend the XBox360 version. Having played both the PC and XBox versions, the game really plays better on the console. (not framerate/graphics , but interface/controls)
posted by kzin602 at 8:37 AM on December 27, 2009

If you have a multi-platform game such as this, there is a very likely chance that it'll have the Xbox 360 controls mapped verbatim for the PC version. If you have a 360 controller just plug it in and go. XP requires a driver, Vista and 7 have it built in.
posted by ijoyner at 9:14 AM on December 27, 2009

I got it from the EA site for $9.95 a few weeks ago. I'm sure it will get cheaper as ME2 gets closer to its release date.
posted by Locobot at 9:37 AM on December 27, 2009

It's a great game and worth buying for $20, yes. I'm one of the few that has recorded all of the Mass Effect main story cinematics and a little gameplay (26 videos x 10 min) so that it watches like a movie. I think the voice acting is pretty good, and this was the first over-the-shoulder 3rd person game I could actually get into (having tried a dozen others and hating it) without feeling like the character's butt monkey.

This page (super ultra turbo spoilers) suggests that a lot of significant story decision-elements get transferred from ME1, but not your character level -- although having a level 60 (max) character to transfer is speculated to have some unspecified bonus. You'll be able to change your character class, though, if you like. My guy is level 47-ish, so looks like I better get busy ^_~|/
posted by Quarter Pincher at 10:36 AM on December 27, 2009

(Part 1 of 26) ^_~
posted by Quarter Pincher at 11:00 AM on December 27, 2009

Make sure you check other sites before buying it over Steam. Steam had Lost Via Domus for $19.99, and I found it (brand new) on Amazon for < $6.
posted by tdischino at 11:31 AM on December 27, 2009

It's $5 today on Steam.
posted by ODiV at 10:52 AM on January 1, 2010

Response by poster: awesome! after all the fantastic answers here i was all set to buy, then got distracted and now it's 5 bucks for one day on steam. SO going to buy it.

thanks everyone!
posted by leemajors at 3:51 PM on January 1, 2010