Exciting new singleplayer titles!
Exciting new singleplayer titles!
I noticed that too. I tried the for honor beta yesterday and didn't like it much. Haha.
Haha, I’m feeling a bit emotional right now. Mass Effect 3 would be the worst experience to imagine what the series is like, and it doesn’t even impact Andromeda at all—so it’s not the most important one to play before diving into Andromeda. Surprised you didn’t include the first game?
I wasn't suggesting it because it'll effect Andromeda (since for all we know it won't at all), I was suggesting it just because it's a great game. My Favorite is ME2 and ME3 personally, but they're all good. I just figured he would be able to get through at least that one before Andromeda releases. It'll get him a good sense of how the game plays and some backstory as well.
Lol, I haven't tried it yet either. I just got in on the beta today. Fingers crossed it lives up to the hype. The fighting might feel a bit off at first. We'll find out.
Mass Effect is my top game series ever, with around 800 hours played across nearly 9 attempts. Its storyline is among the most compelling in gaming.
Playing the entire series is better, but if op can only play one of the three before Andromeda, the second should be the choice. The third game is quite different from the first two, making it less ideal as a reference for the whole saga. It lacks dialogue trees compared to the second and first games, giving the impression of shallow depth in the third title. The developers believe familiarity with them from earlier titles means they don’t need extensive character or relationship development in this one. Even in the Citadel DLC, most content is limited to click-and-wait interactions with repetitive dialogue, lacking meaningful choices. It does introduce some new features (though I appreciate them), such as the War Room and other changes, but overall it stands out from the previous two in various ways. In my view, this makes it less representative of the entire Mass Effect experience. I’m not claiming it’s terrible, just that it isn’t the top pick for understanding what the series is about. That should be the second game. It offers more history and deeper character and crew interactions than the third, which is a bit better than the first. It also provides numerous dialogue options that appear frequently. I’ve completed three playthroughs with around 150 hours each. Did you miss any of the scenes you already watched?
I don't agree with your perspective. My sessions usually finish close to 100%. Completing the trilogy requires around 90 hours of playtime. I enjoy seeing how choices shape dialogue and events. Subtle details matter—characters often reference past interactions and conversations, which helps me adjust my approach. It's fascinating how squad dynamics shift based on pairings and prior events. Keeping all chats is valuable so I can better influence the remainder of the story.
While major decisions become clear after a few playthroughs, I see ME3 differently. Although I appreciate ME2's gameplay, I find its story weak, mainly introducing new characters rather than developing them. The main missions focus heavily on recruiting and loyalty tasks, making the overall plot feel hollow. It offers little insight into Cerberus or the Illusive Man and has minimal impact compared to ME1.
On the other hand, I agree ME3 lacked some mechanics from ME2, which could have improved dialogue variety. The previous games allowed more control over conversation tone, letting players steer discussions. ME3 limits this, offering only basic choices when the narrative direction changes. This reduces roleplay freedom and makes interactions feel less personal.
I believe conversations with squad members give better control over tone than those in the main story. Still, I don’t think deeper decision-making is necessary. ME3 centers on survival against overwhelming odds, and it does a strong job conveying that theme. Unlike the first two titles where you act as a lone operator, ME3 places you in a smaller role within a larger context. Early on, you mediate between different races, but later decisions—like curing the Genophage—are left to leaders.
I feel the characters are well-developed by the third game, with deep relationships and backstories. It would be strange to revisit them without new depth after years of play. Asking friends about their history feels natural when you’ve known them for five years. ME3 excels in character writing and their interactions, making them feel like long-time friends rather than strangers.
Personally, I favor ME3 for its emotional weight and narrative cohesion. The ending is disappointing, but the story resonates more than its flaws.
I didn't say it had the best story, I was mostly talking about how it was best at developing the characters and building relationships. As for character development I think there is no such thing as too much. I'm still learning new things about friends I've known all my life (which is weird because I've spent most of my time with them like what the hell when did they do that). And a big part of what I mean by relationship building is between the character and you as a player (not as Shepard), they darn near perfected this in the second game. If they focused a lot on connecting the character to Shepard rather than finding ways to reach out and actually build a relationship between the character and you, then character deaths wouldn't be as meaningful, they'd be like any other game where you'd be like "oh no he died, I should go replay it so he can survive". whereas what they actually did (for me at least) was if a character died I'd think "Wow, that kinda hurt, I should go replay and save this character because I kinda feel bad now". It doesn't necessarily have to be with characters dying but other things as well like how each character feels about each other and interacts with each other as well. and as far as skipping conversations go, I don't normally choose different dialogue options quite as much (I guess something just kinda blocks me from choosing renegade options haha) so I get the same scenes and what not. Only rarely do I choose the middle or renegade options in my other play through, and I've found that sometimes the conversation stays exactly the same even if I chose a different option. That kinda bummed me, learning that quite a bit of the control and options I thought I had I didn't really have, they just made me think I had that control and all those options. I suppose I will eventually get around to an all renegade play through, but that'll be some time.