so, as the topic says, buy the first one or just jump into mass effect 2?

Just play Mass Effect 2.

yah it has a short intro at the beginning that will tell you what you need to know.

Playing the first one will greatly increase your enjoyment of the series. I can say this because now as I play the second one, they refer back to the first game a lot and when they do, you will have fond memories of it. Especially when they talk about the characters. It really adds a lot to the game by playing the first. It's not like you'd be missing out either - the first is an AWESOME game.

The first one truly is a fantastic game. 
 
I would say that if you can hold off playing Mass Effect 2 for a week or two, (which would be damn tough) to play the first one.
 
Just my thoughts.

Id buy the first one so then you can import your save and its also a very story driven game so it would be good to know what happen in the last game.

Play the first game to Level 60.  Then read the first 2 novels.  After that, you'll be good to go for Mass Effect 2!

DUDES, MAKE A FUCKING POLE IF YOU ASK A SIMPLE ASS QUESTION!  
 
Just play the second one. 

If you never watched Star Wars, would you start off by watching Attack of the Clones & skip the first one?  Or if just the first Star Wars Trilogy, would it make sense to start with The Empire Strikes Back?

I'm in the same situation as you, I think I might just buy it, after all it'll be cheap and it is a good game.

" Play the first game to Level 60.  Then read the first 2 novels.  After that, you'll be good to go for Mass Effect 2! "

Just buy the new one, you can always go back later!

" Play the first game to Level 60.  Then read the first 2 novels.  After that, you'll be good to go for Mass Effect 2! "

At the very least, read up about the story on Wikipedia.

" @RWL_MU_OSU: Well I was being partly facetious with the OP.  I do feel like I am enjoying ME2 more because of all the back story I've soaked up.  Of course the disadvantage to playing ME1 now while there's the new hotness around is that you can't relate to the excited discussions about ME2.  ME1's been around since Nov. 2007.  In other words:  why are people deciding to play that game NOW of all times? tsk tsk "

The first one is only $20 brand new and you can finish it in two days. It's epic and a fantastic story that really leads into the second one, nicely. Plus, you get some nice little bonuses in the second one for continuing your saved character/career.
 
Could  you just jump into ME2 without playing ME1? Absolutely. Should you? I would say you shouldn't. After all, what's the point? It's a single player game and it doesn't matter if you play it today or next month. Get them both. Sit down and have a week or two of non-stop awesome Mass Effect marathons.

" The first one is only $20 brand new and you can finish it in two days. It's epic and a fantastic story that really leads into the second one, nicely. Plus, you get some nice little bonuses in the second one for continuing your saved character/career.
 
Could  you just jump into ME2 without playing ME1? Absolutely. Should you? I would say you shouldn't. After all, what's the point? It's a single player game and it doesn't matter if you play it today or next month. Get them both. Sit down and have a week or two of non-stop awesome Mass Effect marathons. "

" @Branthog said:

" The first one is only $20 brand new and you can finish it in two days. It's epic and a fantastic story that really leads into the second one, nicely. Plus, you get some nice little bonuses in the second one for continuing your saved character/career.
 
Could  you just jump into ME2 without playing ME1? Absolutely. Should you? I would say you shouldn't. After all, what's the point? It's a single player game and it doesn't matter if you play it today or next month. Get them both. Sit down and have a week or two of non-stop awesome Mass Effect marathons. "

When I first heard about those bonuses, I was like meh. 10000 each of Palladium, Platinum, Eezo and Iradium? Lame. But then I started playing the game... and they REALLY came in handy so far. I actually used up all my Iradium already and I'm desperately looking for more minerals! "

I played a little of the first game and just got bored.  I thought it was a good game just not what I was looking for at the time i guess.  Does this game have a different feel in terms of the combat?  I have hard some call it Gears of War with RPG elements.  I would not say that about the first game.  So Is ME2 improved that much?  Got money burning a hole in my pocket and I want something to play.

" Playing the first one will greatly increase your enjoyment of the series. I can say this because now as I play the second one, they refer back to the first game a lot and when they do, you will have fond memories of it. Especially when they talk about the characters. It really adds a lot to the game by playing the first. It's not like you'd be missing out either - the first is an AWESOME game. "

IGN blatantly notes in their review that if you have not played Mass Effect 1, you will be missing out on a lot. However, Mass Effect 1 is not the kind of game you'd want for your first RPG. Mass Effect 2 is far more competent as an accessible shooter-RPG blend.
 
It's your choice. Mass Effect 1 is a bit of a risk.

" Mass Effect 1 is a bit of a risk. "

If you're here for the gameplay, just jump into ME2. If you're here for BioWare's signature storytelling and morality-based dialogue trees, play ME first and carry your choices over.

" IGN blatantly notes in their review that if you have not played Mass Effect 1, you will be missing out on a lot. However, Mass Effect 1 is not the kind of game you'd want for your first RPG. Mass Effect 2 is far more competent as an accessible shooter-RPG blend.  It's your choice. Mass Effect 1 is a bit of a risk. "

" @Napalm: I'm saying, from a gameplay perspective, Mass Effect 1 is a risk. I know MANY people who love science fiction, and want so bad to get into Mass Effect, but can't. Some reasonings include: crappy shooting, too much dialogue (which is still consistent in Mass Effect 2), too much complexity in the RPG elements, to name a few. The risk is in purchasing the game, and not liking it.  Obviously I love both Mass Effect games. Obviously I recommend, from a story perspective, to play them in chronological order, and not missing out on the first one. But realistically, if this guy hasn't played an RPG before, Mass Effect 1 might be a bit tough to get into. "

Definitely get the first Mass Effect first. You may think now that you can just go back to the first once at some point after you've played Mass Effect 2, but it'll play like shite in comparison and probably be a horrible experience because of it. Play the first Mass Effect now while it'll still be good for you, because it's a fantastic game you shouldn't miss out on.

I'd say dive into the first one before the second. Not so much because its better, or so good that you have to experience it, but really just to get a background.
 
Yes there's a recap at the beginning of ME2, but that's not what you need recapped. ME2 adds somewhere around five or six new races that weren't in the first game, and that's in addition to the seven or eight that were already present before. You need to get a feel for the world, races, species, groups, organizations, and etc. from the first game before going into the second. Also when you see people like Garrus, Tali, Liara, Ashley, or Wrex, it'll have a lot more weight to it.
 
ME1 is obviously a very flawed game. The combat aint so grand, and honestly its a game that doesn't hold up on multiple playthroughs since you get so sick of the linear predictable nature of the story telling, but your first time through should be fun.
 
 
And more importantly, its like playing Uncharted 2 before the first one. The 2nd one is so much better, you will never play the first if you play the 2nd first. So don't miss out on the opportunity.

Just called Gamestop and the used copy is only $12.  Not bad for a used copy.  Im still considering it though.  
 
I really dont remember what I didnt like about the first one.  Just remember I played it for a few hours and never went back to it.  I remember having to fly to different planets and drive around and got bored real quick doing that.  
 
I think im getting this game confused with the last Knights of the Old Republic game I played.

If you have a good PC to game on, I would pick it up for that. On 360, the frame rate is choppy as hell and really sucks the fun out of it. Granted, I have the 360 version and have only heard that it is better on a good PC. Also, I loved it the first time around and ignored the technical problems but after coming back to it last week in preparation for ME2, I found it really painful. @Adamantium said:

" If you're here for the gameplay, just jump into ME2. If you're here for BioWare's signature storytelling and morality-based dialogue trees, play ME first and carry your choices over. "