Something went wrong. Try again later
    Follow

    Mass Effect 3

    Game » consists of 19 releases. Released Mar 06, 2012

    When Earth begins to fall in an ancient cycle of destruction, Commander Shepard must unite the forces of the galaxy to stop the Reapers in the final chapter of the original Mass Effect trilogy.

    Is ME2 necessary to play this?

    • 56 results
    • 1
    • 2
    Avatar image for leych
    LeYcH

    221

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 1

    #1  Edited By LeYcH

    Is it safe to skip ME2?

    I just finished ME1 and I started ME2. It might seem stupid, but not being able to recruit Kaidan, Liara and Wrex just killed most of my motivation to play this. I don't like any of the new people.

    Reading the synopsis makes it seem like it's not that important to the story.

    Is ME2 vital in order to play ME3? Would I be missing much?

    Avatar image for nightriff
    nightriff

    7248

    Forum Posts

    1467

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 4

    User Lists: 7

    Play ME2 and skip 3.

    Really the best part of the trilogy is the journey through all the games and the story you "created" along the way. I couldn't fathom playing 1 and 3, let alone just 1 and 2. Finish 2 and you get your wishes eventually.

    Avatar image for ntm
    NTM

    12222

    Forum Posts

    38

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    #3  Edited By NTM

    I'm kind of speechless. You have to go through two, otherwise you'd be missing out. And you seem to judge it far too early.

    Avatar image for clonedzero
    Clonedzero

    4206

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    This is crazy. ME2 is alot better than ME3.

    Don't skip two. it'd be a massive disservice to your experience.

    Avatar image for shadypingu
    ShadyPingu

    1857

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    #5  Edited By ShadyPingu

    I'm of two minds on this point. As far as advancing the main "Reapers Are Coming" storyline, ME2 does very little. It's sort of an extended side quest.

    However! The game hugely advances the two major subplots of the series, the Geth-Quarian Conflict and the Genophage. Also, it introduces a bunch of new characters, and further develops bit players from ME1, like Cerberus.

    So... I would say if you're interested in the ME universe at all, I would play ME2. It fills in the universe quite a lot.

    Avatar image for sammo21
    sammo21

    6040

    Forum Posts

    2237

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 18

    User Lists: 45

    If you are going to skip a Mass Effect then I would say skip ME1...though I wouldn't even really recommend that, honestly. Mass Effect 3, in my opinion, is incredibly pointless to play if you haven't played at least two. Can you still play it? Absolutely, I would just make the argument that every single thing that happens in that game is nonsense to you and wasted.

    Saying Mass Effect 2 isn't that important based on a synopsis proves you shouldn't judge a game based on a synopsis >< Sorry, Mass Effect 2 is just my game of the generation behind Dark Souls.

    Avatar image for leych
    LeYcH

    221

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 1

    #7  Edited By LeYcH

    The gameplay is great I won't deny that.
    But my backlog is more than enough for me at the moment and I can't stand any of the new characters.
    Is it really THAT good?

    Avatar image for the_ruiner
    The_Ruiner

    1801

    Forum Posts

    28

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 1

    Fuck yes it's necessary. It's the Empire Strikes Back of the whole franchise.

    Avatar image for jayeh
    JayEH

    585

    Forum Posts

    622

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    Yeah, its the best in the series and you need it to understand the story

    Avatar image for deactivated-5b43dadb9061b
    deactivated-5b43dadb9061b

    1649

    Forum Posts

    12

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    @leych said:

    The gameplay is great I won't deny that.

    But my backlog is more than enough for me at the moment and I can't stand any of the new characters.

    Is it really THAT good?

    Considering the first and second one are the best of the trilogy, yeah.

    Avatar image for arbitrarywater
    ArbitraryWater

    16103

    Forum Posts

    5585

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 8

    User Lists: 66

    #11  Edited By ArbitraryWater

    ME2 is a heck of a lot better than 3, and yes, absolutely it's necessary, especially if you want to import your save.

    Avatar image for csl316
    csl316

    17000

    Forum Posts

    765

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 10

    Mass Effect 3's main arc is what I hoped 2 would cover. Honestly, the main story in 2 feels kind of secondary. It's more about characters and such (well, Cerberus stuff would be worth going through before 3).

    But I'm one of the few that think 3 is the best game in the trilogy. And easily top 5 for the generation.

    Avatar image for leych
    LeYcH

    221

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 1

    I'm of two minds on this point. As far as advancing the main "Reapers Are Coming" storyline, ME2 does very little. It's sort of an extended side quest.

    However! The game hugely advances the two major subplots of the series, the Geth-Quarian Conflict and the Genophage. Also, it introduces a bunch of new characters, and further develops bit players from ME1, like Cerberus.

    So... I would say if you're interested in the ME universe at all, I would play ME2. It fills in the universe quite a lot.

    At the moment, the main storyline is really all I care about.
    I'm interested in the universe but not that much to play the entire game.

    I guess I'll just give it a few more hours and make another decision.

    Avatar image for leych
    LeYcH

    221

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 1

    ME2 is a heck of a lot better than 3,

    How so?
    The only thing I know about ME3 is that everyone hates the ending.

    Avatar image for shadypingu
    ShadyPingu

    1857

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    @leych said:

    @arbitrarywater said:

    ME2 is a heck of a lot better than 3,

    How so?

    The only thing I know about ME3 is that everyone hates the ending.

    A common sentiment I hear in response to this is, ME2 is a very character-focused game, which is where Bioware's writing talent lies. The vast majority of the game is spent getting to know your crew, not fighting the Big Bad. Some of them have personal stories that are very affecting.

    If that sounds repulsive to you, then ME2 may not be for you. But in that case, I'd advise abandoning the series altogether because I would not under any circumstances recommend jumping into ME3 cold, even with my statement about ME2's main plot.

    Avatar image for leych
    LeYcH

    221

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 1

    @leych said:

    @arbitrarywater said:

    ME2 is a heck of a lot better than 3,

    How so?

    The only thing I know about ME3 is that everyone hates the ending.

    A common sentiment I hear in response to this is, ME2 is a very character-focused game, which is where Bioware's writing talent lies. The vast majority of the game is spent getting to know your crew, not fighting the Big Bad. Some of them have personal stories that are very affecting.

    If that sounds repulsive to you, then ME2 may not be for you. But in that case, I'd advise abandoning the series altogether because I would not under any circumstances recommend jumping into ME3 cold, even with my statement about ME2's main plot.

    Well, as I said I'm not really that far into the game.
    The only people I have in my squad is Miranda and Jacob. I'm hoping my mind will change once I meet more people.


    I'll force myself to play a few hours,
    If I can't change my mind I'll just play ME3 and then go back to this game.

    Avatar image for shadypingu
    ShadyPingu

    1857

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    @leych: Well, good news! As in every modern Bioware game, your first two party members are the most boring ones.

    Avatar image for deactivated-60dda8699e35a
    deactivated-60dda8699e35a

    1807

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    @leych said:

    @arbitrarywater said:

    ME2 is a heck of a lot better than 3,

    How so?

    The only thing I know about ME3 is that everyone hates the ending.

    Without giving spoilers, the reasons I don't like the third game as much as the first two are as followed:

    1. It's very dark. Given what is going on, it's understandable, but it really contrasts the more optimistic views of the first and second game.

    2. The villains are really dumb. It's even worse if you played the second game, because they REALLY should know better. Plus, there is one guy who tries to act cool and awesome, but just comes across as really lame. It doesn't help that this villain gets no development at all, it's just 'Here's a bad guy that will impede your progress', and he has no characteristics other than he's evil.

    3. The final mission is NOWHERE near as amazing as the final mission of the second game. if there's one reason to play the second game, it's to do the suicide mission. Without any hyperbole, I honestly think it's one of the best video game moments this generation. I expected the third game's final mission to be similar to it, but on a larger scale. Unfortunately, all the final mission in the third game amounts to is a glorified horde mode. I was very disappointed with it.

    4. Yes, the ending is really bad. How do you end such a heavily character driven story? How about by not focusing on the characters at all? It's also such a weak ending, considering all the choices lead to the SAME DAMN THING. I haven't played the extended cut (because the ending kills any drive I have to play the game whenever i think about it), but from what I saw on Youtube, they at least made the endings a bit different. Still, given how many choices that the player made throughout the series, I don't think it was unreasonable to expect at least a few extremely different endings.

    Other than those things, the third game isn't bad, it's just disappointing.

    Onto the topic of ME2, there are 12 squadmates in the game, so if you're only an hour or two in, and only have Miranda and Jacob, stick around, because you'll undoubtedly run into a few you like. However, like others said, ME2 really doesn't advance the story that far, and there are several plot points that seem very significant in the second game that are nowhere to be seen in the third game, which is very annoying. I also don't think it's possible to get the best outcome to some certain choices in ME3 if you didn't play ME2, so if you want the golden ending to some arcs in part 3, it's best to play the second game.

    Mass Effect 2 is HEAVILY character driven, and some of the character missions and loyalty missions are absolutely fantastic. Furthermore, while Liara, Kaiden, and Wrex aren't party members in 2, they still appear, and you can actually get Liara as a temporary squad member if you get some of the DLC for the game (Lair of the Shadow Broker, by the way, is by far the best DLC for a game I've played).

    I hope this helped!

    Avatar image for postnothing
    postnothing

    73

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    The environments in ME2 are pretty good; I remember it being dark and atmospheric. You visit some interesting places and meet new characters. Generally, I felt that the universe still retained a sense of wonder and mystery, albeit at diminished rate.

    Avatar image for the_ruiner
    The_Ruiner

    1801

    Forum Posts

    28

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 1

    @leych said:

    @arbitrarywater said:

    ME2 is a heck of a lot better than 3,

    How so?

    The only thing I know about ME3 is that everyone hates the ending.

    3 was disappointing way before the ending. It's obsessed with wrapping things up and refuses to be a fun adventure. It limits your choices. There are virtually no sidequests beyond giving people random items and horde mode from the multiplayer. ME 2 exemplifies the series strongest points, the characters, the relationships and the side content. The main Mass Effect storyline is kind of the least interesting thing about it.

    Avatar image for mrpandaman
    mrpandaman

    959

    Forum Posts

    1

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 1

    User Lists: 1

    @csl316 said:

    Mass Effect 3's main arc is what I hoped 2 would cover. Honestly, the main story in 2 feels kind of secondary. It's more about characters and such (well, Cerberus stuff would be worth going through before 3).

    But I'm one of the few that think 3 is the best game in the trilogy. And easily top 5 for the generation.

    Certainly ME3 a better game than 2 but the journey in ME2 and even ME1 to an extent felt extremely rewarding. All those characterizations and building relationships towards some characters in the first two games for me pay off in 3. Everything happening in the first two games is to build up towards ME3 and setting up for those events. That's why it feels like the main story in 2 feels secondary and doesn't necessarily go anywhere.

    Don't get me wrong though, ME2 is essential in my opinion, as the ME series is about the journey not destination (as cliched as that is). If you skip ME2, like @encephalon says I would just abandon the series altogether as it's not worth it at all to miss out decisions and on the journey. Might as well find someone who LPs like you might have played the game.

    Avatar image for counterclockwork87
    Counterclockwork87

    1162

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    Mass Effect 2 is probably one of the best games of the generation, I'd say it's foolish to skip it for a game that most everyone feels is inferior. Keep in mind no one is saying 3 is a bad game, but 2 is a classic.

    Avatar image for postnothing
    postnothing

    73

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    #23  Edited By postnothing

    I agree with what The_Ruiner said. The story in ME3 felt quite mechanical and "by the numbers". It was essentially about wrapping up all the storylines from the entire series.

    Avatar image for crithon
    crithon

    3979

    Forum Posts

    1823

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 1

    User Lists: 11

    #24  Edited By crithon

    ME3 freaking SUCKS. Everything cool is in ME2, and then ME3 is a big fat long fart sound.

    Avatar image for capum15
    Capum15

    6019

    Forum Posts

    411

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    I just want to say: There are a fucking ton of optional side missions that you can only get the "best result" by playing ME2 and saving everyone possible, and two large main plot points as well.

    I enjoyed the hell out of 3 purely because of all the wrapping up / callbacks from the first two. I still hate global power cooldowns with a firey passion though; worst goddamn design choice. I miss being able to juggle armies as an Adept.

    I don't really have strong feelings about the ending either way, but the game leading up to it is pretty great, but again - mostly in part due to all the stuff I did in the previous two.

    Avatar image for probablytuna
    probablytuna

    5010

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 1

    #26  Edited By probablytuna

    I would say absolutely. It's the best Mass Effect and I think some of the characters there are even better than the original.

    Avatar image for bigjeffrey
    bigjeffrey

    5282

    Forum Posts

    7872

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 1

    #27  Edited By bigjeffrey

    Play Mass Effect 2

    Avatar image for rongalaxy
    RonGalaxy

    4937

    Forum Posts

    48

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 1

    User Lists: 1

    Why wouldnt you play Mass Effect 2? It's the best one

    Avatar image for deactivated-630479c20dfaa
    deactivated-630479c20dfaa

    1683

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    Nope, but it makes the experience of 3 that much better since your attachment to the characters will be greater.

    Avatar image for treetrunk
    TreeTrunk

    651

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 8

    User Lists: 0

    In terms of the main story line, yeah ME2 can be skipped, but in terms of subplots, no it cannot. But try and play up until you find out who archangel is. Also, the ME2 dlc is really good.

    Avatar image for emoney244
    emoney244

    198

    Forum Posts

    12

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    Why are you so eager to play 3? Not like Wrex and Liara are in it all that much. And Mass Effect 3 is kinda bad...

    Avatar image for themanwithnoplan
    TheManWithNoPlan

    7843

    Forum Posts

    103

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 1

    User Lists: 14

    #32  Edited By TheManWithNoPlan

    I'd highly recommend playing 2 before 3. Also, I don't think Mass Effect 3 is as bad as people really make it out to be. If you're interested in it, don't let others deter you from doing so. Just make sure to have all the campaign Dlc, since it's provides further exposition that should have arguably already been in the game.

    Avatar image for rebel_scum
    Rebel_Scum

    1632

    Forum Posts

    1

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 1

    User Lists: 3

    Which new characters don't you like? If you do their loyalty missions they might grow on you since you learn more about them. Jacob and Jack's missions was really good and I didn't really like those two characters until I finished their loyalty missions.

    Also...Mordin is a champ.

    Avatar image for ll_exile_ll
    ll_Exile_ll

    3382

    Forum Posts

    25

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 2

    @leych said:

    @encephalon said:
    @leych said:

    @arbitrarywater said:

    ME2 is a heck of a lot better than 3,

    How so?

    The only thing I know about ME3 is that everyone hates the ending.

    A common sentiment I hear in response to this is, ME2 is a very character-focused game, which is where Bioware's writing talent lies. The vast majority of the game is spent getting to know your crew, not fighting the Big Bad. Some of them have personal stories that are very affecting.

    If that sounds repulsive to you, then ME2 may not be for you. But in that case, I'd advise abandoning the series altogether because I would not under any circumstances recommend jumping into ME3 cold, even with my statement about ME2's main plot.

    Well, as I said I'm not really that far into the game.

    The only people I have in my squad is Miranda and Jacob. I'm hoping my mind will change once I meet more people.

    I'll force myself to play a few hours,

    If I can't change my mind I'll just play ME3 and then go back to this game.

    You claim in an earlier post to "hate all the new characters", but here admit you've only even met Jacob and Miranda? As a rule, the human characters in the Mass Effect series are the most boring and uninteresting. Once you meet characters like Thane and Mordin and are reunited with Tali and Garrus, you'll wonder how you could ever consider skipping the game.

    Avatar image for hh
    HH

    934

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 4

    skip it, because you feel like it, it's just a game

    what made you ask on here anyway? do you enjoy the sound of murlocs gurgling on their own gargle?

    Avatar image for giyn
    GIyn

    205

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    Play Mass Effect 2. But don't go into it thinking that it will continue the storyline of the first game. Otherwise you will be bitterly disappointed (just like I was).

    Think of Mass Effect 2 as a completely stand-alone. It is all about the character interactions and the little touches. Most of the main story arc is filler.

    Avatar image for mudman
    MudMan

    1423

    Forum Posts

    300

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 11

    I'd say give it a chance. Not only does the story circle back to characters you like in ME1, but it's pretty cool by itself, so if you like the universe at all it's worth keeping with it. And some of the fan faves from 2 have a lot to do on 3, so if you skip it a bunch of stuff will make less sense.

    But, assuming this isn't just trollbait, it's an interesting feeling. It's weird how ME3 existing changes the perception of ME2. After Mass Effect you want more of those guys, and because they take a backseat in 2 but not so much in 3, feeling you could just skip ahead and circle back to them being playable again is a viable option. Huh. At the time ME2 came out they didn't have to worry about people getting impatient, so that game got to pace itself in how much fan service it dumped in early.

    Avatar image for jimbo
    Jimbo

    10472

    Forum Posts

    2

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 3

    Don't be put off by Jacob and Miranda; you pick up a lot of squad members in ME2 and those two are far from being the most interesting ones.

    I'd never recommend skipping ME2, but if you do I definitely wouldn't bother with ME3. Most of the highpoints of ME3 will be ruined if you aren't invested in the characters you meet during ME2.

    Avatar image for audiobusting
    audioBusting

    2581

    Forum Posts

    5644

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 4

    User Lists: 26

    #39  Edited By audioBusting

    If you don't like Mass Effect 2 and haven't even finished it, don't even bother with 3. You're setting yourself up for a disappointment.

    Avatar image for altairre
    altairre

    1492

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 0

    #40  Edited By altairre

    I love both Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3. The ending wasn't great (it's a lot better after they fixed it, at least I think so) but like Brad said in the bombcasts, I found the highs to be higher than in ME2. However this game and those highs only really work if you played all of the other ME games and know the characters. If you're not having fun with the second game don't bother starting the third one.

    Avatar image for hh
    HH

    934

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 4

    all this hate for 3 is way beyond unfounded at this point, it's ridiculous. the ending sucks, and they messed up the character import thingy, but that is all that's wrong with that game.

    Avatar image for humanity
    Humanity

    21858

    Forum Posts

    5738

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 40

    User Lists: 16

    In a way I'd say ME2 is necessary to enjoy the franchise

    Avatar image for leych
    LeYcH

    221

    Forum Posts

    0

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 1

    In terms of the main story line, yeah ME2 can be skipped, but in terms of subplots, no it cannot. But try and play up until you find out who archangel is. Also, the ME2 dlc is really good.

    Heh. I kinda spoiled who he is in my quest to find out who was recruitable from ME1.

    @leych said:
    @encephalon said:
    @leych said:
    @arbitrarywater said:

    ME2 is a heck of a lot better than 3,

    How so?

    The only thing I know about ME3 is that everyone hates the ending.

    A common sentiment I hear in response to this is, ME2 is a very character-focused game, which is where Bioware's writing talent lies. The vast majority of the game is spent getting to know your crew, not fighting the Big Bad. Some of them have personal stories that are very affecting.

    If that sounds repulsive to you, then ME2 may not be for you. But in that case, I'd advise abandoning the series altogether because I would not under any circumstances recommend jumping into ME3 cold, even with my statement about ME2's main plot.

    Well, as I said I'm not really that far into the game.

    The only people I have in my squad is Miranda and Jacob. I'm hoping my mind will change once I meet more people.

    I'll force myself to play a few hours,

    If I can't change my mind I'll just play ME3 and then go back to this game.

    You claim in an earlier post to "hate all the new characters", but here admit you've only even met Jacob and Miranda? As a rule, the human characters in the Mass Effect series are the most boring and uninteresting. Once you meet characters like Thane and Mordin and are reunited with Tali and Garrus, you'll wonder how you could ever consider skipping the game.

    I guess I forgot to add the "so far" bit. I hate the ones that I've met so far. The only character I like is because of Joker because y'know, ME1.

    The main reason for me wanting to skip this is because I want to advance the main story line, but no this isn't trollbait.

    Avatar image for leebmx
    leebmx

    2346

    Forum Posts

    61

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 4

    For some reason this thread is making me angry.....calm down.....breath.

    If you didn't like the second game in the series, why in the name of god would you skip to the next one? What makes you think it will be any better? You don't advance the story by missing out a huge chunk of it to get to the end faster. If you are reading a book and really like the first chapter do you just skip to the end?

    Its a great game. 3 is by a distance the worst of the series, its as if they had forgotten everything which made the game great by that point. If you don't like ME2 just give up on the whole thing.

    Avatar image for humanity
    Humanity

    21858

    Forum Posts

    5738

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 40

    User Lists: 16

    @leych: If you don't like ME2 then just stop now cause honestly the series just progresses in that same direction. ME3 is even more action oriented, has less likable characters to recruit and the story takes a hit for the worse as well. It's a competent game, and still fun in it's own way - but if you were a huge fan of the way ME1 played, as in a more hardcore RPG than an action shooter, then I'm sad to say that part of Mass Effect has died in favor of mass appeal. If you're not enjoying yourself now, then I don't think there is anything coming up to make you 180 into awesome-town, in which case you might as well not torture yourself.

    Avatar image for jedted
    Jedted

    2970

    Forum Posts

    1307

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 8

    User Lists: 17

    @leych: Not sure why anyone would even ask this but yes you should at least play ME2 before ME3. You can probably save money buying the whole trilogy(even if you don't play ME1), it's down to $40 on Amazon.

    If you intend to play on PC, and are patient enough to sit through all of ME1, i'd say buy that and just use cheats so you can enjoy the story without being bogged down by the boring gameplay. ME1 isn't that long if you just mainline the story.

    Avatar image for endaround
    endaround

    2275

    Forum Posts

    8320

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 5

    The best parts of ME3 are the character bits. Those character bits make little sense outside what happens to the characters in ME2.

    Avatar image for brendan
    Brendan

    9414

    Forum Posts

    533

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 0

    User Lists: 7

    Man, I just got to say that other than the ending it thought that ME3 was better than two in every way. The combat and movement was better, the leveling system that people disliked in two was improved on, and the relationships you built with Garrus, Liara, Wrex, Joker (err, except for that one weird robot thing), Morden, etch were all really emotionally affecting.

    Avatar image for bawlzinmotion
    BawlZINmotion

    704

    Forum Posts

    2025

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 9

    User Lists: 1

    @leebmx said:

    For some reason this thread is making me angry.....calm down.....breath.

    If you didn't like the second game in the series, why in the name of god would you skip to the next one? What makes you think it will be any better? You don't advance the story by missing out a huge chunk of it to get to the end faster. If you are reading a book and really like the first chapter do you just skip to the end?

    Its a great game. 3 is by a distance the worst of the series, its as if they had forgotten everything which made the game great by that point. If you don't like ME2 just give up on the whole thing.

    I wouldn't say ME3 forgot everything that made the game great, but it definitely felt more rushed. Things weren't fleshed out in the same way as the previous 2.

    Avatar image for werupenstein
    Kidavenger

    4417

    Forum Posts

    1553

    Wiki Points

    0

    Followers

    Reviews: 90

    User Lists: 33

    The stuff with Miranda may be sort of confusing, she kind of pops up out of nowhere with no explanation as I recall, other than the the story is fairly straight forwards and not very dependant on the first two games, actually there is a pretty huge moment in the middle of the game that wouldn't be very meaningful if you hadn't played 2, and it was probably the best moment in the game.

    You should play 2, 1 is the best game in the series and has a great ending so I can see why the start of 2 is off putting, 2 is still a great game for the most part, 3 is complete garbage story wise compared to either 1 or 2, if you are playing for the story don't bother with 3.

    This edit will also create new pages on Giant Bomb for:

    Beware, you are proposing to add brand new pages to the wiki along with your edits. Make sure this is what you intended. This will likely increase the time it takes for your changes to go live.

    Comment and Save

    Until you earn 1000 points all your submissions need to be vetted by other Giant Bomb users. This process takes no more than a few hours and we'll send you an email once approved.