So guys - i have never played the Mass Effect franchise before, But the hype about ME3 have taken me and i now almost feel like i have to play this franchise.

The problem is that i only own a Playstation 3, and as you probably know, ME1 isn't available on this platform.

Therefore is was wondering if you think it is possible to start out by playing ME2 without having played ME1 ? And then moving on to the DLC and finish up with ME3..

@Brodehouse: Thx champ - it was just that the whole "Lore" and such seemed so daunting when hearing about it, but i´ll hit amazon for the comics and ME2 later today and dive in during the upcoming vacation :-)

On another note, How long does ME2 take to complete just for the sake of the story ? :-)

The comic is actually included in the PS3 game. It's virtual and allows you to make all of the major Mass Effect 1 decisions in it.

Do I personally think that the series will be quite the same without the first game? No, and it never could. But starting with the comic and ME2 is just fine, you'll have plenty of fun that way.

Also, it's possible to beat the game in about ten hours or less, but you don't want to do that. You want to do all of the recruitment and loyalty missions, which for me totaled to around 25 hours. Some people claim that, after all of that as well as all the side quests and other things, you can drag 40 hours out of it. I can't see myself spending that much time in one Mass Effect playthrough, but you might.

Have fun!

Bring a phone with you so you can check your twitter during the long loading times. Make sure you follow a lot of people too.

I don't see a problem starting with ME2. And yes I have completed all games.

prepare yourself for disappointment my friend

As far as Mass Effect 1, if your reality is that game isn't on your platform of choice then the best you can do is jump into ME2 straight. Its kind of unfortunate because that games establishes a lot of the backstory for certain characters but ME3 is geared toward newer players anyway. That is, ME3 will at least try to explain a lot of the races and such.

That said, I think a 100% run of ME2 is roughly 25 hours of time which is reasonable. I would urge you not to rush through the game, but if you didn't find the side missions and characters interesting enough to not plow through the game as quick as you can, Mass effect might not be for you. ME2 is a pretty complete package and with the intro comic I think you will be absolutely fine for heading straight into ME3.

For me I don't think I could imagine going through the ME universe without playing the first game. It sets up all the relationships and has arguably the best story of any of the 3 games. The motion comic gives you the quick and dirty version of the events of 1, but no real context for the choices.

If possible I'd say find a way to play 1-3 to get the most out of it.

@Ustrup

It would really be best to try and find a way to experience the first game. Most of the squad mates in ME3 are originally from ME1, and that game sets ups the lore, political situation in the galaxy, and the overall plot. If there is no way at all for you to play it, I would suggest watching a summary or let's play on youtube as opposed to relying solely on a 10 min motion comic for your Mass Effect 1 experience.

Shameless self promotion incoming!

I have a youtube series where I took the story of the Mass Effect series and turned it into a television like viewing experience. I have gotten feedback that PS3 players found it very helpful. The Mass Effect 1 series totals 8 episodes and lasts 5 and a half hours, and covers the entire story of the game. Here is the link if you want to check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL61B5E0DC94526D3E&feature=edit_ok

If possible, you should get ME 1 for your PC & play through it as
well.  I don't know why you would want to rush through these games
just to get to ME 3 however.  I spent at least 80 hours on ME 1 &
again on ME 2 & those were just the first play-throughs.  I then played
through them again multiple times.  If you're in a rush to play ME 3,
perhaps you should just start with it, finish it, then go back & do all
that you can for the entire trilogy.  Savor it.