No. ME1 plays like shit. Its not worth it.

Absolutely, it's fantastic.

" Absolutely, it's fantastic. "

Definitely. The game may be a buggy mess with mediocre combat, but the story is definitely worth seeing first hand. Plus, then it gives you an excuse to play ME2 again, but with the stuff carried over  from your first playthrough. 

" @natetodamax said:

" Absolutely, it's fantastic. "

No- its crap. I bought it and returned it after a week. The shooting is awful, the characters aren't half as good, the levels are a pain to navigate, the side-missions are a chore.   Thanks to the original, I nearly skipped ME2, which would have been a huge mistake. Skip the first one. Save your money. "

80% of the story so far was in the first game. And if you like RPGs, it's a much better one than the second game. Mass Effect 2 just kind of fills the gap in the trilogy, but Mass Effect 1 will give you the foundation. 
 
Just play a Biotic and make sure your on a difficulty level that will challenge you. The game is really great. 
 
Hell, if you aren't willing to spend money on it (or anyone else who reads this message), I'd be more than willing to send my 360 copy to you. The game should be played if you want the entire experience.

I prefer Mass Effect 1 over the sequel, it's a personal choice really but I disliked a lot of the changes they made to combat. I realise I might be in a small group of people who feel that way, but Mass Effect 2 just hasn't motivated me enough like the original. 

Personally I think you have a better experience if you play 1 before 2, but the original Mass Effect is still a fantastic game, you'd be crazy not to get it.

First Mass Effect was a really good game but playing it after 2..

Well, it is one of the best games ever made so...YES!!!

" What.    You played Mass Effect 2 without playing 1?    What.  Of course you should play the first one.    Someone talk to this cat.  I don't even know what to say. "

ME1 is the better game story wise so i suggest you play it. You might be put off though cause the gameplay is not as good but its worth playing for the story.

Yes! You should play the first one!
 
The controls are a itty bit different so it'll take a little while to get used to them. The first one is a good game so I'm sure you'll enjoy it :)

" I loved Mass Effect 2, and I'm pretty excited for Mass Effect 3. I never played the first one though, should I? My favorite part of Mass Effect 2 was the story and I was thinking maybe I should play the first one to get the whole experience.  What do you guys think? "

masseffect 1 is def worth it

What? Yes.

Sure, it's a really good game when you look past the fist 3 hours.