Mass Alex: Mass Effect 2 - Part 01

Yes! Shep Shep is back! and with a 2 hour+ episode too!

@vinnyTurning off helmets in conversations becomes a thing in Mass Effect 3.

Alexy Quest has returned!

I was almost certain helmet display options were in ME2 but sadly not, guess I tended to use the more open, almost visor-like styles.

There is a helmet hide tweak mod on the ME2 Nexus but it requires a fair bit of extra set-up and I'm fairly sure it's a permanent thing and not an in-game toggle, so it's probably not worth the hassle.

@cyberspacecat I was eternally grateful once the option finally made its appearance due to playing an infiltrator with the rad as hell recon hood for the majority of 2.

So hyped for this!

YES!

This game still looks so good

I love this game so much and I am PSYCHED that we've started.

Though watching Alex fire past the Overlord email intro because he thought it was all DLC armour/weapons was painful. Overlord is excellent and the intro is a nice intriguing taster. I'm sure he'll get to it, though. Pretty sure it shows on the galaxy map.

Shame Vanguard was sidestepped - it's the VIP of ME2 - but Sentinel is a good choice, too.

Oh man... so much good stuff ahead. All those new crew members. Those loyalty missions. Those DLC stories. That final, nail-biting mission. GAME ON.

IIRC, there's not a ton of paragon/renegade QTEs in the cutscenes, but the ones that are there are often some of the coolest moments in the game. Hopefully Alex remembers to keep his hands on the controller at all times.

I don't know why, but Jennifer Hale's delivery sounds really stilted or out of context in a lot of places in ME2 to me - I'm not saying the male Shep voice is always better either, but in Hale's readings it sometimes sounds really obvious that it wasn't recorded in the same room.

Still better than Seth Green's readings at times at least, but still.

I really enjoy watching them play the story bits, but woo boy, I hope Alex gets better at playing the game. Watching him not even comprehend those hacking mini-games was excruciating.

Oh yeah, Mass Alex is back! It's time to save the galaxy and collect some fish!

Woohoo! I've been shotgunning Mass Alex 1 to get my fix. Who can deliver me from the drumstick-wielding monkey on my back???

Why are the powers not showing up in a bar on the top left corner? It's supposed to be there. Did a mod take that out because as it is Alex can't even see what abilities he has and if they're on cooldown.

Disappointed in no Vanguard, but still very excited for season 2!

THIS WENT UP THE SAME DAY AS THE MASS EFFECT 2 VIDEO REVIEW, NINE YEARS LATER!

*mind blown*

I love how Alex didn't even bother to look up when he entered zero gravity on the Normandy. You never got to see the roofing completely torn off and see space and the planet.

HELL YEAH. I am so psyched. The intro to ME2 is still just a fantastic, dramatic intro. RIP Pressly.

Oh lol Alex didn't look up and see the huge gaping hole in the Normandy with the fantastic skybox.

Yes! Been looking forward to this, my memory of this game is pretty fuzzy. I'm probably due for another playthrough myself.

It...it's REAL! It's REALLY REALLY REAL!!!

Let's go!

Feels so good to be back!

I hope Alex actually uses his powers. Like, I get it, he likes the pistol, but killing literally everything with the pistol is the absolute dullest way to play this game and the last.

Awesome that this is back in the saddle.

Also Alex - don't second guess yourself or ask Vinny for answers so much! When the game tells you to use overload, open up the powers menu and see for yourself which one it is. Sure you'll get back into the swing of things in no time.

I'm still a Spectre.

yeooooo welcome back ShepShep!!! :)))

Whatever texture mod they're using sucks, it's changed the character faces too much (Kelly Chambers is especially noticeable).

the A.L.O.T Texture pack is similar to MEUITM for ME1 in that it increases the detail but stays faithful, though the installation may take some additional work.

P.S Robocop references. are always welcome

@ciddative: Could this be why his Shepard looks so different?

My favorite game of all time. Replayed this so many god damn times cause the character stuff is top notch in this one. So stoked Mass Alex is back!

This game did a lot to change and improve combat options and alex chose the class with the play style most boring and similar to his ME1 build. Not his fault obviously, I just wish he had gone vanguard instead.

In trying to do an impression of Miranda's Australian accent, Alex somehow managed to perfectly impersonate a different minor ME2 character (Donovan Hock) who has a South African accent, which is quite funny.

Some say that this is among the best games ever made

That Quantum Entanglement communicator is actually based on some pretty solid real life science.

Alex: "Man, I'm sad about Presley"

But you seemed to absolutely hate Presley in the first game!!

You magnificent beasts

@alex @vinny Really glad to see y'all back at it so soon; but I would like to give y'all some vague tips to playing ME2.

1) Being a Sentinel is great; it's my second favorite class in ME2 and it's the most versatile class. Also, thanks to the Sentinel armor, it's also the most tank-ish of all the classes. The Y Button is your friend, make sure it's up.

2) Classes are far more important in ME2 than in ME1 thanks to the combat retooling and combos. Being a Sentinel means you can practically combo off of any of your squad as well as yourself (global cool-down permitting). Also there's a rock-paper-scissors element to the game; for example, overload is great on shields, warp on armor, etc. And there are primers for setting up combos. For biotics lift is one of them; using warp on someone being lifted will cause a biotic explosion. The same can happen with other abilities, have fun mixing and matching them.

3) Ammo types are incredibly important and also fall into the rock-paper-scissors motif. Have fun trying to figure out what's the best type on what.

4) Take your time to look around before progressing. Upgrades are everywhere.

5) Your crew is just as important as your squad; if they need something, get it.

That's all I can think of for now, hopefully this helps. This series is a real treat to watch knowing Vinny's love for the series and Alex did a great job playing through ME1; it gets me pumped watching you guys playing one my favorite games of all time.

-edit-

6) Just remembered, your gear in the armor customization screen can give you bonuses; you can min-max your way to a better Shep-Shep.

I forgot how new everything feels when you jump from 1 to 2.

Fckin' eh, it's that time again.

Take off the helmet

I think I'm the only that remembered that if you dont edit your face in ME2 (even just going to into the menu to change but not doing anything) caused it so your face doesnt get imported into ME3 and you have to rebuild it from scratch. Does anyone know if this is still a thing? Did they ever fix it?

yess...my favorite series is back

Nice, Alex Effect is back.

Welp, all ready to start playing alongside Mass Alex. TG i saved my 360. This IS my favorite store on the Citadel

God, Miranda's outfit is like the epitome of something designed by someone who doesn't know how clothes work.

Man, that intro still gets me, just super intense.

So!...anyone remember which controller mod they're using?

Bought these on a whim when the whole franchise was on Ultra-Sale last year for PC, but my setup doesn't really allow for mouse use, and controller mods are...on some dicey places.

The mic's are redlining, yo. Hurts to listen to with headphones even with low volume.

Wohoo!