Mass Effect 2 Interactive Comic in Full

Here at Mahalo Video Games we were lucky enough to get an early look at the digital comic for Mass Effect 2 on the PS3. This is is BioWare’s solution for getting new players caught up on the story without porting over the first game due to pesky licensing issues with Microsoft. (Part 1 embedded)

[NYC_Gamer]

this comic does a good job

[Thrillhouse]

Nothing beats playing through the original, but the comic does get the job done. Although it spells Kaidan wrong D:

For those who want to know the ME1 story in detail: http://masseffect.wikia.com...

[Kamikaze135]

Idk about that. I was just about to start playing Mass Effect 1 again before getting ME2 on the PS3, but after seeing this...it's a much better option.

[Thrillhouse]

Yeah, but you've already played ME1, so you would know the full story without watching this.

I'm talking about those who haven't experienced ME1 at all.

I'm not knocking the comic, just saying that ME1 is a great game that should be played :)

[FlipMode]

Does a good job of covering the story, and gives the player all the choices that actually make a difference in ME2.

[Kamikaze135]

This sums it up very well. To be honest, I didn't pay attention to the story in ME1 when I played it. I just caught bits and pieces of it. This is much better than playing through ME1 just to get to ME2.

[starmin76]

By no means is this comic a proper substitute for experiencing ME1 firsthand.

Especially *SPOILER* when you have to face Wrex about destroying the base on Virmire. Seeing what is without a doubt one of the most tense character-based moments in gaming reduced to one comic panel with a simple "kill/save" button was just shameful.

[Blacktric]

It spells Kaidan wrong? What? Mark Meer is the guy who voices male Commander Shepard and you're saying that he spelt Kaidan wrong? Also, comic doesn't covers a lot. It never mentioned about Nihlus, and how he got killed by Saren, etc. It doesn't have smaller choices (which's consequences can be seen in Mass Effect 2 and probably in Mass Effect 3) like killing or letting Fist live. It doesn't give you much information about characters that you can have romance with. It just says, choose one or none. Same goes with the Rachni Queen part. It just says Rachni have threatened the galaxy before, while Queen says she'll teach the kindness and forgiveness of humanity if Shepard releases her in the first game. If a person didn't play the first game, the choice most of them will choose would be killing the Queen.

[Thrillhouse]

In one decision scene you have to select Kaidan or Ashley. The comic incorrectly spells it "Kaiden."

[Blacktric]

Oh, I'm really sorry then. I've noticed it too after watching that part a bit more carefully.

[Nate-Dog]

It does seem to cover a lot, but as someone who has just finished Mass Effect for the first time (literally about 30 minutes ago) I can say there's no other experience than playing the real game. Honestly, right now it feels like one of my most favourite games of all time. Covering the story is good but even for things such as the vision from the beacon and the mission on Eden Prime, it's just something you have to see and play first hand.

[NYC_Gamer]

i beat mass effect twice already and wish this comic was around a long time ago...only played mass effect the 2nd time because of the whole choices thing

[MWong]

I gotta agree with you, I played thru ME 3 times before I got rid of my 360. There is nothing like playing through the actual game. This is a good idea in covering a lot of info for all the PS3 gamers that missed the original.

[Redempteur]

i agree but this is better than nothing

[ALFAxD_CENTAURO]

The comic definetly is a Profile Generator for ME2.

[Kamikaze135]

Great comic...I honestly would rather watch this than play through Mass Effect 1 all over again.

[Kon]

Lmao at your comment. Do you seriously think this is better than play ME1?

[Kamikaze135]

I've played through the game on PC, so yes, I would know.

[FlipMode]

Funny thing is I feel the same was as Kamikaze, I want to do a renegade femshep playthrough but i DONT want to go through ME1 again.

Bad combat, the Mako was horrible and the side missions sucked.

[gamingdroid]

It is nice to be able to generate a new profile quickly, but it is definitely no substitute to playing the original Mass Effect.

There is a lot of details left out of the comic, not to mention the pace and the momentum build-up in the game.

So in summary it is a good intro, but to get the real proper experience there is no substitute for the original Mass Effect.

[LunaticBrandon]

Keep telling yourself that.

[Baka-akaB]

keep believing the opposite too . It's true that some people are tired of me1's gameplay .

After a while , everytime i wanted to replay me2 with custom choices , i'd just edit a save or download a save and redo the face of the char .

the comics with choices for the save is just yet another alternative

[ct03]

I've played ME1 three times and ME2 once. If I had to pick one of these games to replay right now it would be ME1. In fact, I'll only replay ME2 when the third game is out. It's a good game, but ME1 is perfect.

[ArchangelMike]

I'm not watching it. Saving the experience for when the game arrives later this week :D

I've played through Mass Effect 1 twice (male paragon and female renegade). I'm hoping I can at least start ME2 as either from the interactive comic.

[Megaton]

Comic can't replace the original game and the save transfer, no matter how much some of you guys try to beat people into believing it can. Get ME2 on a platform with ME1.

[Snatcher]

This is kind of cool, but you better of playing ME1...

[Baka-akaB]

Enough already about me1... stop dwelling on a settled matter .

Some of you dont even know that people even post game sessions on youtube ?

Me1 have been available in full as streamed video for a while .

So watch the comics , or the feeds , or get me1 on pc (or 360 before someone comes with accusations of anything) already .

[ct03]

There are playthroughs for EVERY game on Youtube. Going by your logic, what's the point in playing any games yourself then?

[Baka-akaB]

Get off me already . Of course i know it's for every game , that's even the meaning of my sentence

My "logic" as you say , is that there are plenty way for everyone to enjoy me1 in parts or full .

Making it useless to whine every damn thread about something we've known for months and isnt going to change anytime soon

[ChickeyCantor]

On steam ME1 is pretty cheap.
Anyone should get steam, there are moments where prices go down to 8 dollars.

Have both of the games on PC.
And anyone is missing out if they just go with the comic.

[Kran]

I own Mass Effect 2 on Xbox 360, but for the sake of it, im gonna rent the PS3 version. I mean I have the 360 version of Mass Effect 1, but it's just not as good as 2 and it's soooo hard to play when you can't cover as well as you do in ME2.

[ChickeyCantor]

I liked ME1 more than ME2.
The cover system in part on was better! I just lean on a surface and take cover. In ME2 you have to confirm it which killed me in battles many times.

[Kakihara]

I'm glad we get this just so I can carry on the character I played ME1 as before my 360 got the 'Red ring of go buy a PS3'. I do plan to be a bit of a revisionist though and make believe that my character (SPOILERS) saved the purty girl rather than the most boring guy on Earth when I had to choose who survived, damn trickster game.

[mobijoker]

ME1 lets you immerse into the world of mass effect as it gives insights to different races and there stance in universe politics.It was full with lore and makes you fall in love with the universe.ME2 got better visuals,gameplay etc. but it does not got a plot as complex as ME1 and it does little to move the story forward.ME1 made the stage set for ME3 while ME2 is basically the story of preparing your team for the dooms day.

[Mikey Mike]

Not perfect, but it works.

[shinrock]

wow only like 4-5 decision out of like 100 ya'll get to make.play me 1 one 360 hell pc. so much goodness cut out.

[Darkfiber]

Awesome. Now there's absolutely no reason to get this for PS3.

[JonnyBigBoss]

That was a great summary. I got ME1 for PC about a year ago for only $5, and while it was amazing, ME2 is substantially better in delivery.

[Figboy]

I own ME1 and ME2 on the 360, and as much as I love Mass Effect 1, it's a REALLY difficult game to play multiple times.

The pacing is incredibly slow, and there is a lot of bullshit filler to pad the game (like the obnoxious Mako sections).

This comic does a really good job of keeping the story on point, and letting you make the critical decisions.

In truth, your decisions in ME1 have very little effect on the events of ME2. It was nice seeing some recurring characters from ME1 (like Conrad Verner; lol. that guy is such a noob), but outside of that, I don't think those that have not played ME1 are being deprived of as much as the 360 community is making it out to be.

I had to replay Mass Effect 1 when I bought ME2, because somehow, my save files were gone from my Xbox, and I didn't want to play ME2 with the "gimped" storyline (Dead council, Dead Wrex, etc).

Playing through ME1 the first time was great. Having to play through it again, just so I could import my Shepard was not so fun.

The pacing in ME2 is much better, and replaying it isn't nearly as tedious as replaying ME1 (still a great game, by the way).

This comic substitute is a great way to get people caught up on the plot, and able to generate a save game to their liking for ME2. It's a pretty good solution, all told.

[Baka-akaB]

Yeah and i'm only hopeful and expecting that the big decisions from ME1 actually have an impact in me3 and beyond .

In ME2 you are basically shipped elsewhere before you see any impact , beyond the smaller quests

[visualb]

hey i totally agree

Im playing through it for the first time, and although Im loving it, the pacing does get a little slow at times

its just a rather long RPG, and with the 2nd available, going back can be strange (firing controls not as nice)

so its understandable if people don't want to replay a 30+ hour game

hell, I started FO:NV again after 50+ hours n just couldn't do it, i got bored

its still a great game

[PandaJenkins]

It works well enough as a recap but really lacks the depth and emotion of the game. Any PS3 owner who has not played the first and can owe it to themselves to play it. The small decisions that carried over though really made 2 even better so I don't know really... I just hope small decisions made in ME1 through side missions and such will still carry into 3.

[Mikey Mike]

I know what you mean. I love when Commander Shep walked out of the rubble at the end! It was a classic cinematic moment, better than any movie. Yet, the comic works for people who have not played the game. I just want it on the PS3, the controls are hands down better than the PC.

[DEADEND]

I can't wait to get this on Friday along with LBP 2.

[NinjaRican]

WTF!!!! This is so good!!! I love it!!!

[xCaptainAmazing]

The sheer quality of the panels is fantastic, and the comic itself is a great recap overall.

...But it doesn't even mention the Geth?! Not once! That's very strange. Practically the whole game revolved around them.

[distorted_reality]

Yeah, seems a little silly. Considering the massive decision you have to make in ME2 regarding the Geth, it seems a little ridiculous.

[xCaptainAmazing]

Oh well, already played ME1 on 360. I'll be finishing off the franchise on PS3, though.

So for me, I couldn't care less :)

[distorted_reality]

Personally, I think the comic is a great idea, but one the biggest problems with it is shown in the opening couple of minutes.

At the beginning of ME1, you get to walk around the Normandy and talk to the crew before reporting to Anderson and going on your first mission. On the way, you get to chat to the other marine that will be going on the mission with you, and you see how excited he is to go on a mission and kill things. You can either settle him down or encourage him.

Very early on in the mission, he dies, regardless of what you say. This gives a great warning for the rest of the game - emotionally, you're going to have to make some tough decisions, and even if you make the one you feel is right, it could still turn out badly.

In the comic, he isn't even mentioned. Along with the big decisions you have to make, there are also these little moments that turn the story and gameplay experience from decent to brilliant, and this comic doesn't come close to matching that experience.

As for the big decisions - the relationship choice seemed like a bit of a joke, but in reality was probably as good as it could of been, as there was no way they could of included the hours of dialogue between the characters that helped decided which way you wanted to swing.

The Rachni Queen decision was also glossed over too quickly for my tastes - the discussion with the Rachni Queen was one of the best in the game imo, and again you miss that emotional content that helps you to make what i'm expecting to be a huge decision in ME3.

The Wrex decision is OK, but in the original game, you had to have a certain level of Paragon or Renegade to really influence Wrex, as normal conversation options weren't enough (from memory). It lacked the emotional content, but again i'm not sure how else they could of done it. The Sovereign revelation on Virmire was also glossed over.

The chat to (can't remember its name) the "databank" on Ilos was also glossed over quite quickly as well. I remember the first time playing through and getting to this point, and having that talk was mindblowing, one of the highlights of the game for me.

The end-game run is done ok, although again you don't have the backstory of the Council being dickheads at every turn to make the decision to save them or not an emotionally hard one. I can handle the final fight being glossed over, but it could of at least showed that the Normandy led the fight against Sovereign with the rest of the Alliance Fleet, which paved the way (as well as Shephards actions) for the influence the Alliance has on the Citadel and in the Council in ME2.

Great idea, but I don't know if it's been as well executed as it could of been. I still think that anyone who hasn't played ME1 should pick it up on PC and play through it at least once, if they want the full ME experience, as the comic just doesn't cover enough bases for me.

[tigertron]

I hope this comic has Jennifer Hale's voice over aswell.

I think the comic has done a decent job of summing up the last game, obviously its not the same as playing ME1, but its enough for newcomers. I have ME1 on the PC but I'm getting ME2 on the PC (because I prefer consoles and my graphics card isn't that good), but I'm just glad I can make the important choices again.

[WharenPeace]

I'm pretty keen to revisit Mass Effect 2 on PS3 (having also been converted from x360 to PS3 after one too many RRODs). Having said that, Mass Effect 2 (PS3) is going to be a definite buy for me, and I'm not going to be ashamed to have it, ME1 and ME2 on X360.

Good Times!