Mass effect or Dragon Age?

Just noticed these games on steam and got the urge to buy them (from the great reviews they've both had) but unfortunately I don't really have the money to buy both. So I was wondering which to go for? As for other Bioware games I have played through KOTOR before which I really enjoyed and part-way through NWN which I also liked. I downloaded the demo of ME 2 (seems the only one to have a demo) and really enjoyed it, very impressed by how polished and action packed it was (especially cutscenes). But I have also heard great things about DAO. So if these few questions can be answered it might help me to make a descision:

1) which would provide best value for money if bought from steam? (£30 for both ME 1 & 2, DAO ultimate edition is £25)
2) which has the best graphics but also best performance? (I can play ME 2 demo all maxed @ 1080p - would I be able to do this with DAO?)
3) which allows greater/more complex character customization and relationships between NPC's? Which is more open-ended, allows greatest freedom?
4) if I bought ME 2 would I have to buy ME 1 to fully appreciate the sequel?
5) which provides more content/hours of gameplay/things to do? (Both ME games vs DAO and its expansion plus DLCs)

Thanks!

 

Mass Effect and then save up for a christmas sale. Chances are, Dragon Age Origins ultimate edition (The Dragon Age Origins game with all the DLCs with it) might go on sale too

But really it's up to you. Do you prefer medieval style of game or sci-fi?

Check out the video reviews of both games first too and decide which you'll like best. Mass Effect 2 has a little bit of improvement from Mass Effect 1 though

 

dragon age origins ultimate edition is on sale for $25 at impulse - maybe on sale for UK, too? (not sure if impulse is UK)

 

I just checked and Dragon Age Ultimate Edition is not available in the UK through impulse. It's only for North America only ._.

 

amazon have the ultimate edition of dragon age for £17 in the uk

 

Nah, seems to be US only

I usually only buy from steam anyway.

 

Lemme try to answer the questions to the best of my abilities

1) Probably both the Mass Effect Games. Unless you love character customization and don't mind playing it all over again which I'll say DAO. In DAO you get to choose from different races with different origins (Though the game converges and proceeds the same after you complete the origin stories).

2) For some reason, I find DAO being slightly more demanding than ME but probably mainly because it has a lot of calculations to do with it's combat style.

3) I'd probably say... DAO for this one but I haven't really played ME much so I'm biased on this But in DAO there's quite a bit of choices which will determine how the character speaks to you, if your party members will stay or leave you and stuff. Appearance wise, you can only change your characters looks on new game. The armor you wear will change according to what you equip with though . Skill wise, DAO has quite a nice tech tree for that so you can pick say, dual wield over stealth backstab abilities for assassins, use different combo of spells for mages...

4) I don't know about this one sorry I did play ME2 before ME1 though but never got myself to finish them It's just not my kind of game I guess... It does seem that the game will be a trilogy in chronological order so maybe you'll definitely need to play ME1 to appreciate ME2

5) A single ME game may get you up to 40-50 hours I'd say so for both maybe about 100+ hours? Not sure about this one but my friend finishes his in the 40s. DAO... If you bother with all the side quests and DLCs... Uh... Probably about 60 hours or so for the whole thing? Well the game is quite challenging really so you'll probably die quite a bit and have to rethink your strategies multiple times. I don't have all the DLCs (Missing about 2 I think) but the last DLC I tried it took me about 3-4 hours breezing through it. The Expansion for DAO picks up from after your main game but it's not as big as the main game. Maybe about 10-15 hours tops extra there. If you aim to be a perfectionist and try to get all the achievements you'll break 100 hours though

 

Personally, i preferred Mass Effect to dragon age. DAO is a good game, but is a bit more tactical (party positioning, friendly fire etc) than ME.

EDIT: You don't need ME1 to play ME2. You'll miss a lot of smaller details though, secondary NPCs you met in ME1 will be back in ME2 and you'll also be more aware of the overall back story as well so playing ME1 definitely adds to the experience.

 

I played them both, and I love them both, but I have to give the edge to Mass Effect. Get both if you can, but if you can only get one Mass Effect it better (though not by much), both gameplay and storyline wise.

 

Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, buy them both, the story of mass effect adds a lot to mass effect 2 and they are both brilliant games. I enjoyed DAO but i found it a grind towards the end plus the plot is not as good as mass effect.

 

Thanks everyone. I think I'm leaning towards Mass Effect for now (I'll get both 1 & 2). I must admit I was very impressed with the demo of ME 2, I wish Dragon Age had a demo as well, would make the decision much easier. Hopefully I'll be able to pick up DAO in Steam's christmas sale.

One more thing, should I buy the 'digital deluxe' version of ME 2 or stick with the regular version?

 

Just get mass effect for now and finish that. Its only a tenner on steam and is worth the asking price. If you buy from amazon its only £6 but depends how long you want to wait lol

 

Standard is good enough Deluxe is 29.99 and that'll probably get you both games instead rather than just having one game with two bonus weapons and some soundtracks

 

They are both excellent games!

However, if you must choose one, Dragon Age has a bit more value as it is slightly more non-linear than ME1/ME2. Mass Effect 1 and 2 are designed to be completed over the course of a weekend or two.

Dragon Age can last much longer for the first playthrough if you complete all the side quests and it has much greater replay value because you have very different origin stages depending on the type of character you choose.

 

+1 Both are awesome.

IMO Mass Effect 2 > Dragon Age Origins >> Mass Effect
I think I played ME2 for about 36 hours (2 different playthroughs with DLCs ) and for Dragon Age Origins I played about 75 hours (1 complete playthrough including most DLCs). Dragon Age for far more replay value definitely but I have to say I loved ME2 more, it has become one of my favorite games and even on my second playthrough the game feels fresh and not boring.

 

I have played both ME 1 and ME 2 as well DAO. They are all great games but I lean towards the ME series since a: I love sci-fi stuff and b: they are a bit simpler than DAO and for that makes it bit more enjoyable. DAO is a more comlex, deeper game where as ME is tad more linear. I have played through both MEs a couple times, DAO only once.

 

I love Mass Effect. I'm burnt out on midevil RPG's. Plus, Mass Effect has inspired me to actively seek out intimate physical relationships with a chick from another planet. <3 Tali

 

All three games are in the 'must play' category. As long as you play ME1 first, you're fine.

But it's foolish to pay full price for anything on Steam, this close to the Christmas Sale. Just wait a few weeks, and you'll have all three at a deep discount.

 

and alien vs predator is 5.5... hehe, also street fighter for 8 bux, all cheaper than steam "sales" lol.

 

Two of my favorite games =p

 

On amazon:16 dollars for mass effect 2, and 40 dollars for the dig deluxe edition of ME 2.

 

If you do get the Mass Effect games, I highly recommend you play ME1 before ME2. It'll make the story of ME2 much more enjoyable.

Also, you don't really gain much from getting the Digital Deluxe Edition. I would suggest just getting the regular version.

 

I think both ME and DA have there own merits.

I think I like DA more but I only played it for like 6 hours before I found a big bug in Eyefinity mode and stopped playing until they patch it.

Its advertised as an Eyefinity certified title and and its clearly not when half of the environment outdoors is missing (trees, foliage, etc)

I like ME2 a lot more than ME1 from how far I got so far, but stopped playing that also to go back and beat ME1 first to get the full story and be able to import my character.

 

I'm waiting until all the DLC for ME2 is out so I can just buy the mega-diamond-ultimate edition with all the DLC for a good price. I have to finish ME1 again anyway in order to get my characters up to level 61 for the best import into ME2.

 

Like already mentioned, wait 'till a deal come, which shouldn't be far as christmas is almost there. In regards to which game get, all are worthy, just get ME before ME2, ME is very good itself.