I have never played Mass Effect 1 or 2.
Do I need to play the first and second installments to understand the third?
Are there enough story recaps to fill in some of the back story?
Will I be lost?
Mass-Effect-3 – Need to Play Mass Effect 1 or 2 to Understand Mass Effect 3 Storyline?
mass-effect-3mass-effect-series
Related Topic
- Mass-effect – good synopsis of the plot of Mass Effect 1 & 2
- Mass Effect – Will Playing Mass Effect 3 First Spoil Previous Games?
- Mass-effect – Does Mass Effect 3 have “DRM Servers”
- Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer – Consequences of Not Playing
- Mass-effect – Is the “default” story in Mass Effect 3 a direct continuation of the “default” from Mass Effect 2
- Ps3 – Are there story elements in Mass Effect 3 which are directly influenced by actions in the first game
- Mass-effect – Which Mass Effect 2 DLCs are relevant for Mass Effect 3’s story
- Mass-effect – What do I need to complete the Mass Effect Trilogy collection
Best Answer
This depends largely on what you want out of the game.
There is a long story interwoven between the three installments, and you'll certainly miss the depth and some of the plot by not playing through all three and importing your character along the way. However the main plot arc is very linear throughout the series, and you won't be totally lost if you pick up ME3 completely ignorant.
However, Mass Effect 3 has some features that specifically tailor to new players. The game is well balanced and is completely playable if you haven't played ME1/2, but the biggest difference for certain users will be Action Mode.
Action Mode lets a player experience ME3 as a purely action and story based game, where there's no roleplaying or deciding; the game's story is set in stone, and you just watch. For players that just want to experience the action gameplay of Mass Effect without worrying about the story, Mass Effect 3 is probably the best game to play first.
Basically, if you really want the depth and roleplaying aspect, you'll be missing out if you start with Mass Effect 3, but it depends how much you care. If you want to play an action game, playing ME3 first is probably your best option.