Mass Effect 3 - Page 27

I know! I rebel against all the status quos!!

But seriously, I think Bioware's writers have never exactly been self-aware about what their strengths have traditionally been(fun character interactions, good locations, complex decisions) and what they traditionally haven't been(stories that aren't giant fucking cliches) and Mass Effect 3 just shows that off.

I never needed this game franchise to be Shepard's personal one-woman crusade against Lovecraft-inspired aliens, but that's what I got.

Note: And before anybody anybody asks, I'm not opposed to something being "big and epic" despite all my posts seemingly begging for things to be scaled back. I just ultimately think Mass Effect as a BIG trilogy capper happens to compliment Bioware's weakness(that they think they've been directing Stalker instead of Flash Gorden) and not giving into their strengths(being all girly and adorable)

Yeah, I agree with you LaurenOrtega. I just don't think that excuses the ending.

I agree in that Bioware's story-writing has a lot to be desired.  But honestly, what I loved most about the game wasn't the epic scale, it was the little things.  Character interactions, callbacks, past alliances finally bearing fruit, friendly banter between squad members who've been through the wringer together so many times and the thinly-veiled goodbyes.  Unlike a lot of games where you're surrounded by archetypes and cliches, the Normandy crew didn't feel artificial and forced.  Hell, even James managed to make himself welcome and endearing, and he got introduced at the tail end of the franchise.  In fact, for a game as large-scale as ME3, some of the character moments might be the best and most personal ones in the series.

But for actual story-writing... this is the same group that decided "hmm, we want to ramp up the tension by having the Collectors kidnap the non-squad crew, but how?  Oh, just make all the squad pile into a clown car shuttle to go to the space grocers or something."  They try way too damn hard to force some things in sometimes.  That said, they're better at story-writing than... well... most of the gaming industry really.  Looking at you, Bethesda.

Mass Effect 3 is, to me, a great game that failed to stick the landing.  A game that sorely needs a denouement.  A game with a multiplayer that is exponentially more fun than I ever expected.  It has some significant flaws, but nothing that will keep me from coming back to it very soon.

Guys video games are only really about thirty years old for all intents and purposes. Movies in the 1930's had pretty cliched simple stories as well.

Bioware are at least trying to see what the medium can do and explore its many and varied possibilities in the realm of stroy-telling. Hell they may even eventually create video gamings answer to Citizen Kane and change the whole shape of the industry... but not yet.

...not yet.

Best part of the game so far? Drunk Tali! That whole scene(and her interaction with DLC guy shortly thereafter) was adorable and funny.

I remember there being some light moments in the previous games but this one has some great humorous moments to throughout, especially from Garrus and EDI. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trevor 

If anybody's interested:

 

http://electronbadlands.wordpress.com/2012/03/15/the-real-reason-mass-effect-3-was-a-disappointment/

Very nicely done, Trevor.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trevor 

If anybody's interested:

 

http://electronbadlands.wordpress.com/2012/03/15/the-real-reason-mass-effect-3-was-a-disappointment/

I'll be writing something similar in the next day or two also. I need to work out all the camps and controversies for myself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Master Shake 
I'm very interested on what the game experience is like for non-import Shepards.  The characters from Mass Effect 2 seem rather ingrained in the ME3 storyverse, and I can only wonder how they compensate for that in certain missions, especially Warning: Squad Spoilers (Click to show)

how they deal with Garrus and Tali not being alive enough to be on your team if you went the FailShep route.

 

I'll say this:  if you're one of those that believes that "non-import" reflects Bioware's idea about a "canon" storyline, then it's canon that Shepard is really a dick, albeit a badass one given that he apparently completed the suicide run in ME2 with only two casualties (Thane and while not even gaining two of his default squad members and none of the optional ones (He kept Grunt in the tank, and never activates Legion...doesn't get Kasumi or Zaeed).  Though in a Non-Import game both Tali and Garrus are still alive. 

However, one pretty big change for a non-import Shepard?

Quote:

Originally Posted by neoolong 

I'm still not feeling the gap between ME2 and ME3.  I got reinstated as a Spectre agent in ME2, so shouldn't I be allowed to do pretty much anything I wanted?  How did the Alliance strip me of command and my ship?  Especially since it's not even their ship to begin with, and for the most part the crew wasn't technically Alliance.

 

Simply because I'm a loyal soldier of Earth?  That's kind of weak.

Well, they've made it pretty clear from the very first game that Spectres aren't quite as "unlimited authority and do whatever we want" as they make the gig sound at first, not to mention Hackett reminding you several times that "You may be a Spectre, but you're still Alliance" as well.  The Normandy itself, even if not technically an Alliance vessel in ME2, is a military-grade vessel in the hands of (at first) a terrorist organization, and then (more or less) privately held...either way probably extremely illegal anywhere that isn't the Terminus Systems (to say nothing of the AI on board).  That alone would give the Alliance the right to seize the vessel if they found it in their territory.  Basically, there is no legal/legitimate authority behind Shepard's command of the Normandy II.

And we all know the Council would hang Shepard out to dry in a heartbeat:  "Spectre?  No, no...he's not a Spectre.  How could he be, he's been dead for two years!  Reinstatement?  We don't know anything about that.  Poor fellow must have become unhinged."  Hell, even his reinstatement is more just a "gesture" since they follow it up with, "But we can't publicly support you, and you need to stay in the Terminus Systems and not mess around in Council Space while you're gallivanting around in your ship full of terrorists."

But yes, part of it is being a loyal soldier of Earth.  That, and once he/she left Cerberus, Shepard would need some kind of support structure if they wanted to keep operating.  In the long run returning to the Alliance was the smart play.

Heck, the fact that you don't even get free equipment for being a Spectre shoulda told us that they aren't quite as totally awesome as advertised.   (Seriously, the Council SELLS Spectres guns?  Are they really that strapped for cash?)

Quote:

Originally Posted by neoolong 

I would rather they didn't do that, mainly because I want the game to end with Miranda and Shepard to fly off and make genetically perfect space babies somewhere.  And Wrex can babysit.

Hmmm, didn't dig too deeply into the dossiers found in the Shadow Broker's lair after Shep and Liara "liberate" it, did you?  Or didn't play that particular bit of DLC at all?

Bah, it's the future.  They can cure that type of stuff.

I never played Lair of the Shadow Broker either.

Quote:

Originally Posted by neoolong 

Bah, it's the future.  They can cure that type of stuff.

 

They didn't seem to think so in the dossier, but more so that would remove a layer of delicious irony from Miranda's character and story arc.  Then again, given that that layer wouldn't be at all apparent unless you make a point of digging into the bonus stuff on a piece of DLC, it's clearly not something Bioware considered "critical."  Kind of the same way:

But seriously, if you have the capability/opportunity it's well worth playing that DLC and checking all that stuff out.  It ranges from the merely hilarious to the genuinely heart-wrenching.  Most of it is pretty hilarious, though.

The first hidden point is actually addressed in ME3, which made it come out of nowhere for me.

I haven't actually gotten to the end yet(FUCK YOU WORK!) but I'm not really excusing any possible problems with it. In fact I'm semi-dreading the ending here.

I REALLY love this game, but you and Trevor basically have my axe as far as story problems are concerned.

I'm pretty sure I could probably make a pretty good list of films from the 1930's that happened to be more revolutionary than the entirety of gaming as a whole. M came out in 1931 for god's sake! We've yet to see one game that's nearly as brilliant as that piece.

But furthermore it's not cliches that bother me so much about Mass Effect 3's storyline, it's the fact that the writers somehow think that they haven't been writing cliches.

Really Mass Effect is a great game universe because it's pulp, really cool and smart pulp. It's a universe that really owes as much to Buck Rogers as it does to the modern reboot of Battlestar Galactica, and where a space-commando-James Bond can tool around on a big fancy ship with their crew of unlikely but loyal alien misfits battling evil space cuddlefish.

That doesn't mean it doesn't have anything intelligent to say(because it does) or doesn't do anything to give it a lot of cultural praise(*cough* my essay *cough*) but I don't think the game has ever been able to do profound very well, and I think this game is attempting to be epic and profound.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LaurenOrtega 

 

Really Mass Effect is a great game universe because it's pulp, really cool and smart pulp. It's a universe that really owes as much to Buck Rogers as it does to the modern reboot of Battlestar Galactica, and where a space-commando-James Bond can tool around on a big fancy ship with their crew of unlikely but loyal alien misfits battling evil space cuddlefish.

 

That doesn't mean it doesn't have anything intelligent to say(because it does) or doesn't do anything to give it a lot of cultural praise(*cough* my essay *cough*) but I don't think the game has ever been able to do profound very well, and I think this game is attempting to be epic and profound.

 

 

 

Ding ding ding! Winner!

Anyone else listened to the hidden "Blasto 6" billboard movie-dialogue yet? Half the damn film is on there. Just listened to the whole thing on the Citadel, and man, it's the greatest thing ever. People asked for more, and BioWare sure delivered:

It's been almost two weeks, yet I'm still somewhat creeped out by that other billboard with the Asari chick making the "Vigo The Carpathian" rape-face.

Alright, I changed my mind.  The multiplayer is fairly fun.  Once you're playing with a full team and actually finishing rounds, it's entertaining.

Bought my first Spectre Pack and am a level 12 Engineer.

People need to learn not to go running off on their own.  It's like a frickin' horror movie.  "I'll run head-first into those banshees and ravangers while my group is on the other side of the map!  Nothing bad will happen!"

Also, I dressed my engineer in yellow and black.  And named him Colm Meaney.

Looks like they caved:

BioWare says they'll be releasing new ending-content "with closure."

Caved, or that was always the plan?

Heh. You just know there's gonna be folks out there thinking this. But regardless of either side of the debate, Mass Effect 3 is a great game, and I'm worried that it's going to be remembered more for its ridiculous hate-driven controversy than its fantastic experience.

It's all about the little moments rather than the ending, though the ending is still dumb as hell.

I just experienced the wonders of Krogan poetry; well done, Bioware.

Also, some of the in mission dialogue between the squad is just hilarious; specially if it involves romanticlly involved characters.

id like to add that i rather like James Vega; hell, his interactions with Garrus are amazing; finallym speaking of Garrus, i think he gets the best character bit so far in the game.

So, if you fucked up at the end of Mass Effect 2 and get Mordin killed...

Quote:

Originally Posted by thalasi 

 

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

Padok Wiks, the guy in charge on the Salarian base where you first meet Eve, takes over for Mordin if he's not around.

 

 

Ahh, that makes sense. Much obliged. I'm really curious to play the game with everyone you know from ME 2 dead. It'd be like a totally different game (or a much shorter one).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Parker 

Ahh, that makes sense. Much obliged. I'm really curious to play the game with everyone you know from ME 2 dead. It'd be like a totally different game (or a much shorter one).

I've considered doing the same thing, especially after I saw this scene with Mordin's replacement.

ADDENDUM:  On the multiplayer side, it looks like the Operation Goliath event was a big damn success, so MP players get a free community reinforcement pack tonight.

Honestly, if you're not playing the multiplayer, you're missing out.  This is the most fun I've had with co-op multi in a long time, especially with friends.

Nice.  I made sure the play the MP enough to get the Commendation Pack.

Good to hear, re: the Victory and Commendation Packs. Several of us here (myself, Spike, Nate K, etc.) possed-up, completed the Silver Reaper rounds and achieved extraction this past weekend, so nice to know EA's gonna be doing more of these.

Three MILLION Brutes died at the hands of man this weekend.

'Tis a righteous accomplishment.

Now it's time to pray they don't do one of these events with Banshees.

I don't know, it seems like Banshees appear just a bit less than Brutes.  I'd say that if there were 3 million dead Brutes, there were surely at least 1 million dead Banshees.

So, did anybody's Commendation Packs not unlock yet?  I thought it was supposed to be 5PM Pacific, but mine didn't.  The Victory Pack did though.

Got both my packs.  Got the Hurricane (decent damage, but you have to shove it up the enemy's ass to hit them consistently) and the Geth Plasma Shotgun.

Looks like they added a new buyable pack:  Premium Veteran for 33,000 credits.  2 Uncommmons with a good chance at a Rare.  Leveled up my Mantis, my Scimitar and my Eviscerator, so good times.

I might have to try the Hurricane on my CQC Infiltrator class.  Might be a great shield-eater, especially coming out of cloak.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Master Shake 

Got both my packs.  Got the Hurricane (decent damage, but you have to shove it up the enemy's ass to hit them consistently) and the Geth Plasma Shotgun.

 

Looks like they added a new buyable pack:  Premium Veteran for 33,000 credits.  2 Uncommmons with a good chance at a Rare.  Leveled up my Mantis, my Scimitar and my Eviscerator, so good times.

 

I might have to try the Hurricane on my CQC Infiltrator class.  Might be a great shield-eater, especially coming out of cloak.

After I got the Geth Shotgun, not a single fuck was given. I pretty much just used that and the Incisor and it was gg. But I was a Vanguard in my first playthrough and went for as much melee/power dmg as possible and usually would just charge nova and heavy melee shit to death. Unless they had shields, then I would use overload first.

EDIT: Of course I have not officially purchased the game yet, so I do not know the glory...I mean horror of facing down shit tons of banshees. Good lord those things are a pain enough as it is in the last mission, between them and all the brutes at the same time. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Master Shake 

Got both my packs.  Got the Hurricane (decent damage, but you have to shove it up the enemy's ass to hit them consistently) and the Geth Plasma Shotgun.

 

Looks like they added a new buyable pack:  Premium Veteran for 33,000 credits.  2 Uncommmons with a good chance at a Rare.  Leveled up my Mantis, my Scimitar and my Eviscerator, so good times.

 

I might have to try the Hurricane on my CQC Infiltrator class.  Might be a great shield-eater, especially coming out of cloak.

Hmm, I didn't have it as of last night, so this could be a problem.

As it is, the Premium Veteran pack is pretty good.  And I think it's probably a better deal than buying a bunch of Spectre packs, which is what I was doing.  Between the Geth Shotgun and the Phaeston, my soldier class is pretty rocking.  I think the rate of fire of the Phaeston is so high that it's lagging my game.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by neoolong 

Quote:

Hmm, I didn't have it as of last night, so this could be a problem.

 

As it is, the Premium Veteran pack is pretty good.  And I think it's probably a better deal than buying a bunch of Spectre packs, which is what I was doing.  Between the Geth Shotgun and the Phaeston, my soldier class is pretty rocking.  I think the rate of fire of the Phaeston is so high that it's lagging my game.
 

 

The Commendation Packs apparently got sent out at 9pm PST last night.

Also, there is a caveat: you had to be uploading feedback to EA/Bioware for them to track whether or not you finished a Silver/Gold Reapers match.  It's usually on by default, so unless you manually turned it off in the Options/Online menu, they should have noticed you beating that match.

Yeah, it was on.  And I got the Victory Pack, which I believe also only got sent to those that had the Data Tracking on.  Damn, I kinda wanted it too, since I earned it and all.  Though, considering I really only use assault rifles and the shotgun isn't supposed to be as good as the Geth shotgun, I guess it doesn't really matter.

Still, this is the worst thing to happen in the history of mankind!

Okay, I'm loving the Premium Vet packs.

They gave me the Claymore today.  Claymore Infiltrator spec'd for huge weapons and melee damage, enhanced while under cloak.

Everything my gaze touches within 10 feet of me DIES on Silver.  I may take this build into Gold.

Yeah, I just got another of the packs and unlocked the Turian Soldier and Salarian Engineer builds.  Nice.

Now, where's my Krogan?

Infiltrator was boring as hell to play in the single player but its lots of fun so far with co-op. It's like the Cloak/Javelin combo is pretty much an instant kill for anything but a boss. If you get head shots you can down a Brute or Geth Prime in two. It's one downfall is against Banshees since her teleporting thing is tough to overcome with the Javelin delay between clicking and actually firing. But really, the thing shoots through walls and sees through smoke grenades, hard to go wrong there.

Asari Adept is CREDIT TO TEAM

Holy shit, an Asari Adept with Stasis Bubble, maxed damage Warp and Throw is an assist-generating machine.  So many biotic/tech/fire/ice explosions.

When I next attempt Gold, she will be what I bring to that party.

So I'm on the final single player London push against The Reapers and I can't play the damn thing now until Sunday. My 8 year old nephew has become so engrossed with watching me play that he's made me promise to wait until he's back home in two days time. The ME universe is on its way to becoming his Star Wars - and I'm okay with that.

The not being able to finish annoyed me until I came in here and was reminded there's online multiplayer (seriously, it hadn't even occurred to me, so engrossed was I in single player). So late last night I gave it a quick try,I teed up my first character, a human engineer by the name of Igor Grovinski and waded into battle with three guys who were about 17 levels higher than me at the minimum. While I died a little more than the rest, I actually acquitted myself quite admirably for a noob and had a great time all round. As a consequence, I'm looking forward to a proper session tonight. I even cracked and bought a spectre pack to get myself properly started, so I have a Krogan soldier who I've named Urdnought Scurm and I want to give him a thrash tonight too.

So anyway, for anyone interested in hooking up and taking down some geth or Reaper hordes, I'll be on xbox live in around 8 hours time from now - The Rain Dog 76

Argh. I knew there was another reason I dreaded them adding multiplayer to this thing. Discussion threads devolving into a clone of every other Call of Duty/Battlefield/Medal of Honor wankfest.

No offense to anyone here, and it's great that you guys like it, but I just can't stand that shit. I'm such a coot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacob Singer 

Argh. I knew there was another reason I dreaded them adding multiplayer to this thing. Discussion threads devolving into a clone of every other Call of Duty/Battlefield/Medal of Honor wankfest.

 

No offense to anyone here, and it's great that you guys like it, but I just can't stand that shit. I'm such a coot.

Dude, totally with you.  Don't get me wrong, the multiplayer is solid fun.  But seeing so many posts be taken up by, "This combination of powers makes rape!" and "guns shoot big and harder than guns, fuck self!" talk is never not boring.  The other forum that I visit has the same problem BUT WORSE for every game with multi, AssCreed/Syndicate/Space Marine, anything that's got a shred of multi gets filled with this kind of talk.  

And, again, no offense to anyone.  I just think it's the boringest of talk.  I'd rather discuss how fuckawesome Garrus is and why this is now his favorite part of the Citadel.

I think Stelios hit the nail on the head earlier. Adding Multi is EA's way of opening the door to dropping product annually and selling maps and gunz 24/7.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mediumdave 

 

And, again, no offense to anyone.  I just think it's the boringest of talk.  I'd rather discuss how fuckawesome Garrus is and why this is now his favorite part of the Citadel.

At what point can we start talking about the ending in this thread?  It kinda leaves a gap when there's a whole other thread simply for that, and we need to watch what we say in here.

By the way, the ending is balls.  I'm not saying that it should be changed through DLC or whatever, but it's not very good.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mediumdave 

 

 

Dude, totally with you.  Don't get me wrong, the multiplayer is solid fun.  But seeing so many posts be taken up by, "This combination of powers makes rape!" and "guns shoot big and harder than guns, fuck self!" talk is never not boring.  The other forum that I visit has the same problem BUT WORSE for every game with multi, AssCreed/Syndicate/Space Marine, anything that's got a shred of multi gets filled with this kind of talk.  

 

And, again, no offense to anyone.  I just think it's the boringest of talk.  I'd rather discuss how fuckawesome Garrus is and why this is now his favorite part of the Citadel.

Ya man, I pretty much just slam my dick against the keyboard and shit dies. That's all that really needs to be said here. And yes I very much enjoyed Garrus in ME3 being a bit of a smartass, including the bit about how he couldn't wait to do calibrations, or w.e.

But multiplayer is a part of the game.  And this is the thread for discussing all aspects of the game.  So multiplayer is completely fair game for discussion.

On a completely different topic: Ambient dialogue.  Shit, there's a lot of it.  Some of it completely depressing, all of it interesting.

The PTSD Asari being the worst offender in the "oh... oh man" category.  And then after you hear her story, it gets MORE depressing near the end of the game.

There is some exceptional character writing on display in this game.