Played through the single player demo.
Graphics are much improved.
Cover shooting is superior to both 1 and 2.
The multiplayer is a heck of a lot of fun, very easy to pick up.
Overall, definitely looking to be a fine conclusion to the series.
Multiplayer is multi-ficky-fick hard, what with no fucking radar. That's some hard shit, not having that little indicator in the corner.
Definetly grabbing this one as soon as it comes out.
Origin name is ScipioAmericanus, for multiplayer purposes.
Have played a bit with the demo. Seems a tad better than ME2, but will see with the full game.
it's a shame that the premise behind this trilogy turned out to be a lie. choices and consequences of decisions my ass :(
You did have minor repercussion of your choices from ME1 to ME2, as well as during the game (loyalty of your squad mates, paragon/renegade bonuses). But yeah, it was pretty minor. I believe #3 will put more emphasis on that.
Quote from: LaCroix on February 19, 2012, 07:54:00 AM
it's a shame that the premise behind this trilogy turned out to be a lie. choices and consequences of decisions my ass :(
Fable syndrome. I blame decision trees.
The nature of the business means that you really can't stray all that far. Bringing vast storylines to life costs money, especially for AAA titles.
Quote from: Neil on February 22, 2012, 07:50:57 PM
The nature of the business means that you really can't stray all that far. Bringing vast storylines to life costs money, especially for AAA titles.
Sure. I've got a pretty solid idea of where the blame lies, but I figured I'd give Jake a chance to chime in, since he's actually been involved in the whole mess.
The investment on a AAA video game title is so immense that you can really only afford to gamble on one or two departures from the archetypical game of the genre. The nature of reviews is that they (ironically) tend to zero in on small details far more than major themes, so the departures are usually saved for relatively minor gameplay features.
Once again, look at the Fable games. They were massively overhyped and promised an endgame they couldn't deliver. But they've sold like crazy, because the games were familiar enough with just the right mix of deviation in normal gameplay.
Quote from: DontSayBanana on February 22, 2012, 08:33:18 PM
Once again, look at the Fable games. They were massively overhyped and promised an endgame they couldn't deliver. But they've sold like crazy, because the games were familiar enough with just the right mix of deviation in normal gameplay.
Isn't more a Peter Molyneux phenomenon? I mean, he brought us Black & White. :D
Quote from: Scipio on February 18, 2012, 11:54:14 AM
Multiplayer is multi-ficky-fick hard, what with no fucking radar. That's some hard shit, not having that little indicator in the corner.
Try playing Space Marine. :frusty:
Quote from: garbon on February 22, 2012, 11:58:28 PM
Isn't more a Peter Molyneux phenomenon? I mean, he brought us Black & White. :D
Aha. Yeah, didn't realize he'd had to publicly apologize.
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/02/27/all-the-mass-effect-3-dlc-costs-how-much/
QuoteNo. Nooo. Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo way. Destructoid writer but not X-Files creator Chris Carter (who is probably incredibly bored of that reference) has been doing a bit of maths, which immediately makes him a more capable human being than I am. The purpose of this mathleticism was to collate all the disparate bits of DLC, pre-order bonus, unlocks and whatnot available for the upcoming marketing monolith that is Mass Effect 3, and just how much it'd cost someone to lay hands on the whole shebang. Take a seat before you read the next line.
$870/£550/€650. Whaaaat.
It must, however, be pointed out that much of that horror-price stems from having to buy bonus code-sporting hardware such as special gamepads, keyboards and headsets, or Mass Effect 3 merch such as multiple action figures and iPhone cases.
And most of what it gets you in-game is just weapon variations, skins and multiplayer unlocks, rather than 'real' content. Not stuff you'll actually need, in other words, depending on how much you care about being King Big Balls in multiplayer. Apparently, each additional code you get for the Collector's Assault Rifle (available with assorted Razer hardware) further boosts its power in multiplayer, which makes for a fairly vague concept of completism and presumably suffers from diminishing returns.
Even so – this is a sign of just how darkly convoluted and fragmented modern gaming purchases have become. The full breakdown of all the DLC and the necessary purchases is over yonder.
http://www.destructoid.com/it-will-cost-you-around-870-to-get-mass-effect-3-s-dlc-222045.phtml
QuoteCollector's Edition (needed to obtain all content):
$80 - N7 Collector's Edition
Pre-order bonuses:
AT-12 Raider - Origin pre-order bonus
Chakram Launcher - Play the Kingdoms of Alamur demo
M-55 Argus - Pre-order bonus for select retailers
N7 Weapons pack - N7 Edition bonus
N7 Hoodie - N7 Edition bonus
N7 Warfare Gear - Pre-order bonus for select retailers
Reckoner Knight Armor - Play the Kingdoms of Alamur demo
Robotic Dog - N7 Edition bonus
Squad Outfit pack - N7 Edition bonus
Auxiliary purchases:
Unannounced price for the iOS game Mass Effect Infiltrator, which can affect the main game.
$10 day one "From Dust" DLC
$44.99 for the Liara figurine - which oddly enough now comes with multiplayer unlock DLC
$24.99 for The Art of Mass Effect Universe - Collector Assault Rifle unlock DLC/Powerup
$80 for four Mass Effect 3 toys - "Slightly randomized" multiplayer unlock DLC
$59.99 for the Mass Effect 3 controller - Collector Assault Rifle unlock DLC/Powerup
$209.99 for the Chimera 5.1 Headset - Collector Assault Rifle unlock DLC/Powerup
$34.99 for the Mousepad - Collector Assault Rifle unlock DLC/Powerup
$79.99 for the Messenger Bag - Collector Assault Rifle unlock DLC/Powerup
$24.99 for the iPhone case - Collector Assault Rifle unlock DLC/Powerup
$79.99 for the Mouse - Collector Assault Rifle unlock DLC/Powerup
$139.99 for the Keyboard - Collector Assault Rifle unlock DLC/Powerup
Yes, I think a messenger bag is probably something vital that we should consider part of the game price. :D
All I think that highlights is that video game owners have enough disposable income that they can become ultimate consumers and by all sorts of branded nonsense.
I bought Princesca a new video card so she could play this with graphics turned all the way up. I also got her an SSD and Win 7 but that's just for general performance improvements for her PC.
Played the demo. I can dig.
I'm playing my last playthrough with ME2. Insanity difficulty this time. It's... fucking tough, at times.
Preloading ME3. 3/5/12 is go time!
What's up with peeps deleting their posts all the time?
I tought it would only unlock on March 6th?
Quote from: viper37 on March 02, 2012, 05:28:05 PM
I tought it would only unlock on March 6th?
Origin Digital Deluxe pre-orders apparently get it on March 5.
Didn't see this anywhere. Well, thanks for the info, I'll reserve my Monday night for this :)
Just preloaded the game. Now just have to wait until the 9th. Soon...
Check out the ME 3 launch trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG2mdZ23eP8 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG2mdZ23eP8)
Damn man, 3 is almost out already? I haven't even gotten around to finishing 2 yet.
OMG is this out in 3 days?
And I wanted to do a proper bad guy playthrough of 2. The only time I did that I didn't yet know how important completing the side quests is, so almost all of my crew died in the final battle. :P
Quote from: MadBurgerMaker on March 03, 2012, 02:09:58 AM
Damn man, 3 is almost out already? I haven't even gotten around to finishing 2 yet.
I never finished one. Just wasn't doing anything for me.
Quote from: Tamas on March 03, 2012, 03:13:46 AM
OMG is this out in 3 days?
And I wanted to do a proper bad guy playthrough of 2. The only time I did that I didn't yet know how important completing the side quests is, so almost all of my crew died in the final battle. :P
Just like a proper bad guy.
Did you have your crew cut?
Finished the insanity playthrough, all the quests, everyone survived.
One saved game with Miranda as love interest, the other where I stayed faithful to Ashley.
Apparently, the release date for Origin is March 5th, but at 9:00PM Pacific time.
Don't think I'm gonna play at midnight...
Ashley was too manly. Miranda all the way.
Quote from: viper37 on March 03, 2012, 10:54:46 PM
Apparently, the release date for Origin is March 5th, but at 9:00PM Pacific time.
Don't think I'm gonna play at midnight...
Since my dogs like to wake me up at all hours of the night, not a problem for me.
I'm racing to finish a Liara-romancing completionist FemShep playthough of ME1. I can completionist ME2 in about 30 hours with the best paragon result.
Shelled out 80 dollars for the "digital deluxe" edition. Not totally sure why, in retrospect.
Nobody knows why you do anything.
I wanted to preorder, realized Europe gets in on Friday or something.
I hate that. So, once again, because of the retard policy of different release dates, they end up with me pirating it. Me and most of Europe.
Quote from: Queequeg on March 04, 2012, 02:10:35 PM
Shelled out 80 dollars for the "digital deluxe" edition. Not totally sure why, in retrospect.
cancel the pre-order, contact EU/Origin and get a coupon of up to 25% for next purchase.
Quote from: Tamas on March 05, 2012, 02:38:10 AM
I wanted to preorder, realized Europe gets in on Friday or something.
I hate that. So, once again, because of the retard policy of different release dates, they end up with me pirating it. Me and most of Europe.
Just use FlyVPN to say your IP address is from Hong Kong and you can play it at 15:00 GMT today like I'm doing. You're in IT, this should be a breeze for you.
Quote from: Legbiter on March 05, 2012, 06:13:09 AM
Quote from: Tamas on March 05, 2012, 02:38:10 AM
I wanted to preorder, realized Europe gets in on Friday or something.
I hate that. So, once again, because of the retard policy of different release dates, they end up with me pirating it. Me and most of Europe.
Just use FlyVPN to say your IP address is from Hong Kong and you can play it at 15:00 GMT today like I'm doing. You're in IT, this should be a breeze for you.
This is about principles!!!111oneoneone
But, that said, how does this work? Do I have to open a new Origin account while logged in via a US proxy/VPN?
Quote from: Tamas on March 05, 2012, 07:14:06 AM
Quote from: Legbiter on March 05, 2012, 06:13:09 AM
Quote from: Tamas on March 05, 2012, 02:38:10 AM
I wanted to preorder, realized Europe gets in on Friday or something.
I hate that. So, once again, because of the retard policy of different release dates, they end up with me pirating it. Me and most of Europe.
Just use FlyVPN to say your IP address is from Hong Kong and you can play it at 15:00 GMT today like I'm doing. You're in IT, this should be a breeze for you.
This is about principles!!!111oneoneone
Your principles are forcing you to pirate a game?
Quote from: Tamas on March 05, 2012, 07:14:06 AM
But, that said, how does this work? Do I have to open a new Origin account while logged in via a US proxy/VPN?
1. Download FlyVPN
2. Get the Free trial username and password from here: http://www.flyvpn.com/freetrial
(http://www.flyvpn.com/freetrial)
3. Log in to Origin under your NORMAL IP. This is important.
4. When Origin is loaded up go to your VPN and connect, pick the Asia tab at the top and pick Hong Kong
5. Click play on Mass Effect 3, it'll do the date and time check
6. When it's activated disconnect from the VPN
7. Exit Origin and turn it back on again
8. Play Mass Effect 3 at 15:00 GMT today or the gypsy timezone equivalent. ;)
Quote from: Tamas on March 05, 2012, 02:38:10 AM
I wanted to preorder, realized Europe gets in on Friday or something.
I hate that. So, once again, because of the retard policy of different release dates, they end up with me pirating it. Me and most of Europe.
To be fair, you were going to pirate it anyways.
Quote from: Berkut on March 05, 2012, 07:18:34 AM
Your principles are forcing you to pirate a game?
+1
Quote from: Berkut on March 05, 2012, 07:18:34 AM
Quote from: Tamas on March 05, 2012, 07:14:06 AM
Quote from: Legbiter on March 05, 2012, 06:13:09 AM
Quote from: Tamas on March 05, 2012, 02:38:10 AM
I wanted to preorder, realized Europe gets in on Friday or something.
I hate that. So, once again, because of the retard policy of different release dates, they end up with me pirating it. Me and most of Europe.
Just use FlyVPN to say your IP address is from Hong Kong and you can play it at 15:00 GMT today like I'm doing. You're in IT, this should be a breeze for you.
This is about principles!!!111oneoneone
Your principles are forcing you to pirate a game?
Don't condone Tamas' action, but doing away with differing release dates would be a good way to reduce piracy. It's a stupid practice and I have no idea why publishers do it.
Thanks Legbiter, I guess I ended up buying it anyways :P But for naught, as the UK version can't be preloaded yet apparently.
Aaand, looks like some arseholes are using FlyVPN on my ISP's internal network or something, because it keeps claiming I am exceeding the available sessions.
Quote from: Razgovory on March 05, 2012, 11:11:27 AM
Don't condone Tamas' action, but doing away with differing release dates would be a good way to reduce piracy. It's a stupid practice and I have no idea why publishers do it.
It is entirely a product of DVD/CD release dates. 'New Media Day' in North America is Tuesday, in Europe it's Friday. So long as games are tied to brick-and-mortar retailers who sell games and other media, you're going to see street dates. That's a big part of the reason that a lot of people in the industry who deal with international development are excited about digital distribution.
:lmfao: @ tamas
Ah
Been giving it a spin. Wow, the galaxy sure is getting curbstomped. The Batarian Hegemony has been all but destroyed, Earthlings, turians and asari are getting pounded so hard it's depressing. Cerberus is a wildcard it seems. Playing an import so great to see how your decisions from the previous games pop up every now and again.
If you like the previous Mass Effects, you'll love this one. Music's great as well. Combat is a lot of fun and if you try to stay still in one place for too long the enemies will flank you, smoke you out of cover and make mincemeat out of you.
One quibble, that ANN war correspondent is an eyesore, she looks like a mutated version of Snooki. :yuk:
She is based on a real "journalist" from network on cable here iirc.
Any DLC available at release?
Besides the one you get from buying CE/DD?
ama playin' da game. Legally, even, FU katmai :P
No spoilerz plz
I never played past the first level of the first one.
Yikes, just stopped playing after 7 hours :blush:
I'll keep quiet for your sake Tamas.
I logged 3 hours this morning. Enjoying it a lot, so far. Trying to get used to the changed from 2, though. I've logged more hours in ME2 than any modern-era game I've played, even Dragon Age, where I've hit 133 hours on one character with all the DLC.
I've played through the first missions on Earth, Mars&the Citadel.
I explored the Normandy from the bottom to the top. Nice upgrades to the ship, btw.
I was disapointed with ME2 when I first played it. I got to like the game after I'd played all the DLCs, but it still felt like a console game. Simple action, simple dialogues, very short.
With ME3 however, I feel there's a story being told and I'm part of it, making my own choices on how it will evolve. The characters feel like they have a story, their own story, they're not just there waiting for me to speak to them.
The graphics are nice. The game loads fast, faster than ME2.
It seems they kept the best from ME2 and improved upon it, so far, at least.
I haven't got my pre-order bonuses thouhg :mad: Fucking EA.
Quote from: katmai on March 05, 2012, 10:29:03 PM
Any DLC available at release?
Besides the one you get from buying CE/DD?
Only "From Ashes" wich is included in the Collector's Edition, but available seperatly for 10$.
Does the combat still consist of fumbling around from cover to cover with terrible controls? I couldn't get into either of the first two because of it. I've been watching a couple of live streams and it seems very similar.
They have been tweaked a little, but essentially the same ya.
I enjoyed the way the guns handled, the sound design, and the characters of the first two MEs. I just can't get past the Okay Shepherd run this way to pick up NO DON'T GO INTO COVER THERE STOP ROLLING AROUND AARRGH I'M DEAD moments. Ruins an otherwise solid game.
I'm really trying to delay buying this but I might be weak.
Warning for the non-MP types among us. And I was actually willing to pull the trigger after all, but this makes me reconsider. Besides the bonus DLC madness I already complained about this is a serious enthusiasm killer for me. It's like Bioware is deliberately pushing all the buttons that turn me off about games.
YMMV, of course.
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/03/06/mass-effect-3-review-pc/
QuoteRight, I'll assume you're here because you're cool with me talking about the mechanics of this. I'm the best person to talk about it as I don't know anything about the story, so there's nothing about it in here. Really, I can only name Shepard and that's it. I don't even know if that's the correct spelling of her name, frankly.
It turns out it's all about playing multiplayer and gaining War Assets. As you play the single-player, when you help people you accrue war assets. Despite completing all the quests he could find, PCG's man still suffered an overwhelmingly bleak, dark finish to his game. Why?
QuoteThat's because I'd never played the multiplayer. It's a co-op mode where you and up to three other players have to survive waves of AI enemies and complete objectives. If you succeed, you get an increase to your Readiness rating – a percentage by which your single player War Assets are multiplied by. These are specific to each sector of the galaxy, so if you have a lot of War Assets in the Terminus Systems, you'll gain more by playing on a multiplayer map set in the Terminus Systems.
Please, read the rest of Tom's post before you comment here – obviously we don't want to nick all his comments, but he has much more to say on how he played and why he was surprised by the outcome. This being Mass Effect, a certain bleakness is inevitable regardless, but apparently there's bleak and there's bleak. Now it's a particularly cruel trick because it allegedly ignores your choices to some degree: you either need to be a crazy completionist in single-player, which entails completing all the grindy scanning minigames, which are apparently as dull as this photo of a rock, or jump extensively into the multiplayer, a part of the game that traditionally people would play after completing the main. Why do this? Why make people play the game in such a way? Can you guess what part of Mass Effect is apparently suffused with helpful microtransactions that you can opt for instead of gradually unlocking everything?
Another option still is to buy $7 iPhone game Mass Effect: Infiltrator, which offers an additional way of increasing war readiness in the main game.
Admittedly, this does mean there are multiple ways to achieve maximum war readiness, which may appeal to some – but it's a long way distant from the old ways of doing your best to do the right thing throughout the quests (or the worst thing, if that's your style).
Quote from: FunkMonk on March 06, 2012, 12:24:06 PM
I enjoyed the way the guns handled, the sound design, and the characters of the first two MEs. I just can't get past the Okay Shepherd run this way to pick up NO DON'T GO INTO COVER THERE STOP ROLLING AROUND AARRGH I'M DEAD moments. Ruins an otherwise solid game.
The first one was made for the Xbox first&foremost, then ported to the PC. So it's made to work with a gamepad, not a keyboard primarily.
I'm having the same problems as you do, albeit less in this one than in ME2.
Quote from: Syt on March 06, 2012, 12:56:28 PM
Warning for the non-MP types among us. And I was actually willing to pull the trigger after all, but this makes me reconsider. Besides the bonus DLC madness I already complained about this is a serious enthusiasm killer for me. It's like Bioware is deliberately pushing all the buttons that turn me off about games.
you need to complete all the quests, and explore the galaxy, at the risk of attracting the Repear's attention, to increase you War readyness, wich is used to take the fight to the Reapers on Earth. This is what you get when you trust reviews made by a guy who doesn't care about the story :P
It's much more RPGesque than the other 2, imho.
Yeah, like MINOR SPOILER ALERT
if you give the Paragon answer to that journalist chick on the Citadel, she beccomes a resource in the war.
So I am not subscribing to the negative shrill on this, not yet. But also, the story is way more predictable so far than I would have preferred. Still at quite the start though.
Hrm. So I have the prothean DLC, but how do I know that it was installed properly?
Quote from: Faeelin on March 07, 2012, 09:34:25 AM
Hrm. So I have the prothean DLC, but how do I know that it was installed properly?
I just researched this - you need to click on the small info button below the game, in Origin.
Quote from: viper37 on March 06, 2012, 01:43:47 PM
you need to complete all the quests, and explore the galaxy, at the risk of attracting the Repear's attention, to increase you War readyness, wich is used to take the fight to the Reapers on Earth. This is what you get when you trust reviews made by a guy who doesn't care about the story :P
It's much more RPGesque than the other 2, imho.
I'm quoting myself.
So the War readyness never goes below 50%. If you get it up to, say, 65% one day, and then stop playing multi, it will go down.
It is useful for the final fight, but not essential. It might not hurt to boost this score just before taking on the readers.
So, what it decays over time?
From what I understand having read through practically all the spoilers and endings, War Readiness will affect the type of ending you receive.
Quote from: FunkMonk on March 07, 2012, 06:11:00 PM
From what I understand having read through practically all the spoilers and endings, War Readiness will affect the type of ending you receive.
To some degree.
First impression: ME3 cannot import the individualized face I used in ME1 and 2. :yuk:
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on March 07, 2012, 04:37:49 PM
So, what it decays over time?
never below 50%. So, if you want to play MP for the best in-game result, do it only when you're ready for your final mission(s), or do it every day.
Hrm. So it says it's installed, and origin recognizes From the Ashes is purchased, but I don't see it anywhere.
Quote from: Faeelin on March 08, 2012, 03:17:05 PM
Hrm. So it says it's installed, and origin recognizes From the Ashes is purchased, but I don't see it anywhere.
It be seemlessly intergreated into the game, mon.
It just pops up as a priority mission. No biggie.
You misunderstand. I don't have it as a priority mission, AFAICT; you're supposed to get it as one after you leave the Citadel for the first time.
Er. That is to say you are right. Oops.
So... can we talk about the plot yet?
I never got past the first level of the first one. :(
Quote from: Razgovory on March 10, 2012, 12:25:12 AM
I never got past the first level of the first one. :(
You've mentioned that 3 times in 6 pages now.
I want to make sure you know.
Just an announcment that I am not reading this thread and hope it drops asap.
I'm having to resist this one until the inevitable price drop and ultimate edition with a bunch of DLCs- still waiting on that for New Vegas and DA2....
New Vegas complete came put in January. Good luck getting a package deal from EA.
Quote from: sbr on March 10, 2012, 03:15:58 AM
New Vegas complete came put in January. Good luck getting a package deal from EA.
Thats what I got for DA1.
New Vegas complete is out eh....
I should dip back into FA3 to finish the last few bits then investigate that.
So, can we discuss the plot and ending yet?
No
[spoiler]No. [/spoiler]
Waiting for the price drop. Still haven't got Skyrim due to it still being $40.
Quote from: Scipio on February 18, 2012, 03:00:51 PM
Origin name is ScipioAmericanus, for multiplayer purposes.
just sent you an invite: Redviper37, for anyone willing to join :)
I have: completed the game.
Quote from: Tamas on March 11, 2012, 05:17:36 AM
I have: completed the game.
KEEE-RIST, son, you must have a lot of free time on the beet farm.
The ending is....a bit of downer.
Quote from: Legbiter on March 11, 2012, 02:35:47 PM
The ending is....a bit of downer.
yeah, but the road there is quite good. Even emotional, sometimes.
Yeah, it's a great game on every metric I can list but I don't think I'll ever replay it because of the ending.
Quote from: Tamas on March 11, 2012, 02:51:41 PM
Quote from: Legbiter on March 11, 2012, 02:35:47 PM
The ending is....a bit of downer.
yeah, but the road there is quite good. Even emotional, sometimes.
I agree. [spoiler]The space jesus child ending is the most retarded ending I´ve ever seen though. I mean literally the dumbest I´ve
ever seen.[/spoiler]
Quote from: Cecil on March 11, 2012, 04:18:18 PM
I agree. [spoiler]The space jesus child ending is the most retarded ending I´ve ever seen though. I mean literally the dumbest I´ve ever seen.[/spoiler]
Yep, [spoiler] if they'd cut to credits while Shepard and Anderson bleed to death while watching the space battle that would have been a fine ending. But then WTF space wizard shows up and gives you 3 retarded options that Shepard goes meekly along with, all the mass relays get destroyed, the Normandy is shown having left the battle and winds up on a random planet. Yay.
Bioware basically torched the IP. Replay value: 0. :frusty:[/spoiler]
Hell, the Reapers just outright winning would have felt better and would have been more thematically appropriate than what you get.
Yeah.
[spoiler]I didn't get the ultra-positive third choice about the bonding of men and machine, but I actually played through the final part again to check the renegade-looking choice after the paragon-looking one. Boy oh boy, the same animation with a different color of lightning, and reapers blowing up instead of retreating. yay![/spoiler]
Quote from: Cecil on March 11, 2012, 04:18:18 PM
Quote from: Tamas on March 11, 2012, 02:51:41 PM
Quote from: Legbiter on March 11, 2012, 02:35:47 PM
The ending is....a bit of downer.
yeah, but the road there is quite good. Even emotional, sometimes.
I agree. [spoiler]The space jesus child ending is the most retarded ending I´ve ever seen though. I mean literally the dumbest I´ve ever seen.[/spoiler]
I'm not sure I agree.
I think it's a fitting end to the trilogy. I just don't see how it could have ended otherwise.
[spoiler]
What I don't get is what was the Normandy doing in hyperspace? They were fighting the Reapers on Earth, everyone was on the ground, EDI-ship & Joker were coordinating artillery strikes from the ground... wtf are they doing in hyperspace when the Reapers are retreating??
Destroying the realys thouhg, was the thing to do. This is "Reaper" tech, and what they want is to break the cycle, force the races to isolate themselves and restart fresh, without a boost, see how things will be different this time -it's a Battlestar Galactica ending, wich makes more sense in this context.[/spoiler]
[spoiler]Well, if you consider that total failure is if Sepherd doesn't reach the end, then it is less idiotic yeah, but if they were hell-bent on destroying the world as we know it, it would have been nice to witness it, like Legbiter said. And the positive ending should had been a survival of the world at least. The 3rd episode have you face a couple of interesting world-wide what-if decisions, like the krogans or the geth. Too bad they turn out to be meaningless from a role-playing point of view.
But of course this uproar is also because -I guess- people love the setting, and seeing said setting destroyed by the game's end no matter what, is a let down.[/spoiler]
http://arkis.deviantart.com/art/Mass-Effect-3-Alternate-Endings-SPOILERS-289902125
fanfic, sadly, but it would have been a nice alternative the bluergh bioware created now.
Spoileriffic of course so enter at your own peril.
Quote from: Tamas on March 12, 2012, 11:52:16 AM
[spoiler]Well, if you consider that total failure is if Sepherd doesn't reach the end, then it is less idiotic yeah, but if they were hell-bent on destroying the world as we know it, it would have been nice to witness it, like Legbiter said. And the positive ending should had been a survival of the world at least. The 3rd episode have you face a couple of interesting world-wide what-if decisions, like the krogans or the geth. Too bad they turn out to be meaningless from a role-playing point of view.
But of course this uproar is also because -I guess- people love the setting, and seeing said setting destroyed by the game's end no matter what, is a let down.[/spoiler]
I have seen only one ending, not all three of them. I shall go see the other 2 tonight.
Btw, wasn't MP supposed to impact your SP game?
Quote from: viper37 on March 12, 2012, 11:46:59 AM
I think it's a fitting end to the trilogy. I just don't see how it could have ended otherwise.
For 99% of the game you're playing a war story/80's scifi, kicking ass and taking names and then it lurches at warp speed into fantasy with no foreshadowing. An asspull as it's referred to in the biz. :lol:
Very jarring with no choice, just 1 ending with 3 filters.
[spoiler] Also, all endings leave Shepard either dead or stuck aboard an exploding space station. I blew out a panel and destroyed the Reapers but pretty much every thing you did in-game dosen't matter.[/spoiler]
Quote from: Tamas on March 12, 2012, 11:46:42 AM
Yeah.
[spoiler]I didn't get the ultra-positive third choice about the bonding of men and machine, but I actually played through the final part again to check the renegade-looking choice after the paragon-looking one. Boy oh boy, the same animation with a different color of lightning, and reapers blowing up instead of retreating. yay![/spoiler]
[spoiler] I'd say the 2 "positive" endings was just the space wizard's attempts at self-preservation. Also, I blew up the heretic geth rather than rewrite them to accept their enemy's logic so my Shep instantly cyborging every organic via space magic felt abhorrent. Plus, fusing the 2 together dosen't resolve the asspull dilemma of creator versus created.[/spoiler] :frusty:
That is the most shit-tastic ending to an excellent IP ever.
[spoiler]The desperation on the bioware site is interesting. "The ending is so stupid and has so many obvious errors that it's probably a reaper indoctrination!"
Also, doesn't the ending make ME1 pointless? If the reapers were already on the citadel and could move it at will, why bother with a conduit?[/spoiler]
Quote from: Faeelin on March 12, 2012, 09:09:37 PM
[spoiler]
Also, doesn't the ending make ME1 pointless?
If the reapers were already on the citadel and could move it at will, why bother with a conduit?[/spoiler]
No.
They were not on the citadel. They needed the Citadel to instantly move from Dark Space to "our" space. Blocking Sovereign in ME1 put a stop to that. Destroying the Mass Relay in Arrival further delayed their plan, they needed to use conventional ftl travel to reach our space, again giving more time for the races to unite and fight them.
Plan A: use Citadel as Mass relay. Fail.
Plan B: use 'Arrival' mass Relay to travel from edge of galaxy to earth proximity. Fail.
Plan C: When all else fail, use snail travel.
[spoiler]But why did they need Saren? If the head of the Reapers is already in the citadel, why do they need anyone else? why can't he flip a switch? They have the power to move the Citadel no?[/spoiler]
I like how everything looks like it was redacted. :D
can't let the reapers know we're on to them.
Quote from: Faeelin on March 13, 2012, 12:00:27 AM
[spoiler]But why did they need Saren? If the head of the Reapers is already in the citadel, why do they need anyone else? why can't he flip a switch? They have the power to move the Citadel no?[/spoiler]
http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Reapers
I don't get your point.
Quote from: Faeelin on March 13, 2012, 12:51:32 PM
I don't get your point.
I thought it be explained better than I could :)
I'm tired of the spoiler tag, people should read carefully, I'll mix ME1,ME2 and ME3 lore into the lot.
[spoiler]
Reapers are machines, possibly containing the "soul" of ancient alien species, as they are "harvested" through time.
They were once created by a very ancient races, possibly the first of the Reaper(s) to exist. It is said in ME2 that each Reaper contains billions of souls.
This is what harvesting does, preserve the essence of the people they "destroy", elevate them to a machine status, incorporate them to their own essence in the Reapers.
Reapers have a physical body, the various creatures we encounter as well as the big ships like Sovereing.
The ancient race who created the Reapers as a solution have left a part of their essence on the Citadel. They do not control the Citadel, the Keepers control it for them.
We know from ME1 that the keepers are monitoring the Citadel races each & every cycle and send reports to Sovereign, a dormant dreadnought in our galaxy, while every other Reapers are in dark space, beyond our galaxy.
Sovereign wakes up from time to time, analyze the date sent by the keepers, decide if it's the right moment for intervention.
If it is, he sends a message to the Citadel, wich sends it to the Keeper. The Keepers activate the Citadel, wich works as a giant Mass Relay, from Dark Space to our Galaxy. Then, the Reapers come, destroy the center of civilization that is the Citadel, preventing the race from uniting and organizing an able defense of their space from the invasion.
Now, we know from ME1 that the Protheans, faced with extincting, discovered that. A small group of them tought it could be possible to avoid the next cycle by going back to the Citadel, and changing the Keepers' programming. However, they were unable to use starships and mass relays, because those were presumably still controlled by the Reapers. So, they built a conduit, a reversed engineered mass relay going directly to the Citadel. There, they modified the Keeper to ignore the Citadel's signal.
So, when Sovereign was ready to call his buddies and join the mass harvesting party, nothing happenned, the Keepers ignored him. Even though formidable, he couldn't go by himself to the Citadel and activate it as a mass relay, he needed someone else to do that. Geth weren't good enough for that, because they were not organics, they were not all on his side and they were mistrusted in Citadel space. So, Saren comes in. If Saren could find the conduit, he could go directly to the Citadel, bypass all defense, establish a foothold, open the Citadel for the other Reapers to join the party.
However, that failed, thanks to Sheppard, the Geth advance strike force was destroyed, Saren shot himself, Sovereign was destroyed by an alliance of all races. The conduit was de-activated and couldn't be used anymore.
The "Citadel" controls the Reaper, in a way, but it does not control "itself". It can't activate or do anything without someone interacting with it, usually the Keepers, but it could be any indoctrinated character. The Reapers being giant space ships, and the husks and other creatures lacking the brain power and/or capacities to interact with complex computer systems, they need someone on board. Now, the Illusive Man leaking the info to the Reapers, it's easy for them to send an indoctrinated agent to the Citadel, giving it the command to move to Earth (possibly by establishing some form of signal with the Reapers), where most of their fleet is located, so they could stop the Crucible if it came to that.
There was no need for the Reapers to attack the Citadel now, in ME3, because it was pointless: everyone knew they were coming, they were already there. Wiping out everyone on the Citadel was not a priority, destroying Earth was, because they were the greater ennemy there.
But once they learnt of the Alliance's plan from TIM, they needed to move it to a secure position.
Remember in ME1, Sheppard inputted data by the Protheans wich prevented Sovereign from communicating with the Citadel, and Sovereign needed to use Saren's body to try to regain control of it, wich eventully led to his downfall.
[/spoiler]
All right, added the tag, even if it wasn't really all about ME3.
But the [spoiler]Catalyst is in a secure position on the Citadel; he's always been there. As is the machinery to control the damn thing. Also, how'd they even more the crucible? And how does a space energy wave fix everything? If they have that sort of power, why is there a game at all? Just MAGIC WAVE every 50k years.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler]The ending is just terrible, and makes no sense, unless the Catalyst is a deceiver god. In which case, why a game at all? Why anything at all? If God is dead, the answer must be that no one cares. Shepard should be the Nietzschean superman, since the Catalyst is essentially a Maguffin writ large. The proper choice within the games framework is to not cooperate with the Catalyst's false dichotomy.
The only thing the Catalyst explains is why the Reapers' motivations are so stupid. Organic life poses no threat to the Reapers, according to the Catalyst. No one believes the Reapers exist. They obviously don't need to harvest the galaxy for survival. But based upon the Catalyst's own statements, which are not internally consistent, the Catalyst cannot be trusted, since it has been lying to the Reapers for eons. Since the Catalyst is not morally prohibited from lying to the Reapers, what compels it to tell Shepard the truth? What is the Catalyst's incentive to kill itself and the Reapers (since the Catalyst ceases to exist in each choice, and the Reapers are destroyed in two of the three choices? Answer: the Catalyst is the Deceiver God.[/spoiler]
I'll answer to Faeelin and Scipio both.
[spoiler]
The Crucible is the device built the organics, over time, leaving clues for the next cycle. It is unknown when it was built. I figure it was built by those controlling the Reapers, hence why it fits so well with the Citadel and can be controlled from the Citadel. But it could have been built by the first organic race(s) to be harvested, it is irrelevant. What is relevant is that the construction was started, but never finished, and each race left clues to the race of the next cycle so they could complete it. We don't know how many 50 000 years cycle there have been. What we know is that each race of organic came closer than the other to complete the crucible and stop the Reapers.
These people may have been two factions. We know they were very, very advanced. The Vorlons of their times ;)
They say they travelled to the end of the universe and found nothing.
they say they themselves created synthetics wich rebelled against them. Seeing they couldn't defeat the synthetics, they became synthetics. They are not there to protect themselves, they are there to protect the organics against themselves. According to them, organics will create machines and the machines will rebel against their creators and eventually anihilate them as well as any organic life.
So, to preserve organic life, they harvest advanced civilizations, before things go to far. Before they are strong enough to oppose the Reapers, before they develop synthetic life forms that can destroy them. With Mass Effect 1, we learn the humans created a very advanced AI wich turned rogue. We learn the Quarians created the Geth wich rebelled against their masters (though we later learn it's not exactly how it happens) and are now in open conflict.
For the Reaper, this is the time to act, before it goes to far. Leaving the organics alone mean chaos, they like order. They are fascists, but not nazis. They don't believe themselves superior, they don't want to rule over inferiors, they want the inferiors to avoid the mistakes they did themselves. And they want to preserve them from the ultimate disapointment that there is nothing at the end of the universe.
They harvest the races of this cycles, adding their "souls" (essence, I believe they say) to them, in various reaper form. Husks & other charming creatures as well as the dreadnought themselves wich are said to contain billions of souls.
They don't see themselves as evil. They see themselves as protecting the fate of organics. Like the Borg, they add each species to their collective, keeping a part of it. Like the Vorlons, they prefer order to chaos. Like a true fascists, they don't believe in an afterlife and other religious crap. There is nothing at the end of the universe means there is nothing after life, it is the end of all.
And they want to protect life, the same way a farmer will harvest his wheat so there can be new wheat next year, while feeding himself.
To operate the Citadel, they need organics. Or at least intelligent life. That is why the created the Keepers. However, we know since ME1 that the Protheans reprogrammed the Keepers to not listen to the Citadel and the Reapers.
But now, their plan has failed. In ME1 and ME2, we Sheppard delayed their advance.
The Crucible docking with the Citadel might have been part of their original plan to stop the cycles, this is what I think. It is unclear, but it does makes sense: they want to protect organics against themselves, but being intelligent they know eventually their solution might stop working one day, so they have a failsafe, a backdoor.
Since their solution will not work, because they can't destroy the Crucible, the Catalyst itself cannot commit suicide, they realize there is a way to end the cycles, that maybe the organics have sufficiently evolved. So we have 3 choices: destroy everything, start a new. No Reapers, no Geth, no synthetics at all, even part-synthetic. The organics will fend for themselves, evolve without the Mass Relays and the Citadel, maybe they'll end up in another path than the one the Catalyst predicts, but one thing is for sure, it will take more than 50 000 years now that they don,t have mass relays.
The giant energy wave is the signal sent to the Reapers and through the mass relays, destroying the mass relays by harmlessly releasing their energy, as if they were instanty dismantled. You'd figure the guys building it would know how to do it.
Why don't they use this solution every 50 000 years?
One, because they can't. Reapers are hard-programmed to execute the plan: harvest the advanced civilizations, leave the rest alone, leave the citadel and mass relays alone, destroy evidence of ever being there.
Two, because they don't want to. You're a very advanced civilization who believes has seen it all and know how everything will turn out. That's Rodney McKey ^1 000 000. Why the hell would you change a solution that has worked very well so far and have no reason to believe it won't work as intended?
But today something changed: it didn't work as intended. Or not like the other times, or it did work as it was ultimately designed to, stop the cycle once an organic manage to access the Catalyst with the Crucible docked during the end of a cycle. It's either a bug, or a feature, and the software reacts how it can. It lets the organic decide of the ultimate fate of the galaxy, according to the paramters specified. Like when a Windows app crashed, you don't have a 1000 solutions to you, you can only close the application and start anew.
[/spoiler]
Quote from: viper37 on March 13, 2012, 04:28:39 PM
I'll answer to Faeelin and Scipio both.
[spoiler]
The Crucible is the device built the organics, over time, leaving clues for the next cycle. It is unknown when it was built. I figure it was built by those controlling the Reapers, hence why it fits so well with the Citadel and can be controlled from the Citadel. But it could have been built by the first organic race(s) to be harvested, it is irrelevant. What is relevant is that the construction was started, but never finished, and each race left clues to the race of the next cycle so they could complete it. We don't know how many 50 000 years cycle there have been. What we know is that each race of organic came closer than the other to complete the crucible and stop the Reapers.
These people may have been two factions. We know they were very, very advanced. The Vorlons of their times ;)
They say they travelled to the end of the universe and found nothing.
they say they themselves created synthetics wich rebelled against them. Seeing they couldn't defeat the synthetics, they became synthetics. They are not there to protect themselves, they are there to protect the organics against themselves. According to them, organics will create machines and the machines will rebel against their creators and eventually anihilate them as well as any organic life.
So, to preserve organic life, they harvest advanced civilizations, before things go to far. Before they are strong enough to oppose the Reapers, before they develop synthetic life forms that can destroy them. With Mass Effect 1, we learn the humans created a very advanced AI wich turned rogue. We learn the Quarians created the Geth wich rebelled against their masters (though we later learn it's not exactly how it happens) and are now in open conflict.
For the Reaper, this is the time to act, before it goes to far. Leaving the organics alone mean chaos, they like order. They are fascists, but not nazis. They don't believe themselves superior, they don't want to rule over inferiors, they want the inferiors to avoid the mistakes they did themselves. And they want to preserve them from the ultimate disapointment that there is nothing at the end of the universe.
They harvest the races of this cycles, adding their "souls" (essence, I believe they say) to them, in various reaper form. Husks & other charming creatures as well as the dreadnought themselves wich are said to contain billions of souls.
They don't see themselves as evil. They see themselves as protecting the fate of organics. Like the Borg, they add each species to their collective, keeping a part of it. Like the Vorlons, they prefer order to chaos. Like a true fascists, they don't believe in an afterlife and other religious crap. There is nothing at the end of the universe means there is nothing after life, it is the end of all.
And they want to protect life, the same way a farmer will harvest his wheat so there can be new wheat next year, while feeding himself.
To operate the Citadel, they need organics. Or at least intelligent life. That is why the created the Keepers. However, we know since ME1 that the Protheans reprogrammed the Keepers to not listen to the Citadel and the Reapers.
But now, their plan has failed. In ME1 and ME2, we Sheppard delayed their advance.
The Crucible docking with the Citadel might have been part of their original plan to stop the cycles, this is what I think. It is unclear, but it does makes sense: they want to protect organics against themselves, but being intelligent they know eventually their solution might stop working one day, so they have a failsafe, a backdoor.
Since their solution will not work, because they can't destroy the Crucible, the Catalyst itself cannot commit suicide, they realize there is a way to end the cycles, that maybe the organics have sufficiently evolved. So we have 3 choices: destroy everything, start a new. No Reapers, no Geth, no synthetics at all, even part-synthetic. The organics will fend for themselves, evolve without the Mass Relays and the Citadel, maybe they'll end up in another path than the one the Catalyst predicts, but one thing is for sure, it will take more than 50 000 years now that they don,t have mass relays.
The giant energy wave is the signal sent to the Reapers and through the mass relays, destroying the mass relays by harmlessly releasing their energy, as if they were instanty dismantled. You'd figure the guys building it would know how to do it.
Why don't they use this solution every 50 000 years?
One, because they can't. Reapers are hard-programmed to execute the plan: harvest the advanced civilizations, leave the rest alone, leave the citadel and mass relays alone, destroy evidence of ever being there.
Two, because they don't want to. You're a very advanced civilization who believes has seen it all and know how everything will turn out. That's Rodney McKey ^1 000 000. Why the hell would you change a solution that has worked very well so far and have no reason to believe it won't work as intended?
But today something changed: it didn't work as intended. Or not like the other times, or it did work as it was ultimately designed to, stop the cycle once an organic manage to access the Catalyst with the Crucible docked during the end of a cycle. It's either a bug, or a feature, and the software reacts how it can. It lets the organic decide of the ultimate fate of the galaxy, according to the paramters specified. Like when a Windows app crashed, you don't have a 1000 solutions to you, you can only close the application and start anew.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler]Again, that assumes the Catalyst is telling the truth. There is no evidence to support the Catalyst's story. NONE. Zero. It is not internally consistent, it makes no sense from the ME universe as we know it. It is just as likely that the Catalyst is a super-intelligent AI that created the Reapers to prevent organic life from becoming a threat to the Catalyst, and that the Reapers have only shown up twice. And now that organic life has beaten the Reapers, the Catalyst has prepared a failsafe wherein it can be distributed among all of the surviving life forms in the galaxy, or at least guarantee the atomization of the society that challenged it.
Shepard's story has been the Nietzschean superman story, a person creating a new order out of the universe because he is in the position to do so. I see no reason to believe the Catalyst, other than the game straitjackets you into it. The Protheans did not come close to creating an unshackled AI, according to Javik. What is the evidence for the Catalyst's benevolence? Its own words, contrary to the evidence that it is the source of the Reapers. For a given value of truthiness, the story is bullshit, and it systematically violates WSOD and my good will. Fuck Casey Hudson, that tedious hack.[/spoiler]
Quote from: Scipio on March 13, 2012, 04:42:25 PM
[spoiler]Again, that assumes the Catalyst is telling the truth. There is no evidence to support the Catalyst's story. NONE. Zero. It is not internally consistent, it makes no sense from the ME universe as we know it. It is just as likely that the Catalyst is a super-intelligent AI that created the Reapers to prevent organic life from becoming a threat to the Catalyst, and that the Reapers have only shown up twice. And now that organic life has beaten the Reapers, the Catalyst has prepared a failsafe wherein it can be distributed among all of the surviving life forms in the galaxy, or at least guarantee the atomization of the society that challenged it.[/spoiler]
[spoiler]
It is possible the Catalyst is a super-intelligent AI that created the Reapers to prevent organic life from becoming a threat to the catalyst, but we know a few things:
- Legion tells us in ME2 that each Reaper contains billions of sould. He is not lying, but he could have been deceived by the Reaper Sovereign (Nazarah, I think, they call it).
- The Prothean VI on Thessia says the Crucible was not invented by them, but create by another previous race and many race added their own parts to it.
- If the Reapers felt threatened themselves by organics, why not wipe all sentient life? Why wait about 50 000 years for the races to evolve? Why not wipe humanity at the same time as the Protheans? The Protheans new of Humans and Salarians and Asaris, so the Reapers must have known about them. Why not destroy them in their infancy, way before they reach the star and ever pose a problem for them?
- Why leave the mass relays and the Citadel intact, with the Keepers to maintain it? Why do into hibernation between each cycle? They could destroy the Citadel, or use it for themselves, inhabit this galaxy and destroy every sentient race as they start to walk out of their caves/mud pits/forests, whatever.
[/spoiler]
Quote[spoiler]
Shepard's story has been the Nietzschean superman story, a person creating a new order out of the universe because he is in the position to do so.[/spoiler]
[spoiler]
Not really. Sheppard's story has been one of human tenacity and ingeniosity. Lots of Humans don't like Aliens. Lots of Aliens don't like Humans. When he comes in, in ME1, he's just a soldier, but he's about to become a Spectre, the first of the humans to become one, because the Aliens on the council distrust the humans and judge us not sufficiently advanced. That not Nietzschean at all. Humanity is practically begging to get a position at the begginning of ME1, and only because you save the council (or let them burn, creating a power vacuum) are you allowed to have a voice in galactic affair.
Sheppard just happens to be at the right place, at the right moment.
Cerberus took a keen interest in Sheppard because he was able to rally other people&races behind him, because he was a natural leader.
He managed to destroy Sovereign only because he was helped by various aliens on board his ship, during his missions. Remember the mission in ME2 where you collect dog tags from Normandy SR-1 crew? Remember the messages left by your second in command? How at first he mistrusted the alien, but at the end came to admire them, seeing their value? This is what Sheppard does, he inspire others to follow. He's the John Sheridan of this universe, the Anakin Solo of his franchise, he's the guy everyone wants to follow, good or evil.
[/spoiler]
Quote[spoiler]I see no reason to believe the Catalyst, other than the game straitjackets you into it. The Protheans did not come close to creating an unshackled AI, according to Javik. What is the evidence for the Catalyst's benevolence? Its own words, contrary to the evidence that it is the source of the Reapers. For a given value of truthiness, the story is bullshit, and it systematically violates WSOD and my good will. Fuck Casey Hudson, that tedious hack.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler]
What Javik says must be taken with a grain of salt: when he was born, the war had been raging for many years. He was a soldier, not a scientific, by his own admission. The only thing he knows is how to shoot and kill. The Protheans may have built unschackled AI. Or they may not. We can't say he knows for sure everything that was done by his race. And he dislikes synthetics. It's possible they went further in their experiments, but he's ashamed of it.
In any case, the Protheans were an advanced race. They had achieved a very high technological level, even without unschackled AI, they were an Empire ruling over all other races. Maybe the Reapers wanted them gone to let other races continue the cycle. Or maybe they were afraid they would eventually discover the Reapers and be prepared for them.
And I agree with you there is no reason to believe the Catalyst. It may be all lies. Or it might be the truth, in a certain way. Maybe they really "ascended" to a machine body, but in so doing, something changed in them. Maybe they created the Reapers before joining them, i.e. the Reapers were the original machines created by the Ancients, they rebelled against the Ancients, tried to wipe them out, and their solution was to merge their counsciousness with the Reapers.
But maybe it's just as the Catalyst said.
What I dislike about the ending though, is that apparently, all 3 possible endings are the same. One has blue Reapers, the other red Reapers, and the final one green Reapers.
And the war assets doesn't seem to make much difference, wheter you got 6000 or 3000.
This is disapointing.
and of course, the Normandy picking everyone in 10 minutes and leaving the solar system through a mass realy near Pluto. That was silly.[/spoiler]
Bwahahaha.
http://www.shacknews.com/article/72836/rumor-mass-effect-3-multiplayer-dlc-spotted
Anyway, might be spoilerish, in a way... but...
[spoiler]
a type of ending I'd hate is a 'rosy' good ending. It had to end the way it did. I just can't see Sheppard retiring and having a drink at a bar with his friends, as if nothing ever happenned. Earth is destroyed, lots of good people are dead, already. It just ain't true you can survive a bullet wound by emptying the powder of your cartridge and setting it on fire :P
Sometimes, victory tastes as bad as defeat.[/spoiler]
[spoiler]You can have a tragic ending, or a bittersweet ending, and it be meaningful. Dragon Age ended with your character committing suicide or sending someone else to do it, but the ending was great. Having an AI show up and say "hi, I was manipulating all of this, press a button for magic energy rays" is not really tragic. It's... dumb.[/spoiler]
Why did people stop using spoiler tags? I wanted to ask questions about the game but now I can't even look at the thread.
Quote from: Queequeg on March 13, 2012, 08:17:24 PM
Why did people stop using spoiler tags? I wanted to ask questions about the game but now I can't even look at the thread.
Viper got tired of them.
Quote from: Queequeg on March 13, 2012, 08:17:24 PM
Why did people stop using spoiler tags? I wanted to ask questions about the game but now I can't even look at the thread.
What do you mean, people?
Quote from: Faeelin on March 13, 2012, 08:57:06 PM
Quote from: Queequeg on March 13, 2012, 08:17:24 PM
Why did people stop using spoiler tags? I wanted to ask questions about the game but now I can't even look at the thread.
What do you mean, people?
I just started glancing the moment Viper announced he was forgoing them. I've spoiled the endings of enough games already.
Quote from: Faeelin on March 13, 2012, 05:29:42 PM
[spoiler]Having an AI show up and say "hi, I was manipulating all of this, press a button for magic energy rays" is not really tragic. It's... dumb.[/spoiler]
What did Harbinger kept saying in ME2?
"That which you know as Reapers are your salvation through destruction."
Given the existing lore, it is kinda expected that something like that will happen.
[spoiler]
From the first mission on Mars, we know there's a weapon to destroy the Reapers. I tended to assume it would be something like that (albeit not with the Citadel), a super weapon destroying all Reapers at once in the galaxy. You should have stopped playing right there ;)
All along the game, Hacket and Anderson keep saying the Reapers can't be defeated by conventional weapons, the Crucible is the only option.
It might have been a soundwave, but it's easier to see some energy beam like that, I suppose.
I agree the ending feels a bit rushed, but I disagree with those on Bioware's forum who want a "good" ending where Sheppard and everyone survives the fight and join together and have some beers at the local pub (miraculously left intact ;) )
[/spoiler]
Quote from: Queequeg on March 13, 2012, 10:14:46 PM
I just started glancing the moment Viper announced he was forgoing them. I've spoiled the endings of enough games already.
I've re-added the tags. Most of the stuff was from ME1&2 anyway.
Quote from: garbon on March 13, 2012, 08:20:24 PM
Quote from: Queequeg on March 13, 2012, 08:17:24 PM
Why did people stop using spoiler tags? I wanted to ask questions about the game but now I can't even look at the thread.
Viper got tired of them.
We should have a thread with spoilers, and another with no spoilers. I think it gets annoying to everyone all those black bars. Or maybe it's just me.
I like the black bars...
Quote from: Scipio on March 13, 2012, 04:42:25 PM
and that the Reapers have only shown up twice.
iirc, in mass effect 2 there a text bit on one of the planets that refers to a Reaper-invasion some million years ago. So there's at least 3 :p
Quote from: Crazy_Ivan80 on March 14, 2012, 03:20:22 AM
Quote from: Scipio on March 13, 2012, 04:42:25 PM
and that the Reapers have only shown up twice.
iirc, in mass effect 2 there a text bit on one of the planets that refers to a Reaper-invasion some million years ago. So there's at least 3 :p
Could have been planted.
Quote from: Scipio on March 14, 2012, 07:18:13 AM
Quote from: Crazy_Ivan80 on March 14, 2012, 03:20:22 AM
Quote from: Scipio on March 13, 2012, 04:42:25 PM
and that the Reapers have only shown up twice.
iirc, in mass effect 2 there a text bit on one of the planets that refers to a Reaper-invasion some million years ago. So there's at least 3 :p
Could have been planted.
:rolleyes:
[spoiler]While I have not come to like the ending one bit - altough it is pretty cool right until the point you start talking to Jesus Child - I am starting to think it has been a middle ground. The writers probably didn't want a rosy ending, and they also didn't want a total failure ending either. I would have preferred an ending where the galactic "society" you decisively shaped during the games, especially the third one, survive even without Sepherd, but I think the feasible solutions for the writers were fairly limited[/spoiler]
Quote from: Tamas on March 14, 2012, 07:21:34 AM
Quote from: Scipio on March 14, 2012, 07:18:13 AM
Quote from: Crazy_Ivan80 on March 14, 2012, 03:20:22 AM
Quote from: Scipio on March 13, 2012, 04:42:25 PM
and that the Reapers have only shown up twice.
iirc, in mass effect 2 there a text bit on one of the planets that refers to a Reaper-invasion some million years ago. So there's at least 3 :p
Could have been planted.
:rolleyes:
Deceiver god. It's Occam's Razor.
Quote from: Scipio on March 14, 2012, 07:31:24 AM
Quote from: Tamas on March 14, 2012, 07:21:34 AM
Quote from: Scipio on March 14, 2012, 07:18:13 AM
Quote from: Crazy_Ivan80 on March 14, 2012, 03:20:22 AM
Quote from: Scipio on March 13, 2012, 04:42:25 PM
and that the Reapers have only shown up twice.
iirc, in mass effect 2 there a text bit on one of the planets that refers to a Reaper-invasion some million years ago. So there's at least 3 :p
Could have been planted.
:rolleyes:
Deceiver god. It's Occam's Razor.
I have never seen the reason to try and reason (haha) more into a plot than what the writers intended. Take it for what it is, and not diss it for what it isn't.
Quote from: Tamas on March 14, 2012, 07:37:16 AM
Quote from: Scipio on March 14, 2012, 07:31:24 AM
Quote from: Tamas on March 14, 2012, 07:21:34 AM
Quote from: Scipio on March 14, 2012, 07:18:13 AM
Quote from: Crazy_Ivan80 on March 14, 2012, 03:20:22 AM
Quote from: Scipio on March 13, 2012, 04:42:25 PM
and that the Reapers have only shown up twice.
iirc, in mass effect 2 there a text bit on one of the planets that refers to a Reaper-invasion some million years ago. So there's at least 3 :p
Could have been planted.
:rolleyes:
Deceiver god. It's Occam's Razor.
I have never seen the reason to try and reason (haha) more into a plot than what the writers intended. Take it for what it is, and not diss it for what it isn't.
[spoiler]The problem is it doesn't make sense. The Catalyst's account is not internally consistent, and not consistent with the known facts of the ME universe.[/spoiler]
I disagree
Quote from: Scipio on March 14, 2012, 07:18:13 AM
Quote from: Crazy_Ivan80 on March 14, 2012, 03:20:22 AM
Quote from: Scipio on March 13, 2012, 04:42:25 PM
and that the Reapers have only shown up twice.
iirc, in mass effect 2 there a text bit on one of the planets that refers to a Reaper-invasion some million years ago. So there's at least 3 :p
Could have been planted.
the bioware reaper is not that smart
Quote from: Crazy_Ivan80 on March 14, 2012, 09:38:23 AM
Quote from: Scipio on March 14, 2012, 07:18:13 AM
Quote from: Crazy_Ivan80 on March 14, 2012, 03:20:22 AM
Quote from: Scipio on March 13, 2012, 04:42:25 PM
and that the Reapers have only shown up twice.
iirc, in mass effect 2 there a text bit on one of the planets that refers to a Reaper-invasion some million years ago. So there's at least 3 :p
Could have been planted.
the bioware reaper is not that smart
[spoiler]The catalyst is.[/spoiler]
nice spoilers for those still playing, dude! :thumbsup:
All the endings are here:
http://www.ign.com/wikis/mass-effect-3/Endings
Don't click if you don't want spoilers.
Quote from: Scipio on March 14, 2012, 08:54:55 AM
[spoiler]The problem is it doesn't make sense. The Catalyst's account is not internally consistent, and not consistent with the known facts of the ME universe.[/spoiler]
Actually, I find that to be consistant with known facts of the ME universe.
Quote from: PRC on March 14, 2012, 12:14:41 AM
I like the black bars...
Ok then, let's leave it as it is :)
Here's a review for the game. for those still thinking about buying it:
http://pc.ign.com/articles/121/1219446p2.html
Some response from Casey Hudson:
http://pc.ign.com/articles/122/1220715p1.html
This is boring stuff as usual, but what I did like was this:
"Particularly aggrieved fans have launched a campaign to get the Mass Effect 3 ending changed. There is even a Retake Mass Effect movement which is raising funds for the Child's Play Charity, in the hope of being taken seriously by Bioware. So far they have raised over $29,000. Their mission statement reads "We would like to dispel the perception that we are angry or entitled. We simply wish to express our hope that there could be a different direction for a series we have all grown to love." "
Some people need a live :D
Quote from: viper37 on March 14, 2012, 10:40:50 AM
Quote from: Scipio on March 14, 2012, 08:54:55 AM
[spoiler]The problem is it doesn't make sense. The Catalyst's account is not internally consistent, and not consistent with the known facts of the ME universe.[/spoiler]
Actually, I find that to be consistant with known facts of the ME universe.
Man have nerds ever liked the ending of a beloved nerd franchise? Even the ending of LoTR, which they all knew in advance, got slammed.
Quote from: Valmy on March 14, 2012, 10:54:59 AM
Man have nerds ever liked the ending of a beloved nerd franchise? Even the ending of LoTR, which they all knew in advance, got slammed.
no one knew we were getting gay Nordic Jesus King of the Earth with the Hobbits taking second billing.
I just learn that if you had Kelly Chambers do a lap dance for you in ME2, you can romance her in ME3. Goddam it!
Good thing I kept a saved game for this, he, he :)
The MP bug, where your character can't shoot, can't use his powers... that's really annoying.
Quote from: viper37 on March 14, 2012, 11:37:40 PM
The MP bug, where your character can't shoot, can't use his powers... that's really annoying.
That shit sucks the balls.
Quote from: Scipio on March 15, 2012, 07:32:42 AM
Quote from: viper37 on March 14, 2012, 11:37:40 PM
The MP bug, where your character can't shoot, can't use his powers... that's really annoying.
That shit sucks the balls.
then how do you kill enemies? Lick 'em to death?
Quote from: Crazy_Ivan80 on March 15, 2012, 08:07:58 AM
Quote from: Scipio on March 15, 2012, 07:32:42 AM
Quote from: viper37 on March 14, 2012, 11:37:40 PM
The MP bug, where your character can't shoot, can't use his powers... that's really annoying.
That shit sucks the balls.
then how do you kill enemies? Lick 'em to death?
You don't. They even ignore you, I believe. Second time they did for sure, first time, can't tell.
Can't reproduce. User error.
Quote from: Neil on March 15, 2012, 08:27:40 PM
Can't reproduce. User error.
More details here:
http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/344/index/9949862/1#10051641
So, what's your job at Bioware again?
I like that my imported character had his hair color change as that shade is no longer supported. :D
So, anybody on the eastern time zone would like to set up a game? Bronze or silver, no gold, I ain't good enough :)
I figure it would be easier to adjust for different time zones during the week-end.
New Mass Effect cartoon coming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOqHUa2LfNY
Mass Effect 4 is in development. They will use the Frostbite 2 engine, with the modifications the Dragon Age team has already worked on.
Oh, and the entire franchise development has now moved to Bioware Montreal.
Question to Grey Fox and Neil: is Bioware a totally seperate entity from Electronic Arts, or do they share resources during the development stage?
I don't know both possibilites are an option but they probably share ressources. Bioware Montreal worked on Mass Effect 2 & 3 already.
Also, Bioware isn't much more then a EA brand now.
BioWare is the EA brand for their role-playing-style games.
Yeah, some of my friends have been flying to Montreal every month to help them learn the ropes.
Quote from: Grey Fox on November 14, 2012, 11:46:58 AM
Also, Bioware isn't much more then a EA brand now.
I guess EA doesn't keep seperate studios at all, only brands? Of all the studioes EA acquired over the years, it doesn't seem any of them stayed an independant division for long.
Is ME3 playable without having played the first two?
Quote from: Drakken on November 16, 2012, 11:33:58 AM
Is ME3 playable without having played the first two?
I would NOT do that because:
-the story and the world in 3 is MUCH more meaningful if you have played the others
-ME1 and ME2 may not be that great gameplay-wise (altough still good. ME1 is action-ish RPG, ME2 is RPG-ish action), but they have a great world, great story, good characters. Well worth picking both up for pennies, playing through them, then playing 3, which is really great, especially now that they have fixed the ending.
the ending isn't meaningfully different from what it was before. It's still "we made synthetic life to kill you all so synthetic life can't kill you all".
Quote from: Crazy_Ivan80 on November 16, 2012, 12:19:12 PM
the ending isn't meaningfully different from what it was before. It's still "we made synthetic life to kill you all so synthetic life can't kill you all".
it's not EXACTLY like that, and I am sure Drakken thanks for the spoilers! :P
Meh, I'm right now on KOTOR2 with the Restored Content mod on. By the time I find myself getting interested in ME I'll have forgotten all about it. :P
Quote from: viper37 on November 15, 2012, 11:49:35 AM
Quote from: Grey Fox on November 14, 2012, 11:46:58 AM
Also, Bioware isn't much more then a EA brand now.
I guess EA doesn't keep seperate studios at all, only brands? Of all the studioes EA acquired over the years, it doesn't seem any of them stayed an independant division for long.
BioWare has been for a while, and Mythic beneath it. And then there's Maxis.
Quote from: Tamas on November 16, 2012, 11:41:34 AM
Quote from: Drakken on November 16, 2012, 11:33:58 AM
Is ME3 playable without having played the first two?
I would NOT do that because:
-the story and the world in 3 is MUCH more meaningful if you have played the others
-ME1 and ME2 may not be that great gameplay-wise (altough still good. ME1 is action-ish RPG, ME2 is RPG-ish action), but they have a great world, great story, good characters. Well worth picking both up for pennies, playing through them, then playing 3, which is really great, especially now that they have fixed the ending.
I gotta agree. ME3 would have been less compelling without back-story.
Quote from: viper37 on November 14, 2012, 11:06:12 AM
Mass Effect 4 is in development. They will use the Frostbite 2 engine, with the modifications the Dragon Age team has already worked on.
Is that the thing DA2 runs on? Hopefully, it's nothing like that.
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on November 29, 2012, 12:31:43 AM
Quote from: viper37 on November 14, 2012, 11:06:12 AM
Mass Effect 4 is in development. They will use the Frostbite 2 engine, with the modifications the Dragon Age team has already worked on.
Is that the thing DA2 runs on? Hopefully, it's nothing like that.
No, it's the engine used for DA3 (in development), and many games developped by EA. I think the last Battlefield is on that engine.
Quote from: viper37 on November 29, 2012, 10:22:21 AM
Quote from: MadImmortalMan on November 29, 2012, 12:31:43 AM
Quote from: viper37 on November 14, 2012, 11:06:12 AM
Mass Effect 4 is in development. They will use the Frostbite 2 engine, with the modifications the Dragon Age team has already worked on.
Is that the thing DA2 runs on? Hopefully, it's nothing like that.
No, it's the engine used for DA3 (in development), and many games developped by EA. I think the last Battlefield is on that engine.
Yes the engine was developed by DICE who also made BF3.
Anybody here still playing MP?
Yes.
I give it a spin once a week or so.
Ok. Next question then: anyone interested in playing a Silver game this week, between 21:00 and 23:00 EST?
Platform?
PC of course. I'm stricly mono-gamous in my gaming relationships.
Ah. I'm 360.
Finally finished ME3 last night. Wow, that was.... different. I'm pretty sure I got the best ending: [spoiler]the synthesis ending, which reminded me of the ending of Deux Ex, only on steroids. [/spoiler]
No idea what game I'll play next. :hmm:
Quote from: Caliga on May 04, 2013, 04:01:56 AM
I'm pretty sure I got the best ending: [spoiler]the synthesis ending, which reminded me of the ending of Deux Ex, only on steroids. [/spoiler]
:o
Friends don't Reaperize their friends, mkay.
That's not how I would characterize what happened. :sleep:
Anyway I thought the ending was awesome. Fuck all the crybabies who bitched about it. Get a life and stop living vicariously through video game characters, losers.
Did yoU get the ending DLC?
Yeah. I played it with all of the DLC.
Quote from: Caliga on May 04, 2013, 06:49:31 AM
That's not how I would characterize what happened. :sleep:
The "best" ending, that is, the one that requires the most war assets to unlock is the Destroy, Shepard lives one. Also, toasters had it coming. :mad:
I think the endings are good after the EC was released.
I'm not sure I agree with that. The allied geth in no way deserved to be exterminated.
The geth uploaded Reaper code to achieve their sentience. Acceptable collateral damage.
Again, I'm convinced the ending I chose was the 'best' one even if in some ways it might seem like a non-canonical choice. I'm even more convinced of that fact having watched vids for all of the other endings on YouTube.
Quote from: Queequeg on May 04, 2013, 01:48:29 PM
I'm not sure I agree with that. The allied geth in no way deserved to be exterminated.
They're equipment, not people.
No sign of an ultimate edition yet. :(
is one of you guys the "Captain Shepard" that added me on his Origin list?
Not I, haven't been on Origin for months.
it's probably that "soldier" stalking me again. Weird guy.
Does the Omega DLC add anything besides awful Aria ham?
Quote from: Queequeg on June 18, 2013, 07:41:51 PM
Does the Omega DLC add anything besides awful Aria ham?
New equipment, possibly a new gun (not sure). The attraction is Aria though. If you don't like her, I doubt you'll find anything redeaming about the DLC.
Lots of people really liked Aria. I never got it.
Quote from: Neil on June 19, 2013, 01:55:17 PM
Lots of people really liked Aria. I never got it.
Asari & bitch.
Make her human and everyone dislikes her.