Mass Effect 3

[Kraus]

Launch Trailer

[Wallcrawler]

Im getting a little bit pissed off with this.

Firstly, the game wont import any of my ME1-2 characters, so the story for me has been complete bullshit and isnt following anything according to what Ive already done so far.

Im stuck with Wreav instead of Wrex, who was probably my favorite character thusfar, because apparently the default story was Wrex dies on Virmire.

I just now found out that the game is insinuating that I killed the Rachni Queen in the first game, which I didnt.

Should be starting at level 30, but instead now I had to start over completely. They didnt even put in a quiz like they did in ME2. Big fail here. Now even if you wanted to see the ending having made different choices over games 1 and 2, you would need to have a character that actually did that. I dont have ME 1 and 2 anymore, but I retained my saves so I could at least finish 3, and now thats not working.

Throw in on top of that, the fact that just about every time I get situated on my couch, I have to get up and switch fucking discs. Ive had my 360 a long time, so the door does the whole jamming thing where it wont open until after the first 10 attempts.

Gameplay seems pretty solid, but this inability to continue MY version of the story and all the disc switching makes me pretty glad this is just a rental.

Loving the Kinect Voice features for the powers as well. Really cool and actually feels like youre there leading the team and calling out orders. Being able to speak the dialogue options in conversations was a nice touch as well.

[keg in kc]

Just played multiplayer for the first time. Suprisingly fun. Died on the 10th ****ing wave.

[Johnny Vegas]

one thing I am pissed about is they didn't make it compatible with PS Move but they with the Kinect. Bastards. I wanted to use my gun.

[Wallcrawler]

only voice recognition works with kinect, not any motion control.

Pretty cool to be able to just run and say "Shotgun" to pull the shotty out. I dont think Ive brought up the menu to change weapons since I started. Being able to lay down heavy fire and just say "grenade" is pretty sweet also.

Really kicks ass not having to worry about having only 3 abilities able to be hotkeyed at once, because now all you have to do is call out what you want, and it happens.

The recognition is superb, as I can even say what I want in a pretty quiet voice and it still picks up what I said instantly. Ive never had to say anything twice, if anything, sometimes it becomes a hiccup because Ill say something to my friend like "I just got a new shotgun" and the game will switch my weapon out for me and bust out the shotgun. Heh.

[veist]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

There's a fascinating theory:

Spoiler!

...that the very end of the game isn't actually the game's end, that what we're playing through right now is Shepard fighting indoctrination.

Which sounds batshit crazy on first glance, but there are some things that don't make sense.

The gameplay is completely different after you're hit by harbinger's beam. It's almost exactly like the dream sequences during the game. You're moving in slow motion. If you turn around you see trees that look vaguely familiar. You have unlimited ammo.

When you get to the citadel it just doesn't look like the citadel. You can't shoot the keepers.

How is TIM able to control Anderson? I get how he can control you, but Anderson? How? And speaking of Anderson, how does he even get there? And why isn't he in as bad a shape as you are? You've had your armor completely destroyed and you're in the remnants of your uniform. He's in what looks like a clean uniform, seems to be completely okay until whatever happens to him happens at the platform.

Shooting TIM is a renegade choice. And unless you have really high reputation, there is no paragon choice that allows you to live. If you don't shoot him the game ends. If you use the paragon choice (I'm told, I didn't have high enough reputation) he shoots himself, in a scene eerily reminiscent of Saren. Which makes me wonder if all of this is built from Shepard's memories.

The choices the catalyst gives you don't make any sense. If you go by the colors laid out, red to the right, blue to the left, Destruction of the reapers, the goal you've been going for for three games is renegade. Now maybe that's because it requires the destruction of the geth and EDI, but it just doesn't make sense. Control is said to be the paragon choice, but again, that doesn't make sense. Everything about TIM and what he was doing was renegade. I personally believe the synthesis choice, which I believe builds upon the lessons learned from the quarians and geth is the true paragon, but still it seems odd the way they're laid out. Why is destruction red? Is the catalyst trying to trick you? He seems to be doing a sales job. If you think of it in terms of Harbinger trying to indoctrinate you, than synthesis or control would be the equivalent of giving in, and destruction would be fighting, which leads to the final point...

The most interesting point to me is this one: if you do the destruction ending and have high enough EMS (4000-5000, something in there, I didn't get that high), you get an additional scene after the Normandy crash. You see N7 armor, and then a breath. It looks like Shepard is alive, and it looks to be on the ground in London.


Now, personally, I think the ending is what it is. I don't think Bioware's going to come out with anything more (it would be pretty amazing if they did, though...) and I think people are trying really hard to rationalize an ending they either don't like or don't understand. But it is...interesting. There is definitely a part of me that wonders. Because it does seem...off somehow.


My personal pet theory is that you don't even wake up in london; you wake up on eden prime and nothing from any of the games actually happened. Which would be totally, wonderfully evil on Bioware's part.


But I think the end's the end and people are in denial.

My problem with it was of a more fundamental narrative construction issue

Spoiler!

The ending is just felt poorly structured. The last hour of the game is just emotionally exhausting and there isn't really a single bit of uplifting or catharsis past when you wreck Kai Leng's shit.

[Johnny Vegas]

Originally Posted by Wallcrawler

only voice recognition works with kinect, not any motion control.

Pretty cool to be able to just run and say "Shotgun" to pull the shotty out. I dont think Ive brought up the menu to change weapons since I started. Being able to lay down heavy fire and just say "grenade" is pretty sweet also.

Really kicks ass not having to worry about having only 3 abilities able to be hotkeyed at once, because now all you have to do is call out what you want, and it happens.

The recognition is superb, as I can even say what I want in a pretty quiet voice and it still picks up what I said instantly. Ive never had to say anything twice, if anything, sometimes it becomes a hiccup because Ill say something to my friend like "I just got a new shotgun" and the game will switch my weapon out for me and bust out the shotgun. Heh.

yea. I'm gonna have to get kinect. Was looking for an excuse. Think I found it.

[Saulbadguy]

Originally Posted by Wallcrawler

only voice recognition works with kinect, not any motion control.

Pretty cool to be able to just run and say "Shotgun" to pull the shotty out. I dont think Ive brought up the menu to change weapons since I started. Being able to lay down heavy fire and just say "grenade" is pretty sweet also.

Really kicks ass not having to worry about having only 3 abilities able to be hotkeyed at once, because now all you have to do is call out what you want, and it happens.

The recognition is superb, as I can even say what I want in a pretty quiet voice and it still picks up what I said instantly. Ive never had to say anything twice, if anything, sometimes it becomes a hiccup because Ill say something to my friend like "I just got a new shotgun" and the game will switch my weapon out for me and bust out the shotgun. Heh.

That's reeruned. You are reeruned for liking it.

[Saulbadguy]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

Just played multiplayer for the first time. Suprisingly fun. Died on the 10th ****ing wave.

Yeah, the multiplayer is actually pretty good.

[Frazod]

I'm probably about eight or nine hours in at this point. I'm enjoying it, although probably not quite as much as the last one. Beating back the husks gets tiresome after a while - I prefer fighting Cerberos.

[keg in kc]

You get plenty of cerberus by the end. 8 or 9 hours might be a quarter of the game if you do everything. It took me more than 40 hours to finish, playing on Normal (about as long as ME2 without DLC took playing on Insanity, or my last playthrough on normal including Overlord, Shadow Broker and Arrival).

I'd say in total I found 3 to be more engaging than 2. I think the story's better -- they cover an unbelievable amount of ground by the end, connect 3 to both 1 and 2 in ways I didn't expect, and it never really gets boring at any point. Aside from the final 10 minutes of the game (general consensus, not necessarily my personal opinion...) it may be the best storytelling bioware's done, all things (story, cinematics) considered. I would also say the combat's the best in the series and to me the EMS is less tedious than either the Mako or planet scanning. I've seen complaints, of course, but I like the way side quests are tied into exploration. I also really like the way that many side quests are given via people speaking on the citadel.

If it's not the perfect game (end complaints...) it's certainly the next evolutionary step toward it. I've been wondering where they go from here with the franchise, and I really hope it's a Mass Effect 4, although I don't know how in the world they can do that. Before I played ME3 I was thinking they'd take the franchise toward another game genre, maybe straight FPS, but now I just want more of the kind of thing they did in the first 3. Shooter/RPG hybrid, heavy on story. I think anything else would leave me feeling like I want more.

I actually started my second playthrough last night. I think after this one I'm going to go all the way back to ME1 and play the trilogy through slowly.

[veist]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

You get plenty of cerberus by the end. 8 or 9 hours might be a quarter of the game if you do everything. It took me more than 40 hours to finish, playing on Normal (about as long as ME2 without DLC took playing on Insanity, or my last playthrough on normal including Overlord, Shadow Broker and Arrival).

I'd say in total I found 3 to be more engaging than 2. I think the story's better -- they cover an unbelievable amount of ground by the end, connect 3 to both 1 and 2 in ways I didn't expect, and it never really gets boring at any point. Aside from the final 10 minutes of the game (general consensus, not necessarily my personal opinion...) it may be the best storytelling bioware's done, all things (story, cinematics) considered. I would also say the combat's the best in the series and to me the EMS is less tedious than either the Mako or planet scanning. I've seen complaints, of course, but I like the way side quests are tied into exploration. I also really like the way that many side quests are given via people speaking on the citadel.

If it's not the perfect game (end complaints...) it's certainly the next evolutionary step toward it. I've been wondering where they go from here with the franchise, and I really hope it's a Mass Effect 4, although I don't know how in the world they can do that. Before I played ME3 I was thinking they'd take the franchise toward another game genre, maybe straight FPS, but now I just want more of the kind of thing they did in the first 3. Shooter/RPG hybrid, heavy on story. I think anything else would leave me feeling like I want more.

I actually started my second playthrough last night. I think after this one I'm going to go all the way back to ME1 and play the trilogy through slowly.

I'm really interested in what they end up doing for DLC with this one. I mean, ME2 has two pieces of DLC that are easily head and shoulders some of the best DLC ever in Arrival and Lair of the Shadowbroker. Those both really raised the bar for the quality of DLC.

[keg in kc]

Originally Posted by veist

I'm really interested in what they end up doing for DLC with this one. I mean, ME2 has two pieces of DLC that are easily head and shoulders some of the best DLC ever in Arrival and Lair of the Shadowbroker. Those both really raised the bar for the quality of DLC.

I always felt that Overlord raised the bar as well, pointless Hammerhead part aside.

Even looking at the DA2 dlc, one thing that's made me happy with Bioware and EA is that they are not shirking on their DLC in either quality or quantity (meaning time involved). Both Legacy and Mark of the Assassin were good and fairly long, too, in the same vein as Overlord, Arrival and Shadow Broker. So that makes me optimistic.

Doing my best not to spoil things for the people who haven't gotten there, some people have bitched that they won't buy dlc for ME3 because of the ending, but I'm of the mind that I'm all for anything that adds to the length of the game. In the end, whether I like the destination or not, it's awfully hard not to love the journey.

[Wallcrawler]

Originally Posted by Saulbadguy

That's reeruned. You are reeruned for liking it.

[Mr. Laz]

Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer DLC Leak Reveals Possible New Character Class
2 Comments
Posted 3 hours 13 mins ago - By Nikole Zivalich

http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/pos...witterfantrack

Mass Effect 3 multiplayer DLC may have been leaked. An image, allegedly taken from the Mass Effect 3 developer server, popped up on reddit showing new playable character classes and was then posted to Facebook. I'm hardly a photoshop expert so I can't comment on the image. I am a DLC expert and I think it's pretty obvious that ME3's multiplayer DLC will offer more character classes.

If we pretend the above image is legit, and confirmed by BioWare (which it's not) then ME3's multiplayer will soon have a Geth Engineer and Infiltrator, Batarian Soldier and Sentinel, Krogan Battlemaster and Asari Justicar.

While I personally won't be returning to multiplayer anytime soon, the Asari Justicar would be awesome to play as. I wonder if I'd get unnecessarily low cut armor? Cleavage helps serve justice.

[keg in kc]

I think that reddit image was debunked yesterday, but I'm not completely certain.