Mass Effect 3

[Swan]

You guys here about that new Mass Effect tv show they are making?

[Combine 017]

Pure awesomes.

[Typhoid]

So when I woke up today I felt a little disheartened because I wasn't feeling as if I was really making any choices - like my decisions weren't altering anything at all - as if the path the storytellers are telling is planned to be basically the same regardless of what you do within this game.
The main thing that made me think this way was when the Salarian chick told me to lie about curing the Genophage, or she wouldn't send her scientists/fleets to the Crucible - so I said "Fuck you, hobag" and cured the Genophage anyways - watched Mordin sing and explode, completed another mission only to hear Hackett say "The Salarians are scared. The Dalatrass has sent her scientists and fleets to the Crucible." So I had an immediate "huh...alright then, good thing I decided to cure that Genophage, because the outcome was ultimately the same, very sneaky Bioware."

But then when I was in the shower I reasoned with myself that this game isn't about making choices. It's not about "How will what I say/do now, change my game later?" - but it's about watching my last 2 games of choices unfold in front of me. I definitely feel like I am watching more video, and choosing less dialogue options compared with the other games- I'm okay with that, I'm being entertained, plus all of the battles are pretty tough and intense.
In one sense I feel so angry that I don't feel as if I have control in this game as I did with the others - but I feel so good inside with watching the closure of the story I've been helping create unfold. I feel bummed that choices I have made in the last game led to people from previous games dying in this game - but it doesn't bug me because it's because of me that those things happened, and I know if I want to experience it differently, I can just play all 3 games again - and essentially watch an entirely different story unfold through 3 games, only to wind up ending essentially the same every time. Makes ya think.

[Vampyr]

Finally started playing this yesterday after finishing all the DLC in ME2 as well as exploring 100% of the planets to find all the hidden side stuff.

So I went into ME3 at level 30 with a perfect paragon run, having romanced Liara in the first game and no one in the second game.

I'm actually really enjoying the game so far. The parts that they do well they really do well.

I like it better than ME2 already. ME2 never really stuck with me because the story (or lack thereof) - you spent 90% of the game recruiting people, which made it feel like nothing of import was happening. Also, the weapon system was way too streamlined.

The story so far in this one is awesome. It feels really epic, and I feel like my missions carry a lot of gravitas.

I bought the From Ashes DLC, and I can now say that I don't believe for a second that Javik wasn't meant to be part of the game from the start. I really feel like if you play the game without him you are missing out, and it saddens me that they chose to cut such an important character from the final game.

The combat still has issues, but it's at least better than ME2.

The whole scan system is pretty bad. It's not as boring as the scan system of ME2, but it feels pretty contrived and obvious that they were short on time so they built some weird system on top of the ME2 one. The reapers coming after you is also kinda silly, since you can just exit, reenter, and immediately enter the orbit of something to grab what you need.

I think it would have been awesome to cut the scan system entirely and have a set of hammerhead missions to retrieve things replace it. I know that would have taken more time and been expensive to do, but would have made the game so much better.

I think the dialog between characters is my favorite thing so far. Love all the ambient conversations that happen between characters even while you're on the Normandy.

[Fox 6]

http://blog.bioware.com/2012/04/02/o...raptor-update/

At least they are offering a decent multiplayer experience. Well, for PC and 360 anyways...

[Combine 017]

Operation Beachhead is scheduled to deploy next weekend, April 6th- 8th and will require expert trained soldiers to complete.

Maybe I shouldnt have reset all of my classes back to level 1.

[Typhoid]

At least they are offering a decent multiplayer experience. Well, for PC and 360 anyways...

1 decent online experience is hardly worth my 10 bucks.

-------
Current thoughts while playing game update:

I met the Prothean AI who explained the cycles and everything, and I found that rather interesting. It was a solid explanation, and I was into it. I like the fact that the cycle has constantly continued and each time The Crucible gets added to by the populace attempting to survive only to fail.


The more I play this game, the more I want to play this game. That's all that I am finding out. I just keep thinking "Holy fuck, I want to go back and play the other games, play them with a different mindset so I can experience the series completely differently."

I'm not a fan of googling for the "other options" stuff - I don't google the alternate paths and the "what ifs", I find that would take away from the replay-ability of the series. I don't know why you'd want to play it one way, then just look up everything you missed rather than playing it out again. That is the strength of this series, in my eyes.

I still do feel like I am choosing less dialogue/renegade/paragon actions in this game, and just watching what they wanted Shepard to be like rather than what I want him to be like. I'm not complaining - I'm okay with that - it's just different when in all other Mass Effects you were choosing nearly every conversation, and here it seems to be less than half of all important conversations actually need real choice - and the rest of the options are all just sort of for your own enjoyment.


Edit: The one question I do have, is what's the deal with the Prothean DLC. In the past I've read people (on other sites) saying things like "The game is clearly meant to have him" and things like that - but with playing the game with no Prothean on my team - I can't imagine how that would logically fit into it. Let me guess, he was trapped in some type of containment field/statue until the Reapers come back so some hero can free him and he can help stop the cycle because he is the Catalyst.

I like not having the Prothean. There is a feeling of helplessness to it. A feeling of "What theeee fuck do we do, how do we get a fucking leg up in this."
Suddenly having one Prothean exist in this Universe when it's most likely needed most seems like goofy fantasy happenstance. "Oh, you know that race of people that was turned into Collectors, and hasn't existed in forever? Turns out one exists in it's original form and we just so happen to have come across it now, which is very lucky, because it will probably vastly help us out in this situation. How has nobody come across this Prothean for thousands of years. Praise Space-jesus."

I'm sure they explain it out, and I'm sure they probably put some effort into try explaining why there is a Prothean there - but that doesn't lower the goofy fantasy happenstance level that it would bring me. It's like in every action movie when the hero suddenly finds the killer weapon at the exact moment he needs it. Some people think "Oh, fuck yeah - use it. USE IT", others think "What a fucking shitty cop-out. Bad writing."

But on that thought I struggle with myself and the thought of "well sure, let's bring this to realism. There is a chance that if this was real, some happenstance hero would find some killer-weapon (living or dead) at the perfect moment."

But then I also think it's a little different when that killer weapon is entirely optional.

Double edit: What bugs me is that my military readiness bar is maxed out, I've 100% completed all systems I can search - yet my military readiness is only ever at 50% and never any higher, and I'm assuming either that bumps up at a specific point in the game - or when I pay the 10 dollars to play online - which I assume is what the deal is, which I think would be a joke.


The ever-feared Triple Edit:

Okay - maybe I only have this question because I haven't beaten the game yet so I just haven't gotten to a specific point, or I'm thinking far too stoned about a simple thing-

But...ME 2 was about the Reapers harvesting humans to make a giant Reaper, right? No other race was being effected, yeah? The Reapers only had it out for the humans. Giant human Reaper. No Giant Asari Reaper. No giant Solarian Reaper. No Giant Krogan Reaper. No missing Turian colonies. No Turian Reapers. No Hanar Reapers.

Why is ME3 about the destruction of the entire galaxy suddenly - Are the Reapers coming to make giant Reapers of every race now? They suddenly thought "holy shit, we had it wrong with only going after the humans last time, we missed out on like 9 other intelligent species, here."
Or maybe the Reapers are just embarrassed that a Human was able to destroy a giant Human Reaper, so they need to come in and rage-flip the board so no race can make fun of them for failing at their task. Like if an ant blows up some masterful living-art-piece made out of ants that I've been crafting for months - I'd want to kick the shit out of all the ants in my yard most likely. I'd have it out for ants. I'd probably stomp on some beetles if I saw them too, I suppose. I guess if I could also turn some of those ants against themselves and side with me I'd probably try and do that, too. That would make it easier to step on them, if they're all bunched up fighting themselves. The only thing I'd be afraid of are wasps. Those motherfuckers sting.

[Fox 6]

Originally Posted by Typhoid

1 decent online experience is hardly worth my 10 bucks.

Well thats good becuase being a PS3 owner, you dont get to participate in the events anyways and isnt Multiplayer free on the Play Station? or are they charging $10 to play the co-op for ME3?

The Prothean was in a statis pod, but if you recall from ME1 when you get to Ilos you find a whole load of stasis pods, so they are not exactly pulling this out of left field. The prothean characters actually does very little in the way of helping advance the crucible. He poses very little knowledge of the weapon. Having him there is more of a way to showcase what had happened in the previous cycle and show what the prothean culture was like. They were basically space Romans. They were more powerful and advanced than the other races and subjecated them into their empire, sometimes by force. They waged war on against the Reapers for more than 100 years. He says he was born while they were already at war and all he knows is conflict with them.

If you listen to the Codex entry about the Reapers it will explain how they only focus on one main race to harvest and convert into a dreadnaught Reaper. The rest are usually harvested into destroyers / whatever else. Maybe it is as simple as humans kicked their ass, so lets get revenge? Who cares, they are apparantly on an entirely different plane of thought than us mortals anyways, and they've been wiping out all organic life for thousands of years. Who are you to question their methods?

[Bond]

Originally Posted by Fox 6

The Prothean was in a statis pod, but if you recall from ME1 when you get to Ilos you find a whole load of stasis pods, so they are not exactly pulling this out of left field. The prothean characters actually does very little in the way of helping advance the crucible. He poses very little knowledge of the weapon. Having him there is more of a way to showcase what had happened in the previous cycle and show what the prothean culture was like. They were basically space Romans. They were more powerful and advanced than the other races and subjecated them into their empire, sometimes by force. They waged war on against the Reapers for more than 100 years. He says he was born while they were already at war and all he knows is conflict with them.

If you listen to the Codex entry about the Reapers it will explain how they only focus on one main race to harvest and convert into a dreadnaught Reaper. The rest are usually harvested into destroyers / whatever else. Maybe it is as simple as humans kicked their ass, so lets get revenge? Who cares, they are apparantly on an entirely different plane of thought than us mortals anyways, and they've been wiping out all organic life for thousands of years. Who are you to question their methods?

You are officially our resident Mass Effect historian.

[Combine 017]

Originally Posted by Fox 6

Well thats good becuase being a PS3 owner, you dont get to participate in the events anyways and isnt Multiplayer free on the Play Station? or are they charging $10 to play the co-op for ME3?

I think it would cost him money cause hes borrowing it from Dylan, and im assuming Dylan already used his code to activate online playability so he would have to drop $10 to be able to play online. Remember, its an EA game. All of their games require a code to play online.

[Fox 6]

Well then if you're playing it for free anyways, you can't bitch too much. Classless move by EA tho.

[Typhoid]

Originally Posted by Fox 6

Well then if you're playing it for free anyways, you can't bitch too much. Classless move by EA tho.

Yeah, that's why I wasn't really bitching, more of just a "I think it's sort of lame that without paying that 10 bucks [considering I am borrowing it] to play online, it legitimately hinders my single-player experience." Not drastically or anything.


And like I said, I'm sure they explained the Prothean thing well. I didn't mean to imply they were just Lost-ing this series along. I had faith they knew what they were doing with ME essentially from the beginning. I was just questioning the stock of what people were saying with "I cant imagine the game without this character", because now having played through it, I can't imagine this game with a random Prothean.

Maybe it is as simple as humans kicked their ass, so lets get revenge? Who cares.

Oh - not me. I was more just joking, I wasn't knocking the game or anything. I think the story of this game is one of the most epic ever created. When I was playing this game towards the end I couldn't help but reflect on my choices from previous games leading up to the end of this game.

ending post to follow.

[Combine 017]

Originally Posted by Typhoid

ending post to follow.

Better put it in the ending thread!

[Combine 017]

For those that played online last weekend expecting Commendation packs.

We granted the Victory and Commendations Packs from
Operation Raptor last night but this morning it was identified that many
people were using an exploit to get multiple packs. In order to stop
the problem we had to suspend the granting of packs immediately. We are
currently working on a fix for this issue. We will restart the granting
of packs once this issue has been fixed.

[Fox 6]

I want my elephant!.. I mean commendation pack!