Mass Effect 3 Discussion Thread

[quote name='Hast']I won't post any spoilers below but the threads I've linked has spoilers for the ending of ME3 so don't read them if you haven't finished the game!

I found the following analysis of the ME3 ending to be spot on (http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/355/index/10022779/1). It's written by a screen writer and I found it fascinating to see someone explain many of the things that annoyed me with the ending so well.

It's also worth reading the long thread about the Final hours of ME3 (http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/355/index/9999272/1) . This is not a spoiler of the game but the possible intent of Bioware...
where it seems like the ending was more or less made to be a "discussion base" to generate more buzz around the game. (Well, they got a lot of people talking at least. ;-) )

I look forward to hearing this topic being discussed in coming spoiler sections on the Cagcast. :)[/QUOTE]
Yeah, those two links are great. The second gives insight into why the ending is so awful: unable to come up with a suitable ending, they made it "vague" and "open to interpretation" so they wouldn't have to worry about making it satisfying or good. And the first, as a fellow writer, helps articulate some larger problems the ending has from a narrative perspective.

It's just so baffling how they could hit the characterization out of the park by making likable, endearing, memorably characters and then whiff so badly on overall narrative and resolution.
 
[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']So... it appears Amazon is giving people full refunds on opened copies of the game (even CEs). Holy shit indeed.[/QUOTE]

wow.. if people could harness teh power of nerd rage into something that actualyl impacted life... we would have the technology of Mass Effect and wouldnt need the game.
 
[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']So... it appears Amazon is giving people full refunds on opened copies of the game (even CEs). Holy shit indeed.[/QUOTE]

*looks at invoice* No refund here yet, wonder what for? I know the discs feel like they are going to break when you try to get them out, but I've kept the discs out for that reason.
 
[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']So... it appears Amazon is giving people full refunds on opened copies of the game (even CEs). Holy shit indeed.[/QUOTE]

heh, thanks...hopefully the next one isn't 3 million phantoms and geth on gold.
 
[quote name='Monsta Mack']*looks at invoice* No refund here yet, wonder what for? I know the discs feel like they are going to break when you try to get them out, but I've kept the discs out for that reason.[/QUOTE]

I filed down the spindle inserts and the disc fit nicely and not "hard" as they were before.
 
[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']So... it appears Amazon is giving people full refunds on opened copies of the game (even CEs). Holy shit indeed.[/QUOTE]
I'm sure that'll get someone's attention at EA and Bioware if Amazon's going to allow full refunds on opened copies of the game.

Especially with all the fun press they've been getting over the ending and the other issues.
 
i have the CE but havent played it yet. so i noticed that the game has low ratings on amazon. 2/5 stars! is it because of the ending?? or is the game unpolished? i played the MP demo and i was literally addicted to it for 2 weeks. i wake up, thats what i thought about. i come home from work/school, i went straight to play. on weekends, i played... a LOT. very addictive.

so yeah, why the low ratings again? just the ending??
 
[quote name='giantqtipz']i have the CE but havent played it yet. so i noticed that the game has low ratings on amazon. 2/5 stars! is it because of the ending?? or is the game unpolished? i played the MP demo and i was literally addicted to it for 2 weeks. i wake up, thats what i thought about. i come home from work/school, i went straight to play. on weekends, i played... a LOT. very addictive.

so yeah, why the low ratings again? just the ending??[/QUOTE]

yep just the ending
 
[quote name='giantqtipz']i have the CE but havent played it yet. so i noticed that the game has low ratings on amazon. 2/5 stars! is it because of the ending?? or is the game unpolished? i played the MP demo and i was literally addicted to it for 2 weeks. i wake up, thats what i thought about. i come home from work/school, i went straight to play. on weekends, i played... a LOT. very addictive.

so yeah, why the low ratings again? just the ending??[/QUOTE]

Take a look at http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/mass-effect-3 and read reviews. Look at what the critics are saying and not necessarily user scores. ME3 is a very good game.
 
All right, some of these people are getting a little out of control. I mean, if you can get a refund out of Amazon, I guess I can't begrudge you, but I cannot imagine asking for a refund because I'm mad about one part of a game. I've bought some duds over the years, but this has never once crossed my mind.

Even more insane are the people who are actually contacting the FCC and BBB about this...
 
[quote name='bigdaddybruce44']All right, some of these people are getting a little out of control. I mean, if you can get a refund out of Amazon, I guess I can't begrudge you, but I cannot imagine asking for a refund because I'm mad about one part of a game. I've bought some duds over the years, but this has never once crossed my mind.

Even more insane are the people who are actually contacting the FCC and BBB about this...[/QUOTE]

lol.

FCC and BBB? If you order a burger and don't like how the fries came out you're not going to get my money back. some ppl need more then a refund, they need professional help.
 
See that's why I don't understand why, if this is the case as there seems to be this rumor going around, Bioware would decide to give us a true ending as DLC, most likely tied to the online pass, that is, if that indeed turns out to be true. Why piss everyone off on purpose?! Which loops back to the validity of the rumor that Bioware is saving the real ending for DLC. One could hope...
 
[quote name='bigdaddybruce44']All right, some of these people are getting a little out of control. I mean, if you can get a refund out of Amazon, I guess I can't begrudge you, but I cannot imagine asking for a refund because I'm mad about one part of a game. I've bought some duds over the years, but this has never once crossed my mind.

Even more insane are the people who are actually contacting the FCC and BBB about this...[/QUOTE]The BBB being involved is a bit of a reach. It's at least some sense of connectable.

The FCC being involved? Not even close, as I'd love to see someone make the valid point that they would need to be involved in a video game. :roll:
 
[quote name='100xp']lol.

FCC and BBB? If you order a burger and don't like how the fries came out you're not going to get my money back. some ppl need more then a refund, they need professional help.[/QUOTE]

Sorry, I meant, the FTC.

In all fairness, I've only seen one story about ONE guy who claims to have contacted the FTC and encouraged everyone to do the same, as well as contacting the BBB. But I mean, even suggesting such a thing is pretty out there. I mean, over the years, there have been absolutely, complete, utter pieces of shit games released and bought at full retail. I've never seen a story about anyone contacting the government or watchdog groups about it...
 
I'm honestly not sure why anyone thinks the FTC claim is actually going to be taken seriously. Hell... even the Retake ME3 movement doesn't advocate their actions nor this latest Amazon business. If anything they appear to be trying to distance themselves from the drama as much as humanly possible.
 
"Gamer complains about game to every agency with online submission" really shouldn't be a news story. Blizzard probably gets hundreds every time they patch World of Warcraft.
 
[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']I'm honestly not sure why anyone thinks the FTC claim is actually going to be taken seriously. Hell... even the Retake ME3 movement doesn't advocate their actions nor this latest Amazon business. If anything they appear to be trying to distance themselves from the drama as much as humanly possible.[/QUOTE]I'm just trying to see how the FTC would have some involvement with this situation.

FTC's mandate:
[quote name='http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/about.shtm']To prevent business practices that are anticompetitive or deceptive or unfair to consumers; to enhance informed consumer choice and public understanding of the competitive process; and to accomplish this without unduly burdening legitimate business activity.[/quote]

How exactly is the collective fan disappointment with ME3 covered under business practices that are deceptive or unfair to consumers?
 
[quote name='shrike4242']How exactly is the collective fan disappointment with ME3 covered under business practices that are deceptive or unfair to consumers?[/QUOTE]
Not that I believe the argument has merit, but it's because the game's ending was advertised with specific promises or assertions that were outright false. Whether that's something actionable in a legal arena is, well, best left to lawyers.

Either way, I think Bioware and plenty of the gaming press miss the point of the fan outcry. It's not about having a happy ending or a sad ending but one that is logically sound, resolves the conflicts meaningfully, and pays off the choices made through the game and the series proper.

[quote name='MSUHitman']
The video listed before about the ending being the last attempt at indoctrinating Shepard has been updated with about 6 minutes of how the Synthesis choice is basically becoming Saren from ME 1.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ythY_GkEBck&list=FLzHLernH8M4_kSYVNA6bVvA&index=1&feature=plpp_video
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, the Synthesis ending is what Saren advocated in ME1, and the Control ending is what TIM advocated in ME2. It's just so dumb that the endings they chose to make you choose from lack any logical consistency with what's been told to the player. How exactly would Synthesis stop the newly synthesized people from creating pure synthetics again afterwards?
 
[quote name='giantqtipz']i have the CE but havent played it yet. so i noticed that the game has low ratings on amazon. 2/5 stars! is it because of the ending?? or is the game unpolished? i played the MP demo and i was literally addicted to it for 2 weeks. i wake up, thats what i thought about. i come home from work/school, i went straight to play. on weekends, i played... a LOT. very addictive.

so yeah, why the low ratings again? just the ending??[/QUOTE]

For me it wasn't just the ending. The day one DLC feels like it is part of the game and not DLC. I too purchased the CE and loaded up the From Ashes DLC. I knew it was an extra mission and character but I was expecting the DLC that came with ME2. Zaeed really had nothing for him in ME2 and I was expecting the same with the one that came in ME3. I thought it would be a character that I would not get the dialog from when on the Normandy or that even felt like they were intended to be in the game from day one.

That was when I knew things were bad. After that it was all the side missions that just came up from running around the Citadel. In the beginning I knew the area that they came up but didn't know who gave them to me. Then after time I had so many of them that I didn't know where or who they came from.

I hated the codex in this one also. It has been some time that I last played ME and ME2 but when it came to the mission listings I remember them being better. I also don't remember them ever loading up to the completed missions and me having to scroll up to the uncompleted or having to resort them every time I wanted to view the missions.

I had missions on my screen that I couldn't even do because the areas were not opened yet. I don't see how I can have the mission but not be able to go do it.

I just feel that more effort was put into the multiplayer aspect of the game and some of the single player. However in the end it just felt like they didn't know where to go or how to end it. It also seemed like less effort was put into the game after the Horizon mission.

I have yet to import my old games but it do get the impression that all you did in the first 2 does not have as much of an impact in the third as they made people think it would.

For a Mass Effect game it fell short in the single player. For a game it was great just didn't live up to the first two in my opinion. As a Mass Effect game I give it a 5 out of 10 in the most part due to the multiplayer. As a game I give it a 7 out of 10 as it is a decent game with a nice multiplayer.
 
[quote name='sendme'] I have yet to import my old games but it do get the impression that all you did in the first 2 does not have as much of an impact in the third as they made people think it would. [/QUOTE]

The import has a TON of impact on dialogue, but not so much impact on the missions themselves, aside from maybe how the Krogan genophage plays out, and literally NO impact on the actual end of the game.

That being said, I really enjoyed the game, even though the end was a big dud. If Bioware releases a new ending via DLC I'll be happy, but I'm not calling for heads to roll.
 
I just played through the Ardat-Yakshi monastery mission using my Morinth import,
I was hoping she might make an appearance but no dice. I guess she just doesn't appear in the game at all. Seems like having Samara alive instead is the clearly better choice.
 
[quote name='Spybreak8']See that's why I don't understand why, if this is the case as there seems to be this rumor going around, Bioware would decide to give us a true ending as DLC, most likely tied to the online pass, that is, if that indeed turns out to be true. Why piss everyone off on purpose?! Which loops back to the validity of the rumor that Bioware is saving the real ending for DLC. One could hope...[/QUOTE]

I didn't even think to use the Online Pass to give us the true ending... See, I didn't feel betrayed by the ending, it just felt more like a cliffhanger rather than the franchise ending. Good or bad, it just feels as though BioWare is planning on giving us a true ending. Especially with the ending I got. lol...
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']I just played through the Ardat-Yakshi monastery mission using my Morinth import,
I was hoping she might make an appearance but no dice. I guess she just doesn't appear in the game at all. Seems like having Samara alive instead is the clearly better choice.
[/QUOTE]


Stay tuned.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']I just played through the Ardat-Yakshi monastery mission using my Morinth import,
I was hoping she might make an appearance but no dice. I guess she just doesn't appear in the game at all. Seems like having Samara alive instead is the clearly better choice.
[/QUOTE]

You'll see her
 
tumblr_m0jrowOXYx1qa6wswo1_500.gif
 
[quote name='mwmike11']I didn't even think to use the Online Pass to give us the true ending... See, I didn't feel betrayed by the ending, it just felt more like a cliffhanger rather than the franchise ending. Good or bad, it just feels as though BioWare is planning on giving us a true ending. Especially with the ending I got. lol...[/QUOTE]
Like many people and I agree on, this ending just has so many plot holes and not even having any ramifications to the decisions you accessed in ME1 & ME2. I think it's due to having ME1 & ME2 part of the equation as wel, we've all invested time into the franchise and the characters. In relation to that and the ending
I really wanted to see an offspring, differing depending on which species you hooked up with, of Sheppard at the end (would fit beautifully with Sheppard's death/ the legacy will live on), and/or a celebration scene from all or each of the species (maybe just the main Council species perhaps) in the Mass Effect universe (for ie: so we couldn't go to the Elcor homeworld but you could show it to us perhaps (Star Wars like ending)), and/or watching some scene of civilization where they are walking outside/ are trying to access what happened, and/or a scene where there is an eulogy of Commander Sheppard & crew (or even other species that parrished in the end) akin to the Memorial Wall in Dock E28, and/or Sheppard facing off against a Sovereign like opponent. When I think back to when I faced off against Saren, a smile comes over my face. Saren is like the Joker, it's easy to root for the guy. A satisfaction also comes over me from the face off that I had with Saren with the supporting epic cutscenes to segment that feeling.
Yeah I was reading this http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/355/index/10084349/1

And in it I felt that this particular statement rang true for me more so to not play the game, to affect Origin's stats:
Someone suggested continuing the protest on MP and if it is possible change your name to reflect Retake or Hold the Line. Add it to your online avatar's name
Click to expand...
So I'm going to name my MP characters, the new ones I have yet to unlock or create, Spy ReME3 or Spybreak ReM3, and Spybreaker ReM3. This name change doesn't really matter, it just will show up on Origin's stats. I encourage other Mass Effect fan to place ReME3 after their character name as well. I doubt it would do much but think it'd be a good practice of protest.

Opposed to you know not playing the game, sorry I'm too much of a Mass Effect fan and I enjoy the co-op even with complete strangers. There's something communicating and working as a team with newfound strangers with co-op in my opinion (even stronger with friends you know).
 
[quote name='Anexanhume']Well, so much for Ink having raccoon city to distract him from ending woes...[/QUOTE]

Ugh... I just got home with my copy and I'm about to browse the official thread. Is it TRULY that bad? Even multiplayer? ;\
 
[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']Ugh... I just got home with my copy and I'm about to browse the official thread. Is it TRULY that bad? Even multiplayer? ;\[/QUOTE]

I'm just going by what reviews say. The previews alone were enough to scare me away.
 
[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']Ugh... I just got home with my copy and I'm about to browse the official thread. Is it TRULY that bad? Even multiplayer? ;\[/QUOTE]

they lost me when they said the AI on the humans was stupid. when you shoot at humans, they should run for cover esp when they have a cover system...not stand there and take it like a mindless bot.
 
Ah... lovely. Worst comes to worst I'll be out $15 if I resell before the month is out so I'll pop it in real quick and head straight to multiplayer. I knew I was taking a chance a week in advance thanks to 007's impressions. Hopefully I can find some redeeming qualities in this game. After all... I did love Bioshock 2 and Dead Space 2 multiplayer and still do. I can make this work... somehow. ;\
 
[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']Ah... lovely. Worst comes to worst I'll be out $15 if I resell before the month is out so I'll pop it in real quick and head straight to multiplayer. I knew I was taking a chance a week in advance thanks to 007's impressions. Hopefully I can find some redeeming qualities in this game. After all... I did love Bioshock 2 and Dead Space 2 multiplayer and still do. I can make this work... somehow. ;\[/QUOTE]

i dont think it'll be a bad game, just being preoccupied with ME3 and Gears DLC coming out in a few days, there's little time to enjoy it imo. I'm sure the campaign will be decent...i just couldn't find enough reason to keep my preorder.
 
Keep looking at some of the Bioware forum threads linked here. And honestly.....I don't want them to go and create an ending now based on this feedback. That ending was too disjointed, too open-ended to conclude a trilogy. It's like showing Sam and Frodo standing inside of Mount Doom holding the ring and then cutting to the credits.

I believed this was a ploy from the start. I wanted it to be in some meta game-changing way. But if this is all reactionary and they thought that ending was a good idea? I'm out. Dragon Age, future titles, whatever. Out.
 
XP: Completely understandable. I just need a break from all the negativity. Despite my reputation for being overly critical of every game (because you know I spend money on this shit) I've ever played I sincerely miss the days where Mass Effect threads were filled with rainbow colored unicorns, Skittle waterfalls and topless super models. I wholeheartedly respect and support the entire Retake Mass Effect campaign because the sakes here are so much bigger than a few shitty endings for me, but witnessing the true scope of damage caused from both it and BioWare is quite depressing. I guess it's starting to hit closer to home because not just one corner of the fanbase got screwed for once. We all did and considering how much faith you guys have in BioWare I feel horrible about it. The last thing we needed was another precedent set on how to screw your core fanbase. ;\
 
[quote name='Lord_Kefka']Keep looking at some of the Bioware forum threads linked here. And honestly.....I don't want them to go and create an ending now based on this feedback. That ending was too disjointed, too open-ended to conclude a trilogy. It's like showing Sam and Frodo standing inside of Mount Doom holding the ring and then cutting to the credits.

I believed this was a ploy from the start. I wanted it to be in some meta game-changing way. But if this is all reactionary and they thought that ending was a good idea? I'm out. Dragon Age, future titles, whatever. Out.[/QUOTE]

The analogy has been made it's more like "Frodo throws the ring in the fire and Middle Earth explodes."

Also, "epilogue"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG4EyfXOTJ4
 
Last edited by a moderator:
[quote name='Anexanhume']The analogy has been made it's more like "Frodo throws the ring in the fire and Middle Earth explodes."[/QUOTE]
Followed by a shot of Sam, Aragorn, Boromir, and Theoden surveying the destruction from on top of Orthanc.
 
[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']XP: Completely understandable. I just need a break from all the negativity. Despite my reputation for being overly critical of every game (because you know I spend money on this shit) I've ever played I sincerely miss the days where Mass Effect threads were filled with rainbow colored unicorns, Skittle waterfalls and topless super models. I wholeheartedly respect and support the entire Retake Mass Effect campaign because the sakes here are so much bigger than a few shitty endings for me, but witnessing the true scope of damage caused from both it and BioWare is quite depressing. I guess it's starting to hit closer to home because not just one corner of the fanbase got screwed for once. We all did and considering how much faith you guys have in BioWare I feel horrible about it. The last thing we needed was another precedent set on how to screw your core fanbase. ;\[/QUOTE]

so long as we can substitute the topless supermodels with pretty much the normal everyday women at the beaches in brazil...I'd say topless too but, they generally are.

it's funny all the negative buzz is motivating me to finally beat the SP...which I may try and do this week. Unless of course, it's raining phantoms.

what did ppl get from the victory pack(s)? or has it not been given out yet.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top