Mass Effect 3 Discussion Thread

I'm still not clear what benefits there are to pre-ordering through origin for xbox 360 owners there is as opposed to amazon or some other retailer.
 
[quote name='Anexanhume']I'm still not clear what benefits there are to pre-ordering through origin for xbox 360 owners there is as opposed to amazon or some other retailer.[/QUOTE]

As I understand it, there are none. EA's setting Origin up to be kind of a counter to Steam. To help motivate this, they put a "digital deluxe" version of ME3 on Origin that will only be available through Origin that costs the same as the normal version. The special content in the dd version is also found in the collector's edition. So, if you're not on PC and/or are getting the collector's edition, there doesn't seem to be any reason to care about Origin.
 
[quote name='Salamando3000']As I understand it, there are none. EA's setting Origin up to be kind of a counter to Steam. To help motivate this, they put a "digital deluxe" version of ME3 on Origin that will only be available through Origin that costs the same as the normal version. The special content in the dd version is also found in the collector's edition. So, if you're not on PC and/or are getting the collector's edition, there doesn't seem to be any reason to care about Origin.[/QUOTE]

I just added the Digital Deluxe version to my cart on Origin and it's showing 79.99. So yeah, I'm waiting for the inevitable pre-order bonus announcements. Nine months to go.....
 
Oh Jesus Mercy, the DLC in that LE is making me freak out! An N7 hoodie for Shep? A Normandy avatar prop? I've just died and gone to Heaven. Friggin awesome!!
 
[quote name='Lord_Kefka']I just added the Digital Deluxe version to my cart on Origin and it's showing 79.99. So yeah, I'm waiting for the inevitable pre-order bonus announcements. Nine months to go.....[/QUOTE]

Wait, it's 79.99? So, EA's master plan to combat Steam with a killer exclusive is an exclusive that costs the same as the CE but nets you less DLC and no physical content what-so-ever? That's either gotta be a price error, or I need to dig up/create some ME themed "you haven't thought your cunning plan all the way through" images.
 
E3 has already answered a lot of questions for us concerning the release of ME3, but there's one question that I know everyone here has on their mind: "So what does X think about all of this?"
joked.png

Well, I'm here to satisfy the demands of the masses and give you a very brief take on what we've seen so far at E3.

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First off, yes I did watch everything that has been shown as of today. The gameplay demo featuring the Kinect mechanics, the trailer, the second part of the gameplay demo, and the "behind the scenes" extended version of the gameplay demo with Casey Hudson. No my willpower has not been shattered, nor have I fully given in to looking/reading up on everything that's been rumored or confirmed. There was a lot of vital information released today that even my OP Disclosure mentioned I would take part in, and I definitely did not deviate from that original plan.

So, I mentioned four things that were showcased today (Kinect demo, trailer, gameplay demo, extended gameplay demo) but there was also the fifth thing on the list: the Amazon CE details. I'll break up the last part of my post into five parts to briefly mention my thoughts on each section.

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Kinect Gameplay Demo
For me (someone purposefully staying out of the loop), the Kinect interaction with this game was a big surprise. Although it does sound rather gimmicky, I'm glad to see that they didn't include gesture controls in the mix with this game. Speech recognition technology implemented into the game seems fine - not something that should anger any of the core fans of the series (though I'd imagine the BioWare forums are lighting up with hate for that announcement...as always). I had already planned on purchasing a Kinect this year if Microsoft showed that they were interested in bumping up the quality and quantity of Kinect-enabled games, and it seems like this is as good a step as any in the right direction for them to get me interested in buying the Kinect bundle. I'm not exactly thrilled about the idea of using the Kinect features of the game, but if I already happen to have Kinect before ME3's Launch then I'm sure I'll mess around with it a bit. Again, the important part here is that there is no gesture controls included with the Kinect features of the game.

"Fall of Earth" Trailer
I really think BioWare did an excellent job with this trailer of not showing off too much - which was my biggest fear going into a video showcasing actual scenes from the game (and not CGI). It felt a lot like the E3 video for ME2 in '09, with the rock track backing some of the more action-packed moments that we can look forward to in the game. It didn't have character cameos (thank God), references to huge story elements, or any other types of spoiler-y information. Nice, clean, and simple - a fantastic trailer.

Oh, and it's also worth noting that the trailer mentions that the "fate of our world rests in HIS hands". /anotherjabatFemShepfans :booty::cool:

Non-Kinect Gameplay Demo
I'm going to put some of my reactions in spoilers, simply for the people who won't watch it and for the people who have yet to watch it (gotta preserve those exciting moments):
HOLY SHIT, THERE'S GARRUS AND LIARA!
AND MORDIN!!! AND...
OOOMMMGGG...
LEGION!!!!!
Now that I've calmed down (only a little bit), I'll say that I was very impressed with the footage shown in the demo. The animations and gameplay just felt so fucking fluid and seamless that I can hardly believe that they still have well over half a year left to finalize the game. The ME3 engine is definitely a beast, and I'm so excited that they're going all out for the last game. Also, I was absolutely thrilled the various types of gameplay they showed in such a short amount of time. I'm way too excited right now.

"Behind-the-Scenes" Extended Gameplay Demo
In addition to the previous bit of freaking out I did, it was nice to hear Casey reinforce some of the improvements they are trying to make and to hear a little bit about two of the new additions to the game: the Omni-Blade and the improved cover interactions. The Omni-Blade is pure badass-ery that seems to be available for any/all classes, and it makes drool with anticipation over the idea of my canon Vanguard Shepard using it in face-to-face combat. I think that the Omni-Blade will be the most hated on topic of all the ME3 information shown/released today (as far as the forums go), but I welcome it with full, loving arms. I can't wait to try it out. I also approve of the additions made to the cover system, especially the combat rolls and what not that allow you to move around the battlefield with even more precision. It all goes back to that idea of fluidity and seamlessness that I mentioned after watching the initial gameplay demo. Also, did I see that grenade tossing is back in the game!? Hell. yes.

It was also cool to hear Casey mention the bit about some of the RPG elements being revamped in this final installment. Something about being able to not only level up an ability, but being able to choose a different "type" for that ability? I'm glad that even in little interviews like that, the team is still reinforcing the idea of the RPG elements that are there already and how they will flesh them out even more in ME3.

Collector's Edition Details
Wow, so much to talk about. Tin case featuring Male Shepard and Female Shepard on it, exclusive hardcover art book, 4x6 lithograph of the Normandy, in-game bonus packs, extended soundtrack, Dark Horse comic, downloadable bonus mission and character, N7 patch, and 360 Avatar content...all for $80. Really? Just $80!? That's absolutely fine by me. However, the greedy side of me really wants to see a balls-to-the-walls Ultimate Edition that breaks the $100 mark. The N7 Collector's Edition is pretty big, but I think BioWare can still go bigger.

Here's to hoping that comes true!

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I am pumped beyond belief for this game. I got my release date, I got my CE details, I got my trailer, and I got a brief glimpse of what to expect next year - what a great way to start off E3!

However, the real fight has just begun. 273 days to go.

:cool:

(reminder: if you have a reply to this post that you actually want me to see/comment on, it may be better to just PM me, since I'm leaving the thread again and going back underground into my ME3 bunker tonight.)
 
[quote name='Salamando3000']How're you supposed to tell your squad who to attack via voice commands? That seems to be a glaring issue here.[/QUOTE]
Wherever your cursor is pointed.


[quote name='Lord_Kefka']http://na.llnet.bioware.cdn.ea.com/...resources/assets/game/n7_ce_vignette-en-p.jpg[/QUOTE]
Hummina hummina...

The Liara alt costume looks pretty badass. And a pet FENRIS mech... the thing you never knew you couldn't live without. Until now.

The N7 edition is available for preorder on Amazon btw.
 
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[quote name='Ryuukishi']Wherever your cursor is pointed.[/QUOTE]

Right. The way I played through ME2, having voice commands wouldn't have made much sense. I played it more like an RPG when the situation demanded, by going to the skill screen, lining up each characters specials to attack certain targets, and then letting them carry out their actions.


Also should probably point out that the official Mass Effect site has officially ME3'd itself. http://masseffect.com/
 
I'd love that LE litho in full size. Too too sweet.

Hey, Ryu, I agree on the mech dog! Reeks of one of the cooler parts of DAO/DA2.
 
[quote name='Salamando3000']Right. The way I played through ME2, having voice commands wouldn't have made much sense. I played it more like an RPG when the situation demanded, by going to the skill screen, lining up each characters specials to attack certain targets, and then letting them carry out their actions.[/QUOTE]
Well I imagine it will work exactly the same way as the left and right d-pad buttons worked in ME2-- in real time or paused, either way you still had to align the cursor on the target before issuing the command. Admittedly they only showed the voice command working in real time but I bet you can use it while paused also, just a 1:1 replacement with the directional buttons.
 
voice commands...wassup!

"Miranda, move here...Tali, move there..." "I'm Commander Shepard and this is my favorite part of the game..."
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']Its the SHIIIIIIIIIIIT
(Tutorial level is more epic than Lair of the Shadow Broker...)
[/QUOTE]

No kidding. If that's the first hour or so of the game, just imagine how insane stuff will get towards the end. The scale of battle in this game is just so massive.
 
[quote name='Lord_Kefka']Sold on the CE. No massive "Ultimate Collector's Edition"? Didn't they tease/ask about that in a Bioware forum thread?[/QUOTE]

From Chris Priestly:

Since there appears to be some confusion, I will make this very clear.

This is the Collector's Edition of Mass Effect 3 There will also be the standard edition without the Collector's Edition bonus content (basic game & manual edition).

Some people have said they will wait of the next edition or the one with the "big item". We have no plans to make such an edition. This is the Collector's Edition of Mass Effect 3, just like the Collector's Edition of Mass Effect 2. Hopefully, this will let those people waiting for another edition know that they do not have to wait to pre-order.

As for which retailers will be carrying ME3 and the Collector's Edition, when we have more information, we will let people know. In the meantime, check with your favorite local retailer and tell them you want your ME3 Collector's Edition.


Link to Priestly's Original Post
 
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[quote name='Five Seven Five']From Chris Priestly:

Since there appears to be some confusion, I will make this very clear.

This is the Collector's Edition of Mass Effect 3 There will also be the standard edition without the Collector's Edition bonus content (basic game & manual edition).

Some people have said they will wait of the next edition or the one with the "big item". We have no plans to make such an edition. This is the Collector's Edition of Mass Effect 3, just like the Collector's Edition of Mass Effect 2. Hopefully, this will let those people waiting for another edition know that they do not have to wait to pre-order.

As for which retailers will be carrying ME3 and the Collector's Edition, when we have more information, we will let people know. In the meantime, check with your favorite local retailer and tell them you want your ME3 Collector's Edition.


Link to Priestly's Original Post[/QUOTE]

I admit I was looking forward to the "Legendary/Epic" edition, but I'll take what they're giving and run like hell. We can always order the mini-Normandy and pretend we got an uber edition.
 
I really couldn't care about statues or memorabilia. I have no place to put it and my wife would hate it anyway. An artbook, soundtrack, and a bunch of in-game content, in classy packaging and for a reasonable price, is my ideal special edition.

I don't really understand the complaint anyway. If somebody wants to spend $150+ on Mass Effect merchandise, it's out there, go crazy. What difference does it make if it was part of a game CE or bought separately?

Nothing on that forum surprises me though. I just read a hissyfit of a post from a guy who read in the books that the human race of the future has blurred ethnic lines, then was disappointed to see characters like Jacob in the games who are obviously black. That's a lore violation doncha know! He should probably boycott ME3 over it. :lol:
 
Out of all of the things they could put in a uber-CE edition, I think we'd all agree that a Normandy replica would be a nice touch. Right now, we obviously can order one, and not everyone wants a Garrus bust in an uber-CE (I'm looking at you, X. ;) ).

Some of the CEs we've had over the years have been pretty good, such as the Bioshock 1 CE with the Big Daddy, while others, not quite as much, such as the SW: TFU 2 CE.

I think the Mass Effect CE versions have been nicely exclusive for their availability, and provided a good value for the increase in price. I wish the ME1 CE was a true steelbook, though I have to have the ME3 CE complete the set. :oops:
 
Well mind as well finish the set, I have ME1,2 CEs already lol.

I didn't want to spoil anything but then I watched the E3 footage and gaawwwwwww, lifts mouth off floor.
 
[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']Just stopping by, and this time I come bearing gifts! I hope you like them :cool:

*snip*[/QUOTE]

Big fucking plate of humble pie for all of the doubters. Shut up and take my money, BioWare.

Also,
paragon/rengade bar for your squadmates, too? Assuming this is final, looks like they're taking a page out of the Dragon Age II friend/rival book. I'd love to see how Garrus would look in my game, since I didn't let him murder Dr. Saleon, but I let him blow Sidonis away.
 
[quote name='Arikado']Big fucking plate of humble pie for all of the doubters. Shut up and take my money, BioWare.[/QUOTE]
Honestly, I think they look a little busy and cluttered next to ME2's menus which were extremely slick. But I guess that's the tradeoff for adding back all the numberz.

I'd love to get a look at the power lists for the other classes now.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']Hmm, Liara and Garrus have their own personal Paragon/Renegade meters? What's that about?[/QUOTE]

Shepard has had a lot of influence on his companions throughout the series, particularly Garrus. It would be awesome if Garrus actually acted differently in certain situations based on how you've influenced him.
 
[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']Just stopping by, and this time I come bearing gifts! I hope you like them :cool:

shepardstats.png


shepardstats2.jpg


garrusstats.png


liarastats.png


weaponcustom.jpg


weaponcustom2.jpg


pausescreen.png
[/QUOTE]

X, you are awesome!! Where/how did you score these?
 
[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']Now I can't go giving away all my secrets ;)[/QUOTE]He refuses to mention the unspeakable things he's doing for Casey Nelson in exchange for being in the inner circle of ME3 info. ;)
 
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[quote name='Salamando3000']Crap, when you say spoiler warning, you mean spoiler warning. There were definitely a few plot details in there I hadn't already known.[/QUOTE]

Ah, damn, sorry. I edited the post a bit to hopefully help people out who may be on the fence about watching.

Honestly, I told myself I wasn't going to watch stuff like this, but I couldn't help myself. The spoilers out there now bring more questions than answers, at least.
Cerberus and why they're after Shepard/how they got indoctrinated, as well as how many.
 
[quote name='Arikado']Ah, damn, sorry. I edited the post a bit to hopefully help people out who may be on the fence about watching.

Honestly, I told myself I wasn't going to watch stuff like this, but I couldn't help myself. The spoilers out there now bring more questions than answers, at least.
Cerberus and why they're after Shepard/how they got indoctrinated, as well as how many.
[/QUOTE]

No worries. I'm sure there's going to be lots of other awesome secrets in the game itself. But damn, that spoiler came right out of left field in the video, didn't it? Maybe I should put a moratorium on watching any ME3 videos.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']Full details on the N7 edition:

71183_400x230_1nr_e3.jpg
[/QUOTE]

I wanted to bring this up again because I don't think there has been much discussion about the character/mission that has to do with "the prothean". This is one piece of the CE that has me really curious. Has there been any talk of this out of E3?
 
[quote name='chubbyninja1319']I wanted to bring this up again because I don't think there has been much discussion about the character/mission that has to do with "the prothean". This is one piece of the CE that has me really curious. Has there been any talk of this out of E3?[/QUOTE]
I actually read on the BioWare board that they're now calling "The Prothean" a typo/mistake. But then again the same devs denied that Garrus was a squadmate in ME2, etc. It could be that the title/content of the DLC was supposed to be an Archangel-like surprise but the cat got out of the bag early.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']I actually read on the BioWare board that they're now calling "The Prothean" a typo/mistake. But then again the same devs denied that Garrus was a squadmate in ME2, etc. It could be that the title/content of the DLC was supposed to be an Archangel-like surprise but the cat got out of the bag early.[/QUOTE]

I follow you and that does make sense. I could see this being a " find an artifact mission" but how crazy would it be if somehow there was a prothean in your crew?? Maybe having an actual "person" might be a stretch, but what if they have a prothean AI that you can bring on board the Normandy to give you insight into the last invasion? That'd be interesting.
 
Sorry for the double-post, but this is on something different......

For those interested, there are Mass Effect 3 lanyards on ebay from E3 last week. I picked one up for about $20 shipped. Sure, that's stupid, but it's a unique ME3 collectible and I'm sure I'll get comments from it at work (we have to wear badges on lanyards around our neck). I kind of collect gaming lanyards and this will be the jewel of that collection.
 
[quote name='Arikado'](SPOILER WARNING FOR THIS LINK) In case anyone missed it earlier, here's a great rundown of footage from E3, as well as some stuff not seen in any conference. Again, SPOILER WARNING.

Also, don't get too excited about squad paragon/renegade. Looks like it was left in by mistake. From Casey Hudson's Twitter:[/QUOTE]Phenomenal footage in that Q&A conference, and the three demo items they showed make me think that they have the right match between RPG and shooter. I also agree that there's certainly some spoilerific items there, though I think it's worth the look. Thank you for posting it, my hype for the game is now on overdrive from that item.

[quote name='Ryuukishi']I actually read on the BioWare board that they're now calling "The Prothean" a typo/mistake. But then again the same devs denied that Garrus was a squadmate in ME2, etc. It could be that the title/content of the DLC was supposed to be an Archangel-like surprise but the cat got out of the bag early.[/QUOTE]I think they're protesting too much.

[quote name='chubbyninja1319']I follow you and that does make sense. I could see this being a " find an artifact mission" but how crazy would it be if somehow there was a prothean in your crew?? Maybe having an actual "person" might be a stretch, but what if they have a prothean AI that you can bring on board the Normandy to give you insight into the last invasion? That'd be interesting.[/QUOTE]Could be Vigil from ME1 that was recovered in some form, though I remember that he was destroyed after giving his final message to Shepard. Backup copy found on another Prothean world, like an offsite research colony that escaped the Reapers?
 
[quote name='MSUHitman']Multiplayer in ME 3? Discuss.[/QUOTE]
Frankly I don't believe it. But then again I didn't believe the "Better with Kinect" cover art either. And EA added multiplayer to the Dead Space series, which is only slightly less ridiculous than multiplayer in Mass Effect.

If it is real, I just hope that, like Dead Space, I can safely ignore it and not miss any achievements.
 
[quote name='MSUHitman']Multiplayer in ME 3? Discuss.[/QUOTE]

As long as the single-player doesn't suffer, I'm indifferent towards it. I've already ignored plenty of games multiplayer modes.
 
I'm also in the "it's complete crap" category about this ME3 multiplayer "rumor".

Reading over what they listed for this mulitplayer mode, it reads like something you'd have for Halo 3 ODST, Halo Reach, Gears of War 2 and the numerous other shooters out there.

I think people should tweet this link to Casey Hudson and the like at Bioware, plus post this link on the Bioware forums and let them rip the "author" apart. :D
 
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