Mass Effect 3 Discussion Thread

No matter what the case, Bioware shot themselves in the foot. To what degree remains to be seen. OK, so if we go from Casey's latest quote (mentioned above a few times) then they wanted the polarizing ending. Something fans would talk about and discuss. Reminds me of the ending of The Sopranos. I remember reading a multiple page article/research paper about all of the context clues and hidden messages in the entire season leading up to that cut to black. And people talked about it, even the sports talk stations that next morning were all talking about it. Some loved it, thought it was genius...some hated it. Right now, it's a heavy lean on hated it. In this thread alone, many of us expressed our complete disappointment in such a bland, generic, emotionless ending to an epic series. Anytime I load up a youtube video to look for hints, or read any random Mass Effect related article online, the comments are exploding with mockery and rage.

If this game was too nuanced to make a detailed ending, why say those things in that interview in January? If you wanted the high-level artsy ending, why lie about it and not just keep quiet? If this was their vision, to have people discuss it, it's come down to "hated it" or "looking for answers in clues". There are some people who liked it, but that's all I see. "It was good, I was happy". And those are a small sampling.

I hope they have some kind of genius plan, and even more so they don't take a long time to reveal it. Cause those angry people are trading in, selling on ebay, and won't stick around for your magic trick. This time or the next. If this was the true ending...I'm out. Love the MP and will keep playing it, but it tanked all of my good faith and love
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']
her "gift" for Shepard right before the endgame was one of the most touching, emotional moments I've ever experienced in a game. At that moment I deeply felt the strength of their friendship; and it was possibly my single favorite moment in the Mass Effect series.
[/QUOTE]

I couldn't agree with you more. Very touching and probably marks the second occasion a video game almost made me shed a few tears. Still I had to chuckle a bit at BioWare's obsession with her. Super Plot Armor, Mary Sue-itis, completely loyal to Shepard and the reason he's still alive, etc. Basically a one woman army with barely any serious character to flaws to speak of. Not that I'm complaining mind you, but I can certainly see why many can't stand her lol.
 
[quote name='Lord_Kefka']
No matter what the case, Bioware shot themselves in the foot. To what degree remains to be seen. OK, so if we go from Casey's latest quote (mentioned above a few times) then they wanted the polarizing ending. Something fans would talk about and discuss. Reminds me of the ending of The Sopranos. I remember reading a multiple page article/research paper about all of the context clues and hidden messages in the entire season leading up to that cut to black. And people talked about it, even the sports talk stations that next morning were all talking about it. Some loved it, thought it was genius...some hated it. Right now, it's a heavy lean on hated it. In this thread alone, many of us expressed our complete disappointment in such a bland, generic, emotionless ending to an epic series. Anytime I load up a youtube video to look for hints, or read any random Mass Effect related article online, the comments are exploding with mockery and rage.

If this game was too nuanced to make a detailed ending, why say those things in that interview in January? If you wanted the high-level artsy ending, why lie about it and not just keep quiet? If this was their vision, to have people discuss it, it's come down to "hated it" or "looking for answers in clues". There are some people who liked it, but that's all I see. "It was good, I was happy". And those are a small sampling.

I hope they have some kind of genius plan, and even more so they don't take a long time to reveal it. Cause those angry people are trading in, selling on ebay, and won't stick around for your magic trick. This time or the next. If this was the true ending...I'm out. Love the MP and will keep playing it, but it tanked all of my good faith and love
[/QUOTE]


Yeah, I'd
say the bait and switch there is the biggest thing that invalidates the ending, even if you're willing to ascribe everything that happened to artistic license.

tweets to give the ending haters hope:

User 1: "I still want to believe you guys are sneaky trolls and have something going on you don't tell us yet. Can I get a cryptic reply?"
@masseffect: "The sun, it shines.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1PBptSDIh8"

User 2: "You are either a massive sadist or a beacon of hope."
@masseffect: "Can't it be both?"

User 3: "I kinda feel lost after that ending...not what I expected and left me feeling everything done was for nothing."
@masseffect: "We know it's a lot to take in! But hang in there. Your decisions matter."

User 4: "Are you holding something back, that could quell the large amount of frustration from the community, a tiny hint would be enough."
@masseffect: "Mike Gamble already said on his twitter, if the fans knew what was in store, the reaction would be different."

User 5: "I loved 98% of ME3..but something has to be up w/ ending..too much talent at BW for that business. Keep my saves?"
@masseffect: "We're keeping our saves, that's for sure."

User 6: "Fans are people too. Playing with their minds isn't that nice as it may look like to people from Bioware."
@masseffect: "We're not playing with anyone's minds, we are answering what questions we can and recording what feedback we receive."

User 7: "Its not that the ending was taken in the wrong direction its that it makes NO SENSE. Ashley was on the Normandy? she [was] with me."
@masseffect: "Probably a good thing to be cautious of."

User 8: "Do y'all have any ETA when more news will be released? Dying for news on a new ending/DLC."
@masseffect: "No ETA yet, but you will be updated via Facebook and Twitter when the news is available :)."
 
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[quote name='Ryuukishi']Anyone want to talk about what we did like? :)

EDI was just too funny. Shepard's face when she talked about forgetting to recycle the oxygen, then a beat, then the deadpan "That was a joke" was just perfect.
[/QUOTE]

Loved that moment. Also loved:

Bioware completely owning up (hint, hint) about miscues via small interactions. The make at least two or three jokes about the Hammerhead and it's paper-thin armor. Also, the weapon load-outs pre-mission. I think Cortez says "yeah, we moved the armory down here for pre-mission, don't know what Cerberus was thinking."

Character interaction. They move around the ship, interact and tell stories. Fantastic job again of listening to fans. The ship felt more alive. I wish they could have done this with ME2 or at least had more people on the ship this time around.

Character relationships. The steam from the relationship with Miranda wasn't strong, but they had a great moment when you use the last comm console to speak to everyone (another great moment). But I did kinda tell Liara I was still into her earlier in the game. So yeah....after romancing Miranda, Liara shut me down hard. Felt like we didn't have as many conversations afterward.

On that same note, the moment with the sniping contest with Garrus? Missed on purpose, hilarious conversation afterward. Really felt like two old friends, not like forced movie or voice-over acting. Well done.

The gun upgrade system. Really does make a difference and combine the systems from ME1 and ME2. More fun and useful in MP I think, where I'm prone to experiment more.

The Multiplayer! I was sure I'd be lukewarm on it at best. Got over level 100 in the demo, and really looking forward to trying to harder difficulties. (on that note, apologies to the two CAG's I didn't respond to the other night. I was going through the ending again with a friend for discussion and really needed to crash early. I has been up until 3am Monday morning beating this game!)

I really felt the pain of loss with Mordin, Thane, and Legion. To see their names on that plaque with Ashley (suck it Xenophobes!) and Navigator Pressley really hit home. Oh, and all of the side character deaths. Emily Wong, the krogan from the "oh blue rose of illium", the other survivor of Jack's school, Kal-Reegar, Barla Von, Kelly....poor Kelly...., and more I'm sure I'm forgetting.

Loved the war assets, big ones to little ones, building my army. Didn't import a MP character yet, but I'm looking forward to it soon.
 
[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']Still I had to chuckle a bit at BioWare's obsession with her. Super Plot Armor, Mary Sue-itis, completely loyal to Shepard and the reason he's still alive, etc. Basically a one woman army with barely any serious character to flaws to speak of. Not that I'm complaining mind you, but I can certainly see why many can't stand her lol.[/QUOTE]
Yeah. I think it's amusing that while Liara certainly has her fans (myself included), the hardcore fanboy community has largely latched onto Tali instead, meanwhile BioWare is all like, "No guys... here's your perfect badass waifu nerd wank-object, it's Liara! Over here guys! Hello!" :lol:
 
I think they all have charm and appeal to different people.

Ashley- strong and opinionated, willing to admit vulnerability and when she's wrong
Liara - smart, extremely reverential and loyal
Tali - petite, awkward, cute
 
[quote name='shrike4242']ME3 Epilogue: The DLC - coming soon to XBL and PSN?[/QUOTE]

I consider myself fairly lenient when it comes to matters of DLC, but requiring money for the "true" ending is something I just cannot abide.
 
[quote name='Lord_Kefka']Loved that moment. Also loved:
Character interaction. They move around the ship, interact and tell stories. Fantastic job again of listening to fans. The ship felt more alive. I wish they could have done this with ME2 or at least had more people on the ship this time around.
[/QUOTE]
Yes! The ship definitely felt more dynamic and alive. It was awesome seeing squadmates moving around and conversing with each other. Perfect example of something that was a little lacking in ME2 and underwent a big improvement here.

I do wish that the ME2 characters could have had a bigger presence and impact in ME3 (and certainly some did), but given the corner that BioWare wrote themselves into in ME2 by making every single one permanently killable, I think they probably did the best possible job they could have.

[quote name='Anexanhume']I think they all have charm and appeal to different people.

Ashley- strong and opinionated, willing to admit vulnerability and when she's wrong
Liara - smart, extremely reverential and loyal
Tali - petite, awkward, cute[/QUOTE]
Where my Jack at? :censored: :lol:
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']
Anyone want to talk about what we did like? :)
[/QUOTE]
In the project Overlord DLC for Mass Effect 2, I saved David Archer (the autistic mathematical genius), took him away from his brother and decided that he should be cared for by the Alliance.

Nearing the end of the rescue at Grissom Academy, my Sheppard approached a group of biotic students behind a barrier. They were fearful to let down their guard because they did not know me and could not trust me. When all of a sudden, from behind one student, another students mutters, “The square root of 906.01…” To be completed by Sheppard, “30.1” For whatever reason this moment shook me. It was the first time that I felt that my actions in a videogame had a significant impact on a character. Being a reference to DLC, it was totally unexpected and altogether awesome.

My second favorite moment took place on Tuchanka. In Mass Effect 2, I learned a lot about the genophage through Mordin; specifically that the purpose for the biological weapon was not to eliminate the Krogan but rather to eliminate the Krogan threat to the galaxy by limiting their numbers. Further, when the time came to decide whether or not to eliminate Maelon’s data on a genophage cure, I encouraged Mordin to destroy it.

The events in Mass Effect 2 set up an interesting scenario in Mass Effect 3: Wrex was pissed off at me because he found out that I helped destroy the cure data. I responded by telling him [Wrex] that I’d do it again if given the chance. Then running into Mordin and discovering his personal reasons for wanting to cure the genophage, my views changed as well… When I found out that Mordin would be sacrificing his life for what he believed in there was no way that my Sheppard could consciously sabotage his friend’s work. Mordin’s sacrifice was an amazing ending to the genophage story.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']Yeah. I think it's amusing that while Liara certainly has her fans (myself included), the hardcore fanboy community has largely latched onto Tali instead, meanwhile BioWare is all like, "No guys... here's your perfect badass waifu nerd wank-object, it's Liara! Over here guys! Hello!" :lol:[/QUOTE]

For real. I kind of feel sorry for Ms. Sroka, but she's probably grown accustomed to the fame and all the weirdness it entails by now. People need to understand though 90% of the character's popularity is due to good writing back by a phenomenal voice actress. If it wasn't for Liz's voice I honestly doubt Tali would have trumped Liara so efficiently in that department.
 
[quote name='Salamando3000']I consider myself fairly lenient when it comes to matters of DLC, but requiring money for the "true" ending is something I just cannot abide.[/QUOTE]DLC doesn't have to cost money, so I could see them releasing a "whoops, we fucked up, here's what should have happened" DLC to "fix" it.

If they did charge for it, I think they'd get reamed by customer reaction.
 
It doesn't but this is EA we're talking about here, Shrike. When isn't anything simply a race to achieve the bottom line in the shortest amount of time, effort, and resources spent with them? Mark my words if this wasn't a nickle and dime scheme from the start then the shareholders WILL pressure BioWare to release an DLC Ending band-aid if they think for even a split second the response could dick up interest in future games. And you can be damn sure there will be a price tag attached somewhere.
 
[quote name='Swift900']
My second favorite moment took place on Tuchanka. In Mass Effect 2, I learned a lot about the genophage through Mordin; specifically that the purpose for the biological weapon was not to eliminate the Krogan but rather to eliminate the Krogan threat to the galaxy by limiting their numbers. Further, when the time came to decide whether or not to eliminate Maelon’s data on a genophage cure, I encouraged Mordin to destroy it.

The events in Mass Effect 2 set up an interesting scenario in Mass Effect 3: Wrex was pissed off at me because he found out that I helped destroy the cure data. I responded by telling him [Wrex] that I’d do it again if given the chance. Then running into Mordin and discovering his personal reasons for wanting to cure the genophage, my views changed as well… When I found out that Mordin would be sacrificing his life for what he believed in there was no way that my Sheppard could consciously sabotage his friend’s work. Mordin’s sacrifice was an amazing ending to the genophage story.
[/QUOTE]
The whole deal with the krogan and the genophage may be the best plot element in the series. It's a genuinely intractable question and one of the only things in the game that can't be boiled down to pure good vs. pure evil. My Paragon Shepard allowed the Salarians to sabotage the cure because as cool and likeable as Wrex and the krogan are, they do represent a serious threat to peace and stability in the galaxy that can't be handwaved away. I truly think my Shepard made the right choice from a role-playing perspective, but at the same time, I felt physically sick at the deep betrayal he had to perpetrate against two of his best friends and staunchest allies. That's damn good interactive fiction right there.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']DLC doesn't have to cost money, so I could see them releasing a "whoops, we fucked up, here's what should have happened" DLC to "fix" it.

If they did charge for it, I think they'd get reamed by customer reaction.[/QUOTE]
lol nope. no way. Theres money to be made here bro.

Its gunna be like alan wake, where we have to buy a whole series of dlc to figure out what happened.
Buying a retail release game no longer entitles you to a full story.

But im sure im going to be playing that dlc day one....
 
[quote name='Vinny']I've got a ton of missions in my journal that involve something along the lines of "find X, give to Y" (X being something to help improve the heating, something else to uplift the spirits of some aliens, etc.). These don't seem like important missions, one of them I completed by scanning/excavating something from a some planet. Are these side quests important for war assets?

I'm seriously not sure I want to even bother trying to get the best ending anymore. Most of these side quests suck. I guess EA wanted to make it as miserable as possible for people who aren't buying their online pass (or have Gold... or time, in my case).[/QUOTE]

I agree with you. As I said before I am disappointed in how this game is formatted. Most of the side mission are horrid with no real point to doing them. Added with the fact that the journal system is so poor it makesbitbhard to even justify doing them. At one point I would just scan all available planets and then walk around the ciddy level by level and just hope to find the guy who I need to turn it into. It's piss poor for such a high profile game. Half the time j don't even know who just gave me the quest because it triggers as you walk by.

Mind boggling.
 
In terms of things that are completely outside the realm of possiblity, I would fucking love if BioWare was pulling the biggest troll in the history of trolls and announced Mass Effect 4. What kind of mindfuck would that be for all of the angry fans to find out that the ending of Mass Effect 3 was actually the halfway point of this story? Heads would explode.


Anyway, back to reality... it's pretty clear there's more ME3 coming. If it's like Alan Wake, I'm actually decently okay with that. While getting charged for The Writer (since The Signal was free with new purchase) was iffy, those were fairly meaty additions to the story. I'd prefer, you know, real endings to games initially... but if you're going to do it, do it like Alan Wake. Those additions added up to about two extra hours of gameplay.
 
What I DID like… oh where to begin.


The Opening – It made the statement and drew the line in the sand from Shepards face when the shuttle with The Child is blown up, that "I’m gonna come back and whoop your ass" face. It was a great opener and finally gave you a glimpse into what the war was going to be like.

The Normandy – Agree with the above on how it really held a sense of place, but initially I oddly found myself having an emotional moment ( I had lots of these during the game ) where I ran around to each compartment where my former team members were, only to find them different, changed, and empty. I felt the solitude and familiarity from the last ship, yet felt loss and the need to go gather my team with me. Its redesign and scheme was very well done. I especially like the comment about Cerberus Engineers being stupid about where they put the research stations lol. I was bummed that I could not hit buttons or mix drinks or interact with stuff like I could before or even close shutters, but it was impressive all the same. The Video Wall, War Room, and Shuttle bay revamps were fantastic, especially with being able to order supplies from the ship.


Weapon/Weight Customization – awesome, love it, like how it let’s me personalize my Shep even more to my liking as well as my squads.


The Sound Effects/Score – Brilliant, and the Reaper "HONK" and how it incorporates into the music was badass.


The Set Pieces – Palaven Burning, Space walking onto a Geth Destroyer, Lost Cities of Tuchanka, The Shroud, Reaper vs Thresher, The Prothean War flashbacks, Illusive Man’s Room, Rannoch, Reaper unfurling into the Turian Destroyer, the Fleet battles… the visual design and set pieces were amazing and total eye candy the entire game.


The "Moments" – Mordin singing Gilbert and Sullivan and his Testing the Shells lines toward his end. Thane’s prayer as read by Kolyat about you, Samara almost offing herself after thousands of years of living the code just to save her daughter in the end, Liara’s gift to Shepard, Dancing with Jack, Sniping on top of the Presidium with Garrus, EDI choosing sacrifice and love over programming, Zaeed ordering parts to fix up Jessie before the end fight, Illusive Man’s realization and giving himself the Saren treatment, The "phone call" before the final push to each of your old mates, Seeing Shepard all jacked up after getting eyeballed by Harbinger, Anderson and Shepard finally sitting to rest with the "Best seats in the house.", Wrex getting his "Tissue Sampled", the Fecal Matter Analyzer button with the Salarian on Sur’Kesh, finding out about Liara’s "father", Joker dancing and EDI "calling him on his bullshit!" when he said she didn’t to look all hot, the dream sequences with those who died calling Shepards name and the realization of what will happen when you both are seen burning, the final " I Love You. " from Liara and mentioning their little blue babies, Legions sacrifice and the climax of the Geth/Quarian War, The Fall of Thessia…


There are so many more, this was one of the most genuinely emotional games from joy to sorrow I have ever experienced.

The Team – so many good banters, dialogue moments, and obvious passion was put into all of them and offer the biggest bond between digital companions I have experienced in gaming.


The Tale – Spanning from 2007 in ME1 til last week, It was a hell of a ride from relieving Anderson and taking the helm of the Normandy to being with him at the end, beginning, endings, if you are happy with them or not, is still one of the best woven tales in any entertainment medium.


Multiplayer – It is fun, I never get bored, and keeps me coming back.


The Epilogue (Stargazer) – Appreciating the relative truth that the ending did provide, I felt this last piece was very touching, it provided a stark contrast to Shepard and the Childs encounter in the grates when he said, "You cannot help me." When it is all said and done, the symbolism between the two being alive and well and discussing the Legend of Shepard, shows that from that original moment in the opening til that time, your actions and Shepards tale did in fact come full circle and do what could not be done.


The Harvester Exploding – reminded me of the Cain firing a shot and was just damn cool everytime it happened.

Honestly, the greatness of the game, overshadowed with the ending, love, hate, or like it, was on a scale and level all of its own and filled with enough awesome to make me start over at ME1 again and take the journey all over, with new choices, and to revisit some old friends.​
 
Sood - You can access the locations of important story and quest related NPCs and objectives from the in-game map. Problem is the game doesn't actually tell anyone this or how to access said map without pressing the start button which is achieved by clicking on one of the analog sticks. As for the planet related side quests you are at the mercy of the journal text. Basically just head to the suggested system and have fun scavenger hunting.

So yeah... it sucks.
 
[quote name='Ink.So.Well.']It doesn't but this is EA we're talking about here, Shrike. When isn't anything simply a race to achieve the bottom line in the shortest amount of time, effort, and resources spent with them? Mark my words if this wasn't a nickle and dime scheme from the start then the shareholders WILL pressure BioWare to release an DLC Ending band-aid if they think for even a split second the response could dick up interest in future games. And you can be damn sure there will be a price tag attached somewhere.[/QUOTE]Right now, the press about the "bad" ending didn't affect anyone who pre-ordered the game, it's potentially affecting sales after the pre-orders and day one purchases. I would think that EA and the shareholders would want that bad press to cease as quickly as possible, as I believe there are people that haven't bought the game and other ones that have returned the game unopened back to retailers because of the ending.

Working into some DLC to make a "better" ending, as quickly as possible, would fix that issue. Price tag is an issue to work out for another time at this point.

[quote name='mrspicytacoman']lol nope. no way. Theres money to be made here bro.

Its gunna be like alan wake, where we have to buy a whole series of dlc to figure out what happened.
Buying a retail release game no longer entitles you to a full story.

But im sure im going to be playing that dlc day one....[/QUOTE]Alan Wake without the DLC does have a logical end point, though with the DLC, it's a better end point. I think the things people are bitching about is that there's no "real" end at the finale of the game.

[quote name='007']In terms of things that are completely outside the realm of possibility, I would fucking love if BioWare was pulling the biggest troll in the history of trolls and announced Mass Effect 4. What kind of mindfuck would that be for all of the angry fans to find out that the ending of Mass Effect 3 was actually the halfway point of this story? Heads would explode.

Anyway, back to reality... it's pretty clear there's more ME3 coming. If it's like Alan Wake, I'm actually decently okay with that. While getting charged for The Writer (since The Signal was free with new purchase) was iffy, those were fairly meaty additions to the story. I'd prefer, you know, real endings to games initially... but if you're going to do it, do it like Alan Wake. Those additions added up to about two extra hours of gameplay.[/QUOTE]Halo 4 would like some words with the trolling department. What exactly would that continue that wasn't wrapped up at the end of Halo 3 and ODST? Halo Reach obviously was a prequel, so it's not post-Halo 3 content, though I think bringing out a ME4 would be a huge nut-kick to everyone who jumped into the series knowing it's a trilogy.

Post-game DLC, for those that have made it to the end, does that seem feasible to anyone?
 
as posted earlier...ME3 DLC, will be at least a lot of MP extras. It could certainly benefit from more maps and class/race combos.
 
[quote name='100xp']as posted earlier...ME3 DLC, will be at least a lot of MP extras. It could certainly benefit from more maps and class/race combos.[/QUOTE]That's the only DLC I could see being feasible at this point, more MP add-ons.
 
[quote name='007']In terms of things that are completely outside the realm of possiblity, I would fucking love if BioWare was pulling the biggest troll in the history of trolls and announced Mass Effect 4. What kind of mindfuck would that be for all of the angry fans to find out that the ending of Mass Effect 3 was actually the halfway point of this story? Heads would explode.


Anyway, back to reality... it's pretty clear there's more ME3 coming. If it's like Alan Wake, I'm actually decently okay with that. While getting charged for The Writer (since The Signal was free with new purchase) was iffy, those were fairly meaty additions to the story. I'd prefer, you know, real endings to games initially... but if you're going to do it, do it like Alan Wake. Those additions added up to about two extra hours of gameplay.[/QUOTE]

You mean like how people felt halo 2 ended halfway through?

For the record, I liked the way Halo 3 ended and am looking forward to 4. The idea of MC and Cortana being stranded together was all that mattered. Sure, he fought for humanity, but abstractly.

BTW, the ending controversy has hit most of the major gaming publications, some multiple times (heck, even Forbes has talked about it three times). If Bioware wanted attention, they're getting it.
 
[quote name='007']In terms of things that are completely outside the realm of possiblity, I would fucking love if BioWare was pulling the biggest troll in the history of trolls and announced Mass Effect 4. What kind of mindfuck would that be for all of the angry fans to find out that the ending of Mass Effect 3 was actually the halfway point of this story? Heads would explode.


Anyway, back to reality... it's pretty clear there's more ME3 coming. If it's like Alan Wake, I'm actually decently okay with that. While getting charged for The Writer (since The Signal was free with new purchase) was iffy, those were fairly meaty additions to the story. I'd prefer, you know, real endings to games initially... but if you're going to do it, do it like Alan Wake. Those additions added up to about two extra hours of gameplay.[/QUOTE]

Technically if they had done like Alan Wake then they wouldn't be in this mess now. That game had an actual ending that not only made a hell of a lot more sense, but didn't make you feel like you were cheated out of the time and money you spent on it. The DLC that came afterward felt rather organic to me and completely optional to purchase. You felt compelled to buy what were additions to a complete story because you were genuinely fiending for the sequel.

You can't quite compare it to a debacle like this where ANY DLC that has anything to do with improving the ending of a beloved trilogy feels absolutely necessary. For many this game is rather incomplete without it.

I get what your saying though but they had the balls to pull a stunt like that there's no way in hell I could trust them to finish that game either and wouldn't purchase it.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']Post-game DLC, for those that have made it to the end, does that seem feasible to anyone?[/QUOTE]
I don't think an expansion similar to Dragon Age: Origins: Awakening is completely out of the question. But Dragon Age: Origins ended at a logical stopping point for its story arc. Awakening was just "the further adventures" of your character. Even the Fallout 3 post-game DLC that somewhat retconned the fate of your character was really just a post-script after a finished story arc.

A Mass Effect 3 expansion that continued the story of Shepard and the Reapers, either by retconning the ending or just elaborating on what actually happened, would be a full-on admission of failure by BioWare that their abrupt/ambiguous/arty ending was inadequate. It's tough to see them swallowing that, though as they say, if there's money to be made, I guess anything's possible.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']That's the only DLC I could see being feasible at this point, more MP add-ons.[/QUOTE]

...which will be available in their toy line.

I forsee a lot of opened packages of ME3 toys at retail stores across the country.

in other news: for those that didn't notice, there's an Equipment Pack in MP. For 25000 credits (or 80 ms pts iirc) you get ammo and equipment only...i.e. medi gell, rockets, thermaclips, armor, ammo, and power upgrades. Basically 100% consumables for those who farmed the @#$% out of Geth Gold and have everything unlocked already. (this is for a limited time btw)
 
Funny stuff:

He stressed that this won't be the end of the Mass Effect world, just the end of the trilogy. I brought up my dissatisfaction with the end of the Halo story, with Master Chief floating in space. Are people going to be frustrated by the end of the game?

Houston shakes his head. "No, no, no, no. We are absolutely committed to ending Commander Shepard's story at the end of this. I am not going to go into any detail beyond that, but really we want players to feel like the investment they made over the past seven years or whatever it's been, it would have been a rewarding experience for them," he explained.

He said people should want more because they love the world of Mass Effect, not because there are any gaping plot holes or "lanterns left burning." He put it simply: "We want to tie up all the loose ends, put the trilogy to bed, and leave people with the feeling of satisfaction, like reading a really good book."
Click to expand...

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/06/mass-effect-interview-e3-embargo.ars

This, BioWare producer Mike Gamble told Eurogamer, puts pressure on the team to deliver a satisfying ending."We have a really talented team of writers. We go through iteration after iteration, making it the best and most satisfying we can," he said."It's going to make some people extremely happy. It's going to make some people angry. But that's part of it, right? To invoke the emotion putting some of these stories to bed will naturally bring up.He added: "I honestly think the player base is going to be really happy with the way we've done it. You had a part in it. Every decision you've made will impact how things go. The player's also the architect of what happens."

Whether you're happy or angry at the ending, know this: it is an ending. BioWare will not do a "Lost" and leave fans with more questions than answers after finishing the game, Gamble promised.
Click to expand...

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...s-effect-3-ending-will-make-some-people-angry
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']I don't think an expansion similar to Dragon Age: Origins: Awakening is completely out of the question. But Dragon Age: Origins ended at a logical stopping point for its story arc. Awakening was just "the further adventures" of your character. Even the Fallout 3 post-game DLC that somewhat retconned the fate of your character was really just a post-script after a finished story arc.

A Mass Effect 3 expansion that continued the story of Shepard and the Reapers, either by retconning the ending or just elaborating on what actually happened, would be a full-on admission of failure by BioWare that their abrupt/ambiguous/arty ending was inadequate. It's tough to see them swallowing that, though as they say, if there's money to be made, I guess anything's possible.[/QUOTE]DA: O ended with a point that wasn't the end of civilization itself, from the things I've suspected about the flurry of spoilers in here, so it was doable to make Awakenings and pick things up afterwards. Broken Steel for FO3 was a bit of a retconn, yes, though they didn't use it to do a complete rewrite of the whole thing.

You people that have finished it would have better handles on what Bioware can do at this point, and from what I'm guessing, they're pretty much fucked either way.

[quote name='100xp']...which will be available in their toy line.

I forsee a lot of opened packages of ME3 toys at retail stores across the country.

in other news: for those that didn't notice, there's an Equipment Pack in MP. For 25000 credits (or 80 ms pts iirc) you get ammo and equipment only...i.e. medi gell, rockets, thermaclips, armor, ammo, and power upgrades. Basically 100% consumables for those who farmed the @#$% out of Geth Gold and have everything unlocked already. (this is for a limited time btw)[/QUOTE]Wouldn't be the first time there will be opened toy packages over something inside said packages.

I would expect that if people have everything unlocked at this point, that's not likely to change so the Equipment Pack is likely to stay around for good.

[quote name='Ryuukishi']Funny stuff:

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/06/mass-effect-interview-e3-embargo.ars

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...s-effect-3-ending-will-make-some-people-angry[/QUOTE]I think some people are going to get dickslapped over some of those comments before the release.
 
The limited time equipment packs have a count down timer on it. when they'll make it a permanent addition...remains to be seen. then again, there's equipment horders throughout MP.
 
the equipment pack was 20k last night - has it gone up to 25k?!? If so I guess I should of sunk more credits/time in to it instead of just a couple of junky spectre packs... It seems like a pretty good stock up type deal to me. The timer I saw last night I think made it end in a week - is that right? Kinda interested to see if they do periodic "deal" packs that offer specific stuff on a limited purchase basis.
 
[quote name='bordjon']the equipment pack was 20k last night - has it gone up to 25k?!? If so I guess I should of sunk more credits/time in to it instead of just a couple of junky spectre packs... It seems like a pretty good stock up type deal to me. The timer I saw last night I think made it end in a week - is that right? Kinda interested to see if they do periodic "deal" packs that offer specific stuff on a limited purchase basis.[/QUOTE]

i could be wrong, i just remembered 25k for some reason.

good point, if it's a limited thing there is possibilities of limited deals like guarentee'd class/race, wpn, wpn type, or wpn mods etc.
 
[quote name='Soodmeg']I agree with you. As I said before I am disappointed in how this game is formatted. Most of the side mission are horrid with no real point to doing them. Added with the fact that the journal system is so poor it makesbitbhard to even justify doing them. At one point I would just scan all available planets and then walk around the ciddy level by level and just hope to find the guy who I need to turn it into. It's piss poor for such a high profile game. Half the time j don't even know who just gave me the quest because it triggers as you walk by.

Mind boggling.[/QUOTE]


I'm about 20 hours into this game and I have to agree with you on all of that. Hell I don't even know where I need to go to scan. ME and ME2 were so much better when it came to the quests. I'm really thinking about just saying the hell with it all and not doing all the quests as I don't have time and just beating the game.
 
What did I like?

Just about everything up until the crayon commercial. I could have done without all of the "Oh, hey, I heard such and such thing is on such and such planet. It would really help us!" sidequests. The game ended having only three types of missions: the main quests, the N7 missions, and the fetch quests.
 
[quote name='bigdaddybruce44']What did I like?

Just about everything up until the crayon commercial. I could have done without all of the "Oh, hey, I heard such and such thing is on such and such planet. It would really help us!" sidequests. The game ended having only three types of missions: the main quests, the N7 missions, and the fetch quests.
[/QUOTE]

IMO it cut down on stupid actual quests. in ME1, you could roam forever to find what you actually need in the mako. In ME2, you had dumb quests where you were just investigating a crashed ship or fixing a power grid with no action or real anything except stat buffing. ME3 got rid of that and only gave you an actual missions if there was something to do. You also didn't have to endlessly scan the same planet. I liked the way they implemented it.
 
Equipment packs were 20k last night i got 4 of them so im sitting on over 60 of everything but for about 35 Missles.. like you said, i am sometimes the only one using equipment.. then again, i play a Turian Sentinel who never uses his Tech Armor and a Pistol... been made fun of by the armor toting black widow users until i walk away with double their score.

armor piercing mod = win. Overload = win. warp = win. He has all 3 and i carry a Katana X on him with shredder and extended barrell in those times i need some extra bang and its light weight to keep my powers casting every 2.4 - 2.8 seconds. Granted I only play Bronze until i get a solid group and my guys maxed again, but he's equipped for any enemy type, destroys anything buit boss level shields in one Overload, can shoot through Guardian shields, makes Geth his bitch, stuns organics, weakens and then owns brutes... really the only thing I have any issues with is Banshees... but thats why i tote 4 missles around.
 
[quote name='Anexanhume']IMO it cut down on stupid actual quests. in ME1, you could roam forever to find what you actually need in the mako. In ME2, you had dumb quests where you were just investigating a crashed ship or fixing a power grid with no action or real anything except stat buffing. ME3 got rid of that and only gave you an actual missions if there was something to do. You also didn't have to endlessly scan the same planet. I liked the way they implemented it.[/QUOTE]

Ok, but all of them involve Shepard eavesdropping on people in the Citadel. It just seems a bit silly to me. They could have had people e-mail you or contact you or something else to break it up. Or, at the very least, add their usual brand of humor and have someone be like, "My man, I'm on the phone. Mind your own business."
 
[quote name='bigdaddybruce44']Ok, but all of them involve Shepard eavesdropping on people in the Citadel. It just seems a bit silly to me. They could have had people e-mail you or contact you or something else to break it up. Or, at the very least, add their usual brand of humor and have someone be like, "My man, I'm on the phone. Mind your own business."[/QUOTE]

They could have, but I don't mind it. I think they chose to do it that way because people said they wanted the game to feel more alive (particularly the normandy), so you get squadmates wandering around and conversing with one another and a lot of ambient conversations going on. I don't see it as better or worse, just different. HOWEVER, I do wish they had some sort of progress indicator on the quest, as past games have had.
 
[quote name='Freemason']armor piercing mod = win. Overload = win. warp = win. He has all 3 and i carry a Katana X on him with shredder and extended barrell in those times i need some extra bang and its light weight to keep my powers casting every 2.4 - 2.8 seconds. Granted I only play Bronze until i get a solid group and my guys maxed again, but he's equipped for any enemy type, destroys anything buit boss level shields in one Overload, can shoot through Guardian shields, makes Geth his bitch, stuns organics, weakens and then owns brutes... really the only thing I have any issues with is Banshees... but thats why i tote 4 missles around.[/QUOTE]
I picked up the Armor Piercing Sniper Rifle mod while trying to get a Black Widow, made me so happy to shoot Guardians through their shields, I'm finding the Mantis way more fun now that even on the lab map where you can shoot through the glass window into the loading bay. It made me such a brat even if it is only 50% of the damage, they won't be looking to dodge you because they're not aware/aggro in the least.
 
[quote name='Anexanhume']HOWEVER, I do wish they had some sort of progress indicator on the quest, as past games have had.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, that seems like a really feature to just remove. I rarely use the quest log anyway, but when you do need to look something up and all you get for the quest is the initial description, with no indication of what you've already done or still need to do, what's the point of it?
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']Anyone want to talk about what we did like? :)[/quote]

Pretty much everything except the ending. I'm at work and typing this up here and there, so sorry if these seem a little disjointed or rambly. Some standouts off the top of my head:

-Everything involving the Quarian-Geth conflict. This has fascinated me since speaking to Tali in ME1. It ramped up in ME2 with Legion, and the conclusion in ME3 was fantastic. Entering the Geth consensus and hearing Legion expand upon the beginnings of the conflict was great, and hearing him referring to himself as "I" and calling Tali by name before sacrificing himself was one of the most moving moments I've ever seen in any story in any medium. As I've said before, Rannoch is one of my favorite moments in gaming, ever. It really was incredible, and it's made even better with Tali as a romantic interest. Her dropping the L bomb before you call down the strike on the Reaper made a great scene even better, and the unique dialog while sitting down with her on the cliff is wonderful stuff.

-Tali herself. She's been my favorite character in the series behind Wrex, and it's great to see how far she's come. The interactions she has with Shepard if they're in a relationship are really touching. The scene with her drunk is hilarious, too (EMERGENCEEE INDUKSHUN POOOOORT). That final conversation with her in London was some absolutely heart-wrenching stuff. Shame about the photoshopped face picture, though. There were so many opportunities to show her face in-game, but I guess they just didn't want to render it.

-Garrus. He has some of the best scenes and dialog in the game. Shooting bottles with him on the Citadel was one of the moments I've always wanted in the series: a chance to kick back with your close friend and forget about all of the troubles and problems in the galaxy, at least temporarily. I missed the shot... I figured with everything going on (seeing his homeworld burn, his family's whearebouts unknown), he could use a little bit of joy from winning a friendly competition.

-Speaking of Tali and Garrus, being able to thank the both of them for always standing with and believing in Shepard towards the end of the game (before landing in London) was extremely touching and satisfying.

-Tuchanka and Mordin's sacrifice, coming full circle and redeeming himself. "Had to be me. Someone else might've gotten it wrong." As I said, Wrex is my favorite character, and it was great to finally help him out with his race's biggest problem. The bond between he and Shepard was not only that of soldiers, but friends as well.

-Primarch Victus staring out over Palaven, watching it burn.

-Watching Thessia burn after Kai Leng steals the Prothean VI. The feeling of helplessness.

-Liara's VI program that includes your legacy. The conversation in the cabin was one of the most touching scenes in the entire series. Made me feel a little bad that I dumped her after ME1 on my main Shepard.

-Thane's death. His fight scene with Kai Leng was awesome, showing that he still had a little something left in the tank. The prayer for Shepard as Thane passes away was a bittersweet moment.

-Seeing Jack on Grissom Academy and having her slug you across the face instead of a traditional hello. Definitely Jack. Seeing David from Overlord during the same mission was a nice cameo, too.

-All of the squad dialog and chatter. There is a ton of unique dialog depending on who you bring with you on missions. The crew wandering around and interacting with each other on the ship is something I've always wanted, and the game delivered big time.

-Grunt fighting the Reaperized Rachni and emerging from the depths.

-"You did good, son."

-The music. Hearing tracks from the previous two games was great, but the new stuff really is spectacular.

I'm missing a ton. 99% of ME3 is the greatest thing I've ever played, filled with emotional moments and characters I genuinely care about. The journey through all three games has been incredible. It's just a shame it had to end the way it did.
 
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[quote name='Ryuukishi']Yeah, that seems like a really feature to just remove. I rarely use the quest log anyway, but when you do need to look something up and all you get for the quest is the initial description, with no indication of what you've already done or still need to do, what's the point of it?[/QUOTE]

To add to that layer of frustration is the fact that, while most of the missions tell you what level of the Citadel they are one, I do believe I remember a few of them that just said they were on the Citadel. So, if you only have one or two things to hand in and no other business there, you'll waste your time bouncing between floors seeing if a mission critical person pops up on the map. And I think one or two times, the person didn't show up on the map at all, and I had to find them.
 
[quote name='bigdaddybruce44']To add to that layer of frustration is the fact that, while most of the missions tell you what level of the Citadel they are one, I do believe I remember a few of them that just said they were on the Citadel. So, if you only have one or two things to hand in and no other business there, you'll waste your time bouncing between floors seeing if a mission critical person pops up on the map. And I think one or two times, the person didn't show up on the map at all, and I had to find them.[/QUOTE]

You can search multiple floors of the map while on any floor. So it's only a problem if it shows them in the wrong section (happens), or they simply aren't shown (also happens).
 
[quote name='Anexanhume']You can search multiple floors of the map while on any floor. So it's only a problem if it shows them in the wrong section (happens), or they simply aren't shown (also happens).[/QUOTE]
Wow, really? What button do you press to switch floors? Wish I had known about that on my first PT.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']Wow, really? What button do you press to switch floors? Wish I had known about that on my first PT.[/QUOTE]

Left and right bumpers. There's a little symbol up in the corners telling you that you can do so.
 
[quote name='Anexanhume']You can search multiple floors of the map while on any floor. So it's only a problem if it shows them in the wrong section (happens), or they simply aren't shown (also happens).[/QUOTE]

[quote name='Ryuukishi']Wow, really? What button do you press to switch floors? Wish I had known about that on my first PT.[/QUOTE]

LMAO, had no clue you could do that, either...
 
right analog to bring up the floro plan, RB and LB to cycle, any quest related persons or objects of interest show up in blue on the right hand side
 
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