Mass Effect 3 (Seriously, Use Spoilers People!)

[Radical_Initiator]

Spoiler:

My clear favorite.

[Menacing Spike]

I like this one

Spoiler:

[Vaniver]

My clear favorite.

Agreed.

[SlyReaper]

So, having never played a standard human adept before, I decided to take it for a spin on a couple of gold games.

I top scored both. God damn this guy is amazing. Warp -> shockwave -> BOOM. Warp -> shockwave -> BOOM. Warp -> shockwave -> BOOM. Oh look, an enemy that's down to health! SINGULARITY -> warp -> BOOM. I barely used my gun at all, but when I did, it was just to get shielded enemies down to health so I could singularity them.

This is possibly because the top range of shockwave got increased from 10m to 15m a couple of days ago, making it much easier to detonate those biotic explosions from cover. All aboard the murder train!

I'm still yet to unlock the cerberus adept. I really want that character now.

[mosc]

so I don't even get pictures 2 and 3 there. What's funny about the second one? What is that horned thing in the third picture? Is there some intended connection between the unicorn and legion's hole?

[ArgonV]

Second is a variation on History-channel-alien-guy-meme


The third one is a Varren with a unicorn horn and wings. I guess a commentary on the happy end some people want?

Spoiler:

You know, since there are lots of ways to kill Legion in this game

[Dauric]

Second is a variation on History-channel-alien-guy-meme

Spoiler:

]

Ahhh.. I was wondering about that.

Know Your Meme link for more info.

[mosc]

Thanks

[SlyReaper]

That guy always reminds me of Londo from Babylon 5. Dat hair.

[Dauric]

That guy always reminds me of Londo from Babylon 5. Dat hair.

Nah, it's too short for Londo. I'm thinking more Emperor Cartagia. Not only is the hair a closer match, but so are the levels of crazy. Tsoukalos clearly has a collection of ancient alien heads in his basement that 'advise' him.

[Thesh]

I wish ME3 had more variations if you handle things differently, as opposed to the exact same missions with slightly different cutscenes and dialogue.

Spoiler:

For example, let's say in ME2, if Tali and Legion were both loyal, survived the Suicide Mission, and you told the Quarians not to go to war then instead of the Quarians attacking the Geth, they were stuck debating the issue. Then you can go in there, convince them that you can negotiate with the Geth to allow the Quarians back on their homeworld, and then you run a few missions with Legion as a squadmate fighting reaper-upgraded Geth heretics. Otherwise you would have to achieve victory or peace after the fact, as it is now.

[Ghostbear]

I wish ME3 had more variations if you handle things differently, as opposed to the exact same missions with slightly different cutscenes and dialogue.

That's the kind of stuff we were told the game would have. It's one of my bigger disappointments with the game, even ignoring the ending. The events of the previous two games should have had a lot more influence.

[An Enraged Platypus]

The development cycle would have been insanely long to do that justice; the consumer at large would never back it. The only way a game will ever live up to what ME3 promised is if some company gets very, very rich and decides to then release a title "for the love of the art".

[Will]

I'm not sure how you can describe EA as not being "very very rich"

[Dauric]

I'm not sure how you can describe EA as not being "very very rich"

You're forgetting the "And" and the second conditional of "decides to release a title for the love of the art." Given that the CEO of EA isn't a game developer but a career business executive, it's unlikely that EA will do jack shit for the love of the art.

Also, Understated Nerd Rage video: A tale of Two Companies

[Ghostbear]

The development cycle would have been insanely long to do that justice; the consumer at large would never back it. The only way a game will ever live up to what ME3 promised is if some company gets very, very rich and decides to then release a title "for the love of the art".

Well, just to get it out of the way -- it's still what they lead people to believe would happen with the game. I'm also not so sure that it would have been prohibitively expensive; in a game like ME3, I believe the greatest expenses by far are the voice acting and the art assets. Creating more variance based on prior games would have boosted the need for voice acting, but not really art assets (at least not in the sense I'm thinking). Missions like the Rachni Queen one should only have shown up if you had let her live in the first game. Some of the main missions should have progressed differently (though kept the same basic story elements) if had let the council live or die, if you had kept the base at the end of ME2 or not, and so on. I know I overuse it as an example sometimes, but The Witcher 2 showed that you can still have an AAA game that allows serious story branching based on your decisions without being unacceptably expensive.

[SirBryghtside]

New info on Extended cut over at masseffect.com, including a release date - the actual quote's confusing me, though:

The Extended Cut will release on June 26th on Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 3 in North America and July 4th for PlayStation 3 in Europe.

So... as a PC gamer in the UK do I... not get it? What?

[Xeio]

You don't get it, you did not pick the right platform under the correct eclipse or perform the necessary sacrificial rituals.

Also, now I'm wondering if I have a save from pre-Cerberus base attack...

[letterX]

Also, now I'm wondering if I have a save from pre-Cerberus base attack...

When you finish the game it dumps you back at the helm of the Normandy right before you went in to the Cerberus base. And, if I recall correctly, autosaves. Which was just one final pissy-annoying thing right at the end.

[Xeio]

Don't most games autosave once you complete them?

[letterX]

Don't most games autosave once you complete them?

I think most games end once you complete them. This one time-warps you back to before anything in the ending ever happened, and then autosaves. Not really an inexcusable flaw (have to leave room to sell you DLC somehow) but it just breaks character in a really obvious way.

[Dauric]

Is it bad that I'm more anticipating MrBtounge's Understated Nerdrage video about the extended ending than I am about the extended content itself?

[Ghostbear]

Is it bad that I'm more anticipating MrBtounge's Understated Nerdrage video about the extended ending than I am about the extended content itself?

Not at all! I enjoy those types of thorough critiques quite a bit myself, and honestly, I long ago lost any hope for whatever the extended ending is being anymore more than them just digging deeper into the hole they got themselves into. I doubt I'll even fire the game up to try it.

[Dauric]

... I long ago lost any hope for whatever the extended ending is being anymore more than them just digging deeper into the hole they got themselves into. I doubt I'll even fire the game up to try it.

I figure I'll fire it up to see the extended content, that way when Internet Rage, Round Two comes along next week I can be an informed asshole when I'm yelling about it. Otherwise, yeah I'm not hopeful that the extended content is much more than unnecessary emo angst fuel.

[Xeio]

It's gonna be fun watching all people who thought Bioware were going to entirely rewrite the ending though.

[Dauric]

It's gonna be fun watching all people who thought Bioware were going to entirely rewrite the ending though.

... as if millions of hopeful fans cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.

[Dark567]

The new DLC is apparently 2gigs.... That's pretty big, so maybe there is dome hope?

[SlyReaper]

New info on Extended cut over at masseffect.com, including a release date - the actual quote's confusing me, though:

The Extended Cut will release on June 26th on Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 3 in North America and July 4th for PlayStation 3 in Europe.

So... as a PC gamer in the UK do I... not get it? What?

*ahem* proxies *ahem*

Actually, never mind. I didn't notice it was 2GB. That might be a bit tricky.

Another edit:

The Extended Cut will be available to download at no additional charge for Mass Effect 3 game owners starting on June 26 for PC and Xbox 360 customers worldwide. Playstation 3 customers in North America will be able to download the Extended Cut DLC on June 26 and the rest of the world on July 4.

So it sounds like it's just PS3 that gets it later than everyone else. PC and XBox get it on the 26th worldwide.

[Ghostbear]

The new DLC is apparently 2gigs.... That's pretty big, so maybe there is dome hope?

Nope:

The Extended Cut is an expansion of the original endings to Mass Effect 3. It does not fundamentally change the endings, but rather it expands on the meaning of the original endings, and reveals greater detail on the impact of player decisions.

Emphasis mine.

[SecondTalon]

And Lucas's recent edits just expanded Episode 4-6. Like adding CGI robots. And changing who was a blue ghost at the end.

[Dauric]

The new DLC is apparently 2gigs.... That's pretty big, so maybe there is dome hope?

Nope:

The Extended Cut is an expansion of the original endings to Mass Effect 3. It does not fundamentally change the endings, but rather it expands on the meaning of the original endings, and reveals greater detail on the impact of player decisions.

Emphasis mine.

Of course where the article says this:

Will it live up to fan expectations, though? Can anything bring their (the fans) stratospheric demands back down to earth?

If you'll excuse me I have some severe beatings to distribute to game review writers still locked in their industry-sponsored ivory towers.

Edit: A few good comments towards the end:

Jerakal says:

“Stratospheric demands.”
Really? An ending that doesn’t lick taint counts as stratospheric these days? Not that this DLC will do anything to make the endings any less rubbish. We’re just going to get more detailed rubbish.

jalf says:

"The bigger question, though, is what sort of precedent this will set for controversial endings in the future"

Honestly, I hope it’ll set a precedent. This isn’t really about controversial endings, but lazy ones.

I would have had no problem with a controversial ending. Let the reapers wipe out Earth to save the galaxy. Sacrify Joker to the dark gods or have Shepard marry Harbinger and live happily ever after.

But don’t tell me that after Shepard fights her way onto the Citadel, she passes out from blood loss, and then the manager decides to invite her up for a chat and tells her that “despite EDI and the Geth helping you guys out, it is inevitable that synthetics rebel against their creators, so to save you all from the synthetics, I set my army of synthetics to wipe you out. But clearly that doesn’t work any more, so which color Deus Ex Machina beam would you like to destroy the Mass Relays for no apparent reason?
Oh, and could you radio Joker and tell him to activate a mass relay for no apparent reason, just so we can hit him with the beam?”

It’s not controversial, it’s lazy. As if Harry Potter ended with the tooth fairy coming out of nowhere to save the day.

You know what?

I’m perfectly fine with a precedent that “if you try to pull shit like this, people are going to call you on it”

Eddy9000 says:

I agree, bioware should be grateful that they have fans passionate enough to care and call them on it, rather than just going ‘meh’ and quietly avoiding their future ME3 DLC and possibly even games.

[SirBryghtside]

Those comments are good, but they're nothing we haven't heard a thousand and two times before. I don't think there's *anything* left unsaid about the endings at this point.

[Vaniver]

Second is a variation on History-channel-alien-guy-meme

I'm not saying it was Protheans...

Spoiler:

But it was Protheans.

I... am undecided about whether or not I'll download and play the DLC. I already hallucinated the ending I wanted for the game. My save also doesn't have the ending to the Mordin story that I want- and I am definitely not going to replay all three games for that, and so I may be looking for ending videos on Youtube anyway.

[EvanED]

I would have had no problem with a controversial ending. Let the reapers wipe out Earth to save the galaxy. Sacrify Joker to the dark gods or have Shepard marry Harbinger and live happily ever after.

My favorite idea for how it should have played out after hearing all the reapers were around Earth (until a friend pointed out that the Reapers could have just FTL'd out of the way) was that they should forget the crucible and just pop through and destroy the sol relay. Probably could have been done, and apart from the fatal flaw with the idea would be more reliable than "we don't know what the hell this thing is or what it does but let's use it."

[ArgonV]

I would have had no problem with a controversial ending. Let the reapers wipe out Earth to save the galaxy. Sacrify Joker to the dark gods or have Shepard marry Harbinger and live happily ever after.

My favorite idea for how it should have played out after hearing all the reapers were around Earth (until a friend pointed out that the Reapers could have just FTL'd out of the way) was that they should forget the crucible and just pop through and destroy the sol relay. Probably could have been done, and apart from the fatal flaw with the idea would be more reliable than "we don't know what the hell this thing is or what it does but let's use it."

So you mean destroy Earth to save the galaxy?

[Thesh]

I would have had no problem with a controversial ending. Let the reapers wipe out Earth to save the galaxy. Sacrify Joker to the dark gods or have Shepard marry Harbinger and live happily ever after.

My favorite idea for how it should have played out after hearing all the reapers were around Earth (until a friend pointed out that the Reapers could have just FTL'd out of the way) was that they should forget the crucible and just pop through and destroy the sol relay. Probably could have been done, and apart from the fatal flaw with the idea would be more reliable than "we don't know what the hell this thing is or what it does but let's use it."

Destroying the relay is what we did in the first game - all it does is delay them a few years.

[ArgonV]

I would have had no problem with a controversial ending. Let the reapers wipe out Earth to save the galaxy. Sacrify Joker to the dark gods or have Shepard marry Harbinger and live happily ever after.

My favorite idea for how it should have played out after hearing all the reapers were around Earth (until a friend pointed out that the Reapers could have just FTL'd out of the way) was that they should forget the crucible and just pop through and destroy the sol relay. Probably could have been done, and apart from the fatal flaw with the idea would be more reliable than "we don't know what the hell this thing is or what it does but let's use it."

Destroying the relay is what we did in the first game - all it does is delay them a few years.

I'd seriously doubt Reaper shields can withstand anything capable of destroying a planet, look at what destroying a mass relay does at the end of the Arrival DLC

[EvanED]

Destroying the relay is what we did in the first game - all it does is delay them a few years.

I suspect that's the FTL drive at work again (running from, not surviving, the blast).

Though I will admit, looking back I forgot the reapers were so close to the alpha relay; even at the point at which you wake up, if they didn't have FTL they'd have been far far closer to the alpha relay than Earth is to the Sol relay. So I wasn't even consistent in forgetting about FTL.

But besides, if it doesn't work, you just regroup and try with the crucible in a few years. Gives you time to build up a bigger fleet, make repairs, etc. as well, now that people can't deny the appearance.

[Ghostbear]

And Lucas's recent edits just expanded Episode 4-6. Like adding CGI robots. And changing who was a blue ghost at the end.

The best part about Lucas doing that shit:

People who alter or destroy works of art and our cultural heritage for profit or as an exercise of power are barbarians, and if the laws of the United States continue to condone this behavior, history will surely classify us as a barbaric society.

If you'll excuse me I have some severe beatings to distribute to game review writers still locked in their industry-sponsored ivory towers.

Yeah, I was only using them as a linked source for the quoted bit, and I was too lazy to hunt down Bioware's actual page on it.

That said, I actually do hope this doesn't set a precedent, but that's because the precedent being set here is "If the fans don't like something in the game, give them more of the thing they didn't like, then let the internet 'entitlement police' yell at them for not liking it while laughing all the way to the bank". If Bioware was actually providing a fixed, real ending, I would see this as a good precedent: if you don't properly finish your game before selling it, you can be damn expected to get torn apart for it and then forced to finish it properly after the fact. That didn't happen though, sadly.

I never really understood the people calling the unhappy fans entitled -- since when is wanting to get what was advertised when you bought something "entitlement"? Stupid corporate apologists.

[Dark567]

The best part about Lucas doing that shit:

People who alter or destroy works of art and our cultural heritage for profit or as an exercise of power are barbarians, and if the laws of the United States continue to condone this behavior, history will surely classify us as a barbaric society.

Well, the context was that destroying or altering other artists work was barbaric. For that matter, I don't really believe Lucas was doing for profit or even for exercising power. I think he honestly thought he was making them better.