• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Mass Effect 3: Citadel |OT| The best.

J

JerkShep

Member
For people who are playing the game for the first time, my suggestion is to see the ending and then play the citadel dlc...maybe with a bit of a break in between. The other dlcs instead should definitely be played before the ending.
 
J

- J - D -

Member
Jintor said:
I think you're in the wrong thread. This is the OT for the new Citadel DLC, you want the general ME thread in Community.
Click to expand...

He's not wrong about those dream sequences though. But yes, I suppose that's a discussion for the OT.

...unless you interpret the citadel DLC as a dream sequence. Shore Leave theory.
 
Necron

Necron

Member
Amazing DLC. Just finished it.

A perfect epilogue for the series. I will miss some of these characters even more now...

A lot of cool and hilarious moments. I highly recommend it as this is certainly the best DLC for Mass Effect 3.

It also gives me hope for the future installment.
 
GlamFM

GlamFM

Banned
WAIT WHAT!?


I can invite everybody individually to my pad? I missed it!

Can I still do it after the party?
 
B

Blue Ninja

Member
GlamFM said:
WAIT WHAT!?


I can invite everybody individually to my pad? I missed it!

Can I still do it after the party?
Click to expand...

Yes. At least, I could still hang out with Jack afterwards.

Also, am I crazy for thinking Mordin's songs in this were voiced by Michael Beattie instead of his ME3 voice actor?
 
indigo-cyclops

indigo-cyclops

Member
I know i keep saying it but the locations in this DLC are just so amazing. This feels like ME1, and this should have been the route they took the series. Really really love it. Trying to pace myself and not finish it too soon, dem locations...
 
M

MNC

Member
After the Giant Bomb QL, this DLC is fucking the entire tone ME3 should've been. Serious during combat, lighthearted in everything else. ME3 took itself waaaaay too seriously. This is the best ME DLC ever and goddamn if this isn't some kind of swan song for everything Mass Effect.
 
S

Stasis

Member
kurahador said:
They're busy with DA3, and will be making a new IP after that iinm.
Click to expand...

Damn. Part of me is happy that DA3 may now be awesome, or at least a lot better than DA2 (assuming the A team didn't make DA2 as well...) but now I'm worried for the future of ME =/
 
B

Bisnic

Really Really Exciting Member!
Kurtofan said:
Omega and Arrival weren't awful, they were pretty short so it's hard to judge with just that.
Click to expand...

Omega just had combat and combat and combat though. Nothing as varied as the Citadel DLC.

But i'm going to assume that no one had time to party or go to the casino considering the story.
 
L

Lakitu

st5fu
EatChildren is right in that the combat in Omega is pretty damn good bar a couple of scenarios that felt been there, done that.

It's still hard to say how Montreal will take the series forward. Hopefully they don't mess it up.
 
E

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
Lakitu said:
It's still hard to say how Montreal will take the series forward. Hopefully they don't mess it up.
Click to expand...

I'm holding faith they'll do good for a few reasons.

Firstly, the main criticism with Arrival more than anything was the narrative, and how pissy fans were with how the Reaper invasion was being handled. It wasn't written by Montreal as far as I'm aware, as then Montreal was quite small. The gameplay wasn't overly amazing (the elevator defense was bollocks), but in retrospect it wasn't as bad as I remembered from my first playthrough.

Secondly, I maintain that Omega is pretty solid as a combat DLC. It's just a shame that's mostly all it is. Writing was pretty mixed, and handled by Montreal. But end of the day, they were also working completely within the trilogy's limitations of character builds, design, narrative, and what not. As much as Omega was theirs, it was theirs with restrictions.

Lastly, Mass Effect 4 (or whatever it is) will be there's from the ground up. Their take on the universe (whenever it is set), and their mechanics. They've made it clear they don't want to recycle the Shepard trilogy in any way, including the base mechanics. They want this to be something totally new. So really, this will be their first chance to build an entire project from the ground up.

I have faith they'll do go, because god knows I'm going to buy the bloody thing anyway, no matter how big of a turd it is.

Stasis said:
Damn. Part of me is happy that DA3 may now be awesome, or at least a lot better than DA2 (assuming the A team didn't make DA2 as well...) but now I'm worried for the future of ME =/
Click to expand...

DA2 was handled at BioWare Edmonton too. Edmonton is the main office, has multiple teams, and is where a vast majority of the BioWare staff are. The core DA team, as far as I know, has been involved in all three games (excluding staff departures).

Montreal is handling Mass Effect 4. They have been, until the tail end of ME3, quite small. They've mostly acted as a support unit. They're being ramped up into a full production studio, mostly to handle the next Mass Effect game.
 
A

AuthenticM

Member
kurahador said:
Sadly the team that did Arrival & Omega DLC will be handling future Mass Effect games.

Yeah...
Click to expand...

That team is now a lot bigger. They were only a small bunch before and those two DLC bits were their first work. Now they are a full-fledged team. Let's wait until they ship their first real game before jumping to conclusions.
 
Tritroid

Tritroid

Member
MAtgS said:
It occurs to me
the clone probably survived. If 1 Shepard can survive being flung from an exploding space station, burning up in re-entry & hitting the surface of the planet at terminal velocity then hitting the side of a building doesn't sound very definite

ME3's ending: the gift that keeps on giving!
Click to expand...

What are you talking about?

Shepard never left London. ;)

+1 indoctrination theorist.
 
E

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
And again, the only talk of Mass Effect 4 we've had is the following. It's probably worth noting that Yanick Roy, the Montreal studio director, was a senior development director on the first Mass Effect, and worked on half of Mass Effect 2.

The announcement:

Hello Everyone,

I am really excited to share some news with you today, but first, since most of you probably don’t know who I am, I thought I would start with a bit of an introduction.

I was born and raised not too far from Montreal, in the province of Quebec, and while I won’t bore you with the details, I was lucky enough to grow in an environment where videogames were very present. The passion I had for them resulted in a bachelor degree in Computer Science, and in time work took me to Edmonton. I’d regularly play pen & paper role-playing games with my group of friends, until we switched to PC RPGs and played through Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2, and Neverwinter Nights. You can imagine my surprise when I realized that the company who developed them, BioWare, was just down the street!

A few years later, in January of 2006, I was lucky enough to join my favorite game company! I was immediately assigned to the original Mass Effect, which was in very early production at the time, as its Senior Development Director. I worked closely with Casey Hudson and the Leads team through the rest of ME1 and the first half of ME2, when BioWare decided to open another studio in Montreal. I was honored to be asked to lead the team, so I wrapped up my work in Edmonton and moved back to Montreal in the summer of 2009, where our small team was being put in place.

Because BioWare has always believed that the company culture is one of the key ingredients of the games we make, we took two important steps with the team. First, we deliberately seeded the new studio with many transfers from Edmonton. Second, we chose to grow the team relatively slowly, allowing new people to join the team and integrate into its culture in due time. Even with that approach, though, the Montreal studio has made significant contributions to the Mass Effect franchise. We started by building about half the cinematics for ME2, then most of its N7 missions, and finally we played an important role in the development of much of its post-release content. Then on ME3, we took charge of the multiplayer portion as well as making significant contributions to the single-player campaign. Most recently, we built a large piece of DLC that will be released on November 27 and that you know under the name of Omega. With each new portion of work, we took on deeper and broader responsibilities, but we always worked in conjunction with Casey, the Mass Effect leads, and the developers in Edmonton.

That evolution now takes its next step, with the news that the next Mass Effect game is already in development, driven by the team here in Montreal. This is the goal we have been working toward for years now, and every member of our team is proud, excited, and humbled to take on the responsibility for the next game.

To ensure a proper and effective transition, we’ll continue to be supported by the Edmonton studio through the game’s development, working with and learning from them on some critical initiatives. On top of that, Casey remains the Executive Producer, but he will have a Project Director under him, working in Montreal, leading our development team and making day-to-day decisions for the game. We all care very much about Mass Effect and make our decisions based on what’s best for the game.

There is really not much I can tell you about the game right now, except that it will be built with the amazing technology of Frostbite as its foundation, enhanced by many of the systems that the Dragon Age III team has already spent a lot of time building.

The other thing I can tell you is that, while it will be very respectful of the heritage built over the course of the first three games, with the original trilogy now concluded and the switch over to a new engine, we are exploring new directions, both on the gameplay and story fronts. You can still expect the pillars the franchise is known for to be fully intact though, including diverse alien races, a huge galaxy to explore, and of course rich, cinematic storytelling.

Now that the core of our team is in place, the next step for us is to have the BioWare Montreal studio grow at an accelerated pace over the next year as we build a team large enough to support the production of what we know is going to be an amazing game in the franchise. If you or someone you know is interested in joining our team, keep an eye on our job postings. We’re always looking for talented and passionate people, but it is more the case now than ever!

We’re all looking forward to telling you more about this next Mass Effect game, but it’s probably going to be quite a while before you hear from us again. We know you have high expectations for the franchise and we want to make sure whatever we show you lives up to those expectations.

Thank you all for your interest and your passion,

Yanick

Studio Director – BioWare Montreal
Click to expand...

This comment from Priestly:

To call the next game Mass Effect 4 or ME4 is doing it a disservice and seems to cause a lot of confusion here. We have already said that the Commander Shepard trilogy is over and that the next game will not feature him/her. That is the only detail you have on the game. I see people saying "well, they'll have to pick a canon ending". No, because the game does not have to come after. Or before. Or off to the side. Or with characters you know. Or yaddayaddayadda. Wherever, whenever, whoever, etc will all be revealed years down the road when we actually start talking about it.

I do not call the game ME4 when I talk about it ever, bucause that makes people think of it more as "what happens after Mass Effect 3" rather than "what game happens next set in the Mass Effect Universe", which is far more accurate at this point. Obviously fans are going to speculate content, character and story until we actually reveal details in the years or months to come as you have almost no actual details, just don't get bogged down in "well how are they going to continue ME3...".
Click to expand...

And then again from Yanick Roy:

Hi guys,

It’s my first time posting on the forums, so I hope I’m going to do it right!

What Chris is saying is that thinking of the next Mass Effect game as Mass Effect 4 would imply a certain linearity, a straight evolution of the gameplay and story of the first three games. But because we are switching to a new engine and need to rebuild a bunch of game systems, we have an opportunity to rethink how we want these systems to be going forward instead of just inheriting them from the previous games. Story-wise, the arc of the first trilogy has also been concluded, and what we will do is tell a new story set in the Mass Effect universe. That doesn’t mean that events of the first three games and the choices you made won’t get recognized, but they likely won’t be what this new story will focus on.

In other words, because the game takes place before of after the first trilogy does not mean it necessarily is a straight prequel or sequel.

I’m not a big fan of analogies because the images you use always mean something different to different people, so they are inherently flawed. But let me use one anyway. :p

If you had three games centered around a group of key soldiers in the US army during World War I and then decided to make a game about another group of people during the second World War, the games could have many points in common and feel true to one another, and you likely would have to recognize how the events of the first war influenced the ones of the second, but you would not necessarily think of it as a sequel. Again, the analogy is
not great, but what I’m trying to say is that the ME universe is so rich that we are not limited to a single track when coming up with a new story.

I apologize for being cryptic right now, but it’s early enough in development that we don’t have much to share – things still fluctuate quite a bit. As I have posted on Twitter though, the overall feeling of what you are discussing and asking for is very much aligned with what the team intends on delivering, and that makes me feel very good about where we’re heading!

I hope this helps clarify why we’re not thinking of the next ME game as ME4 internally!
Click to expand...
 
V

Vashetti

Banned
I think it will be Mass Effect: [Subtitle] from now on.

Of course this doesn't have the power of a numbered title (compare AssCreed 3 sales to BroHood or Revelations) so they may release a true Mass Effect 4 one day.
 
P

Phat Michael

Banned
It's amazing that people still hold the ending against the game.

Think of all the positives with this game:

- amazing multiplayer
- multiplayer supported for free - including a huge number of maps/weapons/factions/playable characters from the SP.
- fantastic music and locations in both single/multi
- great DLC support
- best combat in an RPG to this date - biotic explosions/fire explosions/cryo explosions/tech bursts.

then all that goes down because of the ending which wasnt even bad at all.

I cant think of an RPG with this much support and i cant wait for the next game in the series.
 
prag16

prag16

Banned
Necron said:
Amazing DLC. Just finished it.

A perfect epilogue for the series. I will miss some of these characters even more now...

A lot of cool and hilarious moments. I highly recommend it as this is certainly the best DLC for Mass Effect 3.

It also gives me hope for the future installment.
Click to expand...

Yeah, this really did work really well as an epilogue.

When interspersed in the main game, it is sorta absurd.

So yeah, my head canon dictates this be an epilogue taking place at some point after Shepard's body is dragged out of the rubble and recovers. xD
 
C

Coffee Dog

Banned
Phat Michael said:
then all that goes down because of the ending which wasnt even bad at all.
Click to expand...

People aren't going to listen to you because of that sentence right there.

My opinion of ME3 is that it just feels like more mass effect 2 with improvements to the core mechanics and a shitty ending, so I don't really understand the hate when many of those same people love the second game.
 
E

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
Vashetti said:
I think it will be Mass Effect: [Subtitle] from now on.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I think that will be the case, especially with the big deal they're making about not calling it Mass Effect 4. I wouldn't be surprised if it's more stand alone now too. Not a huge trilogy.

Though I guess they could spin the trilogy angle again for another generation, given fans seem to like it.

prag16 said:
Yeah, this really did work really well as an epilogue.

When interspersed in the main game, it is sorta absurd.

So yeah, my head canon dictates this be an epilogue taking place at some point after Shepard's body is dragged out of the rubble and recovers. xD
Click to expand...

Duuude you don't geeet ittttt.
Clearly all this is happening in some warped mid-death purgatory as Shepard falls into the space beam after confronting space brat. Shepard pacifies his/her existence with a humble dose of humility through the humanity of bonding, relationships, and being one with his fellow man/alien. As it unravels his/her psyche and deepest feelings of love, regret, remorse, and loss for his/her companions, he/her must also confront himself/herself. In his/her psyche this ego is manifested as a clone, a polar opposite to everything he/her stands for.

The final ship hanger confrontation is a battle with his/her own survivalism, which is why you cant win in through traditional means but must trigger the climatic cutscene. At that point Shepard is so lost within his/her psyche and has accepted this absurd purgatory as actual reality, and is thus doomed to perish in the real world.

In order for Shepard to truly survive, the clone must perish, shattering the attempted unification of Shepard's mind, body and soul in purgatory. The clone falls to his/her "death", but in reality this is Shepard falling to Earth after defeating the Reapers.

Shepard's ultimate sacrifice in the purgatory, being the clone's "death" (remember, they're one!), represents Shepard willing to give up anything: to fight the ultimate fight and never give in, even if that ultimate fight is himself/herself.

Shepard falls to Earth, into the rubble of a building. Cue post-credits breathing scene.

Now if you'll excuse me I need to make a three hour documentary about this.
 
D

DTKT

Member
Phat Michael said:
It's amazing that people still hold the ending against the game.

Think of all the positives with this game:

- amazing multiplayer
- multiplayer supported for free - including a huge number of maps/weapons/factions/playable characters from the SP.
- fantastic music and locations in both single/multi
- great DLC support
- best combat in an RPG to this date - biotic explosions/fire explosions/cryo explosions/tech bursts.

then all that goes down because of the ending which wasnt even bad at all.

I cant think of an RPG with this much support and i cant wait for the next game in the series.
Click to expand...

Not all things are of equal value. I do not care for the MP, so 2 of your points are moot. Music is good, but it doesn't change much within the game. I'm not sure how all locations are "fantastic". There is one central hub and most of the mission areas are pretty forgettable. DLC support is debatable, Leviathan and Omega are okay and the only one that seems to rise above is Citadel.

As for the combat, I can't really comment on that since I played a soldier and that makes ME3 a pretty average third person shooter.
 
P

Phat Michael

Banned
DTKT said:
Not all things are of equal value. I do not care for the MP, so 2 of your points are moot. Music is good, but it doesn't change much within the game. I'm not sure how all locations are "fantastic". There is one central hub and most of the mission areas are pretty forgettable. DLC support is debatable, Leviathan and Omega are okay and the only one that seems to rise above is Citadel.

As for the combat, I can't really comment on that since I played a soldier and that makes ME3 a pretty average third person shooter.
Click to expand...

the multiplayer is amazing. it really sharpens up your SP combat experience.
 
E

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
Here's six of the character sheets for the combat arena. Missing Miranda and Samara as my current playthrough isn't far enough.

mass196ufo.jpg

mass2x2u8o.jpg

mass3mvu1y.jpg

mass4y1usy.jpg

mass58iu20.jpg

mass6coui5.jpg
Click to expand...
 
D

DatDude

Banned
DTKT said:
Not all things are of equal value. I do not care for the MP, so 2 of your points are moot. Music is good, but it doesn't change much within the game. I'm not sure how all locations are "fantastic". There is one central hub and most of the mission areas are pretty forgettable. DLC support is debatable, Leviathan and Omega are okay and the only one that seems to rise above is Citadel.

As for the combat, I can't really comment on that since I played a soldier and that makes ME3 a pretty average third person shooter.
Click to expand...

See I don't agree with that either.

Good music can always push a game farther, especially when it's a cinematic game like Mass Effect. An there was some DAMN good music that I still listen today (An end once and for all, I was lost without, I'm Sorry, I'm Proud of You)..tracks, nearly 1 year after I still consistently listen to, and honestly, enhance certain parts of the games because of those beautiful and dramatic melodies.

An while the locations themselves might be forgettable in a sense, I still think the missions themselves and the general events were quite well paced and memorable. I mean, every mission had some sort of hook and emotional Sinker. Mordins death..and this also correlates with music mind you, and the song Vigil playing as the tower explodes and the ash fall upon the ground...what about Legion's sacrifice, or Tali's suicide?

I mean, this might sound silly but to me Mass Effect 3 was this beautiful, memorable journey full of emotional highs and lows. An for that I applaud it, and will still think highly of regardless of it's shit ending.

Many people want to shit on Mass Effect 3 and say it's the worst in the series, and EA is fucking Bioware in the ass, and all this nonsense. An, I honestly don't understand why. Mass Effect 3 was a DAMN good game. If the Citadel DLC was THE ENDING, instead of the bullshit that we got than I have no doubt it would've won quite a few GOTY awards...

But I'm able to look past that, and forgive Bioware for there fuck up, and enjoy Mass Effect 3 for what it is...a beautiful, and emotional journey with the best squad mates one could possibly have.
 
E

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
Nori Chan said:
Samara isn't a playable one either?

I want Wrex as a playable character too but he...yeah.
Click to expand...

She is. Her and Miranda. My save file was too early on to have them unlockable in the arena.
 
P

Plasma

Banned
Trigger said:
I lost Zaeed on this playthrough. My dream of a Wrex/Zaeed combat team has been deferred.
r4CiE.png
Click to expand...

It's a shame they didn't make all your team mates simulations as well, that way they could have resurrected characters for it and pulled in some other of the temporary team mates like Aria, Anderson etc.
 
M

Mindlog

Member
The DLC said the Normandy needed repairs. Perfect time for a shore party.
EatChildren said:
She is. Her and Miranda. My save file was too early on to have them unlockable in the arena.
Click to expand...
Both have Reave.
I wrecked that arena so hard. I just wish we could switch classes for it.

I'm pumped for ME: Next, but I have so many reservations. Mostly I just hope EA gives it enough time to cook. ME2 and ME3 both seemed like they underwent very major changes without enough time to account for them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

His name is Conrad Verner | A Mass Effect Appreciation thread [Open Spoilers]
Opinion Spoilers Retro
4
611
Ozzie666 replied
Former Bioware veteran Jos Hendriks joins Sucker Punch
News
9
1K
Mr Hyde replied
Mass Effect: New Poster and Teaser Revealed
Trailer Hype 2 3
103
10K
March Climber replied
Destiny 2 is getting Mass Effect Crossover Event
News
12
1K
ReBurn replied
Mass Effect: Andromeda Director Mac Walters Wanted to Make a Sequel
Opinion Game Dev 2
61
4K
StereoVsn replied
Top Bottom