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[HarryHengst]

For the people that already have the game: if you play on full RPG mode, how are the dialogues? Over on the SA forums it seems everyone is convinced that even in that mode its mostly autodialogue and that you barely have to pick any answers yourself. Is that true?

 

[Wiggum2007]

How many hours of music in the soundtrack?

Not sure actually, I'm listening to it on youtube, someone's in the middle of uploading it. Not sure if I'm allowed to link to it, but should be easy enough to find, I'm just avoiding looking at the track names because of possible spoilers.

 

[derFeef]

For the people that already have the game: if you play on full RPG mode, how are the dialogues? Over on the SA forums it seems everyone is convinced that even in that mode its mostly autodialogue and that you barely have to pick any answers yourself. Is that true?

I thought RPG mode gives you all dialogue options and is true to the ME experience.

 

[shinobi602]

I just still feel uneasy that ME3 is being released next week. I hoped they'd release it in like a year or two.

 

[HarryHengst]

I thought RPG mode gives you all dialogue options and is true to the ME experience.

Yeah, but goons (who admittedly love to hate the game and are going out of their way to find reasons to complain) are saying that even on RPG mode you dont have that many choices and that the stories of ME1 and ME2 are rendered useless by the automatic decisions being made.

 

[Bowdz]

Anybody know if they fix the issue with Shephard's head in 3? It bugged me so much in 2 that he was always looking sideways while running around.

When I first started playing ME2, I spent at least 30 minutes trying to see if I could fix it. It looked like Shepard was being possessed when he ran. I honestly don't know how glitches like that make it through testing when it was the FIRST thing I noticed running on the Normandy.

 

[shinobi602]

Yeah, but goons (who admittedly love to hate the game and are going out of their way to find reasons to complain) are saying that even on RPG mode you dont have that many choices and that the stories of ME1 and ME2 are rendered useless by the automatic decisions being made.

Yea, I call bullshit given all the other impressions we're getting, both from critics and other gamers.

Sounds like cynical people trying to tarnish the game.

 

[Lakitu]

I definitely would like some clarification on it... because there seems to be a lot of auto dialogue. I would be livid with Bioware if they did that.

 

[ScreenSplitter]

Wow, thank you, there is actually someone else on this planet annoyed by that

No I too was annoyed by Shepard's incredibly loose neck joints.

 

[shinobi602]

Wow, thank you, there is actually someone else on this planet annoyed by that

Lol, no no trust me, annoyed the HELL out of me.

 

[Spacebar]

Do all the loyalty missions and get all the ship upgrades, send Mordin to accompany the normandy crew or keep him in your party for the final part, and leave 1 or 2 strong dudes (zaeed, grunt, garrus) with the people you leave to hold the line.

Thanks. I had Tali run through the vents (died) and Thane was one of my squad mates who died in the swarm. I forgot to activate the geth dude and do his mission. I also failed the mission trying to catch that girls daughter. Does it matter if you fail that mission?

Also found this wallpaper while listening to tracks on youtube this morning. Figured I would share.
Wallpaper

 

[quaere]

I definitely would like some clarification on it... because there seems to be a lot of auto dialogue. I would be livid with Bioware if they did that.

False. There is more auto dialog but that's because there are more times when the characters break out of information dispensor mode and actually do some unprompted talking.

 

[rozay]

Thanks. I had Tali run through the vents (died) and Thane was one of my squad mates who died in the swarm. I forgot to activate the geth dude and do his mission. I also failed the mission trying to catch that girls daughter. Does it matter if you fail that mission?

Also found this wallpaper while listening to tracks on youtube this morning. Figured I would share.
Wallpaper

http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/105/index/2933016 the exact science for keeping everyone alive.

Failing the mission causes the character to not have loyalty to shepard (indicated by the orange ring under a character in the selection screen) and they're generally the easiest to have die.

edited for wrong link

 

[HarryHengst]

Thanks. I had Tali run through the vents (died) and Thane was one of my squad mates who died in the swarm. I forgot to activate the geth dude and do his mission. I also failed the mission trying to catch that girls daughter. Does it matter if you fail that mission?

Also found this wallpaper while listening to tracks on youtube this morning. Figured I would share.
Wallpaper

Tali shouldnt die in the vents if you have her loyal, so i think you missed that mission.

 

[Red Blaster]

Another reason why Action mode is a stupid idea for idiots; people getting confused over how much dialogue selection is present in the game.

 

[AlimNassor]

BSN is down. Bioware's banning people left and right. 100% due to /v/ and SA spamming the boards with spoilers and harassing anyone whose a fan. ATM, on SA if you admit you like the series you're known as a mindless biodrone. Apparently it's okay to spew death threats to people for ruining a game, but, not okay to defend them.

 

[i-Lo]

Thanks. I had Tali run through the vents (died) and Thane was one of my squad mates who died in the swarm. I forgot to activate the geth dude and do his mission. I also failed the mission trying to catch that girls daughter. Does it matter if you fail that mission?

Also found this wallpaper while listening to tracks on youtube this morning. Figured I would share.
Wallpaper

I thought it didn't matter who you keep or send as long as long as the loyalty missions were done for all, for everyone to survive.

 

[Reluctant-Hero]

Gah... the pre-release weekend before a huge release sucks, especially with ME3. People whining about the ending when they haven't played the whole game yet. Yes, let's buy a new book and read the last chapter first. Then people complaining about dialog options when they're most likey misinformed because they haven't played the game for themselves yet! So frustrating!

*flips table over*

/rant

 

[thetrin]

I thought it didn't matter who you keep or send as long as long as the loyalty missions were done for all, for everyone to survive.

It totally matters. Mordin is actually the one character that is REALLY easy to kill off, even if you do every loyalty mission and upgrade the ship to max.

 

[Shaundakahl]

Over the past couple weeks, my girlfriend and I have played through ME 1 and we're going through the sequel now. We both noticed that Shepard (femshep in this instance) has a notable "crick" in the neck when she runs. She tilts to the right and down and looks like an old broken mailbox that is suffering from neglect. Bioware's previous RPGs (back to KoTOR) have showcased what I had come to recognize as the Bioware Trot. The run cycle that plays when you can't/won't sprint; it doesn't have the look of the sprinting and it definitely isn't walking. I now call it jank when I see it, but it still makes me smile and think of Bioware.

 

[derFeef]

I definitely would like some clarification on it... because there seems to be a lot of auto dialogue. I would be livid with Bioware if they did that.

Seems like people seem to think that characters talking should mean dialogue options.
I am sure there are videos of playthroughs of the demo with all three modes on youtube to get it clarified.

When I first started playing ME2, I spent at least 30 minutes trying to see if I could fix it. It looked like Shepard was being possessed when he ran. I honestly don't know how glitches like that make it through testing when it was the FIRST thing I noticed running on the Normandy.

Haha, I first thought he looks at things of interest... but the floor is not really interesting.

 

[Psychoward]

The running thing was some glitch where his head would still be turned like he was talking to someone, or something like that.

 

[Tony Redgrave]

BSN is down. Bioware's banning people left and right. 100% due to /v/ and SA spamming the boards with spoilers and harassing anyone whose a fan. ATM, on SA if you admit you like the series you're known as a mindless biodrone. Apparently it's okay to spew death threats to people for ruining a game, but, not okay to defend them.

Good thing I didn't bother going into BSN today. I think it's time to full blackout time and maybe check out Skyrim's new mods to pass time. Let the whiners whine, they think they can go apesh*t on ME3 because they're encouraged by all the DA2 drama but it's not gonna work, ME3 looks incredibly good and no amount of complaining is gonna change that.

 

[raz3r]

Can you alter the appearance of your imported character at all?

Yes you can, it has been confirmed on the BSN.

http://help.ea.com/article/will-i-be-able-to-import-a-save-file-from-steam-into-mass-effect-3

 

[shinobi602]

It totally matters. Mordin is actually the one character that is REALLY easy to kill off, even if you do every loyalty mission and upgrade the ship to max.

Never had Mordin die on me throughout my 7-8 playthroughs. Always had him be the escort or he stuck back and held the line, but you have to keep big heavy hitters back too in the group, like Grunt, Zaeed, and Garrus. If you take any of those two with you, there's a chance he will die, that's why.

 

[bigace33]

Thanks. I had Tali run through the vents (died) and Thane was one of my squad mates who died in the swarm. I forgot to activate the geth dude and do his mission. I also failed the mission trying to catch that girls daughter. Does it matter if you fail that mission?

Also found this wallpaper while listening to tracks on youtube this morning. Figured I would share.
Wallpaper

Man sounds like you made all the wrong decisions. At least make sure everyone is loyal and your ship has the best shields and cannons. I'm planning on saving everyone. If I do somehow lose anyone I'm still going to use my play through as cannon, no restarts (unless Tali dies) I love Tali's character.

 

[Slackbladder]

There are a few bugs in ME2 I hope are'nt in ME3 such as Shepard looking at the floor when you move away after talking to someone and (on the PC at least) walking up invisible ramps which you can't get down again and leave you floating in the air. And when changing powers over in the powers bar would sometimes crash the game. Never got fixed. I hope they don't turn up again!

 

[Karak]

For the people that already have the game: if you play on full RPG mode, how are the dialogues? Over on the SA forums it seems everyone is convinced that even in that mode its mostly autodialogue and that you barely have to pick any answers yourself. Is that true?

This is somewhat correct. I adore ME games but when compared to the others, there is an extraordinary number of situations where you should have a choice and it picks for you. After checking through the various types of gameplay RPG does offer more, but, at least the first 4-6 hours is far less dialogue or even explanation of things that I ever expected. It feels a bit like the non choice style of gameplay was interesting to them so when they had a chance to write dialogue they didn't put much effort into it? I guess that's the best way I can describe it. So the RPG gameplay choice is suffering from lack of interest or lack of effort. As well as some truly questionable cuts, editing, and cutscene issues. So far I have had 7 cutscenes that have no explanation or reason with lots of randomness going on that doesn't really fit right now. Then you have the character introductions and backstory which is lacking to be sure. I was really disappointed with the introduction to 2 characters specifically that were handled with the deft care of a shotgun blast at point blank range filled with paper mache. It was such a waste of potential.

So far, compared to 1 and 2, I would say I am liking this a good deal less. If they fix the bugs (lip synch, wrong voices randomly for some responses, NPC sticking in the geometry which happens a shit-ton) it will go up. But currently if ME1 and 2 were 9's this is probably a 7 or a 6 to me. That is only after maybe 5+ hours of gameplay.

Also the writing is not as good as I expected. I felt that the ME games handled writing as well as they could, yet the number of times I saw or heard "Wow that's rough. Or Wow sucks" in relation to world ending events, makes me want to scream.

I am stoked for some multiplayer though. Just to see how that works. I am sure I will lead the charge in deaths

ME is still my favorite series of games. I simply adore them. But issues...abound with this.

 

[RyanDG]

Yeah, but goons (who admittedly love to hate the game and are going out of their way to find reasons to complain) are saying that even on RPG mode you dont have that many choices and that the stories of ME1 and ME2 are rendered useless by the automatic decisions being made.

I have came across one instance so far where an interaction with a character didn't occur in line with what I would've expected from the interactions in ME2. I won't say much more than that, but it's the only part that I can even think of so far that part of ME1 and ME2's choices have been rendered null.

 

[Psychoward]

This is somewhat correct. I adore ME games but when compared to the others, there is an extraordinary number of situations where you should have a choice and it picks for you.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

[shinobi602]

I have came across one instance so far where an interaction with a character didn't occur in line with what I would've expected from the interactions in ME2. I won't say much more than that, but it's the only part that I can even think of so far that part of ME1 and ME2's choices have been rendered null.

Good to hear.

 

[i-Lo]

It totally matters. Mordin is actually the one character that is REALLY easy to kill off, even if you do every loyalty mission and upgrade the ship to max.

Think you may be right. I played the game a long time ago and all of my squad members survived.

 

[Mad_Ban]

This soundtrack...................

UNGH

I'd say it's better than ME1's ST and I'm only 3 tracks in

 

[HarryHengst]

This is somewhat correct. I adore ME games but when compared to the others, there is an extraordinary number of situations where you should have a choice and it picks for you. After checking through the various types of gameplay RPG does offer more, but, at least the first 4-6 hours is far less dialogue or even explanation of things that I ever expected. As well as some trully questionable cuts, editing, and cutscene issues. So far I have had 7 cutscenes that have no explanation or reason. Then you have the character introductions and backstory which is lacking to be sure.

So far, compared to 1 and 2, I would say I am liking this a good deal less. If they fix the bugs (lip synch, wrong voices randomly for some responses, NPC sticking in the geometry which happens a shitton) it will go up. But currently if ME1 and 2 were 9's this is probably a 7 or a 6 to me.

I am stoked for some multiplayer though. Just to see how that works.

Well, thats disappointing.

 

[rozay]

Am I the only one incredibly bothered by the (i'm not sure if this is the correct term) foghorns in the beginning of the mansell track Leaving Earth? I thought those were just reaper noises when the song played in the demo :/

This is somewhat correct. I adore ME games but when compared to the others, there is an extraordinary number of situations where you should have a choice and it picks for you. After checking through the various types of gameplay RPG does offer more, but, at least the first 4-6 hours is far less dialogue or even explanation of things that I ever expected. As well as some trully questionable cuts, editing, and cutscene issues. So far I have had 7 cutscenes that have no explanation or reason. Then you have the character introductions and backstory which is lacking to be sure.

So far, compared to 1 and 2, I would say I am liking this a good deal less. If they fix the bugs (lip synch, wrong voices randomly for some responses, NPC sticking in the geometry which happens a shit-ton) it will go up. But currently if ME1 and 2 were 9's this is probably a 7 or a 6 to me. That is only after maybe 5+ hours of gameplay.

Also the writing is not as good as I expected. I felt that the ME games handled writing as well as they could, yet the number of times I see "Wow that's rough. Or Wow sucks" in relation to world ending events, makes me want to scream.

I am stoked for some multiplayer though. Just to see how that works. I am sure I will lead the charge in deaths

so are we going to berate this guy for being a debbie downer or agree with him

when there's an entire team of writers, this can't all be mac walters's fault, right? Right?

 

[rozay]

double

 

[Spacebar]

Man sounds like you made all the wrong decisions. At least make sure everyone is loyal and your ship has the best shields and cannons. I'm planning on saving everyone. If I do somehow lose anyone I'm still going to use my play through as cannon, no restarts (unless Tali dies) I love Tali's character.

Haha...Yea, This was my first play through of any ME game. I never played ME1 because my pc wasn't good enough and all I have is a ps3. ME2 stayed in the back log waaayyyy to long.

I played ME2 with no guide or looking anything up on the web. After I play ME3 on ps3 I think I'm going to build a new pc later this year and play all 3 games on PC again.

 

[ScreenSplitter]

double

Sorry, one guy on a forum criticising the kind of things I loved in ME2 isn't going to make my hype any less.

I think we've confirmed from the amount of hate ME3 gets that not everyone is going to like it. Doesn't mean I won't. What I've seen/played of the game is amazing.

 

[APZonerunner]

There are a few bugs in ME2 I hope are'nt in ME3 such as Shepard looking at the floor when you move away after talking to someone and (on the PC at least) walking up invisible ramps which you can't get down again and leave you floating in the air. And when changing powers over in the powers bar would sometimes crash the game. Never got fixed. I hope they don't turn up again!

It's not 'mostly', but it is noticeable. In the search of cinematic flair - which is definitely there in a larger way - they might forgo a choice in places in order to have a more cinematic camera angle or something.

I don't mind it too much in moment-to-moment stuff. It feels like they got rid of some of the more superfluous choice where an option would loop back around to the same place in the end anyway.

The most notable place it's streamlined is on the Normandy itself. With each squad member - and major members of your crew like Joker, Chakwas and the guy who drives the shuttle - you'll get one 'major' conversation (so far in my experience anyway) where you can investigate, find out about their past etc - and then from there it's a bit like Kasumi and Zaeed - when you visit them they'll have pre-set conversations with Shepard (who does respond) about the last mission.

BUT - and this is vital, I think - these aren't the only squad conversations. It seems they ditched lengthy "go talk to everyone after each mission to advance their plot" side-lines, but then when you dock at "hub" worlds like the Citadel your entire crew disembarks the Normandy - even people like Joker - and you can find them around. When you hit them at these places, there's more fleshed out, traditional ME conversations with your squad and crew.

The 'main' conversation lines are better done as a result, though - you've all probably seen the clips of Shepard and Vega sparring - that's one of them - and even in places like the Citadel it involves a great deal more walking around and cinematic direction to the scenes. In this case, I feel it's a worthwhile swap.

 

[i-Lo]

This is somewhat correct. I adore ME games but when compared to the others, there is an extraordinary number of situations where you should have a choice and it picks for you. After checking through the various types of gameplay RPG does offer more, but, at least the first 4-6 hours is far less dialogue or even explanation of things that I ever expected. It feels a bit like the non choice style of gameplay was interesting to them so when they had a chance to write dialogue they didn't put much effort into it? I guess that's the best way I can descrive it. As well as some trully questionable cuts, editing, and cutscene issues. So far I have had 7 cutscenes that have no explanation or reason with lots of randomness going on that doesn't really fit right now. Then you have the character introductions and backstory which is lacking to be sure. I was really disappointed with the introduction to 2 characters specifically that were handled with the deft care of a shotgun blast and point blank range filled with paper mache. It was such a waste of potential.

So far, compared to 1 and 2, I would say I am liking this a good deal less. If they fix the bugs (lip synch, wrong voices randomly for some responses, NPC sticking in the geometry which happens a shit-ton) it will go up. But currently if ME1 and 2 were 9's this is probably a 7 or a 6 to me. That is only after maybe 5+ hours of gameplay.

Also the writing is not as good as I expected. I felt that the ME games handled writing as well as they could, yet the number of times I see "Wow that's rough. Or Wow sucks" in relation to world ending events, makes me want to scream.

I am stoked for some multiplayer though. Just to see how that works. I am sure I will lead the charge in deaths

I know that Bioware had multi-team approach for this game for the creation of SP and MP. I really hope that resources poured to MP didn't cost them the SP (especially since they delayed the game).

 

[shinobi602]

so are we going to berate this guy for being a debbie downer or agree with him

I don't know who to believe anymore. I've heard from more people the exact opposite, so I'm not sure what to think.

 

[DevelopmentArrested]

Am I the only one incredibly bothered by the (i'm not sure if this is the correct term) foghorns in the beginning of the mansell track Leaving Earth? I thought those were just reaper noises when the song played in the demo :/

so are we going to berate this guy for being a debbie downer or agree with him

when there's an entire team of writers, this can't all be mac walters's fault, right? Right?

There is a song in the game that sounds exactly like the Inception trailer music
Baaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

[derFeef]

How do you know that you "should have a choice" ? Can you explain that?

 

[HarryHengst]

It's not 'mostly', but it is noticeable. In the search of cinematic flair - which is definitely there in a larger way - they might forgo a choice in places in order to have a more cinematic camera angle or something.

I don't mind it too much in moment-to-moment stuff. It feels like they got rid of some of the more superfluous choice where an option would loop back around to the same place in the end anyway.

The most notable place it's streamlined is on the Normandy itself. With each squad member - and major members of your crew like Joker, Chakwas and the guy who drives the shuttle - you'll get one 'major' conversation (so far in my experience anyway) where you can investigate, find out about their past etc - and then from there it's a bit like Kasumi and Zaeed - when you visit them they'll have pre-set conversations with Shepard (who does respond) about the last mission.

BUT - and this is vital, I think - these aren't the only squad conversations. It seems they ditched lengthy "go talk to everyone after each mission to advance their plot" side-lines, but then when you dock at "hub" worlds like the Citadel your entire crew disembarks the Normandy - even people like Joker - and you can find them around. When you hit them at these places, there's more fleshed out, traditional ME conversations with your squad and crew.

The 'main' conversation lines are better done as a result, though - you've all probably seen the clips of Shepard and Vega sparring - that's one of them - and even in places like the Citadel it involves a great deal more walking around and cinematic direction to the scenes. In this case, I feel it's a worthwhile swap.

Alright, that sounds a bit better. I kinda hated having to run around the Normandy every time to see if someone had something new to say.

 

[Derrick01]

Am I the only one incredibly bothered by the (i'm not sure if this is the correct term) foghorns in the beginning of the mansell track Leaving Earth? I thought those were just reaper noises when the song played in the demo :/

so are we going to berate this guy for being a debbie downer or agree with him

when there's an entire team of writers, this can't all be mac walters's fault, right? Right?

He's the lead writer. The onus is on him to make sure the writing in his game isn't a joke. Whether a part that's awful was directly written by him or not it's his fault why that awful part is there at all.

 

[RyanDG]

How do you know that you "should have a choice" ? Can you explain that?

One thing I've found is that there aren't as many "Let's give you a choice, but end up making you do exactly what we asked to begin with" choices in this game. Bioware has seemed to clean those up.

But I think there needs to be a bit of clarification here.

I mentioned this earlier in the thread, but I think it bares repeating. Nearly every combat sequence will have extremely limited choices, including in general dialog. And a lot of them seem to be major "check points" that determine how the rest of the mission will play out.

In the exploration sections, there are just as many dialog "choices" as before. But these are the general conversation pieces that you would expect to find in previous ME games in hub locations.

 

[rozay]

One thing I've found is that there aren't as many "Let's give you a choice, but end up making you do exactly what we asked to begin with" choices in this game. Bioware has seemed to clean those up.

this is at least a good thing. How far in the game are you?

 

[Derrick01]

It's not 'mostly', but it is noticeable. In the search of cinematic flair - which is definitely there in a larger way - they might forgo a choice in places in order to have a more cinematic camera angle or something.

I don't mind it too much in moment-to-moment stuff. It feels like they got rid of some of the more superfluous choice where an option would loop back around to the same place in the end anyway.

The most notable place it's streamlined is on the Normandy itself. With each squad member - and major members of your crew like Joker, Chakwas and the guy who drives the shuttle - you'll get one 'major' conversation (so far in my experience anyway) where you can investigate, find out about their past etc - and then from there it's a bit like Kasumi and Zaeed - when you visit them they'll have pre-set conversations with Shepard (who does respond) about the last mission.

BUT - and this is vital, I think - these aren't the only squad conversations. It seems they ditched lengthy "go talk to everyone after each mission to advance their plot" side-lines, but then when you dock at "hub" worlds like the Citadel your entire crew disembarks the Normandy - even people like Joker - and you can find them around. When you hit them at these places, there's more fleshed out, traditional ME conversations with your squad and crew.

The 'main' conversation lines are better done as a result, though - you've all probably seen the clips of Shepard and Vega sparring - that's one of them - and even in places like the Citadel it involves a great deal more walking around and cinematic direction to the scenes. In this case, I feel it's a worthwhile swap.

This actually sounds pretty good. It was boring going around the normandy after every single recruitment/main story mission. I like the idea of hunting them all down at the Citadel. I just hope they don't all go to the same place every time.

 

[shinobi602]

One thing I've found is that there aren't as many "Let's give you a choice, but end up making you do exactly what we asked to begin with" choices in this game. Bioware has seemed to clean those up.

But I think there needs to be a bit of clarification here.

I mentioned this earlier in the thread, but I think it bares repeating. Nearly every combat sequence will have extremely limited choices, including in general dialog. And a lot of them seem to be major "check points" that determine how the rest of the mission will play out.

In the exploration sections, there are just as many dialog "choices" as before. But these are the general conversation pieces that you would expect to find in previous ME games in hub locations.

Sounds good to me.

 

[RyanDG]

this is at least a good thing. How far in the game are you?

About 12 hours in.

It's a good game. It feels like it will at least be a solid end to the trilogy. ME1 is probably going to remain my favorite of the series though, simply because it did so much more that I wish they would've continued. With that said, I think my major complaint is that the sense of urgency being created by the game is a little forced in some areas. And some of the missions are a little oddly scripted.