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Mass Effect 3 Spoiler Thread |OT2| Taste the Rainbow

The reapers contain every race they've destroyed. It's a given that cloning can bring back extinct species. It's also said that the reapers built to mass effect relays.

So what if they were destroyed? They can travel so fast that they came out of dark space in a matter of years. They can go out and rebuild new ones. I think we'll see the 4th game with a ton of new races that were eluded to by the Prothean and the same old mass effect relays.
 

Patryn

Member
The reapers contain every race they've destroyed. It's a given that cloning can bring back extinct species. It's also said that the reapers built to mass effect relays.

So what if they were destroyed? They can travel so fast that they came out of dark space in a matter of years. They can go out and rebuild new ones. I think we'll see the 4th game with a ton of new races that were eluded to by the Prothean and the same old mass effect relays.

But what if you destroyed the Reapers?
 

nel e nel

Member
And I don't understand how they managed to make it with all of the Reapers invasion. Did they find some quiet corner in the galaxy where the Reapers are not checking? Or did they move it around? If they did, with the size, it must be cumbersome especially if they get ambushed.


Ilos
 

def sim

Member
So, are they announcing DLC at PAX? I'm bummed out about the ending and all, but I'm all in if the DLC is as good as Overlord.

Yeah I am part of the problem, whatevs.
 

Hero

Member
The game definitely needed at least another year or so for polish, getting rid of bugs and I would've liked for them to actually had some fucking time to spend on the ending.

Was multiplayer announced early on for ME3? I really feel like that was just EA trying to get players to retain copies, curb down on used sales and sell more Online Passes for a mode that is ultimately very mediocre and I would've preferred development time spent on it to be used on the actual campaign.
 

Patryn

Member
The game definitely needed at least another year or so for polish, getting rid of bugs and I would've liked for them to actually had some fucking time to spend on the ending.

Was multiplayer announced early on for ME3? I really feel like that was just EA trying to get players to retain copies, curb down on used sales and sell more Online Passes for a mode that is ultimately very mediocre and I would've preferred development time spent on it to be used on the actual campaign.

MP was formally announced when the game was delayed.
 

HK-47

Oh, bitch bitch bitch.
The game definitely needed at least another year or so for polish, getting rid of bugs and I would've liked for them to actually had some fucking time to spend on the ending.

Was multiplayer announced early on for ME3? I really feel like that was just EA trying to get players to retain copies, curb down on used sales and sell more Online Passes for a mode that is ultimately very mediocre and I would've preferred development time spent on it to be used on the actual campaign.

i would have preferred that and more polish on the mulitplayer mode. Its so fun. Power comboing is a very unique mechanic.
 

LiK

Member
The game definitely needed at least another year or so for polish, getting rid of bugs and I would've liked for them to actually had some fucking time to spend on the ending.

Was multiplayer announced early on for ME3? I really feel like that was just EA trying to get players to retain copies, curb down on used sales and sell more Online Passes for a mode that is ultimately very mediocre and I would've preferred development time spent on it to be used on the actual campaign.

announced last Oct but was rumored way before that.

http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/323/index/8481789/1
 
So, are they announcing DLC at PAX? I'm bummed out about the ending and all, but I'm all in if the DLC is as good as Overlord.

Yeah I am part of the problem, whatevs.

They are definitely going to say something, I've never seen a situation like this where an announcement will either make or break the perception of a developer.
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
Was multiplayer announced early on for ME3? I really feel like that was just EA trying to get players to retain copies, curb down on used sales and sell more Online Passes for a mode that is ultimately very mediocre and I would've preferred development time spent on it to be used on the actual campaign.

BioWare began working on a multiplayer for Mass Effect after ME2 released. They worked on the first person competitive game Team Assault for four months and scrapped it. It later evolved into the co-operative mode in ME3.

ME3's multiplayer was confirmed in September, from memory. But we knew it existed in August of 2011, and rumours circulated even earlier.
 

Jarmel

Banned
God damn.

Jp1RC.jpg

This is ice cold.
 
So, are they announcing DLC at PAX? I'm bummed out about the ending and all, but I'm all in if the DLC is as good as Overlord.

Yeah I am part of the problem, whatevs.

The DLC will be an N7 mission titled "Lost in Space".

The crew of the Normandy finds themselves adrift between mass relays and falling short on both food and water. Shepard must make the painful decision between which crew members to strangle to death so that there is enough food and water left for the survivors. You will also have to choose between killing your space hamster with a hammer or your space fish with a screwdriver.
 

inky

Member
http://kotaku.com/5897787/please-change-the-endings-of-these-video-games

read her reaction to red dead redemption and prince of persia's endings

Speaking of that, Red Dead Redemption is a perfect example of the video game industry giving gamers what they consider to be an ending with a "tragic plot twist," but done in such a poor fashion that it just makes us bitter. We understand that Rockstar wanted us to really feel something, and realize that the Wild West was no "It's A Small World" ride, but the way the story's conclusion played out seemed more like a slap in the face than a well-crafted twist on a fantastic adventure.

That might be the dumbest thing I have ever read. Never played PoP 2008 so can't judge that.
 
The game definitely needed at least another year or so for polish, getting rid of bugs and I would've liked for them to actually had some fucking time to spend on the ending.

Was multiplayer announced early on for ME3? I really feel like that was just EA trying to get players to retain copies, curb down on used sales and sell more Online Passes for a mode that is ultimately very mediocre and I would've preferred development time spent on it to be used on the actual campaign.

pretty sure a second team worked on the MP and not the core ME team so really when it comes down to it, no time was lost from the actual campaign.
 

Rapstah

Member
I couldn't make out fucking heads or tails out of this article either.

You see, complaining about a bad ending and a good ending is the same thing because the main point of complaining is that you're complaining about an ending, not the quality of it.
 

nel e nel

Member
All right, after days of trying to get over this damned series, I can't get it out of my mind and am strongly drawn to playing ME1->2->3, the days of innocence. And -- who knows? -- maybe by the time I get to the end of ME3, this supposed additional end-game content will be out.

That said, please help me craft my ME1->2->3 playthrough given the following information.

Questions:

1. I want to be Renegade overall BUT I still want the optimal solutions to all major situations. That is: Wrex must live; no squad member in ME2 must die; neither Geth nor Quarians must be wiped out; Genophage must be cured; etc. I know this sounds like I want to play as Paragon again, but do you know what I mean? I want good things to happen, but I'd like to still act like Jack Bauer overall. Is such a playthrough possible? Basically I want to play as Renegade (overall) without being penalized with bad things like peoples or squad mates being wiped out. Possible/doable/hard?

2. Please remind me of the key side quests in ME1. I really don't want to spend a shitload of time scanning and Makoing every planet like I did the first time, for very little gain.

3. Romance: Since I'm going to be male this time, not sure whom to romance. Perhaps this time I'll just romance whomever without carrying a relationship through to ME3. That said, if I romance X in 1, Y in 2, is it still possible to romance X in 3? Is the answer true for all X or just specific people like Liara? What actual effect does the "picture frame down" situation have on ME3 and Shadow Broker?

4. In ME2, does romancing Kelly count as a romance that pisses off other squad mates in 2 or 3? Or is it just a side thing?

5. I recall something about how if I wipe out the Council in ME1, which I regard as a Renegade but not un-optimal (as theoretically it helps save human lives, etc.), what happens in ME2 and 3 Councils? The Council is all humans, or what? Who then sends you on the Turian assignment in 3, for example? You don't have to totally spoil it but just let me know what I might be messing up if I pick the wrong thing.

6. I was Soldier three times. Thus I've mainly experienced the game as a shooter. What are the most fun but not frustrating classes for ME1-3? Infiltrator, I guess? I heard Engineer sucks. BTW, I should get a bunch of bonuses due to the achievements I already have, right?

7. Playing on Insanity: worth it, or meh? I played on Normal 3 times.

8. Any other advice.

JOIN ME! I just stared a 5th ME1 run on a new XBL account last week, so I'll try to answer some of your questions. My main character build was the default soldier Shep in 1, mostly paragon with some renegade, and exhaustive playthroughs where I did every possible sidequest and conversation. I've since done a renegade Femshep and a neutral male shep.

1. The thing to keep in mind is that Paragon/Renegade is much more nuanced than Good/Bad. It's more Democratic/Autocratic, or Discussion/Shoot First Ask Questions later. If you max out Intimidate in 1, your Renegade options will still result in those optimal outcomes, it's just that people may not agree with your 'ends justify the means' attitude. You can be a total prick to everyone in the galaxy, be completely neutral with your squad, and still have at least two people wanting to bed you before heading to Ilos.

2. Key sidequests would be all the ones involving Cerberus, Rogue VI, and I would argue the Geth Incursion. Just finished that one this morning and the end script mentions a vid of a Quarian singing a song about 'lost planets and innocence'. Left me wondering if it was a foreshadowing of Legion's revelations about the Schism. Also, Helena Blake, Conrad Verner, Gianna Parisini, the one with the Turian general and Asari consort. All those characters come back in either 2 or 3. But keep in mind your character level at the end of 1 influences how much bonus credits/materials you get at the start of 2.

3. The simple answer is 'Yes'. I went Liara - Miranda - Liara. I 'reunited' with Liara in Shadowbroker, and actually told both of them I wanted to be with them in 3, but only had my sexytime with Liara.

4. Not sure about Kelly, you may have to break off any relationships in order to invite her up to your cabin.

5. It doesn't really matter what decisions you make regarding the council. Anderson will step down and Udina will be on the council regardless. They retcon it somewhat in the codex, but 2 years pass between 1-2 so all sorts of political machinations are possible.

6. Yes you get different bonuses depending on the achievement. Some are passive (bonus 5% XP) some are active (choose a bonus power when creating a new career). See here: http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Achievements

7. Only played up to Hardcore, so can't comment. Have seen a consensus that Insanity is best played as a critical path only, with an already levelled up character. But if you've only played as soldier, I'd recommend one of the other 'pure' classes: Engineer or Adept. If you've unlocked all the weapons achievements, you can choose sniper/assault rifle/shotgun as a bonus power at the start.

8. http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Mass_Effect_Wiki Learn it. Know it. Live it.
Seriously though, that is my bible. It shows how to min/max paragon/renegade options for every mission, all the lootables on every planet, love interests, etc.
 

Patryn

Member
Kelly does not count as a romance, but you can't call her up to dance for you if you're in a romance with a squadmember in ME2.

However, it will not piss off Liara/Kaiden/Ashley. It's never really mentioned.
 

Zen

Banned
The reapers contain every race they've destroyed. It's a given that cloning can bring back extinct species. It's also said that the reapers built to mass effect relays.

So what if they were destroyed? They can travel so fast that they came out of dark space in a matter of years. They can go out and rebuild new ones. I think we'll see the 4th game with a ton of new races that were eluded to by the Prothean and the same old mass effect relays.

They only contain the race of which eve race was considered 'special' or whatever, not every race they've destroyed.
 
pretty sure a second team worked on the MP and not the core ME team so really when it comes down to it, no time was lost from the actual campaign.


And that second team that wasn't eating up time was eating up other resources that could have been spent on the single player.

However...the worst part is that the multiplayer for ME 3 is one of the better aspects of the game.

Which will only serve to encourage EA and their hardon for slapped on multiplayer functionality.
 

EatChildren

Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
You could have squished a multiplayer into ME1. The mechanics are there (only were shittier back then).

And, on top of that, ME3's multiplayer is hardly a bastion of huge, diverted budget. It's six maps recycled into/from single player, the exact same arsenal as single player, the same skills, the same enemy groups, and few if any new assets. It's mostly recycled content and not a whole lot of it.
 

LuchaShaq

Banned
And to think there was a time when I went to Kotaku daily and actually valued their opinion. More than anything else, the whole ME3 ending controversy has clarified my view on much of the gaming journalism sites.

Yup, used to be giantbomb+ rebel fm crew. After Arthur's trolling (can't imagine it being sincere) that the plotholes don't exist my gaming media will be gb videos, bombcast, gaf threads, and E3 trailers that's about it.
 
JOIN ME! I just stared a 5th ME1 run on a new XBL account last week, so I'll try to answer some of your questions. My main character build was the default soldier Shep in 1, mostly paragon with some renegade, and exhaustive playthroughs where I did every possible sidequest and conversation. I've since done a renegade Femshep and a neutral male shep.

1. The thing to keep in mind is that Paragon/Renegade is much more nuanced than Good/Bad. It's more Democratic/Autocratic, or Discussion/Shoot First Ask Questions later. If you max out Intimidate in 1, your Renegade options will still result in those optimal outcomes, it's just that people may not agree with your 'ends justify the means' attitude. You can be a total prick to everyone in the galaxy, be completely neutral with your squad, and still have at least two people wanting to bed you before heading to Ilos.

2. Key sidequests would be all the ones involving Cerberus, Rogue VI, and I would argue the Geth Incursion. Just finished that one this morning and the end script mentions a vid of a Quarian singing a song about 'lost planets and innocence'. Left me wondering if it was a foreshadowing of Legion's revelations about the Schism. Also, Helena Blake, Conrad Verner, Gianna Parisini, the one with the Turian general and Asari consort. All those characters come back in either 2 or 3. But keep in mind your character level at the end of 1 influences how much bonus credits/materials you get at the start of 2.

3. The simple answer is 'Yes'. I went Liara - Miranda - Liara. I 'reunited' with Liara in Shadowbroker, and actually told both of them I wanted to be with them in 3, but only had my sexytime with Liara.

4. Not sure about Kelly, you may have to break off any relationships in order to invite her up to your cabin.

5. It doesn't really matter what decisions you make regarding the council. Anderson will step down and Udina will be on the council regardless. They retcon it somewhat in the codex, but 2 years pass between 1-2 so all sorts of political machinations are possible.

6. Yes you get different bonuses depending on the achievement. Some are passive (bonus 5% XP) some are active (choose a bonus power when creating a new career). See here: http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Achievements

7. Only played up to Hardcore, so can't comment. Have seen a consensus that Insanity is best played as a critical path only, with an already levelled up character. But if you've only played as soldier, I'd recommend one of the other 'pure' classes: Engineer or Adept. If you've unlocked all the weapons achievements, you can choose sniper/assault rifle/shotgun as a bonus power at the start.

8. http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Mass_Effect_Wiki Learn it. Know it. Live it.
Seriously though, that is my bible. It shows how to min/max paragon/renegade options for every mission, all the lootables on every planet, love interests, etc.

Thanks. I will use these. I chose Vanguard just so I can still shoot some stuff; added Assault Rifle from that achievement. I played through to the first visit to the Citadel. Man... the series has come a long way. It feels kind of quaint to see all these KOTORisms (not to mention listening to Carth all the time).

It is difficult acting like a dick to everyone. Goes against my nature, which is why Paragon is always so easy for me.

Also, this is the first time I really heard the male Shepard's voice acting... and man... not good.... FemShep is just fantastic and in retrospect a huge reason I was into the series.
 

nel e nel

Member
Nah, there's some other silly stuff, like why did Thane take on a ninja with a sword in hand to hand when he had a gun previously, why did Miranda not know where the IM's base was until she planted a tracer on Kai Leng, why did the human alliance, with Hackett believing in the reapers, not scour the archives on Mars until the three years into the invasion, etc..

I thought Kai Leng knocked the gun out of Thane's hand during their fight?

Regarding Miranda, she's no longer with Cerberus, and the codex also states that they operate in multiple cells where they have no knowledge of each other, or how their particular work fits into the big picture.
 
I thought Kai Leng knocked the gun out of Thane's hand during their fight?

Regarding Miranda, she's no longer with Cerberus, and the codex also states that they operate in multiple cells where they have no knowledge of each other, or how their particular work fits into the big picture.

Wasn't she literally in that room (with the view of the big-ass star) with the Illusive Man at the start of ME2? Wouldn't she at least have an idea of the system?

Seems thin/anorexic.
 
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