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[Night Hunter]

Any story now will have to deal with these themes, doubly so for games set post-ME3. Assuming BioWare's writers aren't the pinnacle of incompetence, writing in yet another Reaper-like galaxy destroying villain. Like, super Reapers.

Oh my god, I would laugh so hard. Should they opt for an uber-reaper storyline BioWare is officially dead to me. Get someone with some real ideas already, the groundwork has already been done anyway.

 

[Bisnic]

Arent Leviathans basically Super Reapers? I mean, they can shutdown a Reaper effortlessly with their mind. As long as their magic spheres are nearby lol.

 

[Nirolak]

Arent Leviathans basically Super Reapers? I mean, they can shutdown a Reaper effortlessly with their mind. As long as their magic spheres are nearby lol.

Yeah I was about to say they already have super reapers...

 

[EatChildren]

Fuck.

 

[RetroStu]

What? The Reapers were one of the most boring things about the game. I would love a Mass Effect (or BioWare for that matter) title that would just ignore -insert ancient all powerful enemy here- and went for a political story. Or intrigue in general. For example, there are hundreds of megacorporations in the lore, yet they have never been directly explored in the game. The nearest we came to that was the Shadow Broker storyline, and that one was still very basic, because the main story was more important.

You mean like the Star Wars prequels....

 

[shinobi602]

What? The Reapers were one of the most boring things about the game. I would love a Mass Effect (or BioWare for that matter) title that would just ignore -insert ancient all powerful enemy here- and went for a political story. Or intrigue in general. For example, there are hundreds of megacorporations in the lore, yet they have never been directly explored in the game. The nearest we came to that was the Shadow Broker storyline, and that one was still very basic, because the main story was more important.

Anything but Cerberus. Anybody but them, please, fuck. They got old, fast.

 

[Simzyy]

At the end of the day, the overall story of the mass effect trilogy was pretty bad. It was the cast and the little things which made the games so good.

But yes...super-reapers would be the absolute worst. I don't even want to see the Leviathans at all, maybe as a small side story at most.

 

[EatChildren]

The leviathans should still be around post-ME3 too.

Fucking fuck fucked fuck.

 

[Night Hunter]

Arent Leviathans basically Super Reapers? I mean, they can shutdown a Reaper effortlessly with their mind. As long as their magic spheres are nearby lol.

But aren't there like 10 of them?

 

[EatChildren]

But aren't there like 10 of them?

Mass Effect managed to build a game around one.

Mass Effect 2 half of one.

 

[Night Hunter]

Mass Effect managed to build a game around one.

Mass Effect 2 half of one.

Don't destroy my hopes goddammit!

 

[Nirolak]

The leviathans should still be around post-ME3 too.

Fucking fuck fucked fuck.

Anything but Cerberus. Anybody but them, please, fuck. They got old, fast.

Maybe we can have a plotline where you broker political deals between the Leviathans and Cerberus, who for some reason now run the galaxy.

 

[shinobi602]

Maybe we can have a plotline where you broker political deals between the Leviathans and Cerberus, who for some reason now run the galaxy.

 

[Trigger]

I liked the initial concept of Cerebus. The problem was when it suddenly morphed into a paramilitary group.

 

[EatChildren]

I liked the initial concept of Cerebus.

I think everybody did until they became deus ex machina.

 

[Nirolak]

People weren't so keen on Dragon Age 2's plotline implementation, so BioWare responded by moving from the political/cultural clash theme back to "Giant dragons and demons appear from a hole in the sky."

(No seriously, that's quite literally the plot.)

I'm not entirely sure how likely they are to do a political/cultural plotline for Mass Effect 4, though I do think it would be a good direction.

 

[Bisnic]

The leviathans should still be around post-ME3 too.

Fucking fuck fucked fuck.

Leviathans aren't as evil as Reapers though aren't they? They don't want to exterminate all organics like they did. But... they did rule the galaxy ages ago, so they might want to do it again.

Best hope for the next Mass Effect to not have any of this, is basically another story in the same universe. With everything that happened in the trilogy(Shepard, Reapers, Leviathans, Cerberus, etc) taken out.

 

[EatChildren]

Like I said, the most believable, grounded, and interesting direction the narrative could have taken in a plausible post-Mass Effect 3 Reaper war scenario would be a resource/civil war. The galactic climate would be perfect, and it would be a sensible development of threats without regressing to Reaper 2.0 nonsense, while still retaining the fantastical sci-fi element.

But we won't get that. We'll get Leviathans. Leviathans flying super Reapers. And the Geth a bad too again because reasons.

 

[Night Hunter]

People weren't so keen on Dragon Age 2's plotline implementation, so BioWare responded by moving from the political/cultural clash theme back to "Giant dragons and demons appear from a hole in the sky."

(No seriously, that's quite literally the plot.)

I'm not entirely sure how likely they are to do a political/cultural plotline for Mass Effect 4, though I do think it would be a good direction.

Well, the Dragon Age lore is just not interesting enough for such a plot. By far the best part (Qunari) ended in the second act.

 

[i-Lo]

This "ancient evil" is a trope that is prevalent in games dealing with larger than life adversaries. At this point it is getting tiresome.

One area that has potential and more familiar yet less trodden is the idea behind Cerberus being run by a zealot intent on human superiority (based on persecution complex and paranoia) to the point where potential xenocide (with the aid of now defunct reaper tech) and the effort to prevent it at all costs can be the crux of the plot.

Let the misguided humans become villains for a change.

 

[shinobi602]

People weren't so keen on Dragon Age 2's plotline implementation, so BioWare responded by moving from the political/cultural clash theme back to "Giant dragons and demons appear from a hole in the sky."

(No seriously, that's quite literally the plot.).

What do you mean? In the DA2 DLCs? Never played the DLCs so I wouldn't know, or are you talking about Inquisition?

 

[EatChildren]

This "ancient evil" is a trope that is prevalent in games dealing with larger than life adversaries. At this point it is getting tiresome.

One area that has potential and more familiar yet less trodden is the idea behind Cerberus being run by a zealot intent on human superiority (based on persecution complex and paranoia) to the point where potential xenocide (with the aid of now defunct reaper tech) and the effort to prevent it at all costs can be the crux of the plot.

Let the misguided humans become villains for a change.

This was more or less Mass Effect 3 Cerberus: an indoctrinated, paranoid Illusive Man prioritising the survivalism of humans at the expense of all other species, wrapped in a Reaper backdrop. And while what your suggesting is fine in theory, it's still treading waters with the idea that Cerberus is an all-mighty limitless-funded source of military and intelligence, which itself was never believable.

Cerberus need to be gone for good, in my opinion. Love them or loathe them, they've served their purpose and have no place in any post ME3 universe. We'll get enough of them in the new comic series.

 

[Nirolak]

Like I said, the most believable, grounded, and interesting direction the narrative could have taken in a plausible post-Mass Effect 3 Reaper war scenario would be a resource/civil war. The galactic climate would be perfect, and it would be a sensible development of threats without regressing to Reaper 2.0 nonsense, while still retaining the fantastical sci-fi element.

But we won't get that. We'll get Leviathans. Leviathans flying super Reapers. And the Geth a bad too again because reasons.

I don't think you even need an open war for that.

You could fit a lot of interesting plotlines within the scope of reconstruction era Mass Effect, where the main conflict arises from those who try to take advantage of the decimation on the planets for various reasons.

Power struggles, resource control, interest in changing longstanding traditions and societal structures due to the large opportunity offered by a decimated civilization, or the struggle of large scale integration for refugees (or even refugee species) on worlds they are not native to.

You wouldn't exactly need planets fighting other planets to work on this scale, though it might make sense for certain systems like the Krogans expanding to their neighboring planets.

Well, the Dragon Age lore is just not interesting enough for such a plot. By far the best part (Qunari) ended in the second act.

Well yes, but they could have addressed the lore instead of choosing the path they did.

 

[Nirolak]

What do you mean? In the DA2 DLCs? Never played the DLCs so I wouldn't know, or are you talking about Inquisition?

The part in the trailer where there is that giant green line in the sky and the dragon appears is a Fade tear which demons use to flood into the world.

You are then set out to investigate why this happened.

 

[shinobi602]

The part in the trailer where there is that giant green line in the sky and the dragon appears is a Fade tear which demons use to flood into the world.

I don't think that's going to be main story thread in the game though, at least I don't think...they've said numerous times the mages vs templars conflict is at the heart of the game right?

 

[EatChildren]

I don't think you even need an open war for that.

You could fit a lot of interesting plotlines within the scope of reconstruction era Mass Effect, where the main conflict arises from those who try to take advantage of the decimation on the planets for various reasons.

Power struggles, resource control, interest in changing longstanding traditions and societal structures due to the large opportunity offered by a decimated civilization, or the struggle of large scale integration for refugees (or even refugee species) on worlds they are not native to.

You wouldn't exactly need planets fighting other planets to work on this scale, though it might make sense for certain systems like the Krogans expanding to their neighboring planets.

Yeah, that's what I meant, didn't mean to imply open war. Instead a conflict of interests and resources in a rebuilding phase, something that would naturally occur in any post war environment, and provide an interesting backdrop for storytelling.

And I think when aiming to appease old fans, while introducing the universe to new, such narrative is easy to understand, believable, and doesn't require a convoluted back story. "There was a great war, and we're trying to rebuild."

 

[Nirolak]

I don't think that's going to be main story thread in the game though, at least I don't think...they've said numerous times the mages vs templars conflict is at the heart of the game right?

Well I guess this is what the official website lists:

"Explore a vast, fantasy world at the brink of catastrophe in Dragon Age™: Inquisition, a next-generation action RPG, where your choices shape and drive the experience. In this upcoming video game from BioWare, makers of Mass Effect 3 and Dragon Age: Origins, you’ll make your mark in an expansive, story-driven open world filled with complex characters, challenging combat and difficult decisions.

A cataclysmic event has plunged the land of Thedas into turmoil. Dragons now darken the sky, casting a shadow of terror over a once-peaceful kingdom. Mages have broken into an all-out war against the oppressive Templars. Nations rise against one another. It falls to you to restore order as you lead the Inquisition and hunt down the agents of chaos - your choices will forever change the Dragon Age."

Perhaps it's one of several plotlines.

Yeah, that's what I meant, didn't mean to imply open war. Instead a conflict of interests and resources in a rebuilding phase, something that would naturally occur in any post war environment, and provide an interesting backdrop for storytelling.

And I think when aiming to appease old fans, while introducing the universe to new, such narrative is easy to understand, believable, and doesn't require a convoluted back story. "There was a great war, and we're trying to rebuild."

Yeah I do agree it could definitely work.

 

[prag16]

Like I said, the most believable, grounded, and interesting direction the narrative could have taken in a plausible post-Mass Effect 3 Reaper war scenario would be a resource/civil war. The galactic climate would be perfect, and it would be a sensible development of threats without regressing to Reaper 2.0 nonsense, while still retaining the fantastical sci-fi element.

But we won't get that. We'll get Leviathans. Leviathans flying super Reapers. And the Geth a bad too again because reasons.

I'd tell you not to worry... but Mac Walters still works at Bioware.

 

[Winterfang]

I wish finished ME2, so I just skimmed this topic to as a question.

Without spoilers. I beat the game with a female Shepard and the romance options where disappointing to say the least. I end up having Kelly Dance for me and sit on my lap, The justicar almost kissing and gave money to a stripper.

And that's it, hot girls like Miranda and Jack seemed imposible to seduce no matter how much I tried. And the male options where terrible.

You have Jacob, who seems like a cool guy but Shepard comes out him too strong to the point that I stop talking to him since I could tell he was annoyed.
There's Thane who looks like a nasty fish and Garrus. I almost went for Garrus but he felt weird about it so I ended it.

Where's the options? Why can I fuck Grunt or Geth? Anyway what I'm trying to ask is Does Mass Effect 3 has better romance options for a femshep?

 

[shinobi602]

Well I guess this is what the official website lists:

"Explore a vast, fantasy world at the brink of catastrophe in Dragon Age™: Inquisition, a next-generation action RPG, where your choices shape and drive the experience. In this upcoming video game from BioWare, makers of Mass Effect 3 and Dragon Age: Origins, you’ll make your mark in an expansive, story-driven open world filled with complex characters, challenging combat and difficult decisions.

A cataclysmic event has plunged the land of Thedas into turmoil. Dragons now darken the sky, casting a shadow of terror over a once-peaceful kingdom. Mages have broken into an all-out war against the oppressive Templars. Nations rise against one another. It falls to you to restore order as you lead the Inquisition and hunt down the agents of chaos - your choices will forever change the Dragon Age."

Perhaps it's one of several plotlines.

Well, it wouldn't be Dragon Age without some dragons, hyuck hyuck.

/snarky response

 

[Nirolak]

Well, it wouldn't be Dragon Age without some dragons, hyuck hyuck.

/snarky response

Well yes they kind of backed themselves into this corner by saying almost all the dragons were extinct, so if they wanted more, they had to get them from somewhere.

 

[Dany]

Forget the reapers.


All praise the sowers.

 

[DedValve]

Anything but Cerberus. Anybody but them, please, fuck. They got old, fast.

From interesting terrorist extremist organization that was hurting the Alliance more than helping to all powerful beings that thwarted the Salarian STG, Asari Commandos and Turian Army because TIM is uber duber fuber luber rich all in the span of 1 fucking game.

They didn't get old fast. They got ran into the ground only to be brought back up only to be ran into the ground again and now we can never have the ME1 Cerberus back because that would be going backwards.

Either way I look forward to Shepards son/daughter saving the galaxy from Ultra Reapers.

 

[i-Lo]

This was more or less Mass Effect 3 Cerberus: an indoctrinated, paranoid Illusive Man prioritising the survivalism of humans at the expense of all other species, wrapped in a Reaper backdrop. And while what your suggesting is fine in theory, it's still treading waters with the idea that Cerberus is an all-mighty limitless-funded source of military and intelligence, which itself was never believable.

Cerberus need to be gone for good, in my opinion. Love them or loathe them, they've served their purpose and have no place in any post ME3 universe. We'll get enough of them in the new comic series.

Fair enough but I have a low opinion of the human race primarily because of how the writers always associate messianic traits with humanity in most multi-species space sci-fi.

I wanted something along the lines of star trek: enterprise's xindi incident and its repercussion in terms of deterioriation in the perception of aliens to point of paranoia followed by propaganda (by profiteers and zealots) followed by either cold war or an all out conflict (the latter, which given the nuances in writing for video games, would be easier to accomplish).

Also, acts of sabotage and dispersion of biochemical toxic agents need not necessitate the requirement of unlimited funds.

I think the biggest issue with gaming and game developers in general, which they proudly keep on perpetuating (like Bungie) is idea "relatability". Be it weapons, armors, architecture, concepts etc, this pervasive ideology prevents from truly unleashing the imagination. In terms of enemy design, the idea of "grand", "ancient" and "absolute" are like words of god that developers stick to. And in terms of space and aliens (in ME), we still have sound in space, humanoid aliens who despite all their physical difference function essentially like humans (save Racchni, Volus, Hanar, Elcor and the only significant race, Quarians (only in design)), spaceships (SR2) move as if it was still flying through an atmosphere, the gravity of 1G on all planets etc.

As long as these precepts dictate the rules to gaming world, the plot of the next mass effect will be intriguing but by the end predictable and cliched.

 

[BizzyBum]

Say what you will about the ending, but the Siege on the Citadel Beam was about a minute of the most personal and emotionally driven things I have ever experienced gaming.

Reflecting back on it, it's what Shepard had been dedicating his life to for the past few years (and us as players). All those sacrifices, all those casualties, all the relationships and people we loved and cared about, all those blood, sweat, and tears... boils down to a final all-or-nothing push to reach the beam and destroy the Reapers while staring Harbinger right in the face.

They could have retreated at the sight of Harbinger touching down, perhaps waited for air support for a quick diversion, devised a plan somehow. But no... it was now or never. Deep down, Hammer Team all knew, probably even Shepard, that it was a suicide run. They were running towards Harbinger, on FOOT.

Deep down, you almost assumed that Shepard would somehow make it unscathed. When he was skimmed by Harbinger's blast and struggled to get up, bloodied and bruised, armor ripped to shreds, it was like the most intense "Oh, damn..." moment I ever experienced. It was the first time were ever saw Shepard truly injured. Badassfully, we pictured him before as an indestructible soldier who was invincible. This moment reminds you he's just a human, and he has been just a human as fragile as any other this whole time. It's at this moment that I realized Shepard would not live.

All in all, It was the culmination of the entire trilogy, what we worked so hard for, all in that short, exhilarating minute.

 

[shinobi602]

From interesting terrorist extremist organization that was hurting the Alliance more than helping to all powerful beings that thwarted the Salarian STG, Asari Commandos and Turian Army because TIM is uber duber fuber luber rich all in the span of 1 fucking game.

They didn't get old fast. They just became far to convenient and now we can never have the ME1 Cerberus back because that would be going backwards.

Either way I look forward to Shepards son/daughter saving the galaxy from Ultra Reapers.

They should've kept them as interesting side story in the ME trilogy, because their mini side plot in ME1 was great, but they greatly overstayed their welcome, and that was exacerbated by the fact they become such an all powerful force to challenge all the damn species in the galaxy. Really got tired quick.

 

[EatChildren]

Fair enough but I have a low opinion of the human race primarily because of how the writers always associate messianic traits with humanity in most multi-species space sci-fi.

I wanted something along the lines of star trek: enterprise's xindi incident and its repercussion in terms of deterioriation in the perception of aliens to point of paranoia followed by propaganda (by profiteers and zealots) followed by either cold war or an all out conflict (the latter, which given the nuances in writing for video games, would be easier to accomplish).

Also, acts of sabotage and dispersion of biochemical toxic agents need not necessitate the requirement of unlimited funds.

I get that, I'm just not interested in it, as it puts humanity once again as the focus even if negatively. I'd rather less human wank all over, the species no less more or homogeneous with the galactic society. If we go down the path of terrorism and underground militia, I'd rather see it politically driven rather than racially (even though the two do cross streams often enough in our own world).

I think the biggest issue with gaming and game developers in general, which they proudly keep on perpetuating (like Bungie) is idea "relatability". Be it weapons, armors, architecture, concepts etc, this pervasive ideology prevents from truly unleashing the imagination. In terms of enemy design, the idea of "grand", "ancient" and "absolute" are like words of god that developers stick to. And in terms of space and aliens (in ME), we still have sound in space, humanoid aliens who despite all their physical difference function essentially like humans (save Racchni, Volus, Hanar, Elcor and the only significant race, Quarians (only in design)), spaceships (SR2) move as if it was still flying through an atmosphere, the gravity of 1G on all planets etc.

As long as these precepts dictate the rules to gaming world, the plot of the next mass effect will be intriguing but by the end predictable and cliched.

A lot of this is a result of what Mass Effect is: dumb pulpy sci fi. It's never been anything but a homage to more or less every pop culture sci fi cliché out there. Not that Mass Effect couldn't go down a more ambitious and inventive path, but I don't think it's wise for anybody to hope or expect it from this franchise.

In terms of believability, all that believability needs to exist is within the confines of narrative consistency and thematic relevance. Much of Mass Effect lore is unbelievable, but what makes something like the ME3's ending such a catastrophe is it devoid of any believability and consistency with what had been established, even if what had been established was so unbelievable.

A story can be cliche and pulpy and stupid but still a fun ride as long as it's consistent and interesting, avoiding the most lazy trappings of narrative. And that's all I ask for from the next Mass Effect.

 

[Patryn]

Like I said, the most believable, grounded, and interesting direction the narrative could have taken in a plausible post-Mass Effect 3 Reaper war scenario would be a resource/civil war. The galactic climate would be perfect, and it would be a sensible development of threats without regressing to Reaper 2.0 nonsense, while still retaining the fantastical sci-fi element.

But we won't get that. We'll get Leviathans. Leviathans flying super Reapers. And the Geth a bad too again because reasons.

If they wanted big, they could do a game about the races of the Terminus System going to war against Citadel controlled systems. After all, the Citadel races are pretty weakened.

 

[Bisnic]

If they wanted big, they could do a game about the races of the Terminus System going to war against Citadel controlled systems. After all, the Citadel races are pretty weakened.

Yeah, but the Terminus System got weakened just as much as the Citadel controlled systems. The Reapers didn't ignore them.

 

[Nostremitus]

Yeah, but the Terminus System got weakened just as much as the Citadel controlled systems. The Reapers didn't ignore them.

Yes, but the various criminal organizations are now a singular force commanded by Aria. That could be interesting, especially if the counsel now politically recognizes her rule of the Terminus systems due to her aid against the Reapers.

 

[Dmax3901]

Same universe, different threat, preferably not as large scale as 'end of all life as we know it' but who am I kidding.

Focussed, character-driven, innovative (not just a stripped back KOTOR/GoW) and more RPG elements, let me upgrade the fucking Normandy. Let me have different home bases around different planets n shit.

I want Little King's Story in space.

 

[Kill Your Masters]

Well if they really go for a true sequel, it's going to be interesting to see how they'll handle the three endings of ME3. Will there be a Shepard Reaper (day one DLC alternative space ship!) for control players? Will you be able to romance and deflower a sunflower in synthesis? Is Shepard dead in destroy, but then stitched back together by Cerberus again to fight a bigger threat?

Seriously, how will they cop out after all the ME3 ending bullshit that looks hard to write after?

Like I said, the most believable, grounded, and interesting direction the narrative could have taken in a plausible post-Mass Effect 3 Reaper war scenario would be a resource/civil war. The galactic climate would be perfect, and it would be a sensible development of threats without regressing to Reaper 2.0 nonsense, while still retaining the fantastical sci-fi element.

But we won't get that. We'll get Leviathans. Leviathans flying super Reapers. And the Geth a bad too again because reasons.

A resource war would be quite good actually, lesser scale with more focus on characters and (undiscovered) planets.

Still, even this idea (every idea/plotline) has to deal with how ME3 ended. While the endings might not have been satisfying, they still had three more or less huge decisions that affected the whole galaxy so much, they would need to make three games for each rainbow...

 

[WAR recon zero]

LTTP.

Finished ME1 last week, ME2 intro was crazy but the gameplay changes are too shootey

 

[i-Lo]

I get that, I'm just not interested in it, as it puts humanity once again as the focus even if negatively. I'd rather less human wank all over, the species no less more or homogeneous with the galactic society. If we go down the path of terrorism and underground militia, I'd rather see it politically driven rather than racially (even though the two do cross streams often enough in our own world).

In the end, they'll do whatever they want regardless how either one of us feel. I just hope they took away the salient issues from why people were disappointed with ME3's conclusion.

A lot of this is a result of what Mass Effect is: dumb pulpy sci fi. It's never been anything but a homage to more or less every pop culture sci fi cliché out there. Not that Mass Effect couldn't go down a more ambitious and inventive path, but I don't think it's wise for anybody to hope or expect it from this franchise.

In terms of believability, all that believability needs to exist is within the confines of narrative consistency and thematic relevance. Much of Mass Effect lore is unbelievable, but what makes something like the ME3's ending such a catastrophe is it devoid of any believability and consistency with what had been established, even if what had been established was so unbelievable.

A story can be cliche and pulpy and stupid but still a fun ride as long as it's consistent and interesting, avoiding the most lazy trappings of narrative. And that's all I ask for from the next Mass Effect.

Yea, you're right. In the light of what CDPR are aiming to do, I thought they'd aim a little higher but they have already set the parameters for the game world and how all things operate within them. Looking to them now would lead to a few inconsistency. That said, changing things like gravity and sound in space are the two things which will not affect the narrative, merely the level design.
__________________________________

One thing I did wonder from the DA:I thread is that whether, when it comes to design, are there strict paradigms that separate the fantasy from science-fiction?

For example can a design like this be considered "alien"?

Technically, in every sense of the word, it should be able to. I can understand designs that overt religious tones and are explicitly related to humanity may not qualify but there are various designs that could work in both worlds.

 

[i-Lo]

Rejuvenating this thread:

Page: http://vincentxyooj.deviantart.com/art/Mass-Fantasy-Lightning-300243324

Mwhahaha. With all the cross overs, not an impossibility.

 

[bengraven]

This is, in all honesty, right up there with Tamriel and Azeroth

Spoiler

and Pandora

as my favorite universe created in videogames. I may even read the expanded stuff because I'm such a junkie for this lore.

Everything hits me in the space opera genitals.

 

[WAR recon zero]

Rejuvenating this thread:

Page: http://vincentxyooj.deviantart.com/art/Mass-Fantasy-Lightning-300243324

Mwhahaha. With all the cross overs, not an impossibility.

lighting does not have a rack

 

[i-Lo]

lighting does not have a rack

She inherited Miranda's implants.

 

[Gillian Seed]

Say what you will about the ending, but the Siege on the Citadel Beam was about a minute of the most personal and emotionally driven things I have ever experienced gaming.

Reflecting back on it, it's what Shepard had been dedicating his life to for the past few years (and us as players). All those sacrifices, all those casualties, all the relationships and people we loved and cared about, all those blood, sweat, and tears... boils down to a final all-or-nothing push to reach the beam and destroy the Reapers while staring Harbinger right in the face.

They could have retreated at the sight of Harbinger touching down, perhaps waited for air support for a quick diversion, devised a plan somehow. But no... it was now or never. Deep down, Hammer Team all knew, probably even Shepard, that it was a suicide run. They were running towards Harbinger, on FOOT.

Deep down, you almost assumed that Shepard would somehow make it unscathed. When he was skimmed by Harbinger's blast and struggled to get up, bloodied and bruised, armor ripped to shreds, it was like the most intense "Oh, damn..." moment I ever experienced. It was the first time were ever saw Shepard truly injured. Badassfully, we pictured him before as an indestructible soldier who was invincible. This moment reminds you he's just a human, and he has been just a human as fragile as any other this whole time. It's at this moment that I realized Shepard would not live.

All in all, It was the culmination of the entire trilogy, what we worked so hard for, all in that short,
exhilarating minute.

Well said.

 

[EatChildren]

SDCC twitter chatter.

Fabrice Condominas ‏@Faburisu 20 Jul
Awesome day at the #SDCC having a lots of #masseffect discussion with fans, including @RobertKazinsky

Christina Cooper ‏@CooperChristina 20 Jul
I LOVE the fact that I can't talk about what I just talked about for 2 hours #MASSEFFECT #BIOWARE

Michael Gamble ‏@GambleMike 20 Jul
Fun to sit down with @RobertKazinsky and chat Mass Effect with him