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[EatChildren]

1) Just beat the Omega DLC in ME3. So, so good and long. Loved how bad-ass Aria is. My 100% Paragon Shepard blew Petrovsky's brains the fuck out in the end because, hey, nobody fucks with Omega!. And having the final battle in the Afterlife club. Genious.

Incredible visuals in the DLC as well - Omega's skyline when climbing that one ladder with Aria, the mines (crazy geometry). Having Aria and the other girl setting up camps was very nice and allowed for the such needed pacing space between Atlas fights.

Very, very good DLC right no par the Lair of the Shadow Broker for me even if Lair had more varied locations.

I've praised Omega before and I'll do it again: it's not without glaring faults (Nireen or whatever is handled poorly in the end), but it's very well constructed and has excellent pacing. It has some of the most enjoyable encounters in the series that properly embrace shooter design where you're not always locked in a room fighting off waves, which was more or less ME3's design in a nutshell. Omega has a lot of smaller entaglements in rooms and corridors to keep you on the move.

Gud DLC.

 

[StoppedInTracks]

I've praised Omega before and I'll do it again: it's not without glaring faults (Nireen or whatever is handled poorly in the end), but it's very well constructed and has excellent pacing. It has some of the most enjoyable encounters in the series that properly embrace shooter design where you're not always locked in a room fighting off waves, which was more or less ME3's design in a nutshell. Omega has a lot of smaller entaglements in rooms and corridors to keep you on the move.

Gud DLC.

I was very surprised by that small-ass corridor near the end which had only like 4 Guardians in it. They killed me at first then after a reload I could simply not kill them for like 10 minutes because I had nothing that could actually disable their shields (no Singularity, no Pull etc.) It was embarrassing that they killed me but it made me value the encounter and the general combat system much more after that.

Very smart combat encounter desgin - tight corridor + Guardians. No Centurions, no Engineers. Just Guardians. Smart.

 

[Kabouter]

By best characters do you mean best as "broken" like Kasumi and her insta-death attack? Or best as best character development and dialogues?

The latter.

 

[StoppedInTracks]

I left From Ashes out because I frankly find it hard to believe it was important to the original cut of the game if they left it out for so many people's first playthroughs. And it seemed rather far fetched that you would get a prothean squad member. Felt a bit like some face value marketing that they knew some people would eat up from the portions and marketing I saw. Seems like a living prothean would be quite a dramatic twist in the series no? Yet somehow, the game seems to have actually been written first without him and he was slipped in for DLC. To me that seems like two dramatically different versions of the canon, but one was unimportant enough and perhaps such an afterthought that it wasn't put in the core game.

I prefer the ME1 and 2 suggestion that there is a lost mystery in what happened to them really. Some went dormant, some were taken by reapers, and all you get is what was left behind of their mind shown they had them. Some bold ruins, technology, questions, and empathy for their ending.

Exactly my feelings after recovering him. Could have not written it better myself. The mystery of Protheans (and the tragedy of Collectors by proxy) just dissolved for me after I got him.

It really sounds like a marketing grab instead of a thought up introduction to one of the biggest mysteries of the whole saga.

At least James in the Armory said something that I 100% agree with: being the last of its kind (the last single example of a species) and being awoken 50 000 years later must fuck up ones mind. It's like the Last White Rhino on Earth from the OT thread!

That made me thinking about Javik and the possibilities of the character. We will see, first impressions are negative.

 

[cslesce]

they don't have guts to offer us ME TRILOGY REMASTERED PS4

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

Javik is one of the two main character missteps for me, along with robot-EDI. Both a Prothean squadmember and giving EDI a body were things discussed by fans after ME2, and both were ideas I just laughed about as being far too tacky to include. Living Prothean especially.

 

[EatChildren]

Even though the idea is king stupid I thought they handled Javik extremely well given the context to the point of being one of if not the best in the ME3 cast.

 

[StoppedInTracks]

The latter.

Even though the idea is king stupid I thought they handled Javik extremely well given the context to the point of being one of if not the best in the ME3 cast.

Come on guys... seriously?

That's it. Liara goes out of my team. Garrus + Javik from now on.

 

[EatChildren]

Javik, like Legion, is one of those well written character that turns the lore upside down in a believable way simply by offering a perspective you never had. It's better than Legion's revelations as the Quarians were always obviously wrong and horrible. Javik just outright murders all the airy fairy romanticism of mysterious alien races by bringing you down to crushing reality, and the way this fucks with Liara's headspace is wonderful.

Plus he's a deadpan warmongerer who has no time for shit, and in most cases doesn't understand why you do.

 

[Random17]

Javik is one of the two main character missteps for me, along with robot-EDI. Both a Prothean squadmember and giving EDI a body were things discussed by fans after ME2, and both were ideas I just laughed about as being far too tacky to include. Living Prothean especially.

Javik was comedy gold though, even if it was a narrative stretch to include him in ME3.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

Also while I'm here complaining, I was annoyed they made the Protheans look so similar to Collectors. The latter just looks like the former with a little bit of biological armor on them. Mainly because it looked nothing like all the statues we saw of Protheans in ME1. And in that same vein, it wouldn't have been such a shock to learn that they were modified Protheans in ME2, everyone acts like it's the most incredible thing ever. I guess we're expected to believe that the Prothean civilization made no pictographic representations of themselves, but instead chose to make huge numbers of statues of random tentacle monsters that looked nothing like them. And scatter them everywhere.

 

[Florida_Man_5000]

Guys....it's plural (game"s")!!!!!
What could that mean?

Spoiler

KOTOR, Jade Empire!?!?

 

[Fiery Phoenix]

Guys....it's plural (game"s")!!!!!
What could that mean?

Spoiler

KOTOR, Jade Empire!?!?

He means the three ME games.

 

[Random17]

Also while I'm here complaining, I was annoyed they made the Protheans look so similar to Collectors. The latter just looks like the former with a little bit of biological armor on them. Mainly because it looked nothing like all the statues we saw of Protheans in ME1. And in that same vein, it wouldn't have been such a shock to learn that they were modified Protheans in ME2, everyone acts like it's the most incredible thing ever. I guess we're expected to believe that the Prothean civilization made no pictographic representations of themselves, but instead chose to make huge numbers of statues of random tentacle monsters that looked nothing like them. And scatter them everywhere.

Speculating here; but weren't the statues made by the contemporary species, and were therefore influenced by their own image, just like the Asari in ME3?

If a surviving military base on Earth was found by an alien species 50 thousand years from now, do you think a picture of humans would survive? Unlikely when everything runs on fallible computer programs that degrade after thousands of years.

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

Speculating here; but weren't the statues made by the contemporary species, and were therefore influenced by their own image, just like the Asari in ME3?

If a surviving military base on Earth was found by an alien species 50 thousand years from now, do you think a picture of humans would survive? Unlikely when everything runs on fallible computer programs that degrade after thousands of years.

No they were all over Illos, which was a Prothean ruin. The statues weren't from contemporary species. They were also shown exclusively in Shepard's vision in ME1 of the Reapers wiping them out. It's not that they would automatically draw themselves everywhere, it's more that they would have no reason to leave statues like that lying all over their empire. Aliens searching through rubble on Earth won't find digital information, but they will find all of the statues and monuments of humans scattered across the world. Mass Effect 1 art books label the statues as "Protheans".

There is an attempt to reconcile this by fans to say that since the Prothean empire assimilated various species, that Javik is one of the Protehan species, and the Illos things were another. But nothing in the games points to this being true, everything we see ME2 onwards has the Collector style Protheans and the other style is never mentioned, seen, or heard from again. They also changed the Prothean beacon vision in ME2 so that you see collectors in the flashes, lol.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

By best characters do you mean best as "broken" like Kasumi and her insta-death attack? Or best as best character development and dialogues?

Come on guys... seriously?

That's it. Liara goes out of my team. Garrus + Javik from now on.

Javik was awesome. You're drunk.

Javik, like Legion, is one of those well written character that turns the lore upside down in a believable way simply by offering a perspective you never had. It's better than Legion's revelations as the Quarians were always obviously wrong and horrible. Javik just outright murders all the airy fairy romanticism of mysterious alien races by bringing you down to crushing reality, and the way this fucks with Liara's headspace is wonderful.

Plus he's a deadpan warmongerer who has no time for shit, and in most cases doesn't understand why you do.

Even EatChildren says he was great.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

I've praised Omega before and I'll do it again: it's not without glaring faults (Nireen or whatever is handled poorly in the end), but it's very well constructed and has excellent pacing. It has some of the most enjoyable encounters in the series that properly embrace shooter design where you're not always locked in a room fighting off waves, which was more or less ME3's design in a nutshell. Omega has a lot of smaller entaglements in rooms and corridors to keep you on the move.

Gud DLC.

Omega was fine for what it was, but I had some major issues with it:

1. A lot of people hoped it would provide another hub world. ME3 only had one. Another criticism of the game.

2. It was overpriced. Should have been $10.

3. It has no impact on the base game. Aria chooses to remain in the Citadel. WTF?!

 

[StoppedInTracks]

Javik was awesome. You're drunk.

He's on my team now. Can't argue with 2 red names.

 

[Bisnic]

He's on my team now. Can't argue with 2 red names.

Seeing his reactions to "primitive" species, and the reactions of these species toward him is interesting to see.

And quoting myself from a few days ago, short Javik scene. You get many little stuff like that with him. He can get funny sometimes even when he's not deliberately making a joke.

Just saw this, made me laugh, so many lines worth hearing that can be easily missed if you have the "wrong" squadmate :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUy0pqoW2oQ

 

[Patryn]

3) Tried out the Leviathan DLC as well and got destroyed... first time I've encountered Banshees (2 at the same time!) and well I don't have at the moment anything to counter them (I am not levelling up my chars yet, mind you, they are sitting on 50+ skill points to be assigned). I will try it again before the end of the game. *shrugs* Still, it is much more interesting and much more better than From Ashes DLC from what I saw. Felt very Dead Space-y.

Why are you not leveling up?

If you're worried about wasting points, you can respec at almost any time in the Med Bay.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

Why are you not leveling up?

This was my question.

 

[Bisnic]

Why are you not leveling up?

If you're worried about wasting points, you can respec at almost any time in the Med Bay.

Anyway, by the time you hit lvl 60, you'll have almost all your skills maxed up with the exception of maybe one. And if you have a class with two ammo power skills, it's easy to know which one you won't get to the maximum rank.

 

[Sai]

Did we ever get an official reason as to why ME2 & 3 were never made available for Games on Demand when they've been on PSN for years? I just booted up my 360 for the first time in months, thinking about messing around with an old save from ME2 when I this came to mind.

Can't be an issue of size or multiple discs. Some contract of PSN exclusivity, perhaps?

[EDIT] - Asked this before like three years ago... :/

 

[Fiery Phoenix]

Just realizing now that the galaxy map in the ME4 E3 2014 teaser looks nothing like the milky way. Don't know how I'm noticing this now.

I wouldn't take a teaser at face value. It's not really much to go by.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

Did we ever get an official reason as to why ME2 & 3 were never made available for Games on Demand when they've been on PSN for years? I just booted up my 360 for the first time in months, thinking about messing around with an old save from ME2 when I this came to mind.

Can't be an issue of size or multiple discs. Some contract of PSN exclusivity, perhaps?

I doubt you will ever get a reason.

Frankly im baffled why you would even bother since Gamestop frequently sells both games for often under $10. They would probably be $20-$30 on Live.

Unless there is no Gamestop near you.

 

[StoppedInTracks]

Why are you not leveling up?

If you're worried about wasting points, you can respec at almost any time in the Med Bay.

Yeah do not want to waste points picking a shitty ability. I got burned in Dragon Age 1... Waiting till I hit enough points to max out everything at once. It is how I play. Kind of artificial challenge using only LVL1 Singularity (Liara) and LVL1 Concussive Shot (Garrus) and LVL1 Throw (Shepard)... some of the encounters were quite hard i.e. last encounter with the Harvester in Tuchanka Bomb mission, Grissom Academy with second Atlas etc. I did the same in ME2 - did not level up a single ability till I hit a roadblock in the Horizon mission (Praetorian). Then the game was easy again (difficulty level: the last one before Insanity).

In my very personal opinion, not related to the series at all, respeccing = cheating. One of the reasons I rate Diablo 3 lower than Diablo 2 for example.

Anyway, I managed to kill the 2 Banshees after some reloads and a different strategy. But then comes the timed part with 1 Banshee and the repair drone... it fucks me up, yo. Gotta upgrade my weapons first I guess.

 

[nel e nel]

I left From Ashes out because I frankly find it hard to believe it was important to the original cut of the game if they left it out for so many people's first playthroughs. And it seemed rather far fetched that you would get a prothean squad member. Felt a bit like some face value marketing that they knew some people would eat up from the portions and marketing I saw. Seems like a living prothean would be quite a dramatic twist in the series no? Yet somehow, the game seems to have actually been written first without him and he was slipped in for DLC. To me that seems like two dramatically different versions of the canon, but one was unimportant enough and perhaps such an afterthought that it wasn't put in the core game.

I prefer the ME1 and 2 suggestion that there is a lost mystery in what happened to them really. Some went dormant, some were taken by reapers, and all you get is what was left behind of their minds when they had them. Some bold ruins, technology, questions, and empathy for their ending.

In the Final Hours app, Casey addresses this and said that they originally wanted Javik in the game, but as it became clear they wouldn't make their release date, they put it aside and came back to it.

 

[Patryn]

Yeah do not want to waste points picking a shitty ability. Waiting till I hit enough points to max out everything at once. It is how I play. Artificial challenge. I did the same in ME2 - did not level up a single ability till I hit a roadblock in the Horizon mission (Praetorian). Then the game was easy again.

I forgot about the respec in Med-Bay, doh.

I suppose you can play how you want, but I'd imagine you'd have more fun if you actually spent your points, but increased the difficulty to hardcore or insanity as opposed to limiting yourself to just shooting.

As a pure shooter (i.e. no abilities), Mass Effect isn't exactly the best.

And I'm saying that a person who loves Mass Effect more than any other series.

In the Final Hours app, Casey addresses this and said that they originally wanted Javik in the game, but as it became clear they wouldn't make their release date, they put it aside and came back to it.

Forgive me if I choose not to believe him. It just so happened that they had this character and he had to become DLC, despite the fact that every Bioware game before that since Dragon Age: Origins had a DLC character?

They clearly looked at the success of The Stone Prisoner and tried to duplicate that in every game. Luckily, I think they got so burned by the criticism about Javik being DLC that they seem to have stopped the practice.

 

[Sai]

I doubt you will ever get a reason.

Frankly im baffled why you would even bother since Gamestop frequently sells both games for often under $10. They would probably be $20-$30 on Live.

Unless there is no Gamestop near you.

There is. I still have my physical copies of both games, by the way.

Unless they released all three of 'em for $30 like the ME Trilogy on PSN, I doubt I'd even be willing to double-dip on ME2 & 3 again. Just thought it was weird that we never got a reason beyond some GoD policy that was never officially clarified.

 

[StoppedInTracks]

I suppose you can play how you want, but I'd imagine you'd have more fun if you actually spent your points, but increased the difficulty to hardcore or insanity as opposed to limiting yourself to just shooting.

As a pure shooter (i.e. no abilities), Mass Effect isn't exactly the best.

And I'm saying that a person who loves Mass Effect more than any other series.

But I am playing on hardcore on my first playthrough. Second one (like in ME2) will be on Insanity

Anyway people do different challenges (SL1 in Souls games). It is fun. Especially FUN if it is your first playthrough of a given game.

And ME2/3 really works as a shooter. Like it really does. Your skill matters. I can see this from experience where I get better with different encounters.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

But I am playing on hardcore on my first playthrough. Second one (like in ME2) will be on Insanity

Anyway people do different challenges (SL1 in Souls games). It is fun. Especially FUN if it is your first playthrough of a given game.

And ME2/3 really works as a shooter. Like it really does. Your skill matters. I can see this from experience where I get better with different encounters.

Then don't come here complaining that it is too hard when you are deliberately handicapping yourself for some weird reason.

 

[nel e nel]

Forgive me if I choose not to believe him. It just so happened that they had this character and he had to become DLC, despite the fact that every Bioware game before that since Dragon Age: Origins had a DLC character?

They clearly looked at the success of The Stone Prisoner and tried to duplicate that in every game. Luckily, I think they got so burned by the criticism about Javik being DLC that they seem to have stopped the practice.

Forgive me if I choose to believe that less than 5% of neogaf has any understanding of how game development actually works.

 

[StoppedInTracks]

Then don't come here complaining that it is too hard when you are deliberately handicapping yourself for some weird reason.

Point me to the complaint?

 

[JohnnyFootball]

They clearly looked at the success of The Stone Prisoner and tried to duplicate that in every game. Luckily, I think they got so burned by the criticism about Javik being DLC that they seem to have stopped the practice.

I didn't mind DLC characters like Zaeed or Kasumi. They never felt critical, but did enhance the experience.

In the case of Javik, it truly felt like he was always intended to be part of the main game.

Just one of many shitty decisions in Mass Effect 3.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

Point me to the complaint?

They'll come.

But by all means, play how you want and get cheated out of playing the way it was meant to be played.

But then again, maybe I would enjoy games if I had this masochist mentality. I like to play games and relax and not deal with gamers rage.

 

[Patryn]

Forgive me if I choose to believe that less than 5% of neogaf has any understanding of how game development actually works.

It's possible he's telling the truth. I work in software development (not games), so I definitely see stuff slipping.

But...

• I've read the original plot synopsis where Javik was the Catalyst, and not the Citadel. He was originally scripted to be absolutely crucial to the plot of the game.
  
• As I've said, every Bioware game between Dragon Age: Origins and ME3 had DLC characters.
  
• Casey Hudson doesn't have the most stellar record of accuracy on his comments about ME3.

Honestly, a lot of it is that third point. If it was Patrick Weekes, for instance, who said it I would be much more likely to believe it.

I just honestly feel that Casey is full of shit in basically everything he says about ME3. Like, if he said the main character was Shepard, I'd have to double check it.

But that's just me.

 

[StoppedInTracks]

They'll come.

But by all means, play how you want and get cheated out of playing the way it was meant to be played.

But then again, maybe I would enjoy games if I had this masochist mentality. I like to play games and relax and not deal with gamers rage.

Aww don't be so aggresive... we are all in the same MIlky Way galaxy fighting the Reaper threat

I cannot wait for ME4 combat reveal. DA3 feels so much (combat wise) better than previous games that I cannot wait to see how it differs (vs ME3) in ME4. The current combat is very good but new engine = new combat. I guess it will work like Star Wars: Battlefront, no? Same engine, sci-fi setting... wow. It will be good.

 

[Ivory Samoan]

I don't know if my heart can take much more teasing Shinobi.... I'm feeling as fragile as a volus without a breathing apparatus right now.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

But...

• I've read the original plot synopsis where Javik was the Catalyst, and not the Citadel. He was originally scripted to be absolutely crucial to the plot of the game.

• 
  
  This. I suspect it was an EA decision. Although, it's not like the game would have been magically saved if this decision had been made.
  
  For me, the game would have been saved if I had been given the happy ending that I really wanted and had my children with Miranda.

 

[Bisnic]

Aww don't be so aggresive... we are all in the same MIlky Way galaxy fighting the Reaper threat

I cannot wait for ME4 combat reveal. DA3 feels so much (combat wise) better than previous games that I cannot wait to see how it differs (vs ME3) in ME4. The current combat is very good but new engine = new combat. I guess it will work like Star Wars: Battlefront, no? Same engine, sci-fi setting... wow. It will be good.

I don't think you can really compare the new SW Battlefront and Mass Effect other than how the trailer will probably give an idea of how ME will look like, graphically speaking.

 

[Patryn]

Aww don't be so aggresive... we are all in the same MIlky Way galaxy fighting the Reaper threat

I cannot wait for ME4 combat reveal. DA3 feels so much (combat wise) better than previous games that I cannot wait to see how it differs (vs ME3) in ME4. The current combat is very good but new engine = new combat. I guess it will work like Star Wars: Battlefront, no? Same engine, sci-fi setting... wow. It will be good.

In the same engine in the way that Mass Effect 3, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, and Lost Odyssey are on the same engine.

You can't interpret anything about ME4's combat from Battlefront.

 

[diaspora]

In the same engine in the way that Mass Effect 3, Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, and Lost Odyssey are on the same engine.

You can't interpret anything about ME4's combat from Battlefront.

Or Dragon Age

 

[The Praiseworthy]

I haven't played the trilogy yet ( please don't shoot me )... what are the chances we are getting the Remaster treatment for PS4 \ XONE ?

I've heard some talk here and there since last November, but seriously any chance we are getting the announcement let's say this E3 or sometime before ME4 ?

 

[Patryn]

I haven't played the trilogy yet ( please don't shoot me )... what are the chances we are getting the Remaster treatment for PS4 \ XONE ?

I've heard some talk here and there since last November, but seriously any chance we are getting the announcement let's say this E3 or sometime before ME4 ?

There are conflicting reports. Personally, at this point I would say that I'm expecting that they'll announce a remaster at E3.

So, unless you're absolutely dying to play the games RIGHT NOW, if I were you I'd hold off until then, see if it's announced, and if not pick it up for PC/last gen.

 

[Bisnic]

I haven't played the trilogy yet ( please don't shoot me )... what are the chances we are getting the Remaster treatment for PS4 \ XONE ?

I've heard some talk here and there since last November, but seriously any chance we are getting the announcement let's say this E3 or sometime before ME4 ?

Just rumors and a recent tease(that may or may not mean anything) from a Bioware developper twitter so far.
Edit : Speaking of the devil... here's the Bioware's dude under my post!

 

[Sjosz]

To laugh as NeoGAF debates what it means for a couple of pages.

As appealing as that sounds, it's more to indicate that there are people here (also well beyond just myself) in the studios are excited for a remaster, and that people online respond positively to that stuff, too. I'd love to play through the trilogy again, but on my PS4.

 

[diaspora]

I haven't played the trilogy yet ( please don't shoot me )... what are the chances we are getting the Remaster treatment for PS4 \ XONE ?

I've heard some talk here and there since last November, but seriously any chance we are getting the announcement let's say this E3 or sometime before ME4 ?

Nothing confirmed. If possible just play the trilogy on PC with texture mods and ReShade, or otherwise just wait for E3 I guess.

 

[The Artisan]

You make it almost sound like Destiny in a good way, what Destiny could have been but by Bioware.

huh, really. what was destiny's premise?

 

[Patryn]

Nothing confirmed. If possible just play the trilogy on PC with texture mods and ReShade, or otherwise just wait for E3 I guess.

I think it's important to note that the PC version does NOT have controller support.

There are some mods out there that hack it in, and supposedly the ME2 one is really good, but there is nothing official.

 

[Bisnic]

As appealing as that sounds, it's more to indicate that there are people here (also well beyond just myself) in the studios are excited for a remaster, and that people online respond positively to that stuff, too. I'd love to play through the trilogy again, but on my PS4.

Are you excited because it's in... production or in the plans? Or is just excited for something that may or may not happen, like a remaster of Zelda Ocarine of Time HD?

Oh, who am i kidding, of course you won't answer that.