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[DeadlyParasite]

Pleasantly surprised to see there's a lot of people voting for Andromeda in GAF's most anticipated game of 2017. For all the shit that people give BioWare in the General Discussion forum there's still a clear love for this series.

 

[Maledict]

Pleasantly surprised to see there's a lot of people voting for Andromeda in GAF's most anticipated game of 2017. For all the shit that people give BioWare in the General Discussion forum there's still a clear love for this series.

Got to remember that the people who are vocal about Me are a small minority even here. If you read the comments in Me threads you would think Me2 was a complete betrayal of the series and an a disaster - but it won game of the year on gaf - twice.

 

[Dany]

Lmao. How is it a renegade option to prevent kai-leng from stabbing you from the sword

 

[Garlador]

Lmao. How is it a renegade option to prevent kai-leng from stabbing you from the sword

I don't know, but even as the most paragon of paragons, I ALWAYS take that interrupt.

 

[DevilDog]

Pleasantly surprised to see there's a lot of people voting for Andromeda in GAF's most anticipated game of 2017. For all the shit that people give BioWare in the General Discussion forum there's still a clear love for this series.

People can voice criticism of something and still absolutely love it. I recognize that all 3 games have issues, serious issues even, but I still love them.

The shitstorm with ME3 doesn't happen unless people are insanely passionate about it.


But yeah, we seriously need some Bioware appreciation threads.

 

[Garlador]

People can voice criticism of something and still absolutely love it. I recognize that all 3 games have issues, serious issues even, but I still love them.

The shitstorm with ME3 doesn't happen unless people are insanely passionate about it.

But yeah, we seriously need some Bioware appreciation threads.

I think we do.

Even some of their worst games (like DA2) are still a step beyond most OTHER games and only suffer in comparison to their own pedigree.

I even see something like Dragon Age 2 and knowing just how little time EA gave them, and what they were still able to accomplish, is something a lesser studio would never have been able to pull off. It may have been a huge step down, but it was stepping down from greatness and was still solidly "good" and I had a good time with it.

Just as Mass Effect 3 gets a TON of hate for its original ending (much of it deserved), that really simplifies a complicated issue of how much they were able to do under a ridiculously harsh deadline and constant crunch (they were recording the Illusive Man's voice literally a month before shipping), and it doesn't negate the incredible Rannoch and Tuchanka missions. And... in hindsight now, Citadel really is the perfect send-off from the developers to the fans, the Extended Cut is significantly more emotionally satisfying, and the series rightful concludes now with a message from the developers expressing their appreciation to their players (instead of a plea to buy more DLC).

I think more and more, the initial stings of what went wrong are fading and the strengths of their work are starting to be more recognized. The games will never be perfect, but there's a reason folks still love ME1 despite its controls and inventory, ME2 despite its main plot going nowhere and planet scanning, and ME3 despite its ending and streamlined quests.

 

[Daemul]

Got to remember that the people who are vocal about Me are a small minority even here. If you read the comments in Me threads you would think Me2 was a complete betrayal of the series and an a disaster - but it won game of the year on gaf - twice.

Many of the people you see complaining about ME2 liked the game for what it is, but its plot, or lack of plot as some would say, rubbed a lot of people up the wrong way post release, with the fact that it barely moved the trilogy forward storywise and left ME3 to cover everything that it should have covered being the most constant criticism of it over the years.

Those ME1 purists hating it just cause it ain't like their precious ME1 are annoying though.

Also, I tink you're confusing ME2 with MGS 4 there. MGS 4 is the only game to my knowledge that has won GAF's GOTY twice.

But yeah, we seriously need some Bioware appreciation threads.

LOL! It will just descend into a Mass Effect Bitching Thread that all ME threads on GAF tend to do.

We even had an official ME Bitching Thread at one point lmao

 

[Renekton]

Remember to play this game right before ME:A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5mcEG10wAs

 

[DevilDog]

Well, yeah.

This thread is an exception. The overwhelming majority of people here know what's up and are fun to hang around with. It's so nice to see.

Also, Official ME bitching thread? Welcometoneogaf.gif

 

[EatChildren]

shit franchise
shit games
shit forever

 

[DevilDog]

shit franchise
shit games
shit forever

Preorder Confirmed™

 

[sp3ctr3]

Does anyone still play ME3 Online?

 

[Patryn]

I criticize because I love.

Mass Effect is almost definitely my favorite franchise, and ME1 is my favorite game of all time, warts and all.

 

[DeadlyParasite]

Does anyone still play ME3 Online?

You'll still find plenty of people on PC and XB1/360 with the backwards compatability. Not sure about PS3 though.

 

[shinobi602]

Pleasantly surprised to see there's a lot of people voting for Andromeda in GAF's most anticipated game of 2017. For all the shit that people give BioWare in the General Discussion forum there's still a clear love for this series.

Not really surprising honestly. Majority of people here enjoy Bioware games, you just get a loud minority that like to chime in at any opportunity for some negative discussion.

(Constructive criticism is always valid of course)

 

[VenomousCoffee]

I like DA 2 more than most people just because the story line is about civil rights rather than saving the universe. I really wish that BioWare would come up new material for their storylines.

Mass Effect is still my favorite gaming franchise, though. That's how much I love the characters and aesthetic.

 

[DevilDog]

Not really surprising honestly. Majority of people here enjoy Bioware games, you just get a loud minority that like to chime in at any opportunity for some negative discussion.

(Constructive criticism is always valid of course)

And that minority buys every game as well.

 

[Ridesh]

Starting with ME2, BioWare alienated the most insufferable fanbase in gaming by far, the RPG enthusiasts. Then, they alienated their own fanbase with DA2 and the ME3 ending.

Whatever BioWare shows it will be met with some irrational hate by inertia.

Constructive criticism is always great, but I've read in general gaming so many posts of people who just want the game to fail or just nitpick the fuck out of things, it is quite amusing.

 

[Retrofluxed]

Then, they alienated their own fanbase with DA2 and the ME3 ending.

I loved DA2. The reused areas bugged me, but it wasn't anything deal breaking. Now that ME3 end though, that shit broke me. I remember reading the OT with people starting to drop hints that the ending was bad, but I couldn't believe it would be that bad. Until I saw it for myself. I was even complaining to my wife about that ending! Anywho, I'm over it now and can't wait for ME:A.

 

[diaspora]

DA2's main issue IMO was the waves of enemies. Some boneheaded-ass design right there. It played fine otherwise and had solid writing imo.

 

[Garlador]

I loved DA2. The reused areas bugged me, but it wasn't anything deal breaking. Now that ME3 end though, that shit broke me. I remember reading the OT with people starting to drop hints that the ending was bad, but I couldn't believe it would be that bad. Until I saw it for myself. I was even complaining to my wife about that ending! Anywho, I'm over it now and can't wait for ME:A.

ME3's ending definitely broke me hard.

I keenly remember that joy I had when I started up ME3, hearing murmurs that the ending sucked, but didn't think it could be that bad. I had all these grand ideas of replaying the trilogy over and over again... but ME3's initial ending was legitimately so bad, all that enthusiasm vanished instantly. I even was aware of that happening to myself as it happened, of all these future playthroughs I had eagerly planned for that I no longer had any enthusiasm or passion for. It soured the whole franchise for me for months.

... I've come to terms with it over the last several years, largely because the Extended Cut - while still full of plotholes and poor handling - at least was EMOTIONALLY satisfying and shifted the focus rightfully back onto my crew to give them (and me) emotional closure. The DLC like Leviathan and Citadel further filled in that empty space that ME3's initial ending created.

I'll always wish the ending was "the best ever", and it's far from perfect, but it's a solid "B" ending to the story now and I'll take that over the distraught "F" the original was.

DA2's main issue IMO was the waves of enemies. Some boneheaded-ass design right there. It played fine otherwise and had solid writing imo.

I personally think my biggest gripe was the reused environments. They spread themselves thin on those same few caves, mansions, and streets, to the point of hilarity. Sure, the waves of enemies (even spawning FROM THE AIR) was problematic too.

I liked the characters but found the story merely serviceable. I get what they were going for, but Hawke never felt like "the champion". More like a glorified street janitor who kept stumbling into messes beyond their control who ultimately wasn't able to fix the biggest issues. I've longed believed that Hawke and their crew deserved a better game.

 

[shinobi602]

DA2's main issue IMO was the waves of enemies. Some boneheaded-ass design right there. It played fine otherwise and had solid writing imo.

You have to also understand that they were on an extremely tight schedule too with no room to maneuver. They managed to get a decent game in there with what they were given to be honest.

 

[diaspora]

You have to also understand that they were on an extremely tight schedule too with no room to maneuver. They managed to get a decent game in there with what they were given to be honest.

Sure, and that's why I never critiqued the repeating environments, there's only so many unique environments you can build in limited time, but the design decision to throw 3+ waves of enemies at the player was baffling.

 

[shinobi602]

Sure, and that's why I never critiqued the repeating environments, there's only so many unique environments you can build in limited time, but the design decision to throw 3+ waves of enemies at the player was baffling.

Right, but I was referring to the enemy waves too. Designing well thought out combat scenarios takes a lot of time too.

 

[Ridesh]

Some little things I noticed while rewatching the gameplay trailer

Kett wizard?

Whats up with that triangle / shield, I mean, it should be shield related obviously, but in both pics the characters have the shield blue bar almost full.

Only Liam as a squadmate and basic weapon/powers, must be the first area of the game. But I remember reading that the tutorial area is played with DadRyder or I'm wrong?

 

[Garlador]

Right, but I was referring to the enemy waves too. Designing well thought out combat scenarios takes a lot of time too.

I think part of what bothered me about the environments was the severe lack of variety and color. The game's color palette overall is quite bland and muted.

Even Bioware I think was keenly aware of that, and Inquisition really did a lot to bolster the color variety of its locations and creatures.

While ME3 isn't as bad as DA2 in terms of color, it's more "war-like" gray and blue tones are far more frequent throughout the story. There are plenty of exceptions, but a lot of the game definitely is color-coded in somber, darker shades.

Which, again, you can see by and large Andromeda going for a much more colorful and vibrant approach.

 

[Ralemont]

Might be an engine thing. Origins is pretty bland and brown-y, too.

 

[DevilDog]

People and money is needed to make anything in games. Frankly if something feels "obviously broken" to you, it means it went several more iterations of being even more broken, gradually improving until they run out of money or time.

I recall that BioWare was about to release ME3 in 2011, how would they even... how is that even considered enough for it?
Who was making these decisions to give the team less than 2 years to develop their games? Same for DA2.

The development team of BioWare is talented for sure, but the guy who made up the deadlines isn't.

I think part of what bothered me about the environments was the severe lack of variety and color. The game's color palette overall is quite bland and muted.

Origins was bland as well. I think that this is a frostbite thing. I know that people make the art and not the engine, but something about Frostbite makes it easier for them to deliver such aesthetics, maybe.

 

[DeadlyParasite]

Word is that the next big information/content drop on Andromeda isn't until sometime next month on IGN? Not sure if true but damn if that isn't depressing.

The thirst for anything new on this game is real. I'm dying here.

 

[Patryn]

Honestly, I almost think I've seen enough.

Pretty much the only other things I'd like to see are:

1.) What does the skill tree look like?
2.) Do we equip companions with armor?
3.) A closer look at the weapon equipping/modding, especially as it relates to loadouts and cooldowns.

 

[Yeul]

Yeah I mean, I'm excited for the game but it's been years at this point. I want to know a little bit more about Alec and see the other companions' faces, after that I'll be good.

 

[TC McQueen]

Honestly, I almost think I've seen enough.

Pretty much the only other things I'd like to see are:

1.) What does the skill tree look like?
2.) Do we equip companions with armor?
3.) A closer look at the weapon equipping/modding, especially as it relates to loadouts and cooldowns.

Yeah, I need to see this and probably a whole conversation between the MC and another character, just to get a better feel for that stuff.

 

[Patryn]

Oh, I also hope they incorporate squad banter a la Dragon Age. I love that, and while ME has had a bit in the past, it's always been a bit lackluster.

 

[Yeul]

Oh, I also hope they incorporate squad banter a la Dragon Age. I love that, and while ME has had a bit in the past, it's always been a bit lackluster.

Hopefully they were able to make improvements on that. I know they struggled a lot with the triggers for banter in DA:I. There were some instances where I had to use cheat engine to get banter dialogue to even start. Some maps like the Western Approach didn't even have banter triggers other than for the main quest line in that area (Here Lies the Abyss), though that I figure was more due to there being so many maps versus recorded dialogue.

 

[II-Vanguard-II]

Does anyone still play ME3 Online?

It still has an active community on PS3, i still play it somewhat often, not very good connections though, really laggy.

Is DAI multiplayer as good as ME3?

 

[DeadlyParasite]

I hope they bring back sentinel tech armour even if there aren't classes per-se in Andromeda. Characters walking around with the holographic plating look so cool, personally. It was always a shame that it never appeared during cutscenes in 2 and 3.

 

[Renekton]

I remember reading in the ME1 vs ME2 argument threads that Bioware was more rushed under MS than under EA.

So now I wonder if the deadlines on Bioware were self-imposed, and how much did SWTOR affect DA2.

 

[Maledict]

It still has an active community on PS3, i still play it somewhat often, not very good connections though, really laggy.

Is DAI multiplayer as good as ME3?

Nope, DAI multiplayer never really worked. The combat is fairly bad without the pause option you get in single player, the ranking system means that you need to grind vast amounts to do the harder content, and the loot system is beyond abusive. It's seriously flawed, and it honestly felt worse than any f2p mobile game I've ever played.

 

[DevilDog]

I remember reading in the ME1 vs ME2 argument threads that Bioware was more rushed under MS than under EA.

So now I wonder if the deadlines on Bioware were self-imposed, and how much did SWTOR affect DA2.

I don't remember them saying anything about being rushed by Microsoft, or EA.
ME1 was in development for like, 3.5-4 years. I'd hardly call that rushed.

 

[shinobi602]

So now I wonder if the deadlines on Bioware were self-imposed, and how much did SWTOR affect DA2.

Self-imposed? As in they did it to themselves? Lol, I can vehemently assure you that is not the case. They'll take all the time they can get. Dragon Age 2's deadline was strictly imposed by EA. They asked for more time and got denied.

The Richitiello days weren't pretty. Wilson's doing a much better job and internal studios are happier under him from what I hear. You can see that in the delays that have been allowed (DAI, Hardline, MEA, etc).

 

[DevilDog]

Self-imposed? As in they did it to themselves? Lol, I can vehemently assure you that is not the case. They'll take all the time they can get. Dragon Age 2's deadline was strictly imposed by EA. They asked for more time and got denied.

The Richitiello days weren't pretty. Wilson's doing a much better job and internal studios are happier under him from what I hear. You can see that in the delays that have been allowed (DAI, Hardline, MEA, etc).

So was EA responsible for the deadlines of ME3 as well? I seem to recall that originally it was supposed to be released in 2011, then they asked for more time and it was released in 2012, but it obviously needed more time.

 

[Patryn]

I remember reading in the ME1 vs ME2 argument threads that Bioware was more rushed under MS than under EA.

So now I wonder if the deadlines on Bioware were self-imposed, and how much did SWTOR affect DA2.

The Game Informer interview they just did has them straight out say that SWTOR underperforming on launch absolutely led to DA2's shortened development cycle, as EA wanted another game to make up for the performance.

 

[Garlador]

Yeah I mean, I'm excited for the game but it's been years at this point. I want to know a little bit more about Alec and see the other companions' faces, after that I'll be good.

My prediction, and I'm sticking to it for now, is that we haven't seen the companions' faces yet because Bioware is planning on using a celebrity likeness for them, like Miranda, and they're still finalizing that arrangement ("do you or do you not consent to have your likeness used in a game where there will be a ton of alien intercourse, possibly with you involved"?).

So my prediction is they'll eventually do companion trailers and the helmets of Cora or Liam will go up and we'll be like "no way! It's totally Jennifer Lawrence/Chris Hemsworth/Snoop Dawg/President Barack Obama/Jack Black/Stan Lee/Beyonce/the yellow M&M!"

I'll have to wait and see if I'm right.

 

[Patryn]

My prediction, and I'm sticking to it for now, is that we haven't seen the companions' faces yet because Bioware is planning on using a celebrity likeness for them, like Miranda, and they're still finalizing that arrangement ("do you or do you not consent to have your likeness used in a game where there will be a ton of alien intercourse, possibly with you involved"?).

So my prediction is they'll eventually do companion trailers and the helmets of Cora or Liam will go up and we'll be like "no way! It's totally Jennifer Lawrence/Chris Hemsworth/Snoop Dawg/President Barack Obama/Jack Black/Stan Lee/Beyonce/the yellow M&M!"

I'll have to wait and see if I'm right.

If they were, they would also use that person's voice, and don't we already know who's voicing Liam and Cora?

 

[DeadlyParasite]

If they were, they would also use that person's voice, and don't we already know who's voicing Liam and Cora?

We don't know who's voicing them yet no. I don't even think we've seen them talk in any of the trailers.

 

[AyzOn]

I hope they bring back sentinel tech armour even if there aren't classes per-se in Andromeda. Characters walking around with the holographic plating look so cool, personally. It was always a shame that it never appeared during cutscenes in 2 and 3.

I think I´ve seen that Armour in the Andromeda Gameplay Video on one of the Enemies.

Edit:
Yup, there you go.:
https://cdn.pbrd.co/images/aAkc1lVde.png

 

[Bisnic]

If they were, they would also use that person's voice, and don't we already know who's voicing Liam and Cora?

Why do you think that? Shepard and Miranda aren't using the voices of Mark Vanderloo & Yvonne Strahovski.

 

[Garlador]

Why do you think that? Shepard and Miranda aren't using the voices of Mark Vanderloo & Yvonne Strahovski.

Miranda is voiced by Yvonne Strahovski, yes.

But there were certain "face models" that were used with different voice actors.

 

[Big Nikus]

Why do you think that? Shepard and Miranda aren't using the voices of Mark Vanderloo & Yvonne Strahovski.

Yes they are. And Vanderloo isn't an actor so it doesn't really compare.

 

[Kastrioti]

I'm replaying Mass Effect 1 and the game has aged exceptionally well. It still has an atmosphere and style that few games can match. There are some questionable design decisions though.

I'm pretty sure the exact same thing happened to me when I first played ME in 2007/2008. Get to the Matriarch Benezia fight early in the game, only to find out I'm underleveled and backtrack all the way back to the Normandy.

I'm wrapping up ME1 now, will replay 2 and then play 3 which I missed out on.