[PC/PS3/360/WiiU] Mass Effect 3

[Key Board]

Thanks..

well it's vague enough to not spoil everything

but I do like what I've seen regarding the ending choices

[killer3000ad]

Originally Posted by Key Board

*SNIP*

Man, even mentioning that there are only N number of choices for a particular plot point is very spoilerish as I stopped short of reading the whole list.

[Irkalla]

Also, it's not really 3, it's *readhereifyouwanttoknow* number of endings

[Key Board]

Originally Posted by killer3000ad

Man, even mentioning that there are only N number of choices for a particular plot point is very spoilerish as I stopped short of reading the whole list.

Ok. I fixed it

[Darkbeat]

Though I haven't seen most of the spoilers (only one and it was horrific enough), it's all but confirmed they are at least in some way genuine. NeoGAF was served with a C&D by Bioware for publishing them and I highly doubt they'd do that just to stop their own forums from imploding.

People's negative reactions are premature however. It's one thing to know the story, but how that pans out is entirely different. We all knew Shep would beat Saren in ME1, that didn't make it any less interesting.

[Tiresias]

...I must admit its nowhere as bleak as the reactions here seems to suggest . Or maybe it's because previous news have stated that the Reapers may win (ULTIMATE BAD END), softening the blow? I even suspected that Shepard may die (again)

Besides, the "leaked" material, even if they're true, is just too few - we don't know yet whether this will be a strictly Kaidan/Ashley sadistic choice, or if other, non-leaked dialogues, will turn it into "earn your happy ending really, really hard" ME2 style. And like Darkbeat said, ME1 was very enjoyable even though we all knew Shepard would beat Saren

[Nixl]

Originally Posted by Darkbeat

Though I haven't seen most of the spoilers (only one and it was horrific enough), it's all but confirmed they are at least in some way genuine. NeoGAF was served with a C&D by Bioware for publishing them and I highly doubt they'd do that just to stop their own forums from imploding.

People's negative reactions are premature however. It's one thing to know the story, but how that pans out is entirely different. We all knew Shep would beat Saren in ME1, that didn't make it any less interesting.

Perhaps,but ME1 was not resolved through a press of a magic button. One thing I believe Bioware promised they would avoid. Furthermore, ME1 ended with the final confrontation against Saren, a conflict that spanned the entire story. Saren was a personal rival to you. Sure we knew we would win, but finally besting Saren brought satisfaction. In ME3 we lack a single personalized enemy and instead have multiple faceless reapers, which will be killed. A dime a dozen. In context,the threat may be larger in ME3, but there is no personality like Saren to make the fight(s) personal. They are boss fights to collect points from. If one thought Saren was generic or uninteresting, what are multiple faceless reapers going to be like?


In addition, personally I believe the gameplay in ME1 was relatively fresh to us then. From the demo ME3 did not really spice up the gameplay that much. We have a melee gimmick, but the player was still just sitting behind cover while waiting for cooldowns or shields to recover. Rinse. Repeat. That is what partly killed ME2 for me, I just sat behind cover in Insane mode and picked off all the big bads while waiting for cooldowns to finish. Sure, there were exceptions, but that is generally what I ended up doing. Pardon, I also need to say that this is my personal experience with ME and I am not out to make this sound like an objective truth of the actual gameplay.

I think the story is lacking and personally I am not enthralled with the gameplay at this point. I distinctly remember Bioware stating they would have some magic button/Deus Ex Machina ending, but here we are with a magic button ending hitting us right in the face. Let me clarify again, I am sure ME3 will be a fine game and people will consume the product. I am simply not the audience Bioware is targeting with this and that is fine.

edit: I just remembered, with the spoilers in place Bioware still has not broken out of its over reliance on twists for shock factor alongside travel to ancient ruins with secrets of an mysterious relic/artifact/device. Happened in Kotor 1, Mass Effect 1, Mass Effect 2, Jade Empire, and from the sounds of it Mass Effect 3. I would say the same for Dragon Age, but I have yet to be able to play it and so I must reserve judgement.

[Who]

Originally Posted by Nixl

Perhaps,but ME1 was not resolved through a press of a magic button. One thing I believe Bioware promised they would avoid. Furthermore, ME1 ended with the final confrontation against Saren, a conflict that spanned the entire story. Saren was a personal rival to you. Sure we knew we would win, but finally besting Saren brought satisfaction. In ME3 we lack a single personalized enemy and instead have multiple faceless reapers, which will be killed. A dime a dozen. In context,the threat may be larger in ME3, but there is no personality like Saren to make the fight(s) personal. They are boss fights to collect points from. If one thought Saren was generic or uninteresting, what are multiple faceless reapers going to be like?


In addition, personally I believe the gameplay in ME1 was relatively fresh to us then. From the demo ME3 did not really spice up the gameplay that much. We have a melee gimmick, but the player was still just sitting behind cover while waiting for cooldowns or shields to recover. Rinse. Repeat. That is what partly killed ME2 for me, I just sat behind cover in Insane mode and picked off all the big bads while waiting for cooldowns to finish. Sure, there were exceptions, but that is generally what I ended up doing. Pardon, I also need to say that this is my personal experience with ME and I am not out to make this sound like an objective truth of the actual gameplay.

I think the story is lacking and personally I am not enthralled with the gameplay at this point. I distinctly remember Bioware stating they would have some magic button/Deus Ex Machina ending, but here we are with a magic button ending hitting us right in the face. Let me clarify again, I am sure ME3 will be a fine game and people will consume the product. I am simply not the audience Bioware is targeting with this and that is fine.

To be fair, I think there is a rival in the game, after looking through the game's plot. Sure, he's not as relevant in the grand scheme of things, but he is a pretty big thorn in your side (ymmv here, depending on how you see him). I think a lot of complaints will be about how he's not really fleshed out in game, which is just my speculation, but I'm pretty sure the novels go into detail with him a lot more.

Spoiler for Rival:

Kai Leng

[Nixl]

That is good to know and thank you Who for bringing that up, but will it really match Saren? And, can it really be satisfactory enough to make one turn a blind eye to the magic button solution or that this story structure has been used by Bioware repeatedly in past games? I am not trying to challenge it per say, but will ME3 succeed?

That is my issue, I personally just cannot see anything that would redeem the experience for me. Again, others may love the shit out of ME3, but I just do not find Bioware's old tricks pulling me in anymore.

[Stiletto]

Could someone link me or tell me about these ending/choices everyone is talking about?

[MeoTwister5]

I just took a quick peek at dem spoilerz and... holy shitting fuck jeebus cripes. Even assuming that some of those are exaggerations that's still partially awesome and partially depressing...

[Irkalla]

Spoiler for spoilery, don't read if you haven't read the leaked script:

What most ruins it for me is how they made TIM into some lunatic who wants to go all godmode. I saved the collector's base so he could find a way to destroy the reapers, not subdue them and use them as leverage to make humanity/himself the vanguard of bullying. Not to mention that he gets the whole Cerberus organisation indoctrinated - sans himself, ofc. WAT.

Then there is the fact that you won't be able to bring whomever you want with you, seems like party members will be forced on you A LOT.

Also, killing off the last of the rachni in me1? Perish the thought, there are always more to come. Choosing whatever option in Legion's loyalty quest doesn't matter either, they get indoctrinated no matter what. /facepalm

[Stiletto]

Originally Posted by Irkalla

Spoiler for spoilery, don't read if you haven't read the leaked script:

What most ruins it for me is how they made TIM into some lunatic who wants to go all godmode. I saved the collector's base so he could find a way to destroy the reapers, not subdue them and use them as leverage to make humanity/himself the vanguard of bullying. Not to mention that he gets the whole Cerberus organisation indoctrinated - sans himself, ofc. WAT.

Then there is the fact that you won't be able to bring whomever you want with you, seems like party members will be forced on you A LOT.

Also, killing off the last of the rachni in me1? Perish the thought, there are always more to come. Choosing whatever option in Legion's loyalty quest doesn't matter either, they get indoctrinated no matter what. /facepalm

*facepalm* The first paragraph was the worst for me. I guess Yahtzee was right about Bioware's writing.

[Darkbeat]

It's too early to pass judgement, all you can do is read some spoilers on the internet, but how things turn out that way is entirely different. I suppose not having read the comics set between ME2 and ME3 would make people at little confused also, particularly in regards to T.I.M.

Either which way, plot was never the strongest suit of Mass Effect or even Bioware games in general. ME1 had a good plot, but was always more of an exception to the rule. ME2's plot was absolutely inane (and retroactively destroyed ME1's plot) but it was a legendary game none-the-less.

[killer3000ad]

ME3 story leaks update

Hi everyone

After some investigation, we are able to provide further information regarding the Mass Effect 3 leaks this weekend:

Following the accidental public release of the internal beta, some information was extracted from game files that was then released on the internet. That information was found in test entries in our database which represent rough notes on mission summaries from early story drafts. These story outlines do not form the actual game script, and since most of these entries are from first-draft story documents, many of the elements will be different in the final game. These simplified entries also do not represent the actual dialog, non-linearity, or interactive choices in the actual game. In fact, the team is still hard at work writing and implementing final versions of storylines and dialog.

It should go without saying however that reading leaked Mass Effect 3 files - however out of date they may be - will likely spoil your experience in the game. We ask that you join with us in keeping the BioWare Social Network spoiler-free, so that as many players as possible can discover the surprises and revelations of Mass Effect 3 in the game itself.

[Nixl]

So Bioware states that the leaks are not relevant at all to our judgments while simultaneously telling readers not to look at the leaks for the reason that it will spoiler the gameplay.

It is a statement that at a glance makes sense, but at the same time inspires absolutely no confidence. The last paragraph just seems to undermine their attempt to assure the players. I know I may look picky with my post, but this statement simply does appear to accomplish what Bioware set out to do in calming player's fear and/or disapointment.

[Rising Dragon]

While it could've been worded a bit better, all Bioware is trying to say that reading the first-draft story spoilers may ruin the experience for some people. Y'know, exactly like a lot of people are acting like now.

[Nixl]

I respectfully disagree with you Rising Dragon. I think the purpose of the statement was to make the leak appear illegitimate and incorrect, but at the same time it just made it legitimate. Rather than dissuade fears, this statement legitimized them. I have very little confidence that much will be changed about the overall plot. It will still revolve around the press of a magic button. Furthermore, I do think there is a degree of justification for annoyance over the direction of the story and gameplay. I hate myself for making this statement, but it does appear that Bioware is trying to placate a certain audience with a simple direct story filled with cutscenes, action one-liners, boss battles, and simple good/bad morality. In addition, the leaks make ME2 look largely irelevant in many resepcts.

Putting aside my personal bias with the direction for the moment, this statement just does not inspire confidence. I would almost go so far as to say this statement, at least the way the worded, was a mistake.

[DingoEnderZOE2]

Ya know, legit or not if people are so damn impatient that they had to look at a major story spoiler leak and possibly ruin the experience for themselves than that's their own fault.

True there's a high chance that what was leaked really was a rough draft but in the event that it was the final draft than once again the people who spoiled themselves only have themselves to blame.

I mean really would you rather Bioware just delay the game some more just to change these story elements that you weren't supposed to see before the game came out in the first place?

[Aqua Knight]

Shit, I stumbled upon a single spoiler in Twitter...