Mass Effect 3

[M.Steiner]

Who else has finished ME3?

I'm going to leave these here. Don't click until you've completed

Show

Watch teh vid

[Edit - Adding a few extra teasing tweets/quotes in]

Hardest. Day. Ever. Seriously, if you people knew all the stuff we are planning...you'd, we'll - hold onto your copy of me3 forever.

Player: Are you holding something back, that could quell the large amount of frustration from the community, a tiny hint would be enough
Mike Gamble already said on his twitter, if the fans knew what was in store, the reaction would be different.

I don't think anything you saw/read/heard today should make you sad about the endings. Some theories still hold true
--------
don't take it completely at face value. There's definitely some underlying messages you should be taking away when credits roll.

Player: I kinda feel lost after that ending...not what I expected and left me feeling everything done was for nothing.
We know it's a lot to take in! But hang in there. Your decisions matter.

Player: Destruction: mission first. But should've confronted the kid instead. Shep went meekly into the night.
are you sure he went meekly into the night?

the answers are there if you are looking for them.

Yeah, because the relays were destroyed I either a: destoyed all life quickly or b: sentenced them to extinction. Quarians..
are you absolutely sure about that?

Player: You are the sole source of hope for all of us looking for an appropriate ending for ME3. I hope you know this when you toy.
I never toy. I'm trying to help guide you to see what I see

Player: its not that the ending was taken in the wrong direction its that it makes NO SENSE. Ashley was on the Normandy? she with me
Probably a good thing to be cautious of.

Player: Just finished ME3. I didn't know my squadmates could teleport...strange, innit?
not teleporting - can't explain now though to keep my feed spoiler free

Player: It was renegade red, but that confused me. TIMs choice was definitely more "wicked", yet it was blue. Anderson isn't bad!
yeah that is weird................ did it make you think anything?

Player: Visualization of Anderson was tinted red, a la renegade; TIM's visualization was blue. Likely trickery by the child, though.

Player: I also got the feeling he was playing up my ego for the control one. TIM wasnt strong enough but you are. Not fallin for it.
wooo!!!

Player: "Final Hours" seems to definitively state that the ending on the disc was planned and final. So long
how does that make indoctrination theory impossible???

Player: When is BW going to be allowed to break the silence?
did you see the forum posts today? First in a series of steps ::) Batarian smiley!

There are two types of people in this world. Those who can extrapolate from incomplete data

in November the gameplay team was still experimenting with an endgame sequence where players would suddenly lose control of Shepard's movement and fall under full reaper control. (This sequence was dropped because the gameplay mechanic proved too troublesome to implement alongside dialogue choices).

So they even state that they were experimenting with this, it doesn't mean it's still not happening, it's just less in your face now = better/more subtle.

and something else I found interesting;

mayrabgood wrote...

So a few days ago a few member in the Kaidan thread were discussing what the Normandy crashing in a jungle, beachy, paradise looking planet could mean. They came to the conclusion that in Shepards mind as she/he is dying or being fully controlled, is that Shepard is putting the people she most cares about in a safe haven. The beach seems like a recurring theme in the game with characters mentioning it.

Mordin- saying he'll retire to the beach and study sea shells
Thane- prays to the Goddess of oceans and in his letter if romanced says...I will await you across the sea
Garrus- mentions a tropical place
James- mentions a bar in Rio or something like that
Jacob- talks about the Meditteranean
Kaidan- says something about owning or parents owning beachfront property
Tali- in Rannoch after joining Geth and Quarians, Shepard asks if she will shop for a new house and Tali says "Beach front property"

Don't know if other characters mention it that I have noticed.

So in Shepard's last moments she wishes and imagines all her friends safe in that beach, tropical place eveyone talked about.

*all these speculations came from the Kaidan thread especially from frylock23, so it didn't come from me*

But don't they make some sense to the Normandy crashing in this paradise planet with your LI and people you had fighting alongside you back on Earth?

too;
http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic ... /9727423/1
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7920772/1/

Feel any different? The pieces of the puzzle are all there throughout the game, just don't believe everything you see as truth and take it all at face value. If more people gave these possibilities some thought before instantly deciding they hate how it ended maybe they'd see things differently.

Show

Maybe I have watched too many shows like Lost with reading into things a bit too much but this is something I considered myself in the closing moments of the game and a theory I'm buying into.
Whether it's really the case or not is another thing but I love "endings" like this which get people talking, even when they don't turn out to be true it can be really fun speculating them. This seems to be exactly what Bioware were after and has achieved. They wanted and expected these reactions. Now if the theory IS true they're either going to leave the "ending" as it is and let fans interpret (Like The Sopranos ending when it suddenly cuts to black.), which I'd be fine with personally. Having answers on a plate and everything wrapped up doesn't always give the best ending. Or, which could be what some twitter hints are pointing towards, give us the true ending/epilogue later. There's been a lot of negativity towards the ending(s) and Bioware themselves but I won't be jumping on the hate bandwagon. People shouldn't be so quick to judge. If it's the latter I don't see it as them releasing an alternative ending which some people have been whining for but that if those final 10 minutes were due to this then we haven't seen those final events yet. Also they could be undecided themselves. Perhaps the whole indoctrination theory is true but part of their watching of fan reactions was to gauge whether they should do the latter.

When I first saw The Sopranos ending I was furious ("what the f???!") because it was ambiguous and I took it as there being no closure after sooo many years. David Chase (creator) has only ever said "If you look at the final episode really carefully, it's all there.". He has not said another word since, not even to confirm or deny what may or may not have happened in those final moments. When I opened my eyes and saw things differently I completely changed my mind. It's daring, unique and a great piece of art in itself and I would not change a thing. Looking back I'm glad he didn't come out and hand it to me on a plate and tell me what his intention was and what happened. I see the "ending" of ME3 in a similar manner. This is a possibility and if you're prepared to consider the theory there are clues which lend credence to it and give another way of looking at the end. Looking at it like this maybe it would be better to just leave it and have it speak for itself.

Either way ME3 has had me thinking all afternoon. The game was fantastic overall I thought, it's just the final 10 minutes which will be the deciding factor on whether they are infact geniuses or not, which I think they are. If I'm to take the ending at face value and true then yeah, it could have been better and offered more closure but even then I can't say I hated it. That being said I really do think the indoctrination theory is highly plausible and that this was their plan all along.

Anyway, I firmly believe this to be true and it would be a brilliant move on their part if it is. It would also be amusing for the people who have been slagging them off to end up with egg on their faces because a lot of the hate would be unfounded. If it's wrong, it's wrong and us believers will be the ones looking foolish, but it won't change the fact that I loved the the game and the current ending they gave was provocative and memorable as it stands. For now I'll sit back and continue to watch the reactions and wait and see if Bioware pull out the ace from their sleeve which I think they will, but when they've given other players enough time to finish the game and see their reactions too.

Ofc if Bioware do release a true ending/epilogue as DLC to fill in these blanks it'll have some people complaining again, if they charge for it or if they think this sucks even more. If it was under any other circumstances I would complain too but think about that for a minute. If they did it would have given them much longer to work on the real ending and/or decide whether they should or leave as is, it won't have been spoiled when all of that story info was leaked way back so it would remain secret and they not only portray Shepard as being tricked/manipulated into believing everything he's seeing is true but they in turn do exactly the same and indoctrinate the viewer themselves, quite brilliant. Similar things have been done in movies before, like Inception which leaves the viewer questioning reality or dream, but how many games have managed anything like this before?. Nearest I can think of is the Arkham games when they try trick you into thinking the game has restarted/ended for a few seconds but even that's not a very good example. Am I the only one who thinks a move like this would have been a fantastic idea for storytelling in a video game?

Then again whatever they come out and say (whether this is true and we are/aren't getting DLC, or whether this theory was actually rubbish and we are/aren't getting a new ending or an epilogue to extend it) some people will no doubt find something to bitch & complain about. Atm I'm perfectly happy believing what I do until they speak up or come out and say it is bollocks but when it comes down to it they can't please everyone whatever they do.
I happened to think the ending to Lost was beautiful and fitting, despite the lack of answers and still leaving many questions, but some fans raged and were unhappy with it, sadly. However the writers stuck to their guns, they set themselves a timeline and an end date, wrapped the show up the way they had envisioned and they told the story they wanted to tell. I respect them for that just like I'll respect Bioware for whatever they decide to do. If those endings are it and we're grasping at straws so be it, I'm not going to turn against them for it and I won't be one asking them to give me an alternative ending should that be the case either, and I don't think they should however many fans keep requesting them to. Just like I wouldn't expect a director to change the ending to their film because I or many others happened to think it was shite, have an author rewrite the ending of their book because I think it should have ended differently or an artist to repaint some of their painting. I play and try to make my own choices in their games and I'm free to decide whether I like it or not but it's their work, not mine. I wouldn't want or expect them to go back and change things if that's how they really wanted it. Sure it may be nice, work out much better, please more players and be a nice gesture on their part to do such a thing for their fans but why the hell should they?. And when so many people have reacted the way they have at the devs for it too if I were them I just wouldn't bother doing anything of the kind. <censored> em. - And that's not the people who just didn't like the ending and have expressed so btw, as that's their right. I'm just referring to the people who take things too far and get nasty with insult throwing and slagging them off to no end across forums/twitter etc. No need for it imo.

anyway.. Have said enough for now!
Lets see what happenes... lol

[Edit - Have made some alterations to the above btw]

[Anubis]

Not finished it yet, though my playthrough is ongoing

I know BD has, he's been quite vocal about it

[M.Steiner]

Not finished it yet, though my playthrough is ongoing

I know BD has, he's been quite vocal about it

Isn't he always
Don't be so quick to judge and jump on the bandwagon when you come to finish it is all I will say, outside of those spoiler tags.

How far along are ya?

[Scorpius]

Looking at the end platform I went for the rightside ending. Game was great the ending well I'll wait and see what Bioware have up there sleeves.
2nd Play through I'll go for the leftside ending on my renegade Shep.

[Anubis]

Show

I need to go back to the Citadel and talk to the Salarian representative after curing the Genophage.

I haven't played for a couple of days because I've been engrossed in Evangelion. Planning to get some time in tonight and over the weekend to progress

[Kon]

Show

I'm surprised the damn Citadel hasn't blown up yet. I thought it got blown up at the end of the first game, but I probably remember that wrong.

[M.Steiner]

I edited & added to my original post yesterday btw since there's only a few of us who have finished it so far, but rather than keep adding I'll add a couple more thoughts here...

Show

I went for the destroy ending too, Scorp. Also with the scene between myself, the Illusive Man & Anderson I must've missed a paragon trigger early on with him as even though my bar was right near the top and I'd tried to make him see sense at every other opportunity I had encountered him, that final paragon choice was greyed out for me so I couldn't convince him otherwise and have him shoot himself instead. When he held the gun to the back Andersons head and the renegade option came up I didn't think twice before pulling the trigger on him. Had tried to play 100% paragon but I did not see this option as renegade even though it presented itself as one. Happy that I did too, lovely extra scene.

The music score was exceptional throughout but what could one expect when they had the likes of Clint Mansell (Requiem for a Dream, everyone will know his "Lux Aeterna" even if they haven't seen the film it came from) composing for them and closing the game with Faunts?

(Left: Leaving Earth by Clint Mansell | Right: Das Malefitz by Faunts)

2 amazing tracks there.


Lastly. Not a complaint as such but it would have been good to have more physical sidequests for when you gained someones support as a war asset. Rather than just speaking to them or overhearing, scanning a planet and returning, had a few extra physical missions that you'd have to go out on which were on separate planets to the main story. As I say though it's not really a complaint as the game wasn't short as it was and the planet scanning in ME3 was a whole lot better than how it worked in ME2. But this would have made it even better.

Other than a few improvements here and there the only complaint I have is regarding the war assets/readiness rating and multiplayer. It may have only unlocked 1 extra scene which is literally over in a few seconds but however you look at the end of the game, whether you believe it is what it is or whether you're a backer of the indoctrination theory it's still an important one. I completed 100% of the side content at as far as I'm aware and I tried to make the choices I thought were right but I still only had 3562 EMS at the point of no return. Nowhere near the required 5k mark for the extra scene. All because I hadn't played multiplayer to multiply that figure. Up until then it had always been my understanding that all multiplayer did was make it so you didn't have to collect as many assets in the SP, which I had absolutely no issue with, but that wasn't quite the case. Now I don't have anything against game developers adding multiplayer modes to their games, I play a lot of MP myself from time to time. Maybe not for the ME series itself but with gaming in general some people consider the addition of online multiplayer a decision maker on whether they buy it or not. Some people will only buy a game for the multiplayer, just like those of us with the SP. That's fine and it'd sell more copies and I had no prob with them experimenting with that and putting a team on it. But to have it unlock things like that, however small, in a SP RPG was a ridiculous move. If it was to unlock anything it should have been vanity stuff like gear appearances and nothing more. I should not have had to use a save editor to get past that by increasing the figure of one of my war assets to meet the requirement or for others to change memory values to increase their readiness rating to 100%. If there weren't ways like these to work around this it would have been a good move against the people who had pirated their game ofc. Since they wouldn't have been able to play the MP portion with an illegal copy over Origin, screwing them over in the SP. But like most forms of DRM this would still have affected those of us who bought legit copies and forced us into playing it too. I did consider trying the MP and playing a chunk of matches just to get my rating up but in the end I decided that whether I did or didn't decide to it wouldn't be for that reason because I shouldn't have to.
So yeah. That was basically my one and only complaint before we hear more from Bioware. Brilliant game otherwise as far as I'm concerned. Tbh, reading a ton of user comments it looks like the majority of people who were unhappy with the way it ended still loved the rest of the game leading up to that, just seems like a small minority who didn't. Shame that they feel that way but their loss

[Anubis]

Ok, I finished it.

Show

I do not think it's as atrocious as perhaps it is being made out to be. It was ok up till the Illusive Man died (mainly because the whole storyline had been screaming that was what would happen from the start). But after that it was indeed a bit 'ugh' - or, in fact, a lot 'ugh'. In particular, having the kid represent the Crucible was pretty ridiculous. And the Crucible even being what it was made no sense at all.

Honestly though, 'ugh' aside, I don't think the ending was necessarily the biggest problem with the game. The worst thing for my money was, as I discussed with MS in IRC last night (and I've now confirmed it since then), how nothing you do across any of the three games actually makes a blind bit of difference in the end - since the ending is completely generic, and no matter what choice to make at the end it still plays out the same way.

When the only impact you've had on a game is whether Wreave turns up to say 5 lines in an inspirational speech, or whether there is a Geth Prime unit stood around at HQ, you know your game has failed. Especially when your entire marketing strategy for the series has been how your choices have impact. I mean, I recruited the Rachni to work on the Crucible (since they sadly couldn't be used as battle mounts), and halfway through the game the War Room got an update to say they rebelled and killed a platoon of scientists, which slowed progress down. But that little 5 line text update aside, they were never mentioned again. When I brought it up with Admiral Hackett, he just shook his head and said "it didn't work out". I mean, seriously? What's the point in even putting choice IN the game if that's all it means?

For that reason, it's by far the most inferior game of the series. ME2 was miles better because ME2 gave players choice that mattered. I should also note that ME2 took me around 20 hours longer to beat, and I did everything I could find in both games. The fact that it's so short is also quite the disappointment for me. For me, it certainly feels like it's continued BioWare's decline - they're certainly a long way away from best RPG studio in the world these days.

I took a look at MS' video above, and that could potentially make some kind of sense. I can see how it could be interpreted and intended that way. I do have to say though, if that's the case then the game has no real ending. There's a lot of speculation that BioWare will produce DLC endings to fill the gap - and even before I saw the ending I felt they would, as they could make a mint off it due to the outrage. Now, saying "hey, you don't like our endings, you can buy a different one where Shepherd turns the Reapers into rainbows and the Protheans are ressurrected during the process, and everyone lives happily ever after" is one thing. I think it's pretty shoddy to do something like that, but it's not criminal. On the other hand, charging people full price for a game with no ending so that you can sell it as DLC later IS criminal. And if the intended ending is REALLY 'indoctrination', then that's exactly what they've done.

If in a few weeks time BioWare make it clear that the indoctrination theory is correct, and they'll be selling DLC with the real ending in it, then I'm done with BioWare and their games. I think it's pretty disgusting to treat your customers like that, and I won't support a company that does so. We'll see what happens - it's far from certain that will happen yet. If it does though, yeah - I won't be playing any more BioWare games.

Also, BD linked this in IRC. It's pretty accurate, and worth a read. Mass Effect 3 Ending Hatred - Why the Fans are Right

[Chaos]

Reading all this is making me seriously consider not getting this game now. Sounds like its a big letdown after the first 2. Please tell me there is some redeeming quality that i haven't heard about and have to see to believe that makes it worth it.

[M.Steiner]

Show

If in a few weeks time BioWare make it clear that the indoctrination theory is correct, and they'll be selling DLC with the real ending in it, then I'm done with BioWare and their games. I think it's pretty disgusting to treat your customers like that, and I won't support a company that does so. We'll see what happens - it's far from certain that will happen yet. If it does though, yeah - I won't be playing any more BioWare games.

"20:27 @SSX-MS • As long as his response isn't something silly like "I have lost all faith in them, <censored> Bioware this and that, never playing another of their games ever again" "
You know.. when I said that on IRC over the weekend before you finished the game I was actually joking
I'd say that's a bit of an extreme overreaction. Other companies are no different or have done far worse than whatever Bioware may do. How about Ubi and their draconian DRM which they were using on pretty much every title of theirs?. Or when it ended up preventing legit buyers from playing the game they had bought because they were migrating their drm servers?. Yet the people who illegally downloaded them continued to play uninterrupted?. When Anno 2070 users were being asked for brand new licence keys after changing a graphics card, not an activation number but a new game code because their DRM classed it as a new machine? - Since relaxed but still beyond ridiculous. Or when they released a proper ending/epilogue to the 2008 Prince of Persia game and charged for that instead of giving it away for free?. Activision charging more for their titles years after hitting the shelves than most PC games from other publishers cost on day of release? Are any of these things worth supporting or good ways to treat paying customers? Far from it.
Just a few examples I could think of off the top of my head, most of which are just as bad if not much worse in my eyes. Now how many people here can honestly say they refused to support such antics from Ubisoft and not only chose not to buy any of those games because of it but didn't acquire & play them by other means instead either?. It just seems a bit silly to say you wouldn't support something BioWare may or may not even do, assuming what their intentions may have been regarding that and saying you won't play any more of their games again if they did. When so many continued to play Ubi titles like AC regardless of the things they've done, which really were something to be against and unsupportive of if there ever was. I don't mean any offence there btw but that statement of yours did seem wayyyy ott lol.

Plus it's all guess work atm and it depends on what their original intentions were as to how one would look at them releasing such DLC, imo.
-If there was nothing more to the endings than what we see yet they had an epilogue planned all along to charge fans for then yes, I wouldn't agree with that either. Would I refuse to play another title of theirs ever again because of it? No lol.

-If the endings are what they are but they develop & release a new ending/epilogue or w/e because of so much negative feedback surrounding them and charge for it then I would feel differently. I do think something like that should be released for free as DLC of that kind would be compulsory playing for everyones story unlike a bunch of side missions. However if they decide to do this because of fan demand it's up to them. However much money they may make from selling it is besides the point imo because they don't have to do anything. - They're trying to make a living at the end of the day too and so for those reasons I wouldn't be opposed to the idea of them selling it.

-If the indoctrination theory is true and they decide (or have already) to release a true ending to the game then I would feel differently about that as well. Ofc that would mean the game didn't ship with its real ending (this is if they didn't intend to leave it open ended) but like the reasons I gave in one of my posts above I wouldn't be so against this either. Extra development time for it, no spoilers leaking, element of surprise when not everyone believes the theory etc.
Also even if the theory is correct that doesn't necessarily mean they had always intended to do this. They may have planned for the endings to be final and for them to speak for themselves, if players picked up on the threads. And then let us interpret the rest. But then because of the shitstorm they decide to expand on it and give players what they had been asking for. I wouldn't see anything wrong with that...
If we were to get something we could all be happy with out of that, whether they intended to release it to begin with or not I'd be fine whether they decided to charge for it or not, although yes it should be free.

There's so many ways you can look at it and all depend what their true intentions were and what lead them to do whatever. Tis not cut & dry.

Reading all this is making me seriously consider not getting this game now. Sounds like its a big letdown after the first 2. Please tell me there is some redeeming quality that i haven't heard about and have to see to believe that makes it worth it.

I'd say don't listen to any one of us and play & judge for yourself.. I happened to really enjoy the game on the whole but I honestly never expected BD to for instance. Whilst some of his points can be perfectly valid some of the time his opinion (or Anny's or my own) doesn't reflect every single persons who played the game. The vast majority of negative feedback which I've read is only linked to the end of the game rather than all of it, or so it seems. There only appears to be a small minority who weren't happy with any of it. Then there's a few who were perfectly happy with the ending too or have since changed their mind when considering certain theories floating around.

I wouldn't class myself as a fanboy by any stretch but I'm a big fan of BioWare's so I do support them when I feel I should. I don't agree with all of the decisions they make and the direction they sometimes take things in, some of their more recent titles have gone downhill a bit and some aspects of certain titles are shamefully lazy more than anything but some of the fanbase have been absolutely disgraceful recently. It's fine to have problems with something and to make yourself heard but instead of them trying to be constructive with their feedback some just start throwing insults & obscenities at them which is sad to see as a gamer. Not referring to anyone here btw but elsewhere. Listening to those particular yobs would turn anyone off the game. - Though the IRC chat earlier this evening did come across slightly bitter after a while
So yeah, don't let all the negativity surrounding ME3 put you off. Give it a try and see what you think man.

[Anubis]

Show

Actually, I'd say it's quite a bit different than the examples you gave. DRM isn't really a comparable issue, because you know going in with DRM what you're getting - you know it's bad, and you accept it when you buy/install the game.

The difference is that Mass Effect 3 has been marketed and sold as a complete game. Full stop. People paid full price for not only a complete game, but a resolution to the series. Now, if BioWare have sat there and felt "this is the best way to end it", as I say that's fine. Them producing new endings due to the fact that everyone hates their ending is not exactly ideal, but it's tolerable. But there's a large difference between that and them sitting there thinking "yeah, we'll do this for now - then we'll release the ACTUAL ending in six weeks time for £9.99". People paid for a full game, and in that situation that's not what is being delivered to them.

On the Point of Prince of Persia being similar, I'm not sure I'd agree that the DLC provided a fitting ending. I played both the game and the epilogue, and whilst the game itself ended in a very "here comes the sequel" way, the epilogue didn't really change that. I actually came out of the epilogue feeling that all it had done was put another level in front of me and then end in exasctly the same way (and pretty much the same situation too) that the main game did. Perhaps that's down to different interpretation between us - if I felt that PoP had only provided an ending through DLC though, I would certainly feel the same way about it as I do about ME3.

I don't see how, when you look at it that way, Ubisoft's DRM can be compared with this - it's like saying "I can only play online" compares to "FF7 ended when I began to approach Northern Crator". It's screwing over the fans so they can make more money, and that's all there is to it - I, at least, find such a practice utterly disgusting.


I think you're taking what I'm saying the wrong way. I'm not saying "oh, I don't like the ending, I've had it with BioWare", nor am I saying "you cannot sell post-ending DLC full stop, I'm done with BioWare". If they decide that they want to produce alternate endings, that's fine with me. What's not fine though, is charging me for the ACTUAL ending, whatever it might be. What I AM saying is that if a company turns round and tries to rob me blind in order to get what I've already paid for, I won't stand for it.

Whether the indoctrination theory is right or wrong isn't the point. As I said, I felt the ending wasn't that bad up until the Illusive Man died. I think the ending is a letdown, just as the lack of meaningful choice throughout the game is, but I'm not one to jump on the hate train that so many others seem to be riding over it. I suppose honestly I am a little bitter though, but really is it a surprise when a series so full of potential turns out like this? Not just ending wise, but choice wise too. I was, and am, quite the Mass Effect fan, but this game has admittedly left a bitter taste in the mouth when it comes to the important things.

Based on that, I wouldn't say it's an overreaction at all. If, and only if, things pan out as I suspect they might, then why should I be willing to buy games from a company in future that have proven that they not only don't deliver what I pay for, but also try to charge you extra to get it when they're called out on it?

On another note, MS is right Chaos - play the game and decide yourself. The game is not bad, a lot of the content that's there is ok or even pretty good (for those who have played it, avoiding spoilers, I thought the level on Horizon in particular was pretty great). Does it have large problems? In my opinion, yes - but what I see as problems may not necessarily be what everyone else sees as problems.

If nothing else, if you're invested in the franchise you should play it. It may not be the perfect ending you envisaged when you played it, but what ongoing franchises ever do manage a perfect ending like that which suits everyone? It would be a shame for you to leave the franchise's story unresolved just because of what others have said imo.

[M.Steiner]

Show

Don't get me wrong btw. It's not that I wouldn't understand exactly where you were coming from if they did such a thing. Depending on their intentions and what not I would feel similar. Maybe it's because I do see myself as a big fan of theirs that I expect better of them. If they produce any new, extended or alternate endings or epilogue for the game I think (or at least I'd like to hope) they would only be doing it because of the reactions they've been getting from the fans or because they wanted to deliver something better to us by having us think it had ended, but for them to then release this as a surprise free update. I really don't think they'd stoop as low as to withhold a games actual ending or only release it after launch just for the purpose of fleecing their customers. Maybe I'm kidding myself when looking at them in a better light like this but as I say, I expect better from the likes of BioWare.

The reason I gave all the Ubisoft examples is because yes, all but 1 of those are a different type of issues entirely and looking at them side by side they can't really be compared. However they are still issues a player could be understood to be seen refusing to support or play because of. In that sense I do think they can be compared. DRM isn't going away any time soon but their views on it were screwed, they took things too far and which only ever punished the people who actually bought the product and supported them in the first place. When the people who they were putting such practices into action against continued to play just fine. I can see exactly where you were coming from with your BioWare comment because I did just that with Ubisoft myself. When they were rolling that crap out on so many titles I protested with my wallet and refused to buy any of them simply because I was strongly against it and didn't wish to support such schemes. But I didn't play them by other means either which I know plenty did, I avoided them completely. From doing that I was very late to the party with the AC games, the latest (crap) Splinter Cell, Settlers etc. I didn't buy or play any of these until they removed or relaxed them heavily. So I was just a little surprised and took it as an overreaction to see you saying you may do the same with BioWare when I think Ubisoft have done far worse than something BioWare hasn't even done yet and guessing their intentions even if they're different types of issues. Yet accepted Ubisofts DRM antics and continued to play those titles during that time. Hope that makes sense heh

[Anubis]

Show

It does make sense, yes - I just don't agree with it. The Ubisoft DRM was bad, but at least they were up front about it and those of us who chose to play the games anyway knew what we were getting in advance. I see this, potentially, as the opposite - a complete blindside.

I also should say that I'm not judging them just yet. It's very much an 'if' situation I just have a feeling that's how it might turn out that's all - since I am convinced that DLC endings will come, whether they be alternate or actual in nature.

[SL33PY]

I haven't bought it because of all the commotion, also the addition of multiplayer made me wary.

Can anyone with serious ME background tell me whether I should or shouldn't get it?

I'm a huge fan of ME 1 & 2 finished 2 several times (three or four, can't remember)

[Anubis]

I haven't bought it because of all the commotion, also the addition of multiplayer made me wary.

Can anyone with serious ME background tell me whether I should or shouldn't get it?

I'm a huge fan of ME 1 & 2 finished 2 several times (three or four, can't remember)

I think my advice to Chaos above can be applied in a broader manner than just to him. To anyone else in your situation, I'd probably say the same too:

If nothing else, if you're invested in the franchise you should play it. It may not be the perfect ending you envisaged when you played it, but what ongoing franchises ever do manage a perfect ending like that which suits everyone? It would be a shame for you to leave the franchise's story unresolved just because of what others have said imo.

[Ozone]

I haven't bought it because of all the commotion, also the addition of multiplayer made me wary.

Can anyone with serious ME background tell me whether I should or shouldn't get it?

I'm a huge fan of ME 1 & 2 finished 2 several times (three or four, can't remember)

Im running through it now with an imported toon that started in me1. Its pretty much mass effect 2 with prettier graphics. Regardless of how it ends, I'm enjoying playing. A number of hours in and its an excellent fit to the franchise.

As per the ending, I've heard that it doesn't process your previous choices as well as it could have and tends simply to convert them into a numerical representation which then drops you into certain cookie cutter selections. BUT, apparantly with the outcries of the masses (heh,see what I did there, I'm genius), Bioware is working on an epic dlc which is somehow going to address the issue.

Saying all that, I'm not really playing much of the main game of late because I got sucked into the fragging multiplayer, which imho, works very well with the whole me thing. In the game there is something called galactic readiness and it represents different sectors of space and their preparedness for the reaper invasion. Entering mp drops you into a team of four on a co-op mission to one of the planets in one of these sectors. Then its pure, but smart, survival combat. A big plus of this is that it allows you to have numerous characters and allows you to try loads of different classes, powers, and combinations outside the main game. For example, I never thought I'd enjoy playing a shotgun wielding Asari biotic, now I'm thinking i should run replay of the main game with one. I've also got a soldier with battlefield 3 armour (a freebie if you played bf3), and a Quarian engineer I'm going to mess about with later today. Anyways, back on track... assuming the mission is survived, two things occur: the galactic readiness of that sector of space increases slightly (which is transferred into the main game), and you gain experience and monetary awards. The experience you use to level up powers. The money you spend on packs of random items. There are different levels of packs, each of which contains 5 new weapons, classes, gun mods, random supplies, etc. The higher level pack the rarer the supplies. This is a neat way to keep and build interest.

All in all, i personally think its a brilliant addition to the franchise and a solid game that me addicts should enjoy.

[SL33PY]

aside of ME3 I've been really sick of late that companies cut up games in order to sell the big chunk for 50€-65€ and then slap on some 'limited edition' content, which should have been delivered with the game anyhow and in the end bundle it as a goty edition.

I've seen a graphic not so long ago that really fits my feelings on this (totally different) issue. I'll try to track it back and post it.

edit:

I found it: http://i41.tinypic.com/18g7sj.jpg

[M.Steiner]

So, ME3 DLC on the way this summer which will include the real intended ending(s) to the game and offer more closure to players.
Be priced at $9 (around £6)



Not really. I'm just winding you guys up.
Real - ME3: Extended Cut DLC out in the summer which will expand upon the existing ending of the game. Price? Free of charge. [Source: http://www.vg247.com/2012/04/05/mass-ef ... is-summer/]

See, they're not all that bad are they?
Hopefully this will be the end of all the whining and bitching but then again I'm sure some people will still find something to complain about even with this lol...
Still think it was their right to stick with what they created and not change, rewrite or extend because of player feedback but good on them imo. I'm glad I wasn't proved wrong in expecting better of them (i.e. ripping their fans off intentionally).

[Anubis]

It being free is the only real option they had considering the way in which this has come about. It was always going to be seen as the 'real ending' by the community, and they'd rightly feel angry that BioWare was trying to charge them extra for an end to the game if they had charged.

The right call. I'll play it, and see how it goes. I'm not sure it could really salvage the game with regards to its largest flaws, as it really needs a rewrite from the base up for that (notably: how your decisions throughout the series don't matter in ME3), but it was never realistic to expect that it would. Hopefully it will just improve the ending - that would do, I think, at this point

[Futile Resistance]

Finally finished it. I enjoyed the game leading up to the ending and was definitely a bit miffed after experiencing it and looking at all the other endings online.

If the DCLs confirm the Indoctrination Theory I would've given major kudos for clever story telling had it come as part of the original game. The way it stands, it stinks of EA wanting as much money as possible from DLCs (excellent picture example SL33PY). I agree with Anubis that community outrage may have forced EA to release it for free.

If the outrage wasn't as loud as it was, what's to prevent EA or any future publisher from only delivering parts of the storyline and making you pay for the remaining in DLC form?

[Ozone]

Well, looks like I'm in the final trench run. Been taking time playing as I'm not as excited about this one anywhere near as much as I was for 1+2, and, knowing in advance that my actions and personality build were simply going to be converted to a rating...

Anyways, the odd thing I kept coming across was the ridiculous quests required to bring other species on board. I mean, I'm trying to save the ENTIRE UNIVERSE from an ARMAGEDDON INVASION and these guys wont help me unless I find some trinket coincidentally located in a location populated by a previous crewmember?

My impressions...

/oz meets a scientist.
Oz: the reapers are going to destroy the universe, i need your help.
Scientist: id like to but i'm too depressed cuz i lost my wallet on some asteroid.
Oz: i have loads of time, its only the universe, i can help you instead atm.
Scientist: oh, good
/oz goes to asteroid, lands...
Oz: hey, what a coincidence, its my old teammate 'a'.
/oz and 'a' kill baddies, recover wallet, 'a' sacrifices self, oz sad, oz returns to scientist.
Scientist: thanks, i'll help.

Then, soon after, on the citadel...

/oz meets a warrior.
Oz: the reapers are going to destroy the universe, i need your help.
Warrior: id like to but i'm too depressed cuz i lost a pack of gum on a reaper base.
Oz: i have loads of time, its only the universe, i can help you instead atm.
Warrior: oh, good
/oz goes to base, lands...
Oz: hey, what a coincidence, its my old teammate 'b'.
/oz and 'b' kill baddies, recover gum, 'b' sacrifices self, oz sad, oz returns to warrior.
Warrior: thanks, i'll help.

Then, soon after...

[Futile Resistance]

LOL @ Oz. Good stuff.

[Anubis]

Lol Oz

One thing that amused/baffled/angered me was how fickle the species are.

Show

For example, I cured the Genophage so the Salarians were incredibly angry with me. As I recall their Council Representative threatened that the Salarians wouldn't back me if I helped the Krogan, and they followed through on it once I did.

For a few missions anyway, until Hackett contacted me and told me that they forgave me and sent their fleet.

It's like...not even do the choices I made in the previous games not matter, but the ones in this one don't either! Had me tearing my hair out at times I must admit.

[Ozone]

Well, finished it. And, gotta say I loved the ending.
Dunno what all the fuss was about.

Show

Sure, Shep and his squeeze aren't going to be sitting on a Panama beach drinking margharitas, but why should they? Big war, lotta death, big sacrifices. Realistic for the setting of a devestated universe under seige.

BTW, I sacrificed myself to meld organics and synthetics for a happy integrated universe.

I did feel my choices mattered. I bumped into the Rachni Queen in a little adventure as I let her live in ME1. I encountered surviving crewmembers from 1 + 2 which enhanced the experience with 3 a bit. Example - Liara's survival from 2 allowed the shadow broker lair to be set up on the Normandy, giving me some access to upgrades and intel. Some war assets were only present due to previous actions. And sure, resources were turned into numbers in the overall scheme of things, but they boosted my rating giving me an optional ending choice.

All in all, after a 5 year addiction, I think it came to a very suitable, and fitting, close. Not even going to bother with the expanded ending DLC.

Oh, and I thought the after credit ending with the grandfather telling his child of the old legends of Shepard absolutely fantastic and will endear ME3 in my memory as one of the best ended games ever.



/Oz hides from angry torch and pitchfork mob

[Futile Resistance]

/Oz hides from angry torch and pitchfork mob

BUUUUUUURN!!!!

I just wanted a Renegade option where I get to punch the God child IN DA FACE!