Mass Effect 3

[Vector]

Up until the ending, I would've rated Mass Effect 3 a 10, to be honest. And I don't rate games with perfect scores. All of the 25 hours I spent playing the singleplayer(and 30+ hours on multiplayer) were an absolute joy to me. Everything that happened was epic in nature and executed well. I didn't run into any glitches in my playthrough, I just found it to be one of the most enjoyable experiences I've ever had in gaming. I loved nearly every second of it.

Even after the ending, I would still rate it a 9.5. The cop-out ending didn't take away all the fun I had in ME1, ME2 and ME3. Also, maybe I'm just reading too much into BioWare's cryptic responses and I'm too hopeful for what happens next.

[DarkMemories]

The entire point of the Mass Effect series is choice (or the illusion of choice, as some prefer to call it). We were told, constantly and consistently, that our choices would have an impact on the end of the game. This did not happen. What we got instead was three slightly different flavors of kool-aid as told to us by a Godchild. It doesn't matter that what you did or chose to do in ME1 or ME2. All that matters, effectively, is that final, pointless choice where no matter what, nothing worthwhile happens other than hearing Buzz Aldrin ramble to his grandchild.

As for "not understanding the logic" - the analogy I used is pretty much perfect.

[Mr. Spencer]

I for one am having great fun with the multiplayer!

[Reston]

Yeah. For those who are not getting why people are upset...

..... the entire series has been about choice. it's been marketed since day one that it was a planned trilogy where your choices will reflect and affect the story. You make the story up as you go along based on the choices you make.

The game itself is good. It did feel slightly rushed and there are some issues in which I am sure people would love to discuss but the problem is the ending ruins anything else. How can you go back and play any of the games or make another character when you know that the end you're gonna get something that doesn't even have anything to do with your choice because Hudson wanted to be "Artsy" and create speculation.

Stupid decision. This is not Sopranos where there has been signs and the use of the camera to explain something else that you're not getting. This is not Lost when the ending keeps you confused considering the rest of the series leaves a lot of things unexplained (unless you dig into it and do your own research like mwah).

This is Mass Effect. A game where you, the player, choose your decisions which will reflect upon the story. That has been taken away from the players at the end. The ending makes no sense and Hudson decided it would be best if the fans did not know anything. It says so in that Mass Effect: Final Hours or w/e the fuck it's called. That's bullshit. That's like Capcom going, "You don't need to know why there are zombies or other monsters. We want there to be speculation! We want the gamers to talk about it for years to come!"

Casey Hudson is a fool. He may make a shit load of money off of this game but in the long run it's going to do him more harm then good. The game has already been lowered down to one star on Amazon and is already twenty-five percent off. That is the response the gamers are giving. I don't care what his reason was for the change. You promise to give them choices, you keep your fucking promise. it's not that hard. All of this could have and would have been avoided if he decided to give some answers. Even Hideo wouldn't pull this crap and even though people didn't like his "nanomachine" answer for a lot of things it was still... answers as was promised. Casey made a promise and he broke it. It wasn't EA. It wasn't his staff. It was the game director who decided it would be cool to make things not clear at the end and leave the player feeling like the blunt of some bad joke.

@ Enetirnel,

Ha ha ha! Poor Fiona! That girl went through so much crap! All she did to survive was use her ability to kick and shove, solve puzzles, and her beloved attack dog. She could give the Resident Evil crew a run for their money in terms of survival horror.

@ Spencer,
Do you have it for Xbox or PS3?

EDIT: Bioware should add this to the patch for when it's released. It would at least make me feel something. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99kS02nPoEM

[Darkmoon]

http://www.vgrevolution.com/2012/03/...-starts-today/ - So, who wants to be the fourth person for Spencer, BadWolf X and I?

[Reston]

What class are you guys? I have only done soldier.

[Darkmoon]

I'm a level 20 Krogan Sentinel. Yes, I know. Spencer is having fun as a Salrian Infiltrator. Bad Wolf X is a Vanguard. We're also on 360.

[Reston]

I got a mic and I also have 360. If you want to send me a PM with your gamer tag or something, I can add you guys.

[Darkmoon]

JonaGarr is mine.

[Reston]

Alright. Sent you a request. You'll know it's me.

[Kaneco]

Well, the 3rd game's curse seems as of late...past 2 years or less.

Developer: "Hmmm, third game in the trilogy...we seemed to have made it far and people love us, we are bound to make a lot of money on this one (mainstream) no matter what we do. Alright men! Let's get LAZY! and take ideas from other franchises *cough* Uncharted 3's multiplayer perks a la CoD *cough*...Let's make it extra short, glitchy, filled with poor writing. We are bound to make the same amount of money or surpass the numbers of the last entry by now"

I would make a demotivational picture for these type of shit...but I think I caught the lazy plague.

[Vector]

Casey Hudson RESPONDS: http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/to...index/10089946

There’s been a lot of discussion and debate about the conclusion of Mass Effect 3, so I thought I’d share my erspective with you here. I’ll avoid outright spoilers, but I’d still recommend finishing the game and experiencing it for yourself before reading this.

For the last eight years, Mass Effect has been a labor of love for our team; love for the characters we’ve created, for the medium of video games, and for the fans that have supported us. For us and for you, Mass Effect 3 had to live up to a lot of expectations, not only for a great gaming experience, but for a resolution to the countless storylines and decisions you’ve made as a player since the journey began in 2007. So we designed Mass Effect 3 to be a series of endings to key plots and storylines, each culminating in scenes that show you the consequences of your actions. You then carry the knowledge of these consequences with you as you complete the final moments of your journey.

We always intended that the scale of the conflict and the underlying theme of sacrifice would lead to a bittersweet ending—to do otherwise would betray the agonizing decisions Shepard had to make along the way. Still, we wanted to give players the chance to experience an inspiring and uplifting ending; in a story where you face a hopeless struggle for basic survival, we see the final moments and imagery as offering victory and hope in the context of sacrifice and reflection.

We've had some incredibly positive reactions to Mass Effect 3, from the New York Times declaring it “a gripping, coherent triumph”, to Penny Arcade calling it “an amazing accomplishment”, to emails and tweets from players who have given us the most profound words of appreciation we've ever received.

But we also recognize that some of our most passionate fans needed more closure, more answers, and more time to say goodbye to their stories—and these comments are equally valid. Player feedback such as this has always been an essential ingredient in the development of the series.

I am extremely proud of what this team has accomplished, from the first art concepts for the Mass Effect universe to the final moments of Mass Effect 3. But we didn't do it on our own. Over the course of the series, Mass Effect has been a shared experience between the development team and our fans—not just a shared experience in playing the games, but in designing and developing them. An outpouring of love for Garrus and Tali led to their inclusion as love interests in Mass Effect 2. A request for deeper RPG systems led to key design changes in Mass Effect 3. Your feedback has always mattered. Mass Effect is a collaboration between developers and players, and we continue to listen.

So where do we go from here? Throughout the next year, we will support Mass Effect 3 by working on new content. And we’ll keep listening, because your insights and constructive feedback will help determine what that content should be. This is not the last you’ll hear of Commander Shepard.

We look forward to your continued support and involvement as we work together to shape the remaining experiences in the story of the Mass Effect trilogy.

Thanks for taking this journey with us.

Casey Hudson

Also, reading through the comments on this video is sickening. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Utl7WhRmp0w

And I'm sure some of you will agree to a certain extent. But I don't get where these people get off personally insulting a man and wishing death upon him because the ending wasn't what they thought it should be. It's pretty disgusting. I'm not happy with the ending either but trolling and harassing these guys(BioWare) won't accomplish anything. Why are the loudest people in the room always the dumbest?

Present your case. Communicate respectfully. Things might change.



THIS video, however, is exceptional:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tbghjn7_Byc&feature=youtu.be

It lends incredible credence to the 'indoctrination theory.'

[Dracarys]

Finally beat the game.

I was really enjoying it bar a few small things I could overlook. Then there was the love interest problems, followed by then the ending...

The small things are stuff like loadng times, made worse with so many decks of the Normandy and me being the type who wants to chat with everyone after every mission. Plus the citadel facing similar problems. The weapon system didn't seem very balanced either, just find the best one, upgrade to level 5 and never use anything else again, as far as assault rifles and shotguns go I found the best to pretty early and used them rest of game.

Ending thoughts:
Spoiler:

show spoiler

When I met the catalyst I personally thought of a bunch of warning signals, even when I first played the demo I did not think the kid was real, three times only Shepard sees him, he just vanishes in the vents and nobody seems concerned about a kid when the shuttles are evacuating, the kid puts himself onto one. Add in the dreams especially the final one and suddenly seeing his image used for the catalyst made me instantly suspicious of anything it claims.

It is kind of stupid what is says anyway, synthetics will kill the creators so they make the Reapers do it instead and harvest organics into Reapers and call it saving them. Stupid right there. You could just, you know...only wipe out 'evil' AI should it occur and appear to be an intergalactic threat to organic life. Nevermind EDI proving not all AI wish to destroy, or in my playthroughs case the Geth being an ally. Nevermind that much of previous cycles 'preserved' organics are getting blown up by the current cycles organics.

Not thought out at all, but it gets worse.

The destroy choice he offers up also does not fix the issue he himself claimed about future generations making more synthetics, so why the hell would he even offer it as a choice. It completely defeats the point of what he is claiming he has been trying to prevent for god knows how many Reaper cycles. Yeah he says his solution will not work anymore, but detroy option sure as hell solves nothing. The catalyst pretty much says nothing good about the destroy option and it made me think it was one big trick (breaking 4th wall kind), especially since I was paragon and that is highlighted like a renegade option. No way are the other two options paragon. Plus he says I will die, but I did not when I picked destroy so he was lying.

If the ending is some dream/indoctrination sequence I think it may have started when the Crucible connected with the Citadel, perhaps the endings we see are some widespread indoctrination fantasy sent across the galaxy, it would maybe explain why all the squadmates I took to the planet with me (and you see them all there regardless of which to you pick for final part) are suddenly on the Normandy, and for some reason why Joker is piloting it in a Mass Effect jump when he should be helping at Earth. Bioware seem better than that at writing if it meant to be real. Plus the kid appearing would perhaps be an extention of Shepard being partly indoctrinated, perhaps due to time near the 'artifact' in arrival.

If they released some DLC contained entirely within a indocrinated dream we had to fight out of it would not surprise me.

I would perhaps believe the indoctrination/dream started on earth when the beam went close by theory, but that makes the entire Illusive Man part false, and I do not believe that since it was such a major point and felt important, unlike the Catalyst section.

[Reston]

Brent Knowles, ex-Bioware employee and lead designer of DA:O comments on ending

http://blog.brentknowles.com/2012/03/11/mass-effect-3-and-day-one-dlc/#disqus_thread

The following is in the comments thread, not the blog post (the blog post deals specifically with the issue of Day 1 DLC).

I read one recent blog post where the writer basically said "the ending was awesome because it was just like a movie" and I think she was missing the point.

It is a game. Not a movie.

And more specifically, its a role-playing game. The players are *part* of the game. Part of the process of building and experiencing the game, much more so than with most other forms of entertainment.

Entitlement is really a right, for the gamer, because they have participated, actively, in the game itself.

Again, I can't speak to the actual ending myself, because I have not played it but in generally I'd say a Role-Playing Video Game Trilogy Ending should (try to) do the following:

1. Reward the player's choices throughout the series. The big stuff they did should be noted. They should *feel* like they had a unique impact on the world.

2. End on a positive note. This is really important for video games... life in general is full of ***** stuff happening all the time. When I invest a hundred hours into a game I need to walk away feeling like a hero.

When you waste a couple hours of a person's life with an artsy/depressing movie or short story or even a novel, it is more forgivable because the time spent is less. And presumably the consumer knew what they were going into when they started. Certain directors create certain styles of movie. Certain writers write specific types of fiction.

On the other hand somebody playing an epic role-playing video-game trilogy is going to *expect* to be the hero and save the universe. That's why they are playing the game. When expectations don't match reality, disappointment is created.

It might be an artistic/creative move to go with a different style of ending but I feel its the wrong choice, especially for a videogame *trilogy*. Make your middle game bleak if you want to, but end the series on a high note.

[Mr. Spencer]

I'm having a lot of fun with the multiplayer.