Mass Effect 3

[Lynk Former]

I had a really strange dream the other night... In the dream my parents got me a Wii U as a present all of a sudden along with two games, New Super Mario Bros. U and... Mass Effect 3.

 

I was all like "Oh, no, no, no, you really don't have to get me TWO games, just Mario is fine, I don't need the other one, I really don't... you should take it back and get your money back, IMMEDIATELY."

[mimartin]

you should take it back and get your money back, IMMEDIATELY."

They better, because that is what I got you for Christmas. Wait you did not read that...

 

Thanks stingerhs, I will check it out.

[Lynk Former]

No, you keep it, it's my gift to you.

[Q]

The ending was so bad that Lynk is still feeling the after-effects 9 months later.

 

Still haven't played this game, though I will eventually.

[Totenkopf]

some quick news, if you haven't already heard about it. Mass Effect 3 has a new single-player DLC called "Omega". i've gotten it and played all the way through it. its about 4 missions long, and you don't get any of your ME3 squadmates with you this time. instead, you'll do the majority of the missions side-by-side with Aria T'Loak and a new character to the ME universe.

 

Yeah, it might have been nice to have access to other crew, but the two of them proved able enough companions. Just finished it several minutes ago, so don't know if squaddies make any comments or not.

 

all in all, it took me about an hour to complete each mission, so there's a sizeable chunk of gameplay here. there's two new enemies to combat, but most of the enemies are the familiar Cerberus variety. the story plays out pretty well, but its nothing spectacular. the best aspect of the story is how much my paragon character contrasted with Aria who is, predictably, very much a renegade.

 

Basically agree, though I played Shep as renegade. Will leave paragon for a femshep run.

 

.... gameplay was up to par with the vanilla game, which is to say that its excellent. combat was equally good as it was consistently challenging throughout. the locations are superb and highly detailed, and the environments are laid out naturally.

 

Agree. Too bad it wasn't in game originally.

 

 

all in all, if you're a fan of the way ME3 plays, then Omega is a very good DLC pack that will give you about what you'd expect and perhaps a bit more. if you're one of the people that wants to completely write off the game because you didn't like the ending, then Omega isn't likely to change your mind. for me: 8/10.

 

Satisfied with it overall, but agree it wouldn't change the minds of the haters or the disaffected.

[Taak Farst]

For me, the ending was so bad that it turned a once-obsessed with and loved series of mine into a mehfest..I haven't bought ANY DLC for ME3, whereas I rushed to buy every single ME2 DLC there was. The ending just ruined it all. I will not be getting the Omega DLC either.

[Lynk Former]

Yeah, after 3, I'm pretty much done with Mass Effect. Have no interest in the DLC or going through the trilogy again with different choices and whatnot. And when a new Mass Effect comes in the future, not going to bother buying it at release, the only time I would is when the price gets cut substantially.

[mimartin]

Not going to defend the ending as great, it wasn't IMO, but it is hard to believe people are so upset that they allow the last 5 mins to ruin the entire story. I loved ME3 as part of a trilogy up until the final elevator ride. The game had the most epic moments with your companions. Garrus day out, Mordin, Tali and the resolution to the Geth vs Quarian conflict. Even the conclusion to companions such as Jack, Jacob, Wrex, Miranda, Kasumi and the rest were done really nicely, just not with the same emotion as Mordin and Tali. They even tied up lose ends from the DLC from ME1, so to me the game was epic until that elevator ride. The new redone ending was more than enough to make me happy. It tells me what happened to my companions and that was all I cared about.

 

I have only played through ME3 twice, but that is due to another game taking all my free time, not because ME3 was a terrible game, it isn't, it is a great game with a bad ending. Just like RotJ is average movie, with a terrible ending. Ewoks...need I say more.

[Lynk Former]

People wanted to feel like they made a difference through their actions. ME3 ending didn't provide that feeling... aside from red, green and blue. This isn't a movie, this is a video game, a video game that provided you with the tools to make your own decisions and they didn't follow through with that, they only half-assed it.

 

 

But we've already been through this before in this thread

[mimartin]

yes we have...But I shall defend their right to make crappy endings as long as the rest of the game is great. Also as in most Video Games choice is a illusion, but only BioWare is held to the higher standard.

[Lynk Former]

Choices in real life are illusions too, but they're still important and I certainly don't hold BioWare to any higher standard.

[Totenkopf]

Yeah, after 3, I'm pretty much done with Mass Effect. Have no interest in the DLC or going through the trilogy again with different choices and whatnot. And when a new Mass Effect comes in the future, not going to bother buying it at release, the only time I would is when the price gets cut substantially.

 

Yeah, I can wait for the next one to reach discounted pricing before getting it as well. Hell, the first game was out over a year before I was even really aware of it. Probably the only games I'll ever bother w/dlc over, though. I'd rather these guys (game devs and whatnot) deliver a finished product than rush out an unfinished one b/c of marketing pressures. They're gonna do what they're gonna do, doesn't mean I have to approve/think much of it. That said, I tend to agree w/mim that ME3 was good until the very end, then punted. I guess it didn't bother me too much b/c I tend to have low expectations for most pop culture media (movies, games) and don't typically get games at $60+ a pop anyway. So, while I agree the game wasn't perfect and apparently promised more than it delivered, it still has replay value nonetheless. As to the retooled ending, I'd only say they should have spent a little more time on it and not made it so much of a slide show as they did (they could've beefed up the part for the assault on London and shown more combat w/former surviving squaddies from #2 even). Shoulda...coulda.... but didn't.

 

post#518

@ mim and tot: Psh, it's not about the end, it's about the journey

[Bob Saget]

Once again, laziness.

 

Bioware claims to be truthful and honest towards its fanbase and blatantly gets lazy with ME3. That's why the RPG factor is so dumbed down, also why the side quests are such boring chores, and the ending was utterly crap even with the EC endings. Still felt half-assed.

 

the concept itself wasn't bad, it was the execution and how it was presented. Had it been well thought, a 30-minute section which completely summarized the difference you made, that would have been great. I just wished my choices mattered, but they didn't. The only difference in EC is a slide or two.

[Lynk Former]

@ Tot: I'm aware of what I said, and then Mass Effect 3's ending comes along and shows you just how bad an ending can get that it ends up turning the journey sour... that is for a rerun. I cherish my one and only journey through the Mass Effect trilogy until that ending... however, because of that ending, I find that I can't go through that journey again to take all of those different choices I never took. Because of that ending, once is enough for me. No more.

 

And that is why BioWare failed. They did nothing to spur the audience on to get excited about replaying the games all over again, it wasn't just a great missed opportunity, they ended up evoking the opposite reaction from many people with the way things turned out.

[stingerhs]

you know, maybe its because i've always been more of a fan of shooters than RPG's, but i fail to see how an ending "destroys" a game. from where i stand, it really just makes everybody sound like a bunch of whining nerds that care too much about whether or not Han shot first. if you have a 5 course meal, and the first 4 courses are amazing, then how does a "mediocre and rushed" final course "destroy" the entire meal??

 

to me, it just comes across as utter ridiculousness, and what is equally sad is that someone will probably get offended and try to tell me why i'm wrong because this is a "special case". at the end of the day, it really boils down to this: your lofty expectations weren't met. one of these days, maybe you'll realize that, when it comes to the ME3 ending, the game put you on an emotional roller coaster with challenging combat and tough decisions that drove you to the ending in a thrilling campaign. if that part of the game hadn't been so good, you never would've reached the ending.

 

now, can we *please* stop whining?? if the ending spoiled the game for you, fine; that's your call to make. endlessly pointing out that your feelings got hurt by the ending is nothing short of obsessive, and its tiring to constantly read through all of that mess.

[Lynk Former]

1. This is a video game forum on the Internet where people share their opinions about video games and debate and discuss their opinions even if they differ. That's the entire point of this place and shouldn't be devalued as whining by anyone.

 

2. This is a Star Wars forum on the Internet where people share their opinions about Star Wars and debate and discuss their opinions even if they differ. That's the entire point of this place and shouldn't be devalued as whining by anyone.

 

3. Video games aren't meals, they're video games.

 

4. For me this is no special case for Mass Effect, I am critical of a lot of video games but each case is different, not special. I am very critical of Metroid: Other M for many reasons that differ from Mass Effect 3 as I am critical of... say, Grand Theft Auto for some things as well as the Resident Evil series and Super Mario Bros. Each game and game series has their own expectation, their own case. As I said, there are no special cases, just different ones. I also do not judge a game until I've played it and have come to an understanding about what is and isn't good about it. As I've said many times before, I love most of what ME3 has to offer, it's just disappointing that I feel no motivation to experience it over again... and this is not the only game (series) that has done this to me or anyone else for that matter.

 

5. So will people stop whining about video games? No, I don't want anyone to stop "whining" about video games because if we did then it would be time to lock up these forums and call it quits because all of the life would be absolutely sucked right out of this place. In fact, I want people to whine MORE about video games in here because that spurs discussion among our members. Discussion is what we want, we can debate and discuss and whine or whatever it is people wnat to call it as much as we want because that's what makes this place live and breathe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Darth333]

Choices in real life are illusions too, but they're still important and I certainly don't hold BioWare to any higher standard.

 

Uh...no. Choices in RL are not illusions and I don't think there is anything to laugh about. There is absolutely nothing pleasant to see an employee lose his/her job and I always feel like s*** when it happens. For some people, one person making the wrong choice or pressing the wrong button can result in hundreds without a home in a few months or even become hungry...I rarely sleep well at night in fear of "pressing the wrong button"... but "making no choice" (choosing to let it go is also a choice) maybe even worse...

 

Anyway, as for gaming, I think ME3 ending has shown how they did not dare to make a choice in fear of displeasing someone in the fan crowd. So they left the choice to the player but in the end it was badly done and there were no real consequences contrary to the 16 different endings which were announced...everyone got about the same ending....even moreso for color blind players. So, for not daring to please someone, you might end up pleasing no one or so.

[Lynk Former]

Uh...no. Choices in RL are not illusions. For some people, one person making the wrong choice or pressing the wrong button can result in hundreds without a home in a few months or even become hungry...I rarely sleep well at night in fear of "pressing the wrong button".

LOL. And for some people, no matter what choice they make the outcome always ends up being the same, of course these are different matters entirely from Mass Effect.

 

Anyway, as for gaming, I think ME3 ending has shown how they did not dare to make a choice in fear of displeasing someone in the fan crowd. So they left the choice to the player but in the end there were no real consequences...everyone got about the same ending....even moreso for color blind players. So, for not daring to please someone, you might end up pleasing no one or so.

I see it more as a case of rewrites being made by different writers = a tail end that doesn't match the front end.

[stingerhs]

when you constantly reiterate the same criticism again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, then it starts to sound more, and more, and more, and more, and more, and more like whining.

 

and you may not like my use of metaphors, but i thought it was a good one. XP

[Lynk Former]

I just made fun of Wii U for having a cheap port of Mass Effect 3 that is reported to have frame-rate issues (general early port issues, happens to every console, see PS3 early ports of 360 games)... when PS3 is getting MASS EFFECT TRILOGY. Some people commented about it, made some jokes, talked about the DLC, then mim brought it back up and then another discussion happened and in my reply to mim I noted that we've already talked about this before previously and acknowledged the fact that we've already gone over this.

 

The thread simply flowed and sometimes it flows back to things already discussed... if you really wanted people to move on from the topic at hand, something better to do would be to come up with a better topic to move on to, it works better than suggesting that people are whiny nerds.

[Miltiades]

you know, maybe its because i've always been more of a fan of shooters than RPG's, but i fail to see how an ending "destroys" a game. from where i stand, it really just makes everybody sound like a bunch of whining nerds that care too much about whether or not Han shot first. if you have a 5 course meal, and the first 4 courses are amazing, then how does a "mediocre and rushed" final course "destroy" the entire meal??

I wouldn't say it destroys a game, but it certainly harms it. Many people will recognize the Mass Effect trilogy had very powerful moments and at times really was amazing. But if you set up a story as a trilogy with a clear beginning, middle and ending, you can damn well make sure your ending is satisfying, at least make it consistent with what came before.

 

So yes, even with the endings we got, the great things from the trilogy still exist, but they are made rather inconsequential with those endings in hindsight. I know you can't please everyone and with expectations so high, there were bound to be people who wouldn't accept how the trilogy ended, but this wasn't about some artistic choice, it was promises made over several games (choice matters!) thrown out the window so they could make three simple endings, introducing a game-changing element in the universe in the last five minutes to make it possible, that made people so unaccepting of the endings.

 

Also, I don't feel like this is just bitching about the ending just because we didn't like it. I think it's worth discussing how the ending influences your experience of the rest of the game, how you perceive everything in hindsight and if it made people not care about replaying, and so on.

[stingerhs]

if you want to get constructive, then lets get constructive. the whole point is that everyone gets so focused on the problem that there's no solutions being presented, and its just the same old comments reiterated again and again.

 

look, i respect your opinion, and i apologize if anyone takes what i've had to say too personal as its not intended that way. its just that if you say it once, thats great. twice, and your highlighting your original point. more than that, it gets repetitive fast, and it doesn't really contribute to the discussion unless you're offering a different take or an actual solution.

[Lynk Former]

Suddenly we're BioWare Okay folks, time to offer up some solutions so we can re-release Mass Effect 3 with a much better ending, chop chop. Hurry up now or EA will fire us all. Solutions by people have been presented in the past, I'm pretty sure I presented solutions as well... but so what if we come up with solutions or not?

[Totenkopf]

@ Tot: I'm aware of what I said, and then Mass Effect 3's ending comes along and shows you just how bad an ending can get that it ends up turning the journey sour... that is for a rerun. I cherish my one and only journey through the Mass Effect trilogy until that ending... however, because of that ending, I find that I can't go through that journey again to take all of those different choices I never took. Because of that ending, once is enough for me. No more.

 

Was merely tweaking you, lynk. Just figured it was a good excuse to turn your words back on ya is all. Frankly, though, given the nature of the enemy in that game, not really sure how anyone expected it to be too much different. The star child was nothing more than a lame manifestation of the AI you had to confront anyway and was foreshadowed throughout. So, while I agree that the ending was underwhelming, it wasn't a deal breaker for me. However, as I also said, not rushing to get any "sequel" in the franchise.

 

Suddenly we're BioWare Okay folks, time to offer up some solutions so we can re-release Mass Effect 3 with a much better ending, chop chop. Hurry up now or EA will fire us all. Solutions by people have been presented in the past, I'm pretty sure I presented solutions as well... but so what if we come up with solutions or not?

 

It'd be interesting to see what some other peoples' solutions were. Asked that question in a thread (this one?, don't remember), but very few people seemed game to answer. I figure if people are gonna complain that the pooch was screwed, that perhaps they have definite ideas of their own about how it should have gone down.

[Lynk Former]

I mentioned before that they could've gone the more Silent Hill route where the endings would be drastically different from each other and even come at different times, maybe even earlier... for example, Sheps death if he tried to sex up Samara's daughter... that said, I also acknowledged the fact that trying to achieve such a route would be pretty damn ambitious. But it would have been the driving force that would have spurred a lot of people to replay the entire trilogy to try to get all of those different endings.