In Progress Let's Play Mass Effect 3: Emotional Engagements

[RK47]

Vid? Vid?! Oh my, is this going to be a video LP?

...

Alright.

Oh I'm still considering. Action seems more fluid on video. Not sure if I should go 100% vid or break the segments in between. I can't really ...erm...well. Maybe I'll do it traditional way.

As for who we banged in ME 2:

 

[Brother None]

Maybe it's just me, but I strongly prefer traditional to video LP, unless video is done with expert narration (and that's HARD, I mean everyone thinks they can do it, but 99% of them suck).

Heh, Talimancer. I hope she dies in the sequel.

 

[RK47]

You want me to narrate the video? With voice and all? Gee whiz, with all the bullets flying and biotics going on I doubt I can.
Lets go with floating white text for baby's first video LP.

Oh yeah here's the promised biotic shit video

 

[Erebus]

That was painfully boring, but your comments are just fine. It's a pity that written comments aren't more common in video LPs.

 

[Hirato]

If you're going that route; videos with white text on them. I would advise giving the text a black outline.

This is indeed Space Wizard Popamole.
For your sake, I hope the combat improves soon.

 

[Brother None]

That was certainly emotionally engaging. Had my buttcheeks clenched with anxiety the whole time. Nail-biter.

- WELCOME BACK SHEPARD

- Thanks.

 

[RK47]

General Impression:
-Based on MP demo experience, biotics are certainly overpowered in this game.
-Warp, Throw did a number on armored troops. If you meet shielded guys, Sentinels have Overload. There's NOTHING this class can't take.

8 Skills, and only 3 are actually effective.

Warp & Throw is self explanatory.
Lift Grenade - A limited supply of grenade, 3 at first level and more damage later on. You can resupply at ammo crates. Not exactly a power. Why would using a grenade be considered an invested skill? It's basically pull the pin and throw, right?
Tech armor is Sentinel's unique skill and gives 25% damage reduction and later on increases power damage by 25%. Always keep this on. It can be detonated for close range damage, but why would you want to do that if you have Warp & Throw?
Overload - Shield stripper. It's nearly useless in other situations. May be useful against machines.
Cryo Blast - This freezes your enemies, but it makes them drop flat onto the floor. Kinda worthless when you can simply knock them around off a ledge with Throw AFTER you combo with Warp. There's no synergy with the rest of your skills, hence Cryo is worthless.
Offensive mastery - Passive weapon / power damage bonus. Yawn.
Fitness - Passive defensive bonus like HP / Shield increase. Yawn.

 

[Esquilax]

Video updates sound too next-gen and popamole for my liking. Nothing like a fine, hand-crafted update, I say.

 

[Brother None]

I'm for old-fashioned too, but hey, whatever RK47 prefers. Video might be superior for certain updates, coz it can be hard to explain why a boss-fight sucks or the like with just images. But I don't see how you can do the classic and awesome RK47 narration with video.

Also, throw/warping your way through the game sounds boooooooooring.

 

[Esquilax]

Video-style LP's can be great, but it really requires a certain kind of person to make it work. First of all, 80% of the LP's I see on YouTube are narrated by some douche with a horrendously nasal, grating voice and a propensity for making shitty jokes in order to fill up dead air. That alone is enough to make me stop wanting to watch it.

Second, it usually requires someone who is generally good at making off-the-cuff commentary during gameplay to keep things entertaining. This is harder to do than it sounds, particularly because if it's done poorly it can sound forced (hence the shitty jokes) or cause the narrator to start babbling on when they really ought to just shut the fuck up for a bit.

 

[Crooked Bee]

I, for one, rarely watch video LPs. Like, almost never. Most of them tend to suck, except the best ones at SomethingAwful. (Not saying that RK47's will suck, it's just really hard to pull off a good video LP -- normally it requires post-commentary, heavy editing, etc., and more, not less work than a decent screenshot LP. But maybe I'm just too picky.) Plus I have sound off when working, and that's for most of the day, so SSLPs are more convenient to me.

 

[abnaxus]

According to Bioware forums, sentinels completely suck in ME3 due to ridiculous cooldown from tech armour. Comments on this?

In ME2 Sentinel bulldozed everything.

 

[Azira]

I, for one, rarely watch video LPs. Like, almost never. Plus they tend to suck, except the best ones at SomethingAwful. (Not saying that RK47's will suck, it's just really hard to pull off a good video LP -- normally it requires post-commentary, heavy editing, etc., and more, not less work than a decent screenshot LP. But maybe I'm just too picky.) Plus I have sound off when working, and that's for most of the day, so SSLPs are more convenient to me.

This goes for me to, except for me not knowing about the SomethingAwful LPs. I used to have an account there, but it was disabled due to inactivity, and their reactivation tool doesn't work.
But if this ME3 LP winds up being a video LP, I'm afraid I won't be following it.

 

[RK47]

According to Bioware forums, sentinels completely suck in ME3 due to ridiculous cooldown from tech armour. Comments on this?

In ME2 Sentinel bulldozed everything.

Wow, I can see my Sentinel sucking for 4.5 minutes there.
Anyways, my impression from 2 hours played so far: This series is headed into the wrong direction. If Bioware really thinks RPG elements like giving bigger numbers from leveling up will improve Mass Effect, they are completely wrong. This game is meant to be a shooter and no amount of scaling will save how horribly imbalanced skill bonuses are compared to guns.

I can see how they balanced the game around the fact that Shepard is level 1 from the start of the game. Not level 30 imported saves that 75% of the buyers will go for. Imported Biotic users will destroy everything. This is a pretty bad start. I hope they recover.

 

[Black]

Either paragon old-fashioned screenshots LP or renegade voiced videos.
No other options.

 

[Mrowak]

You want me to narrate the video? With voice and all? Gee whiz, with all the bullets flying and biotics going on I doubt I can.
Lets go with floating white text for baby's first video LP.

Oh yeah here's the promised biotic shit video

(Pro)Tip: Regerding the length of this section - the sooner you will get rid of the ammo and use one of your and Anderson's skills the sooner it will end. Course, you can just sit there for 5 min waiting for Normandy to arrive. I learned about that in the demo when playing as a Soldier I desperately tried to conserve the ammo thinking "when the fuck will the reinforcements arrive". Turns out, if I shot whole mags into the sky it would be over much sooner. So yeah - you were right about emotional engagement. Meh, tutorials.

It's interesting that Shep is lvl 30 right off the bat after using previous save. Too bad half-arsed lvl scalling ruins the gameplay.

Lastly, I am also for traditional, screenshoty format of this LP. Somehow I tend to avoid video LPs.

 

[RK47]

Noted guys. Will do it the traditional way.

 

[lightbane]

Wow, that was as intense as Oblivion was (that is, not at all). I say you use traditional screenshoots, except for the best dramatic/epic/emotionally challenging/XTREME scenes that would work better as a video.

 

[Wyrmlord]

You want me to narrate the video? With voice and all? Gee whiz, with all the bullets flying and biotics going on I doubt I can.
Lets go with floating white text for baby's first video LP.

Oh yeah here's the promised biotic shit video

I believe you did the right thing by posting a video in this case.

There would have been no other way of demonstrating the painful drudgery of the game's combat.

 

[RK47]

The Mission to Mars

Well, with the Reapers on Earth, Anderson's ace in the hole lies solely on Commander Shepard. God knows why they can't even reach the Citadel Council through proper channels. I mean, they're watching TV, right? But hey, a mission is a mission. We're reinstated. N7 and all.

Hey!

We're leaving.

Leaving?

What's going on?

First impression: Ashley seems to be suffering from short-term memory loss, or maybe hearing problems. Could've sworn she's right next to me when we boarded the Normandy. Not good.

Anderson wants us to go to the Citadel, get help for the fight.

Shut up, James.

He can see what's going on. Without help, this war's already over.

Time to lay the smackdown on this oversized white ape.

Shepard jabs a finger on Vega's rock hard chest.

Stow it, Lt. You don't want to go - we get it - but this isn't a democracy!

Alpha male, motherfucker. Get on top.

We're going to the Citadel... you want out, you can catch a ride back from there.

Commander.

Joker spoke over the intercom. Interesting, I thought 'Glass-legs' went to join Cerberus, wonder how the Alliance treated him?

Joker... that you?

Alive and kicking. Got an emergency transmission from Admiral Hackett for you.

Hackett leads the first line of defence in human space - this is important.

Patch it through.

The transmission is garbled. They must be under heavy jamming.

...force was overwhelming...There's no way we can defeat them conventionally...

Anderson's already ordered me to the Citadel, to talk to the Council.

First, I need you...iance outpost on Mars...ore we lose control of the system.

Mars it is then.

...been researching the Prothean Archives with Dr. T'Soni.

Dr.T'Soni? Liara T'Soni? The Shadow Butthurt?

...found a way to stop the Reapers...only way to stop them...

What a coincidence. A super weapon discovered just in the nick of time. Pity we didn't discover it before TWO YEARS are up.

...in contact soon. Hackett out.

So we have a choice: Do we head to the Council to ask for assistance or head to Mars to get that anti-Reaper weapon. Start voting guys...

Joker. Set a course for the Mars Archives.

Oh, who am I kidding? This is Mass Effect, we are too emotionally engaged to make meaningful choices. If Hackett says it's 'the only way to stop the Reapers' it must be true and not a false lead. Totally. Let's go to Mars.

Mars? Roger that.

Even James Vega is confused at the turn of the situation...

This is loco!

No, this is...SHEPARD!!!

Why Mars? What does he think we'll find there?

I don't know, yet, but if it helps us win this war...

Grab your gear.

Any sign of Reaper activity?

Negative.

If the Reapers did not attack, then what else could it be?

EDI?

The base appears to be online. It's possible the inhabitants were evacuated.

We'll know soon enough. Be ready, Joker...just in case.

Roger that, Normandy out.

How long till it hits?

Understood.

The Red Planet beckons. What will Shepard find on Mars?

 

[abnaxus]

This is loco!

Nice one, Freddie

 

[Kashrlyyk]

The Mission to Mars
....

...found a way to stop the Reapers...only way to stop them...

What a coincidence. A super weapon discovered just in the nick of time. Pity we didn't discover it before TWO YEARS are up.

...in contact soon. Hackett out.

So we have a choice: Do we head to the Council to ask for assistance or head to Mars to get that anti-Reaper weapon. Start voting guys...

Joker. Set a course for the Mars Archives.

Oh, who am I kidding? This is Mass Effect, we are too emotionally engaged to make meaningful choices. If Hackett says it's 'the only way to stop the Reapers' it must be true and not a false lead. Totally. Let's go to Mars.

....

Please, tell me this IS a false lead!

 

[abnaxus]

Is Prothean DLC character connected to Mars mission?

 

[racofer]

Oh... so it's not just with me that the game looks jagged as fuck, even with the in-game's antialiasing enable. Even forcing it through the CCC doesn't make that much of a difference.

 

[RK47]

Is Prothean DLC character connected to Mars mission?

Eh, let's keep spoilers a little bit low. I'm running with very little knowledge beforehand. Keeping the derp at its maximum level, bros. Thanks for not spoiling.