Mass Effect BioWare Montreal's Mass Effect: Andromeda - where element zero meets trisomy 21

[Fedora Master]

It's the same people who theorize about the smell and taste of Tali's sweat.

 

[Grimlorn]

There's no reason it needs to be a reaper trilogy instead of a Shepard trilogy.

It's so easy to come up with other ideas:
ME1: Shepard proving himself and earning the Spectre designation.
ME2: Rooting out corruption and internal affairs intrigue at the 1000 year old spy police
ME3: Credibility established, Shepard takes on more of a leadership position leading a squad of other Spectres, trilogy ends with him retiring into a high level Director's job

Or:
ME1: Humanity joins the list of big players by earning a council seat
ME2: Growing pains of a new empire
ME3: Things come full circle and humanity is in the position of evaluating if another race should be elevated to full membership

Exactly. Imagine the potential political situations there could be with you being ordered by the Council to do their dirty work as a Spectre. But they couldn't do that because in the first game they gave you a choice on whether to let the Council die and install a human council. So they could no longer have the Council front and center, they instead have that decision not matter and both Councils end up turning on you for no reason. Even if they had a Reaper game, set it some time in the future. Like 20 years if you want to keep Shepard around, or longer if you want to introduce a new main character. Then have the game start at the ME2's Arrival DLC, where you stop the Reapers by disabling or destroying that ME Relay and then spend the next several months actually recruiting the best squad in the galaxy and helping the Turians, Asari, Salarians, etc prepare for the war. Then you could have the huge united armada of the universe show up at Earth to stop the Reapers there, if you want to do a huge space battle for some reason. I know it's similar to ME2, but ME2 should have never been created like that to begin with. The Reapers arriving at all these planets in ME3 should have pacified them and destroyed their supply lines and ability to organize a fleet and any serious resistance. It was retarded you were dealing with the Reapers being everywhere all game long, Preventing them from spreading throughout the galaxy and attacking everywhere at once was key.

 

[soulburner]

Guys, I want to torture myself a little bit, but this is too much.

Is there a way to stop the overall audio loudness from lowering whenever the companions speak? I even lowered the Dialog volume in settings to 0 and the damn audio volume lowers for damn subtitles. When the companions finally shut up, the wide dynamic range actually sounds pretty great here... but this issue with volume takes away all the traces of fun from this game and I want to finish it for journalistic and scientific reasons. Please advice.

 

[Sykar]

 

[Butter]

A bottle of sleeping pills would be cheaper and faster if you don't want to live anymore.

 

[cvv]

I want to finish it for journalistic and scientific reasons.

I did that and stopped inches from brian dmgae.

 

[Lacrymas]

stopped inches from brian dmgae.

You sure about that?

 

[Lhynn]

You sure about that?

Imagine being this autistic

 

[Poseidon00]

I never understood the raving fanbase of the Mass Effect franchise. Other than the first game, they're just run-of-the-mill cover based shooters with very light RPG mechanics - a game which is mass-produced by a dozen of different companies year in, year out. The moment I found out CERBERUS was made a major military threat, I burst out laughing.

Because nearly everything you do is mentioned, or changes something in game, no matter how small or inconsequential. Only Mass Effect and Dragon Age even attempted this, and Mass Effect clearly did it better. It was such a damn good idea, that needed a few more game series to flesh out, so of course they drop it entirely in favor of quicker, easier cash grabs.

 

[Bad Sector]

After finishing one RPG Codex darling (Fallout 4) i decided to try another one (and TBH i'm in the mood for sci-fi games with some RPG elements, which aren't exactly numerous) - this is on sale for 10 euros on Humble so i got it.

Anyway, i only played the very early part until you land and i had to stop because i need to go to sleep, but the *premise* sounds interesting. I do not expect ME1 in terms of writing/worldbuilding quality - actually, i'll try to have no expectations (the memes i've seen over the years do not help though :-P) - but it piqued my interest.

 

[Lacrymas]

Why would you do this to yourself.

 

[vibehunter]

I never understood the raving fanbase of the Mass Effect franchise. Other than the first game, they're just run-of-the-mill cover based shooters with very light RPG mechanics - a game which is mass-produced by a dozen of different companies year in, year out. The moment I found out CERBERUS was made a major military threat, I burst out laughing.

The ME universe is quite refreshing and interesting. I never want Bioware to make another ME again, but I do wish we could get a really good RPG in that setting from a competent developer.

Edit: I mean the Milky Way galaxy setting. Everything related to Andromeda should be purged from existence.

 

[Bad Sector]

Why would you do this to yourself.

As i haven't played the game i do not know if this will be a good or bad thing. I have some vague memory of someone here saying some positive stuff about it, though that is where my knowledge of its quality ends and i do not really trust the broader gaming community when it comes to disliking games (especially when the dislike becomes a meme and is about stuff like facial animations looking a bit weird). Of course whoever wrote those positive things here might have been trolling, but i guess i'll figure out it myself soon :-P

 

[Atlantico]

As i haven't played the game i do not know if this will be a good or bad thing. I have some vague memory of someone here saying some positive stuff about it, though that is where my knowledge of its quality ends and i do not really trust the broader gaming community when it comes to disliking games (especially when the dislike becomes a meme and is about stuff like facial animations looking a bit weird). Of course whoever wrote those positive things here might have been trolling, but i guess i'll figure out it myself soon :-P

I'm not shy about praising MEA and what it tried to do, and achieved to a large extent.

Mass Effect, the original game, was my first introduction to the series. I played it for the first time well after ME3 had been released.

A game with such a following and two sequels, piqued my interest! And you know what, I loved it! An action RPG with a 70s/80s sci-fi esthetic, just the right amount of clichés and self-awareness - and yet, played it fairly straight.

As such, I expected the sequels, ME2 and ME3, to be ME1++ ... boy was I wrong.

So anyway, MEA is an attempted reboot of the series and intentionally circling back to ME1.

The game design, the pacing, the look and feel, the music ... all the main pillars of the game design are built as if ME2 and ME3 never really existed (except as a fever dream).

The plot of MEA follows directly after ME1, but before any events that happen in ME2.

Which results in that ME1 has only one real sequel, which is MEA. I never thought I would get to play a sequel to ME1, not a "plot" sequel, but a game-sequel.

That is not to say it's a great game, oh it is a flawed game. Some crucial elements are perhaps too flawed to be forgiven (completely), e.g. the main character is bland. Not to say Shepard was an incredibly strongly written character, but the Paragon/Renegade choices gave Shepard some spice at least, which Ryder simply doesn't get. It's like the character was created by a committee.

Anyway, take it for what it's worth, if you liked ME1 you're far more likely to enjoy MEA - and you're right about not trusting the hive-mind when it comes to disliking a game.

 

[Ebonsword]

Anyway, take it for what it's worth, if you liked ME1 you're far more likely to enjoy MEA - and you're right about not trusting the hive-mind when it comes to disliking a game.

You may be on to something. ME1 was, by far, my favorite of the original trilogy, and I ended up liking MEA quite a bit.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

there are a lot of people on the codex who never play games and form entire opinions based on what other people tell them to think

 

[Aarwolf]

Which results in that ME1 has only one real sequel, which is MEA. I never thought I would get to play a sequel to ME1, not a "plot" sequel, but a game-sequel.

That is not to say it's a great game, oh it is a flawed game. Some crucial elements are perhaps too flawed to be forgiven (completely), e.g. the main character is bland. Not to say Shepard was an incredibly strongly written character, but the Paragon/Renegade choices gave Shepard some spice at least, which Ryder simply doesn't get. It's like the character was created by a committee.

Anyway, take it for what it's worth, if you liked ME1 you're far more likely to enjoy MEA - and you're right about not trusting the hive-mind when it comes to disliking a game.

That's a fair point, but I will disagree. MEA tries to mimic what original Mass Effect was - talky, nerdy, content rich retro sci/fi game closely resembling tv shows like Star Trek. But what you can't mimic is writing and creative quality, so in the end MEA was worse in almost every aspect it tried to mimic. One thing that was better than in the ME1 was combat - or maybe not better, but different. And for me, ME1 fan, MEA was awful, because of what it tried to accomplish, but fail. In that regard it was even more disappointing than ME2, the game that gutted and nullified everything ME1 did good and interesting - because it didn't even try to pretend to be the same or similiar game to the first one.

 

[Poseidon00]

Every character was insufferable in MEA, but the autistic asari was easily the worst of all.

 

[Aarwolf]

God, I hated her. And she was supposed to be new Liara - young, inexperienced, fascinated by long-lost civilisation. Nope, just nope.

 

[fantadomat]

God, I hated her. And she was supposed to be new Liara - young, inexperienced, fascinated by long-lost civilisation. Nope, just nope.

oh yeah,i just skipped her dialogue.

 

[oldmanpaco]

Anyway, take it for what it's worth, if you liked ME1 you're far more likely to enjoy MEA - and you're right about not trusting the hive-mind when it comes to disliking a game.

You may be on to something. ME1 was, by far, my favorite of the original trilogy, and I ended up liking MEA quite a bit.

This is like in a DA:O thread where people larp the game was good.

 

[Atlantico]

That's a fair point, but I will disagree. MEA tries to mimic what original Mass Effect was - talky, nerdy, content rich retro sci/fi game closely resembling tv shows like Star Trek.

I didn't really make that point you're arguing against, I said the writing was mediocre.

That being said, ME1 was nothing like Star Trek, nor was it "nerdy" or "talky". Do you have ADD or sth?

But what you can't mimic is writing and creative quality, so in the end MEA was worse in almost every aspect it tried to mimic.

It was no worse than ME2, which was complete garbage writing or ME3 which topped that. The only game with fairly serviceable writing was ME1.

MEA did not try to mimic ME1 in writing, but in gameplay and look and feel. This is because the writer is the same person who wrote ME2 and ME3, but the main game designer had the coincious goal of making a game more akin to ME1.

One thing that was better than in the ME1 was combat - or maybe not better, but different.

MEA combat isn't just better than ME1 combat, but better than ME2 and ME3 combat.

And for me, ME1 fan, MEA was awful, because of what it tried to accomplish, but fail.

TBH it doesn't really sound like you ever played ME1. "Talky" and "nerdy" are not adjectives one would use for that game.

You come more across as a dumbass concerntroll NPC.

In that regard it was even more disappointing than ME2, the game that gutted and nullified everything ME1 did good and interesting - because it didn't even try to pretend to be the same or similiar game to the first one.

No, ME2 was definitely the worst of the series by a country mile. MEA successfully did make a gameplay sequel to ME1, and a rather mediocre, but inoffensive plot/writing. ME2 was an atrocious popamole with a plot dumber than a sack of bricks and the fans to match.

Every character was insufferable in MEA, but the autistic asari was easily the worst of all.

You'd think so if you never played the game and just watched other people whine about it on Youtube, but she's only mildly annoying compared to the worst ones.

This is like in a DA:O thread where people larp the game was good.

DAO was good. What the hell are you talking about?

 

[cvv]

This is like in a DA:O thread where people larp the game was good.

You wanted to say "this is like the DA thread where people larp DA:I was good".

 

[oldmanpaco]

This is like in a DA:O thread where people larp the game was good.

You wanted to say "this is like the DA thread where people larp DA:I was good".

DA:O was a console game pretending to be a PC game. At least games like KotOR and ME1 knew what they were.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

You must have missed the meeting, codex consensus is now that DAO is over a decade old it's ok to like it.