Mass Effect New Mass Effect confirmed

[Modron]

The romance focus has infected even completely unrelated genres. ZeroSpace is a Real Time Strategy who first marketing materials advertised that it would have romance options with an AI generated asari. Like, how out-of-touch does someone have to be to think that romance and RTS goes together?

It's a mystery, Swen?:

 

[Camel]

I'm not disputing any of that, merely saying that the deviants Bioware attracted by "innovating" the genre with romances were going to latch on to whatever was the most popular bioware game at the time regardless. Miranda's ass would be replaced by Morrigan's ass or something else if ME never happened.

While I agree that DA fandom has its share of romance degenerates but it was always better and had higher quality posters. I think ME and DA fans sometimes didn’t even overlap and they didn’t play both games but only one or the other.
BioWare fandom would’ve been much better if ME fans were banned on sight or at least quarantined.

 

[RaggleFraggle]

The romance focus has infected even completely unrelated genres. ZeroSpace is a Real Time Strategy who first marketing materials advertised that it would have romance options with an AI generated asari. Like, how out-of-touch does someone have to be to think that romance and RTS goes together?

It's a mystery, Swen?:

Political marriage in a feudal setting is one thing. It’s not really romantic given the wife’s lack of consent. It serves the politics rather than the other way around.

Hack writers keep shoehorning bad romance everywhere it doesn’t belong and neglecting everything else in the script. E.g. the plot of starcraft is the absolute nadir of this.

I feel RTS is best suited for war stories and politics and so on, given the scales involved. I think making all the plots all about romance is stupid.

 

[Hellraiser]

I think ME and DA fans sometimes didn’t even overlap and they didn’t play both games but only one or the other.

You think? Come on, this is just plain obvious if you look at the games themselves let alone historical circumstances surrounding their development and release.

One is a cinematic space opera popamole shooter (with some inspiration from tactical squad shooters) with dumbed down RPG elements taken from KOTOR, heavily marketed to the xbawks crowd as it was an x360 exclusive initially (PS3 version was only made because EA acquired Bioware, PC came later).

The other (well at least DA:O) is a top-down RtwP high fantasy RPG spiritual successor to BG (and NWN I think? I mean it had a toolset that they were hyping up before release IIRC), it was bound to have more people with D&D or TT background discussing mechanics rather than asses and memes for obvious reasons.

The only overlaps the two have is that they have RPG elements, are "story heavy", and they're made by bioware, but they weren't even marketed/made for the same crowd (at least until EA and whatever other retards decided to mass effectify DA2 to "fix" that problem).

As Tyrr said I think it really boils down to new blood/kiddies in the fanbase for whom this was baby's first "rpg-like product", on top of the fanbase itself being new with no old guard to keep newfags in line. That ME1 was released after broadband adoption became widespread didn't help regarding the quality of people available to build that new fanbase.

 

[Jonathan "Zee Nekomimi]

zoom on the party art for alot of spoiler and references.

 

[Falksi]

New protagonist? Shit design, looks like some Destiny knock off. Also lmao at Bioware shilling Femshep hard as fuck and trying to pretend Male Shepard doesn't exist.

Oh I wonder where they got that inspiration from...

 

[La vie sexuelle]

New protagonist? Shit design, looks like some Destiny knock off. Also lmao at Bioware shilling Femshep hard as fuck and trying to pretend Male Shepard doesn't exist.

Oh I wonder where they got that inspiration from...

Oh yes, isn't this a similar situation to the new Dragon Age?

It's as if they went to a fifty-year-old marketer and asked, "We're in trouble, Mr. Johnson. Our games are failure after failure. What can we do?"

"Attract young people," answered the fifty-year-old marketer. He gave this answer every time there was a problem and always got a raise afterwards.

"But what do young people like?"

"My granddaughter likes mango and animee", answered sadly mr. Johnson.

Apparently Bioware thinks Persona 5 is the best anime because that's what jurnos wrote in Kotaku

 

[RaggleFraggle]

I have to admit, that design definitely gives me clear "how do you do fellow kids?" energy. They thought someone going clubbing while dressed in a motorcycle helmet, trenchcoat and holding a gun was appropriate for the N7?

To be honest, I think the silhouette would be perfectly appropriate for a cyberpunk game where you play as some kind of criminal fashionista, but ME has never advertised itself as being cyberpunk.

 

[Padzi]

Oh, fuck, Derpomeda did make it into the canon after all. Also, it's in the far future.
Is that a Geth? If it is then goodbye to the destroy ending.

And I hope that the woman from the poster isn't EDI in a costume...

 

[9ted6]

But it was the ME fandom that created the Tali sweat meme, the 1000+ page thread about Miranda's ass, and the ones that caused Bioware to lock the ME/DA-centric section of the forums from people who didn't own the games (you could add them to your profile via verification).

Precisely. Tali sweat thread and romancefags were almost always ME fans. DA fans were always better and discussed RPG and combat matters more, not only romances and characters.
BioWare closed DA2 boards from people who didn’t own the game after massive and vitriolic criticism. They closed the romance subforum temporarily after Miranda fans spergout. See a common problem.
Fans of BG and older games were often based.

No part of the Bioware fandom has been good for years. Anyone sane or not full of denial jumped ship by either Inquisition or Andromeda.

 

[darkpatriot]

It's time to wake up Commander Shepherd, a new crew of diverse and inclusive newbies are ready to scold you and piss on everything you sacrificed for previously.

Even Bioware's idiot management knows they are very close to losing their jobs. Of course there will be a lot of woke stuff, but even they are not stupid enough to deliberately shit on previous games. If they overdo it, they can be sure that EA will kill the studio, unless it does so after the failure of Dreadwolf.

After the success of Baldur's Gate 3 I'm sure no effort will be spared to top its depravity. I also recall nobody in mainstream media dared complain about wokeness in Andromeda, just about its bugs and poor writing.

That aside I'm sure they want to make a good game, but that doesn't mean they'll be able to. Those that once were good may have left the company, or lost their inspiration, and those that are idiots certainly won't fire themselves.

Being woke was the least of Andromeda's problems.

Andromeda's biggest problem was that the party members were so forgettable. The companions are a core part of a Mass Effect experience, and they just weren't particularly memorable.

I have attempted 2 Andromeda playthroughs (one I was probably about 90% complete and burned out, and the other I burned out around 50-60% of the way through) over the years and even now I am having trouble even providing a critique about what specifically was wrong with the companions because they made so little of an impression on me I barely remember them.

 

[darkpatriot]

Shepard being a spectre was a decent reason for why he could do a lot of things in the plot and paved the way for some world building. It was used pretty well. It's completely useless in ME2 & ME3.

That reminds me how much the Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC pisses me off. Another spectre calls you out on your hypocrisy and you just have to kill her no matter what because she's a "bad guy".

The Spectre schtick was really neat when I first played it. It felt cooler than even being a Jedi in Kotor.

You were a lone agent, a ranger, a badass super spy. It felt awesome, and the world made it feel awesome.

ME 2 just dropped it completely though, even going so far as to imply it had almost no meaning in the first game.

Evidently, the line between Spectre and random citizen with a gun is really thin.

No, the line between Spectre and Commander Shepard with a gun is really thin.

For ME2 you spent a lot of time outside of council space, and also got a lot of benefit of the doubt and free reign from your actions in ME1. From the highest levels. Really it was because you were a player in a video game, but I felt that was a meaningful narrative justification that held up.

By ME3 they really leaned into it how Commander Shepard was in real time becoming a mythologized figure in the ME universe. And I think that is going to be a big part of the plot for this next ME game.

Apotheosis (as in the mythologizing of a real person, not actual ascension to real godhood) has always been a theme I have found interesting, but it isn't that common a theme is most forms of media. Seeing if they do anything with that theme is one of the reasons I am interested in seeing what they do with the next ME.

 

[Axel_am]

I'm getting strong but considerate female black protagonist, stealthy shooter, we kinda want to be like assassin's creed but not really, kind of vibes from this design.

 

[Silverfish]

New protagonist? Shit design, looks like some Destiny knock off. Also lmao at Bioware shilling Femshep hard as fuck and trying to pretend Male Shepard doesn't exist.

This looks sick as hell. I know that Bioware's been chugging dicks by choice for years now, but being unable to appreciate a space ninja with a longcoat and a gun is levels of jaded I can't even comprehend.

 

[RaggleFraggle]

For ME2 you spent a lot of time outside of council space, and also got a lot of benefit of the doubt and free reign from your actions in ME1. From the highest levels. Really it was because you were a player in a video game, but I felt that was a meaningful narrative justification that held up.

By ME3 they really leaned into it how Commander Shepard was in real time becoming a mythologized figure in the ME universe. And I think that is going to be a big part of the plot for this next ME game.

Apotheosis (as in the mythologizing of a real person, not actual ascension to real godhood) has always been a theme I have found interesting, but it isn't that common a theme is most forms of media. Seeing if they do anything with that theme is one of the reasons I am interested in seeing what they do with the next ME.

I feel the exact opposite. Mythologizing the player character destroys my SoD and I consider it a cancer on storytelling in general. I want believable down-to-earth stories, not more cookie-cutter "superhero saving teh universe" for the gazillionth time. It's narcissistic as hell and I get enough of that from social media.

 

[Caim]

For ME2 you spent a lot of time outside of council space, and also got a lot of benefit of the doubt and free reign from your actions in ME1. From the highest levels. Really it was because you were a player in a video game, but I felt that was a meaningful narrative justification that held up.

By ME3 they really leaned into it how Commander Shepard was in real time becoming a mythologized figure in the ME universe. And I think that is going to be a big part of the plot for this next ME game.

Apotheosis (as in the mythologizing of a real person, not actual ascension to real godhood) has always been a theme I have found interesting, but it isn't that common a theme is most forms of media. Seeing if they do anything with that theme is one of the reasons I am interested in seeing what they do with the next ME.

I feel the exact opposite. Mythologizing the player character destroys my SoD and I consider it a cancer on storytelling in general. I want believable down-to-earth stories, not more cookie-cutter "superhero saving teh universe" for the gazillionth time. It's narcissistic as hell and I get enough of that from social media.

Imagine them going full Church of the Children of the Atom except with Shepard, as preach by Pontiff Verner I.

 

[Axel_am]

...being unable to appreciate a space ninja with a longcoat and a gun is levels of jaded I can't even comprehend.

You are missing the point. Mass effect is about asses not longcoat space ninjas. It's in the name.

 

[Axel_am]

Tho something like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in space would be pretty cool. 4 guys, brothers by fate, just doing space ninja stuff. Somebody should make that.

 

[Caim]

Tho something like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in space would be pretty cool. 4 guys, brothers by fate, just doing space ninja stuff. Somebody should make that.

Look up Warframe.

 

[Axel_am]

Tho something like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in space would be pretty cool. 4 guys, brothers by fate, just doing space ninja stuff. Somebody should make that.

Look up Warframe.

Ew, no thank you.

 

[darkpatriot]

For ME2 you spent a lot of time outside of council space, and also got a lot of benefit of the doubt and free reign from your actions in ME1. From the highest levels. Really it was because you were a player in a video game, but I felt that was a meaningful narrative justification that held up.

By ME3 they really leaned into it how Commander Shepard was in real time becoming a mythologized figure in the ME universe. And I think that is going to be a big part of the plot for this next ME game.

Apotheosis (as in the mythologizing of a real person, not actual ascension to real godhood) has always been a theme I have found interesting, but it isn't that common a theme is most forms of media. Seeing if they do anything with that theme is one of the reasons I am interested in seeing what they do with the next ME.

I feel the exact opposite. Mythologizing the player character destroys my SoD and I consider it a cancer on storytelling in general. I want believable down-to-earth stories, not more cookie-cutter "superhero saving teh universe" for the gazillionth time. It's narcissistic as hell and I get enough of that from social media.

That's not what I'm talking about at all.

Players being over the top larger than life action heroes has to do with action games wanting players to do over the top larger than life action stuff in the video game. It works with some games, it doesn't work so well with others. But that is not what I am talking about or what interests me.



I am talking about the process in a society where individuals are elevated to a mythological status. Often to the point of being deified. It can happen organically, with folk heroes and such, but also can be deliberate efforts by governments or those in power. It could be to increase the authority and popularity of political figures, such as why some of the Roman Emperors claimed godhood or the Kim family in North Korea, or it could be to create a unifying figure to try to help unify society in troubling times or to publicly elevate certain values. War heroes are often be mythologized for that purpose.

What is interesting is that mythologizing is almost never accurate. Whether by not including negative or derogatory details, by exaggeration, or by making up events that never occurred at all. That gap between the myth and reality, and why it exists, is something I find interesting.

The process of how a person who is relatively normal (although in most video games the protagonist is extremely abnormal to the point of it being very unrealistic, as you note) become a mythologized figure and how that impacts society and them, if they do happen to still be alive.

Shepard was just such a mythologized figure by the end of Mass Effect 3. It has already been hinted that Shepard's legacy, and possibly the character himself, will be an important part of the next Mass Effect. And exploring how his mythologization has impacted society and how it is used hundreds of years later has some room to explore some interesting ideas.

It could be badly done, for example:

Imagine them going full Church of the Children of the Atom except with Shepard, as preach by Pontiff Verner I.

Would be a quite dumb take on it, and I don't expect that is anything Bioware would do. But any idea or concept can be badly done.

More interesting takes would be how groups and individuals in the Mass Effect universe may try to claim Shepard's legacy to further their own agendas, especially as some of those individuals may be those that actually associated with him to bolster their claims. And also how they have chosen to shape the mythology and legacy of Shepard over the years, probably with competing mythologies that don't agree with each other. Especially since the player would have the perspective of being aware of the truth of those events to compare to whatever distortions there are in the mythologized version.

So I am curious to see if Bioware does anything interesting with that or not.

 

[duskvile]

Is that a Geth? If it is then goodbye to the destroy ending.

And I hope that the woman from the poster isn't EDI in a costume...

Relax and breathe deeply.

 

[RaggleFraggle]

What is interesting is that mythologizing is almost never accurate. Whether by not including negative or derogatory details, by exaggeration, or by making up events that never occurred at all. That gap between the myth and reality, and why it exists, is something I find interesting.

The process of how a person who is relatively normal (although in most video games the protagonist is extremely abnormal to the point of it being very unrealistic, as you note) become a mythologized figure and how that impacts society and them, if they do happen to still be alive.

Sorry for the misunderstanding. I agree that the gulf between myth and reality would be fertile ground for a story. But unfortunately I feel that is undercut by the typical character being a superhero whom fate itself warps around. Shepherd is a perfect example.

I think being impossibly lucky can work, but very few stories do the trait well. Ciaphas Cain is the only one that comes to my mind. While he does have impossible luck, the way it's framed makes it look more like a curse than a heroic blessing. Remember how Peter Parker got rid of the symbiote when it turned him into an adrenaline? The universe itself treats Ciaphas Cain that way, constantly torturing him for the adrenaline.

I think the protagonist in Vampire: Bloodlines strikes a good balance. S/he's impossibly lucky but gets treated as a pawn by everyone, with the main quest being a series of suicide missions used to maintain plausible deniability by heartless politicians. The amount of mistreatment is probably too much after the first few times s/he survives impossible situations, but at least it's not the constant praise that Shepherd gets.

 

[Iucounu]

Being woke was the least of Andromeda's problems.

For me it's a deal breaker nowadays, but perhaps the general public has not had enough yet.

Andromeda's biggest problem was that the party members were so forgettable. The companions are a core part of a Mass Effect experience, and they just weren't particularly memorable.

PeeBee is memorable, unfortunately for the wrong reasons.

 

[Infinitron]

https://blog.bioware.com/2023/11/07/n7-day-2023/

N7 Day 2023​

Hey, everyone,

Every November 7th, we’ve all come together—developers, superfans, regular fans, kinda-fans—to celebrate (and speculate about!) the games, stories, and community that make Mass Effect so special. It’s a testament to the long-lasting appeal of this universe and the characters who call it home. Eleven years of N7 Days and sixteen years of Mass Effect later, the franchise continues to inspire our development team, and with each day, gives us the opportunity to create more adventures for you to have. Whether it’s one of the many who have been here since the original game’s launch or those recently joining us at BioWare, we are all incredibly lucky to be envisioning this future.

That process is equal parts rewarding and challenging. We’ve asked ourselves many of the same questions you’ve asked us over the years! What happened to everyone you know and love in the games? Who really died? Who had kids with whom? What does a baby volus sound like? What about all the galaxies? The endings! What the heck is going on with our asari scientist-turned-Shadowbroker? What about S— nevermind…you get the idea. And of course, to those questions, there are answers, but you’ll have to wait to hear them. And anything we do say won’t be easy to find, just like you’ve come to expect from our #N7Day teases.

But for real… thank you. Thank you for everything, and allowing us to do what we do. We approach the future of this universe with gratitude and deep respect. Respect for you—the community. Respect for the love and dedication you’ve given to us. Respect for the history and the stories you’ve created, and the characters you’ve fallen in love with. And, respect for the future, and the opportunity to do something big—something amazing—for you.

Until next time…and Happy N7 Day!

—Mike Gamble, Mass Effect Franchise Director & Executive Producer


Through o0ur partnership with Humble Bundle and friends at Dark Horse Comics, we’re making all Dark Horse Mass Effect and Dragon Age comics available in a convenient package!

Pr1oceeds from this will go to Child’s Play, a charity that seeks to make the lives of children in hospitals more comfortable. We all know how powerful and uplifting games can be, so we’re glad to be able to help bring joy t0o kids in need through this effort. If you’d like to help, too, please check it o0ut!

We also have some exciting new merch from our partners for those who want to stock their shelves or add to their wardro0bes.


The BioWare Gear Store is releasing multiple new i1tems today! From a brand-new mini replica Claymore Shotgun to Omni-Blade LED Wall Art, we’ve got tons of Mass Effect items for your collection, all go0ing live with a site-wide sale. Be sure to check out items new and old, and follow them on social media to see their latest relea1ses.

Our frie0nds over at Dark Horse have also been working on something special. For over a year now, we’ve been working closely with them on a few new statues based on popular requests.

First and foremost, we’re excited to share that Commander Shepard (female) is ge1tting an iconic battle-worn statue! This has been one of the top requests from the community and we’ve been super excited to see it come to life.

And, of course, if you w1ant to put a squad together for her, Dark Horse is also releasing new statues of Wrex and Tali. These statues are brought to life with the level of care and quality we’ve all come to expect from Dark Horse over the years. These two iconic characters are ready to take the fi1ght to the Reapers!


F0or those who live in colder climates (Canada being a prime example), our friends over at Volante Design have returned this year with s0omething just for you. Following the success of the N7 line of apparel they released, the team at Volante has created a Garrus Vak0arian-style parka, complete with a “head cone” to protect your 0face.


A0nd of course, Sanshee always has something for our b1iggest fans. For lovers of Grunt, Lia1ra, and adorable va1rren, the team has created a new set of plu0shees and pins for your colle0ctions! Be sure to chec1k out their site for all that and m1ore.


Your joy, creativity, and passion help drive us towards the future of Mass Effect and all that it may be0come. The team is ta1king their time to cr1aft a whole new adventu0re for you to enj1oy, with new stories, chara0cters, and experiences to fill it.

At the end of t0he day, that’s w1hat N7 Day is about. Cel0ebr1ati1ng yo0u an1d th1is speci0al fr0anchise that br0ings us all to1get1her. W0e hope you’1ve enjoyed the glimpse1s int1o the fut1ure of the fra0nchis1e so f1ar. An0d don’t wor1ry, ther1e’s mo1re to come, but fa0rther away!

Ever your biggest fans,

—The Mass Effect Team