Mass Effect New Mass Effect confirmed

[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

 

[Yosharian]

Well that was a whole load of nothing

 

[J1M]

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.

Apotheosis as a theme for Mass Effect 5 is unfortunately better than anything Bioware will come up with.

I think it's a good pitch, and there's room to even bring the man himself back for another layer of exploration of the concept via a Demolition Man scenario.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

There's a code in there.

edit:

BioWare celebrated N7 Day with a blog post and teaser trailer for Mass Effect 5, hinting at the title and exciting fans. A seemingly mundane merchandise list in the post contained hidden binary code spelling "Epsilon," potentially representing the fifth game in the series.

 

[Yosharian]

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.

Apotheosis as a theme for Mass Effect 5 is unfortunately better than anything Bioware will come up with.

I think it's a good pitch, and there's room to even bring the man himself back for another layer of exploration of the concept via a Demolition Man scenario.

Haha imagine thinking the next main character will be a man

Foolish! The age of men is over

 

[J1M]

Is this push for female Shepard because the likeness contract they had with the male model ran out?

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

Here we are three years later and still there's nothing. What is it, a poster and the confirmation that the story is taking place hundreds of years after ME3? Modern development is so ass.

Irrespective of this, I'm interested to see what they do with this three years or so from now when they post something that didn't take an intern 5 minutes to whip up. Probably said this before, but I want to see where they go with this. On the surface, ME3 put the franchise into a position that can't easily be recovered from. So they have to pick one of three very different paths. If they had any balls they'd go for their preferred ending, synthesis and stick with it. Sadly, they'll probably end up picking control and recycling the premise of the first trilogy, by having the Reapers under Shepard secretly turn out to be up to their old tricks, and you have to gather all the galactic races together to stop them again.

 

[Assisted Living Godzilla]

A teaser:

They made the character look like Daft Punk and they still won’t go back to the synth score of the first game.

 

[frajaq]

Where did they get the stupid inspiration for that jacket? Was it Cyberpunk 2077 or Destiny's Warlocks?

 

[Jonathan "Zee Nekomimi]

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

Too small of a ass and lacking in curvature.

 

[Modron]

I can't wait for the MC reveal to be a Joker/EDI synthesis and you can only play as Seth Green.

 

[normie]

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.

are you chinese?

 

[Silverfish]

are you chinese?

Allow.

 

[tritosine2k]

Unreal 5 = muh cinematic checkpoint save, dumb followers, stutter, 30fps, ridiculous "time of day" with nearly always sharp shadows thats overblurred for distance (no manual shadow cache, crap VSM), overboard TAA and streaky motion blur

Tacticool falloutlike mobile game with balls to walls precompute better than this shit = anytime soon

 

[Jonathan "Zee Nekomimi]

Here we are three years later and still there's nothing. What is it, a poster and the confirmation that the story is taking place hundreds of years after ME3? Modern development is so ass.

Irrespective of this, I'm interested to see what they do with this three years or so from now when they post something that didn't take an intern 5 minutes to whip up. Probably said this before, but I want to see where they go with this. On the surface, ME3 put the franchise into a position that can't easily be recovered from. So they have to pick one of three very different paths. If they had any balls they'd go for their preferred ending, synthesis and stick with it. Sadly, they'll probably end up picking control and recycling the premise of the first trilogy, by having the Reapers under Shepard secretly turn out to be up to their old tricks, and you have to gather all the galactic races together to stop them again.

Destruction it's the cannon ending, synthesis was a gay option then gave on the remake ending.

 

[Hellraiser]

Here we are three years later and still there's nothing. What is it, a poster and the confirmation that the story is taking place hundreds of years after ME3? Modern development is so ass.

Irrespective of this, I'm interested to see what they do with this three years or so from now when they post something that didn't take an intern 5 minutes to whip up. Probably said this before, but I want to see where they go with this. On the surface, ME3 put the franchise into a position that can't easily be recovered from. So they have to pick one of three very different paths. If they had any balls they'd go for their preferred ending, synthesis and stick with it. Sadly, they'll probably end up picking control and recycling the premise of the first trilogy, by having the Reapers under Shepard secretly turn out to be up to their old tricks, and you have to gather all the galactic races together to stop them again.

Synthesis changes the setting too much to be viable, in addition to being a gay kumbaya "happy ending" implying everybody lives in peace and harmony.

Destruction and a few centuries of relative isolation while alternatives to mass relays are developed to slowly reconnect the galaxy has way better worldbuilding potential, and is the only sane choice if the game is supposed to be after ME3. Of course the problem is that bioware would need to utilize that potential properly, I wouldn't bet money on it.

 

[Jonathan "Zee Nekomimi]

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.

Kasumi Goto called.

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

https://www.pcgamer.com/biowares-en...n-age-arent-just-frustrating-theyre-arrogant/

BioWare's endless cryptic teases for Mass Effect and Dragon Age aren't just frustrating, they're arrogant​

lul they've lost the little goodwill they had left

 

[Falksi]

https://www.pcgamer.com/biowares-en...n-age-arent-just-frustrating-theyre-arrogant/

BioWare's endless cryptic teases for Mass Effect and Dragon Age aren't just frustrating, they're arrogant​

lul they've lost the little goodwill they had left

Good piece, but I did lol at the general "Bioware have been shit for years! They're well past their peak....of Mass Effect 2"

The drop between Mass Effect 1 & Mass Effect 2 is as big a drop in quality as from DA:O to DA2. Trading planetary exploration for a mining mini-game has to be one of the single worst gameplay decisions made in the history of gaming.

 

[Parsimonious cook]

Dunno man, I liked driving around in Mako myself, but I remember that there were tons of people shitting on this aspect of ME1. On the other hand the mining mini-game was very meme worthy.

 

[Hellraiser]

Good piece, but I did lol at the general "Bioware have been shit for years! They're well past their peak....of Mass Effect 2"

The drop between Mass Effect 1 & Mass Effect 2 is as big a drop in quality as from DA:O to DA2. Trading planetary exploration for a mining mini-game has to be one of the single worst gameplay decisions made in the history of gaming.

I managed to replay and finish ME1 and ME2 this year (ME3 is kind of on pause*), after probably 10 years or close to that since the last time. I would probably also cut out planetary "exploration" in their place after ME1, unless I would get some super great idea on how to make it better and not just "drive clockwise around the map" busywork interrupted by some very annoying steep mountains. It was plain shit, I fully replayed ME1 I think at least 5 times and endured the "exploration" somehow, and I loathe the "exploration" utterly. There's no navigational challenge, you can't find hidden shit accidentally, it's just busywork to mark off minerals/insignia/writings on a checklist.

The only thing ME1 had better regarding the side quests you could find on planets was the occasional mako combat set piece that made use of the open map, although besides thresher maws it was almost always the same snipe+drive vehicular popamole. It's a real shame that the hammerhead wasn't ready prior to release and integrated into ME2 sidequests proper, but in any case those are still better than the copy&paste filler ME1 had.

For me ME2 is more of a "did half things wrong half things right" game when compared to ME1. Like the combat where the shootan is better, enemies aren't as spongy, it feels more tactical, tech powers are better, but biotics got overnerfed and heatsinks got retconned into pseudo-ammo. Or the itemization where the awful level scaled loot is gone making exploration/mission sequence better as far rewards go, but there's too little gear variety and the simple but fun equipment mod system went out the window. Side quest locations are a clear improvement with no more copy&paste interiors, but the skill system got too simplified and removed all the nice passive bonuses (in general Shepard doesn't feel like he's much more powerful as the game progresses and you get levels). Hub locations look more alive and less sterile, but the walk&talk to everyone to fish for sidequests is gone and they're just glorified malls for gear/upgrades. There's great additional worldbuilding of the universe not to mention being able to visit Tuchanka or the Migrant Fleet or Geth Space for some lore dumps, but the main quest writing is rather lackluster compared to ME1 and leading into the clusterfuck that is ME3's conclusion of the Reaper arc.

*BTW whoever decided the Red/Blue tinted visual design bullshit for ME3 should be banned from making artistic decisions of any kind for life. It's as bad as the "brown is real" meme from that time period, fucking ugly as sin. ME2 might have tinted things orange, but it seemed way more subtle and prettier. Also fucking bullet sponges and the combat is just such a slog compared to ME2, even after toning down the difficulty (I beat ME2 on Hardcore and it was fairly easy and fast).

 

[Falksi]

Good piece, but I did lol at the general "Bioware have been shit for years! They're well past their peak....of Mass Effect 2"

The drop between Mass Effect 1 & Mass Effect 2 is as big a drop in quality as from DA:O to DA2. Trading planetary exploration for a mining mini-game has to be one of the single worst gameplay decisions made in the history of gaming.

I managed to replay and finish ME1 and ME2 this year (ME3 is kind of on pause*), after probably 10 years or close to that since the last time. I would probably also cut out planetary "exploration" in their place after ME1, unless I would get some super great idea on how to make it better and not just "drive clockwise around the map" busywork interrupted by some very annoying steep mountains. It was plain shit, I fully replayed ME1 I think at least 5 times and endured the "exploration" somehow, and I loathe the "exploration" utterly. There's no navigational challenge, you can't find hidden shit accidentally, it's just busywork to mark off minerals/insignia/writings on a checklist.

The only thing ME1 had better regarding the side quests you could find on planets was the occasional mako combat set piece that made use of the open map, although besides thresher maws it was almost always the same snipe+drive vehicular popamole. It's a real shame that the hammerhead wasn't ready prior to release and integrated into ME2 sidequests proper, but in any case those are still better than the copy&paste filler ME1 had.

For me ME2 is more of a "did half things wrong half things right" game when compared to ME1. Like the combat where the shootan is better, enemies aren't as spongy, it feels more tactical, tech powers are better, but biotics got overnerfed and heatsinks got retconned into pseudo-ammo. Or the itemization where the awful level scaled loot is gone making exploration/mission sequence better as far rewards go, but there's too little gear variety and the simple but fun equipment mod system went out the window. Side quest locations are a clear improvement with no more copy&paste interiors, but the skill system got too simplified. Hub locations look more alive and less sterile, but the walk&talk to everyone to fish for sidequests is gone and they're just glorified malls for gear/upgrades. There's great additional worldbuilding of the universe not to mention being able to visit Tuchanka or the Migrant Fleet or Geth Space for some lore dumps, but the main quest writing is rather lackluster compared to ME1 and leading into the clusterfuck that is ME3's conclusion of the Reaper arc.

*BTW whoever decided the Red/Blue tinted visual design bullshit for ME3 should be banned from making artistic decisions of any kind for life. It's as bad as the "brown is real" meme from that time period, fucking ugly as sin. ME2 might have tinted things orange, but it seemed way more subtle and prettier. Also fucking bullet sponges and the combat is just such a slog compared to ME2, even after toning down the difficulty (I beat ME2 on Hardcore and it was fairly easy and fast).

It certainly wasn't perfect, but just being able to explore, get a taste of those planets, and do that busywork fleshed out the whole thing far more and fed into the whole space-jock/Star Trek side of things more for me. It should have been fleshed out more and improved for 2, not removed.

And the mining game they replaced it with was 100000000000000000x worse in terms of busywork and filler.