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The Mass Effect 3/BioWare Thread

a cut of domestic sheep prime

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My little bro is in his early 20s and is a hardcore casual gamer. He is truly the target audience of every game developer on the planet.

He'd never play games like Fallout 1 & 2 - but loved Fallout 3. He and his buddies played a ton of Skryrim; he was playing Modern Warfare 3 the day it was released; he loved KOTOR; and he loved the Mass Effect games - he even pre-ordered the ME3 collector's edition and read all 4 of the books!

So understand how shocked I was when he told me how much he hated Mass Effect 3. He said he loved the first 95% of the game, but the ending ruined it to such a degree that he said he'd never play another Bioware game again unless they released free dlc changing the ending. He said it ruined both the previous games for him and made him feel like he wasted his time. He said it depressed him so much that he woke up in the middle of the night thinking about it and the he wished he'd never played any of the games.

This guy is THE average consumer. He's not a nerd that plays video games all day. He's an average guy with a job, friends, and other things to do with his life. He would normally never say anything bad about a game. If I started criticizing one he'd get angry and say I was being negative.

Congrats EA/Bioware - you just pissed off your target demographic. :lol:
 

CrustyBot

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Codex 2012
Jesus Christ, this thread and the thread linked on the BSN is fucking glorious.

I still believe in BIOWARE. Call me a ****/fanboy or whatever but the simple fact is that there is no way Bioware would have concluded this trilogy with such glaring plot holes. They are just too good for that. I'm sure they have something up their sleeve and unlike the fickle so called fans I'm just gonna keep my faith in BIOWARE to surprise and delight when the time finally comes.
Office.jpg
 

Volourn

Pretty Princess
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"Truly this is the dawn of a new age for the codex, the post-volourn era. Volly was indoctrinated a long time ago, even though he thinks he still has control over his own mind"
So indocintrated.. that I boguht KOTOR MMO... oh yeah, no I didn't.

Then again, I prfer spending my time bashing the ME3 intro not the above average ending which beats out most of BIO's other games endings. LMFAO
 

Grimlorn

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Jun 1, 2011
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The Mass Effect series should have been all about Shepard becoming the first human Specter - traveling through the galaxy and solving problems in human fashion a.i. by shooting people in the face while shagging blue alien butt. You know, generally being awesome. Fuck the Reapers, most boring piece of hack writing I ever saw.

+1. All this reaper BS is so pointless and boring....
I like this. They should have had the rest of the Shepard series dedicated to Spectre business and saving the galaxy, maybe investigating some bad Spectre activity since he handled Saren in ME1. Then after the Shepard series is over they could start over 500-1k years in the future with Reapers almost arriving, (New Hero) do the whole Collector business in the first game and have the Reapers almost arriving in the second game. Then they could justify some resistance through technological advances. There's just so much potential here. They ruined it.
 

CrustyBot

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Codex 2012
Hahaha. I've got John Epler on my BSN friends list and my feed is telling me that he's posted/locked like half a dozen threads in the past 30 minutes.

I retract any and all criticism I previously had about Mass Effect 3 and BioWare in general.

rjfXl.jpg


Magnificent!
 

dextermorgan

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I got sidetracked with the whole Obsidian/Bethpizda business and I return to find... This? Bioware, I thank you. I haven't had this much fun in gaming since FNV.
 

WhiskeyWolf

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It's like Bioware decided to do a marathon through a minefield and somehow they are stepping on every-goddamn-mine.
 

Lagole Gon

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Insert Title Here RPG Wokedex Codex Year of the Donut Pathfinder: Wrath
+ The biggest butthurt in the whole history of Bioware.
+ Double Fine's adventure game
+ Wasteland 2
+ BG remake (be optimistic bros)

2012 - the year of :incline:
 

Joghurt

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980
Hey Codex help me understand one thing...

Wasn't Mass Effect planned as a trilogy right from the start? So how come they didn't have the ending figured out let's say right after the first mass effect. I'm not a writer and never will be but it seems fucking strange when you're working on a story for a multi million dollar AAA games and you don't have the story and it's main outlines for a whole trilogy written and figured out for example during the first game's production...

As I see it they didn't have a clue about the ending of their trilogy right up until the October/November 2011 which seems fucking weird...
 

Vaarna_Aarne

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Hey Codex help me understand one thing...

Wasn't Mass Effect planned as a trilogy right from the start? So how come they didn't have the ending figured out let's say right after the first mass effect. I'm not a writer and never will be but it seems fucking strange when you're working on a story for a multi million dollar AAA games and you don't have the story and it's main outlines for a whole trilogy written and figured out for example during the first game's production...

As I see it they didn't have a clue about the ending of their trilogy right up until the October/November 2011 which seems fucking weird...
It's called incompetence.
 

WhiskeyWolf

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As I see it they didn't have a clue about the ending of their trilogy right up until the October/November 2011 which seems fucking weird...

Pretty much. Planned the trilogy - no. Hired a new lead writers for every new game - yes(although wikipedia says something totally different).
 

evdk

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Codex 2012 Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Hey Codex help me understand one thing...

Wasn't Mass Effect planned as a trilogy right from the start? So how come they didn't have the ending figured out let's say right after the first mass effect. I'm not a writer and never will be but it seems fucking strange when you're working on a story for a multi million dollar AAA games and you don't have the story and it's main outlines for a whole trilogy written and figured out for example during the first game's production...

As I see it they didn't have a clue about the ending of their trilogy right up until the October/November 2011 which seems fucking weird...
IIRC some developer confirmed that when making ME1 story, they had approximately half a page synopsis of ME2 and about a single paragraph worth on ME3. Also the head writer changed in between the installments and I seem to remember reading somewhere that the originally planned ending had something to do with the dark energy heavily foreshadowed in ME2.

tl;dr version - Bioware never had any clue about the ending and the whole "we have the trilogy planned out" was just marketing bullshit
 

Gord

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I'm pretty neutral on Bioware or ME, but I find this whole issue strangely entertaining to watch...



1311620085836.gif
 

Lagole Gon

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Insert Title Here RPG Wokedex Codex Year of the Donut Pathfinder: Wrath
Hey Codex help me understand one thing...

Wasn't Mass Effect planned as a trilogy right from the start? So how come they didn't have the ending figured out let's say right after the first mass effect. I'm not a writer and never will be but it seems fucking strange when you're working on a story for a multi million dollar AAA games and you don't have the story and it's main outlines for a whole trilogy written and figured out for example during the first game's production...

As I see it they didn't have a clue about the ending of their trilogy right up until the October/November 2011 which seems fucking weird...

Just look at this shit.

1vIS8.png


Probably they have lost notebook pages with the original endings.
Or someone covered them with cock doodles.
( :smug: )
 

Grimlorn

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Joined
Jun 1, 2011
Messages
10,248
Hey Codex help me understand one thing...

Wasn't Mass Effect planned as a trilogy right from the start? So how come they didn't have the ending figured out let's say right after the first mass effect. I'm not a writer and never will be but it seems fucking strange when you're working on a story for a multi million dollar AAA games and you don't have the story and it's main outlines for a whole trilogy written and figured out for example during the first game's production...

As I see it they didn't have a clue about the ending of their trilogy right up until the October/November 2011 which seems fucking weird...
They do this shit all the time with movies and tv. They don't plan ahead. It's the same with games. They probably planned out that they wanted to import your decisions over 3 games and that's it. They changed writers after ME1 too.
 
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dont know if true or if anyone still care, but funny to read how much they scraped the role of harbringer in this game.

After checking these boards, bioware forums, the twitters of various people involved with the game, audio file rips as well as some information I've gathered from other sources, I decided to talk with someone who used to run their own review website who still has ties to some people in the video game industry. That includes Bioware (they had sent him early review copies of the first ME). Anyway that's not what's important. The point is what I'm about to say you can take with a grain of salt if you want. I'm not here for attention or because I'm a fanboy of bioware. I'm simply here to help you all make sense of this situation. It will make a lot of sense and put the little things you've all found together. The reasoning for the ending change was they needed more time to implement it (this was supposed to be the reason for the delay) but Kinect implementation and the desire by some people (perhaps EA) to have an ending where things are left to interpretation messed with this. The ending was quickly altered which is why things don't "fit" and there are plot holes. Anyway, below is how things were supposed to happen.

The original ending was SUPPOSED to be extremely varied. Everything remained the same up until the part when Harbinger shoots at you and your team. This is when information that has appeared here already comes into play. There were going to be various outcomes determining how you reached the citadel and it was HOW you got there that determined what endings would be available to you. The following were the different scenarios from worst to best (based on EMS and war assets)

A: Your whole squad gets wiped out (the two crew members you took with you, Anderson). You struggle to make it to the citadel. Right as you're about to make it to the beam, Harbinger talks to you, saying you've been defeated and he kills you. Joker tries to swoop down to save you, but he also gets shot down.

B: Most of your squad gets wiped out. Still only you are able to make it to the citadel. Once up there, you must confront the illusive man alone. Because of this, unless you have high reputation and either talk him down or renegade interrupt and shoot him, he kills you and tries to control the reapers, but fails as he discovers he was indoctrinated.

C: You and Anderson make it up to the citadel together and make your way to the control panel where you confront TIM. The same thing plays out where you can talk him down. With high enough reputation, you can "save" Anderson but its not necessary for you to make it to the next part. Anderson dies after TIM is shot or kills himself like in the ending we got.

D: You and Anderson make it up to the citadel together while you're two squad maters, who clearly survive, are holding off the reapers from following you to the citadel. Everything continues the same here as "C" until after TIM is shot and killed and the final conversation that Anderson and Shepard have (which is much longer than what we got). You get the shorter convo in C.

[The following you only see with outcome "C' and "D"] Shepard looks out at the war going on and activates the crucible. Hacketts says its not working. This is when Harbinger talks to Shepard through TIM as he lies on the ground. Harbinger tries to convince you that you've fail but you can argue with him. Harbinger says that he has your crew in his cross hairs. We see the Normandy arrive (the joker dialogue that was cut) and the rest of your friends help the two squad members you brought with you face off against Harbinger and his reaper minions.
---
http://i46.tinypic.com/n49ick.jpgXXX_Inferno_XXX

Posted 3/13/2012 8:45:43 AM
message detailYou basically have a choice. You can submit to him and he claims he will spare your squad and earth until the next cycle because he is impressed that you were able to make it this far. This is when the motive of the reapers is more clearly established. Harbinger reveals that in the previous cycle, the prothean empire became too vast and they began to control all the other races, which would have prevented all of our races from developing. However, through more discussion, Shepard can uncover their true motives. They fear that they will be rivaled by something more powerful than they are (that this cycle will create AI that can topple the reapers). This implies they are merely fearful for their own survival and that is why they purge all life but they convince themselves they are protecting us.

Either way, you can submit to him and save your people or take your chances. Having 4000 EMS, not submitting to him you would lose everyone, but still eventually get to the three choices we actually got (more on this in a second). Having 5000+ and depending on how you resolved conflicts between characters and races, certain people will live or die.

After rejecting him (whether you lose everyone or not), you end up in the area where vent boy was but hes not there. It's just you and "Harbinger". He explains that a new solution is needed. The solution he tries to convince you to take is merge (to perseve his kind). But if you have high enough reputation once again, you can open the control and destroy option. Harbinger tries to talk you out of it by discussing how your races are divided and mentioning the geth incident. You convince him otherwise, and it is at this point, the control option opens next where he admits that shepard may have a perspective he never considered. Harbinger tells Shepard that if he destroys them, the relays will be destroyed as will the geth (which is true. This is the only ending where the relays are destroyed).

Now for the four endings.

If you submit to him before the three main choices, the reapers leave earth but end up wiping out every other race who haven't proved themselves worthy. Shepard dies.

If you merge, the reapers leave and like the ending we got, we see all the characters we know with green eyes as a green light brightens the sky. Shepard dies for the same reasons in the ending we got.

The control option, the reapers leave. Everyone cautiously celebrates while joker and your LI look up to the sky and wonder what exactly happened. Life goes on but its hinted that the reaper threat may return. This ending ends on a cliffhanger.

The destroy ending does destroy the relays, but its implied that with all the races on earth, they, together, will restore what they lost and will attempt to work together. if shepard lives, your LI leading your squad, will be looking for you. You are beamed back down to earth (its assumed shepard was somehow blasted into the beam? this is the only questionable part). It ends with shepard's hand coming out of the rubble and breathing. Still a cliffhanger of sorts, but you can assume they will find him/her obviously.

:hmmm:






We had the final fight with the Illusive man in the game, but it just felt very Video Gamey. It didnt fit in with the themes. And really, is there a point of the end boss if only for the sake of an end boss

:what::x:rage:

is this retard for real? dragon age 2 has better end boss than this shit
 

a cut of domestic sheep prime

Guest
Hey Codex help me understand one thing...

Wasn't Mass Effect planned as a trilogy right from the start? So how come they didn't have the ending figured out let's say right after the first mass effect. I'm not a writer and never will be but it seems fucking strange when you're working on a story for a multi million dollar AAA games and you don't have the story and it's main outlines for a whole trilogy written and figured out for example during the first game's production...

As I see it they didn't have a clue about the ending of their trilogy right up until the October/November 2011 which seems fucking weird...
They do this shit all the time with movies and tv. They don't plan ahead. It's the same with games. They probably planned out that they wanted to import your decisions over 3 games and that's it. They changed writers after ME1 too.

Kinda reminds me of Battlestar Galactica:
Season 1 - The cylons have a plan!
Season 2 - The plan is more complicated than you can imagine and it has something to do with their god.
Season 3 - Plan? What plan?
Season 4 - Writing is teh hard. Let's just do shit we swore we'd never do like having the president marry Adama...
 

Joghurt

Augur
Joined
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Messages
980
Yes trust the fucking wikipedia. Come on...
 

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