Mass Effect Series
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Lex
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I don't know why, but while I was driving to work this morning I imagined a different ending to Mass Effect 3 (this literally popped into my head for no reason).
- Following the Illusive Man/ Anderson death scenes in the Citadel, the Crucible is activated but nothing happens.
- The phrase "Shepard-Commander" is heard and following a flash, the scene changes to Shepard standing in a digital world similar to Legion's ME3 mission
- Legion appears. Turns out that when he sacrificed himself to "go to" the Geth consensus on Rannoch, he wasn't able to fully transfer his data before the reapers stole his code
- Legion reveals that while he has been trapped in the digital!crucible he has discovered the plans for the crucible were actually planted by the reapers to provide a false hope to distract civilizations while they were harvested - the true purpose of the crucible is as a reaper weapon
- Legion suspects there may be a way to repurpose the crucible to destroy the reapers, and guides Shepard through the data nodes to achieve this
- Shepards memories appear as holograms throughout - important moments, character deaths, romance etc
The end goal is obviously that the crucible is repurposed to win the war and destroy the reapers (with varying levels of success or the difficulty of the "dungeon" dependent on war assets or previous actions in the game) but that's where my little daydream stopped. What a random thing to happen while I'm driving to work
It doesn't really fit with the pacing of the game but it was a neat distraction at least!
YASSSSSSSSS
Carlie and I were discussing this last night when there was a thread on ResetEra and it was confirmed there was an "EA HD Title" - obviously immediately hoped it was Mass Effect. That's probably what triggered my little daydream this morning!
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Lestat
He/him
- AKA
- Ergo, V
Not gonna lie I like your idea a lot.
ME3 was such a good game that the ending has always been a bit of a sore point.
The two citadel expansions added a greater depth to the dynamics of the squad also that I could quite easily get behind this, especially if it meant ma boi legion came back XD
ME3 was such a good game that the ending has always been a bit of a sore point.
The two citadel expansions added a greater depth to the dynamics of the squad also that I could quite easily get behind this, especially if it meant ma boi legion came back XD
ForceStealer
Double Growth
Does Andromeda really have active multiplayer?
Lex
Administrator
Dunno how I missed this. It has a multiplayer, I'm not so sure it's active lmao. I still find matches on ME3 multi on PC, comparatively. And there's no weird, awkward rubber banding like in Andromeda.
Anyway I'm really hoping this gets announced soon. I did see a rumour it was going to be announced on N7 day but I find that unlikely, it's due to be released in the fall (according to the source). Unless they announce and drop it on N7 day, which would be amazing as it's my bday
crazyrabbits23
yes.
- AKA
- Alex
Anyway I'm really hoping this gets announced soon. I did see a rumour it was going to be announced on N7 day but I find that unlikely, it's due to be released in the fall (according to the source). Unless they announce and drop it on N7 day, which would be amazing as it's my bday
I would be sincerely surprised if an ME remaster/remake happens. There are just too many limiting factors working against it.
1) The biggest unanswered question (to me) is what the status of the source code for ME1 is. We know for certain that Pinnacle Station's source code is corrupted, which is the reason why it wasn't included on the PS3 version, and is supposedly lost beyond what's currently out there (the PC version has the free patch that adds the DLC in). I also remember hearing a conversation with a Twitch user named CareLevelZero (who worked on the first ME, and did a stream of the game with commentary and behind-the-scenes info) that some parts of the source code for the original game are either corrupted or lost, which (if true) would make remastering the game extremely difficult, if not outright impossible.
2) Status of porting. As far as I'm aware (and I could certainly be wrong on this), EA doesn't use Unreal Engine due to perceived competition with Epic Games/not wanting to give up a cut to another publisher they're in direct contact with. It may be possible to port the games onto Frostbite... but that's three entire games worth of content that could supposedly be ported, with no development hurdles and no information being leaked, for the last two years. And Frostbite is a completely different beast that is only just now being seen as catching up to certain capabilities of UE.
3) Bioware has to get its house in order first. Anthem was a debacle the likes of which we haven't seen in a long time. Most insider reports point to the entire structure of the organization being completely fractured and disconnected with modern gaming sentiment (sidenote: they should be paying Mark Darrah everything he's worth and more, as he's the leader that got Anthem out the door). The Anthem 2.0 Project is expected to take at least a year (if not much longer) to complete, and I would be very surprised if it even came out - I expect it to be quietly buried at some point. The first iteration of what the company wanted to make for DA4 was supposedly a disaster, and the next title isn't expected out for at least two years, at the earliest. With the exception of Bioware Austin (which is still working on TOR), the company has lost its other subsidiaries, which have either been shuttered or folded back into other EA subsidiaries. They are supposedly also working on another ME installment. I would be very surprised if we hear any news, period, within the next year about the possibility of a remaster/remake.
4) EA also needs to get their own house in order with respect to the current titles. ME3 just got dumped on Steam with a host of problems. They literally took the Origin version of the game and dumped it into another platform, overlay and all, which causes major performance issues for many users, and requires a workaround fanmade patch to fix. The free multiplayer DLCs are hidden behind the $20 DLC bundle, requiring anyone who didn't pay for the DLC to go over to Origin and download the files there instead. There's still no ME2 DLC bundle available, despite a large chunk of it (LotSB, Arrival) having gameplay/asset changes that run into the third game.
I will stan for ME3 any day, especially with mods, but if they're going to do a remaster/remake, they need to do it right:
- all DLC baked in/properly quest-timed (no relying on fanmade mods to do it for you)
- rebuild/recreate as much cut content as possible; there's supposedly a ton of missing planets that could be visited in ME1 that were cut prior to release, and ME3 in particular has boatloads of missing material that's been recreated and restored by modders
- consistent graphics; evidently, ME1's "film grain filter" didn't work, and people presume it's because the game is a lot older than it really is
- if they're going the extra mile, just bite the bullet and add a "happy ending" for 3 that doesn't require mods
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Lex
Administrator
Most of your points are already addressed by the fact that the remaster is definitely happening (it's not rumour/ speculation, it's confirmed. Just not officially). I'm one of the people who has debunked the vast majority of Mass Effect remaster rumours over the years, but it is actually real this time for better or worse.
We don't really need the remaster to include Pinnacle Station. Out of everything, that can be dropped. I think you're overstating the importance of "the source code" - if they're remastering it they're going to need to remake a lot of assets regardless, and they ported it to PS3 in 2012 which nobody thought they'd bother doing. In particular I would expect updated gameplay for the first game, but I wouldn't be mad if they didn't go that far. There's nothing stopping them doing that though.
There was a rumour recently that they've been working on it since 2017 and they're using frostbite - I won't really believe that until it's confirmed or denied but that's the rumour. The original ME trilogy all ran on Unreal Engine 3 - it would probably be far easier for them to use UE4, but we know EA are all about Frostbite. Bioware doesn't have a good track record with it sadly.
While I agree that Bioware are in pretty dire straits these days, there's nothing preventing something like this being outsourced. The PS3 port of ME1 was handled by a studio called Edge of Reality - not Bioware.
I've been following the possibility of a remaster very closely since the start of this generation. Bioware were looking into it before Andromeda released, but dropped it because EA didn't want to follow the remaster trend. Aaron Flynn was on the now defunct BSN (Bioware Social Network) where I was pretty active, suggesting ways a remaster could work. His suggestions included seamless transitions between the titles rather than separate games, access to all locations as you unlock them throughout the trilogy (think a combined galaxy map) - this is all stuff they were discussing way back in 2014 but then weren't developed because of EA's "no remaster" policy.
How they're handling this remains to be seen, but we'll know soon. The game is apparently dropping before the end of this year.
Personally I don't care if it's simply the games as they are running on modern systems with better graphics options, but I'll be pleased if they do more, namely everything you said as well as:
- ME1 gameplay overhaul
- Expanded romance options
- All DLC seamlessly included
- Restored cut content
I think a gameplay overhaul would upset purists but the game needs it for accessibility IMO.
We don't really need the remaster to include Pinnacle Station. Out of everything, that can be dropped. I think you're overstating the importance of "the source code" - if they're remastering it they're going to need to remake a lot of assets regardless, and they ported it to PS3 in 2012 which nobody thought they'd bother doing. In particular I would expect updated gameplay for the first game, but I wouldn't be mad if they didn't go that far. There's nothing stopping them doing that though.
There was a rumour recently that they've been working on it since 2017 and they're using frostbite - I won't really believe that until it's confirmed or denied but that's the rumour. The original ME trilogy all ran on Unreal Engine 3 - it would probably be far easier for them to use UE4, but we know EA are all about Frostbite. Bioware doesn't have a good track record with it sadly.
While I agree that Bioware are in pretty dire straits these days, there's nothing preventing something like this being outsourced. The PS3 port of ME1 was handled by a studio called Edge of Reality - not Bioware.
I've been following the possibility of a remaster very closely since the start of this generation. Bioware were looking into it before Andromeda released, but dropped it because EA didn't want to follow the remaster trend. Aaron Flynn was on the now defunct BSN (Bioware Social Network) where I was pretty active, suggesting ways a remaster could work. His suggestions included seamless transitions between the titles rather than separate games, access to all locations as you unlock them throughout the trilogy (think a combined galaxy map) - this is all stuff they were discussing way back in 2014 but then weren't developed because of EA's "no remaster" policy.
How they're handling this remains to be seen, but we'll know soon. The game is apparently dropping before the end of this year.
Personally I don't care if it's simply the games as they are running on modern systems with better graphics options, but I'll be pleased if they do more, namely everything you said as well as:
- ME1 gameplay overhaul
- Expanded romance options
- All DLC seamlessly included
- Restored cut content
I think a gameplay overhaul would upset purists but the game needs it for accessibility IMO.
crazyrabbits23
yes.
- AKA
- Alex
I keep hearing it, but until there's solid evidence beyond "this social media user said it," I'm not believing anything. I agree with the rest of your post, though.
Tell you what, if they officially announce a remaster/remake on N7 Day this year, I will Paypal you $10. If it's not announced there, I won't hold out any more hope.
Lex
Administrator
There's a difference between a "social media user" and a trusted industry insider (there's also more than one source for this now). Keep your ten dollars thanks, it's barely enough to get a coffee in my own currency 
Lex
Administrator
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Lex
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So today they announced both the Mass Effect remaster AND that they're working on the next Mass Effect game.
https://blog.bioware.com/2020/11/07/happy-n7-day-4/
https://blog.bioware.com/2020/11/07/happy-n7-day-4/
Ite
Save your valediction (she/her)
- AKA
- Ite
A version without Chucky eyeballs?
The trilogy is top 5 game experiences for me, it will be great to see it with a fresh coat of paint. Glad to hear they’ve got a new game in the works as well. For my part I’d be most excited about a prequel, maybe a first contact game or a game without humans at all (a man can dream).
The trilogy is top 5 game experiences for me, it will be great to see it with a fresh coat of paint. Glad to hear they’ve got a new game in the works as well. For my part I’d be most excited about a prequel, maybe a first contact game or a game without humans at all (a man can dream).
cold_spirit
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- Alex T
Made a deal with a buddy that I'll play through his favorite game, Mass Effect 2, when something like this gets released. Looking forward to it!
Lex
Administrator
She does look a lot older (and very intentionally so, going by the stills they put out). I'm wondering if that means she's 800 or so, and that's how long it took them to find a way to navigate large parts of the galaxy without the relays. There's another part of my brain that says maybe it's just the increased detail of the CG that's making us think she's a lot older but I don't see how that can be, really.
She finds an omni-tool in that trailer which isn't necessarily Shepard's. Also Mike Gamble tweeted that they "very intentionally" showed both Andromeda and the Milky Way at the very beginning of the trailer. Having been obsessed with space for years I was a bit surprised by that because that one in the background doesn't look like Andromeda lmao
She finds an omni-tool in that trailer which isn't necessarily Shepard's. Also Mike Gamble tweeted that they "very intentionally" showed both Andromeda and the Milky Way at the very beginning of the trailer. Having been obsessed with space for years I was a bit surprised by that because that one in the background doesn't look like Andromeda lmao
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