Mass Effect Series

Lex

Lex

Administrator
jabloniaki said:
I love Joker. But I remember feeling incredibly pissed off after the Thessia mission, and although I thought the paragon option with him was aggressive, I thought it was really appropriate for the tone of the moment. I remember actually feeling pissed off with Joker but then regretting how aggressive that option was. Definitely a weird one.
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I thought they'd accidentally switched the options the first time I played through that part.
 
crazyrabbits23

crazyrabbits23

yes.
AKA
Alex
Lex said:
On release it was objectively garbage, honestly. With the free extended cut DLC released a couple of months later, it becomes a matter of whether or not you accept the plot (personal taste). Prior to that DLC it's just a frantic mess laden with inconsistencies and little to no exposition/ explanation, with the scenes to follow not well done enough to compensate.

That said, I still can't stand the ending even with the extended cut DLC. It made me feel slightly better about it, but only because it added things that should have been there in the first place (i.e. hints at the fate of our squadmates).

They had set a precedent with how Mass Effect 2's suicide mission played out based on recruitment choices, loyalty missions, whether or not you took ship upgrades, and then your choices in the final mission itself requiring you to actually know your squadmate's strengths and weaknesses. Something akin to that is what people went into the end of ME3 expecting, with the outcome varying based on the choices you had made throughout the trilogy. Some of this came to fruition in Priority: Tuchanka (probably the best part of the game) or Priority: Rannoch. This kind of thing adds appeal to replayability because if you get a bad ending or squadmates die in ME2, you can do another playthrough or make different choices to experience another outcome.

If we specifically examine Priority: Rannoch, there are various key factors leading up to what choices you can make and whether or not they will be successful, saving both the Quarian and the Geth, committing genocide, or Tali sacrificing herself.

This kind of thing goes back to Mass Effect 1, where Wrex can attempt to kill you if he doesn't trust you (based on either his loyalty or your persuasiveness).

The end of the trilogy should have been (IMO) a culmination of all of those things, but based on decisions you'd made throughout the trilogy that the developers consistently said would matter in the end. The whole trilogy was marketed that way. Mass Effect 3 itself was marketed by the developers that way specifically with regard to the ending. And the ending that they put out doesn't reflect that at all (some devs even spoke out about how it was changed due to rushed development at the time). I completely understand that they may have bitten off more than they could chew, and that it was a colossal undertaking.

What we got in the end was a "twist" that was way too far removed from the spirit of the story leading up to it. The implications of the three choices are obviously huge, but in practice they're meaningless because you're picking one of three colours (or the very short extended cut option that tells you you're shit for not picking one of them) regardless of any choice you made throughout the three games it took you to get there.

In spite of how much I hate the ending, the OG Trilogy is still one of my favourite stories of all time. It just deserved a far better ending than it got.
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You really should play the Priority Earth Overhaul Mod. (There's also a "competing" mod called Take Earth Back, but IMO, it adds in way too much busyness for a finale that's explicitly supposed to be bleak and desolate, like tons of different allied units.). The 1.0 version adds back all the cut content that was removed prior to release, and makes it a much more interesting experience, but the "final" version is where it's at -- the level design is streamlined, you can recruit three extra squadmates based on your decisions throughout the trilogy:

Kirrahe (with new combat dialogue), Grunt and Zaeed

The whole atmosphere is much more downbeat, the level events are better, and it actually feels like a proper, relentless finale, whereas the original ending felt like a "broshooter".

This is what I told the creator of said mod a few months back:

It amazes me that there were people out there at the game's launch who defended and even championed Bioware's... for lack of a better word, "crippled" version of the mission. P:E felt like the same drab post-apocalyptic broshooter at launch that a lot of other franchises were chasing at the time, with only Shepard and his/her squadmates against the world. This actually feels like a proper, relentless, desperate final battle, where you're constantly reminded that the galaxy is throwing everything it has at the Reapers, including your entire stable of squadmates, specialists and support staff for the one desperate hope of a slim chance of beating the enemy.

The new/restored material is so seamless and potent that it gives the constant feeling of being a small part of a chaotic and desperate war effort, whereas the original felt like a stroll through the park for most of the mission. There's stuff I've been waiting to play for years -- I can't tell you what a thrill it was to roll up on Grunt and get that notification that "new squadmates are available" -- if that modding expertise can be applied to the rest of the game (picking up new additional squadmates), that will take the game to an even higher level. The original conduit run also should have been there from the start -- it feels lonely, desperate and based on a thin chance that the launch version of the game never properly communicated. You even featured the original "squadmate with second squad in danger" concept that was mentioned in the early script files.
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It was my hope that BW/EA/someone would restore the cut content from the trilogy, particularly in 3, but it doesn't look like that was done. They have integrated all the weapon/armor DLC so it's not all immediately dumped on you at the beginning of the game, but considering there are pirated versions of 3 that have had this layout for years (you'd buy it at exorbitant prices from a vendor in the Presidium Commons), that's not saying much.

As far as the actual ending itself goes, it was only in January of this year that I had the first opportunity to play through the EC -- up to this point, I had been completely (and religiously) using the ME3 Happy Ending Mod. Such is the ending that I would take some poorly-recorded guy telling the player he's from the "SSV Nuremberg" out of nowhere and Joker haphazardly saying he's glad "they're in charge" than I would anything related to either the original ending or the EC.

And I am very much aware that BW will likely never, ever, change the ending. Doing so would be an admission of guilt that they'd failed at launch, and given how (at the time of release) they had to parachute in troubleshooter PR reps from EA to handle damage control, shut off their offices to outsiders and did everything but give their fanbase the middle finger, they're still sporting the black eye from it.

If I do buy the Legendary Edition (doesn't look like much of an improvement without mods, to be honest), it will be at a deep discount.
 
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Erotic Materia

Erotic Materia

[CONFUSED SCREAMING]
Having played through all of the ME games (including Andromeda, but I choose to ignore its existence), I'm fully aware of the lackluster final moments.

Still probably gonna buy the legendary edition when it drops, though :mon: Whip it out, Bioware. EM is hungry.
 
Lulcielid

Lulcielid

Eyes of the Lord
AKA
Lulcy
Legendary Edition performance details.

E0pM3lkWYAAlBjW
 
Lestat

Lestat

He/him
AKA
Ergo, V
The changes to ME1 are staggering, the game just runs so smoothly and all the old annoying bits I remember have either been removed entirely or fixed to run smoothly (looking at you sniper rifles and the never ending elevator from csec)
 
Erotic Materia

Erotic Materia

[CONFUSED SCREAMING]
Just started ME2 after blowing through the first one (skipping a TON of side missions because NOPE), and just the first 5 minutes of gameplay are sooo much better than the entirety of ME1. The combat, the HUD, control layout, mmm mm mm... I forgot how polished everything is
 
lithiumkatana17

lithiumkatana17

Pro Adventurer
AKA
Lith
Bout 40-50 hours into Mass Effect, and according to one of the trophies I got, have completed the majority of the game. :monster: Won't be able to play any tonight because I have to drive down to Florida tomorrow, so I gotta pack and clean... As far as major quests go, I think I have just Virmire left?

Spacer origin, sole survivor reputation, engineer class. I kinda wish I'd gone with soldier so I could wear something other than light armor, but I do love my smexy jumpsuits.

As for who I've been romancing, I am painfully single. I only rejected Liara's advances because I wanted to go after Garrus or Thane in ME2, and didn't wanna do any breakups/cheating. YAY INTERSPECIES RELATIONS :joy:

But yeah, I'm totally loving the game so far.
 
Lestat

Lestat

He/him
AKA
Ergo, V
Just finished my full playthrough of all three and spent more time remembering things I hadn't thought about in a while which has now spun up the following thoughts about the series moving forward and the teaser trailer etc.

Anyway if anyone can help with the following query it would be of great benefit as I'm going deep down the "where are they going with the next game rabbit hole"

In the shephard breathes ending (destroy + high galaxy might) they change the ending so your love interest doesn't hang Shep's plaque on the wall and you have that final moment of Shep's body breathing again......

But it also shows you during the end cutscenes them retaking the citadel and rebuilding......surely to fuck that means they found Shep's body and it can't be on a frozen planet like the new trailer suggested.....

Also are we assuming that destroy is the canon ending? I noted after watching the teaser trailer for the next game again that the character we think is liara doesn't have green eyes or circuits on her skin so I'm guessing synergy is out the question. Or is control the final ending after folk pointed out the reaper is moving in the BG of the maybe liara uphill walk.....
 
Joe

Joe

I KEEP MY IDEALS
AKA
Joe, Arcana
Maybe Liara isn't actually looking for Shep's body. Considering her apparent age, surely this is a very long search, not likely to turn up an alive Shepard. Also if she's looking for an alive Shepard, I think her reaction to finding a bit of scrap N7 armour would be to frantically start digging, not to look all happy with herself.

Also thinking back to Mass Effect 2, Shep's body changed hands a few times and went to a buncha different places very soon after their death.

It's also a very real possibility that an alive Shepard from the perfect Destroy ending wouldn't just sit under some rubble for years and years waiting for rescue during the Citadel repairs. Most likely that wherever they ended up, they did so by choosing to go there.
 
Lestat

Lestat

He/him
AKA
Ergo, V
Joe said:
Maybe Liara isn't actually looking for Shep's body. Considering her apparent age, surely this is a very long search, not likely to turn up an alive Shepard. Also if she's looking for an alive Shepard, I think her reaction to finding a bit of scrap N7 armour would be to frantically start digging, not to look all happy with herself.

Also thinking back to Mass Effect 2, Shep's body changed hands a few times and went to a buncha different places very soon after their death.

It's also a very real possibility that an alive Shepard from the perfect Destroy ending wouldn't just sit under some rubble for years and years waiting for rescue during the Citadel repairs. Most likely that wherever they ended up, they did so by choosing to go there.
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NGL I'm holding out hope for matriarch liara and the army of blue Shep babies
 
null

null

Mr. Thou
AKA
null
What the heck did they do to my poor Marksman? What good is a headshot bonus when you have a 4 second window to hit targets flying around a singularity??
 
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