Mass Effect 3 thread....updated

[Sepiche]

Before reading that, does it have ending spoilers? Or does he just talk in vague terms?

It's vague.

[cheeba]

It's a damn sales pitch.

[tgb]

While I have no intention of playing this, I am curious about the controversy and Bioware's response to it. Can someone tell me in general terms (no spoilers, for the sake of others) what this is all about?

[IceBear]

Read the spoiler thread. There's a link to an article explaining why everyone is upset

[Nightwish]

Being far away from the ending, and thus having a real opinion, this sounds like Bioware being EA... Now who wants DLC to finish the game?

[Daehawk]

I'm nearing the end now. Was just visiting Cerberus. Im wondering if I should do some multiplayer before i start the end run. I hear it helps somehow? I've noticed my war map never changes. it always says around 53 - 55%.

Sp should I be playing the hell out of multi player?

[IceBear]

The endings are the same regardless of your galactic readiness score, though I heard

Spoiler:

if your effective military strength is over 4000 you might get the ending where you see someone in an N7 suit take a breath in a pile of rubble

That said, the MP is fun and I would recommend you give it a shot. It's what I've been doing instead of playing the single player game until there's something more concrete with the DLC coming in April I believe

[Jag]

I just played the game and did whatever quests interested me until I got bored enough to finish the main plotline.

After the game, I googled videos for all the different endgames, so if you are really curious you can see them that way and not worry about your choices.

Part of the problem with the endgame is:

Spoiler:

Despite whatever choices you make, all the different endings are fairly similar.

[El Guapo]

So what's the deal? Is BioWare making a new ending, or are people just trying to get them to make a new ending? If they are making a new ending, is there any sense as to the time table?

[NickAragua]

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a new ending. If an updated one is released, we're probably looking at months away.

Also, FYI, the game makes an autosave right before you go into the endgame.

[El Guapo]

Sounds good. I'd only hold out if it were going to be a couple weeks or something.

Plus this way I won't miss out on all the outrage.

[NickAragua]

NERD RAGE POWER GO GO GO!!!!

[$iljanus]

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a new ending. If an updated one is released, we're probably looking at months away.

Also, FYI, the game makes an autosave right before you go into the endgame.

And after finishing the endgame the game dumps you back to the point before the final Cerebus missions so you can do things differently and get a different color.

[IceBear]

I wouldn't say there's going to be a new ending, but Bioware has said there is DLC scheduled for April (or the official announcement is going to be in April) that will expand on the ending. At least that's my understanding from reading the various posts on it

Edit: Ok, from Dr Ray's statement in the spoiler thread, the announcement is going to be in April:

Building on their research, Exec Producer Casey Hudson and the team are hard at work on a number of game content initiatives that will help answer the questions, providing more clarity for those seeking further closure to their journey. You’ll hear more on this in April. We’re working hard to maintain the right balance between the artistic integrity of the original story while addressing the fan feedback we’ve received. This is in addition to our existing plan to continue providing new Mass Effect content and new full games, so rest assured that your journey in the Mass Effect universe can, and will, continue.

[Bakhtosh]

http://blog.bioware.com/2012/03/21/4108/

Bioware officially responds to their critics.

Before reading that, does it have ending spoilers? Or does he just talk in vague terms?

It's spoiler free.

[Daehawk]

Let me post this... 10 reason we hate the ME3 ending

EA ruins another company's good name.

I am now finished with it. I didn't hate the ending...more like I disliked it...or even more - I didn't understand it at all. Where was the in your face good guy ending we were all expecting??

Eh...my thoughts..

Spoiler:

When did Bioware decide to make this BSG??? First why was the Normandy in Mass space? Least that's what it looked like. Where did everyone else go? What planet is that at the end? I just dont under stand the ending at all. Where was the choice of just having the Reapers gone and never come back? Allow life to evolve on it's own. Leave the gates...all as it was...let us be us.??? No sense at all.
As I understand it there are 3 endings that are not at all related to the 3 games that they end.
1. Destroy all synthetic life including the Geth you just saved and the mass relays
2. Blend everyone together and destroy the mass replays then die
3. Destroy the Reapers and the mass relays then die

No sense at all. I just wanted to end the reapers and live. Anderson's death was useless too. The end should have gone..attach Crucible it fires, all Reapers dead...the end. It did not need the AI kid or any of the Battlestar Galactica crap. Seriously Bioware..wth. The end had nothing at all to do with any choices I made in 3 whole games. Even if I had chosen to kill all machine life then where was my ending where I am alive and the universe starts to rebuild? Whats with that stupid planet and the only survivors are those on the Normandy? I mean they should have been on Earth anyways...why were they flying through space? With all the mass relays gone we are all trapped wherever we were. No way to grow or trade or anything.

SAD sad way to end an otherwise amazing series. Just give us the simple good/bad guy endings we wanted.

Spoiler:

Bad guy ending would be destroy all machine life..Geth and anyone like myself with implants maybe. Good guy should be the reapers all die never to return and Shepard lives. Geez how hard would that have been Bioware?

I also agree that during the game you see how all the diversity is great..yet that one ending goes totally against this.

SPOILER - ending alert in video
Pause this video at 19:16 to see a lie. http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&featu ... M0Cf864P7E

[NickAragua]

I am now finished with it. I didn't hate the ending...more like I disliked it...or even more - I didn't understand it at all.

Yeah, that's the boat I find myself in. I don't really have seething rage - it's more like when someone in a group tells an inside joke, and maybe one or two people laugh and everyone else isn't in on it so they don't get it.

[Turtle]

So apparently The Witcher 2 Enhanced Edition is actually getting even more ending cinematics to flesh out various player choices.

Considering the kind of choices you are forced to make in that game, I don't think anyone will question artistic integrity of adding more effects of that.

Ugh.

[NickAragua]

The difference is that the witcher guys are releasing these improvements for free to owners of the game (as far as I know, anyway). EA will probably charge another ten-twenty bucks.

[El Guapo]

I'm about to do the final ME3 missions. I'm not going to wait for any new endings that may or may not be released, but I do wonder how close my save games can be to the ending and still get the benefit of any new ending DLC. If I save right before the final boss, could I just go back to that save and then see new endings?

[NickAragua]

When you "continue" the game after the ending, it dumps you back to right before the Cerberus base. So I would expect that to be the point of divergence.

[Chaz]

I'm so far behind in this one. I'm only about 14 hours in, but I'm doing my usual sidequest extravaganza, so I'm probably behind on the main story.

I'm continuing my Sentinel that I've been using since ME1, and man, did they make tech armor a useless power. One of the main reasons I took a sentinel was to have access to a ton of different powers, which I do. None of which can really be used when I have tech armor up, since ME3's version reduces power cooldown by 80% in exchange for a 25-40% (if leveled way up) damage reduction. No good. I've actually been meaning to go re-spec my character and pull all points from the power, since I never, ever use it. I totally preferred it in ME2 where it didn't give you a cooldown hit, and just boosted your shields way up.

Oh well, I can still overload and warp the hell out of everything in sight. Also, this game is super pretty on a 46" TV.

[Turtle]

On the other hand, the blast from tech armor is more deadly, and can be used on command, even after your shields drop. This makes it useful for getting into close combat.

Unfortunately, the designers stupidly made the tech armor detonation tied to the univeral cooldowns, meaning that if you use a power (which you almost always do when trying to get close) then your tech armor will have to wait for those extra long cooldowns before you detonate. It's really annoying.

[Grifman]

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BioWare, a Label of Electronic Arts Inc. announced Mass Effect™ 3: Extended Cut, a downloadable content pack that will expand upon the events at the end of the critically acclaimed Action RPG. Through additional cinematic sequences and epilogue scenes, the Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut will give fans seeking further clarity to the ending of Mass Effect 3 deeper insights into how their personal journey concludes. Coming this summer, the Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut will be available for download on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC for no extra charge*.

"We are all incredibly proud of Mass Effect 3 and the work done by Casey Hudson and team," said Dr. Ray Muzyka, Co-Founder of BioWare and General Manager of EA's BioWare Label. "Since launch, we have had time to listen to the feedback from our most passionate fans and we are responding. With the Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut we think we have struck a good balance in delivering the answers players are looking for while maintaining the team's artistic vision for the end of this story arc in the Mass Effect universe."

Casey Hudson, Executive Producer of the Mass Effect series added, "We have reprioritized our post-launch development efforts to provide the fans who want more closure with even more context and clarity to the ending of the game, in a way that will feel more personalized for each player."

The Mass Effect franchise is one of the most highly decorated series in the history of games, having earned over 250 awards from critics around the world. Mass Effect 3 launched last month to universal critical acclaim, receiving over 75 perfect scores. For more information on Mass Effect 3, please visit http://masseffect.com, follow the game on Twitter at http://twitter.com/masseffect or "like" the game on Facebook at http://facebook.com/masseffect. Press assets for Mass Effect 3 are available at http://www.info.ea.com.

[NickAragua]

Hey, Chaz, this should come out by the time you get to the ending!

[Lordnine]

What I find suspicious is that it’s free till April 12th yet they don’t give a release date.

[Chaz]

On the other hand, the blast from tech armor is more deadly, and can be used on command, even after your shields drop. This makes it useful for getting into close combat.

Unfortunately, the designers stupidly made the tech armor detonation tied to the univeral cooldowns, meaning that if you use a power (which you almost always do when trying to get close) then your tech armor will have to wait for those extra long cooldowns before you detonate. It's really annoying.

But I took a power-based character so I can hang back with my sniper rifle and biotic powers and never get my hands dirty with close combat! If there's an enemy close enough to get hit with the blast, I did something wrong. Maybe next time, I go infiltrator.

Hey, Chaz, this should come out by the time you get to the ending!

You're probably not wrong, but I'm trying!

[Grifman]

What I find suspicious is that it’s free till April 12th yet they don’t give a release date.

Coming this summer, the Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut will be available for download on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC for no extra charge

What I find suspicious is that you didn't even read the press release

Seriously the April 12 date looks to be a mistake.

[Jaymeson]

I think month and day may be accurate, but the year is '2014'.
Not 7 days from now.

It doesn't sound like the DLC will allow the choices made during the game impact any iteration of the ending - just additional cinematic's to supplement the ending(s) already provided?

[Lordnine]

What I find suspicious is that it’s free till April 12th yet they don’t give a release date.

Coming this summer, the Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut will be available for download on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC for no extra charge

What I find suspicious is that you didn't even read the press release

Seriously the April 12 date looks to be a mistake.

That’s exactly what I had the problem with. That makes me think that you have only till next week to CLAIM the DLC and if you don’t then you have to pay whenever it is released.

[NickAragua]

I don't get it. Where does the press release say anything about April 12th?

[Lordnine]

* OFFER EXPIRES APRIL 12, 2014. INTERNET CONNECTION AND ORIGIN (EA), XBOX LIVE, OR PLAYSTATION NETWORK ACCOUNT REQUIRED. VALID ONLY AT THE ORIGIN CLIENT SOFTWARE (http://WWW.ORIGIN.COM/ABOUT), XBOX LIVE MARKETPLACE OR PLAYSTATION STORE. VALID WHEREVER MASS EFFECT 3 IS SOLD. MASS EFFECT 3 FULL GAME AND ORIGIN ACCOUNT (EA) REQUIRED TO USE/PLAY DOWNLOAD. OFFER MAY NOT BE SUBSTITUTED, EXCHANGED, SOLD OR REDEEMED FOR CASH OR OTHER GOODS OR SERVICES. MAY NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER, GIFT CARD, REBATE OR DISCOUNT COUPON. PRODUCT SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED, TAXED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. LIMIT ONE OFFER PER PERSON. YOU MUST MEET THE MINIMUM AGE REQUIREMENTS, WHICH VARY BY COUNTRY, TO REGISTER FOR AN ORIGIN ACCOUNT (EA). EA MAY RETIRE ONLINE FEATURES AFTER 30 DAYS NOTICE POSTED ON http://WWW.EA.COM/2/SERVICE-UPDATES.

Right here

Of course upon quoting that I see that its 2014...so just ignore me....

[NickAragua]

Heh, I was never very good at reading the "fine print".

[Bakhtosh]

ME3 on sale at Amazon.com for $39.99

[Smoove_B]

I am having an extremely difficult time getting into this game. For reference I really enjoyed the first two, though I still think the first was the best in terms of story, pacing, etc...

I think my disconnect is related to how the game opens and then the seemingly lazy pace I'm able to take for the next phase of the story. I don't understand why the game didn't open with the events portrayed as imminent, giving me time to prepare as opposed to having them occur and then I'm off roaming through space and hanging out in night clubs on the Citadel. So far everyone just seems like it's not that big of a deal. "Hey we're sorry to hear about what happened" - like my car died while I was on the way to a job interview or something.

[$iljanus]

As you get further along, Smoove, the reality of the Reapers coming for all of you intelligent folks starts to hit people and you get more of a sense of a state of war. There are nice little side conversations you can hear around the Citadel, many of which evolve as the game goes on and more worlds fall to the Reapers. That may help your immersion.

[Doomboy]

I think that feeling is something soldiers always get.

It must be incredibly strange to be in an environment with bullets flying at you and people trying to kill you one day, and then you come home and life has just been going on. People are concerned about some crappy reality show they watched last night instead of worrying about IEDs.

[Smoove_B]

As you get further along, Smoove, the reality of the Reapers coming for all of you intelligent folks starts to hit people and you get more of a sense of a state of war. There are nice little side conversations you can hear around the Citadel, many of which evolve as the game goes on and more worlds fall to the Reapers. That may help your immersion.

If they're trying to have me appreciate Shepard's frustration, it's working and I guess I can appreciate that as a design choice. It was just such a rapid change in scope after the opening that I was a bit confused. I spent a good deal of time on the Citadel today gathering support but now I'm helping and old friend find his potential bride.

[$iljanus]

As you get further along, Smoove, the reality of the Reapers coming for all of you intelligent folks starts to hit people and you get more of a sense of a state of war. There are nice little side conversations you can hear around the Citadel, many of which evolve as the game goes on and more worlds fall to the Reapers. That may help your immersion.

If they're trying to have me appreciate Shepard's frustration, it's working and I guess I can appreciate that as a design choice. It was just such a rapid change in scope after the opening that I was a bit confused. I spent a good deal of time on the Citadel today gathering support but now I'm helping and old friend find his potential bride.

I really enjoyed that storyline. That's some of the best parts of the game right there. Felt very nostalgic everytime I see members of my old team throughout the game.

Joker I believe waxes philosophical about the seeming lack of urgency among the Citadel populace later in the game.

[Smoove_B]

I'm about 25 hours in and I'm definitely enjoying it more. Though I do question how frustrating the quest log (journal) is. It never tells me when I have [Object X] that someone on the Citadel needs, so as soon as I get something, I'm always running back to the Citadel and trying to figure out where to hand it over. I'm wasting a lot of time just running around the citadel. Dodging reapers to scan planets is also a big time sink. I refuse to believe any one play testing this element actually said, "This is great -- keep this part in." So far I've run into lots of old friends (I guess I should spoil it)

Spoiler:

David Archer, Jack, Zaeed, Mordin, Thane, Legion, Jacob, Rachni Queen, Kasumi, Samara, Balak

...and tons more I'm sure that I'm forgetting. I think that's my favorite part so far, even when the meetings don't always end up with happy warm feelings afterwards.

I'm a major lunatic so of course I have to scour the galaxy looking for various fossils, books or statues that apparently then give me war resources. I've also come to the conclusion that Commander Shepard is a class A busybody. Dude listens in on everyone and just takes it upon himself to fix their problems.