Neo's Mass Effect 3 Comments, Almost Mostly Spoiler Free and Tinged With Hatred

Aaaaand, there we go. Done.

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simian before you call it final check it

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xalas wrote:

simian before you call it final check it

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You need 5000 effective galactic readiness to get that ending but it's definitely true. Too bad Bioware lied about not having to play multiplayer to get every ending and I had to edit game files to get it.

why would you edit the game files D= the multiplayer is a horde mode one of the best kind imo

Because I did not and will never spend money on Mass Effect 3.

It's a valid complaint even from a legitimate consumer perspective anyway, Bioware made a series of singple player games and added multiplayer to the third one. That's fine in itself, assuming none of the single player was negatively impacted because of it, but the fact remains that there's an established fanbase who likely don't give a damn about the multiplayer and don't want to be forced to play it just so that they can get the most out of the story.

SimianWonder wrote:

Finally, I find myself liking the Indoctrination fan-theory. Makes a fair bit of sense when you think about it.

I like it myself too (I love alternate fan interpretations) but it is complete bullshit. If you destroy the collector base in ME2 and have a shitty enough EMS, it's possible to only be given the option to destroy the Reapers, which completely invalidates the theory that Shepard was indoctrinated.

http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/05/mass-effect-3-extended-cut-dlc-free-this-summer-offers-furth/

Hah.

The extended cut came out. It's free and it's 1.9 (!) GB.

Generally speaking, I liked it. The endings are still fundamentally flawed, but they managed to lessen the blow quite significantly and fix a lot of problems and discrepancies with the last half hour of the game.

They even added a new ending, though

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There are still problems, like how it's clear Mac Walters forgot that 'Reapers' is a term coined by the Protheans and that they completely neutered Harbinger's character (the scene where the Normandy evacuates your team while Harby just sits in the background doing nothing is absolutely retarded). Everything about the Starchild is still completely dumb, but it's better than what we originally got so we should be thankful for that at least.

You might as well download it while it's still free.

I think it's sad that the new, extremely passive-aggressive "fuck you haters" ending is actually the best of the lot.

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Okay, just played through the final sections again to see the new endings, and I'm reasonably happy with what was delivered. Anyone expecting a full rewrite was deluding themselves, but we were given more clarity both visually and through extended dialogue options that seem to satisfy some, if not all, of the ambiguity the original endings left in their wake.

I also find myself really liking the new ending. It seems the most in character for my Shepard -

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That's not to say I didn't get anything out of the other endings, I did, it's just this one really struck a chord with me.

Alrighty then, just did the Extended Cut stuff now(EU/AUS ps3 peeps had to wait a week longer for the add-on for some reason).

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So I'm finally getting around to playing this, Grunt is the manliest motherfucker alive.

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I liked him more than most in ME2, but my respect for him shot up. What a G.

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But yeah, Grunt's awesome. Funny how Wrex and Grunt, despite being walking balls of anger and violence, still have have so much character. Say what you will about Bioware, but they know how to write some briliiant characters.

Oh no Mordin! D:

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What a hero.

SimianWonder wrote:

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Having spent three months away from ME3 whilst playing other titles, I've found myself going back through to finish my Insanity run. In the meantime, there've been a couple of new DLC multiplayer packs and the single Player piece, Leviathan, released, so I've got plenty to catch up with.

Again, to reiterate a point made earlier, ME3 is still an utterly fantastic game. Its finest moments sent shivers down my spine, and yes the ending is a little underwhelming, but that cannot detract from the magnificence that is 90% of the game. DLC wise, Leviathan is a hefty chunk of content with a pretty huge story pay off, even if the end result is - and this is one of the few genuine criticisms I'd have for the game as a whole - reduced to nothing more than a few EMS points. No, it won't ever alter the endgame now, that was obvious from the beginning, but it's a fun slice of combat with some neat upgrades and a varied set of missions leading towards a satisfying finale.

The new multiplayer classes are great too, adding a chunk more variety to proceedings and a new difficulty level, Platinum, which offers greater rewards but is a decent chunk harder than even gold, the previous toughest.

I will agree that the best of ME3 was really good, but when you think about it all of that revolved around characters we already know and love like Wrex, Garrus, Grunt and Mordin. None of the new characters introduced like the soldier and the reporter (who are apparently so forgettable I've forgotten their names) were present in any of those. Also that awful ending etc. I don't regret playing it though, just for those great moments.

Id argue that the two stand-out moments of the game were Tuchanka and Rannoch, the pay off for careful management of your relationship with Krogan/Salarian (ok, the latter not so much) and Quarian/Geth. If you got those just so, it made you feel like a million bucks. The fact it was impossible to save everyone but knowing that you could give them the chance to die on their own terms was breathtaking.

Though yes, those moments did tend to focus on characters introduced in ME and ME2, the rather throwaway new introductions into ME3 never hitting quite the same giddy heights. I may be wrong, but I'd imagine I'll remember the likes of Garrus and Wrex fondly for many, many years to come.

SimianWonder wrote:

Id argue that the two stand-out moments of the game were Tuchanka and Rannoch, the pay off for careful management of your relationship with Krogan/Salarian (ok, the latter not so much) and Quarian/Geth. If you got those just so, it made you feel like a million bucks. The fact it was impossible to save everyone but knowing that you could give them the chance to die on their own terms was breathtaking.

Though yes, those moments did tend to focus on characters introduced in ME and ME2, the rather throwaway new introductions into ME3 never hitting quite the same giddy heights. I may be wrong, but I'd imagine I'll remember the likes of Garrus and Wrex fondly for many, many years to come.

I know what you mean, Tuchanka was my favourite mission and

as if people really haven't played this yet, but spoilered anyway:

I also screwed up Rannoch quite immensely, apparently I had done something not totally correct in ME2 which caused terrible things to happen.

I was worried I'd screw up on Rannoch, but it worked out in the end.

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A few months after release it may be, but I finally picked up the final piece of DLC, titled "Citadel".  It revolves around the crew of the Normandy getting some well-deserved shore leave, and things going a bit tits up.  As they are wont to do, it seems.  There are new mini-games, including a combat arena that offers extra challenges, which is bloody good fun, and while there is a story, it's basically a flimsy excuse to give the franchise the send off it truly deserves, featuring every playable character making at least a cameo, and giving you Wrex as a playable character for the duration.  And everyone loves Wrex, right?  The crew gets to treat the whole thing as a bit of a joke, despite the actual seriousness of the situation, it's simply part and parcel of things for them now.
 
There's also a hell of a lot of fan service and lampshading; Wrex and Grunt having a comical debate about which of them is stronger, then having an exchange with Shepard consisting of nothing but "Shepard."  "Wrex."  "Grunt."  "Shepard."  "Grunt."  "Wrex."  "Shepaaaaaard,"  Shepard talking about how often he says "I should go", and being genuinely mortified when everyone points out he says it at the end of every conversation, and everyone getting completely shit-faced.  Grunt rocking gently in the shower is a sight I'll never forget, let alone when you find out what happened when he actually managed to gather himself a bit - C-Sec were not amused -, Zaeed hitting on Samara, Tali laying incoherent on the floor of the toilet, and there's so much quotable dialogue, Wrex uttering the surely soon-to-be-infamous "This is why I love hanging out with you guys.  Why shoot something once when you can shoot it another 46 times?"
 
I could go on for days.  As I said above, gameplay wise it does nothing new, but it's a fantastic feel-good send off for Shepard and his / her crew.  Quite frankly, I'd be utterly content to replay the game again until the point of no return, do this DLC and leave it there.  The very last dialogue exchange uttered sums up Mass effect quite succinctly;
 
"It's been a hell of a ride."
"Yes it has."