Mass Effect 3 Discussion Thread

[quote name='100xp']the 3 phantoms t-bagging our lifeless bodies with the turret on the ramp was especially special. there is not enough medigel in the universe that could get you outta of that one.

we gotta try the adept/vanguard run on reapers and see if we can pull that off.[/QUOTE]

For reference:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A20ar_dEhXg

And I've been waiting until I get more missile capacity, been stuck at 2 forever.
 
This is really a crapshoot. Sometimes I get a great group of randoms and we clear silver a bunch of times. Just got in with a group of low-levels who thought "yeah, let's rush the turret. it can't get us all" :(
 
[quote name='Lord_Kefka']This is really a crapshoot. Sometimes I get a great group of randoms and we clear silver a bunch of times. Just got in with a group of low-levels who thought "yeah, let's rush the turret. it can't get us all" :([/QUOTE]

Hey I've tried to join you a bunch of times but you always spurn my advances ;)
 
Hahaha, that video is pretty much how it turned out for us. Only we were on that lab level (Glacier? Something like that.)

We have to try this.

Edit: I actually just got the Carnifex last night. It takes my cooldown from + 200% to + 175% though. Haven't weight out whether it's worth it or not yet.
 
[quote name='IanKazimer']Dude, the random game I did before I joined up with you guys was against the Reapers. 3 Adepts and a Turian Sentinel. We made it to wave 10 with relative ease, but ended up losing it (thankfully after getting PAID.)
Biotic explosions make Brutes and Ravagers look like tissue paper. Banshees are as much of a bitch as they usually are though.[/QUOTE]

i'm hoping the next few unlocks i'll get the revenant again or twice...or thrice like friggin claymore last night. wtf man. that should make a noticable difference.

with all the changes to the AR and shottys, it's making marksmanship more viable. the boost to RoF will probably make the slow ass guns fun to use again.

ppl could just farm the 1st 3 waves then ritual suicide and repeat. it's not 70k+ in credits but it's a quick 10-15k?

[quote name='gotdott']For reference:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A20ar_dEhXg

And I've been waiting until I get more missile capacity, been stuck at 2 forever.[/QUOTE]

IanK has 5 missiles? I have 3 or 4, I forget. That's plenty of missiles to go around.
 
i wish they'd indicate which maps you have to finish gold on, i still have no idea which other ones I need to finish outside of the two we normally do. (reactor and firebase white snowy goodness) I'm 4 of 6.
 
[quote name='100xp']i wish they'd indicate which maps you have to finish gold on, i still have no idea which other ones I need to finish outside of the two we normally do. (reactor and firebase white snowy goodness) I'm 4 of 6.[/QUOTE]

We usually run through Dagger/Reactor/Glacier/White, so maybe you need Giant and Ghost?
 
[quote name='gotdott']Hey I've tried to join you a bunch of times but you always spurn my advances ;)[/QUOTE]

I like to play hard to get. lol.

Seriously, I didn't expect that as many of the random "friends of friends" I had from Gears would be on playing this. We group up almost every night. I'd love to get in on one of those gold runs. Right now I'm carrying these randoms in silver and can only get halfway.
 
[quote name='gotdott']We usually run through Dagger/Reactor/Glacier/White, so maybe you need Giant and Ghost?[/QUOTE]

probably. it'll happen eventually. i still have all of the SP to do and unlock accordingly.

[quote name='Lord_Kefka']I like to play hard to get. lol.

Seriously, I didn't expect that as many of the random "friends of friends" I had from Gears would be on playing this. We group up almost every night. I'd love to get in on one of those gold runs. Right now I'm carrying these randoms in silver and can only get halfway.[/QUOTE]

i think there's easily enough of gears conscripts to make 2 groups. a lot of the gold runs end up being 2 lvl 17-20's, some mid range and a lvl 4...hee hee.
 
[quote name='Lord_Kefka']This is really a crapshoot. Sometimes I get a great group of randoms and we clear silver a bunch of times. Just got in with a group of low-levels who thought "yeah, let's rush the turret. it can't get us all" :([/QUOTE]

True for vanguard. Charge + Nova with low weight = instant re-charge essentially.
 
GOD DAMN IT when well game developers realize that assigning the same button for both run and stick to cover is fucking stupid.

Especially when most of your levels are tight.
 
i noticed in the reaper biotic explosion speed run, it's on PC. not sure if that changes anything but it could be something to consider.
 
[quote name='100xp']i noticed in the reaper biotic explosion speed run, it's on PC. not sure if that changes anything but it could be something to consider.[/QUOTE]
Console versions only have 3 levels of sensitivity, their mouse sensitivity shows quicker reaction times than what you'd get with a controller being limited to "High" sensitivity which is like 6 in CoD at best. Even if they're playing with pads, they can adjust their sensitivity much higher than console-bound players. I'd actually like a much higher sensitivity(custom) setting as I play on average an 8-9 on CoD.
 
[quote name='Salamando3000']Last I checked, most "Game Journalists" were still calling anyone who wanted a new ending Entitled. Maybe Forbes bloggers are sufficiently isolated from game company PR that they can tell the truth and not have to worry about any negative backlash.[/QUOTE]

Ding ding ding. You are winnar.
 
[quote name='Matt Young']Thanks guys. Guess I'll leave ME3 in the shrink wrap and pick up a points card this weekend.[/QUOTE]

I know it's the evil empire, but u can buy codes for all 4 ME 2 DLC's from GameStop.com or in-store, as those items cost $31 in points ($7 each except $10 for Shadow Broker.)
 
I would be willing to play tonight if anyone's up for it. I started the multiplayer last night (not including the demo) with the male Adept and did pretty well on some bronze runs.

Silver--and Gold especially--might be a tad rough right now, but I think I could manage.
 
My thoughts on this so called "entitled"
myme3endingmeme.jpg
 
All I know, is I have faith that soething is coming down the line, be it conitnuation through teh Homeworlds series, comics, books, apps, DLC, or otherwise. I am in the minority that doesn not mind the ending, I have made my own resolutions and felt the ending(s) were not the burn-the-village crusade some have made it. I just put in ME1 again and felt the shiver when Anderson says... "I'll make the call." and the title fires up. It is here that I remember why this is my most beloved series in my 28 Year gaming history. I have hopes that more will be explained, answers will be given, and further stories will be told. If this is all we get, it is a hell of a journey, and one worth taking over and over to see and learn everything that goes on that you can miss.
 
[quote name='Lord_Kefka']Vanguard is still my weakest class. Not doing great in Silver MP with it. Tips?[/QUOTE]

Max out charge and nova. Charge then nova, always be looking for your next target to charge. Don't solo banshees, brutes atlases and other things that can one hit kill you. Focus on turrets if near one. Stick with pistol only for low recharge time.
 
It's this kind of reaction from the gaming press that makes me seriously wonder why it's a question that gaming journalism is often looked down upon.

Quoted so you don't have to give clicks.
The arrogantly named "Retake Mass Effect" group has decided to offset the public bitching by raising some money for Child's Play, which fans are now cynically using to deflect criticism. I know this because Destructoid's tips line was spammed by emails from Mass Effect fans demanding we write about it for that very purpose.

Well ... here you are. Here's the story "proving" you're not entitled, which you earned by sending us emails implying you were entitled to it.

The group -- which was founded on the principle that Mass Effect 3's ending ruined an entire game series and undid all the fun everyone had -- raised over $26,000 for Child's Play in under 24 hours. It would've been more, but members were too busy seeking a public pat on the head for it.

So here's your post, which you wanted to offset what one tipster called our, "bashing the Mass Effect community through one-sided, poorly researched articles." Hopefully the undeniable positivity in this story will make you all feel better like the precious eggshell princes you are.

http://www.destructoid.com/raging-mass-effect-3-fans-do-something-for-charity-223811.phtml
Click to expand...
It's amazing to me that you can act like this towards your audience in this industry. And the way gamers are acting is shameful? Christ, I've never seen professionals acting so petty and defensive over something not directly affecting them. I guess the takeaway is that no amount of constructive action, taken from a place of criticism in contention with the media's ratings, will be suitably good enough to escape ridicule. If you whine, you're entitled. But if you do something charitable to show displeasure... you're actually just as entitled, and disingenuous to boot.
 
it's not the whole audience, it's not even the majority. Just a small percentage of the loud whiners who are pretty darn petty and defensive themselves.

His post is 100% spot on.
 
I dont know enough about the MP to really say this but I am going to say it anyway...screw everyone who brings a sniper rifle.
 
[quote name='Soodmeg']I dont know enough about the MP to really say this but I am going to say it anyway...screw everyone who brings a sniper rifle.[/QUOTE]

Why
 
This guy makes a good thorough compilation of things:
http://youtu.be/6M0Cf864P7E

Edit: Eh I think of Destructoid as more of a gaming blog than gaming journalism. Most gaming sites now seem to be stuck in the perceptual excess of relaying news.
 
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My only problem with the ending is
starchild: I'll kill you so you don't create something that kills you? Huh? Well, then, Starchild, All your base are belong to us!
 
I seem to never make it anywhere past the 3rd or 4th wave if I have snipers on my team. I never see one dominate unless I am missing something with the tactical cloak miss head shot, tactical cloak head shot, which works wonders when getting the final kill shot after someone else took half that Geths life....not so much when we get over run.
 
My problem with that whole ending thing is.....yes it sucked but at a certain point you are just proving right every cheerleader and Fox News talking head. Its a fucking video game, not the end of the world.

Plus, gamers are whiney bitches anyway...these are the same people who will complain about there not being a PC port yet pirate the shit out of every game that comes out. Same people who will whine about cash grab DLC yet buy everything trash add on they can. Same group that is balls out homophobic, sexist, racist and down right unpleasant.

As much as I want to bag on the developers and publishers....gamers....well....we are just unlikeable most of the time. Cheering for us is like having to support a Nazis freedom of speech....even though he is in the right you still feel like a dirtbag for doing it.


Do they owe you a better ending? Maybe but its their game and if you dont like it dont buy the next Mass Effect game/DLC/whatever....but I know most people wont they will buy it anyway.
 
[quote name='usickenme']it's not the whole audience, it's not even the majority. Just a small percentage of the loud whiners who are pretty darn petty and defensive themselves.

His post is 100% spot on.[/QUOTE]
If the press wish to rise above the level of "enthusiast blogger," if they're going to proclaim the professionalism and validity of gaming journalism, they shouldn't act as bad as the people they're criticizing.

[quote name='Soodmeg'] Its a fucking video game, not the end of the world.[/QUOTE]
If it doesn't matter because it's only a video game, then games aren't art.

I'd also add that this attitude you talk about is not limited to gamers, but to any community on the internet. Film enthusiasts whine when projects get dropped, or films are recast. Tech enthusiasts whine when support is dropped for something, or standards change, etc. It's not unique to gamers, just equally present in gamers.
 
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Games are not art. Never have been never will be. Its kinda like arguing that cheerleading is a sport. I dont understand why people long for the tag when there is nothing stopping you from being amazing without it. Games dont never need to be art to have an impact on society, be respected, etc etc. Give up the label for gods sake and focus on your legacy.

Of course its not limited to just gaming...but its a big part of it....let he without sin cast the first stone and all that. You are as shitty and corrupt as the rest of the world yet people want this crazy specially treatment.
 
[quote name='Soodmeg']I seem to never make it anywhere past the 3rd or 4th wave if I have snipers on my team. I never see one dominate unless I am missing something with the tactical cloak miss head shot, tactical cloak head shot, which works wonders when getting the final kill shot after someone else took half that Geths life....not so much when we get over run.[/QUOTE]

a high powered sniper rifle is pretty godly in higher difficulties esp when there's someone to stasis bubble enemies. on gold, 1 shot takes a phantom's barriers off, in the stasis bubble everyone else rips it to shreds aftewards...plus it's a great way to get engineers while they're setting up their turret, as well as all the 1 shot troops. Then there's widows and blackwidows that punch through light cover and guardians.

maybe you just need to be in a squad where someone is decent with it. a sucky sniper is a sucky sniper of course...but any sucky player is going to be sucky. As far as frag stealing, as long as we get paid! i don't care...esp since there is no k/d/r, stats to look up, etc. Credits, win, on to the next wave. Getting assists still nets your exp, esp if you did most of the damage.
 
This video will help explain it. A bit lengthy, but worth the watch.

Indoctrination Explanation Video

What are your thoughts about this? Did Bioware purposely piss off the fan base so they can "create" (IMO Finish) the REAL ending? Is this type of theory believable? And if they did release a DLC for the ending, would you buy it if it does (most likely will knowing EA) cost money to buy?

PS I apologize if this should go in the ME 3 discussion thread. I just thought it'd be a big enough topic lots of people would talk about it, as well as not having to sort through the massive amounts of other conversations at once.
 
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You know what art is, a picture of Shepard & Kaiden passionately kissing. Put that picture in a glass jar filled with Zima, then slap a label on the front titled "Brokeback Biotics" Put robotic legs on it and enter it in the Westminster Dog Show and win 1st place. Take your ribbon and tell everyone you came in first in an art show.
 
Alright, alright...

I don't mind debate going on in the thread (especially now given the circumstances currently surrounding this game), as I believe disagreement breeds healthy discussion. That's the thing about this series: there's hundreds of ways to look at the same thing, all of which result in different conclusions/understanding. "BioWare dropped the ball/stabbed us in the back and they suck and I won't support them anymore" and "entitled fans suck" are all valid arguments (to some degree) and they all have their part in the current topic. There's always going to be some bad to go along with the good, we all get that.

HOWEVER

If you believe for one second that video games - especially the games in this series - are not a valid form of art, then please just leave my thread. I really don't have the time or willingness to wall-o-text anyone into oblivion like I have in the past for similar silly reasons, and that kind of ignorance does nothing but derail the topic. I understand that bad logic exists on both sides of the "ME3 Ending" line, but this is one aspect of it that must go. Art is simply an expression of creativity and/or imagination in visual form - nothing more, nothing less. I'd be willing to bet that the creativity and/or imagination behind the three Mass Effect games is what has kept a majority of the people in this thread around for the last 2-5 years.

Now that we've made it out of high school with our logic, let's go back to talking about how polarizing the ending is and, of course, how fun MP is.

:cool:
 
It's actually what I thought was happening when I first played the ending, then it just ended, I was like wtf.

The ONLY way I'd accept this and not be massively pissed off is if the DLC was free, completely, no online pass requirement, no xbox live gold, nothing, free, stop, period.

That being said, I don't think that was their intention all along, I think they screwed up the ending, probably used all the time and resources they should have used on the ending on the completely useless and shoehorned in multiplayer so they could sell online passes and cut used sales.
 
[quote name='Soodmeg']Games are not art. Never have been never will be. Its kinda like arguing that cheerleading is a sport. I dont understand why people long for the tag when there is nothing stopping you from being amazing without it. Games dont never need to be art to have an impact on society, be respected, etc etc. Give up the label for gods sake and focus on your legacy.

Of course its not limited to just gaming...but its a big part of it....let he without sin cast the first stone and all that. You are as shitty and corrupt as the rest of the world yet people want this crazy specially treatment.[/QUOTE]

That's a silly thing to say, anything can be art, you may not like or understand it, but I could call a pile of dog turd art, and it would be.

It's not about needing the tag for it to be amazing, it needs the tag as a weapon against censorship.

I in no way think the ending should be changed, do I like the ending? no, it's a horrible ending, it ignored everything said and done in the game and previous games, made very little sense and provided no closure.

They made their bed, they need to sleep in it.
 
[quote name='Tha Xecutioner']Alright, alright...

(blah blah blah I agree with this stuff), how fun MP is.

:cool:[/QUOTE]

Now, the MP, I found it boring and repetitive, it was completely unnecessary and probably contributed to how bad the ending was.
 
[quote name='JustYourAverageJoe']It's this kind of reaction from the gaming press that makes me seriously wonder why it's a question that gaming journalism is often looked down upon.

Quoted so you don't have to give clicks.
It's amazing to me that you can act like this towards your audience in this industry. And the way gamers are acting is shameful? Christ, I've never seen professionals acting so petty and defensive over something not directly affecting them. I guess the takeaway is that no amount of constructive action, taken from a place of criticism in contention with the media's ratings, will be suitably good enough to escape ridicule. If you whine, you're entitled. But if you do something charitable to show displeasure... you're actually just as entitled, and disingenuous to boot.[/QUOTE]

Let me guess, the article was written by Jim Sterling. I refuse to read Destructoid b/c of him.
 
[quote name='Soodmeg']Games are not art. Never have been never will be. Its kinda like arguing that cheerleading is a sport. I dont understand why people long for the tag when there is nothing stopping you from being amazing without it. Games dont never need to be art to have an impact on society, be respected, etc etc. Give up the label for gods sake and focus on your legacy.

Of course its not limited to just gaming...but its a big part of it....let he without sin cast the first stone and all that. You are as shitty and corrupt as the rest of the world yet people want this crazy specially treatment.[/QUOTE]

If games aren't art, then why shouldn't we get a new ending?

Because the "Are video games art?" question is one of the central arguments in this whole thing. If you don't think it's art--if you just think games are entertainment to be consumed by the player--then chances are pretty good, you'll be pushing for a change to the ending.

However, if you think games are an art form, then the chances are that you'll say that the ending shouldn't change. That games--like other forms of art--should be respected as a final form and that we as the public are able to voice our pleasure--or lack thereof--with it, but we should not be telling the creators of the work to change it for our own pleasure.

Now, it's not the only major question in this debate, and your answer to that question does not necessarily put you in one camp or the other, but from what I've seen, that's a good demarcation of many people in this issue.

I personally fall under the latter camp, and I feel that Bioware--despite being the creators of the series of works of art known as the Mass Effect series--has almost been shoved into the background as the Retake and "Entitled Gamers" movements shoot venom at one another.

Look, Bioware put so much time and effort and their own hearts into all of these games. I'm sure the ending created great furor in their own offices, but apparently they felt that what we have as the ending (so far) was the most appropriate way to finish it. Now, I don't have a problem if Bioware releases DLC that explains the ending or alters it even, but it must be based on what they think is best for the game they created and that it does not sacrifice the artistic license that they have and utilized in making the game.

It's hard for me to get my point across without sounding myself like I find the Retake movement as spoiled brats. I too am disappointed in certain aspects of the game's ending... I would have loved for the ending to deal with something like Haestrom, or for you to tell the Catalyst to eff off, to at least be able to simply destroy the Reapers without destroying EDI and the geth as a "reward" for proving synthetics and organics can coexist in this game. But for people to argue and demand that the game needs a new ending is a dangerous thing. We have all seen the ending Bioware provided, so are we to completely forget it? Are we to go with the absurd notion that it was all a "Dallas", and Shepard was dreaming? Or the even more absurd route (though I do find the theory very intriguing), that Shepard--who not only has somehow resisted being indoctrinated for some three plus years despite his close proximity with so many Reapers--has also become the first one to ever shed indoctrination? That he's immune to it? Could we really find something that would everyone happy as to how to explain away the last ten-fifteen minutes in a succinct and intelligent way?

At this point, I believe we should just sit back and let everything settle in. It can't be denied that it was one hell of a ride throughout it regardless of your feelings towards the end.

I spent wayyyyy too much of my morning on this, and I probably still didn't get my point across, but dammit, I've already deleted like four of these because of the same thing. :lol:
 
Really the games are art debate isn't even relevant in this situation. - However I'm a person who favors the fact that games are art, mainly due to all the creative works that come together to make one (not just textures, 3D Models, lighting setups but also programming code that we don't see that runs in the background (physics, AI behavior and animations/sound cues and even the 3D engine itself)). I've got a Game Art & Design degree under my belt so I know the whole process and what goes on under the hood creating the game. - That said the comparison of this title with movies, paintings and other forms of artwork like sculpture starts to loose validity. What's the biggest strength with video games recently is that it's a never ending experience through the support of downloadable content and being connected to the internet. It's this option of an infinite strand that separates it amongst the other mediums of entertainment. When a movie is done they will not reshoot extra scenes for it, etc.

Look at Fallout 3 and how Bethesda ingeniously repaired the ending to allow players to continue to explore the wasteland for example. Take a look at what Gearbox did with Borderlands after so many were disappointed with its ending. The DLC for Borderlands was even better than the core game. True Fallout 3 and Borderlands weren't the conclusion of an epic trilogy but with those examples we can see just how powerful DLC can be for video games and story.

Then you fall even farther from being able to directly compare products of entertainment when you take into the account that Mass Effect is the first interconnected trilogy, as your actions and decisions throughout are carried throughout (would have loved Fable to become the second). In this sense you can't just say you've never played a game with a disappointing ending, it happens all the time. Maybe if it were just one title but that's not the case here with the Mass Effect series.

That was one of the biggest reasons I was driven to have so many playthroughs of Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 2, the multple endings based on your previous player choice (which is almost non-existing at the end). Now if someone were saying that they were totally wasting their time with those two titles, that is highly exaggerating everything because you most likely had an enjoyable experience along the way (due to the exceptional writing, lore and character development). To leave the series at an incredibly plot hole ridden cliffhanger (let alone being introduced to a totally new antagonist in the last 10 minutes) is almost so bad that it feels so intentional. Like http://uninhibitedandunrepentant.tumblr.com/post/19344938387/mind-holy-fuck has stated think about the games Bioware creates, the studio Bioware, think about it.
 
[quote name='MSUHitman']Let me guess, the article was written by Jim Sterling. I refuse to read Destructoid b/c of him.[/QUOTE]
A winrar is you. :)

EDIT: Wow, so this apparently comes from the "Final Hours" app, and it's been uploaded to Youtube. It's a cut scene from the end, and had they left it in, the ending would have made more sense (given that other scene was adjusted) and been more tonally sound. Not sure why they backed off of it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3PQT4c_r7Q
 
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Xbox-E3-Conference.jpg



So, as most of you know I work in television film and broadcast/Stage production. By the way I barely think that movies are also art. The above picture is an example of what I do for a living. Is that art? It took 5 or 6 lighting designers, 2 or 3 graphic artist, countless programmers, audio designers, stage designers etc etc. Yes it take tons of talent and both creative an artistic talent but it still not art.

You just can't compare it to a painting or a culture etc. again I don't really get why it needs to have the tag of art, games can inspire everything from crying to rage, not calling it art doesn't discount it.
 
[quote name='JaredFrost']It's actually what I thought was happening when I first played the ending, then it just ended, I was like wtf.

The ONLY way I'd accept this and not be massively pissed off is if the DLC was free, completely, no online pass requirement, no xbox live gold, nothing, free, stop, period.

That being said, I don't think that was their intention all along, I think they screwed up the ending, probably used all the time and resources they should have used on the ending on the completely useless and shoehorned in multiplayer so they could sell online passes and cut used sales.[/QUOTE]

i think the only logical move they have is to release it for free. if they announce it and say "coming soon : Epilogue the DLC, 800 MSP", people are going to flip the fuck out. itd be a PR nightmare.
 
you're entitled to your opinion Soodmeg.

mine is...there is an art to making everything, not everyone understands it or appreciates it, or is even good at it. i'm not comparing the art of making a game to a painting or culture...but I also don't want to get into the interpretation of what art is with everyone who has an opinion either.
 
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