Welcome to the new Mass Effect thread, with the imminent release of ME3 we expect a lot of posts to begin filling this thread. Lately a lot of the posts have concerned Bioware and their policy on Day 1 DLC. Or even EA. This isn't the thread to critique them. There is however a Bioware thread where you can go and discuss that matter. It would be appreciate by fans of Mass Effect and the moderators if you can keep the topics separate of each other. To this end I've added a link to the Bioware thread where you can feel free to critique them to your hearts content. This also includes other things such as their limited collectors edition policy and any other thing you can think of. Thank you in advance.

With spoilers soon to be rampant make sure to put them in a spoiler to not ruin the game for people. The spoiler tags can be used like so [spoiler r] and the matching tag would be [ / spoiler] with no spaces an dremoving the extra r in the first tag. Below is an example spoiler.


Thread Rules:

• This is an ongoing topic for discussion about Mass Effect series, so keep the discussion on the games.
  
• It is understandable if you don't like Mass Effect games. We have no problem with you sharing this, but this is an ongoing topic. As such, it is primarily based on the positive aspects of the games, so if you don't like them don't post.
  
• This is an ongoing discussion and some people don't like Mass Effect games. If you try to provoke them it is just as bad. If you do disagree with someone, please don't drag it into a fight. This topic is primarily for what we like about the games and our ongoing experiences.
  
• Respect forum rules. If you are unclear review them here.
  
• Respect for other forum members is perhaps the most important. We all have opinions and we are all human beings. Treat each other with respect.

http://masseffect.bioware.com/

http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Mass_Effect_Wiki

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCXHzbEDK5E&feature=related

Bioware Critique Thread.

Previous threads: http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1073436 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1073826 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1074494 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1075138 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1075497 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1075916 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1076411 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1076897 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1077734 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1078265 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1079090 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1079854 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1080626 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1081545 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1082029 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1082910 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1084127 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1084986 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1085395 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1085841 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1086200 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1086630 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1087738 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1088382 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1088920 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1090105 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1093323 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1097121 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1100627 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1107191 | http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?showtopic=1142182 | 54 | http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1355032-mass-effect-thread-56/


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZGFjBmD41Q

Just got home with my Collector's Edition, installing it to my 360 now.

I can't believe I played over 5 hours of MP last night with the same 3 people. Reapers are insane on Silver. Thank god I pulled an Asari Vanguard in a Veteran Pack.

This is taking forever, I wish they e-mailed you the codes a few hours prior to release so you could download all the crap before hand.

Great, looks like I'm one of those lucky people who have to recreate their Shepard. I also think there is something off with my save file as they said I didn't romance anyone in either game.

Edit: Missread nvm...

So, anyone else auto-flip their cover?

Heading to Gamestop to grab my copy now.

Also, yeah, those metacritic scores are a complete joke. You can't really trust any kind of review anymore. Too many "professional" reviewers inflate their scores in exchange for "presents" from the publishers, and too many user reviews are just moronic.

Installing it at this very moment. 20 minutes left, and then goodbye everyone.

What a pathetic lot /v/ and /b/ are. They bombed ME3s metacritic scores like they did DA:2. It's, what? 2.4 for the PC version? Around the 4s for xbox and PS3?

I've gotten in about an hour ingame although it would've been Two had I not spend an hour in character creation. Finally got a decent looking Fem Shepard on the 3rd try. I didn't transfer a Shep over and I'm going to have to do that, combat's a little too hard with a level 1 Shep.

Intro is bad, it's decent but very poorly done and explainations linking ME2 to ME3 is badly done. Mars is much better although I stopped at that because I hit that realization point that I needed to transfer a Shep from previous games. I might be the only person saying this but I think I prefered the combat in ME2 over ME3. Maybe that'll change as I get farther in with the game.


That's why word of mouth is better then any review, you'll be able to judge what's good about the game and what you like, and you'll also be able to see what's bad with the game.

I'm going to pick this up now.

Yup. 3 hours in and they are absolute BS already IMO.

Oh so that's what it is. Figures. Why can't those two boards seal off their idiocy to their own corner of the internet for once?

I know the game has some big issues, so, hit it with a 6, or a 5 or 4 if you're feeling particularly betrayed. But spamming it with 1s and 0s because "Day one DLC, f*** BioWare" is just bad trolling.

Remember that it don't come out until the 9th in europe.
So no spoilers.

Why does anyone care about Metacritic?

A couple hours in and it's very....actiony. Not bad but just so far the dialog and choices have been limited and I've just been running a gunning.

Funny enough, lately Bioware fans have been the disdain of RPG fans more-so than Bethesda fans. I've personally never found their works impressive. The Interplay/Black Isle published Baldur's Gate was a middle of the road game that seemed to launch them into the stars.

Commenting on Mass Effect I think it's a decent game and franchise. But I always laughed at the animosity towards Bioware.

Mass Effect 1 was an hardcoe/substantial RPG? If so Deus Ex 1/Human Rev/even Invisible War had more mechanics and Oblivion/Fallout 3 were gifts from God to us petty constant entertainment deprived mortals.

An inventory system filled with generic re-skins and a few extra lines of skills to upgrade through that you can pretty much mostly max out by the end of the game that other than what, two, have no use outside of combat situations which itself next to almost never happens inside the Hubs which function as "talk zones."

Mass Effect 1 was just as action driven as ME 2 and filled with fetch quests that make even Bethesda's look great fun by comparison. A good portion of planetside quests involve going into one of two identical bunkers/hideouts and being forced to kill the inhabitants inside then geed a tiny message pop up. You can't talk to them. There's no real story to be told other than "These are evil extremists." There's no options. You just shoot them. Generic shoot-em-up Action as it gets folks.


ME 1's main story was interesting if generic, Mass Effect 2 focused more on companion chit-chat. Both went in different routes. Neither topped eachother. And neither solidified why ME should be considered an RPG let alone a decent RPG in the first place.

A tiny inventory system makes or breaks an RPG, really? I mean I was disappointed in the reduced customization options as well but really? ME 1 or 2 barely can be classified as RPGs due to how the genre's deteriorated in terms of mechanics.

The only bigger "freedom" ME 1 expressed was the Citadel hub for a chockful of generic quests and also to introduce the world, species, and that you could pretty much stick to cover wherever you chose.


Mass Effect 3 in that respect also doesn't make me cheer on Bioware/EA since BW didn't make me do so in the 90s either.


But I still think it's worth a purchase and play, so are ME 1/2. Their good enough games and pack enough entertainment value.


However let's throw away that the shortcoming for ME 2/3 are that their "lesser" RPGs than ME1. Their not. None of those three games can really be considered RPGs in the first place.But if you do, then the first game was no more an "Arpeegee" than ME2 and now 3.



Also yes I've seen the Metacritic scores and user reviews. Again it's all funny. It leads me to question exactly how many people smitten with ME1 so much even play RPGs, or at least half way decent ones.

Of coarse the other half are angry at EA's rip out content and sell it policy ala Activision and Ubisoft. More power to them.

It's promised to come out on the 8th in Finland.

Mass Effect is Brilliant so Far, I'm Just wondering how many armor types are there going to be?

I read the PS3 review and the guy wrote that you can't be as diplomatic. Which kinds pisses me off.

Thanks for the review. It finalized my decision to get the game, though it's a bit late now since it's getting shipped to me in two or three days anyhow

I hate it when people blame the channel with 4 and RPGcodex for poor game ratings. If it's a good game, it'll have a good rating, despite the abysmal estimation it might have in the eyes of "those people".
Those online communities are just easy scapegoats that developers use to explain away their games' bad ratings. Here's an idea: how about the developers make a better game?


You're welcome.

I'm just excited to see Earth. I always wanted to see Earth in ME and ME2.

Have you even read most of the 1 and 0 reviews on Metacritic? Most of them aren't even trying to be legible, let alone present a proper argument.

I agree. anyone who's been on [censored] can see the similar "look how 1337 I think I am by doing this!". It's rather pathetic really.

And it's not even suprising if they did bomb its rating. I remember a while back on /v/ there was a thread talking about purposely wrecking game ratings.

Edit: wait...what? Why is it's name censored?

So far I haven't noticed any conversations with more than two bland options in them. There is the occasional Paragon or Renegade "reaction" button but those have been rare so far. Controls are a bit clunky too. I roll when I want to take cover and trying to pick-up something or talk to someone is finicky.