[Jenga]

if

TIM got indoctrinated that would be the most obvious AND lame twist ever. I'd be more surprised at this point if it turned out TIM wasn't subverted by Reaper shit. And why would Cerberus try to kill you if you gave them the collector vessel?

[Sn4ke_911]

"Holiday" would put it in either October or November, but given that Battlefield 3 and Need For Speed 18 are coming out in November, October would be a safer bet.

And the new CoD game is also (most likely) coming out in november.

[Kurtofan]

Find allies? Earth is being destroyed and you spend your time finding allies. Yeah, I'm out. :/

Yeah Shepard should take his gun and launch himself against an armada of sentient spaceships with no support whatsoever, sounds like a plan.

[Nirolak]

And the new CoD game is also (most likely) coming out in november.

Right, but I just mean in terms of EA's line-up alone they already have pretty much filled up the month.

BioWare is also trying to not spoil the entire game this time:



They're also putting out some information corrections:

[EDarkness]

I hope Tali comes back as a squadmate. Then I can have Ash and Tali again on my team like in ME1.

Not sure I like the gear issue, because I used the same damn gun from the beginning to the end, and that's just not acceptable in my opinion. Some different armor and gear is what makes RPGs interesting in my opinion. I guess it doesn't matter since they'll end up getting my money anyway. <sigh>

[Jenga]

also, the Arrival DLC should at least factor in somewhat into the trial at the start. Like if Shep decided to contact the Normandy instead of warning the Batarians, it makes the case against him weaker or something. Even a few throwaway lines during the trial would make me feel better for buying Arrival.

[IoCaster]

"Holiday" would put it in either October or November, but given that Battlefield 3 and Need For Speed 18 are coming out in November, October would be a safer bet.

Also there's Skyrim 11-11-11. This could get interesting.

EDIT:

Right, but I just mean in terms of EA's line-up alone they already have pretty much filled up the month.

Ah yes, I missed the point entirely. Gotcha.

[Seda]

Tali HAS to be a party member.

[metareferential]

All I'm hoping is that they go back to the general mood of the first game, which was incredibly atmospheric.

I'd also like a return to the exploration levels, but maybe I'm just crazy. The mining mini-game was strangely soothing, yet completely stupid.

[Acidote]

Just saw the Ashley's redesign. She sports a new rack!

Enemi... Implants everywhere!.

[CarbonatedFalcon]

Also there's Skyrim 11-11-11. This could get interesting.

...and Minecraft. Though it's really already been out, so I don't know how much that counts.

All I'm hoping is that they go back to the general mood of the first game, which was incredibly atmospheric. I'd also like a return to the exploration levels, but maybe I'm just crazy. The mining mini-game was strangely soothing, yet completely stupid.

The best thing about the mining mini-game, however repetitive and terrible it may have ended up being, was the endorphin rush I'd get from finding a particularly large deposit and feeling the heavy rumble of the controller correspondingly.

I suppose this doesn't apply to the PC version of the game though.

[Sn4ke_911]

BioWare is also trying to not spoil the entire game this time:

Very good decision. Story is probably the most important part in ME. I hope EA and Bioware learned from the mistakes they made with ME2. I think they spoiled way too much.

[Kitschkraft]

Wow, sounds like they are trying to turn this franchise around after all!

GLAD that there is no multiplayer.....the combat isn't even on that level to be competitive, saving that will allow them to finish this one off right.

Very excited that they are bringing back old squadmates.

I've only seen the blurry scan, but Ashley's redesign looks good. Longer hair, seems to be dyed brown now. Miranda sized breast lol.

[Rei_Toei]

I guess Wrex, Mordin and Legion could turn out as your contacts/starting points for rallying their people. Wrex was already making it big in ME2, Legion was 'spokesman' for the Geth already and Mordin has his background in the Special Task Group. Since he's already pretty old in ME2 I wouldn't be suprised if he has risen in the Salarian ranks.

Still, I'd be kinda sad if none of'm turn out as squad mates. Some of my favourite characters. I also wonder what'll happen with the characters that you get pretty late in ME2 such as Samara and Thane, and DLC characters such as Zaeed and Kasumi. Wouldn't mind Kasumi returning, was an interesting character.

[Flipyap]

Just saw the Ashley's redesign. She sports a new rack! Enemi... Implants everywhere!.

The redesign is ridiculous, if that's what she looks like during combat. Ashley's design was cool, because she wasn't very sexualized. I liked how she wore functional, bulkiest armor available, not this low-cut skintight nonsense.
But hey, that's Mass Effect now. Here's hoping Tali shows some sideboob this time.

[Arjen]

No Multiplayer is great news.
Think i'm going on a media blackout from now on out. Did the same for ME2, and it made the reveal of Garrus as Archangel so awesome.

[Speedymanic]

Yeah Shepard should take his gun and launch himself against an armada of sentient spaceships with no support whatsoever, sounds like a plan.

I admit my earlier comments were a little knee-jerk. I, wrongly, assumed they meant team-mates, but it's pretty obvious reading the info again they meant species.

Either way, I just hope there aren't any more annoying recruit missions. It simply wouldn't make sense for you to have do recruit missions for either team-mates or species, especially as the Reapahs! are now attacking other species and turning them into husks.

[Jenga]

nobody liked christian "real" woman-soldier ashley

so she grew her hair out and got fake tits

[Peff]

I'm bothered that they pulled a DA2 and redesigned Ashley, but at least it looks decent, I suppose. I liked that the original design looked more like a normal woman instead of the badass and super beautiful with huge boobs cliché, but it's hard to tell if that was actually intentional. Oh, well, Garrus is back!

[Lakitu]

Yes, no multiplayer!!

Everything sounds awesome, I just want to see some screenies please!

[MrTroubleMaker]

so she grew her hair out and got fake tits

its the future, she got gene therapy :P

[Dennis]

Oh, Mass Effect threads you so crazy...


*sees Ashley scan*

[NemesisPrime]

What about Tali? I want my bird-lover back!

Legion is good... I guess the new Geth might play a big role in ME3.

[∀ Narayan]

Who's this guy I keep seeing on Mass Effect artwork? I never see Shepard. They really should put her in some of the advertising.

You lot really need to shut the Hell up. It's getting annoying. Every fucking thread.

[Conflict NZ]

Sounds like what the second game should have been, now I only hope they can execute it correctly.

[Skirn]

Did they just redesign Ashley's tits and hair? What a shame, they should've redone her whole face and neck while in the process.

Good to see that Wrex and Legion's returning. Hopefully they're proper squad mates and not only there for quick cameos...

[Instro]

Well they havent mentioned "streamlining" yet. So far so good.

[Swifty]

At first I was like "dat ass" at Ashley's redesign. Then these posts reminded me why I liked her original design:

The redesign is ridiculous, if that's what she looks like during combat. Ashley's design was cool, because she wasn't very sexualized. I liked how she wore functional, bulkiest armor available, not this low-cut skintight nonsense. But hey, that's Mass Effect now. Here's hoping Tali shows some sideboob this time.

I'm bothered that they pulled a DA2 and redesigned Ashley, but at least it looks decent, I suppose. I liked that the original design looked more like a normal woman instead of the badass and super beautiful with huge boobs cliché, but it's hard to tell if that was actually intentional. Oh, well, Garrus is back!

[Kitschkraft]

nobody liked christian "real" woman-soldier ashley so she grew her hair out and got fake tits

Don't get me wrong, I actually like Ashley quite a bit (I've said before many time that I find her to be one of the best written characters in either game). I think that gaf made fun of it, but I even liked the poetry thing. Still, she was left with a lot of potential to grow, and I hope that we get to see some of that progression. Hell, maybe the new look matches a more open personality?

The breast are a bit much, but everything else makes sense. In ME3's timeline, I'm assuming that it will be like 4 years since they first met. It's not unreasonable to assume she has switched up her look.

Wouldn't be surprised if Bioware referenced the redesign somewhere in the game. Would love for her to give some sort of "you dun missed out" to players that "cheated" on her in ME2.

I just hope that half of Garrus's face isn't blown off anymore.

[∀ Narayan]

It would be nice if this game doesn't end with some deus ex machina saving the galaxy.

Oh Hell, it's going to happen anyway, isn't it? It's either that or nanomachines. :S

[Nirolak]

It would be nice if this game doesn't end with some deus ex machina saving the galaxy. Oh Hell, it's going to happen anyway, isn't it? ~:(

Well, they were saying in the GTTV episode for Mass Effect 2 that they wanted to add space combat to the series at some point.

Maybe you just get to have a giant armada fight them.

[Dennis]

It would be nice if this game doesn't end with some deus ex machina saving the galaxy. Oh Hell, it's going to happen anyway, isn't it? ~:(

The whole idea of a small team led by Shepard defeating something like the Reapers was always laughable so I am just gonna roll with whatever.

Ashley was always the most interesting of the female characters so good on Bioware to focus on her.

[overcast]

Thane better be in this...

Otherwise I like what I'm hearing.

[Zen]

Don't get me wrong, I actually like Ashley quite a bit (I've said before many time that I find her to be one of the best written characters in either game). I think that gaf made fun of it, but I even liked the poetry thing. Still, she was left with a lot of potential to grow, and I hope that we get to see some of that progression. Hell, maybe the new look matches a more open personality? The breast are a bit much, but everything else makes sense. In ME3's timeline, I'm assuming that it will be like 4 years since they first met. It's not unreasonable to assume she has switched up her look. Wouldn't be surprised if Bioware referenced the redesign somewhere in the game. Would love for her to give some sort of "you dun missed out" to players that "cheated" on her in ME2. I just hope that half of Garrus's face isn't blown off anymore.

Despite the fact that I really disliked her abrasiveness and some other questionable beliefs about other species, I think that she was very well written and had a lot of layers to her personality.

I regret leaving her to die, since that means I'll be stuck with paint drying in more fun than Kaiden Alenko.

I really dislike the massive boob job though, I feel that it does a disservice to her character. In fact I might be the only one, but Mass Effect 2 felt like it was deliberately trying to super charge your squad mates, so to say. Your team in Mass Effect 1 were composed of relatively normal people, and I could respect that, and it even helped me empathize with them. It sort of sucks to see one of the most down to earth 'normal' people from ME1 turned into Miranda mark II. I wonder if Miranda will be made even more outlandishly attractive to compensate, or if all the females will be getting this treatment...

[Ushojax]

I don't think Ashley's face has changed too much, it's just the hair and boobs, the latter a cringeworthy change. Has there ever been a non-Nintendo character whose boobs didn't get pumped up as a franchise went on?

[soultron]

Excited that they're opening up the customization and stats stuff again. That was my main gripe with ME2.

Pile me into the camp who's not too keen on the Ashley redesign. Liked her for who she was in ME1.

[Chinner]

those details sound really predictable and boring. oh well, shouldn't be surprised.

[Rahxephon91]

Hey Ashley no longer looks hideous. Maybe this wont be a bad dating sim after all.

[metareferential]

The whole idea of a small team led by Shepard defeating something like the Reapers was always laughable so I am just gonna roll with whatever.

Definitely.

The first one did a better job in conveing an actual sense of threat, and fighting a single living spacecraft was something that seemed both impossible (because of the mistery surrounding it) and somewhat doable since it was a single reaper (well, up until the ending).

Protheans couldn't completely stop the reapers. Every sentient species' technology in the game is based off ancient prothean artifacts; we need something more believable then a bunch of space renagades to stop the ultimate extinction.

And Collectors aren't that great. The mix geth-sovereign-saren was.

[Zen]

I wonder how they'll handle relationships if your Shepard was romantically involved with someone in ME1 that's now in your squad, if you were faithful to them in ME2. By that I mean both ME1 and ME2 had relationships that were in the initial transformation state of beginning. If they had already begun in ME1, the character you had that relationship with was mostly ignored (aside from Liara with the DLC).

If you made a romance in ME1, and stayed true to that person throughout ME2, chances are that ME3 would be the first time in the story that the writers would tackle a stable relationship between yourself and an NPC that is in your party.

Although this might only be possible with Liara, since you dying and being gone for 2 years in ME2 did sort of end your previous ME1 relationship with either Kaiden or Ashley.

those details sound really predictable and boring. oh well, shouldn't be surprised.

Well the gameplay changes sound like welcome modifications of the ME2 system, and the multiple endings bit reminds me of Chrono Trigger, so..

[Chinner]

Well the gameplay changes sound like welcome modifications of the ME2 system, and the multiple endings bit reminds me of Chrono Trigger, so..

So basically you're buying straight into the PR talk? Yes, the gameplay changes are welcomed, but story still sounds dull and is basically ME2. Do you really think there will be genuine multiple endings, or do you think that maybe they're just counting minor variations like they did with ME1 and 2?

[Riposte]

The whole idea of a small team led by Shepard defeating something like the Reapers was always laughable so I am just gonna roll with whatever.

I think ME's story has passed the point of no return with the ME3 trailer. Not only has the shark been jumped, we are now in the stratosphere. By having us confront hundreds(?) of Sovereigns, the only way they can solve this is by ridding the Reapers of their demigod status(they've already dropped the totally alien aspect of them with the end of 2). I firmly believe this will either happen by allowing Shepard to destroy them all by killing the Mother-Reaper(or maybe with a strategically placed deus-bomb) or through the sheer power of friendship and equality and peace. Either case being quite horrific. I really preferred the idea of preventing the apocalypse, not fist-fighting with it, but what's done is done. There is just no way this is going to end cleanly.

[Kyoufu]

Hopefully the worst ending will be Reapers taking over Humanity and wiping out the other races, leaving just Humans behind...altered.

[Luthos]

While it would of seemed silly if they didn't have him, I still got pretty pumped that Garrus is gonna be a squadmate again. Best party member of either game. Hell, one of the best characters in either game, period.

[Lakitu]

Ashley looks good, I'm glad 2 of my ME 2 playthroughs I remained faithful to her. Including my canon one.

Details sound great to me, but is that all there is? Sounds a little thin for a 12 page article. Hopefully there's more.

[NemesisPrime]

I think ME's story has passed the point of no return with the ME3 trailer. Not only has the shark been jumped, we are now in the stratosphere. By having us confront hundreds(?) of Sovereigns, the only way they can solve this is by ridding the Reapers of their demigod status(they've already dropped the totally alien aspect of them with the end of 2). I firmly believe this will either happen by allowing Shepard to destroy them all by killing the Mother-Reaper(or maybe with a strategically placed deus-bomb) or through the sheer power of friendship and equality and peace. Either case being quite horrific. I really preferred the idea of preventing the apocalypse, not fist-fighting with it, but what's done is done. There is just no way this is going to end cleanly.

QFT

I am (sadly) expecting a brute force we-are-going-to-kick-reaper-ass battle or a silly alien technology pandora-box ending.

In MA1.. just a single Reaper scared the shit out of me in a very Chtulian way. In ME3 Shepard will probably punch one in the face in a bar fight.

[Nirolak]

Ashley looks good, I'm glad 2 of my ME 2 playthroughs I remained faithful to her. Including my canon one. Details sound great to me, but is that all there is? Sounds a little thin for a 12 page article. Hopefully there's more.

Game Informer's articles have been pretty detail bare lately.

Skyrim was the last issue that really had a lot.

[Relaxed Muscle]

Yay, more powers and more customization, now assure me there's plenty of loot with lots of diferent armor/weapon models and consider me extremely HYPED!



Wow Ahsley new look reminds me this:



....

I think I need a new playthrough on ME2...


PD:If Garrus is there as a squadmate they better give Tali too......

[Arjen]

All classes can wield all weapons unhindered now, but will have limited slots to carry them. Only the Soldier can carry all weapons at once. Probably means Adept, Engineer, and Sentinal will be limited to two, and Vanguard and Infiltrator will have three.

I really like this btw.
I always pick a sniper when you can get another weapon specialisation.
Really great i do this from the start now.

[metareferential]

QFT I am (sadly) expecting a brute force we-are-going-to-kick-reaper-ass battle or a silly alien technology pandora-box ending. In MA1.. just a single Reaper scared the shit out of me in a very Chtulian way. In ME3 Shepard will probably punch one in the face in a bar fight.

It's going to be like Independence Day's ending all over again xD