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Mass Effect 3 Spoiler Thread |OT2| Taste the Rainbow

Dresden

Member
But there was originally a section where Shepard was getting indoctrinated which they cut because they couldn't get the controls right (which to me seems fucking stupid as I'd think fighting indoctrination would be more a test of your will rather than of shooting stuff).

It was probably a turret shooting segment where you shoot down figments of Shepard's imagination.
 

Lime

Member
Indoctrination still wont save the stupidity of the Crucible, the Citadel moving somehow, the lack of war assets in the final battle, no elcor mission and other dumb things.

Exactly. The ending is just obscuring the other faulty parts of the plot.

The plotholes before the ending also point towards Bioware's writing team as a whole are not that competent, if Weekes & Co. have approved stuff like the Citadel being captured and moved, Vent Kid serving as an emotional connection, nightmares with Vent Kid, no trial in the beginning, etc. If those parts have been peer-reviewed, their group dynamic simply fails to improve upon narrative ideas.
 
It was probably a turret shooting segment where you shoot down figments of Shepard's imagination.

The thing that bugged me the most is that every turret sounds and looks the exact same, and the Asari gunship that helps you out on Thessia sounds exactly the same as the other turrets.

I mean, they could at least try.
 

Rapstah

Member
You can shoot him, but it won't have an affect since he's just a hologram.

If the Catalyst controls the Reapers, couldn't we have just blown it up?

Is it ever clarified how the cities on there are bult? Are they part of the structure or just things built my people on top of it all? The arms are supposed to be indestructable when closed, and it's sort of hard to say where the arms end and the cities built on them begin if they are made out of the same thing.
 

rozay

Banned
Exactly. The ending is just obscuring the other faulty parts of the plot.

The plotholes before the ending also point towards Bioware's writing team as a whole are not that competent, if what Weekes & Co. have approved stuff like the Citadel being captured and moved, Vent Kid serving as an emotional connection, nightmares with Vent Kid, no trial in the beginning, etc.

Vent kid is described by Walters as "his baby", and being the lead writer its possible the others couldn't do much about i
 

CorrisD

badchoiceboobies
292963_10100105351891156_39502567_38858842_507265805_n.jpg

I feel like I've missed something really obvious, what exactly did Bioware do that was the "forth" option.
 

HK-47

Oh, bitch bitch bitch.
Vent kid is described by Walters as "his baby", and being the lead writer its possible the others couldn't do much about i

Man he sure did a shit job making us care then. Might also help if he wasnt the only kid in Mass Effect.
 
Is it ever clarified how the cities on there are bult? Are they part of the structure or just things built my people on top of it all? The arms are supposed to be indestructable when closed, and it's sort of hard to say where the arms end and the cities built on them begin if they are made out of the same thing.
I would have preferred if they dropped it onto Earth or have that be a choice. Sacrifice Earth if you don't have a high enough EMS to defeat the Reapers conventionally.
 

Zomba13

Member
The thing that bugged me the most is that every turret sounds and looks the exact same, and the Asari gunship that helps you out on Thessia sounds exactly the same as the other turrets.

I mean, they could at least try.

Thing that bugged me about the turrets was that they overheat after like, no shots at all. Seriously the worst turrets anywhere. You'd think in the future, where they now have removable heatsinks they could stop those turrets from overheating after 5 shots.
 
If indoctrination was the original intent of that ending as it is in the final game then the ending is horrible and there is absolutely zero closure. It's even worse than what we got, for an ending of the Shepard trilogy but it would probably be better for the Mass Effect universe.

It's still complete shit as it was executed, if indoctrination was their intention, which I don't believe is the case. Maybe indoctrination was something they considered and some of the hints are still there in the game but it isn't the ending they ultimately went with.
 

Lime

Member
Thing that bugged me about the turrets was that they overheat after like, no shots at all. Seriously the worst turrets anywhere. You'd think in the future, where they now have removable heatsinks they could stop those turrets from overheating after 5 shots.

Burst shots, man. Didn't you learn anything from playing AvP? Short, controlled bursts.
 

Omega

Banned
I'm on the Indoc side because it's the only way to fix this mess lol.

There is no way to fix this mess. What has been done cannot be undone.

Also, I've noticed a lot of my friends going from simply criticizing ME3 ending to the entire franchise, nitpicking at everything.

BioWare fucked themselves. It's going to be fun to watch them crash and burn because even if they do try to make a real ending, it won't be free. So either we're going to get some shit text that explains that shit ending or they're going to say "Hey, sorry you didn't like our ending. Buy the real one now"

That poster put it perfectly. So much potential just wasted to attract dudebro gamers..
 
Although it sounds like Bioware is jkust going to clarify some plot holes in the current ending, I would be more than okay if Bioware decided to take 6 months to a year to create a fleshed out indoc theory expansion pack that addressed the ending complaints and issues throughout the game (expand the intro of the game with trial and Earth exploration, add team loyalty missions, add missions to Drell, Hanar, Elcor, Volus homeworlds, etc.). IMO, this would allow Bioware to retain their "artistic integrity" by keeping the current content, appease the fans with new endings, fix bugs and complaints, and allow them to charge more for the expansion so they could get VA back and develop better content. I know a lot of people on GAF are against any payment for a "true ending", but personally, I think it would solve a lot of the problems Bioware is facing right now.

Add expanded LI dialogue and missions and I would no longer "hold the line" and pay for the content.

I love the ME series as much as anyone. But I got burned out after putting so many hours into for nothing. So I do want closure but it has to be worth it. And if they are not willing to put in the effort like quoted above, my money stays in my wallet for the DLC and quite possibly all future Bioware products.
 
All right, after days of trying to get over this damned series, I can't get it out of my mind and am strongly drawn to playing ME1->2->3, the days of innocence. And -- who knows? -- maybe by the time I get to the end of ME3, this supposed additional end-game content will be out.

That said, please help me craft my ME1->2->3 playthrough given the following information.

- So far I have played ME1->2->3 (360) one time. I generally played as Paragon, reflecting my real personality (conflict avoidance, see the good in everyone, etc.), even though I didn't shy away from the occasional reporter punching. My meters were generally 85% Paragon, 15% Renegade.

- My playthrough was nearly perfect with the following notable exceptions I want to correct: Kelly and crew got killed (due to screwy timing near the end of ME2); and I bought From Ashes BUT IT DID NOT ACTIVATE DESPITE BEING DOWNLOADED, so I did not experience Javik. Also I didn't play MP, so maybe I'll do that to get 5,000 EMS.

- I'd like to now perform a perfect Renegade run. That is, optimal outcomes for everything, again, but choose predominantly Renegade conversation options.

- I romanced Liara, no one, Liara. I played as a female soldier through all 3 games.

- I saved Ash.

- I'd like to play as Renegade male.

- I have and played through all DLC other than paid weapons and armor from ME2.

Questions:

1. I want to be Renegade overall BUT I still want the optimal solutions to all major situations. That is: Wrex must live; no squad member in ME2 must die; neither Geth nor Quarians must be wiped out; Genophage must be cured; etc. I know this sounds like I want to play as Paragon again, but do you know what I mean? I want good things to happen, but I'd like to still act like Jack Bauer overall. Is such a playthrough possible? Basically I want to play as Renegade (overall) without being penalized with bad things like peoples or squad mates being wiped out. Possible/doable/hard?

2. Please remind me of the key side quests in ME1. I really don't want to spend a shitload of time scanning and Makoing every planet like I did the first time, for very little gain.

3. Romance: Since I'm going to be male this time, not sure whom to romance. Perhaps this time I'll just romance whomever without carrying a relationship through to ME3. That said, if I romance X in 1, Y in 2, is it still possible to romance X in 3? Is the answer true for all X or just specific people like Liara? What actual effect does the "picture frame down" situation have on ME3 and Shadow Broker?

4. In ME2, does romancing Kelly count as a romance that pisses off other squad mates in 2 or 3? Or is it just a side thing?

5. I recall something about how if I wipe out the Council in ME1, which I regard as a Renegade but not un-optimal (as theoretically it helps save human lives, etc.), what happens in ME2 and 3 Councils? The Council is all humans, or what? Who then sends you on the Turian assignment in 3, for example? You don't have to totally spoil it but just let me know what I might be messing up if I pick the wrong thing.

6. I was Soldier three times. Thus I've mainly experienced the game as a shooter. What are the most fun but not frustrating classes for ME1-3? Infiltrator, I guess? I heard Engineer sucks. BTW, I should get a bunch of bonuses due to the achievements I already have, right?

7. Playing on Insanity: worth it, or meh? I played on Normal 3 times.

8. Any other advice.
 
gokieks said:
Ashley did become better in ME3. That's not saying a whole lot, but she did.
Yeah, going from the only non-Wrex character in ME1 worth a damn to being just kinda there was a definite improvement.

HK-47 said:
Indoctrination still wont save the stupidity of the Crucible, the Citadel moving somehow, the lack of war assets in the final battle, no elcor mission and other dumb things.
Also the intro and the indoc ending basically being a non-end where nothing actually happens.

heliosRAzi said:
If the Catalyst controls the Reapers, couldn't we have just blown it up?
That’s exactly what you do in the destroy ending, I believe. You shoot a vital tube or whatever and the Catalyst is destroyed along with the Citadel and then the Crucible decides to interpret this as “kill all synthetics”.
 

def sim

Member
It really sucks that I don't want to play any Mass Effect at all anymore. The conclusion has a profound effect on my original view of the series, more so than I thought.

What a bummer; all the problems are finally sinking in.
 

Omega

Banned
It really sucks that I don't want to play any Mass Effect at all anymore. The conclusion has a profound effect on my original view of the series, more so than I thought.

What a bummer; all the problems are finally sinking in.

Same here. I'm considering just selling them but I don't like to sell games. Eventually I go back and play them, but I don't see me going back to this. I've tried to play ME1 which was probably my favorite game this gen and I haven't even been able to become a Spectre. I'll load up my save and when I try to rescue Tali I just shut my Xbox off before I get to Fist.
 
Am i the only one who's mind was blown after going over the Indoctrination Theory? IMO this makes the trilogy's story AMAZING.

So often we play as 3rd person gods controlling the character but this game transcends story telling from the character to the gamer. We didn't only control Shepard, we assumed the role of Shepard.
 

DTKT

Member
Am i the only one who's mind was blown after going over the Indoctrination Theory? IMO this makes the trilogy's story AMAZING.

So often we play as 3rd person gods controlling the character but this game transcends story telling from the character to the gamer. We didn't only control Shepard, we assumed the role of Shepard.

Not this again.
 

gokieks

Member
I'm honestly astounded that there's that many people who didn't think Ashley circa ME1 was a worse character than every other squad member in the game save Kaiden.
 
Yeah, going from the only non-Wrex character in ME1 worth a damn to being just kinda there was a definite improvement.

Huh? my team usually consisted of Tali and Liara in ME1 which subsequently lead to massive rape delivered to my opponents due to cleverly strategically using their powers to my advantage. Im assuming your ME1 experience was more run and gun since you preferred Wrex and Ashley.
 

dr_rus

Member
Yeah, "Music played when in the character creation screen." is sure plays a lot in the game itself.

There are other examples too, but the Mars one is one of the best tracks in the whole series.
It's not a question of examples but more of an overal mood of the soundtrack. It is very telling that all that you can remember from it are two Clint Mansell tracks from the beginning and the end and a crapload of some generic orchestral electronic in between. It's not even close to the mood of ME1 music.

I like ME3s soundtrack because it has by far the most variety. It has the synth stuff that is like ME1, but it also has the epic orchestrated stuff and the Clint Mansell stuff as well.
You should listen to some radio if you want variety. A soundtrack should set the mood for the whole game and to do this it should lack variety as much as possible.
 
Huh? my team usually consisted of Tali and Liara in ME1 which subsequently lead to massive rape delivered to my opponents due to cleverly strategically using their powers to my advantage. Im assuming your ME1 experience was more run and gun since you preferred Wrex and Ashley.

I meant as characters, not considering their combat prowess.
 
So the ending just has to suck? Bioware just pretty muche put a nail in their coffin when it comes to ME? I guess its wrong to believe the story is actually pretty amazing when Indoc Theory is considered.

I don't think the Indoctrination Theory, even if correct and intended, makes the story amazing. All it does, at best, is it negates the fact that the existing ending makes no sense if taken at face value.

If true, all it does is provides an unsatisfying, inconclusive, obscure, vague ending to a series that is anything but; moreover it can then be seen as a cheap ploy for further DLC or worse. Moreover it clearly and explicitly and flagrantly breaks the unequivocal promise that the end of ME3 would be a true ending.

"It was all a dream" can always be used successfully to remove the logical inconsistencies from anything. It does not, however, constitute a quality replacement.
 

Divvy

Canadians burned my passport
But people hate it when you arent shooting stuff!

Then here's my ending fanfic:

You wake up from jumping into the synthesis light.

It didn't work as planned, the relays didn't blow up or anything.

"Wake up Shepard" Liara says

"I'm here because I teleported here after teleporting to the Normandy, that's a thing I can do now."

"The synthesis beam didn't work, No one got fused with anything...



..except you"

Shepard stands up and realizes that his arms have become super special awesome laser cannons!

"also you can kill holograms now for some reason"

Shepard stands up and the player can now either spare the starchild, or blow his stupid brains out.

After you blow his brains out, Shepard runs up to the top.

The act closes with Shepard shooting the shit out of the Reapers orbiting earth from the top of the citadel with his laser arms.

Blah blah blah

Epilogue

The end.

Call me, Bioware, k?
 

Moaradin

Member
It's not a question of examples but more of an overal mood of the soundtrack. It is very telling that all that you can remember from it are two Clint Mansell tracks from the beginning and the end and a crapload of some generic orchestral electronic in between. It's not even close to the mood of ME1 music.

Variety in the soundtrack does help set the mood. If everything sounded the same, then it would be generic and wouldn't stand out. All the great tracks in ME3 stood out to me.

Here is another track that stood out to me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPuaAOqRduY

The mood very much fits whats happening in the game. It sounds very robotic and very much fits the Geth theme during that section of the game.

The Genophage scene was a perfect moment where the music and visuals blended to create a beautiful scene. It was also great use of the ME1 menu theme which was never used in-game before if I recall correctly.
 

flyover

Member
I don't think the Indoctrination Theory, even if correct and intended, makes the story amazing. All it does, at best, is it negates the fact that the existing ending makes no sense if taken at face value.

Agreed. Though I understand why so many people would, at this point, settle for (or even embrace) a relative lack of badness.

Also, I like your M1-2-3 playthrough idea, though I have no advice on how to pull it off. Sounds like a good way to go through the games.
 

rozay

Banned
Variety in the soundtrack does help set the mood. If everything sounded the same, then it would be generic and wouldn't stand out. All the great tracks in ME3 stood out to me.

Here is another track that stood out to me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPuaAOqRduY

The mood very much fits whats happening in the game. It sounds very robotic and very much fits the Geth theme during that section of the game.

The Genophage scene was a perfect moment where the music and visuals blended to create a beautiful scene. It was also great use of the ME1 menu theme which was never used in-game before if I recall correctly.

It was Vigil's theme, but I agree it was an amazing way to end the missio
 
Oh, alright. I mainly remember it from the title screen. I think the genophage cure was great use of that theme also.

Yeah, they used it on Rannoch too if you united the Geth and Quarians, such an awesome moment.

It was so weird on my Renegade having it play when I sabotaged the cure, it felt so uneasy, which is probably what they were going for.
 
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