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[Snacks the sober sea lion]

Because it was generally an excellent game bar the conclusion. Tuchanka, and hell even the Earth mission in particular were absolutely fantastic, and a fitting end to the
trilogy. They were tying up plenty of loose ends. They just couldn't cash the cheque they had written for themselves with the Reaper plotline.

Oh waaah, no exploring barren "open" planetscapes with a poorly built bumper car

You don't seem to get it. The point is that those planetscapes would no longer be barren, and that the Mako would no longer control like it was full of helium. But Bioware didn't do that, they removed it, and with it, any potential for compelling exploration. Removing rather than improving.

I like Mass Effect 3 less and less the more I play it. I have 2 characters who have finished the game (each one starting as a ME1 character), and at least 3 who haven't even gone through Rannoch because the missions up to that point, the writing, even the guns outside of a few shotguns and snipers just aren't very compelling and keep stopping and making new characters before that point.

 

[sixteen-bit]

It's an easy scapegoat

 

[Jawmuncher]

Because the ending was the main issue.
The people who like ME1 the most have more to complain about like they did with ME2, but most fans of ME2 really had no issues aside from the ending. Maybe a few small things here and there but that's it.

Seriously I'm always at a loss as to how people feel like ME3 was just some huge mess of a game.

 

[Patryn]

You don't seem to get it. The point is that those planetscapes would no longer be barren, and that the Mako would no longer control like it was full of helium. But Bioware didn't do that, they removed it, and with it, any potential for compelling exploration. Removing rather than improving.

I like Mass Effect 3 less and less the more I play it. I have 2 characters who have finished the game (each one starting as a ME1 character), and at least 3 who haven't even gone through Rannoch because the missions up to that point, the writing, even the guns outside of a few shotguns and snipers just aren't very compelling and keep stopping and making new characters before that point.

Yeah. They simply had to reduce the number of planets you visit and stop putting stuff on the other side of sheer mountains. I'd say 70 percent of the Mako's problems were more about planet design and less about the Mako itself.

 

[Ushojax]

Because the ending was the main issue.
The people who like ME1 the most have more to complain about like they did with ME2, but most fans of ME2 really had no issues aside from the ending. Maybe a few small things here and there but that's it.

Seriously I'm always at a loss as to how people feel like ME3 was just some huge mess of a game.

Really? Hyper linear, incredibly poorly structured story (Kai Leng, 'hey we just found a Deus Ex Machina on Mars', synthetic killing machines to stop you making synthetic killing machines ,etc), minimal enemy variety, lack of dialogue with squad mates, poorly handled returning ME2 characters (Morinth looooool), 'overhearing' quests, utterly bland action upon return to Earth, laughable reflection of war assets, Tali's face, there are a whole heap of problems with the game.

It's undercooked in every way and needed another year of work at the very least.

 

[Nealand Liquor]

I didn't have a problem with anything. I mean this isn't to say that I wouldn't have changed anything if I were in control, but it was apparent since ME2 your choices didn't really affect the story arc in drastic ways. I also played the game knowing the ending 'sucked', though, I played the after they changed the ending (had no idea they did at the time) and couldn't see what the hubbub was all about. As far as plot holes go, there are plot holes in almost everything, and many of the most popular modern scifi stories ever told are rife with them. Lucky for me I don't need an airtight plot to enjoy a story, just a compelling story -and fun gameplay in games- is good enough... Then again maybe I'm just more forgiving.

 

[Keasar]

Sounds like the same problem game journalists have thinking Devil May Cry fans only problem with the new Dante is his lack of white hair.

 

[BearPawB]

I liked the game.
I liked the ending.

Y'all are dramatic as hell.

The sidequest system was the only thing i had a problem with. The game resolved a majority of the key story lines. Had emotional moments with characters. And was REALLY FUN to shoot guys/use biotic powers. I think thats what people are forgetting: the combat is REALLY FUN. Its not the RPG epic ME1 set out to be, but for what it is, it's a pretty great game.

 

[dankir]

Sorry but there's only so much people can shit on ME3. Yes it's not as good as the first and not as innovative as the 2nd. But asides from the ending its a frigging fantastic piece of game until the last 15 minutes.

Had we got the new ending shipped instead of the original ending then nobody would still be complaining that ME3 was garbage. Bioware missed the mark completely in that regard but I was still very satisfied.

 

[Snacks the sober sea lion]

Sorry but there's only so much people can shit on ME3. Yes it's not as good as the first and not as innovative as the 2nd. But asides from the ending its a frigging fantastic piece of game until the last 15 minutes.

Had we got the new ending shipped instead of the original ending then nobody would still be complaining that ME3 was garbage. Bioware missed the mark completely in that regard but I was still very satisfied.

They still would be for various reasons we've been over. The game isn't very polished, and the change in writing staff over the course of the series shows.

 

[Patryn]

I liked the game.
I liked the ending.

Y'all are dramatic as hell.

The sidequest system was the only thing i had a problem with. The game resolved a majority of the key story lines. Had emotional moments with characters. And was REALLY FUN to shoot guys/use biotic powers. I think thats what people are forgetting: the combat is REALLY FUN. Its not the RPG epic ME1 set out to be, but for what it is, it's a pretty great game.

Except that some people weren't looking for yet another shooter. Some people don't like shooters. They thought they were getting on-board an RPG series.

So the combat being fun isn't the overriding virtue you may think it is.

 

[Fudgepuppy]

I felt that ME2 nailed the emotional impact and story a lot better than ME1, simply because it was more linear and focused.

ME3 was a great game gameplay-wise with fun combat and quests, but it was definitely not as refined as the previous two titles.

 

[Patryn]

I felt that ME2 nailed the emotional impact and story a lot better than ME1, simply because it was more linear and focused.

ME3 was a great game gameplay-wise with fun combat and quests, but it was definitely not as refined as the previous two titles.

ME2 was more linear and focused? Did we play the same game? The ME2 I played was a series of vignettes with practically no connections, and then a limp main plot that would collapse under any serious scrutiny.

I can see it having more emotional impact, but more linear?

 

[Rebel Leader]

SERIOUSLY? People threw a hissy fit over the original endings? I thought it was decent and I've been with the series since November 2007.

.......You can't be serious

 

[Dark Octave]

I think people expected way too much from ME3.

By the mid and end of ME2 everyone should have seen how linear the story was and how it wasn't going to have infinite choices. you should have seen the nuts and bolts by then. The three fork ending was a bummer and did wash out any other choices you have made over the last 5 or 6 years, but that was about the only thing notice worthy of dislike of ME3, imo.

You guys put it way too high on your pedestal.

 

[Patryn]

I think people expected way too much from ME3.

By the mid and end of ME2 everyone should have seen how linear the story was and how it wasn't going to have infinite choices. you should have seen the nuts and bolts by then. The three fork ending was a bummer and did wash out any other choices you have made over the last 5 or 6 years, but that was about the only thing notice worthy of dislike of ME3, imo.

You guys put it way too high on your pedestal.

I actually would have been happier with only one ending as opposed to the half-assed options Bioware provided.

Basically, they were so afraid of going for the obvious ending(s) even though they were the logical conclusion that they threw everything out the window in order to swerve fans.

Yeah, Walters and Hudson suddenly decided to become Vince Russo.

 

[Ledsen]

I wasn't really enjoying myself up to the ending.

It just wasn't well designed. The quest stuff, the war points, the new characters, the multiplayer maps repurposed as bad sidequests, it was just not as good as Mass Effect 2. That's the point of a sequel, no? To do better than the last game?

Yes, it is. But different people define "do better" differently...

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...-us-mass-effect-3-sales-double-mass-effect-2s

 

[Fudgepuppy]

ME2 was more linear and focused? Did we play the same game? The ME2 I played was a series of vignettes with practically no connections, and then a limp main plot that would collapse under any serious scrutiny.

I can see it having more emotional impact, but more linear?

More linear than ME1.

 

[Deified Data]

As someone who hasn't and doesn't plan to play, can someone describe what's up with this Kai Leng character and why people hate him?

 

[BearPawB]

Except that some people weren't looking for yet another shooter. Some people don't like shooters. They thought they were getting on-board an RPG series.

So the combat being fun isn't the overriding virtue you may think it is.

If you played ME2 then you know it isnt an RPG series.

 

[Patryn]

More linear than ME1.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree, because I fail to see how in any way ME2 is linear, short of the fact that the corridors are always leading in one direction.

 

[Woo-Fu]

My problem with ME3 was the permanent loading screen bug that prevented me from even seeing the end. Maybe they've fixed that by now and I should re-install. Just don't feel like downloading all of that again via Origin.

 

[TwoDurans]

What did GameTrailers give ME3? I remember Keighley getting all Doritoes-y with a Mass Effect iPad app and some bts stuff on the Limited Edition disc. Can't imagine his site would post a bad review for a game that was paying the bills.

 

[Woffls]

I've played hundreds of hours of the Mass Effect series, and I thought the ending was good considering all the stuff they had to tie up.

I had a considerable personal investment in Mass Effect, but most of that was actually ruined by the second game, and furthermore by the third game's refusal to add anything to the series but a continuation of the story.

Thankfully the combat was, in my opinion, astoundingly good in the latter two games - though ME3 was too easy and I didn't like the use of heavy weapons in ME2 - but I don't by any means consider that enough of a positive to negate the lack of, well, everything that made ME1 my favourite game of this generation.

 

[Jake Tower]

Then there's the EU stuff, where he's even more idiotic. He breaks into an apartment, and then stops for a bowl of cereal so he can feel that much more EVIL because he's eating ANDERSON'S CEREAL! DUN DUN DUN!

 

[Lord Griegous]

I find impressive how much division this trilogy causes among opinions.

To me, ME1 was a brilliant RPG with a clanky inventory interface.

ME2 was a bad game anyway I looked at it. Everything that was a bit underwhelming in ME1 was removed at 2 instead of being fixed. 95% of the story was the same structure 6-7 times over and the shooting mechanics where mediocre to say the least.

ME3 was a shooter, but more RPG than the 2nd. I loved every minute of the game and only felt let down by the ending.

 

[Rei no Otaku]

.......You can't be serious

I don't know if he was serious, but I am when I say I not only didn't I mind the ending I even liked it! Shocking, I know.

Definitely my favorite series this generation and that realization came to me AFTER finishing ME3.

 

[GuitarAtomik]

As someone who hasn't and doesn't plan to play, can someone describe what's up with this Kai Leng character and why people hate him?

Well I can tell you my problem as someone who has read the books (all but the last). In the books, Kai Leng comes across as a pretty big bad ass and the perfect mercanary. What I would NOT describe him as, is a teleporting cyber ninja/samurai. Besides sort of shattering the character, it also comes across as a bit cliche in the game.

 

[Lord Griegous]

I don't know if he was serious, but I am when I say I not only didn't I mind the ending I even liked it! Shocking, I know.

I liked the ending when I first finished the game. Then I slowly started realizing all the inexplicable shit, the plot holes, the inconsistencies and the false promises of "your actions matter" and the illusion shattered.

 

[Jake Tower]

ME3 was a shooter,

 

[x-Lundz-x]

Well, it was the way it was for me. I thought the entire game was amazing and it was all building up to the big payoff and then you meet Star Kid. Just was such a HUGE letdown of an ending, but everything else was top notch.

Even with the crap ending it's still my GOTY.

 

[ScreenSplitter]

You don't seem to get it. The point is that those planetscapes would no longer be barren, and that the Mako would no longer control like it was full of helium. But Bioware didn't do that, they removed it, and with it, any potential for compelling exploration. Removing rather than improving.

The various improvements in ME2 with the graphics, story, and gameplay more than made up for the Mako's omission. And I think it would be a little much to ask of the technology to have planetscapes like ME1's that weren't scarcely populated.

 

[Lord Griegous]

The various improvements in ME2 with the graphics, story, and gameplay more than made up for the Mako's omission. And I think it would be a little much to ask of the technology to have planetscapes like ME1's that weren't scarcely populated.

Story and gameplay improvements? Sorry but I must have missed them.

Story: Build your team. You have to do one short storyline for each member. In the end an unexpected "revelation" is thrown out of nowhere. The end.

Gameplay: Let's remove every RPG element form ME1. Let's improve the shooting from bad to barely acceptable. Done.

 

[Woo-Fu]

I liked the ending when I first finished the game. Then I slowly started realizing all the inexplicable shit, the plot holes, the inconsistencies and the false promises of "your actions matter" and the illusion shattered.

Do yourself a favor, next time you're pleased with a game stop reading about it on GAF. Unless it is something ridiculously obscure or old enough to have a +5 shield of nostalgia you're going to read any number of reasons to suddenly not like the game---if you're easily influenced by the opinions of others. The people who don't like something seem to post much more frequently than those who are pleased.

GAF hates almost everything eventually, just a matter of time.

 

[Lord Griegous]

Do yourself a favor, next time you're pleased with a game stop reading about it on GAF. Unless it is something ridiculously obscure or old enough to have a +5 shield of nostalgia you're going to read any number of reasons to suddenly not like the game---if you're easily influenced by the opinions of others. The people who don't like something seem to post much more frequently than those who are pleased.

GAF hates almost everything eventually, just a matter of time.

Actually it was not on GAF, it was the next day after I woke up and then at work talking with some friends. It happens to me with movies as well (e.g. Prometheus). A good night's sleep helps to analyse stuff.

 

[ScreenSplitter]

Story and gameplay improvements? Sorry but I must have missed them.

Story: Build your team. You have to do one short storyline for each member. In the end an unexpected "revelation" is thrown out of nowhere. The end.

Gameplay: Let's remove every RPG element form ME1. Let's improve the shooting from bad to barely acceptable. Done.

"What story? I'll just sum up the story in really simple terms to make it seem like there's not one. Because ME1 had the best plot ever! A man of high power and importance turning out to be corrupt? That's like... levels of originality I've never seen before!"

"The removal of a cluttered, infuriatingly bland and pointless inventory system is EVERY RPG ELEMENT EVER."

 

[Lord Griegous]

"What story? I'll just sum up the story in really simple terms to make it seem like there's not one. Because ME1 had the best plot ever! A man of high power and importance turning out to be corrupt? That's like... levels of originality I've never seen before!"

"The removal of a cluttered, infuriatingly bland and pointless inventory system is EVERY RPG ELEMENT EVER."

No, but the bad guy turning out to be the ship of the one you thought to be the bad guy, which was heavily featured throughout the story is a bit better.

Also, I never said "EVERY RPG ELEMENT EVER". They did remove or simplified to nothingness most of the already few RPG mechanics like the inventory, the weapons and the skill tree.

 

[dollartaco]

Between the Tali photo and the ending, the game went from being one of my favorites to a personal insult.

 

[RoboPlato]

Because the game is fantastic outside of the ending, which isn't even that bad.

 

[jonabbey]

My big gripe with the game is that it encourages you to play multiplayer (and buy weapons from the Mass Effect store, please!) in order to get the 'galaxy readiness' up, but when I went away from the game for six months to do other things, the galaxy got all lazy and unready again.

$crew you, EA/Bioware.

 

[Scrabble]

I actually thought the ending was alright. It was intriguing and had a lot of mystery to it that I kinda dug. Of course they fucked it up with the extended cut. The reason I didn't enjoy Mass Effect 3 was it felt like a game that tried to end a trilogy in a series that didn't need to be just three games. All the conflicts we were introduced to in 1 and 2 were solved by just going on linear corridor shooter missions. Just felt totally unimaginative, and on top of that the game just felt so small and streamlined compared to the scope of 1 and 2. I mean the citadel was so big in Mass Effect 1 and I spent hours completing quests and exploring that space and in 3 it was just like three confined locations.

 

[Snacks the sober sea lion]

"What story? I'll just sum up the story in really simple terms to make it seem like there's not one. Because ME1 had the best plot ever! A man of high power and importance turning out to be corrupt? That's like... levels of originality I've never seen before!"

"The removal of a cluttered, infuriatingly bland and pointless inventory system is EVERY RPG ELEMENT EVER."

Pointless? You think weapons that have 3-4 times as much attack power, take far longer to overheat, and can be customized to have different effects and do more damage against different enemy types is "pointless?" It was cluttered as hell. But pointless?

 

[Goldenroad]

There were plenty of decisions in the first two games that effect events in the third game, like the whole ending sequence of Mass Effect 2, for example or just what squadmates you ended up picking up or not in those games. Not to mention love interests, and various other character interactions. To say your decisions in those first two games didn't effect events in Mass Effect 3 is completely asinine. Maybe none of it made any difference to the ending, in the long run, but I really get the feeling that some people just look for reasons to hate on ME3 that just really don't exist.

 

[ScreenSplitter]

Saren being corrupt was 1. not the plot of the game, 2. not even the point of his going rogue. You know within the first hour that he's rogue because he shot your ally in the back of the head, and then you prove it to the Council within 2 more hours of a 30 hour game. You need to find out WHY, and it expands from there. So yours is a completely bullshit strawman argument.

Pointless? You think weapons that have 3-4 times as much attack power, take far longer to overheat, and can be customized to have different effects and do more damage against different enemy types is "pointless?" It was cluttered as hell. But pointless? And from you thinking the plot of Mass Effect is nothing but "Saren is evil," did you even play the first Mass Effect?

The weapons were basically palette swaps though. I'd much rather a smaller, more diverse range of weapons.

I realize the plot of ME1 wasn't simple; I was deliberately simplifying it to the very basics, as the poster before was (ME2). To say ME2 is literally just "Assemble a team" is simplification. The plot surrounding that, as well as the backstories of all your teammates, was great. It certainly made characters like Garrus a lot deeper.

No, but the bad guy turning out to be the ship of the one you thought to be the bad guy, which was heavily featured throughout the story is a bit better.

Also, I never said "EVERY RPG ELEMENT EVER". They did remove or simplified to nothingness most of the already few RPG mechanics like the inventory, the weapons and the skill tree.

See, you're mentioning one aspect of the plot. There's so much more to ME2 than that. A similar twist in that game was that The Collectors were in fact the Protheans warped. The skill tree simply had less in, and the powers actually felt like they did something and were fun to use.

 

[Snacks the sober sea lion]

See, you're mentioning one aspect of the plot. There's so much more to ME2 than that. A similar twist in that game was that The Collectors were in fact the Protheans warped. The skill tree simply had less in, and the powers actually felt like they did something and were fun to use.

Except Mass Effect 2's story was pretty weak. It somehow got a free pass, but nothing about it stands up to any sort of scrutiny. For example, the Collectors haven't left a trace? Then why did their ship burn all of the grass for miles on Horizon? How does an entire colony disappearing in a couple days get passed off as "pirates?" Pirates are known in Mass Effect to drill into peoples' heads without anesthetic, and the Council honestly fucking thinks they captured entire colonies with no signs of struggle? A colony isn't a village, it's a self-sustaining society of tens of thousands of people. And they just completely handwave that with "OH THE ALLIANCE/COUNCIL SUCKS FUCK THE SYSTEM." You can still have character-based stories without such a hole-filled main story. The Council had no problem with Shepard investigating Feros, which had only sent a distress call, and that was when they thought they were in open war with the Geth. In Mass Effect 2, there's barely any fighting with the Geth, there's no reason for the Council to be worried about anything, and yet they not only do nothing, but are so hesitant and begrudging to allow anyone to find out where hundreds of thousands of people have disappeared to? This makes no sense.

And powers did do something in Mass Effect. Throw could instantly kill some enemies, Lift completely disabled them for quite a while, tech powers prevented enemies from firing, disabled their shields to allow you to kill them quickly. The majority of the powers in Mass Effect 2 only serve to do damage until the shields are down.

 

[Forsaken82]

Every time I watch an episode of Bonus Round and Mass Effect 3 comes up all I keep hearing is "of course there was a lot of backlash for this game about the ending" and then they talk about how fans overreacted but do any of these guys realize there was multiple issues with ME 3 that angered fans? Yes the ending was a big complaint but there were other problems with ME 3 like the fact that many of your decisions in the previous two games end up not mattering in this one (like the Rachni, who not only come back, but come back as enemies no matter what you did in ME1). Another big complaint was how linear the game was and how there was too much handholding and a lack of vehicle levels. There was also the fiasco with that prelude novel that bioware eventually backtracked on. I dunno It just bugs the hell out of me when these so called "journalists" and "gaming professionals" get on and start spouting opinions when they are so uninformed. Thoughts?

Because when people bitched about me3 they didnt say "man this game sucks brcausr of everything." They said "man this game sucks because of the last 5 minutes. I HATE SKITTLES!"

 

[ScreenSplitter]

Except Mass Effect 2's story was pretty weak. It somehow got a free pass, but nothing about it stands up to any sort of scrutiny. For example, the Collectors haven't left a trace? Then why did their ship burn all of the grass for miles on Horizon? How does an entire colony disappearing in a couple days get passed off as "pirates?" A colony isn't a village, it's a self-sustaining society of tens of thousands of people. And they just completely handwave that with "OH THE ALLIANCE/COUNCIL SUCKS FUCK THE SYSTEM." You can still have character-based stories without such a hole-filled main story. The Council had no problem with Shepard investigating Feros, which had only sent a distress call, and that was when they thought they were in open war with the Geth. In Mass Effect 2, there's barely any fighting with the Geth, there's no reason for the Council to be worried about anything, and yet they not only do nothing, but actively try to prevent people from finding out where hundreds of thousands of people have disappeared to? This makes no sense.

And powers did do something in Mass Effect. Throw could instantly kill some enemies, Lift completely disabled them for quite a while, tech powers prevented enemies from firing, disabled their shields to allow you to kill them quickly. The majority of the powers in Mass Effect 2 only serve to do damage until the shields are down.

How has it got a free pass when loads of people don't like it? The Reapers left traces now, the galactic government chose to ignore them. It's clearly established that Mass Effect is a cold, scientific universe, and as such the Alliance and such won't accept anything but cold, empirical evidence. Burnt grass is not such. It's likely that unlike Cerberus (the expansion of which I do think is unfeasible and you're right to criticize that, small splinter Alliance black ops group > Powerful, dangerous organisation in 3 years?!) the Alliance had no idea what was going on. Fear breeds misinformation, and coming up with bullshit on the part of the government is considerably better than saying "We haven't got a flipping clue."

The Alliance was criticised in Mass Effect 1 too. Even though you were becoming a Spectre, you could choose to speak against the system. It was clearly a flawed bureaucracy, evidenced by the fact that even when Shepard manages to bring down a spaceship that was clearly more than just a spaceship, the Council puts its fingers in its ears and says "lalalal". I'm not saying it's the perfect story, but most of the criticisms you can levy at 2, you can levy at the other games in the trilogy too. Suspense of disbelief is a little important here, as the whole concept of Mass Effect is pretty flawed in the sense of realism; one man/woman is not physically capable of doing all that Shepard does, with relatively little accolade.

 

[FlutterPuffs]

My biggest problem with Mass Effect 3 is the Galactic Readiness System.

You see BioWare, not all of your fans are college/high school kids. Some of have jobs, and sometimes those jobs require us to busy at weeks at a time.

So when I finally got that Galactic Readiness at 100%, only to suddenly be called for an emergency design work that took 2 straight weeks, and coming back to see that my Galactic Readiness is back to 50%.... Well, that's fucking bullshit right there.

I just didn't bother finishing it. Great way to punish some of your fans BioWare.

 

[ScreenSplitter]

My biggest problem with Mass Effect 3 is the Galactic Readiness System.

You see BioWare, not all of your fans are college/high school kids. Some of have jobs, and sometimes those jobs require us to busy at weeks at a time.

So when I finally got that Galactic Readiness at 100%, only to suddenly be called for an emergency design work that took 2 straight weeks, and coming back to see that my Galactic Readiness is back to 50%.... Well, that's fucking bullshit right there.

I just didn't bother finishing it. Great way to punish some of your fans BioWare.

You'll never guess what you get at 100%!

 

[Snacks the sober sea lion]

The burnt grass is a plot inconsistency. There's no way the Collectors can land that ship "without a trace," and Horizon proves it.

Like I said, hundreds of thousands of people are gone and nobody does anything. None of the evidence lines up to support that it is pirates. It's a flimsy excuse to retcon nearly the entire ending of the first game and put Shepard on his own again. It's stupid, nonsensical, portrays the galaxy as complete morons rather than simply flawed, and has no consistency. There's no justification for them doing nothing, we're just supposed to believe this bullshit "DOWN WITH THE MAN, MAN" mentality.