What? I have been deceived and gotten my hopes up.
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Mass Effect 4 won't feature Shepard's companions, doesn't relate to ME1-3 plot events
- Thread starter Nirolak
- Start date
What? I have been deceived and gotten my hopes up.
Metal Khaos
Member
This is what I'm hoping for. I would like it to take place in the future after everything has been rebuilt from the Reaper invasion. Seeing Liara or even just hearing it being mentioned as the Shadow Broker would be a nice nod.
I don't need to see all the companions, but I would like to see the events of M1-3 used in the lore. You can't have an epic event which spans across the entire galaxy and just forget about it. Doesn't need any focus but a few passing mentions would suffice to me.
Diablohead
Member
I kind of hate it when a sequel in number is not actually a sequel and a reboot or what not.
I would prefer the game to be called Mass Effect 'something' instead of Mass Effect 4.
That and 3 left a rather sour taste in my mouth.
I would prefer the game to be called Mass Effect 'something' instead of Mass Effect 4.
That and 3 left a rather sour taste in my mouth.
As someone who have played hundreds of hours in the multiplayer mode of ME3 : You don't know what you're talking about. Or are you just trolling?
There is little chance that the next Mass Effect will be called Mass Effect 4... after all, Bioware themselves don't like us calling their game like that.
Oblivionmancer
Member
Yeah, I didn't spend a dime either, and I'm pretty sure it would have soured the experience if I had. The mutiplayer in 3 had a really wonderful feedback loop of play fun game, get a reward from a pool of cool stuff, use that stuff to play the fun game, and so on. It was a grind without the grind because the whole of the loop was a huge amount of fun (barring missile glitchers and other jerks, but that's just the price of entry for playing games online).
I definitely think there's a lot of room to expand and refine that loop, and the experience in general, but they really put together something great given the time and resources and lack of any real precedent for using the ME world in that way.
The best experiences in gaming come from getting something you never even knew you wanted and loving it, and ME3 multiplayer is THE example of that from this generation as far as I'm concerned.
or you could just play the game and keep your hard earned money
but then again this is 2013, and no one actually plays games anymore
I was actually worried. thanks
If ME4 has no multiplayer I will not buy it. With Mac and Casey in charge, I wouldn't even take a SP-only Mass Effect for free at this point. ME3 multiplayer is my favorite this gen, I have over 1000h put into it.
anexanhume
Member
There were plenty of complaints about the scope too.
Are you not earning money by playing the game? Fake money is still earned money and you have to play several rounds to afford one of the good randomized packs. It's a bullshit system meant to suck money out of people like any other F2P game.
PastorOfMuppets
Banned
I don't get why everyone wants the Shepherd saga continued so much.
1. The story was a big letdown and I'm not just talking about the ending.
2. Even if you didn't think it was a letdown, it ended with him saving the galaxy or it being destroyed by the reapers. Where else can it go at this point without reaching comic book levels of ridiculousness? What, you're going to bring him back with Dragon Balls or something?
1. The story was a big letdown and I'm not just talking about the ending.
2. Even if you didn't think it was a letdown, it ended with him saving the galaxy or it being destroyed by the reapers. Where else can it go at this point without reaching comic book levels of ridiculousness? What, you're going to bring him back with Dragon Balls or something?
The One Who Knocks
Member
Well, if it's in the future then Reaper technology will certainly come into play as it can be salvaged and greatly improve the existing technology due to sheer volume and variety of it that exists which will most likely factor into the plot in terms of military strength, but, assuming you mean plotline related to the Reapers as I suspect (such as their origins for example) I agree, there doesn't currently seem like a need to have them significantly factor in and hopefully they don't try to do so; that plot's over, they have such a huge timeframe to take advantage of, and a universe of potential plots, that it would seem quite unnecessary unless it was implemented in a very clever way but, even then, a new direction would be nice siince we've already spent three games on the Reapers.
Even just a fifty years jump into the future will be enough to merge all the possible choices made. Just by making vague mentions to the Reaper wars, a rebuilding effort, and discovery of ancient blueprints would be enough to merge all three endings. With Control, Shepard simply leaves after his work is completed. With Destroy, all the AI and transportation stuff were simply rebuilt or hiding in shielded areas. As long as the game does not deal with Man vs Machine again, Synergy ending doesn't even matter at all. Other events like Rachni revival, genophage cured, and Geth/Quarians unity could be explained as happening regardless of Shepherd's action as long as the game doesn't specify when. Just because Shepherd didn't do it, doesn't mean that someone down the line won't encounter another opportunity.
ME4 should definitely be a one off game designed to stand on its own/ Really an anti Shepard story. BioWare should take the time to really flesh everything out before they set about making another trilogy. Know what you're doing before you start it. At least the broad strokes. ME4 should have a smaller story, no save the galaxy, but something personal or limited in overall scope. Revenge, redemption, political intrigue, corporate shenanigans, the quest for glory, the thrill of adventure, the urge to explore, whatever it centers around it should be simple, but meaningful; enough to provide an excuse and drive to explore the galaxy and gather companions on a grand adventure.
Let us be a nobody, and by the end of it still be a nobody, at least as far as most people are concerned. Let our exploits go unknown to the masses, yet be revered and kept alive by those who were there. Shepard became a messiah, let us just be an unknown hero.
Basically the best example would be Firefly the game. Give us a rogue type player character, a ship, some motivation, a couple crew members and send us on our merry way to explore the galaxy, make some credits and get in a little trouble while we're at it.
I personally want a game post ME3 Destroy(Geth still live though), 50-100 years after, with a backdrop of a galaxy just now turning the corner after the Reaper Invasion. Some of the galaxy has bounced back strong, repaired their Mass Relays and reconnected with each other, focusing on rebuilding and creating a better galaxy. While other parts have struggled and only just recently rejoined the rest of the galaxy, with then others still totally cut off, relays offline, alone and isolated, surviving or not all on their own. The Reaper Invasion and possible isolation has changed the galaxy. Some have come out stronger, others have faltered and become embittered. Some races are divided between those who have struggled and those who have thrived. It's still the Galaxy we know but it's been through some serious shit.
In that time period of 50-100 years with the need to repair the Mass Relays, new insights into how they work has improved ship based FTL travel 10 fold. Trips that would take years or decades now take weeks or months. The galaxy is no longer completely bound by the Mass Relays systems, though they are still the most convenient and fasted form of travel, but a single ship can travel thousands of lightyears on its own in a relatively short amount of time.
Your character works on occasion for one of the big corporations in New Citadel Space and through some trickery and luck win one of the very new, very rare contracts from them to obtain one of these very new, very rare FTL drives with the mission to reconnect with some of these lost sectors and explore new areas of the galaxy.
From there the story could go any number of ways, lurking presence in uncharted space, transformed threat born from isolation from the rest of the galaxy, civil war between Citadel races, a personal journey that really only matters to you and those few around you. Whatever it may be, I just don't want to end up with saving the galaxy from a Reaper type threat. I'd prefer something smaller, but even helping to avert a civil war or some relatively local conflict would be a nice change of pace if done right.
Let us be a nobody, and by the end of it still be a nobody, at least as far as most people are concerned. Let our exploits go unknown to the masses, yet be revered and kept alive by those who were there. Shepard became a messiah, let us just be an unknown hero.
Basically the best example would be Firefly the game. Give us a rogue type player character, a ship, some motivation, a couple crew members and send us on our merry way to explore the galaxy, make some credits and get in a little trouble while we're at it.
I personally want a game post ME3 Destroy(Geth still live though), 50-100 years after, with a backdrop of a galaxy just now turning the corner after the Reaper Invasion. Some of the galaxy has bounced back strong, repaired their Mass Relays and reconnected with each other, focusing on rebuilding and creating a better galaxy. While other parts have struggled and only just recently rejoined the rest of the galaxy, with then others still totally cut off, relays offline, alone and isolated, surviving or not all on their own. The Reaper Invasion and possible isolation has changed the galaxy. Some have come out stronger, others have faltered and become embittered. Some races are divided between those who have struggled and those who have thrived. It's still the Galaxy we know but it's been through some serious shit.
In that time period of 50-100 years with the need to repair the Mass Relays, new insights into how they work has improved ship based FTL travel 10 fold. Trips that would take years or decades now take weeks or months. The galaxy is no longer completely bound by the Mass Relays systems, though they are still the most convenient and fasted form of travel, but a single ship can travel thousands of lightyears on its own in a relatively short amount of time.
Your character works on occasion for one of the big corporations in New Citadel Space and through some trickery and luck win one of the very new, very rare contracts from them to obtain one of these very new, very rare FTL drives with the mission to reconnect with some of these lost sectors and explore new areas of the galaxy.
From there the story could go any number of ways, lurking presence in uncharted space, transformed threat born from isolation from the rest of the galaxy, civil war between Citadel races, a personal journey that really only matters to you and those few around you. Whatever it may be, I just don't want to end up with saving the galaxy from a Reaper type threat. I'd prefer something smaller, but even helping to avert a civil war or some relatively local conflict would be a nice change of pace if done right.
Everything I'm hoping for in this post.
That's also wrong.
The whole reason ME3 returned to the stupid level based item system was because RPG purists complained about ME2's lack of loot. I hope they can dump that baggage, but I doubt they will because they want to win back 'fans.'
Yeah we end up saying the same thing in every thread. Mass Effect 4 could tweak ME3's MP and I could be happy or they could go full Battlefield with it and I could be happy. I'm completely open-minded as to where they could take the sequel*. As long as there are biotic and tech powers I am in. Mention any other game and I could come up with a long list of core features that it would need to include.
*Only talking about multiplayer. We also agree that the story should be post-ending because there are so many interesting possibilities there. Prequels and Sidequels would come with the same overwhelming fatalism that kept me from replaying Mass Effect 3 despite all of the saves I had ready.
zeroeffect
Member
Looking at Dragon Age Inquisition, it seems Bioware learned some lessons. Hopefully they take a page from their book and push it more towards an RPG than what they presented in ME2/ME3.
anexanhume
Member
Yes, it seems as they DA:I is doing/saying all the right things in terms of presentation. It's almost scary. Waiting for the dream to end.
Kadayi
Banned
I feel about ME the same way I feel about BSG and that balls up of an ending. In all honesty I just can't conceive of how they can get beyond it and make a 4th game short of either a complete reboot or pull a Bobby Ewing shower scene. The state of the universe is so totally effected by each of the 3 choices it's hard to see how they move forward short of betraying the very principals of 'your choices count' and making a canon ending.
The fact that the D&D model of item acquisition & leveling is the one that was adopted by the computer gaming industry as 'RPG' Vs others like that offered up by games like Traveller which were much more character based and story driven is one of the sad indictments of the industry.
But there is a problem then. If Mass Effect take place after ME3, then my choice at the end of the game should apply. And so if the Mass Effect are down, and I have chosen the Green option, everybody should be Living machines.
If the game take place before a ME, then Reapers are still around and a threat, and you have to make sure that ME 0.5,1.5 or 2.5 make sense from the point of view of ME 1,2,3. They could always retcon ME3 ending and say "Okay, the good answer is that all Robots are destroyed, Reaper Tech is non functional and the Mass Effect are destroyed". Or at least they could say "This is what happen in Multiverse A.
If the game take place before a ME, then Reapers are still around and a threat, and you have to make sure that ME 0.5,1.5 or 2.5 make sense from the point of view of ME 1,2,3. They could always retcon ME3 ending and say "Okay, the good answer is that all Robots are destroyed, Reaper Tech is non functional and the Mass Effect are destroyed". Or at least they could say "This is what happen in Multiverse A.
Principate
Saint Titanfall
Eh you can buy practically the best pack almost through one game of the hardest setting, hardly as much of a grind as your implying. Also there's actually a set order to unlocks so those "crappy packs" are actually useful.
Also you should actually properly play the multiplayer before you start trashing something, practically no one buys shit, any player I played (and talked to) hasn't bought anything with real money I never even felt inclined to buy anything with real money. F2p shit it ain't as I played a fair few of those games.
Using money is essentially a cheat code you'll earn all the money you actually ever need through playing the game if you enjoy it. The random nature of unlocks at encourages to try out new combinations you wouldn't have bothered trying if everything was given to you on a platter.
It disappoints me that the alternatives are so rarely explored. Itemization is one of the most 'phoned in' features around and people get upset when the formula isn't strictly followed.
Kitschkraft
Member
I'll miss some of the old crew but I wouldn't have it any other way.
Honestly...Bioware should drop the whole "your story carries over" gimmick. ME2 and ME3 are actually very lackluster in this regard...if it can't be done extremely well, I'd rather they focused on one story and just be given the option to go all out on characterization and plot changes etc.
It's clear that they can't create enough assets to carry over. Too many story threads results in corner cutting in each later installment.
I hope they set the next game like thousands of years in the future...just go all the fuck out. Show evolved forms of the current species. Only make passing references to past events...keep it vague enough so that it doesn't even matter what everyones personal canon is. If they must bring up Shepard...make him like a legend. His species/race/sex/age/background has been completely lost to history. Something like that would really peak my interest.
A Star Trek type of story would be incredible actually. Powerful ship with young attractive crew (And old, tough, cynical captain/officers) accidentally jumps through unknown relay...somehow can't get back. Story can go anywhere from that point.
Unlike most people though...I don't actually particularly care that much about the ME lore. I like some of the history and interactions between races but...I mostly would like something with a heavy focus on character drama.
The only prequel story that I'd really care to see is how the Quarians lost their planet during the Geth War/Morning War...one of the more interesting backstories in the universe imo. Nothing we haven't seen before (I've always imagined it pretty similarly to the Planet of the Apes movies that dealt with the ape uprising), but a game based on that could actually balance the action with the political intrigue that the trilogy seems to have focused on thus far.
Honestly...Bioware should drop the whole "your story carries over" gimmick. ME2 and ME3 are actually very lackluster in this regard...if it can't be done extremely well, I'd rather they focused on one story and just be given the option to go all out on characterization and plot changes etc.
It's clear that they can't create enough assets to carry over. Too many story threads results in corner cutting in each later installment.
I hope they set the next game like thousands of years in the future...just go all the fuck out. Show evolved forms of the current species. Only make passing references to past events...keep it vague enough so that it doesn't even matter what everyones personal canon is. If they must bring up Shepard...make him like a legend. His species/race/sex/age/background has been completely lost to history. Something like that would really peak my interest.
A Star Trek type of story would be incredible actually. Powerful ship with young attractive crew (And old, tough, cynical captain/officers) accidentally jumps through unknown relay...somehow can't get back. Story can go anywhere from that point.
Unlike most people though...I don't actually particularly care that much about the ME lore. I like some of the history and interactions between races but...I mostly would like something with a heavy focus on character drama.
The only prequel story that I'd really care to see is how the Quarians lost their planet during the Geth War/Morning War...one of the more interesting backstories in the universe imo. Nothing we haven't seen before (I've always imagined it pretty similarly to the Planet of the Apes movies that dealt with the ape uprising), but a game based on that could actually balance the action with the political intrigue that the trilogy seems to have focused on thus far.
I like pretty much all those ideas, Kitschkraft -- particularly this: " I like some of the history and interactions between races but...I mostly would like something with a heavy focus on character drama." I still don't want a prequel, but your plan for one sounds like the best option.
eot
Banned
Let me tell you about the indoctrination theory
Mass effect 3 ending spoiler
I see the discussion is being had above me already so i will chime in lol
Synthesis makes for a very compelling story arch imo... Theres alot you can do with that, including creating many new races.
can this game even be set after mass effect 3? And if it can which ending do you guys think can realistically be canon?
I see the discussion is being had above me already so i will chime in lol
Synthesis makes for a very compelling story arch imo... Theres alot you can do with that, including creating many new races.
prag16
Banned
They could possibly get away with not choosing a canon ending if they did a story completely unrelated to reapers, man vs. machine, etc etc, and had it take place far enough in the future. The only snag would be synthesis, and the cosmetic 'issue' caused by it.
Unless this is in some sort of alternate universe, I really want to see how they can pull this off. The threat in the original trilogy is almost larger than life. The scope is to big to be ignored.
That WW comparison doesn't make to much sense since the ark goes back to 50 000 years.
I'm really curious to know more about this game. I wouldn't mind some sort of remake/reboot with the aesthetics of the first game with todays technology.
That WW comparison doesn't make to much sense since the ark goes back to 50 000 years.
I'm really curious to know more about this game. I wouldn't mind some sort of remake/reboot with the aesthetics of the first game with todays technology.
Makes perfect sense, and is plausible imo.
However cant they just make the machine half of the synthesis internal?
RPGCrazied
Member
Then why call it Mass Effect 4? Should be Mass Effect: "insert title here"
As has been stated earlier in the thread, it's not named Mass Effect 4. It's only being called Mass Effect 4 simply as shorthand until it gets its official title (easier than saying "the next Mass Effect game" over and over). All indications is that it will be named something akin to Mass Effect: SUBTITLE GOES HERE.
Remember, the game hasn't really been fully announced yet.
cascardian
Member
Eppy Thatcher
God's had his chance.
300-500 years in the future -
Planets/stations/entire systems are breaking apart via some unknown means -
SPECTRE corpse re-instated to track the events and find the source of destruction -
No shep, no old crew but plenty of alien races return from the last games plus quite a few more. With the threat of eventual genocide finally removed multiple long lost races that had made a way of life out of hiding from the reapers come out of the woodwork and share incredibly advanced tech along with stories of heroes from the past (winknudge)
Bad guy is actually gigantic sentient planet/asteroid - 5th element style - final levels you land a new revision of the Mako ON HIS FACE - Krogans get digging and you fight into his brain place... set bomb... escape ... hurray for 5 minutes before you realize that all the chunks of dead super space god guy are landing on planets and irradiating them, turning the locals into crazy strong paragons of his GREAT EVIL PLAN..
???
'
Profit.
Planets/stations/entire systems are breaking apart via some unknown means -
SPECTRE corpse re-instated to track the events and find the source of destruction -
No shep, no old crew but plenty of alien races return from the last games plus quite a few more. With the threat of eventual genocide finally removed multiple long lost races that had made a way of life out of hiding from the reapers come out of the woodwork and share incredibly advanced tech along with stories of heroes from the past (winknudge)
Bad guy is actually gigantic sentient planet/asteroid - 5th element style - final levels you land a new revision of the Mako ON HIS FACE - Krogans get digging and you fight into his brain place... set bomb... escape ... hurray for 5 minutes before you realize that all the chunks of dead super space god guy are landing on planets and irradiating them, turning the locals into crazy strong paragons of his GREAT EVIL PLAN..
???
'
Profit.
Kadayi
Banned
IT was born out of a mix of fan frustration and desperation coupled with an earnest desire to see deliberate intent in a lot of sloppy story management. If you as Shepard suddenly woke up at the 'end' of the original game after having made your choice and then carried on to finish the fight proper (given nothing substantive would actually have been resolved regarding the reaper conflict), it would of been a clever bait and switch and people would of been singing Bioware's praises to the nines (myself included), but plain truth of the matter is that doesn't happen. Turgid mess is turgid.
After the circuit boards on Jokers hat? Hard to handwave it away, least of all to be able to explain it's apparent lack of impact. I mean if everything in the galaxy in synthetic does anything age for instance? In which case does time matter in terms of how far in the future ME4 is set because with synthesis by all rights there's no reason the survivors of the Normandy shouldn't still be alive.
THIS. Everybody keeps worrying about ME3's ending choices/what is canon etc but I'm pretty damn sure that'll be handled easily since it'll be far enough in the future to have that stuff as almost merely background lore and your savegames may even influence the mentions of what happened in the past that way.
I would like to see a game more like the original, in terms of "things you find are physical things which you can sell and stuff," and no more dumb "lol here's XP since you don't need a medkit." Better levels and gunplay (y'know, less "oh, it's cover, so this is combat time") would be nice.
Oh, and having some good writing might not be too bad.
Ooooh, and imagine a world where they used more than one button to do a bunch of various, diverse tasks, so players don't enter cover when they're trying to pick up a gun mod.
Oh, and having some good writing might not be too bad.
Ooooh, and imagine a world where they used more than one button to do a bunch of various, diverse tasks, so players don't enter cover when they're trying to pick up a gun mod.
Good. The Normandy's Crew's story is done. Finished. Completed.
I've experienced Mass Effect's world from the perspective of a Soldier/CIA Operative/Galaxy Policedude. I want something fresh, I want to experience Mass Effect from its seedy underbelly, from a race that hasn't been accepted into the council, from a colonist on the far edge of the galaxy. It is such an enormous mythos and world(s) they have built up, would be a shame to experience it from Shepard 2.0 (and I say this while wearing my N7 jacket).
edit: And it better not be a goddamn prequel. I don't care about experiencing the origins of events of things that have already occurred AND would be a clustermess of trying to account for the already bloated choice system of previous games.
I've experienced Mass Effect's world from the perspective of a Soldier/CIA Operative/Galaxy Policedude. I want something fresh, I want to experience Mass Effect from its seedy underbelly, from a race that hasn't been accepted into the council, from a colonist on the far edge of the galaxy. It is such an enormous mythos and world(s) they have built up, would be a shame to experience it from Shepard 2.0 (and I say this while wearing my N7 jacket).
edit: And it better not be a goddamn prequel. I don't care about experiencing the origins of events of things that have already occurred AND would be a clustermess of trying to account for the already bloated choice system of previous games.
The Silver
Member
Control and Destroy endings are pretty easy to reconcile and bring together.
Synergy however implied that the world becomes some utopian paradise where organics and machines co-exist, they have access to unlimited knowledge, and eventually even death itself can be overcome.
Synergy however implied that the world becomes some utopian paradise where organics and machines co-exist, they have access to unlimited knowledge, and eventually even death itself can be overcome.
SargerusBR
I love Pokken!
No Garrus, No Buy.