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Mass Effect 3 Debut Trailer - Holiday 2011 - 360/PS3/PC

Chairman Yang said:
Not an issue, considering that most players kept most characters alive. Just add two characters to ME3. If players don't have anyone else, they can only use them and finish the game (albeit in a gimped way).

This is what I always said but people here are like, no because it would cost too much money.

It would work perfectly, youve killed all your squad in ME2, fuck you, all the game with these 2-3 new characters and a much smaller story, thats your reward for not being a good leader.

You had someone die, well, they dont appear in your game, but theres no substitute.

If you have all your squad alive, and the thing is, 90 percent of the people will have a save file like this to see and enjoy the third game in its fulliest (so i really dont see the wasted money argument here), you have the complete story, with all characters, old and new, with and epic ending.
Thats your reward for being a good commander.

ALSO, if this is the thing, Bioware will say this just 2 or 3 months before the game is released, this creates hype, people doing a completionist walkthorugh of Mass Effect 2, and even new people buying Mass Effect 2. That like free ads for the new game, some more money of new copies sold, and putting the hype machine at full steam for the 3rd game.

If this above is what happens in the 3rd game I will have 2 save files, one with all my squad alive (minus Kaidan :lol ) and the other with Jack killed.
 
The issue comes down to cost. Let's say they plan on having Miranda play a decent role in ME3 if you kept her alive, but obviously this is an issue if you import a save file where she croaks at the end. Now Bioware either has to create content that a portion of the user base won't ever experience, or work around it by creating a surrogate character to take her place, which lessens the impact. Neither way is great or particularly cost effective.

Much easier to never have to face that decision by putting all characters from ME2 on the sidelines for ME3, same way they did for any character who could die from ME1 to ME2.

In hindsight I really wished they handled character deaths in ME2 similarly to how they did with ME1 because it obviously handcuffs them with regards to what they can do with the plot and squad mates.

Thinking about it, I'd much rather have ME3 see any dead squad mates resurrected in some cheesy way (Lazarus 2.0?) as opposed to seeing them benched and playing an unsubstantial role like Wrex and Ashley / Kaiden did in ME2.
 
Sir Garbageman said:
Thinking about it, I'd much rather have ME3 see any dead squad mates resurrected in some cheesy way (Lazarus 2.0?) as opposed to seeing them benched and playing an unsubstantial role like Wrex and Ashley / Kaiden did in ME2.
You know, I never thought about potentially dead / unknown characters in ME2... anywhere I can read how that works?
 
D

Deleted member 30609

Unconfirmed Member
Psychotext said:
You know, I never thought about potentially dead / unknown characters in ME2... anywhere I can read how that works?
I don't have a link, but the long and short of it is that nothing really changes. The characters that could die in ME1 are all insubstantial in ME2, and that includes the council and whether or not you appoint Udina. Very disappointing.

But Bioware's eyes have been bigger than their mouths for a long ass time, bless them.
 

Patryn

Member
SpacePirate Ridley said:
This is what I always said but people here are like, no because it would cost too much money.

It would work perfectly, youve killed all your squad in ME2, fuck you, all the game with these 2-3 new characters and a much smaller story, thats your reward for not being a good leader.

You had someone die, well, they dont appear in your game, but theres no substitute.

If you have all your squad alive, and the thing is, 90 percent of the people will have a save file like this to see and enjoy the third game in its fulliest (so i really dont see the wasted money argument here), you have the complete story, with all characters, old and new, with and epic ending.
Thats your reward for being a good commander.

ALSO, if this is the thing, Bioware will say this just 2 or 3 months before the game is released, this creates hype, people doing a completionist walkthorugh of Mass Effect 2, and even new people buying Mass Effect 2. That like free ads for the new game, some more money of new copies sold, and putting the hype machine at full steam for the 3rd game.

If this above is what happens in the 3rd game I will have 2 save files, one with all my squad alive (minus Kaidan :lol ) and the other with Jack killed.

My problem is that such a scenario means that your squadmates are, at best, a collection of stats and generic lines and completely interchangeable. Nothing about their history, their viewpoint can directly impact the main plot, or the game will have to take into account their possible absence.

So, yes, I think it's possible. It'd just be really fucking shalllow.
 
Patryn said:
My problem is that such a scenario means that your squadmates are, at best, a collection of stats and generic lines and completely interchangeable. Nothing about their history, their viewpoint can directly impact the main plot, or the game will have to take into account their possible absence.

So, yes, I think it's possible. It'd just be really fucking shalllow.

As I said, make a smaller and shitty playthough if you have squadmates dead, thats your reward for being a shitty commander. Even better, you can make that having kill the majority of people in mass effect 2 (lets say 75% of your squadmates), you cant win in 3, and have a fast ending and game over.

As I said, 90 percent of people will have a completitionist walktrough of 2, so thats 90 percent of people that will play the whole game.
And if not, you can do that the canon Shepard you can play in Mass Effect 3 if you dont have a save file has all the squadmates alive, problem resolved.

But yeah, it was a bad idea to do that type of all can die ending in Mass Effect 2, if you wanted to make a 3.
 

Chinner

Banned
so let me get this straight; EA employee says that EA published game is looking good and that certain characters will be returning.

No way!
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
Chinner said:
so let me get this straight; EA employee says that EA published game is looking good and that certain characters will be returning.

No way!
Well, to be fair, this was the same EA employee that complained about ME2's DLC pricing and Bulletstorm's box art. :lol
 

derFeef

Member
Chinner said:
so let me get this straight; EA employee says that EA published game is looking good and that certain characters will be returning.

No way!
You can clearly see/read/hear the difference between "PR talk" and his (her?) posts. Also, what Nirolak said.
 
Oh jeez, I just watched this trailer again

The tone they were setting is so different from 2 or 3. Sheppard was supposed to be Kirk, but now he is just Neo.

Edit: On the bright side I developed some more irrational expectations. Maybe after they cover this whole silly reaper arc they can go back to the universe exploration of ME1. Of course that will never happen because that just doesn't appeal to the mass public as much.
 

Chinner

Banned
Lostconfused said:
Oh jeez, I just watch this trailer again

The tone they were setting is so different from 2 or 3. Sheppard was supposed to be Kirk, but now he is just Neo.

Edit: On the bright side I developed some more irrational expectations. Maybe after they cover this whole silly reaper arc they can go back to the universe exploration of ME1. Of course that will never happen because that just doesn't appeal to the mass public as much.
*weeps a single tear*. good bye real mass effect :(
 

TheUsual

Gold Member
I just want to know what they will do with Conrad Verner.
I got him to believe that he helped Shepard on Illium.
Watch, it'll be some crazy hidden ending where it'll be him who saves the galaxy ! :lol
 

Skilotonn

xbot xbot xbot xbot xbot
Looks like I've missed out a little bit on some of the new tidbits...

Thanks The Antitype - at least you're another person in the know that isn't just saying that you know stuff just to say that you can't say anything - not like I never had confidence in ME3, but I loved what I read.

I think you guys shouldn't think of Yvonne's tweet saying that she's not in ME3, it's just that she either can't say anything, or she's already done the voice work.

Shit, I can't believe I'll be able to come to the conclusion of the trilogy of one of my favorite franchises of all time this year already - and here's hoping again that that multiplayer thing at most turns out to be co-op, because there's nothing I hate more than shoehorned-in multiplayer.
 

LiK

Member
universalmind said:
Real Mass Effect? Who is to say what that is? What we see in the ME1 trailer is quite different to the final product anyway.
agree, Bioware trailers are not always what the final game ends up being. *cue DAO rawkin ad*
 
LiK said:
agree, Bioware trailers are not always what the final game ends up being. *cue DAO rawkin ad*
Most of whats in the trailer that I linked was in the game. With the exceptions of the conversations and Sheppard's face.

Edit: Also part of the geometry collapsing didn't happen either.
 

LiK

Member
Lostconfused said:
Most of whats in the trailer that I linked was in the game. With the exceptions of the conversations and Sheppard's face.

Edit: Also part of the geometry collapsing didn't happen either.
Sorry, I was just making a broad generalization of the Bioware ads. You're right too.
 

sam27368

Banned
The thing that bugs me most about this trailer, it's set thousands of years in the future.


There's no f***ing way the London Eye is going to last that long.
 

LiK

Member
sam27368 said:
The thing that bugs me most about this trailer, it's set thousands of years in the future.


There's no f***ing way the London Eye is going to last that long.
Probably been restored a thousand times. ^^
 

sam27368

Banned
SpacePirate Ridley said:
This is what I always said but people here are like, no because it would cost too much money.

It would work perfectly, youve killed all your squad in ME2, fuck you, all the game with these 2-3 new characters and a much smaller story, thats your reward for not being a good leader.

You had someone die, well, they dont appear in your game, but theres no substitute.

If you have all your squad alive, and the thing is, 90 percent of the people will have a save file like this to see and enjoy the third game in its fulliest (so i really dont see the wasted money argument here), you have the complete story, with all characters, old and new, with and epic ending.
Thats your reward for being a good commander.

ALSO, if this is the thing, Bioware will say this just 2 or 3 months before the game is released, this creates hype, people doing a completionist walkthorugh of Mass Effect 2, and even new people buying Mass Effect 2. That like free ads for the new game, some more money of new copies sold, and putting the hype machine at full steam for the 3rd game.

If this above is what happens in the 3rd game I will have 2 save files, one with all my squad alive (minus Kaidan :lol ) and the other with Jack killed.

I don't get how you could be a "good" commander on ME2. You could do all the loyalty missions etc but in the end it boils down to a random string of choices and if you hit the right string (without looking up online) then you'll save them all. Don't get me wrong I loved ME2 but this was one of the things that always bugged me, it's not about loyalty and knowing your squadmates, it's about rolling the dice and guessing right.
 

Gui_PT

Member
sam27368 said:
I don't get how you could be a "good" commander on ME2. You could do all the loyalty missions etc but in the end it boils down to a random string of choices and if you hit the right string (without looking up online) then you'll save them all. Don't get me wrong I loved ME2 but this was one of the things that always bugged me, it's not about loyalty and knowing your squadmates, it's about rolling the dice and guessing right.


I actually chose the squad leaders and specialists based on what I knew about them. No one died. Didn't look up anything online.
 

Enduin

No bald cap? Lies!
Gui_PT said:
I actually chose the squad leaders and specialists based on what I knew about them. No one died. Didn't look up anything online.

Same, it wasnt hard to figure out who was right and who was wrong for each choice.
 
sam27368 said:
I don't get how you could be a "good" commander on ME2. You could do all the loyalty missions etc but in the end it boils down to a random string of choices and if you hit the right string (without looking up online) then you'll save them all. Don't get me wrong I loved ME2 but this was one of the things that always bugged me, it's not about loyalty and knowing your squadmates, it's about rolling the dice and guessing right.
The choices you had to make are obvious and not that hard. The biggest dice roll is Mordin dying randomly on you.
 

MattKeil

BIGTIME TV MOGUL #2
sam27368 said:
Don't get me wrong I loved ME2 but this was one of the things that always bugged me, it's not about loyalty and knowing your squadmates, it's about rolling the dice and guessing right.

The hell? It was entirely about choosing the right crewmember for the job. Every single aspect of the final mission's choice structure and outcomes makes sense, there's nothing random about it.
 
MattKeil said:
The hell? It was entirely about choosing the right crewmember for the job. Every single aspect of the final mission's choice structure and outcomes makes sense, there's nothing random about it.
I wouldn't go that far. There's a healthy amount of nonsense in the choices that seems to only exist to trick the player.

Hmm, who do I chopse to lead this squad? The grizzled veteran with years of experience leading men, including at one point running a galaxy-wide mercenary group? Or the loose cannon, lone wolf character with no military training that (canonically) prefers a sniper rifle. If you thought like that, which was how the game portrayed both characters, you had a someone die.

Now I have to hold the line. It's just a handful of people versus impossible odds. Clearly the strategic characters should help immensely here, right? And we're taught that one biotic is equal to at least 100 enemies. And yet if you composed a team of those types of team members, daring to bring your generic "meatheads" with you, you'd probably lose at least one or two people

For the most part, it was logical. I wouldn't put Jacob in the vents unless I hated him, for instance. But this was definitely the part of the game that made it very clear that it was playing by some very strange internal logical.
 

Kurtofan

Member
SirPenguin said:
I wouldn't go that far. There's a healthy amount of nonsense in the choices that seems to only exist to trick the player.

Hmm, who do I chopse to lead this squad? The grizzled veteran with years of experience leading men, including at one point running a galaxy-wide mercenary group? Or the loose cannon, lone wolf character with no military training that (canonically) prefers a sniper rifle. If you thought like that, which was how the game portrayed both characters, you had a someone die..
If you listened to Zaeed you would have realised that he lost ALL of his teamates on each fucking missions he was on.
And mercenaries aren't exactly the most loyal guys around while Garrus was a police agent on the Citadel and he had a team of loyal teamates on Omega(they died not because of him or his leader skills, but because one of them was a traitor)
 

Mindlog

Member
"I remember that mission. Sheppard set us up on blockade duty against an entire race of alien monsters bent on destroying the guddam galaxy. Hell of a fight. I was the only one that got out of there alive."
 

Dilly

Banned
I actually quite like how they handled future cities.

There's no way that all that architecture from the present is going to be replaced in a timespan of 100 years, it's going to be mixed.
 
Dilly said:
I actually quite like how they handled future cities.

There's no way that all that architecture from the present is going to be replaced in a timespan of 100 years, it's going to be mixed.
Technically 172 years....so yeah its entirely possible.
 
Yep, never looked a guide for how to save my characters in Mass Effect 2. It was very easy to choose them (yeah, there was that dice roll for Mordin, but he has never died in any of my playthorughs).
So yeah, I do think is being a good commander (or better yet, a good listener) to save your team.

Mindlog said:
"I remember that mission. Sheppard set us up on blockade duty against an entire race of alien monsters bent on destroying the guddam galaxy. Hell of a fight. I was the only one that got out of there alive."
Just read that with Zaeed's voice :lol :lol
 
Kurtofan said:
If you listened to Zaeed you would have realised that he lost ALL of his teamates on each fucking missions he was on.
And mercenaries aren't exactly the most loyal guys around while Garrus was a police agent on the Citadel and he had a team of loyal teamates on Omega(they died not because of him or his leader skills, but because one of them was a traitor)
Ok, so Zaeed always ends up making it out alive when everyone else dies. Isn't that precisely the opposite thing that happens when you have him lead the squad?

I will concede that BioWare leaves enough up in the air that the player can make up some sort of story to fit the facts. But, uh, that's really awful storytelling. I shouldn't have to twist their logic until it matches what I see on my screen



I don't know. I find myself almost overly bitter because of how good the game was up until that point. I felt they really built up the suicide mission to be something interesting and unique. Then it comes out of nowhere right after the IFF mission and proceeds to shit all over itself
 

IoCaster

Member
Kurtofan said:
If you listened to Zaeed you would have realised that he lost ALL of his teamates on each fucking missions he was on.
And mercenaries aren't exactly the most loyal guys around while Garrus was a police agent on the Citadel and he had a team of loyal teamates on Omega(they died not because of him or his leader skills, but because one of them was a traitor)

Don't exaggerate there was only one mission where everyone else got killed. It was a 'suicide' mission to board a Turian warship and take it down from the inside. IIRC it was a team of five or six including Zaeed. Pretty shitty odds and there's no evidence that Zaeed was responsible for the rest of the team getting killed.

There's every indication in the game that he would be a better squad leader than Miranda. What combat missions has she lead? She has no military background and there's no evidence presented in the game which would lead me to believe she should have been a viable choice for the role as a 2nd team leader.

Personally I chose Garrus which turned out well enough, but I can certainly understand why some people made the mistake of choosing Zaeed over Miranda.
 
Dark Stalkers said:
ME is only 170+ years in the future.
I mean Halo is supposed to be over 500 years in the future. I guess you are supposed to think that humanity's contact with aliens propelled them to crazy future tech overnight.
 
a Master Ninja said:
I mean Halo is supposed to be over 500 years in the future. I guess you are supposed to think that humanity's contact with aliens propelled them to crazy future tech overnight.

Well. Thats what is just said in Mass Effect, that founding the charonte relay impulsed tech overnight, dont know if its explained in some manner in Halo.
 

Somtaaw

Banned
Meanwhile in the cerberus daily news:

01/12/2011 - Undocumented Human Colony Found in Alpha Centauri System
Alliance headquarters on Arcturus Station is buzzing about an unusual incident tonight. Information is still sketchy, but it appears asari explorers have alerted Alliance leadership to a previously unknown colony of humans in the Alpha Centauri system. The asari were monitoring a primitive alien species on a planet in the region when a human party approached and ambushed them, taking at least one asari scientist prisoner. Rather than intervene and potentially inflame the situation, the asari contacted Alliance leadership to maintain peace. But as one Alliance source confided, that's easier said than done. The source explained: "The thing is, we can't find any record of these people. None. So what are they doing out there?" Further details will follow as the situation develops.


What are the chances that we see a second faction of humans in me3?
 

X-Frame

Member
Somtaaw said:
Meanwhile in the cerberus daily news:

01/12/2011 - Undocumented Human Colony Found in Alpha Centauri System
Alliance headquarters on Arcturus Station is buzzing about an unusual incident tonight. Information is still sketchy, but it appears asari explorers have alerted Alliance leadership to a previously unknown colony of humans in the Alpha Centauri system. The asari were monitoring a primitive alien species on a planet in the region when a human party approached and ambushed them, taking at least one asari scientist prisoner. Rather than intervene and potentially inflame the situation, the asari contacted Alliance leadership to maintain peace. But as one Alliance source confided, that's easier said than done. The source explained: "The thing is, we can't find any record of these people. None. So what are they doing out there?" Further details will follow as the situation develops.


What are the chances that we see a second faction of humans in me3?

Is there a place that has all the Cerberus Daily News pieces somewhere? From the ones I did get to read, they're all either incredibly funny or very, very interesting and I hope they somehow turn into side-quests in ME3.
 

Sblargh

Banned
Somtaaw said:
Meanwhile in the cerberus daily news:

01/12/2011 - Undocumented Human Colony Found in Alpha Centauri System
Alliance headquarters on Arcturus Station is buzzing about an unusual incident tonight. Information is still sketchy, but it appears asari explorers have alerted Alliance leadership to a previously unknown colony of humans in the Alpha Centauri system. The asari were monitoring a primitive alien species on a planet in the region when a human party approached and ambushed them, taking at least one asari scientist prisoner. Rather than intervene and potentially inflame the situation, the asari contacted Alliance leadership to maintain peace. But as one Alliance source confided, that's easier said than done. The source explained: "The thing is, we can't find any record of these people. None. So what are they doing out there?" Further details will follow as the situation develops.


What are the chances that we see a second faction of humans in me3?

Sorry if I'm explaining a joke that is obvious and I'm not the only one getting that everyone knows the obvious joke, but isn't this a play on Civilization where one victory condition is colonizing Alpha Centauri? (also, the game by the same name)
 
Enduin said:
Same, it wasnt hard to figure out who was right and who was wrong for each choice.

I thought it was far too easy. If you're a completionist, then it's exceptionally simple to get through the final mission of Mass Effect 2 without a single casualty. I would've preferred if you needed to make some compromises. Some deaths or negative consequences should've been unavoidable, even with the assistance of online guides.
 

sam27368

Banned
Hasphat'sAnts said:
Yeah. Sovereign alone tore the shit out of the fifth fleet in like fifteen minutes. Now you're telling me it takes weeks to glass one planet? Give me break.

They said in ME1 that the Reapers are thorough and deadly, they don't wipe out entire planets in days. Instead they spend their time meticulously making sure every last being and resource on that planet has been destroyed/cultivated. 7 million in a week on one country is quite fast. It took them a while to wipe out the Protheans
 
Lostconfused said:
Oh jeez, I just watched this trailer again

The tone they were setting is so different from 2 or 3. Sheppard was supposed to be Kirk, but now he is just Neo.

Edit: On the bright side I developed some more irrational expectations. Maybe after they cover this whole silly reaper arc they can go back to the universe exploration of ME1. Of course that will never happen because that just doesn't appeal to the mass public as much.

I don't really want to watch the trailer, but I feel the Shepard=Kirk transforming into Shepard=Neo was well under way in Mass Effect 2. The whole intro dialogue between the illusive man and Miranda about Shepard was very 'he is the chosen one! we have to get him no matter what, spend millions of creds on what is in reality just a good leader'.
 

raphier

Banned
Sblargh said:
Sorry if I'm explaining a joke that is obvious and I'm not the only one getting that everyone knows the obvious joke, but isn't this a play on Civilization where one victory condition is colonizing Alpha Centauri? (also, the game by the same name)
Alpha Centauri is a real (Rigil Kentaurus) galactic system.

It is closest galaxy to us, thus many famous works base their stories on it (Avatar, Alpha Centauri, Known Man, Lost In Space, Star Control II, Terra Nova ). It's hard to say whether it's a refence to anything.

EDIT: duh, beaten

Lostconfused said:
100% Because there are already two factions. The Systems Alliance and Cerberus. But as for news its probably a throw away joke. You know considering that Alpha Centauri is the closest star to us and the idea of colonizing that star system has been around for a few decades.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Centauri_in_fiction
 
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