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[GSR]

UPDATE 2: Screenshots:
http://imgur.com/a/olQnO#0

DLC banner w/ image of the squad member

http://xboxlive.ign.com/articles/121/1219156p1.html

The DLC cost 800 points and carried this description:

Spoiler

"Unearth lost secrets from the past and recruit the Prothean squad member in Mass Effect 3: From Ashes."

It was quickly pulled, but Bioware's Mike Gamble had this to say:

Hi all!

We're happy to confirm that Mass Effect 3: From Ashes DLC will be available at launch for all platforms. For those of you who have purchased the N7 Collector's Edition (including the PC Digital Deluxe Edition), you will get this content at no extra charge. We'll have a lot more details for you later this week! Stay Tuned!

UPDATE:

Bioware official statement regarding the From Ashes DLC:

As most of you know, yesterday there was a leak that revealed the upcoming DLC “ME3:From Ashes” on the
Xbox LIVE Marketplace. This leak took place before we were prepared to make an announcement about the details of that pack (slated for this Friday).

There has been a lot of discussion about the DLC offering but we wanted to clarify a few things...

- “From Ashes” includes

Spoiler

the Prothean

squad mate, an adventure on

Spoiler

Eden Prime

, a new weapon, and an alternate
appearance for every squad mate. Note that these alternate appearances are in addition to the ones already advertised in the CE.

- The Collectors Edition has been advertised from the beginning as containing a bonus character/mission, but we were not at liberty to provide the details.

Spoiler

The Prothean

is optional content that is certainly designed to appeal to long-time fans, which is why he is part of the CE offering (the version many fans would be likely to purchase). Mass Effect 3 is a complete – and a huge game - right out of the box.

- The content in “From Ashes” was developed by a separate team (after the core game was finished) and not completed until well after the main game went into certification.

- The Collectors Edition has been sold out in most places for some time now, and is becoming very hard to find (many players prefer not to purchase the digital version). As such, we wanted to make this content available so that SE buyers could also incorporate

Spoiler

the Prothean

into their game.

We’ll be releasing someimages and video about this pack in the coming days.

As always, we are extremely thankful for all of your support. We pulled out all of the stops to make Mass Effect 3 the best game ever, and we can't wait for you all to experience it.

Mike

 

[The_Monk]

I really don't agree with Day 1 DLC.

 

[Lakitu]

800 points is pretty steep, especially since it's going to be only one mission I assume.

 

[iNvid02]

I really don't agree with Day 1 DLC.

you gotta remember bioware were stretched, they couldnt even put in 360 controller
support for PC. im sure this day one dlc was just not possible to put on the disc.

 

[GSR]

I really don't agree with Day 1 DLC.

Likewise, especially in cases such as this where the character was clearly part of the game's development from start to finish, as evidenced by the various leaks, as opposed to something started later in development as an addendum to the game.

 

[PinkCrayon]

Good thing I've got the CE pre-ordered.

 

[bigtroyjon]

Has any other game had repeated instances of info leaking early like this on Live?

 

[rozay]

Can you at least add to the title that your post has a picture of the character in question?

I wasn't spoiled but there's bound to be someone coming in here that isn't aware it'd be there

 

[ironcreed]

I'll just do without him, thanks. He clearly should just be in the damn game. I am fed up with all of this nickle and dime you to death nonsense.

 

[Replicant]

Niiiice. I got the Collector's Edition pre-ordered so it's free for me.

 

[CharmingCharlie]

I really don't agree with Day 1 DLC.

Well that is ok because this isn't "Day 1 DLC" this is "Day -14 DLC" . Nothing that Bioware (or this industry) pulls surprises me anymore.

 

[toastyToast]

So Bioware have gone past purchase new for extra character and now it's purchase overpriced Collectors Edition instead.

Confirms I won't have Africean in my party.

 

[CorrisD]

I really don't agree with Day 1 DLC.

To me Day 1 DLC isn't a problem if they actually worked on it separately in some form, but all info seems to point to this being something they had planned for the main game and then decided to turn into DLC.

What annoys me most is how big I would have considered the character to the lore of the Mass Effect Universe and he is seemingly relegated off to DLC.

 

[The Grim Heaper]

Didn't they say they were working that character into the story now? How lame.

 

[water_wendi]

i remember when gaming developers used to release stuff like this for free to their fans. i fucking hate the games industry.

 

[Psychoward]

you gotta remember bioware were stretched, they couldnt even put in 360 controller
support for PC. im sure this day one dlc was just not possible to put on the disc.

Exactly, and it was too hard to make it free, so their poor, poor developers had to leave the number at 800. We wouldn't want them to hurt their fingers typing too much.

 

[GSR]

Can you at least add to the title that your post has a picture of the character in question?

I wasn't spoiled but there's bound to be someone coming in here that isn't aware it'd be there

Gonna need a mod to do that, sorry.

EDIT: It occurs to me it's much easier just to link the image. Hurr durr, did that.

 

[Lifejumper]

What do you guys think of the design of the Prothean race? I think it looks cool.

 

[Dany]

Is it too much to ask to not have DLC for squad mates. That really bugged me about Kasumi. How come they don't have a Cerberus Card or whatever?

I'm getting the collectors edition anyways, The protheans look cool. They resemble the visions from ME1 along with the collectors from ME2, a good middle ground.

I hope our squadmate is virgil from Ilos.

 

[SerArthurDayne]

Niiiice. I got the Collector's Edition pre-ordered so it's free for me.

Meh, not really. Its like you paid 10 more for the Collector's edition, which is pretty standard for the actual content (see Mass Effect 2- very similar content for 10 more), and you have already paid 10 for the DLC. It makes the decision easier, sure, since I was going to get the CE anyways.

 

[ScreenSplitter]

GET TO DA BASE COMMANDAH.

Yeah this guy is awesome.

 

[ironcreed]

At the very least, this should have been free to everyone who bought a new copy of the game. Both collector's and regular edition.

 

[rozay]

Now that this is out there, I decided to listen to one of those videos of his voice...

I am in tears.

 

[Psychoward]

At the very least, this should have been free to everyone who bought a new copy of the game. Both collector's and regular edition.

Agreed 100%

 

[Palette Swap]

I really don't agree with Day 1 DLC.

They essentially cut a feature out of the regular edition to partly justify the CE premium. Pretty disgusting practice IMO, even though it's nothing new.
I'm still on the fence about getting the game and that kind of shit makes me want to wait for some GOTY edition, or at least a sale.

 

[Diablohead]

To get the CE in the uk you have to buy through GAME, and since they are going down the shitter currently fat chance of actually getting a copy, plus it's £69.99 because they do not have to compete price with anyone else.

so bullshit.

 

[Replicant]

Meh, not really. Its like you paid 10 more for the Collector's edition, which is pretty standard for the actual content (see Mass Effect 2- very similar content for 10 more), and you have already paid 10 for the DLC. It makes the decision easier, sure, since I was going to get the CE anyways.

Well, considering I bought the CE mostly for the Steelbook, I consider the rest of the goodies extra steals.

You hear that EA? Put Dead Space 3 on Steelbook if you want extra bucks from me.

 

[CorrisD]

you gotta remember bioware were stretched, they couldnt even put in 360 controller
support for PC. im sure this day one dlc was just not possible to put on the disc.

They didn't do controller support for Mass Effect 1 or 2, it has nothing to do with being stretched when they spent iirc around 9 months getting Kinect integration to work, the game is already designed to work with controllers on consoles.

And whether they could fit it on the disk didn't seem to matter for ME2 and the free DLC they offered then.

Well, considering I bought the CE mostly for the Steelbook, I consider the rest of the goodies extra steals.

You hear that EA? Put Dead Space 3 on Steelbook if you want extra bucks from me.

That is why I personally don't like Collectors/Special Editions of games, I can't stand Steelbook cases in general, more so next to all the normal looking cases.

 

[Snuggles]

At least I can finally use of some of those stupid Bioware points I bought...

 

[ColonelColon]

This seems like a pretty major plot event to spoil/announce before the game is even released. Although I actually read about this character months ago (possibly during E3).
Also, a living Prothean character is inherently important to the story, and shouldn't be excluded from the base game.

 

[thetrin]

They didn't do controller support for Mass Effect 1 or 2, it has nothing to do with being stretched when they spent iirc around 9 months getting Kinect integration to work, the game is already designed to work with controllers on consoles.

And whether they could fit it on the disk didn't seem to matter for ME2 and the free DLC they offered then.

WHOOSH

 

[ScreenSplitter]

All I'm saying is, this guy better be in the game, squadmate or no squadmate. You can't just randomly bring back an extinct race.

 

[Dartastic]

I do like the Amazon description. "Due to high demand (and possibly the imminent Reaper invasion), we have unfortunately run out of our pre-order allocation for Mass Effect 3 - Collector's Edition. "

lawlz

 

[SerArthurDayne]

They didn't do controller support for Mass Effect 1 or 2, it has nothing to do with being stretched when they spent iirc around 9 months getting Kinect integration to work, the game is already designed to work with controllers on consoles.

And whether they could fit it on the disk didn't seem to matter for ME2 and the free DLC they offered then.

I think the response actually indicated it would have been too difficult to put in graphics for the buttons. Pretty LOL I thought. Regardless, one team being strapped isn't related to this issue, as I imagine the team that produced this content was working on it for a while as a separate team.

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

They essentially cut a feature out of the regular edition to partly justify the CE premium. Pretty disgusting practice IMO, even though it's nothing new.
I'm still on the fence about getting the game and that kind of shit makes me want to wait for some GOTY edition, or at least a sale.

A sale would probably be the best way to go. I don't think there ever was a GOTY edition for ME2.

 

[Kitschkraft]

Bought the first two games (Including the collectors edition of the second one).

This one will be gamefly'd and sent back immediately after finished.

If I can't have a high high high majority of the content, I prefer to just get what I can out of the on-disk stuff and be finished with it.

 

[Replicant]

That is why I personally don't like Collectors/Special Editions of games, I can't stand Steelbook cases in general, more so next to all the normal looking cases.

You do realize that these days the Steelbook comes IN ADDITION to the normal case? Like in FFXIII-2, the game comes in the normal case. It's the extra contents that comes in the Steelbook.

Also, many of my Blu-ray/DVD/Games are in Steelbook case so they look pretty uniform. The rest that don't I just put in another shelf. I'm not that fussy.

 

[SerArthurDayne]

Yeah, no GoTY for ME2. And the DLC (aside from the PS3 version) will cost you more than a brand new copy of the game.

You do realize that these days the Steelbook comes IN ADDITION to the normal case? Like in FFXIII-2, the game comes in the normal case. It's the extra contents that comes in the Steelbook.

I'm pretty sure this is wrong based on the video and that the set is almost identical to the ME2 set.
The steelbooks in addition seems to be a Europe thing.

To clarify, ME2 was a standard sized Steelbook and a cardboard box containing the artbook, comic, etc. Both were stored in a cardboard slipcase. Pretty sleek.

 

[Jenga]

protheans are space jamaicans

 

[EatChildren]

So weird. This was technically announced aaages ago at the retailers briefing in Australia, where we also learned that the game would have multiplayer. Then the script leaked, he was apparently in it, and I assumed he had been re-written into the main quest line and someone else would appear in the mission + character DLC.

Apparently not. Disappointed to see what should be a pretty significant and lore important character get the Legion treatment.

 

[malfcn]

Well, considering I bought the CE mostly for the Steelbook, I consider the rest of the goodies extra steals.

You hear that EA? Put Dead Space 3 on Steelbook if you want extra bucks from me.

It doesn't sound like ME3 is in a steelbook. "Metal tin" is the description.

Also, this should have been the Project$10, Cerberus Network, Free to New-Buyer content.

 

[Red Blaster]

All I'm saying is, this guy better be in the game, squadmate or no squadmate. You can't just randomly bring back an extinct race.

Why not? Bioware literally killed Shepard for no reason in ME2.

 

[badcrumble]

protheans are space jamaicans

no, that's Jar Jar Binks, from that other retro-pulp sci-fi series whose creators did basically the same things to it over time

 

[Lothars]

At the very least, this should have been free to everyone who bought a new copy of the game. Both collector's and regular edition.

Agreed, It should be in every new copy of the game.

So weird. This was technically announced aaages ago at the retailers briefing in Australia, where we also learned that the game would have multiplayer. Then the script leaked, he was apparently in it, and I assumed he had been re-written into the main quest line and someone else would appear in the mission + character DLC.

Apparently not. Disappointed to see what should be a pretty significant and lore important character get the Legion treatment.

I feel the same way, I am hoping it will be fairly significant but because it's DLC I doubt it.

 

[Replicant]

I'm pretty sure this is wrong based on the video and that the set is almost identical to the ME2 set.
The steelbooks in addition seems to be a Europe thing.

Uncharted 3 came in separate cases IIRC. It's not always the rule that it's US vs Europe thing. It depends on the publisher.

 

[GSR]

So weird. This was technically announced aaages ago at the retailers briefing in Australia, where we also learned that the game would have multiplayer. Then the script leaked, he was apparently in it, and I assumed he had been re-written into the main quest line and someone else would appear in the mission + character DLC.

Apparently not. Disappointed to see what should be a pretty significant and lore important character get the Legion treatment.

To be fair, he does seem to have the same level of content as the other squadmates - it's just that he isn't a mandatory part of the story. It's not like Zaeed or Kasumi, who had their single mission and then just sort of cycled through a few one-liners if you wanted to talk to them.

That said I do agree with you that of all the squadmembers, this guy should have been part of the main story. He's a pretty important addition to the cast and provides a lot of opportunity to flesh out the series backstory.

 

[Dany]

So weird. This was technically announced aaages ago at the retailers briefing in Australia, where we also learned that the game would have multiplayer. Then the script leaked, he was apparently in it, and I assumed he had been re-written into the main quest line and someone else would appear in the mission + character DLC.

Apparently not. Disappointed to see what should be a pretty significant and lore important character get the Legion treatment.

I remember the prothean DLC being mentions as soon as word was their was a collectors edition. So he was always planned to be extra.

 

[badcrumble]

To be fair, he does seem to have the same level of content as the other squadmates - it's just that he isn't a mandatory part of the story. It's not like Zaeed or Kasumi, who had their single mission and then just sort of cycled through a few one-liners if you wanted to talk to them.

That said I do agree with you that of all the squadmembers, this guy should have been part of the main story. He's a pretty important addition to the cast and provides a lot of opportunity to flesh out the series backstory.

If you can't date and have sex with him then he's not part of the main story in the ways that truly matter, IMO.

 

[SerArthurDayne]

I didn't consider that, that he will be fully fleshed out as a party member. I guess that is the advantage of designing him simultaneously. Doesn't make it less bullshit, but I'm okay with it since I already ordered the CE.

And, I like the fact that it is not actually exclusive. At least you can get it if you want it, at a high price!

I'm still upset about the bullshit pricing/no sales for the PC content for ME2. I'm going through the game now, and want to play Arrival, Shadow Broker, and Kasumi. I guess I will skip Overlord because it sucks, but that is still 25 bucks for a game that can run for about 10.

Also, what is the "Legion treatment?" It has been a few years since I played.

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

If you can't date and have sex with him then he's not part of the main story in the ways that truly matter, IMO.

Fortunately this is getting fixed for ME3.