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[Patryn]

No. IIRC EA mentioning March 2017 was so that they don't get fucked over if they don't hit their holiday target. It's just a buffer.

March 2017 is the end of their fiscal year. They were making an official call to investors, and the release of a Mass Effect would have a material impact on their bottom line. So they added guidance that said it would be out by the end of their fiscal year. It's all about providing insight to their investors (read: shareholders) as to what their financial situation will look like in FY 2016.

So, yes, it could get delayed to early 2017, but if it goes beyond the end of March, they start getting in real trouble. Telling investors when a game is coming out is wildly different from telling like the games press. Lying to investors or misleading them can lead to legal consequences.

That's not to say it couldn't conceivably be delayed, it's just a much bigger deal than if they had told IGN or Gamespot that it would be out in March 2017 and it slipped to May.

 

[diaspora]

March 2017 is the end of their fiscal year. They were making an official call to investors, and the release of a Mass Effect would have a material impact on their bottom line. So they added guidance that said it would be out by the end of their fiscal year. It's all about providing insight to their investors (read: shareholders) as to what their financial situation will look like in FY 2016.

So, yes, it could get delayed to early 2017, but if it goes beyond the end of March, they start getting in real trouble. Telling investors when a game is coming out is wildly different from telling like the games press. Lying to investors or misleading them can lead to legal consequences.

That's not to say it couldn't conceivably be delayed, it's just a much bigger deal than if they had told IGN or Gamespot that it would be out in March 2017 and it slipped to May.

Correct.

 

[The Artisan]

No. IIRC EA mentioning March 2017 was so that they don't get fucked over if they don't hit their holiday target. It's just a buffer.

fuck buffers. I think the game will still make it this year.

 

[diaspora]

fuck buffers. I think the game will still make it this year.

Me too, but they said end of FY which is in March so while I think it'll hit this holiday they'd technically be able to delay to as late as March without investors burning someone's house down.

 

[The Lamonster]

How active is the ME3 multiplayer community? Is it livelier on 360 or PC these days?

 

[JohnnyFootball]

everybody keeps saying it's gonna get delayed but has there been any hint of that or is it just going by the history of this series and how the last two games just got delayed?

If it's delayed, it's delayed. Plenty of good games to play this year. History means nothing, although ME2 and ME3 were both delayed.
As for this year:
I'm hoping for great things from Bethesda.

EA, I expect to be uninterested like I always am...unless of course ME:A makes it out this year.

 

[Patryn]

If it's delayed, it's delayed. Plenty of good games to play this year.

I'm hoping for great things from Bethesda.

EA, I expect to be uninterested like I always am...unless of course ME:A makes it out this year.

I don't doubt your interest, but I find it fascinating that you're one of the regulars of this thread and you hold that opinion.

I know that, for me at least, Andromeda has been my most anticipated game for a while.

Just waiting to get my high hopes crushed.

Spoiler

But I did enjoy Dragon Age: Inquisition, so....

 

[diaspora]

I don't doubt your interest, but I find it fascinating that you're one of the regulars of this thread and you hold that opinion.

I know that, for me at least, Andromeda has been my most anticipated game for a while.

Just waiting to get my high hopes crushed.

Spoiler

But I did enjoy Dragon Age: Inquisition, so....

I thought Inquisition was great, it got over 3 playthroughs out of me. A current-gen only ME using Frostbite with large environments and ME3's gameplay makes me sweat.

 

[Mindlog]

How active is the ME3 multiplayer community? Is it livelier on 360 or PC these days?

I haven't played in a very long time, but last I left it the 360 was healthier than PC. However, that may have changed because 360 is basically dead at this point and PC still has mods to spice things up a bit.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

I don't doubt your interest, but I find it fascinating that you're one of the regulars of this thread and you hold that opinion.

I know that, for me at least, Andromeda has been my most anticipated game for a while.

Just waiting to get my high hopes crushed.

Spoiler

But I did enjoy Dragon Age: Inquisition, so....

As I've said my excitement for ME:A isn't that high as most people. The ending and overall letdown for ME3 still lingers and I simply do not trust EA to not try and "dude-bro" the game.

However I am curious like everybody else. I want to see if Bioware (despite being developed by the Montreal studio) took the criticisms of ME3 to heart and if they can bring back what people lived about the series. I refuse to get my hopes up until I see strong evidence of that.

 

[diaspora]

ME3's problems lay in the sometimes nonsensical and sometimes cheap writing decisions rather than the gameplay which was largely perfected by that point.

 

[shinobi602]

People really overestimate EA's involvement in creative decisions at Bioware. It's very minimal, especially after Wilson came in charge.

 

[Patryn]

ME3's problems lay in the sometimes nonsensical and sometimes cheap writing decisions rather than the gameplay which was largely perfected by that point.

ME3's root problem was that it was clearly rushed.

It definitely needed another year or two of development.

 

[diaspora]

People really overestimate EA's involvement in creative decisions at Bioware. It's very minimal, especially after Wilson came in charge.

I thought that was obvious.

 

[Cyber Caesar]

How active is the ME3 multiplayer community? Is it livelier on 360 or PC these days?

I haven't played on 360 in over a year so I wouldn't know. PS3 is still very active as of last week though.

 

[shinobi602]

I thought that was obvious.

You'd never think that when so many posts on GAF and elsewhere show apprehension for Andromeda and blame EA for a lot of ME2/ME3's misgivings because "EA".

 

[The Lamonster]

You'd never think that when so many posts on GAF and elsewhere show apprehension for Andromeda and blame EA for a lot of ME2/ME3's misgivings because "EA".

I see more blaming of EA when it comes to why there hasn't been a remaster.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

I see more blaming of EA when it comes to why there hasn't been a remaster.

Well who else's fault would it be?

It's EAs decision to not release it. They have the only say.

 

[JohnnyFootball]

ME3's root problem was that it was clearly rushed.

It definitely needed another year or two of development.

Yes. I do agree with this.

The ending completely dwarfed the other problems. However, the bland level design and absolutely piss poor priority Earth were major issues for me.

Being rushed before it was ready strikes me more as EAs doing.

 

[TheUnsunghero26]

ME3's root problem was that it was clearly rushed.

It definitely needed another year or two of development.

It's insane to me that EA wanted the game out for holiday 2011. Can't even imagine what the game would have been like if it released then.

 

[The Artisan]

Me too, but they said end of FY which is in March so while I think it'll hit this holiday they'd technically be able to delay to as late as March without investors burning someone's house down.

lol what

If it's delayed, it's delayed. Plenty of good games to play this year. History means nothing, although ME2 and ME3 were both delayed.
As for this year:
I'm hoping for great things from Bethesda.

EA, I expect to be uninterested like I always am...unless of course ME:A makes it out this year.

right, if it is delayed then it's a 2017 title but I still think it'll make it out this year. this year's already have and will have a lot of great games

 

[diaspora]

It's insane to me that EA wanted the game out for holiday 2011. Can't even imagine what the game would have been like if it released then.

EA's been pretty generous about the time they've given Inquisition and ME:A so far, so I doubt that'll be an issue moving forward IMO. This is doubly true since they're unifying all of their tools under Frostbite.

 

[Mindlog]

ME3's problems lay in the sometimes nonsensical and sometimes cheap writing decisions rather than the gameplay which was largely perfected by that point.

Level pacing and structure was a bit off as well. I like how they tried to open the corridors up in areas, but they were still too long. The harsh differentiation between combat and dialogue sequences could have been in part to supporting by then ancient hardware.

You'd never think that when so many posts on GAF and elsewhere show apprehension for Andromeda and blame EA for a lot of ME2/ME3's misgivings because "EA".

I know exactly what you mean.
I'm really happy with what current EA is doing for the series. ME:A has been given a lot of time and the support for ME3:MP was stellar.

Of course this is all my outsider perspective. I don't know the details as to how everything went down behind the scenes. All signs point to EA giving Bioware enough time to get ME:A right and I hope it pays off.

Well who else's fault would it be?

It's EAs decision to not release it. They have the only say.

There is the question of who they could hire to actually get a remaster done correctly. We've seen a lot of bad remasters this gen.

A collection should happen though. Someone needs to get permission to gather the DLC into a convenient package of some sort. Especially for new PC players.

 

[diaspora]

I don't think releasing UE3 titles aligns with any of EA's business goals, it's never going to happen.

 

[The Artisan]

ME3's problems lay in the sometimes nonsensical and sometimes cheap writing decisions rather than the gameplay which was largely perfected by that point.

I know I have the unpopular opinion here but I think the gameplay was better in Me2 than Me3. Me3 was better in some aspects but for the most part I preferred Me2.

There is the question of who they could hire to actually get a remaster done correctly. We've seen a lot of bad remasters this gen.

bluepoint?

 

[Poodlestrike]

I know I have the unpopular opinion here but I think the gameplay was better in Me2 than Me3. Me3 was better in some aspects but for the most part I preferred Me2.
bluepoint?

Unpopular and wrong to boot.

In gameplay terms, ME3 beats ME2 on literally every front. Better movement, better gunplay, better powers, better RPG mechanics.

 

[The Artisan]

Unpopular and wrong to boot.

You're half right, but as a ME fan I don't think I'm wrong for having an opinion...

In gameplay terms, ME3 beats ME2 on literally every front. Better movement,

I liked that we had unlimited sprint but I didn't like how shepard was stuck on one side of the screen. That made things a little wonky for me.

better gunplay,

Nope. Me3's guns had too much recoil. I liked it way better in Me2.

better powers,

some of the effects looked a little cooler, but that's about it. the shockwave felt a lot less effective and I didn't like a lot of the new sound effects, and I didn't like how the sentinel shield worked in Me3, for instances

better RPG mechanics.

in terms of the upgrade system?

 

[Poodlestrike]

You're half right, but as a ME fan I don't think I'm wrong for having an opinion...
I liked that we had unlimited sprint but I didn't like how shepard was stuck on one side of the screen. That made things a little wonky for me. Nope. Me3's guns had too much recoil. I liked it way better in Me2. some of the effects looked a little cooler, but that's about it. the shockwave felt a lot less effective and I didn't like a lot of the new sound effects, and I didn't like how the sentinel shield worked in Me3, for instances in terms of the upgrade system?

Leveling system and weapon upgrades, yeah. Gunplay is better because gun variety is better; if you think the recoil was too high, well, there's guns for that. The powers are much broader than just Shockwave or even biotics, stuff like the tech powers got a huge boost in effectiveness and play variety.

 

[Bisnic]

I'm not sure exactly how someone can prefer the powers in ME2. I mean, the global cooldown was worse, there was less powers per characters, the biotic and tech explosions were rarer and less amazing, the powers weren't as customizable, etc. ME2 also lack Lash, which is a ridiculously fun power to use.

Gunplay was worse too. You have like 2 choices of guns per type & no way to mod them. ME3 got tons of differents guns and mods to customize them.
And I fail to see how recoil was worse in ME3, there was mods for that anyway too. i'm playing Solder in ME2 right now, and that assault rifle you get in the Collector Ship has such terrible recoil, i have to shoot only a a few bullets at a time if I want to hit something. And no mod is going to help me there.

ME2 was also lacking on the movement, not just because you couldn't sprint as much as you want, but also because you couldn't dodge or roll. I also feel like turning while running is a lot easier in ME3 than ME2, where you feel like you control a tank while running.

 

[diaspora]

ME as a series got less tanky and slow as the series progressed. IIRC Bioware got assistance from DICE on ME3's combat system too/

 

[Ralemont]

I'm not sure exactly how someone can prefer the powers in ME2. I mean, the global cooldown was worse, there was less powers per characters, the biotic and tech explosions were rarer and less amazing, the powers weren't as customizable, etc. ME2 also lack Lash, which is a ridiculously fun power to use.

Gunplay was worse too. You have like 2 choices of guns per type & no way to mod them. ME3 got tons of differents guns and mods to customize them.
And I fail to see how recoil was worse in ME3, there was mods for that anyway too. i'm playing Solder in ME2 right now, and that assault rifle you get in the Collector Ship has such terrible recoil, i have to shoot only a a few bullets at a time if I want to hit something. And no mod is going to help me there.

ME2 was also lacking on the movement, not just because you couldn't sprint as much as you want, but also because you couldn't dodge or roll. I also feel like turning while running is a lot easier in ME3 than ME2, where you feel like you control a tank while running.

+1 to all this, but wanted to highlight turning. It's the first big thing I noticed playing ME3, that turning was way faster.

 

[kosmologi]

I'm not sure exactly how someone can prefer the powers in ME2. I mean, the global cooldown was worse, there was less powers per characters, the biotic and tech explosions were rarer and less amazing, the powers weren't as customizable, etc. ME2 also lack Lash, which is a ridiculously fun power to use.

Gunplay was worse too. You have like 2 choices of guns per type & no way to mod them. ME3 got tons of differents guns and mods to customize them.
And I fail to see how recoil was worse in ME3, there was mods for that anyway too. i'm playing Solder in ME2 right now, and that assault rifle you get in the Collector Ship has such terrible recoil, i have to shoot only a a few bullets at a time if I want to hit something. And no mod is going to help me there.

ME2 was also lacking on the movement, not just because you couldn't sprint as much as you want, but also because you couldn't dodge or roll. I also feel like turning while running is a lot easier in ME3 than ME2, where you feel like you control a tank while running.

The first part is exactly why I prefer ME2's combat. Sure, ME3 was a lot smoother and more polished and the power leveling was better. But its gameplay was also way too easy. When every class has access to every weapon the balancing easily goes wrong. When you combine that with easy combo explosions, and fast movement, you get an easy cover shooter. The game doesn't punish the player for making mistakes.

A lot of the difficulty in ME1 and ME2 was because the gameplay is clunky, but to me they're much more rewarding too. You actually have to plan what you're doing because you are a heavily armored human rather than an all powerful super soldier. ME3's constant explosions, recoilless weapons and power spamming made for a really boring experience after the first playthrough.

 

[Garlador]

There is the question of who they could hire to actually get a remaster done correctly. We've seen a lot of bad remasters this gen.

A collection should happen though. Someone needs to get permission to gather the DLC into a convenient package of some sort. Especially for new PC players.

This. It still baffles me they haven't re-released the whole trilogy in one affordable package. Forget the argument for a remaster even; just a re-release with all content.

Myself, for example, started off on Xbox 360. The PC version came later and, at the time, I did not have a capable gaming rig. Nearly a decade later and now I do, but it's a gargantuan investment if I wanted to jump ship with Mass Effect to PC because the DLC alone costs more than it would for me to buy a new last-gen system.

I would love to do so. I've said before, EA often makes it hard for me to be happy giving them money. In this case, I'd be HAPPY to give them my money, and yet the one time I'd want to do so, they have "no interest".

bluepoint?

Bluepoint.

 

[Bisnic]

The first part is exactly why I prefer ME2's combat. Sure, ME3 was a lot smoother and more polished and the power leveling was better. But its gameplay was also way too easy. When every class has access to every weapon the balancing easily goes wrong. When you combine that with easy combo explosions, and fast movement, you get an easy cover shooter. The game doesn't punish the player for making mistakes.

A lot of the difficulty in ME1 and ME2 was because the gameplay is clunky, but to me they're much more rewarding too. You actually have to plan what you're doing because you are a heavily armored human rather than an all powerful super soldier. ME3's constant explosions, recoilless weapons and power spamming made for a really boring experience after the first playthrough.

That's some odd reason to prefer ME2. You prefer it because its gameplay is worse? Because the improvements made in ME3 make it too easy to be an unstoppable killing machine? Why not just play on a harder difficulty then?

 

[kosmologi]

That's some odd reason to prefer ME2. You prefer it because its gameplay is worse? Because the improvements made in ME3 make it too easy to be an unstoppable killing machine? Why not just play on a harder difficulty then?

The gameplay is not worse, it has a different approach. Yeah, ME3 is more polished and has better controls, that's objective. A player's preferences on power use, weapon recoil and other things affecting class balance and gameplay tempo are subjective, and in those aspects I mostly prefer ME2. So while ME3 was technically more competent, the gameplay changes definitely weren't all improvements.

I played my first playthrough of ME3 on insanity. The developers removed veteran difficulty which could be one of the reasons why insanity was too easy. I usually choose hardcore in ME2.

 

[diaspora]

The Crusader was the GOAT shotgun and was nearly unusable with dual analog.

 

[Bisnic]

The Crusader was the GOAT shotgun and was nearly unusable with dual analog.

Love using that shotgun on my "EDI" Infiltrator in multiplayer matches. Headshots with a shotgun at long range... lol! But like you said, your aim has to be near perfect... which is probably impossible to do in the heat of the action with a gamepad I imagine.

 

[The Artisan]

Leveling system and weapon upgrades, yeah. Gunplay is better because gun variety is better; if you think the recoil was too high, well, there's guns for that. The powers are much broader than just Shockwave or even biotics, stuff like the tech powers got a huge boost in effectiveness and play variety.

pretty much every gun, even the goddamn semi automatic hand guns iirc had recoil, and it was all really annoying. more powers doesn't make it better for me tbh if the game itself isn't that fun to play to begin with. i liked the powers in Me2 and I liked some of the effects but everything added up made it less fun.

I'm not sure exactly how someone can prefer the powers in ME2. I mean, the global cooldown was worse, there was less powers per characters, the biotic and tech explosions were rarer and less amazing, the powers weren't as customizable, etc. ME2 also lack Lash, which is a ridiculously fun power to use.

Gunplay was worse too. You have like 2 choices of guns per type & no way to mod them. ME3 got tons of differents guns and mods to customize them.
And I fail to see how recoil was worse in ME3, there was mods for that anyway too. i'm playing Solder in ME2 right now, and that assault rifle you get in the Collector Ship has such terrible recoil, i have to shoot only a a few bullets at a time if I want to hit something. And no mod is going to help me there.

ME2 was also lacking on the movement, not just because you couldn't sprint as much as you want, but also because you couldn't dodge or roll. I also feel like turning while running is a lot easier in ME3 than ME2, where you feel like you control a tank while running.

I kinda already explained why I preferred Me2 to Me3. And there weren't mods in the console versions.

Bluepoint.

bluepoint. but...as we saw from this thread, our hope seems like it is in vein (sp?).

 

[diaspora]

Love using that shotgun on my "EDI" Infiltrator in multiplayer matches. Headshots with a shotgun at long range... lol! But like you said, your aim has to be near perfect... which is probably impossible to do in the heat of the action with a gamepad I imagine.

I was headshotting fools with that thing on mouse like it was nobody's business. Absolutely ridiculous and by far my favourite weapon. Heavy as hell though, so if you make use of powers it better be your only weapon.

 

[Poodlestrike]

pretty much every gun, even the goddamn semi automatic hand guns iirc had recoil, and it was all really annoying. more powers doesn't make it better for me tbh if the game itself isn't that fun to play to begin with. i liked the powers in Me2 and I liked some of the effects but everything added up made it less fun.

I kinda already explained why I preferred Me2 to Me3. And there weren't mods in the console versions.
bluepoint. but...as we saw from this thread, our hope seems like it is in vein (sp?).

No, he means weapon mods, and he's right, there were a few that decreased recoil.

 

[diaspora]

pretty much every gun, even the goddamn semi automatic hand guns iirc had recoil, and it was all really annoying. more powers doesn't make it better for me tbh if the game itself isn't that fun to play to begin with. i liked the powers in Me2 and I liked some of the effects but everything added up made it less fun.

I kinda already explained why I preferred Me2 to Me3. And there weren't mods in the console versions.
bluepoint. but...as we saw from this thread, our hope seems like it is in vein (sp?).

Yes there were. There were worktables where you could add weapon mods to lighten weapon weight, increase damage/ armor penetration, or reduce recoil.

 

[The Artisan]

No, he means weapon mods, and he's right, there were a few that decreased recoil.

Yes there were. There were worktables where you could add weapon mods to lighten weapon weight, increase damage/ armor penetration, or reduce recoil.

oh right, my bad I completely forgot about that. I liked some of the mods but tbh I didn't like that new feature overall because although it added depth to the gameplay, I didn't like that extra complication. but that may also be because i'm someone who hated and enjoyed Me3 much less than the average hardcore fan.

 

[Ralemont]

oh right, my bad I completely forgot about that. I liked some of the mods but tbh I didn't like that new feature overall because although it added depth to the gameplay, I didn't like that extra complication. but that may also be because i'm someone who hated and enjoyed Me3 much less than the average hardcore fan.

I think if ME2 had ME3's combat, you'd like it even more than you do now. And if ME3 had ME2's combat, you'd dislike it even more. It sounds like you're arguing based on your overall experience with the game.

 

[The Artisan]

I think if ME2 had ME3's combat, you'd like it even more than you do now. And if ME3 had ME2's combat, you'd dislike it even more. It sounds like you're arguing based on your overall experience with the game.

of course. no way am I trying to be objective here, especially given the fact that I am the one with the unpopular opinion.

edit: wait a sec, I misread your post, but I guess the same thing applies

 

[The Lamonster]

Does ME2 on PC really need texture mods? Doesn't seem like there's a consensus all-in-one easy package like MEUITM for ME1. Same goes for ME3. Are most of the textures in the sequels already pretty good?

I'll be playing it on a 1080p plasma television if it matters.

Also - any graphics settings suggestions for all 3 games on PC? I read that it's better to disable dynamic shadows for ME1. Any settings left disabled on ME2 and ME3? Besides film grain, of course

 

[Bisnic]

Does ME2 on PC really need texture mods? Doesn't seem like there's a consensus all-in-one easy package like MEUITM for ME1. Same goes for ME3. Are most of the textures in the sequels already pretty good?

I'll be playing it on a 1080p plasma television if it matters.

Also - any graphics settings suggestions for all 3 games on PC? I read that it's better to disable dynamic shadows for ME1. Any settings left disabled on ME2 and ME3? Besides film grain, of course

Default textures are fine in ME2 and ME3... but it's mostly about the faces. Not very high res, but it does the job for last gen games. Some wall textures can be alright too.
But, armor, hair and some other stuff like cars or the outside of the Normandy are ridiculously low res.
It's funny, some spots looks pretty good, while others are so bad you wonder if Bioware forgot to do their job.

 

[Patryn]

I honestly can't wait to see the face system for Andromeda.

I assume it'll be basically the same as the Inquisition face system, but they seriously need at least 3x the amount of hairstyles.

And decent ones. There are very, very few good hairstyles in DA:I.

 

[The Artisan]

I honestly can't wait to see the face system for Andromeda.

I assume it'll be basically the same as the Inquisition face system, but they seriously need at least 3x the amount of hairstyles.

And decent ones. There are very, very few good hairstyles in DA:I.

graphics will likely be insane. maybe even close to what we saw in that recent Uc4 trailer. my mind was blown when I found out that Me4 trailer was all in-engine.

 

[diaspora]

I honestly can't wait to see the face system for Andromeda.

I assume it'll be basically the same as the Inquisition face system, but they seriously need at least 3x the amount of hairstyles.

And decent ones. There are very, very few good hairstyles in DA:I.

I'd imagine it'll be better than Inquisition considering how limited last gen hardware was.

 

[Patryn]

graphics will likely be insane. maybe even close to what we saw in that recent Uc4 trailer. my mind was blown when I found out that Me4 trailer was all in-engine.

You're aiming way, way too high here.

I expect something on par with Inquisition, maybe a tad bit higher.