Mass Effect 3

[tanker27]

Grrr....its been delayed until 2012. At least that gives me time to get the perfect save game ready. Time to replay ME2.

[Krogoth]

Bioware will ne- ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL!

DIRECT INTERVENTION IS NECESSARY!

[DeadOfKnight]

I'm willing to bet this has something to do with cramming to release TOR.

It's been said for awhile that they may be spreading themselves too thin.

[Fastfreak39]

Bioware will ne- ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL!

DIRECT INTERVENTION IS NECESSARY!

hehehe I enjoyed that more than i should have...

I'm willing to bet this has something to do with cramming to release TOR.

It's been said for awhile that they may be spreading themselves too thin.

I've thought that for a while. And I called it by saying DA2 wasn't gong to be as epic as the first one. Not to mention Bioware is "looking into" getting help from other developers for their ME3 HUD and what not. Not that it's a bad idea, just seems un-Bioware like.

[tanker27]

Well SWTOR has gotten at least one bad review that I have read and everyone and their brother hates DAII (I loved it myself /shrug) so we shall see what happens with ME3.

[Krogoth]

I suspect Eezo is a key plot point in the trilogy. The material screams artificial not naturally occurring. Notice how Eezo directly tied to Reaper technology? Not a coincidence. I also believe that it is a critical element in the "Reaper" reproduction cycle. Species most receptive to Eezo are most suitable for the process. Humans have only been expose to Eezo for less than a century and their biotics rival or even surpass the Asari.

What creates Eezos? Dark energy triggered supernova events.

[gbcrush]

... [japanese rpg style] ...

Love the use of spoiler tags here. I blinked over it and at first thought you were saying "I bet Ezio..." thinking you were taking the piss on ME2 by rolling it in with Assassin's Creed 2.

Then I realized that you were referencing a name I never heard before, and that I really need to replay ME1, and get around to giving ME2 a spin some time.


Totally doing the Scientist Salarian thing too.

[tanker27]

If youre really going to play ME1 again just cheat your way through. now as for ME2 that deserves a good and proper playthrough.

[DancinJack]

If I don't get to shoot probes at planets for HOURS mining for EZERO then I don't even want to play ME3.

[Airmantharp]

If I don't get to shoot probes at planets for HOURS mining for EZERO then I don't even want to play ME3.

Good fun that. Sensitivity adjusting mice certainly help on the PC, FYI.

[Sargent Duck]

If I don't get to shoot probes at planets for HOURS mining

Best part of the game that

[deinabog]

I'm glad that BW has decided to delay the game rather than rush it out the door. I never played ME1 but I thoroughly enjoyed ME2 and I've started another playthrough on my second box.

[tanker27]

ME1 was good because it really sets the tone for ME2 and hopefully ME3. The landing craft you had in it was a pain only because I chose to take direct routes from one area to another.

[Aphasia]

I'm actually doing my first playthrough in ME1 right now, about 30 hours into it, but I've done a few side quests in the citadel on the way through Noveria and then finding Liara... so its onto Feros, then onto Vilmire. But I' ma completionist in many ways, so yes, I do survey everything I can and will do the tour around most of the side missions in time though.

And than waiting for ME2 to show up on the next steam sale, hopefully something for summer vacation.
Great game, love the story, although the combat system in ME1 is quite retarded in some ways.

[Ryu Connor]

Mass Effect 2 is on sale today on Steam.

[Aphasia]

Lol, I just started up Steam to look at something else and noticed that... Digital deluxe edition bought... and downloading.
Thanks for the heads up though. Just noticed that it was Thursday that was ME- day, so i just had a bit of luck.

[Ryu Connor]

Moved posts to prevent JAE's head from exploding. Post in the ME2 thread.

[Aphasia]

Good choice...

[WarriorProphet]

If I don't get to shoot probes at planets for HOURS mining for EZERO then I don't even want to play ME3.

/agreed

[DeadOfKnight]

The E3 demos of this game have me really excited. We're finally going to be able to roll from cover to cover with an omni blade facilitating a stealth assassin type of playstyle that I feel has been lacking. Check it out at gametrailers.com.

[Aphasia]

If I don't get to shoot probes at planets for HOURS mining for EZERO then I don't even want to play ME3.

/agreed

More carpal tunnel to the people!

[Krogoth]

[Pure speculation mode]

I suspect that Mass Effect 3 will reveal that Reapers are really "Starfish Aliens", they need Ezero to survive but cannot directly work with. They found this out the hard way with their singularity. They realized that Ezero only interfaces directly with organic life (ie biotics). They always realized that said life needed to be sentient, to harness Ezero.

This is where the Reaper's scheme comes into play. They lace the entire galaxy with caches of Ezero and basic Reaper-level technology and a convenient FTL network + hub(Citadel) in hopes that sentient life would be forced to use it. They would "reap" when the said cultures are advanced enough to have the ability to begin understanding and reserve engineer the said technology (ie discover its horrible secrets). The centralized FTL network ensures that it is easy to isolate and control the "cattle" . Reapers use the most "suitable" culture to reproduce, they do this by seeing what culutre is most receptive to Ezero and has generic variability. It seems humanity is the best template this time around. They logically rationalize this by giving their "cattle" a chance to "join" their ranks (Ascension). A process that would normality take thousands of years of technological development. The "less-suitable" cultures are consumed for their energy and more basic resources via Indoctrination.

This would make Reapers a race that mixes the characteristics of Cthulhu Mythos and Galactus. A cosmic power that is beyond understanding and morality of "mortal" races.

Indoctrination itself is just a specialized mass effect field that slowly manipulates organic life by alternating their neural networks in their "brain" analogs. In effect, it is a mind wipe and mind control field. That's why prolong exposure destroys the intelligence and will of the victims making them nothing more than brain-dead zombies.

Ezero is actually a synthetic material that only forges in high-energy environments. To make sizable quantities (Reapers need a lot of it) requires extraordinary amounts of energy. Only supernovae events can achieve this. A powerful enough mass effect field can make this happen. What race is known to generate powerful mass effect field?

How will game the end? I suspect it will go this path.

Shepard and his buddies force the Reapers to a strategical chokepoint that happens to be in a star system that is about to go supernova. Shepard and his crew realize that the Reapers fleet cannot be stopped by force. (How can a galaxy with basic reaper-level technology defeat an armada of thousands of Super-Dreadnought class ships equipped with full reaper technology?). He/She and his/her buddies realize that Reapers require a lot of energy to run that huge fleet and are running on "low" from their long 50,000 year nap. They know that Mass Relays aren't invincible and also create a nice boom on their own.

Shepard realizes the only way to save the galaxy or humanity is do a "heroic" sacrifice. He/She will hold the "Alamo" until the Mass Relays are ready to be destroyed and star is going to go boom. The final boss will be the "first" Reaper. Ironically, it is small enough to be fought on a tactical combat level. It will first give Shepard a "Faustian" deal* before the climatic fight. The plan ends up working. The Reaper fleet is isolated and pinned down in a system with its star going to supernova. In a twist of ironic poetic justice, the Reapers fall victim to their own schemes.

After the dust settles, Shepard's actions in the previous games will determine the damage that the entire invasion has done and the aftermath. A Paragon Shepard will help the galaxy to unify itself under a new alliance when they realize the old Council system was inadequate to deal with the crisis.

A Renegade Shepard helps make humanity establish the basis of a new empire, since most of the other races are in tatters. The Human Alliance is the only viable power left. They convert the Arcturus station into a new Citadel ( I'm assuming the Citadel was a casualty in this ending).

A neutral Shepard will combine both elements that ends up maintaining the status quo after the reconstruction (This will be the canon ending).

The big hanging question is, did the plan really stop the Reapers? What other contingency plans do they have left in store? What other cosmic horrors lie elsewhere in the universe?

(Freespace 2's open-ended ending was the inspiration of my idea.)

*- If Shepards accepts the first reaper's deal. It will cut to a "bad ending" that takes place 50,000 years into the future. You see the Citadel being control by the future races doing their own business. All of a sudden without any warning, hell breaks loose. The Citadel begins to activate, then a massive reaper fleet warps in. The camera pans towards a one of the "ships" in the center that looks familiar. The ship begins to transmit a familiar phrase under an digitally altered voice.

"I am Shepard, I am the vanguard of your destruction........"

Then it fades out.
[/pure speculation mode]

[Aphasia]

Entertaining read. Everything is open so far.

[tanker27]

Nice Krogoth. In fact its pretty much what I have drummed up in my mind. It will be exciting to see and play for sure.

[tanker27]

The collectors edition

[Aphasia]

The collectors edition

Hmm, they should've made the collectors edition just that, then have a another forgathers edition or something for the other stuff...

[blitzy]

Hopefully theyre making the combat a bit more dynamic because thats the real weak point for the game, the storytelling and plot is pretty good. From that e3 clip it looks like they must have taken that on board and are trying to fix it. The weapons and abilities have been kinda dull and the AI wasn't very good, but with the RPG elements and classes there's plenty of room for them to make it really cool. Hopefully third time's a charm, but I'm expecting it to be like the first 2 where the only compelling reason to play is the story.

[Airmantharp]

Hopefully theyre making the combat a bit more dynamic because thats the real weak point for the game, the storytelling and plot is pretty good. From that e3 clip it looks like they must have taken that on board and are trying to fix it. The weapons and abilities have been kinda dull and the AI wasn't very good, but with the RPG elements and classes there's plenty of room for them to make it really cool. Hopefully third time's a charm, but I'm expecting it to be like the first 2 where the only compelling reason to play is the story.

I think you missed something- the second game's gameplay really comes to life when you crank it to Insanity, at which point you actually have to play the game. Anything lower than Hardcore is a result of Consolitis.

[Jigar]

Hopefully theyre making the combat a bit more dynamic because thats the real weak point for the game, the storytelling and plot is pretty good. From that e3 clip it looks like they must have taken that on board and are trying to fix it. The weapons and abilities have been kinda dull and the AI wasn't very good, but with the RPG elements and classes there's plenty of room for them to make it really cool. Hopefully third time's a charm, but I'm expecting it to be like the first 2 where the only compelling reason to play is the story.

I think you missed something- the second game's gameplay really comes to life when you crank it to Insanity, at which point you actually have to play the game. Anything lower than Hardcore is a result of Consolitis.

X2, you have to really mix and match all the powers that you have, and some times you will fall victim of no ammo as well. Using all your weapons and powers wisely is the key to success in Insanity mode.

[blitzy]

well for me they could have cranked up the difficulty 10x and it wouldnt make that gameplay fun, it was just fundamentally gimpy. Boring weapons and abilities, lack of proper itemization, dumb teammates, limited range of opponents and AI... even the cover system and aiming was bad. Your taste may vary, but for my money if im gonna play shooter gameplay it better be decent