I just hope it won't be a prequel.
Theirs a difference between fixing what is broken and just keeping something incredible stale. The universe is big enough to support other styles of game play and I think they should look int it. As for it being a prequel I don't get why that's a problem. Prequels can be done very well if handled properly. Especially in science fiction. You've only seen bad examples I'm assuming (i.e star wars prequels or enterprise) but if you go back and watch some of the babylon 5 prequel movies or the prequel novels for dune you see it can be very well done.
I just don't like prequels in general - I want the story to move forward, not backward (I don't even like flashbacks lol). I feel like prequels are better done as spin-offs and side stuff, that's all.
As for the third person shooter style being stale, I disagree. I like the third person shooter format and I think it's what works best for Mass Effect, with anything else (RTS, first person action, third person action, etc) being a step backward. They've worked so hard on improving that format, I'm not sure I could see them abandoning it now. Time will tell, I guess. I honestly can't see myself NOT playing the next Mass Effect game if they do decide to change the gameplay style, but I just hope they don't because they've finally gotten the third person shooter thing down after the three games.
While ME4 (as I dub it) might not be a prequel per se, I doubt it'll come after the events of ME3, because the endings are so incredibly diverse that it'd either be an exhausting amount of work to make ME4 reflect on the appropriate ending that the player chose, or they'd have to canonize one and make the others illegitimate.
Putin khuliyo
Canonizing is not something no one ever did before They did it with KoTOR->KotOR2->SW:TOR.
They can also go a long way and include all 3 viable lines: blue, green and red and just make you import your saves or choose in the prologue. But I doubt they'll do this.
The more flexible ending is the blue one (green is weak for story telling - less reasons for conflicts, red - removes Geth). You can just move time 1000s years forward so even the Asari forget all about it. Make Shepard retreat reapers back into void along with Citadel so we won't see that part of the story anymore. Or keep Citadel with Shepard intact so she can be an Arbiter in major disputes but otherwise stay out of things. Or make it so the Citadel is destroyed along with Shepard by Dark Matter from Haelstrom.
Last edited by mmoce8c391acaa; 2012-11-10 at 03:20 PM.
Pro-tip for the weekend challenge: Use the vocha soldier specced into Flamer and Bloodlust. You can get it done in less than 3 Bronze matches.
I don't want any prequels either, unless it's about the "birth" of the Reapers. Everything in between that and the end of ME3 would be uninteresting most likely.
I'd rather have them make one ending canon, or make it "fuzzy" enough that you can't tell. A sequel is the only way forward if you ask me, something that can "redeem" the ending of ME3.
"In order to maintain a tolerant society, the society must be intolerant of intolerance." Paradox of tolerance
Not to mention, in the Mass Effect universe everything is digital. 1,000 years in the future they'll still most likely be able to access data from the time of the war against the Reapers. It won't by a myth like the Epic of Gilgamesh or the Iliad, but a documented event of which there are billions, if not trillions, of recorded first hand accounts. The only way for it to fall into mythological status is if the denial ending was chosen as cannon, but at that point the game would have to take place 500,000 years in the future at the apex of an entirely new cycle.
Would be fun if the indoctrionation theory was right to a certain degree, and denial ending was canon leading the the future species about 45 000 years in to prepare for the reapers.
But almost 5000 years after, no reapers and the races belives it all to be some troll/ancient myth and starts going back to normal making the galaxy divided when the reapers return whereas Shepards ghost goes "Ah yes, 'reapers'".
"In order to maintain a tolerant society, the society must be intolerant of intolerance." Paradox of tolerance
I stumpled upon this, pretty amazing work: http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/to...index/14795358
SPOILER WARNING, it contains spoilers on the ME3 ending.
"In order to maintain a tolerant society, the society must be intolerant of intolerance." Paradox of tolerance