[Megathread] Mass Effect 3

[The Illusive Man]

lol Imagine Mordin as the Catalyst...

ME2's Mordin, mind you. I didn't like the guy who did his voice for ME3 nearly as much.

Shepard: "Mordin, is that you?"
Catalyst: "Shepard, good timing, good to see you !!"
Shepard: "What are you doing on the citadel?"
Catalyst: "The citadel is my home, I control the reapers !! They are my solution"

Shepard:

Catalyst: "Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong"

---------- Post added 2012-12-05 at 03:49 PM ----------

Nah, though the term is German in origin it made its way into many languages, including English and my native tongue.

"Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong"

I thought that the english term for spiel is game ? Still new things to learn apparently.

[Elim Garak]

I thought that the english term for spiel is game ? Still new things to learn apparently.

Well, yeah. Endgame is endspiel in English. The use of endspiel in English text is somewhat "geeky" - one have to know what it means. I just like the term - since it is used in my native tongue with almost the same pronunciation as in German. Mostly in chess and literature.

[Sekira]

Still more opportunity to test the beta of my "increased difficulty mod" for SP if more people are interested. I will re-send an updated version which should also increase the difficulty of DLC-specific enemies such as Adjudant or "named" npcs.

I'll then probably try to update balance change from Multiplayer weapons into SP (damage, won't be able to remove things such as charge-up on specific weapons)

[Adam Jensen]

Were you okay with the vigil deus ex machina at the end of mass effect 1? Vigil literally comes out of nowhere, hands them the all the information about what's going on, provides them with the key to stopping the reapers from coming through AND sends them to the citadel. Huge deus ex machina in other words. I don't recall anyone complaining then.

Vigil made sense. It would make sense for the protheans to leave behind warnings for future generations (such as the beacons, Vigil and Vendetta)

Star Child just raised too many questions. For example, if he controlled the Reapers and was on the Citadel why were Sovereign or the Keepers even necessary? Why couldn't he activate the Citadel itself? Where did the blue/red pillars come from? If those were built on the Crucible, fine, but they weren't, they were on the Citadel in a location where no organic had ever been before. Why would the Reapers build a control or kill switch into the Citadel?

I do love the ending with the extended cut, with the exception of the star child. Star child just doesn't work for me.

Vigil on the other hand fit the story and made sense.

[Aveline]

AAAAAH. The first Mass Effect is already available in the PlayStation Store! I thought I'd have to wait 'till friday! *runs around the room*

[Dezerte]

Vigil made sense. It would make sense for the protheans to leave behind warnings for future generations (such as the beacons, Vigil and Vendetta)

Star Child just raised too many questions. For example, if he controlled the Reapers and was on the Citadel why were Sovereign or the Keepers even necessary? Why couldn't he activate the Citadel itself? Where did the blue/red pillars come from? If those were built on the Crucible, fine, but they weren't, they were on the Citadel in a location where no organic had ever been before. Why would the Reapers build a control or kill switch into the Citadel?

I do love the ending with the extended cut, with the exception of the star child. Star child just doesn't work for me.

Vigil on the other hand fit the story and made sense.

Yeah, Vigil actually made sense.

I remember the first time driving in those tunnels and finding Vigil, my "nerd boner" was raging as I investigated every possible dialogue. Same goes for the first dialogue with Harbringer.

[Leonard McCoy]

It was properly implemented. It wasn't at the end-spiel. It was inline with everything we learned so far in the game. It provided details to the background. Explained everything. And gave means to victory - but not victory itself.

Harbinger could've played the Starchild's role just fine, trying to persuade Shepard not to use the Crucible 'cause "our mission is important. the harvest must continue". (regardless of either it "synth VS bio" or "Dark Energy"). He could explain everything. And the Crucible should've had only two options. Control and Destroy without renegade/paragon labels on them. And "destroy" should've been a precision strike OR "control" should've removed free will from Geth and EDI. To be equally acceptable/unacceptable choices.

Starchild was not needed. Its addition wasn't required and had disastrous consequences.

I agree vigil was better implemented, primarily because you could investigate with him and get all kinds of interesting information. That doesn't mean deus ex machina is bad plot device. It can be if you don't execute it properly and you can make the case the star kid did that. I actually don't agree. The ending had me on the edge of my seat the first time through. Oddly enough it wasn't till I got on the web and everybody told me what was up and why I was wrong for enjoying it that I noticed the flaws in it.

---------- Post added 2012-12-05 at 09:16 PM ----------

Vigil made sense. It would make sense for the protheans to leave behind warnings for future generations (such as the beacons, Vigil and Vendetta)

Star Child just raised too many questions. For example, if he controlled the Reapers and was on the Citadel why were Sovereign or the Keepers even necessary? Why couldn't he activate the Citadel itself? Where did the blue/red pillars come from? If those were built on the Crucible, fine, but they weren't, they were on the Citadel in a location where no organic had ever been before. Why would the Reapers build a control or kill switch into the Citadel?

I do love the ending with the extended cut, with the exception of the star child. Star child just doesn't work for me.

Vigil on the other hand fit the story and made sense.

Sovereign and the keepers were likely unaware of his existence. Think of the star child as a involuntary process that goes on as you sleep. Most of the problems can actually be understood if you view the star kid as a hidden process. A process that say compelled the reapers to build the pillars without them being aware of actually doing it.

By the same token theirs lots of questions we could ask about vigil? How is that the reapers simple passed him by? How did they leave and forget one of the protheans research facilities? Sovereign has been tooling around the galaxy for awhile you figured he would have cleaned it up by the time mass effect 1 rolls around.

[Elim Garak]

Oddly enough it wasn't till I got on the web and everybody told me what was up and why I was wrong for enjoying it that I noticed the flaws in it.

Well, I felt wrong right after the Starchild said (I'm paraphrasing): "We bring Order to the Chaos. Synthetics are Chaos."
Right there I was going ""wtf?"
I like the idea of Order<BALANCE>Chaos. I read a lot of Moorcock. And I played a lot of D&D Bioware's games. But I just don't see how Synthetics are involved in that, considering Starchild itself is Synthetic and Reapers are machines. Just no. Not to mention that Order vs Chaos conflict must be DEEPER. But it was obvious it wasn't Order vs Chaos - it were just words used wrongly. It was machines wiping out higher bio-life so no new machines are built that would destroy all bio-life.
Never was it proven that Synthetics are gonna wipe all life in the galaxy. It's assumed. But thru all ME games we see otherwise. Geth - the only machines that could threaten us - were minding their own business in their pocket of the galaxy - until Sovereign corrupted them. In ME2 we learnt that not every Geth is bad. In ME3 (even in fucking ME3) we learnt that it was Quarians who started the "Geth war" that led to their exile. Geth were always acting in SELF-DEFENSE. And in the end helped stopping the Reapers fighting along with Quarians, hand in hand (well at least in my walk-through). Thru all ME3 (the fucking ME3) we are answering the question is AI alive? Paragon Shepard can even make EDI "feel" alive. And the famous: "Does this unit have a soul?"

Starchild just didn't make any sense. My jaw dropped. I chose Control in my first walk-through only because I didn't want to kill Geth and EDI.
Btw, How does Control solve the "Synthetics wiping biolife" problem? It doesn't. Does it? But if it magically does - why the fuck do we have harvesting cycles in the first place?

To many questions (and that's not a complement).

P.S.
Starchild: You have to choose.
Jean-luc Picard: I refuse to make a choice!
Starchild: So be it!
William Riker: Shileds to maximum. Lock phasers.
Worf: Shield's up. Phasers locked.
Jean-luc Picard: Fire!
Worf: Reapers are destroyed, sir.

[Oerba Yun Fang]

New wallpaper? I think yes.



http://andrewryanart.deviantart.com/#/d5lq8wr

[Nerraw]

AAAAAH. The first Mass Effect is already available in the PlayStation Store! I thought I'd have to wait 'till friday! *runs around the room*

Congrats on finally being able to shape your savegames.

[Aveline]

Congrats on finally being able to shape your savegames.

Woop, thanks! I really can't wait. I never looked into Mass Effect 1 that deeply, I just played it through to experience the major plot. I actually do have it on Xbox, but naturally I wasn't able to port the decisions to the PS3-version of Mass Effect. I might find some new stuff while exploring it fully. Ooooh.

[Adam Jensen]

Btw, How does Control solve the "Synthetics wiping biolife" problem? It doesn't. Does it? But if it magically does - why the fuck do we have harvesting cycles in the first place?

Control doesn't solve the Synthetics wiping biolife issue exactly, but it does give Shepard the tools to protect and defend against another rise of synthetics . . . or she could just say "fuck it" and let the cycles continue.

[Grizzly Willy]

I'll be honest, I can't stand playing ME1 anymore. Tried making a fem Shep a month or so ago and just couldn't force myself to play through it.

[Donnie]

New wallpaper? I think yes.



http://andrewryanart.deviantart.com/#/d5lq8wr

That Shepard looks so sexy.

[Shinzai]

They should release a "STAR BRAT CUSTOM APPEARANCE PACK" for 160 bioware point you can reskin and revoice the catalyst:

Comes in various flavor :

-Option 1 : Harbringer appearance and voice
-Option 2 : Your LI
-Option 3 : Yourself
-Option 4 : Conrad Verner

Option 4.

With Renegade pistol-whip as a repeatable dialogue path.

[Adam Jensen]

I'll be honest, I can't stand playing ME1 anymore. Tried making a fem Shep a month or so ago and just couldn't force myself to play through it.

I feel ya. I loved ME the first few times, but after playing 2 and 3, it's hard to go back.

Good thing for save editors.

[Scorage]

My ME 1 is bugged, the camera goes for a merry go round with breaking sound level in speed. (Just for a millimeter of a movement from my mouse and the screen goes BLAAAAAAAAAAH!)

I tried to fix through the game files, it is probably there but haven't found it.

Then I thought to myself, I'm fine with combat, I'm fine with dialogue. But... I'm so not fine with Mako, man. I mean, I can spend hours trying to fix that silly glitch, sure. But the fact that I needed a full clear made me download a save editor instead.

Only problem with the save editor is that it doesn't include collectible missions from ME 1. (Asari writings, insignias, bla bla.) I don't think that affects ME 2, so I'll fix that when I got to ME 3 for Conrad and War Assets.

Picked insanity in ME 2, got myself a LVL 30 Shepard from get go as if it is a New Game+ type of deal. So far so good. I even cheated a little bit with giving my infiltrator Assault rifle (Revenant, mwehehehe)

I keep getting my ass handed to me. No dodge, no rolls, no armor penetration from cover. The hail of bullets! The horror! "The getting too accustomed to ME 3!"

[Adam Jensen]

I keep getting my ass handed to me. No dodge, no rolls, no armor penetration from cover. The hail of bullets! The horror! "The getting too accustomed to ME 3!"

*double taps spacebar*

Uh . . . why won't Shepard roll?

Oh

right

Mass Effect TWO

[Yakobro]

Pff I did fresh NG insanity using a biotic in 2
Was scary.

[Scorage]

That -beeeeeeeeeeeeep- ass mother-beeeeeeeeeeeep- -beeeeeeeeeeeeeep- Quarian!!! As if she had to no other place to crawl up and die besides right next to a goddamn varren lair!

Yeah, brings back memories and all that.

Still immensely fun though. I'm doing a full renegade (As much as my conscience allows) run and my FemShep is a colossal bitch. Love it.