[Megathread] Mass Effect 3

[rhorle]

I get the impression that ME3 is trying a bit to hard in pushing the "rule of cool" thing. Villians are named Reavers, good guys are SPECTRE agents, main character is a badass, crewmember named Joker and another crewmember said "this is Locooooo". Thats all before the Mars mission even started. I looked up some weapon names and even those sound kinda lame.

I don't think you are a troll because why bother after all of this time but your response is practically what a person just looking to rile things up would type. Whats wrong with the bad guys being called Reapers? Its what they do. The saga of ME 1-3 is a very orchestrated process put on by the Villains until the Protheans and Humans mess with it up to re-write the ending.

Not all of the Good guys are Spectre agents and I don't see anything wrong with that name. Its an acronym and its meaning fits what their role normally is. The main villain of ME1 was a Spectre agent. Of course it is going to focus on a spectre agent though since that is what the player character is. Joker is the nickname because that is the story of the character. And James is Hispanic in origin so of course he will mix the Spanish language into his speech. It is common in the real world and isn't a "rule of cool".

If the names of weapons are too "badass" and the armor is too "cool" then you might as well just pass on the game. Because I have a feeling the dialogue and party banter system will be pushing the "rule of cool" just as much. Besides if you like funny interaction yet don't like someone named joker (because they are known for funny interactions) then it sounds like you are conflicted and trying to light a fire that died years ago.

[WhooFlungPoo]

Dragon age isnt really that consistent with the same cast members, when people say uou should playmthe whole trilogy of mass effect they arent kidding, its needed. These games are a whole in a singular story, you really cant skip in this trilogy.

[May90]

People said the same thing with DAI and that i should play the first two to understand the story, but i understand it just fine. And not sure if you meant weapon names or the organization names but i dont think me knowing the backstory isn't going to make me like it anymore hehe. There are other reasons why i hate cool or badass sounding callsigns. One of my old jobs the bosses assigned these cool or menacing sounding radio callsigns like "Cobra", "Viper" or whatever. But the guy with the callsign is some dude riding a golfcart or a tiny little forklift. Lets just say that i dont like it, might not like it, if i play just ME3 i *might* come to like it but of course i wont know until i try it right? and if that hurts the feelings of people like smoteme12? well, i dont give a shit.

But like i said it actually doesnt matter cause i can ignore that stuff that i dislike if the dialogue is really good. The only thing that got me to play DAI was seeing videos of funny party banter. I didnt know what combat was like, didnt know what the main story was about or anything like that. The funny party talk was all i started playing for. And once i started playing i actually came to like everything else about the game like the combat, setting and NPC backgrounds despite not knowing anything about it before buying the game. So thats what i'm wanting to know is if ME3 is the same way with its dialogue. Like does it feel like you are listening to your crew actually talk like real people? or do they sound like robots or what a writer THINKS people should sound like when they talk about mundane shit or cracking jokes. Like in one of the ME3 videos i saw Ashley i think it was having a convo with EDI about how she wanted to bang her sexy AI voice or something. And male shep is there listening in and i think Tali was her name was talking about eating cheese through her filter and a minute later she's saying how she might have eaten toxic cheese instead of the good cheese and how she now needs to take some antidote or medicine. See thats the kind of funny stuff i want to see...two women on one side talking about having sex with a voice and on the other a friend just poisoned herself with bad cheese.

EDIT: to put it more simply on one hand i've listed a few minor dislikes. On the other hand i've listed one MAJOR like. If the game has that one thing that i like then screw my dislikes i'll try it out. Doesn't matter to me what anyone else likes or dislikes about the game, i only care about what i want.

I think Dragon Age series is different from Mass Effect in this regard. Dragon Age games aren't connected to each other much, the protagonists are different, almost all characters you interact with are different... While it is still better to play all 3 games, you can start with DA2 or DAI just fine. Mass Effect is different: protagonist is the same, a lot of characters are the same in all 3 games; essentially, 3 games are 3 parts of one large game. ME2/3 are made with the assumption that the player has played ME1, in which a lot of the lore is explained, including weapon names, that come from various companies selling them and giving them a memorable name + version. Also, Joker is named Joker for a reason - he explains it in Mass Effect 1 too. Again, you can play ME3 alone and still understand a lot, but I think you will be missing a huge lot if you do so - while DAI is much more standalone, and you can understand almost everything there without having played the previous games. Overall, ME lore is incredibly detailed, almost everything there is explained, so, again, you only get full experience if you play through the entire series.

You are probably talking about Citadel DLC. It is pretty hilarious, but there is a lot of humor in the main game too, especially involving Javik - that guy is awesome.

And yes, I agree with you, I try to find things I like in games and stick with them. Finishing Morrowind now: I hated a lot of aspects of the game (atrocious combat, bugs, repetitive one-dimensional quests, bugs, broken balance and a lot of opportunities to become powerful through cheese, bugs, strange leveling system, oh, and did I mention bugs?), but the freedom of exploration, interesting lore and a large variety of things to do won me over. Next comes Oblivion and Skyrim!

[notanmmmonewbie]

I don't think you are a troll because why bother after all of this time but your response is practically what a person just looking to rile things up would type. Whats wrong with the bad guys being called Reapers? Its what they do. The saga of ME 1-3 is a very orchestrated process put on by the Villains until the Protheans and Humans mess with it up to re-write the ending.

Not all of the Good guys are Spectre agents and I don't see anything wrong with that name. Its an acronym and its meaning fits what their role normally is. The main villain of ME1 was a Spectre agent. Of course it is going to focus on a spectre agent though since that is what the player character is. Joker is the nickname because that is the story of the character. And James is Hispanic in origin so of course he will mix the Spanish language into his speech. It is common in the real world and isn't a "rule of cool".

If the names of weapons are too "badass" and the armor is too "cool" then you might as well just pass on the game. Because I have a feeling the dialogue and party banter system will be pushing the "rule of cool" just as much. Besides if you like funny interaction yet don't like someone named joker (because they are known for funny interactions) then it sounds like you are conflicted and trying to light a fire that died years ago.

You know how people will troll and then say that they arent trying to troll? well i'm actually *not* trolling whether anyone believes me is up to you guys.

Anyways the background for the names dont mean much to me its just that i find them cheesy. Its like in those old Vietnam movies how you always have that guy named Tex or whatever. There was a guy nicknamed "Tex" in Platoon and Tom Hanks even poked fun at the guy in Forrest Gump named "Tex" and he goes on to say that he doesnt know where Tex is from. But ME3 Joker that just seems cliche'd or overused to me. Just like how you had that Tex guy. Ohh and for the Hispanic guy thing? you ever notice how some multilingual people will speak english with no accent and then their native language with no accent. And then there are other people who speak english with no accent and then their native language with an accent. I'm Filipino and my middle name is Spanish in origin i has that symbol that looks like the tilde above the N. But when i say my full middle i dont say it with a spanish accent. Its just one of those things when two different people say things different ways it gives you pause.

And yah for the banter system i was hoping that it wouldnt be like Life is Strange. Where it seems like the writer is trying too hard to connect with its readers. I dont know if that makes any sense. Trying to connect with the reader and trying to use "hip" or "cool" phrases.

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@ May90 and whoflung

Yah Shepard is the main character in all ME games right? and in DAI you have the inquisitor which i know is different from the main character of DAO and DA2. Yah that would kinda suck. Well does dialogue in ME3 have lots of references to past events as if you know about them? doesnt seem like it would be good game design to make dialogue not make sense to someone jumping right into the series. I think i read something about a comic book intro that explains what happened in the past? LOL i just hope they dont do how movies try to explain gaps in time that you dont see as a viewer by adding lines like "remember that time in Bangkok? ohh man that was crazy wasnt it?".

[Roshar]

You think Dragon Age: Inquisition is "really good" and assume that Mass Effect is trying too hard....ok.

[notanmmmonewbie]

You think Dragon Age: Inquisition is "really good" and assume that Mass Effect is trying too hard....ok.

I could explain the things in DAI that i thought were "really good" and the things that i thought ME3 was "trying too hard" at but i have a feeling that you'll only reply back with an "OK". Since you like short answers then i'll give you a short answer.

This game has apples and i like apples. That game has oranges and i hate oranges. Can anyone tell me if that game has apples in it too?

[Witchblade77]

you really need to play through whole trilogy if you are really interested in Mass effect universe. especially since its on sale right now on origin. not only does the story and characters make more sense - but dialogue is actualy better in first two games. you are not wrong about ME3 relying too much on "rule of cool" it does. and the names are the least of it.

spoiler alert for Joker's character

Joker has Vrolik's disease, aka brittle bones, so being a sarcastic smartass was his way of dealing with his disability and all the adversity it created for him. the nickname stuck to his preference as well

it IS possible to understand ME3 as a new player, in fact, while there are a LOT of references to past games (assuming you imported) - one of its issues is that it was created as an entry point for a new player, so you get a default game state that lacks a lot of the prior references. the drawback of that is that you get a lot of the "bad" outcomes, since better outcomes require prior game decisions. there IS a dlc, called mass effect genesis 2 that allows you to make some of the prior game's choices, but its not ideal. like at all. can't remember if its free, or paid.

in any case, while me3 has improved on gameplay - as far as story and dialogue goes, its a downgrade from the first two games.

[notanmmmonewbie]

you really need to play through whole trilogy if you are really interested in Mass effect universe. especially since its on sale right now on origin. not only does the story and characters make more sense - but dialogue is actualy better in first two games. you are not wrong about ME3 relying too much on "rule of cool" it does. and the names are the least of it.

spoiler alert for Joker's character

Joker has Vrolik's disease, aka brittle bones, so being a sarcastic smartass was his way of dealing with his disability and all the adversity it created for him. the nickname stuck to his preference as well

it IS possible to understand ME3 as a new player, in fact, while there are a LOT of references to past games (assuming you imported) - one of its issues is that it was created as an entry point for a new player, so you get a default game state that lacks a lot of the prior references. the drawback of that is that you get a lot of the "bad" outcomes, since better outcomes require prior game decisions. there IS a dlc, called mass effect genesis 2 that allows you to make some of the prior game's choices, but its not ideal. like at all. can't remember if its free, or paid.

in any case, while me3 has improved on gameplay - as far as story and dialogue goes, its a downgrade from the first two games.

Ohh dang i'll have to check out that Origin sale then.

But the main reason i want to see ME3 is more for the party banter/interaction system than anything else. Story is cool i assume it isnt super terrible so i'm not too worried about it. I mentioned in my first post how i was interested in the quality of misc dialogue as well. In my second post i mentioned that i started playing DAI after seeing some funny party banter videos. That wasnt an exaggeration hehe...i saw one 30min video of funny party banter and i said wow i need to try that game out. So far i dont regret it...but with ME3 i know a bit more about the game already so i'm a bit hesitant to jump right into the game. Also i looked on youtube a bit and there are a LOT of videos out there so its harder to find what i'm looking for to give me an idea of if this game has exactly what i want.

[May90]

@ May90 and whoflung

Yah Shepard is the main character in all ME games right? and in DAI you have the inquisitor which i know is different from the main character of DAO and DA2. Yah that would kinda suck. Well does dialogue in ME3 have lots of references to past events as if you know about them? doesnt seem like it would be good game design to make dialogue not make sense to someone jumping right into the series. I think i read something about a comic book intro that explains what happened in the past? LOL i just hope they dont do how movies try to explain gaps in time that you dont see as a viewer by adding lines like "remember that time in Bangkok? ohh man that was crazy wasnt it?".

There is definitely a lot of references to the past games, and many of them you might not even be aware of, not having played the previous games (for example, Tali's "emergency induction port" joke wouldn't make much sense, if you haven't talked to her about Quarian physiology in the first two games). It wouldn't be a good game design if this game was aimed at fresh players, but it is not the case. Again, you definitely can play ME3 without having played previous games, and the core events and such will be explained to you - but you will still miss a lot; even if you have read the story summary of the previous two games, dialogues won't make nearly as much impact on you as if you had played them instead.

in any case, while me3 has improved on gameplay - as far as story and dialogue goes, its a downgrade from the first two games.

I disagree; I think the story and the dialogue were the weakest in ME1, and ME2/ME3 were on the same (higher) level in this regard, in my opinion. ME1 was more like an introduction to the series, it set up the lore, key characters, the story - but as a game in itself, it felt strongly inferior to me than the other two games.

[Witchblade77]

There is definitely a lot of references to the past games, and many of them you might not even be aware of, not having played the previous games (for example, Tali's "emergency induction port" joke wouldn't make much sense, if you haven't talked to her about Quarian physiology in the first two games). It wouldn't be a good game design if this game was aimed at fresh players, but it is not the case. Again, you definitely can play ME3 without having played previous games, and the core events and such will be explained to you - but you will still miss a lot; even if you have read the story summary of the previous two games, dialogues won't make nearly as much impact on you as if you had played them instead.


I disagree; I think the story and the dialogue were the weakest in ME1, and ME2/ME3 were on the same (higher) level in this regard, in my opinion. ME1 was more like an introduction to the series, it set up the lore, key characters, the story - but as a game in itself, it felt strongly inferior to me than the other two games.

we definitely disagree on that then, becasue I found ME1 to be far better then ME3. there are a LOT of dialogue branches, some pretty choice side conversations, especially in elevators on citadel, but also out in the world, (which change depending on which companion combo you bring). ME3 has far too much auto dialogue going on, I honestly hate what it did to vast majority of the characters and overall game lore and don't even get my started on everything from convenient place they find their solution, to how coincidental that solution was, to completely changed motivations of the reapers, to even more changed motivations of the geth, legion in particular (we are talking a full 180 there), I just... honestly its like the difference between Star trek before JJ abrams and after it. and I'm that person who thinks Abrams should have never gotten his hands on the franchise, as he completely misses the point of it, but... anyways.

ME1 has gameplay issues as the earlier game, and slight pacing problems, but otherwise - it will always be the best of the series to me. ME2 is good, don't get me wrong, but its really more of an Ocean's 11/Dirty dozen sort of story, or more like a bunch of episodes feeding into a central plot in there somewhere.

as far as ambient dialogue and companion banter... Dragon age always had far more of it that Mass effect did, so...

in case still thinking of buying it https://www.origin.com/en-us/store/b...andard-edition and I highly recommend upgrading to https://www.origin.com/en-us/store/b...dition-upgrade as it includes essential mass effect 3 dlc - from ashes for half the price.

as far as other DLC's go - for ME2 - shadowbroker dlc is the only genuinely essential on, Arrival is.. well it does add a fair bit to the story, but it also works fine without it and quality is not so great, Kasumi DLC is a lot of fun, but also has no companion banter during its actual mission.

for ME3 - citadel for most of the fun banter, Leviathan for story + some banter. Omega is only if you end up being a fan of Aria T'loak, as it adds nothing to the story otherwise, and you cannot use companions in it.

[notanmmmonewbie]

There is definitely a lot of references to the past games, and many of them you might not even be aware of, not having played the previous games (for example, Tali's "emergency induction port" joke wouldn't make much sense, if you haven't talked to her about Quarian physiology in the first two games).

I just watched the Tali drunk ME3 emergency induction video and i thought it was pretty funny. Even if it was like an inside joke or it referred to something else that happened in ME1/2 the joke just by itself in ME3 was pretty funny. The way she says it, her accent, the way Shep corrects her and she corrects him back. That kind of interaction and delivery is just what i'm looking for. Gonna look at a few more ME3 combat videos but i'm leaning a bit more towards just getting ME3 now hehe.

[Witchblade77]

I just watched the Tali drunk ME3 emergency induction video and i thought it was pretty funny. Even if it was like an inside joke or it referred to something else that happened in ME1/2 the joke just by itself in ME3 was pretty funny. The way she says it, her accent, the way Shep corrects her and she corrects him back. That kind of interaction and delivery is just what i'm looking for. Gonna look at a few more ME3 combat videos but i'm leaning a bit more towards just getting ME3 now hehe.

just get all 3. seriously. ME3 alone is $15. or same price for a trilogy. yeah, this doesn't make much sense, but it is what it is, and at least this way you'll get an option to try out previous games. but... on that same note - you could just watch videos of these conversations if that's what you are looking for and save yourself the money

[notanmmmonewbie]

just get all 3. seriously. ME3 alone is $15. or same price for a trilogy. yeah, this doesn't make much sense, but it is what it is, and at least this way you'll get an option to try out previous games. but... on that same note - you could just watch videos of these conversations if that's what you are looking for and save yourself the money

Well its not so much the price that bothers me its that i dont want to split my time between the games and i dont want to drop DAI just yet so i'd have to play DAI and ME3. Or DAI, ME1 then ME2 then ME3.

[WhooFlungPoo]

There is definitely a lot of references to the past games, and many of them you might not even be aware of, not having played the previous games (for example, Tali's "emergency induction port" joke wouldn't make much sense, if you haven't talked to her about Quarian physiology in the first two games). It wouldn't be a good game design if this game was aimed at fresh players, but it is not the case. Again, you definitely can play ME3 without having played previous games, and the core events and such will be explained to you - but you will still miss a lot; even if you have read the story summary of the previous two games, dialogues won't make nearly as much impact on you as if you had played them instead.


I disagree; I think the story and the dialogue were the weakest in ME1, and ME2/ME3 were on the same (higher) level in this regard, in my opinion. ME1 was more like an introduction to the series, it set up the lore, key characters, the story - but as a game in itself, it felt strongly inferior to me than the other two games.

This guy gets it. You cant watch return of the king and events hit you as if they would had you started with fellowship. Same with reading the books, you wouldnt read the third act first. Games get no respect in this department which makes no sense for me. The medium has evolved into a cinematic story telling experience, people still treat them like bleeps and bloops and just a game like geometry wars. And mass effect is designed so if you play 1 yhrough three you se stuff that reflects all the games. If you just play three, you get the absolute worst story archs and characters in key positions that yoreally wouldnt care for. Playing all of them the characters and some events are completely different and more entert8ning, and emotionally impactful.

Mass effect is one of the greatest scifi stories ever, up there with star wars, id go as far as to say its a new generations starwars. Its extremely deep, even listening to the codex narrator is interesting. Very much so worth investing into themlore, and it has someof the greatest characts in a game ever, these people will become your bros, uour lovers, and by 3 they feel like best friends. And its one of the few games where all the dlc is completely worth it. After playing with the dlc its hard to imagin anyone playing it without it.

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I just watched the Tali drunk ME3 emergency induction video and i thought it was pretty funny. Even if it was like an inside joke or it referred to something else that happened in ME1/2 the joke just by itself in ME3 was pretty funny. The way she says it, her accent, the way Shep corrects her and she corrects him back. That kind of interaction and delivery is just what i'm looking for. Gonna look at a few more ME3 combat videos but i'm leaning a bit more towards just getting ME3 now hehe.

I would refrain from continuing to watch spoilerish moments of ny sort if you plan to play the trilogy. Cause the impact seeing them the first time when you have journeyed with these characters is so satisfying and impactful. Highly recomend the whole trilogy and not just 3, its a mistake to start with three. Just plan out a trilogy playthrough in the future, you have plenty of time. Playing just 3 is a huge mistake. Game has one of the best stories in gaming. Dont make the mistake of starting with 3. Buld your own shepard, mold your story, and go on this journey from the beginning and you wint regret it. As an rpg its somewhat linear, and its amazing for it. Its not open go anywhere do anything like witcher, you can go off the beaten path and explor solar systems but its extra. Its worth it to do everything though even in 1 for the story experience but its very linear and easy to maintain controll of the narrative. And if youre a science guy and enjoy spacce you will fall in love.

And there are some really amazing graphics mods for me1 out there.

[notanmmmonewbie]

Damn...i was riiiiiigt on the edge there ready to get ME3 and eventually ME2 and 1 and maybe even Andromeda when it comes out. Watching some youtube vids though i noticed that the voice actor for femshep sounded kinda familiar. Then i realized it was the same lady from SWTOR that voices the trooper. One of my major pet peeves in games is VO actors that have the unique sound in the way they talk. Like the guy in FO4 and Skyrim that voices Nick Valentine and Belethor. The first time i met Nick Valentine the first thing that popped into my head is the "never should have come here" line from Skyrim spoken in Belethors voice lol. Now that i know that femshep is played by Jennifer Hale i cant unhear all her Trooper lines from SWTOR. I'm like "yah thats the same tone of voice she used in SWTOR too" hehe.

Guess i'll have to play maleshep or something. There isn't like a different voice option in character creation is there? like how DA:I has the option for 2 different voices?

[May90]

Damn...i was riiiiiigt on the edge there ready to get ME3 and eventually ME2 and 1 and maybe even Andromeda when it comes out. Watching some youtube vids though i noticed that the voice actor for femshep sounded kinda familiar. Then i realized it was the same lady from SWTOR that voices the trooper. One of my major pet peeves in games is VO actors that have the unique sound in the way they talk. Like the guy in FO4 and Skyrim that voices Nick Valentine and Belethor. The first time i met Nick Valentine the first thing that popped into my head is the "never should have come here" line from Skyrim spoken in Belethors voice lol. Now that i know that femshep is played by Jennifer Hale i cant unhear all her Trooper lines from SWTOR. I'm like "yah thats the same tone of voice she used in SWTOR too" hehe.

Guess i'll have to play maleshep or something. There isn't like a different voice option in character creation is there? like how DA:I has the option for 2 different voices?

Jennifer Hale has voiced an ungodly number of video game characters. I don't like maleshep's voice, it sounds very robotic to me, so I play femshep every time.

[notanmmmonewbie]

Jennifer Hale has voiced an ungodly number of video game characters. I don't like maleshep's voice, it sounds very robotic to me, so I play femshep every time.

I only know of her in SWTOR and now ME3. But when she plays characters with authority does she always have that same tone? like i knew almost immediately it was her because she was trying to sound all stern and gungho. The guy that plays Nick Valentine and Belethor has that unique drone-ey sounding voice. I dont know how to describe it like the sound reverberates in the back upper part of his throat or something. As soon as i heard Nick say his first line i was like "Belethor?!"

Nick was just a companion though so i had the option of not taking him with me. My SWTOR Trooper was my first time hearing J. Hale and even though i thought her portrayal of a soldier was only marginal it wasnt a big deal. But once i start playing ME3 as a femshep i'll always think "Trooper!!!" and when i play my SWTOR Trooper i'll be thinking "Shep!" hehehe.

Ehh either way i'll probably let it slide...and as for maleshep as long as he doesnt sound like Nick/Belethor or some cliche'd hoarse voiced veteran space marine i'll be ok with it.

[Dezerte]

Male Shepard is often called stale, and I think that's definitely the case in ME1 but he gets better in ME2 and ME3.

[zealo]

Damn...i was riiiiiigt on the edge there ready to get ME3 and eventually ME2 and 1 and maybe even Andromeda when it comes out. Watching some youtube vids though i noticed that the voice actor for femshep sounded kinda familiar. Then i realized it was the same lady from SWTOR that voices the trooper. One of my major pet peeves in games is VO actors that have the unique sound in the way they talk. Like the guy in FO4 and Skyrim that voices Nick Valentine and Belethor. The first time i met Nick Valentine the first thing that popped into my head is the "never should have come here" line from Skyrim spoken in Belethors voice lol. Now that i know that femshep is played by Jennifer Hale i cant unhear all her Trooper lines from SWTOR. I'm like "yah thats the same tone of voice she used in SWTOR too" hehe.

Guess i'll have to play maleshep or something. There isn't like a different voice option in character creation is there? like how DA:I has the option for 2 different voices?

It's just the soldier type character she seems to use that voice for. She also voiced Satele Shan in SWTOR, and krem in DA:I so that's something to compare to in how wide the range can be.

[notanmmmonewbie]

It's just the soldier type character she seems to use that voice for. She also voiced Satele Shan in SWTOR, and krem in DA:I so that's something to compare to in how wide the range can be.

See i actually didnt know that she voiced Satele Shan or Krem. Krem's a soldier too but maybe they told her to do it with an accent so that threw her off hehe. I guess she just needs to requisition herself an extra soldier voice for when she has to do different soldier roles lol.