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Mass Effect 3 Discussion Thread

Dallows said:
I can't really understand why the clothing textures are so awful in this series. It's really saddening.
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Not just the clothing,everything looks ugly in me3... Im not diging this unereal 3 engine,or the way game studios make use of it.... Everthing looks painted on,nothing looks alive,it just doesnt feel real. Good thing there is a story...... graphics is just awfull... We have directx 11 cards for 2,3 years,there was so much in your face about tesselation,but no games use it.... and so on and so forth....
 
Anyone else not enjoying the game so far? The story seems so flat...Earth and Palaven (among others) are being brutally sieged, but there's almost no tension in the dialogue. NPCs seem completely unconcerned about the reaper invasion and disconnected from the events of the storyline...this game just isn't clicking for me, it doesn't have the same sense of atmosphere and immersion that the first two games had.

I also have a lot of minor quibbles, namely the FOV, inability to holster weapons, space button being bound to goddamn everything, some crappy textures, bland environments-and what's with those stupid slo-mo nightmare sequences with the little boy? They're cheesy and too drawn out, making them completely annoying. :mad:

Normally all these minor issues are negated by the engaging storyline, as it has been with the previous two games...but I'm just not drawn into this one. I feel like I wasted money on this title.

edit: I got a chuckle out of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIP73xIAPLU
 
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Laffles said:
Why aren't people bitching about the textures?

LOOK AT THIS SHIT
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That's pretty atrocious, especially considering that it looks noticeably worse than ME 2.

The more I read about ME 3 the more I am glad that I decided to put off buying it until it hits the bargain bin.
 
I'm only 5 hrs in & its quite disturbing to read about all of the issues that ME3 has. I hope that I don't have to play through MP just in order to get a good ending & that the story falls flat.
 
I stoped reading after "incredible graphics" ... No point since the article writer is confused about wich game he is talking about.
 
started up the game a few hours ago...imported my character over fine but the facial profile did not get recognized so I had to change the look of my Shepard from the first 2 games...don't like that I had to do that...graphics definitely look improved even though they are still using Unreal Engine 3...they also shrunk the on screen text which makes locating things a bit harder...enemies seem to come at you in never-ending waves
 
Lotta hate on here, all I know is I started ME3 up at 7PM last night, imported my character, and promptly lost 7 hours of my life, doing just ONE MORE QUEST.

I'm going to try the multiplayer tonight and see how it goes.
 
Played for a few hours last night. My brother is playing through 1 and 2 so I had some side by side graphical comparisons. ME3 looks better than 2 in some ways, worse in others. In 3, UI is better, and combat is much more fluid. Playing it on Hardcore, some of the fights are pretty tough even with an imported save. Going to save a 2nd playthrough for Insanity. Audio has been something that irks me with this game. The VO in some parts sounds like it was recorded 1 step above a .wav microphone recording. This is with a nice sound card and speaker set up. Doesn't sound like I feel like it should for a 2012 title. Other than some ugly graphical issues and this audio annoyance, the game is good. If you are on the fence, buy it from greenmangaming.com.....they have a 10% off coupon. No point in paying full price if you don't have to. I paid $49, I think that's "fair" for what the game looks like thus far.
 
Reading through this thread is depressing. Haven't gotten my game yet and figured they wouldn't fuck this one up so I bought the CE. Probably a waste.

Why the hell do I have to play MP to get a good SP ending? Granted I haven't read the links (trying to avoid spoilers) but that shit doesn't make sense.

Seems like Bioware really shit the bed with this one.
 
Small spoiler request. I romanced Ashley in ME1 and then Miranda in ME2. What happens if I tell them both I want them in my life in ME3? Does that fark up any chance with either one of them in ME3 or does it initiate the catfight I've been waiting so long for? :D
 
Lot of hate here, I am going to get into it with an open mind. It seems like a lot of people have a lot of expectations (as they should). Most of these gripes seem somewhat minor. My only concern is the talk about playing multi player to get a good SP ending and an annoying bro character. Overall it doesnt sound too bad....
 
Dallows said:
Reading through this thread is depressing. Haven't gotten my game yet and figured they wouldn't fuck this one up so I bought the CE. Probably a waste.

Why the hell do I have to play MP to get a good SP ending? Granted I haven't read the links (trying to avoid spoilers) but that shit doesn't make sense.

Seems like Bioware really shit the bed with this one.
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I sorta agree with the MP to get a good SP ending comment. Sort of. The ending of ME3 is supposed to be "shitty" in a sense that it's not a everyone is happy, things are terrific lets plant some daisies sort of ending. I think the MP contribution just makes it slightly less shitty. I'm not to that point yet, and have avoided the spoilers, but that is my sense from what people are saying.
 
SilverSliver said:
I sorta agree with the MP to get a good SP ending comment. Sort of. The ending of ME3 is supposed to be "shitty" in a sense that it's not a everyone is happy, things are terrific lets plant some daisies sort of ending. I think the MP contribution just makes it slightly less shitty. I'm not to that point yet, and have avoided the spoilers, but that is my sense from what people are saying.
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Well imo there shouldn't have been any MP at all. Now granted I haven't played the MP so I don't really know what it's all about. But, it seems like something they've tacked on (yet again) to try and "appeal" to a wider audience. It's nonsense.
 
Dallows said:
Well imo there shouldn't have been any MP at all. Now granted I haven't played the MP so I don't really know what it's all about. But, it seems like something they've tacked on (yet again) to try and "appeal" to a wider audience. It's nonsense.
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I kinda think the point is for the game to have multiple endings based on the choices you made in this game, as well as the previous ones. I don't really have a problem with it but that is me.
 
With the shitty textures aside, I am enjoying to fuck out of this game. The game play is much improved from 2 (playing a vanguard). Charging in and then doing the aoe hit the ground thing is awesome. Also enjoying the characters so far. Though
EDI as a sexy robot is kind of wierd.
 
SilverSliver said:
I kinda think the point is for the game to have multiple endings based on the choices you made in this game, as well as the previous ones. I don't really have a problem with it but that is me.
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I'm not going to argue about it. The Mass Effect series has been a single player RPG type experience. There's no need for MP. Now you're forcing people who probably don't want any of that, to do it, for a different ending.
 
Not going to read this thread for now because it's probably full of complaints, which is a given on [h] with any AAA title. Just wanted to say I'm having a blast and loving ME3.
 
I wouldn't mind seeing a high rez texture pack for this down the road. Didn't they do something like that for part 2?

That being said there's been some good looking stuff I've seen in the game and overall I'm happy with the game itself. The shortcutting on the textures in some instances is really my only complaint.


Someone asked earlier: Yes, I only Mansell's name on two tracks but I'm betting that's not the complete soundtrack anyways. I could be surprised. In the game, for the sake of continuity, I'm glad I've already heard some music used from the previous two games for obvious places and situations like The Citadel and Illusive Man.

Today I'm going to try this for the FOV: http://widescreengamingforum.com/comment/242929
 
BlitzPuppet said:
Small spoiler request. I romanced Ashley in ME1 and then Miranda in ME2. What happens if I tell them both I want them in my life in ME3? Does that fark up any chance with either one of them in ME3 or does it initiate the catfight I've been waiting so long for? :D
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romance Ashley again, you'll be pleasantly surprised
 
Q-BZ said:
I wouldn't mind seeing a high rez texture pack for this down the road. Didn't they do something like that for part 2?
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They didn't release any texture improvements as far as I remember. This recent trend of needing any HD texture packs is getting ridiculous.

I am enjoying the music quite a bit though & listening to it while I'm in the car is quite nice. :)

If anyone got me wrong... I'm really enjoying the game despite its issues so far. I just wanted a highly refined experience that was distilled from ME1 & ME2. Some of the flaws (design & story choices from the devs) that came with DA2 are unfortunately showing a little in ME3.
 
LeninGHOLA said:
This isn't the Mass Effect Three I was looking for.
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Prior to this post: Bioware - "This is not the Mass Effect 3 you are looking for."
830px-Mindtrick.JPG
 
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BlitzPuppet said:
Small spoiler request. I romanced Ashley in ME1 and then Miranda in ME2. What happens if I tell them both I want them in my life in ME3? Does that fark up any chance with either one of them in ME3 or does it initiate the catfight I've been waiting so long for? :D
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Seeing on how they put the gay shit in, I hope I can have a female harem. You know, for the people out there who like multiple wives. :)
 
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I wouldn't mind seeing a high rez texture pack for this down the road.
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That will be other $10 DLC. :)

Also, is it just me, or does from ashes seem like a waste of money because that was WAY to SHORT!?
 
LeninGHOLA said:
This isn't the Mass Effect Three I was looking for.
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Without spoilers, what are you displeased with? Low rez textures notwithstanding since I think everyone agrees on that.


Colonel Sanders said:
Not going to read this thread for now because it's probably full of complaints, which is a given on [h] with any AAA title. Just wanted to say I'm having a blast and loving ME3.
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Hate and whining are taken to an art form around here. It's become a bad cliche. Hell, long before this game came out this thread was the same way. It's downright remarkable to watch sometimes. Then it gets quite wearisome.

You can go into the AC3 thread right now and you have people that can hate on something with very little real media about the game as of yet and months before the game even comes out. It's just the way it is around here. I wonder if some of these folks even like videogames sometimes.
 
ninjaturtle said:
That will be other $10 DLC. :)

Also, is it just me, or does from ashes seem like a waste of money because that was WAY to SHORT!?
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Yeah, good thing I got it as part of the Digital Deluxe Edition, otherwise I'd be pissed off. I just hope that the choices made in it it are worth it in the long run.
 
Has anyone busted into the .ini yet and done any graphic tweaks? I remember you could tweak a lot in ME2. Shadows were as tweakable as they are in Skyrim, for example.


On From the Ashes - the companion you get is pretty awesome. He has a lot of dialogue with other crew members out on missions. The mission from the DLC might be short but that guy adds content to the rest of the game.

Stiler said:
Are you serious that you don't take your crew members off the ship when you visit cities, etc? (IE non-combat area's)?
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Not really. When you visit the Citadel, the crew basically goes on shore leave and disperses throughout the Citadel. They have dialogue and quests they will only have in that location.
 
Q-BZ said:
Without spoilers, what are you displeased with? Low rez textures notwithstanding since I think everyone agrees on that.
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I really think the writing is especially bad this time. I'm also not digging the direction the story went. It doesn't feel that Space Opera anymore, but more like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDMXkPfxjOc . It feels too cinematic and not enough emphasis on controlling or impacting the story yourself. No emotional engagement; the characters and dialogue delivery is flat and contrived. Very linear level design, no sense of exploration past the initial arrival to a new location. Akward writing, forced nightmares that are way too drawn out and really out of place considering all the Shepard has seen/heard/been through.

Much of the rest of my complaints are very spoiler heavy. I'd rather let people play and judge for themselves right now.
 
started a new game and was able to customize Shepard to look much closer to my look in the previous 2 games...much improved...playing with a different face took away some of the immersion of importing my character as it felt like I was playing a new character...

old me from ME2/new me in ME3...

 
LeninGHOLA said:
Akward writing, forced nightmares that are way too drawn out and really out of place considering all the Shepard has seen/heard/been through.
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I noticed that the nightmares are a lot like the waking dreams/visions of F.E.A.R. & F.E.A.R. 2 but they did it way better. I'm a bit perplexed at some of the choices that have been made with the game.
 
For some reason, PC gamers are some of the most sensitive little bitches. They seem to cry about everything. First and foremost, this game looks excellent on the PC despite the fact that it is a multiplatform game. It's a PC port just like the other two Mass Effect games were. The textures are better than that of the second and first games. Compare them side by side if you don't believe me. Some assets from the second game are reused such as the Normandy's interior. This supposedly cut development time. I haven't noticed anything else that was blatantly reused, and if they did, I'd wager they used the models of a given object and retextured it. I also found the textures to be slightly better than that of the demo, but maybe I'm imagining things.

Despite the graphics not being BF3 quality, I think the game looks good. FOV complaints are valid, but what game comes out now that handles this well on the PC? Every PC game that comes out has gamers up in arms about the FOV and they bitch even harder if you can't adjust it through some kind of console command. Ideally you shouldn't have to do this at all, but that seems to be what all devs do.

I'm about 9 hours in and the story seems fine to me. It's not the first game, that's for sure. But the first game was the first game. Seriously, sequels are never able to deliver the feeling the first game does with regard the story because you end up being so familiar with the settings and some of the characters. I disagree with any assertions that the fighting on Earth had no feeling of tenseness to it, I think it did, but the fact is, you know Shepard isn't in any danger here beyond the normal potential for getting killed by a Husk or something like that. So at best they can make the situation feel tense, but that's hard to deliver on. And for those who don't recall, earlier Mass Effect games only ever felt tense near the end of the game where things happen much faster and your actions truly start to have immediate and somewhat foreseable consequences. The Collector ship boarding mission, the Collector base assault or the battle on the Citadel in Mass Effect 2 and 1 respectively were probably the only times I truly felt tense in the series. Honestly, I just haven't got far enough in the game and I doubt any of you have unless you spent 20 hours playing it yesterday, or pirated the damn thing earlier than that.

I think the Earth sequence was pretty good for the most part. Though I could have done without the kid, I know what they were trying to do with that sequence, but it just didn't come across as anything but a cheesy play on emotions. It felt forced and was just bad. The Palavan sequence was a disappointment. I will agree with that. It just seemed to lack the scale or importance, and civilization you'd expect on a moon near the homeworld of such an advanced species. It was too short, lacked scope and did really feel flat. So I'll grant that. Other missions are sometimes quick and easy as they were in Mass Effect 2. Some seem simple on the surface and then turn into a clusterfuck. Just like ME2. So expect that as you go through it.

As for the nerd raging over Tali's face reveal, is this unexpected? People made such a big deal about the character, and seeing her face in the second one. With all the hype that was either intentionally or unintentionally developed in the first two games, I think anything they did would probably let some people down. You just can't live up to that expectation. It's different when you see a character like Miranda and you make your quick decision about whether or not you think she's pretty. Even if you don't think she's the greatest looking chick, the game gives you a chance to know the character and then you may either like her or not. Tali is a different story. You got to know and like the character in the earlier installments, but you couldn't judge her appearance. That mystery was always there and that was part of the charm. Once her face is revealed, you'll probably always be disappointed unless your expectations were more or less realistic. Quarrians aren't that attractive to me due to their body stature and build anyway, I couldn't imagine they'd be really beautiful or anything under the masks. Also, plenty of concept art from the second and third games is available to get a general idea of what she probably looks like or at least conceptually where they thought about going with her. I never found those images to be either disappointing or exciting.

I've read some comments I've found a little undeserved or flat out wrong. I think someone said in this thread earlier that: "The weapon customization is better than ME2, but it ain't no ME1" or something to that effect. There is a grain of truth to that. ME1 sucked in this regard. Yeah you had options, but using them was shit. The interface was BAD. The fact that you ended up with tons of versions of each mod and weapon became almost daunting to manage. This game treats armor the way ME2 did in which upgrades are different pieces of armor that change how the armor looks. I really liked this about the second game. You did have armor in ME1 and then change out the two armor slots. You were stuck with whatever color the armor came in. You couldn't do anything about it. There is as much customization as ME2 had, and more in an improved interface. As for weapons, new versions of the weapons simply replace the old ones automatically as they should. This is global and effects all squad mates as it did in ME2. However each weapon has two mod slots just as they did in ME1. And instead of keeping up with new versions of upgrades and having enough to go around, a single upgrade is duplicated for availability across all squad mates. You can individually customize their weapons and Shepards. Just like you could in ME1. But you aren't burdened with a massive inventory of crap you have to sell or convert to Omni-Gel.

People are whining about the gay stuff, but the fact of the matter is that people have been asking for it since ME1! Now it's here and people are bitching. :confused: And for those of you who don't want to "accidentally" trigger your homophobia, don't worry about it. So far what I've seen has been blatantly obvious and easily avoided. Simply quick save (PC version only) prior to talking to the gays if you are that concerned about it. It also looks to me like romances and who is romancable is ultimately dependant on your Shepard's gender. So if you are rocking a FemShep then you don't have to worry about the gay guy and couldn't land him if you wanted to. Your Shep can like girls, guys, or both it seems. But as in the real world, what will reciprocate is based on what the person in question likes to a large degree.

I think one review linked in the thread mentioned something about the appearances of squad mates from the second game being utterly too convenient is pretty much right. I won't spoil it, but some of them specifically seek you out to ask for your help, or to simply say hi after you've been released from confinement. That seemed reasonable. Where as others just happen to be where you happen to be at a given time. I think BioWare is coming from the idea that the people who you've worked with in the past either on their own, or due to influence from having worked with Shepard aren't taking this Reaper crap lying down and are out there doing what they can, and your goals end up aligning at times. And for awhile that's how it feels, but after awhile it does end up too convenient. So I'll grant that. I think they just wanted to cram as many cameos in the game as they could to try and appease people. But hey, it's Shepard and he/she has a way of meeting people, helping them and then running into them all over the galaxy. He/She is very popular and is one of those people that knows someone everywhere I guess. :)

So far I'm liking the weapons and I really enjoy the new modification system, weight management, etc. For those wondering the N7 weapons that come with the Collector's Edition are some of the best I've used so far. So that was nice to see. The only thing I don't like is that the heavy weapons from ME2 seem gone and are replaced by grenades. I really don't care for that. Grenades work, but like in ME1 they feel some what ineffective and imprecise. They aren't totally gone, as I picked one up and used it on Palavan but it had only one or two shots in it. I didn't get to keep it going foward. Shepard is kind of a gun hoarder so it didn't make sense to me. It does make the combat a little tougher though as the lack of heavy weapons and the less effective grenades do increase the challenge of certain situations.

Someone mentioned something about being able to talk to some people without actually choosing conversation options, well that's actually true. Mass Effect 2 did this as well, at times, but it's far more prevalent in this game. Typically it only happens with side quests, or after you've run through all your dialog choices with a given squad / ship mate for the time being. A lot of the squad mates are now like Zaeed and Kasumi were in ME2 where they'll run through several random things to say when clicked on after you've completed all their traditional dialog up to that point. Honestly I like that better with regard to the squad and ship mates because you don't have everything reposition and enter into dialog only to find the options are unchanged. When they have something new to say, you can interact with them as you normally would. Where it's kind of odd is really on some of the side quests. You'll over hear someone and pick up the quest. ME2 did this too, but not often. Then you go out and grab what they need only to return it and then, they'll just talk to you without any dialog choices. It takes getting used to because it's not how things have worked in the earlier games for the most part. On one hand it could be a brilliant choice as these conversations don't matter very much. Though on the other hand, it means that you do not get to set the tone of the conversation as you would have in the previous games.

Combat is far tighter than it was in previous games. And the spacebar being bound to roll, break cover, etc. sometimes has Shepard doing crap you didn't want he/she to do. This is a problem. One of the casualties of multiplatform is things like this not being more well thought out. It's basically just like ME2, but with rolls and slides added to the mix. Once you get used to it you don't roll around accidentally nearly as much. Medigel actually heals you now. You can regenrate health, but only if a single bar is partially lost. So if you have six bars and you lose half a bar of health, that regens. If you lose 2 bars, it doesn't. Sheilds regenerate, but they don't seem nearly as strong or long lasting as they were in ME2. So it is easier to die here. Medigel fixes your Shepard and companions. However, as with ME2, once an area is cleared, down squad mates get back up and their health regens automatically. Squad AI is pretty good for the most part. Issuing commands is just as easy as it was in ME2 and works the same way. Same controls and everything. They climb ladders and get around just as Shepard does, rather than oddly fall off objects or disappear and reappear someplace as they did in the previous game.

The impact of your decisions from previous games is really hard to judge given that I don't know how certain sequences would go in ME3 without having played it from different save files or without importing an earlier Shepard at all. But from what I can see so far, not regaining your Specter status in ME2 could make things tougher in this game. The decision didn't really do jack squat in ME2 other than providing additional conversation choices which made two or three side quests a little easier than they ordinarily would be. But in this game, you get access to a special area on the Citidel which is for active Specters only, and it gives you the option to purchase three new weapons, use a shooting range and modification station, as well as gain additional intelligence reports, and even authorize certain things which can basically pick up free assets to use in the war against the Reapers. I don't want to spoil that, but essentially, you can authorize the release of former Cerberus operatives which served on the Normandy SR-2 in ME2 and add them back to the crew in ME3. I won't say which ones.

Romancing is a bit complicated. So far I don't know much other than it looks like you have to homosexual choices. One per gender. So that is true as I stated earlier. Conversation options with regard to this seem to be very blatant, so you shouldn't do this accidentally if you don't want to. Beyond that, it looks like you may have the option to romance Ashley and possibly Liara if you didn't in an earlier game. I'm not sure what the Tali situation is like as I haven't seen her yet, but I'm sure it's the same. Anyone who romanced Thane, Jack, Jacob, Miranda, etc. may be screwed though. So far appearances of some of those characters are speaking cameos at best. So you may be forced to pick a new romance option in ME3. Essentially, they've got their own lives and things to do, so it looks like they'll be unavailable. This could change as I get further into the game, but so far it seems to me like some of those romances are dead ends.

Someone also made a comment about the Normandy looking like shit on the inside now. Well the Alliance was in the process of refitting the ship's interior, and it looks like Joker and EDI ran off with the ship before this process was finished. So some of the ship's interior isn't fully assembled and has that "under construction look."

So far I'm enjoying the game. Story seems good so far even if some sections or aspects of it could have been done better.
 
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CrimsonKnight13 said:
I noticed that the nightmares are a lot like the waking dreams/visions of F.E.A.R. & F.E.A.R. 2 but they did it way better. I'm a bit perplexed at some of the choices that have been made with the game.
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I had forgotten about that. I think they wanted to illustrate that the events of the earlier games are finally taking their toll on Shepard to some degree. That's expected, but I'm not a fan of the dream sequences so far.
 
Oh Dan on the FoV console port thing Deus Ex did it VERY well you can adjust it in 1dec steps

imo Deus Ex should be prime case of how a console port SHOULD be done
 
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