LibriumArcana.Games

I figured I'd start this thread now, since it seems like Bioware's preparing for one hell of a launch for this game.

So far, I've seen that they've included DLC for this game in the pre-order version, next from a demo of an extraordinarily awful game, and now, from action figures:

GameInformer wrote:Perhaps taking a cue from the recent success of Activision's Skylanders, EA will release new Mass Effect action figures later this year that include downloadable content for Mass Effect 3.

According to new listing on BigBadToyStore.com, each figure contains different in-game content exclusive to North America. Below is the product description:

Bonus Downloadable Game Content: Each figure includes an in-pack card giving you access to downloadable in-game bonus content. Each figure contains different in-game content, exclusive to North American released product. Collect all 8 for the full experience!

The BioWare store notes, however, that the content is "slightly randomized during the registration and could include powerful new weapons and new characters. The pack could also include character boosters, weapon modifications, and weapon upgrades to make your multi-player squad stronger. "

The listing also says the content is available for PC and Xbox 360 only.

We've contacted EA for additional comment.

I haven't collected any action figures for many moons, so I remain skeptical - then again, if it can give Garrus, Liara, Tali, Legion, and others some nice boosts... well. I may reconsider, and then just throw the toys away.

I'm not sure about this, but meh.

I'm not the biggest fan of ME there is, but I thought it was a decent Action-RPG SciFi game.

I'm not a big fan of EA's big push that Origin is required to run all of their new games now (I already have STEAM, why do I want ORIGIN as well? [Also, fun fact: ORIGIN is also the name of the former Developer turned Studio started by Richard Garrot that published game series like Wing Commander and Ultima, who was gutted, and raped by EA when they decided to consolidate studios into Redwood, CA]) Even if I buy the physical copy, I apparently have to install ORIGIN onto my system to even play it.

But then again...that IS what Valve did with their games....if I want to play a Valve Title, I HAVE to have STEAM installed for STEAMWorks for it's authentication...

Still, it's a PITA I'm not sure I want to deal with.

I hate that verification software concept too. Hopefully it'll at least get along with my system better than Steam does.

I am hoping that Mass Effect 3 turns out decent. The first two weren't high art story-wise, but I did enjoy the setting a lot and the soundtrack really worked great with the game, especially the first one. The second was kind of a mixed bag with some gaping storyline holes (let's take the whole team on the shuttle to conveniently set up our crew abduction/Joker solo scene!) but made up for it somewhat with some pretty damn cool settings. Omega was beautifully atmospheric, and the cloned Krogan training ground was pretty awesome. Best of all, I freaking loved the exterior of the Shadow Broker ship from the DLC, even if the boss fights were pretty cheesy in that, though not as bad as the boss fight at the end of ME3.

I'll be happy for some more good soundtrack, epic sweep, and decent characters. And more of Jacob describing his weird dreams to Yeoman Kelly:

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I never played any of the ME2 DLC, to be honest, so I don't really know the "True" ending to ME2....

Dark Silver wrote:I never played any of the ME2 DLC, to be honest, so I don't really know the "True" ending to ME2....

You're a heretic. Thank you for admitting it to the world.

Seriously though, pretty much all the extra mission DLC for ME2 is great. The ones for Kasumi (Stolen Memory), the Shadow Broker DLC, the Firewalker missions from the Cerberus Network DLC (though I've heard some disagree), Zaeed Massani and his missions from the Cerberus Network DLC, the Arrival DLC, and a few others I'm forgetting, I'm sure.

The others for extra weapons, armor, and even character looks are more optional, and up to you - I personally swear by the Firepower Pack (which gives you the Mattock assault rifle, my very favorite), and the armor pack (I forget the actual name - it's the one that gives you the Kestrel armor, which is awesome).

mostly I don't feel I should have to pay for DLC for a single player game to see how it all really ends.

Expacs are one thing (mostly for MP games), but DLC like that that I have to play that tells the true end of a game....meh.

Dark Silver wrote:mostly I don't feel I should have to pay for DLC for a single player game to see how it all really ends.

Expacs are one thing (mostly for MP games), but DLC like that that I have to play that tells the true end of a game....meh.

Ah - I see what you mean. You don't have to download any of the DLC to see a "real" ending. You get the "real" ending with the game.

What people may be talking about though is the Arrival DLC, which is meant to help bridge the gap between ME2 and ME3. It doesn't add an extra ending, just another major galactic event.

Of course I could point out that if everyone waits a day or two post release(if even that long) there will be a way found around the Origin requirement. Probably wouldn't have to install it at all to get it to run. Of course you may end up losing out on some online content that way so there is that.

I was pretty disappointed by The Arrival. Good fights, but the story was one giant gaping plothole.

As for the others, Lair of the Shadowbroker is the best of the lot for play packs. I enjoyed the hell out of Overlord and thought it had the best boss fight in ME2. Kasumi was okay, Zaeed was pretty cool because Zaeed. Seriously, Zaeed is a very well-done psychopath. Firewalker was okay but nothing special.

All of 'em were optional and like Rhoenix said the ending is the ending from ME2. Arrival theoretically gives the setup for ME3, which I figure you're better getting from a recap rather than enduring.

B4: by online content, you mean freebies or the DLCs? They've done well enough with some of the DLCs that I want to be able to get them.

Josh, both probably. However, unless there is multiplayer online content somewhere it wouldn't prevent you from likewise getting cracked versions of the DLC and playing that way. Yes, I suppose this is technically immoral/illegal. Personally I'm against having to have a bunch of extra software just to run a stand alone game, not to mention all the crapware that probably gets installed with it. Or maybe Ubisoft has just soured me to any of the big companies doing things right anymore.

tl;dr I like Mass Effect but I feel that it is more of a missed opportunity for really groundbreaking story telling more than it is a successful merging of shooter action with a cinematic storyline. But having said that I am eager to play the final chapter because I've invested enough time and money into the series that I desire a satisfactory conclusion to it. What follows is a rant you may want to skip if you have better things to do with your time like watching TV.

The way I view Mass Effect is this: very good concept, failure in execution. I'm not even talking about some of the gameplay limitations or the lazy map design (which is mainly an issue with the first game, but it was also repeated in the second in a different way). I'm just talking cool story concepts that were fantastic, but then let down by some really shitty, cheap writing. Like in ME when you meet Sovereign and he has this deep booming, sinister voice, and is a giant alien spaceship of unimaginable power which looks like some Lovecraftian horror. And yet he actually engages you in conversation and metaphorically twirls his snidely whiplash moustache; it's so completely incongruous. ME2 was even worse, with Harbinger shit-talking you every five seconds:

I KNOW YOU FEEL THIS SHEPARD

THIS IS TRUE POWER

IF I HAVE TO TEAR YOU APART, SHEPARD, I WILL

Well shit Harby, I thought we were friends. I didn't realise you felt that way.

ME had a pretty decent story, which unfortunately was let down by Bioware encouraging us to take constant detours all over the galaxy for side missions that don't actually matter. The main plot has this 'race against the clock' feel which belies the fact that as the player I can choose to delay going to the plot-planets for as long as possible. Linearity isn't a terrible thing you know, especially when you're main plot sort of implies shit is going to hit the fan if you don't find the Conduit and get there first. For that matter, what the hell was the point of the Conduit? Saren could have just gone onto the Citadel's master control system as a SPECTRE and nobody would have batted an eyelash. Indeed, he could have snuck geth aboard the Citadel given how easily he did so on Noveria (which had such tight psychopathic security they were going to shoot me down before I pulled rank and said 'fuck off I'm a Spectre'). The whole Conduit thing was a real letdown IMO. But vigil was awesome, and ME gets forgiven just for that cathartic scene even if it's just 99% exposition. Also the final set piece battle for the Citadel was really well done, if let down by the video of spaceships firing literally fireballs at each other. I didn't read that in the Codex.

One thing that was really missing from the game though was the whole 'investigate leads and find out more about Saren' thing. With the exception of Noveria and Virmire, none of the other two plot planets have much to do with Saren - not really. And even Noveria is largely about the problems up at Peak 15 and some corporate intrigue at the start (don't get me wrong, that stuff is good); the actual Saren stuff is limited to a short conversation you have with Counselor Troi. Therum is all about getting Liara, and Ferros was very loosely related to the main quest except for like the last five minutes. What they should have done was add more stuff that gave us a better picture of Saren. One idea I heard that I really loved the sound of was Shepard tracking down an old Saren safehouse, and finding some stuff there like diary recordings. That would have been a great way to underscore the whole 'is Saren indoctrinated' angle and what are his motivations, which they played up in the lategame but didn't have that good of a setup. Sure Troi was totally indoctrinated but we saw her at the end, we didn't get a kind of step-by-step look at how this shit happens to someone. (she was another wasted opportunity IMO - we hear about her when the asari bitch on the Council recognises her voice and tells us she's a powerful Matriarch - gee, maybe that should get some more air time don't you think? Like why would an asari matriarch throw her lot in with Captain Asshole? Instead it's just a brief conversation with her and with what's her face, Shiala I think) - Anyway it's the same problem, instead of show don't tell, Bioware insists on telling us what we need to know and also a lot of stuff we probably don't need to know but they're going to tell us anyway.

I would have traded virtually all of the sidequest planets for more plot-heavy stuff that delves into the villains as characters.

Then we have ME2. Ah, what can I say. The gameplay was improved significantly, but one step forward, two steps back and a hop sideways too to boot. The thermal heat sink system was one of the most shockingly awful retcons I've ever witnessed, and it fucking sucked. Way to stick true to your IP guys! True ME's gameplay system was broken thanks to frictionless materials X x2 on spectre gear, which basically meant you could fire eternally and never overheat. The solution to that is to... throw the entire concept out? What? Baby with the bathwater, bioware? The thing is I don't object to the idea of a thermal sink system on principle, but it was a shitty retcon and that's what disgusts me. And bioware just insists on it and refuses to bend on it, which is just typical stubbornness on their part. But as far as the rest of the gameplay is concerned, it was massive improvement (tech classes are actually distinct now? And have cool powers? The adept isn't the single-most broken class in the game like how it was in the first one? holy shit).

But then you have the story. Now the main plot, the whole Collector's are abducting humans and entire colonies are vanishing, that shit is gold. Dy-no-mite. The main plot really draws you in. But just like how in ME there was that whole 'racing against time' thing, so too in ME2. There is a sense that 'look shit we're in trouble Shepard, you gotta find out wtf is going on asap', which is completely undermined when you have a ship full of a dozen special forces operatives ALL OF WHOM HAVE PERSONAL PROBLEMS ONLY YOU CAN FIX.

Whoa guys, slow down, whatever happened to just being professional and keeping your personal lives personal? What happened to 'the mission comes first' etc etc? You mean I have to nursemaid you guys to deal with your crippling emotional problems and act as not just your Commanding Officer but also your therapist? Do I look like COUNSELOR TROI TO YOU? I SHOT THAT BITCH LAST GAME FUCKERS.

Now if they had spun it like 'well shit Shepard, you want me to volunteer for this goddamn suicide mission for you, the least you can do is fucking give me a ride to the Citadel so I can talk my son out of assassinating someone/going to some planet to find out what happened to my dad/go to some other planet to rescue my twin sister who is actually a clone of me because i have daddy issues and he was a real prick and let me tell you about it even though i know you don't care/etc etc' but yeah they don't really go on that route. Seriously three quarters of the game's plot is about helping your squadmates achieve self-actualisation. It's utterly bizarre. And the unfortunate thing is that most of your squadmates are fucking boring. Like Jacob. Is there anyone who actually likes this guy? Or JACK. 'Hi I'm a badass chick who is bald and has tattoos and swears a lot but i also have a tragic upbringing that my present actions totally don't undermine because whoops i'm an unrepentant mass murderer and i also have magic powers look at me punch all these giant mechs and one shot them - it's a shame that when I join your party I will mysteriously lose these fantastic abilities though'. Or Samara, who is literally a Space Paladin with breast implants and nothing more. (although her loyalty mission has points in its favour for being completely non-combat driven)

I think ME had the right idea on just having half the number of squad mates, and without overly elaborate side-quests for each. If you're going to go down the route ME2 took then at least make the characters compelling. Guys like Mordin were excellent. Legion was criminally underused. Seriously. Grunt though... or Jacob... or Jack... less so. But to praise it ME2 really pushed the whole unique environments and going on the Collector ship and the derelict Reaper for the first time was fucking creepy. Really atmospheric. And the map design was a million times better than ME's was with the only problem being the ridiculously obvious waist high cover that pops up whenever you're about to have a firefight - even when it doesn't make sense.

~

So anyway, now that I got that rant out of the way, I have to say that I am looking forward to ME3. The stuff they've added to improve things actually looks good, like bringing back mods, having different types of enemies, and stuff like that. I just hope the writing improves because goddamn, third time's the charm.

I actually liked the side missions in ME2, which were leaps and bounds better than fighting in the same prefab colony complex fifty times like in ME.

However, they do suffer from the glaring problem of "BAD GUYS ARE COMING TO WIPE OUT ALL LIFE AS WE KNOW IT, oh hey could you stop here and get the cat out of the tree? TIA!"

I mean, maneuvering around the collapsing freighter to get the data before it falls off the cliff is a cool concept, but I have a hard time reconciling the Shepherd who's all "I'm here to stop the reapers and nothing else" with agreeing to that kind of risky detour. Kind of a shame, really, because I liked how the probe missions were executed in a mission-by-mission basis, just not how they fit into the overall storyline.

As for the loyalty missions, yes! It could've been redone as recruiting missions and it would've flowed so much better. Not to mention cutting the chaff. Do we need three psionic specialists? Four shooters?

Still, I enjoyed it for popcorn fun and because I do like the premise of the setting itself. Some of the execution was great fun, I loved the atmosphere of Omega and hell they did do a pretty good job with atmosphere in general. The first time aboard the collector ship, I was walking on eggshells waiting for the damn thing to come to life. Ditto for Overlord and the trip into the Geth ship, where every turn I made I was just waiting for a million Geth to come screaming out at us. The busted facility for Jack's loyalty mission was visually awesome and such a nice contrast to standard visuals, it actually felt like it was once functional and had been abandoned to the elements.

I totally agree on the thermal clips. At that point just go back to calling it ammo and clips, but then I guess you can't claim that they're universally interchangeable and somehow magically slot into all your weapons at the same time.

To be honest, while I think the sidequests in ME2 were a massive improvement over ME, from a level design point of view anyway, I would still have preferred they be excised and instead plot-heavy missions were put in instead. I don't care if it's a railroad. To my mind, bioware really fails in the whole 'sandbox-lite, your choices matter, you can go anywhere you want and do anything you want' gameplay mindset. Because it's the illusion of choice. Nothing is really meaningful, and only ME3 can tell us if our choices actually matter. For example, killing the council is pretty much the only choice that is presented to matter in ME, but in ME2 the only thing this alters is whether the council even speaks to you. Putting Anderson on the council doesn't matter because he'll resign anyway for ME3. I'm hoping the choices in ME2 have greater weight but I guess time will tell soon enough.

For example, there is this mission where you have to stop a bunch of batarian terrorists from launching missiles at a colony, and by the end of it thanks to act of plot you can only self-destruct one set of missiles. My question is: where's the Normandy in all this? Why didn't I have the Normandy set up to interdict anything that launches from the base? Why wasn't that a choice I could have made at the beginning of the mission, assuming let's say for the sake of argument that it could only be possible if I had invested in certain ship upgrades by that time (which would have been a great way to underscore the importance of upgrading the Normandy prior to the final mission; but then upgrading the Normandy is too easy anyway and is basically just a dialogue choice with a squadmate, so that's another gripe there). But no the choice is 'kill the colony, leave the colonists intact' or the reverse for dark side points RENEGADE.

A lot of the choices in ME are like this. Kill the rachni queen, or let her go? UM HOW ABOUT NEITHER - why is it up to me? She's safely secured where she is, why can't I leave her there and go pick up a fucking phone and call a friend call the council? EDIT- You know, this reminds me of something else: why is it that in ME and ME2 even, a lot of the interactions are still face to face? Why do I need to walk around a city in space or on a planet to look for someone to talk to, why can't I just pick up a phone and call them? This is the future for fuck's sake, not Dragon Age: Horribilis. A lot of the choices are fucking meaningless as well. There was this one bit on Illium where you meet an asari and krogan couple, and you can choose to either convince her to dump him or stay with him. OH. MY. GAWD I don't care! Holy shit. Why is this even in the game?

Having said that, I liked Legion's loyalty mission the most as far as 'choice' goes, because it actually made me struggle to think it through. Brainwashing them vs killing them off, where there is no guarantee that the former will be permanent. BTW Legion was awesome, but it's obvious that he was never meant to be used during most of the game (you could take him to the Citadel if you don't mind seeing Kelly Chambers die a painful death later; the funny thing is no-one bats an eyelash at the presence of a geth walking around with a giant anti-materiel sniper rifle slung on his back). I think the only place that truly cracks the shits over him is the quarian flotilla, but you can still browbeat your way onto it with your goddamn geth in tow. Which is hilarious considering the nature and content of Tali's LM. Tali's LM and Mordin's also strike me as something that will have ramifications in ME3.

I can almost buy the Rachni decision as being reflective of that fact that, paragon or renegade, Shepherd is an asshole who has little respect for the council. That in itself is Bioware's recycling of "Three fuddy-duddies who don't trust our hero and tentatively support the hero while delivering smarmy lectures."

But yeah, when they were bitching at me for releasing the Rachni the first time and the Turian councilor was all "Why didn't you let us handle this?" my mental response was "Well, I'm not entirely sure about that one myself."

As it's been said, if we could combine the aesthetics of Bioware games with Black Isle's storylines we'd never leave the house.

Yeah the funny thing about it is that the Spectres are said to be almost fully autonomous and at one point the asari and salarian council members outright tell you that if you disagree with a decision you can more or less tell the council to stick it because that's what the Spectre office is all about; doing whatever it takes to keep the galaxy safe (I don't think the council really thought it through when they came up with the idea of Spectres ). I think this was the conversation you have with them after Virmire, where you're trying to convince them that the Reapers are the true threat.

As far as the rachni queen goes, it's just one of those odd narrative mistakes that breaks the flow of the game if you ponder it too long. There really was no reason given why you couldn't just let the bitch stew for a bit while you go talk to the council about it. It's either 'ok I'll let you go because I am full of sunshine and happiness' OR 'imma drown you in ACID bitch!' There's no... in-between. :)

Incidentally, I more or less decide to let her go since I feel the decision to commit genocide - which is what it essentially boils down to with that decision - is too much for one space marine to handle, even Commander Shepard who is basically Space Jesus.

I got more of a kick out of the Witcher and Alpha Protocol for the concept of 'choice and consequences' than anything in ME. Having said that, if ME3 turns around and goes 'ok all the consequences of all the decisions you made in the previous two games have come to roost, because guys guess what this is the final chapter of the story so ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN LOL' I will be very, very happy.

I need to get around to trying Witcher one of these days. Alpha Protocol rocked the jocks, but it is honestly more than I expect the typical game company to match. I look at Bioware games as being a somewhat interactive high-fantasy movie, where you get to nudge the dialogue a bit to your satisfaction and shoot/stab/force crush things. Given that I liked the overall ME setting, I could let go of some of the goofier plot twists and railroading.

What I'd really love, though, is for ME3 to have more dilemmas along the lines of that Legion loyalty mission, with honestly stark decisions that have to be made on the spot, as well as having unexpected consequences for some of the seemingly good or bad decisions from the first two. Letting the Rachni live very likely will lead to having them as allies when the Reapers come to jam their phallic ships into moist, quivering Mother Earth, but it'd be nicer if the twists weren't so predictable. What I am expecting there is that yes, the Rachni will be willing to help... after you go and recover the queen's lost jewels, or possibly go on a monster hunt to clean her nest up nice and tidy.

Having the Rachni come back and go to work for the Reapers, on the other hand, would be a decent twist. Do things that show that all the authority that Shepherd has assumed in making decisions for the whole galaxy might not have been the best way to go about things even if the council were a bunch of poopyheads.

Josh wrote:I need to get around to trying Witcher one of these days.

If you haven't already, do it now. It's one of the best fantasy rpgs I've ever played. The plot is pretty dense but I like it because of that. Too many fantasy games are about 'only you can save the world from orcs DARKSPAWN' regurgitated again and again.

The character of Geralt is also pretty novel and I really like how the moral choices work in the game. It's less about black and white stark moral choices and more about shades of grey, lesser of two evils, unintended consequences sort of thing. Which I think is bloody brilliant.

Alpha Protocol rocked the jocks, but it is honestly more than I expect the typical game company to match. I look at Bioware games as being a somewhat interactive high-fantasy movie, where you get to nudge the dialogue a bit to your satisfaction and shoot/stab/force crush things. Given that I liked the overall ME setting, I could let go of some of the goofier plot twists and railroading.

I wouldn't mind the railroading if it was actually a railroad, rather than a road you can take detours whilst travelling down but ultimately you end up in the same place. Something like Alpha Protocol just blows it out of the water with regards to the 'well you can go down whatever road you want' sort of metaphor. My first playthrough I literally ended up alone because everyone I knew was either killed by my hand or by others. My second playthrough was more successful but there was still that element of 'well, nobody is bulletproof'. I also found the conversation system to be a massive improvement over ME's style where the good light side options are a light, friendly blue and the bad evil dark side options are an angry red. In AP it's more about a conversational stance that's aimed at getting what you want from whoever you're speaking to. Some people respond better to aggression than they do to clipped, professional tones or a jocular attitude. And 'losing' rep with someone just opens up different options than the bioware method of directly penalising the player for taking the 'evil but oh so funny' dialogue options.

Both the Witcher and AP just shows me Bioware ain't all that when it comes to RPGs, and they're basically crowned king of the genre for no better reason than because 'oh we made Baldur's Gate 2 like a decade ago guys' and it's been nothing but inertia ever since.

What I'd really love, though, is for ME3 to have more dilemmas along the lines of that Legion loyalty mission, with honestly stark decisions that have to be made on the spot, as well as having unexpected consequences for some of the seemingly good or bad decisions from the first two. Letting the Rachni live very likely will lead to having them as allies when the Reapers come to jam their phallic ships into moist, quivering Mother Earth, but it'd be nicer if the twists weren't so predictable. What I am expecting there is that yes, the Rachni will be willing to help... after you go and recover the queen's lost jewels, or possibly go on a monster hunt to clean her nest up nice and tidy.

Having the Rachni come back and go to work for the Reapers, on the other hand, would be a decent twist. Do things that show that all the authority that Shepherd has assumed in making decisions for the whole galaxy might not have been the best way to go about things even if the council were a bunch of poopyheads.

I'm hoping that there are a multitude of unintended consequences from all the various decisions that were made in the previous two games. The rachni queen seems to be the most obvious for that, same goes for Legion's LM and the results of whatever happened with Mordin's research. But I'd like to see big things snowballed from little things from the first game. Like that asari bitch you have a choice of letting go or shooting in the head on Virmire. Or the salarian specialist who was in the prison cell. You could let him out or leave him there to rot. Given how subtle indoctrination can be, there is a risk someone like him and the asari bitch could be indoctrinated without any overt signs. Thus, letting them go might come back to bite you. Conversely, letting them go might lead to learning more about indoctrination after a fashion, but it might mean people die first.

I kinda want to see pros and cons as well. The problem with bioware is binary moral choices - good choices are always good, bad choices are always... well, not really bad because lol you can't punish players from taking the DARK SEIDE RENEGADE approach apparently, but I suppose it still leads to bad things for some people. Anyway I'd love to see a choice that gets made which has positives and negatives, and these are different to what would have happened if you went the other way. But that kind of scripting is beyond Bioware's ability to make. :)

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this trailer gave me a hardon

That is one thing I've appreciated since the first game... it does give you a real sense of scale, even if you're only visiting a few worlds in a larger federation-type deal, it really makes you feel like the galaxy is at stake. ME did a better job of that than KotoR, probably because the side missions on various little worlds were available even if they were also silly in the face of having such a big problem to resolve.

I still like the original trailer better, though. The sniper shooting the reaper-critter, then kicking to the music and Shepherd in orbit.

Sheppard: 'Good luck.'
[REDACTED] (Krogan): 'I don't need luck. I have ammo.'

God, I love the Krogan.

Anybody try it yet? I'm waiting for the price drop.

Not yet. I ordered it from overseas and it hasn't reached me yet. It was only dispatched like a day ago too.

Well you can let me know how it is. I'm finally off the stick and downloading Witcher, that should tide me over nicely in the meantime.

Let me know when EA lets me buy it off Steam, then I'll get it.

I'm actually waiting for my Mass Effect 2 playthrough to finish, and for Bioware to correct a bug with facial imports from ME1.