Mass Effect 3

Kirby

degrassinoel wrote: »

I liked leviathan, plenty of lore there. Omega was a massive shootout, but i enjoyed it aswell

I actually like all of the DLC bar 'From Ashes' but even that in itself isnt too bad either, plus you get a freaky rastafari collector as a squadmate!

He's a prothean! Calling him a collector is spoilers, man!

His real name is prothy the prothean anyway.

Zillah

Gunmonkey wrote: »

Hrm, Bringing Down the Sky from ME1 is a good story, lot of meat to it but not really vital for the overall story.

Lair of the Shadow Broker for ME2 is great, does add a lot to the plot and some threads spill into ME3. Arrival was meant to be a tie between the 2 games, I just watched the cutscenes online as its meant to not be that great gameplay-wise.

Not played Omega or Leviathan, but word is they are ok, nothing astounding.

Arrival was the worst God damned thing I've seen and it actually makes the story make less sense rather than more. I'd skip it.

ancapailldorcha

Bring down the Sky for Mass Effect introduces the Batarians as a new race and is very good. If you're on PC it's free as well. If you have trouble installing it, google it and you should find a post on the steam forums which will guide you through the process.
Lair of the Shadow Broker is excellent. It has 2 good boss fights and some funny dialogue. Arrival accounts for why Shepard is grounded after Mass Effect 2. Mass Effect 3 assumes you played both of them. Zaeed and Kasumi are both recommended. Kasumi in particular has a really cool loyalty mission. The crash site DLC is good as well but has no real bearing on the story.

noodler

I have to say Citadel looks awful.

The actual plot part looks so tacked on (unless there is greater significance attached to those unknown soldiers at some stage).

Everybody say Normandy?.....oh Shepard.....

degrassinoel

yeah i wasn't terribly moved by it either, am still gonna buy it though

Varik

Got a good deal of bioware points still, won't get it now but might get it and the omega later when I've time.

Gunmonkey

Ok so a new Operation for the MP is up, Operation Lodestar, seems we have several days to complete it. Basically you have to extract against all 4 factions on Silver for Normal, and on Platinum for Insanity.

degrassinoel

Awesome!

just got the dlc installed and off i go..am streaming it too if anyone's interested in seeing it without paying for it


http://www.twitch.tv/sprucelee76

Monty - the one and only

The normal gives a nice shiney banner




More info here http://blog.bioware.com/tag/me3operation/

but they have turned all the mission objectives into birthday cakes

degrassinoel

Enjoyed that DLC, few hours worth in it, and it may just have been me taking it wrong but i thought there were more than a few hints at ME4 being set during the first contact war.

Also..

I should go?

laughed out loud at that one!

Mr. K

degrassinoel wrote: »

Enjoyed that DLC, few hours worth in it, and it may just have been me taking it wrong but i thought there were more than a few hints at ME4 being set during the first contact war.

Also..

I should go?

laughed out loud at that one!

Sounds good! I'd be happy to explore any period of the ME universe's history, it's so rich. Looking forward to playing Citadel now too.

Monty - the one and only

degrassinoel wrote: »

Enjoyed that DLC, few hours worth in it, and it may just have been me taking it wrong but i thought there were more than a few hints at ME4 being set during the first contact war.

Also..

I should go?

laughed out loud at that one!

Definatly worth it, have to say it lasted longer than i thought it would.

Have to say though,

loved the squad banter in the archives.... but jokers laugh during the party had me in stiches

Its quite hard to pick out a best moment of it all, not because there are too few, but because there are too many.

Should also point out, I love the sound of the lancer.

nyarlothothep

Playing ME3 at the moment. It's enjoyable for what it's worth but I feel it's a bit like a game on rails, the cutscenes are way too long and I know it's part of the plot but the universe feels quite boxed in by the war setting. I preferred the last two games as there was a sense of greater freedom, but I'm only in the early days of the game so that might change. The graphics while done to a high standard feel a bit rushed, like the artists had to race to get everything done. Overall though the game is good.

degrassinoel

those rails dude.. they're on an emotional rollercoaster!

nyarlothothep

There is another thing, the sky in the citadel looks like Quake sky, it looks like a polygonal plane with a footage sequence running on the texture, there's no depth to it.

Kirby

It's actually supposed to look like that believe it or not. It's not supposed to look ultra realistic because there is no depth to it on the station. It's the ring of the citadel. Fake sky in space kind of way. They did the same thing with sly winks to the fish in the fake sea.

nyarlothothep

Kirby wrote: »

It's actually supposed to look like that believe it or not. It's not supposed to look ultra realistic because there is no depth to it on the station. It's the ring of the citadel. Fake sky in space kind of way. They did the same thing with sly winks to the fish in the fake sea.

Didn't know that, that's what happens when you don't pay attention to anything that's going on.

Pushtrak

Eurogamer gave The Citadel a 9. Damn, wish I could get my 360 online.

Actually, anyone here who is from Cork? If so, any internet cafes or such like that you can bring a console to and get it online? I'd have to bring my 360 somewhere that could go online so I could download the DLC. I'm guessing not, and I'll have to wait till summer, but can't hurt to ask.

noodler

I hate to be a Review snob but the fact EG have given it a 9 suddenly rekindles my interest.

How much is it?

I thought Levi was a bit expensive at 10e so you can imagine my utter disgust after the price of Omega which was much worse for 15e.

Zero-Cool

noodler wrote: »

I hate to be a Review snob but the fact EG have given it a 9 suddenly rekindles my interest.

How much is it?

I thought Levi was a bit expensive at 10e so you can imagine my utter disgust after the price of Omega which was much worse for 15e.

citadel is 15 euro as well. 5 euro too much i think

noodler

sheehy83 wrote: »

citadel is 15 euro as well. 5 euro too much i think

Okay, they can **** off again.

From Ashes: 10e
Levi: 10e
Omega: 15e (an absolute travesty imo)
Citadel 15e).

50e for DLC content worth about 10 hours.

I mean the main game only cost me 40 euro.

Gbear

noodler wrote: »

Okay, they can **** off again.

From Ashes: 10e
Levi: 10e
Omega: 15e (an absolute travesty imo)
Citadel 15e).

50e for DLC content worth about 10 hours.

I mean the main game only cost me 40 euro.

I wonder is it a bit of an error on their part.

If the paid DLC cost half as much but the difference was made up with the free DLC costing money I don't think many could argue that it'd be bad value for money.

Could be that the SP DLC subsidises the MP DLC.

noodler

Gbear wrote: »

I wonder is it a bit of an error on their part.

If the paid DLC cost half as much but the difference was made up with the free DLC costing money I don't think many could argue that it'd be bad value for money.

Could be that the SP DLC subsidises the MP DLC.

I'm not saying the MP was absolutely cost free for them but the majority of it was just skins/powers/characters/maps ripped straight from the game that they simply held back.

Obviously the Collectors pack required a fair bit of work (even if they are an awful enemy imo) but there is also online pass revenue they would have received.

Adyx

Are those the PS3 prices? On PC Leviathan is 800 Bioware points which is €8, Omega and Citadel are 1200 points which is €12. I think it's the same on Xbox. Ye are definitely being ripped off if so.

Mr Freeze

Still waiting on the Omega DLC to be discounted. I only recently picked up Leviathan for 400msp, I shall be waiting a while for Citadel.

Monty - the one and only

omega wasn't really worth it, too many bugs and animation glitches, however Citadel is worth it

noodler

Mr Freeze wrote: »

Still waiting on the Omega DLC to be discounted. I only recently picked up Leviathan for 400msp, I shall be waiting a while for Citadel.

Levi and move on. Forget about Omega.

Josey Wales

Does anyone know if you have a save file for ME3 from the retail disc but download the digital copy from PS+ if the save file will work?

I remember this was not the case for inFAMOUS but there was a work around by exporting the save file to your computer and changing something.

Zero-Cool

Josey Wales wrote: »

Does anyone know if you have a save file for ME3 from the retail disc but download the digital copy from PS+ if the save file will work?

I remember this was not the case for inFAMOUS but there was a work around by exporting the save file to your computer and changing something.

I would like to know this as well.

Josey Wales

sheehy83 wrote: »

I would like to know this as well.

I googled a bit more last night and found a few responses that said a save from a retail disc will work with the digital copy of ME3. It varies across publisher and title but for this game it works apparently.

Still have to actually download it. If the save does work I might buy some of the DLC. I had From Ashes already, it came with the version I bought. It should never have been DLC in the first place. I am interested in the lore the Leviathan has, especially after hearing it discussed on the Giant Bombcast. I've heard that Omega is combat heavy but the combat in ME3 was good so I don't see that as a major problem. And the Citadel DLC looks like great fan service.

The main thing holding me back is the cost. I keep thinking I'd be better off waiting on a GoTY edition of ME3 with all the DLC included. But that would only appeal if I could use my existing save file. I just don't have the time to invest another 35 hours or more to the main ME3 story.

Varik

Checked balance, I've 960 BW points lefts so if I spend €16 I'll get the 2 overpriced more recent DLC and have enough left over to get 1 weapon pack.



I'll just wait until there's a sale.

Azza

Just completed the Citadel DLC and I have to say its very good. By far the best of the ME 3 DLC packs and a fitting farewell to the trilogy. Its a big download at 3.6GB and packs a lot of content as well. I go maybe 6-7 hours and maybe a third of that was just messing around with the crew. I didn't even bother much with the combat arena which would add a few hours more. Almost the entire cast returns. Even characters that died off have new material supplied via videos and audio recordings.

Do recommend.

Josey Wales

I can confirm that a save file created from the retail disc will work with the digital copy available on the PSN store. I might get around to some of that DLC now.

degrassinoel

Citadel soundtrack was just released for free by bioware this evening - it's a ginormous WAV file though..

grab it here for free http://social.bioware.com/me3citadelsoundtrack.php

Adyx

degrassinoel wrote: »

Citadel soundtrack was just released for free by bioware this evening - it's a ginormous WAV file though..

grab it here for free http://social.bioware.com/me3citadelsoundtrack.php

That reminds me I must get around to converting the ME3 soundtrack to something other than wavs. It's 742 MB :eek:

SeantheMan

It's been over a year since ME3, time to start the trilogy again

Gbear

Can Steam have sales on games like ME1 and 2? I had a suspicion that EA might prevent them from doing so.

I have a really strong urge to buy the bundle of ME1 + ME2 Deluxe Edition (with all the DLC). It's 30 quid or something. Lost the games and all my saves and I have a serious hankering to play them through again, especially seeing as I never played any of the DLC for ME3.

degrassinoel

I know there were steam sales with me and me2 in them before but i havent seen them for ages on steam.

The copies i have which i initially bought on steam, show up on origin. Wasnt there a deal on origin recently with the mass effect bundle, 1,2 and 3 for 30quid?

Gbear

degrassinoel wrote: »

I know there were steam sales with me and me2 in them before but i havent seen them for ages on steam.

The copies i have which i initially bought on steam, show up on origin. Wasnt there a deal on origin recently with the mass effect bundle, 1,2 and 3 for 30quid?

I have ME3.

The untidyness of having 2 copies of ME3 is somewhat unsettling to the slightly autistic parts of my brain.:o

Gbear

Just had a look on origin: ME1 + ME2 Digital Deluxe = €20.

That'll do me.

Pushtrak

In case anyone is reading this thread without having played Mass Effect, I'd advise paying no attention to this post if you plan on changing that. A stat sheet of what decisions people made in terms of character class, gender are in here, but there are some spoiler stuff you'd be better off not seeing.

Anyway, here's the stats.

Personally, I've played the first two between 15 - 20 times. I've only played 3 twice or so, but my free time is far shorter now than it once was, rather than it being a statement on the game itself. What is the take of all the people here on the stats?

Only 18% went with FemShep which is a bit of a pity as the voice acting was far superior by her than it was for him.

64% didn't even have Wrex

. Honestly, these stats affirm the bald space marine trope. Look how many people played as the male soldier build. I think the stats are woeful.

Gbear

Pushtrak wrote: »

In case anyone is reading this thread without having played Mass Effect, I'd advise paying no attention to this post if you plan on changing that. A stat sheet of what decisions people made in terms of character class, gender are in here, but there are some spoiler stuff you'd be better off not seeing.

Anyway, here's the stats.

[...]

Only 18% went with FemShep which is a bit of a pity as the voice acting was far superior by her than it was for him.

64% didn't even have Wrex

. Honestly, these stats affirm the bald space marine trope. Look how many people played as the male soldier build. I think the stats are woeful.

Few interesting stats there.

I'm astonished that only 4% of players beat the game on hardest difficulty.

I'm replaying ME1 at the moment. It really isn't a great game. Which is a pity, because the story is the best of the three (although ME3 makes better use of music to give some parts extra poignancy).
It just feels a bit amateurish in places - not a game released as recently as 2008.

I'd hazard a guess that all of the 3.8% of players who shot Mordin are psychopaths :P

Seriously though, I'd love to see if any behaviours are predictors for something like psychopathy.
I find playing as a renegade very difficult. I could never go full-on space hitler - the best I could go in that direction was "paragade" where I tend to shoot first against baddies but don't just murder innocent people for the laugh and the bigger decisions are generally paragon. A pity the game penalises you for that sometimes.

On the "space marine trope", I tried making a character but he didn't really look human. I mostly stick to the stock male Shepard because i'm lazy.
In the first 2 games you're fairly heavily penalised for not picking Soldier, especially early on. It's not surprising that Infiltrator and Soldier are the most chosen - they're the easiest to play with.
ME3 changes that by making the other classes far more powerful, especially in that you can equip all weapons. Also, if you're importing you start at a fairly high level.

It's also fairly understandable that people pick a character broadly representative of themselves - in my case a white man. If I was black I might've made shepard black. If I was a women I would've been far more likely to make a female shepard.


I made 1 femshep just to try something different but I also made her Renegade so for the reasons I mentioned before I kinda lost interest. I also lost her save.

Gbear

There's a bit of a quirk on the Bioware website about buying Bioware points.

Normally points cost €1 per 100 points (€8=800 points).

However, 560 points costs 4.88 or 115 pts per €.

degrassinoel

I noticed that too when i got the citadel dlc last month,

Oh and a sidenote, there wont be any more ME3 weekend challenges, Bioware posted it on the quiet on their forums during the week. Sneaky.

Gbear

degrassinoel wrote: »

I noticed that too when i got the citadel dlc last month,

Oh and a sidenote, there wont be any more ME3 weekend challenges, Bioware posted it on the quiet on their forums during the week. Sneaky.

Cue a wave of the overentitled having a moan.

It was a nice touch for ME3 and something they didn't really have to do. After a year that's fair enough.

I suppose the problem that companies have with an online prescence is that there's a bitch fit every time something negative is posted by the company so as a result they're acting sneaky which will elicit further bitch fits.

ancapailldorcha

Doing a second playthrough of the trilogy at the moment as the female Shepard. Hale's performance is a excellent but I prefer Meer's. The female Shepard seems a bit too emotional for someone who's been in the military for most of their adult life whereas the male Shepard is a bit more disciplined.

Gbear

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Doing a second playthrough of the trilogy at the moment as the female Shepard. Hale's performance is a excellent but I prefer Meer's. The female Shepard seems a bit too emotional for someone who's been in the military for most of their adult life whereas the male Shepard is a bit more disciplined.

Just finished 1.

The voice acting's ok but mother of jesus Shepard's script is terrible.

It's funny, I felt like Garrus, Tali and Wrex all had perfectly fine scripts.
Kaiden and Ashely were grand as well.
Shepard was utter pants though. Maybe different people were responsible for his script or maybe there's an added difficulty in trying to have a solid script when you have to write it for a whole host of different personalities and outcomes.

nyarlothothep

Gbear wrote: »

Few interesting stats there.

I'm astonished that only 4% of players beat the game on hardest difficulty.

I'm replaying ME1 at the moment. It really isn't a great game. Which is a pity, because the story is the best of the three (although ME3 makes better use of music to give some parts extra poignancy).
It just feels a bit amateurish in places - not a game released as recently as 2008.

I'd hazard a guess that all of the 3.8% of players who shot Mordin are psychopaths :P

Seriously though, I'd love to see if any behaviours are predictors for something like psychopathy.
I find playing as a renegade very difficult. I could never go full-on space hitler - the best I could go in that direction was "paragade" where I tend to shoot first against baddies but don't just murder innocent people for the laugh and the bigger decisions are generally paragon. A pity the game penalises you for that sometimes.

On the "space marine trope", I tried making a character but he didn't really look human. I mostly stick to the stock male Shepard because i'm lazy.
In the first 2 games you're fairly heavily penalised for not picking Soldier, especially early on. It's not surprising that Infiltrator and Soldier are the most chosen - they're the easiest to play with.
ME3 changes that by making the other classes far more powerful, especially in that you can equip all weapons. Also, if you're importing you start at a fairly high level.

It's also fairly understandable that people pick a character broadly representative of themselves - in my case a white man. If I was black I might've made shepard black. If I was a women I would've been far more likely to make a female shepard.


I made 1 femshep just to try something different but I also made her Renegade so for the reasons I mentioned before I kinda lost interest. I also lost her save.

In relation to the paragon/renegade distinction I played the first game as purely renegade most of the time as I had never played as a bastard before in a game and wanted to experiment. I more or less played as a dislikeable Zapp Brannigan, arrogant, loaded on hubris/self importance and trigger happy. Not to insult the actor or anything, he does a good job imo but there is a certain harshness in his tone that lends itself quite well to either tough but fair military leader or giant space douche. In the second game I decided to play a reformed Shepard, his near death experience had changed him, he wanted to make amends for his previous douchebaggery. Instead though at the end I distantly recall you were given the choice to salvage a reaper, or something like that, and I thought yeah why not, science is good, tech knowledge would give us an advantage against the reapers, but apparently that was a major renegade decision. Inadvertently that worked out well in terms of character development, reformed Shep wasn't so reformed after all having got back his skills and powers and remembered who he was. In the third game I've decided to take more renegade decisions, in terms of just being an asshole in speech or being a bit underhand but avoiding things like genocide, the reason being the war makes our hero behave in not so nice ways because he either has to or he's feeling pressure. That said I avoided the boring cliche of the bald space marine from the start by giving my character a peroxide Vannila Ice haircut and an asshole face, not representative of me but of the idea of an 80s sci fi action hero. They got rid of that haircut in ME3! (Bioware seemed to go for draconian generic) so all I could replace it was a peroxide mini mohawk. Here are pics of Shepard according to my vision.

ancapailldorcha

Gbear wrote: »

The voice acting's ok but mother of jesus Shepard's script is terrible.

Never noticed any huge problems there myself. The script of the game is certainly patchy in places (Hold the line?) but game scripts in general are usually trash.

Kiith

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Never noticed any huge problems there myself. The script of the game is certainly patchy in places (Hold the line?) but game scripts in general are usually trash.

Hang on a second...give out about anything else in the game, but I won't hear a bad word about Kirrahe. I loved that speech :P