Mass Effect Trilogy Run

@kid_omega_prime: Hey friend, I was suggesting the ending in general, is controversial. Not any specific one, basically the last two hours of the game, ideas, choices given, consequences so on.

Play insanity .Engineer. Major fun time :D

@sc: oh OK then let me ask. How is the ending controversial ?

@kid_omega_prime said:

Hey there. You can probably just Google that, its not my personal opinion, its my understanding of how other people feel towards the game. You could probably try Googling it or just posting a general question open to any CV user to get a thorough answer. ^_^.

Some general cliff notes would probably include lack of consequences for so many in game actions, with the ending essentially being reduced to just three generic ending types, and a lack of closure with squad mates, lack of closure for Shep, and some of the endings being a bit… forceful in some ways. There are some prominent gaming personalities that have videos on it as well probably.

Wow no love for ashley? Ticks me off when people refer to her as racist or a zealot (not saying you guys have just in general) because she brings up her belief in an afterlife and a God all of about 3 times and questions whether or not Shepard should let garrus and wrex have free access to the Normandy. Yes let's let the mercenary who casually executes unarmed prisoners for credits and the former cop who quite because he hates rules and would much rather do things his own way and the higher ups be damned, get free access to the most advanced ship in our nation's fleet. In a place where your race essentially is your nationality I would have been worried if someone DIDN'T at least mention it.

Heck she practically goes off on the representative of a 'humans first' political group in the citadel if you have her in your party.

In the end she's a military girl with a strong sense of duty that likes poetry, and has a softer side if you give her a chance.

Mass Effect 2 was way better than Mass Effect 3.

@paragonnate: I never saw her as explicitly racist, more like a bit uneducated. But that is not really her biggest flaw. She is just boring, mostly due to the other colourful characters you can romance.

Uneducated? How so? I never got that from talking to her to be honest. True she may not be as colorful as someone like Jack, Tali or Liara, but that doesn't necessarily make her bad per se.

She comes across as slightly bigoted. Like, she does not hate aliens, but her view of the Turian-Human war for example is very patriotic and biased, because of her father. Sure, Turians did commit some war crimes, but our first contact with an alien species and what do we do? We act like imperialist dickheads. And she does not really see the full picture.

I would not say it makes her bad, just not very interesting. I never took her along as a party member, and I felt even less a need to romance her.

Humans were exploring a technology we recently discovered. Yes humanity tried to activate a Relay without knowing what was on the other side, and yes in hindsight that was very dangerous. But what do the Turrians do? They killed everyone on the ships activating the relay, no warning no attempt at communication just boom, dead. Then they locate the planet, which they think is the human homeworld and immediately conquer it, if anything it's the Turrians that come of as being imperialistic.

@paragonnate: That is not the whole story though. The ships that destroyed said human ships were also destroyed by Alliance vessels, basically out of spite/as a retalation action. Humans then entered Turian space with nuclear warheads, which is about as much a provocation as it gets. It was only THEN that Turians entered Alliance air space (which was not even officially recognized as such, since the Alliance had not even had any deals with the Council) and attacked the planet you mentioned.

Mistakes were obviously made on both sides, but Ashley makes it sound like the Turians are the only ones to blame. She even holds it against aliens in general. such as when she is somewhat hostile towards Liara during the early phases of ME1, while the Asari basically saved the Alliance's bacon. If not for them, the Turians would have nuked them skyhigh, and it was not entirely unjustified.

I loved Ashley and Kaiden, I kind of like the accusations aimed at both, that Kaiden is boring and generic and Ashley is a racist asshole, because it reads to me as Kaiden being nice and the straight guy, and Ashley as stubborn, and headstrong, and then their character arcs can actually develop, Ashley becomes more tolerant while still saying strong willed, Kaiden gets a bit more quirky and idiosyncratic. That being said I played ME2 first before ME1, so that colored my view of one, and I didn't get to know the other. Also they are shown up for me by other characters. Then again I like all the other characters too, even Jacob, even if I find him the most uninteresting. Even then I still invited him to the party I threw… well not the first time…

I had mi oun idea for a ending in part 3. I was thinking if you can get Anderson alive to the end then when you have to make your choice you can play as him instead of shep kind of like when you play as joker in part 2. Then you have Anderson control the reapers this was everyone dose not die shep lives, the Geth and EDI don't get distroyed and shep lives to.

I was wondering. is there a way to get the beast ending without the DLC ? so far all I can get is about 3750 in war assets and I need 4000 to get it. so is there stuff I am missing or what ? lets see... I save the racni queen, save the council, destroy the collector base, make it with all members at the end of me2, save the krogan and both the qurians and geth.

Shiiiiit, hate to get all hipster, but I've been on ME since '07. The ending fucked it up, but still a good trilogy as a whole.

Go Sentinel. Really fun and versatile.

@kid_omega_prime: yeah it's possible. But you have to do every main mission in ME2-3 and every ME1 main and side mission. And be consistent with your choices. Flip-flopping on the Krogan or Geth in between games will kill your score.

im playing the ME series now I just finished 1 let wrex die and the council. this way I get the full alliance fleet. ill fake cure the krogans so I get the full support of the selerions and krogans. let the racni queen live oh. if interested in ways to get war assets go here... http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/995452-mass-effect-3/62278044

I've done the whole run twice.

Honestly, I still think that ME3 feels out of place in terms of missions and enemies. The Cerberus troops look bulky... more like GoW enemies than anything in Mass Effect.

The same can be said for several enemies in the previous games, no? Krogan battlemasters for example.

the Cerberus troops are meant to be human, the Krogans are not. As human enemies, they looked absurd.

@jedixman: To be fair, random Cerberus assault troops were augmented/turned into husk hybrids which could somewhat account for their peculiar physique. Also, it depended on the class. A Phantom or a Nemesis would be sleek and lean (as would an Engineer), whereas Centurions were also bulky in the odd manner you described. And it might just be the design of their armor that makes them stand out.

I agree it's not comparable to the Krogan in any way, though.

@morpheus_:

True. It's just the regular grunt soldiers that irritate me. Just compare them to human enemies in ME2.

In general, ME3 felt too much like an action shooter (GoW) rather than an RPG. The look of the soldiers added to that.

Incidentally the look of Cerberus main bulk forces, (Assault Trooper/Centurion) is 'supposed' to look absurd, because the designers of it wanted it to look more functional even at the expense of looking silly, and clunky, something about that seeming more evil. They designed sleeker looks, but whoever decides such things wanted the more bulky style. Its also meant to conceal the truth about them as well. Reflect Illusive Man's resources too, I mean Shepard wears some pretty bulky armor a lot of the time, and there are a lot of more lean Cerberus designs, for Dragoons, aforementioned Phantoms, what Kai Leng wears, the Cerberus outfits you can unlock from Battle Arena. Alliance is similar, compare N7 Devastator to Fury or Shadow.

@sc:

It's a dumb design choice. Sleeker would have suited Cerberus more (just look at... well, everything Cerberus in ME2). The average grunt just felt out of place in the Mass Effect series. Then there's James Vega, who... also kinda looks like a GoW character. Shepard was never that bulky.

I think the general shift toward combat rather than story is what bothered me. There was less agency than in previous games, in my opinion. There were segments where Shepard spoke without giving me a choice; that is against the general theme of ME3.

Hell, I don't even hate the ending as much as most people do; it's everything leading up to it that gets to me.

Due to what SC mentioned in passing, mirror match on Insanity in Armax Arsenal Arena is likely the most fun one could have in combat during ME3. Offering a taste of what Shepard's opponents are in for. And that says a lot since I tend to find ME3 to be the most streamlined game in the trilogy in terms of mechanics. It's not the best game of the three by any stretch of the imagination, but it is the one I feel completely in control of my character's actions during combat. It might also be the fact that a Vanguard is untouchable unless you get crowded by 3-4 Praetorians at once in Armax or some such.

There is also a mod with an N7 color scheme for the Spirit/Nightmare/Shade armor after you unlock it, but I could never get the infernal thing to work.

That is actually one of my gripes for ME3. Shepard no longer works with Cerberus. No real reason for many alternate armors to be available in their colors or having their insignia.

@k4tzm4n the post immediately above me, I think you'll like it. Or at least like who's posting it =)

@jedixman: Well in this context whats dumb is somewhat subjective, I agree it looks clunky and absurd, and if one thinks of Mass Effect universe as being so advanced technologically that sleekness should offer the same benefits and advantages of traditionally bulky armor and so bulky thick armor just ends up looking silly, redundant and unnecessary, I can understand that, I have some similar criticisms, but i can understand what they were going for, and it doesn't bother me too much. I think it was in one of the Mass Effect art books… oh actually here.

"When designing the Cerberus troops, there were a lot of requests for thickness. I tend to go thin by default (a handicap I have to constantly work to counteract). What I wanted to maintain was a slight “goofiness” to their appearance. I think that if you try to design something to be cool, it will fail. The best designs (especially designs for characters that are meant to be scary or intimidating) are ones that maintain a percentage of goofiness. Real world designs typically have this element because engineers and designers are concerned with function first. This tends to create unintentionally funny forms."

So for myself, and artist and Mass Effect fan, I was content with their look and justification for it, I can definitely see where your issues and criticisms are though. The link above is to the source where the quote is from, it has some other tidbits about designs, for any ME fans interested/curious.

I was okay with the ending, but that was more to my head cannon that The Citadel DLC was the "true" ending, heh heh, and I loved that DLC.

The Armax Arsenal Arena is so much fun, especially for those that miss Mass Effect 2 squad mates that don't return in 3 proper. As far as how much control and smoothness you get with your character, ME3 fulfilled that well for me. Story and character wise ME2 is my favorite, but will be hard to return to earlier games not being able to roll. The multiplayer goes a step further with demonstrating the games mechanics, because you can get even more specialized characters, that are faster than Shepard or have more melee or biotic abilities, and they work just as well, sometimes better.

(Welcome back to CV by the way)

At least they didn't go for this eh Jedi? Heh heh.

Or… a Bioshock Big Daddy joins Cerberus?

@claymore1998: Yeah, we've been talking. Thanks, though!

@sc: After having Wrex + Immunity as a permanent party member in ME1 I had certain issues adjusting to his somewhat depowered version in ME3, but for nostalgia's sake I do like choosing him. An all Krogan team with him and Grunt is fun, as is an all Asari with Liara and Samara. Biotic explosions everywhere with charge as the detonator.

I don't believe ME2 can be beat. Its combat system was refined greatly in comparison to its predecessor while still providing a very rewarding experience in terms of storytelling. The sense of finality that looms before the suicide mission, and the reward of helping as many squad-mates as possible survive is amazing. I was devastated to lose Thane in my initial playthrough. :P As a Vanguard, my biggest problem switching from ME3 back to ME2 is recharge time in heavy charge.

I have seen videos with MP characters and actually used a mod that integrates some MP power sets to SP Shepard. It was quite nice, but I got into the games long past the time where I could have participated in MP matches, so I missed out.

@sc: It's not that fun. I wanted to take Miranda and Jack on missions and to have bigger parts in the story. I didn't want to play laser tag with them.

@morpheus_: Ah its too bad you missed out on the multiplayer aspect, some of my favorite Mass Effect moments happened there, having a team of four Krogan head butting each other for the Glory of Tuchanka! was simply awesome. Getting to play as Geth Juggernaut or Collector? Totally changes the game. The premise is very similar to the single player arena just with real people and more classes/characters available.

I couldn't agree more with that sentiment about Mass Effect 2. The suicide mission and the mechanic involving losing team mates. I am not sure if I was fortunate, or unfortunate, but a friend of mine gave me hints of what could happen. I tend to have a thorough and careful attitude with doing everything in a game anyway, but with so many great characters, I was extra obsessive about making sure each character survived. Ah losing Thane must have been tough, I hope you got to see Thane in Mass Effect 3, he has a great story arc.

@thepreface said:

I can sympathize with that, most of my favorite characters were from 2 (Jack first and foremost, Legion, Mordin, Miranda and Thane) and so unplayable in 3, so in this sense for me, how fun getting to use them in the Arena and having bigger parts in the Citadel are relative. Personally I would have preferred if they were more integral to the plot and played bigger roles and were selectable squad mates, but alternatively I can't deny that when they did appear in the third part, I really enjoyed it and had fun.

its great to know more people like Jack and Miranda, heh heh, I find that rare. You may have already seen this, but if you are a Jack fan, and haven't, its pretty cool. The tattoos she has of her "sisters" aka deceased friends, also actually referenced some of the early concept art for how she might look.

@sc: Yeah, people always look at me like wtf? because I like both.

Miranda, Jack, and Mordin were my favorites from ME2 and the whole series.

But after ME3 I kinda let that series go. Seemed like Hudson and Walters didn't know what they were doing anymore. Shame cause the first two games were really strong.

@thepreface: Well, they are fictional, just because they don't like each other doesn't mean we the player can't like and appreciate both heh heh.

That I can also understand. Are you going to play Mass Effect: Andromeda? Or just skip past it? Even though I was okay with ME3, the main draw for me was the characters, will be weird playing a Mass Effect without Garrus, Liara, Shepard. Though I suppose for many, its their chance to start anew with new possibilities and fresh ideas.

@sc: Long has passed the days when a BioWare game was a blind preorder or a first week purchase for me. I'll wait for player reviews from people on the BGS and CDPR forums before making a decision.

Since EA bought them in 2010 they've gone downhill.

@cpt_nice:

"Witcher 1 is eh"? You clearly played it after Witcher 2.

Playing ME1 for the first time at the moment. Just died about a million times fighting Matriarch Benezia. Finally got her.

@serpinethegreen: I didn't actually. I just found the quests boring, too much backtracking and the combat was too simplistic while managing to overcomplicate a lot of other stuff.

@rogueshadow:

That fight can be rough.

@jedixman:

I find it incredibly rare to lose to her....ofcourse due to my complicated relationship with loading screens....I take the games I play a little too seriously.

@cpt_nice:

I actually really enjoyed the quests in witcher....and I felt the backtracking added a more realistic feel (even if it was monotonous at times) the combat system did greatly improve in AOK.

@serpinethegreen: Different strokes for different folks.

@cpt_nice:

Very true.

I'm playing blind and apparently I fudged up by going straight to Noveria :/

... oh...

Yeah... that isn't a good choice. For many reasons.

@sc: Haha, I never realized something like that could happen in MP, the levity of the situation makes it look like something straight out of the Citadel DLC! I admit I have a soft spot for the Krogan, I always choose to reveal the truth about the genophage and truly cure it. I've studied a lot of the classes out of sheer curiosity, and Krogan Vanguard must had been something to see. I do retain the belief that due to me playing a lot as a Vanguard I would be a rather poor team-mate, though - charge + Nova is amazing but it only gets you so far when the endless hordes arrive.

My main issue wasn't losing them in action, but rather not upgrading certain parts of the Normandy in order for them to live through the initial assault. Once I got that down I managed to get everyone out in one piece; I am also meticulous in completing any and all loyalty missions, and selecting squad members to lead the second unit or for specific specialized tasks for something I found straightforward for the suicide mission itself. And yes, I did complete ME3 with a save where Thane survived ME2 - seeing his sacrifice and then receiving his videos during the Citadel DLC was tough, but definitely worthwhile.

Oh, and I do like Jack, but Miranda is my favourite lady, bar none. I understand why she did not have as great a part to play in ME3, but I would have still wanted to see more of her.

Hi I was thinking is there a way to keep mordin alive and still save Mailens data to save eve are do you have to delete the data and let Wrex die to save Mordin ?

@serpinethegreen: @serpinethegreen: @rogueshadow: @jedixman: @sc:

ok I have some more questions. the first is about joker. in the first game it explains that Joker has a moderate to severe case of Vrolik syndrome, which causes extreme brittleness in the bones; he was born with severe fractures to his legs and even with modern medicine he finds walking nearly impossible, relying on crutches and leg braces. but for some reason in parts 2 and 3 the Vrolik syndrome is in all his bones not just he legs ? plus there is Samara and in part 2 she says there are only 3 ardat-yakshi then in part 3 you got to the ardat-yakshi monastery and there are bodies of... well more the 3 well 2 since you kill Morinth in 2. so whats the deal ? did the writers just did not play the last games before staring the next.

I don't know about the Ardat-Yakshi problem; I don't remember Samara stating how many there were.

As for Joker, I think he jokes in ME1 about having a literal glass jaw, so it isn't just his legs.

Mordin dies either way.

If you decide not to save the Krogans, Mordin will defy your decision, and you'll shoot him in the leg. He'll escape, but due to the wound, he won't make it to the switch in time, and he'll die without releasing the antidote.