Mass Effect 3

[MabusIncarnate 5,344]

It's less than two weeks away, get excited. I'm a fanatic of the series and i'm thrilled that Mass Effect 3 is almost here, with the inclusion of multiplayer i'm anticipating an epic conclusion in a deep narrative experience.

For those who weren't aware, the demo is available now for download on the Xbox Marketplace and on PS Network. It's free so even if you don't think this is your type of game, try it anyway. The entire series is worth playing through because it's truly a game like nothing else out there and continues to impress. Mass Effect 2 was a masterpiece and deserved all of it's recognition for Game of the Year.

Let the countdown begin, everything and anything Mass Effect post it up here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs7kix6_8Ks

[MabusIncarnate 5,344]

5 Days and counting, i'll be at the midnight release for sure. I enjoyed the demo immensely, and as I probably won't play survival as rabidly as i'll play the storyline, it's still going to be a welcome addition and a nice break every now and again.

I haven't read a ton of details about ME3, much like Skyrim, I like to be surprised about what's coming and tend not to read about a game too much before it's released. Only thing I wish they would bring back is being able to drive around the Rover on unexplored planets, even though I really liked the expansiveness of the 2nd game and the deep on-foot exploration.

[Guest Crymson]

I'm preloading it at the moment.

[Redwings-40-5 11]

I played it for a couple of hours earlier and it is awesome.

[MabusIncarnate 5,344]

Alright, first impressions.

I spent about eight hours online playing the cooperative missions with a couple friends and a random player that filled the final spot. It's ten waves of survival, initially attempting to get through when you first start playing online is difficult, it's all about ranking up your character, earning credits to gain better equipment, and fine tuning your character to your personal liking and becoming comfortable with your layout. The first two waves are just survival, kill all enemies until clear and proceed to the next wave. Once you hit wave 3, you face your first objective, either kill four specified targets within a time limit, Hack a computer and stay within it's radius until the hacking timer is complete, or activate four different data stations within a time limit. All this is going on with swarms of enemies attacking you so working together and protecting eachother is key. Complete the objective and earn credits to invest in equipment boxes that contain 5 random pieces of weaponry, upgrades, or new playable characters. There's three objectives for every 10 wave mission you complete, the further you get the more you earn. I strongly recommend working with three other guys to finish these missions, attempting by yourself or with one person is very difficult.

It's fun, it's very addictive, and in the early stages of online play, all random players that joined our team throughout the night were competitive and participated accordingly. No team killing or idiocy so far, but there's plenty of time for that to change.

What I enjoy the most is there are six different classes you can go through and upgrade. After working on my Soldier until level 15, I moved on to a Quarrian Infiltrator. Each class has it's own level system, so moving to a different one means you begin at level 1 and work your way back up. This leaves a lot of room for multiplayer depth and a lot to continue to go back to. I'm liking the multiplayer much more than I had anticipated and plan on investing a lot of my time into the online play.

*Minor spoiler alert*

In previous titles, the only available part of the game was the single player campaign, which continues to be brilliant. You are thrown into the chaos immediately, the Reapers in their massive glory are tearing apart earth, and you get a comprehension of the full destructive power of this ongoing threat. The opening sequence was intense and exciting, sprinting through explosions and dodging the Reaper's attacks and hearing the screams of the civilians that are under assault.

After being rescued by your companions, landing on Mars for your first campaign mission and meeting up with some old friends, you return to the Normandy and witness the newest changes to your vessel. There's now 5 floors on the Normandy, which now includes a weapon upgrade workbench where you can add on two upgrades to each weapon. Now Scopes, Barrels, and even Bayonettes can be fitted on your favorite weapons, adding more destruction and depth in customization that was never seen in previous Mass Effect titles. It's a welcome addition to an already expansive experience. Your armory is now on the bottom level, opposed to it being on the command deck in ME2.

I've roughly put around 15 hours into the game so far, and it feels like i've barely scratched the surface. I'll continue to update and check back as I progress.

[MabusIncarnate 5,344]

Game of the year. I'm calling it now. It's brilliant, the campaign, multiplayer, how they tie into eachother unlike any game has done before.

I have no gripes so far, except for the fact that the game has to end eventually and more people aren't posting about it. I didn't think it could be better than ME2 but I was wrong, everything from the vast weapon variety and new enemies is just awesome.

I did play the Multiplayer quite a bit before trying the campaign, only minor issue is that you do see a majority of the enemies in the game taking away from the intensity of the campaign a little bit. I was playing a mission on an Asari colony, and kept hearing screams but knew what it was because of playing MP so much, so it did take away a bit of the mystery of introducing a new enemy.

All in all, what a game and it's such an accomplishment for gaming.

[MabusIncarnate 5,344]

First DLC pack is out today on consoles, expanding on the multiplayer with two new maps, three new weapons, and a handful of new characters for existing classes including a Geth Infiltrator.

Hopefully this is the first sign of a lot of content support to keep this game alive and running. Anyone reading this who hasn't played Mass Effect 3, it simply shouldn't be missed.

[Jedi 1,865]

Been slowly working my way through this one. I don't have any multiplayer (Playing the Xbox version to import my character, but I refuse to pay $50 a year for the "privilege" of playing online), which meant my galactic readiness always was stuck at 50%.

Did some researching, and found that I could increase it by downloading the Mass Effect 3 Datapad app for my iPhone. Now, slowly but surely, my readiness rating is starting to climb.

All in all, another great game in the series. Still too early to tell where I would rank this one in comparison to the other 2, but it's certainly a great game, and still shows lots of potential.

For the record, ME1 was my favorite in the series, followed by 2, so far.

[MabusIncarnate 5,344]

At this point i'm about to finish my 2nd playthrough on insanity difficulty with my level 60 Vanguard that i've imported since the first ME, and I still love this game and play online with it a few days a week. If you can dig up a 2 day free gold pass Jedi, it's well worth trying online because it's a feature that really sets itself aside from the previous two ME games. I might go as far as saying its one of the best online co-op experiences i've ever played. It's very cool to play as the various races opposed to just Sheppard in the single player campaign also.

As it stands now, in order of favoritism, for me it's ME3, ME2, ME. I really do miss being able to drive around in the rover and explore planets opposed to scanning and probing them, and i'm not entirely sure why they scrapped that after the original Mass Effect.

[Jedi 1,865]

As it stands now, in order of favoritism, for me it's ME3, ME2, ME. I really do miss being able to drive around in the rover and explore planets opposed to scanning and probing them, and i'm not entirely sure why they scrapped that after the original Mass Effect.

If I had to guess, it's probably because of EA's involvement in 2 and 3. You've played all 3, so you know of the same subtle differences between 1 and 2 and 1 and 3. They're the same game, and they're all fantastic, but little things were different between the original and the sequels.

The change from unlimited ammo to "thermal clips" (which is almost exactly opposite what the codex entry in ME1 said about how future weapons work). Dozens of different models of each weapon in ME1, but only having 2 in ME2, back to several different models in 3. The changes to customizing your weapons (practically nonexistant in 2, then brought back in 3 but not as extensively). The loss of the Mako rover (but later a new rover, The Hammerhead, in the DLC for 2, but vastly limited). Not being able to move around the explorable areas (Citadel/Presidium/Wards, Noveria, etc) as extensively in 2 as you could in 1. It all reeks of EA branded projects.

I'm not a big fan of EA games, because it seems like they always rush out projects instead of doing proper quality testing and programming. For example, to me the graphics in 1 were much smoother and more polished, wheras 2 just seemed to have a rougher edge to them. Maybe that's just me, though...

[jerm8352 3]

If I had to guess, it's probably because of EA's involvement in 2 and 3. You've played all 3, so you know of the same subtle differences between 1 and 2 and 1 and 3. They're the same game, and they're all fantastic, but little things were different between the original and the sequels.

The change from unlimited ammo to "thermal clips" (which is almost exactly opposite what the codex entry in ME1 said about how future weapons work). Dozens of different models of each weapon in ME1, but only having 2 in ME2, back to several different models in 3. The changes to customizing your weapons (practically nonexistant in 2, then brought back in 3 but not as extensively). The loss of the Mako rover (but later a new rover, The Hammerhead, in the DLC for 2, but vastly limited). Not being able to move around the explorable areas (Citadel/Presidium/Wards, Noveria, etc) as extensively in 2 as you could in 1. It all reeks of EA branded projects.

I'm not a big fan of EA games, because it seems like they always rush out projects instead of doing proper quality testing and programming. For example, to me the graphics in 1 were much smoother and more polished, wheras 2 just seemed to have a rougher edge to them. Maybe that's just me, though...

I have to agree with Jedi. EA kills everything!!!! Look at Dragon Age 2!

Anyways, I love everything about ME3 except the ending of the campaign which truly is as bad as they it is.

The Multiplayer however is really fun and can be challenging at the silver and gold level especially if you aren't working together with your teammates.

[MabusIncarnate 5,344]

If I had to guess, it's probably because of EA's involvement in 2 and 3. You've played all 3, so you know of the same subtle differences between 1 and 2 and 1 and 3. They're the same game, and they're all fantastic, but little things were different between the original and the sequels.

The change from unlimited ammo to "thermal clips" (which is almost exactly opposite what the codex entry in ME1 said about how future weapons work). Dozens of different models of each weapon in ME1, but only having 2 in ME2, back to several different models in 3. The changes to customizing your weapons (practically nonexistant in 2, then brought back in 3 but not as extensively). The loss of the Mako rover (but later a new rover, The Hammerhead, in the DLC for 2, but vastly limited). Not being able to move around the explorable areas (Citadel/Presidium/Wards, Noveria, etc) as extensively in 2 as you could in 1. It all reeks of EA branded projects.

I'm not a big fan of EA games, because it seems like they always rush out projects instead of doing proper quality testing and programming. For example, to me the graphics in 1 were much smoother and more polished, wheras 2 just seemed to have a rougher edge to them. Maybe that's just me, though...

Yes, i've played through all three of them and all of the DLC that was offered, i'm tempted to go back and play the original because I haven't played it since it's original release and my memories of it are a tad fuzzy. Even though it conflicts with the first game, I welcomed the addition of limited ammunition opposed to infinite, I like being under the pressure when I run out of ammo that I have to switch to a sidearm. I do very much agree that the last two did feel more linear, in story and exploration. I do need to note that The Shadow Broker DLC for ME2 is probably the best DLC I have bought besides Bioshock 2 Minerva's Den, it was excellent and rounded off the game for me, and actually carried over into ME3.

I'm also not much of a fan of how EA likes to squeeze money out of their games, when you play online the more you play the more credits you earn. You eventually spend these credits on equipment packs that unlocks random weapons or characters, the better the case the better value of equipment. So how it's set up, you can play through about 5 or 6 Bronze levels in about two hours and have enough credits to purchase a 60,000 credit specter pack OR you can spend 240 MS points or about $3.00 to buy a pack. Being it's random, unlocking characters and guns can become very aggrivating. Needless to say tons of people are buying into this, a friend I play with dropped $40 into packs trying to unlock one character to no avail. It's money grubbing as EA does best, the unlock system as a whole feels like they built it to annoy you and make you want to spend real money on packs.

Definitely post up your thoughts once you finish ME3, i've been playing it since it's been released and still really into it.

I have to agree with Jedi. EA kills everything!!!! Look at Dragon Age 2!

Anyways, I love everything about ME3 except the ending of the campaign which truly is as bad as they it is.

The Multiplayer however is really fun and can be challenging at the silver and gold level especially if you aren't working together with your teammates.

Me and a friend of mine can tackle Silver pretty easily now, but still haven't completed a mission on gold, although we did get to wave 10 a few times.

I'm still waiting for a Dragon Age game to be good, I preferred DA2 over the first one but still really didn't enjoy either all too much.

[Jedi 1,865]

Did some researching, and found that I could increase it by downloading the Mass Effect 3 Datapad app for my iPhone. Now, slowly but surely, my readiness rating is starting to climb.

I'm up to 90% galactic readiness now, and will likely be at 100% before the end of the week. Your readiness rating increases very slowly at first, but really snowballs as you go, by using this app.

Each time you complete a "mission" in the app, it gives you a readiness rating bump, as well as credits to spend towards upgrades. You can upgrade readiness rating bonus, buy extra fleets (for more missions active at one time), increase your fleet's shields (less chance of having to spend extra time to repair fleets), and decrease the time that missions take.

In the real game, I'm currently on the Citadel, going after the Cerberus assassin (who looks BAD.ASS.). From what my friend has said, I'm about 1/3-1/2 through the game by now, but I've done damn near every single side mission possible to this point, and with my War Assets and Readiness Rating, I'm almost completely green when I view the war map readiness.

Great, great, great game. And I love how they've incorporated actions and decisions from the first game into this one too.

[MabusIncarnate 5,344]

"Rebellion" DLC is confirmed for consoles and will see a release date of 5/29/12. This is a free content pack to expand on the multiplayer experience, adding two new maps, six new characters and three new weapons. Details below, the first free pack stretched out my MP time for another month easy, looking forward to grinding into this one this upcoming week.

NEW CHARACTERS

Vorcha Soldier

Thanks to their unique physiology and their Bloodlust ability, the Vorcha are joining the fight and are perfectly suited for the utilitarian soldier kit.

Vorcha Sentinel

The innate aggressiveness found within the Vorcha make them shockingly durable combatants, and when coupled with their Flamer skill, the Vorcha sentinel is a force to be reckoned with.

Male Quarian Engineer

Quarians have spent centuries at perpetual salvage and ship repair; the survival of their species depends on this technical expertise. When bringing the new Arc Grenade to the fray, the Quarians prove their prowess as effective engineers on the battlefield.

Male Quarian Infiltrator

The Male Quarian Infiltrator must actively rely on stealth while in the heat of battle, and when they make use of their Tactical Scan ability, they quickly prove their mettle while continuously dishing out the pain.

Ex-Cerberus Vanguard

When the Illusive Man turned to indoctrination in order to ensure the loyalty of his troops, many Cerberus operatives defected and joined the Alliance in order to stop the Reapers. Now that we’re on the same team, Ex-Cerberus Vanguards (along with their new Lash attack) are quickly proving their worth.

Ex-Cerberus Adept

A result of the Illusive Man's early experiments in enhanced human physiology, Ex-Cerberus subjects are highly skilled combat and biotics specialists. As a result, Ex-Cerberus Adepts can lay waste to the enemy with their Smash and Singularity powers.

NEW MAPS

Firebase Jade - Surrounded by huge waterfalls, Firebase Jade overlooks an ancient reservoir built by the salarians centuries ago. Set up strategic chokepoints inside the base’s main buildings to get the jump on your enemy, and work with your team to meticulously clear each room to achieve victory.

Firebase Goddess - Nestled in the epicenter of a Thessian metropolis, Firebase Goddess is one of the last strongholds of asari resistance against the Reapers. With its circular layout, Firebase Goddess is a tough location to control. This arena combines heavy cover and elevated firing positions, so stay light on your feet.

NEW WEAPONS

Cerberus Harrier Assault Rifle - These Cerberus-modified Mattock rifles are fully automatic. Cerberus gunsmiths reined in the recoil issues, resulting in a gun that stay on target, but delivers slightly less punch per round than a standard Mattock. As such, the weapon is typically utilized by Cerberus’ elite troopers, who train constantly to make every burst count.

Reegar Carbine Shotgun - This electrical weapon improves upon the arc pistol’s design by generating a sustained current on its target. This weapon is named for the Quarian Reegar family, whose marines have served valiantly against the Geth.

Krysae Sniper Rifle - This Turian antimaterial rifle is modified to kill Reaper enemies. The Krysae’s scope uses a rangefinder that adjusts to keep the target in proper proportion to the shooter, which comes in useful when the sniper is forced into close range. Its specialized ammunition is both armor-piercing and explosive. In a desperate move, the Turians released its specifications over the extranet so that nearly anyone with a fabricator could manufacture this weapon to help the war effort.

[Jedi 1,865]

Finally finished this one.

Not quite sure how I feel about the ending. On one hand, it was an ending as unique as the game series itself, yet on the other, it felt like it was lacking. I understand the DLC in the summer will add a cinematic style of epilogue, but won't change the ending itself.

In any case, this game series has been absolutely amazing with each episode. Each of the 3 games is in my top 10 all time games list.

[Jedi 1,865]

So, about that $650.00 you guys all owe me...

http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/collectibles/eb93/

[MabusIncarnate 5,344]

So, about that $650.00 you guys all owe me...

http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/collectibles/eb93/

Does it work?!

A bit expensive for my blood but it's very cool.

[MabusIncarnate 5,344]

For those of you who didn't like the Mass Effect 3 ending there's good news. Today they released an extended cut of the ending in the form of downloadable content for free. Available for download on the Xbox marketplace.

[Jedi 1,865]

Because I'm lazy (and already in the middle of playing another game), I went back in and YouTube'd the new endings. I'm MUCH more impressed with the endings now. They leave you with a much better sense of fulfillment and certainty with whichever choice you make at the end.

[MabusIncarnate 5,344]

Because I'm lazy (and already in the middle of playing another game), I went back in and YouTube'd the new endings. I'm MUCH more impressed with the endings now. They leave you with a much better sense of fulfillment and certainty with whichever choice you make at the end.

Exactly what I did.. pretty much only time i'm playing ME3 anymore is the occasional stint online, i'll go back and beat it again eventually.

Also wanted to post up for anyone else still playing this online that they released their 3rd free online DLC which includes two new maps, three new weapons and six new playable characters. Keep the free DLC coming Bioware, it keeps the online play fresh.

[MabusIncarnate 5,344]

The single player DLC titled "Leviathan" has release for Mass Effect 3, available for 800 MS points or about $9.99. It opens up a new chapter to the campaign in search of a weapon powerful enough to take down the reapers. I haven't started it yet but I plan on playing through it tomorrow, i'll post up my opinion once I finish it.

[Guest Crymson]

I'm done with ME3's singleplayer. The endings were horrific, and the Extended Cut did nothing but extend those horrific endings; it was nothing but a giant middle finger to the fans for not accepting the ME3 team's original creative vision.

Everything in the singleplayer still leads to those horrible endings. That they continue to put out singleplayer DLC is shockingly pretentious.

[MabusIncarnate 5,344]

The Leviathan DLC was very good, reasonably short but added a different chapter and a bit of unique gameplay. Considering I completed it in about 4 hours including cut scenes, i'm not entirely sure it was worth the 800 points I spent on it, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I've been off and on with conversations about the ending for ME3, so in attempt to avoid a debate about it as i've been in a few already, i'm just gonna toss this out there. I understand, and partially agree about the complaints and concerns about the ending of the series. It didn't bother me as much as it did other people because I generally play games for the gameplay over the storyline. The fact is, yeah they did go a different route from your traditional "good guy wins" end scenario, but it didn't discredit for me how phenomenal the series as a whole was, and how excellent the overall gameplay and mechanics carried the series.

I personally thought it was a bit ridiculous that Bioware was pretty much put into a forced position to release an extended ending, they should have left it how it was from the beginning. It didn't really make things any better, it just made the people who hated the ending complain about it more, and I honestly haven't felt the need to even go and watch the new extended endings. Again, i'm a bit more with the minority, I didn't necessarily like the ending but I wasn't going off the handle about it either. The multiplayer more than made up for it and I still play it a few times a month. Considering they maintained the support for MP play with free DLC packs, I don't mind dropping five or ten bucks on expansions for the single player game. With EA being on the cover of the game, it's pretty shocking that they have gotten away with releasing a few free DLC packs.

But anyway, hardcore fans of the series should have no problem dropping the ten dollars into the new DLC and should enjoy it as I have. More casual fans should wait for it to go on sale and pick it up then. Outside of the Shadow Broker DLC for ME2, Leviathan was probably my favorite expansion so far in the series.

For those looking to play Mass Effect 3 and have been waiting for the price to lower, you can order it from gamefly for $14.99 now, and you don't have to be a member to purchase it. This is easily the cheapest i've seen the game so far, and considering it is used, any preowned games i've purchased from gamefly have been in exceptional condition, included the original box and all the unredeemed codes in the sleeve for online play and extra content.

Edited September 8, 2012 by BlazeYoungblood

[MabusIncarnate 5,344]

A massive free DLC multiplayer pack will be available on October 9th, which includes 6 new maps, 16 new characters, The Collectors as a new enemy type, new weapons, and added hazardous weather effects. This is another free add on for anyone who's still playing this online. I plan on checking out the new content once it launches.

[MabusIncarnate 5,344]

I was bored.. thought this would be a cool idea.