Mass Effect 3 - Impressions Incoming! Leviathan DLC released!

[CeeKay]

more info on Mass Effect 3 plans in April. 

"Casey Hudson and the team are hard at work on a number of game content initiatives that will help answer the questions," he said, "providing more clarity for those seeking further closure to their journey. You'll hear more on this in April." Muzyka stressed that BioWare is actively working to maintain the story's artistic integrity, and that these new "content initiatives" are separate from the company's pre-existing plans to continue the Mass Effect universe's expansion. "Rest assured that your journey in the Mass Effect universe can, and will, continue."

'content initiatives'?  is that a new fancy way of saying DLC?

[Andrew Wonser]

For only $10 per character you can see what happens to each member of your team(s).

Honestly it's a good thing I decided to hold off on this one. As someone who values story and storytelling above all else everything I've read indicates that the level of excellence wasn't carried over from the first two.

[Kevin Grey]

more info on Mass Effect 3 plans in April. 

"Casey Hudson and the team are hard at work on a number of game content initiatives that will help answer the questions," he said, "providing more clarity for those seeking further closure to their journey. You'll hear more on this in April." Muzyka stressed that BioWare is actively working to maintain the story's artistic integrity, and that these new "content initiatives" are separate from the company's pre-existing plans to continue the Mass Effect universe's expansion. "Rest assured that your journey in the Mass Effect universe can, and will, continue."

'content initiatives'?  is that a new fancy way of saying DLC?

I'm thinking something like the motion comics used to make choices in ME3 and ME2 for those that didn't play the games but instead to be used as epilogues to various characters and species fates.  Maybe some post ending-codex updates as well. 

Honestly it's a good thing I decided to hold off on this one. As someone who values story and storytelling above all else everything I've read indicates that the level of excellence wasn't carried over from the first two.

Honestly, until the last five minutes of the game I would say that ME3 is the best game in the series.  But those last five minutes....

[Andrew Wonser]

Honestly, until the last five minutes of the game I would say that ME3 is the best game in the series.  But those last five minutes....

There in lies the problem though, with those final moments. It's like having the greatest piece of pie ever and then someone comes up and craps on the last bite. No matter how great the experience was, up to that point, you can't help but dwell on that final piece and your opinion for the whole is tainted because of it.

[Razgon]

Only if you let it :-)

[SkyLander]

Only if you let it :-)

How?

Spoiler for Hiden:

The ending basically invalidates all of the previous choices in the game. Nothing you did mattered.

[Scraper]

Honestly, until the last five minutes of the game I would say that ME3 is the best game in the series.  But those last five minutes....

There in lies the problem though, with those final moments. It's like having the greatest piece of pie ever and then someone comes up and craps on the last bite. No matter how great the experience was, up to that point, you can't help but dwell on that final piece and your opinion for the whole is tainted because of it.

This is a perfect analogy. ME3 is awesome. Just do yourself a favor and play the entire game up until you have to make the mad dash for the transporter beam. Then turn the game off, never restart it and make up your own ending. It WILL BE better than the one in the game, even if you have the imagination of a hamster, it will still be better.

[Blackjack]

Ah, new co-op event for this weekend. 25% experience bonus. OK, it's really more of a Perk than an event.

Operation: Fortress details
*Another event is promised for next weekend, so I suspect maybe it'll involve another specific race.
===========
You can do what Scraper suggests with movies that have sucky endings too.

If you ever see The Last Exorcism, for example, for the love of you know who, pop the DVD out when The Ending begins. Basically, stop watching the movie at the point that seems like the "natural" ending.

[Razgon]

Only if you let it :-)

How?

Spoiler for Hiden:

The ending basically invalidates all of the previous choices in the game. Nothing you did mattered.

I mean reading the ending is bad, and wallowing in it on the internet isn't going to help. Just enjoy the game, and let the ending pass over you like a cool breeze on a summersday, and you still have a great game to play.

[Scraper]

Ah, new co-op event for this weekend. 25% experience bonus. OK, it's really more of a Perk than an event.

Operation: Fortress details
*Another event is promised for next weekend, so I suspect maybe it'll involve another specific race.
===========
You can do what Scraper suggests with movies that have sucky endings too.

If you ever see The Last Exorcism, for example, for the love of you know who, pop the DVD out when The Ending begins. Basically, stop watching the movie at the point that seems like the "natural" ending.

So true about The Last Exorcism, only the movie wasn't that good before the sucky ending.

[CeeKay]

in case anyone has been waiting to play because of the face importing bug:

Ok, I have what I hope is some good news.

We have fixed the issue of faces not correctly importing into Mass Effect 3. It will be included as part of the next Mass Effect 3 patch.

The not completely good news is that I do not yet have a confirmed date for when the patch will be available. A new patch gets heavily tested by BioWare, EA, Microsoft and Sony before it can be released to the public. We all want to be sure that it fixes the issues it is supposed to fix and doesn't start any new issues (this is called testing or certification testing ). If a patch fails during testing, it is sent back, fixed again and retested until it passes. Then it is released to gamers. Until we know that the patch has passed certification testing, I don't want to give even a rough idea of the date, to prevent disappointment should it need further testing.

So I'm sorry I don't have the full answer you all want and are waiting for yet. When I can give you the date when the patch will be available I will.

http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/323/index/9661093

[Greggy_D]

I finally started ME3 last night after finshing all of ME2's side quests and DLC.  I have about 2 hours in and am back on the Normandy after leaving the Citadel.

I am SO bored.  There is nothing in this story that is driving me forward yet and I feel like I'm just watching a movie.  Please tell me it gets better.

Oh....and I did tell Chobot to get on to the Normandy.  Now I just gotta find the vendor that sells the PSPs and the licking can commence. 

[JCC]

It does get better (though expect some annoyance with side quests), much better in fact. Then in the last 5 minutes it gets much, much worse. Try to enjoy the journey more than the destination.

[jersoc]

i've been playing some mp lately. messed up my salarian eng so i just promoted him. almost to 20 again thanks to the xp boost.

pretty surprised that most people are fairly smart about it too. the one thing that annoys me is when someone runs too far away and you can't possibly res them in time. unless you're a ridiculous vanguard stay reasonably close imo. no way we can res you fighting 10 enemies.

[Blackadar]

I finally started ME3 last night after finshing all of ME2's side quests and DLC.  I have about 2 hours in and am back on the Normandy after leaving the Citadel.

I am SO bored.  There is nothing in this story that is driving me forward yet and I feel like I'm just watching a movie.  Please tell me it gets better.

Oh....and I did tell Chobot to get on to the Normandy.  Now I just gotta find the vendor that sells the PSPs and the licking can commence. 

For what it's worth, I thought the first couple of hours were very slow and I also felt that I was watching a movie.  It picks up about 4 hours in, when you really start to determine your own course.

[CeeKay]

I finally started ME3 last night after finshing all of ME2's side quests and DLC.  I have about 2 hours in and am back on the Normandy after leaving the Citadel.

I am SO bored.  There is nothing in this story that is driving me forward yet and I feel like I'm just watching a movie.  Please tell me it gets better.

Oh....and I did tell Chobot to get on to the Normandy.  Now I just gotta find the vendor that sells the PSPs and the licking can commence. 

For what it's worth, I thought the first couple of hours were very slow and I also felt that I was watching a movie.  It picks up about 4 hours in, when you really start to determine your own course.

there will be a point where your quest log is overflowing.  granted, it's mainly due to the fact that you can get side missions listed long before you can actually access the area you need to go to but you'll soon find yourself running all over the place trying to find assets and stuff.

[Blackjack]

i've been playing some mp lately. messed up my salarian eng so i just promoted him. almost to 20 again thanks to the xp boost.

pretty surprised that most people are fairly smart about it too. the one thing that annoys me is when someone runs too far away and you can't possibly res them in time. unless you're a ridiculous vanguard stay reasonably close imo. no way we can res you fighting 10 enemies.

Then what good are you to me? Harumph!  

Had this surreal moment in a game last night where I was convinced the brown demo map had changed. I think part of it were these Cerebus troops refusing to jet down from their 3-4 floors up cargo containers. So we were shooting towards the sky and I was tossing lift grenades up into the containers to try to "lift" them out.

Also saw a couple buildings where a wall seemed to be missing, and my Krogan's melee attack simply didn't seem to work (it usually lets me head-butt but nothing would happen). I'm thinking just a buggy server or something.

[CeeKay]

a few days left, but Commander Shepard's Birth Certificate Questioned

[Blackjack]

BioWare Announces Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut [FREE, through April 12]

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BioWare, a Label of Electronic Arts Inc. announced Mass Effect™ 3: Extended Cut, a downloadable content pack that will expand upon the events at the end of the critically acclaimed Action RPG. Through additional cinematic sequences and epilogue scenes, the Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut will give fans seeking further clarity to the ending of Mass Effect 3 deeper insights into how their personal journey concludes. Coming this summer, the Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut will be available for download on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC for no extra charge*.

“We are all incredibly proud of Mass Effect 3 and the work done by Casey Hudson and team,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, Co-Founder of BioWare and General Manager of EA’s BioWare Label. “Since launch, we have had time to listen to the feedback from our most passionate fans and we are responding. With the Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut we think we have struck a good balance in delivering the answers players are looking for while maintaining the team’s artistic vision for the end of this story arc in the Mass Effect universe.”

Casey Hudson, Executive Producer of the Mass Effect series added, “We have reprioritized our post-launch development efforts to provide the fans who want more closure with even more context and clarity to the ending of the game, in a way that will feel more personalized for each player.”

The fine print:

* OFFER EXPIRES APRIL 12, 2014. INTERNET CONNECTION AND ORIGIN (EA), XBOX LIVE, OR PLAYSTATION NETWORK ACCOUNT REQUIRED. VALID ONLY AT THE ORIGIN CLIENT SOFTWARE (WWW.ORIGIN.COM/ABOUT), XBOX LIVE MARKETPLACE OR PLAYSTATION STORE.

VALID WHEREVER MASS EFFECT 3 IS SOLD. MASS EFFECT 3 FULL GAME AND ORIGIN ACCOUNT (EA) REQUIRED TO USE/PLAY DOWNLOAD.

OFFER MAY NOT BE SUBSTITUTED, EXCHANGED, SOLD OR REDEEMED FOR CASH OR OTHER GOODS OR SERVICES. MAY NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER, GIFT CARD, REBATE OR DISCOUNT COUPON. PRODUCT SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED, TAXED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. LIMIT ONE OFFER PER PERSON. YOU MUST MEET THE MINIMUM AGE REQUIREMENTS, WHICH VARY BY COUNTRY, TO REGISTER FOR AN ORIGIN ACCOUNT (EA). EA MAY RETIRE ONLINE FEATURES AFTER 30 DAYS NOTICE POSTED ON WWW.EA.COM/2/SERVICE-UPDATES.

And here as usual is the translation by former newspaper business editor Blackjack (it's a work in progress, refresh for translations  ):

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BioWare, a Label of Electronic Arts Inc.'s bitch, announced Mass Effect™ 3: Extended Cut PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF F***NG ALMIGHTY, FORGIVE US ALREADY!, a downloadable content pack that will expand upon attempt to fix the FUBARed events at the so-called end of the critically acclaimed Action RPG with the ending that provoked a billion rants.

Through additional cinematic sequences and epilogue scenes to give our voice actors and animators something to do, the Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut will give fans seeking further clarity to the a less FUBARed ending to Mass Effect 3 deeper insights into how their personal journey concludes. Coming this summer, the Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut will be available for download on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC for no extra charge* (after April 12 we are gonna ream you all for as much DLC bucks as possible!).
  
“We are all incredibly proud of Mass Effect 3 and the work done by Casey Hudson and team,” despite the historic level of fan-hatred and agony their ending has caused us, said Dr. Ray Muzyka, Co-Founder of BioWare and General Manager of EA’s BioWare Label. “Since launch, we have had time to listen to the  feedback rants, pleas, screams, threats and diatribes from our most passionate fans and we are responding desperately trying to cover our asses. With the Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut we think we have struck a good balance in delivering the less F'd up ending answers players are looking for while maintaining the team’s artistic nearsighted vision for the despised and hated end of this story arc in the Mass Effect universe.”

Casey Hudson, Executive Producer of the Mass Effect series added, “We have reprioritized our post-launch development efforts to provide the fans who want more closure with even more context and clarity to to be less pissed off by the ending of the game, in a way that will feel more personalized and less F'd up for each player.”

[Jaymeson]

So it's free until April 2014.......not sure there will be a huge addressable market for paying for the DLC 2 years from now.

[Teggy]

One would think they will have a GOTY version that will include the DLC on disc (and a GH version after that).

[CeeKay]

and to think I just uninstalled the game.

[CeeKay]

One would think they will have a GOTY version that will include the DLC on disc (and a GH version after that).

EA claims that there are no plans to charge for the DLC after the listed date.

[Doopri]

One would think they will have a GOTY version that will include the DLC on disc (and a GH version after that).


EA claims that there are no plans to charge for the DLC after the listed date.

so its up until 2014, but ea has no plans to charge after that date - they made a terrible mistake and leaked the shutdown date for ME3 servers!

[Turtle]

It's likely that in 2 years there will be a new edition with dlc included.

[Beer Goggles]

It's likely that in 2 years there will be a new edition with dlc included.

I would not count on that.  ME2 is over two years old and there is not a version with all the dlc.

[Turtle]

Well, let me rephrase that. In 2 years there will be a new generation of consoles and a new PSN store.

[CeeKay]

new bit of DLC, albeit it for the MP side of the game.  at least it's free.

[CeeKay]

Patch!

[CeeKay]

little non-spoilerific blog post on the BBB website about the complaints filed:

     

• “Experience the beginning, middle, and end of an emotional story unlike any other, where the decisions you make completely shape your experience and outcome”.
• “Along the way, your choices drive powerful outcomes, including relationships with key characters, the fate of entire civilizations, and even radically different ending scenarios.”

One gamer, in particular, who goes by El_Spiko was so upset by all of this that he filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and posted his action online, which created quite a frenzy in the media and the online world.

The issue at stake here is, did Bio Ware falsely advertise?  Technically, yes, they did.  In the first bullet point, where it states “the decisions you make completely shape your experience”, there is no indecision in that statement.  It is an absolute.  The next statement is not so absolute.  It states “your choices drive powerful outcomes”.  A consumer would have to very carefully analyze this statement to come to a conclusion that the game’s outcome is not “wholly” determined by one’s choices.  This statement, really though, is very subject to interpretation.  Also this is just a small example of their advertising and does not take into account anything that might have been said, as far as their public relations and other advertising campaigns.

[Turtle]

Eh, I'm not sure a BBB filing was anything more than way too much gamer rage. I think that and the FTC filing has some more to hurt the cause than to help.

Then again, there are exact interview quotes that show that they pretty much lied straight to our faces.

[CeeKay]

speaking of faces: whoops.

[CeeKay]

1.3 millions sold in the first month, not counting digital sales. 


that's a lot of hearts broken 

[Lordnine]

1.3 millions sold in the first month, not counting digital sales. 


that's a lot of hearts broken 

A lot of people I know managed to return it.  I think it was Amazon that was accepting returns no questions asked.

[Dunamis]

I tried the multiplayer and actually really like it.  Pick up games are pretty fun.

Question - It seems that everyone can run but I haven't been able to figure out how.  I'm the slowest person on the battlefield.  Any suggestions?

[Turtle]

Hold down the spacebar while moving forward. That's the default for running.

Yes, that means you have a lot of functions on that one button.

[CeeKay]

Hold down the spacebar while moving forward. That's the default for running.

Yes, that means you have a lot of functions on that one button.

it gets quite maddening when you want to run but instead find yourself ducking into cover instead 

[Dunamis]

Thanks for the replies.  I'll try it out tonight.

[Asharak]

Past is prologue: for completely unrelated reasons, I was browsing Babylon 5 Youtube clips tonight and, as the top two comments already point out, JMS long ago wrote a scene that could almost have been grafted into the ending of ME3 without changing a word and been nearly perfect: what Sheridan would have said to the Catalyst (obvious spoiler warning: if you haven't seen Babylon 5, that video will spoil one it's most pivotal and impactful scenes).

- Ash

[JCC]

Past is prologue: for completely unrelated reasons, I was browsing Babylon 5 Youtube clips tonight and, as the top two comments already point out, JMS long ago wrote a scene that could almost have been grafted into the ending of ME3 without changing a word and been nearly perfect: what Sheridan would have said to the Catalyst (obvious spoiler warning: if you haven't seen Babylon 5, that video will spoil one it's most pivotal and impactful scenes).

- Ash

That scene is the biggest reason that I find B5 to be overrated. I hated that resolution to the war.

Having said that, it's a hell of a lot better than the ME3 ending!