Mass Effect 3

[Nepenthe]

I picked up the Arrival DLC, I figure it will be a nice little prologue for ME3.

 

I've got just over a month to do a replay of both ME1 and ME2 so that I'll have personalized characters to import over to ME3, rather than just using the default one they give you.

 

It kind of sucks because I already DO have some Shepards who I leveled up to max, but that was on my old XBox360 harddrive that I no longer use. The new one doesn't have any ME saves yet.

I'm not sure how you managed such a situation, tbh. Upgrade to gold for a mnimum period and use the cloud to get everything on one hd?

[GhostofAnakin]

I'm not sure how you managed such a situation, tbh. Upgrade to gold for a mnimum period and use the cloud to get everything on one hd?

 

Let me state right off that I'm pretty technologically retarded when it comes to the XBox360 (not much better with computers, but I'm absolutely useless with the 360). So with that said ...

 

My ME1 and ME2 save data is on my old XBox360 harddrive, the original one with only like 10 GB of memory. I bought a new XBox360 almost two years ago that had more memory, and thus that's the one I use now. So other than attaching my old harddrive to my new 360 unit, I wasn't sure how to actually access those files. I'd heard that there was a thing you could buy to link two 360s, but I didn't want to pay just to do that.

 

Are you saying there's an easier way to do it? I saw that new Cloud feature, but I didn't know what it was.

[Lexx]

I was replaying ME2 at the end of last year (to get my character ME3-ready, because once I accidentallly deleted my saves) and I have to say that the game was pretty short. When I played it the very first time, I sat down approx 1 week. But on my replay, it was reduced to 2 days and I noticed how non-existant the choices ingame are (and what had been carried over from ME1). Really, all this "ME has so much choices and consequences!" is just bull**** and I have big doubts about ME3 doing it any different.

[Drowsy Emperor]

Both are 20 hour games. There's only so much you can cram in that, and BW's focus was more on the graphics than anything else.

 

Only all three games taken together will make an RPG of decent length.

[Lexx]

The length isn't much bothering me. I don't have that much time for playing anyway, so a 40 or 60 hours rpg is hardly something I would finish nowadays. But all this talk about choice&consequence... it's really starting to annoy me, because it's either not true or just minimal.

[HoonDing]

Choices can't matter in ME3 considering you're supposed to be able to win no matter if you were full Paragon, full Renegade or something in between. That's why - judging from the leaked script - there's a McGuffin in the end to beat the Reapers.

 

By all means one would expect a Chaotic Stupid Renegade Shepard to be doomed to lose against the Reapers... making humanity stand alone, letting Illusive Man keep the Reaper base, destroying every faction that could be possible allies, etc.

 

Imagine the butthurt, though, if such a Shepard would actually lose. A modern game where it is possible to fail in the end, is very rare.

Edited February 3, 2012 by virumor

[Tale]

Choices can't matter in ME3 considering you're supposed to be able to win no matter if you were full Paragon, full Renegade or something in between. That's why - judging from the leaked script - there's a McGuffin in the end to beat the Reapers.

 

By all means one would expect a Chaotic Stupid Renegade Shepard to be doomed to lose against the Reapers... making humanity stand alone, letting Illusive Man keep the Reaper base, destroying every faction that could be possible allies, etc.

 

Imagine the butthurt, though, if such a Shepard would actually lose. A modern game where it is possible to fail in the end, is very rare.

I'm not sure that anyone is saying he should he should lose for those choices. I can't remember a game with C&C that forced you to lose the game based on previous decisions. Maybe some old Sierra adventure games. Or Hitchhiker's. One would expect the C&C to determine a few quests you get. What allies and enemies you have. Not lock you into an outcome.

 

 

I think I may have fallen in with the hatedom. But I'm trying to keep perspective. I loved ME2, but the plot was a meaningless tangent, with sidequests that were mostly family issues. It had really good shooting mechanics. My fear with ME3 is that the plot will be even weaker, with less interesting sidequests, but the shooting mechanics will be barely changed. Because I don't see what room for improvement it has in the shooting.

[Hurlshort]

It is completely unreasonable to expect the game to fail you because you made a bad decision 30 hours earlier in the game. I lived through the Sierra adventure era where you were screwed if you missed picking up a fish in a barrel, and I don't miss it.

 

However Bioware did a great job acknowledging my choices from ME1 in ME2. Whether it was the way a conversation went with a former companion, or a simple email, I felt rewarded for my choices.

[Raithe]

I think you have to take it that the choices and consequences matter in regards to the path you journey on, rather then whether it means a win or lose ending.

 

The way consequences and reactions happen to things you do and choices you make effect the pathway, and that is something that's good to at least see an attempt made at in a game.

 

Even if they don't have a direct in-game consequence, actually having something refer to it later makes it a more involving universe. As Hurl says, even a simple email can improve a certain sense of immersion in what you've done and where you're going.

[Spider]

I still think there should be some concequences towards the ending. Not win or lose, but rather what kinda of collateral damage you suffer. Some previous choices would lead to a solarsystem or two being wiped out (maybe a major race suffereing some real losses, bringing them to the brink of extinction, stuff like that). But you should absolutely be able to beat the reapers.

 

Also, more important are the personal stories. There choices in previous games should matter in a big way, I think.

[Hurlshort]

The choices in ME2 did have an effect on the ending in that game though, your crewmates lived and died based on your decisions.

 

I'm guessing some of the personal stories will matter. I romanced Ashley in the first game, and then I avoided hooking up with anyone in ME2. Because of that her picture stayed on my desk and all that. I'm expecting that to be addressed in ME3 n some way, I'd be surprised if it wasn't.

[Raithe]

I'm guessing some of the personal stories will matter. I romanced Ashley in the first game, and then I avoided hooking up with anyone in ME2. Because of that her picture stayed on my desk and all that. I'm expecting that to be addressed in ME3 n some way, I'd be surprised if it wasn't.

 

Well they did make a few comments that there will be issues depending on romance choices and potential love triangles to deal with... so I'm fairly sure something will crop up. Hopefully not just an email for that..

[greylord]

Depending on which playthrough, Ashley was romanced, and died in my ME playthrough, at least the save I'm going to play first.

 

Then again, it's all replicated on the PS3 via the comic...though some of my choices weren't reflected on the PS3.

 

I don't think I've ever beat ME2 in under 20 hours. around 24-25 hours is my quickest play through, but then I spend time to mine planets and upgrade things.

 

My current playthrough had me at 35 hours beating the game with still the firewalker, Shadowbroker, and Overlord portions to play through (already did Arrival during the game itself).

[Nepenthe]

I'm not sure how you managed such a situation, tbh. Upgrade to gold for a mnimum period and use the cloud to get everything on one hd?

 

Let me state right off that I'm pretty technologically retarded when it comes to the XBox360 (not much better with computers, but I'm absolutely useless with the 360). So with that said ...

 

My ME1 and ME2 save data is on my old XBox360 harddrive, the original one with only like 10 GB of memory. I bought a new XBox360 almost two years ago that had more memory, and thus that's the one I use now. So other than attaching my old harddrive to my new 360 unit, I wasn't sure how to actually access those files. I'd heard that there was a thing you could buy to link two 360s, but I didn't want to pay just to do that.

 

Are you saying there's an easier way to do it? I saw that new Cloud feature, but I didn't know what it was.

Yes, the cloud feature is there to allow you to move saves between consoles (or as offsite backups, if you are paranoid like me), as long as you have the same gamertag on both. It won't move ME1 endgame saves, but if you have a regular save close to the end, all you'd need to replay would be the final encounter. So if you have the old console still around, would be a breeze to move the saves.

 

I upgraded my x360 with just a harddrive, so it came with a transfer kit.

 

Edit: reread what you wrote. I think it should be doable with the old HD in the new console as well, certainly if you can get it to work normally on it otherwise.

Edited February 3, 2012 by Nepenthe

[GhostofAnakin]

Yes, the cloud feature is there to allow you to move saves between consoles (or as offsite backups, if you are paranoid like me), as long as you have the same gamertag on both. It won't move ME1 endgame saves, but if you have a regular save close to the end, all you'd need to replay would be the final encounter. So if you have the old console still around, would be a breeze to move the saves.

 

I upgraded my x360 with just a harddrive, so it came with a transfer kit.

 

Edit: reread what you wrote. I think it should be doable with the old HD in the new console as well, certainly if you can get it to work normally on it otherwise.

 

That's tremendous. If this works, it'll save me a lot of time. Not that I don't want to replay ME1 and 2; I want to run through 1, especially, to unlock some of the achievements I missed. But at least I'll already have characters maxed out and ready to go when ME3 comes out.

[Spider]

The choices in ME2 did have an effect on the ending in that game though, your crewmates lived and died based on your decisions.

 

I'm guessing some of the personal stories will matter. I romanced Ashley in the first game, and then I avoided hooking up with anyone in ME2. Because of that her picture stayed on my desk and all that. I'm expecting that to be addressed in ME3 n some way, I'd be surprised if it wasn't.

 

Yeah, but that was within the game. ME was marketed as a series where eactions in the first part will have ramifications in the last part. The Ashley thing is more what I'm thinking of, but I'd like to see some things affecting the main story as well. The Rachni queen comes to mind.

[Raithe]

Yeah, but that was within the game. ME was marketed as a series where eactions in the first part will have ramifications in the last part. The Ashley thing is more what I'm thinking of, but I'd like to see some things affecting the main story as well. The Rachni queen comes to mind.

 

Well the choice you made with Wrex in ME certainly had an effect on ME2 didn't it? I'm pretty sure that's going to carry across to ME3 as well...

[Nepenthe]

As usual, the amount of jilted lover style bitching and flat-out incorrect information in this thread astounds me. And kind of makes me afraid, considering how much of my information I get from this forum.

[Hurlshort]

I finished The Arrival DLC. Left a pretty bad taste in my mouth.

I mean, I get that there wasn't really a choice between wiping out the solar system and letting the Reapers arrive, but it seems like a pretty big decision to wipe out 350,000 folks.  Plus it really only delays the inevitable, so basically I executed a whole lot of people to give a ton of other people a few more months of time.

 

I guess I would have like to see more options to warn the Batarians or something.  I don't know, it was just an ugly situation and it made my character feel a lot less heroic.

 

Edited February 4, 2012 by Hurlshot

[Gorgon]

Well bear in mind that Mass Effect 2 is essentially a shooter with some minor RPG elements. Don't expect the world from those, enjoy it for what it is.

[Raithe]

I finished The Arrival DLC. Left a pretty bad taste in my mouth.

I mean, I get that there wasn't really a choice between wiping out the solar system and letting the Reapers arrive, but it seems like a pretty big decision to wipe out 350,000 folks.  Plus it really only delays the inevitable, so basically I executed a whole lot of people to give a ton of other people a few more months of time.

 

I guess I would have like to see more options to warn the Batarians or something.  I don't know, it was just an ugly situation and it made my character feel a lot less heroic.

 

 

It also has that slight clash if you look at the Achievements you get for it. If you do the prison rescue/breakout without causing alarms or killing Batarians, you get the achievement.. and then basically a day later you do what you have to..

[Transcendent Prosper]

I finished The Arrival DLC. Left a pretty bad taste in my mouth.

I mean, I get that there wasn't really a choice between wiping out the solar system and letting the Reapers arrive, but it seems like a pretty big decision to wipe out 350,000 folks.  Plus it really only delays the inevitable, so basically I executed a whole lot of people to give a ton of other people a few more months of time.

 

I guess I would have like to see more options to warn the Batarians or something.  I don't know, it was just an ugly situation and it made my character feel a lot less heroic.

 

 

+1

 

from that moment, i have become a batarian sympathizer. i hate the system alliance and their murderer captain shepherd. he doesn't even feel bad for doing this! he's not the same shepherd from 'bring down the sky' anymore. he's now totally ea's.

[Nepenthe]

I finished The Arrival DLC. Left a pretty bad taste in my mouth.

I mean, I get that there wasn't really a choice between wiping out the solar system and letting the Reapers arrive, but it seems like a pretty big decision to wipe out 350,000 folks.  Plus it really only delays the inevitable, so basically I executed a whole lot of people to give a ton of other people a few more months of time.

 

I guess I would have like to see more options to warn the Batarians or something.  I don't know, it was just an ugly situation and it made my character feel a lot less heroic.

 

 

That DLC sure has some pretty heavy-handed railroading.

[Nonek]

So this Vincent Vega chap, is he going to be the protagonist for those of us who lost Mr Shepard at the Collector base? Or will they be using the old lazarus elastoplasts again.

[Nepenthe]

So this Vincent Vega chap, is he going to be the protagonist for those of us who lost Mr Shepard at the Collector base? Or will they be using the old lazarus elastoplasts again.

So, in the hopes that you are actually the last person on the planet who wasn't aware of it, I will now inform you that there is no importing any savegames of dead shepards. That's game over. Suck on that C&C.