Mass Effect 3

[Hurlshort]

So can the single-player be played without Origin at all?

Yes, on x360 and ps3.

I thought Origin was only required for multiplayer?

 

I believe they are moving to the same model as Steamworks. I know Kingdoms of Amalur requires Origin to be running.

 

On the positive side, Origin is pretty unobtrusive, and even seems less resource hungry than Steam.

[WorstUsernameEver]

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is actually available on Steam (without Origin).

[Nepenthe]

So can the single-player be played without Origin at all?

Yes, on x360 and ps3.

I thought Origin was only required for multiplayer?

 

I believe they are moving to the same model as Steamworks. I know Kingdoms of Amalur requires Origin to be running.

 

On the positive side, Origin is pretty unobtrusive, and even seems less resource hungry than Steam.

They're still guilty of the sin of not having reached a near-monopoly first!

[greylord]

Apparently, the ME3 demo has been leaked on XBL.

 

If you wanna watch a video of the first 2 missions and don't mind spoilers, click here.

 

Why is it always XBL, why never PSN!

 

Oh well, only 2 days anyways (I think the demo comes out on the 14th)

[Oblarg]

They *need* to get rid of that stupid ****ing global cooldown. Combat was so much more satisfying in ME1 because you actually felt powerful when using powers, rather than simply shooting a colored missile every few seconds.

[Nepenthe]

I like the global cooldown. I hated it in ME1 when I fired off my powers and then had to rely on my peashooter for the rest of the encounter while the painfully long individual cooldowns reset. IMO saying that you prefer the ME1 version is kind of like saying you prefer premature ejaculation.

 

[HoonDing]

I'll have to look at my ME2 saves because I don't even remember whether Kaiden or Ashley are alive in my Paragon Shepard playthrough.

 

Apparantly Kaiden/Ashley became Spectres and also outrank Shepard (at least Kaiden, IIRC Ashely was just a NCO in ME1), they'll have to be taken down a notch quickly.

Edited February 12, 2012 by virumor

[Oblarg]

I like the global cooldown. I hated it in ME1 when I fired off my powers and then had to rely on my peashooter for the rest of the encounter while the painfully long individual cooldowns reset. IMO saying that you prefer the ME1 version is kind of like saying you prefer premature ejaculation.

 

 

You're basically saying "I disliked the old system because I don't like strategy in my shooter."

 

The new system basically reduces the fairly complex question of which power to use when (and, of course, if you act stupidly and blow them all at once you'll suffer for it) to the utterly mindless question of "which button do I press every six seconds?"

Edited February 12, 2012 by Oblarg

[BobSmith101]

Global cooldown is part of that streamlining thing. Makes the game very simple and straightforward.

[BobSmith101]

I like the global cooldown. I hated it in ME1 when I fired off my powers and then had to rely on my peashooter for the rest of the encounter while the painfully long individual cooldowns reset. IMO saying that you prefer the ME1 version is kind of like saying you prefer premature ejaculation.

 

 

Thats kind of your fault for shooting your load (of powers) at the first sign of exitement.

[Majek]

So can the single-player be played without Origin at all?

Yes, on x360 and ps3.

I thought Origin was only required for multiplayer?

 

I believe they are moving to the same model as Steamworks. I know Kingdoms of Amalur requires Origin to be running.

 

On the positive side, Origin is pretty unobtrusive, and even seems less resource hungry than Steam.

Wasn't it that you need to activate it over Origin and then you can play without, but you need Origin running for MP?

[Nepenthe]

I like the global cooldown. I hated it in ME1 when I fired off my powers and then had to rely on my peashooter for the rest of the encounter while the painfully long individual cooldowns reset. IMO saying that you prefer the ME1 version is kind of like saying you prefer premature ejaculation.

 

 

You're basically saying "I disliked the old system because I don't like strategy in my shooter."

 

The new system basically reduces the fairly complex question of which power to use when (and, of course, if you act stupidly and blow them all at once you'll suffer for it) to the utterly mindless question of "which button do I press every six seconds?"

Having a hard time seeing how having the option of "shooting my load" makes it more strategic vis-a-vis global cooldown, where I have to actually choose between, say, a buff or an attack. This is just another case of you guys personally preferring the other and trying to turn the other into some kind of mistake in game design.

 

Isn't your example in fact more appropriate to an individual cooldown, where the individual cooldown makes your decisions for what powers to use?

Edited February 12, 2012 by Nepenthe

[Bendu]

"This isn't about strategy or tactics, this is about survival"

 

I love Renegade Shepard.

Thank god his character hasn't changed during the trilogy.

[Orogun01]

 

Having a hard time seeing how having the option of "shooting my load" makes it more strategic vis-a-vis global cooldown, where I have to actually choose between, say, a buff or an attack. This is just another case of you guys personally preferring the other and trying to turn the other into some kind of mistake in game design.

 

Isn't your example in fact more appropriate to an individual cooldown, where the individual cooldown makes your decisions for what powers to use?

So you like the new system because it makes your premature power ejaculation seem more relevant?

[Morgoth]

"We either fight, or we die"

 

From were does BioWare recruit all these immensely talented writers? I have to know, maybe I could land a job there, too?

[Malcador]

Apparently cooldowns also increase with the number of weapons you're carrying ?

[Zoraptor]

"This isn't about strategy or tactics, this is about survival"

 

I love Renegade Shepard.

Thank god his character hasn't changed during the trilogy.

 

Best renegade Shephard quote ever: "We'll need more bodybags".

 

Shame it was from a satire interview rather than the game. Renegade shep is always best served with a healthy side of ham and cheese, Starship Troopers movie (minus Casper Van Serious Business) style.

[Oblarg]

Having a hard time seeing how having the option of "shooting my load" makes it more strategic vis-a-vis global cooldown, where I have to actually choose between, say, a buff or an attack. This is just another case of you guys personally preferring the other and trying to turn the other into some kind of mistake in game design.

 

"Mistake," no. I'm simply noting that a global cooldown removes any element of timing from your ability usage. You hit a button every few seconds. Which button you hit is largely determined by which type of armor you want to damage. That's about all the logic there is to the power usage on the global cooldown. The challenge posed by long individual cooldowns is deciding at which point in combat to use your ability for maximal effect. Your complaint about this indicates that you're exactly the type of player to whom BioWare was catering with this change - you didn't make that decision, you simply used your abilities every time they were off cooldown. Of course, if you play in such a manner, you will be ineffective.

 

This is certainly the intended design, not a bug. I'm saying it's a stupid design.

 

Isn't your example in fact more appropriate to an individual cooldown, where the individual cooldown makes your decisions for what powers to use?

 

I'm still trying to parse this sentence. It's not working.

Edited February 12, 2012 by Oblarg

[greylord]

Your complaint about this indicates that you're exactly the type of player to whom BioWare was catering with this change - you didn't make that decision, you simply used your abilities every time they were off cooldown. Of course, if you play in such a manner, you will be ineffective.

 

This is certainly the intended design, not a bug. I'm saying it's a stupid design.

 

 

You come off sounding awfully elitist. Elitist normally want a game which 3 people will enjoy rather than everyone else. (exagerated to extremes, but gives a basic idea fo why companies would rather appeal to more people rather than a smaller group of people). One form of stupid design is where you appeal to less people because it is less intuitive.

 

I'm not of an opinion of whether ME1 or ME2 had it better for powers...ME1 was actually easier I think, ME2 was more about strategic timing in my opinion...but I don't mind either one. I think ME2 had better overall gameplay.

 

From what you sound like you are saying, you seem to indicate that ME2 was dumbed down for the "masses" or in other words, made to appeal to a bigger audience. If that's what you are saying, and if that design actually worked, then it would be stupid to go back to a design which would lessen their appeal, cut their sales, and reduce how many would play the game.

 

In that light, maybe you want to restate or refine whether you think it is stupid and that's what you meant...or if you meant less involving and thus less interesting. One is simply stupid and causes problems...the other isn't necessarily stupid, but it may directly impact how the game flows and feels which can improve or detract (as in your case....detract) from whether one likes the game and the changes or not.

[Raithe]

One of the issues I found with the global cooldown was with chained powers. In ME1, if you had a Vanguard, you could use Lift to cause someone to fly up into the air, and then blam, hit them with the Throw ability.

 

In ME2, you really needed to have two people in the squad with matching abilities to be able to combine effects like that. Otherwise, by the time the global cooldown let you have Throw ready.. your Lift had already ended..

 

It basically had that element of pushing your need to micro-manage your squad to be able to combine different abilities like that.. which has both elements of good and bad. In ME1, it was carefully manage your abilities rather then spam everything. In ME2, it was more about managing your squad together.

 

Of course, the one that always irritated me was the Charge ability. Enemy Vanguards could use Charge to blip around the battlefield (key example, Vasir in Lair of the Shadow Broker), while the player could only use it to attack an enemy.

[Morgoth]

I kinda miss the Geth.

 

Shooting at heavy armor dudes with deep voices can get pretty boring fast. It was fun in FEAR, but I think it has been overdone by now. At least the Geth had those cool jumpy frog-like thingies that I could never quite hit.

[Oblarg]

From what you sound like you are saying, you seem to indicate that ME2 was dumbed down for the "masses" or in other words, made to appeal to a bigger audience. If that's what you are saying, and if that design actually worked, then it would be stupid to go back to a design which would lessen their appeal, cut their sales, and reduce how many would play the game.

 

In that light, maybe you want to restate or refine whether you think it is stupid and that's what you meant...or if you meant less involving and thus less interesting. One is simply stupid and causes problems...the other isn't necessarily stupid, but it may directly impact how the game flows and feels which can improve or detract (as in your case....detract) from whether one likes the game and the changes or not.

 

I think it's stupid because an RPG is a fundamentally strategic game, and this is clearly changing the system to be less strategic. Note: "less strategic" does not mean "easier." What the system lost in strategic difficulty it gained in increased combat difficulty. However, powers really don't feel like a unique part of combat on a global cooldown system so much as just another weapon - in addition to your main gun, you can shoot a colored missile at the enemy every six seconds. Which missile you shoot depends on which enemy you're facing and how much damage you've done to them. It's really not strategic at all, and I think that's a dumb choice to make in a game claiming to be an RPG.

 

Furthermore, from a purely subjective standpoint, I feel the global cooldown really makes the powers feel less, well, powerful. They're not as fun to use if they're forced into a rigid pattern of using them every time the cooldown is up, and it really cuts down on the feeling of variety when you're essentially restricted to one power against a certain set of foes, as often happened in ME2.

 

As for the "broadened appeal" argument, I don't fully buy that - sure, a global cooldown system will appeal more to the CoD crowd, but is there any convincing evidence that the increase appeal to shooter fans outweighs the lost appeal to RPG fans? I doubt it.

Edited February 12, 2012 by Oblarg

[WDeranged]

One day I'll give the Mass Effect series an honest go, I enjoyed the first game but got sidelined by Bioshock or Fallout 3 and never finished it, it sounds odd but my biggest problem getting into the game was that the generic Shepherd reminds me of the lead guy from Lost...I know you can redesign the look but that doesn't change the dull acting, I heard he improves in ME2 though.

 

I wish I could get into playing female characters because Jennifer Hale is universally awesome.

[greylord]

One day I'll give the Mass Effect series an honest go, I enjoyed the first game but got sidelined by Bioshock or Fallout 3 and never finished it, it sounds odd but my biggest problem getting into the game was that the generic Shepherd reminds me of the lead guy from Lost...I know you can redesign the look but that doesn't change the dull acting, I heard he improves in ME2 though.

 

I wish I could get into playing female characters because Jennifer Hale is universally awesome.

 

I always thought Shepard was copied from Paul Walker, like they stole Walker's face but didn't ask permission! Walker can be pretty wooden at times too...

 

That's who the male Shep reminds me of.

[WDeranged]

I just think they tried to come up with Mr Average McCrewcut and unfortunately gave him the voice to go with it