Mass Effect Trilogy

[Serrano]

are you hallucinating or just suffering head trauma from how much I was kicking your ass?

 

 

That should have been Shepard's rebuttal . 

[NOK222]

I have to admit, after replaying Priority Thessia...

The general idea behind it is great. The hidden Prothean Beacon being the secret of Asari supremacy, groovy.

 

But the execution annoys me.

 

You get the annoyance factor of Kai Leng. A guy you basically kick the crap out of easily, who only gets by you because a gunship blows the floor from under your feet. And he then gloats about how he was so skilled and capable. It's like.. are you hallucinating or just suffering head trauma from how much I was kicking your ass?

And how the hell does an omni-glove interface with a beacon and upload all it's data and VI, whilst stripping the beacon bare in a matter of seconds?

Combine that with the fact that you can't yell at the Asari for not listening to you four years earlier, or helping out before hand while they had a working beacon on their home planet. All you have is Shepard being all "I'm sorry".

Damn right I'm sorry. I'm sorry you lied to the galaxy, I'm sorry you refused to help, I'm sorry you waited until half your people were dead before admitting that you had something useful on your planet.

 

Dang it. After the highs of Tuchanka, how did they hit the low that was Thessia?

And why does Shepard care so much too. They forced the trauma on him/her.

Edited March 14, 2013 by NKKKK

[HoonDing]

Kai Leng's out-of-the-blue introduction in the Citadel and the stand-off with Thane was already extremely ham-fisted. The game would be better off without that clown.

[Raithe]

Well I know Kai Leng had all sorts of history as Cerberus Bad Boy Assassin in the books, and I think one of those comic runs. But if you didn't have any of that backstory..

 

I mean be serious, he looks like a campy Nightwing,  he gets stopped from assassinating one target by a terminally ill former assassin with breathing troubles, then runs away from his other targets because Shepard got there first, he gets his ass kicked on Thessia until a gunship uses missiles to blow the floor from under your feet, and THEN he crows about how skilled he is?

[Tale]

I think he would have been fine if the moment he shows up, Shepard kicks his ass, and then dies. He deserves about as good a treatment as Jack-Phantom.

[NOK222]

Kai Leng is an "edgy" character. 

[Humanoid]

Well I know Kai Leng had all sorts of history as Cerberus Bad Boy Assassin in the books, and I think one of those comic runs. But if you didn't have any of that backstory..

Having the backstory with the cereal killer and vase urination stuff wouldn't really improve the situation I think....

[Nordicus]

 

 

Having the backstory with the cereal killer and vase urination stuff wouldn't really improve the situation I think....

 

[NOK222]

That is the first book where the author has to patch it. 

[Azure79]

My favorite Kai Leng moment had to be during the final battle you have with him. I had spec'ed my Vanguard to do a ton of melee damage, so I would just basically charge and one hit melee kill a lot of enemies. 

 

I had Kai Leng down to minimal health pretty fast, and I think something glitched when my Shep hit him with a melee attack while simultaneously Garrus hit him with some explosive shot and the combined damage overrode whatever animation that was programmed in and Kai Leng just magnificently exploded. I saw his head rolling around on the ground before the cut scene started. Then he was whole again. I was disappointed. 

 

i've never been able to get that to happen again, but it was really satisfying. 

[Tasaio]

Based on all of the positive reviews, I decided to play the Citadel DLC. I thought that, the problems with ME3 notwithstanding, it would be an opportunity to bid a fond farewell to the Mass Effect series. I knew that it had a lighter tone, but I enjoyed the comic "Blasto: Eternity is Forever!" about the Hanar spectre, so I was looking forward to some funny moments at the party in this DLC.

 

Boy, was I in for an unpleasant surprise.

 

The plot of this DLC is outrageously stupid -- I never thought that Bioware could top the original ME3 endings, but this DLC comes close. When I heard that we would unearth previously unvisited areas of the Citadel, I thought that we would finally learn the secrets of the keepers -- where they were assembled, their history, the mysterious Keeper #20 from the videos in the Shadow Broker DLC. (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Video_Archive). After all, in the ME3 previews, they promised that "the mystery of the keepers would be revealed". Even when it became clear that the keepers weren't the focus of the plot, I expected any number of interesting sci-fi locations Bioware could have visited. Instead, they spent all of that time and effort creating...a restaurant, a casino, a bar and an arcade.

 

And when it came to the party, I was expecting, at minimum, an "Investigate" dialogue option. Instead, clicking "Talk" prompts the NPC to recite completely inane one-liners. Actually, "inane" can be used to describe all of the dialogue in this DLC. The feeble stabs at humour just aren't funny -- some of the jokes are so juvenile that I'm surprised to find them in a Bioware game.

 

I think Roger Ebert's thoughts on Star Trek: Nemesis sum up how I fell about this Mass Effect: Citadel.

 

 

 

I'm sitting there...and I'm smiling like a good sport and trying to get with the dialogue...and gradually it occurs to me that "Star Trek" is over for me.

 

 

For those who enjoyed the DLC, I'm genuinely happy for you -- and I wish that I had found what enjoyment you did in this DLC. Like Ebert, I'm trying to be a good sport, and find something positive to say about this DLC. But I honestly cannot understand the positive reception -- this DLC, like the original endings, leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth. I wish that I had my money and my time back.

 

I honestly cannot believe that...this...is the grand send-off of the Mass Effect series. A terrible shame.

[Zed]

I played all the Mass Effect games because I'm into romancing alien babes.

As RPGs, they were complete garbage. Combat worse than KotOR, characters more Bioware stereotypical than ever, char development and stat management developed for a teen audience and finally a really ****ty plot.

[Raithe]

Hm, I think what provided a nice chunk of amusement was just how willing they were to have those moments of self-referential fun. The small bits and pieces where they applied elements of background nods and some outright shout-outs to the issues they've had in all three games. The points that all fans have made and argued over, the elements that have become almost ME tropes from the series.

 

When you get down to it, I think you end up spending more time running back and forth around the Strip, meeting companions, and having that party then you do on the entire "mission" part of the dlc. The characters were all doing the things, saying the things that you could see them saying if they were trying to unwind for that brief moment or respite before throwing themselves back into the fight.

 

Grunt's run in with C-Sec and his "explanation" of how it all happened, Tali's "omni-tattoo" when she and Jack got drunk during the party, Zaeed and Garrus working out how to turn Shepard's apartment into a deathtrap in case someone else came gunning for him whilst the party was happening.. Wrex moaning in the bar over the genophage cure and how he's struggling to deal with all the Krogan females wanting him as a father for their firstborn..  Sure, some of the dialogue was campy and ropey, but none of it felt that out of place for the characters speaking it.

 

The whole thing was pretty much a cheese fest in it's way. But I found it an entertaining cheese fest.

[alanschu]

 

Hm, I think what provided a nice chunk of amusement was just how willing they were to have those moments of self-referential fun.

 

I loved the N7 soldiers raging about being awarded weapons that were not relevant to them.  "A shotgun!?  I'm an adept!  This is useless!"  Same with the "I found myself getting assigned less once those Turian Engineers showed up" and whatnot lol.

 

I actually missed a lot of these but my friend was giving me a recap of the ones he found.

[Nonek]

Had to laugh at one comment I saw on this DLC, "In space no one can hear you vomit." I'm assuming the writer didn't enjoy it. Funny but a little too harsh I think.

Edited March 18, 2013 by Nonek

[AGX-17]

The plot of this DLC is outrageously stupid -- I never thought that Bioware could top the original ME3 endings, but this DLC comes close. When I heard that we would unearth previously unvisited areas of the Citadel, I thought that we would finally learn the secrets of the keepers -- where they were assembled, their history, the mysterious Keeper #20 from the videos in the Shadow Broker DLC. (http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Video_Archive). After all, in the ME3 previews, they promised that "the mystery of the keepers would be revealed". Even when it became clear that the keepers weren't the focus of the plot, I expected any number of interesting sci-fi locations Bioware could have visited. Instead, they spent all of that time and effort creating...a restaurant, a casino, a bar and an arcade.

You already know the origin of the Reapers and the Citadel, who controls them, etc., why give a **** about some bugs they made/repurposed as maintenance men? What's so special about "keeper #20"? How do you know it's not doing what every keeper does? And again, you already know what's in charge. What would dissuade you from thinking Keeper #20 isn't the real mastermind behind everything? Three surveillance clips each for Keepers #1-#236759?

 

It was never advertised as "The Keepers DLC - The true puppeteers finally revealed!"

 

I literally cannot comprehend how you can think this is worse than RGB IT WAS ALL A FAIRYTALE THE END

 

 

And, for the record, I was thoroughly disappointed by the DLC and really wish I hadn't wasted any money on it.

Edited March 18, 2013 by AGX-17

[Gorth]

Still running around in 'The Strip' in the Citadel DLC. Found a Tower of Hanoi arcade game. Shepard: "Tower of Hanoi... I think *not*"

 

Survived the party too (and the hangovers). All good fun.

[Tasaio]

It's been a few days, and I've had some time to reflect on my initial post.

 

To those who like the DLC:

 

I'm sorry if I was a bit harsh, especially considering a Bioware employee posts here. I understand that no one wants a killjoy to come in and scathingly criticize a game most people are enjoying. Based on the comments in this thread, and the metacritic user score, it's clear that I'm in the minority about this DLC.

 

I compared this DLC to Star Trek: Nemesis, but perhaps a better comparison is Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. I didn't like the goofy plot in that film, but it's clearly a fan favourite. I guess this goes to show that we're looking for different things in Mass Effect. I'm more interested in the overall lore and setting than the characters; others prefer the characters. There's nothing wrong with either preference, but this DLC, like ME3, clearly decided to focus on characters at the expense of plot.

 

To AGX-17:

 

I literally cannot comprehend how you can think this is worse than RGB IT WAS ALL A FAIRYTALE THE END

 

I didn't actually say it was worse, I wrote:

 

I never thought that Bioware could top the original ME3 endings, but this DLC comes close

 

Look, I entered this DLC with some mistaken impressions. When I heard that all the writers were on board, that this was made in response to fan feedback, that it was the largest DLC ever...I honestly thought that it would address one of, what I believed to be, the unresolved plot threads from earlier Mass Effect games:

 

- the absence of Harbinger

- the foreshadowing of dark energy (now unused since the ending was changed)

- the mystery of the keepers (and keeper #20)

 

When I heard it was set on the citadel, I naturally assumed it was the keeper thread that was being resolved.

 

To everyone:

 

I guess I'll view Mass Effect 3, as a whole, as the end of the series, rather than this DLC. And in that regard, it does provide some decent closure for the characters. Some of the events, like Tuchanka and Rannoch, remind me of the greatness of the earlier games. It's just a shame Bioware didn't put that some amount of effort into the rest of the game.

 

I just can't shake the belief that, despite its strong characters, Mass Effect could have done so much more with its plot. One day, I'll play through the entire series again, with all DLC, and maybe my feelings will improve.

 

Anyway, I'm glad others found more enjoyment in the game than I did. No hard feelings?

[Gorth]

I honestly cannot believe that...this...is the grand send-off of the Mass Effect series. A terrible shame.

Expectations can be a hard thing to manage (I work in software development), so in some ways it probably does come down to what you were expecting/hoping for.

 

For me, it was the equivalent of those old movies from the 60's and 70's where they show a few extra minutes after the final credits, with bloopers, goof ups and off stage camera showing the crew having a good time "off the record". If you expected something "profound", then odds are indeed that you might be very disappointed.

[babaganoosh13]

So, is that patch for the book done yet? Funny, it seems to have taken longer to patch it then to have initially "researched" it and write the book.

 

I'm just glad I worked that day and didn't buy it the first day it first came out like I did Drew's 2nd and 3rd ME books, so I ended up finding out what a farce it was before I made that mistake.

 

I chalked it up to Casey, Mac et al being too busy with ME3 to properly check the lore. Then ME3 came out. Between everything that had to do with that stupid kid, and the lazy multi-player required ending, it literally killed my love for the lore of the whole ME Universe. I got the first series of comics. I haven't bought comics since I was in high school last millenium, but I bought those. I had the third series in my hand, and didn't event want to read it for free, nonetheless buy it. I have no excitement whatsoever for ME4. It may as well be Army of Two 3, or Call of Duty MW8. Maybe another trilogy play through with the new ending now that I've got it on PC will help revive it. Trouble is, that stupid kid is still in it. Is there a mod to get rid of him, and those stupid nightmare sequences?

 

Also, I've got Origins to finish again first.

[ShadySands]

Currently starting my second playthrough now that all the DLC is out

 

Also, came across this

 

Fans of the Mass Effect franchise will be very happy to hear that Bioware is currently getting ready to develop the next Mass Effect game. Casey Hudson, the Executive Producer at Bioware, stated that the game developer is planning on bringing a “fresh and new” experience to the series. He says that the game will still have the same, core aspects that made the franchise so successful, but that there will be some major new changes, perhaps revamped game play.

[Janmanden]

Core aspects that made the franchise so successful? That's a tough one. ME1 started out nicely with full dialogue, exp and the Mako - Limitless movement of a map (just a big square but you could move all over it). ME2 took away the Mako, all the nice weapons, equipment and exp for kills and gave you.. erm.. Useless ship upgrades, Loyalty and party missions. ME3 took away pretty much everything, but gave us combat good enough for Multi-Player and a few dialogue options for old times sake. The only thing that has really been growing for each installment is the number and length of cut-scenes.. So.. duh.. ME4 is going to be a movie then?

[Nepenthe]

Still calling bs on me2 "taking away" anything from exp, more like it gave experience in the proper pnp rpg way. I'm too tired to go through the rest, but "all the nice weapons"? RLY?

[alanschu]

I consider the open exploration worlds of ME1 to be its detriment.

 

I stopped doing them after some time because I was just getting bored.

[Zoraptor]

The main problem was they replaced the not very good (and unintentionally hilarious) inflatable bouncy buggy exploration with not very good- and worse, boring- planet pinging. I also remember the inventory system of ME1 let's say 'less than fondly', plus the generic near identical mine/ ship/ whatever locations. OTOH I though that ME1 did a far better job of being part of a series than ME2, and that ME2 simply had too many NPCs and not enough plot progression and that ME1 was a better RPG while ME2 was a better 3ps.