Mass Effect (4) Musings

[PrimeJunta]

I have a kind of a lovehate thing going with Mass Effect. It's one of those series that falls sooooo far short of what it could have been, yet has some really high points and memorable moments. A few of the characters are very cool, the gameplay in ME2 and 3 isn't bad at all, and some of the sub-story arcs are just about as good as it gets -- Tuchanka for example. And I also really dug the 'suicide mission' in ME2, and the way it tied up stuff in a neat little ribbon. 

 

Yet it has the unbelievably boneheaded things everybody loves to harp about that I'm not going to go into here.

 

So basically where DA:I has gotten me to more or less give up on that franchise (and it gets me this close to giving up on BW altogether), I still hold a smidgen of hope for ME. Not least because the straight-up cover shooter gameplay is better suited for the actiony cinematic RPG's BW likes to make these days than swords-n-sorcery-with-cooldowns. 

 

Meaning, they don't actually have to dumb down the gameplay because it's already dumb yet remains quite fun in its way. So they could instead focus on the things they screwed up in the original trilogy. Also I'm pretty sure they know they boo-booed with the narrative, given the reception of the ME3 endings.

 

Namely: story and world design. The ME trilogy story just made no bleeping sense on any level, and every place in the galaxy looked either like a mall or a bombed-out parking garage.

 

The lead writer for ME4 is Chris Schlerf, whose major claim to fame is Halo 4. I haven't played that so I don't know if the writing is any good. The art director is Joe McMillan, who's an ME trilogy veteran. The change of lead writer is welcome at least; it gives hope that he'll pay more attention to narrative and setting consistency, and, just perhaps, edit better, while retaining the good qualities of ME's writing -- generally well-flowing dialog and well-characterized characters.

 

As to the art director, I've no way of knowing if the samey sameness in the OT represents his (lack of) vision or is simply a consequence of limited resources and having to reuse them a lot. Nevertheless, less hopeful there.

 

Any of you good folk have some more inside beef on the people involved? Healthy pessimism is healthy as it makes for fewer disappointments, but should we write this one off straight away or is there hope?

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

I expect Mass Effect 4 to be bland gameplay, non-senscal or just dumb plot, waifus/husbandos, and multiplayer. It will have a devoted fanbase for the waifus/husbandos with disturbing fanart and fanfic, and possibly produce some memes that will be used for about 4 months.

 

Perhaps Bioware will finally take the plunge and develop multiplayer romance, in which case I will congratulate them on fusing the two aspects that must be in all their games after 2012.

[Leferd]

I really loved the story, characters, and overall presentation of the first Mass Effect. I was hooked. It had excellent 80's style science fiction aesthetics --in both the "cinematography" and soundtrack. Too bad the combat sucked and there was a lot of recycled and repetitive level design.

 

ME 2's combat was a significant improvement, but was worst in all other areas compared to the original.

 

I only got through two hours of ME 3, so I can't comment on it too much other than to say I didn't enjoy it very much.

[kirottu]

Have you guys read the leak?

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

Have you guys read the leak?

So scanning planets is back?

[PrimeJunta]

This actually sounds... pretty cool. Much better premise for a swashbuckling space adventure than the original ME one. 

 

Who knows if it's real though, might be someone just making stuff up for the lulz.

[mute688]

ME4, for me, is a definite wait for after release reviews.  The change to a more open world approach is my biggest concern.   BW (recently) is at their strongest with tightly scripted narrative and action which is where DA:I went wrong imho.  DA:I lacked direction, it meandered along with no real urgency or cohesiveness.  If they bring that sort of open world design and loose narrative over to the ME series, I can see myself not bothering with the game (possibly the series). 

[PrimeJunta]

DA:I had a whole bunch of problems, not least the endless fetch-me-20-of-this sidequests. My main beef with it though is the gameplay which is just plain dull, endlessly spamming the same attacks over and over, with the supposedly-climactic dragonfights just a matter of whittling down a mountain of hitpoints while dodging a repeating attack pattern. I'm hoping the core gameplay at least will be less dull (i.e., basically copying the ME2/3 gameplay which I found serviceable enough and certainly more fun than DA:I's). 

 

The world design, however, I liked. The environments felt organic, layered, and credible. The geology was believable (even if they overdid the basalt pipes), as was the plant life. The ruins were much more believable than in most such games, and the villages, strongholds, farms, hamlets and such felt like functioning villages, strongholds, farms, and hamlets.

 

So that part I'm kind of mildly optimistic about. But yeah, definitely not a day 1 purchase. (I only got around to playing the ME's years after they came out too.)

[aluminiumtrioxid]

This actually sounds... pretty cool. Much better premise for a swashbuckling space adventure than the original ME one. 

 

Based on the blurb, I'm pretty sure the story will be DA:O-esque utter garbage though, which pretty much kills my enthusiasm in the crib.

[Malcador]

Finally, get your Mako looking the way you want with a custom paintjob.

Purchased for $3.99 no doubt. But overall that doesn't seem all too bad for what ME is. Sending NPCs out to do missions without you is pretty boring, would be nice if you could go with them or not (wonder if they will try to have that as some of always online feature, that way you can send them out via your phone from work ).

[PrimeJunta]

Based on the blurb, I'm pretty sure the story will be DA:O-esque utter garbage though, which pretty much kills my enthusiasm in the crib.

 

Story never was a strong point for BioWare. I'd settle for "not facepalmingly awful." They have managed that much with Jade Empire and KOTOR at least.

 

:musing: Their big problem is that they do light-hearted pretty well, but for some reason insist on doing grimdark which they're REALLY BAD at. The premise (exploring a new frontier) lends itself better to light-hearted space opera than the ZOMG the universe is going to end stuff in the original trilogy.

[Keyrock]

With any luck, this game will include the first ever transgender, transspecies, transsynthetic, transcendentalist, trans siberian orchestra romance option.

[Enoch]

My big fear is that additional mainstreaming of multiplayer content will mean the death of the pause button.  I only really enjoy shootery gameplay if there is a pause (or something close to a pause like FO3/NV VATS) or if the majority of the combat can be avoided through stealth, such as in DE:HR.  Without it, the gameplay becomes more stressful than fun, and I stop playing.

 

Apart from that, I'm game for an ME4 along those lines.  I'll second PJ's summary of the series/studio's strengths and weaknesses, and, on-balance, I had a lot of fun with the ME games. 

[Tale]

I'm kind of at the intersection of "it's going to stink" and "even if it didn't..."

 

But don't let me curb your enthusiasm. The franchise needed to get in different hands, so that's a point to be optimistic as far as I'm concerned. I'm just also the type of person who thinks game franchises should end on a high note, not get dragged along kicking and screaming until the road burns finally do them in.

 

That just got dark. Mass Effect didn't get to end on a high note, which is why I can see people being optimistic for the change and continuance. A change in direction could be a steeper downhill or going back up it.

[Nonek]

Shamelessly stolen from the Witcher forums, seemed appropriate:

 

Hi. I'm Dirk Thrustington, head anchor for the Future News entertainments division, giving you bread and circus from now until the end of all things. Many of you will remember me from such films as Attack of the Anorexic Kung Fu girl and its nineteen sequels or the hip hop opera. "It's all about Das Rheingold bitch."

But since my consciousness was uploaded into this sickening nightmare form of cool lies and smooth angles, I have been presenting you with unbiased factoids direct from the titans of the entertainment industry, and networking a vast surveillance operation on your every action, word and choice so that we might better cater to your every whim.

Of course there are those who object to such eternal intrusion, especially when it comes to their personal lives, loves and intimate moments. To those poor deluded people we kindly bid a courteous goodnight and recommend another information channel. It is a matter of no small concern to us that no such channels exist in this timeline or any other we have come across in the multiverse, and that once your bio signs are linked to Future News any severing of that symbiosis results in a truly horrendous and excruciating protracted death.

So for the good of your continued existence we present to you a small compilation of Future News articles, presented by a rather dashing artificial intelligence platform calculated to be attractive to over sixty six percent of our key demographic.



This just in: Renowned video game developers Bioware/EA have announced that despite creating over one thousand seperate pieces of downloadable and pre order content for their latest eagerly awaited masterpiece, they have forgotten to make the ACTUAL game.

One Mass Effect 4 developer who has been on the crunch since disco admitted that the game just got overlooked. "Dude, we were just so busy coding various tat for nickle and diming the suckers that we kind of forgot there WAS a game."

An EA executive when asked for comment announced that all dlc will be fully playable in other games and that there are no plans to actually release Mass Effect 4, because and I qoute: "We've allready made more cash selling a non existent product to our discerning customers than Michael Jacksons plastic surgeon, so screw 'em."

Fan reaction has been mixed with many long term fan stating that this was just a matter of time, however a large and vocal majority of fans (the Dragon Age 2 Fan Troop or D.A.F.T.) have come out defending Bioware's corner. Stating that the developers are implementing all their dlc in other cross promotional games and that players shouldn't have the temerity to ask for an actual stand alone game, DAFT have called for the imprisonment and eventual execution of anyone caught criticising or not offering blood sacrifice to their lord and god, a move which EA has stated that they are considering for their next end user license agreement.

In this reporters opinion the assault course, kidnapping, robbery and torture that are required in the current eula are enough, but it seems that the pirate menace which funds terrorism and the drug trade (which EA are currently trying to corner the market on) may drive the publisher to develop such stern measures.

As always this is the Dirk Thrustington AI, bringing you your future news. Give us a minute and we'll condense ten thousand years of history into easily manageable soundbites.

Edited April 21, 2015 by Nonek

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

Shamelessly stolen from the Witcher forums, seemed appropriate:

 

Hi. I'm Dirk Thrustington, head anchor for the Future News entertainments division, giving you bread and circus from now until the end of all things. Many of you will remember me from such films as Attack of the Anorexic Kung Fu girl and its nineteen sequels or the hip hop opera. "It's all about Das Rheingold bitch."

But since my consciousness was uploaded into this sickening nightmare form of cool lies and smooth angles, I have been presenting you with unbiased factoids direct from the titans of the entertainment industry, and networking a vast surveillance operation on your every action, word and choice so that we might better cater to your every whim.

Of course there are those who object to such eternal intrusion, especially when it comes to their personal lives, loves and intimate moments. To those poor deluded people we kindly bid a courteous goodnight and recommend another information channel. It is a matter of no small concern to us that no such channels exist in this timeline or any other we have come across in the multiverse, and that once your bio signs are linked to Future News any severing of that symbiosis results in a truly horrendous and excruciating protracted death.

So for the good of your continued existence we present to you a small compilation of Future News articles, presented by a rather dashing artificial intelligence platform calculated to be attractive to over sixty six percent of our key demographic.

This just in: Renowned video game developers Bioware/EA have announced that despite creating over one thousand seperate pieces of downloadable and pre order content for their latest eagerly awaited masterpiece, they have forgotten to make the ACTUAL game.

One Mass Effect 4 developer who has been on the crunch since disco admitted that the game just got overlooked. "Dude, we were just so busy coding various tat for nickle and diming the suckers that we kind of forgot there WAS a game."

An EA executive when asked for comment announced that all dlc will be fully playable in other games and that there are no plans to actually release Mass Effect 4, because and I qoute: "We've allready made more cash selling a non existent product to our discerning customers than Michael Jacksons plastic surgeon, so screw 'em."

Fan reaction has been mixed with many long term fan stating that this was just a matter of time, however a large and vocal majority of fans (the Dragon Age 2 Fan Troop or D.A.F.T.) have come out defending Bioware's corner. Stating that the developers are implementing all their dlc in other cross promotional games and that players shouldn't have the temerity to ask for an actual stand alone game, DAFT have called for the imprisonment and eventual execution of anyone caught criticising or not offering blood sacrifice to their lord and god, a move which EA has stated that they are considering for their next end user license agreement.

In this reporters opinion the assault course, kidnapping, robbery and torture that are required in the current eula are enough, but it seems that the pirate menace which funds terrorism and the drug trade (which EA are currently trying to corner the market on) may drive the publisher to develop such stern measures.

As always this is the Dirk Thrustington AI, bringing you your future news. Give us a minute and we'll condense ten thousand years of history into easily manageable soundbites.

Thief!

[PrimeJunta]

@Tale Er, I'm not exactly enthusiastic here. Hovering somewhere between giving up and nursing a tiny, remaining spark of hope.

 

I guess we'll see when we'll see. The DLC and multiplayer are a bit worrying, also personally as I can't into multiplayer.

[Tale]

@Tale Er, I'm not exactly enthusiastic here.

Compared to me you are. I'm bitter and snarky and trying my hardest to keep it contained. I merely wish to encourage others to not be me.

[Osvir]

I think it sounds cool (resource bases? Mercenaries? Is this an action RPG+strategy game hybrid? Is it going for 4X elements? If that's the case... wooooo!!), but no chance am I considering that link in the OP a credible source... yet! I know too little about the source.

[Malcador]

Enough people disliked the MP interfering so much with SP that they won't do it again, right ?

[Nonek]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8-HDUBbtgQ

[213374U]

I'm kind of at the intersection of "it's going to stink" and "even if it didn't..."

 

I thought that was you. Hi!

 

I'm simply thinking that, by the time ME4 is released, DAI will have dropped in price enough for me to get around to trying it. Last AAA game I paid full price for was ME3, and I would probably have gone join the Taliban if it wasn't because the silly horde mode multiplayer was surprisingly fun.

 

Hey, who knows. The industry does manage to produce some gems from time to time. Maybe in 6-8 years I'll be celebrating how great ME4 turned out. The excitement I feel at something which may or may not happen more than half a decade down the road is killing me, I'm sure you understand.

 

 

 

Enough people disliked the MP interfering so much with SP that they won't do it again, right ?

 

Yeah, you mean the EMS idiocy, right? Didn't they patch that **** out eventually? That would be a good indication that they learned their lesson, wouldn't it?

[Malcador]

I had forgotten if that was the case, and they might have learned the lesson "we can patch it in later".

[213374U]

^ Haha, another reason to wait 4 years for them to settle on a final version that, while caving in to the whiners, doesn't violate their "artistic integrity".

[Enoch]

 

Enough people disliked the MP interfering so much with SP that they won't do it again, right ?

 

Yeah, you mean the EMS idiocy, right? Didn't they patch that **** out eventually? That would be a good indication that they learned their lesson, wouldn't it?

 

It's still in there.  The patch just edited the war assets math such that a reasonably completionist single-player run could achieve the "best" ending without ever launching the multiplayer.