Topic: Mass Effect 3 to be more of an RPG?

[MysterD]

Meet the voice actors... except only the famous ones... and Jessica Chobot.

Really? Jessica Chobot? They couldn't find some decent no name who would probably be cheaper and not Jessica Chobot?

Wait...when did Jessica Chobot join the cast of this game? 

This reminds me...I need to finish ME2 as Female Shepard.
Jennifer Hale is one of my favorite video game voice-actresses of all time.

[MysterD]

G4TV -> Jessica Chobot on...Jessica Chobot in ME3.

When asked whether she planned to "romance" herself, Chobot said, "Oh, I’m gonna give it to me so hard."

LMAO! 

[MysterD]

GamerZines -> Bioware suggests everyone hold onto their ME3 saves, once they're done w/ the game.

[MysterD]

Mass Effect 3 Demo is out.
Check your respective platform's online services:
PSN for PS3; XBL for 360; Origin in the Free Games section on the PC.

[Xessive]

Awesome, thanks for the heads-up, D!

[MysterD]

Awesome, thanks for the heads-up, D!

Everybody - STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND GO PLAY THIS DEMO!!!
I played SP Portion in RPG mode - just freakin' all kinds of awesome.
That is all.

[idolminds]

So this could also go in a deal thread, but preorder ME3 on Origin and get Battlefield 3 free.

[sirean_syan]

I've been a little worried about the game, but then they

(click to show/hide)

went ahead and murdered that kid

and now everything is right with the world. There are a few textures that seem more rough than I remember seeing in ME2. Hopefully that was more for the sake of the demo.

Really, sit eems on par with how ME2 worked. I've already seen people say it feels off in terms of PC controls, but I didn't have any issues. I mean, it's not Quake but what else is? If the story keeps up and they pull shit like bringing back characters that I got killed then it'll be just fine.

[Xessive]

Well, the singleplayer is cool and the multiplayer is a lot of fun!

Interesting note: it says multiplayer will be activated on Feb 17 but for some reason I'm able to play now. Is it because I have Kingdoms of Amalur? Maybe.

[MysterD]

Well, the singleplayer is cool and the multiplayer is a lot of fun!

Interesting note: it says multiplayer will be activated on Feb 17 but for some reason I'm able to play now. Is it because I have Kingdoms of Amalur? Maybe.

BF3 owners who activated their BF3 online pass got early access to the ME3 Demo's MP portion from Feb 14-17.

[MysterD]

GeForce -> ME3 PC Demo benchmarks and impressions.

[gpw11]

So this could also go in a deal thread, but preorder ME3 on Origin and get Battlefield 3 free.

I'm doing this.  I was hesitant to jump onboard with Origin and also hesitant to buy BF3 considering I have no idea how it'll run, but I'm in.

[MysterD]

I had issues earlier w/ my Net connection trying to connect to the Net - and yes, Offline Mode for me on Origin works fine [with games I've already obviously activated, ahead of time].

What happens is it'll hang for few moment b/c it can't sign into their servers online...and then it will tell you it'll go into Offline Mode and force you to enter your Origin password [I'm guessing Origin must also store the password also for offline purposes as a key to access your games]
Tried it for Amalur [full game] and Mass Effect 3 Demo and works fine offline for their SP stuff (and both games do require Origin).

[gpw11]

I've been a little worried about the game, but then they

(click to show/hide)

went ahead and murdered that kid

and now everything is right with the world. There are a few textures that seem more rough than I remember seeing in ME2. Hopefully that was more for the sake of the demo.

Really, sit eems on par with how ME2 worked. I've already seen people say it feels off in terms of PC controls, but I didn't have any issues. I mean, it's not Quake but what else is? If the story keeps up and they pull shit like bringing back characters that I got killed then it'll be just fine.

I agree with you here.  I played the ME2 DLC a few weeks ago (Well, the good ones) and the textures were pretty poor in some spots.  I'm kinda seeing the same thing here but I don't think it's any worse. As for the controls, I wonder if the PC version supports the gamepad now.  I don't know if I'd use it, but I wouldn't mind trying it out.  I honestly didn't think they were any better or worse than the last two games, but was kinda thrown off that I couldn't holster my gun when there wasn't any action - something I did all the time in the last game because I liked the perspective better that way.

What classes are you guys playing?  I've went through ME2 as Sentinel but actually found it pretty boring here. Push didn't seem quite as entertaining and the tech armour kind of sucks all of a sudden?  Like, I died and it was still going. WTF?

I'm thinking Vanguard but am totally open to suggestions.

[Xessive]

The gamepad doesn't work on the demo. No word on the final game but based on Bioware's pattern I wouldn't count on it. They didn't even give Jade Empire gamepad support.

I've noticed quite a few lo-res textures in the demo, here's hoping that's just for the demo and the final game will have a hi-res texture option.

[sirean_syan]

My main character has always been a pure biotic. The combination of throw and pull has always been a ton of fun for me. Depending on the level, I can throw guys off ledges or put them in orbit more or less with impunity. Being able to arc my powers around corners is also pretty damned cool. For bigger guys or tight groups warp and singularity come in handy while my squad did more weapon based damage.

I tried a bit with a Vanguard in a half-hearted attempt at a second playthrough and didn't feel as satisfied. I felt limited to throwing myself into the thick of a fight and hoping I picked the time when everything else was weak enough that I could clobber them before I got myself killed. There's a nice risk-reward thing going, but learning to time that charge is key. I never got so good at it.

The strangest part about being a biotic was all the story stuff about how humans have treated those with biotic potential. I'd have Kaiden or Jack bitch about being treated like shit while they were being trained and here I was standing around, probably a better biotic than them (and presumably subject to harsh training) and my only response is something like, "yeah, that sucks." It would have been a little cool if there were a few lines acknowledging Shepard's training in whatever specialty they had. I mean, there's stuff on how Shepard grew up or events that lead to the type of commander they were. Adding a bit more on how they fight wouldn't have been that tough.

[Xessive]

I'm generally somewhere between Soldier and Infiltrator. A little stealth and a little firepower, all about flanking and occasionally disabling targets (the infiltrator's EMP is great). If I had to name my style I'd call it "Assault Recon" or something.

Gotta say the coop of ME3 is a lot of fun. Even without voice comm we're able to cooperate. I think ME players are like that from the squad-based singleplayer campaigns of the previous games. We see a target floating helplessly by biotics we instinctively go for it. A shield-bearing heavy comes in, use biotic pull to remove his shield so your teammates can take him down. It's awesome.

[MysterD]

ME3 Demo's MP portion unlocked a day early. Get online and get playing!

[MysterD]

Drew's Blog -> Drew Karpyshyn (lead writer of ME1 + 2 and; a writer on SWTOR and other Bioware games for 12 years) has left Bioware to pursuit more work on writing novels.

[sirean_syan]

New CG trailer.

How Warhammerish. We all have guns, but we'd rather run up and start stabbing you. I mean, I love that about Warhammer but I don't think I'd want that in something more grounded like Mass Effect.

[MysterD]

New CG trailer.

How Warhammerish. We all have guns, but we'd rather run up and start stabbing you. I mean, I love that about Warhammer but I don't think I'd want that in something more grounded like Mass Effect.

The Melee Ability is one of the newest and much improved abilities for Shep.
Of course they're gonna point this out.
Everybody knows Shep got mad guns already - see last 2 games. [shrug]

[Xessive]

I'll be honest, that's what I've been doing in multiplayer. While I do usually snipe from cover I do occasionally make a mad dash into a crowd and swipe with the heavy melee attack Not advisable but has its fun moments

[MysterD]

I'll be honest, that's what I've been doing in multiplayer. While I do usually snipe from cover I do occasionally make a mad dash into a crowd and swipe with the heavy melee attack Not advisable but has its fun moments

Melee was not that useful really in ME2.
Make sense for them to make it more useful in ME3, since many complained about the weak and lack of melee in ME2.

[gpw11]

Melee was not that useful really in ME2.
Make sense for them to make it more useful in ME3, since many complained about the weak and lack of melee in ME2.

Melee really only had a use if you were a Vanguard, and even then it really needed to be fleshed out.  I'll agree that it seems to be one of the more important improvements in this instalment. Or at least it seems that way from the demo.

[Xessive]

It is definitely improved but it's important to keep in mind that it's not Space Marine! haha

The melee is there as a last-ditch effort to shove an enemy who's closing in so you can get a better shot, and the newly added "Heavy Attack" is great for finishing off an enemy who has closed in, though make sure there aren't any other enemies around as it leaves you vulnerable for a second or two.

[gpw11]

Yeah, I died quite a few times by overestimating my melee abilities.

[MysterD]

PC Gamer -> From Ashes DLC (Day One DLC) will be FREE for N7 Collector's Edition owners and Digital Deluxe Edition owners.
Standard Edition owners, it'll be $10 for the From Ashes DLC.

EDIT:
Info from Mike Gamble of Bioware on From Ashes DLC.

As most of you know, yesterday there was a leak that revealed the upcoming DLC “ME3:From Ashes” on the
Xbox LIVE Marketplace. This leak took place before we were prepared to make an announcement about the details of that pack (slated for this Friday).

There has been a lot of discussion about the DLC offering but we wanted to clarify a few things...

- “From Ashes” includes the Prothean squad mate, an adventure on Eden Prime, a new weapon, and an alternate
appearance for every squad mate. Note that these alternate appearances are in addition to the ones already advertised in the CE.

- The Collectors Edition has been advertised from the beginning as containing a bonus character/mission, but we were not at liberty to provide the details. The Prothean is optional content that is certainly designed to appeal to long-time fans, which is why he is part of the CE offering (the version many fans would be likely to purchase).  Mass Effect 3 is a complete – and a huge game - right out of the box.

- The content in “From Ashes” was developed by a separate team (after the core game was finished) and not completed until well after the main game went into certification.

- The Collectors Edition has been sold out in most places for some time now, and is becoming very hard to find (many players prefer not to purchase the digital version). As such, we wanted to make this content available so that SE buyers could also incorporate the Prothean into their game.

We’ll be releasing someimages and video about this pack in the coming days.

As always, we are extremely thankful for all of your support. We pulled out all of the stops to make Mass Effect 3 the best game ever, and we can't wait for you all to experience it.

Mike

[Xessive]

Awesome. If I wasn't already tantalized with anticipation I certainly am now!

A Prothean squadmate?! Yeeeah! I have a soft spot for sole-survivor storylines.

[MysterD]

Awesome. If I wasn't already tantalized with anticipation I certainly am now!

A Prothean squadmate?! Yeeeah! I have a soft spot for sole-survivor storylines.

As cool as it sounds, Bioware Forums are pissed that the From Ashes DLC is only in the CE's for FREE.
It'll be $10, for SE owners.
I hope it is of a decent length - you never know w/ these DLC's and all...

[gpw11]

I'm kind of impartial on this.  I mean, I can see where people are coming from and think it's a poor business decision but I also disagree with those who think it's unethical or shady.  Content's not actually being stripped from the game and then resold, it's being added as an option.  I can only imagine that internally these are viewed as two different projects and funded as such, so the resources wouldn't have been put towards the day 1 DLC if it wasn't for the potential of an additional revenue stream. 

[Xessive]

As cool as it sounds, Bioware Forums are pissed that the From Ashes DLC is only in the CE's for FREE.
It'll be $10, for SE owners.
I hope it is of a decent length - you never know w/ these DLC's and all...

Hmm.. Does that mean it's also included in the Digital Deluxe edition or exclusively in the retail CE (which apparently is only available on consoles and not PC).

I pre-ordered the Digital Deluxe edition based on the clause that specifically states that it will include "a full collection of in-game content"

$20 extra for a DD Edition, the expectation is inclusion of this stuff just as with the Cerberus Network Access with ME2.

EDIT:
Sorry, forgot to add. If you're getting the Standard Edition I can understand the frustration if it was indeed cut material, but it's not. It's extra DLC, which is available to dedicated fans who put in the extra bucks for a CE.

[MysterD]

Hmm.. Does that mean it's also included in the Digital Deluxe edition or exclusively in the retail CE (which apparently is only available on consoles and not PC).

I pre-ordered the Digital Deluxe edition based on the clause that specifically states that it will include "a full collection of in-game content"

$20 extra for a DD Edition, the expectation is inclusion of this stuff just as with the Cerberus Network Access with ME2.

According to Bioware post, N7 Collector's Edition [that's the physical CE] and Digital Deluxe both will contain From Ashes DLC.
Good question - I don't know if there is a N7 CE at Retail for PC...

[MysterD]

I'm kind of impartial on this.  I mean, I can see where people are coming from and think it's a poor business decision but I also disagree with those who think it's unethical or shady.  Content's not actually being stripped from the game and then resold, it's being added as an option.  I can only imagine that internally these are viewed as two different projects and funded as such, so the resources wouldn't have been put towards the day 1 DLC if it wasn't for the potential of an additional revenue stream. 

Well, we don't expect team to sit there, while game goes gold and do nothing - like the old days.
I'd rather them do a big DLC or nice-sized expansion and sell that, if you ask me.
C'mon - we all know this game's gonna sell and people will want more of it, so DLC and expansions are expected.

[Xessive]

Well, we don't expect team to sit there, while game goes gold and do nothing - like the old days.
I'd rather them do a big DLC or nice-sized expansion and sell that, if you ask me.
C'mon - we all know this game's gonna sell and people will want more of it, so DLC and expansions are expected.

YEah but based on the DLC from previous Mass Effect titles we can't expect too much. Although "Lair of the Shadow Broker" for ME2 was actually a great bit of DLC, arguably the only good DLC from Bioware.

[MysterD]

YEah but based on the DLC from previous Mass Effect titles we can't expect too much. Although "Lair of the Shadow Broker" for ME2 was actually a great bit of DLC, arguably the only good DLC from Bioware.

Does the Bioware Store even put the Bioware Points on sale very often?
I'd rather just pay via Credit Card w/ money straight up for DLC [even if I had to pay tax and whatnot], not get some $ converted over to some silly point system.
I truly hate that they ain't put out a DLC Only Box; or sell DLC separate through Origin; or even sell a re-released ME2: Complete Edition on the PC.

[gpw11]

Does the Bioware Store even put the Bioware Points on sale very often?
I'd rather just pay via Credit Card w/ money straight up for DLC [even if I had to pay tax and whatnot], not get some $ converted over to some silly point system.
I truly hate that they ain't put out a DLC Only Box; or sell DLC separate through Origin; or even sell a re-released ME2: Complete Edition on the PC.

Apparently, this is one of the reasons the game won't be on Steam: something to do with the DLC distribution system Bioware and EA use is against Steam's rules and Valve refused to make an exception/change the rules.  In either case, the Bioware points system is completely ridiculous.  It makes A TINY little bit of sense with services like Xbox Live, because it's a unified service and there are so many products available for it (although MS is obviously in it for the front end loading and leakage reasons), but this serves no purpose at all.  Very few products offered, no bulk discount for points and set point bundles for sale (one per transactions).   I bought three pieces of ME2 DLC because I wanted to get a few more hours in with the game a month or so ago and ended up having to run three transactions through because that's the only way I could swing it without buying points I'd never use. I'm with Valve on this one.

[Cobra951]

Apparently, this is one of the reasons the game won't be on Steam: something to do with the DLC distribution system Bioware and EA use is against Steam's rules and Valve refused to make an exception/change the rules.  In either case, the Bioware points system is completely ridiculous.  It makes A TINY little bit of sense with services like Xbox Live, because it's a unified service and there are so many products available for it (although MS is obviously in it for the front end loading and leakage reasons), but this serves no purpose at all.  Very few products offered, no bulk discount for points and set point bundles for sale (one per transactions).   I bought three pieces of ME2 DLC because I wanted to get a few more hours in with the game a month or so ago and ended up having to run three transactions through because that's the only way I could swing it without buying points I'd never use. I'm with Valve on this one.

Right.  It makes no sense at all for any reason other than that.  My leakage is always less than $5 (the least you can spend on points in one shot) but many idiots keep large numbers of points on reserve, which are just money in Microsoft's coffers for absolutely nothing in return.  Even a couple of dollars multiplied by millions of subscribers is a huge undeserved amount.  Brilliant bit of legal evil, really.  I don't know how EA or Bioware are going to implement points, but if they do it the same way, then what I said applies to them too.

[Xessive]

Bioware's points are almost identical to Microsoft's. Same values too. Retarded.

[MysterD]

Apparently, this is one of the reasons the game won't be on Steam: something to do with the DLC distribution system Bioware and EA use is against Steam's rules and Valve refused to make an exception/change the rules.  In either case, the Bioware points system is completely ridiculous.  It makes A TINY little bit of sense with services like Xbox Live, because it's a unified service and there are so many products available for it (although MS is obviously in it for the front end loading and leakage reasons), but this serves no purpose at all.  Very few products offered, no bulk discount for points and set point bundles for sale (one per transactions).   I bought three pieces of ME2 DLC because I wanted to get a few more hours in with the game a month or so ago and ended up having to run three transactions through because that's the only way I could swing it without buying points I'd never use. I'm with Valve on this one.

Steam's new rule requires ALL new games or games that get updates w/ new $ content (since the rule went into effect) to have ALL of their content (DLC, Expansions, Etc) ALSO released on Steam. They are trying to sell to their fanbase complete products that are tested and actually can work w/ Steam - and probably make a cut of those sales, as well. Hence why Super SF4 and Fable 3 didn't get kicked off Steam [which both require G4WL], while Dragon Age 2 and Crysis 2 get kicked-off Steam [DA2 and Crysis 2 DLC is NOT SOLD on Steam].

One of the good things about Steam, I can actually pay for DLC content via Credit Card in REAL $, not silly point systems.
Plus, DLC on Steam often goes on sale at [eventually] fair to great prices, especially during any sales.
Steam never makes me feel cheated that I bought a game week of release w/ their frequent deals. I can always buy DLC later, often at discounted prices.
I never had to worry about FO:NV DLC pricing on Steam, unlike G4WL.

[MysterD]

IGN -> Review in Progress - on Mass Effect 3.
Expect them to update this "Review in Progress" w/ 3 more updates w/in the next 7 days - like they did w/ Amalur.