Mass Effect

[TheMightyEthan]

  On 3/24/2012 at 6:03 PM, Deanb said:

For example powers like Overload work on both shields and geth/robots, but not on barrier enemies.

 

That's how it was in ME1 & 2, but in 3 Overload is also the most effective power against barriers. Warp now does jack-crap to barriers but is extra effective against armor and health.

[Vargras]

  On 3/24/2012 at 5:53 PM, Strangelove said:

Is it sad that I have yet to grasp the difference between a lot of the stats? Im still not quite sure what power damage is. I get shields and health and damage. But shit like power cooldown and shit like that Im confused about. Some of it I just thought was bullshit. Especially all the different types of ammo. There are so many fucking types of ammos and so many different powers that are just for shields or for when you dont have shields. Im sorry, I dont think im an rpg gamer anymore. I hate having statistics in my head.

 

My head blew up when I tried to read the description of the piercing mod for guns. Seriously...what?

 

Time to get my nerd on. A lot of this is just gonna be repeating what others say, but there's new info too.

 

General

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Power Damage: Increases the damage of biotic and tech abilities. This will still increase the damage of abilities that seem to fall into neither category, such as Concussive Shot.

Power Cooldown: Reduces the cooldown time on biotic and tech abilities. This will still reduce the cooldown of abilities that seem to fall into neither category.

 

Ammo Types

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Incendiary Ammo: Does bonus damage against armor. Increases weapon damage. Has a chance to panic organics.

Cryo Ammo: Has a chance to chill/freeze enemies. Chilled enemies have weakened armor, are slowed, and take bonus damage from all sources. Frozen enemies are unable to move, cannot regenerate health, take bonus damage from all sources, and have a chance to shatter.

Disruptor Ammo: Does bonus damage against health, shields, and barriers. Also has a chance to stun enemies, both organic and non-organic.

Armor-Piercing Ammo: Does bonus damage against health and armor. Ignores a percentage of enemy armor. Allows shots to penetrate cover.

Warp Ammo: Does bonus damage against health, armor, and barriers (no bonus damage against shields). Weakens armor and also deals additional bonus damage against enemies that have been lifted into the air by biotics

 

Abilities

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Overload: Effective against barriers AND shields, as well as synthetics. Does reduced damage against organic enemies.

Warp: Effective against health and armor. Prevents health regeneration.

Incinerate: Effective against health and armor. Prevents health regeneration. Causes organics to panic. Does reduced damage against synthetics.

Cryoblast: Has a chance to chill/freeze enemies. Chilled enemies have weakened armor, are slowed, and take bonus damage from all sources. Frozen enemies are unable to move, cannot regenerate health, take bonus damage from all sources, and have a chance to shatter.

 

That's all the major ones. I can add more later, if need be.

Edited March 24, 2012 by Vargras

[Hot Heart]

Woo! Unlocked an Asari Adept.

 

Also, while I'm here, I figure I should clarify my 'thing' about the catalyst now I've finished the game and been checking behind spoiler tags.

 

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I know if Shepard were the catalyst it would be a bit 'space-jesus' but he pretty much already is. The idea came from the fact that the Protheans had been successful in their 'sabotage' of the Reaper's plan with the Keepers in the Citadel in ME1 that they had been working on some other methods to stop them. The fact that 'being a catalyst' was something that 'wrote' itself onto a person via the beacon just sort of made sense in that it was somehow compatible with humans (to an extent) in the same way that Halo had that connection between the Forerunners and humans. The game claims humans are special, maybe that was why. Regardless of whether it would be a risk putting it into an organic being, it would have been like a secret weapon and there would've been other beacons or tech left around. It's not like there was a guarantee anyone would even get the warning from the Protheans in ME1 in the first place; they almost didn't. Plus, it would act as some sort of protection against indoctrination.

 

That's what kept me intrigued about why TIM would want you alive and unaltered. It seemed like, he knew there was a larger goal at stake but couldn't risk revealing Shepard's possible significance. Instead he could only steer you in that direction all MYSTERIOUSLY.

 

...but, as it turns out, the ending did feel a bit deus ex machina-y.

 

 

Oh, and I had a totally badass moment with my Asari Vanguard earlier. Right at the end of a round, there was an Atlas remaining that another guy and I were attacking (fortunately, it was focused on him). Just then a Nemesis runs alongside the Atlas, just as I fire off the killing shot. I then charged the Nemesis and immediately swooped away as the Atlas exploded. Took out half my shields but it killed the Nemesis. Totally worth it.

Edited March 24, 2012 by Hot Heart

[Thorgi Duke of Frisbee]

http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/03/23/mass-effect-3-ending-what-do-game-writers-think/

[Luftwaffles]

Doing the last mission at the moment.

 

 

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Only thing I can say so far is that I think Morinth should get the award for "Worst cameo in any video game ever".

 

[jimmuhpage]

  On 3/25/2012 at 12:56 AM, DukeOfPwn said:

http://www.pcgamer.c...-writers-think/

I don't feel too strongly about the issue one way or the other, but for what it's worth, I really agree with Chuck Jordan and Dave Grossman.

[Thorgi Duke of Frisbee]

  On 3/25/2012 at 1:54 AM, jimmuhpage said:

  On 3/25/2012 at 12:56 AM, DukeOfPwn said:

http://www.pcgamer.c...-writers-think/

I don't feel too strongly about the issue one way or the other, but for what it's worth, I really agree with Chuck Jordan and Dave Grossman.

Same. Both of them put it better than I ever could.

[TheMightyEthan]

  On 3/25/2012 at 2:05 AM, DukeOfPwn said:

  On 3/25/2012 at 1:54 AM, jimmuhpage said:

  On 3/25/2012 at 12:56 AM, DukeOfPwn said:

http://www.pcgamer.c...-writers-think/

 

I don't feel too strongly about the issue one way or the other, but for what it's worth, I really agree with Chuck Jordan and Dave Grossman.

 

Same. Both of them put it better than I ever could.

 

I think the person I agree with most is Susan O'Connor. From the get-go Bioware sold the Mass Effect series as a player-authored experience, but then they shat on that concept with the ending. I think if we were talking about a strictly developer-authored game I would be on the side saying don't change it. The Legend of Zelda isn't the player's story, it's Zelda and Link's story, and it's definitely a developer-authored experience. Mass Effect, on the other hand, was always billed as a player-authored story and as a result I don't think it's unreasonable for players to expect some acknowledgment of their story.

Edited March 25, 2012 by TheMightyEthan

[Luftwaffles]

So I finished it. Finally.

 

 

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The ending is... okay. Although I would've liked to learn about what happened to some specific squad members, I was still pretty happy with it. As sudden and strange as it was, I don't really understand the complaints that it lacks "closure". Shepard dies, the Reapers are suddenly not a problem. The conflict of the trilogy is resolved, and your character gets closure.

If anything, I think I hated the beginning much more than the end. All the bullshit save earth, save the kid, eventually sort of started to bother me. My Shepard was generally a dick, killed a ton of people, and didn't seem to show any remorse about any of it. Stop putting this fucking kid in my dreams. And please stop telling me earth is so much more important than any other homeworlds.

 

I really wish you had the option to do this at the end, though. Shame the kid was just a hologram.

 

The one thing I was sort of mad about, though, was the reliance on the multiplayer. I didn't play any of it until I finished the game, and I definitely didn't get the best ending because of it. That's crap.

 

Other than that, I'm sure how I felt about it has been voiced before.

 

[CorgiShinobi]

Judging by your previous comment, you let

 

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Morinth live? Terrible mistake as far as Mass Effect 3. Same with whether you handed Legion over to Cerberus; his cameo is as a repurposed assassin enemy type during the Cerberus Headquarters mission.

 

[Luftwaffles]

  On 3/25/2012 at 4:24 AM, Atomsk88 said:

Judging by your previous comment, you let

Morinth live? Terrible mistake as far as Mass Effect 3. Same with whether you handed Legion over to Cerberus; his cameo is as a repurposed assassin enemy type during the Cerberus Headquarters mission.

 

 

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I'm not sure if you saw the Morinth part, but she basically appears as a Banshee in the last mission. Samara was still in, we raided the Ardat-Yashi thing together, but the only time Morinth appeared was in the final battle.

 

Seemed okay as far as the game goes, just sort of a dumb and forced appearance.

 

[CorgiShinobi]

I know about it, it's why I compared it to the other character. After I completed my game, I looked at alternative scenes like the Wrex-Wreav difference, so I got a chance to see some choices affected by Mass Effect 2.

[Luftwaffles]

  On 3/25/2012 at 4:32 AM, Atomsk88 said:

I know about it, it's why I compared it to the other character. After I completed my game, I looked at alternative scenes like the Wrex-Wreav difference, so I got a chance to see some choices affected by Mass Effect 2.

 

Yeah. I mean, I get why they did it, it just seemed sort of like a forced way to get one more character in there when the game already felt like one giant coincidence.

[TheMightyEthan]

  On 3/25/2012 at 4:10 AM, Sporkwaffles said:

So I finished it. Finally.

 

 

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The ending is... okay. Although I would've liked to learn about what happened to some specific squad members, I was still pretty happy with it. As sudden and strange as it was, I don't really understand the complaints that it lacks "closure". Shepard dies, the Reapers are suddenly not a problem. The conflict of the trilogy is resolved, and your character gets closure.

 

 

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Yeah the primary conflict is resolved, there's no closure as to the stories of the other characters/races. Other than the fact that they weren't wiped out by the reapers we don't have anything even remotely indicating what happened to them. As others have said, even a cheesy Return of the Jedi "and everyone was happy forever" ending would have been better. This is the equivalent of RotJ rolling credits immediately after the Death Star explodes.

 

[Hot Heart]

Hmm, think I enjoy Asari Vanguard more than the Adept. Drell Adept is quite fun too.

[Eleven]

Me too! Asari Vanguard is so much fun. Charge into a group and throw a grenade to their face.

 

EDIT: Then frantically slide away to cover!

Edited March 25, 2012 by elev3n

[deanb]

So someone made an image for an "alternate end"

 

 

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[Hot Heart]

A very interesting rumour...

 

 

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Link form: http://i39.tinypic.com/1gnlw2.jpg

 

[deanb]

Eh. I'd take it with a huge grain of salt.

 

(It would also only work if you took a specific choice at the end of ME3)

[Hot Heart]

Yeah, it all reads a bit "What is this? I don't even-"

[Waldorf and Statler]

Yeah this concept only works for one of the three endings. It'd be interesting but in 2/3 endings it wouldn't be a possibility unless they choose someone else to be the main character.

 

It'd be extremely interesting if this is the way they decide to go. A sad ending and twist, but at least it would have closure.

 

Then again this 99.99% assured to be bullshit as many people have claimed "i work for [bla] company here's a leak" before and a GRAND GRAND majority of them ended up being bullshit.

[Luftwaffles]

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There's a whole thread on Reddit about dialogue cut from the ending but still in the game files. I think it's sort of interesting. IMO, this in particular kind of caught my eye, and it could really answer one of the big questions most (including myself) seem to have with the ending in particular how the hell Garrus and James (in my case) ended up back on the Normandy. As someone said in that thread, I really don't understand why they cut that out. It wouldn't have taken more than 15 seconds and answered one of the questions I had.

[Vargras]

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Edited March 26, 2012 by Vargras

[Eleven]

  On 3/25/2012 at 5:16 PM, Deanb said:

So someone made an image for an "alternate end"

 

 

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Look at their hands!

 

Yes! Now it's ruined!

[Waldorf and Statler]

I'm subscribed to mans1ayer but I ignored the video thinking it was literally a youtube poop.

 

 

Oh god I laughed.