Got to play some of Mass Effect 3 - Impressions (No spoilers, I promise.)

[DustyDrB]

Edit: Wait...what is a hitmarker?

Those little dots that appear around your crosshairs whenever you land a shot. They're a common feature of shooters, notably the Battlefield and Call of Duty games.

Oh...why would that be controversial? I'll have to look it some videos from those games to see it in action.

Edit: Ahhh. I just searched for "hitmarker" on Youtube and now I'm confused. All I see are people doing weird shit with sniper rifles.

 

[Zhukov]

Edit: Wait...what is a hitmarker?

Those little dots that appear around your crosshairs whenever you land a shot. They're a common feature of shooters, notably the Battlefield and Call of Duty games.

Oh...why would that be controversial? I'll have to look it some videos from those games to see it in action.

Well, you know what people are like. "Oh God, they're turning it into CoD! They're dumbing it down for the casuals!" I guarantee you'll see complaints about it.

Oh, and there's at least one mission where you have to follow someone and they have a little floating marker above their head labelled 'follow'. I'm betting that will draw some rage too.

As for the actual hitmarker effect, just watch any video of CoD/BF multiplayer. Like, say, this one [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=686lnKSYaq0]. It's those four little diagonal marks that appear whenever he hits someone. You'll probably need to go fullscreen to see it.

 

[shado_temple]

Did you get a chance to test out the grenades? How'd those feel? I'd expect them (based on what I've seen) to handle like a real grenade -- rather than the unlimited distance, exploding frisbees we saw in the first game -- but do they fit in well with the rest of the combat?

 

[Zhukov]

Did you get a chance to test out the grenades? How'd those feel? I'd expect them (based on what I've seen) to handle like a real grenade -- rather than the unlimited distance, exploding frisbees we saw in the first game -- but do they fit in well with the rest of the combat?

Yeah, they work like actual grenades now. You can angle them over things or bounce them around corners.

I mostly used them for taking out sentry guns without exposing myself.

There's a skill tree for upgrading their effects as well, as least for the soldier class. Didn't get a good look at it though.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

All I got from that are the hit markers. What the flying fuck? Hit markers are for retarded people. Is it really that hard to aim in these games? Most people in the world play shooters. Surely they know how to aim by now.

 

[Zhukov]

Wrex was in there. He got to do some very Wrex-ish things. It was pretty cool. Sadly, he was not a squadmate and I'm pretty sure he never is.

No sign of Grunt so far.

wait? wrex and the counsil is dead when you play mass effect 2 without a save from the first installment. (infiltrator)
how can he be alive?

Yeah, and if you play with an imported save then he can be alive. Where is the problem?

All I got from that are the hit markers. What the flying fuck? Hit markers are for retarded people. Is it really that hard to aim in these games? Most people in the world plays shooters. Surely they know how to aim by now.

Dear God I hope you are joking.

Incidentally, hitmarkers don't help you aim. They just indicate whether or not you have landed a shot.

 

[hazabaza1]

vanguard used some kind of biotic falcon punch).

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck yes!
Also, did you get the chance the scour ( I think that's the word) the options menus for a way to turn off hit markers? Not a game breaker for me, I just prefer not having them.

 

[The Funslinger]

SNIP

One important thing. If it's been asked, then I overlooked it. Do weapons have finite ammo like they did in ME2?

I liked having only so much ammo...

Edit: wait, I saw your post

 

[Daystar Clarion]

My boycott of EA will sadly be inclusive of this game. Bioware aren't getting any love for the hilarious stuff they tried to pull with ToR "No, you can't unsubscribe, and stop asking, gamers".

Not surprised about the multiplayer, I wonder why they included it. And I can predict now that it will feature heavily in the ZP review of this game. =D

That's okay, I'll enjoy it enough for the both is us.

Is the game better with Kinect?

Deer combing has always been a mechanic I've found lacking in the past.

 

[wintercoat]

Wrex was in there. He got to do some very Wrex-ish things. It was pretty cool. Sadly, he was not a squadmate and I'm pretty sure he never is.

No sign of Grunt so far.

wait? wrex and the counsil is dead when you play mass effect 2 without a save from the first installment. (infiltrator)
how can he be alive?

Yeah, and if you play with an imported save then he can be alive. Where is the problem?

that he is officially fucking DEAD.

so how the hell does wrex walz around space when his head has been turned into a piggy bank by shepards gun?

or did you import your save from mass effect 1&2?

Hopefully they didn't pull a Leliana with Wrex and have him be alive through bullshit. I'm hoping it's from an imported save.

 

[Zhukov]

Yeah, and if you play with an imported save then he can be alive. Where is the problem?

that he is officially fucking DEAD.

so how the hell does wrex walz around space when his head has been turned into a piggy bank by shepards gun?

or did you import your save from mass effect 1&2?

Dude, it's not that complicated.

Import a save with a live Wrex, and he'll be alive. Import a save with a dead Wrex and he'll be dead.

 

[wintercoat]

Yeah, and if you play with an imported save then he can be alive. Where is the problem?

that he is officially fucking DEAD.

so how the hell does wrex walz around space when his head has been turned into a piggy bank by shepards gun?

or did you import your save from mass effect 1&2?

Dude, it's not that complicated.

Import a save with a live Wrex, and he'll be alive. Import a save with a dead Wrex and he'll be dead.

What he's saying is, the demo would usually be like starting without an imported save, and if Wrex is alive, they've pulled another bullshit maneuver.

 

[fix-the-spade]

Also, in a move that I am sure will spark howls of derision, there are now Battlefield/CoD-style hitmarkers.

Can you clarify a bit for me, do you mean the little pips that appear round the cross hairs when you shoot something?

 

[Zhukov]

What he's saying is, the demo would usually be like starting without an imported save, and if Wrex is alive, they've pulled another bullshit maneuver.

Why do you assume that? They could have just changed him from dead-by-default to alive-by-default. After all, either is as valid as the other.

The version I played was some kind of demonstration build. It didn't allow for imports. It assumed Wrex was alive and kicking. I don't know whether or not he will be alive for someone who starts ME3 with a fresh Shepard.

 

[fix-the-spade]

wait? wrex and the counsil is dead when you play mass effect 2 without a save from the first installment. (infiltrator)
how can he be alive?

ME2 had an opening questionnaire type thing that let you pick who died, what happened to the council and whether or not you shot Wrex.

I bet ME3 will have similar.

Alternatively, you (or Ashley) only shot Wrex once in the cutscene, the average Krogan survives being shot a lot more than once. It wouldn't be too bad of a retcon to have him get up/regenerate whilst you were away planting the nuke, leg it and have made his slow way back to Tuchanka. Wrex being Wrex he probably wouldn't even take you shooting him too personally, you had a job to do and he was in the way after all.

 

[Ilikemilkshake]

Disapointed about the multiplayer.
But actually pretty optimistic about the rest after reading this so thanks.

 

[Zorg Machine]

wait? wrex and the counsil is dead when you play mass effect 2 without a save from the first installment. (infiltrator)
how can he be alive?

ME2 had an opening questionnaire type thing that let you pick who died, what happened to the council and whether or not you shot Wrex.

I bet ME3 will have similar.

Alternatively, you (or Ashley) only shot Wrex once in the cutscene, the average Krogan survives being shot a lot more than once. It wouldn't be too bad of a retcon to have him get up/regenerate whilst you were away planting the nuke, leg it and have made his slow way back to Tuchanka. Wrex being Wrex he probably wouldn't even take you shooting him too personally, you had a job to do and he was in the way after all.

Or they said in public that there is no canon and could therefore change the default mode for new players in every new game...

just because the default mode in ME2 was dead Wrex doesn't mean that default in ME3 is the same (which is legit due to previous statement regarding canon).

 

[SadisticBrownie]

Thanks very much for doing this, really appreciate it. I have a few questions, if that's ok.

1. Does the whole "strip away defenses" thing from ME2 return? I think it worked well, but it irritated me, the lore clearly states that shields only protect against small, fast projectiles.

2. About the dialogue. Is the dialogue wheel unchanged? Also, did you see any interrupts, and how were they?

3. Did you learn anything about side missions? Is planet scanning back?

4. Does it manage to feel urgent without pressuring you away from exploration, etc?

Thanks.