Poll: should i play ME3

[ankensam]

i am feeling torn towards it, i cant make up my mind as to whether or not to play it, i want to because i loved mass effect 1 and liked mass effect 2 and want to finish the trilogy on top of the endings looking interesting. but the reasons i dont want to stem from why i didnt like mass effect 2 as much as i liked its predecessor, in the trailers and hype i saw that it looked like EA was posturing to use mass effect 3 to bring in a new crowd by simplifying the game and making the combat faster paced as well as improving the cover system, all of which i disliked owing to the game being the conclusion to a trilogy and not the game that is used to attract new fans.

i think that some of my problem is that it looks like most of what i loved from mass effect 1 is now gone and has turned the game into gears of the old republic.

 

[Zhukov]

You're not being very clear. What did you like about ME1? What did you not like about ME2? Was there anything you did like about ME2?

If your problem is with the combat then you probably won't like ME3. It's much closer to ME2 than ME1, but faster and harder. On the other hand, there's tons of more varied enemies, more abilities, better character building options (better than both ME1 and 2) and tons of weapons. However those may not be things that appeal to you.

Oh, and by now you've no doubt heard that the endings suck. If I may employ a crude analogy, ME3 is a banquet of delicious steak with potato salad on the side followed a single mouthful of dog shit. Sadly, tragically, the former is soured by the lingering flavour of the latter.

 

[Erttheking]

I would say yes, but stop before you get to the ending.

 

[ankensam]

You're not being very clear. What did you like about ME1? What did you not like about ME2? Was there anything you did like about ME2?

ok to be clear, what i liked about mass effect 1 was the scale, being able to go down to most planets and explore in the mako, the level up system and inventory management, the variety of side quests, on top of an interesting cast of characters.

what i disliked in mass effect 2 was the planet scanning, the ammo instead of heat sinks, the pitiful number of different guns, the over simplified level up system, especially with companions, it not feeling as big as mass effect 1 because of not being able to go down to planets, all the busy work to get ready for attacking the relay at the end of the game, but i did like the loyalty missions i just wish they werent side quests and were main missions, as well as how they changed the citadels layout.

those are the main things with the games that i can think of right now

 

[Zhukov]

You're not being very clear. What did you like about ME1? What did you not like about ME2? Was there anything you did like about ME2?

ok to be clear, what i liked about mass effect 1 was the scale, being able to go down to most planets and explore in the mako, the level up system and inventory management, the variety of side quests, on top of an interesting cast of characters.

what i disliked in mass effect 2 was the planet scanning, the ammo instead of heat sinks, the pitiful number of different guns, the over simplified level up system, especially with companions, it not feeling as big as mass effect 1 because of not being able to go down to planets, all the busy work to get ready for attacking the relay at the end of the game, but i did like the loyalty missions i just wish they werent side quests and were main missions, as well as how they changed the citadels layout.

those are the main things with the games that i can think of right now

Ah, okay then.

- ME3 has no Mako exploration or equivalent.
- There is planet scanning, but it doesn't suck any more. Nothing amazing though.
- The level-up system is more complex than in ME1 and 2, although that's not saying much.
- There are tons of different guns. Like 30-40 of them, and they're fairly distinct.
- You get to see a lot more of the Citadel. It's better than in the previous games. More detailed, and it changes somewhat over time. Also, you'll often come across your squad mates on the citadel doing various things (Liara hanging out in a cafe, James playing cards with refugees, Garrus helping out with wounded Turians and so on.)
- The ammo is the same as in ME2.
- Whether or not the character are interesting is highly subjective. For whatever it's worth, I thought they were generally great with some fantastic moments. Like I said though, highly subjective.

Hope this helps.

 

[Jodah]

You're not being very clear. What did you like about ME1? What did you not like about ME2? Was there anything you did like about ME2?

ok to be clear, what i liked about mass effect 1 was the scale, being able to go down to most planets and explore in the mako, the level up system and inventory management, the variety of side quests, on top of an interesting cast of characters.

what i disliked in mass effect 2 was the planet scanning, the ammo instead of heat sinks, the pitiful number of different guns, the over simplified level up system, especially with companions, it not feeling as big as mass effect 1 because of not being able to go down to planets, all the busy work to get ready for attacking the relay at the end of the game, but i did like the loyalty missions i just wish they werent side quests and were main missions, as well as how they changed the citadels layout.

those are the main things with the games that i can think of right now

Ah, okay then.

- ME3 has no Mako exploration or equivalent.
- There is planet scanning, but it doesn't suck any more. Nothing amazing though.
- The level-up system is more complex than in ME1 and 2, although that's not saying much.
- There are tons of different guns. Like 30-40 of them, and they're fairly distinct.
- You get to see a lot more of the Citadel. It's better than in the previous games. More detailed, and it changes somewhat over time. Also, you'll often come across your squad mates on the citadel doing various things (Liara hanging out in a cafe, James playing cards with refugees, Garrus helping out with wounded Turians and so on.)
- The ammo is the same as in ME2.
- Whether or not the character are interesting is highly subjective. For whatever it's worth, I thought they were generally great with some fantastic moments. Like I said though, highly subjective.

Hope this helps.

Also weapon mods have made a return. They are more limited than what was in ME1 but they are more than ME2. There are, of course, the best ones from a number crunching perspective but any can be used to make the gun handle as you want (with some limitations of course.)

 

[tippy2k2]

Yes, if you enjoyed ME1 and ME2 then pick up ME3.

Zhukov has already posted a good run-down so read that if you want a more in-depth analysis.

Do play through to the ending though. A lot of people really hate it but you may actually like it (yes, I liked the ending, sue me). However, I do recognize that I am in the minority of liking it.

With that, even if you don't like the ending, the 25 hours or so before you get there is pretty amazing. Characters from your past pop in and out and since it's the last of Shepard's story, Bioware goes all out to give you a sense of danger and sacrifice.

If you did not enjoy ME1 and ME2 then it's not going to do anything to change your mind.

 

[dimensional]

sorry I havent played it so cant help but there are some questions I would like answered about ME3 to see what system I should buy it for eventually so if anyone can answer the following I would be grateful.

I didnt get any of ME2 DLC will I be punished for it in ME3 i.e make any mission unable to be finished the best it can be. I am mainly thinking missing Kasumi and the shadowbroker DLC.

I cant play multiplayer on the 360 because I refuse to pay for gold membership but my shepard is on the 360 would it be worth abandoning my character and getting it on PS3 or sticking with the 360 and forgoing MP or is it not worth getting the game at all if I cant do both.

Cheers for any info I did not want to create a new thread just to ask this.

 

[tippy2k2]

sorry I havent played it so cant help but there are some questions I would like answered about ME3 to see what system I should buy it for eventually so if anyone can answer the following I would be grateful.

I didnt get any of ME2 DLC will I be punished for it in ME3 i.e make any mission unable to be finished the best it can be. I am mainly thinking missing Kasumi and the shadowbroker DLC.

I cant play multiplayer on the 360 because I refuse to pay for gold membership but my shepard is on the 360 would it be worth abandoning my character and getting it on PS3 or sticking with the 360 and forgoing MP or is it not worth getting the game at all if I cant do both.

Cheers for any info I did not want to create a new thread just to ask this.

No, you will not be punished. Some things you might miss (references that is, not content) because of the lack of DLC but it will not actually affect anything.

EDIT: I might have to scratch that a bit. Characters from DLC seem to pop up as well (Zaeed specifically for me, not so sure about others).

I personally feel that you should stick with your original Shepard; makes the game much more personal. However, it's not a HUGE deal since you've played through the games and will still have that emotional connection even if you get default choices. The choices do have a much bigger impact than the DLC however...

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Yes, as far as I'm concerned apart from the ending it did pretty much everything right; and while the ending is bad, really bad, I didn't find it quite as Earth-shatteringly terrible as some people seem to have done. The endings to Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Assassin's Creed: Revelations were both worse in my opinion, and those are another 2 games that I really liked. So if you've played either of those and it didn't bother you too much then I heartily recommend Mass Effect 3, because when I say the ending is literally the only thing I can critisise, I'm not being hyperbolic. It really is that good (again, in my opinion).

 

[PaganAxe]

Some things you might miss (references that is, not content) because of the lack of DLC but it will not actually affect anything.

EDIT: I might have to scratch that a bit. Characters from DLC seem to pop up as well (Zaeed specifically for me, not so sure about others).

Zaeed and Kasumi both make appearances.

Plus, Dr. Archer from the Overlord DLC will appear regardless of whether or not you got/completed it.

Spoiler

If you didn't complete it, Dr. Archer's brother David will be killed by setting off several nuclear bombs around the base. If you save David and take him to Grissom Academy, you can find him there in ME3. He even unlocks a room that has one or two weapon mods. Not sure what happens if you let Dr. Archer keep David.

Liara also talks about her ordeal with the Shadow Broker regardless if you helped her in ME2.

Spoiler

If you didn't help her, she would hire a bunch of mercenaries to help raid the Shadow Broker base. Feron will end up getting killed, but Liara still becomes the Broker. If you did help her, Feron will still be alive in ME3 though I don't believe you see him, but he will have an upgrade available at Glyph's terminal.

In case, you didn't open the spoilers, in addition to the character appearances, there are a few upgrades that can be acquired if you did do the DLC in ME2.

 

[goose4291]

Yes, relish and enjoy the game as a whole, just be prepared for a let down of an ending.

 

[dimensional]

*snip*

Thanks for the info all things being equal I will probably stick with my original Shepard then I doubht many people will be playing MP in 18 months time or so when I finally get it anyway.

 

[Mysticgamer]

i am feeling torn towards it, i cant make up my mind as to whether or not to play it, i want to because i loved mass effect 1 and liked mass effect 2 and want to finish the trilogy on top of the endings looking interesting. but the reasons i dont want to stem from why i didnt like mass effect 2 as much as i liked its predecessor, in the trailers and hype i saw that it looked like EA was posturing to use mass effect 3 to bring in a new crowd by simplifying the game and making the combat faster paced as well as improving the cover system, all of which i disliked owing to the game being the conclusion to a trilogy and not the game that is used to attract new fans.

i think that some of my problem is that it looks like most of what i loved from mass effect 1 is now gone and has turned the game into gears of the old republic.

If you're concerned about the sucky ending, Bioware's going to release DLC later this year or so...here's the source. http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/324/index/10089946

 

[Texas Joker 52]

*snipped*

First, I want to say your avatar, is fucking awesome. Too bad Tali never boogied like that in the third installment, or it would definitely be up there in my favorite moments.

But, to be more on topic to the original post, get it. Yes, the endings ranged from okay, to bland, to outright horrible depending on your standpoint. For me, it didn't affect the rest of my playthroughs very much (which can be considered bad in its own right), but Mass Effect 3 is fun, regardless.

Yes, the combat is similar to Mass Effect 2, but more refined. Thermal Clips are here to stay, but despite that, all of the guns, and there are a plethora, feel distinct. Some may feel like a better version of one gun or another, but they still have a certain... Flavor of their own. There are similarities, but never something that feels like a direct copy.

Yes, mods make a return, ranging from what are essentially extended magazines, to precision scopes, and mods that alter how a weapon handles. Like a small stunner you can attach to a pistol to make melee more effective, or a 'concentration module' to a sniper rifle that slows down time automatically for a short time when you scope in. Much more fun than Mass Effect 1's mods, as well as more useful and distinct.

The character interaction is better than both games. Some of the characters truly feel human, for lack of a better term, and not so much as robots that stay in one specific room on the Normandy until a mission.

And while there's no planet exploration and the planet scanning mini-game makes a return, it's not as much of a hassle as it was before, and once you get near the end and see the galaxy map, you really do get a sense of scale.

Overall, I won't say it doesn't have its faults, but I can say I had a ton of fun. I spent more time with characters I knew and loved, kicked royal Reaper and Cerberus ass, and felt like a hero banding the galaxy together. I definitely recommend it.