The Official Mass Effect Thread

[Matt]

I still believe that EA will veto any attempt to make a game without Shepard. I could be wrong, but I just don't see EA giving much of a damn about Hudson and co's artistic integrity (which already bit them in the ass) when they have a marketable character.

 

[Matt]

Hudson had the same direct involvement with ME3 that he had with ME2 and ME1, he has always been making story and plot decisions. The destruction of the Normandy and joining up with Cerberus in ME2 for example came straight from Hudson according to Walters in an interview he gave about a year ago. The whole idea for ME came from a pitch Hudson made to the founders when the company decided they wanted to pursue their own IP.

They should let Hudson work on the game and lead the development but EA should expressly forbid him from talking to the press. Hell, EA should expressly forbid anyone from Bioware from dealing with the press and bring in a professional PR team to handle the press aspects. Hudson now has the credibility of Peter Molyneux and the backlash of ME3 would've been CONSIDERABLY reduced if not for the direct LIES that he told to the media and fans during the production phase. Furthermore, the backlash would've been a lot less severe if not for the ME team acting like internet trolls to their fans and customers during the initial controversy.

 

[Iceman]

I still believe that EA will veto any attempt to make a game without Shepard. I could be wrong, but I just don't see EA giving much of a damn about Hudson and co's artistic integrity (which already bit them in the ass) when they have a marketable character.

I'd rather see someone new but it's not the worst possible restriction that could be put on a game. He is a great character after all.

They should let Hudson work on the game and lead the development but EA should expressly forbid him from talking to the press. Hell, EA should expressly forbid anyone from Bioware from dealing with the press and bring in a professional PR team to handle the press aspects. Hudson now has the credibility of Peter Molyneux and the backlash of ME3 would've been CONSIDERABLY reduced if not for the direct LIES that he told to the media and fans during the production phase. Furthermore, the backlash would've been a lot less severe if not for the ME team acting like internet trolls to their fans and customers during the initial controversy.

Why do people big their games up to be more than they are? Either they're innocent but overexcited children that definitely do need to be gagged, or they are using more sinister, deceptive sales-increasing tactics. But for franchise games the value of your reputation is more important than one-off sales inflation as people are much more ready to buy into franchises permanently nowadays, & the ME3 shock (based on inaccurate media announcements) received by some fans will put them off further titles.

 

[SolarTiger]

Should be a sequel far, far in the future. Maybe involve some other galaxies this time.

 

[Iceman]

Should be a sequel far, far in the future. Maybe involve some other galaxies this time.

Yeah, that's what I want. Go far enough into the future and you can pretty much do what you want without being too restricted by what came before. Can still pay respect to it whenever the opportunity comes up but can tell a new story that stands whatever endings the player chose in ME3 & whoever survived/died.

 

[TX85]

Agreed and that's what I want too,I'd like a new trilogy set hundreds of years after ME 3 with some old&new characters with an all new protogonist and in the same game universe But in a new galaxy with new enemies But references to to reapers and the human legend of Shepard.

I want the new protogonist to be options from different races than just human!

 

[Iceman]

I always go non-human when given the opportunity! Khajit & Argonian in the last 2 Elder Scrolls games.

 

[Iceman]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...g-the-next-game-mass-effect-4-is-a-disservice

BioWare: "calling the next game Mass Effect 4 is a disservice"

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

Priestly's comment was so confusing/vague as to be useless but Yanick Roy's follow up stuff was interesting. So here's the important take away imo:

BioWare Montreal boss Yanick Roy has since clarified Priestly's comments and dropped several hints that, despite not being a sequel, events in the next game could take place after those in Mass Effect 3.

"Thinking of the next Mass Effect game as Mass Effect 4 would imply a certain linearity, a straight evolution of the gameplay and story of the first three games," he wrote. "That doesn't mean that events of the first three games and the choices you made won't get recognised, but they likely won't be what this new story will focus on.

"If you had three games centred around a group of key soldiers in the US army during World War I and then decided to make a game about another group of people during the Second World War, the games could have many points in common and feel true to one another,"

"You likely would have to recognise how the events of the first war influenced the ones of the second, but you would not necessarily think of it as a sequel. Again, the analogy is not great, but what I'm trying to say is that the ME universe is so rich that we are not limited to a single track when coming up with a new story."

So it sounds like they are leaning towards post-ME3, which is surprising but good.

 

[Iceman]

Yeah, that's what I thought would happen. Post ME3 but far enough in the future that the ME trilogy happenings don't have to weigh too heavily on the new story, while all the lore is there to draw on. I think that 1st & 2nd World War analogy is fine to describe the situation.

 

[SolarTiger]

Yeah, that's what I thought would happen. Post ME3 but far enough in the future that the ME trilogy happenings don't have to weigh too heavily on the new story, while all the lore is there to draw on. I think that 1st & 2nd World War analogy is fine to describe the situation.

That's what I'd prefer. Prequel of the First Contact War to me was not that appealing since you'd know what the end result would be. I'd prefer a sequel, and one that isn't bound by your choices from the three other games.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Shepard clone/reanimation. They already did it once.

 

[BrollySupersj]

Does anyone else feel like...they don't need another ME game? I'm fine with just the 3, I mean...the ending to 3 is terrible and I hate it. BUT the journey is still over, I defeated the Reapers and Cerberus, etc. I'm done with the ME universe. The 3 games are all I need really.

 

[Donut]

Shepard clone/reanimation. They already did it once.

If they wanted to bring him back. They show him breathing at the end of one of the ME3 endings. No need for that ****

 

[Spider-Vader]

I don't see how they're going to go about the Quarians, Krogan or Geth though. I don't want future games to ignore those races just because they might have been killed off.

Perfect way to do games set after ME3 would be to make the Destroy ending canon & retcon the part where all synthetics die. Also, make the Krogans getting cured with Wrex as their leader canon too. People might get mad at it, but canon conclusions to those stories make the most sense.

 

[James]

Does anyone else feel like...they don't need another ME game? I'm fine with just the 3, I mean...the ending to 3 is terrible and I hate it. BUT the journey is still over, I defeated the Reapers and Cerberus, etc. I'm done with the ME universe. The 3 games are all I need really.

I thought about that for a moment too. Move on, forget Mass Effect, build something new. But it's too big to sweep under the rug now, novels, comics, videos, action figures. Despite the crappy (oh so terrible) ending to ME3, they still created a cool universe that has a lot more potential.

I'm liking the idea of a game taking place 200-300 years after ME3. It might be cool if there's no council or any kind of large galactic authority, very wild west type stuff.

 

[Fans of Reilly]

Does anyone else feel like...they don't need another ME game? I'm fine with just the 3, I mean...the ending to 3 is terrible and I hate it. BUT the journey is still over, I defeated the Reapers and Cerberus, etc. I'm done with the ME universe. The 3 games are all I need really.

We live in a world we still get New Super Mario games where the same thing is still happening


so I do not have a problem getting a new game in the interesting world of ME with many exciting character and many possibilities for exciting stories line

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

Agreed, as long as its not "OMGZ MOAR REAPAZ!" then I'm all for it. There's still a lot of the setting that can be explored and in different ways than Shepard and co.

Personally, I think the Yahg stand out to me as the potentially best future enemy for the series. They are as strong as Krogan and smart as Salarians. During ME 2/3 they were entering their space age, jump forward 200-300 years and they could very well be a player on the galactic stage.

 

[Iceman]

Does anyone else feel like...they don't need another ME game? I'm fine with just the 3, I mean...the ending to 3 is terrible and I hate it. BUT the journey is still over, I defeated the Reapers and Cerberus, etc. I'm done with the ME universe. The 3 games are all I need really.

Sorry mate, I am the complete opposite! I agree the ending was crap & underwhelming for this series but that doesn't change that it's one of my favourite game universes with really great characters & races, top voice acting & graphics & the gameplay is as good as any top shooter (actually better than most) while keeping enough RPG elements to keep my inner RPG fan satisified. The combination of excellence in all areas makes it one of my top 2 series and I want to see them keep making games in this universe for a long time.

 

[masterthehero]

I was just glad that they ended Shepard's story arc at 3. If there was going to be a continuation of Mass Effect that re used Shepard over and over, then I was going to be pissed.

I really curious to see what new ideas and worlds they want to introduce to the ME universe, without f'ing with Shep's story arc.

 

[SolarTiger]

Agreed, as long as its not "OMGZ MOAR REAPAZ!" then I'm all for it. There's still a lot of the setting that can be explored and in different ways than Shepard and co.

Personally, I think the Yahg stand out to me as the potentially best future enemy for the series. They are as strong as Krogan and smart as Salarians. During ME 2/3 they were entering their space age, jump forward 200-300 years and they could very well be a player on the galactic stage.

Yeah I kinda forgot about them but you're right, they could totally be antagonists for a new series. One Yahg on his own was the freaking shadowbroker, imagine their whole damn race as a threat.

 

[Matt]

I don't see how they're going to go about the Quarians, Krogan or Geth though. I don't want future games to ignore those races just because they might have been killed off.

Perfect way to do games set after ME3 would be to make the Destroy ending canon & retcon the part where all synthetics die. Also, make the Krogans getting cured with Wrex as their leader canon too. People might get mad at it, but canon conclusions to those stories make the most sense.

I agree to an extent. I feel like the Geth can be taken care of with relative ease. Remember, Legion tells us the Geth's ultimate goal is to become one, unified mega-structure. If the game is set a few hundred years in the future, that can be done. If the Geth survived, just make it a planet that you can fly by, scan and basically serve as an Easter Egg. Although I suppose the argument can be made that it is no longer the Geth's goal since they have all become self-aware individuals.

As for the Quarians and Krogans....They will be a bit trickier. Obviously neither race goes extinct in ME3. BW could feature characters and just call them survivors....but if the races did survive, they are now massive players on the galactic stage. The Quarians have the biggest fleet, the Krogans the strongest army. It is hard to just look past that. I too think BW should just pick a canon ending. Yes, it pisses people off....but it creates a hell of a lot less difficulty and I'd imagine they will. At the very least, I think that a canon ending will be heavily implied. Hell, just think about synthesis. Every person in the game would have to be half machine. So you'd essentially have to have two designs of everything. Not to mention, Synthesis completely changes the nature of the ME Universe (more than any of the other endings).

As for the enemy, I have long held that the way to go is almost a Cold War type setting. No single enemy is going to top the Reapers. But what happened after Hitler died and Japan was nuked? The allies turned on each other as they tried to figure out their places in the post-WW2 era. I'd like to see something similar. I want to see alliances form, galactic politics turn into a bitter state of affairs in post-reconstruction. Human vs Turian, Asari vs Geth, Quarian vs Krogan, etc. I'd like to see some galactic chaos as each race tries to advance themselves now that the common enemy is gone. I think that is the best way to take the franchise.

 

[Iceman]

As for the enemy, I have long held that the way to go is almost a Cold War type setting. No single enemy is going to top the Reapers. But what happened after Hitler died and Japan was nuked? The allies turned on each other as they tried to figure out their places in the post-WW2 era. I'd like to see something similar. I want to see alliances form, galactic politics turn into a bitter state of affairs in post-reconstruction. Human vs Turian, Asari vs Geth, Quarian vs Krogan, etc. I'd like to see some galactic chaos as each race tries to advance themselves now that the common enemy is gone. I think that is the best way to take the franchise.

That sounds like it could be awesome but I don't know if I'd enjoy fighting against Turians or Asari as a race now (aside from designated evil members of those races), or even Krogan. I don't want to devalue the bonds we're supposed to have made.

 

[Spider-Vader]

I don't think that would happen in the ME universe. The galaxy was already sort of like that before the games started, the races started becoming allies over the course of the trilogy. I like to think that the whole Council/Galactic Government system of the galaxy becomes a bit more open with the Elcor, Hanar, Krogan, Quarians & Geth becoming members of the Council.

Though, I don't think that would cause as much conflict as a Cold War. So maybe a ME Cold War would be the best play to go from a gameplay/story aspect.

 

[Upset Spideyfan]

I don't think the Council races would break up, especially the big 4. They are stronger together as a bloc than they are separate from one another. I'm thinking considering everything that went down the Turians and the Humans would be especially be buddy buddy.

If you're looking for political intrigue I'm curious what happens to the Terminus systems now that the Batarians are no longer a factor.