So who's ready for Mass Effect 3?

Page 4 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

VulgarDisplay

Diamond Member
Apr 3, 2009
6,188
2
76
Did anyone else notice that the textures from the first level (the part from the demo) were the same terrible ones from the demo, and then when you got to mars the textures were extremely improved.

Maybe I was just imagining it. Loving the game so far any bad reviews on metacritic have not played the game.
 
Aug 11, 2008
10,451
642
126
Wow gamespot gave it a 9.5. Did they review the same game everyone else is talking about?

And they gave a meta-critic rating of 9.0 vs the 2.something in the link above. Did they only take the average of the top 10% of the reviews? Was hoping for at least a somewhat objective review, but ....
 
Aug 11, 2008
10,451
642
126
Did anyone else notice that the textures from the first level (the part from the demo) were the same terrible ones from the demo, and then when you got to mars the textures were extremely improved.

Maybe I was just imagining it. Loving the game so far any bad reviews on metacritic have not played the game.

Please post again when you finish the game and let us know if the ending sucks as badly as some are saying. If what I saw on metacritic was correct, the whole ending is basically a slap in the face to fans of the series. It could be wrong and I hope so, but that is what I read. I wont give details because it would be a spoiler.
 

gothamhunter

Diamond Member
Apr 20, 2010
4,464
6
81
Wow gamespot gave it a 9.5. Did they review the same game everyone else is talking about?

And they gave a meta-critic rating of 9.0 vs the 2.something in the link above. Did they only take the average of the top 10% of the reviews? Was hoping for at least a somewhat objective review, but ....

Everyone is giving it a negative review because of a) what they did with DA2, and b) because of the day 1 dlc stuff, which irked them. From all the site reviews, it looks like it's actually a good game.

I, for one, am excited to play it and just won't worry about the multiplayer or dlc crap.
 

Glitchny

Diamond Member
Sep 4, 2002
5,679
1
0
Wow gamespot gave it a 9.5. Did they review the same game everyone else is talking about?

And they gave a meta-critic rating of 9.0 vs the 2.something in the link above. Did they only take the average of the top 10% of the reviews? Was hoping for at least a somewhat objective review, but ....

Eh? Metacritic reviews are like Youtube comments. Absolutely worthless, and considering the "dlc uproar" from people I imagine it is just getting spammed.
 

alent1234

Diamond Member
Dec 15, 2002
3,915
0
0
Wow gamespot gave it a 9.5. Did they review the same game everyone else is talking about?

And they gave a meta-critic rating of 9.0 vs the 2.something in the link above. Did they only take the average of the top 10% of the reviews? Was hoping for at least a somewhat objective review, but ....


did you see how dumb some of the user reviews were?
 

MetalMat

Diamond Member
Jun 14, 2004
9,687
36
91
After playing the demo and hearing all the complaints about day 1 dlc I will go ahead and pass on this one for a while. I played way too much ME2 and got burned out, seems more of the same.

Plus the fact that every single critic is giving it a godly rating while the users are kind of bashing it is a giant red flag. Yeah a lot of the user reviews are just outright dumbo (Really, a zero? Yea right....) but the idea of not one bad critic review just makes the whole games journalism/review thing look like a total hack.

Giantbomb's review seems to make the most since out of what I read.
 
Last edited:

QuantumPion

Diamond Member
Jun 27, 2005
6,010
1
76
After playing the demo and hearing all the complaints about day 1 dlc I will go ahead and pass on this one for a while. I played way too much ME2 and got burned out, seems more of the same.

Plus the fact that every single critic is giving it a godly rating while the users are kind of bashing it is a giant red flag. Yeah a lot of the user reviews are just outright dumbo (Really, a zero? Yea right....) but the idea of not one bad critic review just makes the whole games journalism/review thing look like a total hack.

Giantbomb's review seems to make the most since out of what I read.

I suspect that all of the complainers don't actually have the game because their mommy hasn't bought it for them yet, while all the people that praise the game are still too busy playing it. ;)
 
Aug 11, 2008
10,451
642
126
Everyone is giving it a negative review because of a) what they did with DA2, and b) because of the day 1 dlc stuff, which irked them. From all the site reviews, it looks like it's actually a good game.

I, for one, am excited to play it and just won't worry about the multiplayer or dlc crap.

Unfortunately according to PC Gamer, you do have to worry about the multiplayer if you want the best ending.

They said multiplayer multiplies your points of some kind that apparently are essential to get a good ending. Even PC gamer said unless you play multiplayer you have to do a huge amount of grinding sidequests to get a good ending. Apparently you can double your points by playing multiplayer. So much for the promise that multiplayer would not affect the singleplayer experience. I dont know how much you have to play multiplayer, or if the amount of upgrade you get is dependent on time spent or level obtained or what.

Very frustrating, since I dont really play multiplayer, and even if I did I would want to finish the single player game first for the story. And apparently there is even a lame ad at the end about continuing the experience with DLC. Way to go EA and Bioware, get every cent you can.

To be fair, PC gamer gave it a 93, but they gave 94 I believe to DAII, to take that as what you will.

Edit: the points you accumulate are called "war assets". Apparently they somehow affect the ending you get.
 
Last edited:

gothamhunter

Diamond Member
Apr 20, 2010
4,464
6
81
Unfortunately according to PC Gamer, you do have to worry about the multiplayer if you want the best ending.

They said multiplayer multiplies your points of some kind that apparently are essential to get a good ending. Even PC gamer said unless you play multiplayer you have to do a huge amount of grinding sidequests to get a good ending. Apparently you can double your points by playing multiplayer. So much for the promise that multiplayer would not affect the singleplayer experience. I dont know how much you have to play multiplayer, or if the amount of upgrade you get is dependent on time spent or level obtained or what.

Very frustrating, since I dont really play multiplayer, and even if I did I would want to finish the single player game first for the story. And apparently there is even a lame ad at the end about continuing the experience with DLC. Way to go EA and Bioware, get every cent you can.

To be fair, PC gamer gave it a 93, but they gave 94 I believe to DAII, to take that as what you will.

Edit: the points you accumulate are called "war assets". Apparently they somehow affect the ending you get.

OK, so either do side quests or play multiplayer. Guess I'll do sidequests and get it that way?
 

Truthslayer

Member
Dec 21, 2010
63
0
66
OK, so either do side quests or play multiplayer. Guess I'll do sidequests and get it that way?

Basically, your Galactic Readyness (GR) is at a baseline of 50% if your never do anything outside of singleplayer. It's possible to get the "best" ending by grinding out a lot of side quests, but it'll be tight if you mess up/skip too many times.

Increasing GR is achieved via playing the multiplayer, the iOS game Infiltrator, or the Facebook app. While it'll go up fairly quickly, it'll reduce by 1% per IRL day of inactivity. This all ties to your Origin account, so all your characters will benefit (or hurt) based on your GR value. I hope this helps.
 

Powermoloch

Lifer
Jul 5, 2005
10,084
4
76
uggh, the user reviews at metacritic is showing the game's ugly side :colbert:

good thing i'm gonna wait :awe:
 

NoSoup4You

Golden Member
Feb 12, 2007
1,253
6
81
The game is fantastic. You've got to be kidding me if after the track record they laid down with ME1 and especially with ME2, if you still can't trust this studio to follow it all up with a killer finale. This game was going to be great, there was never any other option.

Don't confuse Dragon Age with Mass Effect, Bioware is a huge company with multiple studios. The Dragon Age studio is seperate from the Star Wars:TOR studio which is seperate from the Mass Effect studio. Together, they're all under the umbrella of Bioware.

The Mass Effect studio releases killer games, ME3 is no exception.

Unfortunately EA is nickel and diming every last cent they can get out this but whatever... that's basically par for the course with them at this point.
 
Last edited:
Oct 25, 2006
11,036
11
91
You assume that ME2 was universally well liked. Even ME1 had its share of massive problems.

Also the ending really IS that bad.
 
Aug 11, 2008
10,451
642
126
The game is fantastic. You've got to be kidding me if after the track record they laid down with ME1 and especially with ME2, if you still can't trust this studio to follow it all up with a killer finale. This game was going to be great, there was never any other option.

Don't confuse Dragon Age with Mass Effect, Bioware is a huge company with multiple studios. The Dragon Age studio is seperate from the Star Wars:TOR studio which is seperate from the Mass Effect studio. Together, they're all under the umbrella of Bioware.

The Mass Effect studio releases killer games, ME3 is no exception.

Unfortunately EA is nickel and diming every last cent they can get out this but whatever... that basically is par for the course at this point.

Have you actually played and finished the game, or are you just basing your evaluation on Bioware's reputation and the previous two games?

I am reserving judgement on the base game yet because I have not bought the game or played anything but the demo. But I think it is incredibly lame to basically force you to play multiplayer or their facebook app.(Facebook app??? Farmville in space???) Even the PC gamer review said they didnt get a very satisfactory ending because they didnt play multiplayer or grind enough sidequests. And from the general things I have heard, even the "best" ending may not be that great.
 

Stuka87

Diamond Member
Dec 10, 2010
6,240
2,559
136
I just got my copy of ME3:CE but wont be able to start playing until I get home from work. Will be a while before I finish it, but will report back on my thoughts after a few hours of playing.
 

NoSoup4You

Golden Member
Feb 12, 2007
1,253
6
81
Have you actually played and finished the game, or are you just basing your evaluation on Bioware's reputation and the previous two games?

I'm 8 hours in (proxy'ed on Monday). The game does have some glitches that weren't present in the previous games, but nothing game breaking. Overall an improvement over ME2 from a gameplay perspective and I like how they integrated choices into the game - how to upgrade your powers, how to mod your weapons, which armor your squadmates affects certain bonuses...etc. Options are good.

There are some real disappointments I have in the game thus far as well, but again I feel like every finale to a trilogy suffers from this to some degree. Can't please everyone...etc.
 

irishScott

Lifer
Oct 10, 2006
21,562
3
0
uggh, the user reviews at metacritic is showing the game's ugly side :colbert:

good thing i'm gonna wait :awe:

You're depending on those retards? I read one wall of text that said ME3 was a "crime against humanity". Most of the others are bitching about terribly minute details (ZOMG I had to reconstruct Shepard's face 5 minutes in! 0/10).

I'll bottom line the game for everyone in 2 lines:

If you liked ME2, even a little, you will either LOVE or mildly like ME3.
If you hated ME2, ME3 is satan incarnate.

My review:
I'm firmly in the former camp, I'd give it a 9/10 having played for about 14 hours. Most of the old characters from the previous games are back and are quite enjoyable, even if only in cameos. It is truly epic in scale. There are many dozens of side quests, each contributing, however minutely, towards the main goal of building up forces to take back earth. Many are even unique, albeit short. The main quests have taken me an average of 1.5 hours each (on Hardcore), and 14 hours in I'm not even halfway through. Honestly I could immerse myself in the story all day. It's not Shakespeare, but I wanted epic galactic reaper warfare and I got epic galactic reaper warfare. There are also some simply badass moments that Hollywood could take a few hints from.

The game-play has also been much improved. Combat is much more quick paced and satisfying, with more options available (two forms of melee, expanded skill tree, new skills, usually larger combat areas, different ways to move around cover). Outside of combat, you can mod weapons, and there is a larger variety of weapons acquired much more organically and often than in ME2.

And finally, perhaps the most important if subtle change many reviewers overlooked: It is now a viable option to play as a pure castor without ever using weapons.. This is due to the new weight system. Every weapon you carry adds weight, which slows down biotic/tech recharge. However, the baseline is at 50% max weight. Meaning that if you're carrying less than 50% max weight your recharge times get a bonus. Carrying nothing at all, or just a pistol, your powers recharge ridiculously fast (within 5 seconds) and once you level up... oh yeah.

That's all I have time for right now, and is not a full review, just wanted to highlight what are IMO the most important changes. But personally I rank ME3 as one of the best games I've ever played. If fucking Halo: Reach can get high scores all around, I don't understand how anyone can say anything bad about ME3. It's an epic cover-based-action-RPG, and it does it extremely well. I've encountered one bug that broke a minor side quest, nothing else yet.