Mass Effect 3

[Jax]

Jeyl wrote:

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I always feel bummed out when they bring in big name composers to work on the big emotional moments instead of the whole game. Imagine being one of the regular composers and being told you're not going to be doing the music for the big emotional scene because the studio wants a big name composer to do that one bit. It's just disappointing that Bioware/EA didn't give a seasoned Mass Effect composer the task

Agreed but I think the budget may the reason behind why they do it differently.

[Reverend]

Yeah, if they're going to hire a big name composer then they're going to want to get their money's worth and make sure they do the most prominent pieces.

No different than the voice actors really. I mean it'd be stupid to hire someone like Sheen if you don't have him play a major character, right?

[ATimson]

Reverend wrote:

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No different than the voice actors really. I mean it'd be stupid to hire someone like Sheen if you don't have him play a major character, right?

Bethesda, Patrick Stewart, and Liam Neeson beg to differ.

[Jeyl]

Reverend wrote:

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Yeah, if they're going to hire a big name composer then they're going to want to get their money's worth and make sure they do the most prominent pieces.

No different than the voice actors really. I mean it'd be stupid to hire someone like Sheen if you don't have him play a major character, right?

Actually, I would say it's quite different than voice actors because outside of singing voices, it's usually the same actor voicing the role. Now if they were replaced in the sequel, that would be different. What we have here is an actor being replaced by another actor simply because they wanted a name actor to do the voice work for a pivotal scene, even though the original actor is going to voice the character both before and after this part.

If I was running the show, I would let the composers who were already on the team do the whole thing and not just hire some outside composer who has never done video games before score only a track and a half worth of music. I'd have a lot more faith in my composers than that.

[ATimson]

Jeyl wrote:

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Actually, I would say it's quite different than voice actors because outside of singing voices, it's usually the same actor voicing the role. Now if they were replaced in the sequel, that would be different. What we have here is an actor being replaced by another actor simply because they wanted a name actor to do the voice work for a pivotal scene, even though the original actor is going to voice the character both before and after this part.

You're making a big assumption here: that EA intended for Mansell to only score the two scenes. Given the last-minute manner in which the other composers were announced, and the rampant inappropriate reuse of music from the last two games, I think it's just as likely Mansell was hired to score everything and dropped the ball entirely.

[Reverend]

ATimson wrote:

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Bethesda, Patrick Stewart, and Liam Neeson beg to differ.

Actually that supports my argument. If those two had played some While neither of those characters are in the game for long, they're major introductory characters that appear right at the forefront--just like Mansell's music--and drive the central plot forward. Also, if you think about it, Sheen as TIM has what? Half a dozen scenes spread across two games? Sure, more than your two examples, but then that's has more to do with the difference between an open world RPG and a one with an essentially linear narrative.

It's really a combination of two factors; how much the person costs to hire and where they'd have the most impact. Oblivion & Fallout 3 don't really have major antagonists or really important protagonists and you can pretty much ignore the central plot and go do whatever you want, hence all the expensive talent being front loaded in the tutorial levels. The Mass Effect games ahve a more traditional narrative structure so you can have "big name" actors take small but important roles and scatter their appearances throughout.

[Reverend]

Just a quick note for anyone that missed it back during the launch; Alienware are doing the Indra Sniper Rifle promotion again. PC only I'm afraid.

[Jeyl]

Reverend wrote:

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Just a quick note for anyone that missed it back during the launch; Alienware are doing the Indra Sniper Rifle promotion again. PC only I'm afraid.

Ugh. If only I had the need to play the game again.

[Reverend]

^Then why keep posting in ME threads if you have no interest? Mate, do us all a favour and try not to be a *complete* arse for a change.

[Jeyl]

Reverend wrote:

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^Then why keep posting in ME threads if you have no interest? Mate, do us all a favour and try not to be a *complete* arse for a change.

So just because I didn't have an overall satisfying experience with the game I shouldn't be talking about it or giving my feelings on the matter? I have made no insults towards anyone here nor criticized anyone for getting this rifle. If this kind of promotion happened with the previous games, I wouldn't hesitate a minute to snatch it up and play through the game with it.

Now, if I could snipe Harbinger's eyes out with it, maybe I'd give the game another go. But as it stands, no matter what I do,

Shepard Dies, Relays explode, and the Normandy crashes. Ok, so there's that breathing moment at the end, but what of it?

[backstept]

Jeyl wrote:

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Ugh. If only I had the need to play the game again.

if you play with the coalesced editor you can get the indra and the chakram launcher by creating a 'give all guns' custom hotkey

[Reverend]

Came across this and thought I'd share: A German Mass Effect community site is doing a survey on people's opinions of ME3 and for an added bonus, it appears that Jessica Merizan (Bioware's community manager) is taking notice. I wouldn't construe that as Bioware saying that they'll base their future choices off of the results (though I'm sure some people will) but someone at Bioware (maybe just Merizan) will be watching how this turns out.

Either way it's worth filling out as it covers all the main points of centention and I for one am curious to see the results!

[LeadHead]

I just filled it out, good questions, lets hope this does some good.

[Camren]

Reverend wrote:

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Came across this and thought I'd share: A German Mass Effect community site is doing a survey on people's opinions of ME3 and for an added bonus, it appears like Jessica Merizan (Bioware's community manager) it taking notice. I wouldn't construe that as Bioware saying that they'll base their future choices off of the results (though I'm sure some people will) but someone at Bioware (maybe just Merizan) will be watching how this turns out.

Either way it's worth filling out as it covers all the main points of centention and I for one am curious to see the results!

I REALLY don't blame Bioware for looking to other sources for rational fan reaction. The people on their official forums are utterly demented and have lost all sense of reality.

[Reverend]

Out of curiosity, shall we hold an informal survey here and compare our own answers? Since the questions are only for those that have already completed the game, I'll put my answers in spoiler tags.

On which platform do you play ME3?

PC

Which version of ME3 did you buy?

Collector's Edition

Do you play as male or as female Shepard?

Female

Did you import a savegame?

Yes

Which class did you choose for the first time in Mass Effect 3?

Soldier (only because it was the class I picked for my first ME1 Shepard & I wanted to keep her more or less unchanged)

Did you play the same class if you imported a saved game from ME2?

Yes (but again, not from preference so much as a role playing choice)

Do you play with the default Shepard face?

No (though I may steal her face texture to mod a different import)

If you imported a saved game, did you change Shepard's face?

No (...technically yes, but only because of the import bug and I didn't change it so much as recreate it as best I could)

Which squadmates did you take with you the most of your missions?

Liara & Tali (when she became availible, until then it was mostly either Liara with EDI and later Ash)

Do you play as a paragon or renegade Shepard?

Balanced (not strictly true as my main Shep is mostly paragon, but I don't "play" her as one if that makes any sense. She has a good 25% renegade streak.)

Who was your love interest?

Liara

Did you cure the Genophage?

Yes

What was your choice in the Geth and Quarian conflict?

Supported both

Do you have the DLC 'From Ashes'?

Yes

Do you listen to or read the Codex entries?

Often

Do you read the informations about the different planets?

Often

How many times did you do a whole ME3 playthrough?

2-3 (so far. 4th & 5th are in progress...slowly)

What was the most emotional moment for you?

Thane's death. (tough choice and I'm not even much of a fan of Thane, but that prayer scene got to me...Mordin & Legion would be a *very* close second.)

What was your decision at the end?

Destroy

What's the best ending in our opinion?

DESTROY!!!! (..ahem)

What was your reaction upon experiencing the ME3 endings?

I think I picked "Terrible, many logical errors, it's all the same.", But that wasn't my immediate reaction. That was more a feeling of stunned numbness. As in "that was it? Are they taking the piss?"

What do you think about the indoctrination-theory

I think I picked the "No" option.

In your opinion, what could the 'space child' be?

"a celestial creature." (but only because "a lazy arsed plot device" wasn't an option)

Would you like a typical happy ending?

"It should be one possible decision"

What score would you give Mass Effect 3 up to 10 minutes before the ending?

9. (Really great story telling, a little rough around the edges though most often let down by a lack of depth and agency.)

What score would you give to the ending of Mass Effect 3?

0 (terrible)

What overall score would you give for the entire Mass Effect 3 game?

6

Do you think that the upcoming Extended Cut DLC can fill all the logical gaps?

"I'm skeptical, but it could be"

Do you have the option to upload game feedback enabled?

Yes

Would you spend more money on more ME3 DLCs

"Yes, but only story related DLCs" (and even then, only if they have good reviews)

Have you ever spent real money on multiplayer?

No (and never will....other than buying the game in the first place of course)

What class do you prefer in multiplayer?

Engineer (at the moment. I like to change it up fairly often)

How often do you play the multiplayer?

Weekly (give or take)

How long do you play multiplayer per gaming session?

An hour. (..ish)

What would you like to see for multiplayer in the future?

More game modes

What score would you give to multiplayer?

5 (okay)

What score would you give to the free Multiplayer DLC (Resurgence)?

5 (okay)

What would you say to Bioware incharacters? (optional)

I think I said something like "my femshep *really* deserved to settle down and have all those little blue children!"