Mass Effect 3

[Reverend]

Angel4576 wrote:

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Citadel Trailer

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, tonight’s performance is brought to you by Random Acts of Violence!"

Looking good. Definite purchase tomorrow.

Is anyone else getting a 'Dark Knight' meet 'Die Hard' vibe, or is it just me? While it does look like a lot of fun I can't say the plot looks terribly promising, especially since it looks like it has little if anything to do with the main narrative. Still, the photo is a nice touch.

[Angel4576]

Yep definitely get that vibe too.

Looks to be a lot of fan service with this one with a bare bones plot wrapped around it all.

[Reverend]

Well to be fair, if there was ever a time for fan service, the last ever story of Shepard's saga would be it.

Random observations:

• Is that the old docking bay from ME1 making a comeback?

• Why is Anderson telling Shep about the new apartment? He's still stuck on Earth no? Perhaps they just needed some excuse to get him in there somewhere.

• Was that 'Fleet and Flotilla' Tali and Shep were watching?

• Wouldn't it have made more sense for Parasini or al-Jilani to be delivering this news?

• Who is that hooded Salarian hanging around with the crew? Not Mordin obviously. Similarly that Drell can't be Thane, so is it Kolyat or Feron? I'm betting the former.

• LOL. Grunt in a drunken Krogan party on the Presidium!

• Garrus can dance!? Good. Shepards needs the lessons. BADLY!

• Looks like maleSheps who romanced Jack get a version of her omega-skull tattoo on his shoulder. I wonder if we'll get to see her new N7 one on her arse.

• Yikes. Collateral damage much?!

• Everyone shoot all the things!!!

• Kasumi is camera shy as ever. It's a miracle she didn't just cloak.

• The new MP DLC guns* are all featured in the trailer. I think it's safe to assume we'll be picking them up over the course of the missions just like Leviathan and Omega.

* I'm not 100% sure about the Lancer as they could just be Avengers, but it's probably a safe bet.

[ATimson]

I'm looking forward to this. Fan service is the best kind of service!

According to his webpage, Sam Hulick did the music, which is good (he would have been my first choice).

[Steven]

Reverend wrote:

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[*] Was that 'Fleet and Flotilla' Tali and Shep were watching?

Dunno for sure at this point, but that was my first thought too.

I'll be picking this up too, hopefully it's a good send-off.

It is too bad that (from all appearances) Mordin, Legion, and Thane won't show up, but hopefully they get a mention or two.

[ATimson]

Steven wrote:

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It is too bad that (from all appearances) Mordin, Legion, and Thane won't show up, but hopefully they get a mention or two.

I think 2 of the 3 are dead by the point where you're allowed to start the DLC...

[Steven]

ATimson wrote:

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I think 2 of the 3 are dead by the point where you're allowed to start the DLC...

Yeah, from what I hear, it starts after the Cerberus attack on the Citadel, so that's Mordin and Thane gone at that point. Although Legion could conceivably show up if you don't rush straight down to Rannoch after recovering it from the geth dreadnought. I guess it all depends where they decided to put in the hooks to main the story and when stuff becomes active.

I think I'll do a run through of this DLC with my Femshep first since that's the one that has everyone alive (everyone that can be alive anyways). The only other game I have available is missing Garrus after he took a rocket to the face on the Collector Base in ME2.

[Angel4576]

Reverend wrote:

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Well to be fair, if there was ever a time for fan service, the last ever story of Shepard's saga would be it.

Completely agree - it's what the final DLC should always have been, character-focused.

Was that 'Fleet and Flotilla' Tali and Shep were watching?

Yep

Wouldn't it have made more sense for Parasini or al-Jilani to be delivering this news?

It should have been really, yes. Would have made sense. Having said that, the new character, who does deliver the news, looks like she's going to be heavily involved in the plot.

Who is that hooded Salarian hanging around with the crew? Not Mordin obviously. Similarly that Drell can't be Thane, so is it Kolyat or Feron? I'm betting the former.

The Drell is Kolyat - The hooded Salarian, the Dalatrass?

Looks like maleSheps who romanced Jack get a version of her omega-skull tattoo on his shoulder. I wonder if we'll get to see her new N7 one on her arse.

It's one of the new mini-games, you get to brand it on!

Yikes. Collateral damage much?!

Yep, The Normandy appearing to do nearly as much damage to the Citadel as the Reapers do later on!

Well, I've prepared a save ready for this. After much deliberation, I'm going to pick it up directly after the Cerberus coup attempt on the Citadel. It says that you can start the DLC anywhere between then and before you start the Cronos Station mission, but, it also says that the character/LI stuff unlocks naturally as you progress the back half of the game. Post-Cerberus-Coup it is then!

Steven wrote:

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I think I'll do a run through of this DLC with my Femshep first since that's the one that has everyone alive (everyone that can be alive anyways). The only other game I have available is missing Garrus after he took a rocket to the face on the Collector Base in ME2.

I just found the first save that I could that was just after the Cerberus Coup attempt and then gibbed it. Also took the opportunity to swap out Ashley in favour of Kaiden, given how fucking miserable she is for most of the game. Don't want her spoiling the mood during fun-times at mega casino!

[Reverend]

Steven wrote:

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Yeah, from what I hear, it starts after the Cerberus attack on the Citadel, so that's Mordin and Thane gone at that point. Although Legion could conceivably show up if you don't rush straight down to Rannoch after recovering it from the geth dreadnought. I guess it all depends where they decided to put in the hooks to main the story and when stuff becomes active.

Given the relatively narrow window in which Legion *could* conceivably appear, I doubt they went to the trouble of including him at all. Indeed I suspect half the point of setting the DLC story post coup is to help cut down on the number of characters appearing.

Right now I'm just wondering what happens if Wrex is dead already, given how active his role appears to be. I mean I can't exactly see Shep hanging out with Wreave in quite the same way. I actually might now have a reason to import my old "looser Shepard" save file as he got as just about every killed who could be killed. The permutations might be interesting.

Angel4576 wrote:

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Well, I've prepared a save ready for this. After much deliberation, I'm going to pick it up directly after the Cerberus coup attempt on the Citadel. It says that you can start the DLC anywhere between then and before you start the Cronos Station mission, but, it also says that the character/LI stuff unlocks naturally as you progress the back half of the game. Post-Cerberus-Coup it is then!

For my first playthrough at least, I'll just load up my main Shepard right before Cronos Station, as that's where I left her off after Leviathan and Omega. With later playthroughs I plan on waiting until just before Thessia. Should be enough time to lock-in any romances and having a light hearted romp after that point just seems wrong to me.

Angel4576 wrote:

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Yep

I wonder if that means those of us that romanced Liara will get to watch Vaenia...

[EDIT] Oh look, it seems like the ANN twitter feed is doing the viral marketing shtick again.

[ATimson]

That was probably the best DLC I've ever played. A much nicer note to go out on. If you were a fan of ME1, it's well worth your $15. Lots of callbacks, and lots of humor.

A few spoilery comments/thoughts as I was playing...

Why was there a squad selection screen? Who would not choose Wrex as the one non-forced party member?

I think I now have my second-favorite volus, behind the Biotic God.

Go Team Mako!

FINALLY I GOT A REAL GUN BACK. Oh integrated-heatsink guns, how I missed you...

Shepard has good advice for her hamster. I squeed at it.

Hello, elevator conversation!

It was pretty much perfect. There's really only two more things I would have liked to seen:

1) Using the Mako. (Given the plot, I see why this wasn't an option though....)
2) I don't remember what my original #2 was, so I'll say this instead: Cut out Wrex's newly-found sexism. I don't recall him calling everyone "princess" before...

[Angel4576]

Yep, this one tops even LOTSB for me. Absolutely brilliant.

Fan service in absolutely buckets and spades and I freaking loved it! The "Calibrations/I Should be going" conversation was great!

Also, absolutely loved Zaeed's scene in the Silver Sun. Very bittersweet, but sooooo typically Zaeed. Awesome.

Having all the writers onboard really shows with this one, the squad interaction and banter is absolutely flawless, and there's so much love and affection gone into this one.

I've bashed BW for getting things wrong with the original ME3 game, but a big thumbs up for this one, a sheer genius way to sign off with Shepard and the gang.

[Reverend]

That. Was. FANTASTIC!

Just shows what Bioware are really capable of when given the opportunity. Yes it was often silly and chock full of fan service, but really, if you've stuck around this long how are you not a fan by now?

Bloody hell there's so many little references and easter eggs in there I wouldn't even know where to start...so I won't. Finding them for yourself is probably half the fun anyway.

I'm just glad I had the steam overlay running so I could capture this.

You can tell what a generous mood I was in because i actually invited Jacob.

Now I'm off to try the combat arena!

[Angel4576]

I can appreciate that there are going to be those that don't like certain aspects of the DLC - it's cheesy in places, the plot has a few goofy points, but for me, personally, this was almost perfect DLC.

BW Montreal will be picking up development of ME4, if this was BW Edmonton's final hurrah with ME, then bravo, take a bow, you've done yourselves proud.

My only regret, is not with this DLC per se, but that it shows what BW are capable of when they're given the time to do something right. EA, FFS, just leave them to it for Christ's sake.

This poses an interesting quandary for me now. I loathed the ending, and I'm really not digging the idea of no more Shepard, Garrus, Joker, the Normandy etc, but then, if BW could recapture this kind of form in the next game.....AAARGH!

[Riker's Libido]

I hope to get Citadel sometime soon. I love these games. EDI is so so cool in ME3. Fell in love with that character big time on my last run through.

[Angel4576]

There are some nice EDI scenes in the Citadel DLC.