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Mass Effect Sequel

recklessheartrecklessheart Member Posts: 692
No doubt there is a forum out there more appropriate for this enquiry, but I'll be damned if I can find it, or remember yet another account password, so here I am relying on a mutually agreed fanbase comprised of those of you who loved Baldur's Gate, and went on (like myself) to play Mass Effect and love it too.

I'm hearing reports that the Mass Effect sequel (provisionally referred to as ME4) is to be set in a new universe. I'm dreadful at Physics, but what exactly are the implications of this? If I remember correctly, doesn't that mean that all of the decisions, locations and relationships set up and explored in ME1, ME2 & ME3 will be completely irrelevant and overturned as the developers explore a completely parallel timeline and realm of space for the new games? And if so, does nobody else find this to be a fearful idea and a terribly travesty given the fantastic and vivid fiction we have come to know from the previous Mass Effect games and their supplements?

Any enlightenment would be hugely appreciated, for - as many of you might already have figured out - I am fairly clueless about life and everything therein. :)
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Comments

  • ChildofBhaal599ChildofBhaal599 Member Posts: 1,781
    edited November 2013
    yes they have promised no return of shepard or anything else that has to do with him. none of our friends will be back either. we will likely only have the locations return.

    obvious they wrote themselves into a corner with how they handled the ending. it would be difficult creating a universe that kept our own decisions in mind, and they obviously turned back on their promise to tie up all loose ends, which they would have to do to make a direct sequal most likely.

    I think I am pretty much done with Mass Effect. I have loved it since the first game's release all the way to ME3, but since ME3 I haven't replayed the trilogy once. I have lost all interest in another game in the series unless it aims to satisfy the fans with what was promised in the original trilogy. God I miss the characters though... I'll admit that I ported Tali's assets over to Fallout after a year of no Mass Effect

    image

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    Fredjo
  • StoneSwordsStoneSwords Member Posts: 180
    From what I understand, it's not a new or parallel universe, it's the same universe the original trilogy takes place in, but like ChildofBhaal599 pointed out, they did say there will be no return of Shepard and crew, and they didn't say when it happens. So it could take place in a completely different galaxy far removed from the whole Reaper fiasco for all we know. Guess we'll find out more as it gets closer to dropping
    recklessheart
  • ChildofBhaal599ChildofBhaal599 Member Posts: 1,781
    Btw it will be revealed at spike VGA so u can expect news then
    StoneSwords
  • KaltzorKaltzor Member Posts: 1,050
    Well, any attempt to continue the story of Shepard would be stupid... That whole thing ran it's course... The only way they could go with it is possibly a prequel to explore some of Shepard's backstory but even there's only so much they can do there...

    So really, having a new cast of characters will allow them to actually try to write a story.
    StoneSwords
  • StoneSwordsStoneSwords Member Posts: 180
    Yeah, I agree, the way the Reaper Trilogy ended, there's just no room for a sequel, because they don't want to pick an ending as canon and then make other people's choices obsolete, that would make a lot of angry people lol. And I'd much rather stay away from prequels, because most of the time they raise more questions than answers. Best to start off fresh again I say
  • recklessheartrecklessheart Member Posts: 692
    I absolutely agree that the story needn't include Shepard, but vague early reports dared to suggest that the story of Shepard would be entirely negligent in the grand scheme of things. I would like to see how it has affected - even if only in small ways - interspecies relations and economic set ups throughout the galaxy. Furthermore, the idea that none of the characters associated with Shepard will make no return is a pity, though I would not expect them to be squad members even if they did emerge. It's good to know that haven't completely scrapped ME as it stands though, and hopefully there will come of it a fresh new idea that is respectful to that which has paved the way for it.
  • SchneidendSchneidend Member Posts: 3,190
    How can Shepard's actions matter in a world where he hasn't done any of them yet? In all likelihood, it will either a prequel to ME1, or take place some time before ME3's Reaper invasion.
  • karnor00karnor00 Member Posts: 680
    edited November 2013
    They could maybe do something about the exploding suns which were briefly mentioned in ME2 (Tali was investigating them).

    They could set the game far enough into the future that all of the ME3 characters are dead, and such that none of the choices from the previous game still have an impact. Say 1m years or so - that way even the final choice of kill, merge, control could easily have been superceded.
    StoneSwords
  • deltagodeltago Member Posts: 7,811
    This is a horrible idea. The only thing I see working is a prequel in the human turian war when humanity first made contact.
    However, it would have to be linear (no multiple endings anyways) that stays true to the ME universe, which I think most fans wouldn't like.

    How they butchered the end of the trilogy however, I am not holding out hope.

    They are attempting to milk a dead horse.
  • reedmilfamreedmilfam Member Posts: 2,808
    If they write something really well, then it will work, regardless. It could be based on some deep exploration run, or whatnot, or it could run parallel to the ME trilogy events, but remain largely untouched by them. It's definitely something I'd monitor and think about buying, but I would wait for personal reviews (rather than the initial flood of 9.something reviews from the usual sources (Gamespot, IGN and the like) before spending one cent.

    My guess is that it will be an acceptable, but not ground breaking game. There will be lots of day 1, 2 and 3 paid DLC and lots of 'hit me up to buy additional DLC' in the game (talk to some character and get told, essentially, to pull out the credit card). Finally, the other cardinal deadly sin, the EA 'must have multiplayer' fetish, especially if that multiplayer nonsense (my opinion - if others enjoy this feature, have a ball without me) affects single player campaigns.
  • ChildofBhaal599ChildofBhaal599 Member Posts: 1,781
    if there are any IGN voice actors, I am not even going to think about it before I put it on my avoid list, I promise you that! :)
  • BattlehamsterBattlehamster Member Posts: 298
    I think you should play as a Greek who is inexplicably saved by the gods from an inevitable and unbeatable Roman invasion. It keeps the plot consistent.
  • SchneidendSchneidend Member Posts: 3,190
    deltago said:

    This is a horrible idea. The only thing I see working is a prequel in the human turian war when humanity first made contact.
    However, it would have to be linear (no multiple endings anyways) that stays true to the ME universe, which I think most fans wouldn't like.

    How they butchered the end of the trilogy however, I am not holding out hope.

    They are attempting to milk a dead horse.

    They could easily set it during any of the intervening years between ME1 and ME2. Make the plot less apocalyptic, and they're golden. It's a big galaxy.

    if there are any IGN voice actors, I am not even going to think about it before I put it on my avoid list, I promise you that! :)

    I liked Chobot's performance well enough. Not sure what the fuss was about.

    If they write something really well, then it will work, regardless. It could be based on some deep exploration run, or whatnot, or it could run parallel to the ME trilogy events, but remain largely untouched by them. It's definitely something I'd monitor and think about buying, but I would wait for personal reviews (rather than the initial flood of 9.something reviews from the usual sources (Gamespot, IGN and the like) before spending one cent.

    My guess is that it will be an acceptable, but not ground breaking game. There will be lots of day 1, 2 and 3 paid DLC and lots of 'hit me up to buy additional DLC' in the game (talk to some character and get told, essentially, to pull out the credit card). Finally, the other cardinal deadly sin, the EA 'must have multiplayer' fetish, especially if that multiplayer nonsense (my opinion - if others enjoy this feature, have a ball without me) affects single player campaigns.

    The "hit me up to buy additional DLC" thing was only in Dragon Age: Origins.

    Multiplayer only barely affected single player, and initially due to a bug/oversight its effect was greater than intended. A patch fixed that, and in so doing allows you to get the optimal endings just by finding more resources via exploration and quests.

    The multiplayer was also wildly successful, so there' really no reason for EA to not be tempted by that. I'd prefer a co-op campaign, which is more than likely what they'd do, in emulation of Baldur's Gate.
  • ChildofBhaal599ChildofBhaal599 Member Posts: 1,781

    deltago said:

    This is a horrible idea. The only thing I see working is a prequel in the human turian war when humanity first made contact.
    However, it would have to be linear (no multiple endings anyways) that stays true to the ME universe, which I think most fans wouldn't like.

    How they butchered the end of the trilogy however, I am not holding out hope.

    They are attempting to milk a dead horse.

    They could easily set it during any of the intervening years between ME1 and ME2. Make the plot less apocalyptic, and they're golden. It's a big galaxy.

    if there are any IGN voice actors, I am not even going to think about it before I put it on my avoid list, I promise you that! :)

    I liked Chobot's performance well enough. Not sure what the fuss was about.

    If they write something really well, then it will work, regardless. It could be based on some deep exploration run, or whatnot, or it could run parallel to the ME trilogy events, but remain largely untouched by them. It's definitely something I'd monitor and think about buying, but I would wait for personal reviews (rather than the initial flood of 9.something reviews from the usual sources (Gamespot, IGN and the like) before spending one cent.

    My guess is that it will be an acceptable, but not ground breaking game. There will be lots of day 1, 2 and 3 paid DLC and lots of 'hit me up to buy additional DLC' in the game (talk to some character and get told, essentially, to pull out the credit card). Finally, the other cardinal deadly sin, the EA 'must have multiplayer' fetish, especially if that multiplayer nonsense (my opinion - if others enjoy this feature, have a ball without me) affects single player campaigns.

    The "hit me up to buy additional DLC" thing was only in Dragon Age: Origins.

    Multiplayer only barely affected single player, and initially due to a bug/oversight its effect was greater than intended. A patch fixed that, and in so doing allows you to get the optimal endings just by finding more resources via exploration and quests.

    The multiplayer was also wildly successful, so there' really no reason for EA to not be tempted by that. I'd prefer a co-op campaign, which is more than likely what they'd do, in emulation of Baldur's Gate.
    not so much about the acting quality as it is unfair for them to have their own person in the game and then review. it is pretty much paying them off when they put one of their own in the game. at least if there is an IGN actor I will absolutely not trust it when IGN gives them a 10. Unfortunately user reviews are too many 10s and 0s for me to always trust them so I have to look at everything still but I would ignore IGN in that case.
  • SchneidendSchneidend Member Posts: 3,190
    @ChildofBhaal599
    Jessica Chobot is not attached at the hip to IGN. She's a professional who has covered the game industry from multiple venues. Besides, IGN already got in trouble over the Kane & Lynch fiasco a few years back, so they're not going to tempt fate again. Their 9.5 score was fair, I thought, as ME3 is a legitimately amazing game in spite of the lackluster ending.
    StoneSwords
  • reedmilfamreedmilfam Member Posts: 2,808
    @Schneidened - You seem very apologist, but I'm ok with that.

    I don't care who cameos in games, and didn't understand everybody getting bent about it. My Shepard was 100% devoted to his other in the game, so I pretty much shrugged her off in my playthrough.

    What I want most in ME add-ons is to be a Krogan. Or a Turian. Maybe a Geth! I just think that variety would be fun to explore, especially if there are differences in how they play out. I see a rich universe with a lot of possibilities, limited only by the writing and execution.

    I understand that a lot of people were disappointed by the ending of ME3. It isn't what I would have chosen, either, but it was an ending. That said, ME3 didn't disappoint me, personally, how DA ][ did. In fact, some of my most cherished video game moments ever happened during ME3, and I truly felt something (does that make me a geek) nostalgic during a discussion with Liara where (in my playthrough) they looked back and just talked about being friends (I think she did proposition as an aside, but it was easily brushed to the side). And I loved the poster for the action holo movie between the Mole person and the Jellyfish person (I'm terrible at remembering the race names). Hanar is one of them, right?

    > For instance, a Turian tale where you go from recruit to important would really interest me. They could flesh out the differences in social/political structures between them and humans or whatnot.

    > Similarly, an epic tale of a Quarian expedition or whatnot would be really fun for me. What might they find in the abyss?

    Anyway, this looks like ripe fruit if developed correctly. I refuse to buy into the BioWare=Bad mathematics. They're a developer that has some amazing successes (IMO BG series, ME series, KOTOR, DA:O), some ok work (DA:O expansion, NWN, Jade Empire) and one true (my opinion) disappointment (DA ][). There were hiccups with some of the titles, but a lot of it appeared (again, my opinion) to be people expecting a lot and being disappointed by failure to meet expectations more than a failure to deliver.

    My biggest hope is that they keep ME deeper in terms of relationships and steer clear of the DA ][ 'npc will 'do' anybody regardless of that character's race/gender and actions in the game' thing.

    I'm rambling. I'll shut up now. Honest.
    Drugar
  • ChildofBhaal599ChildofBhaal599 Member Posts: 1,781
    if we are going to be other races i better be able to be a quarian! that is the one thing that had me hyped for multiplayer but eventually being a quarian wore off. came back time to time though.

    also the hanar's name was blasto! :)
  • recklessheartrecklessheart Member Posts: 692
    The new storyline should involve quarians muchly, 'tis true. I liked the suggestion made that the dark sun disintegration plotline was a very intriguing one, sadly dropped by ME3. That could be a hook. Exploring the period of time between Shepard's death in ME2 and his eventual resuscitation would be a sweet idea: gives room for a new protagonist in a similar space of time, without leaving them dwarfed by Shepard's epic antics. Not to mention that way you could see what is happening elsewhere in the Universe, and with the Illusive Man's meantime plots as he waits for Project Lazarus to come to fruition.
  • recklessheartrecklessheart Member Posts: 692
    Although I would add that I think the protagonist should remain a human, following the same general narrative model as the protagonist of the original series did. It worked excellently, and allows greater authorial intention in how interspecies relationships are viewed. We are the humans, and this is us exploring our trajectory in one idea of the future, and I think that while turians and quarians and all the rest are cool, they are at their coolest when we are getting to know them as a totally separate species. To masquerade as one would be a disservice, not to mention it would make voiceover and personalisation of storylines an absolute bitch which would ultimately result in less content which can be repackaged for different protagonists. As ME has been thus far, by streamlining the protagonist, there is a myriad of excellent content geared towards 1, rather than a cluster of excellent content geared towards many potential protagonists.
  • VarwulfVarwulf Member Posts: 564
    I would not be opposed to the idea of playing as a Prothean 50,000 years before the ME Trilogy took place :)

    There could be plenty of interesting "tie ins" to the trilogy too, like the Reaper derelict. That could end up being the "final boss fight", potentially.

    Lot of potential here, especially since "Protheans" weren't necessarily a specific race, but many races conquered under a single banner. It'd almost be a new "universe" if you think about it.
    Schneidend
  • SchneidendSchneidend Member Posts: 3,190
    @reedmilfam
    If not jumping on the ME3/DA2 hatewagon makes me an apologist, then I guess that is what I am.

    I'm glad we agree that ME3 was some of the best narrative moments in gaming. I was literally on the verge of tears no less than three times in ME3.

    The race names you're looking for are elcor (monotone race) and hanar (jellyfish race), btw.

    I do appreciate the desire to play as multiple races, but I think @recklessheart may be right in that race can't reasonably be a choice in the Mass Effect series. I don't agree that this means the protagonist must ALWAYS be human, however. A game where you play as a turian could be amazing, especially since ME3 DLC and multiplayer introduced us to some awesome female turian character models. Other races could work, but turians, batarians, and krogan are the non-humans I'm most enthused about. @Varwulf's idea isn't bad, either, but I'd rather play in the sandbox of the established ME universe right now, with a plot that doesn't involve Reapers or galactic extinction.

    Ideally, I'd like to be the leader of a small mercenary company that grows throughout the game. Throw in some XCOM-like base management and upgrading, and I'm golden.
  • ChildofBhaal599ChildofBhaal599 Member Posts: 1,781
    maybe they could simply alter one voice to sound like the different races and then try to not make too many racial references on the player?
  • VarwulfVarwulf Member Posts: 564
    @Schneidend Being in control of your own mercenary company in the "current" universe also struck my fancy and came to mind some time ago. I'd certainly approve of this idea, especially if you could continue the Bioware trend of being a Renegade, Paragon, or anything in between :)

    That is my bread and butter. I also agree that I would love to stick with Krogans, Salarians, etc, the races we're used to.

    Though one reason I mentioned the Protheans is because I remember reading a comment made by a US Marine on one of Javik's videos that expressed my sentiment exactly. I don't know the exact quote but...

    "As a US Marine, Krogans don't really scare me much. Sure they are big and tough but they're your typical big brute, nothing too special. Javik, however, scares the crap out of me and if I ever had the opportunity to meet him in real life I'd do everything in my power to keep on his good side."

    Javik always commanded such greater respect out of me than Wrex ever did, and I fricken love Wrex lol.
  • DrugarDrugar Member Posts: 1,566
    It probably had something to do with the air that Javik gave off, suggesting that he wouldn't even blink one of his six eyeballs about sacrificing a billion if it meant saving a billion and one.

    Cold and utter ruthlessness, to me, is scarier than some big guy flexing his muscles.
  • VarwulfVarwulf Member Posts: 564
    Drugar said:

    It probably had something to do with the air that Javik gave off, suggesting that he wouldn't even blink one of his six eyeballs about sacrificing a billion if it meant saving a billion and one.

    Cold and utter ruthlessness, to me, is scarier than some big guy flexing his muscles.

    Exactly my point :)
  • kamuizinkamuizin Member Posts: 3,704
    Mass Effect for me ended at the 2.9 game, The one was great, the two even better, the tree was astounting... until the end that make me so damn enraged that i would easly punch the developers of that bullshit of an history.
  • reedmilfamreedmilfam Member Posts: 2,808
    I didn't say that we chose races. I would be interested in a story as another race. Or maybe do it Origins-style, which was one of my favorite RPG ideas ever. Not that I mind being human or whatnot - it really comes down to the writing for me.
  • SchneidendSchneidend Member Posts: 3,190

    I didn't say that we chose races. I would be interested in a story as another race. Or maybe do it Origins-style, which was one of my favorite RPG ideas ever. Not that I mind being human or whatnot - it really comes down to the writing for me.

    My thought was that I don't think Origins style would cover it for races as different as krogan, turians, and quarians. Very different voice styles, very different cultures and player expectations, and very different shapes and animations.

    @Drugar @Varwulf
    I don't disagree so much as you guys are very much underestimating krogan, especially Wrex. For one thing, being a bruiser is pretty damn effective when you're damn near invincible and as strong and heavy as a grizzly. Also, they're not *just* brutes. They're brutes who have built their entire society, their technology, their tactics, on warfare for over 1000 years. Listen to Grunt talk about krogan tactics in ME2. They're brutal, and ruthless. In ship-to-ship combat they don't aim for your weapons or your engines first, they shoot your cargo bay to turn your own cargo into shrapnel that erupts inside the belly of your ship. Even if you win, your engineers are probably dead and your drive core is more than likely damaged, so you lose anyway.
  • reedmilfamreedmilfam Member Posts: 2,808
    @Schneidend - that was in response to somebody else about races, not yours. Anyway, I agree that Origins-style is not doable because of the voices more than the shapes and animations (those already exist, right?). Unless you did the origin of players that show up as NPC's in the team or whatnot. Anyway, I'm not writing this off as easily as I am the upcoming DA sequel, which will need lots of good press and a drop in price to even be considered by me.
  • VarwulfVarwulf Member Posts: 564
    @Schneidend
    I am not saying that I dislike Krogan or think they are just brutes, or pansies, or anything like that. I love Krogan. I think they are bad ass. I love everything about their lore and their culture. I was simply quoting one US Marine's thoughts on the matter :P

    I just happen to find, and appreciate, Javik more than most Krogan. Nothing more, nothing less :)
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