official Mass Effect 3

[Muhammad Farrukh]

Why Do You Hate Mass Effect 3?

Kevin examines how Mass Effect 3 has become the latest game to shoulder the burden of fan discontent

When is a game not just a game anymore?

As games have become more present in mainstream culture, and as they have taken on elements of other forms of art and entertainment, they have become targets of admiration and ire. It has been somewhat of a rite of passage for the medium, I think: by gaining larger and larger audiences, the industry becomes a victim of its own success. We're not concerned just with how good the games are--we contextualize them. They become symbols of moral philosophies, business practices, and social trends. For many gamers, "Call of Duty" no longer represents a series of first-person shooters. Instead, for right or for wrong, those very words represent cookie-cutter sequel development, extreme linearity, and tremendous financial success. "World of Warcraft" isn't just a popular online role-playing game: it's the watering down of an entire genre to appeal to the masses.

And now Mass Effect 3 has become more than just a game--it has become a social touchstone. In spite of the game's overall excellent quality, Metacritic users haven't been so kind to it; the Xbox 360 version of the game has a 5.0 average reader score as I write this. Many readers have well-formed thoughts to share. Many others have little to say about the game, and a lot more to say about the business and social climate in which it was created. So what does Mass Effect 3 symbolize beyond "role-playing action game?" Based on Metacritic reader reviews, the associations are loud and unmistakable.

Association 1: Homosexuality

How telling that one of the first messages I received on Twitter after I linked to my Mass Effect 3 review was about how I "loved *****t n***ers." (As a male Shepard, you can romance Cortez, a man of color.) For the first time in the series, a male Shepard can conduct a sexual relationship with someone of the same gender. As a gay man, I'm disheartened by the homophobia that has seeped out around Mass Effect 3, though it's not the first time a BioWare game has touched this nerve. Nevertheless, BioWare has gone out of its way to depict its characters as actual people. Actual people have different skin colors and moral systems. They are honest, or duplicitous, or perhaps both. They are cruel, or not, or somewhere in between. And sometimes, they're gay.

We've written before about the subject of homosexuality in games, and specifically in Mass Effect 3. The recent crude but vocal reactions are fascinating and heartbreaking, in part because the same subject was once a cause for unity. When the original Mass Effect was released, the female Shepard-on-Asari (lesbian) romance caught the eye of the mainstream media. Seeing a beloved game attacked by the press caused gamers at large to come to BioWare's defense. The tune hasn't fully changed now, but it is more discordant. I wonder if there is a gender distinction here. Does the young, vocal male audience support female-on-female romance, but not male homosexuality? There's an audience that resents BioWare's inclusiveness, and this is where players reflects social attitudes at large.

There's little chance my words, or yours, will persuade the guy who told me that I love "*****t n***ers" to be less heartless. What I hope I can do is to persuade you to speak out if you've been silent. I quote from one of my favorite blogs, Tom & Lorenzo:

"It's society that needs to change its attitudes toward gays, from the top down. And when the majority of people are righteously angered by any attempts to dehumanize gays or treat them as inferior--and more importantly, moved to act on that anger, rather than sitting at their computers and shaking their heads over it--then anti-gay [sentiment] will practically evaporate."

Association 2: Questionable Business Practices

Release-day downloadable content, such as that released alongside Mass Effect 3, is a contentious subject, particularly when the content is on the disc and must be unlocked with a downloadable code. Gamers see it as an attempt to charge us for something that should have been in the final product to begin with. They see it as a sign that development resources were squandered on a side project when they should have been focused on the main release.

In addition, Electronic Arts' gaming portal Origin is hardly loved but is required to play Mass Effect 3 on the PC. It represents corporate greed, because it forces players to use software they don't like (Origin) instead than software they do (Steam). (And it's notable that Steam developer Valve retains general gamer goodwill, while EA certainly does not.) People enjoy hating large corporations and the games-as-products philosophies they stand for, hence much of the ire aimed at major publishers like EA and Activision.

Mass Effect 3 offers day-one DLC that isn't all that excellent and that requires PC players to use Origin to play it. All at once, BioWare's shooter/role-playing hybrid taps into general gamer rage. Traditionally, BioWare has avoided this kind of negativity. However?

Association 3: The Abandonment of BioWare's Prior Creative Direction

Public perception of BioWare had been slowly shifting, but did so even more with the release of Dragon Age II. With that fantasy sequel, the series left its Baldur's Gate/Neverwinter Nights roots behind in favor of a design with more mass-market appeal. PC gamers noted the shift to console-focused development, characterized in part by the loss of the isometric camera angle. The role-playing elements were downplayed, but without any real benefit, and the overall decline in quality between Dragon Age: Origins and its sequel didn't go uncriticized.

Mass Effect 3 took commercial matters even further. The game features journalist Jessica Chobot's voice work and physical likeness, but her unremarkable acting (and awkward, sexualized character model) makes her appearance seem more like a calculated marketing ploy than a union of creative talents. Meanwhile, Mass Effect 3 implemented a multiplayer mode that had a direct impact on the story. And this harks back to general gamer discontent over DLC: we think that time and resources spent on online play should have been directed at the more meaningful campaign. The common interpretation: Electronic Arts forced BioWare to implement a feature the game didn't need, and shoehorned in a character and actress for marketing purposes, not creative ones. Whether or not that's true is ultimately irrelevant. If the Internet screams loudly enough, the screams become truth.

BioWare is not alone, of course. Think of other recent fan outcries:Supreme Commander 2, Command & Conquer 4, Final Fantasy XIII, Medal of Honor, and so on, all victims of Internet outrage. I don't think it's about change--not really. In spite of it all, I believe in gamers. I believe we are ready for the next big thing, or at least, the next new thing. Rather, I think it's about homogenization. We resent that World of Warcraft is such a juggernaut that its influence can be felt across the entire genre. We resent that Call of Duty is so ubiquitous that not only do other shooters strive to deliver similar experiences, but games in other genres have co-opted features associated with that series. We perceive developers leaving behind their creative sparks in favor of a game of follow the leader, in which evil publishers churn out focus-tested products rather than true art.

And in spite of its excellence, Mass Effect 3 has joined the company of games that have been associated with significance beyond their actual merits. Gaming is all grown up now. We've burdened developers and publishers--and they've burdened themselves--with enormous amounts of baggage, both deserved and undeserved.

Bioware is adept at manipulating the hype machine prior to release, dominating gaming news (yes, even here on GameSpot), and revealing so much information over long periods of time that they spoil key moments in their own games. (Compare this approach to Rockstar's, which is to drive anticipation for games like Grand Theft Auto V by releasing little information in advance.) Fans are disillusioned by marketing ploys and blatant cash grabs. For Bioware to regain that goodwill, we need to see that creativity trumps marketing. We need to know that characters appear in their games because they enrich the experience--not because they make for great marketing material.

As for gamers, well, we need to make sure we're directing our passion where it belongs. If rightful calls for fair pricing models are mixed with homophobic venom, then we make it easy for publishers to ignore us. Say what must be said, and do it loudly. Just make sure it's something worth hearing.

GameSpot

[Muhammad Farrukh]

My current load-out:

• Sniper Rifle: M97-Viper
  
• Assault Riffle: Phaeston
  
• SMG: M9-Tempest
  
• Shotgun: N7-Crusader
  
• Pistol: Scorpion
  

With Incendiary Ammo maxed out, this Assault Riffle and SMG are a beast

[Miuku.]

My current load-out

With that setup it must take you years to be able to use any abilities, I never carry anything apart from my trusty AR :p

[Muhammad Farrukh]

With that setup it must take you years to be able to use any abilities, I never carry anything apart from my trusty AR :p

What do you mean by that? :/ Will take years to use any ability? :/

[Miuku.]

What do you mean by that? :/ Will take years to use any ability? :/

Did you notice that the more weapons you carry, the less often you can use your abilities (like concussion shot etc.)?

Depends on the weight - each weapon is associated with a different weight and that has an effect - check the weapons screen next time if you haven't :)

[S00N3R FR3AK]

Did you notice that the more weapons you carry, the less often you can use your abilities (like concussion shot etc.)?

Depends on the weight - each weapon is associated with a different weight and that has an effect - check the weapons screen next time if you haven't :)

Yeah I didn't even think about that till I added a SMG to my Sniper/Pistol load out.

[Muhammad Farrukh]

Did you notice that the more weapons you carry, the less often you can use your abilities (like concussion shot etc.)?

Depends on the weight - each weapon is associated with a different weight and that has an effect - check the weapons screen next time if you haven't :)

I did noticed some delays, but didn't took 'em seriously.

Cool thanks for the tip.

I'll keep it down to my Assault and Sniper Rifle.

[Miuku.]

Note that different weapons inside different categories (Sniper, Assault etc.) have different weight values per weapon - with some matching (and some mods like weight reduction) you can carry more weapons.

Usually the more powerful the weapon, the more it weights. Althought Hammock is pretty darn powerful and yet doesn't weigh that much.

[Muhammad Farrukh]

Thanks for the tip.

Anyone know where we can find helmets?

Found some wandering here and there, but none of them is as good as the one bought from Omega 'Apartments' in ME2. The one with that little glass eye, like that of garrus, and a microphone.

[Lovell]

You can buy helmets on the Presidium, although in ME3 once you've visited all of the shops on the citadel you can then view them from your ships shuttle bay. All of the items are fairly usless you might be better of buying an armour set, as it is the bonuses you get are only 5% or 10%.

That gamespot article is ********, it ignores that this game has spent 5 years building an amazing universe, story and giving you all of these choices to make only to **** on them all from a great height at the end.

Seriously who figured 3 equally retarded endings would be acceptable? did they not see the **** Deus Ex HR received?A</span></p><p><span style="color:#fff0f5;">All of these endings destroy the very universe the very world they created, without the relays you've destroyed everything that made this universe great, the races the citadel the council all gone never again will they meet and it's just depressing, and that's not including that they pretty much just threw the reaper bs in at the end they don't mention who created them or how they decided that the best way to stop all organic life from been killed by synthetics is to kill all organic life, they don't mention what happens to the fleet who I'm guessing are now all stuck on earth? theres just so many unanswered questions. and such a dismal ending to one of he greatest game series I've played.

BioWare is not alone, of course. Think of other recent fan outcries:Supreme Commander 2, Command & Conquer 4, Final Fantasy XIII, Medal of Honor,

All of which were horrendous, I've waited ages to see how they'd finish the C&C series and I couldn't even play C&C4 it was that bad, it wasn't that they tried to change to something new it was that they did it in the cheapest most amateurish way possible it felt like the game had been made by the modding community, Supreme Commander 2 changes were understandable the first game took ages to do anything but then that was what I loved about the series, Medal of Honour was just a cheap CoD clone and not even a fun one.

[Muhammad Farrukh]

I still don't the MetaCritic rating of 4.8

It is absolutely ridiculous to say the very, very least.

Pffftt.

You can buy helmets on the Presidium, although in ME3 once you've visited all of the shops on the citadel you can then view them from your ships shuttle bay. All of the items are fairly usless you might be better of buying an armour set, as it is the bonuses you get are only 5% or 10%.

I visited some on Citadel, and in the Normandy, bought some.

Will check Presidium too, thanks

[Miuku.]

Don't worry Lovell, EA/Bioware know how to milk the cow - they will be releasing another Mass Effect in a few years or an MMO.

[Noveed]

Don't worry Lovell, EA/Bioware know how to milk the cow - they will be releasing another Mass Effect in a few years or an MMO.

Pretty much this... Expect another ME game that might

rebuild the relays and citadel and other things and a new enemy or remnants cerebrus or some other organisation get up....

It's sad that the screwed with the DLC and its sad that the screwed up with the mentality to just sell the game based on hype and reputation built from the previous 2 games rather than make this one the best one ever. Up until the end I was thinking wow this could be one of the best games I have ever played but no the end destroyed that for me...

[ViperAFK]

Why Do You Hate Mass Effect 3?

Kevin examines how Mass Effect 3 has become the latest game to shoulder the burden of fan discontent

When is a game not just a game anymore?

As games have become more present in mainstream culture, and as they have taken on elements of other forms of art and entertainment, they have become targets of admiration and ire. It has been somewhat of a rite of passage for the medium, I think: by gaining larger and larger audiences, the industry becomes a victim of its own success. We're not concerned just with how good the games are--we contextualize them. They become symbols of moral philosophies, business practices, and social trends. For many gamers, "Call of Duty" no longer represents a series of first-person shooters. Instead, for right or for wrong, those very words represent cookie-cutter sequel development, extreme linearity, and tremendous financial success. "World of Warcraft" isn't just a popular online role-playing game: it's the watering down of an entire genre to appeal to the masses.

And now Mass Effect 3 has become more than just a game--it has become a social touchstone. In spite of the game's overall excellent quality, Metacritic users haven't been so kind to it; the Xbox 360 version of the game has a 5.0 average reader score as I write this. Many readers have well-formed thoughts to share. Many others have little to say about the game, and a lot more to say about the business and social climate in which it was created. So what does Mass Effect 3 symbolize beyond "role-playing action game?" Based on Metacritic reader reviews, the associations are loud and unmistakable.

Association 1: Homosexuality

How telling that one of the first messages I received on Twitter after I linked to my Mass Effect 3 review was about how I "loved *****t n***ers." (As a male Shepard, you can romance Cortez, a man of color.) For the first time in the series, a male Shepard can conduct a sexual relationship with someone of the same gender. As a gay man, I'm disheartened by the homophobia that has seeped out around Mass Effect 3, though it's not the first time a BioWare game has touched this nerve. Nevertheless, BioWare has gone out of its way to depict its characters as actual people. Actual people have different skin colors and moral systems. They are honest, or duplicitous, or perhaps both. They are cruel, or not, or somewhere in between. And sometimes, they're gay.

We've written before about the subject of homosexuality in games, and specifically in Mass Effect 3. The recent crude but vocal reactions are fascinating and heartbreaking, in part because the same subject was once a cause for unity. When the original Mass Effect was released, the female Shepard-on-Asari (lesbian) romance caught the eye of the mainstream media. Seeing a beloved game attacked by the press caused gamers at large to come to BioWare's defense. The tune hasn't fully changed now, but it is more discordant. I wonder if there is a gender distinction here. Does the young, vocal male audience support female-on-female romance, but not male homosexuality? There's an audience that resents BioWare's inclusiveness, and this is where players reflects social attitudes at large.

There's little chance my words, or yours, will persuade the guy who told me that I love "*****t n***ers" to be less heartless. What I hope I can do is to persuade you to speak out if you've been silent. I quote from one of my favorite blogs, Tom & Lorenzo:

"It's society that needs to change its attitudes toward gays, from the top down. And when the majority of people are righteously angered by any attempts to dehumanize gays or treat them as inferior--and more importantly, moved to act on that anger, rather than sitting at their computers and shaking their heads over it--then anti-gay [sentiment] will practically evaporate."

Association 2: Questionable Business Practices

Release-day downloadable content, such as that released alongside Mass Effect 3, is a contentious subject, particularly when the content is on the disc and must be unlocked with a downloadable code. Gamers see it as an attempt to charge us for something that should have been in the final product to begin with. They see it as a sign that development resources were squandered on a side project when they should have been focused on the main release.

In addition, Electronic Arts' gaming portal Origin is hardly loved but is required to play Mass Effect 3 on the PC. It represents corporate greed, because it forces players to use software they don't like (Origin) instead than software they do (Steam). (And it's notable that Steam developer Valve retains general gamer goodwill, while EA certainly does not.) People enjoy hating large corporations and the games-as-products philosophies they stand for, hence much of the ire aimed at major publishers like EA and Activision.

Mass Effect 3 offers day-one DLC that isn't all that excellent and that requires PC players to use Origin to play it. All at once, BioWare's shooter/role-playing hybrid taps into general gamer rage. Traditionally, BioWare has avoided this kind of negativity. However?

Association 3: The Abandonment of BioWare's Prior Creative Direction

Public perception of BioWare had been slowly shifting, but did so even more with the release of Dragon Age II. With that fantasy sequel, the series left its Baldur's Gate/Neverwinter Nights roots behind in favor of a design with more mass-market appeal. PC gamers noted the shift to console-focused development, characterized in part by the loss of the isometric camera angle. The role-playing elements were downplayed, but without any real benefit, and the overall decline in quality between Dragon Age: Origins and its sequel didn't go uncriticized.

Mass Effect 3 took commercial matters even further. The game features journalist Jessica Chobot's voice work and physical likeness, but her unremarkable acting (and awkward, sexualized character model) makes her appearance seem more like a calculated marketing ploy than a union of creative talents. Meanwhile, Mass Effect 3 implemented a multiplayer mode that had a direct impact on the story. And this harks back to general gamer discontent over DLC: we think that time and resources spent on online play should have been directed at the more meaningful campaign. The common interpretation: Electronic Arts forced BioWare to implement a feature the game didn't need, and shoehorned in a character and actress for marketing purposes, not creative ones. Whether or not that's true is ultimately irrelevant. If the Internet screams loudly enough, the screams become truth.

BioWare is not alone, of course. Think of other recent fan outcries:Supreme Commander 2, Command & Conquer 4, Final Fantasy XIII, Medal of Honor, and so on, all victims of Internet outrage. I don't think it's about change--not really. In spite of it all, I believe in gamers. I believe we are ready for the next big thing, or at least, the next new thing. Rather, I think it's about homogenization. We resent that World of Warcraft is such a juggernaut that its influence can be felt across the entire genre. We resent that Call of Duty is so ubiquitous that not only do other shooters strive to deliver similar experiences, but games in other genres have co-opted features associated with that series. We perceive developers leaving behind their creative sparks in favor of a game of follow the leader, in which evil publishers churn out focus-tested products rather than true art.

And in spite of its excellence, Mass Effect 3 has joined the company of games that have been associated with significance beyond their actual merits. Gaming is all grown up now. We've burdened developers and publishers--and they've burdened themselves--with enormous amounts of baggage, both deserved and undeserved.

Bioware is adept at manipulating the hype machine prior to release, dominating gaming news (yes, even here on GameSpot), and revealing so much information over long periods of time that they spoil key moments in their own games. (Compare this approach to Rockstar's, which is to drive anticipation for games like Grand Theft Auto V by releasing little information in advance.) Fans are disillusioned by marketing ploys and blatant cash grabs. For Bioware to regain that goodwill, we need to see that creativity trumps marketing. We need to know that characters appear in their games because they enrich the experience--not because they make for great marketing material.

As for gamers, well, we need to make sure we're directing our passion where it belongs. If rightful calls for fair pricing models are mixed with homophobic venom, then we make it easy for publishers to ignore us. Say what must be said, and do it loudly. Just make sure it's something worth hearing.

GameSpot

Yeah, I found the reaction to the gay romances pretty ridiculous. The game doesn't force it on you, I played through twice, and if I hadn't read about it I wouldn't have even realized it was there. People need to get over themselves.

Criticisms about the multiplayer effecting the story, and the dlc thing are definitely legitimate criticisms though. I actually really liked the from ashes dlc, javik was a really interesting and well done character, and definitely should have been included in the full game. I wouldn't have minded as much if they gave that dlc to every pre-order, because this type of thing is common and accepted, but making you pay 80 dollars for the deluxe edition, or pay 10 dollars after release for it? Thats definitely "not cool".

I actually really like the multiplayer, but it should stay the hell out of the single player. I want to play through the single player first, but I have to force myself to play multiplayer to get a better ending? That's just stupid.

And Dianna Allers is a horrible, horrible character. The character model is terrible and bizarre looking, and she is a terrible voice actor.

[+Majesticmerc MVC]

Yeah, I found the reaction to the gay romances pretty ridiculous. The game doesn't force it on you, I played through twice, and if I hadn't read about it I wouldn't have even realized it was there. People need to get over themselves.

Criticisms about the multiplayer effecting the story, and the dlc thing are definitely legitimate criticisms though. I actually really liked the from ashes dlc, javik was a really interesting and well done character, and definitely should have been included in the full game. I wouldn't have minded as much if they gave that dlc to every pre-order, because this type of thing is common and accepted, but making you pay 80 dollars for the deluxe edition, or pay 10 dollars after release for it? Thats definitely "not cool".

I actually really like the multiplayer, but it should stay the hell out of the single player. I want to play through the single player first, but I have to force myself to play multiplayer to get a better ending? That's just stupid.

And Dianna Allers is a horrible, horrible character. The character model is terrible and bizarre looking, and she is a terrible voice actor.

My thoughts exactly. I'm not very far in, and yes I've found out that

Cortez

is gay, but so what? "Some people are gay, deal with it" is the t-shirt slogan that springs to mind, and yes, the option exists to have a gay relationship, but again, so what? The straight relationships are there too. The only problem here is with the homophobic gamer community.

Also, I'm glad I'm not the only one that did a "WTF?" when I saw Diana Allers. My first (and continuing) thought is "who are you, and why are you ruining my game?". :glare:

[Lovell]

Diana Allers is Jessica Chobot from IGN, she's pretty much just a way to get a higher score from IGN.

http://www.ign.com/blogs/jess-ign/

[S00N3R FR3AK]

When it comes to the romances if we get the paramour achievement is that it? Am I locked into it with that person? Cause I got it way earlier then I thought I should and I'm still trying to work my way with Ashley and Miranda.

[Lighthalzen]

My sister also pointed out you can see Diana's nipple bulging from her top. And I keep her there only for War Asset, pretty annoying if you ask me.

[S00N3R FR3AK]

My sister also pointed out you can see Diana's nipple bulging from her top. And I keep her there only for War Asset, pretty annoying if you ask me.

I didn't notice anything like that at all on the 360, have to check next time.

[Lighthalzen]

Mine is the PC version, but I saw it on both, lol.

[rajputwarrior]

My sister also pointed out you can see Diana's nipple bulging from her top. And I keep her there only for War Asset, pretty annoying if you ask me.

seeing her nipple bulge is annoying? i haven't even seen her on the ship... where is she?

[mentorino]

Am playing this one, so far having a blast

If anyone is stuck on any of the missions, here is a good walkthrough:

Mass Effect 3 Walkthrough

also for those who have not played the first 2, there is a good story recap on youtube:

[ViperAFK]

Ok, so I just discovered the galactic readiness drops over time, so you have to keep playing multiplayer (and can't just keep it maxed)

really, bioware?

[Lighthalzen]

seeing her nipple bulge is annoying? i haven't even seen her on the ship... where is she?

Nah, just her character is annoying. She is on the Citadel Docking port if you have not acquired her yet.

[Muhammad Farrukh]

Ok, so I just discovered the galactic readiness drops over time, so you have to keep playing multiplayer (and can't just keep it maxed)

really, bioware?

What do you mean readiness drops. I haven't even touched the Multiplayer yet