No, the ending was written by the two head writers without the usual team review and critque that normally happens for Mass Effect ganes. That resulted in it being so completely and utterly tone deaf to the rest of the game and the series, and is why individual character segments of ME3 are fanatstically written (Mordin, Thane) but the ending was such hot garbage.
You know that bit on Earth where you can basically make peace with all your squad before the final assault? The writing staff had to fight to get that put in after finding out what the ending was going to be.
No, the ending was written by the two head writers without the usual team review and critque that normally happens for Mass Effect ganes. That resulted in it being so completely and utterly tone deaf to the rest of the game and the series, and is why individual character segments of ME3 are fanatstically written (Mordin, Thane) but the ending was such hot garbage.
You know that bit on Earth where you can basically make peace with all your squad before the final assault? The writing staff had to fight to get that put in after finding out what the ending was going to be.
And even then that stupid meaningless turret fight got plonked in right between the two sections of your squad as your talking to them
Can't have players getting too much emotion after all, they might overload
+2
OrcaAlso known as EspressosaurusWrexRegistered Userregular
Yeah, that turret section showed a marked lack of confidence in their own writing ability. Totally unwarranted for that section!
+9
chiasaur11Never doubt a raccoon.Do you think it's trademarked?Registered Userregular
Dumb as the turret was, it did have something I liked about it.
Just the way it didn't matter how many you shot, or if the husks got in had a beautiful futility.
"Even in your calmest, most personal moments here, it still sucks and everyone is going to die, probably to something stupid and pointless. Yay?"
I have reimagined the turret scene in my head canon.
As she leaves her turian comrade's side, the alarm goes up—husks inbound! Odd timing, just as she crossed this narrow strip, but a reminder of their tenuous position in the belly of the beast—she takes point without question. The husks approach, only Shepard's shuttle-class turret between them and the tender vittles of weary soldiers savoring what may be their last peace. Shepard places her finger on the trigger and lines up the shot, calmly waiting for them to reach optimal range—no rookie—when she notices they aren't sprinting forward any longer. They seem to be...seizing up? No, rather swaying in time to some strange rhythm only they can hear. Then, suddenly, in flawless synch—they begin performing Thriller. Filled with their masters' confidence, certain that Shepard would soon be destroyed or merged with their nation forever, they offered her one last gift before the end. They were trying to teach her to dance.
Shepard saw this, her heart sang fury, and she answered with a deafening roar of 12.7mm laser-cut Tungsten anti-materiel rounds. And then she stormed off to begin the bloody work of slaying god.
I have reimagined the turret scene in my head canon.
As she leaves her turian comrade's side, the alarm goes up—husks inbound! Odd timing, just as she crossed this narrow strip, but a reminder of their tenuous position in the belly of the beast—she takes point without question. The husks approach, only Shepard's shuttle-class turret between them and the tender vittles of weary soldiers savoring what may be their last peace. Shepard places her finger on the trigger and lines up the shot, calmly waiting for them to reach optimal range—no rookie—when she notices they aren't sprinting forward any longer. They seem to be...seizing up? No, rather swaying in time to some strange rhythm only they can hear. Then, suddenly, in flawless synch—they begin performing Thriller. Filled with their masters' confidence, certain that Shepard would soon be destroyed or merged with their nation forever, they offered her one last gift before the end. They were trying to teach her to dance.
Shepard saw this, her heart sang fury, and she answered with a deafening roar of 12.7mm laser-cut Tungsten anti-materiel rounds. And then she stormed off to begin the bloody work of slaying god.
Now I want to hear Harbinger do the Vincent Price laugh...
Completed Thessia. Seeing it again, the mission design is pretty well done for the most part. You feel more under pressure than normal and the aerial assets are legitimately helpful, not just cutscene "we'll help you because you're totally losing right?" type stuff. Getting the Commandos to help you adds a personal stake to how badly things are going for the planet. Bringing Javik is amazing, he adds so much that I can't imagine bringing anyone else. I feel like they should hint to the player that he *should* come so that less people miss it.
And then once again Kai Fucking Leng comes and ruins everything. The boss fight is lame, but certainly better than watching stupid cutscene Shepard fight him. Obviously the cutscene and subsequent "You lose and suck, Kai Leng is UNBEATABLE" is a low moment for the entire game.
So here's my fix. The mission proceeds identically until the boss fight starts. When Kai Leng says "Hold them back, I'm recharging!" there's a big difference though. A flurry of Cerberus troops drop out of the gunship (so that the player legitimately has a reason not to just kill him right then) AND the dropship either drops a technological bubble around him that deflects bullets (it explodes when Kai finishes charging) OR Cerberus biotics lean out of the dropship's door and cast the multiplayer Justicar's protective shield around him. After the second or third damage to Leng occurs, a cutscene starts. Liara suggests sniping the biotics (or whoever is providing the shield) so that he can't recover and the other squaddie sights in to do just that as Shepard lays down covering fire. But then the camera zooms out until we see: a Reaper has glanced in the direction of the battle. It fires a laser at the temple causing intense damage. Through sheer unlucky placement, Shepard's team nearly falls to their deaths while Leng is spared (since Leng is indoctrinated MAYBE it is doing this on purpose). Cutscene proceeds as in the original game.
My suggestions delete the problematic invincible dropship with OP gun from the original version and have the Reapers cause the defeat, more appropriate considering the theme of the game. It also allows the Reaper faction a counterpunch against Shepard's group, making you feel less cocksure after the twin victories at Tuchanka and Rannoch. The feeling of crushing defeat after the battle is well timed in the story, it's just the SOURCE of that defeat is illogical, cutsceney, and bullshit. It'd be hard to argue that a Reaper wouldn't kick your ass in this way though.
especially when the gameplay is slapping you with huge hands in the face saying "look how fast kai leng has to retreat, he's literally 2 seconds out from your last encounter and he's basically dead 5 times over"
it's blatantly obvious the game is 'making' you lose, and it's just horrible design. having a deus ex machina (literally) come in to move the plot forward would have been much better.
Registered just for the Mass Effect threads | Steam: click ^^^ | Origin: curlyhairedboy
Dhalphirdon't you open that trapdooryou're a fool if you dareRegistered Userregular
edited June 2014
Mass Effect in general just suffers from a massive disconnect between Shepard's cutscene power and gameplay power. The temple on Thessia is certainly the worst example of it, but far from the only one.
I do appreciate the two or so times in the whole trilogy that the games recognize when Shepard's an engineer. Hopefully the next games have a bit more of that.
Well, I'm done being a goody two shoes, and I am finally going to do a renegade run of the trilogy. I have no idea what I'm in for, but I hope it doesn't make me feel icky.
0
chiasaur11Never doubt a raccoon.Do you think it's trademarked?Registered Userregular
Well, I'm done being a goody two shoes, and I am finally going to do a renegade run of the trilogy. I have no idea what I'm in for, but I hope it doesn't make me feel icky.
Depends on how hard you go, and if you're willing to put in the effort for Intimidate instead of the standard option.
Sometimes you're Han Solo, sometimes you're Jack Bauer, and sometimes you're just an asshole. So, use your judgement.
I usually hate being a jerk in RPGs, but killing Chorban and sending Jahleed to jail after a dozen playthroughs of scanning keepers for them is so satisfying.
Huh I could have sworn I killed Balak, and yet there he was. I know I let the hostages die to catch him... maybe I left him for the alliance.
I think he only dies if you actually execute him on the spot; even if you wound him and leave him to bleed out, he survives and escapes. Because the Alliance apparently hires its prison guards from the same recruitment agency that Arkham Asylum uses.
+1
chiasaur11Never doubt a raccoon.Do you think it's trademarked?Registered Userregular
Huh I could have sworn I killed Balak, and yet there he was. I know I let the hostages die to catch him... maybe I left him for the alliance.
I think he only dies if you actually execute him on the spot; even if you wound him and leave him to bleed out, he survives and escapes. Because the Alliance apparently hires its prison guards from the same recruitment agency that Arkham Asylum uses.
The moral of the story is, I chose a half measure, when I should have gone all the way. I’ll never make that mistake again. No more half measures, Ray.
Well, I'm done being a goody two shoes, and I am finally going to do a renegade run of the trilogy. I have no idea what I'm in for, but I hope it doesn't make me feel icky.
Depends on how hard you go, and if you're willing to put in the effort for Intimidate instead of the standard option.
Sometimes you're Han Solo, sometimes you're Jack Bauer, and sometimes you're just an asshole. So, use your judgement.
Indeed. Some of the renegade options are very satisfying, and a few of them make you look psychotic. My second and third characters both had renegade tendencies, but a couple times I think I was just like "No. That's just being Crazy McMurderpants."
My Renegade kills people plenty... she's just nice to the crew much of the time as well, rather than randomly being a racist to all the aliens and robots.
0
HeatwaveCome, now, and walk the path of explosions with me!Registered Userregular
Kai Leng is an excellent example of a terribly written antagonist.
They got the physical and occupational attributes of him down. He's a cyborg ninja rival to Shepard.
His personality and motivation?
He's a massive douchebag and he's a massive douchebag.
Have left PA forums.
If this community believes that hating someone based soley upon their gender is acceptable and understandable, I have no interest in being a part of it.
Kai Leng is an excellent example of a terribly written antagonist.
They got the physical and occupational attributes of him down. He's a cyborg ninja rival to Shepard.
His personality and motivation?
He's a massive douchebag and he's a massive douchebag.
i guess we should consider ourselves lucky that MORE people from the books didn't show up in the games.
It turns out that while Kai Leng did such terrible things as eat breakfast cereal in other people's homes we learn the true monster was the guy that broke the spines on Kasumi's softback book collection.
Have left PA forums.
If this community believes that hating someone based soley upon their gender is acceptable and understandable, I have no interest in being a part of it.
Yeah, that turret section showed a marked lack of confidence in their own writing ability. Totally unwarranted for that section!
im sure i read somewhere the london turret bit was a hidden loading screen, so the second half of the squadmate dialogue could be loaded. disnae make it any more fun but at least there was some explanation for it
actually i dinnae feel any of the turret sections were particularly interesting. the most fun stuff in me3 combat is the increased mobility so plonking you in what amounts to a stationary mako is more a chore than anything else. i mean can you even lose any of the turret sections?
I thought they were going for "ultimate troll" with Kai Leng and they pulled that off marvelously.
Ofc if they were going for serious antagonist then they kinda missed the mark ..
I thought they were going for "ultimate troll" with Kai Leng and they pulled that off marvelously.
Ofc if they were going for serious antagonist then they kinda missed the mark ..
i reckon they must have been at least a little aware that leng was pretty pathetic, given that dialogue in the cerb station. you know the one:
leng: "youre still too slow shepard!"
shep: "only cause im not running away. like you do. all the time"
leng: "sh-shut up! "
Posts
I am really not looking forward to Thessia. At least on the Citadel you can skip through 90% of the cutscenes Kai Leng is in.
You know that bit on Earth where you can basically make peace with all your squad before the final assault? The writing staff had to fight to get that put in after finding out what the ending was going to be.
Gamertag: PrimusD | Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
And even then that stupid meaningless turret fight got plonked in right between the two sections of your squad as your talking to them
Can't have players getting too much emotion after all, they might overload
Just the way it didn't matter how many you shot, or if the husks got in had a beautiful futility.
"Even in your calmest, most personal moments here, it still sucks and everyone is going to die, probably to something stupid and pointless. Yay?"
Why I fear the ocean.
As she leaves her turian comrade's side, the alarm goes up—husks inbound! Odd timing, just as she crossed this narrow strip, but a reminder of their tenuous position in the belly of the beast—she takes point without question. The husks approach, only Shepard's shuttle-class turret between them and the tender vittles of weary soldiers savoring what may be their last peace. Shepard places her finger on the trigger and lines up the shot, calmly waiting for them to reach optimal range—no rookie—when she notices they aren't sprinting forward any longer. They seem to be...seizing up? No, rather swaying in time to some strange rhythm only they can hear. Then, suddenly, in flawless synch—they begin performing Thriller. Filled with their masters' confidence, certain that Shepard would soon be destroyed or merged with their nation forever, they offered her one last gift before the end. They were trying to teach her to dance.
Shepard saw this, her heart sang fury, and she answered with a deafening roar of 12.7mm laser-cut Tungsten anti-materiel rounds. And then she stormed off to begin the bloody work of slaying god.
Now I want to hear Harbinger do the Vincent Price laugh...
Completed Thessia. Seeing it again, the mission design is pretty well done for the most part. You feel more under pressure than normal and the aerial assets are legitimately helpful, not just cutscene "we'll help you because you're totally losing right?" type stuff. Getting the Commandos to help you adds a personal stake to how badly things are going for the planet. Bringing Javik is amazing, he adds so much that I can't imagine bringing anyone else. I feel like they should hint to the player that he *should* come so that less people miss it.
And then once again Kai Fucking Leng comes and ruins everything. The boss fight is lame, but certainly better than watching stupid cutscene Shepard fight him. Obviously the cutscene and subsequent "You lose and suck, Kai Leng is UNBEATABLE" is a low moment for the entire game.
So here's my fix. The mission proceeds identically until the boss fight starts. When Kai Leng says "Hold them back, I'm recharging!" there's a big difference though. A flurry of Cerberus troops drop out of the gunship (so that the player legitimately has a reason not to just kill him right then) AND the dropship either drops a technological bubble around him that deflects bullets (it explodes when Kai finishes charging) OR Cerberus biotics lean out of the dropship's door and cast the multiplayer Justicar's protective shield around him. After the second or third damage to Leng occurs, a cutscene starts. Liara suggests sniping the biotics (or whoever is providing the shield) so that he can't recover and the other squaddie sights in to do just that as Shepard lays down covering fire. But then the camera zooms out until we see: a Reaper has glanced in the direction of the battle. It fires a laser at the temple causing intense damage. Through sheer unlucky placement, Shepard's team nearly falls to their deaths while Leng is spared (since Leng is indoctrinated MAYBE it is doing this on purpose). Cutscene proceeds as in the original game.
My suggestions delete the problematic invincible dropship with OP gun from the original version and have the Reapers cause the defeat, more appropriate considering the theme of the game. It also allows the Reaper faction a counterpunch against Shepard's group, making you feel less cocksure after the twin victories at Tuchanka and Rannoch. The feeling of crushing defeat after the battle is well timed in the story, it's just the SOURCE of that defeat is illogical, cutsceney, and bullshit. It'd be hard to argue that a Reaper wouldn't kick your ass in this way though.
it's blatantly obvious the game is 'making' you lose, and it's just horrible design. having a deus ex machina (literally) come in to move the plot forward would have been much better.
Registered just for the Mass Effect threads | Steam: click ^^^ | Origin: curlyhairedboy
Like... seriously?
Steam ID: Good Life
Depends on how hard you go, and if you're willing to put in the effort for Intimidate instead of the standard option.
Sometimes you're Han Solo, sometimes you're Jack Bauer, and sometimes you're just an asshole. So, use your judgement.
Why I fear the ocean.
I think he only dies if you actually execute him on the spot; even if you wound him and leave him to bleed out, he survives and escapes. Because the Alliance apparently hires its prison guards from the same recruitment agency that Arkham Asylum uses.
The moral of the story is, I chose a half measure, when I should have gone all the way. I’ll never make that mistake again. No more half measures, Ray.
Why I fear the ocean.
Indeed. Some of the renegade options are very satisfying, and a few of them make you look psychotic. My second and third characters both had renegade tendencies, but a couple times I think I was just like "No. That's just being Crazy McMurderpants."
Steam / Origin & Wii U: Heatwave111 / FC: 4227-1965-3206 / Battle.net: Heatwave#11356
I appreciate that literally nobody on the writing staff liked Kai Leng at all it made that renegade trigger so much easier to pull.
They got the physical and occupational attributes of him down. He's a cyborg ninja rival to Shepard.
His personality and motivation?
He's a massive douchebag and he's a massive douchebag.
If this community believes that hating someone based soley upon their gender is acceptable and understandable, I have no interest in being a part of it.
Battlenet ID: MildC#11186 - If I'm in the game, send me an invite at anytime and I'll play.
i guess we should consider ourselves lucky that MORE people from the books didn't show up in the games.
Registered just for the Mass Effect threads | Steam: click ^^^ | Origin: curlyhairedboy
Nah, Mac Walters loves him.
Ooooh, I just made myself sad
Battlenet ID: MildC#11186 - If I'm in the game, send me an invite at anytime and I'll play.
It turns out that while Kai Leng did such terrible things as eat breakfast cereal in other people's homes we learn the true monster was the guy that broke the spines on Kasumi's softback book collection.
If this community believes that hating someone based soley upon their gender is acceptable and understandable, I have no interest in being a part of it.
Battlenet ID: MildC#11186 - If I'm in the game, send me an invite at anytime and I'll play.
And farted in Udina's coffeemaker.
im sure i read somewhere the london turret bit was a hidden loading screen, so the second half of the squadmate dialogue could be loaded. disnae make it any more fun but at least there was some explanation for it
actually i dinnae feel any of the turret sections were particularly interesting. the most fun stuff in me3 combat is the increased mobility so plonking you in what amounts to a stationary mako is more a chore than anything else. i mean can you even lose any of the turret sections?
Like the first one was "FUCK YEAH BIG GUN!" but then every one after that was "oh this again"
I guess he has some redeeming qualities after all.
Ofc if they were going for serious antagonist then they kinda missed the mark ..
i reckon they must have been at least a little aware that leng was pretty pathetic, given that dialogue in the cerb station. you know the one:
leng: "youre still too slow shepard!"
shep: "only cause im not running away. like you do. all the time"
leng: "sh-shut up!
Ahahahahahahaha!
Battlenet ID: MildC#11186 - If I'm in the game, send me an invite at anytime and I'll play.
A pretty good one!
If Shepard knew where her bathroom was.
Why I fear the ocean.