BioWare: Mass Effect 3 Story Has More Than a Thousand Variables

[Optimystic]

Not to be a party-pooper, as I am a Mass effect fanboy, but about 950 of those will probably be e-mails again. Just wait.

Now we'll get spam from Harrot's Emporium as well as Morlan's Famous Shop

The thing I find so bizarre is so often people seem to look at things like this ambitious idea and scoff but you give the master chief or marcus fenix a new hat and they lose their fucking minds.

THIS.

Also, I don't mind at all playing ME2 a dozen times (especially since every subsequent playthrough comes with tons of resources.) It's revisiting ME1 that will be a *****. >.<

 

[Aura Guardian]

While I hate Bioware and their games(Except for Jade Empire)...I do like how they make their games have a massive amount of replay value.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

Just the mention of the words 'Mass Effect 3' sends me into a kind of overly excited fit...

 

[Dr Snakeman]

*Sigh* It's still a year away, and already they are starting to disappoint me. It's looking like ME3 is going to do the same thing that ME2 did as it concerns the overall branching storyline: you'll get several e-mails from some people, meet some of the folks you met in the sidequests, but nothing about the endgame will be fundamentally different based on your actions. The OP said up front that the "big decisions were planned in advance". That means that, in all likelihood, it won't matter who you let die on Virmire, whether you spared the Rachni, or whether you destroyed or rewrote the heretic geth. Heck, it probably won't really matter who survived the sucide mission in the second game.

I have been holding out hope that they'll be able to work these things into the third game, but this little bit of news just made that hope seem a little bit more in vain.

 

[OceanRunner]

Tis true there could be alot, and I mean...ALOT of variables...owever, how many will actually matter?

Most of them will probably have to do with the side quests and NPC dialouge, with a small amount for plot points for consistency.

 

[Meggiepants]

So looking forward to completing the story.

And really hope Wrex gets some play time. I don't think it will happen, but I can hope...

 

[shadowform]

The choices you made in Mass Effect had no impact on how Mass Effect 2 turned out. You always work for Cerberus, the council never trusts you, your former crewmate Kaiden/Ashley always ditches you, Wrex is always the chieftan on Tuchanka, and you always finish the game by killing the big bad boss dude at the end.

The story doesn't change - the only thing that changes are a few token references to events that happened in previous games, like "Oh, remember that nearly extinct, mythically destructive threat to galactic civilization that you let survive at the beginning of ME1? Yeah, they still exist. We're not going to show you them or let you visit them or have them effect the plot in any way, shape, or form, but trust us, they're totally there."

 

[Protocol95]

While this does sound awesome, it probably won't matter much for me as I try to make every paragon choice.

 

[Spacewolf]

So I'm gonna get another hundred or so emails based off of my decisions in the last game with nearly every single choice "big" choice havin absolutely no impact on gameplay in any sort of meaninful way.

Wrex dead or not dead and you still do the same stuff with different dialogue. Save the queen? One very brief talk to a npc you never see again. None of it had any meanin in any way shape or form. If you play a game from an imported save the actual story never changes. There isnt added variables or outcomes, theres the same outcome every time with the same variables every time. The only difference is you see a new npc that you cant actually interact with in any way other than a click.

Hopefully I'm wrong though. Im really hopin choices in Mass Effect 1 and 2 can come back and really bite you in the butt. It'd finally make the statement of your choices havin actual consequences some actual meanin instead of the obnoxious ways they are now.

Heck, the only actual meaninful choice that anyone ever made in either Mass Effect game was in Mass Effect 2 and whether you did the loyalty missions and who you sent through each part of the suicide mission.

The queen conversation may not of been very long but i think its definatly important when combined with the news about rachni ships being sighted.
and apparently that orb thing you opened in the first game with the consorts key has a flag for if you found it but it still hasnt been used so hopefully that will also be involved

 

[Escapefromwhatever]

It's a shame that I played ME1 on the 360, but ME2 on the PC. I had to pick up the default story in ME2, so now I'm glad that I'll finally be able to import a character into the 3rd.

 

[Naheal]

I'm kinda curious as to what my choices will end up doing. Usually ended up being a prick, but I've done everything in my power to assist in tech production. Will these things actually help me down the line?

 

[Art3rius]

Yay. and on a side note: Double Yay.

No really it's interesting, but..... *sigh* Mass Effect.... We need to talk. Listen I know you're trying to impress me, but I want to spend time with Mafia II...

We can still be friends... and I promise as soon as your price drops I'll be waiting.

From, Thedayrecker

Ahh, you'll probably be done with Mafia 2 by the time ME3 comes around. That is good, is it not?

Oh, and I too applaud BioWare for their ambition. Even simple one-liners like 'You saved me, remember?' or 'You pointed a gun at my face!' would be good enough for me.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

Just the mention of the words 'Mass Effect 3' sends me into a kind of overly excited fit...

You and me both!

 

[Art3rius]

*Sigh* It's still a year away, and already they are starting to disappoint me. It's looking like ME3 is going to do the same thing that ME2 did as it concerns the overall branching storyline: you'll get several e-mails from some people, meet some of the folks you met in the sidequests, but nothing about the endgame will be fundamentally different based on your actions. The OP said up front that the "big decisions were planned in advance". That means that, in all likelihood, it won't matter who you let die on Virmire, whether you spared the Rachni, or whether you destroyed or rewrote the heretic geth. Heck, it probably won't really matter who survived the sucide mission in the second game.

I have been holding out hope that they'll be able to work these things into the third game, but this little bit of news just made that hope seem a little bit more in vain.

Still a year away, and you're already disappointed because of one announcement? Why is it that when developers gets lazy and decides not to do something, people scream at them and when they are being ambitions, people scoff? We don't even know anything other than this itty bitty piece of news yet.

 

[Dr Snakeman]

*Sigh* It's still a year away, and already they are starting to disappoint me. It's looking like ME3 is going to do the same thing that ME2 did as it concerns the overall branching storyline: you'll get several e-mails from some people, meet some of the folks you met in the sidequests, but nothing about the endgame will be fundamentally different based on your actions. The OP said up front that the "big decisions were planned in advance". That means that, in all likelihood, it won't matter who you let die on Virmire, whether you spared the Rachni, or whether you destroyed or rewrote the heretic geth. Heck, it probably won't really matter who survived the sucide mission in the second game.

I have been holding out hope that they'll be able to work these things into the third game, but this little bit of news just made that hope seem a little bit more in vain.

Still a year away, and you're already disappointed because of one announcement? Why is it that when developers gets lazy and decides not to do something, people scream at them and when they are being ambitions, people scoff? We don't even know anything other than this itty bitty piece of news yet.

Well, I'm not as upset as I would be if it were, say, only a few months away and they said this. As it stands, they still have plenty of time to actually make this work.
Honestly, the reason I am so needlessly worried is that, if I could be considered a "fanboy" of anything, it would be the Mass Effect franchise. See http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.223420-What-do-you-want-to-see-in-Mass-Effect-3?page=1 for reference.

 

[SageRuffin]

Good night... that's about 950 different extra ways my Erika could've been altered. I guess it's a good thing she's trying to be a doctor like her older sister and she no longer has a rampant desire to crack open every person's skull she comes across, otherwise she won't be able to wonder what Shiala meant after that side mission with the other asari on Illium.

Of course, amongst other various variables, like saving the colony on Feros, calming down Wrex and leaving Kaidan's dumb ass on Virmire, and releasing the Rachni queen, to name a few.