BioWare Teases a New Mass Effect in Development

[Mike Hoffman]

BioWare Teases a New Mass Effect in Development

The next Mass Effect remains vague, but BioWare shares some insight into what's coming.

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[Daystar Clarion]

Damn it Bioware, you can't throw that fucking music at me and then one of the first things you say is 'We ask what the fans want.'

 

[DrunkOnEstus]

Unfortunately, "what the fans want" is usually at odds with "what EA wants". Also, not all fans want the same thing. I'd love a return to the Star Trek styled "talky and techy" feel of the first game, maybe with the feeling of playing television episodes the way that ME2 did missions.

I hope that there's a return to the writing, because that's what had me fall in love with the series. Using diplomacy, getting to know characters personally, and using intelligence and wit just as much as firepower. I really hope that's a stronger focus than improving the cover-based TPS.

 

[Ishigami]

Obviously power by FrostBite so at least the visuals will be decent.
Just BioWare make sure you get coherent story this time around. I really liked Mass Effect until you really ruined the entire experience with that nonsensical original ending in part 3.
If there is one thing I want than I want you to make sure that doesn?t happen again.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Damn it Bioware, you can't throw that fucking music at me and then one of the first things you say is 'We ask what the fans want.'

They need to know what to ignore on purpose.

 

[Rodolphe Kourkenko]

Just watched the beginning of the show and you can see a big difference in the audience aplause at the ME3 announcement and DAi (alongside the new ME). They really burned the bridges...

 

[Alpha Maeko]

I know these clips are truncated from the rest of the show, but I'm noticing a clear lack of audience involvement during Bioware's reveals (Halo and other game announcements have some pretty clear audience cheers building up).

It really seems Bioware's lost touch with their fans (at least the ones who went to e3), not to mention their reputation.

We'll see if their sales numbers are as flat as their e3 reveal reception.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Considering Mass Effect fans are some of the most obnoxious people on the internet (touch the BSN website if you dare), hearing them say they are "listening to the fans" raises a lot of concern.

 

[wooty]

Well colour me excited. I've been lacking a game that I can get fully engrossed in like I do with Mass Effect.

Following this one with great interest.

 

[Burchy22]

Oh this is going to be funny after the world wide cry fest that was Mass Effect 3.
I wonder how many people will get back on board with bioware and how many will continue to hold up their middle finger.
Another thing to point out that when a franchise makes a complete trilogy, the fourth addition is usually seen as a cash in to try and milk what's left since people hate it when you open up a new chapter in an already completed series.

By the way, I always hate these dev talk video's since they always go on about how they are doing something new and revolutionary as well as how pleased they expect the fans to be. It's pointless hyping and doesn't show much to back up what they say.

 

[SacremPyrobolum]

I hope that ME4 is set after the original trilogy and isn't some prequel or spin off. I want to see how the galaxy has been shaped after the cataclysmic events of the 3rd game.

Granted, this will be difficult. No matter how you think of them, the three endings do result in three very different outcomes for the rest of the galaxy. Unless Bioware decided to retconn two of the other decisions, they will have a hard time making essentially three different games.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Granted, this will be difficult. No matter how you think of them, the three endings do result in three very different outcomes for the rest of the galaxy. Unless Bioware decided to retconn two of the other decisions, they will have a hard time making essentially three different games.

You know, I said that exact same thing a few years ago when they first started talking about a new Mass Effect game and someone told me that it was the dumbest thing they had ever heard because the endings were all the same. Glad to see I'm not the only one who understands that the implications of those three endings are galaxies apart.

On topic, I'm sorry. I stopped the video about half way through because listening to those people talk about remembering characters, caring about them, remembering the story, and all of that stuff just soured my mood. Apparently, even years later, I am still upset over the way they broke the original trilogy with that ending. I thought I was over it, but hearing all those promises being made again and remembering how they failed to deliver the first time brought all the mistrust back.

 

[SacremPyrobolum]

Granted, this will be difficult. No matter how you think of them, the three endings do result in three very different outcomes for the rest of the galaxy. Unless Bioware decided to retconn two of the other decisions, they will have a hard time making essentially three different games.

Try impossible. One ending leaves the galaxy in ruins, with the geth having been wiped out, one ending leaves the galaxy in ruins with people having direct control over Reapers to rebuild the galaxy, and one ending does this weird... thing that seems to kind of Brog-ify every single sentient being in the universe. They're just significantly different to create one game around with a few branches.

You're literally going to have to write three completely different games for that, and allocate assets for three entirely different games for one game. And your publisher Electronic Arts. Not a chance in hell its happening.

I imagine that the new Mass Effect game will do one of the following:

a) Take place prior to Mass Effect (1), which could even span prior to human first contact, so it gives them a lot to work with.

b) Take place concurrently with with one or more of the Mass Effect trilogy games. Its possible to do it so that it avoids all references to major decisions Shepard makes, or make it take account for the big ones whether through a save file or just deciding them like you would if you started a new profile in ME2 or ME3.

c) Make one of the endings canon. Even if you play with the story so you don't know what endgame the game went with, you're going to have to declaratively make synthesis either canon or non-canon, because you can't hide glowing green eyeballs and omniscience away from the player unless you're playing as Space Hamster.

I would actually be totally fine with option C if they chose to make Destroy the canon ending because it is the most flawed but also the most satisfying.

Not all of the problems of the galaxy are solved by becoming perfect beings and galactic peace is not assured by the Reapers becoming a peacekeeping force. Plus, theirs a chance to see Commander Shepard again, depending on your ending.

I feel that anything that takes place before or during the trilogy is invalidated because the player knows that no matter what they might accomplish none of it will really matter because the Reapers are just going to wipe them out.

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

Considering Mass Effect fans are some of the most obnoxious people on the internet (touch the BSN website if you dare), hearing them say they are "listening to the fans" raises a lot of concern.

I agree with you, and that's as a Mass Effect fan. Then again, judging from some of the people on this very forum, there are unreasonable people in all groups. As long as Bioware is able to weed out the reasonable requests from the unreasonable, then it's not like listening to the fans is necessarily a bad thing.

For my part, I didn't actually dislike Mass Effect 3, but there were definitely some issues with it. As long as they work on fixing those issues without creating new ones, I will be fine.

While working in a sequel will have some challenges story-wise (What ending do you go with? Was the genophage cured? How was the geth-quarian war concluded?), the fact that they will have an all new cast to work from is promising. They won't have to worry about developing characters while still staying true to the characters.

Call me naive, but I'm awaiting more information about Mass Effect New before I determine whether it will be my thing or not. Just existing isn't enough for me to decide.

 

[FinalFangs]

I'm guessing that the new mass effect will take place in a different galaxy. That way they can create new races and ignore the ending. It looks nice so far, but I would have liked to see a bit more, even if it was just a title, but it gives me something to look forward to.

 

[Olas]

As a fan, I want them to use their talent and creativity to do something I couldn't have imagined, that's presumably why they're the game developers and I'm the fan. It's nice to see they're planning to go in a new direction, but Bioware shouldn't need people to tell them to

THAT BEING SAID:

I'd like to see a return of open world vehicle sections like in the first game, it really created the sense of a large living world/universe that wasn't just a collection of small maps.

 

[SacremPyrobolum]

I also think that there's something wrong with how you're viewing all those events as being futile in the scope of millenia. I mean, what are generally regarded as two of the best, if not the two best, Star Wars games take place thousands of years before the movies. We know the Republic falls, but does that make the efforts in those games a meaningless experience?

I just couldn't find any satisfaction in playing a prequel with the knowledge of the Reapers hanging over my head.

As for your star wars example, I feel that the Empire being in power is just a result of the Empire having the momentary upper hand in the Star Wars galaxy like the Republic did in the KOTOR series. In addition, a mere regime change is nothing compared to the galactic extinction of all advanced sentient life in the galaxy.