BioWare Teases a New Mass Effect in Development

[Pr0]

ME4 on the Frostbite engine?

Call of Battle Effect Duty 4 then I suppose. I expect this to be about 10 hours of story and an advertised "hundreds of hours of engaging multiplayer online play!"

I forsee this being a prequel based in the First Contact Wars, giving us a good excuse to run around shooting each other in online matches pretending like the game is actually Mass Effect when we know it isn't.

Seriously...fudge EA and fudge BioWare. Done with both of them. I don't even play COD and I'm buying COD:Ghosts and the upcoming Advanced Warfare preorder just to spend my money ELSEWHERE.

 

[E the Weasel]

Personally, I'd be happy if my character finally remembers about their biotic/tech powers in cutscenes instead of just whipping out the worst pistol in the universe...

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

Well, I'm torn boys. On the one hand, overall, I really love Mass Effect. I mean I really, really love the shit out of it. Conversely, until I found the ME3 Happy Ending mod, playing to the end felt kind of draining. I liked the expanded Control Ending, but Synthesis was bullshit both times, and Destroy just felt like you were trying your best to ape Battlestar Galactica about despising synthetics and that they should all die.

So, either you declare a couple of the endings non-Canon, or you're going to have to set this so far into the future that the impact of any of those decisions is lost. Sounds like a lose/lose scenario to me.

 

[Sanunes]

Well, I'm torn boys. On the one hand, overall, I really love Mass Effect. I mean I really, really love the shit out of it. Conversely, until I found the ME3 Happy Ending mod, playing to the end felt kind of draining. I liked the expanded Control Ending, but Synthesis was bullshit both times, and Destroy just felt like you were trying your best to ape Battlestar Galactica about despising synthetics and that they should all die.

So, either you declare a couple of the endings non-Canon, or you're going to have to set this so far into the future that the impact of any of those decisions is lost. Sounds like a lose/lose scenario to me.

I don't think those are their only two choices with either deeming things non-canan or fast forward the game that much. I think they could look at what a player decided to choose and then in the opening recap like they did for Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 explain why it changed from the initial outcome at the end of the game or what the game warned might happen and then never mention it again in the game.

 

[EXos]

Power of the new consoles... Haha.

Lets see how much EA is going to mess the new ME up. They talk about new character but I'll bet my rear end that sheppard and the gang will be slotted right back in...

 

[putowtin]

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 can't play that music then show Casey Hudson!

I nearly spat tea at me monitor!

 

[Texas Joker 52]

I'm honestly conflicted. I mean, I knew there were 'rumors' about a new Mass Effect before now, and by 'rumors' I mean some pretty blatant statements that, hey, they'd probably be making another one, but this announcement gives me mixed feelings.

On the one hand, I love Mass Effect as a whole. Flawed as it may be, I love the galaxy, the races, the lore. I loved the characters that populated it, the ships were cool, the guns were fun, and the powers were neat. It was a universe I really got into. So I'd love a game that captures that again.

On the other hand are those aforementioned flaws. Given how they wrapped up the last game (No, I'm not bitter. Much.), if it's a direct sequel, it'll be particularly difficult. Do they make an ending canon? Do they set it long enough for the ending to not matter? Do they retcon and acknowledge their mistake? If not, when do they set it? Who is the player character?

There are too many questions without answers, and given that the people responsible for the most glaring... Flaws of the series are apparently going to be involved leaves me on the fence.

I just hope that they take the time to think it through, and consider what kind of feedback they'll get before pushing to release. I would hate for history to repeat itself.

 

[JayDeth]

You already ruined Mass Effect, BioWare. Blue alien porn has forever lost it's luster now.

 

[CloudAtlas]

NO. No no no no no no no no no no no no no!
What Mass Effect fans told you was to pull your heads out of your *sses and f*ing do a Commander Shepard story right. The last, literal LAST, thing the fans want to see is a whole new set of characters and places with absolutely no connection to the amazing, beautiful characters we fell in love with.

I don't care about any new characters you think can shape up to Shepard, Liara, Tali, Garrus, Kaidan or Ashley.(Those simply being my favorites, not knocking the others) They can't shape up. We've had 3 amazing games to get to know these people, and you think you can recapture the fans love and loyalty(read: money) by stapling on 'Mass Effect' to your phoned-in project?

This maybe the LAST thing YOU might want, but please don't claim that this is what ALL Mass Effect fans want. I doubt it is even a majority. In fact, I remember hearing many sighs of relief after the announcement that "Mass Effect 4" will let Shepard rest in peace and tell a new story.

Mass Effect's characters were fairly good, but let's not pretend that they and their arcs were without flaws and no other character could ever hope to live up to them.

You want to tell a completely original space themed bioware story with nothing to do with Shepard? Fine, great, more power to you. Just don't call it Mass Effect and pretend we don't see the writing on the wall.

Why not? The games were called "Mass Effect", not "Shepard's Story".

We don't want to see some new guy/gal running around doing absolutely f*ck all while we are searching, praying, practically begging for knowledge about what happens to the Normandy, the crew and Shepard at the end of ME3.

I think I can call myself a fan of Mass Effect, and I am not begging for any of that. Nor am I the only one who doesn't.

It would do you you well to not conflate your personal opinions with those of everyone else, and consider other points of view than your own. You seem to be wishing for a specific kind of experience, but this wish isn't shared by everyone.

 

[Cabisco]

I know so many of us are/were pissed off at the ending and with good reason but considering how amazing Mass Effect was up until that end I'm willing to give them a second chance. It is by far my favourite videogame universe and it's a credit to bioware they made it as rich as they did, just like say Star Wars there is more than enough room for different stories other than Shepards.

 

[Dragonbums]

That has got to be the most desperate fucking PR video I have ever seen in my life. And from the looks of the comments under the video, a lot of people aren't buying it.

It's like despite their denial they know for a fact that they basically shit and soiled the very fanbase that supports them. Now they are desperate to get their trust back.

That's literally what this trailer is. It's not a fucking teaser. It's a bunch of dudes talking in front of a camera with shots of them in dark rooms filled with posters of Thane and friends. Nothing to even remotely tell us anything meaningful. Fuck not even the name of the game is given out.

Walk that talk Bioware. Walk that talk. Last time we went on your word you rewarded us with Day 1 DLC.

 

[ScorpionPrince]

Hmm, wasn't there only one true ending? (Destroy) While the other choices were mere illusions? Even with the sort of galaxy wide EMP, isn't the knowledge of building VI still intact?

Anyway, A good Mass effect 4 for me would be one focused on exploration of new planets, meeting interesting (and not necessarily humanoid) characters with procedurally generated planets along with designed sections, vehicle exploration, and perhaps, some spaceship battles as well?

Anyway, we won't know until much later, but it definitely has potential.

 

[RavingSturm]

EA is never wrong! lol. Seriously though, ME should take some pointers from Alpha Protocol in terms of how much control the player has over the ending/scenario outcomes. I can definitely get behind the accusations that ME2/3 was GOW w/o the chainsaws. I wish ME4 would be some sort new Dark Age type of scenario; no galactic federation type of thing going on.

 

[Michael Tabbut]

Just spitballing here, but if you wanted to get around all the possible variations and permutations of the state of the galaxy post ME3 yet set a new story within the same timeline and universe, then I would find a way to isolate the characters in some way and keep them away from the events of ME3 as far as was practical. Now obviously whichever ending you chose (and I'm not going to get into the merits or otherwise of the endings that discussion has been done to death) has to be a starting point but if you isolate your characters by say making them the crew of a ship stuck out on the edge of the galaxy when the Mass Effect relays were blown up / disabled by the Crucible and unable to contact or fast travel back to council space, then you avoid having to create variations beyond three basic starting points...

The control starting point might not change anything as you'd only see Reapers when you reach council space

The destroy starting point takes Geth and Ai / VI out of the story

The Symbiosis starting point is a graphical change and some extra dialogue with the crew trying to work out what's happened to them.

The genophage storyline, the quarian / Geth conflict and other story lines have all happened but the isolated crew, lost and alone on the edge of the galaxy travelling at light speed rather than using relays are unaware of any of this. Hell they might not even be aware of the reapers hitting earth...

It gets around most, if not the majority of, decisions made, it exists alongside ME1-3 and it opens up exploration as a key element to the game as the crew try to get home unaware of what awaits them.

That's actually rather sound. Sort of a quasi Star Trek Voyager/Stargate Universe scenario taking place during or shortly after the end of ME3. Allows the developers to focus on new stuff while maintaining the fact you are still in the Mass Effect universe