Mass Effect 3, cover based ranged combat gameplay?

[Tanakh]

So, being curious about ME 3 I went to a friend's house to play it for a while (refuse to buy, blah blah blah). Being the kind of person that seeks gameplay over everything else in a game, I chose insane and I played from the beggining to the end of the mars mission as both solider & adept, and every battle ended up feeling kind like a less polished Gears of War skirmish where you use powers to take down key foes; by that i mean, carefully looking for enemies till you can see them, find cover, use powers to take down important enemies, keep your ass in cover or move to another cover if needed, repeat till the battle is over.

After having spend this year enjoying the replay of UT 2004 & Painkiller, and playing for the first time CS: Global Offensive, Serious Sam 3 and Ultramarine, going back to cover based shooters felt kind of dull, especially because i felt that the gameplay is less engaging than Uncharted, Gears of War or Red Dead Redemption.

In the end i decided to wait till it goes on sale on steam, GoG or Amazon, and then I will play it in story mode, because even thought the game has flaws here and there (lipsync, some terrible lines) in the end it seems like a good game and i am kind of curious about the story after playing the previos two, however being a modern cover based shooter hater, i can't submit myself to the gameplay. That also must mean ME 2 has some amazing stuff, because apparently it made my forget how dull is to avoid bullets behind a box.

TL;DR: Putting everything else aside, how do you find ME 3 single player gameplay?

 

[Sp3ratus]

I thought it was amazing, it's one of the best games I've ever played. I really the gameplay, thought it was well executed with the right amount of challenge(played on insanity as well). My playthrough consisted of a mix between shooting and using biotic powers. I was a Vanguard and setting up Singularity from Liara and the charging into it for massive damage to the surrounding enemies was very cool.

Aside from the combat aspect of the gameplay, the rest was also amazing. The big choices you could make in the game, especially because it affected your crewmates former or current in some way or another made it really emotional. The characters themselves also felt so alive in this, not just static characters standing in one place the entire game.

Last, but not least, I like that they gave some choices back in regards to upgrading. Skills had different paths, so you had a choice in what you wanted. Weapons had mods to upgrade them as you liked, there were a lot of different choices in guns and I really liked that they had a weight, so that what you chose to carry with you actually affected you, instead of just being able to carry any and all weapons, like you could in ME2.

All in all, amazing game, I really love it, easily a top ten for me.

 

[Tanakh]

I thought it was amazing, it's one of the best games I've ever played. I really the gameplay, thought it was well executed with the right amount of challenge(played on insanity as well). My playthrough consisted of a mix between shooting and using biotic powers. I was a Vanguard and setting up Singularity from Liara and the charging into it for massive damage to the surrounding enemies was very cool.

But then we are having (overall) a similar impression right? Of a cover based modern third person shooter gameplay. I guess it is down to how much you like those, maybe multiplayer with friends will change my mind.

 

[RJ 17]

I don't know if things become "easier" when you set it to Insanity, but at least from my experience the combat is no longer a game of long range whack-a-mole...seeing as how the enemies in this game are actually quite agressive. Rather than pouring into a room, getting to their cover positions at the other end of the room from you, and having it out with you until you've picked them all off (like in ME 1 and 2), these enemies actually push the line, try to sneak around and flank you, and just in general make the combat much more challenging that in ME 1 or 2. Add to that the smoke screens that Cerberus troops use, often causing you to find a new piece of cover so you can see, and the fact that most enemies enjoy chucking grenades at you to flush you out of cover, and I really don't see how you can say the combat is just the same-old-same-old GoW professional paintball simulator.

My only thought on your opinion is maybe you didn't play enough to get a real sense of the combat.

 

[Nimcha]

The combat is amazing for me. Open fighting spaces, enemies flanking you, every gun feels and shoots completely different, I love the melee blade thingy, great variation in enemies, great voiceover work (Shepard and co. shouting stuff that actually has relevance to the current fight instead of stock shouts), and last but not least the upgrade system is great. I especially love that you can actually see the upgrades applied on the weapons. Nice touch.

 

[Sp3ratus]

I thought it was amazing, it's one of the best games I've ever played. I really the gameplay, thought it was well executed with the right amount of challenge(played on insanity as well). My playthrough consisted of a mix between shooting and using biotic powers. I was a Vanguard and setting up Singularity from Liara and the charging into it for massive damage to the surrounding enemies was very cool.

But then we are having (overall) a similar impression right? Of a cover based modern third person shooter gameplay. I guess it is down to how much you like those, maybe multiplayer with friends will change my mind.

Well, yes, it's third person shooter, but the added biotic/tech powers spice things up. Also, on insanity and with the variety of enemies as both RJ 17 and Nimcha points out, makes it a spectacular experience. Having to change your position either to get a better shot or simply to not die(because of the melee opponents) makes for interesting and fluid combat, at least it does for me.

 

[Tanakh]

Well, yes, it's third person shooter, but the added biotic/tech powers spice things up. Also, on insanity and with the variety of enemies as both RJ 17 and Nimcha points out, makes it a spectacular experience. Having to change your position either to get a better shot or simply to not die(because of the melee opponents) makes for interesting and fluid combat, at least it does for me.

Yeah, guess I did this thread because it amazed me to end up thinking on the same track that Jennifer Hepler's "i wish i could skip the combat and several gameplay elements". And the combat is an improvement over ME 2 (did a little of that yesterday just to remember), still I just dont get the tension of it, granades feel like telegraphed attacks that you can only die to if the move to cover to cover button fails and cover + regenerative health mechanics just doesn't work for me; the pushing enemies are a nice touch, though they usually just got butchered in my games, still add some tension and give a chance to use melee.

Guess it's just the shooters I was rased in, and after giving Serious Sam a spin, this feels like clipping my wings.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Being the kind of person that seeks gameplay over everything else in a game, I chose insane and I played from the beggining to the end of the mars mission as both solider & adept, and every battle ended up feeling kind like a less polished Gears of War skirmish where you use powers to take down key foes; by that i mean, carefully looking for enemies till you can see them, find cover, use powers to take down important enemies, keep your ass in cover or move to another cover if needed, repeat till the battle is over

Play a Vanguard. Charge your enemies, smack them in the face, and leave cover to your party members.

Then it will be nothing at all like GoW, because you will never, ever use cover.

 

[hazabaza1]

Vanguard is fucking awesome. Using charge and Nova and shit, just got the Claymore, man, I am tearing shit UP.
Do wish it had separate sprint/cover/use keys though. On PC there's really no excuse not to.

 

[Tanakh]

Play a Vanguard. Charge your enemies, smack them in the face, and leave cover to your party members.

Then it will be nothing at all like GoW, because you will never, ever use cover.

Sounds like a plan, can you play like that on insane without becoming a bullet ridden strainer?

And yeah... I find akward that sprint/cover/use are the same key, wonder why so many devs seem to forget the basics of a PC port, fortunately it's not a gamebreaker.

 

[skywolfblue]

and every battle ended up feeling kind like a less polished Gears of War skirmish where you use powers to take down key foes

More or less.

The cover system isn't as fluid as Gears of War 3 (gears3 has to be the most fluid cover system I've ever seen, Vanquish comes in a close second**). Rolling and cover in ME3 are clunky and can put you out in the open when you least want it.

But the fact that ME has powers makes up for that in other ways. Playing as an engineer at least is loads of fun, being able to toss turrets and drones at enemies and then overload or freeze them is great.

**By fluid I mean, responding in the way I want it to, and does so smoothly from one position to the next. Gears 3 is practically flawless about putting me behind cover when I want cover, rolling when I want to roll, and does so almost seamlessly. Vanquish has some stickyness to the "take cover" and "roll" actions, but the rocket sliding is so awesome that it overcomes that. I do love how both Vanquish and Gears 3 are "cover based", but 90% of your time is spent out of cover because the game encourages you to do so. ME3 isn't so free, maybe for the Vangaurd class perhaps, but I have yet to play that.

 

[isometry]

Yeah, the mediocre gameplay is one of the reasons I gave up on the series after ME 2. For a series that tries to encourage replay through decisions and custom Shepards, in ME 2 the repetitive gameplay turned me off to that notion.

The gameplay in ME 1 is not that great either, it was a weak point of the game even back then, but at least it was action RPG gameplay that was different from other games, instead of just being yet another cover shooter.

 

[Netrigan]

Maybe because I was playing Borderlands right before I got the game, but I've mostly ignored the cover-based mechanic for ME3 for good old fashion slide-and-shoot. There's vertical cover mixed in with the waist-high stuff, so you can mix and match your basic combat style accordingly.

There's also a lot of aggressive melee enemy types, so you're often put in run-and-gun situations. Side-stepping a fast-charging enemy is actually more smooth in ME3 than in Borderlands, since a tap of the A button will roll you out of the way.

The level design includes a fair number of areas that provide multiple ways to engage enemies. Frontal attacks, flanking, or sniping from above. Certainly better than ME1's often tight environments (the side missions bunkers were absolutely awful on this score), and more varied than ME2's cover-based arenas.

Good, solid shooter mechanics, with enough powers and enemy types to keep it interesting. And open enough to provide a decent variety of tactics.

 

[Mikeyfell]

The actual shooty parts of the gameplay are frustrating as fuck.
There are 6 commands on the A button. 6!!
Press A to use.
Hold A to run.
Tap A to take cover.
Double tap A to vault over cover.
Tap A to roll.
"What? we already have a command assigned to "tap A" Won't that annoy people?"
"Noooooo! being able to take cover isn't that important in a cover based shooter."
Hold A and a direction to vault over cover.
"Huh? We already have a vault over cover command. Do we need another one?"
"Obviously! People always complain about having to sit behind cover so it should be very easy to jump over it!"
"Won't that lead to a lot of untimely deaths?"
"You're fired!!!"

It takes a good second and a half to get into cover on the first try.

Every single time I've died in Mass Effect 3 has been because the A button didn't do what I wanted it to. (And there was that one time I got flanked and Garrus didn't do anything about it.)

The enemies constantly lob grenades at you and since the A button does everything I can never get far enough away in time.

They'll throw a grenade, I'll get out of cover and try to run away but when I put my finger down on the A button I'll hop right back to cover and explode.

They'll open fire and I'll run to cover and hop over it, I'll turn around and try to hop back over and I'll take cover on the wrong side and get shot to pieces.

They'll open fire and I'll try to take cover and cartwheel to the right instead, then I'll try to cartwheel back and take cover on the exposed side and get shot to pieces.

That's why I spend all my credits on Sniper Rifle upgrades. Pick the fuckers off before they get a chance to throw grenades at me.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Play a Vanguard. Charge your enemies, smack them in the face, and leave cover to your party members.

Then it will be nothing at all like GoW, because you will never, ever use cover.

Sounds like a plan, can you play like that on insane without becoming a bullet ridden strainer?

And yeah... I find akward that sprint/cover/use are the same key, wonder why so many devs seem to forget the basics of a PC port, fortunately it's not a gamebreaker.

On insane? I can't - but then I play on Normal. I play for the story, not challenge.

However, when I play an Infiltrator or an Adept, I stick to cover. When I play a Vanguard, I Charge Atlas Mechs and shotgun them in the face. It's just the way you play a Vanguard.

FYI: Charge also recharges your shields (partly until 6th level, then fully) - meaning that when the enemy takes out your shields, you charge to regain them, shoot until the cooldown ends - repeat. It's very hectic - and very dangerous - but it's a hell of a lot of fun. ^^

 

[Joccaren]

On insane? I can't - but then I play on Normal. I play for the story, not challenge.

However, when I play an Infiltrator or an Adept, I stick to cover. When I play a Vanguard, I Charge Atlas Mechs and shotgun them in the face. It's just the way you play a Vanguard.

FYI: Charge also recharges your shields (partly until 6th level, then fully) - meaning that when the enemy takes out your shields, you charge to regain them, shoot until the cooldown ends - repeat. It's very hectic - and very dangerous - but it's a hell of a lot of fun. ^^

This. Carry only a light shotgun and a lite SMG with you, at most. Your cooldown for charge will be <3 seconds. And then you get lightweight materials and it goes down to <1.5 seconds. I am carrying around the lightest stuff I can just to charge almost every seconds ATM, then double Nova (Got the half blast thing) then charge again. Sadly, it is a suicide tactic against 3 turrets that freaking engineers decided to place within sight of one another (Grissom Academy, I hate you).

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

This. Carry only a light shotgun and a lite SMG with you, at most.

I don't even bother with the SMG. Just a shotgun. If I run out of ammo, I go to biotics until I find more.

The reduction in cooldown is totally worth it.

My adepts ONLY carry a SMG.

My Infiltrator only carries a Sniper Rifle. The Raptor.

 

[Tanakh]

-snip-

Very similar experience, but we are probably picking the wrong classes/difficulty to have fun with it. I would love ME3 if they were to release a development kit to iron those issues, sadly i don't think bioware is into modding anymore.

This. Carry only a light shotgun and a lite SMG with you, at most.

I don't even bother with the SMG. Just a shotgun. If I run out of ammo, I go to biotics until I find more.

The reduction in cooldown is totally worth it.

My adepts ONLY carry a SMG.

My Infiltrator only carries a Sniper Rifle. The Raptor.

Sold with Vanguard, damn, now I need to wait for a non origin version... that or finish it on sporadic visits to friends... sigh, guess ill fold to origin when ME 3 goes on a sale or i have money burning my pocket.