Mass Effect Lead Writer: Next Game Can't Be A Spin Off

[Caiphus]

Possible confusing use of the term "spin-off" -which people have fervently discussed - aside, this sounds like the best option.

My recollection was that they'd already said that Shepard's story is over. This makes sense. And my understanding of how they have used the term "spin-off" here means that the new story won't focus on some previously established character. Like ME4 won't be about Aria, or Wrex leading the Krogan or whatever.

Which sounds good to me.

More information might be good. I'd be interested to know where roughly on the timeline ME4 will fit. But that info might be premature.

 

[Animyr]

As long as they don't touch anything having to do with the ME3 ending and the starchild, they might have a shot.

Also, it would help if Mac Walters is just expressing nonchalant confidence on the command of his bosses and he actually experienced an existential crisis following the release of ME3 and spent the last two years wandering the world and growing a hobo beard as he meditated on good storytelling in exotic locations and only now returned to Bioware to start his epic quest to redeem himself and the franchise whose story he was given to care for.

Or he rolled his eyes and opened the "Bioware game story template" on excel. One or the other.

 

[Product Placement]

So it's a game that take place in the Mass Effect universe but doesn't have to do anything with ME's main story arc? That's pretty much a spin-off, as it should be.

I guess they're going for Webster's definition of a spin-off, which states that a spin-off is:

"a television program, movie, book, etc., that is based on characters from another television program, movie, book, etc"

So, I guess since it's not about a character from the previous games, they don't have to call it a spin-off.

Regardless, not interested in a sequel, prequel, spin-off or whatever the hell they want to call this game. Not touching another EA brand ever again. That shithole publisher has ruined way too many franchises for me.

 

[Doom972]

So it's a game that take place in the Mass Effect universe but doesn't have to do anything with ME's main story arc? That's pretty much a spin-off, as it should be.

Agreed. The only way I see this working is if it takes place in another galaxy that somehow comes in contact with the Milky Way and some kind of bridge is made between the two.

It could still take place in the same galaxy as long as it's before ME3's ending. The galaxy is vast and there is a room for plenty of other stories to be told - they won't be as epic though.

A prequel in this case would be pointless since it is a foregone conclusion. Not only that but all the combat would be step backwards to illustrate it happening earlier in the series. It won't be a prequel and if they're stupid enough to do so, it'll fail.

What about a story that has nothing to do with the Reapers? A self contained story within the Mass Effect universe that takes place before or during the time of the trilogy seems possible to me.

What could it be about? We know about all the major events of the ME galaxy on a whole already and everything is once again, a foregone conclusion.

Who says it has to be a major event? Maybe the next game could tell the personal story of a character we never heard of before.

They tried that already with Dragon Age 2. Do you remember how THAT turned out? Its NOT going to be a prequel.

I actually liked DA2's plot and characters. If they can make the same thing without prolonged battles against generic faceless thugs and recycled areas, I would be very pleased.

 

[Torque2100]

I refuse to buy any games that Mac Waters or Casey Hudson so much as touch. They are talentless hacks who got where they are today by sponging off of Drew Karpyshyn's ideas. Of course, when it came time to write Mass Effect 3, they decided to chuck Drew's original ending (which made sense and would have been a satisfying conclusion to the series) into a bin and write a tangled mess of meaningless symbolism in its place. To this day I am still convinced that the ME 3 ending was their decision, not EA's and nothing will convince me otherwise.

 

[james.sponge]

I refuse to buy any games that Mac Waters or Casey Hudson so much as touch. They are talentless hacks who got where they are today by sponging off of Drew Karpyshyn's ideas. Of course, when it came time to write Mass Effect 3, they decided to chuck Drew's original ending (which made sense and would have been a satisfying conclusion to the series) into a bin and write a tangled mess of meaningless symbolism in its place. To this day I am still convinced that the ME 3 ending was their decision, not EA's and nothing will convince me otherwise.

The thing with those two is that they think of themselves as talented individuals forgetting BW has been riding on the same plot twists and designs since KOTOR and BG

DA3 will tell whether they learned something from ME3 and DA2, if not well Wasteland 2 is coming soon

 

[Kingjackl]

I'm kind of disappointed we won't be getting our Javik spin-off, but I'd call this a good decision nonetheless. The Shepard trilogy is over now, may as well move on to new things.

 

[Nihlus2]

Again as mentioned earlier, it sadly comes back to what Karpyshyn wanted vs what Walters wanted for the franchise in terms of lore. Different ideals pulls in different directions, and one persons' work is no more sacred than their successor's desire to also have a legacy really.

It feels like ME1 was Karpyshyn's vision, 2 was kind of a mix, 3 was a lot of back-pedalling and mood changing things to re-allign stuff. And the conclusion to a trilogy imo is not the time to tell everyone we are turning things around.

And evident many... many times. When the created universe itself is fighting against you (plot holes, inconsistency and Deus Ex Machina etc.); you are trying really hard to enforce a vision, rather than to let the story naturally play out as was intended - like trying to forcefully make a boat go against the stream in the river with all of your might.

It is also funny to note that you kinda have to denounce the Quarian vs Geth Arc and Genophage Arc, when judging Walters' work, since he wasn't in charge of either - and those are usually the first things people use as pointers of what went right/was good in ME3. Which makes a bit sense with the contradictions in those particular arcs.

If what they have talked about with Dragon Age: Inquisition is true and the same for Mass Effect, neither Karpyshyn nor Walters have that much control on what happens in the game. Besides if the original story Dark Matter ending is what Karpyshyn has talked about is true, I think it would have gone over about the same, for you still have the "trust the Reapers and sacrifice humanity to stop the Dark Energy problem" or "don't trust the Reapers and hope you do". The other thing is we don't know how he would have handled the new systems like "War Assets" either for all we know he could have handled that issue exactly the same for I doubt it would have been in his area of oversight. Karpyshyn proved he isn't without faults with being the "Senior Writer" for The Old Republic.

Oh yeah absolutely, I don't doubt about the whole part of who has control and the flaws of Karpyshyn. Was just talking about them as lead writers - they do move the universe's plot and fate of it in one direction or another, not just ending, but mood and thematics too. Karpyshyn did create this universe originally, and to create an entire universe - you need the feel, mood, themes, lore, setting, focus, end and a lot more.
And as the titles progressed, more man power was needed, but the lead writer is still the anchor at the end of the day, so everyone does not run off in a multitude of directions - a singular vision to work around. But that anchor shifted.

Karpyshyn and Walters did, apparently, have very different takes on what the Mass Effect universe was supposed to be. That's more or less my point. Drawing it in different versions - we started with Karpyshyn's ME take, we ended with Walter's ME take, and ME4 is more of Walter's vision, not Karpyshyns. So if you miss ME1, chances are you won't be satisfied if evidence is to be believed - if you adored the take on ME3, you will probably like ME4.


Different visions, different creators in charge of shaping it overall.

 

[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

Yeesh, I'm starting to think it's a bad thing that I enjoyed all three ME games, stories included...

Wait, no, that's all right. Opinions and all. As for the topic...well, it's not saying anything that we didn't already know.

Now, can the people who hate ME3, and have absolutely no interest in a new ME game, please stop opening news articles about it? Seriously, why do you read ME news if you don't care about anything related to a new ME game? Is your need to express your disappointment that strong?

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

Wouldnt mind a spin off if it had a great story and gameplay. There are still a lot of history they can delve into with the game lore. Or could make a game based on Garuss as archangel and hunting criminals etc. That would be awesome.

 

[Tono Makt]

Here's hoping for a return to ME1's darker Sci-Fi tone (like a dirty 80's sci fi) and RP heavy mode, or even ME2's compromise between RPG and Shooter elements.

I suspect that is not going to happen, but a man can hope right?

Man, I am still butthurt about ME3's ending. Shouldn't I have let go of it by now?

Yes. And when you do figure out how to let it go, please post how you did it, 'cuz I'm still butthurt about it too. Mrs. Makt decided to replay all three games, and I followed suit even with my (moderately) extreme reaction to the ending. And while the game play was terrible in 1, the overall storytelling declines starkly between 1, 2 and 3. The more I play ME3 again (with the extended endings), the less impressed I am with it and the more cushions I need under my arse.

re: ME(4)

I'll probably buy it, eventually. A year or so after its released, and if it has some of the DLC bundled with it. If they don't do a Game of the Year-type edition with Xbone or PS4, and I can't get a few of the DLC's for "free" with the game, I might just skip it entirely if the game looks like it's anything close to ME3. But there is no way I'm preordering it or buying a special edition, like I did for ME3 and ME2 respectively.


(yes, I know EA doesn't do much in the way of GOTY Editions, but things might change.)

 

[Dragonbums]

, I suppose that'd make voice acting a mess.

I don't think voice acting would be that bad if we are talking about different alien species.

A male and a female voice actor, just like for Commander Shepard, and depending on the species, simply use different vocal effects on them.
I mean, even the Geth voices based on an interview are just a horribly warped guy's voice.

 

[TheCommanders]

I'm... more than a little apprehensive. If they set the game after (even way after) ME3, then they would either have to declare an ending cannon (which would render the already pointless ending choices moot) or basically build 3 games. If they set it before, there couldn't be humans. Unless they set it less than 40 years before, in which case they would be falling into prequel territory (please god no). I've seem some articles speculating that it could be fun to have a game set during the first contact war (terrible idea, it lasted 3 battles and has already been well explained/explored) or one of the other wars mentioned from before, which would, again, preclude the inclusion of humans. All of those would be bad because they're forgone conclusions. Yeah, "it's the journey, not the destination" and all that, but it's just an unnecessary limitation. Also, we know the main character will be voiced (which I'm a fan of), and that means either we'll have a human who sounds the same as a turian and krogan (especially jarring if female), or they'll have a ton of voice actors for the main character. I just see so many logistical issues...

Finally, if they opt to avoid all these issues (other than the VO) by setting it *way* outside of the timeline of the story, it's basically just a new game recycling the existing lore and coasting on brand recognition, in which case it might as well just be called spin off. I'd rather they just made a new series, to be honest. This trilogy (baring... that one part...) works perfectly fine on its own, and there's not much reason to keep milking it (from a consumer point of view, EA will obviously milk anything it damn well pleases). I really hope they prove me wrong, but... well it seems like quite a challenge.

 

[Fredvdp]

But the ending isn't the only reason I dislike Walters (and Hudson). There's the shift towards a stronger focus on human characters, and then there's the completely unnecessary character of Vega, who seemed to exist only so that Walters had a character of his own to write.

Vega's purpose was to ask questions about the state of the galaxy so that players new to the series could get some exposition. That's why he was a mandatory character on Palaven's moon. He asked questions about the krogan and turians so that Garrus could provide us with some exposition.

 

[Silly Hats]

Goddamn.

Though I can see where they're coming across from, I had no idea that the fanbase would be this rabid over the series even a year after the so called 'betrayal'. You just need to take what you can and roll with it.


I am looking forward to this new one though.

 

[verdant monkai]

So its gonna have to be a shit smeared prequel.

Seriously ME2 is one of my top 10 games. But if all Mass Effect can offer now is unadventurous prequels it can fuck off.