Mass Effect: The Mako Returns - Update

[Brian Tams]

*Tries to contain squee*
...
This pleases Souplex.
Next thing you're going to tell me they're doing away with thermal clips, and declare the ending of 3 non-canon.

Also, did anyone ever actually dislike the Mako? As far as I can tell it was five people yelling really loudly.

I liked the Mako but could understand why people disliked it. It had the mobility of a barn, and a lot of the Mako levels featured insta-kill lava that would cause the Mako to spontaneously combust if it so much as brushed it.

Honestly, they should have replaced it with the Hammerhead, which was the hover-tank thing that was featured in some Mass Effect 2 DLC. Much better mobility, awesome vehicle, shame it was just for a handful of DLC missions.

Use the Hammerhead from ME2 for exploration segments like in ME1, and you have a recipe for success.

You mean the vehicle that burst into flames if under fire for half a second, fires homing spitballs, and has no sense of weight to it like a tank should?

Its not going to have any weight because its a hover tank.
There were also some obvious balancing issues when it came to how powerful it was or how much damage it could sustain, but that's a problem of execution, not the concept. The Mako was a lumbering elephant of a vehicle; the Hammerhead is smoother to control, and its smooth controls make it better suited for exploration.
Hammerhead > Mako

I thought that no vehicle could match how terrible the Mako was. Then i drove the Hammerhead.

Pathetically soft, an impossibly terrible weapon and stupid platforming levels.

I liked the hammerhead. Being soft wasn't a problem with the vehicle but the developers doing a half assed job with the DLC. Same with the level design.

Stop coming at me because I like something you guys don't.

Whoah, mate. Not trying to come at you, just stating my opinion. Even started my post with "I thought".

I know having an unpopular opinion can sometimes make it feel like everyone is ganging up on you (i love Dragon Age 2, after all) but that isn't the intent here.

Given that the hammerhead itself is only involved in DLC, saying that a problem with it is only because they half assed the DLC isn't much of a defence. Just out of curiosity, what difficulty do you generally play on? The Hammerhead's problems become more painful with each difficulty level.

Yeah, sorry about that. I've been really on edge today, so I misinterpreted your comment as sounding a little passive-aggressive.

Anyways, I beat the game on the highest difficulty but I don't remember if I did any of dlc afterwards (I was only interested in the achievement). I do remember having to strafe enemies and straight up dodging their attacks. Which is where I probably differ from most of you is that I naturally don't like taking much damage in a game no matter how much health I have.

 

[VoidOfOne]

If nothing else, this comes closer to confirming my suspicions that this game is going to take place as a side story to Shepard's, rather than way before or way after. Seriously, there's no way this was going to take place right after the end of ME3. It was a delusion, at best.

Somewhat interested, but still feeling the hurt of how ME3 ended. I'll wait to see more.

I am glad the Mako is coming back. Was sad to see it go in the way of planet scanning, but was happy to learn many people hated the planet scanning (I thought it was okay). The Hammerhead sucked, though.

 

[BoogieManFL]

I disliked the Mako at first, but once I got a good feel for the controls, it was quite nice. I liked it. The handling is strange but pretty decent once you learn it.

I just would like the more spacey exploration feel back, and the skies and planets they showed were supremely epic.


I'm not sure if it is more good or bad but BioWare has a habit of constantly changing the recipe from one sequel to the next. Makes playing the games in close succession very strange and ends up with you liking/loathing certain mechanics more than you would normally.

 

[Seracen]

Screw this interquel nonsense! I want it to be an out and out sequel to the events in ME3!!!

 

[Sanunes]

I think they are making a mistake even referencing to be either the Mako or Hammerhead and just referred to it as a ground vehicle because it seems like they are working on a brand new system and comparing it to something that already exists is a disservice.

Personally what makes me the most interested from this entire report is the next game is "years" away, which I think they need to do to distance themselves from the last game and to take the time to make sure the game is done right.

 

[Samsont]

I don't really care one way or another about whether the Mako returns if they improve it properly. The thing I care about is whether we'll be getting other races to play as, that's the big thing for me and the majority of everyone else who likes the Mass Effect games.

 

[Something Amyss]

I liked the Mako but could understand why people disliked it. It had the mobility of a barn, and a lot of the Mako levels featured insta-kill lava that would cause the Mako to spontaneously combust if it so much as brushed it.

More or less this. I didn't really want to see the Mako removed. I just wanted to see it and/or the levels it was in improved or retooled. But Bioware has this weird relationship with poorly received things, at least in Mass Effect: they tend to either drop 'em or double down on them.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Neat! I always liked the Mako (it was a pain in the butt, but a fun pain in the butt) and I liked being able to wander around planets and come at objectives from really far away (particularly when I played a sniper). So I'll chalk this up as good news. ^^

 

[ZodiacBraves]

I'm on board. I wasn't big on the Mako sections in ME1, but maybe they've improved the controls (which was really my only gripe).

Question, did you Play the console or pc version of ME1? I ask because I didn't really care for driving the Mako on the consoles, but when I bought it for the pc they much have updated the controls/physics somewhat because I remember having a genuine blast driving the Mako around in the PC version.

 

[Sanunes]

I don't really care one way or another about whether the Mako returns if they improve it properly. The thing I care about is whether we'll be getting other races to play as, that's the big thing for me and the majority of everyone else who likes the Mass Effect games.

I really don't think its really a "majority" of the people that play the game. David Gaider posted ages ago that only a small portion of the players played something besides a Human character in Dragon Age: Origins. I will see if I can find the quote.

Edit:

Here is the quote. I had to take it from the wiki for with the recent change in BioWare forums its not linking directly to it.

According to BioWare telemetry, 80% of players chose Human origins, 15% - Elven origins (with the Elven Mage being the most popular) and 5% - Dwarven origins. This accounts for all registered playthroughs ever started, but not for playthroughs on unconnected consoles.

Source [http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Origins#cite_note-2]

Now that doesn't mean the numbers haven't changed in the years since Dragon Age Origins, but I don't think it has progressed to the point of being a majority either.

 

[Sanunes]

I'm on board. I wasn't big on the Mako sections in ME1, but maybe they've improved the controls (which was really my only gripe).

Question, did you Play the console or pc version of ME1? I ask because I didn't really care for driving the Mako on the consoles, but when I bought it for the pc they much have updated the controls/physics somewhat because I remember having a genuine blast driving the Mako around in the PC version.

They changed it from what I call Halo vehicle controls on the PC, on the console you fired where you looked, but on the PC version you could look and aim in two different directions. The problems I had with the Mako is I would frequently fall down a hill roll onto my roof and either instantly die or get stuck moving and be unable to return to the Normandy. So I guess you can say my issues weren't with the Mako, but the terrain.

 

[Vault101]

[quote/]will be during Shepard's lifetime but won't involve Shepard."[/quote]

this makes me think "side-quel" or full on "sequel"...if its a full on sequel then that makes me sad theres no shepard...BUT then makes me happy bebecause the "end" wasn't actually the "end"

if its a prequel/sideqel then no

 

[Panzer Camper]

I fucking loved the Mako and those ridiculous vertical worlds I would bounce around in. That hovertank was shit, please just modify and make the worlds full of more goodies and I'll buy.

 

[BathorysGraveland2]

Sounds good to me. I really liked using the Mako and thought the planet exploration was pretty fun, if barebones. If they made the planet exploration more fleshed out, and the traversable areas more interesting and detailed, then it could be a blast.

 

[Joos]

Even though I didn't quite like the way the mako handled in ME1, I loved the idea behind it; free exploration. That is what I missed most in ME2 and 3.

If the next installation of ME has planets that are procedurally generated with random things, encounters and lore to find, I will squee with joy. And obviously said exploration should be done in a next gen mako. With somewhat real physics please. *goes to play spintyres*

 

[Kieve]

Now that doesn't mean the numbers haven't changed in the years since Dragon Age Origins, but I don't think it has progressed to the point of being a majority either.

The hell...? We're talking about Mass Effect, you realize. Turians, Quarians, Asari, Geth, Krogan, and all the rest. DA:O has nothing to do with it.
Now if you want to bring in some statistical data on the ME3 multiplayer choices, that would be a lot more relevant.
Personally, I'd love the chance to be a Geth again, but I understand there's only so much you can do with customization when your character is a flashlight under metal plating.

Regarding the Mako, I loved it, flaws and all. For all its poor handling, there was nothing quite like launching a tank off a mountain and landing it on some poor SOB's face.

 

[Neonsilver]

For the discussion Mako vs. Hammerhead that some people here started. The controls of the Mako weren't the best and definitely needed improvement. the Hammerhead had great controls but whoever the idiot was that decided the thing doesn't need a shield deserves to be shot, also the gun of the Hammerhead was awful. Since it was made out of paper I regularly tried to shot the enemies from a distance where they couldn't hit me. The problem with that approach was that the gun often decided that the target I was directly pointing at was the wrong target. That resulted in the projectile making a curve and hitting neither my target or the target that the AI chose.

Both things needed a lot of improvement and makes me question how much they tested the things (in case of the Hammerhead I doubt that they tested it on higher difficulties where a single geth with a standard assault rifle was enough to destroy it).


Now to the new vehicle, is it just me or does the design look more like a space SUV than a military vehicle?

 

[immortalfrieza]

I liked the Mako but could understand why people disliked it. It had the mobility of a barn, and a lot of the Mako levels featured insta-kill lava that would cause the Mako to spontaneously combust if it so much as brushed it.

Honestly, they should have replaced it with the Hammerhead, which was the hover-tank thing that was featured in some Mass Effect 2 DLC. Much better mobility, awesome vehicle, shame it was just for a handful of DLC missions.

Use the Hammerhead from ME2 for exploration segments like in ME1, and you have a recipe for success.

If Bioware is smart, they'll add in hover jets as one of those customization options they're talking about and let the players basically just make a Hammerhead if they want it.