Max Payne vs Mass Effect - Which is better trilogy?

[Phoenixmgs]

I'm ashamed to admit, I was fuckin' livid. I felt like EA/Bioware wasted my time with the entire trilogy. But over time I got over it and I learned how to appreciate it for what it is despite that one flaw that seemed so fatal at the time. I was so out of my mind I was really rooting for the Indoctrination Theory, despite being fully aware that there's no way that Bioware could think of something like that.

I never got the massive backlash over the 3 choice thing. The whole series was about a rather railroaded plot where major story choices only occurred down branches that dead ended basically. Sure those choices had minor impacts on mainly who was and wasn't at certain plot points but it didn't really affect the main plot. That's the limitation of making a video game RPG vs a tabletop RPG (where the DM can massively change the plot based on previous sessions). The writing quality of the ending could've definitely been better (I'm not a fan of the boy catalyst plot point) but expecting drastically different endings based on all your choices was never a thing that was going to happen. It's not like the story before the ending was without tons of issues itself, I recall there being a massive thread on the old forums complaining about the plot in the 1st 2 games IIRC.

 

[Adam Jensen]

I never got the massive backlash over the 3 choice thing. The whole series was about a rather railroaded plot where major story choices only occurred down branches that dead ended basically. Sure those choices had minor impacts on mainly who was and wasn't at certain plot points but it didn't really affect the main plot. That's the limitation of making a video game RPG vs a tabletop RPG (where the DM can massively change the plot based on previous sessions). The writing quality of the ending could've definitely been better (I'm not a fan of the boy catalyst plot point) but expecting drastically different endings based on all your choices was never a thing that was going to happen. It's not like the story before the ending was without tons of issues itself, I recall there being a massive thread on the old forums complaining about the plot in the 1st 2 games IIRC.

The problem wasn't the three choice thing as much as the fact that none of those choices made any sense whatsoever. And in fact, they went against the established rules of the Mass Effect universe. Everything about the ending was nonsensical. The fact that it was a three-choice ending was just the cherry on top, because Casey Hudson literally lied about it months before the release of the game.

 

[laggyteabag]

Firstly, these games are entirely different. Both series being compared just because they both happen to have guns, and are played in the third person, is a very loose connection.

Secondly, why even bother trying to start a conversation about which is the better trilogy, when you already think that one series is completely mediocre?

But, for the record, Mass Effect wins by default, with me, because I have never played Max Payne 1 or 2.

 

[Trunkage]

The biggest problem with ME series is that we were told it was about player choice. But that player choice was rather limited

We believed could make a game about choice. But something like Baulders Gate didn't have much choice at all. There are way more choices in the finale of ME3 than BG. It was overhype of Bioware's abilities from the start.

(I haven't played KOTOR so my experience with young Bioware is limited here.)

 

[Kae]

The biggest problem with ME series is that we were told it was about player choice. But that player choice was rather limited

We believed could make a game about choice. But something like Baulders Gate didn't have much choice at all. There are way more choices in the finale of ME3 than BG. It was overhype of Bioware's abilities from the start.

(I haven't played KOTOR so my experience with young Bioware is limited here.)

It's not much better in terms of choice, like even KOTOR 2, which is like much better is pretty limitted.

 

[Trunkage]

It's not much better in terms of choice, like even KOTOR 2, which is like much better is pretty limitted.

I cant explained how Bioware got it reputation before EA but I cant see how it was deserved

Overhype killed Bioware, not (just) EA

 

[Jarrito3002]

I'm ashamed to admit, I was fuckin' livid. I felt like EA/Bioware wasted my time with the entire trilogy. But over time I got over it and I learned how to appreciate it for what it is despite that one flaw that seemed so fatal at the time. I was so out of my mind I was really rooting for the Indoctrination Theory, despite being fully aware that there's no way that Bioware could think of something like that.

Indoctrination Theory. I have a flimsy memory of that. Was it something like Battlestar Galatica where everyone was a borg all along?

 

[Kae]

I cant explained how Bioware got it reputation before EA but I cant see how it was deserved

Overhype killed Bioware, not (just) EA

Yeah, if I'm entirely honest I don't like any of their games and I'm pretty sure I've played most of them, I just find the writing to be very bland.

 

[Trunkage]

Indoctrination Theory. I have a flimsy memory of that. Was it something like Battlestar Galatica where everyone was a borg all along?

It's where all of Sheps action were controlled by the Repears to get them to press one of the buttons at the end

Edit: Synthesis ending definitely went full BSG

 

[immortalfrieza]

As a huge Max Payne fan and known hater of Mass Effect I must state, the series aren't really comparable at all and Max Payne 3 is trash, it's so bad that even though I don't like Mass Effect I would choose the Mass Effect trilogy over it because the Max Payne games are better off as a pair of 2 excellent games rather than being associated with that garbage!

So come at me all Max Payne 3 fans with your terrible taste for poorly written garbage, get your Rockstar garbage out of my face and tell Dan Houser his script belongs in the trash bin ya losers!

Honestly? If they fixed those godawful nauseating literally headache causing cutscenes and gave subtitles to all the foreign language in the game it would at least be tolerable. The fact that Max Payne 3 clearly was just another game script that they slapped the name Max Payne on with little actually Max Payne about it could've at least been watchable if it wasn't for those things.

Saying Mass Effect, any Mass Effect, is better than Max Payne 3 is like saying an Ice Cream cone is better if it actually has Ice Cream in it. Well duh.

 

[Ezekiel]

and gave subtitles to all the foreign language in the game it would at least be tolerable.

That would be awful, actually. He doesn't speak Portuguese. He's an outsider.

 

[immortalfrieza]

The problem wasn't the three choice thing as much as the fact that none of those choices made any sense whatsoever. And in fact, they went against the established rules of the Mass Effect universe. Everything about the ending was nonsensical. The fact that it was a three-choice ending was just the cherry on top, because Casey Hudson literally lied about it months before the release of the game.

Yep. The three endings were as close to exactly the same as something can get and still be technically different. Other "choice" games that result in the same thing at least try to fake that the choices result in something different, Mass Effect 3 didn't even try. Even then, there's no reason the various endings can't be radically different from each other even if what leads up to it isn't significantly different.

That would be awful, actually. He doesn't speak Portuguese. He's an outsider.

And? It's fine if Max doesn't understand what is being said, but the player should be able to. There's realism and then there's frustrating the player just because. It kills a massive amount of the subtle details and world building conversations that the game has because there's not only untranslated dialog but an excessive amount of it. On top of that, since you can't understand what the enemies are saying that gives you a massive disadvantage in combat when they talk about things they are about to do. What's worse, there's 1 cutscene where they decide to just arbitrarily give subtitles to the Portuguese the people are speaking for dramatic effect. Either just let us understand what's being said or don't.

 

[Ezekiel]

And? It's fine if Max doesn't understand what is being said, but the player should be able to. There's realism and then there's frustrating the player just because. What's worse, there's 1 cutscene where they decide to just arbitrarily give subtitles to the Portuguese the people are speaking for dramatic effect. Either just let us understand what's being said or don't.

No, the player should absolutely not be able to understand the natives. Films do the same thing. Would have been fucking dumb if all those screaming Somalis in Black Hawk Down were subtitled or if the Germans in all those WWII movies were always subbed. They're putting you in the shoes of the characters by not providing subs for languages they don't know.

 

[immortalfrieza]

No, the player should absolutely not be able to understand the natives. Films do the same thing. Would have been fucking dumb if all those screaming Somalis in Black Hawk Down were subtitled or if the Germans in all those WWII movies were always subbed. They're putting you in the shoes of the characters by not providing subs for languages they don't know.

The vast majority of the Brazil sections of the game are utterly destroyed by not having subtitles. World building? Gone. Tactical advantages in combat? Gone. Details subtle and otherwise? Gone. A large amount of details of the plot? Gone.

It doesn't benefit the player, it doesn't make the game more immersive, it in fact ruins immersion, and it just annoys the player. There's no reason for it whatsoever and it provides absolutely nothing.

 

[Gordon_4]

The problem wasn't the three choice thing as much as the fact that none of those choices made any sense whatsoever. And in fact, they went against the established rules of the Mass Effect universe. Everything about the ending was nonsensical. The fact that it was a three-choice ending was just the cherry on top, because Casey Hudson literally lied about it months before the release of the game.

Way I heard it was they scrapped the original ending because someone leaked it. It’s not a lie if you change directions after an act of sabotage.

 

[Trunkage]

Way I heard it was they scrapped the original ending because someone leaked it. It’s not a lie if you change directions after an act of sabotage.

No, people predicted it. Similar things happened with Lost. They got scared

 

[Kae]

No, people predicted it. Similar things happened with Lost. They got scared

Terminator Salvation was leaked though, and the rewrite to avoid spoilers was the worst thing they could have thought of.

 

[Gordon_4]

Terminator Salvation was leaked though, and the rewrite to avoid spoilers was the worst thing they could have thought of.

Yeah the OG ending for that would have made it a better movie.

 

[Hawki]

The comparison is rediculous.

We all know Mass Effect is a quadrilogy.

 

[Kae]

The comparison is rediculous.

We all know Mass Effect is a quadrilogy.

And Max Payne a Duology