ME3...What RPG Elements Got Cut Exactly?

[mikey7339]

Yesterday I played up until you get to the Citadel and everything to me, seems to be the exact same way they left it in ME2. The distribution of skill/squad points, powers, classes, credits & purchases, conversation (paragon & renegade) points.

I had heard a lot of people complaining before the game was released that they were cutting a bunch of the RPG elements out of this game, but honestly I don't see it. Can anyone tell me, what if anything they changed in regards to the RPG aspect?

Also, on a side not I am playing on the PS3. Is any one else on the PS3 experiencing HORRIBLE frame rates when more than a few characters are onscreen at one time during cinematic portions?

 

[Korten12]

Honestly, I only see more added. There is a lot more compared to 2. Such as weapons (there is A LOT of them), mods, more branches in skills, and so on.

I guess you could say that there is less choices, but so far as I am getting in further, I get more choices opening up and while there is only two for the most part a lot of time, they wiegh more then having more options.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Seems about the same as ME2. If anything, the skill trees got marginally more RPGish.

 

[PinochetIsMyBro]

At first I thought there was a depressing lack of dialogue, and what conversations there were seemed to be stunted and forced, as well as painful to listen to.

Then I got to Sur'Kesh with some old pals of mine as squaddies and suddenly EVERYTHING WAS HILARIOUS and all was right with the world.

 

[Smiley Face]

It feels like there's less dialogue choice, and less persuasion - I can count on one hand the amount of time I've used persuasion, and times where you have a significant choice in your reaction to something just seem to crop up less. Note, it's not a LOT less, they're still very much there, but less than they used to be (I'm fairly sure this is indicative of the entire game, as I've already clocked 18 hours or so). And the story seems to be more linearly oriented, although this isn't so much a departure from RPGs than BioWare's usual approach to them. There are also less squad members than there have been previously - I've got 5, and one of them is from the CE DLC.

That said, the STORY is more prominent than it's ever been, it really keeps you focused on what's going on at the moment, and in the big picture. The consequences of your actions throughout all of the games make noticeable and tangible impacts on what happens very frequently. The Citadel feels much more like it did in ME1, which is great, and they've trimmed a lot of the gameplay elements that were dragging it down.

I only really ever play RPGs right now, shooters all feel like they're bland and uninteresting and the same thing I've been playing for 7 years. So Mass Effect hasn't been downgraded from the things that make RPGs great. It is AWESOME.

 

[Jarek Mace]

Let's just sail the choice boat sailed, sunk, and was then plundered by EA for any last gold that sailed with it.
The boat was left there, though.

 

[RJ 17]

Yesterday I played up until you get to the Citadel and everything to me, seems to be the exact same way they left it in ME2. The distribution of skill/squad points, powers, classes, credits & purchases, conversation (paragon & renegade) points.

I had heard a lot of people complaining before the game was released that they were cutting a bunch of the RPG elements out of this game, but honestly I don't see it. Can anyone tell me, what if anything they changed in regards to the RPG aspect?

Also, on a side not I am playing on the PS3. Is any one else on the PS3 experiencing HORRIBLE frame rates when more than a few characters are onscreen at one time during cinematic portions?

I'd imagine the biggest complaint is in regards to the conversations you have with your squadmates onboard the Normandy. While it is nice that they have something neat and unique to say after every mission, people are griping about the fact that conversations with squadmates between missions are handled the same way as Kasumi and Zaeed conversations were: no options, just click on them and they say their line (though in this game Shepard actually responds to what they have to say). I imagine people were looking for more the "talk to squadmates and get the whole "investigate" option to dig more into their personal lives" type of deal. I can definitely understand where they're coming from with that complaint, but at the same time it DOES remove the whole "keep going back to them to make sure they don't have anything new to talk about" type of deal that led to everyone in the Mass Effect universe (even the other characters in the game) questioning Garrus' rather unhealthy obsession with calibrations.

Other than that, this game's got everything you need in an RPG: lvls, exp, plenty of sidequests, inventories, upgradeable weapons, etc. Really I think this game functions perfectly as a RPG.

 

[boag]

If Anything the Game has evolved more into the Tactical side of things, I remember I could just grab soldier and steam roll the entire game in ME1 on Insane, try that on ME 2 and 3 and you are going to get fucked up fast.

 

[MetallicaRulez0]

If Anything the Game has evolved more into the Tactical side of things, I remember I could just grab soldier and steam roll the entire game in ME1 on Insane, try that on ME 2 and 3 and you are going to get fucked up fast.

Well, to be fair that's because Immunity was absurdly broken in ME1. Doesn't really have anything to do with tactics.

OT: ME3 has fewer dialogue options than previous games, but I honestly don't think it takes much away from the game as a whole. The character building is much more prominent than it was in ME2. More weapons, upgrades, armor, etc. You still run into the "eventually I have everything maxed" problem from ME2. I'm level 52 right now and have all but 1 talent maxed.

 

[boag]

If Anything the Game has evolved more into the Tactical side of things, I remember I could just grab soldier and steam roll the entire game in ME1 on Insane, try that on ME 2 and 3 and you are going to get fucked up fast.

Well, to be fair that's because Immunity was absurdly broken in ME1. Doesn't really have anything to do with tactics.

OT: ME3 has fewer dialogue options than previous games, but I honestly don't think it takes much away from the game as a whole. The character building is much more prominent than it was in ME2. More weapons, upgrades, armor, etc. You still run into the "eventually I have everything maxed" problem from ME2. I'm level 52 right now and have all but 1 talent maxed.

the fact that you cant just pick a skill and buff it to the max to push button win game does make tactics come into play.

 

[skywolfblue]

I think they added more then they cut.

- Talent trees for the last 4 of any Power.
- Stats on weapons is back
- Weapon addons/upgrades are back

- They trimmed out the boring useless dialogue options. Now every time you speak it's to make a choice and the conversation goes on from there, no boring standing around looking dumb. Shepard moves and is much more animated about stuff.
- They did get rid of the middle ground stuff, but that was never really any good to begin with.

 

[mikey7339]

Seriously, made it to the Normandy and have access to the Galaxy now. I do not know what everyone was complaining about. If it was about the dialog, then good God this has to be one of the worst examples of fanboys raging over nothing. Even the dialog options don't seem cut back, they just seem changed.

 

[nklshaz]

I think what people are talking about when they say stuff was cut is the neutral dialog options, you know, somewhere between a saint and a dick. I've never really used them before, but, from the few hours I've played there are some points where I'm thinking "I don't want to be mean to the guy, but all the nice dialog sounds like I'm hitting on him."

Actually, I found that the "mean" dialogue options in ME3 aren't always so mean. When dealing with Shepard's friends, they tend to lean more towards being direct and getting down to business, rather than just generally being a dick.

 

[70R4N]

If Anything the Game has evolved more into the Tactical side of things, I remember I could just grab soldier and steam roll the entire game in ME1 on Insane, try that on ME 2 and 3 and you are going to get fucked up fast.

Well, to be fair that's because Immunity was absurdly broken in ME1. Doesn't really have anything to do with tactics.

OT: ME3 has fewer dialogue options than previous games, but I honestly don't think it takes much away from the game as a whole. The character building is much more prominent than it was in ME2. More weapons, upgrades, armor, etc. You still run into the "eventually I have everything maxed" problem from ME2. I'm level 52 right now and have all but 1 talent maxed.

the fact that you cant just pick a skill and buff it to the max to push button win game does make tactics come into play.

Step 1: pick Vanguard
Step 2: max charge and nova
Step 3: win game

I barely use any weapons or powers besides charge and nova and I'm playing on hard difficulty. Vanguard = broken (but kinda fun)

 

[Black Arrow Officer]

Nothing really. In fact, they added to both the RPG elements with improved customization, lots of guns (and not boring ME1 reskin garbage guns), better dialogue that doesn't force you into going 100% Paragon or 100% Renegade, and some choices where both Renegade and Paragon options have much different consequences then what Shepard says. Myself, a hardcore Renegade made several Paragon options when I saw them needed. So yeah, ragers gonna rage. This game is pure win, and it by far a superior game then ME1 and ME2.

 

[Dasick]

And yet there were lots more weapon models, mods and skills in ME1.

Yeah, I know, it was either broken or bland. But the system in place allowed for much more depth and variety if properly calibrated (Garrus knows what I'm talking about ).

 

[Stormz]

So there isn't a lack of weapons in this game? That's one complaint that I had gone, what about Armour options? Is there more there too?

 

[Shellsh0cker]

So there isn't a lack of weapons in this game? That's one complaint that I had gone, what about Armour options? Is there more there too?

Lack of weapons? Hell no. I think I have at least 3 different options for each weapon type at this point, and I've only been playing for about 15 hours. You can't carry heavy weapons anymore, though; now they're "find them, use them, throw them away" affairs, like any of the guns in Mirror's Edge.

Armor works pretty much exactly as it did in ME2, though now you mostly find armor pieces during missions instead of buying them at stores. In addition, alternate outfits for squadmates will now apply different armor bonuses, though you can't swap out individual armor pieces like you can with Shepard's.

 

[Toilet]

You make it sound like Mass Effect was an RPG before they started cutting corners, well it isnt. The only thing RPG like in Mass Effect is that your Shepard is your own Mary Sue [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MarySue] where you can insert yourself in to that universe and do what you will.

If you take out the Mary Sue bullshit of making your own Shepard, moral choices and dialogue options all you have is a sub par third person shooter no better than Gears Of War. Which is probably what the Action Mode is if you choose that option where you can skip all the choice.

Spoiler

Yeah I linked you to TVTropes, enjoy your wasted evening and remember my opinion > your opinion.