WebProNews

Tag: Mass Effect

  • Mass Effect 3’s Final DLC Announced

    Nearly one year out from the release of Mass Effect 3, EA and BioWare have announced the final DLC installments for the Mass Effect Trilogy. Two new add-ons, Mass Effect 3: Reckoning and Mass Effect 3: Citadel will be coming soon to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

    Reckoning will be released on February 26 and be free to download for one year. The content will offer new multiplayer characters, weapons, and upgrades.

    Citadel will be released on March 5 and will cost $15 or 1200 Microsoft Points. EA‘s announcement stated that it will feature new single-player campaign content in which players will explore a “deep-space station” while “having the opportunity to reconnect with some of their favorite characters from all three of the Mass Effect games.”

    “The team has poured heart and soul into Mass Effect 3: Reckoning and Mass Effect 3: Citadel,” said Casey Hudson, executive producer of the Mass Effect series. “As the launch of these chapters near, the feeling around the studio is bittersweet. We have always been humbled and driven by the passion of our fans for the Mass Effect trilogy. We hope fans will enjoy spending more time with some of their favorite characters – we have certainly enjoyed spending time creating them. We’re excited to release this final sendoff for the trilogy and move forward into the future of the Mass Effect universe.”

  • Mass Effect N7 Armor Will be in Dead Space 3

    EA today announced an odd crossover feature that will be in Dead Space 3. Gamers who have played Mass Effect 3 will be able to outfit Isaac Clarke and John Carver in armor inspired by N7 designs in the Mass Effect universe.

    To don the armor, gamers will have to have played Mass Effect 3 and have a Mass Effect 3 save file on the same system they are playing Dead Space 3 on. That’s basically it. EA didn’t say whether the armor is better or worse than the starting armor for Dead Space 3 or whether the N7 style will be upgraded along with armor during the game.

    Between the superfluous Kinect voice capabilities and this latest announcement, it seems as if the Dead Space franchise is getting a bit silly. If the story and gameplay in Dead Space 3 isn’t up to fans’ expectations, the game may end up being EA’s Mass Effect 3-like disappointment for 2013. Hopefully gamers won’t be asked to pay for day-one DLC that pertains directly to the series’ story.

    Here’s the trailer for the new armor, which does at least look pretty cool:

  • BioWare Knows About Expired Mass Effect Codes, is Working to Fix Them

    It seems that the marketing tie-ins for the Mass Effect franchise got a bit tangled over the holiday season. Bioware has released a statement to let customers who bought Mass Effect: Paragon Lost know that the company is aware of a problem with some of the Mass Effect 3 multiplayer unlock codes that came along with the movie:

    It has come to our attention that some customers are receiving error messages when trying to redeem codes found inside specially marked copies of Mass Effect: Paragon Lost. The code, which entitles the customer to a bonus multiplayer reinforcement pack, contains an expiration date of 12/31/12. We want to assure the customers affected by this that we are aware of the error and are working to extend the expiration date so that the codes can still be redeemed.

    BioWare went on to say that it will post an update to its blog when the issue is resolved.

    Mass Effect: Paragon Lost is an anime movie set in the Mass Effect universe. It was developed as a collaboration between BioWare and Production I.G., the Japanese anime studio famous for projects such as Patlabor, The End of Evangelion, and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.

    The movie was only released on December 28, 2012, so an expiration date of December 31 is quite ridiculous. It’s likely that someone fat-fingered the date for some of the codes in a database somewhere. However, events such as this demonstrate quite clearly why it is silly for offer codes to expire before the product itself does.

  • Mass Effect 3 Omega DLC Out Tomorrow, Launch Trailer Released

    The next single-player DLC pack for Mass Effect 3 launches tomorrow (Wednesday on the PlayStation 3), and EA has released a story-heavy launch trailer to mark the occasion.

    In Mass Effect 3: Omega, the notorious criminal haven has been taken over by Cerberus and Commander Shepard will have to join up with Omega’s former leader, Aria T’Loak to take back the station. There’s also a side-plot about helping a Turian mercenary free the slaves on Omega, but mostly it looks to feature new enemies (including a new Reaper) in four action-heavy missions.

    The new DLC will also, in a way, be the first glimpse at the future of the Mass Effect series. That’s because Omega was developed by Bioware Montreal, the developer that recently announced it is working on a brand new Mass Effect game. The new game will be “exploring new directions, both on the gameplay and story fronts.” In the meantime, the new DLC will provide more of the classic Mass Effect gameplay fans of the series crave.

  • New Mass Effect Game Being Developed by Bioware Montreal, Details Revealed

    New Mass Effect Game Being Developed by Bioware Montreal, Details Revealed

    BioWare Montreal Studio Director Yanick Roy took to the Bioware blog today to highlight the studio and reassure fans that the Mass Effect franchise is in good hands.

    BioWare Montreal will be creating the next Mass Effect game, and is already in development on the title. Roy pointed out that the Montreal studio built “about half of the cinematics” for Mass Effect 2, and also most of the N7 missions. For Mass Effect 3, love it or hate it, BioWare Montreal was in charge of the multiplayer aspect. Most recently, the team created the Omega DLC for Mass Effect 3, due out on November 27.

    It can be unnerving for fans when a beloved franchise is put into the hands of a new development studio, particularly one with little experience creating an entire AAA title. However, as the furor over the ending of Mass Effect 3 shows, stagnation can also hurt a franchise. Roy did state that BioWare Montreal won’t be alone during development, though. From the blog post:

    To ensure a proper and effective transition, we’ll continue to be supported by the Edmonton studio through the game’s development, working with and learning from them on some critical initiatives. On top of that, Casey remains the Executive Producer, but he will have a Project Director under him, working in Montreal, leading our development team and making day-to-day decisions for the game. We all care very much about Mass Effect and make our decisions based on what’s best for the game.

    Unfortunately, Roy did not release many details for the upcoming Mass Effect title. The only bit he mentioned is that the game will be built using the Frostbite 2 engine, the same one used for Battlefield 3 and the upcoming Dragon Age III: Inquisition. He also stated that the new game will be “very respectful” of the Mass Effect trilogy and that the switch to a new game engine means the developers are “exploring new directions, both on the gameplay and story fronts.”

  • Mass Effect Trilogy Is EA’s Holiday Cash Grab

    Medal of Honor Warfighter is not doing that well at retail, nor is it finding favor with critics. EA needs something else with massive mainstream appeal to propel the company into a profitable fourth quarter. Why not release three previously released titles in one swank boxset? It’s worked for HD collections, and it will work for BioWare’s space saga.

    It’s been known for a while now that BioWare and EA would be releasing the Mass Effect Trilogy on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC this holiday season. It wouldn’t be that interesting except for that the trilogy will be the first time that the original Mass Effect makes the jump to the PS3.

    Mass Effect 3 was disappointing to many fans, but the first two titles are generally regarded as some of the finest RPGs of the current generation. The limited edition packaging might be a draw for the hardcore BioWare fans, but the rest of us might want to stick to the copies that we already own. The set is an excellent package, however, for those who haven’t played any of the Mass Effect games.

    The Mass Effect Trilogy will be out on the Xbox 360 and PC on November 6. The PS3 version will launch a month later on December 4. The original Mass Effect will also be made available on the PSN on December 4 for those who already own the latter titles on Sony’s console.

  • Mass Effect Anime 9-Minute Sneak Peak Released

    Last month a trailer for Mass Effect: Paragon Lost was released. The movie is an animated tale set in the Mass Effect universe. It follows the story of James Vega, who leads an Alliance special forces squad against the Collectors. It’s set between the events of Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3, so it takes place before the full-scale Reaper invasion.

    Today, a much longer 9-minute preview for the movie was released for the movie. It shows Vega and his men going up against a squad of Krogans. While the Krogans are tough, it should come as no surprise that some biotics and a bit of strategy throws their formation into disarray.

    The movie was created as a collaboration between Bioware and Production I.G., the Japanese anime studio famous for TV and movies such as Patlabor, Blood+, The End of Evangelion, and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.

    Paragon Lost will be released on December 28, so it might be something to look for when shopping with store credit from gift returns. From the preview below it seems the movie is pretty cheesy, but fans of the Mass Effect universe are sure to want more from the setting, especially when considering the debacle over Mass Effect 3‘s ending.

  • Mass Effect Trilogy Box Set Announced

    Mass Effect Trilogy Box Set Announced

    EA and BioWare announced today that a boxed set including all of the Mass Effect games will be available this holiday season. Called simply the Mass Effect Trilogy, the compilation will be available for the price of one new video game: $59.99.

    The set will give gamers who haven’t played any of the trilogy yet the chance to get Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3 in one place. EA did not state whether downloadable content (DLC) for the games is included in the package.

    The Mass Effect Trilogy will be released on Xbox 360 and PC on November 6th, and on PlayStation 3 at a later date. Presumably, the delay for the PlayStation 3 version of the trilogy is due to the porting of the original Mass Effect, which never saw a PlayStation 3 release. The original Mass Effect will also be available standalone on the PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Network.

    To coincide with the launch of the Mass Effect Trilogy, EA has declared November 7th to be “N7 Day.” The company stated that there will be a “worldwide celebration of the Mass Effect franchise, and that there will be in-game, online, and live events at which “fans can congregate and fly their N7 colors.”

    BioWare recently announced that it is developing Dragon Age III: Inquisition. Meanwhile, the company’s co-founders, Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuck have retired from the gaming business to pursue other opportunities.

  • Dragon Age III: Inquisition Announced, Coming 2013

    Most BioWare fans agree that Dragon Age: Origins was a pretty amazing game. Those same fans agree that Dragon Age II was an abysmal flop that reneged on everything the original game brought to the table. Now BioWare has a chance to get it right with a new game coming out next year.

    BioWare announced today that they are currently deep in development on Dragon Age III: Inquisition. There’s not much in the way of details for now, but we do know a few things. The game is being developed by the team that worked on Dragon Age: Origins. It doesn’t confirm that the game will be going back to its strategic roots, but it does inspire hope.

    Dragon Age III

    The far more interesting revelation is that BioWare is creating an entirely new engine for Dragon Age III. They started with DICE’s super impressive Frostbite 2 engine as the foundation and are tweaking it to their own needs. The team feels that the new engine will allow them to “deliver a more expansive world, better visuals, more reactivity to player choices, and more customization.”

    Unfortunately, that’s all we really know for now. We can jump into baseless speculation, but that would be unfair to the folks at BioWare. After disappointments with Dragon Age II and Mass Effect 3, BioWare has to prove themselves to gamers again. They used to be the most trusted name in Western RPGs, but have lost a lot of that acclaim over the last few years. Dragon Age III is their chance to reclaim their honor.

    Will they accomplish such a herculean task? It’s hard to say for now, but it sounds like BioWare is letting the fans dictate the direction that Dragon Age III takes. If anything, it will be interesting to see how this all turns out. I’m remaining skeptical, but I’m willing to give BioWare one more shot.

  • Mass Effect Animated Movie Trailer Released

    A full trailer for the upcoming animated Mass Effect movie Mass Effect: Paragon Lost hit the internet today. According to the video description, the movie shows the story of an Alliance marine named James Vega, who leads a special forces squad against the collectors. Vega and his soldiers are stationed at a remote colony that is attacked, and they must fight off the collectors as they attempt to kidnap the civilians on the planet.

    The movie is set between Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3, meaning it is a precursor to the Reaper invasion. Hopefully this is one Mass Effect story that will have a great ending. 2-disc and 1-disc Blu-ray editions can be preordered now at Amazon.

    Mass Effect: Paragon Lost is a collaboration between Bioware and Production I.G. Production I.G. is a Japanese anime studio famous for animating TV and movies such as Patlabor, Blood+, The End of Evangelion, and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.

  • Mass Effect 3: Leviathan Launch Trailer Released [Video]

    The launch of the first post-launch single-player downloadable content (DLC) for Mass Effect 3 (if you don’t count the Extended Cut) is only days away. Today, EA released a launch trailer for the content that shows off a little of what players can expect in terms of story and setting.

    In Leviathan, which is set during the events of Mass Effect 3, Shepard searches for a powerful weapon to battle the reapers. Shepard and crew will race across the galaxy, exploring new star systems and areas of the Citadel in search of the weapon. The origins of the reapers will be uncovered and, it appears, players will face an ancient reaper named Leviathan. Judging by the launch trailer below, the Leviathan DLC appears to be a dark, mysterious, action-packed side story for Mass Efffect 3.

  • Mass Effect 3 Leviathan DLC Release Date Announced

    This week Bioware announced an official release date for its first single-player downloadable content (DLC) for Mass Effect 3 (as long as you don’t count day-1 DLC or the Extended Cut fiasco). Mass Effect 3 Leviathan will be released on August 28th for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. For Playstation 3 owners in Europe, though, the content will be a day late and arrive on August 29th.

    Bioware earlier this month released details about what players can expect from the Leviathan DLC. From the Bioware blog:

    Something lurks in the dark corners of space, something powerful enough to kill a Reaper. Shepard must discover the most closely guarded secret in the galaxy before the Reapers silence it forever. Discover more about the origins of the Reapers as you race across the galaxy to find the Leviathan. Unravel the dark history of the Reaper Race before it is too late. Coming later this summer there is no war, only the harvest.

    Later in that blog post Bioware states that the Leviathan is actually a “mysterious being,” though they don’t hint at what its power might be. In terms of where the new DLC fits into the Mass Effect cannon, Bioware said that Leviathan is set during the events of Mass Effect 3, so don’t expect the Leviathan’s power to be galaxy-altering.

    The Leviathan DLC will cost $10 if purchased for the PC or via the PlayStation Network, or 800 Microsoft Points if purchased through Xbox LIVE.

    The DLC will also unlock new star systems and Citadel areas for players to explore, new characters to speak with, and two new weapons: the AT-12 Raider Shotgun and the M-55 Argus Assault Rifle. If players want even more new weapons, they can now purchase the Firefight Pack DLC weapon pack, which was released last week. The weapon pack is for single-player only and costs $2 for the PC and Playstation Network, or 160 Microsoft Points through Xbox LIVE.

  • Take Back Earth In Latest Mass Effect 3 DLC

    People seem to really enjoy the multi-player component in Mass Effect 3. I wouldn’t know as I still have yet to play the game, but general consensus is that it’s great fun. Free DLC packs definitely help make things more fun and BioWare is continuing to spread the love with a new DLC pack hitting next week.

    The pack is called Earth and, surprise, takes place on the big blueberry that we call home. As has been the case since the beginning, the story behind the multiplayer is still all about taking back key locations from the Reapers around the galaxy. Considering that an invasion of Earth played prominently in the ad campaign for the game, it only makes sense to have it show up in multi-player.

    Take Back Earth In Latest Mass Effect 3 DLC

    So what will Mass Effect 3: Earth contain? Players will be able to access three new weapons – Piranha assault shotgun, Acolyte pistol, and the Typhoon assault rifle. On top of that, seven new human N7 classes will become available – Destroyer Soldier, Paladin Sentinel, Demolisher Engineer, Slayer Vanguard, Shadow Infiltrator, and Fury Adept. Each class features new abilities and melee attacks for players to try out.

    The three maps that players will fight for Earth on include Firebase Rio, Vancouver and London. They will be available to play as soon as the pack is downloaded. Everything else, including weapons and characters, will be unlocked through existing Reinforcement packs.

    Take Back Earth In Latest Mass Effect 3 DLC

    Mass Effect 3: Earth will be available worldwide on Xbox 360 and PC on July 17. It will launch on July 17 on PS3 in North America and July 18 in Europe. As always, the multiplayer packs are free so no reason not to at least try it out.

  • Mass Effect 3 Finally Gets Fixed On June 26

    The fallout following the supposed terrible ending to Mass Effect 3 has subsided a lot since it first started consuming our lives back in March. During that time, BioWare promised a free update to the game that would expand upon the ending and explain what happened. BioWare has followed through on that promise with the extended ending going out next week.

    BioWare announced today that Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut will be out on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC via Origin on June 26. As they previously promised, the update will be completely free. The update is pretty beefy at 1.9GB and promises to expand on the “endings of Mass Effect 3 through additional scenes and epilogues sequences.”

    Interestingly enough, BioWare also said that the Extended Cut will give “a sense of what the future holds as a result of the decisions made throughout the series.” Sure, it could be just one of typical RPG endings where the heroes hold hands as they watch all the good they have done while the screen fades out to a “fin.” That’s no fun, however, so let’s speculate. Perhaps the Extended Cut will tell us where the Mass Effect franchise will go from here. Since they already confirmed that the series would be a trilogy, it might hint at a new franchise set in the same universe following a different hero.

    For those who were hoping for entirely brand new endings, you’re out of luck. As mentioned above, the Extended Cut only serves to expand upon the endings that are already in the game. So I guess the ending where Shepard wakes up to find that he is actually in fact Dr. Ray Muzyka is out of the question then.

    Check out the BioWare blog post for details on where the new content starts to show up. It’s full of spoilers so don’t go unless you’ve already completed the game once and subjected yourself to the terrible ending. Speaking of spoilers, BioWare has also put together a little talk with the game’s writers discussing what went into making the Extended Edition.

  • Mass Effect Ending Gets ASA Clearance

    Mass Effect Ending Gets ASA Clearance

    UK advertising regulator, The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), recently stated that they will not act on claims that Mass Effect 3 creators misled customers about the extent to which they could create their own ending. The actual advertising states “decisions you make completely shape your experience and outcome.” Fans were outraged when the outcome fell short of expectations.

    The ASA was alerted shortly after the games release, when many consumers claimed false advertising. After hearing evidence from Electronic Arts, the ASA decided the publisher did enough to satisfy the claims they made. The ASA released the following statement which was first published in CVG UK:

    “The ASA acknowledged the belief that players’ choices in the game did not influence the outcome to the extent claimed by EA. However, we considered that the three choices at the end of the game were thematically quite different, and that the availability and effectiveness of those choices would be directly determined by a player’s score, which was calculated with reference to previous performance in the game(s).

    “We also acknowledged that there appeared to be a large number of minor variations in the end stages of ME3, and that those were directly impacted by choices made by players earlier in the game(s).

    “Whilst we acknowledged that the advertiser had placed particular emphasis on the role that player choices would play in determining the outcome of the game, we considered that most consumers would realize there would be a finite number of possible outcomes within the game and, because we considered that the advertiser had shown that players’ previous choices and performance would impact on the ending of the game, we concluded that the ad was not misleading.”

    The ending to Mass Effect 3 caught the ire of the entire gaming public a few months ago. Bioware has since said that they will be releasing new DLC for the game that will include an alternate/extended ending for fans that were unhappy with the conclusion. The release date has not been given, but is expected this summer. So… soon.

    It remains to be seen if the USA’s FTC will have any comment on the now passé hatred of the trilogy’s conclusion. A free DLC is on the way to clear things up, but somehow I doubt this will placate some fans.

    [joystiq via CVG]

  • Mass Effect 3 Patch Fixes Face Import Error

    One of the most disappointing things about Mass Effect 3, besides the ending, was that Xbox 360 gamers who started with the first game couldn’t import their Shepard into the third game. BioWare promised a fix and that fix is coming this week.

    Announced on the BioWare blog last Friday, the details of the patch were made public. It will be hitting the PC tomorrow, April 9, and hitting consoles a day later on April 10. The fixes coming repair some pretty big bugs and glitches like the aforementioned face importation problem. It also fixes some bugs that caused the player’s level to be reset or a crash resulting from quick loading of a FemShep profile.

    Here’s the full change list:

    Fixed issues when in some cases Shepard’s customized facial features from ME1/ME2 may not be properly imported to ME3
    Fixed an issue when quickly and repeatedly selecting to Resume a Save could result in Player Level reset and a potential locking of powers.
    Fixed an issue when selecting Multiplayer in the Main Menu while under a poor network connection could result in an unresponsive state.
    Fixed a potential crash while accessing an in-game terminal from Eden Prime level.
    Fixed an issue when attempting to login while Server is down. It would display a Server Down message and accepting the Server Shutdown message would shut down the game.
    Fixed a potential memory crash while loading a Quick Save of a custom FemShep.
    Fixed an issue when restarting missions and acquiring an above max amount of weapon mods results in displayed debug text on-screen.
    Fixed an issue when an unresponsive game state could occur during transition after the Conduit level.
    Fixed an issue when DLC game saves can be accessed from an account without DLC if another account on the same computer has access to the related DLC. (PC Only)
    Fixed an issue when saves from different accounts on the same computer may become locked if one account has access to DLC which the other account does not. (PC Only)
    Fixed an issue when potentially the game could enter unresponsive state when transitioning from the Holding Docks area to the Normandy Docks area of the Citadel. (PS3 Only)

    On top of this, BioWare also announced Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut last week. It seeks to add further clarification onto the polarizing ending that has become one of the biggest talking points within gaming this year. It remains to be seen if this will appease those players who felt betrayed by the ending.

  • Mars Effect Is The Next Game From Minecraft Creator

    Notch and his company, Mojang, have been busy developing new ideas after he left Minecraft in the capable hands of Jeb. One of those games was Scrolls which got the company into hot water with Bethesda over its The Elder Scrolls trademark. It seems the developer has not learned its lesson as its next game is even more infringement friendly.

    Notch announced Mars Effect today. It promises to be an innovative sci-fi game, the likes of which the world has never seen. While there aren’t many details yet on what the game is going to be about or include, Notch has provided a few teases to get us prepared for what is obviously going to be the biggest game this year. The list of confirmed features so far are thus:


    Hard science fiction.
    Lots of engineering.
    Fully working computer system.
    Space battles against the AI or other players.
    A game ending that makes sense.
    Abandoned ships full of loot.
    Waist high walls.
    Seamlessly landing on planets.
    Advanced economy system.
    Mining, trading, and looting.

    This game is already looking to outshine Minecraft as a paragon of indie gaming. The mere promise of a game ending that makes sense is enough to inspire hope in the hundreds of fans who are still upset over another similarly titled game.

    I bet you all are now already salivating at the idea of Mars Effect and have your money ready to buy it. You had better put your wallet back because the game isn’t real. Game developers are one of the most notorious April Fools Day pranksters and this is just another one of them. This is obviously one of those times, however, when you wish it wasn’t a prank. The game actually does sound pretty awesome.

    Twitter has come to the same realization that this prank game sounds way too awesome to just live out its life as a joke.

    @GureiSeion
    Keith Walker    Of course, the Star Control spiritual successor that I’ll never get. 🙁 #marseffect 13 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @mvpoirier
    Mike Poirier    The downside of April Fools is that I wish some were real. #marseffect 20 minutes ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @RavyuS
    Ravyu Sivakumaran     Preordered #MARSEFFECT at Amazeon! Can’t wait 37 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @theoneNallen
    Nick ‘Nallen’ Allen    The number of people who think #marseffect isn’t an april fools joke is very worrying. 4 hours ago via Echofon ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @AARST
    Boudewijn H    #MarsEffect feature list includes: “A game ending that makes sense.” Mojang knows not to piss off the internet. 4 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • Bioware Announces Another Mass Effect N7 Weekend

    The weekend before last, Bioware held its first N7 challenge for Mass Effect 3 multiplayer fans, Operation: Goliath. Players jumped on board in droves, smashing the community goal of killing a million brutes by taking down over three million.

    They followed up this past weekend with Operation: Fortress. Players were rewarded an addition 25% experience for playing over the weekend.

    Bioware is returning to victory and commendation pack rewards this weekend with Operation: Raptor.

    The goal this weekend is to promote as many characters as possible. Victory packs will be given to all players who participate in promoting 150,000 characters total. Individual commendation packs will be given to players that successfully promote two characters over the weekend.

    For those of you who don’t know, “promote” means to achieve the maximum level (lvl 20) for a particular character. This may prove the most challenging weekend of all. Maxing out your characters takes a lot of game time, and many have already achieved this for all their characters, meaning they would have to reset to be able to participate.

    So far the operation is still not available for the Playstation 3, though Bioware says they are still trying to work out the details, and expect to have an answer by the end of the week. “We are continuing to work with Sony to enable these types of Operations on the PlayStation 3 platform. We appreciate your patience, and we expect an update later this week regarding Operation Raptor and the PlayStation 3.”

    Like before, players need to set “Upload Gameplay Feedback” to “ON” to participate.

    @rob_keyes
    Rob Keyes    I’m in(visible as an Infiltrator)! ‘Mass Effect 3’ Operation Raptor N7 Bounty Weekend Details http://t.co/IW36NX3t 17 minutes ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @DarkChaotix
    Darren Keen    @UchihaMiek @thekingofnothin Next N7 weekend http://t.co/IxNHTI3e I would have called it a challenge, but it’s really not. 5 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @MorwenLagann
    Morwen Lagann    @Northern_Goblin Hoping it lives to the weekend; this weekend’s N7 challenge would be good for us to drag @Sakaane along for. :3 23 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @The_DrMouse
    Chris Buckley    This weekend’s #N7 challenge http://t.co/QbDGhO7U promote 2 characters past level 20 🙁 31 minutes ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • BioWare Is Going To “Fix” Mass Effect 3’s Ending

    Mass Effect 3 has been polarizing for the industry and gamers this year to say the least. The disappointing ending, the day-one DLC and a myriad of other issues have fans pretty upset with the RPG behemoth.

    There has been work on the side of both BioWare and fans to fix all this up. BioWare has already addressed fans’ concerns and have said that “some of our most passionate fans needed more closure, more answers, and more time to say goodbye to their stories…” In response, an enraged fan has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission saying that the ending betrayed their expectations.

    Today, the big dog of BioWare, co-founder Dr. Ray Muzyka, took to the company blog to lay out the future of Mass Effect 3 and address the fan response thus far. Perhaps learning from all the bad reactions that previous BioWare statements have caused, Dr. Muzyka chooses his words carefully. He defends the Mass Effect 3 team and the high reviews the game has received, but says that “out of respect to our fans, we need to accept the criticism and feedback with humility.”

    To that end, Dr. Muzyka announced that the Mass Effect 3 team is now working on “a number of game content initiatives that will help answer the questions, providing more clarity for those seeking further closure to their journey.” He then said to expect more information on what this means in April.

    In the meantime, he encourages fans to keep giving them feedback on the game and what they feel should be fixed. He does, however, stress that they only want constructive feedback. He feels that some of the criticism by their “most ardent fans” has become “destructive rather than constructive.”

    As a final plea to gamers who perhaps are just jumping onto the hate bandwagon just to be hatin’, he says:

    I urge you to do your own research: play the game, finish it and tell us what you think. Tell your friends if you feel it’s a good game as a whole. Trust that we are doing our damndest, as always, to address your feedback. As artists, we care about our fans deeply and we appreciate your support.

    I’m staying out of the argument because I’ve not played Mass Effect 3 yet. From what I hear, both sides have good arguments. Dr. Muzyka is a smart man, however, and he knows what he’s doing. If he says that BioWare is going to fix it, you can rest assured that it will happen.

    Do you think this is a proper response to the Mass Effect 3 ending fiasco? Or do you want more from BioWare? Let us know in the comments.

  • Mass Effect 3 Ending Complaints Reach the FTC

    Bioware has taken a beating over the ending to its Mass Effect trilogy.

    Now, Gamepur.com is reporting a least one fan is taking the complaints up the chain of command. User El_Spiko on the Bioware forums said:

    “After reading through the list of promises about the ending of the game they made in their advertising campaign and PR interviews, it was clear that the product we got did not live up to any of those claims. This thread has a great compilation of their claims: “http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/355/index/10056886″

    Clearly, none fo these were represented in the ending. If anyone else wishes to file a complaint (the more there are the more likely the FTC will take action) just go to FTC.gov and fill out a complaint form in the Consumer Protection section. Here’s EA HQ’s address and phone number:
    209 Redwood Shores Parkway
    Redwood City, CA 94065
    (650) 628-1500

    This is not somethign [sic] I was happy to do, but after the terrible ending that was in no way the product that had been advertised to me and the lack of any kind of response from Bioware/EA to address this, I felt it was one of my only recourses. I’ll be returning my copy of the game before the end of my 30 day return policy if the ending still hasn’t been addressed by then.”

    Filed a Better Business Bureau complaint as well. They can be found at BBB.org. The BBB will at the very least notify EA of any complaints they recieve, so every complaint filed is something that EA will hear about.”

    As serious as EL_Spiko’s suggestion may have been, the idea garnered almost nothing but ridicule on Twitter:

    @MattHelgeson
    Matt Helgeson    hey haters i’m glad all your impotent nerd rage has basically spoiled mass effect 3 for me, i’m filing an FTC complaint against the internet 1 day ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @Frostsorrow
    Andrew Toews    Really people? Just because you’re butt hurt over the ending of @masseffect is no reason to take it to the FCC or whatever it’s called 1 day ago via Echofon ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @Kitkatmatt
    Matt    Lol someone reported the Mass Effect 3 ending to the FTC xD 1 hour ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @Enigma6667
    Chris VanNoLastName    Really, Mass Effect fans? Asking to change the ending is one thing, but THIS?!?! #whywecanthavenicethings http://t.co/E6m3lpsZ 3 days ago via Tweet Button ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @DustinTriplett
    Dustin Triplett    Gamers are filing FTC complaints against EA because of Mass Effect 3’s ending. Said gamers are pathetic little children. 3 days ago via TweetDeck ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    @noelrk
    Noel Kirkpatrick    If this guy can file an FTC complaint about the end of Mass Effect 3, then some of us should get together about The Killing… 3 days ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • Will BioWare Change The Mass Effect 3 Ending?

    Mass Effect 3 developer BioWare has been taking a lot of flak over the last couple of weeks, and it all focuses on the highly controversial ending to the much-anticipated game. Without going into too much detail and hitting everyone with the spoiler stick, we’ll just say that by and large, players are disappointed with the choices they are given at the conclusion of Commander Shepard’s saga. Many feel betrayed, and have complained that the final sequences fail to live up the the standards set by the previous games in the series.

    This frustration is widespread. A poll on BioWare’s social site now currently sits at 60,000 votes cast – and 91% voted that the endings “suck.” This disapproval has led to petition groups gaining traction on Facebook. “Retake Mass Effect,” on of the biggest groups advocating for an ending change has amassed over 41,000 likes on the site.

    Over the weekend, BioWare’s social media team had a bit of a hiccup. The official Mass Effect Facebook page, a post went out saying that BioWare had no plans at this time to change the ending of Mass Effect 3.

    Now, they have backtracked on this a little, posting this “clarification” early Monday morning:

    We are aware that there are concerns about a recent post from this account regarding the ending of the game. In this post it was stated that at this time we do not have plans to change the ending.

    We would like to clarify that we are actively and seriously taking all player feedback into consideration and have ruled nothing out. At this time we are still collecting and considering your feedback and have not made a decision regarding requests to change the ending.

    Your feedback and opinions are of the utmost importance to us. We apologize for any confusion this has caused. Our top priority regarding this discussion is to keep communication with you, our loyal fans, open and productive.

    Now, this obviously leaves the door open for some sort of change to the ending of the story. Last Friday, Mass Effect 3 Producer Casey Hudson posted about the ending and the uproar about the ending on the BioWare social network. He said that Mass Effect has been a “labor of love” for the team and that they always knew that the “scale of the conflict and the underlying theme of sacrifice would lead to a bittersweet ending.”

    He went on to say:

    But we also recognize that some of our most passionate fans needed more closure, more answers, and more time to say goodbye to their stories—and these comments are equally valid. Player feedback such as this has always been an essential ingredient in the development of the series.

    I am extremely proud of what this team has accomplished, from the first art concepts for the Mass Effect universe to the final moments of Mass Effect 3. But we didn’t do it on our own. Over the course of the series, Mass Effect has been a shared experience between the development team and our fans—not just a shared experience in playing the games, but in designing and developing them. An outpouring of love for Garrus and Tali led to their inclusion as love interests in Mass Effect 2. A request for deeper RPG systems led to key design changes in Mass Effect 3. Your feedback has always mattered. Mass Effect is a collaboration between developers and players, and we continue to listen.

    So where do we go from here? Throughout the next year, we will support Mass Effect 3 by working on new content. And we’ll keep listening, because your insights and constructive feedback will help determine what that content should be. This is not the last you’ll hear of Commander Shepard.

    We look forward to your continued support and involvement as we work together to shape the remaining experiences in the story of the Mass Effect trilogy.

    At the same time, BioWare community coordinator Chris Priestly said that they were listening to all of the feedback and would be “responding when they can.”

    We understand there is a lot of debate on the Mass Effect 3 ending and we will be more than happy to engage in healthy discussions once more people get to experience the game. We are listening to all of your feedback.

    From all of the posts, it pretty much sounds like BioWare’s position is “yeah, we know some of you are pissed, just give it time, we’ll see.” At least they are leaving the door open for some sort of ending-changing DLC or the like. But right now, it does feel like that door is barely cracked.

    What do you think? Do you want some changes made to the ending? Do you think that BioWare will oblige the frustrated fans? Let us know in the comments.