Future of Mass Effect - What do you want?

[DocSeuss]

I want:
good combat, which the series has historically struggled with
good quest design, instead of bioware's more recent "go find 10 rocks in space," or "go listen to 8 audio recordings," or "go find 900 crystals"
the firm 'rule' that AI is evil--one of the best things about the first game
an emphasis on trying to feel like 70s sci-fi's attempt at being realistic
a party who isn't a bunch of "here's my one defining character trait"
the ending to be figured out before the rest of the game gets made

I want a game that feels like Mass Effect 1 felt.

 

[Vordan]

I want a trilogy sequel with Destroy canon and ignoring the dead Geth bullshit that Bioware arbitrarily threw in there to make you not pick Destroy. However I would be fine with an Andromeda 2, provided we get a new team of writers on it. There's still some potential, but it was utterly wasted in the first game.

 

[Alucrid]

i want to see the future of ryder-1. maybe they all have statues of me and my bird wife

 

[Deleted member 9857]

I know it's the unpopular opinion, but I genuinely want Andromeda 2. I think Andromeda, for a lot of it's missteps, did set up a lot of compelling threads to expand a trilogy upon. And I think if it was given another chance to right the ship and capitalize on the seeds it planted then we could be looking at a genuine classic. It just needs to focus more on the storyline and less on the open world, bigger is better mentality.

Click to shrink...

yeah I'd like Andromeda 2 + a trilogy remaster

not sure why people think a direct sequel would be that great? given how 3 ends, what possible new canon ending would set it up better than just going to a different galaxy like Andromeda did?

 

[RecLib]

I'm more interested in reliving the first 3 games in a nice up res package than I am a sequel I think. It's still check out a sequel but I think I have just less interest at this point.

 

[Weiss]

Mass Effect has always been all ambition, no payoff. The series failed to capitalize on what made the first game so utterly sublime and moved forward with a bundle of sidequests in one game and a galaxy wide Idiot Plot in the other.

Let it stay dead, a testament to what could have been.

 

[Deleted member 27471]

Yea, that's part of the problem with going back to the reapers in the first place. It's an issue that MANY tv shows have (like Supernatural for instance) where each season they throw a new "evil" at the characters and keep trying to one-up the threat and danger, that's just setting yourself up for jumping the shark because once you go so far there's not a lot of bigger threats you can have the characters fight against.

Getting rid of the Reapers and then having it focus on something else to me is a way to diverge from having to just try to "one up" them or go for something else.

Hell, they don't even NEED some big bad "evil" force that threatens all life in the universe if the writing is good enough. They could go for something more smaller in scope and focus more on the characters and having an "adventure."

Think of shows like say, Firefly for instance. Some great episodes in there with danger/mysteries but lots of great characters and writing that kept you engaged and there no was no huge evil force threatening everything or such.

Or take a show like Farscape for instance, lots of great ways to have a ME style game without having to make it solely on super evil threat to the entire universe.

Click to shrink...

Yeah that's true. The writing better be good though lol. This is the problem with video games. Because they're not episodic they have a hard time having that same appeal. Maybe a trilogy where the sole focus isn't a ultimate bad guy for the first two games, but dealing with other issues or having adventures but hints of something mysterious brewing in the background that will build up for the third game.

I think that's what they were trying to do with Anthem. In that game you have a simple story which took a backseat to everything else really, and was only used to bring other characters into the spotlight. Then you have small story moments with a variety of characters. Moving forward they want to add to the changing world with new story and character interactions all while the mystery of the shapers builds in the background. I mean I thought the story would have had way more going on with the Shapers, but we know very little. I like to listen to the prophets tangents in the streets to get little bits of lore about them.

With all that said, I would rather see a game like the ME trilogy than Anthem.

 

[TheMadTitan]

Franchise the property out.

I want to see other studios besides Bioware get a crack at it. Try out different genres of the series from a new prospective, just with oversight from Bioware on the lore. I don't even necessarily say this because I don't trust Bioware anymore, I just think Mass Effect is too good of a property to only get a game every 4 to 8 years.

Click to shrink...

EA should've did this instead of paying for Star Wars. Mass Effect has the potential to be a big sci-fi franchise if they actually leveraged it across more of their teams.

 

[Igorth]

With the current bioware is better to let it rest.

 

[doemaaan]

This story AIN'T over. Shepard is laying in a pile of rubble somewhere and he needs US to save him.

 

[Gray clouds]

I want a reboot. New cast, new approach.
Back to grounded combat.
Serious tone.
Get rid of any elements that will back writers into a corner.

 

[Cincaid]

I would above all else want a full trilogy remake in a modern game engine, not just up-ressed textures. Sadly that would probably mean Frostbyte, which BioWare seems to have internal issues with. Honestly I would buy a "regular" remaster day one as well.

 

[Deleted member 2507]

I never understand why people like destroy ending. Overall, i always got an impression that people really like the Geth... yet the destroy ending explicitly destroys them as well, along with EDI and other AIs. Sacrificing what are effectively unique species withing the universe, just because Shepard might be alive? Seems selfish, not what Shepard probably would do, unless one plays Ren!Shep.

Me, i always though control ending makes most sense (in as much as the endings can make sense at all) if one has to pick a color ending, as it allows the Reapers to fix stuff and then fuck off. That is, assuming paragon-control ending, the renegade version is rather grim.

Otherwise, proper thing is to say reject the whole fucking deal.

Funny thing, Andromeda essentially runs on synthesis ending. I suspect that if BioWare were to pick a canon ending, they'd pick that one, since they kind of already did plus they kind of tried to make the player pick that one anyhow in ME3.

 

[AniHawk]

i think it'd be great if after 12 years they finally made a sequel after all those spinoffs and test projects.

 

[LooneyLMD]

I would love a trilogy sequel with Shepard.

They can do whatever, though, as long as they make the game with the mentality that 10 interesting characters with well-written dialogue is better than 100 characters with generic dialogue. Same with quests. It was my biggest problem with Andromeda, and even Inquisition. So many people were just not interesting to talk or listen to. And who cares about how many quests there are if most of them aren't very interesting and worth doing.

You only have so much time and resources.

 

[Deleted member 17643]

Trilogy sequel, but I have zero confidence Bioware could pull off anything of quality at this point.

 

[golem]

Trilogy sequel. Pick an ending, turns out whatever choice you made brought peace for a few hundred years but once again everything has gone to shit. No need for another huge galaxy ending threat, but since Bioware can't seem to write a plot without one I suggest the Andromedians arrive to conquer the Milky Way since theyre pissed at the massive war and enslavement inflicted on them by the Andromeda Initiative

 

[SpinierBlakeD]

I want small scale anthology stories that take place during the events of the original trilogy. I don't need to constantly be saving the Galaxy. It'd be cool to have a very small, intimate journey within this galaxy.

 

[fourfourfun]

Prequel trilogy about the creation of the reapers.

 

[Arklite]

Continue with Andromeda. Commit, it's a wide open new galaxy that can accommodate new ideas.

Get adequate leadership and production timeline. Andromeda could've fared far better if it hadn't been a punching bag for its bugs and production issues.

 

[Deleted member 2507]

Prequel trilogy about the creation of the reapers.

Click to shrink...

Rather interesting proposition, but xenofiction is extremely difficult. The Reapers were created roughly a billion years ago, by an aquatic species evidently massively different from humans. Even assuming that story would be told from a humanoid alien's point of view (to create somewhat relatable protagonist), it'd be very difficult to pull this off convincingly.

 

[ItchyTasty]

Remaster the trilogy for next gen consoles, I want to be able to play these games for eternally.

I feel like the milky way has so many more stories to tell as well, they don't have to include Shepard. Maybe a game where you can chose a species like dragon age?

 

[RedSwirl]

Really, just make Mass Effect 1 with better combat.

Andromeda has interior missions similar to the trilogy, but the core pillar of the mission structure and game progression involves exploring largish planetary landmass zones with assorted quests and discoveries throughout. It's like semi-open world hubs on each planet, with gatekeeping via radiation levels and environmental hazards.

Click to shrink...

That sounds like something that seemed good on paper but that BioWare didn't have the time to execute properly. Sounds like it ended up being a space Hinterlands. Of course the Hinterlands itself supposedly resulted from BIoWare struggling with the tools when building quests.

If that's the case, then one solution very well may be "just break down and use Unreal."

an emphasis on trying to feel like 70s sci-fi's attempt at being realistic

Click to shrink...

Yeah, go back to this shit. Everything after ME1 felt like generic space COD, which is funny because actual space COD managed to have a cooler and more unique look to it.

 

[Siggy-P]

As life has gone on and there's been so many shitty remakes or attempts to soft reboot a franchise, I've realised that some good stories are best left alone once finished.

I liked Andromeda, but it should have been its own thing and unrelated to Mass Effect.

 

[thediamondage]

I'd still love a remaster, and up until Anthem I was kinda hoping for some sort of reboot that created a stronger end-to-end narrative instead of the sort of peacemeal story the trilogy became, but after Anthem I don't really think Bioware can tell any sort of story effectively anymore. So I guess a remaster would be fine but anything else would probably be bad.

 

[Young Liar]

Remastered trilogy on current consoles with a couple of QOL tweaks. All the DLC. 1080p/60fps.

Then just let the series die.

 

[Mediking]

Andromeda 2, please

 

[Vegeto]

I would love to see something with the quality of the first three games, but to be honest I think the franchise is dead and Bioware has not the quality to deliver games like this anymore.

 

[ConVito]

Proper Andromeda continuation. Call it whatever they want to throw the loud YouTube people off the scent. I just want more of that. More of Meridian, more of the galaxy, more new races, more everything.

 

[Typographenia]

It could be cool to have an anthology of short story games like the loyalty missions in ME2. Play for a few hours as different characters in different locations and circumstances. It wouldn't play to the strengths of developing long term relationships of crew members, but I would be interested in smaller, refined premises over something that is struggling to keep up the stakes and scale of where things left off.

Heck, even just something that had representation of the established races in the same game would be nice at this point.

Or go the other direction and give me some new stories with the extinct races mentioned in the games' flavor text. Like the Zeioph who had that planet with all of the burial grounds. What were they like? What kinds of stories are there to tell with them? Humans are lame, let's see more aliens.

 

[Ushojax]

I don't think it's ever coming back but if it does then I'd want a complete reboot. I certainly wouldn't want any continuation from either ME3 or Andromeda.

I'd want them to go back to the retro sci-fi vibe of ME1 with the grain filter and electronic soundtrack and ditch the Michael Bay shit.

 

[Darkstorne]

the ending to be figured out before the rest of the game gets made

Click to shrink...

This more than anything else, from a new trilogy.

I'd also suggest they either lean on either Indoctrination Theory, or create their own unique canon ending from the first trilogy. There's just no way to merge all four potential outcomes into one cohesive... thing. Reapers are controlled by Jesus-Shepard, Reapers and all AI in the galaxy are destroyed, organics and synthetics all merge together into a super-species, and Shepard puts a bullet into the starchild's face thus dooming the entire galactic cycle to its death. Those are not combining well into anything that will please anyone =P I think they need to take the bull by the horns, write a good ending to be adopted as canon (whether that's IT or something new) and just ride out the storm. If it's a well-written ending, and the new games it leads to are also good, then the storm won't last long at all.

 

[fourfourfun]

Rather interesting proposition, but xenofiction is extremely difficult. The Reapers were created roughly a billion years ago, by an aquatic species evidently massively different from humans. Even assuming that story would be told from a humanoid alien's point of view (to create somewhat relatable protagonist), it'd be very difficult to pull this off convincingly.

Click to shrink...

Yep. Don't reckon a game without a human on the front, not at the AAA level, would happen. Which is a shame as it allows some benefits:

Not tied down by the story of the original trilogy, a near to fresh slate
Epic scope (as opposed to humans Vs Turians prequel arc)
Potentially bitter progression of story as it obviously ends in destruction

 

[Soj]

Continuation of the trilogy that picks up at Marauder Shields and completely erases the original endings.

If Bioware truly never want to touch the ending, then they've already fucked up the one good out they had, so they might as well not bother.

 

[fourfourfun]

the ending to be figured out before the rest of the game gets made

Click to shrink...

Not sure about this. That is what gave Lost & How I Met Your Mother such divisive endings. No allowance for growth and change as the series develops.

 

[cowbanana]

Please, stop, it's already dead.

If Anthem is what Bioware has to offer the world, it's best to keep it dead.

 

[SliChillax]

Just go back to the Milky Way and give the game some competent writers

 

[Lucreto]

Remake the Trilogy and tweak each game

ME1 redesign the level layout and make the combat like ME3 or Andromeda. Make the ME3 female Shepard usable from the beginning. Make the Mako not a complete disaster. Remove the inventory system. Add improved version of Andromeda upgrade system. Add romance that can begin in the first game all the way through the series. Rebalanced the genders on the Aliens. Add a few female Turians etc.

ME2 best game of the series. Been a while since I played it but I bet something can be improved. I loved the resource gathering but should have more options on to spend the resources on.

ME3 put in the door puzzles back in. Loved those in ME2. Redesign the ending and have a canon ending.


Or go full Star Trek 2009 and do time travel and rewrite history.

 

[Acorn]

Remaster and a new trilogy post the old one. Could be hundreds of years later, don't really mind. Ofcourse I wouldn't say no to some first contact war games.

 

[Khanimus]

Give me a goddamn C-SEC space detective game.

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

The romances should feel WAY better in any future Bioware games.

I've only played Mass Effect 1-3 and not Andromeda or Dragon Age, but people fall in love with you and worship you WAY too easily and the circumstances of you being their boss are not great.

And maybe like have your boyfriend/girlfriend actually talk about sex with you and hang out intimately with you? Like talking about silly sex things or any stuff couples do talk about would make it feel so much more real and not like self insert fanfiction.

 

[Apoptomon]

In the shorter term, I think an OT remaster/remake would be a good idea. Not only to keep the franchise/brand coasting along, but it'd also give an opportunity to touch up the OT games where needed like graphics, plot-flag and CC-transfer issues, general quest glitches etc, and also maybe look at bringing gameplay/system improvements from later game(s) to earlier one(s).

In the longer term, I'd be open to a "side story" game (that would be like 'prequel' in the poll) perhaps with a smaller scope. However what I'd most want is Andromeda 2. For the most part I liked what they managed with Andromeda even though it has issues, and there are some threads that I'd like to see followed up on, and it would also give them an opportunity to improve on the missteps in Andromeda as a game and a setting.

Personally I'd not be in favour of a Trilogy Sequel. Shepard's story is finished in my view so I wouldn't want an "ME4" in that sense, and I think the decision to side-step the "post-trilogy state of the galaxy" issue like they did with Andromeda was probably the best option. Even if it had a retconned basis and no Shepard, it'd have to be a very convincing proposition.
That said, ultimately I'd love for there to be more ME, whatever the form.

 

[Deleted member 2109]

I want Andromeda's combat, a good story and good characters like ME 1-3. I honestly cannot remember any Andromeda crew member. Such a fucking let down after Mordin, Garrus, Tali, Wrex, Liara, Samara, Thane, Zaeed, Legion, etc.

 

[Blue Ninja]

I honestly don't know. I'll take a few side stories, a sequel, hell, even an Andromeda 2 if it's any good. They kinda wrote themselves into a giant corner with the Reaper War, however.

 

[EndlessNever]

I think it's already been shown but I'll say it anyway. I think the current Bioware is out of their depth to create anything akin to the original trilogy.

 

[monmagman]

They killed any opportunity to keep the game in the Milky Way and the Andromeda setting didn't exactly do set the world alight,so a soft reboot.

 

[Asbsand]

I want:
good combat, which the series has historically struggled with
. . .
I want a game that feels like Mass Effect 1 felt.

Click to shrink...

You want another Mass Effect that doesn't capitalize it's development cycle on the things that made the first game stand out the most, thus inevitably botching those aspects again or making some shoehorned version of it (Andromeda's Ubi quests).

I'd say stop the pure action focus. Just stop it. Go back to Mass Effect 1, get everything you can from the source code you have left (I've heard they lost large parts of ME1's source) and work from there. Don't try to make it a Competent Shooter(TM) just make it the best damn dialogue system in the biz again.

The large portions without combat in ME1? I live for that. The combat is important but it shouldn't be a quota they fill in every map you load and ME2 and 3 suffered from making it a shooter first, RPG second.

 

[TC McQueen]

Full reboot, set in the Milky Way, where the Reapers and Protheans mutually annihilated each other.

Failing that, a sequel set in the Milky Way that follows the Destroy ending, since that's the only ME3 ending consistent with the events of the previous 2 games.

 

[Matty H]

My two favourite options are the least favoured by the community.

#1 The Andromeda galaxy needs to be explored and new lifeforms/civilizations need to be discovered and either become allies or enemies. This could be a new trilogy (with multiple endings that are consistent with the decisions made over 3 games).

#2 A prequel would be awesome. There would be a legendary story to be told from the first contact war.

 

[Green Yoshi]

I want a prequel with David Anderson.