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Mass Effect 3: Selling Javik and his story as a DLC is still one of the shittiest thing a developer has done in video game history
- Thread starter Deleted member 47654
- Start date
Same, but it's at that point of why bother through all that again when there's so much out there instead.
Javik was whatever. The story was so beyond broken after 2 that no amount of characters, DLC or otherwise, would save it. So good on them if they made a few bucks by selling the one character who was meant to sorta tie with the story as it was in ME1, but the fact that he's optional means the plot itself should work without him and doesn't get much better with him (which was the case).
It was like playing a loyalty mission for a character without the character there if you didnt had him.
He basically explained that everything the asari achieved or attributed to their goddesses were actually Protheans protecting them, engineering them to be biotic adepts, and leaving behind a beacon that the asari government secretly used as the basis for all of their mass effect technology and pretended they discovered it on their own to be the first and most advanced species of the current cycle.
Javik is way shittier, since he was very clearly supposed to be in the game from jump, but was carved out at the last minute so that EA could make a nice tidy profit. Like, you can't even compare him to Zaeed and Kasumi because they were both intended as bonus characters given how little lines they have compared to everyone else, unlike Javik who drastically changes story moments within the game and gives them a much bigger impact and context.
They would still need to rewrite things and change the ending for it to be coherent though. From something I read years ago Javik was originally supposed to be the catalyst for the crucible or in general was supposed to have a bigger roll in the end but EA interfered. In hindsight Leviathon was pointless as they are not seen from again and even though Leviathon informs Shepard of the lame star child Shepard still acts like it's new info in the end.
A remastered trilogy is a chance for Bioware to right the wrongs of ME3 and also unstuck themselves from the plot corner they put themselves in with the original endings.
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That's actually an interesting idea. Would be something if such a port resulted in a new take on the ending so it can more easily lead into a ME4
At the very least, that's rectified with the Ultimate Edition, which is kind enough to a) often be on sale for =<US$5, b) include all the DLC. Mass Effect trilogy DLC is not only still not packaged in its entirety with a trilogy collection, but is also almost never on sale.
You can still download Bring Down the Sky (and for free), it's Pinnacle Station you can't (on PC), and - honestly - I don't think most people really care that it's no longer available given its quality.
Agreed. Not only is he a well rounded character, he brings a lot of context to Thessia and other missions and the game is hollow without him.
Yup, because if ME3's ending wasn't such a disaster they wouldn't have needed the last one to have the very beginning take place before ME2 andvthen hundreds of years after in the Andromeda galaxy.
I think I've bought two other CE's since then. Not at retail price, however. CE's are worthless to me unless the deal ends up being the same cost or cheaper than retail. The ones I have gotten I think I got through CDKeys.
The DLCs were on sale like a week or so ago from what I heard.
I have all of the DLCs, so I haven't really been looking at pricing.
They also didnt have the time to put in an ending so at the end you get a "ENJOY THE FUTURE ADVENTURED OF COMMANDER SHEPARD IN DLC" info screen instead
Javik is one of the best characters BioWare has written. He's fun, sassy, cold, and confronting in all the best ways. He, much like Solas in Dragon Age: Inquisition, provides utterly essential depth and context to the lore that you've come to understand with presumptions that are now turned upside down. I adore the way he reframes the Prothean Empire, removed from retroactive historical romanticism and seen for something far more believable, flaws and all. And it fits; a ruthless all-or-nothing Empire with rigid authoritarian structure and discipline is exactly the kind that'd be willing to make enormous sacrifices during an extinction cycle to hit back in some way, even if they as as a species are still ultimately doomed. This leads to some wonderful discourse with Liara who sees her entire field of study turned around and, as others have noted, essential revelations on Thessia that again are totally within context of the lore and universe and help break apart floury, romanticised perspectives.
He's a strong tentpole for how Mass Effect 3's development was a bit of a mess and obviously rushed towards the end. As others have noted he was FAR more important in the earlier drafts, but even the diminishing of his significance doesn't make him trivial to the plot and lore as a whole. He should never have been optional or exclusionary.
Leviathan provides a pretty essential slice of exposition for the Reapers backstory that helps add weight to their reasoning, even if it's still dumb as a whole. It's also a lot of fun and very well produced by its own merits.
Citadel is excellent fun but it's also total fucking shlock and fanservice aimed less at adding to the trilogy arc and more acting as a send-off to the series, Shepard, and companions. It's really fun, very well produced and loaded with content, but basically a series epilogue framed the best we an epilogue could be knowing Mass Effect 3's ending is final. It's less about Reapers, the galaxy, etc, and more about Shepard, relationships, and the player's connection to the avatar.
He's a strong tentpole for how Mass Effect 3's development was a bit of a mess and obviously rushed towards the end. As others have noted he was FAR more important in the earlier drafts, but even the diminishing of his significance doesn't make him trivial to the plot and lore as a whole. He should never have been optional or exclusionary.
Leviathan provides a pretty essential slice of exposition for the Reapers backstory that helps add weight to their reasoning, even if it's still dumb as a whole. It's also a lot of fun and very well produced by its own merits.
Citadel is excellent fun but it's also total fucking shlock and fanservice aimed less at adding to the trilogy arc and more acting as a send-off to the series, Shepard, and companions. It's really fun, very well produced and loaded with content, but basically a series epilogue framed the best we an epilogue could be knowing Mass Effect 3's ending is final. It's less about Reapers, the galaxy, etc, and more about Shepard, relationships, and the player's connection to the avatar.
ME3's DLC was definitely a product of its time, both from a pricing and structure perspective. As a massive fan of the first two games, I really did enjoy 3 until the last half hour or so. I think it soured people to such an extent that they think the rest of the game was also bad in hindsight, but I cannot agree. Despite the nonsense pricing/distribution of the DLC, I do believe that it improved ME3 to such an extent that it can stand as a fully satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.
That being said, however, I do think that each DLC (aside from Citadel) should have been part of the base game: 1) Javik provided so much additional lore and context that fully wrapped up the Prothean storyline; 2) Leviathan provided critical story context to the origin of the Reapers and their motivation (plus the whole Lovecraftian vibe to it was awesome); and 3) Omega gave a satisfying view/conclusion to what happened on the asteroid during the war. A location as important as Omega regulated to essentially a conversation with Aria and some resource mission was extremely disappointing, but the DLC corrected that (even if it was probably the weakest of the major dlcs). Citadel is of course one of the best pieces of fan service ever.
Man, I want to replay these games again.
That being said, however, I do think that each DLC (aside from Citadel) should have been part of the base game: 1) Javik provided so much additional lore and context that fully wrapped up the Prothean storyline; 2) Leviathan provided critical story context to the origin of the Reapers and their motivation (plus the whole Lovecraftian vibe to it was awesome); and 3) Omega gave a satisfying view/conclusion to what happened on the asteroid during the war. A location as important as Omega regulated to essentially a conversation with Aria and some resource mission was extremely disappointing, but the DLC corrected that (even if it was probably the weakest of the major dlcs). Citadel is of course one of the best pieces of fan service ever.
Man, I want to replay these games again.
I cannot agree more and EA is stupid for not having done it already.
Little hyperbolic there OP, but I agree about Javik. He just adds so much to the game, especially since his race was the enigma that kicked off everything, technically. Going back to eden prime and hearing the music again was a nice bonus as well.
Like 360 Tomb Raider Underworld is the only version that got "the real ending" dlc.
People not knowing that is sauerkraut tells me they don't know jack on what a good sausage is.
OP
OP
You can say the thing about Blizzard without trying to diminish the thread, jeez
Also, Acti-Bli is a publisher, not a developer.
I remember playing my collector's edition copy knowing that anyone that bought a standard copy wouldn't have Javik, and thinking, "holy crap, Javik is just straight-up expounding mad lore up in here, how can anyone play this game without this DLC?"
I don't disagree with your overall sentiment but this is so silly. Things like this are decided above average devs, don't assume every dev on the team vouched for this.
It's what TRoS tried to be - a satisfying send-off that is equal parts touching and complete corn. The jokes in it have their tongue so firmly in their cheek it's about to burst through the gums and skin.
But that's the thing though ! it's not in the game, it's not !
Him being dlc also meant that he couldn't have more meaningful interactions with the world or an actual impact on the story.
It was an utterly disgusting move
It was an utterly disgusting move
That plus the collector edition not having a physical disc was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. SE really milking the fanbase, if the game was immaculate maybe, but it runs at fucking 10FPS !
Asura's Wrath's true ending was DLC.
Marvel 3 was invalidated by Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 coming out 9 months later. If you didn't buy the new game too bad, fuck you.
SFxT had a massive amount of disk locked DLC.
Capcom were on some bullshit last gen.
Marvel 3 was invalidated by Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 coming out 9 months later. If you didn't buy the new game too bad, fuck you.
SFxT had a massive amount of disk locked DLC.
Capcom were on some bullshit last gen.