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Jesus, Liara...the biggest cocktease ever to hit the galaxy, seriously. Making Ashley hot was the best visual change in ME3.

How the hell is she a... no, wait, nevermind.

I don't want to know your reasoning for saying that.

 Melissia wrote:
How the hell is she a... no, wait, nevermind.

I don't want to know your reasoning for saying that.

Good thing you made that post then

 Sigvatr wrote:
Jesus, Liara...the biggest cocktease ever to hit the galaxy, seriously.

That term. It does not mean what you think it means.

Making Ashley hot was the best visual change in ME3.

If you're playing games because "they have hawt girls", I think you're doing it wrong.

 Sigvatr wrote:

 Melissia wrote:
How the hell is she a... no, wait, nevermind.

I don't want to know your reasoning for saying that.

Good thing you made that post then

Seriously, "cocktease", what the hell?

No prequels! Hate prequels. Set it 1000 years in the future with all new cast except an ancient Liara.

Who says it can't be both?

 Kanluwen wrote:
Who says it can't be both?

Oh god they're pulling a Black Ops 2 aren't they please tell me they aren't please...

I dont know how they would do a sequal.

What considering how many variations of the endings there are hat would play an effect. (Red/Blue/Green all have different results depending on war assets, R/B/G itself are pretty different, how the Krogans or Rachni are dealt with)

Who knows?

I think they could do something cool with it though. We're guaranteed that it will either be a prequel or a sequel.

If it's a sequel, it almost certainly will be set far enough past the events of Mass Effect 3 that any endings and their immediate ramifications are a history lesson rather than "current events".

 Melissia wrote:

 Sigvatr wrote:

 Melissia wrote:
How the hell is she a... no, wait, nevermind.

I don't want to know your reasoning for saying that.

Good thing you made that post then

Seriously, "cocktease", what the hell?

What are you referring too? It's a valid term...

I can only assume that you apply that label to just about every woman you meet.

 Melissia wrote:
I can only assume that you apply that label to just about every woman you meet.

I can only assume you don't know what the term means...

/e: Oh, and don't even begin with Mass Effect: where women only have huge boobs and Bioware created a race whose boobs grow larger with age. Like, really. Fanservice. Gotta do sth. for the huge majority of 82%.

 Sigvatr wrote:

/e: Oh, and don't even begin with Mass Effect: where women only have huge boobs and Bioware created a race whose boobs grow larger with age. Like, really. Fanservice. Gotta do sth. for the huge majority of 82%.

What do you have against boobs? They are gift from the havens

 Brother Captain Alexander wrote:

 Sigvatr wrote:

/e: Oh, and don't even begin with Mass Effect: where women only have huge boobs and Bioware created a race whose boobs grow larger with age. Like, really. Fanservice. Gotta do sth. for the huge majority of 82%.

What do you have against boobs? They are gift from the havens

Oh, it's not that I don't like boobs. After all, just think about why humans are the only mammal with big boobs throughout the entire year...it's just that I want some variety. And it's even worse if boobs seem to *grow* in between games. Modest boobs look very attractive too, so why always have giant ones? Why not throw a few B-cups in there?

 Sigvatr wrote:

 Melissia wrote:
I can only assume that you apply that label to just about every woman you meet.

I can only assume you don't know what the term means...

I know what it means. "Cocktease" is a misogynistic and derisive insult towards women who flirt without any intention of having sex with you, although I've also heard it applied to straight men by gay men as well.

It doesn't apply to Liara at all.

 Sigvatr wrote:

Oh, it's not that I don't like boobs. After all, just think about why humans are the only mammal with big boobs throughout the entire year...it's just that I want some variety. And it's even worse if boobs seem to *grow* in between games. Modest boobs look very attractive too, so why always have giant ones? Why not throw a few B-cups in there?

I know what you mean brother:

 Melissia wrote:

 Sigvatr wrote:

 Melissia wrote:
I can only assume that you apply that label to just about every woman you meet.

I can only assume you don't know what the term means...

I know what it means. "Cocktease" is a misogynistic and derisive insult towards women who flirt without any intention of having sex with you, although I've also heard it applied to straight men by gay men as well.

It doesn't apply to Liara at all.

It's beyond flirting, it's intentionally creating sexual arousement without the intention of fulfilling the man's desire. It's not an insult, it's just derisive. In video games, it's similarily used and mostly refers to open sexually designed characters (which Liara certainly is) keeping the main character on the leash (which Liara does). Then again, it's Mass Effect that still believes romances / relationships work like they did in the 8th grade-

 Sigvatr wrote:
It's beyond flirting, it's intentionally creating sexual arousement without the intention of fulfilling the man's desire

An irrelevant distinction.

 Sigvatr wrote:
It's not an insult

Yes it is.,

 Sigvatr wrote:
In video games, it's similarily used and mostly refers to open sexually designed characters (which Liara certainly is) keeping the main character on the leash (which Liara does). Then again, it's Mass Effect that still believes romances / relationships work like they did in the 8th grade-

What the hell were YOU doing in eighth grade?

I doubt you've ever had a mature relationship with a woman to begin with.

I could almost understand the complaints if Sigvatr was talking about Miranda, who was designed as a space Femme Fatale...

But Liara?

 Melissia wrote:


I doubt you've ever had a mature relationship with a woman to begin with.

Awww, cutie, if not for the internet, I might actually be hurt :( I wonder if you ever had a proper relationship...it's not an insult. Such a behavior by a woman isn't fair to begin with. I am pretty sure you have a negative opinion on pick-up artists. Those meanies, taking advantage of women's instincts / natural reactions to get laid. But they are men thus it's immoral. It's ok if you're a woman, eh?

Yes, Liara too. The whole point about growing boobs has been debated a lot on the internet forums and if I had to criticize Bioware for something, it would be character design / romances. They are pretty one-dimensional and predictable - typical archetypes. Miranda...count the number of buttshots Bioware included alone, but her blandness was partially justified by her history and her being made a "perfect" woman.

Liara was a pretty obvious "girl next door" character. She was designed to be the "soft" romance option. The thing is that character interaction in Bioware games is pretty one-dimensional. Always choose the upper right option, do a mission, get laid. You don't need to care or do anything for the characters the game doesn't offer you anyway, it takes your hand and lays down a golden "Go this way for sex!" path in front of you. An actual romance in video games should consist of more than just checking a few points. But alas, it's unrealistic to ask for sth. that complex in a RPG. I'd just appreciated the romance options for Shepherd being less bland and "easy". Hm. Most of my complains might lead back to the terrible dialog system actually and not the writing itself...hmm. Gotta consider that.

And I already talked about the boobs. That got bigger. And really Bioware, did you need to include the info on ever-growing Boobs with Asari? -_-

KamikazeCanuck wrote:No prequels! Hate prequels. Set it 1000 years in the future with all new cast except an ancient Liara.

Personally, I wouldn't want either a sequel or a prequel. I want the universe I've grown to love, and something set too far in the past or the future will either look very different (meaning I might end up not liking it as much), or will look so close to the original era that it becomes "unrealistic" (example: TOR resembling the movies more than KotOR in spite of chronologically being much closer to the latter).
In other words, I'd like a game that takes place somewhere between ME1 and ME2. The galaxy is a huge place and has many more stories to tell, but in this timeframe you're bound to meet familiar factions and species or even specific events and people, at least in passing.

Sigvatr wrote:And it's even worse if boobs seem to *grow* in between games. Modest boobs look very attractive too, so why always have giant ones? Why not throw a few B-cups in there?

One of the few bad things I have to say about the evolution of the Mass Effect series ...


I mean, maybe it's just a few of the armour suits, but damn.
Ashley is worse, though - true military brat in ME1, prissy lady with long shiny hair, cleavage, high heels and a ton of cosmetics in ME3. Seriously, wtf, BioWare.


On a more positive sidenote, 35% Commando Mastery in multiplayer now.

[edit]

Sigvatr wrote:And really Bioware, did you need to include the info on ever-growing Boobs with Asari? -_-

wat

IIrc, in the fluff, it says that Asari boobs ever-grow with age.

Uhm....just came to my mind: why do Asari have boobs in the first place besides for the most obvious reason?

 Lynata wrote:

KamikazeCanuck wrote:No prequels! Hate prequels. Set it 1000 years in the future with all new cast except an ancient Liara.

Personally, I wouldn't want either a sequel or a prequel. I want the universe I've grown to love, and something set too far in the past or the future will either look very different (meaning I might end up not liking it as much), or will look so close to the original era that it becomes "unrealistic" (example: TOR resembling the movies more than KotOR in spite of chronologically being much closer to the latter).
In other words, I'd like a game that takes place somewhere between ME1 and ME2. The galaxy is a huge place and has many more stories to tell, but in this timeframe you're bound to meet familiar factions and species or even specific events and people, at least in passing.

And where's the fun in that?

How can you guys not want to play a prequel set during the Krogan Rebellion or the Prothean War? Or a sequel set far enough after the events of ME3 that the events have taken on an air of mystique and swashbuckling fantasy?

Sigvatr wrote:And it's even worse if boobs seem to *grow* in between games. Modest boobs look very attractive too, so why always have giant ones? Why not throw a few B-cups in there?

One of the few bad things I have to say about the evolution of the Mass Effect series ...

Spoiler:

I mean, maybe it's just a few of the armour suits, but damn.

In Liara's case, it comes from the fact that in ME1 she was supposed to be "young". Remember that she was barely a hundred or so years old in ME1. The "official explanation" is that Asari bodies mature at a much slower pace. During the "Maiden" phase of life it is roughly equivalent to the teenage years of a human and their frame and physique reflects that. Another large part of Asari physique is that their genetic heritage from the father can manifest itself in their frame and physique.

Plus you do not see her enough in ME2 to notice the changeover which was primarily courtesy of an overhauled graphics engine and better artists overall.

Ashley is worse, though - true military brat in ME1, prissy lady with long shiny hair, cleavage, high heels and a ton of cosmetics in ME3. Seriously, wtf, BioWare.

Again, much of this can be attributed to the changeover in graphics engine and artists. Another part of it though is the fact that Ashley "grew up" so to speak. In ME1, she's a true military brat--with a persecution complex. She tries to avoid sticking out as much as she can and sticks (rather absurdly) to the regulations due to the whole fact that her grandfather is the one who surrendered a human colony to the Turians during the First Contact War.

Come ME2, she's no longer worried about that whole "Williams Curse" thing anymore. She's a Big Damn Hero for her association with Shepard during the events of the Saren incident. You can see that she's not that self-conscious individual anymore in ME2--but she still has a bit of a problem with trusting people(which spills over into ME3). Add to it that she gets a huge promotion and reports directly to Alliance top brass, in addition to doing the whole "colony touring" thing(where she sees just how the outer colonies feel about the Alliance) it makes sense that she kind of loses the whole "Look at me, I'm a hardcore Alliance soldier" look and begins to adopt a more casual, specialized approach before her promotion to Spectre.

I hate to hark back to the ending again but... I am going to try to go on a slightly different tact and avoid rehashing old ground.

One of the things that always appealed to me in the mass effect series was it was a brand new open universe. It was a homage to all the great science fiction, except you could be a part of it.

The Reaper Invasion was one of Shepards many adventures.

If I had my way, this would be the ending of ME3.



Second star on the left and straight on till morning. yes, I know it's from Peter Pan first. But homage!

I wish they did not change the writer in between. The entire plot had me really interested with the subtle allusions to things such as dark mass etc....

...and then, we get a small child you had no emotional relation to whatsoever explaining the entire plot. *shudders*

That's another thing that really bothered me. Shepherd saw his friends and thousands of people die and this one kid dying back on earth suddenly makes him go all emotional? Bad writing at its best.

 Sigvatr wrote:
I wish they did not change the writer in between. The entire plot had me really interested with the subtle allusions to things such as dark mass etc....

The bits about "dark energy" were poorly written, inserted all over the place and really had nothing to do with the overall plot but were focused upon for the contents of "The Arrival" DLC.

You really need to use spoiler tags for things like this.

And remember, it's not an actual child.

That's another thing that really bothered me. Shepherd saw his friends and thousands of people die and this one kid dying back on earth suddenly makes him go all emotional? Bad writing at its best.

I am not sure how aware you are about psychological triggers and how traumatic events pin themselves into people's minds, but it is not unheard of for there to be a single event which causes an emotional break in an otherwise extremely healthy and resilient individual.

To assume that it is simply "bad writing" and not consider that the introduction of such a thing was intentional is patently silly.

@Lynata. I think I's rather have a prequel than a....parallelaquel. I want to get completely away from the Shepard era. Because there's no canon Shepard you end up having to write around everything Shepard did. I don't think it'll be that hard to keep the ME feel with a far flung sequel especially if all the races are around.

@Kan. Actually a prequel set in the Krogan rebellions would be really cool. However, the problem would be there would be no Humans. I don't think they'd have the bravery to publish a completely human free game.


Umm, insert thread derailing Boob comment here. Boobs.

 KamikazeCanuck wrote:

@Kan. Actually a prequel set in the Krogan rebellions would be really cool. However, the problem would be there would be no Humans. I don't think they'd have the bravery to publish a completely human free game.

I think that having a completely human free game is a bit of a big step, but I can see some ways around the whole thing.

Imagine a game which is essentially a "living history book".
Start off playing a campaign during the Prothean-Reaper War(where you play as Javik or one of his contemporaries).
Finish that campaign, go to the Rachni War(where you play as a lesser Krogan Chieftain in service to a Warlord).
Go to the Krogan Rebellions (where you play as a Salarian operative or Turian officer).
Go to the First Contact War (where you play as a human on Shanxi, under the command of General Williams and his guerilla forces that eventually got the Turians to bombard the planet with asteroids in an attempt to quell insurrection).
Go to a single event in the timeframe of Shepard. For this one, you have three good options--all related to Shepard's background(War Hero and the Battle for Elysium, Ruthless and the mission on Torfan, or Sole Survivor and the slaughter by Thresher Maws on Akuze).
Skip ahead and start campaigns following the aftermath of the events of ME3. You do not even really need to pick an ending to work from, provided you go over 300-500 years in the future (a reasonable enough time for most civilizations to have recovered from the fallout of events from ME3).

That sounds cool from an action and explosions point of view but all that time jumping would nullify the relationship melodrama that is ME's hallmark. We'll really be in danger of a Call of Duty Black Ops Mass Effect there.