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So we're doing survival horror now? I hope that monster is worth all that fuss. Of course its not. Dead in 3 seconds flat. Ditto all his friends. Petrovsky, buddy, you're kinda absolutely right here. Shame I won't get the chance to agree. It's nice that Cerberus is still keeping up the fine tradition of creating monsters that immediately proceed to slaughter all local Cerberus personnel. Oh no, not... umm... Turian female. It (really) should have been Aria instead! To be fair, the final battle in Aferlife was challenging in a good way. Wasn't sure I was going to make it a few times. Aria has been a very Paragonish influence. I think this is the first time I ever missed a Renegade interrupt. I would have gladly taken one a minute ago, had it popped up - which it should have. Had it been someone who Shepard gave a poo poo about (say, Garrus) she certainly would have stopped him from torturing / killing an unarmed prisoner. But I guess Aria is so cool, Shepard can only watch in awe. Ahhahahahah. Aria is back in Purgatory, because it's "easier to coordinate things from the Citadel". You know what exclamation is really popular in the Mass Effect universe? "Spirits!" Totally a thing that people say all the time. Wrex!!! (Shepard) (Wrex) The Dalatrass is a huge cloaka. If you take anyone other than Garrus and Liara on this mission, I don't want to know you. Mordin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  A kind person in the thread informed me that Mordin is about to die, so I spent every moment of mission cutscenes in a state of anxious apprehension. Oh no, not a mech. Whatever will I do. (Destroy it in 10 seconds). Not saying that I want to fight another reaper-larva or a yahg boss but giving all this emphasis to absolute chumps is kinda incongruous. I got Mordin and Wrex on my ship, but they're not actually party members  How did Cerberus manage to invade and overwhelm a highly secure base on the homeworld of a species known for its military intelligence? Oh, they have... unspecified Reaper tech! The salarians never stood a chance. Oh yeah - that's probably a major part of my issues with Cerberus. We just spent two games establishing them as consistent fuckups, (and haven't really stopped now) so turning them into a major threat would take a lot of work. A lot of work no one felt like doing. A terminal in your quarters allows you to select a squad... but you still can't adjust anyone's powers without leaving the Normandy. Three games into the series. Just a weird little thing - there was a moment when Garrus was introduced where we only saw him from behind and the subtitles cunningly called him "Turian soldier". There's a similar moment with Grunt, except he's subtitled as Grunt. Just a bit odd. The game insists on cancelling my ammo powers after every other cutscene. Unless I have more than one ammo power, is there ever a reason for it not to be on? Not sure what the point of sniper rifles is. In ME1 there were actually situations where the enemy was so far a way that a sniper gun would have been warranted IRL. In ME2 and 3, a shotgun can handily dispatch enemies in one shot at any distance at which a fight actually takes place. I guess some classes have a time slowdown power? A husk appears and... teleports away? Oh wait, Javik just slammed it. Hah. Oh hey - just as I was complaining about non-challenging enemies getting their own cutscenes, the Ravager managed to kill me. Perhaps I shouldn't have charged right into its face. Jumped across the chasm from a swarmer swarm, and felt quite smug about it - until they jumped right after me. Impressive. Tirranek posted:Wait a minute, do you want an 'assign half my points' button or something? You can always undo them, if I remember correctly. Alternately, if you expand a specific skill after "auto-level", clicking undo will only undo the choices within that specific branch.
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Feb 27, 2014 12:59
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Xander77 posted:A kind person in the thread informed me that Mordin is about to die, so I spent every moment of mission cutscenes in a state of anxious apprehension. When I saw that post I immediately felt sorry for you. But be reassured, Mordin CAN die, but he can also survive. Ask us about it when you get to that point.
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Feb 27, 2014 19:37
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Xander77 posted:How did Cerberus manage to invade and overwhelm a highly secure base on the homeworld of a species known for its military intelligence? Oh, they have... unspecified Reaper tech! The salarians never stood a chance. If I remember correctly, I think it was subtly implied that anti-cure elements within the Salarian government may have told them where the base was and then turned their backs to let them on through.
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Feb 27, 2014 20:02
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A very good cutscene with Grunt (another person I have a reason to give a crap about). I thought I'd have to reload and take the other decision for a moment. Apparently some missions take place on multiplayer maps. Benning certainly feels like such a map. What? Killing the poo poo out of innocent civilians for no reason is precisely Cerberus' MO. Harvesters are fun to kill. Flying enemies that aren't annoyingly dodgy and feel substantial. The new Chambers is far superior in that she doesn't tell me I have new messages right after I read them. She also told me to go speak to someone besides party members, which I certainly wouldn't have done on my own. A "retreating" enemy that genuinely retreats. What a fascinating concept. Shame more games don't make use of it. Also, it's nice to have "allies in danger" where things can actually change based on your action. I generally just ignore background allies because they get killed pretty much automatically. James, why are you pretending you just went on a mission with me? Using multiplayer maps and integrating the multiplayer missions into the story is actually kinda clever. Oh hey, I'm actually taking James on a mission. First time for everything, I guess. One thing I can say for Leviathan - it has drat good setpieces. Being allowed to take the DLC in bits and pieces at your convenience is also nice. Argh! Diving into a dark abyss with a huge monster lurking at the bottom taps directly into my nightmares. God-drat. Eh. I'm not sure if I follow the gist of what happened or why, or even if I'm supposed to (beyond the obvious "AI's always turn on their creators"). That's our first dead Reaper for the game. Good heavens, the Dalatrass offer on Tuchanka is so tempting. I will have to think long and hard about how (long and hard) I will shove it up her cloaka. Tuchanka also looks suitably impressive. With few exceptions, I can't really think of many impressive setpieces in ME 1 and 2. Nice change. Did I just get stepped on by a Reaper? Did I just survive getting stepped on by a Reaper? "Eva's vital signs are dropping". Err... why? How exactly does the cure work so that you actually need Eva on the spot and in danger? Now that was an impressive cutscene. Had a bit of an impact. Dead Reaper count = 2. Mordin. gently caress. I'm kinda crying IRL right now.
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Feb 27, 2014 20:35
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Xander77 posted:Good heavens, the Dalatrass offer on Tuchanka is so tempting. I will have to think long and hard about how (long and hard) I will shove it up her cloaka.
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Feb 27, 2014 20:45
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One thing that annoys me in Single player is trying to upgrade the guns at the bottom of the list, and having the cursor reset to the top of the list every time I click the upgrade button. God drat is that annoying.
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Feb 27, 2014 20:49
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If the whole game was like the Tuchanka arc, it would've been a thoroughly excellent game.
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Feb 27, 2014 20:51
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Xander77 posted:What? Killing the poo poo out of innocent civilians for no reason is precisely Cerberus' MO. Eh, they're more about killing in the name of science  and military objectives. Not so much gunning down random civilians like on Benning.
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Feb 27, 2014 21:00
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Chexoid posted:That machine gun mow-down cutscene from Omega is really weird. Like, it kind of seems tragic, in a way. If you laid some sad music over it it'd be reminiscent of a WW1 charge into machine gun fire. The way the dying guys are crawling around writhing in pain. It was supposed to be like a badass moment but I kind of felt bad. I wondered if it was supposed to be a sly wink to people playing multi, since those Cerberus guys with jetpacks are sometimes a real pain for throwing off your aim.
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Feb 27, 2014 21:05
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Veotax posted:Eh, they're more about killing in the name of science How do you think they test all those guns they develop?
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Feb 27, 2014 21:07
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Torrannor posted:When I saw that post I immediately felt sorry for you. But be reassured, Mordin CAN die, but he can also survive. Ask us about it when you get to that point.
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Feb 27, 2014 21:21
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Xander77 posted:How?
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Feb 27, 2014 21:25
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So if you want to save the best character of game 2, you have to kill the best character of game 1.
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Feb 27, 2014 21:27
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Stop giving away plot points to the guy playing through for the first time guys.
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Feb 27, 2014 21:28
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Lotish posted:So if you want to save the best character of game 2, you have to kill the best character of game 1.
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Feb 27, 2014 21:29
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Xander77 posted:How? It requires that Wrex is dead and the research from ME2 be destroyed as not keeping the research results in Bakara's death. That way you can convince Mordin that a resurgent Krogan population with Wreav in charge and no Bakara to moderate him would result in another rebellion. Fojar38 posted:Stop giving away plot points to the guy playing through for the first time guys. He literally asked how that could happen. It's not really spoilers if the person you're telling asks to be spoiled.
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Feb 27, 2014 21:29
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Also, I think he's past that part now?
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Feb 27, 2014 21:32
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Strange Matter posted:(i.e. I was convinced that destroying the research in ME2 was the correct decision, and having to live with what its effects was remarkably affecting)
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Feb 27, 2014 21:48
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Fifty Three posted:What does [destroying the data] affect? Mordin has to synthesize a cure from scratch, rather than working with Maelon's data as a base. I think he can still do it, but it makes Eve really sick along the way.
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Feb 27, 2014 21:50
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Bogart posted:Mordin has to synthesize a cure from scratch, rather than working with Maelon's data as a base. I think he can still do it, but it makes Eve really sick along the way. More than that, it kills Eve leaving the Krogan with no moderating influence in the post-war galaxy.
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Feb 27, 2014 21:54
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Fifty Three posted:What does this affect? If you destroy the research (which is the correct thing to do based on all the information you have from both games up to that point  ) then Mordin can't figure out how to save Eve in time. So Eve will die as Mordin perfects the genophage cure, and if Wrex is also dead and you sabotage the cure, Mordin will notice but can be convinced to fake the cure and his own death to prevent Wreav from getting his hands on an endless horde of bloodthirsty warriors out for revenge. If Wrex is alive, Mordin cannot be convinced and will try to disperse the cure, and to stop him you will have to actually kill him youself (which is the incorrect thing to do based on don't be a goddamn jerk-faced goon, Shepard  ).
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Feb 27, 2014 21:59
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You know, if this dream dealt mostly with Mordin, I'd probably find is moving. But apparently Shepard still has nightmares about Kaiden, of all people? Mordin's name is on the Normandy memory board. The Zhu's hope colonists. Yeah, the callbacks to previous games, with each action having a consequence, are probably the best parts of this game. On the other hand, I pity anyone who went through the last two games in full Renegade mode. Thane, if you're going to die right after Mordin, I'm going to be very upset. Also, see above about sudden Cerberus competence. Oh yeah. I guess Thane would find dying in battle preferable. :/ Cerberus troops dropping down via jetpack are excellent target practice. Pony tail space ninja. Pony tail. Space ninja. Just shoot him, Shepard! Thane, why are you rushing the ninja instead of shooting him? And why are everyone else just standing there in the meanwhile? Shepard is curiously unconcerned here. Odd. Don't shoot him now, just drive the car so that his head gets torn off. Or flip it over. Why does stabbing the roof of a car disable it? Again, if every once in a while a civilian fleeing hostile forces would actually survive (if only to cower and repeat the same phrase over and over) it would give the world a bit of verisimilitude. Why aren't we reusing any of the regular Citadel maps for this? Shooting Udina was a huge disappointment. At the very least he deserved a slow motion fall down an elevator shaft, complete with a final "Curse you Shepaaaaaaaaaaaard". Everyone are strangely calm about Thane's death. Cortez Paragon interrupt - awkward shoulder pat. "Badassfully - Dammit, you big stupid jellyfish, I'm... Just... Three... Solar... Days... From retirement." Took Jack dancing  Joker, don't gently caress the sexbot. Don't gently caress the sexbot, Joker. My reputation is maxed out, and I still have no idea what it does.
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Feb 27, 2014 23:42
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Ponytail space ninja! 
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Feb 27, 2014 23:44
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Xander77 posted:My reputation is maxed out, and I still have no idea what it does. Reputation replaced the paragon/renegade bars of ME1 and 2 into a single combined value taken from choosing either option. Taking a lot of paragon options no longer limits you from taking renegade options later in the game.
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Feb 27, 2014 23:47
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GenericOverusedName posted:Ponytail space ninja! God I hate that rear end in a top hat.
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Feb 27, 2014 23:51
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GenericOverusedName posted:Ponytail space ninja! Hey tell me if you think he is even remotely badass, cause I mean. He is a ninja, and wait till everyone talks to you about him  .
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Feb 27, 2014 23:53
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Extra Smooth Balls posted:God I hate that rear end in a top hat. Mass Effect 4 has you playing a descendant of Kai Leng as you work your vengeance on the Shepards.
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Feb 27, 2014 23:59
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Oh yeah, I forgot how much I hated what they did to Udina as well. Much like they decided the best course for EDI was to give her a sexbot body, the only possible way to take Udina was obviously to make him full-blown evil.
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Feb 28, 2014 00:27
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Crappy Jack posted:Oh yeah, I forgot how much I hated what they did to Udina as well. Much like they decided the best course for EDI was to give her a sexbot body, the only possible way to take Udina was obviously to make him full-blown evil.
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Feb 28, 2014 00:32
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I was really looking forward to some sort of "Okay Shepard, we've had our differences in the past, but the fate of the galaxy is at stake so I've used my political clout to get you some sweetass weapons because I'm not really a bad guy, just a politician who tries to do their job in the face of galactic bureaucracy" but nope he's literally aiding in a terrorist attack.
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Feb 28, 2014 00:41
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Xander77 posted:
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Feb 28, 2014 00:48
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Crappy Jack posted:I was really looking forward to some sort of "Okay Shepard, we've had our differences in the past, but the fate of the galaxy is at stake so I've used my political clout to get you some sweetass weapons because I'm not really a bad guy, just a politician who tries to do their job in the face of galactic bureaucracy" but nope he's literally aiding in a terrorist attack. Yeah, using Udina to get Anderson on earth for no reason pissed me off at first. Then on the citadel he really won me over. "Oh yeah, he is a prick, but hell, we need a prick right now to get us saved." So I was okay with him. Then he tries to start a coup? Why would that work? I mean, I get that there is another real reason for Cerberus to want the citadel, but a coup was just stupid.
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Feb 28, 2014 00:50
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I *think* the idea was that when the Council basically said "gently caress you guys we can prep for poo poo while you get annihilated" Udina broke and figured he'd do whatever it took to save Earth. Contacts Cerberus (or the other way around) and they say "don't worry, we have this awesome plan to control the reapers, let us have the Citadel, screw the other races and we can save the day (and then poo poo all over everyone for not helping us)." Ties in with Udina's big ego - he gets to be the savior of humanity or so he thinks and since he was always a spiteful poo poo he can also get revenge. Unfortunately it's never really explained. Really I heard from my mom via a goddamn email, surely they could have found some of this on his computer/datapad as exposition that took 30 seconds to put into the game couldn't they?
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Feb 28, 2014 00:56
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Xander77 posted:Pony tail space ninja. Pony tail. Space ninja. There's a pay off to this. It's not the best pay off for some, but drat if it wasn't satisfying for me. Also, show of hands- who didn't take that...choice?
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Feb 28, 2014 00:58
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SubponticatePoster posted:Unfortunately it's never really explained. Really I heard from my mom via a goddamn email, surely they could have found some of this on his computer/datapad as exposition that took 30 seconds to put into the game couldn't they? I don't know if a mission or two ended up on the cutting room floor or whether Bioware wrote themselves into a hole and decided to just go with Udina being a jerk purely as a device to get the plot moving.
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Feb 28, 2014 01:15
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I can buy Udina believing that your alliance-building efforts are ultimately doomed and that following Cerberus is the only way, but we definitely needed a scene of him laying that out. Nevertheless, capturing the Citadel still seems useless to Cerberus. I think a more understandable betrayal by Udina would be for him to leak the location of the Crucible to them.
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Feb 28, 2014 01:22
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I think the Codex for the Citadel Coup hints that Udina's plan was to have Cerberus assassinate the Council, which would give him final say in where the Citadel Fleets go, and then use that fleet to tack back Earth. He couldn't deal with having Earth burn while Shepard takes time trying to get help because the Council won't lend aid, and turned to Cerberus to help him save Earth.
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Feb 28, 2014 02:58
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I get a chance to actually decide whether or not I want Ashley on the ship with me? Let me thi gently caress NO. I thought that my previous visit to the Citadel was littered with quests at every step. Thank you for the input about that very threatening pony, Anderson. I'll make sure to Aww, Thane's letter. Hey, I can invite people to my cabin instead of tracking them down all over the ship. It's almost like I'm a real captain or something. Of course, it's all fairly non-subtle flirting. Oh well. Thane's name is on the Normandy board. That list still has room to grow :/ But you know who Garrus wants to talk about? Ashely. I'm really supposed to care. I broke down and reloaded. For one thing, you can shoot Ashley. ... ... She's on board the Normandy now. I'm a bad person who is addicted to exploring every bit of content in an RPG. Oh hey, I have bonus powers. I have a LOT of bonus powers. Which ones work well with Vanguard? I should probably at least replace my two different ammo powers with either Warp or Anti-Armor and something useful. You know what's worse than a Reaper? A ponytail space ninja. Thanks for the warning Anderson. I kinda miss the Collectors. Only fighting the same handful of Cerberus and Reaper enemies is getting old. Surely there was a second Collector base out in a neighboring galaxy. Also, the Geth. I'm sure I'll see more of them soon, now that I'm checking in on the Quarians, but still. Also also, various merc gangs. Cerberus has taken over their "massacre a bunch of civilians for fun and profit, then sit tight until Shepard comes along to kill us" role. I want to kill some krogans, or some Star Wars droids. Military strength just about tops the chart - "odds of success are low". Huh. Last I checked, there were 3 (-1) Ardat-Yakshis in existence. That justifies an entire monastery? Or are we changing that to 30-300? Samara. Just for a moment, I hoped that "let's join forces" actually meant "let's join forces" so that there was someone else tagging along, even if it didn't mean she'd join my squad. Having just the same 5 guys on every mission is getting dull. (At some point I will indulge in my favorite "Baldur's Gate had a six person party, and that was the way it should have staid for this long list of reasons" rant) Whoops, guess the Leviathan missions were supposed to take place latter in the game (finding those guys did seems like the sort of thing that happens near the end of the war). Oh well. Banshees aren't much of a threat if you Charge... and then Charge... and then Charge... and then Charge again. Didn't even bother with shotguns, meelee or Nova. Every Biotic besides Shepard gets to float around in a cool way. So jealous. Banshees have a one hit kill. Didn't notice that before. I'm glad we didn't have to wander all over the monastery to find the detonator, but why are we trusting the indoctrinated person with the bomb. Damnit Samara, the fighting is direst wherever Shepard is. Gah. I realize that a lot of former teammates could have died in ME2. But with just a bit (a lot) of effort I could have gotten Garrus killed as well, and he's a teammate on this one. Edit - Everyone invites me for a get-together at the citadel. We'll all bang, ok? Xander77 fucked around with this message at 09:25 on Feb 28, 2014 |
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Feb 28, 2014 02:58
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Xander77 posted:Banshees have a one hit kill. Didn't notice that before. Most of the elite enemies have one of those so at least be weary of going up close and personal with Atlases and Brutes. Xander77 posted:Pony tail space ninja. Pony tail. Space ninja. He is one of the few characters in any game that I actually hated so it felt so good killing the smug bastard. Also he made me really miss one of the options in ME 2 when it came to dealing with enemies.
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Feb 28, 2014 03:25
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Xander77 posted:
Military Readiness is based on multiplayer, or like "missions" you take on the website. At the end of the game if you do everything you should have enough, so it really doesn't matter. In me 2 they said fully like 1/4th of the asari had Ardat-Yakshi's genes or something, but was only expressed in less than 1% due to having to interbreed or whatever. I always assumed banshees are that 1/4, who knows. 
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Feb 28, 2014 03:41
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