Mass Effect 3

[Beskar]

I have been told for spoilerish reasons that if you do not, you get really bad endings. Apparently, there are major plot hooks in the first two games which decides many factors. So if you got saved files or even just going to do one of those "I picked these options edited" save files, I suggest you use them. It really meant to penalise those who are starting anew (like me, since I got xbox version)

[Monk]

I have been told for spoilerish reasons that if you do not, you get really bad endings.

If you mean the war readiness, yeah. It was mentioned in a PC Gamer article that if you dont play MP and go into the epilogue at 50% readiness (default) your ending is incredibly bleak. Bioware has commented that its possible to ignore MP... but due to the readiness penalty if you do you'll need to 100% SP content to get the same result.

Tracking my readiness progress i'm at 71% galactic readiness after about 5 or 6 co-op wins.

Apparently, there are major plot hooks in the first two games which decides many factors. So if you got saved files or even just going to do one of those "I picked these options edited" save files, I suggest you use them. It really meant to penalise those who are starting anew (like me, since I got xbox version)

From some of the spoilers I have seen, they have been disappointing though. It really shoved a lot of "cannon" ME1 into the game, making ME2 feeling like some random interlude.

I can attest to that. There's a lot of callbacks to the previous games but they take two different flavors.

(no spoilers but discussing how the game mechanics are laid out. Some people might not want the minor surprise ruined.)

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

ME1: You get into a situation where something you did from ME1 has seriously impacted what is about to go down. In some cases that means living with harsh consequences. I'm fairly certain I am gonna regret a few of my choices from the first game before this day is done..

ME2: One of your former team members contacts you and you solve a problem. It's usually personal, and usually something done within 30-45 minutes (ie a typical side-quest fluff). Sometimes they don't want anything and just want to talk, resulting in a good 10-15 min of dialogue. Unlike the ME1 callbacks, they dont seem to mean a whole lot and are just there for spice. Still welcome though.

I'll say that cameos in ME3 are handled much better than they were in ME2.

[Chaotix]

So I've ordered the hard copy of the deluxe edition since I want the metal case. Gonna have to wait a bit for it to ship though, it seems.

In the meantime, Monk: who of your former squad is able to join you permanently? I'd like to know that but would rather not know any more details than possible, otherwise I'd look for it myself. Put it in spoilers if you have to?

[Monk]

In the meantime, Monk: who of your former squad is able to join you permanently? I'd like to know that but would rather not know any more details than possible, otherwise I'd look for it myself. Put it in spoilers if you have to?

Garrus and Liara have been featured pretty prominently so i don't think its a spoiler to say you can roll with them. You get them pretty early on (within the first hour) and they prove to be the most effective combination for quite a while. Don't be surprised if they make up your squad for a large bit of the first act.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Ashley/Kaiden will also help you in the tutorial/prologue, but whether or not you keep them is based on your choices through the game. They are still about you joining Cerberus and don't trust you. Winning back their trust is a sub-plot which might determine whether or not you can keep them. I'm not totally sure but it seemed to heavily imply such, which is why I tried to win them over.

Other than that though, permanent returning squad members seem to be limited. I've only just now completed would might be considered the first act of the game (12 hours in) and I've got about 5 squad members. So maybe more are on the way.

Also my first spoiler seems to have been dealt with by reading the in-game Codex:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

If you appoint Anderson to the Council he eventually resigns out of frustration. Udina is then elected to the council position. Bit of a lame turn of events, but at least having Anderson on the council for ME2 let you re-obtain spectre status

[Beskar]

Yeah, big outrage over this game over the ending to sum it up: "We cannot get the ending we want, no matter what we do".

So choices are being forced upon the players or so it feels.

A link, full of spoilers about the endgame and story, if you don't want the game "ruined" at all spoiler wise DO NOT CLICK:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/to...ex/9512916/543

[Vladimir]

Yeah, big outrage over this game over the ending to sum it up: "We cannot get the ending we want, no matter what we do".

So choices are being forced upon the players or so it feels.

A link, full of spoilers about the endgame and story, if you don't want the game "ruined" at all spoiler wise DO NOT CLICK:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/to...ex/9512916/543

So gamers want, happier endings?

You should all play Minecraft and give yourself happy endings every time you log off.

[Greyblades]

Considering what I have just watched they have a reason to complain about the ending.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Who, what, where, why? Nothing about what happens after the end is explained beyond "here's options, have fun because all they do is determin what colour the game's final explosion is." Doesnt really help that neither option, paragon or renegade, averts the implied apocalyptic outcomes, either 1. we lose any chance of galactic space travel for the next few centuries while we have a bunch of PTSD aliens who cant really survive on human food running around earth with no way of getting home, or 2. we lose space travel, have a bunch of PTSD aliens running round earth, all machines are destroyed and we have a space station the size of kent about to make a rapid reentry.

Also apparantly the guys I was carting around for the last 5 years decided to jump planet the second shepard disappears and are now stranded on a seemingly perfect paradise planet, aww at least they got a nice ending, all three of em, at least until we relize that one of the survivors of the crash cannot actually eat the same stuff as the other two, so he's likely to starve after a month or two. Seeing as FTL travel is set back 500 years the chances of them being rescued in thier lifetimes is slim to none, he's likely to end up a cannibalistic snack for the others.

And dont even get me started on that transparant-machine-child-thing!

I'm really hoping that there's afew alternative endings that I missed due to not completing side missions or getting enough resources or something.

Yes I'm ridiculously tired after binging on this game for a day, why do you ask?