Mass Effect 3 Message Board older than one year ago

#masseffect While there were whispers of this earlier in the month, Sony's Hong Kong website has now officially lifted the lid on a new piece of Mass Effect 3 DLC. More »

#masseffect I got my idea to play the sci-fi epic Mass Effect 3 as a closeted male version of the lead character, Commander Shepard, before the game's creators said the third game in the three-game saga would finally include male same-sex romance. More »

At ease, soldiers. The brass is remarkably proud of each and every one of you for making Operation Exorcist such a rousing success, but unfortunately the completion of that mission doesn't directly translate to the end of our war against the Reapers, Cerberus and the Geth. Starting tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern Earth Time, Operation Silencer will require the full force of the Systems Alliance Military as we work towards our collective goal of exterminating three million banshees.

Now granted, that's two million more baddies than you were responsible for during Operation Exorcist, but now that PlayStation Division has been allowed into combat, we think you can handle the difference. Each individual squad will receive a Commendation Pack for every successful extraction from a Gold-level encounter, until Operation Silencer ends at 8 a.m Eastern Earth Time on Monday morning. Successful completion of the Alliance's universal goal results, as usual, in Victory Packs for all.

Speaking of PlayStation Division and Commendation Packs, we've got some good news for you prune-fingered dish washers: Now that KP duty is over and you're out in the field, HQ has dispatched Commendation Packs to compensate for the gear you couldn't earn during Operations Goliath and Raptor. Check the shop to redeem yours and get in shape before heading into the field this weekend.

–PRIORITY TRANSMISSION FROM ADMIRAL HACKETT–

Attention N7 forces on PS3: We have great news. After working closely with PlayStation we are now able to offer you the multiplayer Commendation Packs for Operation Goliath and Operation Raptor, which were held previously this year. As of now, PS3 users can log in and check out the in-game store for their Goliath and Raptor packs, free of charge.

Rally your squad, prepare your arsenal, and get ready to give the Reapers hell.

Cerberus defectors have verified key intel on Reaper Banshees to help provide us a vulnerability to exploit. Banshees are created from a specific kind of asari that cannot be replaced quickly, so we are diverting forces to focus on an all-out Banshee extermination effort.

This task is an onerous one, and many of you are right to dread contact with these particular foes, but rest assured that we are prepared to reinforce your battalion with reserves. The vorcha want in, and as soon as they complete combined-arms training with our technically-skilled personnel, we will let them loose.

It’s time to make our enemies scream.

Allied Goal: Kill 3,000,000 banshees Squad Goal: Survive until a full extraction on any map against any enemy on Gold difficulty.

Successful completion of the Allied goal will grant all players a Victory Pack.
Successful completion of the squad goal will grant all squadmates a Commendation Pack.

Welcome to the next N7 Weekend Operation, Operation SILENCER, beginning this Friday, May 11 at 6:00PM PST until Monday, May 14 at 5:00PM PST, and all of our N7 forces from the PS3 platform are welcomed and encouraged to participate. Please remember to set the “Upload Gameplay Feedback” setting to “On” in the online options to be able to participate in this N7 Operation.

*Note that due to a known issue, PS3 users will not see the promotion screen but they will be participating in Operation SILENCER and will be rewarded.

Keep up the pressure, troopers. As you can see, N7 efforts to date have been bringing the fight right to the front door of our enemy. Our enemy is fierce, but we’ve got the might of the entire galaxy on our side.

Good luck and see you on the battlefield.

#masseffect A scant two weeks after Mass Effect 3 launched, BioWare shared some stats about how the galaxy of multiplayer reaper-killing fared. Now, two months later, they're back with an update. More »

You'd think, if told there's an 84-minute documentary on the ending of Mass Effect 3, that it'd be the result of some crazed fans, crackpots spending most of that time exclaiming breathlessly into a cheap microphone. You would also be wrong, because this thing is great. More »

#masseffect Mass Effect 3 became the game in the sci-fi series where BioWare finally opened up the relationship possibilities for players wanting to romance a character of the same gender, with characters Esteban Cortez and Samantha Traynor only available for wooing if you played as a male or female Commander Shepard. More »

Publishing giant Electronic Arts has issued its financial results for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2012 and fiscal 2012 as a whole, and wouldn't you know it, a year with a new Mass Effect game results in revenue totals that are much higher than years without Mass Effect games.

Looking at just the fourth quarter of 2012, EA's total net revenue stacked up at $1.36 billion, a 24 percent increase over the $1.09 billion reported at the end of this same period last year. Net revenue generated from digital sales nearly doubled year-over-year, $419 million in Q4 2012 as opposed to $211 million in Q4 2011 - a 98 percent increase.

Packaged good still made up the majority of the publisher's revenue, however, at $949 million, up from $879 in Q4 2011. Net income for the period was also up year-over-year, $400 million for the period ending on March 31, 2012 as compared with $151 million for the same period in 2011. Naturally, EA contributes its successful fourth quarter to the release of Mass Effect 3 and the continued popularity of FIFA 12.

Fiscal 2012 as a whole presents a slightly different story - while net revenue was up 15 percent year-over-year ($4.14 billion in fiscal 2012 vs. $3.58 billion in fiscal 2011), net income fell 263 percent, from $276 million in fiscal 2011 to just $76 million in fiscal 2012.

Looking forward to fiscal 2013, EA expects an approximate net revenue of $4.07 billion, $950 million of which it expects to earn during the first fiscal quarter of 2013, which ends on June 30, 2012.

#masseffect Some called me a sympathizer when I championed the rights of some video game fans who disliked a game's ending to have it changed. More »

Filed under: Features, PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, Online, RPGsThis is a weekly column from freelancer Rowan Kaiser, which focuses on "Western" role-playing games: their stories, their histories, their mechanics, their insanity, and their inanity. "I just want to see how this integrates with the single-player campaign," I thought, clicking on the multiplayer option in Mass Effect 3's main menu. I had no expectations of making it a habit. Like many people, when the multiplayer component was announced, I thought it sounded completely extraneous. Once I started playing, though, I fell for it, and have been putting more time into the multiplayer than the campaign.

Arguments about whether Mass Effect 3 is a role-playing game or not have existed since the first game's release. Regardless of which side you take in those, Mass Effect does include many components of role-playing games, two of which are essential to the multiplayer's success: world-building and character development mechanics. Of course, there are simple gameplay reasons to enjoy the co-operative gameplay of Mass Effect 3 online. The levels are well designed for dynamic changes within matches, and waves of enemies seem ideal for both difficulty and time. But those things aren't what make it special.

#masseffect BioWare has been running regular multiplayer bonus weekend events in Mass Effect 3 since March, but until now, PlayStation 3 owners had been unable to participate. An earlier statement from BioWare seemed to point the finger at an issue with approval on Sony's end, leaving players hanging. More »

Good news, PlayStation Division! Your sector has been relieved of KP duty and is now authorized to join Xbox Squadron and the PC Armada in battle during this weekend's "Operation Exorcist" initiative, as well as all future weekend-based N7 field operations.

Now, I'm not gonna lie, there's a good chance a whole hell of a lot of you will die while trying to take down 1,000,000 Cerberus Phantoms over the next three days, but remember that those deaths mean something, and that you're helping to save the entire damn galaxy. Well, unless you forget to set "Upload Gameplay Feedback" to "On." If that's not enabled, your deaths are totally meaningless.

PRIORITY TRANSMISSION TO ALLIANCE SOLDIERS OF THE PLAYSTATION NETWORK: REINFORCEMENTS ARE COMING…

From: Admiral Steven Hackett, Citadel Allied Command
Re: Operation EXORCIST
Confidentiality Classification: XA-PRIME
Distribution: N7 Forces Only

Soldiers of the Milky Way –

By now it is no secret that the Reaper War has had its share of logistical SNAFUs. It is to the galaxy’s credit that, when we put out the call for volunteers, we were answered by individuals of every species from Citadel, Traverse, Terminus space, and most significantly for this operation, the PlayStation Network. Unfortunately, the diversity of equipment sources meant our allies ran into hardware and software incompatibilities.

These brave men and women have been fighting beside you and, in doing so, have gone above and beyond normal duty. Because their units were not properly tracked, they fought without pay and sometimes without proper training, equipment, even rations. It is a mark of their character that these warriors of the PlayStation Network took the grave task set before us and stuck it out through sheer determination.

It is time to honor the service of the soldiers of the PlayStation Network. A volunteer task force has fabricated the necessary hardware and is rolling out compatibility software. When these installations are complete, these soldiers will benefit from being properly equipped and combat-ineffective troops will get off the bench. We’ll all have more comrades watching our backs, and we’re now watching theirs. Reinforcements are coming. Soldiers of the PlayStation Network: Welcome to the fight.

–Admiral Hackett

MAJOR MISSION UPDATE: Good news Spectres: Reinforcements are coming! Starting with Operation EXORCIST, N7 Weekend Challenges will extend to the PlayStation 3 platform. Operation EXORCIST begins today, April 27th at 6:00PM PST until April 30th at 5:00PM PST for all N7 Operators on the PlayStation Network. Please remember to set the “Upload Gameplay Feedback” setting to “On” in the online options to be able to participate in this N7 Operation.

When it comes to retrieving classified data, Cerberus has been beating the allied forces to the punch. New intelligence has tipped us off to one of their offensives, and it is time to give the N7 teams the payback they want.

Allied Goal: Kill 1,000,000 Cerberus Phantoms.
Squad Goal: Survive until extraction on any map and any enemy on Gold difficulty.

Successful completion of the Allied Goal will grant all players a Victory Pack.
 Successful completion of the squad goal awards a Commendation Pack to all squadmates.

Play Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer on GOLD difficulty with two different goals: The first goal will be the overall objective for this operation between all Mass Effect 3 multiplayer matches (under the GOLD difficulty), which is otherwise known as the “Allied Goal.” In the case of Operation EXORCIST, the “Allied Goal” is to have all players kill a combined total of 1,000,000 Cerberus Phantoms over the course of the maneuver.

For the “Squad Goal” during Operation EXORCIST (as with all operations moving forward), players must simply survive the enemy onslaught on GOLD difficulty until a safe extraction can be made. That’s 10 waves of the most tenacious of enemy forces you’ll have to stave off, so this is something all forces must prepare for.

If you’re unsure you’re ready and you’re curious if you require additional training, all N7 operators are welcomed (and encouraged) to analyze the troops at your command. To let you do that outside of the battlefield, we’ve created a brand new feature for the BioWare Social Network: the Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Manifest.

The Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Manifest will allow you to inspect your multiplayer avatars without having to boot up your copy of the game. In this new manifest, players will be able to view which characters, weapons, mods and consumables they’ve unlocked in MP, and what’s more, you’re able to compare your stats with your friends!

To use the Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Manifest, simply head to the BioWare Social Network and log in using your EA Origin Account you use to play Mass Effect 3. Once you’re logged in, you’ll be able to use the great features found in this new program to help you prepare for battle.

Good luck and see you on the battlefield.

Listen up soldiers, the System Alliance Military has a special mission for you this weekend. Top brass is aiming to eradicate 1,000,000 Cerberus Phantoms from the face of the galaxy between 6 p.m. Pacific on Friday, April 27 and 5 a.m. Pacific on Monday, April 30. While attempting to surmount this incredible feat, your unit will also be tasked with surviving until extraction from any map set to Gold Difficulty.

Upon successful completion of your squad's personal mission, each of you will be awarded a Commendation Pack for your service to your galaxy. Should the Alliance's overall goal be reached, every member of the System Alliance Military will be granted a Victory Pack. Now suit up, we've got a long weekend ahead of us.

Oh, except for you, PS3 Division. We still need you guys on KP duty, so this mission only applies to Xbox Squadron and the PC Armada.

BioWare has revealed their next multiplayer weekend promotion for Mass Effect 3. Operation Exorcist will run from this Friday 4/27 at 6pm PST through Monday 4/30 at 5am PST for Xbox 360 and PC players...

#watchthis No matter your opinions on the controversial ending to Mass Effect 3, if you're a fan of BioWare's sci-fi role-playing game series, you might dig this great original song, written and performed by singer Malukah. The background music is all from Mass Effect. More »

#masseffect I spend a lot of time with the quarian lately; she's become my favorite. Though if I'm being strictly honest, she's actually the third quarian. The first two long since reached the limits of their potential with me, and are now off fighting some other battles elsewhere in the galaxy. More »

BioWare's sci-fi role-playing game is available at Amazon today for $30, thanks to an all-day Gold Box video game sale. Looks like they'll have PlayStation Move and Final Fantasy XIII-2 later today. [Amazon] More »

Amazon has a few gaming deals going on today, but the highlight is Mass Effect 3 for $30, 50 percent off the regular price. The offer is available on the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 standard editions of the game. Feel free to put that other $30 aside to buy a better ending when the time comes.

Amazon is also holding lightning deals today on a variety of gaming hardware and software. The crew at Thrifty Nerd has taken a crack at deducing the devilish clues of what will be discounted. The lightning deals will begin at 9AM Pacific, Noon JST (Joystiq Standard Time).

#masseffect Artist Andy Helms, of "Dude a Day" and movie pixel art fame, has for a little while been drawing these cute little portraits of the cast and crew of Mass Effect 2 & 3. More »

Previously exclusive to the Xbox 360 and PC, BioWare's weekend promotions for Mass Effect 3 multiplayer could be coming to PS3. Sony, EA and BioWare are currently working toward a resolution.

"We are currently working together with EA and BioWare on an implementation to bring Mass Effect 3 multiplayer weekends to PS3," a Sony spokesperson told Shacknews. When the free Resurgence Pack DLC launched last week, BioWare held a weekend promotion, but said arrangements to bring it to PS3 had not been completed with Sony. It sounds like that may change soon enough, though exactly how the PS3 will make up for its lost promotions isn't known.

#watchthis In another round of uncensored video games, Mass Effect 3 characters say some pretty odd things. More »

#toys DC's line of Mass Effect figures were fine, I guess, but this upcoming batch of three toys from Square Enix, all of them based on Mass Effect 3, look much better. More »

Is your Mass Effect 3 Purchase Readiness Rating at $40? Good news: thanks to Best Buy, that's enough for you to be able to complete the operation (by buying the game). The retailer has marked last month's sci-fi epic down to $39.99 on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

We're wondering now about the wisdom of opening our post about buying Mass Effect 3 with a joke that will basically only make sense to people who have already played it. Oh, well, bookmark this, and you can chuckle after you've started.

With the release of Mass Effect 3's Resurgence Pack DLC, and this weekend's subsequent Operation Resurgence multiplayer mission, BioWare has deployed this strategy video showing you how to use your new companions.

Following its launch on February 28, it seems Binary Domain didn't have a very good March. According to data Joystiq received from the NPD, Sega's sci-fi shooter only sold 20,000 copies during the month. Compare that to the 1.3 million physical copies sold of the other big sci-fi game of March, Mass Effect 3.

Of course, Binary Domain had a lot going against it. For one, it's called Binary Domain. There was little-to-no marketing, whereas Mass Effect 3 ads were everywhere and everything you bought came with DLC. In the sci-fi wars of March, 2012, Mass Effect 3 emerged victorious.

As the last big boxed product from Sega, this disappointing performance likely contributed to Sega's decision to drastically alter its publishing strategy and issue substantial layoffs worldwide at the end of March.

Following its launch on February 28, it seems Binary Domain didn't have a very good March. According to data Joystiq received from the NPD, Sega's sci-fi shooter only sold 20,000 copies during the month. Compare that to the 1.3 million physical copies sold of the other big sci-fi game of March, Mass Effect 3.

Of course, Binary Domain had a lot going against it. For one, it's called Binary Domain. There was little-to-no marketing, whereas Mass Effect 3 ads were everywhere and everything you bought came with DLC. In the sci-fi wars of March, 2012, Mass Effect 3 emerged victorious.

As the last big boxed product from Sega, this disappointing performance likely contributed to Sega's decision to drastically alter its publishing strategy and issue substantial layoffs worldwide at the end of March.

Total Mass Effect 3 sales for its launch month of March were 1.3 million units across Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, the NPD informed Joystiq. The number covers purely new physical retail sales, so no digitally distributed product on PC or PS3 is tallied.

Although the NPD doesn't publicly share sales breakdowns by platform, Microsoft executive Aaron Greenberg did share that Xbox 360 sales for the space opera were 943,000 units for the month.

Mass Effect 2 debuted with over a half-million sales on Xbox 360 during its debut month, with another quarter million the following month. We've contacted Electronic Arts for further clarification on Mass Effect 3 sales data.

When thousands of people took to a Facebook group rallying Mass Effect 3 players to "demand a better ending," their efforts were represented by a "donation protest." The protest raised just over $80,000 in donations to Penny Arcade's "Child's Play" charity, and arguably contributed to BioWare's decision to respond with an upcoming addition to Mass Effect 3: "Extended Cut."

Regardless of the group's success, Penny Arcade co-founder Jerry "Tycho" Holkins halted the fundraiser. "Child's Play cannot be a tool to draw attention to a cause. Child's Play must be the Cause," Holkins said of hypothetical future efforts. He also cited Child's Play project manager Jamie Dillion as "buried under mail" from donors who didn't clearly understand exactly what they were giving money to.

"Apparently some of the people giving to the cause seemed to think that they were paying for a new ending to Mass Effect. She's been asked what the goal is, and how much they need to raise in order to get the ending produced," Holkins wrote. "We've also been contacted by PayPal due to a high number of people asking for their donations back. This is in addition to readers who simply couldn't understand how this was connected to Child's Play's mission. We were dealing with a lot of very confused people, more every day, and that told us we had a problem."

That doesn't mean, however, that all of those folks were demanding refunds. "Essentially, there were a handful of people who requested their donation returned, which we did. The large majority of the funds were not returned and will be distributed to the hospitals as normal. If anyone feels that they would like their donation back, we are happy to do so," Dillion told us in a recent email.

For those of you excited about dusting off the ol' ME1 Shepard and giving those Reapers what for, know that there may be one more hurdle between you and Mass Effect 3's intergalactic glory. Apparently, the patch that fixed the face import bug has broken things elsewhere - specifically, some players are experiencing crashes when connecting to EA's servers.

Shepards encountering this issue are encouraged to post about it in this BioWare thread, where development is currently farming user data in order to better understand the problem and find a solution. The good news is that the error appears to be periodic rather than consistent, with some affected players able to connect via persistence and willpower. There are also reports that re-patching can resolve the issue, but for heaven's sake please be careful when deleting ME3's system cache from your Xbox's harddrive. Save files are precious, fragile things.