He has until the end of March. I'm leaning close to no right now. I think there is a chance but that chance will be gone once 2013 starts.

Edit: If you listened to the recent bombcast Brad got his USB back and there was nothing that could be done because it was encrypted. Brad's last resort will have to be to use an editor to create his own save file.

What's at the end of March? Did he ever recover his Shepard from the USB?

Doubtful that he will. Probably best not to either.

Don't care but I'll vote yes because I'm bored.

I voted no because it will crush his dreams

Good god no. He's been indecisive about that USB with his save for this long, so why stop now?

He'll be be busy reviewing games for the next month and a half, then he'll spend December playing things of his own choosing that will definitely not be Mass Effect 3.

If he recovers his saves, then he will probably think on it more, and eventually they will come out with another Mass Effect game, and he will play ME3.

If he dose not recover his saves, he will never play another game that was on that save stick again.

@laserbolts said:

Don't care but I'll vote yes because I'm bored.

So you do care.

You guys should listen to the bombcast. Sounds like the save is done for. However I believe he will play some ME3, perhaps as a premium feature on some week where nothing else is scheduled. But finishing it may be another matter. Still I'll be positive and vote yes.

@Colourful_Hippie said:

@laserbolts said:

Don't care but I'll vote yes because I'm bored.

So you do care.

Indeed. He could care less!

Listening to the Bombcast and christ, it's not like he's reviewing every single game from now until spring. There's nothing coming out for like, seven weeks between December and January. ME3 is 30 hours if you do most of the side missions. It's not that long, and the save file decisions aren't that integral to enjoying the game. Don't get me wrong, it's cool, but I wouldn't pass on a decent game simply for that reason.

Don't play it, Brad. I'm kind of tired of the "will he or won't he?".

The question should instead be: Should brad play ME3?

And the answer is no.

No to the original question too.

He mentioned in a recent video (maybe the new ps3 unboxing..?) that he put in to have his USB sitck repaired, so he hasn't totally given up on it yet.

That being said, my vote is no OR during the dead times of summer 2013.

Assassin's Creed says hello.

Also listening to him worry about his choices is kinda funny, like his example of choosing whether he saved the Rachni Queen. Because really none of it even matters; the only primary choice that matters in the long run is whom you're boning. I can still understand the want to have his own 'personal' take, but... so as long as he knows the story (which he does), he could head into ME3 fresh and still more or less get the exact same experience as the rest of us.

I think it'd be hilarious if he actually decided to finally play Mass Effect 3, but it's the Wii U version.

Dunno/don't really care anyway, but for the sake of the upcoming GoTY discussions it would be nice. I know there's an assumption there, but Jeff has mentioned it w/that reference I think.

No and it also won't be considered in the major game of the year discussion, I'll actually be surprised if it makes the GB Top 10

WHERE IS THE COMING SOON

@xMEGADETHxSLY said:

WHERE IS THE COMING SOON

This is what I'm wondering.

@xMEGADETHxSLY said:

WHERE IS THE COMING SOON

This is what I'm wondering.

@Pr1mus said:

The question should instead be: Should brad play ME3?

And the answer is no.

No to the original question too.

That would be a terrible question because this poll would devolve into a thread filled with roundabout arguments over the quality of ME 3. He's interested enough in the game that he should just play it...even though I think that will never happen.

Don't really care.

Not a goddamn prayer.

He's going to HAVE to sit through the Bombcast deliberations, because that dogshit ending is GOING to come up. And after that, it's all over.

Just as well. Terrible game.

Should be the next breaking brad, beat Mass Effect 3 on Insanity!

@Rapid said:

Should be the next breaking brad, beat Mass Effect 3 on Insanity!

I smell a premium feature!

@big_jon said:

Don't really care.

Uh huh

@Colourful_Hippie said:

@laserbolts said:

Don't care but I'll vote yes because I'm bored.

So you do care.

but maybe you didn't care enough to vote...so there's that I guess.

I hope Brad decides to play Mass Effect 3, again.

I remember how enthusiastic he was on his video review of Mass Effect 2.

If he doesn't, then #teambrad is no more. What happened to the perseverance during the BLLS? Huh? HUH?!

I'm in the same boat as Brad, I haven't finished it yet. I still don't know what happens in the endings, I have managed to be free of spoilers this whole time. I just don't have the same enthusiasm as I had on launch day.

Nope. I bet 500 Bard bucks that he won't.

@Toxin066 said:

Nope. I bet 500 Bard bucks that he won't.

What's the exchange rate on Bard to Brad bucks?

Nah Brad's just going to procrastinate and be wishy-washy about it till it's too late.

I think the only way to solve this problem is to force Brad to review the Wii U version of ME 3.

@Colourful_Hippie said:

@Toxin066 said:

Nope. I bet 500 Bard bucks that he won't.

What's the exchange rate on Bard to Brad bucks?

I could have swore I typed that right...But I'm gonna say it's 2 to 3.75.

@Colourful_Hippie said:

I think the only way to solve this problem is to force Brad to review the Wii U version of ME 3.

I'm thinking that might be the only way, too. With the exception of Patrick and Vinny, if a game is over 2 months old and still hasn't been played, it might as well not exist to the rest of the staff.

He'll beat it.

@Roger778 said:

I hope Brad decides to play Mass Effect 3, again.

I remember how enthusiastic he was on his video review of Mass Effect 2.

At this point, it's pretty unlikely that he would be nearly as enthusiastic about it when he actually does get around to playing it (if he does). Even if he managed to go into it without having the ending spoiled for him, he knows how much ire and vitriol it brought out in a lot of people who played the game, and that negative word-of-mouth will almost definitely affect his perceptions of the game throughout and will probably make him think about it a lot more cynically than he would otherwise.

I think he will, and I think it will be this year.

However, if he lets it slip past the game of the year deliberations, then he's not going to finish it by the deadline.

I should say that I do not care, because I myself didn't finish Mass Effect 3 either. But somebody has brought up the idea of Brad having to finish it on the highest difficulty, for the feature Breaking Brad. Now I should not desire this since I would not even make the effort on featherbed. But I do so much enjoy the thought of Brad having to complete this game on Mass Effect 3's most misrerable setting..

Who says life is fair....

He should play it for all the hate that game gets I still think Cure Genophage is one the best missions in the series.

@AngelN7: I wish Leviathan made it into the game because it had some great missions and an awesome reveal at the end that would have made the overall game better if it made it into the shipping product.

Never.

Probably at some point but the will he-won't he is so stupid. It's a goddamn video game in one of the most impressive series of the generation, the first two of which he thought were exceptional. He's not some sort of supremely busy man that is reviewing everything for the next year, I wish he would just get over it and play it. His reasons are pitiful. 

@Colourful_Hippie said:

@AngelN7: I wish Leviathan made it into the game because it had some great missions and an awesome reveal at the end that would have made the overall game better if it made it into the shipping product.

Wait Leviathan is more than just one mission? I though it was sorta like From Ashes but with you getting Leviathan instead of a playable character ... I should download that at some point.

If he doesn't then, when they start recording the Game of the Year podcast, they should tie him to the chair and force him to listen to every single bit of the conversation. Spoilers and all. Hell, if he doesn't play it by then then I'll literally pay Ryan (or Jeff. Doesn't matter) $50 to do this.

@AngelN7: I was surprised too, it's not Shadow Broker length (it's kinda close to it) but you go to multiple places as you piece together the whole mystery of "Leviathan" and I was surprised at how engaged I was considering you already know what happens at the end. It just reminded me how good a ME mission can be.

There are better games coming out between now and GOTY and if he makes it to year's end without having started, he never will.

He's probably better off though. Don't think I've ever been so let down by a game.

I would love for GB to do a little video of Brad futzing around with the ME Gibbed Save Editor, only because I also want to make a save using that program but find it confusing as fuck to use.

Probably not, it seemed like the USB thing was a bit of an excuse (the save game makers are fully featured). And with the upcoming release schedule for the rest of this year, not likely. I bet he ends up with a Wii U though, and buys ME3 on that but still does not play it (because it has the updated ending, as Brad mentioned wanting to see the original).

He'll probably play the WiiU version, since that version will have a similar motion comic thing like the PS3 version of Mass Effect 2 had.