New consoles, a new generation and hopefully a fresh start for the troubled Bioware. It's only a matter of time before Mass Effect 4 is officially announced to what I'm assuming to be a tepid response. I still love this franchise to death and still believe that the Mass Effect universe is still one of the coolest science fiction settings we've seen in a very long time. I have a few suggestions on how to make ME4 the kickass game we've been clamoring for.

1. Don't Set The Game Before The Reaper War:

The galaxy is in complete shambles after the near-elimination of all organic life by the Reapers. All the races have lost billions of lives and had their colonies and homeworlds turned into cinders. Despite the actions taken by Shepard....there's still a hell of rebuilding to do. Imagine Post-WWII on a galactic scale. That's a hell of a setting to relaunch a franchise. Lose the Reapers and the All Story and focus on the interactions and power struggles between the races in this changed world.

2. Lose the Alliance:

With a new main character comes a new point of view in the Mass Effect universe. A main character that's a privateer or a C-Sec officer would be a breath of fresh air. The Alliance is in shambles after the events of the ME3 and would logically play much less of a role anyway.

3. More dynamic sidequests:

The slog that was Mass Effect 3's stupid fetch quests drove the pace to a grinding halt. More loyalty missions for side-characters and less hunting for stupid artifacts all over the galaxy.

4. NO MORE GODDAMN MICROTRANSACTIONS:

Pay-to-win loot drops in a 60$ game is gross. Overhaul the multiplayer and lose the loot crates. This isn't fucking DOTA.

(posted on tablet, please bear with me.)

Mass Effect is hardly in need of saving.

Oh god the post cut off

WHAT DID BIOWARE DO TO YOU

Someone submitted before they were done.

Hmm...

I respectfully disagree.

I'm very curious how you propose to "save" a game that we haven't had an official announcement for, let alone heard any details about it.

If they bring back the overheating guns i am in c'mon unlimited ammo VS ammo magazine's. I smell some ammo clip conspiracy in the mass effect universe. BTW Casey Hudson said there weren't making a follow up to 3. so i am guessing a prequel or a mass effect universe story.

I'm still rooting for a noir-style game with more inter-personal interaction that doesn't spiral out into a save-the-universe story.

@thehumandove: I hope you're not making that decision whit the last half a hour in mind off mass effect 3.

Make it to be good?

Fire all Bioware employees, liquidate the company and sell the IP to Platinum Games.

One merely OK entry does not spell the end for a series, and two games in a row that sold well but didn't get great receptions definitely does not spell the end for a company.

Come back to me about "the fall of Bioware" when they're making games that people simply aren't buying anymore. Because we all know that all of you are going to buy Mass Effect 4 and Dragon Age 3 in hopes of either praising it or bitching about it. Can't find a middle ground with any of you people.

WHAR POST WHAR

That was embarrasing.....

I can't type on a touchpad for crap. Stupid broken laptop.

I don't know that the franchise needs "saving", but it certainly is tarnished. There are a few things they could do to repair that, I think.

• Firstly, is to have a goddamn plan this time for whatever story arc they decide to do.
• Secondly, have better PR strategies in place in case of backlash. A big reason why the ME3 ending blew up so bad was that BioWare went into complete communications blackout for two months where they didn't talk to anyone or answer any questions. If your fans feel like they're being ignored, you're going to piss them off.
• Finally, is to have realistic expectations for what you can do. I think it's common knowledge at this point they shot themselves in the foot with ME2 and allowing almost the entire crew to die. It was cool as hell when ME2 came out, but they fucked themselves doing it. Guess this is just kind of similar to point one - having a plan in place.

Don't make Mass Effect 4 is the best way to save Mass Effect 4.

I totally get your concerns, but you need to understand that Mass Effec

@truthtellah: I Sopranoed my own topic....

*groan*

Oh, YOU PEOPLE huh?

add more romances, every one will buy to watch naked computer mans

Hey, don't worry abou

I think Mass Effect 3 is the best one. Those fetch quests took literally no effort or brain power. Save for the arguably dumb(but way overblown) ending, I love the hell out of that game. Granted I had From Ashes, Leviathan, and Citadel.

Mass Effect doesn't need saving. I'm not the only one that thinks 3 is the best in the series.

Even people that think it can't match ME2 are comparing it to ME freakin' 2. Our game of the generation, right?

The Codex gave us so much lore filled with cool history, so I have faith that they can continue to write interesting stories in that universe. Past or present, I'm sure they can come up with something intriguing. The gameplay got tighter and tighter, with the only design thing up for debate being how they should balance the RPG piece (again, I think ME3 hit a sweet spot.) And there's still room for improvement on stuff like side quests.

Take the storytelling of 1, the character interactions of 2, the gameplay and atmosphere of 3, and there you go. Game of next gen.

@scrawnto: A Mass Effect game that's just set on Omega or Illium would be intresting.

Definitely not in need of saving. But I agree with your #1.

I think they just need to take their time. ME3 had a lot of rough edges that I think they could have smoothed out with more time.

Bioware has clearly demonstrated that they can make amazing games but when rushed, they implode.

What the author really means is that Mass Effect is irreparably and unquestionably broken as long as they do anything that they don't approve of.

To put it bluntly, anyone who didn't like having to make a difficult decision at the end of a series about making difficult decisions should go play The Walking Dead, where there are no lasting consequences of your actions.

Not at all. I found the game to be on the decline during mass effect 2, and three was the worst of it.

I just want it to be a separate story from the trilogy (with hints and call outs to events, characters, etc) that doesn't hold me to decisions I have now made 4 years ago.

Aren't we thankful to live in the generation of "I didn't like it therefore it objectively sucks"?

i would just like to point out that as someone who could very easily be considered "jersey scum" (geographically, theoretically, and in every other way), the opinions about the Mass Effect franchise - and the potential 4th game in the series - of this poster do not represent all of us.

i don't disagree with the 'fetch quest' aspect of ME3 that the original poster brings up, but i happen to be of the opinion that this sort of thing may be integral to a game that supports constant progression.

The only way to save Mass Effect from the unrealistic expectations of the internet is to go back in time and never make it.

Connecting it directly to the last trilogy would be the biggest mistake they could make with the series going forward. They already bit off more than they could chew by trying to make choices matter all the way through 3. (Which led to the inevitable outcome of most choices funneling down a very nary path of possible outcomes.) If they pretend they can make the old trilogy's choices matter in the next game they're doomed before they even begin.

I have reasons why I didn't like it, and I was implying I enjoyed mass effect 1, and 2 in many aspects. But yes, dissenting opinions are the worst thing about this generation.

Make it an entirely different kind of game, I am personally ready for that.

I don't think 3 is the best Mass Effect game but I don't think the series is in need of saving.

So you haven't played the game, is what you're saying.

@uitdetoekomst: Mass Effect 3 was not a terrible game. It did have some serious plot issues (Star Kid and the moronic nightmare sequences) and locked critical story elements as DLC.

There's no such thing as a "Star Kid". As much as ending-bashers would like to delude themselves, making up a name for something which has an established name that it is referred to as throughout the entire story doesn't erase all of the foreshadowing for it. It just makes you look hilariously stupid.

Though I'd like to see these "critical story elements", considering how the story doesn't require any DLC content to be told.

Why do we need to be a human in a position of authority in this game? I want to be a runaway Quarian stowing away on a ship because I accidentally killed a dude in my flotilla or something. Just I would be in love with a Mass Effect game from the perspective of an alien, moreso an alien who is low on the social rungs. I think people have pretty conclusively decided the appeal of Mass Effect is the world and the characters. You don't need this huge universe-smashing plot that requires being in a position of power, and I think the series is well-known enough at this point that you don't need a human protagonist to keep general audiences paying attention.

The best series of this generation and arguably of all time I doubt it needs saving but I will say I want some stuff improved. Like the side missions you mentioned would be a welcome improvement and for sure set after ME3(years or whatever as long as it's post war). Also I would like a more in depth character creator (more eyes,hair styles, body types, etc. )

I say BioWare isn't troubled and wait until the game is shown but to your points -

1. I have no idea what Post-WWII was like, never mind on a galactic scale. Your idea sounds good regardless.

2. Agreed

3. Agreed

4. I put many hours into the ME3 multiplayer, didn't pay a penny. By all means try paying to win, I'll wipe the floor with you and anyone else who tries such a dumb idea. Skill beats money all day long in ME3 multiplayer.

Play as a Hanar and an Elcor in a C-Sec buddy cop adventure!

How to save a game that is yet to have any details announced, and comes from a series of excellent games from an excellent developer?

Sure, why not.

@falafelwafer: The orgin story of the Reapers and the fall of the Prothean empire isn't critical plot information?

You mean information that is already present in the ending and information that we already knew from the very first game in the series?

Maybe saving is a strong word. But perhaps an intervention...

ME3? Of course I played it, and I thought it was the best ME at that. But it definitely didn't live up to all the promises they made early on about the impact of your choices. (Which wasn't unexpected, but it was the cause of plenty of disappointment for people.)

An entire Mass Effect where you throw parties and go to various bars/night clubs to do stuff for people.

All wacky hi-jinks, no end of the universe stuff.