My favorite thing about Mass Effect is that each game has a very distinct feel to it. Most series try to keep it too similar and ME didn't do that. The universe remains similar but the in game feel is very different in each game.
MPrime ME was more of a military story and I classic wild goose chase. ME 2 was much darker and went more in depth with characters and the stories. ME3 is a fight for survival and it mixes both of the prequels with a hint of dread. People say that the game is just a basic shooter without a good story but the story is actually very interesting and it goes deep into the characters morals and the effects of their actions. My favorite storyline is Mordin's because it is all about I this confident scientist who always did everything right, and his one mistake was what he saw as his biggest achievement before and I find that interesting on how he self reflects himself and realizes that he was wrong and how what he thought was right, he finally sees how it affects others and in a way it teaches you to not be so selfish and self centered and to see how your actions will affect others around you
Even if people had problems with the ending, I never understood the hate some people had for Casey Hudson. To be upset about an ending, you have to be invested in the story and universe... but it's because of him and the team that the Mass Effect universe / stories / characters are as amazing as they are to begin with. Yes, the endings could have been better, but that does not suddenly invalidate everything else about the ME series or the work that went into creating it.
In my opinion the DC ending was pretty good. I think what most people don't get is that the WHOLE Mass Effect 3 is the ending of the series, not just the last 3 minutes.
Yep, Mass Effect wouldn't exist without Hudson. The reason why people were upset about the endings is that they had become deeply emotionally invested in the universe that began from Hudson's original idea and came to fruition under his leadership. Most games have far worse endings than ME3 but no one cares because stories in most games are a side issue, something to keep the action going. For example, I love the Gears of War games but I don't even remember how they end, the stories in Gears games are just incoherent nonsense.
Except that Drew Karpyshyn IS the REAL great mind behind Mass Effect, not Casey Hudson ! So without him being involve in Mass Effect 3, no wonder why the game wasn't perfect.
@@Hellion73 It's not his fault. Bioware got captured from within by EA, read the story about it. It's not even Ray musika and gref zeshuk fault ... EA and big american business knows how to destroy soul within ANY business, be it a movie company or a gaming one, doesn't matter. But you are right man ... God bless you, Jesus Christ loves you. Amen
I'm fed up with all the nagging about ME3. What some 'gamers' fail to understand is what the _Mass Effect trilogy_ meant for many of us. How we could return home after a tiring day and sink into a world full of "strange creatures", assuming roles so distinct from our own personalities. How we spent hours and hours on strolls talking about Wrex and the Genophage or Tali and the Geth rebellion while trying to find similarities in our own political history or technology. Countless nights drinking wine and conversing about the backgrounds of our favourite alien species. Some people finished _Mass effect 3_, niggled about the ending and moved on. For others though, _Mass Effect trilogy_ was a turning point in their lives. In my 25 years of gaming no other game series had such an impact on me.
+Oldren Shepard I didn't like the ending to ME3. Yet, its 2015 and I find myself replaying the trilogy for the 10th time. Suffice it to say that the ME trilogy was not about the ending but about the universe and the story. Three years later, that bad ending is irrelevant.
Honestly, I feel like Mass Effect is a genre unto itself, and I wish there were more sci-fi RPG games like it that really dive deeply into what it's like to be part of a galaxy with several alien species, with a galactic community the way it does.
Casey come back, any kind of fool could see There was something in everything about you Casey come back, you can blame it all on me I was wrong, and I just can't live without you
I'm actually curious if Star Wars is going to be like that, after all the ME fun is gone for me (i mean ALL, trilogy, DLCs and comics). I want to play a game with about the same concept, like the new Star Trek game or SW: The Force Unleashed, I doubt I will really enjoy them because of the acceptation I already got with ME, in fact I became to like ME story even more than the depth and big Halo Universe.
ME3 had all the races taking a beating from reapers from start to finish and people thought that magically everything would be alright for all the characters. The ending, with the extended cut, is actually pretty amazing, it creates a very tough decision to make. Glad they didn't go for a cliche ending.
I love Mass Effect. The worldbuilding, the characters... it all feels so well built and self-contained. I honestly wish that I had the chance to do something like that on that scale.
True the ending to the Mass Effect series was rather weak but that doesn't take away from the amazing time I had in the series. Mass Effect 2 is one of my all time favorite games. I'd almost go so far as saying it's the best sequel in media.
@Subi_fan Me3 is much better than Me2 My favourite aspect is the story telling, That's why I think the best is 1, an awesome way of presenting a new universe, fun and with lots of information, It got you hooked and in an aura of mistery. Then ME3 because I loved the epic missions and boundaries between Shepard and his teammates, and they developed into very different people than in previous games, Liara found how to melt the sweet girl from ME1 and obscurity of herself from ME2, Tali solved her problems with being an important person for the quarian people and her complicated relationship with her father, and the list goes on with the other characters, also the combat was the best of the series. And the favourite of everyone ME2 is the weakest for me. Because the story is fully explained at the start, you will lead a final Attack to the base of the enemy, and the argument is, picking up partners and resolving their midlife crissis/traumas. I think it's weakest in terms of storytelling and doesn't get the player in the edge/wondering whats Next and what the end will be like in ME1 and ME3.
I don't think we can thank Bio-ware enough for the games they have created and the world we got to inhabit because of them. RIP you will me forever missed BioWare the greatest RPG developer of all time.
The ending's no worse than a lot of "open ended games", Deus Ex Human Revolution's ending worked in basically the same way. At least ME3 had a proper movie to end the game with, rather than just a commentary over news footage like HR did.
Without the extended cut the ending was confusing, left a lot of plot holes like seeing your LI on the Normandy while being on the ground a few moment ago. The extended cut made the ending bearable, while it's fair or not, I was expecting a higher quality in terms of the ending in the game. I love the Mass Effect Franchise and will continue to follow it in the future. The ending overall ended the trilogy on a sour note in a masterpiece.
Despite the ending controversy, I think that Casey is an absolute genius - as is his team - for this trilogy. This universe has given me so much. Star Wars was one of the few universes that has really stuck with me throughout my childhood and give me a pure love for mystery and characters. But Mass Effect overtakes that by a mile, and has really given me the inspiration and passion to pursue the kinds of jobs and careers that I want to be part of. many years later, I'm still replaying these games and reconnecting with these characters. I still have never done a completionist run and I still feel like the universe is undeniably alive. I think this universe could be a fantastic multi-media franchise. I'd watch movies, I'd invest my time in stories on the small screen, and I'd buy every game that ever came out. The latest book is fantastic, and I really hope there are decades to come with more Mass Effect to enjoy.
I feel like if Extended Cut and Leviathan were on the disc at launch, things would have been very different on launch day in terms of Bioware - Fan relation. At best, things would be great and at worst people would hate it about as much as they did the terminator reaper in me2....that is...it'd be viewed as silly and a little ridiculous but overall it wouldn't have detracted from the whole of the game...Unfortunately we initially got a very oversimplified and enigmatic ending that left a nasty first impression on the fanbase.....and its hard to overcome or shake off a first impression. But alas, it is what it is, and the debates shall rage for many years to come. Debate on peeps!
I'm incredibly glad that I didn't play ME3 until well after all the DLC and more importantly the Extended Cut was out. I got the experience you outline, and ME3 is my favorite game of the three.
I'll always be grateful to Casey and the team for a truly memorable and absorbing sci-fi experience with Mass Effect 2, and the fact that they did create a spectacular game(with an even more awesome ending, one where you could beat all the odds and survive, which felt amazing, or die a painful and agonising death, which was hilarious when it happened). However, the ME3 ending was rushed, there was an absence of truly astounding characters throughout the game, and way too much auto-dialogue. I don't hold out much hope for future Mass Effect games(also known as the Bioware division of Gears of War)...it was great whilst it lasted though.
I think they tried really hard to make the ending confusing for the player. The only thing I can say after finishing the Extended Cut is "something something indoctrination maybe?" After the Citadel Beam Assault, it's really, really difficult to make sense of what we're seeing. It's probably impossible to do so. If indoctrination is indeed the final boss, then making us feel the way an indoctrination victim feels is absolute genius storytelling. However, the game leaves us in that state afterward. Even after we disconnect from our Shepard, we're still not sure if he/she and we were fighting indoctrination or literally talking to a Godchild and then falling back to Earth and waking back up. If you ask me, Shepard's breath after the "destroy" ending is the game's way of saying "Ahhhh gotcha. None of that shit was real. You won!" But, I feel it's not hard to argue against me on that.
TrumpKingsly I'm pretty asure what happened was a tight EA deadline (evidence for this is the obviously rushed DA 2, isn't this cave familiar?) meant that different drafts of the ending were never really cut from gameplay, and so obviously they were aiming for the indoctrination ending after ditching the dark energy ending, but ran out of time, since the rEAper executives were applying pressure on them. They then just decided to ship out the game on their last, but ultimately unfinished draft.
I bought mass effect 2 at the gamestop used bin for like 10 bucks about 4 years ago. Didnt know it would end up being one of my favorite franchises do date
My eternal gratitude for this man to help create this trilogy. I don't care about Andromeda and I don't care what ME5 has to bring: just for making this trilogy this guy and Bioware deserves eternal fame and gratitude. What you have made is amazing. Thank you so much.
Love what he says about romance in games, absolutely spot on. You have to go through the emotional build up to care about the romance. Also talking about decisions carrying over being part of the initial concept is legendary. More developers should take this kind of risk!
Couldn't have said it better. With all the problems ME3 has- ending included- it's still my favourite part of the series. All the drama, the war, the chaos. Rannoch and Tuchanka; it all was illustrated in an epic way. I don't care about an half-assed ending, when the game in itself- no, the whole trilogy!- was one big epic trip I enjoyed immensely. Thank you BioWare, thank you Casey Hudson, thank you to everyone in the ME production team, for creating this epic series!Can't wait for the next ME!
Agree. ME3 is great game. With the reasons you mentioned. I owuld also point out sory, our allies, friends, interaction between them. All this is brilliant. Only ending is not satisfactory.
I love how every game developer these days says something along the lines of "Sure, it's the fifth installment in the series, but it's a great starting point." No, it isn't. I realize you want to rope as many people into playing this game as possible, but Mass Effect isn't like Elder Scrolls, for example. Stuff that happened in the earlier games is directly relevant. If people want to start with the third game in the trilogy, fine. But don't feed us a line.
I thought I was the only one who played both and noticed that the end of Deus ex 1 are almost exactly the same as ME3. The endings also were Control, Destroy and Synthesis.
If I count the 12 loyalty missions in the sidequest list, I can say I did tons of sidequests, just like in ME1. But, what might make it feels like they we're not good enough is the fact that things were not rushed in ME1 the way they are in ME2. For example, if you go acquire the Reaper IFF (recruit Legion) early, you'll have to launch the final mission asap, so, you have to be sure to complete everything before that, but we'll never guess that unless we do it or look up a walkthrough.
The only video game/series to ever bring tears to this big burly old mans eyes since I started with Atari. My favorite Console game/series of all-time, Everquest for PC ;-) Also the greatest intro to any game in History IMO, When Shepard walks threw the ship at the beginning on ME1? Still gives me chills thinking about it... Unreal series...
I'm saying that because: my 1st ME1 playthrough was a rushed one because I wasn't found of the mako parts, so I skipped most of the sidequests. My 2nd playthrough was a complete run, I did every single achievement, quest, colection, visited every planet and got every loot.
I feel that it wrapped everything up great. I myself like the ending very much. I also hadn't heard anything about the ending prior to playing the game so my expectations weren't skewed.
After ME3 OMG BIOWARE you are my religion. you guys are the best. even though the ending was not what i expected thats okay becuse you guys have allready announced a new improved version. so it's allright.
1) I don't know what they promised as I wasn't paying attention to everything bioware was saying prior to release. 2) I enjoyed everything from the start of ME1 when I heard Udina and Anderson arguing, to the end of ME3 where Shepard seemingly takes a breath in the rubble. I was fine with how SHEPARD'S story ended, and I feel that what happens after Shepard and the reaper war is a separate story. I think that what happens to everyone after Shepard should not be a concrete matter.
In ME1, the only momment something is "rushed" is when you are locked in the Citadel and leave to go to Ilos, you know you can't go anywhere else to explore and finish quests on the Citadel, it's pretty much only buy things on Noveria/Feros and then, Ilos all the way.
I think a lot of people missed the meaning behind the ending with this series, if you follow the values and choices that you make in the entire series as a whole and the ending that follows them then it makes a very poingant statement about the value of life and the impact of one person on the world he/she lives in. This is my opinion only of course, but I do feel that it sets up nicely the whole moral standpoint of Shepard and their life, impact and choices in the universe as a whole.
Absolutely. Hudson isn't a writer, but as soon as he was put in charge he had to have his input. It's like a producer in Hollywood deciding he's going to rewrite the screenplay. It's not going to work.
Exactly, Its their game, they should decide how it ends, people forget all of those amazing moments, meeting Shep for the first time, Becoming a spectre, fighting Soverign, the Collector base, a few bad moments shouldnt ruin your experience of all these good ones
Casey, God Bless You and the whole Bioware team. ME 1 and 3 were the GREATEST GAMES EVER. I hope you continue to do what you do with your ideas in gaming and trust your own decisions about what goes on in your games. P.S. The ending was GREAT.
Keep in mind that the conversation between the child and the man after the credits (I think) shows that there is still intelligent life which desires to advance and become smarter and explore the galaxy. And at the very worst, I'm sure that there will be plenty of great quality fan fiction of the Mass Effect universe which takes place after the reaper war.
continuing... A system in which your choices matter a lot for the mission to be successfull. Like, you need to choose the correct tech specialist, the correct leader, the correct biotic, the correct fighter, the correct "tanks" to make a "last stand", and also, the ship upgrades, otherwise, several people will die. That was totally amazing. Idk why people complain about the 2nd game when it offered such well made tactic gameplay for a final mission.
Oh man, the Casey "It’s not even in any way like the traditional game endings, where you can say how many endings there are or whether you got ending A, B, or C." Hudson in the flesh!
Do you listen what he just say? Before he became EP and Project Director. He was progammer, level and character artist. He is not writer but he wrote end of ME3. WHY? EA Rush? No time? Doesnt matter now. But he is really GOOD Director. And i love the fact he is a leader in ME 4 development.
1) I wasn't paying attention to everything that bioware was saying/promising prior to launch, so I don't really care about any broken promises. 2) I enjoyed following the story of SHEPARD from the start of ME1 where Udina and Anderson are debating over Shepard being a spectre to the end of ME3 where Shepard seemingly takes a breath. I'm glad that what happens afterwards is not a concrete matter, but is rather left to the player's interpretation of the other character and the universe as a whole.
mass effect 3 was and is my favorite game of all time.. it's avatar meets braveheart... it's 2 good to describe. It surpassed the hype. And that's just the gameplay.. I have NEVER ever.. felt so much emotion playing a video game... when i had to kill my friend mordin... after knowing him since Mass Effect one... i never felt so shitty about anything. I didn't cry, but i came close. I could not allow victory over the reapers, only to face billions of krogan. You will be missed Mordin
oh thank god. i thought you meant they died in the collector base mission. would have felt sorry for you for having a playthrough that missed out on so much.
Casey Hudson if your reading this message please come back and direct mass effect 4....your the ONLY man who can bring the franchise back into the spot light and beyond....5th fleet out 😊
Not now. I would not want him back with bioware being infected by the woke virus. It would only lead to more heartache for the fans and true devs that care about the I.P and the fans.
Also, consider every choice that you made throughout the trilogy. Wrex, the genophage, the quarians and so on. All those things do get resolved in the end. You just don't get to see what happens 100 years later, and I'm fine with that. That's a separate story which deserves more than just one cut-scene at the end or codex entry. But I don't let a single end sequence define an entire trilogy. That's like saying that "the rebels win" is the only important part of Star Wars.
Mass Effect Trilogy is my favorite games of all time install games of where I can't get tired of it no matter how much time I play it but all this time I thought Casey Hudson was a female but one thing I did get right is that the PC Hudson is a very smart creative person who gave a lot of us gamers a break from reality
I don't tend to correct people on spelling but it has always stunned me how so many people claim to love Mass Effect and spell Shepard wrong so glad to see someone knows how to spell it lol
I mainly dislike it from a writing POV personally. Most people don't like it because they felt like their choice didn't actually affect anything, and because they never find out what happens to the characters they cared about. But it is good you can be so easy going and open minded about it.
Mass Effect has become the third space opera people have talked about for the last 14 years. It's Star Wars. Star Trek and Mass Effect. That's an achievement. As much as Halo is beloved, no one has gotten behind a gaming sci fi universe as much as Mass Effect. Dune of 2021 reawoke alot of sci fi interest and got the general audience "on side" for a grand space opera where it was once laughed at. Mass Effect has influenced many TV shows and it deserves a proper recognition. Look at Twitch. Everyone is still playing Mass Effect.
(Follow on from my first comment) The original ending yes it was a little lacking in respect to answers immediately before it, but I do feel people were expecting a far more basic ending I:e the ultimate boss fight etc, if you sit back and look at the choices laid out before you then the ending is one that is a perfect fit for the series, again this is my own opinion and I look at it as a writer and gamer and can appreciate the underlying aspect of morality and life choices shown in the games.
I love the ending it left so much room for interpretation. Imo it was an indoctrination attempt. I had so many eyebrow raising moments that I could only feel that what was happening wasn't really happening seeing shepherd breath at the end and as if coming back to consciousness almost made me jump with excitement. The fact that we don't see him dealing with the chaos directly. For instance in the first game you saw him try to avoid being crushed. But in ME3 the crucible fires and we don't see shepherd again until you see him breathe.
Yes there is. They said there making more Mass Effects of course, but not about being Commander Sheppard. There will be off stories and side stories they said so themselves.
If the indoctrination theory was true, I'd simply add on the other half the the game. The part where the Reaper problem actually gets handled. And then I'd probably add-in Shepard's funeral (if they died) and maybe the reaction of the LI or closest friend. Probably a scene after of how the galaxy began mourning and eventually rebuilding, then some epilogue slides. If it wasn't the indoctrination ending, I'd rewrite the whole damn ending =/ No catalyst or space magic.
Mass effect universe would be awesome as a TV show I rkn. If done right of course. There is a whole heap of information that you could play around with to create interesting stories and stuff.
The problem with sci-fy on tv is that it's realy expensive. That's why most examples of it are usualy kinda shitty. I could see it happening has a movie franchise tho. Hopefully better than some other attempts like assassins creed and Hitman.
I dunno, Dragon Age: Origins did a really good job. They wrote many different epilogue slides that came up depending on how we played the game. I would have been cool with that.
The current ending does an excellent job at making you think with the limited information you get given, leaving the player to decide what happens without being forced down a certain path based on what choices you made: because even that would be like a formula of if you did this, this and that, then this will happen. Case closed, end of story. This way, it still leaves room for interpretation. After all, with such a personalized game, how can you be forced to one ending?
My favorite thing about Mass Effect is that each game has a very distinct feel to it. Most series try to keep it too similar and ME didn't do that. The universe remains similar but the in game feel is very different in each game.
MPrime ME was more of a military story and I classic wild goose chase. ME 2 was much darker and went more in depth with characters and the stories. ME3 is a fight for survival and it mixes both of the prequels with a hint of dread. People say that the game is just a basic shooter without a good story but the story is actually very interesting and it goes deep into the characters morals and the effects of their actions. My favorite storyline is Mordin's because it is all about I this confident scientist who always did everything right, and his one mistake was what he saw as his biggest achievement before and I find that interesting on how he self reflects himself and realizes that he was wrong and how what he thought was right, he finally sees how it affects others and in a way it teaches you to not be so selfish and self centered and to see how your actions will affect others around you
Whoa... Nice name!
Even if people had problems with the ending, I never understood the hate some people had for Casey Hudson. To be upset about an ending, you have to be invested in the story and universe... but it's because of him and the team that the Mass Effect universe / stories / characters are as amazing as they are to begin with. Yes, the endings could have been better, but that does not suddenly invalidate everything else about the ME series or the work that went into creating it.
Because he excluded the rest of the team from having opinions about the ending.
In my opinion the DC ending was pretty good. I think what most people don't get is that the WHOLE Mass Effect 3 is the ending of the series, not just the last 3 minutes.
Yep, Mass Effect wouldn't exist without Hudson. The reason why people were upset about the endings is that they had become deeply emotionally invested in the universe that began from Hudson's original idea and came to fruition under his leadership. Most games have far worse endings than ME3 but no one cares because stories in most games are a side issue, something to keep the action going. For example, I love the Gears of War games but I don't even remember how they end, the stories in Gears games are just incoherent nonsense.
Except that Drew Karpyshyn IS the REAL great mind behind Mass Effect, not Casey Hudson ! So without him being involve in Mass Effect 3, no wonder why the game wasn't perfect.
damn, man. i can't imagine ME3 without Mordin, Thane or Legion. they make up 3 of the 5 most tear-jerking moments in the game.
I love the mass effect universe, it is very rich. Casey Hudson is a very creative and talented professional.
and Casey quit
Yeah, he was...until he and the rest had to sold their souls to the dEAvil🤷♂️😒
@@Hellion73 It's not his fault. Bioware got captured from within by EA, read the story about it. It's not even Ray musika and gref zeshuk fault ... EA and big american business knows how to destroy soul within ANY business, be it a movie company or a gaming one, doesn't matter.
But you are right man ... God bless you, Jesus Christ loves you. Amen
Weird how I'm just now seeing these amazing interviews.
I'm fed up with all the nagging about ME3. What some 'gamers' fail to understand is what the _Mass Effect trilogy_ meant for many of us.
How we could return home after a tiring day and sink into a world full of "strange creatures", assuming roles so distinct from our own personalities. How we spent hours and hours on strolls talking about Wrex and the Genophage or Tali and the Geth rebellion while trying to find similarities in our own political history or technology. Countless nights drinking wine and conversing about the backgrounds of our favourite alien species.
Some people finished _Mass effect 3_, niggled about the ending and moved on. For others though, _Mass Effect trilogy_ was a turning point in their lives.
In my 25 years of gaming no other game series had such an impact on me.
Irrelevant to the discussion. Appeal to emotion fallacy.
Metal Gamer hahahaha,
You made my day, son. Bless you!
Joseph Vintage Appeal to ridicule fallacy. Keep 'em coming.
Joseph Vintage It's good to know that i'm not the only one who thinks that way.
+Oldren Shepard I didn't like the ending to ME3. Yet, its 2015 and I find myself replaying the trilogy for the 10th time. Suffice it to say that the ME trilogy was not about the ending but about the universe and the story. Three years later, that bad ending is irrelevant.
Honestly, I feel like Mass Effect is a genre unto itself, and I wish there were more sci-fi RPG games like it that really dive deeply into what it's like to be part of a galaxy with several alien species, with a galactic community the way it does.
Casey come back, any kind of fool could see
There was something in everything about you
Casey come back, you can blame it all on me
I was wrong, and I just can't live without you
Mass Effect World > Star Wars World
Why do ppl always have to compare and rate. Both worlds are amazing.
I'm actually curious if Star Wars is going to be like that, after all the ME fun is gone for me (i mean ALL, trilogy, DLCs and comics). I want to play a game with about the same concept, like the new Star Trek game or SW: The Force Unleashed, I doubt I will really enjoy them because of the acceptation I already got with ME, in fact I became to like ME story even more than the depth and big Halo Universe.
@happzy did u got butthurt, whinny little kiddie?
genesis bustamante You’re replying to a three year old comment, dude.
Bioware's Star Wars World > Original Star Wars World
ME3 had all the races taking a beating from reapers from start to finish and people thought that magically everything would be alright for all the characters. The ending, with the extended cut, is actually pretty amazing, it creates a very tough decision to make. Glad they didn't go for a cliche ending.
I love Mass Effect. The worldbuilding, the characters... it all feels so well built and self-contained. I honestly wish that I had the chance to do something like that on that scale.
True the ending to the Mass Effect series was rather weak but that doesn't take away from the amazing time I had in the series.
Mass Effect 2 is one of my all time favorite games. I'd almost go so far as saying it's the best sequel in media.
+Anthony Contreras What about Judgement Day?
You got that right
@Subi_fan Me3 is much better than Me2
My favourite aspect is the story telling, That's why I think the best is 1, an awesome way of presenting a new universe, fun and with lots of information, It got you hooked and in an aura of mistery. Then ME3 because I loved the epic missions and boundaries between Shepard and his teammates, and they developed into very different people than in previous games, Liara found how to melt the sweet girl from ME1 and obscurity of herself from ME2, Tali solved her problems with being an important person for the quarian people and her complicated relationship with her father, and the list goes on with the other characters, also the combat was the best of the series.
And the favourite of everyone ME2 is the weakest for me. Because the story is fully explained at the start, you will lead a final Attack to the base of the enemy, and the argument is, picking up partners and resolving their midlife crissis/traumas. I think it's weakest in terms of storytelling and doesn't get the player in the edge/wondering whats Next and what the end will be like in ME1 and ME3.
Ivan Pardo The Arrival DLC did a good job getting the player to wonder what was happening next
I don't think we can thank Bio-ware enough for the games they have created and the world we got to inhabit because of them. RIP you will me forever missed BioWare the greatest RPG developer of all time.
Thank you Casey. For everything. You're the absolute best ^^ !
Who's here after Legendary Edition? Boy, what a game series.
2021 anyone? These videos be popping up after the remastered release of the trilogy.
i thought the ending was all right.
Sodalite the ending was a "pick your color" garbage full of plot holes and poor writing
The ending's no worse than a lot of "open ended games", Deus Ex Human Revolution's ending worked in basically the same way. At least ME3 had a proper movie to end the game with, rather than just a commentary over news footage like HR did.
Without the extended cut the ending was confusing, left a lot of plot holes like seeing your LI on the Normandy while being on the ground a few moment ago. The extended cut made the ending bearable, while it's fair or not, I was expecting a higher quality in terms of the ending in the game. I love the Mass Effect Franchise and will continue to follow it in the future. The ending overall ended the trilogy on a sour note in a masterpiece.
Despite the ending controversy, I think that Casey is an absolute genius - as is his team - for this trilogy. This universe has given me so much. Star Wars was one of the few universes that has really stuck with me throughout my childhood and give me a pure love for mystery and characters. But Mass Effect overtakes that by a mile, and has really given me the inspiration and passion to pursue the kinds of jobs and careers that I want to be part of.
many years later, I'm still replaying these games and reconnecting with these characters. I still have never done a completionist run and I still feel like the universe is undeniably alive. I think this universe could be a fantastic multi-media franchise. I'd watch movies, I'd invest my time in stories on the small screen, and I'd buy every game that ever came out. The latest book is fantastic, and I really hope there are decades to come with more Mass Effect to enjoy.
I feel like if Extended Cut and Leviathan were on the disc at launch, things would have been very different on launch day in terms of Bioware - Fan relation. At best, things would be great and at worst people would hate it about as much as they did the terminator reaper in me2....that is...it'd be viewed as silly and a little ridiculous but overall it wouldn't have detracted from the whole of the game...Unfortunately we initially got a very oversimplified and enigmatic ending that left a nasty first impression on the fanbase.....and its hard to overcome or shake off a first impression. But alas, it is what it is, and the debates shall rage for many years to come. Debate on peeps!
I'm incredibly glad that I didn't play ME3 until well after all the DLC and more importantly the Extended Cut was out. I got the experience you outline, and ME3 is my favorite game of the three.
Here five years later to let you know that I think you are 100% correct.
I'll always be grateful to Casey and the team for a truly memorable and absorbing sci-fi experience with Mass Effect 2, and the fact that they did create a spectacular game(with an even more awesome ending, one where you could beat all the odds and survive, which felt amazing, or die a painful and agonising death, which was hilarious when it happened).
However, the ME3 ending was rushed, there was an absence of truly astounding characters throughout the game, and way too much auto-dialogue. I don't hold out much hope for future Mass Effect games(also known as the Bioware division of Gears of War)...it was great whilst it lasted though.
I think they tried really hard to make the ending confusing for the player. The only thing I can say after finishing the Extended Cut is "something something indoctrination maybe?" After the Citadel Beam Assault, it's really, really difficult to make sense of what we're seeing. It's probably impossible to do so. If indoctrination is indeed the final boss, then making us feel the way an indoctrination victim feels is absolute genius storytelling. However, the game leaves us in that state afterward. Even after we disconnect from our Shepard, we're still not sure if he/she and we were fighting indoctrination or literally talking to a Godchild and then falling back to Earth and waking back up. If you ask me, Shepard's breath after the "destroy" ending is the game's way of saying "Ahhhh gotcha. None of that shit was real. You won!" But, I feel it's not hard to argue against me on that.
TrumpKingsly
I'm pretty asure what happened was a tight EA deadline (evidence for this is the obviously rushed DA 2, isn't this cave familiar?) meant that different drafts of the ending were never really cut from gameplay, and so obviously they were aiming for the indoctrination ending after ditching the dark energy ending, but ran out of time, since the rEAper executives were applying pressure on them. They then just decided to ship out the game on their last, but ultimately unfinished draft.
I bought mass effect 2 at the gamestop used bin for like 10 bucks about 4 years ago. Didnt know it would end up being one of my favorite franchises do date
My eternal gratitude for this man to help create this trilogy. I don't care about Andromeda and I don't care what ME5 has to bring: just for making this trilogy this guy and Bioware deserves eternal fame and gratitude. What you have made is amazing. Thank you so much.
KOTOR really feels like a Mass Effect prototype. I hope ME becomes a prototype for something even greater in the future.
Exodus
@@m1garand164 Will look into it
It's not like Casey Hudson, Mac Walters and EA gave you the brilliant ME franchise in the first place...
Love what he says about romance in games, absolutely spot on. You have to go through the emotional build up to care about the romance. Also talking about decisions carrying over being part of the initial concept is legendary. More developers should take this kind of risk!
No,the extended cut ones were pure greatness in my opinion.
Couldn't have said it better. With all the problems ME3 has- ending included- it's still my favourite part of the series. All the drama, the war, the chaos. Rannoch and Tuchanka; it all was illustrated in an epic way. I don't care about an half-assed ending, when the game in itself- no, the whole trilogy!- was one big epic trip I enjoyed immensely. Thank you BioWare, thank you Casey Hudson, thank you to everyone in the ME production team, for creating this epic series!Can't wait for the next ME!
Agree. ME3 is great game. With the reasons you mentioned. I owuld also point out sory, our allies, friends, interaction between them. All this is brilliant. Only ending is not satisfactory.
It is by far the greatest game i ever played and i have played a stupid amount of games but somehow this really sticks
I love how every game developer these days says something along the lines of "Sure, it's the fifth installment in the series, but it's a great starting point." No, it isn't. I realize you want to rope as many people into playing this game as possible, but Mass Effect isn't like Elder Scrolls, for example. Stuff that happened in the earlier games is directly relevant.
If people want to start with the third game in the trilogy, fine. But don't feed us a line.
Same here I used to adore Star Wars but I kinda grew out of it. But I still like how loyal the fanbase is and respect their devotion to the movies ^.^
I wish Andromeda had lived up to this legendary triology. It's not a game, it's really an experience.
well you did get to fuck blue Shrek in Andromeda.
this dude is living the dream, dry cut eng degree to production lead.
Casey: "Trying to recapture things from games we like, games like Deus Ex"
You sure as heck recaptured the ending perfectly. You ripped it off!
I thought I was the only one who played both and noticed that the end of Deus ex 1 are almost exactly the same as ME3.
The endings also were Control, Destroy and Synthesis.
@@ivanpardo1752 thats actually sad
If I count the 12 loyalty missions in the sidequest list, I can say I did tons of sidequests, just like in ME1. But, what might make it feels like they we're not good enough is the fact that things were not rushed in ME1 the way they are in ME2. For example, if you go acquire the Reaper IFF (recruit Legion) early, you'll have to launch the final mission asap, so, you have to be sure to complete everything before that, but we'll never guess that unless we do it or look up a walkthrough.
The only video game/series to ever bring tears to this big burly old mans eyes since I started with Atari. My favorite Console game/series of all-time, Everquest for PC ;-)
Also the greatest intro to any game in History IMO, When Shepard walks threw the ship at the beginning on ME1? Still gives me chills thinking about it... Unreal series...
ME and KOTOR - my two favorite game franchises of all time! This guy...this is my kind of guy.
The fact that he mentioned Pitch Black. A Bioware Riddick game goddamn
I'm saying that because: my 1st ME1 playthrough was a rushed one because I wasn't found of the mako parts, so I skipped most of the sidequests. My 2nd playthrough was a complete run, I did every single achievement, quest, colection, visited every planet and got every loot.
I feel that it wrapped everything up great. I myself like the ending very much. I also hadn't heard anything about the ending prior to playing the game so my expectations weren't skewed.
Thanks Casey, Mass Effect trilogy is my favourite.
Plus the beautiful soundtrack from the Suicide Mission. That was an excellent theme for ME2. I think it couldn't have been better.
Man, I RESPECT this guy so much....
mass effect 2 was my favorite. i love them all man:D cant wait for 4
now, 7 years later, what do you think about Andromeda?
After ME3 OMG BIOWARE you are my religion. you guys are the best. even though the ending was not what i expected thats okay becuse you guys have allready announced a new improved version. so it's allright.
its more than about just being good at a game, its also about doing what is morally right
1) I don't know what they promised as I wasn't paying attention to everything bioware was saying prior to release.
2) I enjoyed everything from the start of ME1 when I heard Udina and Anderson arguing, to the end of ME3 where Shepard seemingly takes a breath in the rubble. I was fine with how SHEPARD'S story ended, and I feel that what happens after Shepard and the reaper war is a separate story. I think that what happens to everyone after Shepard should not be a concrete matter.
In ME1, the only momment something is "rushed" is when you are locked in the Citadel and leave to go to Ilos, you know you can't go anywhere else to explore and finish quests on the Citadel, it's pretty much only buy things on Noveria/Feros and then, Ilos all the way.
I really wanted to like this guy for giving me Mass Effect, and all the hours I put into the series of Mass Effect and KOTOR.
I think a lot of people missed the meaning behind the ending with this series, if you follow the values and choices that you make in the entire series as a whole and the ending that follows them then it makes a very poingant statement about the value of life and the impact of one person on the world he/she lives in. This is my opinion only of course, but I do feel that it sets up nicely the whole moral standpoint of Shepard and their life, impact and choices in the universe as a whole.
Absolutely. Hudson isn't a writer, but as soon as he was put in charge he had to have his input. It's like a producer in Hollywood deciding he's going to rewrite the screenplay. It's not going to work.
The world he created was awesome. The story he came up for the ending of ME3 - not so much. Not everyone is Tolkien to do both.
to me ME was along with the AC franchise the most gripping storylines where you care what happens and love being in the games world
Exactly, Its their game, they should decide how it ends, people forget all of those amazing moments, meeting Shep for the first time, Becoming a spectre, fighting Soverign, the Collector base, a few bad moments shouldnt ruin your experience of all these good ones
This was absolutely beautiful.
Casey, God Bless You and the whole Bioware team. ME 1 and 3 were the GREATEST GAMES EVER. I hope you continue to do what you do with your ideas in gaming and trust your own decisions about what goes on in your games. P.S. The ending was GREAT.
Keep in mind that the conversation between the child and the man after the credits (I think) shows that there is still intelligent life which desires to advance and become smarter and explore the galaxy.
And at the very worst, I'm sure that there will be plenty of great quality fan fiction of the Mass Effect universe which takes place after the reaper war.
continuing...
A system in which your choices matter a lot for the mission to be successfull. Like, you need to choose the correct tech specialist, the correct leader, the correct biotic, the correct fighter, the correct "tanks" to make a "last stand", and also, the ship upgrades, otherwise, several people will die. That was totally amazing. Idk why people complain about the 2nd game when it offered such well made tactic gameplay for a final mission.
@swtorJayho ....Mordin didn't show up 'til Mass Effect 2.
But he will definitely be missed.
Oh man, the Casey "It’s not even in any way like the traditional game endings, where you can say how many endings there are or whether you got ending A, B, or C." Hudson in the flesh!
Do you listen what he just say? Before he became EP and Project Director. He was progammer, level and character artist. He is not writer but he wrote end of ME3. WHY? EA Rush? No time? Doesnt matter now. But he is really GOOD Director. And i love the fact he is a leader in ME 4 development.
This is the kind of story and passion i want to hear in future Mass Effect games. We want more sci fi and less planets:P
1) I wasn't paying attention to everything that bioware was saying/promising prior to launch, so I don't really care about any broken promises.
2) I enjoyed following the story of SHEPARD from the start of ME1 where Udina and Anderson are debating over Shepard being a spectre to the end of ME3 where Shepard seemingly takes a breath. I'm glad that what happens afterwards is not a concrete matter, but is rather left to the player's interpretation of the other character and the universe as a whole.
"Preserve your choices throughout the entire trilogy" Why is Anderson an admiral, I had him a counselor?
mass effect 3 was and is my favorite game of all time.. it's avatar meets braveheart... it's 2 good to describe. It surpassed the hype.
And that's just the gameplay..
I have NEVER ever.. felt so much emotion playing a video game... when i had to kill my friend mordin... after knowing him since Mass Effect one... i never felt so shitty about anything. I didn't cry, but i came close.
I could not allow victory over the reapers, only to face billions of krogan.
You will be missed Mordin
oh thank god. i thought you meant they died in the collector base mission. would have felt sorry for you for having a playthrough that missed out on so much.
Wouldn’t it be phenomenal if mass effect 4 came out, or any game with the mass effect universe characters.
Casey Hudson if your reading this message please come back and direct mass effect 4....your the ONLY man who can bring the franchise back into the spot light and beyond....5th fleet out 😊
Not now. I would not want him back with bioware being infected by the woke virus. It would only lead to more heartache for the fans and true devs that care about the I.P and the fans.
Also, consider every choice that you made throughout the trilogy. Wrex, the genophage, the quarians and so on. All those things do get resolved in the end. You just don't get to see what happens 100 years later, and I'm fine with that. That's a separate story which deserves more than just one cut-scene at the end or codex entry.
But I don't let a single end sequence define an entire trilogy. That's like saying that "the rebels win" is the only important part of Star Wars.
Mass Effect Trilogy is my favorite games of all time install games of where I can't get tired of it no matter how much time I play it but all this time I thought Casey Hudson was a female but one thing I did get right is that the PC Hudson is a very smart creative person who gave a lot of us gamers a break from reality
I don't tend to correct people on spelling but it has always stunned me how so many people claim to love Mass Effect and spell Shepard wrong so glad to see someone knows how to spell it lol
Mass Effect is a masterpiece.
I mainly dislike it from a writing POV personally. Most people don't like it because they felt like their choice didn't actually affect anything, and because they never find out what happens to the characters they cared about. But it is good you can be so easy going and open minded about it.
One of the great minds of the gaming industry!
Casey is so modest, he made the greatest sci fi universe in all of history and hes just so modest though.
I still play Knights of the Old Republic.
I'm with you guys too
You're my hero dude!!!
Great Game Series. A great End and a great Interview. nice work
Mass Effect has become the third space opera people have talked about for the last 14 years. It's Star Wars. Star Trek and Mass Effect. That's an achievement. As much as Halo is beloved, no one has gotten behind a gaming sci fi universe as much as Mass Effect. Dune of 2021 reawoke alot of sci fi interest and got the general audience "on side" for a grand space opera where it was once laughed at. Mass Effect has influenced many TV shows and it deserves a proper recognition. Look at Twitch. Everyone is still playing Mass Effect.
Okk its 4th Battlestar Galactica
(Follow on from my first comment)
The original ending yes it was a little lacking in respect to answers immediately before it, but I do feel people were expecting a far more basic ending I:e the ultimate boss fight etc, if you sit back and look at the choices laid out before you then the ending is one that is a perfect fit for the series, again this is my own opinion and I look at it as a writer and gamer and can appreciate the underlying aspect of morality and life choices shown in the games.
I love the ending it left so much room for interpretation. Imo it was an indoctrination attempt. I had so many eyebrow raising moments that I could only feel that what was happening wasn't really happening seeing shepherd breath at the end and as if coming back to consciousness almost made me jump with excitement. The fact that we don't see him dealing with the chaos directly. For instance in the first game you saw him try to avoid being crushed. But in ME3 the crucible fires and we don't see shepherd again until you see him breathe.
I agree, the game was one of my favorites until the very end... :(
Greg and Ray leaving BioWare was the single biggest hit the Mass Effect series took.
Looks like Kaidan
06:15 AMAZING MOVIE Rusle Crow is one of the best actors out there. A Beautiful Mind is another art movie.
Ending was acceptable.
xmeany Opinion
Thane Krios Fact. Endings had many plot holes and were poorly written. It's not about taste or opinion
Your opinion is noted. :)
Matter of perspective. Get over yourself. Cry elsewhere. it's 2015.
xmeany: You win every argument with that answer I bet.
Yes there is. They said there making more Mass Effects of course, but not about being Commander Sheppard. There will be off stories and side stories they said so themselves.
@ME3Acknowledged Same here, either as an artist or a VA.
Dragon Age and Mass Effect are my two favorite IPs.
If the indoctrination theory was true, I'd simply add on the other half the the game. The part where the Reaper problem actually gets handled. And then I'd probably add-in Shepard's funeral (if they died) and maybe the reaction of the LI or closest friend. Probably a scene after of how the galaxy began mourning and eventually rebuilding, then some epilogue slides. If it wasn't the indoctrination ending, I'd rewrite the whole damn ending =/ No catalyst or space magic.
Mass effect universe would be awesome as a TV show I rkn. If done right of course. There is a whole heap of information that you could play around with to create interesting stories and stuff.
The problem with sci-fy on tv is that it's realy expensive. That's why most examples of it are usualy kinda shitty. I could see it happening has a movie franchise tho. Hopefully better than some other attempts like assassins creed and Hitman.
+Alexandre Silva just animate it like clone wars
You can still save him, it's a little harder, but you can do it.
You did good, Casey... you did good.
I dunno, Dragon Age: Origins did a really good job. They wrote many different epilogue slides that came up depending on how we played the game. I would have been cool with that.
Yeah, I know, but I couldn't do that to Wrex. I love Wrex, he's just too awesome to deceive.
He knows how it began, but not how it should have ended.
Any story with a cliffhanger is 'unfinished' as well.
@rebootedsharpshooter They're just uploading all their old stuff to fill the channel. Once that's done it'll definitely slow down.
The current ending does an excellent job at making you think with the limited information you get given, leaving the player to decide what happens without being forced down a certain path based on what choices you made: because even that would be like a formula of if you did this, this and that, then this will happen. Case closed, end of story.
This way, it still leaves room for interpretation. After all, with such a personalized game, how can you be forced to one ending?
Bless you baby! Keep up the incredible works of BioWare games!
Casey THE GOD Hudson