Roundtable: Mass Effect 3: Special Edition vs Mass Effect Trilogy

[Mokong]

Since this news/turn of events is causing a bit of a stir I thought we could do with a Roundtable feature on it for the mainsite and wanted to get the opinions of some of our members here for it.

 

At the end of this intro blurb I have 3 questions, they can be answered individually if you want or all at once in a nice detailed response.

 

As this is intended to go on the mainsite please keep responses civilised if you want to get a bit angry in your response.

 

___________________________________________________________

 

 

 

We've know since E3 2011 that Mass Effect 3: Special Edition was in the works for the Wii U. EA and Bioware wanted to introduce the series to a whole new potential audience of gamers who may not have had the chance to play it previously.

 

At first it seemed odd they would release just Part 3 of this successful franchise on the WiiU; but promised an interactive intro comic that would bring new players on the WiiU up to speed with the events of the previous 2 games. This also would allow them to make choices in this interactive intro which would have affects on the story of ME3 when they played, similar to how players on other consoles had been able to import their save game data from previous games to the next.

 

Prespective WiiU owners came to terms with just getting one game of the trilogy, especially those that might not have played Mass Effect before and all seemed well.

 

 

But recently EA and Bioware have just announced a Trilogy disc for PC, Xbox360 and PS3. With no mention of a WiiU version and no indication (at time of print) that ME3:SE might be pushed back to allow for it to be turned into a Trilogy pack. This Trilogy pack is expected to retail at the same price as Mass Effect 3: Special Edition will on the WiiU; meaning WiiU gamers will be asked to pay the same price as a Trilogy disc would cost on other systems but only getting 1/3 of the content.

 

Were you planning on getting Mass Effect Special Edition on the WiiU before this news?

If so are you still planning to get it or have you changed your mind?

What are your views of the situation EA & Bioware have just created and do you think this could impact on future 3rd party support for WiiU?

 

Edited September 27, 2012 by Mokong

[Agent Gibbs]

Were you planning on getting Mass Effect Special Edition on the WiiU before this news?

 

I was probably going to buy it, its a great game and i might have fun with the new controls etc on a fem Sheppard playthrough

 

If so are you still planning to get it or have you changed your mind?

 

I'm a little unsure i must admit, do i boycott this game out of protest by the dick move by EA? or do i buy it to prove them wrong? i really don't know now

 

What are your views of the situation EA & Bioware have just created?

 

Madness pure unadulterated madness! Either they want ME to fail on the WiiU (which is terrible from a business point of view) or they are complete idiots who don't see the problem with releasing a trilogy on other consoles for less than a single game on another, Either way its just not good.

 

There has obviously been a point where both ME3 Wiiu was in development and ME Trilogy was (needed ps3 development), surely it would have been better to have a unified development create ME Trilogy for all consoles!

 

I just don't understand, no matter which way i come at this, it flies in the face of logic! EA are not earning enough money to be purposefully vindictive, and can't be stupid enough to compete with themselves else they'd have died years ago....

[Zechs Merquise]

I was definitely interested in Mass Effect 3 (ME3). I'm a Nintendo gamer, so I've never played a ME game and have heard many good things about them. So although it wasn't going to be a launch day purchase for me, it would definitely have been a game I would have picked up in the launch window and happily paid full price for.

 

I could see a reasonable number of people buying ME3 on the Wii U. These would mainly fall into three categories:

 

1) The hardcore ME fan. These guys love everything to do with ME and would happily purchase ME3 again on the Wii U to experience the new controls and added features.

 

2) Those who had played a ME game on another system but for one reason or another hadn't picked up ME3 yet. These guys would be able to pick up the special edition and experience it with the new features.

 

3) Nintendo gamers like myself who have been interested in the series but never had a chance to play it.

 

With the announcement of Mass Effect Trilogy (MET) for the PS3 and 360 the majority of gamers who were going to pick up ME3 on Wii U will no doubt be put off. Any hardcore fans can now purchase the box set and play them all again. The guy who missed ME3 and was curious about the special edition can now get all three and complete his collection that way. Finally there's the Nintendo fan who I'm sure will also be put off buying this as they know they're being given the short end of the stick and will want to boycott ME3.

 

And it's not just the fact it's happening but it's the pricing and the timing. ME3 on Wii U is going to be released after MET comes out on the other systems. What's more both titles will be the same price. So consumers are given the choice of getting ME3 on its own or getting all three ME games together for the same price.

 

I'm not just angered about the fact that already the Wii U is being given the shaft by EA, but I'm also worried by what the effects of this may be.

 

If ME3 sells badly on the Wii U I can imagine EA citing it as a reason for reducing support for the system. Conversely, and equally as worrying, if ME3 did still sell well it would send the message that the Wii U is system where the users are grateful for anything they get which justifies EA giving Nintendo gamers a raw deal again in the future.

 

If EA had any sense of decency they would hold off the release of ME3 until the other games were ported and could be released as a trilogy. After all, as a Nintendo gamer I'd be very happy to be able to play through the whole series on Wii U as it would be a must have package. What's more, I can imagine other gamers who have played one or more of the ME games choosing the trilogy on Wii U instead of another system as the tablet controls would add a new dimension to the entries in the series they have already played.

 

The most puzzling thing about this whole debacle though is that EA would have known for some time that MET was being produced for PS3 and 360. In fact as ME1 needing porting to the PS3 and the rights needed to be obtained from Microsoft it's fair to say that this game was at least on the drawing board before ME3 was released earlier this year. This means that EA have ploughed ahead with a Wii U version of the a game which they know will have very little chance of success because they themselves are cannibalising its sales with a superior package being released at the same price, several weeks earlier on other systems.

 

If I can figure out that this is a recipe for disaster for the Wii U version of ME3 then I'm sure the strategists and planners at EA can. It almost seems as though EA actually want the Wii U version of ME3 to fail...

 

If ME3 does ship as a standalone game on the Wii U I may well still get it, but it won't be before I see it at a significantly reduced price in an online sale.

 

(Sorry if some of this repeats what I have said in other threads, I just tried to summarise my feelings all in one place)

[Kav]

1. Yes, I was going to pick this up.

 

2. Yes, I have changed my mind. I'm not paying the same price for one third of the content!

 

3. EA have seriously made a huge error here and it just leaves me dumbfounded. I just don't know what to say to this... it's hilariously retarded!

[nekunando]

I might buy Mass Effect 3 to support their decision in not burdening us with the other two..

 

..only joking! I was never buying it anyway..

[Deathjam]

I could see a reasonable number of people buying ME3 on the Wii U. These would mainly fall into three categories:

 

1) The hardcore ME fan. These guys love everything to do with ME and would happily purchase ME3 again on the Wii U to experience the new controls and added features.

 

2) Those who had played a ME game on another system but for one reason or another hadn't picked up ME3 yet. These guys would be able to pick up the special edition and experience it with the new features.

 

3) Nintendo gamers like myself who have been interested in the series but never had a chance to play it.

 

Seeing as you haven't played any games in the ME series (judging on what you said in the post), I thought I would correct you a bit.

 

1) The hardcore ME3 fans would probably not buy ME3 on the wii as the game had an ending that was unsatisfactory to alot of them, if not all, and when you play the ME games, the decisions you make carry on into the next game. That not being properly represented on the Wii U would put them off. Which is really just a massive reason that the Wii U version needed to be the MET version as even the PS3 at least has access to the second game.

 

2) Almost same reason as the first in that not experiencing the first 2 games really hampers a person experience when playing the 3rd. Was an issue with players picking up ME2 for ps3, having not played the 1st, so again, Wii U version really should have been a trilogy.

 

3) This is pretty much the only crown left, but it will feel like you are missing something. That said, most of the potential buyers for ME3 on Wii U would have come from this section.

 

Either way, EA are just taking advantage of consumers whom do not know of the ME3 universe, how it works, and it's availability on the consoles and pc.

 

EDIT: To be more on topic though:

 

1. Was never going to buy it as I have the PC versions and care about the decisions I made carrying onto the next game.

 

2. IF I had been planning to get it, this would have totally changed my mind, and would have made me buy it on the PC or PS3 as I do care about the value I am getting for the cash I spend.

 

3. Personally I am confused as to the point of such a venture from a business point of view, unless EA plan to release a trilogy of the games in the future for the Wii U, depending on how well ME3 sells. Either way, they are taking advantage of consumers as I outlined above.

Edited September 27, 2012 by Deathjam

[Dcubed]

I have no interest in the series or any of EA's other titles, despite owning every console, and did not intend to pick up the Wii U version.

 

However I see this action as a complete insult to me, fans of the series who were interested in the Wii U version and to Nintendo themselves.

 

Whether it's being done on purpose or not, EA has set this game up to fail and I view this as a no win scenario for Wii U owners.

 

If it succeeds, then EA will conclude that they can get away with low quality efforts for Wii U in the future. If it fails (which is the likely scenario), they will probably cut off any future noteworthy support completely.

 

It's the same garbage Wii owners were fed by the 3rd parties who refused to give the console any significant support. I don't expect EA to give the Wii U the time of day and that's fine by me; I'll just give my money to the publishers and developers who actually choose to give the console solid support (and the Wii U's lineup looks just fine even without them)

 

Wii got a lot of quality 3rd party games, despite it being snubbed from the likes of EA and Take Two. If the Wii U's 3rd party support no better or only slightly better then we'll still have a lot of quality titles to look forward to - despite the lack of effort from the likes of EA.

[Mokong]

Cheers to everyone for providing answers/thoughts.

 

Got it on the front page now. Made a few edits to some of yer replies and shorted some of teh longer ones *cough*zech*cough* :wink:

[Cube]

Mine also was slightly long, so had to be shortened for the article. IF anyone wants to read the full one

 

I am a massive fan of the Mass Effect franchise. Bioware have created a wonderful universe rivalling that of Star Trek and Star Wars with a lot of attention to detail, amazing backstory and a massive array of wonderful characters with top-notch actors. It also goes a long way to make it feel like it's your story, and that Commander Shepard is your Shepard. It is full of very emotional moments and is the only video game that made me feel like crying (in a good way) because of how events have progressed.

 

A lot of this is because of how you've grown to know everyone. Mass Effect 1 introduces you to some of the main characters and the universe. You find out a lot about the various species in the universe and how they interact with each other. You can also start off your romantic interest which could carry on throughout the three games. Mass Effect 2 introduced many more squadmates - all of whom could be killed during the game.

 

Playing Mass Effect 3 and finding a new character who isn't as good at their job in place of someone you lost makes you miss them even more. On top of this, your various choices (as well as who survives) has a massive impact on situation on how you deal with the sterilised, savage Krogan race or how you resolve the problems between the Quarians and their AI creations, the Geth, who rebelled and took over their planet. Those are some of the best moments in gaming, helped because you've known about and impacted on the situations from the very first game. It's an amazing experience working towards these plotlines.

 

It's not just large things, either. Small decisions and side-quests can also have a small impact. Choose to spare a criminal from a side-quest and you may encounter them in the next game, reformed and helping people. Others may say a line about what happened. It's nice to meet these people again and helps you feel your impact on the galaxy, even on a small scale. An interactive comic does not give you time to get to know all these characters and the decisions lose their impact. You won't encounter a situation where you have to decide which race to make extinct because of a mistake you made previously, and you don't have the amazing feeling of your hard work paying off if you did solve the situation peacefully.

 

Underneath all this there is great gameplay, and Mass Effect 3 is a great action game with a very underrated wave-mode multiplayer. It's a joy to play and the biotic powers are great to use (I especially love the Vanguard's biotic charge), the combat is great fun and there is plenty of variety. I just find it very hard to imaging playing it without the knowledge built up throughout the first two games, without your Commander Shepard choosing his or her own actions - without all the emotion.

 

As you can probably tell, I wasn't keen on just having Mass Effect 3 on the Wii U from the start. When the Wii U was announced, the tablet looked great for giving commands for your squadmates. I told myself that if Bioware released a Mass Effect Trilogy on Wii U, I would gladly buy it again. So here we are. The Trilogy has been announced. But it's not on the Wii U

[Hogge]

Since I already own the whole trilogy, I wasn't quite sure whether to buy ME3 again. I was at first hoping that the Wii U version would be launched in an N7 edition or similar, since I missed it the first time around. However, I was expecting a lot more exclusive content to justify myself rebuying the game.

 

Now that there's a trilogy pack coming, I on one side don't like being forced to pay too much, but on the other, I think I should buy it to make EA release the trilogy for the Wii U too. Being a fairly poor student, I don't think i'll buy a game I already own, atless it's highly improved. I'd might sway back into buying it if EA announce a whole bunch of Wii U exclusive content to justify the extra price. Some graphical enhancements which make use of the Wii U's extra horsepower, some skinpacks for your squaddies, some extra equipment (a zapper-like pistol, a varia suit, an omni-master sword or something of that nature) and some minor side quests.

 

I'd say that EA have made a very bad decision for everyone involved, including themselves. By announcing the trilogy, they've scared away many people whom had plans to buy the Wii U version. It's bad for EA, because they'll earn less money and it's bad for Wii U owners, because it reduces the chance of the trilogy coming to the Wii U ever. And maybe it'll even prevent future ME sequels from coming as well. Worst case scenario is that EA write the Wii U off as a casual machine.

A simple solution would've been to announce and release the trilogy pack perhaps a year later.

[Kagato]

Were you planning on getting Mass Effect Special Edition on the WiiU before this news?

 

I actually was, i own all three games on Xbox 360 but as with all Bioware games, its a title that can be played through many times and enjoyed for its fantastic story telling.

 

If so are you still planning to get it or have you changed your mind?

 

Not now, i have a decent PC rig right now which will have no problem running all three games and i have it hooked up to my gaming TV, it will look just as good on there as it would on the WiiU and why would i pay full price for the last game on its own when i have done this already, when i can buy all 3 packaged together for the same price?

 

What are your views of the situation EA & Bioware have just created?

 

I dont blame Bioware, they likely have very little involvement in this collection, it seems like EA themselves making a handy christmas pack in for the upcoming holiday season. This does now however annoy the hell out of me, the first game was Xbox 360 and PC only so its already been rebuilt for the PS3 since its a very different platform. EA have gone on record as saying that they made mistakes not supporting the Wii at launch, yet they are launching part of a series on the console when everyone else gets the full trilogy and its not a unique case! They are also releasing a cut down version of Madden for WiiU which forgoes all of the enhancements made to the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of that series.

 

EA dont even seem to be trying now, would it really have been so hard given how easy the Wii is supposed to be to port to, for them to add a bonus disc with the other two titles on there? Sure the lack of WiiU gamepad support would be a bummer, but at least WiiU owners would be getting all three titles, the third of which would be a nicely enhanced version of the third game. Its a missed oppertunity, a sign that despite their words EA have zero confidence in the WiiU as a platform and one im sure 6 months from now they are going to have to try to explain to some very angry shareholders, its not like they are exactly in a good place right now anyway.

 

In the end it might just be me, maybe everyone else is happy to buy the end of a trilogy on a brand new platform and have 80 hours + of content summerised in a digital comic, maybe the idea of owning a single console and a PC is an impossible dream much like it was this generation. I just feel that EA are missing a HUGE oppertunity to not only win Nintendo fans over with one of the best games series this generation and they are totally mishandling the situation. No one (realistically) expects them to go back and re-do the full series with wiiu pad support, heck it would be nice, but the machine launches in a month and there is no time for that. We could have had a bonus disc, we could have had the games up on the Wii Store to purchase, there are so many ways they could have avoided this situation, but they didnt and with two of their launch games already containing less value than their counterparts on other systems, i dont see why anyone else would bother.

[Cube]

One thing worth pointing out is that there is no date yet for the PS3 version.

[The Reign]

II think the reason is easy to figure out. EA did this in reaction to Nintendo' decision not to use EA's "Origin" as they exclusive internet system. It really a matter of revenge.

After Nintendo's refusal did you see the unprecedent partnership EA promised between Nintendo and themseselves?

Don't let EA get fresh of us.