BioWare - Next ME Game not to be Called ME4

Originally Posted by Couchpotato
Why don't you give yours then. All I see is you criticizing posts as usual.

Oh I'm sorry, am I supposed to be on the irrationally hate on Bioware with any info given then project onto other ideas that have nothing to do to with the original idea? I'm not doing it right it seems.

Granted I was in a pissy mood (just woke up) when I made that comment. Too me it is a no brainer not to call it Mass effect 4 if it has nothing to do with the previous games other then the lore. It's a new story arc.

PS: Couch if you want to pick and choose what you respond to from me that is fine, but I do post more then making fun of our mouth breathing zealots.

Reading between the lines: the ME line is damaged publicity-wise, so they can't re-use the name. But they don't want to throw away all of the assets, so they make sure we know it's set in the same 'verse. Hmm…

I can live with that. There's plenty about the setting that is worth carrying forward, whether it's a prequel or a sequel.

Originally Posted by rjshae
Reading between the lines: the ME line is damaged publicity-wise, so they can't re-use the name. But they don't want to throw away all of the assets, so they make sure we know it's set in the same 'verse. Hmm…

I can live with that. There's plenty about the setting that is worth carrying forward, whether it's a prequel or a sequel.

Or in a less weird but more realistic spin, they always meant to have 3 ME's and they wanted to continue with the universe with a new storyline?

My comment had nothing to do with hate rune_74. I just explained they only have four options for the franchise. Regardless I won't apologize as you make plenty of snarky comments on peoples opinions all time. You also give good opinions at the same time.

Now back on topic. The idea is, regardless of when it actually does take place compared to what Shepard did, it's not relevant. They don't want to consider it a sequel or prequel or interquel of the existing Mass Effect games, even if it technically would be, because calling it any of those would imply story and/or character connections that I don't think they're putting in there.

It has to be set sometime in the franchises history no matter what. The name 'Mass Effect 4' exists solely as a placeholder for the lack of a better name for the next game in the series.

Originally Posted by rjshae
Reading between the lines: the ME line is damaged publicity-wise, so they can't re-use the name.

They did not state they wont use the ME name. What they insist on is the number.

Players want to play exceptional characters. Bioware, with Sheppard, delivered them an exceptional character among exceptional characters. Considering the depth and scope of Sheppard's actions that pervaded into every aspect of life, keeping the course of developping an universe that evolves according to the player's choices would push the productions costs way beyond what Bioware can endure.

Not only it is a nightmare of thinking of all the combinations, but even if they only go for an average of the most common decisions made, collected thanks to the Internet, they would not be able to keep up.

What they want to go away from is the kind of promise of delivering a universe where every choice by the player matters in continuity from one episode to another.

They are experiencing that this kind of promises is suicidal in terms of production costs. Both developpers insisted largely that they want to break the continuity thing that was so publicized both for ME and DA.

Ending continuity makes sense for another reason besides the economical one. In the previous games the continuity was insured by importing saves, but now Sheppard's dead. How would Masss Effect 4 would work including other characters, NPCs, from previous games, if the actions of Sheppard affected the lives of others? By importing the saves of a dead character just to use the rest of the information included?

Originally Posted by rune_74
Or in a less weird but more realistic spin, they always meant to have 3 ME's and they wanted to continue with the universe with a new storyline?

It's standard marketing practice to re-use the name of the prior games to benefit from the built-in publicity. Just think of game series like Baldur's Gate, Ultima, Wizardry, &c. Hence it's not 'wierd'. What's anomalous is a case where they use the same setting but not the name.

Originally Posted by ChienAboyeur
They did not state they wont use the ME name. What they insist on is the number.

Okay, well that would make sense.

Ahh I meant to imply the numbering system my bad.