Sorry for the long waffle, but Ihad to share this. It was just so sad, yet so awesome.

Exactly the reason why I was never able to do a renegade run in Mass Effect. I really enjoyed it in Knights of the Old Republic and it's even my favorite style in that game as it contains a lot of great sarcastic humor (Always feels like you miss something when being the good guy). But in Mass Effect, it's just plain evil. I once started such a run and had to switch to a more or less good guy run again after about 1/3 of the game. In a lot of situations, it just made me feel absolutely bad, although we are just dealing with pixels. Using another grenade to save human lives? Nah, too much hazzle, I just shoot my way through and let everyone suffer! I really couldn't stand being such an asshole, as the games do a great job of letting you feel the consequences of your actions.

I watched some other renegade scenes from the third game and your Mordin experience can even get worse if you let Wrex survive up until that point. Not to mention there are various other situations where you just think "How on earth can someone be this evil?".

I really prefer to be the good guy constantly. If I want to be bad, I'm going to replay KOTOR .

which just goes to show how underrated ME3 is. Maybe underrated is the wrong word as it got great reviews. But it got a lot of shit thrown at it for its endings but a lot of people didn't seem to pay as much attention to everything that happened before the endings. ME3 had a much, much, much bigger emotional impact on me than ME2 or ME1. I mean when a game can literally make you shed a tear or two then the people behind that game must have done something right, I'd think.

I guess it depends on what you like about the game. For me as a dialogue lover, I also enjoyed ME3 the most.
I was very, very disappointed by the ending as well I have to say. I really liked the whole idea of the "Indoctrination theory" and when an extended ending DLC was announced, I really thought this theory is true and will be revealed with it. If that was the case, it would have been the greatest ending to a video game I've ever experienced as it didn't only trick the main character, but also the players. Well, we all know how it ended...
Anyway, apart from that, I also had the greatest experience with ME3, because it simply takes everything the predecessors built up and gives you one emotional conclusion after the other. It's worth mentioning, however, that this would not be possible without ME1 and 2. Absolutely breathtaking and some arcs such as the genophage one have some of the best moments in gaming history.
Nevertheless, an ending is an ending. No matter how great the journey was, it was kind of destroyed by it, as it all didn't matter in the end. No matter what you've done, you are left with A, B and C as dictated by some higher power you cannot oppose - although the game basically was about how you can oppose them when everyone works together.
I even would have preferred a bad ending to that actually. Something like the whole galaxy being destroyed, but Liara's device containing more and more information depending on what you have accomplished, which increases the chances for future cycles. The original ending from Karpyshyn where the Reapers actually are a collective intelligence to prevent the universe from being destroyed by Dark Matter or something like that was also really cool.

Wow, here I am ranting over the ending although it was supposed to be excluded . But as I said, it has an impact on the experience as a whole.

I'm also looking forward to the next Silent Hill. Don't have much hopes to get another Silent Hill 2 though. That game will be the #1 horror game for me for a long time I suppose.

[EphelDuath666]

well, it's what happens when stuff gets leaked, alas. If the original ending of ME3 had not been leaked by some douche we would have all been able to enjoy it. But someone had to ruin it. I'm sure it took ages to come up with all the endings Bioware had planned. And I assume there just wasn't enough time to come up with something that was just as amazing.

The extended ending didn't bother me really. For me personal 'closure' came with the Citadel DLC. That was the best kind of good-bye to me.

The extended ending didn't bother me really. For me personal 'closure' came with the Citadel DLC. That was the best kind of good-bye to me.

Absolutely, that DLC was one big fanservice so to speak. It just kinda hurts to start the final flight after that .

[swervedriver]

Sorry for the long waffle, but Ihad to share this. It was just so sad, yet so awesome.

Exactly the reason why I was never able to do a renegade run in Mass Effect. I really enjoyed it in Knights of the Old Republic and it's even my favorite style in that game as it contains a lot of great sarcastic humor (Always feels like you miss something when being the good guy). But in Mass Effect, it's just plain evil. I once started such a run and had to switch to a more or less good guy run again after about 1/3 of the game. In a lot of situations, it just made me feel absolutely bad, although we are just dealing with pixels. Using another grenade to save human lives? Nah, too much hazzle, I just shoot my way through and let everyone suffer! I really couldn't stand being such an asshole, as the games do a great job of letting you feel the consequences of your actions.

I watched some other renegade scenes from the third game and your Mordin experience can even get worse if you let Wrex survive up until that point. Not to mention there are various other situations where you just think "How on earth can someone be this evil?".

I really prefer to be the good guy constantly. If I want to be bad, I'm going to replay KOTOR .

Haha yes, I'm with you, I also prefer playing the hero rather than the asshole, but since the dialogue and consequences were pretty different I wanted to play like a renegade at least once. Also had to get the Insanity achievement off the list. Shooting Wrex and Mordin still haunt me, and actually also haunted me in the dream sequences in ME3; I thought that was really well done.

As for the ending controversy, yes, the ending's not that great. You spend all game long collecting war assets, which in the end do not matter individually. Only the total score determines the various cutscenes you get to see. The decisions you've made throughout the series only affect what you're doing before the final confrontation, not during or after. It's not all bad though, the subdued piano music is really beautiful, and the scene where your crew puts your name on the memorial wall in the Normandy was a very good closure point. The 'best' ending scenario for me still is the Destroy option (especially when Shepard draws breath at the very end), followed by the Refusal option the Extended Cut brings which I've watched on youtube.

Mind you, I only have Extended Cut experience, so I can't comment on what was there before (I did read up a bit on it though). I like the idea of that indoctrination theory, especially for the Control and Synthesis endings which already felt 'weird' as I looked them up online. I came across a long video on youtube about the indoctrination theory you mentioned, which I think I'll have a look at later.

The stargazer scene, however, is complete bollocks and should've been scrapped.

[...]The 'best' ending scenario for me still is the Destroy option (especially when Shepard draws breath at the very end), followed by the Refusal option the Extended Cut brings which I've watched on youtube.

Mind you, I only have Extended Cut experience, so I can't comment on what was there before (I did read up a bit on it though). I like the idea of that indoctrination theory, especially for the Control and Synthesis endings which already felt 'weird' as I looked them up online. I came across a long video on youtube about the indoctrination theory you mentioned, which I think I'll have a look at later.

The stargazer scene, however, is complete bollocks and should've been scrapped.

*Spoilers obviously*
I've got that damn Refusal ending two times: First by choosing it, the second time because I shot at the starchild . Now that was a surprise.
I always choose destruction as well. To me, it's the only option that makes sense. Synthesis would simply be doing what Saren wanted to do (why stop him in the first place then?) and the control one is following the Illusive Man's footsteps instead, for which I'd ask the same question... I was kinda surprised how many people chose Synthesis while saying how deluded Saren was honestly .

The extended cut only added many scenes in the ending movies mostly, so I don't think that this makes the experience much different, as the biggest problems remain with that one. Maybe a little bit more closure since you see more results of your actions.

*Spoiler End*

On another note: Just browsed through the last pages and saw all the top 10 lists. Count me in!

1. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Probably the game I replayed the most as it was the first one that gave me so many room for decisions and had so many interactions with NPCs. It was simply new to me that I can actually decide if and how I want to help someone and hearing responses from my companions depending on their personality. Also very great atmosphere and a superb usage of the Star Wars franchise.

2. Final Fantasy 8
It was just the right game at the right time I think. The "coming of age" theme was perfectly fitting for me back then and it was the first game I played that actually contained troubled characters and so much dialogue in general. Even the computer with all the messages from game characters was a novum for me, I never saw so much love given to full-fledged characters. I still think this game's an absolute masterpiece. There are some great theories regarding a HUGE story twist and if you look closely to the game with that in mind you can find various references to exactly that. I just love stories that aren't that obvious, big bonus for this one. Also just a fantastic experience as a whole with a superb soundtrack and great pacing regarding action and more quiet moments (yes, I enjoy moments in games where you are just at a peaceful place with a slow guitar in the background or something similar!).

3. Deus Ex
This game is simply mind-blowing in its vision for the future and it has many, many philosophical questions contained in it. I still remember talking to a surveillance machine called Morpheus that stated how humans actually *want* to be watched and needed some new way for that as they started to lose the belief in a god. And here we are, with facebook and all that stuff where everyone willingly gives out every detail in life. It's full with ideas like this. The game was also very great gameplay-wise you had more or less absolute freedom how you want to achieve your goals. You even were able to kill major characters if they seemed fishy to you and the game handled that story-wise instead of making them invulnerable or something. I also love Human Revolution as it was a worthy successor with its own vision, but this one remains at the top.

4. World of Warcraft
Yes, I've sinned. Many years, and I don't regret them. This was the first time I played a game on an absolutely unbelievable scale in terms of player numbers. I probably had like a full year of game-time and was playing this game every free minute when I didn't have to do something for school back then. I've met some great people there and had some of the best moments in my life, as sad as that may sound. I'm a bit glad that I decided some day to quit with it though, as it really eats a lot of time and is addictive as hell.

5. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Little gem of an rpg that was desperately released full of bugs just to get it out after all the development time. The creators all lost their job after this game and many of them worked on it for quite some time without being paid. And you can really see that in the game: It has superb writing, very unique themes and quests, some of the greatest level design I've seen so far and options...so many options. Even the choice of your Vampire Clan, which obviously remains from minute 1 to the credits, has a huge impact on the game. Almost every character in the game has some kind of line for at least one of the clans. Especially Malkavians, which is basically a vampire clan of maniacs, have very unique conversations and even some extras added to it like making discussions with a stop sign.
Absolutely great game and definitely the best about vampires. It's a shame that only stuff like Twilight is popular nowadays as I really like this dark vampire universe.

6. Mass Effect trilogy
Well, we already discussed that . Great games with a superb presentation, great Science Fiction, awesome characters, epic story if we exclude the ending, etc. etc.

7. Dragon Age
Also a game I replayed very often. Again, as with all Bioware games, I simply loved the characters and all the decisions you were able to make. It's a formula that just works for me.

8. Silent Hill 2
I'm a scaredy-cat when it comes to horror, and this is the game that freed me from my unwillingness to play horror games. I just started this game out of the blue and couldn't believe what I have experienced. The music is one of the best I have ever heard and creates a very unique atmosphere. The story is simply mindblowing and I still haven't seen any game that uses horror so effectively as a symbolism for the psychological state of the people within it. That is something the Silent Hill franchise was never able to pick up again and it came as a real shock to me how "deep" this game was as I was just expecting a simple horror trip to get scared. Although not something I want to replay many times, this one will remain at the top simply for the unforgetable experience.

9. Persona 4
Yes, I admit, I love anime stuff! The Persona games have some great laid-back feel to them and this is the one I enjoyed the most. Very cool soundtrack, fun conversations, addicting wanna-get-better gameplay. Simply "feel good" games for me with a very unique touch to them.

10. Dynasty Warriors series (no particular game)
This one was hard - many games that could have been on this place as well. I chose this one simply because there is not a single game besides World of Warcraft that I played as much as this series. Since the third one came out I bought almost every major game. Sometimes it's just cool to mash down thousands of soldiers with some cool metal riffs while strategically rushing from place to place to keep the morale up. I also had a time where those games piqued my interest in Chinese history, although I forgot all the facts again by now .

Obviously, I'm a Bioware fanboy... Simply the type of games that I enjoy the most, and they keep delivering.

My favourite game of all time is Fable: The Lost Chapters. I bought it on the original Xbox and PC. I'd say that i've played it about 10 times. The music is to die for.

Second on my list is Fallout 3. All good things come from Fallout 3.

Third, well I'd have to say GTA 5. Too many hours spent as Trevor, carving up the countryside and city streets. Online is fun, but sometimes you get that angry that you want to scream. I can't really scream, though, because it will scare my bird.

[EphelDuath666]

GTA5 will be out on PS4 in just a few days and I'm super excited! It's even gonna have a first person mode! It's gonna be like playing an all new game! heh

Far Cry 4 looks awesome too but I'm not sure whether I'm gonna buy that right away or not as GTA5 will keep me busy for a while.

My excitement for GTA games has decreased to 0 after GTA 4 . Found this game unbelievably boring. Will probably check it out once it's cheaper on PC though.
At least I've got Dragon Age: Inquisition as an alternative at the end of this month, woohoo! And I just heard that Valkyrie Chronicles gets a PC port, probably something for me as well.

Yes I like videogames and my steam id is spacegrass86 if anyone feels like adding me.

I play a lot of mount and blade warband, unreal tournament (all of them), and chivalry medieval warfare at the moment.

Just started playing Minecraft and finding it confusing, if anyone feels like showing me the ropes (mainly how to build something that isnt shit) that would be awesome.

Cheerio

[Victimlas]

GTA5 will be out on PS4 in just a few days and I'm super excited! It's even gonna have a first person mode! It's gonna be like playing an all new game! heh

Far Cry 4 looks awesome too but I'm not sure whether I'm gonna buy that right away or not as GTA5 will keep me busy for a while.

I am about to make the jump to PS4! Just waiting on Black Friday deals. So looking forward to replaying GTA V

[swervedriver]

Just started playing Minecraft and finding it confusing, if anyone feels like showing me the ropes (mainly how to build something that isnt shit) that would be awesome.

Cheerio

I don't play it myself because it'll become too huge a timesink for me I suspect. But, the gamepedia website seems like a place where there's plenty of info. They've got some tutorials there as well which should be helpful: http://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Tutorials


I've taken up Burnout Paradise. I find it's equally satisfying to weave through city traffic at high speed as it is to subsequently crash into a bridge post and watch your car get compacted in slow-motion, all set to a soundtrack my younger self would highly approve of. It's a good distraction from writing, as I can't play it for much more than an hour before my eyeballs start orbiting each other.

GTA5 will be out on PS4 in just a few days and I'm super excited! It's even gonna have a first person mode! It's gonna be like playing an all new game! heh

Far Cry 4 looks awesome too but I'm not sure whether I'm gonna buy that right away or not as GTA5 will keep me busy for a while.

I am about to make the jump to PS4! Just waiting on Black Friday deals. So looking forward to replaying GTA V

I just started playing GTA V, but on PS3 (don't judge me).

Fun so far, but I hate the cops. I mean I hate them in all the games, but the "hide from the cops" feature is a bit disjointed because half the time they're fucking magnetized to you, making them even bigger assholes than before.

But hey, the map looks great, the vehicles and driving mechanics are great, and I just unlocked Trevor. Decided to give him the honor of being gobbled by the shark.

[Victimlas]

I just started playing GTA V, but on PS3 (don't judge me).

Fun so far, but I hate the cops. I mean I hate them in all the games, but the "hide from the cops" feature is a bit disjointed because half the time they're fucking magnetized to you, making them even bigger assholes than before.

But hey, the map looks great, the vehicles and driving mechanics are great, and I just unlocked Trevor. Decided to give him the honor of being gobbled by the shark.

No judging from me! Still on PS3 here lol
GTA V looked amazing I can only imagine how it will look on the PS4.

The cops are such a pain at the beginning. I found it easier to hide as the game went on. Just speed like a madman and hide in a garage or alley. As the characters skills level up you will see a difference on the gameplay. I could still not get Trevor to drive well by games end though

[EphelDuath666]

with a liiiiiittle bit of luck I may be able to play GTA5 on my PS4 this weekend already. Just can't wait. I sold my Xbox360 version many moons ago in anticipation for this and to keep me from replaying it. Next time I'll replay this baby it'll be in glorious native 1080p with a smooth framerate, yaaaaayuh.

Untill then I am playing Halo 2 and Forza Horizon 2 on the Xbox One and Shadow Warrior on the PS4, all of them fun as fuck. But I'm really just killing time untill GTA5 arrives, heh

Trevor looks most badass with a shaven head and mustache - anyone else agree?