What's Next for Mass Effect? Mac Walters Opens Up About Mass Effect 4

Gameranx: "Mass Effect 4 will be completely unrelated to Shepard and friends, says series writer Mac Walters."

[ArchangelMike]

I'll miss Commander Shepherd though. Bioware have a tough job to do to create a character that is as inspiring as Commander Shepherd. One of the few great gaming icons of this generation.

[Godmars290]

The thing about ME is that it could probably - certainly - work with no over-arching, galaxy threatening plot. There were dozens of stories and plots involving one world, culture or section on the galaxy which were largely glossed over in ME2.

And the name of the main character, past being comfortably action oriented, is meaningless. The role itself would be ten fold better if, besides the wedge who never really developed a personality which was Commander Shepard, they were given opportunity to become develop. Have personal issues they have to overcome.

[Mythicninja]

Forget mac walters. Terribly average writer.

[aLucidMind]

He's better as a character writer (he was the one who wrote Garrus' lines in ME1 and ME2). Why they thought he'd be a competent main story writer is beyond me, though.

[linkenski]

If you can put nostalgia aside, Garrus and Wrex (both written by walters) were terrible and in-your-face in ME1. Also, Miranda who was also written by Walters in ME2 had a very cut-n-dry backstory and it was pretty melodramatic IMO.

Even as a character writer he's only average. He applies everyday-language to all characters. He even screwed up Anderson's characterization in ME3 by making him your stereotypic American Jesus-christ-religious-referen cing man's-man kind of character which is far from how polite, formal and straight-to-the-point'y he was in both ME1 and ME2.

[aLucidMind]

It isn't nostalgia, it's a fact. Wrex was well written in ME1, and Garrus was as well in ME2; he wrote both of them. One cut-and-dry character does not negate that, especially when you actually see that Miranda also was well-written and had some good character development throughout ME2.

He sucked when he took over other peoples' characters and as a story writer. I'm not saying he is the best, I'm merely saying he is capable of being a good writer but that story writing may not be for him. And I didn't find Anderson any different in ME3 in comparison to how he was in ME1 and ME2. It was mostly the crappy narrative that destroyed just about every character, and that's what makes every character seem to act out of character when they aren't.

[ifritAlkhemyst]

Hey Walters, try and come up with your own story this time. If I find even one reference to another game/book/film/comic I'm going to be very mad while playing through your otherwise fantastic game.

[Saints94]

Find a COMPLETELY original story in this day and age? Got it boss.

[ifritAlkhemyst]

Finding a completely original story is not the issue here.

The Mass Effect games are a grab bag of not just themes but entire plots stolen from other sources. Rachnii = Buggers. Right down to it being the last Queen and admitting a misunderstanding that provoked the war.

The overarching plot was ripped straight from Descent: Freespace.

I would have to play through it again, jotting down all the stuff they straight ripped from other sources to compile everything since it's been so long. Tarantino can steal because he makes things his own. Mass Effect just lifts other material's plots and drops them into its own.

[linkenski]

Apparently, Walters was reduced to "Lead Cinematic Director" for this time around though. I heard BW were looking for a new Lead Writer for this particular game.

[Saints94]

The story was going to be way more until it got leaked into the interwebs.

[skydragoonity]

We really need to be able to choose other alien races..

[Foxgod]

As long as its related to robo camel toe.

[Saints94]

Please no story before ME.

[linkenski]

Greatest Mass Effect news I've heard since they talked about those stupid "Garrus C-Sec" ideas. I love Shepard but it would be inappropriate to bring either him or his crew back for yet another game.

When a writer screws up he also has to accept his mistake and move on. We don't need to get that ending rubbed in our faces anymore and I think that's gonna happen everytime they show you Shepard if he was in a new game, unless it is actually a sequel.

My rambling aside, this makes me much more excited for NextME!

[NarooN]

It'll be great to have a completely fresh start with new characters and areas. I also hope they don't have another generic "zomg teh galaxy iz in steak!! gottah sav everythang!!!11!" It gets tiring hearing about how if I don't do everything, the whole universe will be imploded by giant angry albino starfish or something.

I remember Bioware saying that we should keep our old save files though. Maybe there will be some references to things our Shepards did in the trilogy in random conversations and such.

[vakarian75]

I will miss my Shepard but I will miss Garrus much more.

[Nicholasgliss]

They could use some good ole prequel stuff here.

[EximiusNebula]

Wonder what they are planning....

Off Topic: I wish BioWare would create a sequel for Jade Empire.

[vakarian75]

Jade Empire was sweetness.

[DrJones]

I loved that game.

[DHGArkangel21]

i hope we can be a alien race because i went to be a krogan i went to be able to have my own clan. i hope they make it where we can play online but you can be different races but where we can go all over the space and talk to different races but they are online people and we need are own ship and name are own ship and fleet to.

[SaekoB]

So you want Mass Effect to turn into a sandbox MMORPG? I would like to slap you in the face, but you have a right to your own oppinion