5 Ideas For Mass Effect 4 We'd Love To See Happen

Maybe the only confirmed detail we have about Mass Effect 4's story is that it won't star Commander Shepard. Beyond that, we don't have a clue how BioWare will continue the series. They've got an entire galaxy and millions of years of history to draw on for the next game.

Here are a few different ideas that BioWare could use for Mass Effect 4 and beyond. None of them are perfect but each could make a great RPG.

[porkChop]

"Why not go forward in time with ME4, then, and let us see the continuing ripple effects of choices made from the other games?"

No. The next Mass Effect is the start of a new trilogy with its own story and characters. It has nothing at all to do with Shepard's story, so there isn't any reason to continue the save file from the previous trilogy.

[SaintAlpha101]

Agreed, I'll miss Tali, Garrus, Liara and the crew, but if they make equally likeable characters in the new trilogy of games, then it'll be worth the trade.

I hope they don't outright cut out Asari, Turians, Quarians etc and replace them with new species.

[porkChop]

It still takes place in the same universe with the same races. The story just doesn't take place at the same time. When Bioware ran a poll/survey they were looking at either very far into the future or before Shepard's story.

I'd rather Bioware not limit themselves by handcuffing the new trilogy to the decisions made in the previous one.

[Naga]

I have a crazy idea that will probably never happen:

Incorporate some form of quasi-"Indoctrination Theory" from the very beginning when Shepard encounters the Prothean artifact. This would turn everything that happened in the original trilogy into a sort of fictional alternate reality which only occurred in the mind of a comatose Shepard.

While it would be somewhat deflating in the "What? I never went to Oz?" sort of way, this move - or a move like that - would serve to do two things: 1) It would free them from the constraints of previous player decisions made in the original trilogy, and 2) it would allow the new story to escape the overwhelming shadow of the original story arc.

If you think about it, they could then write a completely separate storyline dynamic where, say, the nature of the Protheans, Geth, or even the rest of the Mass Effect universe is almost completely different... there may not even be Reapers. Yet all the while, it would technically remain in a familiar Mass Effect universe.

In a way, it could be similar to what JJ Abrams did with the Star Trek series by intervening with time-travel mechanism in the first reboot.

[crimsonfox]

Also what if someone has never played any of the games? I actually passed on these games last gen. I'm semi interested in playing them. Assuming they go trough with a re-release on PS4/XB1.

[Linkz973]

I don't agree, yes the new game will be based in the same universe but it would be amazing to see how the actions of the first trilogy affect the universe in general. It does not need to be tied down with returning charecters as main roles but a few cameos or mentioning of past charecters would make the game feel connected in a way making you feel like damn it's because of me that this planet changed this way or the universe is acting this way. It would be awesome to see happen

[Elit3Nick]

I think a great idea for the story would be if you play as a mercenary, this gives you excellent variety in the types of missions that you could do while also providing significant moral choices. Do you want to do missions that only adhere to your own morals, allowing you to acquire trusted friends, or will you accept any mission for the right price, maybe giving you powerful equipment but making enemies out of the government and having hits placed on you.

[Blachek]

I had a conversation with somebody about this the other day and a few thoughts popped into my head.

Go Back...

We know that the Leviathan's considered themselves the original Apex race... but they created the Reapers as a way to preserve true organic life. They saw their subservient races creating synthetic life which lead to mass destruction, just as current story line arc features Quarian and Geth civil war. It was the original synthetic 'intelligence' that the Leviathan's created with lead to the Reapers as we met them in the series, in just another one of their innumerable cycles of destruction.

Give me a story line pre-Sheppard where I am dealing with completely separate events and races at some unknown interval in the Reaper Cycle.

Give me a story of the Leviathan's conquest to control the other species of the galaxies... from the Leviathan's view or the subservient species'.

We don't need to know right away that we are watching something pre or post Reaper invasion. If one thing is known, it's that as time passes and generations succumb, histories importances diminish. As the species of Mass Effect age and generations pass, the importance of the Reapers will diminish in the eyes of the new races. The Reapers did sit in deep space, what's to say that some story element doesn't take them back out of the known systems for a million years.

My point is, there are numerous ways to expand on the lore and story telling with the series without establishing any single ending to the 1st mass effect trilogy.

If they do utilize a post reaper story line I would suspect that they use the synthesis ending as it would the most desirable and offer a new avenue for a story and human dynamic that hasn't been told.

[Ghost_Nappa]

First Contact War would be an interesting setting.

[DOMination-]

Not really imo. The war lasted a few days iirc and only involved the turians. In comparison it would feel not very epic. Besides a lot of the stories in and around first contact have already been covered in the novels.

[aLiEnViSiToR]

With info i know about Mass Effect i only see two possibility's for "ME4":

1 - You play as Shepard's child in the near future or direct descendant few thousand years after ME3 as human, asari, quarian, turian, salarian, krogan etc. or maybe even some kind organic AI cyborg ?! Enemy could be some ancient race (with virus like characteristics) from another galaxy (Andromeda ?!) that has arrived to Milky Way galaxy to take over.

2 - Put it 50000+ years after ME3 with something like DA:Origins with a lot of old and new races to play and learn about their past then just create some terrifying enemy that is coming from deep space cuz Reapers failed their task so they are coming to clean their mess up.

...so with both scenarios you could have something like Genesis to create your own history of previous 3 games and the just play Mass Effect 4.

[nope111]

-Prothean Empire story when they were in their prime.

-Origins styled prologues. Different races starts on different planets with different beggings.

Example: Playing as Krogan would start on Tuchanka with a clan war storyline or playing as Asari will start on Thessia with another unique origins storyline.

[DOMination-]

Yeah I was thinking about the origins route too. But I think they won't do it because its a lot of work. In DAO your character didn't talk. In Mass Effect they'd need a different voice actor for each race plus male and female. I wonder if inquisition will have different VAs depending on the race you choose?

[Pintheshadows]

I thought I read somewhere that the plan was for this to be set in an alternate reality with an all new story and characters.

If you will, something similar to what R* did with the GTA universe.

I think that is a very good idea on Bioware's part.

[MasterD919]

ME4 should take place AFTER the events of ME3, and I think the story should be similar to ME1. They need to have a mortal enemy this time, much less of a universal threat to life but more of a galactic threat- just like Saren.

I don't care if they introduce new races, but I would like to see humans involved in some way. I think it might be strange not to have humans involved somehow.

[Naga]

The problem with that idea is that they would be forced to pick one ending for original ME trilogy. Otherwise, they would essentially need to offer at least 3 separate versions of ME4.

[MasterD919]

Well, I'm sure the new trilogy will include alternate outcomes. However, they said the game itself has no sign of Shepard in it, which means they could just move on entirely and leave the series as however it ended accordingly to each player that completed ME3. I see no reason to even acknowledge the events of ME3 in ME4 at that point.

[Naga]

If you played all the way through ME3, you would understand what I'm saying. Each of the three final choice options transform THE ENTIRE MASS EFFECT UNIVERSE in three drastically different ways.

Each one leaves the universe in such a fundamentally different state than the others, that you can't simply ignore them. You would essentially have to create a separate sequel for each one.

[MasterD919]

There are actually 4 endings. The problem is with the Synthesis & Refusal endings. The other endings allow for continuation of the series, but the Synthesis ending is probably what you are referring to, which changes everything for the ME universe.

That being said, and as I said before- this game will likely need to tip-toe a safe distance away from what we saw in ME3 and force gamers into an alternate universe, regardless of how their outcomes played out in ME3. A prequel likely makes more sense, but if the end-game is the same then what is the point? Given that the game is 50% done, I'd like to believe Bioware figured out early on the best way to move on from ME3 (since most people were unhappy with any ending) and move forward into a new universe.

[Naga]

The other two endings are just as problematic, because one has all of the Reapers still around, and the other has all of the Reapers and all synthetic life dead. But I won't drive any harder on that one, because I agree with your second point. I've actually been thinking much the same way about that for a while.

A sequel runs into all kinds of issues with storyline continuity, and a prequel is completely overshadowed by the end-game created in the original series. I don't know how they are planning on doing this, but my money is on some form of alternate reality or time travel. That's the only way that I can see them getting away from both of those problems.

[Roccetarius]

Bioware should just cut the ties with the original trilogy, instead of going back or continuing with it.

Set it in a new universe, with a new cast of characters. We all know that isn't going to happen, so i sense another backfire for them.

[tanookisuit]

Please bring back custom armor for each squadmate!