eatmyasia

@dennisb407
Was your copy soaked in urine?

Doesn't shout orders at... yourself totally break some of the immersion, on top of being way more unwieldy that simply tensing a finger?
Unless it's for finger amputees.

@TehPeanut
I don't think it sounds lame at all. Even if it's not exactly what they set out to hear from this type of survey, I imagine the devs love to hear stories like this; who doesn't like knowing about how their creation brings joy to others? All the best to your friend, friend.

@PossibleCabbage
Kind of getting into semantics here, but I'd say it's the 18.94% (that's 4% + 18% of 83%). What I'd like to know is whether that means 18.94% of players have created a female Shepard at some point, or whether 18.94% of all Shepards created are female.

I recently started up a Femshep (customized appearance) for the first time after hearing/reading all the comments from huge Jennifer Hale fans, and I have to say I was slightly disappointed. Even compared to Mark Meer, who I agree sometimes underacts his lines, I found that a lot of her deliveries used the exact same tone; sort of raspy and aloof. That being said, I am still thoroughly enjoying playing as a female Shepard, and will absolutely complete this play through. I know a lot of people disagree with my opinion, but I guess the point I'm trying to make is just that; preferences are opinions (and opinions are like assholes, etc.), so there's no point stating that either voice actor is better like as if it's fact.

@DV8ing1
I think you may be underestimating the size of the market that buys only a COD/MW game every year, maybe with a few sports game thrown in for good measure. For some people, an annual fee of $60 just to keep up with the massive migration of players to the newest title (regardless of how innovative it may or may not be) is justifiable, and I doubt things will be any different this time around.

@PN04
Isn't 'better' very objective though? I agree that Hale brings a more emotional/theatrical element to the lines, but (and I could be alone on this) I find that to less engaging as it feels like I'm listening to a performance rather than playing as Shepard. I suppose it could also have to do with the fact that I'm male and hearing a female voice speaking my lines doesn't resonate as well with my 'image', but on the whole I find the male Shepard voice to be more accessible.

Could just be that I have extra large hands (or perhaps more likely, my memory is getting the better of me), but I always found the original controllers really comfortable, though obviously inferior in most aspects to the 360 controller design. I remember playing Gauntlet on PS2 at my friend's house and my hands would hurt if I gripped the controller too tightly, but I felt like I could do quick time events in Shenmue II 'til the cows came home.

Those black and white buttons were a pain in the ass though.

@matrices
I can only speak for myself, but my concerns regarding the combat don't have an impact on whether I consider the game to be an RPG or not; the preview mentions that this segment of the game is light on RPG elements. Personally, I just feel that the combat (from what we've seen) is steering slightly away from that which I have come to expect from a Mass Effect game, namely the ability to use a combination of bullets and powers rather than rely on being handed a somewhat overpowered weapon/machine, which may restrict the gameplay. After all, how many times have you replayed a forced turret section of a game and found it to be as fun as the first time? I expect to play through ME3 at least 6-7 times, and I have a nagging feeling that I'll be sick of playing certain sections the exact same way I did in previous playthroughs.

All that being said, I am looking forward to seeing what they've done with the power/weapon customisation and upgrades.

I'm very worried about certain combat elements I've seen so far, particularly the (instakill?) omni-blade, the turret/reaper stage, and now the ability to use the Cerberus mech, which I assume from the screenshots to be a big walking gun. I know it may be a bit too early to say, but these new introductions seem to imply that the devs are pushing a much more destructive and less refined style of fighting, opting simply for 'max firepower' to take down enemies rather than a more strategic use of squadmates, biotic/tech powers, and handheld weaponry that was required for the greater part of ME1 and 2.

Again, I might be being a little too judgemental (and I hope I am), but I really want to see that they've been working on more to add to the gameplay than just flashy baubles.