Might actually be time to go PS5...

Godmars290

Contributor
CRank: 10Score: 518640

Mass Effect 3: Leviathans; One More Thing

***SPOILERS***

My last blog – which drew much attention and comment – inspired by watching a cutscene which revealed the Reapers creators, something in addition occurred to me while attempting to write down my immediate reaction to it. Choosing not to include it then because, again writing down first notions, it didn’t qualify. I’ve since given it a bit of thought and its this;

How did the Reapers defeat Leviathans?

I watched the scene a few more times only to confirm and realize, in what seems to have become typical Bioware as they attempt tell a story, that no valid answer was given to the directly put question. Heady and brooding words were used in important/imposing tones, but nothing of any actual value or meaning was said. Nothing which supported the evidence of the Leviathans’ continued existence or confirmed the fact that their creations had indeed gone on to commit countless acts of galactic genocide for untold millions of years. If what was overall suggested were true, then Leviathans would still in charge.

By this I mean that unless the one talking to Sheppard was only boasting, then not only is Leviathan mind control stronger than the Reaper equivalent, it also works on Reapers. That Indoctrination is next to nothing compared to what Cthulhu-spawn wannabes once used to rule the galaxy, which survivors then continued to use to hide from their mecha-clones for untold ages. Yes, it was said that the Reapers used lesser species to “gather knowledge” for a surprise attack – maybe? – but unless this involved the release of something throughout their empire which either neutralized their abilities or killed them outright, any initial or follow-up force would be looking at a counterattack from Leviathans as well among its own ranks. As shown in cutscene their mind control certainly works on husks at very long ranges.

And while perhaps “born” as machine-only entities immune to mental-influence – maybe having gooey organic cores just to have gooey organic cores – if Reapers cannot be mind controlled then again by cutscene Leviathans still have effective countermeasures against them . Weapons which could either have been shared with present “lesser species,” or deployed within any of the fifty thousand long intervals Reapers napped. Unless evolved into cowards in the millions of years they’ve hidden only to become damn stupid to reveal themselves to some guy who’s going to offhandedly mention them to their enemies, its hard not to imagine some enterprising Leviathan dominating a promising inhabited world at some point. Transform it into the basis of an anti-Reaper army give or take a few millennia. With many more thousands of years to build it into an effective force well before the Reapers could get out of bed while having the option of hitting the “snooze” button; compromising Reapers monitoring forces.

Now, while most of this is largely pointless rambling – okay, its all pointless rambling – I hope it at least shows that more thought could have been put into the Mass Effect series than was. That while the series shouldn’t be looked at negatively for just being a game, it should be for its story. It should strongly be looked at negatively for the many flaws mistakes and literal lazy plot gaps and jumps within its story. It certainly shouldn’t be held up as example of what a modern role playing game should be, but is if only for the fact it sold well. Gamers making a game like this a success, in light of complaints against it, is telling the game industry that it can get away with making more games just like this.

So to sum up: You! Yeah you – STOP IT!

Godmars2904910d ago

NO one's going to even try and defend Bioware's inability to tell a story, much less the crap gamers put up with? No one?

WitWolfy4909d ago

The biggest plot hole is... The Catalyst made the "creators" sound like a current living organism which still control them to this day before the Leviathan dlc released.. Making one think... OH DAMN THERE'S EVEN THINGS WORSE THAN YOU?!?!?!

POOF!! DLC drops and the Reaper look a like says "...Umm no... The Catalyst actually chose to harvest us first because he saw us as a perfect first form of life for presivation" And thats how Harbinger was born... WTF man WTF!!!

30°

Gang of Dragon Studio Reportedly Removes YouTube Channel Amid Funding Uncertainty

Nagoshi Studio’s YouTube channel with the Gang of Dragon trailers appears to have been removed following reports that NetEase will stop funding.

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250°

We Are Xbox

Dear team,

Xbox has always been different.

We started with a simple idea. Games should bring people together through shared experiences. That led to the first Xbox in 2001, Xbox Live in 2002, and new ways to connect, from friends lists and achievements to parties and play across devices. Today, Xbox reaches over 500 million players around the world, with some of the most important franchises in entertainment.

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Itveds12h ago

re-evaluating exclusivity 💀

PS players will need to go back to pretending to dislike Xbox games

pwnmaster300012h ago(Edited 12h ago)

Or meaning since it’s doing so good they might just do everything day 1.

They didnt say re-evaluating their multiplatform approach.
🤣🤣🤣 Xbox is so dead. I know you scared🤣🫵ӿ 97;

12h ago
Eonjay8h ago

Even when the topic is strictly Xbox he can't stop talking about PlayStation. Xbox has basically become the hate of PlayStation... and not much else.

peppeaccardo1h ago

This whole mess is the result of bad decisions and strategy from those who have "the vision" inside the company.

pwnmaster300012h ago

Hurt over video games 🤣🤣

Lmao we all grew and got jobs but apparently you stayed home broke 🤣🤣.
Man I love loyal dogs like you. MS kicked Spit and slapped you around but you still come back on all 4s.

Good little boy 🤣🤣

11h ago
GhostScholar10h ago

My only question is what games are PlayStation gamers gonna play now? They don’t really come out with new games anymore. I’m looking forward to wolverine, but after that then what?

-Foxtrot11h ago

Lmao

There’s no way after everything it’s going back, the damage is done

What you are seeing now is the new management telling what the core fanbase (aka…you) want to hear so they are pumped full of hope and are more likely to invest in the next Xbox console

When Phil took over after the awful Xbox One reveal he did the same thing, he told people what they wanted to hear for damage control.

It’s crazy people are getting suckered into this again.

GhostScholar10h ago

I mean I always buy both systems, so none of this affects me.

darthv724h ago

FWIW..... wasn't the new management speaking to the other staff.... not so much us (regular folk)?

CrashMania11h ago

And you'll now go back to again thinking exclusives suddenly matter, that multiplatform is no longer the future, or that revenue from multiplatforms doesn't matter, like all you flop flopping xbox grifters lol.

The whole post just sounds like the previous phil corpo slop talk to me, whole thing reads like a nothing burger lol.

Jin_Sakai10h ago

“re-evaluating exclusivity”

She also said this.

“The model that got us here won’t be the one that takes us forward.”

Profchaos8h ago

I don't know if they have a model anymore it's flipped so many times since the xbox one reveal

TriniOutsider9h ago

It must be miserable being someone like you.

Aloymetal9h ago

There's a bunch just like him but that's what happens when some rely on dreams, hope and wishful thinking. lol

isarai_lee9h ago

"pretending"? Bro gears hasnt broke 1mil on ps5, and starfield hasn't passed 200k, Hellblade 2 was even stated to be a financial disappointment in sales on its own console, let alone ps5. Im not saying people don't like them, but they certainly aren't setting the community on fire, Forza may be different tho

Neonridr8h ago

Forza broke 5 million on PlayStation. So yes. And there's a new one coming soon.

badz14941m ago

if only they make a real physical version of those games, especially Gears, it would have sold more on PS5

Aloymetal9h ago

Xbawx is ''re-evaluating exclusivity''... Translation: After throwing all sort of crap to the wall to see if something sticks but clearly nothing worked, we, including our lord ''in charge'' Phil came to the conclusion that exclusives indeed do matter so please forget if we ever said otherwise.
Yup, I feel it in my gut, next gen belongs to xbox, PS6 is cooked...

9h ago
1Victor8h ago

Someone can’t sleep after those 5 million forza games PURCHASED by PlayStation owners🤣 🧌 💥

7h ago
Extermin8or3_6h ago

Well with the decreased price of gamespass even with cod off it there is no way it is profitable given the cost of making their 1st party games (not if you actually include that cost in gamespass costs which they typically dont but should) they will just make a loss without the sales on

Xx_Pistol_xX4h ago

They don't hate the games. They hate the box.

DazaMc2h ago

Forza just sold five million copies on PS5, they have a taste for it now.

+ Show (11) more repliesLast reply 41m ago
Outside_ofthe_Box12h ago(Edited 12h ago)

If they go back to exclusive games it at least shows that they are finally getting it. They would be turning down immediate money for something that will potentially workout in the long term.

Only issue is they've already opened Pandora's box. A lot of their base has moved to PC or jumped to PS. So will be a long road to get back on track.

We have been saying this from day one exclusives are a must if you are going to be selling hardware look at Nintendo and Sony before Jim Ryan. That's the proven formula. You had some that were deluded and blinded by loyalty accepting that multiplat was the future and that MS was merely getting ahead of where the industry was headed, but at least they can finally see the light and agree with what everyone has been saying for a decade+

pwnmaster300012h ago

True, blame it on the rabid fanboys. MS can do no wrong and spinner this multiplatform move. While the actual fans moved on.

I feel like with the new Xbox coming they are hoping to bring back those old fans and then if it goes well. Bring back exclusives.

If the new console is performing like series x and one. Naw they staying multiplatform.

darthv723h ago

Actual fans dont move on... they can add to their hobby while waiting for the next new release. If you believe what you typed then I guess PS fans moved on too.... you know, since its been a Sahara for 1st party games this gen.

Itveds11h ago

Gonna be a funny world where Xbox games are exclusive and Sony games are not lol

Outside_ofthe_Box10h ago(Edited 10h ago)

Funny world where Sony is pro consumer and Xbox is not? At least according to what you loyalists have been saying all this time 🤭

VenomUK9h ago

@itveds For how many years have you been doing this sad stuff? For how many years have you been creating fake accounts to troll? For how many years have you always been cl vnn

fr0sty8h ago

Pathetic incels with nothing better to do than argue over a box... Because they don't have any good games to play on theirs, obviously. If your precious box is so special, why don't you shut the fuck up and go play it?

Elda1h ago

Sony exclusives will always be better than anything XB puts out.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 1h ago
CrashMania11h ago

I think it's too late, xbox sales were diving even before ABK, they got even worse since then even long before the full multiplatform push. I'd be surprised if they even went back to timed exclusivity at this point, Helix is basically a PC and is going to be expensive, they already struggle to sell cheaper xbox consoles, it will be low volume and they'll have a very small 'console' base to sell to, which has already been conditioned to just play via gamepass anyway.

Neonridr8h ago

I don't see them removing PC from the equation. Considering MS has a heavy enough investment in the PC market, it would be foolish to abandon them. I could see them taking away games from PlayStation or ensuring they are timed exclusives at the very least. Say what you will but if Call of Duty ends up becoming a timed exclusive to Xbox machines, that would hurt PlayStation, don't pretend like those games don't sell millions.

Outside_ofthe_Box5h ago

They would lose out on a lot of CoD sales tho. Doesn't PS make up most of the sales?

Pyrofire956h ago

Their lifeline of solely the Xbox consoles is dry. Good-Great games on a 1st party scale can't be made at a loss so willingly - sent to the Xbox to only sell limited copies.
They invested billions scooping up studios and need to start making returns.
Sucks that nearly every company is publicly traded and have to be so shareholder biased but that's how it is.
Their words are strong but it'll take time to see what their actions accomplish. Lowering the cost of Game Pass and taking CoD off of it was a good clear start.

darthv723h ago

More like, allot of their base just played game pass. So now they need to encourage them to start buying again.

--Onilink--51m ago

What exactly is the long term goal with exclusives though?

Because for the most part, the hardware side of things has never been the most profitable, even sometimes being subsidized for a period before breaking even. And that’s before the hardware component nightmare we currently live in.

The whole point of exclusives was to get more people to buy your console in order to have a bigger install base, which meant even bigger software sales.

But if their ports to PS5 are selling (for the most part it seems) quite well, then other than negating the cut Sony takes there, unless you are REALLY increasing your software sales on your own console, it probably doesn’t make that much of a difference?

Honestly I don’t even understand Sony’s decision to scale back on it for PC unless they weren’t even recouping the port expenses. They released ports when the hardware sales never really dropped, and now that all consoles will undoubtedly take a noticeable drop in sales due to the ridiculous prices, that’s when they decide they don’t want to sell to a larger install base to more easily recoup dev costs… it’s just weird

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 51m ago
maximusprime_11h ago

Despite all of that, it's clear that Microsoft's Xbox division is broken beyond repair.

11h ago
BeHunted9h ago

PlayStation is currently draining money on flop after flop. It's Sony that needs to re-evaluate their strategy

9h ago
CrashMania7h ago(Edited 7h ago)

Wonder how much money was lost on perfect dark, hellbalde 2, 300 million lost revenue
by putting cod on gamepass. The recent Jason schrier news that Xbox has cancelled dozens of projects, spent 70 billion just to see Xbox sales further collapse and gamepass see little growth.

The fact is this has been PlayStation's most profitable generation and they are making loads of money and selling plenty of consoles and games. While MS won't give you any sales figures or profit numbers for Xbox, says it all really.

shadowT11h ago

"Our presence on PC isn’t strong enough."

Fishy Fingers11h ago

It isnt. But I dont think they mean in 'games', rather, footprint.

They own the OS but as far as gaming is concerned, Steam dominate. I imagine the VAST majority of people who use the Xbox app/launcher are PC gamepass subs. No ones buying their 3rd party PC games through Xbox PC.

badz14936m ago

and many gamers prefer SteamOS for gaming over Windows too. If only Valve would be more uncompromising to the anti-cheat makers that locked out non-windows players, more pc gamers would have moved onto SteamOS by now and not looking back to Windows. overall, Win11 is a terrible, bloated, unoptimized OS which is not what many people want

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90°

Marathon Was One Of The Best-Selling Games In March 2026

Insider Gaming writes: "Marathon was one of the best-selling video games in March 2026 in the United States. On Wednesday, Circna released the best-selling games of the month, and it featured six new releases along with two games returning to the top 20 after previously falling out."

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92nar1d 15h ago (Edited 1d 15h ago )

Is it April fools day again?

The game is dead.

EDIT: the numbers are fudged. “digital sales on Nintendo and Xbox weren’t included in the data”

italiangamer1d 14h ago

🖕🖕🖕 29313;🤡🤡

92nar1d 12h ago

How’s concord 2, sorry I mean marathon doing? 🤣🤣

Neonridr18h ago

well it's not on Switch / Switch 2.. so their number would be zero.

The game had a decent launch however the userbase numbers are dwindling on Steam.

1Victor18h ago(Edited 18h ago)

“ Is it April fools day again?

The game is dead.

EDIT: the numbers are fudged. “digital sales on Nintendo and Xbox weren’t included in the data”

Does it hurt you to hear a SONY game was BEST selling ?
You gotta let go of those OBCURED feelings 🤷🏿

Neonridr18h ago

I mean the only reason MLB was the best selling title was because it was multi-platform. Likewise with Marathon. Will ring true for MS games. Only Nintendo titles are truly flexing their muscles when they chart as they are only to be found there.

S2Killinit7h ago

So that means we are going to act like it wasn’t best selling?

ChunkyMonk6h ago

It's kinda funny how this Obscure guy lives rent-free in your head. lol

Does Phil also live there?

1Victor5h ago

It's kinda funny how this Obscure guy lives rent-free in your head. lol

Does Phil also live there?
I’m sorry did you wrote something smart ?
Or are you trying to to be funny because you failed at both
Now kid run to mommy legs the grown ups are talking.
Don’t bother writing anything I will not respond to a bratty child like you

Outside_ofthe_Box17h ago

Can't wait to see how this is spun negatively. 😜

-Foxtrot11h ago

Yeah sure, yet the player count is no where near what they want for a AAA game with so much money behind it

Why people are trying to spin this game like it’s done overly amazing is baffling to me.

It won’t even be a blip on peoples radars by the end of the year .

S2Killinit7h ago

I really doubt that. I see it getting more and more traction.

ChunkyMonk6h ago

You must me typically wrong cuz those Steam chart numbers (AKA where the game sold the MOST) is less than what Hunt has, and Hunt didn't cost $500 million to make lol

Soy8h ago

So........doing better than most expected, but not enough to make back what it cost.

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