HTL Podcast Episode 6: Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut DLC

HTL Podcast Episode 6: Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut DLC

Thanks to @Syrin, @Noelemahc, and @Elise Alenko for joining me on the final Mass Effect 3 discussion taking a long look at the Extended Cut DLC. This podcast went on long enough that i considered breaking it up into two parts, but in the end decided just to do the best i could and edit it down as much as possible. I have about 25 minutes worth of outtakes which I'll grab the best of and make another outtake reel.

As I mention in the podcast this will be my final discussion about Mass Effect 3 on the show, although I'm sure Mass Effect and some of its themes may show up in later programs. I'm looking forward to expanding the podcast to cover other topics on gaming and advocacy.

Please reply with any criticism, cheers, and jeers.

EDIT: As promised, here are the outtakes!

HTL EP6 Outtakes

Thanks to you, Mike, for having us! <cringes as she prepares to hear her own voice>

Marge listens to tape recorder of what is really Bart's voice, not hers.
Marge: "Homer, that's not my voice."
Homer: "Oh everyone says that when they hear themselves recorded."

EDIT: I'd said that you don't really know if Shepard lives in the destroy ending. Of course, since the podcast recording, it has since been confirmed by Bioware that Shepard is indeed alive.

Extended Cut of the Extended Cut! Oh boy, the slogans that are coming into my mind...

Outtake reel? Uh, I thought ALL of it was good. @Syrin, you and your UK accent, I could listen to it all day. You are SO intelligent! @Noelemahc, Your Harbinger imitation is *win*, and all the work you've done with the datamining, in a word: Wow. I hope everyone takes advantage of reading into that datamining thread.

Mike... you already know what I think of you... you're "awesome"!

Yay, it's already up! Time to go listen to my voice and cringe at how yucky I sound! Also, totally listening to this at work today, at the expense of actually (gasp) working =)

How do you think I feel spending hours trying to edit each of these podcasts?

Also to folks who haven't already go read Ivan's fanfic Dark Space! I'm not one who normally reads fan fiction but this one is really good!

Gah! I still am somehow not done with Chapter 6! It needs to be serious and dramatic but I keep slipping into slapstick comedy for some reason >_<

EDIT: Also, listened for a bit, and I'm scared of how surprisingly noticeable my Russian accent is when I'm sick and not actively suppressing it. And here I thought I had a good grip on my English speakery.

About the calling of evac scene, i just cant gather why are we not using medi-gel instead?

Oh right, for dramatic effect.

Oh man, flashbacks to ME2. One thing that really annoyed me was how my teammates would die again *right after* using medi-gel!

Actually you do an "English" accent towards the end. I can't recall if I cut it though >.< I thought it made you sound like a Bond villain.

....we must... start brainstorming Bond names for Noel....

How about, The Dataminer!

The Crucible wouldnt have been meaningless in that refusal-win ending either. It's sole purpose for much of the game was Hope. The Council would not have followed you without a plan, and that was the Crucible. Its was something to get behind. Even if the Crucible turns out to be non-functional, you gathered that army there. And at that point, it could have been another great opportunity for an epic Shepard-speech.

I remember that one, glad it came across as that was exactly what I was aiming at =D It's just that when I'm not sick, I try to aim for a generic Californian accent to avoid sounding Russian, trying to defend my homeland from stereotypization =)

Very good point -- I enjoy reading thoughts like these, especially when it makes me contemplate things I'd never thought of before. Interesting perspective!

Great job guys! I think this is my favorite one so far. You guys are so optimistic and spot-on the entire podcast. I'll go through it in more detail and post specific thoughts later, but great, awesome job!

@Noelemahc - Oh come on, your Russian accent is awesome. I wish I sounded half as good in Russian as you do in English. (It's on my list of "must learn" languages.) Besides, it's great listening to these podcasts and hearing different accents because it reinforces the fact this is an international effort. We won't mention the fact that I just adore accents in general, including @Syrin's... Lol!

Again, great job on being fair to the EC for what it is throughout the entire thing - and you all brought up thoughts I never would've had before!

I still have a feeling like I'm trying to steal the show all for myself, I'm really really sorry about it, guys =)

Also, @Awesomologist, wouldn't've it been cooler if you used this picture as the background for this one? Just to show that the EC has new stuffs =) It's the same picture as your usual BG, just banged up, and would also totally change the tone for the entire podcast =)

I also noticed one issue we forgot to address! The Citadel Survivors! We totally overlooked the point that the EC still doesn't reveal anything about Bailey, Aria, ecksetra, ecksetra. Did everyone on the Citadel get sludged, or eaten, or simply killed, or did they hide (again, the official Twitter position was the same 9th grader retcon "they're not dead, simply hiding", har har)?

Second overlooked thing - the lack of additions for a less-than-1000-EMS situation (it's been posted on the BSN, someone metagamed the entire trilogy to get the least possible EMS without save hacks or MP, and it's 820-something and NOTHING changed in the endgame from it except for Hackett saying "25% of Hammer got through" instead of "50%" in the FOB, and the Crucible outcomes. NOTHING ELSE. Far as I can tell from the datamining, that's still there.

I'm still listening, because I still get a kick out of myself despite hating my voice, will add more if I can think of it. Yeah, I'm reeeeeal busy at work, right =)

Oh goodness, that's exactly how I felt on my podcast. Though, I think you are balanced out a lot more by the other two than I was...I had a great aversion to pregnant pauses, so I always filled them. Lol!

I feel so narcissistic when I listen to Episode 3, but I love some of the things I say, so I do. XD

Crap, when talking about the slides I totally forgot to mention the Mordin one =) If Mordin lived, he gets a slide! Since he can only live if you sabotaged the genophage, it's justified that he has a random Krogan dude and a random Krogan lady stuck in some sort of biotanks behind him. Again, pictures are right over there in the Datamining thread.

EDIT: Also, thank you for cutting out my huge tangent about fixing the dangling plotlines, I really felt like it ran away from me and I couldn't stop myself =) Hope it's in the outtakes, though.

EDIT2: I'm also terribly sorry about all of my snorting and sniffling and coughing towards the end of the recording, I ran out of hot berry stew that was keeping all of those in check for the first two hours (and what little I had left was cold) and then I just eventually came apart at the seams. I hate being sick. Again, sorry >_<

I didn't get the three husketeers, Syrin!!! You aren't alone. *hugs*

Likewise. Let me join the chorus of people saying that you have an awesome accent, because you totally do =)

As for confidence - it's a horrible trait I have - I normally get stage fright up to the point I open my mouth, whereupon I can probably get away with saying anything to an audience. My first presentation on my second doctorate thesis attempt was devoted entirely to the matter of pricing of various Mass Effect 2 SKUs, and the audience applauded vigorously when I was done =) I still don't have a doctorate though (totally separate matter, failed due to a combination of writer's block and corruption of our educational system), but at least I've had fun =)