Mass Effect 3

[Talavar]

I liked March 16th's Penny Arcade comment for those campaigning for Bioware to change Mass Effect 3's ending, in addition to that editorial.  "And it's your birthday Shepard!  The krogan baked you a cake!"

[Ares_God_of_War]

I think the main issue with the ending is that leading up to the release of the game bioware was stating there would be quite a few endings based on your choices throughout the 3 games where as with these 3 endings there is little variation and your choices up to the final A, B or C choice do not really affect the outcome.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

No, I think the main issue is that the previous two games were leading up to a big final victory against the Reapers with Shepherd saving the galaxy.  The fact that Bioware seemingly didn't seem to think of that was just contrary to all expectations.

[Talavar]

No, I think the main issue is that the previous two games were leading up to a big final victory against the Reapers with Shepherd saving the galaxy.  The fact that Bioware seemingly didn't seem to think of that was just contrary to all expectations.

Um.....

Spoiler

in all three endings, that's pretty much what happens.  There's no ending where Shepard fails, or the Reapers keep on reaping.

[Tortuga]

Got into the multiplayer today.  Fun but a little frustrating.  My LB and RB powers aren't always firing -- so I don't quite have the hang of it.  I'd be up for some Xbox teammage sometime (EDTortuga on Xbox Live -- tell me who you if/when you send an invite).

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

Here's a good article on the ending controversy.  Very spoilerific.

http://www.gamefront.com/mass-effect-3-ending-hatred-5-reasons-the-fans-are-right/1/

[GogglesPizanno]

Here's a video argument with "proof" that is either a whole lot of trying to connect dots that aren't there
OR
Totally mind blowing interpretation of what the endings mean...

You decide.
(Includes most of the end cutscene so its extremely spoilery)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tbghjn7_Byc

As an aside, like it, hate it, dont care... the fact that people got so invested and are so emotionally charged about how the series ended says something about the game.

[Talavar]

As far as I'm concerned, that article's all sorts of wrong.

Spoiler

Calling the ending too brief is ridiculous - the game is an extended wrap party from the moment you decide to return to earth.  Lengthy dialogue with almost every character in the game is available, hitting major emotional notes.  The part aboard the Citadel isn't the entire ending - it's the last 5 minutes.  It's Vader throwing the Emperor down a hole, the Ring getting flung into Mount Doom.  The post-ending cutscene is short, but I'm glad Bioware resisted the notion of wrapping everything up for all the characters in a neat little package - too many games do this, only to have to undo it for inevitable sequels.

It's shouldn't be confusing.  Of course the Illusive man beats you to the Citadel - the Reapers only find out it's important and move it to earth after he tells them so.  He's got all the time in the world to get safely ensconced in the Citadel and wait for anyone to show up.  Anderson beating Shepard to the main chamber is easily explainable; he's not injured at that point and starts in a different -potentially closer- room, while Shepard looks like death warmed over.  As to the Reapers/Catalyst they intend to preserve organic life by destroying advanced civilizations every 50K years.  They don't care about specific species (much, the Reapers do preserve them in some form) but that life continues at all, rather than getting permanently wiped out by rogue AI that they believe advanced civilizations are inevitably going to create.  It's a cull to keep most of the livestock alive, rather than a complete slaughter that would extinguish life entirely.  There's no certainty the Catalyst AI is right however, but it's the only option provided.

The lore errors and plot holes are also mostly wrong.  The inferred holocaust is possible, but the author has either forgotten or missed that vessels in Mass Effect have 2 methods of transit.  One form of standard, relatively short range, but still Faster than Light travel, and then the Mass Relays for much greater distances.  All of the fleets in earth's system at the end aren't trapped there; given time and motivation they could spread at least throughout the local cluster.  It still could go quite badly, but the author is misrepresenting it either deliberately or by error.  The Normandy's flight is explainable, as is the presence of your squadmates in the final cutscene - during the endgame, Shepard is unconscious at least twice, for indeterminate amounts of time.   Other surviving squadmates could easily have been picked back up, and the Normandy have to flee for some unknown reason in that time.  Just because something isn't spelled out doesn't make it a plot hole.  The one lore error that is real - destroying a Mass Relay is supposed to be destructive enough to devastate the system it is in, so the article got that much right at least.

Thematically, I think the endings fit - you have unity, control and violent opposition as your final choices.  Despite what the article states, you don't have to embrace unity to reach the endgame - you can trick, manipulate, barter and try to force support up to that point, and if you don't have enough support going in, some of the final choices may not be available.

Finally, claiming player choice doesn't matter is obviously bunk - you have three choices with very different outcomes.  How they're similarly animated graphically doesn't matter - if this was a text adventure, they'd be extremely different.

I don't think Mass Effect 3's ending is perfect by any means, nor even that I'm even satisfied with it, but most of the bellyaching about the ending looks like a smokescreen from entitled fans who really wanted an ending way happier and more trite, with title cards telling how Garrus eventually applied for a home owners' loan, and how Liara and Shepard had seventeen blue children.

[Mr. Hamrick]

Something that occurs to me about the ending and about the whole of Mass Effect 3, perhaps the series.  (and I am not sure how I feel about it)

Spoiler

The Reapers are not really the "big bad" per se just the "big bad" in the context of their relation to both the Proetheans and Humanity due to the events of the Mass Effect games.  Furthermore, the real "big bad" of Mass Effect 3 is actually created by The Alliance.  The "big bad" is The Catalyst, the very "advanced AI/synthetic" that The Reapers feared would be created and wipe out life.   This is probably what people are either not getting and are ticked off about or ticked off about because they do get it. 

At the beginning of Mass Effect, Saren (a Turian) was on board of Sovereign.  Saren was either seemingly viewed by The Reapers as being a member of the "most technologically advanced race" or being used to scout and determine if there was a danger of The Catalyst being discovered and unleashed.   Not only did humanity lead the charge to stop them but they actually managed to do the unthinkable (to The Reapers) which was destroy a reaper. 

In Mass Effect 2, you have a greedy human (The Illusive Man) wanting to the technological secrets of The Reapers and The Collectors/Proetheans to give "humanity" (or rather himself) an edge on the galatic front.  The Reapers, seeing what happened in part 1, now see humans as a bigger threat than The Turians and are targeting them.   The Reapers are coming to "harvest" the civilizations that need harvesting.  Because of the actions of the first game, humanity is now as high on the list as The Turians.  By uniting all the races, just about everyone is put into the targeting zone.

Which leads to Mass Effect 3, The Alliance is in an all out war with The Reapers.  They find the plans for The Catalyst/The Crucible which was left behind by The Proetheans that turns out to be the very thing that The Reapers view as "an end to civilization".  This notion that The Proetheans were "good guys" and "innocent victims" is kinda shot down by the DLC character Javik.  You basically learn that The Proetheans were not a very nice or good race.  The Alliance finishes The Crucible which leads to three very hard to swallow choices.   To make matters worse, you are going to have to lose something regardless of which choice you make and probably lose more than one thing.  You can win but at what cost?

This is clearly not the game that gamers thought they were playing but yet IT WAS and IT WAS FROM THE START.   Was the game a warning against/comment on "this topic" or "that topic"?  (avoiding the specifics there to avoid potential political discourse)  Perhaps.  If it was then it was the best kind because you can get lost in the story being told on the surface and in the characters' relationships and completely miss those elements.   

It was also the story of Commander Shepherd.  (Interesting enough, it seems appropriate that he/she is never addressed by a first name and even the gender is questionable given the epilogue.)  By focusing the story on Shepherd and his companions, another more obvious layer (or two) gets added.  We learn that Shepherd is viewed as a legendary figure years later.  Our choices in the game shaped how that legend might be told and shows us what choices might have gone into making that legend.  The people hearing that legend might never know the truth about those events and what led to them to occur but those events would shape things for centuries to come from what we saw in the epilogue.

The same principle applies to Greek mythological stories.  To this day, the stories are still told.  Where did those stories about the "mythological heroes" really come from?  Were they stories that at one point had some sort of basis on a real event?  Some of those stories probably did.  Essentially, Shepherd became an epic mythological hero to a future generation.  We just got to see how.  And despite people's claim to the contrary, we did get a choice in the ending and how that mythic story is told.

Was this what gamers were intending to buy into?  Probably not.  Is that Bioware's fault?  Hell, no.  It was their story. 

Does Bioware "owe" the fans anything?  YES!  They owe the fans something because that story became the fans' story to just by the fans being allowed to make their own choices.  There should be some sort of epilogue detailing a bit more about "key characters" just a tid bit.  Enough to give fans the ammo to spin a story or two of their own about the aftermath.  Just a tidbit, nothing else. 

Okay got a bit wordy there.  Probably going to cut and paste that onto a blog somewhere.  Just my thoughts.

Oh and if anyone is curious, I have heard a few bits DLC rumored for the game. 

Spoiler

, a geth infiltrator, a Krogan Battlemage, a Batarian Soldier and Sentinel, and an Asari Justicar all as playable characters in multiplayer.  Dangit, I want a KRELL INFILTRATOR!
There is also some sort of rumbling about a male Quarian character but not sure if that was related to multiplay or for the game.

[JeyNyce]

Ways to get the best possible ending:

http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect/videos/war-assets-plus-multiplayer-equals-best-ending-me3-spoilers-6366681/

[Ares_God_of_War]

The problem is the "Best possible ending" isn't too much different than the other endings. I would love if there were more variations. An ending where you fail and an ending where you achieve the ultimate victory and endings inbetween. So far the only thing that makes sense is a fan theory

Spoiler

That you are indoctinated and choosing the "red" ending is the only ending that Shepard breaks it.

[Talavar]

The problem with that theory...

Spoiler

meaning indoctrination, is the end-game cutscenes.  If after you made your choice you saw the Reapers reaping, and Shepard in an indoctrinated haze, sure.  But the cutscenes don't show that.  We're seeing things omnisciently at that point, things Shepard isn't aware of, and that aren't from her point of view (yes, her - anyone who played male Shepard already lost, because they had to listen to a way crappier voice actor for 3 games).   

[thalaw2]

Eeek!  With all this talk about the ending should I even bother buying the PC version when it comes out?  Maybe Bioware will add some special PC endings (and I don't mean Politically Correct)

[Podmark]

Finished the game this weekend. It's a great game, I had a blast playing through it.
I didn't hate the ending, but I didn't love it either. It was just there for me.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

I do believe the PC version is already out.  It dropped at the same time as the other versions.  So no special changes.

[thalaw2]

Awesome!  If all this talk about the ending dies down when i make it to a country that sells the game then I'll happily buy it...if not then I'll grudgingly buy it.     I don't see any problem with the ending really.  I have fun going to 50 hours of gameplay which lasts me at least a couple of months given my schedule...it's worth every penny.

[Deaths Jester]

You know what I really want to see as a DLC?  Getting the chance to play as a Volus.  It would be freaking hilarious to wander around as a fat, squat suit wearer.  Or even better...a Hanar!!  Jelly fish unite!!!

[thalaw2]

Hanar would be cool!  I love those guys.

[Ares_God_of_War]

Did you find the Blasto poster on the citadel, that was pretty hilarious.

Also it sounds like from their twitter they will not change the ending. I hope that there will be DLC that happens after the ending. Left too many questions than answers. Also my problem with the ending has more to do with how Bioware sold the ending before launch and what it actually is. Besides a few headscratching moments if they wouldnt have said that "all your major previous descisions matter" and other things like that it wouldn't have been so bad.

[JeyNyce]

I haven't finish the game yet, but I listen to the latest PC Gamer podcast and they made some very good points.

WARNING: The podcast contain MAJOR spoilers, so if you haven't finish the game don't listen to it.

http://dl.pcgamer.com/PCGP_310_20120322.mp3

[Ares_God_of_War]

All I can say is like Dragonage 2 (didn't buy any DLC) unless they really pull through some amazing DLC I am done spending money on this franchise. The more I think about the ending the more it makes me sad.

Spoiler

I hope the indoctrination theory is true because based on their own codexes and DLC if you destroy a mass relay it takes out the whole star system like in the Arrival DLC. We basically decimated the universe with every end with a few scattered systems that were far enough away from mass relays to survive.

[Ares_God_of_War]

I haven't finish the game yet, but I listen to the latest PC Gamer podcast and they made some very good points.

WARNING: The podcast contain MAJOR spoilers, so if you haven't finish the game don't listen to it.

http://dl.pcgamer.com/PCGP_310_20120322.mp3

they have some points but the thing is Bioware said we would have over 16 endings before the game launched. My personal hope was that they had endings where you fail spectacularly and ending where you can actually win.

[JeyNyce]

I beat the game over the weekend and enjoyed the ending.  Yes, there's a lot of holes in the story, but I think it was meant to be that way for them to continue the Mass Effect Universe.  I can easily see how they can now turn the series into an MMO or a bunch of other games in the ME universe.

I have to play the game again because:

Spoiler

I chose to merge humans and synthetics together.  In the end my Shepard died.  After I finished the game a took it all in, I decided to go on youtube and look for different possible endings and ran into this:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKDrEJeuHTE&feature=related  I believe I have over 5K War Assets, so now I just have to destroy the Reapers.

[Deaths Jester]

Alrighty...is the "From the Ashes" DLC even worth getting?  I mean, getting a few different looks for my squad and a Prothean on the squad doesn't sound like much but the idea of going to Eden prime once more does seem like fun.  Anyone played it...is it worth buying the collector's edition for?

[Mr. Hamrick]

Alrighty...is the "From the Ashes" DLC even worth getting?  I mean, getting a few different looks for my squad and a Prothean on the squad doesn't sound like much but the idea of going to Eden prime once more does seem like fun.  Anyone played it...is it worth buying the collector's edition for?

Honestly, not really.  I bought the Collector's Edition and was rather disappointed in the end.   On the bright side, you are given a LOT of backstory about the Proetheans for better or worse.  And some of the other "collector edition" stuff isn't bad but none of it is that great.  The art book is kinda interesting actually but most of the images have made it on to the web.

The Proethean character, Javik, is not a bad squad member but he sucks as a character.  He is easily one of the most UNLIKEABLE characters in the Mass Effect series (for me at least).  The Eden Prime mission isn't "all that" either.  It's one relatively small area compared to your trip to Eden Prime in Mass Effect 1. 

[JeyNyce]

Alrighty...is the "From the Ashes" DLC even worth getting?  I mean, getting a few different looks for my squad and a Prothean on the squad doesn't sound like much but the idea of going to Eden prime once more does seem like fun.  Anyone played it...is it worth buying the collector's edition for?

Honestly, not really.  I bought the Collector's Edition and was rather disappointed in the end.   On the bright side, you are given a LOT of backstory about the Proetheans for better or worse.  And some of the other "collector edition" stuff isn't bad but none of it is that great.  The art book is kinda interesting actually but most of the images have made it on to the web.

The Proethean character, Javik, is not a bad squad member but he sucks as a character.  He is easily one of the most UNLIKEABLE characters in the Mass Effect series (for me at least).  The Eden Prime mission isn't "all that" either.  It's one relatively small area compared to your trip to Eden Prime in Mass Effect 1.

He's not needed to complete the game, but with his background story, it make the game feel more complete.

[Podmark]

I got the collectors edition. My favorite part of the Mass Effect games is the character interaction and Javik gives you almost as much of that as the other squad mates (he's much more integrated into the game than Zaeed and Kasumi). You get one decent mission, a new character, a fair bit of a additional dialogue and backstory, and new character skins. It's a good pack but is it worth the price? I'd lean on no.

My Collectors Edition was $5 off so it all worked out pretty good.

[Deaths Jester]

Well, just got the game a tried to load it but unhappily my DVD drive decided that it didn't like me3 and instead died.  So now I've got a new DVD drive to instal and then we'll see what happens.  Hopefully, I don't need an Internet connection to activate the cd or such cause then I'd kill those bastards at ea!  Or find another bloody hack or such...hope that paying $60 wasn't just for two useless CDs.

[JeyNyce]

You will need an internet connection to activate it because it uses origin (EA version of steam)  I didn't even use the DVDs.  I just put the code in origin and the game downloaded from EA servers.

[Deaths Jester]

You will need an internet connection to activate it because it uses origin (EA version of steam)  I didn't even use the DVDs.  I just put the code in origin and the game downloaded from EA servers.

ARGH!!!  PUNY EA GAMES, DJ SMASH!!!

Why the 'ell do they even send out discs then?  Bloody pisses me off...guess I'll be digging up more hacks then.....rrrr...