Mass Effect 3 story SPOILERS Allowed!

Just a thread for the ME3 story, spoilers allowed

great site is the Mass Effect Wiki - Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, Walkthroughs, and more

 

I should put this here before we start in the same circle the other boards are going through. We are getting closure, it's coming.

Something to consider:

A boy wants a new bicycle. Every time he goes to the store, he asks for one and his parents say "no". He gets louder with every attempt and pouts after being told no. His parents have already gotten him a bike for his birthday next month. They can't tell him without ruining the surprise. When he finally gets the bike, he thinks it's because he kept asking for it.

 

Or how about this: BioWare clearly rushed the crap out of the ending because it doesn't even make logical sense? How is someone who was just on the Citadel with me suddenly flying away on the Normandy far enough away from Earth to crash on an unknown planet?

 

I still cannot believe the ME fanbase is making this big of a deal out of game's ending, it is like complaining a novel ends weird, it ends in the way the people are writing the story want it to be, very easy to understand, fans are not writing the story, otherwise they wouldn't be fans, they would have been publishers.. I understand the ends can be crappy, ridiculous, or worse, but it is what it is, complaining doesn't make sense (it is like complaining "oh lord, why I don't have a third eye on the back of my head?")

 

What I'm saying is: You don't know that's what happened. We're all just speculating.

Despite what people want to say, Bioware (EA or not) does have a solid record when it comes to writing. Even DA2, in being a failure was consistent. There's a chance this was how they wanted it to go and the reaction they were looking for. (Without the backlash I'm guessing)

Edit: No one except Shepard and Anderson were on the Citadel, you leave your squad on earth.

This is what every person has said (including myself) before playing it. I consider myself a pretty normal guy and I was legit depressed for a good two days after I finished it. The fans that are going overboard and being destructive, I agree.

The nice part is that we'll see what the case was in their response. If it's released in a decent time frame and it more than 15 minutes of content, then that would point towards work being started before complaints began.

 

have you finished the trilogy, read the books, the comics?

Its not I cant take a terrible ending, I can. The point that I dont like the ending, is that it aint making any sense, is that there is a series of plot holes, poor writing with some misery syrup on top.

While I do like the ME universe, and like it a lot, the point is that the ending is so poorly written that IT stopped my interest in the series. Just like that.

There is one thing that I can respect is the artist liberty to do whatever it can, it doesnt mean that I dont have any right to have an opinion on that matter, not that I voice it the same way that a lot of people are doing.

Should a new ending be written I will probably play it. Would I care if the ending is rewritten? Nope.

 

Its just like Crysis 1 & 2.
Different enemies, previous characters killed off ect.

Just that this is Mass Effect 3, with all the books and games that make it as good as the playerbase thinks it is.
Then we get this turd ending.

Spoiler

Ghost child for the lose!

 

Like I said, we still don't know for sure that IS the ending.

Spoiler

The fact that Shepard can only survive with the Destroy option shows that whole ending might have been him fighting indoctrination. By their own writing destroy should kill him as well, he's part synthetic; not to mention he was at ground 0 of the blast.

That's the strongest clue out of all of them. I just don't want to jump to snap judgement, we don't really know what their thinking or plan is. In six months to a year I think it will be clear what really went on. For now I'm staying optimistic.

 

Anyone remember the TV show "Lost"? Same thing, but people got over it. I think it sucks. I was ticked off about the ending to Lost after investing 7 seasons in it, but what can you do? Make your voice heard about your discontent, but how can you sue over a creative story? Entitlement anyone?

 

But this isn't a show - it's a game, a trilogy, where players make a lot of decisions themselves and are actively participating in the story.

Plus, ME3's ending has been so advertised as having "wildly different conclusions", that it's understandable everyone is pissed.

QUOTE: "That actually will be our goal with the whole trilogy. To take all of the things you've done in Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 2 and then just let it go. Let it diverge into wildly different conclusions. That's the real fun of having played Mass Effect 1 and 2 and then going into the third one will be that you've set all of these things in motion and now we can let them diverge."

It seems that the ending was quickly created to meet a deadline.

P.S. For all of those who hate the ending, here are two alternative ones - watch them in HD full screen :

No Catalyst/Hard Victory: Mass Effect 3: Re-Edited Ending

Devious Renegade: Better ending Full Renegade :-D

 

The rub of the whole thing is this. No matter what you did during any of the 3 games, once you reach the Catalyst, the Game is absolutely the same. Same Choices, same everything, 95% the same ending. (Unless you did the MP and got the bonus 3rd ending)

 

my war readiness was only 60% and got all 3 endings, I did transfer my character from me>me2 though, and incredibly I did a superb game of those 2, saved wrex, kirahee, everyone on the suicide mission, allowed the geth herectics to be rewritten, not that what was my intention, just played the games.

The only thing that I didnt maximize in terms of war assets after reading the wiki, is the citadel defense force, since I allowed the family of refugees to stay there. The rest I just explored the galaxy, did the side missions.

 

Getting the Shepard breathing clip after picking the destroy synthetics option is possible with SP without even touching MP.
Thing is that it can be really messed up though/a lot more difficult (because some of it depends on making both paragon and renegade choices that could give you higher War assets - and it's next to impossible to predict how much that would be - plus I think it's utterly idiotic that if a paragon manages to get a sweet end of the deal - getting the cake and eating it too - then why are the rewards so tiny by comparison?).

I don't like how Bioware or EA (probably the latter) made MP almost mandatory.
They should have allowed SP gamers to accumulate enough War assets without breaking their backs in the process - or at the very least, make it that much more compelling/rewarding.

As for the ending itself... yes I can definitely live with the premise of Shepard dyeing if need be, but see, here's the catch:
All through the entire ME series Shepard was beating the odds one way or the other.
Plus, the Catalyst ending was out of the blue (even though I definitely understand what they were trying to do... and even applaud them for it... but the integration seemed way off compared to what we knew of the Reapers).
Even on my first play-through I thought to myself things were WAY off and a lot of it didn't fit the rest of the game (inconsistencies).
Later on it actually made sense that the 'ending' is actually quite justifiably a hallucination/indoctrination attempt because a lot of things support that theory (especially Shepard breathing in the rubble clip)... however, it's still a theory.

And yes, we can't know if this ending was intentional or not.

It's also possible that they were tight with the deadline as other stated and initially may have wanted to use the 'end' we got (which was supposedly cut on so many ends), but then it was adjusted (due to time constraints) to be the 'fake' ending with the real one coming up as part of the DLC - one that actually provides a variety that was hyped up as a result of all the choices we made throughout all 3 games -it makes sense as it would provide more time for the content to be done - unless of course they already did it and will be releasing it later on anyway as means to munch off the players for more money.

Finally, if this turns out to be the end as is, then fine, I can make peace with it too, but I can also tell you that it doesn't quite fit with the rest of the game (as mentioned before).
So, to that end, if Bioware comes out later on with an extension that will actually tie things up and deliver what was advertised, then even better (and there's a chance they might).

As of now, we don't know if the current ending was a product of 'bad writing', 'time constraints' or something else.
All we have are unsubstantiated theories (and a lot of people jumping with conclusions).
We have to wait and see.

 

Perhaps I'm the minority on NBR - I think the ending was terrible and BW and EA deserve everything that is happening to them including customer backlash. My 2 cents - a video game is nothing more than a source of entertainment and they are created for the fan, for the customer. If we don't like something we are entitled to complain, we are the customer. Any company who dreams of making a profit will all agree: The customer is always right. For some reason VG companies don't feel this way and it's finally causing a backlash - perhaps this has been going on over time and now we're at a tipping point but I've never heard of a VG company taking responsibility for putting out a crappy product let alone atoning for their mistake and trying to fix the situation...until now.

What BW is doing is good for their company, BW not EA. If BW didn't fix this mistake It would have been the last BW game I would ever buy and I'm obviously not alone in this conclusion. They had 2 strikes with me: Dragon Age 2 and TOR, this would have been 3.

On to the topic of "Art" - I'm sorry but no. VGs should have a certain artistic style but that's where it ends. The concept of "Art being free" is complete rubbish when it comes to entertaining someone, what the customer is expecting is always right. There's a reason why Broadway is dying (and it appears cinema is beginning to suffer the same fate), society is not going to spend their hard earned money on a bad piece of entertainment and Bioware hit a huge foul with the ending of this game.

 

As long as the DLC is free.. im cool with it.. Actually.. It should be a Patch, not even considered a DLC.

 

I don't know if bioware had anyting in it.. but the most broken RPG ever, and worst ending, has to be KOTOR 2.

 

Lol...
Well, KOTOR2 had a lot of cut content (lines) throughout the game along with the end (most of which had all of the recordings done no less, just locked away).

Having said that... artists have the right to 'finish' their work any way they feel like it, and Bioware is correct on that.
However, that doesn't mean necessarily I agree with the way they delivered it.
I can understand what they may have tried, but the execution/integration was lacking (if it was meant as the 'real' ending in the first place - and we don't know that).

Also... society spends money on bad pieces of entertainment all the time - it's just that perception of what is 'bad' or 'good' comes down to the individual viewing it (the last word however is with the artist who made the piece in the first place).

 

Oh, no doubt.

The only parts of the ending that got me riled up was showing the Normandy scenes, those just didnt make sense.

 

The ending really doesn't make any sense to me. If anyone played The Arrival DLC in ME2 then you'd know that the destruction of a mass relay destroys the entire planetary system that the relay is in...yet I don't think that's what happened in ME3.

 

In ME2 Arrival you boosted a asteroid into a Mass Effect relay to blow it up while killing of huge loads of batarians.
Dont think the ending of ME3 should have been any different.

 

I would have rather seen an image of the Mass Relays Shutting down and going "cold" instead of blowing up after the "wave" passes through.

Perhaps the end plot means that the entire galaxy went kaboom and only the Normandy Crew Survived to start anew.

The Old man at the end is gazing at the same sky that the Normandy crashed on.

 

The sol system clearly did not go kaboom, as if you chose the destruction ending you see a cut scene where it shows someone in N7 armor is still alive. Technically Earth should have been incinerated with a mass relay explosion which clearly didn't happen if you look at that cutscene. Honestly that indoctrination theory is making a lot more sense than the actual plot...

 

Just wanted to say that I have been enjoying this game a lot these days! So much fun

 

It seems sort of obvious that BioWare didn't think their ending was that good. Otherwise they certainly wouldn't change it.

 

I enjoyed ME3 very much, but ME2 had the most impact for me out of all the game. Mainly due to me playing ME2 first and it was an unique experience that I never encounter in any other game.

As for the ending of Mass Effect 3 I the only huh moment I had was when the Normandy crash and the door open then it just ended. I am fine with the ending I chose and the internet is just over reacting too much.

Also, I pretty much went through the whole game using the same dragon armor I got from playing the Kingdom of Almar demo and I just kept upgrading the same sniper rifle to complete the game.

 

I still think they may not be changing anything. I think there's a strong chance this whole thing was intentional. We shall see when it's released.

The option that should have killed Shep for sure, was the only one where he could survive. Add the child grining after he chooses control and it points to things not being on the level. Forget about all the other theories, that's all you need.

The people that are upset about Shep dying, or that there wasn't a completely happy ending option, that's something else. My point of view, they have no argument. Giant plot holes should be fixed, but direction is up to the authors.

 

guys if you are talking about shephard dead, we had tassadar dying back in the time and it was also very saddening.. but heroes die, what's so unacceptable about this?

 

I'm sure ea and bioware don't mind all this whining about the ending. It gives them the opportunity to sell alternate ending dlc's and they know it will sell.
For all you know, that might have been the plan all along.

Sent from my samsung galaxy s2 using tapatalk

 

If you haven't played the games, it can't be fully explained.

The issue is not about how it ended, it about how the ending is full of large holes... very large holes. Shepard does live in one possible ending, but it's in the ending that should make him living impossible. Which calls into question whether the whole ending sequence really did happen.

Exactly. I don't think they're going to make different endings, but just expand on what we've seen. I think a full expansion is coming that picks up from the beam hit. I think that was the plan all along.

 

The problem is with all this whining, so many news articles, and comments, the game itself has been ruined for me because of so many spoilers including the original ending without spoiler notice. (I haven't read beyond the first few posts of this thread). Granted I probably won't get to this game for a year, but still. It will be new and fresh for me.

 

KOTOR 2 was done by Obsidian, not Bioware.

And my vote for the most broken RPG is Quest 64 (for N64, the story of the strongest mage in RPGs).

 

I hate spoilers, and i was able to keep my head in the sand enough to not find out the ending.. but it took a LOT of work. And to be honest, i knew there was ending controversy before i finished the game, so it really diminished my enjoyment a little.

That said.. I liked the endings, all except the Normandy Bits that didn't make sense".

 

What about the catalyst having always resided in the Citadel, thus making the events of ME1 impossible?

 

I don't see how the catalyst living in the Citadel was impossible. The protheans has sabotaged the Keepers and Citadel to prevent it from activating.

 

They sabotaged the signal from outside the citadel. A being that can control the reapers over infinite space, but not tell the keepers what to do in the same building?

 

it commands the reapers, the citadel. the only explanation is poor writing

All That Matters is the Ending, Part 2: Mass Effect 3 The Writer's Block

that is one good read

 

That is a great read! Very good article and does put it all in literary context. Thank you for that.

 

me3's ending was terrible for me but for others reasons other than lack of choice etc.

sheppard reaches the spire and it confornted by this god-like watcher ghost child and says that it controls the reapers and it has to restore chaos; as exemplified in the galaxy by organics; to order. its dialogue is quite good and gives you the feeling of the being's omnipotence.

then suddenly, it decides to put the fate of the galaxy and its own existence in sheppards hands just because he reached the top of the spire! i mean what the F is that???

 

Yeah, the Digital Opie at the end was a bit of a buzz-kill. I would have rather had the part where Shep and Andersen were sitting be the end of it, with the Crucible activating and ending the war.

You would have used the same cut scene material for 90% of it, either the earth surviving, or burning, depending on the choices you made. I would have Cut-out the Normandy Scenes all together.. and just some simple follow up for each character would be been perfect. Heck.. you could have just had the survivors at a memorial service for Shep and tied it all up. Then shown the "star-gazer" scene as a final follow up.

 

Also in the first games Sheppard fought A reaper. They were mysterious and unbelievably powerful in those games. You really get the sense that they are almost impossible to defeat.
That ending sequence in mass effect 2 where you see a reaper fleet heading to earth was excellent.
But here in me3, they don't appear like the Galaxy destroying force their supposed to be. In fact, the earth humans, the youngest among the galactic races, seem to be holding out quite well against them.
That feeling of dread that was established in the end of me2 and the opening minutes of me3 seemed to be quickly washed away as you figure that earth could in fact hold on on its own, while you went around the citadel fixing medigel dispensers or searching for silly artefacts and other mundane stuff. And you were right to do so, when you get back to earth for the final push, buildings and streets look in pretty good shape for an end of the Galaxy invasion. I was expecting at least a very scorched earth look with the survivors barely hanging on. Instead we get cut scenes from tom cruises war of the worlds. Pathetic.

Sent from my samsung galaxy s2 using tapatalk

 

Reading some of the developer interviews, they said they had built the Reapers up too much to make the game enjoyable. Thats why they invented the "destroyer" class Reapers that land on the planets (the ones you fight), and the Sovereign/Harbinger class ones that stayed in space (until the end).

They also kinda flumoxed the timetable for events. According to ME3, it took 200 years for the reapers to cull the Protheans and would take an estimated 100 years to concur this cycle. That is a LONG time for such a strong foe to take out such a small "galaxy" that ME occupies. Especially since the Reapers appear to have taken out the entire home-worlds of several key species in the matter of the week the game takes place.

I would have preferred all of the side missions to be a little more war specific, though they weren't that tough and didn't take all that long. Guess that's still standard RPG elements for the "grind" that they insist we all do.

Pacing is the key to the game. The main missions are paced well. The average play-through, with everything is about 32 hours, Real Time. In game-time that would be about 5 Days.. So.. Earth was hit hard and held out for only 5 days till it was on the brink. Which is plausible if the reapers started with population centers.

I think the main thing that threw me was the fact that the reapers used ground forces as much as they did. From the first two games, i assumed that it was more of an orbital bombardment type thing, since the only things left of the Protheans were a few relics and scraps. But, it is a FPS game and you do have to have enemies to shoot.

 

HardOCP has a neat little article on Mass Effect 3 Performance. I didn't realize it, but there is an external configuration utility that will jack the graphics UP. They talk about it here;

HARDOCP - Configuring and Testing Mass Effect 3 - Mass Effect 3 Gameplay Performance and IQ Review

 

Hyper-advanced or not, the Reapers still have weaknesses most likely.
And even in the first game, while it took a concentrated effort, they were able to beat one of them (albeit thanks to Shepard mostly).
Ever since then, the invasion didn't happen for over 2 years... and the Turians even got their hands at Reaper wreckage which allowed them to create the Thanix cannons (reverse-engineering some technology).

Also, when we talk about galactic extinction... we are talking about culling the galaxy of all technologically advanced races (which includes harvesting the populations - and tracking them down let alone catching all of them probably takes time).

Furthermore, it never says that any of the previous cycles were able to reverse-engineer any technology from Reaper ships themselves - which is probably why the fleet at the battle for Earth was able to destroy multiple Reaper ships and why Humans were able to resist to a degree (although if I recall, mostly, they didn't really put up a really good fight and were on a loosing streak).

 

Shep did find a weakness, when the Reaper Destroyer's have their armor open to deploy their beam weapons, they are vulnerable. However, the larger Soverign class Reapers were a much tougher nut to crack. I found it interesting that the developers stated they invented to Destroyer sized Reapers so they could have a unit that could land on a planet. Yet, Sovrign landed on several planets in ME1 and Harbinger landed on Earth in ME3. Guess they just wanted to have a more easily defeatable reaper enemy?

In ME2, you boarded a Dead Reaper, it was also under study at the time.

If i recall, there was also a couple of planets that had massive damage from orbital bombardments, including 2 that had large trenches cut in them from ME weapons (Mars being one).

Anyways.. it appears that there was some pretty epic battles that happened in the far past. I bet the Reapers took some hits over the eons.


I wonder if any of the books and other media shed more light on everything? I know the graphic novel that came with the CE edition does the follow-up for keeping the collectors base (well. its only chaper 1 of the graphic novel, which is a ripoff imo).

 

Kotaku has some interesting information about the ending being Predicted in ME1 and 3..

Was the Ending of Mass Effect 3 Telegraphed Five Years Ago?

Spoiler

 

My wife works at Petco and brought home a pair of hermit crabs today. Their names are now Harbinger and Sovereign.



I hope this isn't the beginning of her indoctrination...

 

That thing looks Ceramic man..

 

It very well may be, that's just a Google image

 

Well.. i was going to say.. Ceramic may be the way to go.. No need to spend money on crab food and no smell.

 

Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut;

Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut DLC Will Fix Ending

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2012/04/bioware-unveils-mass-effect-3-extended-cut/1#.T34Cu_AV1gw