Mass Effect 3

[PsychoPere]

The vast majority of the game is quite excellent indeed - very effective, very emotional, very engaging storytelling. The game as a whole is a masterpiece of interactive fiction. The possible endings, however, are sadly underwhelming, and there are many aspects of each possible ending that can be downright perplexing in relation to other events in the game. Even with my disappointment, the game is still oh-so-very-close to being my favorite game of all time.


I bought a new iPod Touch tonight (4th generation, to replace my old 2nd generation one), and so I've installed the ME3 Datapad app.

Here a couple amusing messages I've received:

Thresher maws have gotten much bigger. Too big to ride now. A shame.

Shepard, when you have time I have another question for you. Actually, I have 1,623,058, but I'm pacing myself.

 

[eastman23]

Question about having Javik along for the Thessia mission...

Spoiler: Thessia mission squadmate dialogue

What does Javik have to say for himself in the temple when you discover that there is a Prothean beacon hidden there?

I brought James along instead and all he was doing was pointing how Prothean that Asari goddess looked.

Also...

Spoiler: Quarians and geth

I loved the missions on Rannoch and seeing that bit of the universe come to a conclusion. I miss Legion already, but having the rest of the geth become fully sentient and helping the quarians was worth it...

Though I did die several times facing that Reaper before I learned to roll out of the way.

 

[Skywalker]

Question about having Javik along for the Thessia mission...

Spoiler: Thessia mission squadmate dialogue

What does Javik have to say for himself in the temple when you discover that there is a Prothean beacon hidden there?

I brought James along instead and all he was doing was pointing how Prothean that Asari goddess looked.

I'm not going to go into too much detail, just because I think it's better to experience it for yourself, but...

Spoiler: Thessia squadmate dialogue

Javik has a lot to say on Thessia. I brought him with me on my first run through that mission, and I can't imagine not bringing him along in any future playthroughs. He expands on quite a bit of what Shepard encounters there, and makes Liara question some pretty important things.

 

[ATimson]

But I was curious about something. Is the ending as terrible as I've heard? I mean, granted, I have learned a long time ago to take internet complaints with a grain of salt and just find out for myself, which I will, but I was wondering what peoples opinions are on this. And you don't have to worry about spoilers on my behalf, so be as open as you like.

Well, if you don't want to worry about spoilers, take a gander at the "Mass Effect 3 Ending" thread we have going on.

I guess I'd say it depends on what you wanted out of the ending. If you play as renegade, you'll probably be happy. If you played as paragon, you'll probably be disappointed.

Spoiler: Why paragons are different

Any ending that removes the Reapers from play also hurts bystanders. Either the Geth and EDI get destroyed, or all life gets forced into synthesis.

 

[TheGodBen]

So, I'm looking at being able to get ME3 towards the end of the month, or early April. But I was curious about something. Is the ending as terrible as I've heard? I mean, granted, I have learned a long time ago to take internet complaints with a grain of salt and just find out for myself, which I will, but I was wondering what peoples opinions are on this. And you don't have to worry about spoilers on my behalf, so be as open as you like.

I heard about the backlash to the ending too, but I put it out of my mind while playing the game and the experience was damn-near perfect. Then I finished the game. At first, I thought that it wasn't great, but it was okay. After a a couple of hours of thinking about it and reading other's opinions online, I came to the conclusion that the ending is barely even coherent.

Spoiler: nondescript ending spoilers

The final revelation flies in the face of several major storylines and character arcs throughout the three games, and you're not allowed to point this out because Bioware decided to remove the dialogue options they had planned, instead preferring to keep things vague and mysterious. Your choices throughout all three games barely matter, they're melted down into a number, and that number causes very slight variations in the final cutscene and that's it. To add insult to injury, the final cutscene places characters in a location where they couldn't possibly be so that the game can end on an optimistic note, but if you scratch the surface even slightly you'll realise that the ending is highly pessimistic.

There is a theory which explains all this and it manages to make considerably more sense than taking the ending at face value, but it's highly unlikely and in order for it to be valid it would require DLC to confirm it and complete the ending.

The game is well worth playing, for the vast majority of the 40 hours I played it was an amazing experience. It's just the final 10 minutes that lets it, and the entire trilogy, down.

 

[HotRod]

So, I'm looking at being able to get ME3 towards the end of the month, or early April. But I was curious about something. Is the ending as terrible as I've heard? I mean, granted, I have learned a long time ago to take internet complaints with a grain of salt and just find out for myself, which I will, but I was wondering what peoples opinions are on this. And you don't have to worry about spoilers on my behalf, so be as open as you like.

Yes, it's that bad.

 

[LeadHead]

So, I'm looking at being able to get ME3 towards the end of the month, or early April. But I was curious about something. Is the ending as terrible as I've heard? I mean, granted, I have learned a long time ago to take internet complaints with a grain of salt and just find out for myself, which I will, but I was wondering what peoples opinions are on this. And you don't have to worry about spoilers on my behalf, so be as open as you like.

Yes, it's that bad.

No, it's worse. And that's tough for me to say, since I'm an absolute diehard Mass Effect fan. The game itself is off the charts amazing, the ending is off the charts awful.

 

[Kaziarl]

I'm still going to get it anyway, I only played the first one a few months ago, and the second one shortly after that. I love the story, and the universe, and there are some aspects of it that I really think are even superior to Star Trek. And for me being pretty much raised with Kirk, Picard, and the others as proxy babysitters, that's saying a lot.

As for the backlash, like I said, I'll find out for myself soon enough. I was mainly just curious because a lot of the backlash I've seen seems, well, a little ridiculous. Many of the ones I've read, I get the distinct impression that they feel the ending was a personal stab in the back directed solely at them. I figured I'd as here because, while it is a trek board and we are all so very passionate about our various fictional obsessions, there's still usually some rationality to be found.

 

[throwback]

Was the ending bad? Yes, it was very bad. The designers wanted an ending that would be open to speculation and interpretation. However, for the ending to work, the rules that they had created for this universe and the characters that lived in this universe had to either be contradicted or ignored.

Do I expect them to fix this situation? No. Why should they when they thought they did a good job? As of now, they are containing a situation they didn't anticipate, and hoping that the small number of disgruntled players will become discouraged and move on with their lives.

 

[FPAlpha]

Gamers and die hard fans are sometimes hard to please, sometimes unfair to producers and sometimes they are right.

Concerning ME3 all of the above is true.. the ending is bold and everybody should judge for him/herself. I don't put much stock in fan reaction to anything because i tend to make up my own mind and found that often enough i have a different view than the majority.

I enjoyed the ending for what it was and didn't analyze it to death.. it was something unexpected and time (and maybe future DLCs) will tell if it holds up.

Enjoy the game, it is truly one of the best gaming experiences i ever had and no ending could ruin that.

 

[TheGodBen]

I love the story, and the universe, and there are some aspects of it that I really think are even superior to Star Trek. And for me being pretty much raised with Kirk, Picard, and the others as proxy babysitters, that's saying a lot.

I feel similarly, I adore the ME universe. Even with all the annoyances in ME1, I loved the game because of the universe it took place in. I've waited my whole life for a Star Trek game that truly managed to capture what makes that franchise so special to me, and the only games that came close in all that time were the Mass Effect series. And don't even get me started on how much I love the characters, let's just say that if Garrus were a real person I would finally join Facebook just to friend him. And from that perspective, ME3 is a triumph. There are some absolutely wonderful moments with the main characters, some which may even bring you to tears, and you get to visit the homeworlds of almost all the major races. The decisions you make through most of the game are huge, the fates of entire civilisations are in your hands.

Just be aware that the ending is so poorly received among fans that the final enemy in the game, a lowly marauder, is considered a hero by the fanbase because he tried to prevent us from getting to the ending. Never forget Marauder Shields, we should have heeded his warning.

 

[-Brett-]

Is the ending as terrible as I've heard?

There's another thread with more detail, but yes the ending is pretty bad. There are plot holes, and not the sort of nitpicks only overly obsessive fans might notice, but the type that will make even the most casual player go . Characters wind up in places they couldn't possibly be. It's a mess.

 

[eastman23]

Question about having Javik along for the Thessia mission...

Spoiler: Thessia mission squadmate dialogue

What does Javik have to say for himself in the temple when you discover that there is a Prothean beacon hidden there?

I brought James along instead and all he was doing was pointing how Prothean that Asari goddess looked.

I'm not going to go into too much detail, just because I think it's better to experience it for yourself, but...

Spoiler: Thessia squadmate dialogue

Javik has a lot to say on Thessia. I brought him with me on my first run through that mission, and I can't imagine not bringing him along in any future playthroughs. He expands on quite a bit of what Shepard encounters there, and makes Liara question some pretty important things.

Okay then, I'll keep that in mind for the next play through. Thanks!

 

[PsychoPere]

Another great Datapad message!

Congrats on being the Galactic Champion of Bottle Shooting. When the bottles rise and attack, we'll know who to turn to.

My first import was a mostly-Paragon MaleShep who let Garrus win, but my current mostly-Renegade FemShep couldn't resist showing Garrus that he sometimes runs his mouth a little too much.

My FemShep quite likes this one...

Thanks for the shower. Oddly, I'm still feeling kind of dirty...

 

[Mr Light]

^^ I did that last one with FemShep. That was awesome

 

[firehawk12]

Sounds complicated. Do I have to unplug my old hard drive from my old 360 and plug it into the new one and do something then unplug it and put in the new one? What if I don't have the old one anymore? It's too much work man :sobs:

There's also a process to transfer saves from http://www.masseffect2saves.com to the 360 with a bit of work. That's probably the best way to do it if you are really invested in playing the game with choices that you'd want.

 

[Mr Light]

Spoiler: geth dreadnaught mission

so, apparently that was supposed to be Legion, but instead I got "generic Geth VI". Sigh. At least I got Tali!

I think it's interesting that all the playable characters are only from the original game, aside from EDI. I wonder what made that decision, when ME2 was so popular?

 

[ATimson]

I think it's interesting that all the playable characters are only from the original game, aside from EDI. I wonder what made that decision, when ME2 was so popular?

It probably has to do with the ability to wipe out your entire squad in ME2. This way they're guaranteed at least four playable characters in the squad.

 

[FPAlpha]

Yup.. the game makes background decisions if it doesn't have ME2 and 1 saves in the system and that's not always how the player would have chosen leading to some strange results and events that happen totally different for each player.

A friend of mine and me compared certain missions and we were both surprised how they diverged in some important points or characters that were present or not.

My game apparently assumed that i near killed everybody in the final mission in ME2 as i almost didn't encounter anybody from the second game

 

[superdeluxe]

Many of the ones I've read, I get the distinct impression that they feel the ending was a personal stab in the back directed solely at them.

That is because it was a stab in the back not to the player, but more like a stab in the back of SHepard.