Mass Effect 3

[Reverend]

^Not surprising given the way the endings were initially presented. I'd be interested to see how those percentages might have shifted after people have played though the extended cut. I'd be willing to bet the majority still goes with destroy--partly because of the breath scene--but I think the other three will have a larger share now. My gut tells me control would be an easy second.

 

[ATimson]

^Not surprising given the way the endings were initially presented. I'd be interested to see how those percentages might have shifted after people have played though the extended cut. I'd be willing to bet the majority still goes with destroy--partly because of the breath scene--but I think the other three will have a larger share now. My gut tells me control would be an easy second.

I dunno. After the extended cut, I think that synthesis is an even worse option now. It was abhorrent on the face of it before, but now that the Catalyst's background has been fleshed out, I'm inclined to argue against whatever it thinks is best on pure principle.

Control... while it provides a clearer picture now that yes, the new force in control of the Reapers is benevolent, I'm also not too happy with them sticking around. Millions or billions of people, processed into mechanical forms against their will, enslaved to nee-Shepard? No, I don't like that at all.

In the end, I think either destroy or refusal is best. Without knowing more about how the next cycle went down, I can't really decide. I went with destroy because it eliminates the threat now instead of kicking the can down the road, though.

 

[TheGodBen]

If anything, the extended cut strengthened my belief in destroy being the best ending. One of the best things the extended cut did was clarify that the catalyst is just another crazed AI and not some sort of mystical god-like being, which makes it more important than ever that it and its machines be destroyed. I can see why some would pick control though, if they had played a paragon Shepard and were certain he would never use the Reapers for evil. I can understand why synthesis seems tempting when first mentioned, but I still can't stand it from an ethical or thematic standpoint, so the extended cut hasn't changed my opinion on that at all.

 

[Camren]

There was one all important question Shep never asked the Catalyst - why the feck does he look like the kid at the start of the game, and the one who haunts Shep's dreams?

 

[firehawk12]

There was one all important question Shep never asked the Catalyst - why the feck does he look like the kid at the start of the game, and the one who haunts Shep's dreams?

For some weird reason, Shepard is traumatized by this one kid she just met rather than ordering one of her squad mates to their death in the first game or the countless other deaths she must have witnessed before hand.

 

[Reverend]

^There's a difference between seeing fellow solders die and watching a child you spoke to just 10 minutes ago get blown to tiny bits. Aside from being something of a riff on 'Schindler's List' (remember the girl in the red coat?) the kid is supposed to have come to subconsciously represent all those Shepard couldn't save.

As for why the Catalyst took that form, it's a fair bet that it wasn't a hologram, but was a direct communication with Shepard's mind. While I don't buy the Indoctrination Theory, it's a fair bet that the Reapers got inside her skull through TIM and chose that form from her subconscious.

 

[Camren]

^There's a difference between seeing fellow solders die and watching a child you spoke to just 10 minutes ago get blown to tiny bits. Aside from being something of a riff on 'Schindler's List' (remember the girl in the red coat?) the kid is supposed to have come to subconsciously represent all those Shepard couldn't save.

As for why the Catalyst took that form, it's a fair bet that it wasn't a hologram, but was a direct communication with Shepard's mind. While I don't buy the Indoctrination Theory, it's a fair bet that the Reapers got inside her skull through TIM and chose that form from her subconscious.

Yep, or the kid was the catalyst all along.

 

[Reverend]

^I can't be bothered to argue about IT since at this point it's just flogging a dead klixen, so I'll just say that it makes absolutely zero sense and leave it at that.

 

[John Clark]

If anything, the extended cut strengthened my belief in destroy being the best ending. One of the best things the extended cut did was clarify that the catalyst is just another crazed AI and not some sort of mystical god-like being, which makes it more important than ever that it and its machines be destroyed. I can see why some would pick control though, if they had played a paragon Shepard and were certain he would never use the Reapers for evil. I can understand why synthesis seems tempting when first mentioned, but I still can't stand it from an ethical or thematic standpoint, so the extended cut hasn't changed my opinion on that at all.

My primary Shep is mostly paragon and is the type who I'd be least worried about picking control. Unfortunately, the way I roleplayed that one, control would have been the third of four options. (Destroy, reject, control, synthesis in that order).

For that one, the decision probably makes more sense in the EC ending as the Catalyst does mention that things can be repaired and she was praying that it might include EDI and the Geth under that heading.

Reject would have had her praying she'd brought enough firepower, but doubting it.

Control - She'd have worried about getting corrupted by it all once she'd lost everyone.

Synthesis - Forcing that large a change on every single person throughout the galaxy?. It just didn't feel right.

For my next Shepard, control will probably be the main option and the galaxy had probably better behave itself

 

[Reverend]

^Not surprising given the way the endings were initially presented. I'd be interested to see how those percentages might have shifted after people have played though the extended cut. I'd be willing to bet the majority still goes with destroy--partly because of the breath scene--but I think the other three will have a larger share now. My gut tells me control would be an easy second.

I dunno. After the extended cut, I think that synthesis is an even worse option now. It was abhorrent on the face of it before, but now that the Catalyst's background has been fleshed out, I'm inclined to argue against whatever it thinks is best on pure principle.

Control... while it provides a clearer picture now that yes, the new force in control of the Reapers is benevolent, I'm also not too happy with them sticking around. Millions or billions of people, processed into mechanical forms against their will, enslaved to nee-Shepard? No, I don't like that at all.

In the end, I think either destroy or refusal is best. Without knowing more about how the next cycle went down, I can't really decide. I went with destroy because it eliminates the threat now instead of kicking the can down the road, though.

Oh I completely agree, I'm just saying that with the extended cut, more people are likely to pick those other two options depending on their own personal opinions and/or their view of what their Shepard would do.

On a slightly different topic; anyone know if it's been discovered yet what determines which squadmate (assuming you don't take your LI along) gets the last goodbye/evac scene? Is there an approval system that's working under the hood or is it just random?

 

[Evil Twin]

I'm still wondering who tells Joker to retreat in the cockpit if Garrus is dead. I'm guessing Liara, since she's impossible to kill.

I did get my "everybody's dead" Shepard up to just before Earth, but ended up deleting the character out of disgust.

 

[Skywalker]

Liara tells Joker to leave in my ending, but that's because I brought Garrus and Ashley with me.

 

[Reverend]

So far I've seen clips on youtube that has Ashley, Garrus and Liara each do that scene. Since by that point anyone could have been killed already, they must have done the scene with every character. Garrus did it in my playthrough and I took Ash & Liara with me, so maybe it picks one out of whoever is left behind in some pre-set order.

 

[TheGodBen]

In my game, Ashley did it, and she was the one that held Shep's nameplate during the "funeral" scene. I'm assuming it's because she was the LI back in ME1 while Miranda was in ME2&3, so the game picked Ash. Garrus would have made more sense, but I imagine he was too overcome with grief and had probably been drinking to numb the pain.

 

[firehawk12]

^There's a difference between seeing fellow solders die and watching a child you spoke to just 10 minutes ago get blown to tiny bits. Aside from being something of a riff on 'Schindler's List' (remember the girl in the red coat?) the kid is supposed to have come to subconsciously represent all those Shepard couldn't save.

As for why the Catalyst took that form, it's a fair bet that it wasn't a hologram, but was a direct communication with Shepard's mind. While I don't buy the Indoctrination Theory, it's a fair bet that the Reapers got inside her skull through TIM and chose that form from her subconscious.

Oh, I understand what the kid is supposed to represent. I just think if they were serious about having your choices "matter", then tying that ghost kid to an actual loss from the very first game would have made much more sense.

 

[Reverend]

In my game, Ashley did it, and she was the one that held Shep's nameplate during the "funeral" scene. I'm assuming it's because she was the LI back in ME1 while Miranda was in ME2&3, so the game picked Ash. Garrus would have made more sense, but I imagine he was too overcome with grief and had probably been drinking to numb the pain.

Was Ash in your squad in the dash for the beam? If so then I have no idea what the criteria might be. As I said, in my game, Liara was the LI and I had her in my squad during the evac scene and it was Garrus that had the scene with Joker.

It wouldn't make much sense for either of your squadmates to be in that scene since they should have been down in medbay at that point.

^There's a difference between seeing fellow solders die and watching a child you spoke to just 10 minutes ago get blown to tiny bits. Aside from being something of a riff on 'Schindler's List' (remember the girl in the red coat?) the kid is supposed to have come to subconsciously represent all those Shepard couldn't save.

As for why the Catalyst took that form, it's a fair bet that it wasn't a hologram, but was a direct communication with Shepard's mind. While I don't buy the Indoctrination Theory, it's a fair bet that the Reapers got inside her skull through TIM and chose that form from her subconscious.

Oh, I understand what the kid is supposed to represent. I just think if they were serious about having your choices "matter", then tying that ghost kid to an actual loss from the very first game would have made much more sense.

The problem with that idea is that it's not universal for all Shepards. Aside from practical concerns like it doubling the memory budget by having to record the dialogue twice, what if you're playing a full on renegade that doesn't feel at all bad about the loss of Kaiden (I know I didn't!) It also risks alienating anyone who hasn't played the previous games as they'll have no clue who that person is, nor why they should care. Plus of course this would place that particular character's death as "important" over and above anyone else who may have died since in ME2 & earlier in ME3, which again is not universal to all Shepards.

They spent a lot of time in the game establishing the recurring dream and what it means to Shepard. The kid is just a symbol. Indeed, after one of the dreams (the second one I think?) Shepard can tell Liara that she was thinking about whomever died on Virmire.

 

[TheGodBen]

No, Garrus and Liara were with me at the beam.

It was weird that Ash had such a prominent role in the extended cut for me, but it was kinda nice, I guess. After Shep and her had that falling out on Horizon, they never really regained their friendship, there always seemed to be some distance between them. It was kinda like they regained their friendship through death, if that makes any kind of sense. Then my Shep ended up living and it ruined the moment.

 

[Reverend]

^Well there you go. With Liara & Garrus in your squad, Ash is probably next in line, or indeed, first in line. I'd be willing to bet the order is pre-set and after those three it goes Tali, EDI, James then Javik.

Probably a similar syste for the name plaque scene. The LI is the default, but failing that it's whoever is still alive in a given order of priority. Of course the only way to test it is to try a save file in which Ash, Liara & Garrus are dead.

 

[firehawk12]

The problem with that idea is that it's not universal for all Shepards. Aside from practical concerns like it doubling the memory budget by having to record the dialogue twice, what if you're playing a full on renegade that doesn't feel at all bad about the loss of Kaiden (I know I didn't!) It also risks alienating anyone who hasn't played the previous games as they'll have no clue who that person is, nor why they should care. Plus of course this would place that particular character's death as "important" over and above anyone else who may have died since in ME2 & earlier in ME3, which again is not universal to all Shepards.

They spent a lot of time in the game establishing the recurring dream and what it means to Shepard. The kid is just a symbol. Indeed, after one of the dreams (the second one I think?) Shepard can tell Liara that she was thinking about whomever died on Virmire.

If you're a Renegade who doesn't feel bad about killing Kaiden, why would you care about a kid you have absolutely no connection with? If Shepard is worried about humans dying on Earth, why wouldn't she care about deaths among her own crew?

Kaiden/Ashley work precisely because it's the first "major" choice the franchise forces you to make. You can get out of killing Wrex, but you are forced into a no-win scenario that even Kirk couldn't worm his way out of on his best day, so it's something that's universal to all people who have played the three games.

As for new players? I don't think they would care about the story anyway.

 

[throwback]

I believe the
* Catalyst is a serial killer
* Reapers are its trophies
* and what the AI utters can't be construed as the truth of what happen as it is clearly delusional and is entirely immersed in its self-created reality.

As for the game, I have read that most new gamers are playing the multiplayer over the single player, and that most of them are moving onto other games with a more varied multiplayer.