Mass Effect 3 ending SPOILERS!

[MomoElektra]

One more reason to hate the Synthesis ending: Who can tell this isn't exactly what the Reapers suggested to the original Prothean survivors? We all know how well THAT ended.

Yeah, good point. Considering how little information was given, anything's possible.

 

[Baneat]

Would anyone else have preferred to just lose outright than be given these endings? For something which intended to put you in the difficult and significant choice scenario, you have absolutely no control. I destroyed the relays because it sounded like the only one that keeps everyone alive. However this kills shepard for no fucking reason at all and I still can't fathom why the normandy got fucked over for this. The ending was trash.

 

[Cl0udz0r]

By Tartilus of the Bioware forums (I am not he;I just thought this should be shared)

I think it's important for us to consider that, at some point, a community manager is going to have to explain our thoughts to any number of developers, and accordingly it's important that a succinct list of our concerns with the ending is available. Those concerns are numerous, and here are the ones I'm familiar with so far:

1. The endings are extremely sad. This is a much-maligned criticism by individuals who associate depth with the perceived darkness of the endings, and that may or may not be a fair point. Regardless, it stands as obvious that many people were hoping for an ending which proffered some hope beyond that available in even the 'happiest' of endings.

2. The endings contain plotholes. The escape of the Normandy and the teleportation of her crew (including the formerly deceased) are the most obvious, but the lack of sufficient explanation regarding the Catalyst's efforts and origin also makes many of his/its motivations bizarre and unsatisfying.

3. The endings fail to fit in with the broadest themes of the series. Slightly different from 1, this criticism notes that the story of Commander Shepherd has always been a story of achieving the impossible with the help of a close crew and rigorous preparation. The endings as offered do not incorporate the crew, do not change significantly in response to your preparation, and while perhaps technically constitute doing the impossible, fail to meet even that low bar which is a solution that does not have an inevitable cross-racial holocaust and galactic dark age as its result.

4. The endings lack variety. This criticism can be directed at both the artistic and story aspects of the ending ? the results of the ending decision not only vary little (at least, and this is important, on a scale which is important to our experiences in the game), but the resulting cinematics have only minor differences, and the various sub-endings result in changes so small as to be entirely unnoticeable. Consider that some way could've been contrived to make the Synthetic option differ from the Control option in a fashion greater than a change in the color of the 'light' and a different Texture for Joker in the games final seconds.

5. The mechanics of the ending are not appropriate. Without repeating the various criticisms as regards the ending closely mirroring Deus Ex's, the culmination of the story with a game-show-esque approach to saving the world very much fails to be satisfactory, especially when Mass Effect has otherwise been about the integration of choice into the experience

6. The endings lack dependency on the player's choices prior to the last five minutes. This is important, because the entire rest of Mass Effect 3 was about reacting to previous decisions; consider that, provided one is able to fill the 'war asset' bar in a satisfactory manner via some other means, the decisions in the third game serve no purpose to explain, shape, or enhance the endings. This seems contrary to the spirit of the other 95% of the experience.

7. The endings do not make sense given the character of Shepherd. As has been state elsewhere, we are playing some heroic badass who has otherwise talked down to, shrugged off, and inevitably defeated everyone who threatened, cajoled, or otherwise tried to force him to do something he didn't wish to do. In the ending to ME3, this character offers no rigorous questioning, no protests, no counter-arguments, no discussion of any kind save a resigned sort of death-march which could not be more contrary to his character. This is distressing.

8. The endings have implications, perhaps unintended, which seem to ruin the ME Universe. Admittedly, many of these implications could be avoided, but the lack of contrary evidence fosters a suspicion that these matters were either otherwise not considered, or supposed to be generally acceptable. Indeed, they might even be, but only with proper elaboration, of which there is none.

9. The endings fail to provide closure. There is, as a diagram that is floating around illustrates, no falling action. No conclusion. I do not know what happened to my squadmates ? I do not, for reasons that may be bug related, even know which of them is alive. I do not know what happens to the universe, or to the people I've saved. I do not know how I'm remembered, or if any of the terrible things mentioned above actually happens. There almost could not possibly have been less information provided regarding the ending of the game, and that is incredibly distressing when the intention was to wrap up a series that had otherwise displayed all the signs of excellency and had a fond place in our hearts.

Hey, good post, but it seems that people ignore good posts in this thread and argue/bash the bad ones. Shame.

 

[Aisaku]

Would anyone else have preferred to just lose outright than be given these endings? For something which intended to put you in the difficult and significant choice scenario, you have absolutely no control. I destroyed the relays because it sounded like the only one that keeps everyone alive. However this kills shepard for no fucking reason at all and I still can't fathom why the normandy got fucked over for this. The ending was trash.

Not to say it flies in the face of this Shepard quote from ME2:

(Upon deciding to blow the Collector base instead of handing it over to Cerberus)

"I won't let fear compromise who I am"

If the game is rigged, change the rules. That's what Shepard would have done.

 

[MomoElektra]

Would anyone else have preferred to just lose outright than be given these endings? For something which intended to put you in the difficult and significant choice scenario, you have absolutely no control. I destroyed the relays because it sounded like the only one that keeps everyone alive. However this kills shepard for no fucking reason at all and I still can't fathom why the normandy got fucked over for this. The ending was trash.

Not to say it flies in the face of this Shepard quote from ME2:

(Upon deciding to blow the Collector base instead of handing it over to Cerberus)

"I won't let fear compromise who I am"

If the game is rigged, change the rules. That's what Shepard would have done.

Yes, and that was what I expected. That is what all 3 games let happen - bad, maybe impossible odds and Shepard and his people make it happen anyways. It really is sad. Up until Hackett's call, the game was very close to perfect.

 

[SajuukKhar]

-Yes I do realize we are talking about that, you just keep making me correct you because your argument is based off of many errors in terminology which is causing you some obvious confusion as to why the Normandy is in space

-Actually they do

-Why the Architect in DAO:AW was born different was critical the plot, yet never described and no one complained about that, and is as seemingly contrived, without actually being so, as the Normandy being space after we were told they were going back into space to help the space fleet.

-And they did talk about how the Normandy was going back up to help the sword team, GASPS!

-I said bad at guessing/bad at estimation several times. Also considering the part of their math formula that they got wrong was the part the had to guess at they are bad at math

-If estimation isn't a part of math you should tell that to scientists who frequently guess at numbers of equations till they find one that works. Beyond that I am 20, and I frequently guess at the answers to math problems and get them relatively right. It is never the exact number, but guesses never are, however I certainly not as far off as the Portheans were.

-I never one said or implied calculating was the same as guessing, are we gonna play the word twisting game again? should I pull out the wheel for you so you can have an easier time at it? Again don't claim I said thing I didn't.

-Nope as demonstrated you have a habit of word twisting which is probably why you cant seem to get even the most basic themes of the game series down.

-Ha you are one that can;t make it one conversation without twisting words. Don't project your failing onto me.

 

[MomoElektra]

snip

I'm going to stop talking to you because honestly it's a waste of time.
You lack the necessary equipment.

 

[MomoElektra]

Would anyone else have preferred to just lose outright than be given these endings? For something which intended to put you in the difficult and significant choice scenario, you have absolutely no control. I destroyed the relays because it sounded like the only one that keeps everyone alive. However this kills shepard for no fucking reason at all and I still can't fathom why the normandy got fucked over for this. The ending was trash.

No, I wanted to win.

 

[SgtJon117]

snip

Look, I get it. You don't want Bioware to have made this big of a mistake. I'm sure I'm just as big of a fan. I've played 200+ hours of all three games combined. Including three playthroughs of the first two. So I know how much one can invest themselves into this game. I don't blame you for wanting to defend them as hard as you have. I almost want to as well. I can only hope that one day you recognize it's okay to admit that an entity you've invested so much into has miss-stepped. It doesn't mean the end of the world. Things can be fixed. The world moves on.

Would anyone else have preferred to just lose outright than be given these endings? For something which intended to put you in the difficult and significant choice scenario, you have absolutely no control. I destroyed the relays because it sounded like the only one that keeps everyone alive. However this kills shepard for no fucking reason at all and I still can't fathom why the normandy got fucked over for this. The ending was trash.

No, I wanted to win.

Especially considering you could win and get great endings in the previous two. Knowing that, I'm not sure how some consider it out of line that we'd expect to be able to do it again in the finale.

 

[synobal]

snip

Look, I get it. You don't want Bioware to have made this big of a mistake. I'm sure I'm just as big of a fan. I've played 200+ hours of all three games combined. Including three playthroughs of the first two. So I know how much one can invest themselves into this game. I don't blame you for wanting to defend them as hard as you have. I almost want to as well. I can only hope that one day you recognize it's okay to admit that an entity you've invested so much into has miss-stepped. It doesn't mean the end of the world. Things can be fixed. The world moves on.

Wow that is really disrespectful.

You attempt to invalid what he says by saying he's some sort of apologist for Bioware. Which is really insulting if you ask me.

 

[Aisaku]

One more from the rumor mill: There's been talk that they may be holding on to proper endings to unlock until the Japan release, which will be on the 15th. The endings as they are are unjustified, lack any sort of closure, and outright gut wrenching.

Still hoping for a "We will fight to the end... if we live or we die, it will be on our own terms!" option.

BTW, if you haven't read the previous pages, here's a link to a movement to change the ending: http://www.facebook.com/DemandABetterEndingToMassEffect3

 

[wicket42]

Does the invention of pottery preclude the invention of the computer?

No, but the invention of a system of technology deigned to cause races to
1. Base all their technology off of it, and go down a very limited and narrow path, so The Reapers can know what they will have
2. Instill so much fear of losing it that study of said object are outright banned and punishable by heavy imprisonment or death, which causes them to never understand or move beyond said technology

does no good for anyone

Technology has no path. It does not work like that. Live is not a game of Civ IV, ok? The Mass Relays existing does not preclude the invention of a more advanced technology. The structure of the universe might, not the existence of Mass Relays.

 

[Blachman201_v1legacy]

And don't forget the poll on the endings posted earlier in the thread: http://social.bioware.com/633606/polls/28989/

It has grown to over 18000 votes, with about 17500 or 97% demanding something to be done about the ending.

 

[Sp3ratus]

snip

Look, I get it. You don't want Bioware to have made this big of a mistake. I'm sure I'm just as big of a fan. I've played 200+ hours of all three games combined. Including three playthroughs of the first two. So I know how much one can invest themselves into this game. I don't blame you for wanting to defend them as hard as you have. I almost want to as well. I can only hope that one day you recognize it's okay to admit that an entity you've invested so much into has miss-stepped. It doesn't mean the end of the world. Things can be fixed. The world moves on.

Oh no! Someone has a different opinion than you? Burn the blasphemer!

Why is hard to understand that for some of us, the ending actually made sense and gave ME3 and the series the perfect ending? You act like the opinion that thinking the ending is bad is somehow the correct one. Guess what, it's not. It's not the wrong one either, but it's YOUR opinion, NOT fact.

 

[The Rascal King]

I loved the entire experience of Mass Effect 3. No complaints. If Bioware wants make bleak endings with loose enough ends to squeeze more games out of in the future be my guest, as long as the gameplay is fun.

Isn't that why we are playing this game? To have fun?

 

[MomoElektra]

Isn't that why we are playing this game? To have fun?

The ending wasn't fun for me. I found it insulting.

 

[Blachman201_v1legacy]

The most common complaint against the ending is that it is bleak, depressing, highly anti-climatic, and not least badly written. Pretty much the opposite of fun.

 

[LetalisK]

it's just slower than using the jump gates(the jump gates.. sry mass relays are for long range quick jumps) for example normandy and all the spacefaring races in me can travel between local stars at speeds much faster than light, which while being a flaw in the scifi of the me universe does imply that you could still travel to the far reaches of the galaxy, you'd just need fuel depots built on the way and it would take a month instead of hours. the entire galaxy would still be more connected and accessible to the advanced races than what 13th century earth was to humans.

Making the galaxy more akin to 17th and 18th century Earth for humans. Which would work, considering that was also a time of exploration and colonization.

 

[MomoElektra]

snip

Look, I get it. You don't want Bioware to have made this big of a mistake. I'm sure I'm just as big of a fan. I've played 200+ hours of all three games combined. Including three playthroughs of the first two. So I know how much one can invest themselves into this game. I don't blame you for wanting to defend them as hard as you have. I almost want to as well. I can only hope that one day you recognize it's okay to admit that an entity you've invested so much into has miss-stepped. It doesn't mean the end of the world. Things can be fixed. The world moves on.

Oh no! Someone has a different opinion than you? Burn the blasphemer!

Why is hard to understand that for some of us, the ending actually made sense and gave ME3 and the series the perfect ending? You act like the opinion that thinking the ending is bad is somehow the correct one. Guess what, it's not. It's not the wrong one either, but it's YOUR opinion, NOT fact.

This is exactly like when Lost ended.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. No one is entitled to their own facts.

If you like the ending, fine, good for you.
If you like the ending because you think it's good don't complain about being criticized.

 

[The Rascal King]

Isn't that why we are playing this game? To have fun?

The ending wasn't fun for me. I found it insulting.

I'm sorry for your loss. Would you like a sandwich?