Mass Effect 3 Gets An Ending

[Woodsey]

Yeah, I feel like most journalists / critcs are on a completely different wave length then us gamers.

That being said I don't think bioware should have to remake the ending I just don't want to buy anything they sell ever again. Almost 300+ hours of game play to give me some depressing ass story where everyone fucking dies. Could have saved myself 80 bucks and 35 hours if I had just let shepard die in ME2...

TL;DR fuck bioware and don't buy from them anymore.

So... what? You'll only lay down The Dolla for happy endings?

I don't mind bittersweet endings but what was the point of the game if everyone, and by everyone I mean all of galactic fleet of every combined race, and pretty much anything near a mass relay.

So the entire series is rendered pointless by the ending being too depressing or destructive?

Well shit son. That's actually a fairly reasonable argument, but I still don't think the ending is very good. The problem I have with it is that it drops so much new stuff on you (like that star-child thing and the fact that the mass relays all explode) that it just doesn't give you enough time to absorb it all in. If they had paced this stuff out over the game then it would have been better and people might not have complained. But the fact that they drop it all at the end without any foreshadowing is what makes the ending awful.

There is foreshadowing for the 'kid', but yes, it could have been threaded through the game better, and the ending paced more appropriately.

 

[BuddhaMike]

So Yahtzee is totally on board with Bioware f**king up their story George Lucas style? He does know both JarJar and "Star Killer" also fall under that impenetrable umbrella of 'Well it's the story the creator wanted', right?

Yeah, they do. And of course you have every right not to like Jar Jar Binks and wish fervently that the prequels had been better, but that doesn't change the fact that it's Lucas' story.

The same Lucas who hates The Empire Strikes Back, coincidentally the one film almost universally considered the best in the series?

 

[TheOneBearded]

I won't be playing ME3. The Mass Effect series has always felt bland to me. And now, knowing how ti all ends, I have no reason to continue.

I think what is most disappointing though is that the ending isn't even original. Maybe some of you have heard of FreeSpace? In the last mission you and a squad of bombers go on a suicide mission and fight through hyperspace to stop the massive death-ship from reaching Earth and culminating in the destruction of said death-ship AND the jump nodes that link back to Earth. It ends and you're more of less certain the explosion kills everyone and the epilogue states how Earth is now unreachable - which strands both humans and Vasudans (and probably a few Shivans too) there with no way to return back home.

So, yeah. Too bad about that 'epic' ending.

Hold on a moment, don't reject the game for the last ten minutes of it! From the beginning to the point before the end, the game is perfect - everything feels right. Try to pretend that the ending isn't real. That's what I did and that helped me swallow the crapfest.

 

[Woodsey]

So Yahtzee is totally on board with Bioware f**king up their story George Lucas style? He does know both JarJar and "Star Killer" also fall under that impenetrable umbrella of 'Well it's the story the creator wanted', right?

Yeah, they do. And of course you have every right not to like Jar Jar Binks and wish fervently that the prequels had been better, but that doesn't change the fact that it's Lucas' story.

The same Lucas who hates The Empire Strikes Back, coincidentally the one film almost universally considered the best in the series?

Yep. Still his story.

 

[Candidus]

So the entire series is rendered pointless by the ending being too depressing or destructive?

No, the entire series is rendered pointless by the many plot holes created by the ending, and is made even worse by the lack of closure and sick invitation to buy DLC PLOX OKAY?! Plenty of great links have been posted in this thread with comprehensive articles describing the problems and their enormous scale, for anyone who honestly wants to know.

A lot of people don't honestly want to know, unfortunately. Loads of people just want to pick a side and spit from it.

 

[Woodsey]

So the entire series is rendered pointless by the ending being too depressing or destructive?

No, the entire series is rendered pointless by the many plot holes created by the ending, and is made even worse by the lack of closure and sick invitation to buy DLC PLOX OKAY?! Plenty of great links have been posted in this thread with comprehensive articles describing the problems and their enormous scale, for anyone who honestly wants to know.

A lot of people don't honestly want to know, unfortunately. Loads of people just want to pick a side and spit from it.

That's not the point I picked up on from the guy I quoted, so that's not the point I'm arguing. Snark is all well and good, but at least use it when it makes sense.

 

[anthony87]

So far, every time someone has argued against the "Retake Mass Effect" movement, the overwhelming response is that the person "doesn't get it", most without actually saying what there is to get.
Just for future reference, if you really want to tell someone that they "don't get it", tell them what it is exactly they don't get. By not providing this, it just looks like you're saying it because it's the only way you can think of to defend yourself, even if it's not. (Also, ironically, some of the "he doesn't get it" posts actually missed the point of the article...)

Also, I stand by my opinion that it's not your game, so it's not your ending. You have o right to change it. Sue for false advertising all you want, that doesn't mean Bioware is obligated to change the ending. Sorry.

Alright then, here's what people don't seem to be getting:

[link]http://jmstevenson.wordpress.com/2012/03/22/all-that-matters-is-the-ending-part-2-mass-effect-3/[/link]

To be honest I hate putting down a link and calling it "proof" or whatever but the guy who wrote that said it all a million times better than I could.

Except people do get that the ending objectively fails. But why is it different than when so many other works fail to live up to the hype? Why is it that people feel as if they have a right to change this game any more than any others? You don't have the rights to Mass Effect 3. You don't have the right to decide how it ends. You have the right to hate the ending, but not the right to "Retake" a game that was never yours to begin with

I really think you're taking the "Retake" in "Retake Mass Effect" way too seriously. It's meant as a play on the "Retake Earth" or "Take back Earth" thing that was floating around prior to the games release.

What people are looking for is basically what Bethesda done with Fallout 3. Why is this such a bad thing?

If you're not not taking the phrase "retake" seriously, you're not the people that others are calling entitled. There are people who genuinely believe it's their right to retake the game, and those are the people that Yahtzee and others are writing against

In a sense I kind of am. People aren't really differentiating between the ones you describe and the ones I describe. Rather it's EVERYONE who wants a new ending that are being lamblasted by seemingly every gaming publication on the internet so you can at least see where the frustration is coming from with regards to the people who want rather than the people who are demanding.

(Ugh...I hate this "us and them" shite)

 

[Sandytimeman]

Yeah, I feel like most journalists / critcs are on a completely different wave length then us gamers.

That being said I don't think bioware should have to remake the ending I just don't want to buy anything they sell ever again. Almost 300+ hours of game play to give me some depressing ass story where everyone fucking dies. Could have saved myself 80 bucks and 35 hours if I had just let shepard die in ME2...

TL;DR fuck bioware and don't buy from them anymore.

So... what? You'll only lay down The Dolla for happy endings?

I don't mind bittersweet endings but what was the point of the game if everyone, and by everyone I mean all of galactic fleet of every combined race, and pretty much anything near a mass relay.

So the entire series is rendered pointless by the ending being too depressing or destructive?

Yes, I wasted my time. I've gotten burned and I've learned my lesson. Much in the way I no longer go to Michael Bay movies Or re watch the prequel star wars movies or anything that George lucas touches

 

[dragonshardz]

Did he? Did he REALLY miss the point? Did he "assume" your stance despite the countless thousands of threads spent by so many of you solidifying your points? Is it more likely he characterized your positions in a way that made you look unfavorable and now you're just assuming he "doesn't understand"? Maybe you guys are assuming his position.

He is completely missing the point because he is speaking of something he has no idea about and he is not even interested a lot to begin with by his own admission. He is just supporting Bioware so his editor will be happy.

That's all I needed to hear.

Well, he did in fact admit that in one occasion, wanted to apply for a position in Bioware... or something. Wait, what was I about to say again?

But, yeah, really. Objectivity and bias aside, I do think Yathzee kinda "went through" with this whole thing rather, lazily. I mean it might be because of his ignorance for all things "fanboy" but come on... this isn't something happening every day... and it is Bioware, which I believe he respects for having "good writing" (his own words). So, why wouldn't he go on an explain a tad more whether he agrees with the direction or not? Why just a plain and uninteresting statement on the whole matter? He is after all a gaming critique. Come on lazy man, try explain it to us "dumb fanboys" why this ending is appropriate?

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I'm both shocked and disappointed that Yahtzee of all people doesn't understand what the issue is.

It still doesn't stop Yahtzee's biggest fans from swallowing his every word like the most delicious dish in the world. I swear if Yahtzee were to start a religion, most of the Escapist community would follow even if it turns up to be a suicide cult.

 

[Cid Silverwing]

Point. Missing it. Thanks for not understanding, Yahtzee.

Holding the Line.

This.

You completely and utterly missed the point of why people are hating on ME3's ending, Yahtzee. Absolutely none of it makes sense, it's simply and straight-up 10 minutes of one asspull after the other that ruin all of the established lore and choices you make, leading up to the single ending that's literally colored by the "three choices".

This is not closure, this is just a blatant cop-out to make players buy DLC.

 

[Maclennan]

Am I the only person who finished it without "everyone dying"?

I mean, yeah a lot of people died; nameless people of all species if that's what you mean. But it seems like for everyone, all of their teammates died as well, when all of mine lived.

I don't think I had any team mates die either, my Shepard even lived. I imagine a lot of it is miss expression of one of the conv choice system of "three" possible endings which determine how many statistics get filed

I found the ending wasn't great but its not worth it to fight for something radically different, is any ending really going to be good enough to match the build up.

 

[disappointed]

If you play video games for their wonderful endings, you haven't been paying attention to every game ever. Even System Shock 2 had a shit ending. It's still a good game.

 

[GartarkMusik]

"Curing the Krogan Genophage implies that the Krogan Rebellions would start again"

No, they wouldn't because Wrex and Eve survived on my playthrough and they were determined to guide the krogan along a different path. Similarly, the geth and quarians started to get along and help each other, undermining the point that synthetics will inevitably fight organics.

But I guess paying attention to differences between playthroughs would require you to spend more than half a week thinking about it. And that requires way more effort than I've come to expect from you.

But would Wrex be able to stop them? What if a majority of the krogan want revenge for the Genophage? Wrex may be a respected leader, but he's just one krogan. If they all want blood, he may not be able to stop it happening. And let's not even get started if Wrex didn't survive and Wreav took over.........

 

[TornadoADV]

Called idiot and cockhead by somebody who doesn't know what the hell is going on. 2 for 2, Escapist!

 

[mfeff]

So the entire series is rendered pointless by the ending being too depressing or destructive?

No, the entire series is rendered pointless by the many plot holes created by the ending, and is made even worse by the lack of closure and sick invitation to buy DLC PLOX OKAY?! Plenty of great links have been posted in this thread with comprehensive articles describing the problems and their enormous scale, for anyone who honestly wants to know.

A lot of people don't honestly want to know, unfortunately. Loads of people just want to pick a side and spit from it.

FYI, I have already looked into everything because I honestly wanted to know and I'm aware of all the massive "plotholes" and I still think the Retake ME is a pathetic farse. The ending was underwhelming, Joker is driving the ship away on a Mass Relay which makes no sense given the context it is presented in and there is essentially absolutely no epilogue. We get it. Suck it up. It isn't even a notably shit ending, it is only sort of bland, with some editing problems and too openended. We all still think this is a ridiculous overreaction to a non-issue.

In my relatively short life I've had to deal with much worse shit than this and I never launched a worldwide campaign because of it.

This. This. and more of This. Thank you Sir.

I mentioned it elsewhere, that the "elephant in the room" was the narrative itself. Take away the Geth/Krogan character arcs, and there really isn't much in the way of content. Other than Jessica C. from IGN, and Vega... EDI? Everything else is ME1/2 copied... conduit is the catalyst... cerberus... more cerberus?

Once we work our way around that elephant, we find it's arse... where we have some exposition and some choice... in colors...

TIM was supposed to be Smith... but was cut because it was "cliche", that's amazing... really because mere moments later...

Matrix... Colonel Sanders K.F.C Kid... God A.I... you get to choose what it is to you! Brilliant!

Matrix - Blade Runner Ending - Red

Babylon 5 - Buddha Ending - Blue

Battle Star Galactica - Green

That's choice to take to the bank!

or you can swing with vestigial tail of abandoned indoctrination content, and go with "Total Recall" ending... the choice is yours!

 

[Candidus]

It isn't even a notably shit ending, it is only sort of bland, with some editing problems and too openended. We all still think this is a ridiculous overreaction to a non-issue.

In my relatively short life I've had to deal with much worse shit than this and I never launched a worldwide campaign because of it.

It isn't even a notably shit ending? Confirmed for knowing nothing at all. God child blows the question of whether Sovereign (and the first game along with him) was even necessary wide open a few seconds before the final cinematic but hey, that's minor. And what's this, you've had a hard life and there are bigger things?

Yeah, I've heard the "and there are children starving in Africa" fallacy of argument a few times. It's held no water with me prior to today as an assertion that people should be less passionate- whether positively or negatively- about their hobbies, and it hasn't convinced me this time either.

Anyway, to launch a global campaign you need a lot of people to care, globally. I'm sure I don't need to point out that there's no symmetry between your (or anyone's) personal trials in life and ME3 there.

 

[nighthawk282]

I think Yahtzee actually understands the point a lot better than you whiny fuckers. Jesus Christ, you act like Mass Effect is the only series that's ever had a bad fucking ending. Fact is, it isn't. In fact, most endings are shit. That's the truth, get the fuck over it. Keep whining and bitching and complaining all you want, but all your really doing is giving fuel to the people who see the gaming culture as something to be quashed. They look at us and see shit like this, and they can raise their eyebrows knowingly because you're acting exactly like they suspect you would. And the shit you're getting up to is just starting to get fucking ridiculous. There was actually a complaint to the FTC? Who the hell thinks that's a good idea? People are sending cupcakes to Bioware as protest? FUCKING CUPCAKES? DO YOU KNOW HOW STUPID YOU SEEM? Christ, I've avoided commenting on any of this shit up until now, but the fact of the matter is that you're ignoring ABSOLUTELY EVERY VALID POINT THAT'S BEING MADE that isn't in line with what you THINK people should be saying. Some people don't give a shit about the fact that the ending sucked. We just DON'T. And that doesn't mean I don't like the games: I loved them. But getting yourself all worked up about how Bioware "broke their promise" about how the series is going to end just isn't right. Wake up, and realize that you're just being FUCKING STUPID. You're completely disrespecting games as an artistic medium, AND the gamers who haven't played the game, of which there are a lot, or those who didn't care about the ending. Yahtzee got it. He hit the nail right on the head. So did MovieBob, but you guys bitched at him to. NOBODY FUCKING CARES. I'm sure this is going to come back and bite us in the ass someday, but as of right now, all you've managed to do is ruin the faith I had the gaming would some day be as respected as film or literature. All the whining and complaining you've done has officially made this seem like a childish community, and I hope you're happy.

Peace the fuck out.

 

[wintercoat]

"Curing the Krogan Genophage implies that the Krogan Rebellions would start again"

No, they wouldn't because Wrex and Eve survived on my playthrough and they were determined to guide the krogan along a different path. Similarly, the geth and quarians started to get along and help each other, undermining the point that synthetics will inevitably fight organics.

But I guess paying attention to differences between playthroughs would require you to spend more than half a week thinking about it. And that requires way more effort than I've come to expect from you.

But would Wrex be able to stop them? What if a majority of the krogan want revenge for the Genophage? Wrex may be a respected leader, but he's just one krogan. If they all want blood, he may not be able to stop it happening. And let's not even get started if Wrex didn't survive and Wreav took over.........

*cough* Doesn't matter. Wrex/Wreav are stuck in Sol. Curing the Genophage meant nothing. And as most species think of Krogan as the trash of the galaxy, I doubt anyone's gonna be offering to fly them to Tuchanka, what with the whole destruction of all of the Mass Relays thing and all.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

After having read the summary of the ending of ME3 I can't help but think I missed something. If that's really the ending then I can't see what the problem is. What exactly were people expecting? The living happily ever after with little blue children would have been great but it would have been somewhat unrealistic. Just write up some fan-fiction if you're not satisfied.