Mass Effect 3... Happy Ending mod?

[deager]

The existence of mods says nothing about the quality of the original product.

OT: I don't really like the mod (although I can appreciate the effort they put into it) or its implications, because it make it look like the worst part about the ending was that Shepard didn't survive the galactic-wide genocide to have parades, orgies, parties and hang out with his bros. The ending had issues, but not one of them was that a human facing against impossible odds is quite likely to die at the end, even if he wins, even if he is future Jesus. To get there is like claiming I Am Legend would be better if Will Smith cured the zombie apocalypse...

Darn right about mods saying nothing about the quality of the product. Mass Effect, I think, is a great trilogy as is.

As for the "fluffy bunny mods," well, I can't argue with you. I'm a bit weird in that I make this "happy Citadel mod" thing and yet, really, a hard ending makes more sense. Curse me and liking the Citadel DLC and trying to have it make sense to me. I was soooo digging the dark energy stuff they hinted at in ME2...well, freaking awesome trilogy anyway.

 

[hermes]

The existence of mods says nothing about the quality of the original product.

OT: I don't really like the mod (although I can appreciate the effort they put into it) or its implications, because it make it look like the worst part about the ending was that Shepard didn't survive the galactic-wide genocide to have parades, orgies, parties and hang out with his bros. The ending had issues, but not one of them was that a human facing against impossible odds is quite likely to die at the end, even if he wins, even if he is future Jesus. To get there is like claiming I Am Legend would be better if Will Smith cured the zombie apocalypse...

Darn right about mods saying nothing about the quality of the product. Mass Effect, I think, is a great trilogy as is.

As for the "fluffy bunny mods," well, I can't argue with you. I'm a bit weird in that I make this "happy Citadel mod" thing and yet, really, a hard ending makes more sense. Curse me and liking the Citadel DLC and trying to have it make sense to me. I was soooo digging the dark energy stuff they hinted at in ME2...well, freaking awesome trilogy anyway.

Of course. Me considering a tragic ending more fitting with the trilogy has nothing to do with the respect I have for your work in making the mod, just having trouble considering it more cannon than the real cannon.

The Citadel DLC was great. It was earnestly embracing the more quirky and cheesy aspects of the universe and having a lot of fun with it. It was the best send off the series could have; but it was so different in tone it felt entirely inside a bubble. It clashed so much with the rest of the game, it would even be appropriate as a stand alone content (like Blood Dragon, Festival of Blood, Gat out of Hell or Undead Nightmare)... To me, its the Mass Effect equivalent of the Christmas special: lets bring them all together for one last adventure, even if it doesn't make sense in the greater scheme of things.

 

[deager]

Of course. Me considering a tragic ending more fitting with the trilogy has nothing to do with the respect I have for your work in making the mod, just having trouble considering it more cannon than the real cannon.

The Citadel DLC was great. It was earnestly embracing the more quirky and cheesy aspects of the universe and having a lot of fun with it. It was the best send off the series could have; but it was so different in tone it felt entirely inside a bubble. It clashed so much with the rest of the game, it would even be appropriate as a stand alone content (like Blood Dragon, Festival of Blood, Gat out of Hell or Undead Nightmare)... To me, its the Mass Effect equivalent of the Christmas special: lets bring them all together for one last adventure, even if it doesn't make sense in the greater scheme of things.

Where's the like button? Am I missing it?
Thanks, that's kind of you to say. And I really just post this stuff about CEM just in case some people want to play it but don't know about it. Original story lines are, I think, the best way to go. And I really liked that Bioware didn't just do some simple ending...they were shooting for something special. And, some people really, really liked the original or EC endings, which I think is fantastic.

lol. Imagine the rage online if Arkham Knights ended with a "Congratulations, you completed the game".

I forgot to comment on this. Yes, can you imagine? Ha.

 

[votemarvel]

Thing is, why are people so upset about it after all this time?

Because it is a fantastically well developed universe populated with interesting races and characters. It told a pretty damn good story and gave players a feeling of agency in that story.

Then they felt that all that had been taken away. They were no longer playing 'their' Shepard but one Bioware had predetermined for them. The final victory that they had fought through three games for was twisted into three choices, all of which were presented by the enemy with no way to counter what that enemy was saying.

I thought the rage at the time was stupid, and I didn't like the endings, but I also understood what many of those people were feeling.

TLDR; Bioware managed to craft a story where the player felt they were Shepard. Then at the last moment they took that feeling away.

 

[Insideout Ink Demon]

I don't want a happy ending to ME, (that would have always felt like a cop out) just a good one.

I never understood why a ending with Shepard alive would have been a 'happy' one.

You have a massive amount of people stuck in the Sol system who can't eat anything in our system in the turians and quarians.

Earth is going to find it hard to feed its own people, let alone the asari and krogan stuck there.

Disease and starvation are going to exist on a massive scale.

Even if they can fix the mass relay in our system, are the people on the other end going to be able to do the same? We could end up pretty much isolated from the rest of the galaxy.

Yet Shepard being alive somehow makes it a happy ending?

Fair comment. TBH, I've no idea what people mean by happy ending to ME. I came to this thread to see what the fuss was about.
The OP mentioned Shep surviving, I think him surviving would be pandering rather than happy.
Just idol curiosity anyway, as I'm no longer a BW fan.

 

[votemarvel]

Part of the problem at the time Mr Ink was that many of the gaming sites, even big names like Penny Arcade and IGN, fixated on people wanting a 'happy' ending with Shepard alive (riding off on a unicorn to have little blue babies.)

They never took the time to look at what people were actually complaining about when it came to the endings. Most people who disliked the endings I came across accepted that Shepard was likely to die at the end, their reasons for disliking it never really focused on that point.

Yes many folk did ask for a Shepard lives ending, and it is kind of there with the breath scene if you get your War Assets high enough. Yet as I mentioned, that it wouldn't be a happy ending just didn't seem to occur to the media who rose to the challenge of defending Bioware.

That it took Forbes, a business magazine, to pause and ask "just what are these people complaining about?" showed how big the disconnect between gaming journalists and gamers had become.

Now don't get me wrong I'm not defending the idiots who threatened violence and threw insults at anyone who didn't agree with them, those people deserve to be derided, but it was upsetting to the people who were taking the time to discuss things properly to all be labelled as 'entitled whiners' by the gaming media.