Uriain said:
That makes no sense to me. There is this big out cry that the original endings are bad (which they were) yet when they take the time to expand upon them giving more in depth information about each ending and how it plays out, they are still bad endings??
Sorry, but I have to heavily disagree. The Original Endings while bad, were bad because they didnt give us a bunch of information to go with each ending and were displayed in a poor way (same thing, different color). These extended cut endings do not change the endings (as they said they wouldnt) but expand upon each ending giving them a clear and unique ending for whichever you choose. That is a good move which should, frankly, be given a bit of a thanks for.
Well to be fair? They are still bad endings, just not as bad as what they had before. Quality isn't exactly binary, you know. The high concept for the endings was fundamentally broken from the get-go due to both the execution[footnote]Most notably the nature of the one giving you your options[/footnote] and the [lack of] build up. The options given still largely come out of left field, the choices available to you are still dictated by the series' Big Bad, and the central conflict is still put on the sidelines less than 10 minutes before the conclusion. It's like if SMT: Nocturne had never bothered to introduce you to the champions of the respective paths you have to choose between at the end of the game. Additionally, the options still feel contrary to the core themes of the game and the fact that many of the game's conflicts revolved around taking on seemingly impossible odds and overcoming them[footnote]This is best demonstrated in the tagline for Mass Effect 2 ("They call it a suicide mission. PROVE THEM WRONG" (emphasis theirs)), but is similarly represented with the Genophage, Rachni and Geth/Quarian subplots, as well as the reason for the Beacon which started off the story, the Crucible, the claim that no organics prior to this cycle have reached the catalyst, and the central conflict itself making it clear in no uncertain terms that though the reapers are undoubtedly a superior foe you will fight them anyway.[/footnote]. That theme is not upheld if the big bad of the series has to provide your solutions for you, nor is it upheld if the solutions offered are presented as workarounds to some other supposedly unavoidable conflict[footnote]Much less one that the series itself put a fair amount of effort into suggesting
might be a red herring in the first place[/footnote]. Again, this still isn't a
good ending, if only because it doesn't feel like it's a part of the same script. That said, it isn't nearly as bad as the original release was and is at least defensible now.
