Poll: ME3 EC didn't fix anything

[Ziggy]

Snip

I just finished it and all the changes are not in the final monolog(s). They are sprinkled between Cerberus base mission and the final monolog. While it isn't perfect it is at least a respectable and satisfying ending now. It covers most of the plot holes with outright explanations or changes and leaves room for the others (like why didn't Starchild open citadel) to be solved implicitly. Its a shame it wasn't like this when it was first released.

Spoiler: Minor plot point spoilers

- They explain how the Starchild came to be and what happened to their creator.
- They explain more on the Starchild's Logic.
- You can still disagree with the Starchild's logic and tell him to fuck off now.
- It explains the "Joker running" incident
- It explains why those with you on the planet are now on the Normandy
- It explains a bit more on what the Crucible is how it does what it does. Its still somewhat space magic but it isn't the "Wtf this is bullshit" it was anymore.
- The reapers wipe out all advanced life both synthetic and organic (and store their collective culture and knowledge). They are as much interested in protecting synthetic life as they are in protecting organic life (and thus they don't go around pew pewing all the AI for the same reason they don't pew pew all the monkeys).
- The Relays no longer outright explode, they sort of just fall apart after releasing the colorful wave.
- They mention repeatedly how everything is able to be rebuilt with current technology (especially if you choose control)

The only major thing they don't address is why the StarChild didn't just open the gateway in the beginning (that I found/recall anyway). However he does reference a curiosity and surprise at this cycles organics and that they are unique. His goal also isn't to wipe out all advanced life in the Galaxy but to save it (in his you'll be saved whether you like it or not Starchild way). He implies during your conversation that he has tried and wants other options to succeed but only the harvesting has worked. Thus it isn't out of the realm of possibility that he didn't open the citadel simply because he wanted to see the results of this cycle's organics efforts.

TL;DR: It delivers the closure that the original was missing and covers most if not all of the major plot hole crapapuluza the original ending had. While it isn't my ideal ending it is both satisfying and respectable now. It is just a shame this wasn't the original.

So we shall just pretend that they rebuild all the mass relays in the galaxy before the mass starvation?
Edit: The relays that they have never build before with only military tools.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

They didn't fix anything, I am not surprised. Kinda depressed though.

Being able to shoot the little brat was nice. It is the ending I always felt was right for the series. Shepard spits in the Reapers' eye with his dying breath, the war is lost, and we construct a message like Vigil to warn future generations. The cycle continues. The Star Child and all that is just a hallucination as Shepard is dying.

 

[Kopikatsu]

I never understood the 'OUR CHOICES DIDN'T MATTER' stance. Just because nobody mentions how you cured the genophage or caused the extinction of the Quarians in the last five minutes of the game doesn't mean that your resolutions to those series-spanning issues suddenly didn't happen.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

There's been some development. Fans have already found something interesting in some of the DLC files that might hint to another DLC focusing on the origins of the Reapers, featuring a rogue Reaper and possibly a new squad mate. Now the only question is, is this going to be a DLC, a full expansion or a new game? Or maybe nothing. And if it is a DLC, is it a prequel or post-end DLC. Check it out it's interesting.
http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/355/index/12777408/5

Want to bet this one will actually cost money?

 

[darkbshadow]

I personally enjoyed the new endings. All the old endings were improved. While the Synth ending wasn't the best I still loved EDI's transformation. Don't know what it was, but It just felt like she grew as a character with that ending.

And of course my favorite ending had to be Shoot the Star Child in the face ending... For fact that not only did it hint at that everything the Star Child told you was a lie and was just trying to manipulate you to making the "Good" choices(Synth/Control), but that he might have just been Harbinger and that he really wasn't there the entire time.

I also enjoyed it because they let you talk with Star Child a bit more to understand what exactly is going to happen(minus Synth Ending) and fills in a few of the other plot holes that completely annoyed me before.

 

[Riddle78]

Christ you people are bitter about nothing.

It's cool that you love the Mass Effect series and all, but in actuality, it's not all that important to throw a fit over.

Just make up your own ending for your Shepard if it bothers you that much.

This is the sanest (wo)man of the bunch. It's the ending of the game. Everything is clear as crystal - If you pay attention to the events while you're playing,you don't need the Extended Cut. If you got to the ending,then the rest of the game was at least playable.

You people have no legitimate reason to whine and moan. Deal with it.

 

[Innegativeion]

The only things particularly worthwhile in this dlc number to 3;

ONE:

Spoiler

KROGEN BABEH! We're actually shown a krogan baby. D'aaaw meters to max

TWO:

Spoiler

Hearing the starchild speak with Harbinger's voice in the new ending. I don't see why he couldn't have just been replaced with harby, since that voice suggests that he IS harby or at least directly controls him. That said, the new ending is pretty shit and lazily done (only one new scene, essentially, and it looks like it's in a cave with little to no scenery or action of any kind. Just liara with hologram particle effects

THREE:

Spoiler

A good from from how hilariously lazy, desperate, and contrived each of the hand waves for the inconsistencies from the original ending are. Seriously, when all the action on the run up to the citadel beam stopped so we could slowly hoist liara on the normandy which harbinger just HAPPENED to overlook shooting down, I cracked the eff up.

All the hand waves just serve to show how fucking broken the original ending was.

'OH!, Hackett isn't omniscient, he found out about shepard getting to the citadel from this random dude with a space notebook! The guy who said everyone near the citadel died was fired later. Honest!'

'OH nonononononono the relays weren't destroyed! Just heavily DA-MAGED, see you know that because hackett says so, and because we oh-so subtlety replaced the animation of the relays being destroyed with one of them just losing their spinny ring things. We're so clever'

Only thing it fixed is that we now know your choices don't screw EVERYONE (75% of the time). Not as bad as I'd feared it'd be. Not nearly the ending Mass Effect deserved, still.

 

[Loop Stricken]

There's been some developments. Fans have already found something interesting that might hint to another DLC focusing on the origins of the reapers, featuring a rogue Reaper and possibly a batharian squad mate. Now the only question is, is this going to be a DLC, a full expansion or a new game? Or maybe nothing? Check it out regardless.
http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/355/index/12777408/5

Eww, canadians batarians.

 

[Navvan]

So we shall just pretend that they rebuild all the mass relays in the galaxy before the mass starvation?
Edit: The relays that they have never build before with only military tools.

Also the same technology all space-faring races have adapted for their ship's technology (which allows them to interact with the relays). The same technology that has been adapted to make really great and expensive toothbrushes. The technology that the Asari have studied extensively and are said to be able to completely replicate. I think they can repair the now relatively minor damages since most of the relay is intact. With the same type of equipment they have always had access to since not everyone is in the Sol system, and not all planets were devastated. They also built the crucible with tools. The damage that we're explicitly told can be repaired by the survivors, and that there will be casualties as a result of your action when you ask about it. Yea I think they covered that plot hole.

Also that complaint is only a problem for the "Destroy them" ending and is a non-issue for the other three endings. So if you don't want people going hungry for whatever length of time it takes to fix the relays you can pick one of them.

A) Control has friendly reapers to do all the fixing for you
B) Synthesis has friendly reapers, and everyone is now partly synthetic/organic so they can presumably use a variety of energy sources
C) With Refusal you're all dead anyway.

 

[Bat Vader]

There's been some development. Fans have already found something interesting in some of the DLC files that might hint to another DLC focusing on the origins of the Reapers, featuring a rogue Reaper and possibly a new squad mate. Now the only question is, is this going to be a DLC, a full expansion or a new game? Or maybe nothing. And if it is a DLC, is it a prequel or post-end DLC. Check it out it's interesting.
http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/355/index/12777408/5

That does sound pretty interesting. I would love to get a Rogue Reaper on my side to help in the fight for Earth. That or build a bunch of Star Destroyers,

 

[LTenhet]

Christ you people are bitter about nothing.

It's cool that you love the Mass Effect series and all, but in actuality, it's not all that important to throw a fit over.

Just make up your own ending for your Shepard if it bothers you that much.

This is the sanest (wo)man of the bunch. It's the ending of the game. Everything is clear as crystal - If you pay attention to the events while you're playing,you don't need the Extended Cut. If you got to the ending,then the rest of the game was at least playable.

You people have no legitimate reason to whine and moan. Deal with it.

And that is your -opinion-, people paid 60 bucks for this game and expected certain things from it; whether or not they were overhyped for these things doesn't really matter, but these people here are expressing their opinion and therefor they have legitimate reasons to be upset, because the entire reason this "Extended ending" DLC was made was to appease the people that were upset in the first place (which is likely a majority, if Bioware/EA was willing to put money into making this in the first place) and it failed to do that. That is the reason they are upset. Deal with it.

 

[JediMB]

I saw EC endings on YouTube, and now I'm here to vent.

Endings didn't fix any of the major problems. Plot holes that retroactively destroy the trilogy are still there. These endings were designed to satisfy emotional players who wanted character closure and who don't give a flying fuck about logic behind it all. BECAUSE THERE IS NO LOGIC! It's still the same shit it was before. It's still A, B, C, and now D ending based around the assumptions that synthetics will eventually kill all organics even though I spent 3 games proving that little retard wrong.

Why are so many people happy with this? Did you all forget that the existence of starchild practically turns the entire plot of Mass Effect 1 into one giant plot hole? Why did Sovereign need Saren to fix the Citadel signal if starchild was always there? How did the protheans manage to sabotage the Citadel if the starchild has the ability to get into your head? Should we simply assume that a bunch of protheans were able to do all that and there was nothing the starchild could have done to stop them? We shouldn't assume that, because most people know by now what the original plot was supposed to be. And there was never any starchild in it.

Who created the starchild? Organics? Then why doesn't he simply protect the organics against the synthetics? Why don't the Reapers simply destroy the synthetics? Why are they waiting in dark space? Wouldn't it be easier for them to just roam around the galaxy making sure we don't create A.I.? Seems like an easier solution. And a more logical one.
What if synthetics created the Catalyst? That's even dumber. Synthetics created an A.I in order to protect the organics against the synthetics by killing organics.

Well, with the Rejection ending's revelation that the Star Child is in reality a projection of Harbinger (which makes his claim to be the Catalyst a lie, and the Prothean VI's explanation that the Citadel itself is the Catalyst true by default) some of the problems are sort of straightened out.

What about the Crucible? It's still space magic. It still doesn't make any god damn sense.

Can't you see? As long as the starchild exists, the entire plot of Mass Effect makes no sense. And it's not like Bioware didn't have the easy way out. Jesus fuckin' Christ what a mess.

The poll is broken for some reason. Third option should say "I don't care anymore"

While the Synthesis ending is definitely still space magic, the remaining endings work well enough.

Destruction is some sort of killswitch for all technology driven by Reaper code, which includes EDI and (by the end of ME3) the Geth. It doesn't affect any other synthetics, to my knowledge.

Meanwhile, Control... I suppose... uploads Shepard's consciousness into the Reapers and puts him/her in control of them.

Rejection lets the cycle continue, killing most everyone off, but instead leaves the following cycle with the knowledge needed to defeat the Reapers for real.

With the knowledge that the Star Child was in reality Harbinger, a lot of the natural assumptions made about the Crucible and the ending have to be questioned. At this point I put no faith in him being truthful about their intentions, and figure the Crucible may be a Reaper device intended to (for some reason or another) identify a species or cycle "worthy" of determining its own fate. The Conduit in London was set up by the Reapers as a goal post for Shepard, and Shepard didn't die in front of it because Harbinger let him/her live to face off against the indoctrinated Illusive Man.

I... I'm not saying this is the ending the trilogy deserves. But it's an ending I'm fairly content with, considering how absolutely awful the original ending was. I didn't think I was going to like it, but it even has me thinking about playing the game again, and contemplating which endings would best fit my various Shepards.

 

[Spartan212]

I'm actually satisfied. I didn't like the original ending, but I wasn't all bent out of shape about it. Quite enjoyed the fact that they changed the ending screen from "Buy more DLC" to "We all wuv you guys"

 

[I.Muir]

They had to get rid of the cosmic kid, they did not and to me this means they don't think there's anything wrong with undermining the plot for the entire game by some glowing git (a previously unknown and all powerful character hamfistedely inserted into the game in the small amount of dialog before the last ten minutes of the game and then concluding it shortly after
Everything else is fine, better than before in fact
Reapers would have remained the unknown evil
The story up until then would have been simple and more powerful because of it

 

[natster43]

Eh it delivered enough closure for me so I am fine with it. It definitely wasn't the best ending ever but they made theirs a lot better.

 

[samaugsch]

I saw EC endings on YouTube, and now I'm here to vent.

Endings didn't fix any of the major problems. Plot holes that retroactively destroy the trilogy are still there. These endings were designed to satisfy emotional players who wanted character closure and who don't give a flying fuck about logic behind it all. BECAUSE THERE IS NO LOGIC! It's still the same shit it was before. It's still A, B, C, and now D ending based around the assumptions that synthetics will eventually kill all organics even though I spent 3 games proving that little retard wrong.

Why are so many people happy with this? Did you all forget that the existence of starchild practically turns the entire plot of Mass Effect 1 into one giant plot hole? Why did Sovereign need Saren to fix the Citadel signal if starchild was always there? How did the protheans manage to sabotage the Citadel if the starchild has the ability to get into your head? Should we simply assume that a bunch of protheans were able to do all that and there was nothing the starchild could have done to stop them? We shouldn't assume that, because most people know by now what the original plot was supposed to be. And there was never any starchild in it.

Who created the starchild? Organics? Then why doesn't he simply protect the organics against the synthetics? Why don't the Reapers simply destroy the synthetics? Why are they waiting in dark space? Wouldn't it be easier for them to just roam around the galaxy making sure we don't create A.I.? Seems like an easier solution. And a more logical one.
What if synthetics created the Catalyst? That's even dumber. Synthetics created an A.I in order to protect the organics against the synthetics by killing organics.

What about the Crucible? It's still space magic. It still doesn't make any god damn sense.

Can't you see? As long as the starchild exists, the entire plot of Mass Effect makes no sense. And it's not like Bioware didn't have the easy way out. Jesus fuckin' Christ what a mess.

The poll is broken for some reason. Third option should say "I don't care anymore"

You should also point out that nobody who supports the ending has ever managed to rebuke the points you've made (the counterarguments I hear almost never, if at all, have anything to do with the arguments you, along with plenty of other people, have made). I personally believe that the Reapers were a purely malevolent group of synthetic/organic monstrosities. Also, I support the Indoctrination Theory, even if Bioware doesn't. :3

 

[Phlakes]

le snip

You should also point out that nobody who supports the ending has ever managed to rebuke the points you've made (the counterarguments I hear almost never, if at all, have anything to do with the arguments you, along with plenty of other people, have made).

You must not have been looking very hard, then. Until you're doing the whole cognitive dissonance thing where you just deny anything that could possibly go against your opinion.

 

[samaugsch]

le snip

You should also point out that nobody who supports the ending has ever managed to rebuke the points you've made (the counterarguments I hear almost never, if at all, have anything to do with the arguments you, along with plenty of other people, have made).

You must not have been looking very hard, then. Until you're doing the whole cognitive dissonance thing where you just deny anything that could possibly go against your opinion.

I probably just forgot about some of the more effective counter arguments.

 

[zehydra]

I'm kind of scared that the story of the game matters so much to you people.

When LOST finished with a lousy ending, I didn't feel as if it ruined the show for me, nor did I go demanding a different ending, though I suppose I didn't pay for it either.

I'm reluctant to ever get the Mass Effect games because, I dunno, I keep getting the vibe from people that the story is what matters most in it, and that to me, is a bad sign.

 

[Scorpid]

I would point out that they said it wouldn't change the fundamental ending and would just expand on the events that happened. While I think the ending is better then it was before, I still don't think it's the ending the players and story deserved. BUT it's probably the best you'll get from a shitty corporation like EA who apparently have no idea how to market games. It's now moving on time and looking forward to a new game... Maybe a game like Wasteland 2 currently in development. Also if you don't like EA wrecking your favored franchises I would simply stop buying their games. They'll get the picture or no longer be top dog in Triple AAA video gaming.