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Aske · May 6, 2012

Veezy said:
Seriously, even if it's true, which it's probably not due to the amount of credit you'd have to give Bioware (the the amount of forgiveness you'd have to give them for not including a pretty important story element), it's still shoddy writing because nothing we did matters. At all.

On the contrary - it returns meaning to the 60 hours of gameplay that the ending that we currently have renders moot.

Only the very final section of the game is a dream, when Shepard is drawn up into the Citadel. And the theory is only valid if fulfilled with a true ending. Saying "it was just a dream!" is not a better way to view the crap we were given; it's a hope for a proper ending that follows on from what we have. It's more of a prediction than simply an alternative interpretation as it stands.

Some people think the current ending is exactly as it appears, and any extra content will build on the destroyed relays and synthesis/control idea; others believe choosing to destroy the reapers represents more than the current ending presents at face value, and will be a springboard to an ending in which we don't have to fuck up the galaxy to stop the invaders.

riceandbeans · May 6, 2012

Zeitgeister said:
What are they supposed to do with the franchise with the ending they made? Landfill all extra copies somewhere in the Nevada dessert with a sign that says: "NEVER AGAIN"?

I wonder if EA wanted to get rid of the franchise, because it doesn't fit their 'needs' with Bioware. (which, looking at the marketing budget, I doubt very much. So then the question becomes: why did they let it happen? Why spend so much money on a future dodo? )

There's no way EA would let a multi-million selling franchise with an established fanbase end. Shitty ending or not, fans will still buy another ME game in droves. Possibly Bioware made an ending that was very hard to work around so they could put off making a sequel until EA demands or they ran out of time due to main writers leaving and EA forcing deadlines judging by all the cut content. Were definitely going to see more Mass Effect games with a heavier focus on multiplayer and maybe even a direct sequel following the other squadmates.

Captain Tuttle · May 6, 2012

riceandbeans said:
There's no way EA would let a multi-million selling franchise with an established fanbase end. Shitty ending or not, fans will still buy another ME game in droves.

You know what? This is the strongest argument for the Indoctrination theory that I've seen

DTKT · May 6, 2012

riceandbeans said:
There's no way EA would let a multi-million selling franchise with an established fanbase end. Shitty ending or not, fans will still buy another ME game in droves. Possibly Bioware made an ending that was very hard to work around so they could put off making a sequel until EA demands or they ran out of time due to main writers leaving and EA forcing deadlines judging by all the cut content. Were definitely going to see more Mass Effect games with a heavier focus on multiplayer and maybe even a direct sequel following the other squadmates.

The ending doesn't matter when you are doing prequels and spin-off games. Casey Hudson said as much in the "Final Hours" app.

HadesGigas · May 6, 2012

DTKT said:
The ending doesn't matter when you are doing prequels and spin-off games. Casey Hudson said as much in the "Final Hours" app.

It matters in a "everyone in this prequel dies in 2 years, so why bother?" way, I guess.

Rufus · May 6, 2012

Captain Tuttle said:
You know what? This is the strongest argument for the Indoctrination theory that I've seen

Not ending the franchise doesn't mean that they are going to continue the story past the events of ME3.

Adam Blade · May 6, 2012

Marauder Shields is soooo freaking annoying on Insanity. I'm on like try 15 now. -_-

Dany · May 6, 2012

Adam Blade said:
Marauder Shields is soooo freaking annoying on Insanity. I'm on like try 15 now. -_-

Hah, yeah, I had to stop and pick it up the next day. He's a serious asshole. The recoil on the pistol I had was shit.

foladar · May 6, 2012

Adam Blade said:
Marauder Shields is soooo freaking annoying on Insanity. I'm on like try 15 now. -_-

I'd probably lose it by then, I was getting irritated after death 2 on Insanity with that guy.

televator · May 6, 2012

It actually makes me happy that Maruder is doing his job so well on insanity. Haha!

riceandbeans · May 6, 2012

HadesGigas said:
It matters in a "everyone in this prequel dies in 2 years, so why bother?" way, I guess.

It's still possible. I haven't beaten Bioshock, but from what I gather, we all know Rapture ends up as a pretty fucked up place and they managed to pull off a prequel. The same can be done with Mass Effect and fly eating Salarians and stock photo, three fingered, human looking Quarians.

John Harker · May 6, 2012

"final bosses" and 'epic last battles' are so damn cliche anyway, I'm glad there wasn't one like that here... I'm totally cool with a narrative driven final encounter like we got with .

Besides, that long ass gauntlet of enemies prior to rushing the Beam was so damn annoying, I didn't even WANT to fight anymore

Mutanthands · May 6, 2012

riceandbeans said:
It's still possible. I haven't beaten Bioshock, but from what I gather, we all know Rapture ends up as a pretty fucked up place and they managed to pull off a prequel.

Bioshock 2 was a sequel, set 10 years later. Bioshock Infinite is in a completely different setting, with no shared characters, and likely not even in the same universe. It's about as much a prequel to Bioshock as Bioshock was to System Shock.

Gazzawa · May 6, 2012

John Harker said:
"final bosses" and 'epic last battles' are so damn cliche anyway, I'm glad there wasn't one like that here... I'm totally cool with a narrative driven final encounter like we got with .

Besides, that long ass gauntlet of enemies prior to rushing the Beam was so damn annoying, I didn't even WANT to fight anymore

Fighting off a whole bunch of ravagers and banshees felt climactic enough for me.

Bisnic · May 6, 2012

Gazzawa said:
Fighting off a whole bunch of ravagers and banshees felt climactic enough for me.

I'd rather fight these with a team of 4 to revive me like in multiplayer matches than a lot of Game Over screens.

Gazzawa · May 6, 2012

Bisnic said:
I'd rather fight these with a team of 4 to revive me like in multiplayer matches than a lot of Game Over screens.

haha pro tip: when in doubt- biotic charge it out.
Cleared that last bit on insanity with that trick alone.

utsavinheaven · May 6, 2012

Gazzawa said:
Fighting off a whole bunch of ravagers and banshees felt climactic enough for me.

ya absence of boss was there,but u had an army to worry abt.
They implement the indoctrination theory and give us an epic ending then everything is forgiven.

Gui_PT · May 6, 2012

utsavinheaven said:
They implement the indoctrination theory and give us an epic ending then everything is forgiven.

W..why?

nel e nel · May 6, 2012

Rachni Wars
Krogan Rebellion
First Contact War

Boom! The Mass Effect Prequelogy.

Dresden · May 6, 2012

utsavinheaven said:
They implement the indoctrination theory and give us an epic ending then everything is forgiven.

How can they implement something that is already there?

Rufus · May 6, 2012

Argh.

nel e nel said:
Rachni Wars
Krogan Rebellion
First Contact War

Boom! The Mass Effect Prequelogy.

Only the First Contact War features humans, so if anything it's going to be a game about that.

The Broken Ska Record · May 6, 2012

I'd much rather have a story that doesn't focus on Humans again. One of the things I liked about the Mass Effect games were the different races.

DodgyGeezerFella · May 6, 2012

Bloody controversy surrounding the ending, its got my mind going now !

The indoctrination theory would, for me, actually make it a pretty good ending, it would make certain things in the game seem .... smarter. For example the whole, earth boy death thing, when i played the demo i just saw it as a tacky way of slapping some emotion in the players face, but if this was the indoctrination thing, it would have tied very nicely into the whole series.

Then youve also got the Shepherd survives cut scene, where his body looks like its on the ground in the rubble where the teleport beam thing was to the citadel. Doesnt the citadel explode if you go the destroy ending (which is how you get the Shepherd survives thing) ? He would be floating in space not in the middle of some rubble

Of course, this could just be BioWare throwing it in there as a nice thing and hoping nobody really asked questions.

Probably looking too much into it and ..... hoping, bah.

Complistic · May 6, 2012

the indoctrination theory doesn't make the ending good. if it's true shepard was just taking a nap and the reapers are still there. That ending sucks just as much in a different way.

Gui_PT · May 6, 2012

Complistic said:
the indoctrination theory doesn't make the ending good. if it's true shepard was just taking a nap and the reapers are still there. That ending sucks just as much in a different way.

Yeah the indoctrination theory would mean the game has no ending

shepard fell asleep. what happened to the war and everyone else? welp who cares? the indoctrination theory ending would be enough, right?!

Hope bioware doesn't listen to fans like this

Complistic · May 6, 2012

what I would be for is remaking the ending so that what we've played is actually shepard being indoctrinated, then you can wake up and then actually finish the game. Would be a great mind fuck.

Kill Your Masters · May 6, 2012

Gui_PT said:
shepard fell asleep.

Shepard took a nap on Eden Prime while Saren got a ticket from Nihlus for parking his big-ass Spaceship on the wrong planet. Mission Accomplished, Shepard goes back to Earth/Colony/Spaceship. Three unique endings.

WrenchNinja · May 6, 2012

Rufus said:
Argh.

Only the First Contact War features humans, so if anything it's going to be a game about that.

The first contact war wasn't much of a war, most of the galaxy did not give a shit and the turians consider it a minor conflict at best. Its humans who get all up and arms about it because they're whiny babies.

But I'm sure bioware will retcon it into some massive galactic war.

Rapstah · May 6, 2012

Crewnh said:
The first contact war wasn't much of a war, most of the galaxy did not give a shit and the turians consider it a minor conflict at best. Its humans who get all up and arms about it because they're whiny babies.

But I'm sure bioware will retcon it into some massive galactic war.

They'll do that and somehow have the fat Reaper that TIM keeps viewing pictures of be involved.

The Tofunator · May 6, 2012

Rapstah said:
They'll do that and somehow have the fat Reaper that TIM keeps viewing pictures of be involved.

Wasn't that Harbinger?

Bornstellar · May 7, 2012

Complistic said:
what I would be for is remaking the ending so that what we've played is actually shepard being indoctrinated, then you can wake up and then actually finish the game. Would be a great mind ****.

This is what I'm hoping for and why I endorse the IT. The alternative is a crappy nonsensical ending that really happened forever.

Rapstah · May 7, 2012

The Tofunator said:
Wasn't that Harbinger?

No, it's a different design. You get holograms of it in the Firebase White N7 mission. It's to the lower left of Harbinger in the ME2 end cut scene:

kingkaiser · May 7, 2012

Just the DLC-Ending i'm hoping for:

During the meeting with space-boy
Garrus crashes with a Mako into the Citadel

Garrus: Shepard you gotta come back with me
Shepard: Where?
Garrus: Back to the future!
Shepard: Wait a minute, what are doing Garrus
Garrus: (while cramming space-boy into the flux capacitor) I need fuel Shepardand now get in the car
Shepard: Hey wait, I just got here, the reapers are still around and I got to stop them
Garrus: Yeah, with the power of the rainbowjust get in the car
Shepard: What are you talking? What happens to me in the future? Will I become an asshole or something?
Garrus: (silent for a moment) oh no no no, you will turn out fine, just deadbut no its about Blastosomethings gotta been done with Blasto

Both are in the Mako ready to start

Shepard: Hey, shouldnt we fly to a mass relay?
Garrus: Mass relay? Where we are going, we dont have mass relays.

While lifting off with the MakoJames Vega suddenly appears

Vega: Hey Sheppard, I just wanted to show you this cool new tattoo anda flying Mako? What the hell is going on here?

End Credits

riceandbeans · May 7, 2012

Crewnh said:
The first contact war wasn't much of a war, most of the galaxy did not give a shit and the turians consider it a minor conflict at best. Its humans who get all up and arms about it because they're whiny babies.

But I'm sure bioware will retcon it into some massive galactic war.

Well, the Turians did open fire on them. Not a great first impression when meeting a new intelligent species. It was only a month(?) long conflict so I doubt Bioware could stretch it out that much.

Considering Bioware hadn't fucked up the Illusive Man so much in Mass Effect 3, they could've done an interesting First Contact War story on his background, how he built Cerberus, and delved a bit into Miranda in some sort of spinoff or expansion. Now, I really don't care much for his character.

Complistic · May 7, 2012

kingkaiser said:
Just the DLC-Ending i'm hoping for:

During the meeting with space-boy
Garrus crashes with a Mako into the Citadel

Garrus: Shepard you gotta come back with me
Shepard: Where?
Garrus: Back to the future!
Shepard: Wait a minute, what are doing Garrus
Garrus: (while cramming space-boy into the flux capacitor) I need fuel Shepardand now get in the car
Shepard: Hey wait, I just got here, the reapers are still around and I got to stop them
Garrus: Yeah, with the power of the rainbowjust get in the car
Shepard: What are you talking? What happens to me in the future? Will I become an asshole or something?
Garrus: (silent for a moment) oh no no no, you will turn out fine, just deadbut no its about Blastosomethings gotta been done with Blasto

Both are in the Mako ready to start

Shepard: Hey, shouldnt we fly to a mass relay?
Garrus: Mass relay? Where we are going, we dont have mass relays.

While lifting off with the MakoJames Vega suddenly appears

Vega: Hey Sheppard, I just wanted to show you this cool new tattoo anda flying Mako? What the hell is going on here?

End Credits

print it

Gui_PT · May 7, 2012

kingkaiser said:
Just the DLC-Ending i'm hoping for:

During the meeting with space-boy
Garrus crashes with a Mako into the Citadel

Garrus: Shepard you gotta come back with me
Shepard: Where?
Garrus: Back to the future!
Shepard: Wait a minute, what are doing Garrus
Garrus: (while cramming space-boy into the flux capacitor) I need fuel Shepardand now get in the car
Shepard: Hey wait, I just got here, the reapers are still around and I got to stop them
Garrus: Yeah, with the power of the rainbowjust get in the car
Shepard: What are you talking? What happens to me in the future? Will I become an asshole or something?
Garrus: (silent for a moment) oh no no no, you will turn out fine, just deadbut no its about Blastosomethings gotta been done with Blasto

Both are in the Mako ready to start

Shepard: Hey, shouldnt we fly to a mass relay?
Garrus: Mass relay? Where we are going, we dont have mass relays.

While lifting off with the MakoJames Vega suddenly appears

Vega: Hey Sheppard, I just wanted to show you this cool new tattoo anda flying Mako? What the hell is going on here?

End Credits

Would pay for this

NHale · May 7, 2012

Bornstellar said:
This is what I'm hoping for and why I endorse the IT. The alternative is a crappy nonsensical ending that really happened forever.

But if they go that route it means they deliberately released the game with an incomplete ending because they don't explain what really happened while Shepard was sleeping on a pile of trash.

Quite frankly to me that's even more insulting than the ending we got, because that would mean that they released an incomplete game and those that don't have their console connected to the internet or are aware of a DLC will never know the true ending for the game and will forever believe that Starchild actually exists.

Bornstellar · May 7, 2012

NHale said:
But if they go that route it means they deliberately released the game with an incomplete ending because they don't explain what really happened while Shepard was sleeping on a pile of trash.

Quite frankly to me that's even more insulting than the ending we got, because that would mean that they released an incomplete game and those that don't have their console connected to the internet or are aware of a DLC will never know the true ending for the game and will forever believe that Starchild actually exists.

I'm okay with that alternative so long as I get to play the true ending. /selfish

televator · May 7, 2012

Bornstellar said:
I'm okay with that alternative so long as I get to play the true ending. /selfish

I'm actually with you on this. I don't think BW will do it, but I think it's the only thing that could actually remove the suck from the ending we do have. It would be ideal, but IT is not worth getting your hopes up for.

Gazzawa · May 7, 2012

kingkaiser said:
Just the DLC-Ending i'm hoping for:

During the meeting with space-boy
Garrus crashes with a Mako into the Citadel

Garrus: Shepard you gotta come back with me
Shepard: Where?
Garrus: Back to the future!
Shepard: Wait a minute, what are doing Garrus
Garrus: (while cramming space-boy into the flux capacitor) I need fuel Shepardand now get in the car
Shepard: Hey wait, I just got here, the reapers are still around and I got to stop them
Garrus: Yeah, with the power of the rainbowjust get in the car
Shepard: What are you talking? What happens to me in the future? Will I become an asshole or something?
Garrus: (silent for a moment) oh no no no, you will turn out fine, just deadbut no its about Blastosomethings gotta been done with Blasto

Both are in the Mako ready to start

Shepard: Hey, shouldnt we fly to a mass relay?
Garrus: Mass relay? Where we are going, we dont have mass relays.

While lifting off with the MakoJames Vega suddenly appears

Vega: Hey Sheppard, I just wanted to show you this cool new tattoo anda flying Mako? What the hell is going on here?

End Credits

Ship it.

spekkeh · May 7, 2012

kingkaiser said:
Just the DLC-Ending i'm hoping for:

I'd pay full price.

nel e nel · May 8, 2012

Rufus said:
Argh.

Only the First Contact War features humans, so if anything it's going to be a game about that.

Yeah, but they basically prototyped the other species with the MP in 3. Just spitballin...

PinkCrayon · May 8, 2012

nel e nel said:
Yeah, but they basically prototyped the other species with the MP in 3. Just spitballin...

There's no way EA marketing would let Bioware create a humanless ME. "How can the player connect with the main character if he/she isn't human?!!?"

hateradio · May 8, 2012

PinkCrayon said:
There's no way EA marketing would let Bioware create a humanless ME. "How can the player connect with the main character if he/she isn't human?!!?"

I'm pretty sure EA wouldn't care. It's BW that has a problem removing the spotlight that they themselves put on humans.

rozay · May 8, 2012

hateradio said:
I'm pretty sure EA wouldn't care. It's BW that has a problem removing the spotlight that they themselves put on humans.

They removed a good portion of the spotlight, though-"humans are special" isn't a huge part of the plot like it was in ME2. Marketing and focus testing will ensure that humans are in the game for the average joe to be able to relate to the game.

hateradio · May 8, 2012

They can always focus on the Asari, since they look human enough.

John Harker · May 8, 2012

rozay said:
They removed a good portion of the spotlight, though-"humans are special" isn't a huge part of the plot like it was in ME2. Marketing and focus testing will ensure that humans are in the game for the average joe to be able to relate to the game.

In how many blockbuster games do you even play as a non-human character anymore?
I seriously doubt that will happen here, too much at risk. We barely even have any african american characters, asian, or whatnot. Too many xenophobes out there (alienphobes?)

rozay · May 8, 2012

John Harker said:
In how many blockbuster games do you even play as a non-human character anymore?
I seriously doubt that will happen here, too much at risk. We barely even have any african american characters, asian, or whatnot. Too many xenophobes out there (alienphobes?)

that's what I meant to say in the last sentence of my post. it's the same reason we have fucking jessica chobot as a fully rendered in game model and a stock photo for tali's face.

Gui_PT · May 8, 2012

rozay said:
that's what I meant to say in the last sentence of my post. it's the same reason we have fucking jessica chobot as a fully rendered in game model and a stock photo for tali's face.

I would play a game with Jessica Chobot as the main character

Or would I?

Gazzawa · May 8, 2012

Gui_PT said:
I would play a game with Jessica Chobot as the main character

Or would I?

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