[malfcn]

I barely even remember Cerberus in ME1. It was so long ago, or I must have dismissed them.

[AHA-Lambda]

The fact of the matter is that there was absolutely no way this series was going to have a completely "satisfying" ending simply because of the inherent nature of the situation. Every possible ending would have involved some kind of eye-rolling deus ex machina type trope.

This. When they've established a big sci-fi universe like Mass Effect's with civilization destroying impossible to defeat enemies like the Reapers, there was always going to be a deus ex machina cop out somewhere.

My bigger problem with ME3 is all the other cop outs it made, and some other recent bioware games as well.

[dankir]

It goes that Reapers were created to stop the spread of Dark Energy, which would ultimately destroy everything. That's why Reapers, every 50,000 years or so, processed (turned into a Reaper) an entire species - to slow the spread of Dark Energy. The Human Reaper was to be the last throw of the dice for the Reapers. The ending of Mass Effect 3 would be you deciding whether to sacrifice the entire human race, and create a Human Reaper, or take your chances that humanity could come up with another alternative.

Now that's a moral decision if I ever saw one.

[AHA-Lambda]

I never liked that BS in ME2 about why the human race was the only suitable race to Reaper-ize.

Weren't they harvesting others as well, sorry? I forget but that's what I thought =/

[Bisnic]

Weren't they harvesting others as well, sorry? I forget but that's what I thought =/

If by "harvesting", you mean transforming them into monsters like in ME3, sure.

[Patryn]

Weren't they harvesting others as well, sorry? I forget but that's what I thought =/

No. Only the humans were being harvested to become a Reaper. I posted earlier the in-game explanations for why the other races were rejected.

[AHA-Lambda]

If by "harvesting", you mean transforming them into monsters like in ME3, sure.

Sorry I meant reaperising, reading the past page though I see what they're reasons were. Still sounds like a cop out.

[Metalic]

Mass Effect is a series that died to me and have no care for it anymore , it could've told a timeless story but instead it turned into a cooperate sellout.

[Cat Party]

I share a lot of the annoyance over the ME3 ending, but I'll always support it because they tried to do something different by having there be no "good ending." I've debated with people about the details and there's no need for more of that, but I appreciated that approach, holes and all.

[emag]

This. When they've established a big sci-fi universe like Mass Effect's with civilization destroying impossible to defeat enemies like the Reapers, there was always going to be a deus ex machina cop out somewhere. My bigger problem with ME3 is all the other cop outs it made, and some other recent bioware games as well.

Having played through the game launch week with two wildly different imported characters, I was baffled that gamers focus such criticism on the ending when none of your choices had any effect on the rest of the game. Oh, you killed the Rachni queen? Well, the Reapers built a clone. Shot Wrex? No problem -- his brother will be his surrogate. Never activated Legion? Here's a copy!

[subversus]

I didn't like Karpyshyn's writing that much but it had a nerve.

it's missing now.

[Bisnic]

Having played through the game launch week with two wildly different imported characters, I was baffled that gamers focus such criticism on the ending when none of your choices had any effect on the rest of the game. Oh, you killed the Rachni queen? Well, the Reapers built a clone. Shot Wrex? No problem -- his brother will be his surrogate. Never activated Legion? Here's a copy!

True, i think i can count on one hand the number of times where past decisions of ME1 and ME2 really had an effect in ME3 that you can't get otherwise. Like securing peace between the Quarians and Geths or making sure Mordin can stay alive.

Their original goal of doing a trilogy where past choices would have importance was too much to complete in only a few years. I doubt they will do this ever again.

[Crewnh]

Neither of which amount to anything in the final battle.

[nel e nel]

I think I read about this before. Good to see it come up again.

Yeah, Drew wrote this blog post on his site way back in March or April. (maybe May?)

[TheKaeptain]

This just feeds my "Mass Effect = Gurren-Lagann" conspiracy theory.

what?

[GlassBox]

Trying to write a trilogy with completely different writers just seems stupid on the face of it.

[AHA-Lambda]

Having played through the game launch week with two wildly different imported characters, I was baffled that gamers focus such criticism on the ending when none of your choices had any effect on the rest of the game. Oh, you killed the Rachni queen? Well, the Reapers built a clone. Shot Wrex? No problem -- his brother will be his surrogate. Never activated Legion? Here's a copy!

Yes! This bothered me far more than the ending ever did! I still think ME3 is a good and very enjoyable game but you can see where all the corners were cut.

Stock photos used for Tali's face and in the ending
EMS having minimal/no effect on the ending & the heavy emphasis on MP if you did care (despite bioware saying you didn't need to play it)
ALL of the side quests that didn't involve your past team mates where just fetch quests that you overheard walking through the citadel (this one even at the time really bugged me as being lazy as hell)
Mining for resources was stripped back & the door hacking was removed entirely
Save imports doing nothing apart from determining team mates fates. Did the Collector's base choice actually determine anything? Even if your Shepherd died in ME2 it affects nothing, it just means you can't import that save for ME3. Again that just struck me as lazy and a big cop out after how they made it seem like your choices from ME2 would be majorly impactful.

True, i think i can count on one hand the number of times where past decisions of ME1 and ME2 really had an effect in ME3 that you can't get otherwise. Like securing peace between the Quarians and Geths or making sure Mordin can stay alive.

Yes, these moments really did make me feel like ME3 was a great game and my choices did make a difference but they were slim pickings in a trilogy of games spanning 5 years. But as impactful as these moments were did they ultimately change anything in the endgame? no.

I like the ME series alot but I can't say the experience hasn't soured me towards bioware as a developer, and I know I am not the only one on that.

[Run-M-Run]

Never activated Legion? Here's a copy!

Wow, I just youtubed that and.. just wow.

[FStop7]

I kind of figured that they were making it up as they went along when the Cerberus of ME2 bared little to no resemblance of the Cerberus of ME1.

And then the Cerberus of ME3 went from a cash-strapped minimalistic network of covert agents to an army larger than many small countries.

Cerberus in ME1: A rogue group of Alliance spec ops

Cerberus in ME2: A much larger shadow organization with all kinds of intelligence and R&D capabilities, multiple space stations, the wealth to create and execute a project to resurrect a dead man, plus a fair number of sympathizers in the Alliance - the last part makes NO sense considering Cerberus was wantonly killing Alliance soldiers in ME1. They killed a squad of Marines by setting a beacon on top of a thresher maw nest, and then they killed Admiral Kahoku. Why would anyone in the Alliance support that?

Cerberus in ME3: An army of cannon fodder, disposable goons

None of those changes make any sense.

[King of the Potato People]

Dark Energy pfff, even firing excrement at the Reapers with a catapult to defeat them would have been better than what we originally got.

[TacticalFox88]

Mass Effect=Legacy of Half-fulfilled potential

[The Tofunator]

Ugh, Mass Effect. Feels like I wasted years of my life being emotionally invested in absolute crap. At this point, the only joy I get from Mass Effect is laughing at the remaining deluded fans and people who actually think the ending was great.

[Gui_PT]

Ugh, Mass Effect. Feels like I wasted years of my life being emotionally invested in absolute crap. At this point, the only joy I get from Mass Effect is laughing at the remaining deluded fans and people who actually think the ending was great.

That's a troll review, right?

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

That's a troll review, right?

No :(

Stupid format aside, it's the real deal.

[Gui_PT]

No :( Stupid format aside, it's the real deal.

[Bisnic]

No :( Stupid format aside, it's the real deal.

THE ORIGINAL ENDING OF MASS EFFECT 3 IS BEAUTIFUL, STUNNING AND POETIC.

Right. As much as i like all 3 games, that's just bullshit.

[Rufus]

Trying to write a trilogy with completely different writers just seems stupid on the face of it.

Seems to work for TV at least. Dunno how they work though. Maybe they have clear outlines for both the plot and characters to work from.

[TheExorzist]

I don't really understand how BioWare can start a new series, announces it to be a trilogy from the start but doesn't come up with the ending immediately. It's stupid and against what almost every professional writer is saying: Know your ending!

[Rufus]

So much of how games are produced seems ass backwards, but the pros seems convinced that there's no way to make it work any other way.

Ugh, Mass Effect. Feels like I wasted years of my life being emotionally invested in absolute crap. At this point, the only joy I get from Mass Effect is laughing at the remaining deluded fans and people who actually think the ending was great.

Rare to see a decent comments section. I don't read his stuff (don't care about movies), but is that the usual tone there? Seems like a nice place.

[beat]

No :( Stupid format aside, it's the real deal.

Goddamn. I've thought very highly of Film Crit Hulk before (though I honestly wish he or she would drop the gimmick), but this one is dumb.

YOU HAVE TO STRIVE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS PRESENTED WHEN WHAT IS PRESENTED IS THIS THEMATICALLY COHERENT AND BEAUTIFUL.

But it's not remotely "thematically coherent". WTF was FCH smoking?

[animlboogy]

I'm glad he brought up the Sherlock Holmes example. That leapt to mind, as well as Marvel/DC comics, as examples where when you have something long-running and serialized in some way, fans will make themselves heard. It has been obnoxious seeing people assign that to some kind of bullshit "entitled gamers" narrative. Fans of anything behave this way, and have had changes drastically affect stories because of their vocal demands.

[I H8 Memes]

Dark energy ending still sounds kind of bad. You have to sacrifice all of humanity? Not just half or even 90%? How convenient. Fits right in with the multiple instances of "this person dies or that person dies" plot points in ME3. So contrived that it ruins the atmosphere. Pulls you right out of the game to see the developers hand so clumsily directing the events.


But at least this explains why the ME2 dark energy Tali storyline was just completely dropped from ME3.

[Lime]

Goddamn. I've thought very highly of Film Crit Hulk before (though I honestly wish he or she would drop the gimmick), but this one is dumb. But it's not remotely "thematically coherent". WTF was FCH smoking?

Film Critic Hulk

He might write insightful posts on the various aspects of crafting a well-made film, but I don't think he's sufficiently experienced and knowledgeable about the digital games medium to form valid and sound statements regarding it.

[EmCeeGramr]

Ugh, Mass Effect. Feels like I wasted years of my life being emotionally invested in absolute crap. At this point, the only joy I get from Mass Effect is laughing at the remaining deluded fans and people who actually think the ending was great.

FCH really shat the bad on that one. Him practically breaking down into tears over the idea that Mass Effect 3's ending is some beautiful yet fragile flower, blossoming into poetry, crushed by heartless monsters, is laughable.

[Lime]

FCH really shat the bad on that one. Him practically breaking down into tears over the idea that Mass Effect 3's ending is some beautiful yet fragile flower, blossoming into poetry, crushed by heartless monsters, is laughable.

Yeah, either he was high on sniffing car fumes or he didn't have any idea or understanding about what he was writing about. Because the ending of ME3 is pretty much an example of an objective and universal aesthetic judgement. It's that bad.

[_Keiichi_]

Ugh, Mass Effect. Feels like I wasted years of my life being emotionally invested in absolute crap. At this point, the only joy I get from Mass Effect is laughing at the remaining deluded fans and people who actually think the ending was great.

Ohohoh

[Fowler]

I kinda totally love the idea of Dark Energy being the Reapers' purpose and goal. Aside from offering a great final choice, it removes the stupid Organics vs Synthetics theme to the ending which is 1) insanely cliched and 2) not in keeping with the rest of the game, given that my ending had the Catalyst saying Organics and Synthetics will always be in conflict while the geth and quarians are fighting TOGETHER in the background. That bit always bugged the hell out of me.

[br0ken_shad0w]

Seems to work for TV at least. Dunno how they work though. Maybe they have clear outlines for both the plot and characters to work from.

That's debatable.

I will say if you want Mass Effect done right, watch Babylon 5.

[Lime]

Ohohoh

Is that an IGN review?

[nel e nel]

Film Critic Hulk He might write insightful posts on the various aspects of crafting a well-made film, but I don't think he's sufficiently experienced and knowledgeable about the digital games medium to form valid and sound statements regarding it.

Right, because the only valid opinions on Mass Effect are the ones that validate your own.

I really don't care if anyone likes or hates the ending of ME3, but the whole shitstorm of people trying so desperately to prove that their opinion is the right one is what really brought down the experience of the game to me.

[GrizzNKev]

Ohohoh

This can't be real. Please.

[Rufus]

I kinda totally love the idea of Dark Energy being the Reapers' purpose and goal. Aside from offering a great final choice, it removes the stupid Organics vs Synthetics theme to the ending which is 1) insanely cliched and 2) not in keeping with the rest of the game, given that my ending had the Catalyst saying Organics and Synthetics will always be in conflict while the geth and quarians are fighting TOGETHER in the background. That bit always bugged the hell out of me.

That magic element which makes all this great technology possible? Yeah, it has a horrible downside you guys. Failing that, I would have taken a simple "Reapers entirely self-interested/evil, destroy them" over what we got, too.

And it wouldn't undermine the Reaper's allusions to something greater, something incomprehensible, something that takes undying machine gods untold millions of years to find a solution to. Also, they wouldn't actually have to explain shit. Nobody every explained how Eezo actually works, just that it does and what it does. It was sufficient in that. And as much of a Space Jesus as Shep is, it would have been great to have to decide how to go forward from there, knowing that there's no solution in sight. Can't Renegade interrupt the heat death of the universe, buddy. Now decide the fate of the universe. Taking charge is your thing, right? Good luck (and show some humility for a change).

[DTKT]

Right, because the only valid opinions on Mass Effect are the ones that validate your own. I really don't care if anyone likes or hates the ending of ME3, but the whole shitstorm of people trying so desperately to prove that their opinion is the right one is what really brought down the experience of the game to me.

How does that even make sense? Just don't read forums? I fail to see how the opinions of faceless individuals on the internet impact your game experience.

So silly.

[Rufus]

Doubt is a powerful thing. (Also peer pressure, but I'm going with doubt on this one.)

[WonkersTHEWatilla]

Ugh, Mass Effect. Feels like I wasted years of my life being emotionally invested in absolute crap. At this point, the only joy I get from Mass Effect is laughing at the remaining deluded fans and people who actually think the ending was great.

Apart from gaf, the comments section in that article offers some of the best discourse on the ending ive yet seen.

[Lime]

Right, because the only valid opinions on Mass Effect are the ones that validate your own. I really don't care if anyone likes or hates the ending of ME3, but the whole shitstorm of people trying so desperately to prove that their opinion is the right one is what really brought down the experience of the game to me.

His postulated opinion is invalid and unsound, I was trying to explain why he was prone to mistakes when dealing with something he is not familiar with or does not have much knowledge about. Like a biologist expressing invalid opinions about astrophysics.

[_Keiichi_]

This can't be real. Please.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Bioware confessions.



http://biowareconfessions.tumblr.com/

[Meccanical]

-20 Faith in humanity

[nel e nel]

Doubt is a powerful thing. (Also peer pressure, but I'm going with doubt on this one.)

It's not so much doubt as it was ridiculous how hard everyone was trying to justify their subjective opinions. If you didn't like it you didn't like it. There didn't need to make all of these ad nauseum arguments (which really just recycled the same salient points over and over again) to try and 'win' some non-argument.

My guess was that it was backlash to all the 'entitled' remarks thrown around by irresponsible journalists. Which makes it even more ironic since alot of those same folks generally seem to hold gaming journalists in low regard, so why would they care so much to try and refute them?

[beat]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Bioware confessions. http://biowareconfessions.tumblr.com/

You don't have to use Javik! Just his wonderful gun.