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Mass Effect 3 Spoiler Thread |OT2| Taste the Rainbow

Kud Dukan

Member
Just finished the game. Overall I really enjoyed it, but that ending definitely left a bad taste in my mouth. I chose the Synthesis, but from what I can tell, I wouldn't have been very satisfied with any of the other endings. Which is too bad, because up until the last five minutes or so, I was really enjoying the game.
 
Yeesh guys, it's just a game. No need to overthink the lack of a helmet cam for the sake of the plot. Some genres require a certain about of disbelief suspension. I mean, Dark energy/matter is just a hypothesis and still hasn't been 'found' yet. FTL travel is - as far as we know - technically impossible. Fembots have robo-ginas.

Be like water.

But this isn't even a matter of "why don't they have X yet if it's the future?". Their suits do record things, and the game even brings it up.
 
people looking for logical consistency in this series shouldn't have started playing it in the first place. I avoided the first game for a long time because I found it looking extremely derivative, cringeworthy and dumb. But then I watched first 20 minutes on Gamersyde, saw Shepard punching the dude into stomach and immediately went online to buy PC to play that game.

Why I loved Mass Effect:

1)I was an important dude who kicked intergalactic ass
2)Music
3)Dialogue delivery - I just finished Vampires Masquerade Bloodlines and was craving for more RPGs with good VA and decent facial animations.
4)Epic scale of my decisions
5)It was my first Bioware game and I didn't know their tropes and style.
6)Shepard looked and act like he didn't give a fuck because nobody in their right mind would act like this being in his place.

See, I don't list "incredible writing", "fantastic story", "deep RPG mechanics" there. What I wanted from this game is to be an intergalactic badass who could control the flow of events, that is all. The first two games worked for me because I was sure that I will see an outcome in the third game. And the third game hasn't delivered it (while dropping the overall quality).

The whole premise about the ancient race of machines looking like ticks is lol-worthy to begin with. If I start deconstructing the series treating it like a good piece of science fiction there will be like 0 things I like about it. Perhaps the concept of Mass Relays is the only thing worth a damn because something like this can hypothetically exist in some form if we assume that we are not the only sentient beings in the universe and somebody had to figure out FTL travelling. I'm sure though that we won't find a race of dinosaurus wearing armor and speaking English ANYWHERE in the universe.

I agree with most especially the part in bold.

Traded ME3 CE in this weekend..feels good man. The gamestop employee hated me for it and could not believe I didnt care for it. He was part of the 20% that didn't mind the ending I guess.
 

Laughing Banana

Weeping Pickle
This whole recording things talk reminded me: I was actually very, very baffled on how the Council backtracked their opinion about Reapers in ME2. "Ah yes, Reapers..." thing. And then during ME3 when they actively "Lol you're right but screw you anyways!"

Made me wonder sometimes why I didn't just let the Geth blew up Destiny Ascension back in ME1.
 
...

That just seems lazy. After all the decisions we made through three games, all the possible endings are that similar? The Mass Relay's being destroyed no matter what you pick really bothers me too. That pretty much ends any realistic concept of a galactic community.

The series was fucked since ME2(good game on its own). Most felt ME3 would tie everything together and provide closure to the entire series. By doing that it would have essentially been the "game of forever". I know I planned at least 3 full(ALL DLC) playthroughs.. That was cut down to 1!

ME3 made me finally see video games as a waste of time in my old age(32). I put so many hours into the series that it really pisses off that Bioware/EA shit on it's fan base like they did. Some really don't take it as serious but I really felt disrespected by ME3. Turned me completely off to Bioware as a company when they used to be my favorite developer. Good riddance.
 
This whole recording things talk reminded me: I was actually very, very baffled on how the Council backtracked their opinion about Reapers in ME2. "Ah yes, Reapers..." thing. And then during ME3 when they actively "Lol you're right but screw you anyways!"

Made me wonder sometimes why I didn't just let the Geth blew up Destiny Ascension back in ME1.

Well, in the game where that decision takes place, they were pretty reasonable at the time. Besides, I'm pretty sure killing them doesn't get you jack.
 
I wouldn't go that far, personally.

I'm not one who played any BioWare games before Mass Effect, so I was going on reputation. After ME3, I say the emperor has no clothes.

When you invest the amount of time I did for nothing, it can be pretty disappointing. I was already burned out on ME because I had to replay it because I lost my save. So after all the ME blitzing I did to myself and the worst ending to a series in video game history(opinion), I would say it was a HUGE waste of time for me.

Lesson learned. I won't do it again. The ME series has turned me off to brand loyalty, day 1 purchases and midnight launches. So I hope they are happy with the few extra customers they created by going more "dudebro".. Hope it was worth it.
 

televator

Member
Just finished the game. Overall I really enjoyed it, but that ending definitely left a bad taste in my mouth. I chose the Synthesis, but from what I can tell, I wouldn't have been very satisfied with any of the other endings. Which is too bad, because up until the last five minutes or so, I was really enjoying the game.

Just wanna point something out. It's REALLY important that people be made aware no matter how lttp they are.

a03.jpg


The final boss and true hero of ME3. Never forget that.


I agree with most especially the part in bold.

Traded ME3 CE in this weekend..feels good man. The gamestop employee hated me for it and could not believe I didnt care for it. He was part of the 20% that didn't mind the ending I guess.


Funny that most of the folks in that 20% that I've spoken too try to defend it by either claiming that "All endings suck." or by saying "The ending wasn't good, but it wasn't that bad...". Essentially they pretty much start off by conceding that the ending does in fact suck. After that all their spin talk is irrelevant to me.
 

subversus

I've done nothing with my life except eat and fap
The series was fucked since ME2(good game on its own). Most felt ME3 would tie everything together and provide closure to the entire series. By doing that it would have essentially been the "game of forever". I know I planned at least 3 full(ALL DLC) playthroughs.. That was cut down to 1!

ME3 made me finally see video games as a waste of time in my old age(32). I put so many hours into the series that it really pisses off that Bioware/EA shit on it's fan base like they did. Some really don't take it as serious but I really felt disrespected by ME3. Turned me completely off to Bioware as a company when they used to be my favorite developer. Good riddance.

this is exactly how I felt but as I said earlier I recommend playing The Witcher 2. It's Mass Effect but done right - your decisions matter A LOT (you won't see the half of the game the firt time), it has good writing, cinematic conversations and pretty deep RPG system. When I played it last summer I didn't want to play anything after that for a few weeks because it was that good. Also the company which produces it is very consumer friendly, almost Valve-friendly. It's out on 360, I recommend buying it to cleanse your palate.
 

Massa

Member
Don't forget the whole "The ENTIRE game is the Ending!" BS that gets bandied about.

Not sure what's BS about that when the pre-ending game resolves all the major issues you dealt with in the previous games in pretty satisfying ways. The major blunder comes when dealing with the reaper stuff which was shit in the first game, shit in the second game and a huge pile of shit in the third game.
 
this is exactly how I felt but as I said earlier I recommend playing The Witcher 2. It's Mass Effect but done right - your decisions matter A LOT (you won't see the half of the game the firt time), it has good writing, cinematic conversations and pretty deep RPG system. When I played it last summer I didn't want to play anything after that for a few weeks because it was that good. Also the company who produces it is very consumer friendly, almost Valve-friendly. It's out on 360, I recommend buying it to cleanse your palate.

another good thing i heard abt cd-project was that they gave dlcs for free,very rare to see that.
 

Laughing Banana

Weeping Pickle
Well, in the game where that decision takes place, they were pretty reasonable at the time. Besides, I'm pretty sure killing them doesn't get you jack.

Yeah I agree, back on ME1 they were very reasonable in denying Shepard and Anderson's allegations against Saren. That's why when they went full stupid on ME2 I just went whhaaaaat?
 

hateradio

The Most Dangerous Yes Man
another good thing i heard abt cd-project was that they gave dlcs for free,very rare to see that.
It's not just DLC, but an overhaul of certain parts of the game.

I think what makes CDPR unique is that they're not pushing games every year. They work on the games they push out the door, and rework them to the best of their abilities.

Not sure what's BS about that when the pre-ending game resolves all the major issues you dealt with in the previous games in pretty satisfying ways. The major blunder comes when dealing with the reaper stuff which was shit in the first game, shit in the second game and a huge pile of shit in the third game.
You're being too critical, it was far from shit in the first game. You learned about them, their plans to kill everyone, and managed to stop Sovereign.

Then the sequels came and fucked it up. :p
 

Gazzawa

Member
Finished this shit on insanity last nite. Im all for the indoctriniation theory. I doomed the krogan and the geth. No impact on the final mission whatsoever.
 

Kud Dukan

Member
this is exactly how I felt but as I said earlier I recommend playing The Witcher 2. It's Mass Effect but done right - your decisions matter A LOT (you won't see the half of the game the firt time), it has good writing, cinematic conversations and pretty deep RPG system. When I played it last summer I didn't want to play anything after that for a few weeks because it was that good. Also the company which produces it is very consumer friendly, almost Valve-friendly. It's out on 360, I recommend buying it to cleanse your palate.

I just started playing it on the PC last night. I've had it for ages, but with the Enhanced Edition is out now, I figured it was time to jump in. So far I'm really enjoying it...looking forward to seeing how they handle the decision making since I've heard a lot of good things said about it.
 

Cromat

Member
Just finished it. I must say that because I liked the game itself a lot, I tended to think that the whole ending issue was exaggerated, but boy was I wrong lol

Aside from the actual nonsense, no real choice, boring, full of plotholes, pointless ending - I was really pissed that the ending sequence was cut off so abruptly.

I thought I was going to evade the Reaper laser, get on the Citadel, fight my way up for an hour, face a final boss like an indoctrinated Illusive Man or something, and then get to see the shitty ending.

It came up on me by surprise. There is no real final confrontation in the game. The battles on Earth are challenging but at no point did I think "this is it, the final battle". I was looking forward to fighting through a Reaper-infested Citadel and a final boss fight and BOOM, nothing.

Shepard is wounded, walks really slowly, and then some bullshit and GAME OVER.
I should have never doubted any of you, the ending really was terrible.

I still like the game though.
 

Montresor

Member
Just wanna point something out. It's REALLY important that people be made aware no matter how lttp they are.

[MG]http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/269/252/a03.jpg[/IMG]

The final boss and true hero of ME3. Never forget that.

One of the most poorly designed final boss battles in gaming. On insanity it was really annoying having to fight him over and over.

Still, that image cracks me the fuck up.
 

Dany

Banned
Speaking of Mansell, I watched Pi for the first time today while doing laundry, and when I saw his name pop up in the opening credits I was listening for his contributions the rest of the film. Kind of easy to see why they went with him, too.

He does most of Aronfosky films, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, Black Swan. His work is great.
 

Kaldea

Member
Finally finished the game today after being sidetracked by other stuff. I was, for some reason, under the impression that people were just overreacting about the ending. Now I'll be adding my own disappointment to the majority. :(
 

GSR

Member
Most of the way done with my second (and most likely final) playthrough, just about to do Thessia. It's probably for the best that I'm doing it on Insanity as a Vanguard (first time was Hardcore/Infilitrator/sniperfest), because the combat is now a good bit more fun, which makes up for the cracks in the overall gameplay/story structure that become much more apparent on repeated playthroughs.

The N7 missions really are the worst, though; Hackett spending the post-mission briefings just saying "MAN THIS WAS SO IMPORTANT SHEPARD, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT AND GOOD THAT YOU DID THIS THING" feels almost patronizing.

Ultimately I just can't shake the feeling that the game needed more time in the oven to get all the content it needed.
 

lockload

Member
Well LTTP but i just finished the game yesterday

Zong i wish i had waited for the extended endings DLC, no wrapup at all really

Seems like EA got their mits into bioware and forced them to release it unfinished, virtually the same CGI just different colour filters..[sad face]
 

subversus

I've done nothing with my life except eat and fap
Well LTTP but i just finished the game yesterday

Zong i wish i had waited for the extended endings DLC, no wrapup at all really

Seems like EA got their mits into bioware and forced them to release it unfinished, virtually the same CGI just different colour filters..[sad face]

Usually EA runs a studio into the ground in the first 5 years after the acquisition then gives them another 2-5 years of slow death.

Bullfrog: acquired in 1995, the last game published in 2001 (most key members left by 1999), absorbed in EA UK in 2004
Origin: acquired in 1992, the last successful title published in 1997, transformed into Ultima support by 2000, closed in 2004.
Westwood: acquired in 1998, disbanded in 2003.


looking good for Bioware.
acquired in 2007...
 
Ultimately I just can't shake the feeling that the game needed more time in the oven to get all the content it needed.

I agree. The ending sequence pales in comparison to ME2. Epilogues, etc. Just needed more time.

But I'm one of those Indoctrination theory people. I'm still disappointed that my reward for all that extra work was 3 seconds.
 
I'm nearing the end of my second playthrough now (I'm on Thessia) and I'm amazed by how much it feels like 2/3 of a game. I didn't notice the first time through because I love Mass Effect and was totally swept up in it, but almost none of the rest of the game lives up to Tuchanka and Rannoch. The beginning, the end, the fact that you get a single mission on Thessia and on/near Palavan... added to the usual Bioware jankiness (why does everyone want to meet me in the same three places on the Citadel? Why am I meeting the asari councillor in the human embassy?) makes it a fun but ultimately unsatisfying and frustrating experience. Until the end, and then the fun runs off and it's just unsatisfying and frustrating,
 

Gazzawa

Member
I'm nearing the end of my second playthrough now (I'm on Thessia) and I'm amazed by how much it feels like 2/3 of a game. I didn't notice the first time through because I love Mass Effect and was totally swept up in it, but almost none of the rest of the game lives up to Tuchanka and Rannoch. The beginning, the end, the fact that you get a single mission on Thessia and on/near Palavan... added to the usual Bioware jankiness (why does everyone want to meet me in the same three places on the Citadel? Why am I meeting the asari councillor in the human embassy?) makes it a fun but ultimately unsatisfying and frustrating experience. Until the end, and then the fun runs off and it's just unsatisfying and frustrating,

Its never a bad game gameplay wise. The ending makes it a flawed gem.
 

Cromat

Member
indoctrination theory is fan fiction not a fact.

I think it could have been an interesting twist, kind of like Frodo in Mount Doom.

Bioware might use the extended cut to fit the ending to the theory (which is purely fan fiction, like you said) and try to salvage it that way.
 

Bliddo

Member
Oh no, not another person falling for the indoctrination theory!

Desperation makes people accept the silliest excuses

I never was that much invested in ME plot to be honest, so I'm far from desperate. But I do like to hear alternative interpretations of controversial endings, kinda like the dreaming theory in Inception.
 

Gui_PT

Member
I think it could have been an interesting twist, kind of like Frodo in Mount Doom.

Bioware might use the extended cut to fit the ending to the theory (which is purely fan fiction, like you said) and try to salvage it that way.

I am actually expecting them to do that lol

They see how desperate fans are and how they cling to this theory so they might just take advantage of that
 

Rodhull

Member
Jesus, if Bioware misread the fanbase to think the majority wanted the indoctrination theory it'd be hilarious. I honestly think that'd be the only way they could make the ending even worse.
 

Gazzawa

Member
Indoctrination theory is interesting alright.
But after some thought it kind of falls apart in some areas.
Like with Anderson vs The Illusive man. Thats supposed to be good vs evil playin out in his head instead of them actually being there.
But they were there. They were Metaphors for light and dark. I wanted them to be there at the end of it all.

RIP Marauder Shields. He did what was right.
 
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