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Mass Effect 3: Just a bad ending? (Spoilers)

i-Lo said:
Can I ask what is so wrong with this move? Given that stock Shepard's face is based off of a real person, is the issue with Chobot squarely because her character was superfluous and we know much about her in RL?
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She is a journalist of arguably the biggest gaming website, isn't this kind of pandering to them ? she is a talentless "journalist" that got fame because she licked a PSP and got job as a result, not because of her journalistic talents.

It's not just it being done it's also of how it's been done, she could've voiced a normal character and that'll be fine, but creating a character that is modeled after her, works as a journalist like her and voiced by her makes you think that this IS her, it's so distracting and stupid, not to mention the fact that you can actually romance her during the game, and not not a long term relationship, just a one night sex kind of thing, I mean wow.

Plus her voice acting is abysmal.
 
bigdaddygamebot said:
It's responses like this that allow Bioware to get away with what they did. If the issue with Chobot was due to her "out of left field inclusion" in the game, people would also have the same things to say about EDI and James. (HINT: They don't.)

How about it's due to the fact that she works for a video game review site. A site that gave the game an incredibly high score and also made it a nominee for GOTY?
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You know, I genuinely wanted to know what the was reason for people hating her inclusion. Personally, I didn't like simply because her inclusion was superfluous and felt forced as some sort of fan service. Thank you for berating my question predicated on your assumption that I am somehow trying defend Bioware. Classy.

Also, iirc, during one of IGN's podcast, some of the hosts felt it uneasy about Chobot's involvement with ME3. But yea, I can see that there is a definite chance of bias that can arise out of a situation like this.
 
Phat Michael said:
Not at all. If you say something is the worst game of all time, it has nothing to do relative to expectations, but you are saying that there are no games worse than it.

You can say its the most disappointing game or something like that, but neither MGS4 or ME3 should be considered by anyone as one of the "worst games of all time".

Each mass effect game is very good, but there are problems with all three games - none are perfect. However, i believe this forum seems to be very vocal in saying how bad the game is due to the majority of the vocal minority disliking the ending.
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Nah, I don't buy this. If you hate a game, if you rate it as the worst gaming experience as your life, it's fine to call it the worst game ever.

Anyone with half a brain can figure out that means it's a personal thing and not a critique of the product as a whole, or that someone has played every game ever.

MGS4 is the worst gaming experience I've had. It's utter shit. It's the worst game ever.
 
Tuchunka was an amazing mission and so was the finale of Rannoch, simply one of the better character moments in the series. Each moments with Liara is ace, the little memento she creates for you and the Thessia mission just brought so much out of her as a character.

Thane got the proper ending he deserved. Shooting the shit with Garrus on the citadel was cool and just a nice 'bro' moment.

The crucible was a deus ex machina but it made sense. A secret weapon passed down from generations to generations getting closer on beating the reapers. Its a cool idea and walking through the Citadel at the end was kinda awesome; having a one and one chat with TIM and him dying the same way as Saren was an awesome callback. Shepard and Anderson sitting there seeing the battle was another touching moment.

This game has a LOT of great stuff in it if you look for it.
 
Dany M said:
The crucible was a deus ex machina but it made sense. A secret weapon passed down from generations to generations getting closer on beating the reapers.
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How did they build and improve upon a machine if they didn't know what it did or what crucial component it needed to use to work, and how did a mind-controlling race of immortal beings millions of years old never find out about it in over a billion years?
 
EmCeeGramr said:
How did they build and improve upon a machine if they didn't know what it did or what crucial component it needed to use to work, and how did a mind-controlling race of immortal beings millions of years old never find out about it in over a billion years?
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That doesn't get to me. Its a secret plan that was kept secret. Whoever created it probably had a good idea who leviathans were if I had to guess.


We debate because I allow it, and you will stop because I demand it. I am the vanguard of your destruction. This exchange is over.
 
EmCeeGramr said:
I'm pretty sure the option to confirm that with Starkid is only available in the Extended Cut. Otherwise, there's no indication that the Reapers knew about it before TIM found out about it.
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The original cut sounds completely fucked. In the extended cut they said it was discovered several cycles ago but they thought it had been eradicated which surprised them that it wasn't but now that it was there, and Shepard was the first organic inside it that had changed things. The cycle was different.
 
EmCeeGramr said:
How did they build and improve upon a machine if they didn't know what it did or what crucial component it needed to use to work, and how did a mind-controlling race of immortal beings millions of years old never find out about it in over a billion years?
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Haha! This is just now really getting to me. This is hilarious. "Hey shep, we don't know what this thing does, but we made it do whatever it does better." WAT DA FUQ? Oh man, and it takes itself seriously... LOL
 
Darklord said:
The original cut sounds completely fucked. In the extended cut they said it was discovered several cycles ago but they thought it had been eradicated which surprised them that it wasn't but now that it was there, and Shepard was the first organic inside it that had changed things. The cycle was different.
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They said that last part, but unless I have completely forgotten I am nearly positive that the first part wasn't there, which made me constantly wonder why the Reapers had moved the Citadel to Earth and yet never modified it so that the Crucible wouldn't attach.


(or for that matter, why they never Sovereign'd it up and shut down all the mass relays, which is one of the things that the Citadel is supposed to do)
 
Dany M said:
That doesn't get to me. Its a secret plan that was kept secret. Whoever created it probably had a good idea who leviathans were if I had to guess.
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Now you're just making excuses for Biowares piss-poor writing.

The Crucible and everything about it was fucking stupid. The Crucible along with so many other story aspects in ME3 was fucking awful and just shows how hacked together the ME series became over time.

The gameplay, the multiplayer was solid, but the writing and story were atrocious.
 
EmCeeGramr said:
They said that last part, but unless I have completely forgotten I am nearly positive that the first part wasn't there, which made me constantly wonder why the Reapers had moved the Citadel to Earth and yet never modified it so that the Crucible wouldn't attach.


(or for that matter, why they never Sovereign'd it up and shut down all the mass relays, which is one of the things that the Citadel is supposed to do)
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That's why they closed it, so it couldn't attach.

I can't believe they retconed part of the ending too. Having the mass relays not being destroyed, the Normandy flying away, that's big shit to just "add in".
 
I only played the extended cut, and didn't mind the ending. From what I read, rage at the original ending is justified, but I also read a page or two of the multi-page dissertation on why the extended cut still sucks and to me that was uber-nerds picking nits.

Not sure if it's my GOTY though. Too many glitches in cinematics and outright bugs in quests. Seemed like a large step back in polish from ME2.
 
Magik said:
Now you're just making excuses for Biowares piss-poor writing.


The gameplay, the multiplayer was solid, but the writing and story were atrocious.
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They didn't give a reason for EmCeeGramr's question. It is a valid question but what else is there too do? They left it ambiguous for the audience to come up with ideas.

But to my other point, there are PLENTY of fine character moments in the series.
 
During one cycle, the races of the galaxy added gold-plated HDMI Monster Cables so that the Crucible would "go faster." During another, giant spinning rims were added, since the race in question assumed that the Crucible was a car that they would drag race the Reapers with.

Hey Admiral Hackett, what does this thing we found and we think can beat the Reapers do? Oh, it "outputs (massive amounts of) energy." Thanks man, that gives me a real clear idea. You just described every machine in existence. Our superweapon might be the Death Star or a giant rope pulley.
 
The game was awful, and essentially boiled down to going through a linear corridor. They clealy took influence from UC instead of looking at the games they used to make.
 
Dany M said:
They didn't give a reason for EmCeeGramr's question. It is a valid question but what else is there too do? They left it ambiguous for the audience to come up with ideas.

But to my other point, there are PLENTY of fine character moments in the series.
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Why should the audience come up with ideas? Its not the audiences job to make up for Biowares piss-poor writing. They left it ambiguous because they have no fucking clue what they were doing and was making it up as they went on.

I can maybe understand if it was the first game, but this is the third game in the damn series along with all the other side stories. So for them to not have a clear crafted idea of how the story will end by the time the third game comes rolling around shows how shitty Bioware has become.

Yes, there were fine character moments in the series, but it does not excuse Bioware from their shitty writing.
 
For Justice.
Lime said:
It was a fucking shitty rush-job with no heart and thought. It was a simplistic, primitive example of how to create a game with no aspirations for anything other than fulfilling the quarterly report of your parent company. In the course of a playthrough, it manages to include all of the following *basic* deficiencies:

  • Broken quest log. Even freely available browser games do a better job.
  • Recycled N7 missions, i.e. horde-modes multiplayer maps masquerading as singleplayer missions.
  • Asspulls out of nowhere. The Crucible is somehow the solution to the Reaper problem? Really? That's the best you could do as a writer?
  • Lazy writing: Cerberus are apparently no longer a paramilitary organisation, but have millions of personnel and are able to cover the entire galaxy wherever Space Jesus goes
  • Even more lazy writing: In-your-face exposition, like having a newly introduced character referencing what happened in the earlier games. For example, James asks during the trip back to Eden Prime: "So, Shepard, this is the place where [lists all the things that happened in ME1] took place?" Shepard: "Yes, that is correct, James." I know Bioware wanted to be more inclusive towards people unfamiliar with the universe, but this is just lazy writing and it is entirely possible to convey that information in a believable and intelligent manner
  • Fetch side-quests that *only* involved fucking planet scanning.
  • Animations were even worse and unpolished. Many, many instances of buggy weapons or items or even switching up weapons between gameplay and cutscenes.
  • Removing features that were in the previous two games
  • Random turret sequences. A lot of times. One particular main campaign mission involves defending two points from enemy waves, followed by another turret sequence from the air. Yes, 3 turret sequences in one mission
  • Holstering was removed, which goes to show that not once does the game *not* focus on shooting while you're in a mission. Your gun is always constantly pointing towards something, which speaks volumes about Bioware's design philosophy
  • Fanservice én masse.
  • Plot pacing was completely terrible. It's either rush to save Earth, unite the warring races versus getting a trinket from some planet for a random citizen
  • Kai Leng was not properly established, so he just comes across as an extreme nuisance with a lot of plot armour
  • The earlier established villain didn't even say a word in the entire game and has like a 2 minute cameo in the end. Apparently Harbinger's importance in ME2 was entirely worthless.
  • A lot of internal logical inconsistencies
  • Dialogue moments that used to be interactive with at least some sort of camera work is relegated to pushing a button and a wave-file playing. It screams that Bioware rushed the game by not having the usual dialogue presentation that they had in earlier games.
  • The way to start sidequests revolves around walking by some strangers
  • Linear, corridor-based level design
  • Emphasis on shootbang, meaning a lot of shooting, intense action, explosions, etc. The game design never stops to let the atmosphere and setting breathe, but is instead focused on yelling at the player as much as possible, as if he/she suffers from ADHD
  • Lame, shitty attempts at affecting the player's emotions. The introduction sequence at Earth with Vent Kid dying is probably the worst example of shitty writing that I've come across in the history gaming. I felt so offended that someone thought such a ridiculous attempt at creating empathy would be successful.
  • The ending of ME2 was rendered completely irrelevant. Apparently blowing up a colony of Batarians wasn't such a big deal.
  • Shitty, shitty writing. Examples like "We fight or we die!" are plenty.
  • Meaningless war assets. They amount to being nothing more than a number-filled spreadsheet. A complete travesty.
  • And this is not to talk about the monumental clusterfuck of an ending. I mean, you have to actually commit a tremendous amount of effort to do such a terrible fucking job.
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ME3 is probably the most disappointing game of all time. Most games, I just don't have much in the way of expectations- they're stand alone things. ME3 is like 6 years of foreplay followed by someone sneaking up and cutting off your dick (or female gender equivalent... ?).
 
EmCeeGramr said:
How did they build and improve upon a machine if they didn't know what it did or what crucial component it needed to use to work, and how did a mind-controlling race of immortal beings millions of years old never find out about it in over a billion years?
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Thank you for putting into words why the Crucible was a horrible deus ex machina.

I knew from the first game it was going to come to this. They built up the Reapers' power so much that the only way they were going to be defeated was either Bioware stepping up their writing/game design to handle such a threat in realistic manner or finding an easy way out. So of course they chose the easy way out.

And, maybe I've forgotten, but did they ever explain WHY the Reapers moved the Citadel to Earth in the first place? Seems like a silly decision that only served their DEM and not something motivated by the actual events of the game.
 
Zissou said:
ME3 is like 6 years of foreplay followed by someone sneaking up and cutting off your dick (or female gender equivalent... ?).
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Yeah man, every time I'm disappointed with an entertainment product, it feels exactly like having my genitals cut off. When I saw the screen telling me that Shepard is a legend and that there's DLC, I could feel the blood oozing from my virtually mutilated pubic region.
 
Tookay said:
And, maybe I've forgotten, but did they ever explain WHY the Reapers moved the Citadel to Earth in the first place? Seems like a silly decision that only served their DEM and not something motivated by the actual events of the game.
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Its because BioWare is fucking stupid, that's why. Everything in that last portion of the game makes no fucking sense whatsoever.

1) If the Crucible was the key to destroying the Reapers, why not just move the Citadel to dark space or where ever the fuck the Reapers were hanging out.

2) Why the fuck is there a beam emanating from the Citadel to Earth that is basically guarded by a few Husks and Marauder Shields? Seriously?

3) Why require troops to move on ground towards the beam? Why not just fly there?

4) How on Earth did anybody even know if that beam was safe to begin with? For all we know, it could have teleported everything that went into it to a meat grinder.

I don't even want to talk about the star child sequence. Its just too aggravating.
 
Necron said:
That honour belongs to Ultima 9 which (ironically) is also an EA title...
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I think I should have said "ME3 is probably the most disappointing game of all time to me personally." It is the matrix reloaded/revolutions of gaming, but even worse because in that case I can still enjoy the original movie even though the sequels are terrible. Knowing how ME3 turns out actively ruins my ability to even enjoy the first two games like I used to. After playing DA2, I knew that Bioware had gone to shit, but I hoped that the shit infection wouldn't spread to the ME team until they were finished with the third game.

"You're a hero, buy DLC!" <- fuck you Bioware
 
Worst squad of the series, worst dialog of the series, story still doesn't even touch ME1 excluding the ending, no Wrex as a squadmate when they could have easily done it, EDI, Shepard is still as dumb as a brick, they pretty much ruined Cerberus and the Illusive Man, choices that don't matter (this was in all of the games, but it shouldn't have been so for the last one), buggier than ME2, which for me was extremely polished.
 
For me it was a few things. The first reason being the absolutely atrocious ending, regardless of the choice you made.

Then there was the fact that the overall story wasn't very good either. Frist ME had a great story, second game had a totally pointless story, none of it mattered. Third game felt like the dev team knew they had backed themselves into a corner, and decided to just pull a solution out their rear end.

Last big thing for me is about the choice you make throughout the trilogy. None of them fucking matters pretty much. The big choices in ME1 and 2 hardly had any affect on the next game. Why even have that in your game then, much less make a talking point out of it.
 
Tookay said:
And, maybe I've forgotten, but did they ever explain WHY the Reapers moved the Citadel to Earth in the first place? Seems like a silly decision that only served their DEM and not something motivated by the actual events of the game.
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At one point near the end Anderson explains that they're using that beam coming out of the Citadel to like, transport corpses and prisoners up to the Citadel so they can... I guess try again to make another giant Terminator Reaper Baby? I think that's what they implied or said. I don't know why they needed the Citadel and a giant laser beam for that, considering that the Codex mentions that millions of humans were already being processed on Earth without those things.
 
Parn said:
Yeah man, every time I'm disappointed with an entertainment product, it feels exactly like having my genitals cut off. When I saw the screen telling me that Shepard is a legend and that there's DLC, I could feel the blood oozing from my virtually mutilated pubic region.
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Nah, that's not ME3 doing that, it's the syphilis you got from your wife who is cheating on you with your spymaster as part of a plot to steal your Duchy.
 
EmCeeGramr said:
At one point near the end Anderson explains that they're using that beam coming out of the Citadel to like, transport corpses and prisoners up to the Citadel so they can... I guess try again to make another giant Terminator Reaper Baby? I think that's what they implied or said. I don't know why they needed the Citadel and a giant laser beam for that, considering that the Codex mentions that millions of humans were already being processed on Earth without those things.
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It was also where their biggest force was. Easier to defend it there than defending it in the middle of nowhere.
 
Bisnic said:
It was also where their biggest force was. Easier to defend it there than defending it in the middle of nowhere.
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In ME1 Saren uses the Citadel to lock all the Mass Relays leading to it, why didn't they just do that?

It's lazy writing that doesn't respect the fiction they took so much care in creating.
 
Zissou said:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simile
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I was making fun of your absurd simile, actually. I know what similes and metaphors are. Mass Effect 3 is a disappointing game for certain, but the equivalent of castration? Talk about overreaction.


ThoseDeafMutes said:
Nah, that's not ME3 doing that, it's the syphilis you got from your wife who is cheating on you with your spymaster as part of a plot to steal your Duchy.
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What's funny is I'm terrible at Crusader Kings II. :(
 
eot said:
In ME1 Saren uses the Citadel to lock all the Mass Relays leading to it, why didn't they just do that?

It's lazy writing that doesn't respect the fiction they took so much care in creating.
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Well speaking of ME1, ME3 completely destroys the entirety of ME1s plot since it makes Sovereigns and the keepers role and Sarens plan completely pointless when the Reaper Master AI is on the citadel and could just open the relay in dark space for the other reapers.
 
There's also the whole thing with how inefficient and boring the Reapers are. They've had hundreds of thousands of years and potentially trillions of beings to destroy and make the process more efficient... and they still opt to show up and personally kill everyone with slow lasers.
 
eot said:
In ME1 Saren uses the Citadel to lock all the Mass Relays leading to it, why didn't they just do that?

It's lazy writing that doesn't respect the fiction they took so much care in creating.
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This is apparently answered in one of those Liara comics.

Snacks the sober sea lion said:
There's also the whole thing with how inefficient and boring the Reapers are. They've had hundreds of thousands of years and potentially trillions of beings to destroy and make the process more efficient... and they still opt to show up and personally kill everyone with slow lasers.
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Right, because that is totally an ME3 problem, not a problem with the whole series.

(THAT WAS SARCASM)
 
I'm still baffled that people think ME2 was an excellent game. Meh level design, meh shooting mechanics, terrible main story...like all it had going for it was some good dialogue, and even that wasn't anywhere near the majority of dialogue. The development of the franchise felt like it was in reverse: ME1 was the best by virtue of having the least problems and then it just kind of slid...
 
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