Mass Effect 3 [Spoilers]

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
hellrasinbrasin said:
And the Stupid keeps on coming

Better just to read the original, less stupid Better Business Bureau post:

http://www.bbb.org/blog/2012/04/mass-effect-3-is-having-a-mass-effect-on-its-consumers-for-better-or-worse/

Speaking of advertising, I bet this post will garner the most views a BBB blog entry ever gets.

hellrasinbrasin said:
Thank God this nonsense didn't happen when Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty was released back in 01'.

Why would anybody complain about the best MGS game? :troll:
 

NightCrawler

Aeons gone, vast, mad and deathless
Finished ME1, really enjoyed it. Was probably expecting a little more though. I think it's more about my sensibilities towards the genre than the quality of the game itself. So I don't think i'll play ME3 anytime soon.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
NightCrawler said:
Finished ME1, really enjoyed it. Was probably expecting a little more though. I think it's more about my sensibilities towards the genre than the quality of the game itself. So I don't think i'll play ME3 anytime soon.

Well, I did sell it pretty hard. I'm just glad you finally played it and enjoyed it. I would have liked your take on ME3 though, basically if you'd hate it or not, but oh well. Still, don't you want to join in the fun of ragging on it because it didn't end like this:

me3happy.jpg


But I only ever made paragon "decisions." :judo:
 

Saephon

Die young and save yourself
Bitter-sweet endings are fine, when they're done well. :slan: Still, where are my adopted Krogan babies?!
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
I don't think it was bittersweet, people just felt that way about it ending (some awkwardness in the execution didn't help). I mean, saving all life in the galaxy from certain doom against unbelievable odds was already pretty positive without pouring sugar on top. That's probably what they'll do in the DLC. We'll see if that makes it better.

Here's just the latest article on that subject:

http://techland.time.com/2012/04/12/why-its-time-to-leave-the-mass-effect-3-ending-alone/
 
Griffith said:
I don't think it was bittersweet, people just felt that way about it ending (some awkwardness in the execution didn't help). I mean, saving all life in the galaxy from certain doom against unbelievable odds was already pretty positive without pouring sugar on top. That's probably what they'll do in the DLC. We'll see if that makes it better.

I feel this way too especially on my second run through. I guess the first time around I was just stunned it was over. But looking back, it's still a great game (to me) all the way through, and the ending itself is just on a different timeline than just a single game - I felt like the ending had been happening for a few hours, and the final mission was the real send off.

No one could be completely satisfied with the ending, and Bioware unfortunately backed themselves into that corner with their own characters but in the grand scheme of it all they did it right. I'll be interested to see how the DLC changes things.
 

Saephon

Die young and save yourself
Cronus said:
No one could be completely satisfied with the ending

Don't take this as me ranting at you personally, but I do get tired of hearing that. I feel it's a cop out. Just because you can't please everyone doesn't mean it's wrong to point out where improvements could have been made. :serpico:

Anyway I agree it wasn't bittersweet, but that's kind of my problem with it. It seemed to be going for that "sacrifice for the greater good" vibe at the end, but when Shepard's sacrifice was basically inevitable at the hands of the creator of the Reapers, AKA the God-like being I'm introduced to in the last 10 minutes allows me to save the galaxy...I don't know, it feels cheap? That'd be like the Idea of Evil allowing Guts to resolve the story with its own pre-approved set of choices at the very end of Berserk, only we aren't aware of the Idea's existence until their meeting. Where's the theme of struggling against all odds then? Bleh, I say! :femto:



Here's an amusing thought: If shooting the Big Red Pipes is what initiates the Destroy option, does that mean that if the Citadel were to be blown up or inflicted severe damage in the war, the Reapers could trigger their own demise? :ganishka:
 
Griffith said:
Well, I did sell it pretty hard. I'm just glad you finally played it and enjoyed it. I would have liked your take on ME3 though, basically if you'd hate it or not, but oh well. Still, don't you want to join in the fun of ragging on it because it didn't end like this:

me3happy.jpg


But I only ever made paragon "decisions." :judo:

I wouldn't have minded if I had gotten this ending. :ganishka:



:farnese: is that a bad thing?
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Cronus said:
I feel this way too especially on my second run through. I guess the first time around I was just stunned it was over. But looking back, it's still a great game (to me) all the way through, and the ending itself is just on a different timeline than just a single game - I felt like the ending had been happening for a few hours, and the final mission was the real send off.

No one could be completely satisfied with the ending, and Bioware unfortunately backed themselves into that corner with their own characters but in the grand scheme of it all they did it right. I'll be interested to see how the DLC changes things.

Yeah, I think the key thing there is a second time through; another look with the whole picture in mind. They had to compromise and meet a lot of criteria, and in retrospect, to use Hackett's description of the Crucible itself, "the designs are... elegant. Massive in scope, but strangely simple as well."

Saephon said:
Don't take this as me ranting at you personally, but I do get tired of hearing that. I feel it's a cop out. Just because you can't please everyone doesn't mean it's wrong to point out where improvements could have been made. :serpico:

By the same token, just because improvements could have been made doesn't mean it's broken either, and the volume to which we've been hearing that is beyond tiresome.

Saephon said:
Anyway I agree it wasn't bittersweet, but that's kind of my problem with it. It seemed to be going for that "sacrifice for the greater good" vibe at the end, but when Shepard's sacrifice was basically inevitable at the hands of the creator of the Reapers, AKA the God-like being I'm introduced to in the last 10 minutes allows me to save the galaxy...I don't know, it feels cheap? That'd be like the Idea of Evil allowing Guts to resolve the story with its own pre-approved set of choices at the very end of Berserk, only we aren't aware of the Idea's existence until their meeting. Where's the theme of struggling against all odds then? Bleh, I say! :femto:

It seems to me like you're still breaking down why you felt that way instead of reexamining the whole thing to see if it really stands (it doesn't help that you've previously bailed on the conversation only to come back and re-register the same discontent =). Plus, the various reasons it's supposedly so bad are all starting to run together and conflict; the decisions are either too hard, or it's all too cheap and easy, despite the sacrifices, which seem mandatory and therefore meaningless, except when they're not, etc.

For one thing, we're actually introduced to the Catalyst, for all thematic intents and purposes, at the beginning of the game when the boy says you can't help him, runs away, and is destroyed, which is more than just a random way to introduce a kid Shepard is sad to see die, it's the foundation of those last 10 minutes as well. That theme is followed up on throughout the game in Shepard's dreams (especially when the kid burns, and especially when the kid and Shepard burn) and certain conversations (both concerning the boy specifically and a mind behind evolution generally). Plus the whole Crucible project was established as the Dues ex MacGuffin early on (possibly as early as ME1 =). BTW, it's interesting that the Catalyst essentially is a literal embodiment of a "god out of the machine" just as the Crucible itself is a literal Paragon/Renegade mechanism; I wouldn't be surprised if it was intentional. There's plenty of other conversations and themes that directly tie into Shepard's tough decision at the end too, it's just not obvious at the time. In any case, it doesn't all come out of nowhere like one might have initially thought.

As for the theme of struggling against all odds. That's the entire game and how Shepard got to that point and had the opportunity to activate and use the Crucible at all, which was the stated goal almost from the outset (so, if you didn't mind it before...). You're dismissing all that because you didn't like how it was executed ultimately, but it doesn't sound like you've given that execution further consideration after the fact, or relative to the alternatives. For example, would it have been better if Shepard had just pushed a button on the console and the Reapers died, or did we need a wholly more impressive dues ex machina to solve what was presented as a totally impossible situation by any conventional means? I don't know, perhaps if the Crucible had been more of a conventional weapon, basically a giant gun that could blow Reapers out of the sky but which had to be escorted around to the various systems and planets to engage the Reaper fleets, it would have felt less like cheating, but would ultimately come down to the same thing, but with less opportunity for explanation and likely no more satisfying a conclusion. Just throwing shit against the wall, it would have been neat if Cerberus and/or the Alliance had used our existing Reaper tech to build our own Reaper-style ships to fight them with, which could have also tied into the cycle and a paradoxical origin myth of the Reapers, better representing how organics ultimate destroy each other/themselves with synthetics, with greater emphasis on organic tensions and initiative in the cycle as a whole. I'm rambling. =)

Saephon said:
Here's an amusing thought: If shooting the Big Red Pipes is what initiates the Destroy option, does that mean that if the Citadel were to be blown up or inflicted severe damage in the war, the Reapers could trigger their own demise? :ganishka:

You're joking, but it still implies you haven't put too much thought into this; that obviously couldn't have happened without the Citadel being otherwise intact and in position with the Crucible (plus that area clearly has shielding/a field of some kind). So, no, I don't think the Reapers would have allowed all that to happen by accident. [/nerdingout] :griffnotevil:

yota821 said:
I wouldn't have minded if I had gotten this ending. :ganishka:



:farnese: is that a bad thing?

Nah, as long as you don't cry about it or anything. :guts:
 
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hellrasinbrasin

Guest
Here’s Three People Coming Back For Mass Effect 3’s Extended Ending

BioWare's extended ending sequences for Mass Effect 3, which are looking to give players a little more closure on the series, will feature lines from at least three of the franchise's main voice actors.

Lance Henrisken (Admiral Hackett), Tricia Helfer (EDI) and Raphael Sbarge (Kaidan) have all confirmed they've been back in the recording booth, which suggests - given the nature of Kaidan's potential survival - that Kimberley Brooks (Ashley) will be there as well.

"I just did another session with them...They were saying there's a little bit of a problem with the abruptness of the ending," Henriksen told G4. "So we did a whole series of things to add to the end of the game, to live up to the quality they've been doing."

"Usually, when a guy loses the game, the game shuts down; it's over. It's done. The players don't like that."

Source: http://kotaku.com/5911864/heres-three-people-coming-back-for-mass-effect-3s-extended-ending
 

nomad

"Bring the light of day"
Tuesday, June 26 Mass Effect 3 "Extended Cut" will be released for all consoles and PC. Here's a video from the creators explaining the content:
http://www.g4tv.com/videos/59506/mass-effect-3-extended-cut-interview-with-developers/
 
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hellrasinbrasin

Guest
Nomad said:
Tuesday, June 26 Mass Effect 3 "Extended Cut" will be released for all consoles and PC. Here's a video from the creators explaining the content: http://www.g4tv.com/videos/59506/mass-effect-3-extended-cut-interview-with-developers/

I expect a lot of people to complain by saying The Extended Cut doesn't meet the expectations of what an extended cut is supposed to be nor does it really add anything to the over all story of Mass Effect 3. Just saying its gonna happen some people are just programmed to complain about anything and everything.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Nomad said:
Here's a video from the creators explaining the content:
http://www.g4tv.com/videos/59506/mass-effect-3-extended-cut-interview-with-developers/
Speaking of video, that's how I'll be experiencing this extended ending.
 

Saephon

Die young and save yourself
Mark my words: the Extended Cut will do exactly what it's supposed to do. It's 1.9GB of data, and I expect it to give some more clarity and closure to the fate of your squadmates, and hopefully it will differentiate between the three endings more as well. Having said that, it won't satisfy anyone whose main complaint is that the three ending choices are thematically revolting (i.e. yours truly :slan:).

That's okay though, I stopped caring 2+ months ago. I haven't decided if I'll actually play it myself; apparently you have to start from before the Cerberus mission. I've got other games to play, and other things to do! Youtube might be the best way to go.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Saephon said:
That's okay though, I stopped caring 2+ months ago. I haven't decided if I'll actually play it myself; apparently you have to start from before the Cerberus mission. I've got other games to play, and other things to do! Youtube might be the best way to go.

Before the Cerberus mission? Yikes! Yeah, I don't even remember how to play this game, let alone my Orion password or anything. :ganishka:
 
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hellrasinbrasin

Guest
I might as well replay the whole game anyway as I've forgotten what its about anyway.
 

MrWeatherby

What's up, ketchup?
hellrasinbrasin said:
I might as well replay the whole game anyway as I've forgotten what its about anyway.

You're a dude who is fed the hell up with reapers, and now they're attacking your home world! So you decide to chill around the galaxy with your pals and bang a few space ladies until finally you decide that you should maybe get off your ass and do something about that whole termination of the human race thing. You end up finding a couple of beams out in space and you run your ass right into one, except it doesn't really matter which since the result is literally the same no matter which one you choose.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
For those who are interested, here is the New, Extended Control Ending: http://youtu.be/m5J-QDTM8Zk

And there are links in the video to the other endings.

There's also a new ending option:
Refusal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PThzItSAT5c&feature=related
 
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hellrasinbrasin

Guest
Thanks for the link Walter. Now that is the full ending to Mass Effect 3 that they should have left in the game when they released it to begin with.
 

Saephon

Die young and save yourself
I have to admit, those fleshed out endings are about as good as I could hope for from this thing. Especially given the 2 months of development from scratch. While I personally wouldn't be eager to choose Synthesis or Control, they definitely seem more believable as options now. Shepard got some more lines of dialogue; not as much as I would have liked in such an ultimatum, but it definitely helped. In fairness I'm just going off of recordings on YouTube - if I play it myself and explore all the dialogue options, there may be even more to hear.

Not bad. Not bad at all. Didn't expect to find myself saying that.
 
Eh. I've been waiting on buying any of them until I could see if Bioware could live up to the providing an ending like they'd advertised.

From what I'm hearing, this is a series I can safely skip without regret.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Saephon said:
Not bad. Not bad at all. Didn't expect to find myself saying that.

I kind help but :schierke: at this, even the patronizing nods of approval. I haven't seen the new material yet, but I doubt it changes much, probably just "explains" things in the most fan friendly terms possible.

Bekul said:
Eh. I've been waiting on buying any of them until I could see if Bioware could live up to the providing an ending like they'd advertised.

From what I'm hearing, this is a series I can safely skip without regret.

You've obviously been listening to the wrong people. I guess the tens of thousands of words on this board extolling Mass Effect's virtues, particularly the original's, wasn't good enough in the face of a bunch of retarded trolls following an Internet trend bitching about an ending most of them hadn't even seen. BTW, as someone that similarly has no idea what they're talking in this case, you probably shouldn't talk about the ending not living up to billing either. This whole ridiculous thing is coming back to me.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
It was an improvement
in the same breath that it was patronizing to everyone who complained. The tone throughout all the new ending narratives is a nauseating "Now class, what did we learn today?"

No thanks. I'll just go on pretending the last 5 minutes of the game didn't happen, because honestly the original ending never truly made me hate it. It just wasn't complete. And I honestly wish people would forget about it and move on, because this is an utterly fantastic series hindered only by its final awkward moment.
 
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