20761 réponses à ce sujet

[Cyansomnia]

Oh, it gets worse. Nobody ever mentions him again (except Kai Leng's sh*t talk and the stabbity stab stab). And your Shepard somehow forgets he ever existed. AND, you don't get a paramour achievement. Good times, man.

H. Shepard:  "Let's stay in Mass Effect 2, it's a better place."
Thane:  "I have no arguments, Siha."

Modifié par Aislinn Trista, 19 mars 2012 - 03:38 .

[ADLegend21]

sagequeen wrote...

Was just watching video review/complaint about the ending. Thought this point was excellent:

"When people say Commander Shepard HAS to die, that assumes Shepard has to do anything in a game that's all about choice."

^ yep. that. and i want her to live.

Yup. I want her to be the human councilor too. after the Udina debacle humanity needs a trusted face on the ocuncil and everyone trusts Sheaprd.

[QwibQwib]

Aislinn Trista wrote...

Oh, it gets worse. Nobody ever mentions him again (except Kai Leng's sh*t talk). And your Shepard somehow forgets he ever existed. AND, you don't get a paramour achievement. Good times, man.

H. Shepard:  "Let's stay in Mass Effect 2, it's a better place."
Thane:  "I have no arguments, Siha."

When I first saw him at the hospital I was like.."squeeee" ,then i got to talk to him..you ONLY get 4 options! in the conversation!. and when you finally get frisky with him, you only find out  it it only happens once "Sorry Siha, my cardiovascular system won't let me" or something like that. I thought: "Hmmm, maybe I get to have some date later with like Kaidan, Garrus and Liara.....right

Modifié par QwibQwib, 19 mars 2012 - 03:40 .

[sagefic]

 Why am I not on chat?  Because this is me, pretty much, right about now, with this same expression on my face (and the bruised and bloody stuff is just symbolic of my mental state):



...
Was that the end?
...
No. No. That couldn't be the end. It has to be indoctrination.
...
Well, OBVIOUSLY it was indoctrination, that's the only thing that makes logical sense.
...
But even if its logical, it doesn't follow I'll get any good DLC.
...
I should write some fanfiction.
...
I'm too depressed to write fanfiction.
...
I should watch Shepard and Kaidan make out again.
...
That's depressing, too, because they probably both die.
...
No, no, they don't die. It was all indoctrination.
...
BioWare is totally stringing us along. They're getting so much damn press out of all of this, and I'm just letting them do this to me. This is a really abusive relationship. I distanced myself from Dragon Age, because I could see the signs of emotional abuse, but I thought Mass Effect was a safe place. I trusted them with my Kaidan/FemShep love and they broke my heart in ME2, but they fixed things in ME3, so maybe they're not so bad.
...
But look what they did to Thane.
...
This is an emotionally abusive gamership, too.
...
I should write some fanfic.
...
I'm too depressed to write fanfic.
...
It's indoctrination.
...
It has to be.
...
I hope.




... this is why you don't want me on chat right now.

Modifié par sagequeen, 19 mars 2012 - 03:43 .

[QwibQwib]

sagequeen wrote...

 Why am I not on chat?  Because this is me, pretty much, right about now, with this same expression on my face (and the bruised and bloody stuff is just symbolic of my mental state):



...
Was that the end?
...
No. No. That couldn't be the end. It has to be indoctrination.
...
Well, OBVIOUSLY it was indoctrination, that's the only thing that makes logical sense.
...
But even if its logical, it doesn't follow I'll get any good DLC.
...
I should write some fanfiction.
...
I'm too depressed to write fanfiction.
...
I should watch Shepard and Kaidan make out again.
...
That's depressing, too, because they probably both die.
...
No, no, they don't die. It was all indoctrination.
...
BioWare is totally stringing us along. They're getting so much damn press out of all of this, and I'm just letting them do this to me. This is a really abusive relationship. I distanced myself from Dragon Age, because I could see the signs of emotional abuse, but I thought Mass Effect was a safe place. I trusted them with my Kaidan/FemShep love and they broke my heart in ME2, but they fixed things in ME3, so maybe they're not so bad.
...
But look what they did to Thane.
...
It's indoctrination.
...
It has to be.
...
I hope.




... this is why you don't want me on chat right now.

Pretty much how I feel aswell, I think right now, my life is sad, i keep refreshing all the important threads and the twitter....hoping for news. Basically all i do right now is stalk everyone on twitter. People from Femshep keep me sane and I know i'm not alone on this...i want go rambo...
Just know that I feel everyone's pain and you're not alone, and I know that you know you're not alone. I just feel good saying it. >.>

Modifié par QwibQwib, 19 mars 2012 - 03:46 .

[mnomaha]

Gilsa wrote...

I don't fully understand this so asking -- was the "cure for thane kiros" movement on facebook started by the fans or by bioware? I wasn't there for it so not fully sure what happened. If they did help to promote that, then that's not cool to play on fandom like that.

I'm not sure exactly what you're asking.  A few of us started the facebook page:

http://www.facebook....esInMassEffect3 recently and there are a couple other active threads right now.

Are you talking about the collaboration banner? I'm not sure who all was involved with that, but Hanar05 would be a good one to talk to if no one else answers.

Modifié par mnomaha, 19 mars 2012 - 03:47 .

[sagefic]

Here's my deal, truthfully. I don't want to be a jerk, because hey, if it IS a nifty bit of writing re: indoctrination and a slew of DLC is coming in which we actually do what the game advertised and hey, Take Back Earth (hello!?), then I want to be able to say, "Oh, gosh, thank you bioware! you shouldn't have! oh, who am i kidding? yes you should. gimme, gimme."

If all becomes clear, I will say, 'yes, i doubted you for a moment, but thanks.' it's really too soon to say, since clearly this is moving on business model time. in my gamer time, however, it's kind of agonizing to be reeling from the ending and really sad about it.

Plus, it's HARD to be sad over this because it's not something you can really talk about IRL. my dad caught i was feeling bad when he called on the phone and it's not like i can say, 'oh, yeah, me? i'm totally in mourning over a video game that may or may not have eaten up 5 years of my fan life and then spat me up on the pavement" seriously. no, instead, i say, 'oh, didn't get much sleep. don't mind me.'

eh. it may work out fine. we may all get the DLC we crave. we may not. it may suck. but for today, i have hit 'refresh' on the twitter too much. i need try and write something. that always makes me feel sane again.

maybe i'll write a story about duckies. that would be a good counterpoint to this madness. duckies that eat starchildren....

[QwibQwib]

sagequeen wrote...

Here's my deal, truthfully. I don't want to be a jerk, because hey, if it IS a nifty bit of writing re: indoctrination and a slew of DLC is coming in which we actually do what the game advertised and hey, Take Back Earth (hello!?), then I want to be able to say, "Oh, gosh, thank you bioware! you shouldn't have! oh, who am i kidding? yes you should. gimme, gimme."

If all becomes clear, I will say, 'yes, i doubted you for a moment, but thanks.' it's really too soon to say, since clearly this is moving on business model time. in my gamer time, however, it's kind of agonizing to be reeling from the ending and really sad about it.

Plus, it's HARD to be sad over this because it's not something you can really talk about IRL. my dad caught i was feeling bad when he called on the phone and it's not like i can say, 'oh, yeah, me? i'm totally in mourning over a video game that may or may not have eaten up 5 years of my fan life and then spat me up on the pavement" seriously. no, instead, i say, 'oh, didn't get much sleep. don't mind me.'

eh. it may work out fine. we may all get the DLC we crave. we may not. it may suck. but for today, i have hit 'refresh' on the twitter too much. i need try and write something. that always makes me feel sane again.

maybe i'll write a story about duckies. that would be a good counterpoint to this madness. duckies that eat starchildren....

I have decided...If they planned this all along I will buy the damn dlc IF I like it. First I have to see how it turns out and then see the results on youtube then I'll  buy it. If they didn't plan it...same as before, I just want some damn and pregancy and more love for Thane and some love for other fans that liked the Jacob romance aswell and fianlly closure. Meh, I've tried doing other things but .... *sigh* nvm, good luck though.

[TheMarshal]

sagequeen wrote...

Here's my deal, truthfully. I don't want to be a jerk, because hey, if it IS a nifty bit of writing re: indoctrination and a slew of DLC is coming in which we actually do what the game advertised and hey, Take Back Earth (hello!?), then I want to be able to say, "Oh, gosh, thank you bioware! you shouldn't have! oh, who am i kidding? yes you should. gimme, gimme."

If all becomes clear, I will say, 'yes, i doubted you for a moment, but thanks.' it's really too soon to say, since clearly this is moving on business model time. in my gamer time, however, it's kind of agonizing to be reeling from the ending and really sad about it.

Plus, it's HARD to be sad over this because it's not something you can really talk about IRL. my dad caught i was feeling bad when he called on the phone and it's not like i can say, 'oh, yeah, me? i'm totally in mourning over a video game that may or may not have eaten up 5 years of my fan life and then spat me up on the pavement" seriously. no, instead, i say, 'oh, didn't get much sleep. don't mind me.'

eh. it may work out fine. we may all get the DLC we crave. we may not. it may suck. but for today, i have hit 'refresh' on the twitter too much. i need try and write something. that always makes me feel sane again.

maybe i'll write a story about duckies. that would be a good counterpoint to this madness. duckies that eat starchildren....

Agreed on this point.  On the surface it seems like such a superfluous thing to be upset about, but when you think about how much time, thought, and emotion went into our Shepards, it makes sense.  It's just not something that can be explained to anyone who hasn't gone through the same thing.  My wife is working through the game right now, so I can't really bring up the ending with her, but in all honesty even once she's done it'll be difficult for us to relate simply because I've sunk so much of me into my Shepard and she's had a less intense experience so far.

I really wish I wasn't in grad school right now, 'cause I have had major cravings to write ever since I popped the disc in the drive...

[ADLegend21]

sagequeen wrote...

 Why am I not on chat?  Because this is me, pretty much, right about now, with this same expression on my face (and the bruised and bloody stuff is just symbolic of my mental state):



...
Was that the end?
...
No. No. That couldn't be the end. It has to be indoctrination.
...
Well, OBVIOUSLY it was indoctrination, that's the only thing that makes logical sense.
...
But even if its logical, it doesn't follow I'll get any good DLC.
...
I should write some fanfiction.
...
I'm too depressed to write fanfiction.
...
I should watch Shepard and Kaidan make out again.
...
That's depressing, too, because they probably both die.
...
No, no, they don't die. It was all indoctrination.
...
BioWare is totally stringing us along. They're getting so much damn press out of all of this, and I'm just letting them do this to me. This is a really abusive relationship. I distanced myself from Dragon Age, because I could see the signs of emotional abuse, but I thought Mass Effect was a safe place. I trusted them with my Kaidan/FemShep love and they broke my heart in ME2, but they fixed things in ME3, so maybe they're not so bad.
...
But look what they did to Thane.
...
This is an emotionally abusive gamership, too.
...
I should write some fanfic.
...
I'm too depressed to write fanfic.
...
It's indoctrination.
...
It has to be.
...
I hope.




... this is why you don't want me on chat right now.

*hugs sage* there there. I'm wirint gmoer Guns and Poems so you can read that since it's loosely based on the game not 100% canon.

[QwibQwib]

TheMarshal wrote...

sagequeen wrote...

Here's my deal, truthfully. I don't want to be a jerk, because hey, if it IS a nifty bit of writing re: indoctrination and a slew of DLC is coming in which we actually do what the game advertised and hey, Take Back Earth (hello!?), then I want to be able to say, "Oh, gosh, thank you bioware! you shouldn't have! oh, who am i kidding? yes you should. gimme, gimme."

If all becomes clear, I will say, 'yes, i doubted you for a moment, but thanks.' it's really too soon to say, since clearly this is moving on business model time. in my gamer time, however, it's kind of agonizing to be reeling from the ending and really sad about it.

Plus, it's HARD to be sad over this because it's not something you can really talk about IRL. my dad caught i was feeling bad when he called on the phone and it's not like i can say, 'oh, yeah, me? i'm totally in mourning over a video game that may or may not have eaten up 5 years of my fan life and then spat me up on the pavement" seriously. no, instead, i say, 'oh, didn't get much sleep. don't mind me.'

eh. it may work out fine. we may all get the DLC we crave. we may not. it may suck. but for today, i have hit 'refresh' on the twitter too much. i need try and write something. that always makes me feel sane again.

maybe i'll write a story about duckies. that would be a good counterpoint to this madness. duckies that eat starchildren....

Agreed on this point.  On the surface it seems like such a superfluous thing to be upset about, but when you think about how much time, thought, and emotion went into our Shepards, it makes sense.  It's just not something that can be explained to anyone who hasn't gone through the same thing.  My wife is working through the game right now, so I can't really bring up the ending with her, but in all honesty even once she's done it'll be difficult for us to relate simply because I've sunk so much of me into my Shepard and she's had a less intense experience so far.

I really wish I wasn't in grad school right now, 'cause I have had major cravings to write ever since I popped the disc in the drive...

When i finished the game..i was crying in silence, I couldn't even cry in fron't of my boyfriend because i was afraid of what he might think of me. I cried for days and days. I played  "I Was Lost Without You" from the sountrack and making myself more depressed. surpressing your feels sucks...horribly.

[Cyansomnia]

@Sage

I love you so much. XD And I'm going through the exact same thing, believe me. But hey, at least you have Kaidan!

Modifié par Aislinn Trista, 19 mars 2012 - 04:09 .

[Ottemis]

Honestly, I'm quite Zen with the endings.

Not to say I don't want my classical happy ending still (that doesn't uncharactertisticly involve killing all synthetic life) for Shepard personally, or that I didn't wish for more involvement of battle assets in the end, or more of a conclusion and content After 'the choice'.

I mean to say that the endings made sense to me, starchild made perfect sense to me, and I was not at the least conflicted about his role or what he was telling me.
That the ending I picked initially gave me  a great sense of peace, because I KNEW I made the choice best for the entire galaxy. That that choice transcended Shepard, her crew, LI etc, because it would 'fix' the fabric of the universe.

There is a heartbreaking duality in all of this, because the happy ending in this series SHOULD come from the knowledge that you made it so the Reapers would NEVER again be a threat. Shepard was your weapon, your vessel, the medium and in the end for me, the catalyst to make that possible.

But as Mass Effect has always made us consider the importance of one individual in the whole, Shepard's needs didn't take presedence over what I knew to be right. A hard choice made easy.

I am sad, and yes, I want more, but I'm also at peace.

Modifié par Ottemis, 19 mars 2012 - 04:11 .

[Cyansomnia]

I'm just going to have to say I respectfully disagree, and I'll leave it at that.

Modifié par Aislinn Trista, 19 mars 2012 - 04:11 .

[JECW]

mnomaha wrote...

Gilsa wrote...

I don't fully understand this so asking -- was the "cure for thane kiros" movement on facebook started by the fans or by bioware? I wasn't there for it so not fully sure what happened. If they did help to promote that, then that's not cool to play on fandom like that.

I'm not sure exactly what you're asking.  A few of us started the facebook page:

http://www.facebook....esInMassEffect3 recently and there are a couple other active threads right now.

Are you talking about the collaboration banner? I'm not sure who all was involved with that, but Hanar05 would be a good one to talk to if no one else answers.

She's asking about the cure for Thane banner . That was the fans idea not bioware.

[Cyansomnia]

Hana sent it to Bioware and they hung it up in their office. The whole thing was still pretty insensitive, though.

[ELE08]

TheMarshal wrote...

sagequeen wrote...

Plus, it's HARD to be sad over this because it's not something you can really talk about IRL. my dad caught i was feeling bad when he called on the phone and it's not like i can say, 'oh, yeah, me? i'm totally in mourning over a video game that may or may not have eaten up 5 years of my fan life and then spat me up on the pavement" seriously. no, instead, i say, 'oh, didn't get much sleep. don't mind me.'

Agreed on this point.  On the surface it seems like such a superfluous thing to be upset about, but when you think about how much time, thought, and emotion went into our Shepards, it makes sense.  It's just not something that can be explained to anyone who hasn't gone through the same thing.  My wife is working through the game right now, so I can't really bring up the ending with her, but in all honesty even once she's done it'll be difficult for us to relate simply because I've sunk so much of me into my Shepard and she's had a less intense experience so far.

I really wish I wasn't in grad school right now, 'cause I have had major cravings to write ever since I popped the disc in the drive...

Indeed.  Not many people you can tell, "Yeah, I'm actually a bit real-life depressed...over a video game."  At least not without hearing something along the lines of "Jeez, get some real problems."

That might be part of it too, I think.  People do have real life problems.  Mass Effect is/has been an escape from that. And between Jacob transforming into an epic douche (enough of those in real life, thanks) plus it turns out in the end, Shepard is only human and can't save everyone or [quite often] herself (going off what's concrete and in the game, no theories here)...and well, not much of an escape anymore.  Real life is often ugly, ambiguous, and less than ideal. Apparently, so is ME3.  Thanks for stomping all over my sad gamer heart

That said, I'm still going to go back and play what I missed in ME3.  Most of it is pretty damn epic.  The rest I can blot out of my memory with headcanon...and maybe copious amounts of booze.

*bludgeons end of ME3 into submission with fanarts*

[sir-edmund]

sagequeen wrote...

Plus, it's HARD to be sad over this because it's not something you can really talk about IRL. my dad caught i was feeling bad when he called on the phone and it's not like i can say, 'oh, yeah, me? i'm totally in mourning over a video game that may or may not have eaten up 5 years of my fan life and then spat me up on the pavement" seriously. no, instead, i say, 'oh, didn't get much sleep. don't mind me.'

I hear you, I made the mistake of trying to explain it to my mother when she wanted to know why I was up at 7 am pacing. Explaining to her about how I have hundreds of hours tied up in this franchise, not just in actual game-time but in all the fan fiction and fan art and straight-up time spent just thinking about it all didn't really make a positive case for my current level of sanity.



Viktoria regaring the endings: Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.

[Cyansomnia]

The depression has hit me super hard. I've pretty much been keeping it to myself, but my husband is very understanding and agrees with a lot of what I've told him. Not just because he's trying to humor me, mind you. XD He's always been a great guy that lets me vent my problems and actually listen.

@ELE08

I agree completely.  I play these games to make myself feel good, to escape the real life crap I deal with on a daily basis.  It really does help me feel better.  When that turns around and becomes another source of downers... well, it can be difficult to keep yourself positive.

Modifié par Aislinn Trista, 19 mars 2012 - 04:48 .

[Ashwraith]

Aislinn Trista wrote...

H. Shepard:  "Let's stay in Mass Effect 2, it's a better place."
Thane:  "I have no arguments, Siha."

Oh, I hear you.
I hear you absolutely.




V. Shepard: "Seriously, sir, can we please just go home? I miss the days when your douchebaggery made sense from a storytelling perspective."

TIM: "...Fine. But I'm piloting the Mako."

V. Shepard: "Bu-"

TIM: "Vi, I've seen how you drive. Get in the passenger seat, or I'm giving you to the Collectors."

Modifié par Ashwraith, 19 mars 2012 - 04:55 .

[TheMarshal]

ELE08 wrote...

Indeed.  Not many people you can tell, "Yeah, I'm actually a bit real-life depressed...over a video game."  At least not without hearing something along the lines of "Jeez, get some real problems."

That might be part of it too, I think.  People do have real life problems.  Mass Effect is/has been an escape from that. And between Jacob transforming into an epic douche (enough of those in real life, thanks) plus it turns out in the end, Shepard is only human and can't save everyone or [quite often] herself (going off what's concrete and in the game, no theories here)...and well, not much of an escape anymore.  Real life is often ugly, ambiguous, and less than ideal. Apparently, so is ME3.  Thanks for stomping all over my sad gamer heart

That said, I'm still going to go back and play what I missed in ME3.  Most of it is pretty damn epic.  The rest I can blot out of my memory with headcanon...and maybe copious amounts of booze.

*bludgeons end of ME3 into submission with fanarts*

It is absolutely epic in (almost) every way.  Vast improvements in combat mechanics, item handling, dialogues, quest giving, cinematography, storytelling.  I wish it could have continued forever in that regard.

I think Penny-Arcade summed it up nicely:

They aren’t merely ending a single game; they’re ending three games, in what has been called gaming’s first true epic. Mass Effect 3 succeeds, and succeeds, and succeeds as it unfolds; for it to be over, for it to stop at all, must certainly be seen as failure of a sort. The reaction to the endings is an index of player investment and seeming ownership over the narrative, years in the making, and is as much Bioware’s creation as the game itself.

[raziel1980]

TheMarshal wrote...

ELE08 wrote...

Indeed.  Not many people you can tell, "Yeah, I'm actually a bit real-life depressed...over a video game."  At least not without hearing something along the lines of "Jeez, get some real problems."

That might be part of it too, I think.  People do have real life problems.  Mass Effect is/has been an escape from that. And between Jacob transforming into an epic douche (enough of those in real life, thanks) plus it turns out in the end, Shepard is only human and can't save everyone or [quite often] herself (going off what's concrete and in the game, no theories here)...and well, not much of an escape anymore.  Real life is often ugly, ambiguous, and less than ideal. Apparently, so is ME3.  Thanks for stomping all over my sad gamer heart

That said, I'm still going to go back and play what I missed in ME3.  Most of it is pretty damn epic.  The rest I can blot out of my memory with headcanon...and maybe copious amounts of booze.

*bludgeons end of ME3 into submission with fanarts*

It is absolutely epic in (almost) every way.  Vast improvements in combat mechanics, item handling, dialogues, quest giving, cinematography, storytelling.  I wish it could have continued forever in that regard.

I think Penny-Arcade summed it up nicely:

They aren’t merely ending a single game; they’re ending three games, in what has been called gaming’s first true epic. Mass Effect 3 succeeds, and succeeds, and succeeds as it unfolds; for it to be over, for it to stop at all, must certainly be seen as failure of a sort. The reaction to the endings is an index of player investment and seeming ownership over the narrative, years in the making, and is as much Bioware’s creation as the game itself.

I would have to completely agree with this statement made here...and that's why I dislike the ending...atleast after TIM part...because of the fact that you got some kinda closure there. The rest just doesn't sit to well with me. I posted earlier that as soon as I got to the 'pick a color' part... I REALLY REALLY wish I could have gone 'chig's gif' on that. That was my only issue...though it does seem as if I got the 'perfect ending' because you got a little part after the credits...that I wasn't that impressed with either.

[Sinapus]

ELE08 wrote...
Indeed.  Not many people you can tell, "Yeah, I'm actually a bit real-life depressed...over a video game."  At least not without hearing something along the lines of "Jeez, get some real problems."

That might be part of it too, I think.  People do have real life problems.  Mass Effect is/has been an escape from that. And between Jacob transforming into an epic douche (enough of those in real life, thanks) plus it turns out in the end, Shepard is only human and can't save everyone or [quite often] herself (going off what's concrete and in the game, no theories here)...and well, not much of an escape anymore.  Real life is often ugly, ambiguous, and less than ideal. Apparently, so is ME3.  Thanks for stomping all over my sad gamer heart

The groin punch at the end that people are reporting are definitely stomping on my enthusiasm. <_<

Oh well, at least I know which point to stop and start imagining my own ending. Metaphorical martial arts blocking/evading said punch.

That said, I'm still going to go back and play what I missed in ME3.  Most of it is pretty damn epic.  The rest I can blot out of my memory with headcanon...and maybe copious amounts of booze.

*bludgeons end of ME3 into submission with fanarts*

Might help dull the pain.

*Still didn't complete any ME2 this weekend. MP sucked me in again, though I suspect the feeling of futilty from the spoilers I've encountered is infecting me.*

[AVPen]

Honestly, I'm having a real super-f***ing hard time finishing any of my FemSheps playthoughs, because I know no matter what choices I've made and no matter what impact my decisions have made in the galaxy.... it's all for naught, because ultimately, every single one of my characters will reach the same ending. 


(and let's be honest, it IS the same f***ing ending regardless of what choice you make, they only slightly vary in the details.... and have a different color lightshow at the end, yipee <_< )

Modifié par AVPen, 19 mars 2012 - 05:26 .

[MizzNaaa]

ELE08 wrote...

TheMarshal wrote...

sagequeen wrote...

Plus, it's HARD to be sad over this because it's not something you can really talk about IRL. my dad caught i was feeling bad when he called on the phone and it's not like i can say, 'oh, yeah, me? i'm totally in mourning over a video game that may or may not have eaten up 5 years of my fan life and then spat me up on the pavement" seriously. no, instead, i say, 'oh, didn't get much sleep. don't mind me.'

Agreed on this point.  On the surface it seems like such a superfluous thing to be upset about, but when you think about how much time, thought, and emotion went into our Shepards, it makes sense.  It's just not something that can be explained to anyone who hasn't gone through the same thing.  My wife is working through the game right now, so I can't really bring up the ending with her, but in all honesty even once she's done it'll be difficult for us to relate simply because I've sunk so much of me into my Shepard and she's had a less intense experience so far.

I really wish I wasn't in grad school right now, 'cause I have had major cravings to write ever since I popped the disc in the drive...

Indeed.  Not many people you can tell, "Yeah, I'm actually a bit real-life depressed...over a video game."  At least not without hearing something along the lines of "Jeez, get some real problems."

That might be part of it too, I think.  People do have real life problems.  Mass Effect is/has been an escape from that. And between Jacob transforming into an epic douche (enough of those in real life, thanks) plus it turns out in the end, Shepard is only human and can't save everyone or [quite often] herself (going off what's concrete and in the game, no theories here)...and well, not much of an escape anymore.  Real life is often ugly, ambiguous, and less than ideal. Apparently, so is ME3.  Thanks for stomping all over my sad gamer heart

That said, I'm still going to go back and play what I missed in ME3.  Most of it is pretty damn epic.  The rest I can blot out of my memory with headcanon...and maybe copious amounts of booze.

*bludgeons end of ME3 into submission with fanarts*

I agree with both of you. However, I don't have it in me to go back to the game just yet. Maybe soon...just not now.