Throughout my ~30 hr play of ME3 I was amazed. The gameplay was top notch: tight, responsive, and fun. The story was engaging. The music always seemed to be perfectly fit to the scene.
I sat through the deaths of Mordin, Thane, and Legion; aghast and depressed to see them go, but proud of what they had accomplished. I cheered every time I brought down a Reaper. I was entranced by the conversations and hi-jinks the crew of the ship would get into. I was awed when the Thresher Maw destroyed a Reaper. I was crushed when I saw, and heard, the fall of Thessia. I was enraged with Cerberus as I counter-attacked their operations to retrieve the stolen VI.
There was one scene that particularly resonated with me. When Liara showed Shepard the backup system she had developed, something struck me. I'm not entirely sure what it was about the scene, but it was at that point when I had to stop. Stop, and think. Maybe it was just me realizing the stakes, maybe it was just the perfect composition of the music, all I know is something connected.
But all of this fell apart, in the last 10 minutes of the game. I was conflicted, to say the least. I didn't want to destroy the Geth. I didn't want to have a certain death trying to control the Reapers. The final option seemed to be the best.
But as the final cutscene started to play, I knew there was no choice I would be satisfied with. Regardless of how much I had done, how much time I had spent, how much I tried to make everything right, there was no way to have a proper ending. It was over. Shepard was dead. The crew wrecked on a planet. All the relays destroyed. No closure. The only magic in that final moment came from Clint Mansell and Faunts.
I suppose to many people this much emotional response from a video game would be odd. But I have a feeling that most people on this forum can certainly relate. The Mass Effect series is one of the rare instances that transcends the title of "just a video game". It's a truly remarkable experience, one of the greatest I've ever had, even in comparision to other forms of media.
There are many reasons for this. A well fleshed out universe, interesting characters, enjoyable game play, etc. However, I believe one of the biggest factors is the simple idea of choice. It's something that only appears in the medium of gaming. I believe that, is the crux of the problem with the ending. Regardless of how you try to spin it, there really wasn't much of a choice. Destroy, Indoctrinate, or Synthesize, regardless of which one you choose, the ending is pretty much the same. A convoluted, depressing, and insufficent conclusion to one of the greatest Science Fiction epics of all time. Normally I'm not one to complain about a sad ending, bad things happen. But in this case, it's more then just a sad ending. It's an ending that strips away your choice, and all of your previous effort.
If they happen to make a "Good Ending" DLC, it will certainly be a lucrative move. I know I would definitely buy it. For now though, I'd rather live in denial and block out those last 10 minutes.
I still think of it as one of the best video games I've ever played though. I will play through again, hopefully with a fixed save import that has Wrex instead of Wreav. I'm also curious about the "New Game+" ending that I've heard about.
Modifié par Chatboy 91, 10 mars 2012 - 09:50 .
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