[quote]Tiax Rules All wrote...
I am making this post in an honest attempt to help people understand and appreciate the endings more. I personally feel after reading posts here and hearing from friends that, most of this anger over the endings is caused because they did not see the over 4000 asset "destroy" option ending.
I hope to make a complete and easy explanation of the ending, comment if you think I need to adjust or add to it.
This post does not apply to those who just don't like it because of its lack of detailed epilogue.
First of all there is one ending that is the real ending and all other endings are tricks and illusions. In fact the only REAL ending in the whole game is if you pick the destroy option with over 4000 assets. The real ending is only that 20 seconds they show of Shepard in the rubble and then takes a breath.
That (supposed to be) eye opening moment is supposed to tell you that Shepard was never on the Citadel. He lies just where he was knocked out by the destroyer blast, in the rubble of London. This is where the confusion takes place.
Everything that happens after the destroyer hits Shepard during his charge is a combination of a dying Shepard's hallucinations and reaper indoctrination trying to take over. Right after the blast, Shepard wakes with his armor half blown off. This is not just cut scene fubar, this is the start of his indoctrination fight when everything is slightly off, as in a dream (because it is)
If you listen to the radio chatter before Shepard goes into the beam, you can hear allied forces saying that NOBODY made it to the beam, not you and not Anderson before you. This is the real world radio chatter now in the background subconscious of this hallucination.
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That is what you want to believe. Not a fact, not backed by evidence.
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After he reaches the Citadel there is more oddness that should be setting off triggers for the player that something is not right, that this is an illusion... Anderson describes shifting walls and only ever agrees with Shep on his surroundings after Shep describes his and saying "like the collector base you described". Everything is just a projection from Shepard's mind and subconscious.
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Again, just what you want to believe. A transforming space station doesn't itself indicate a dream or illusion. This is a sci-fi story, and the main enemies are Lovecraftian machinations that sleep in "dark space" for 50,000 years. Shifting walls isn't so hard to believe, and remember that in ME2, Anderson noted how amazingly fast the Citadel was being put back together. Restructuring itself is obviously not such a difficult task. There is no evidence for this, nothing to back it up. Anderson no doubt heard about Shepard's description of the Collector base. The Collectors, using Reaper technology and being trained by the Reapers to harvest organic life, will undoubtably make their surroundings look the inside of a Reaper base (which, as it turns out, the Citadel is).
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When you are having the conversation with TIM and Anderson, It's all just again Sheps subconscious reminding himself and the player about indoctrination and what happens when you stop fighting it... you lose control (shoot Anderson) This is similar to the nightmares Shep has of the boy. This is the game through Shep's subconscious telling you do not follow the kid, you will burn (kid goes up in flames). And the last one when you see she with the kid and they both burn. Again telling you, no matter what happens you will get burned by trusting the kid.
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Really think about this.
1) Shepard's dream is telling him something about
the future. You are saying that Shepard is suddenly psychic.
2) The boy, instead of a more reasonable, emotional metaphor, represents a being Shep has no idea exists.
3) When Shep finally contronts the Catalyst, it chooses the form of the boy. Why? Shep's own subconscious doesn't trust the form. What does the Catalyst have to gain?
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There are more allusions to not trusting Cerberus/reapers throughout the game as well. You really start to see them after you understand the indoctrination ending. For example: TIM talking to Kai Lang says "Shepard was always going to stay true to his ideals" subtlety suggesting that the player should do the same and not let TIM/reapers compromise you destroying the reapers. The goal you have had since the very beginning. Also before the attack on Cerberus base I believe, there is a quantum comm. call between you and Hackett. You have the option of saying something like "what if TIM is right and the reapers CAN be controlled" and Hackett shoots you down. Gives you a direct order to kill TIM and destroy reapers. No questions asked. Once again, game trying to remind you of the one true goal and keep you focused.
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There are lots of reasons why the Alliance would compell you to not trust Cerberus. What else would you expect Hackett to say about them? What else would he say about controlling the Reapers?
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Now about the Catalyst and the crucible conversation and decision itself... By this time indoctrination is very close to taking over. The end is near. The catalyst looks like the little boy because of shep's subconscious and indoctrination is feeding off that. Everything in this scene is A LIE. The choices and how they are presented to you are all part of the deception to get Shepard to give his mind into indoctrination and lose the will to fight it.
You are presented first with the destroy option. He says "I KNOW you have been thinking of destroying us but..." The catalyst is scared, knows that its only chance is to manipulate Shepard here and now. It's painted in renegade red to through you off. This is purposefully done to manipulate Shepard's decision to fight. He tells you all synthetic life will be wiped out, including Geth and including Shepard because he is partially cybernetic himself. In sales you always present the worst option first and the best for last. So the next 2 options can then be presented and made more appealable.
the other 2 options do not let you ever see Shepard "alive" at the end so to me BOTH of these options are fails and result in you being indoctrinated and/or dying right there on the streets of London. Without that last breath scene. There can be no happy ending. I will elaborate on them a bit more separately.
Synthesis was in the middle and last option presented, this is what they ultimately want. He even likened the synthesis to husks in his description. The reapers want to harvest organics and change them into hybrids. By choosing synthesis you would be doing their work for them in an instant. Basically I see this as total fail ending, you have been played.
Now the control option was not presented as prominently as the synthesis but was still painted in paragon blue and offered as an option still better then destroy. In the end the result for choosing this is the same behind the scenes. Shepard gave into indoctrination/death and you do not get the breath tidbit.
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1) Why does it matter that the destroy option is red?
2 )My character was a sociopathic cadaver-junky. Most of my rep points were renegade.
3) Why didn't the Catalyst, being all up inside my mind and dicking with my subconscious, change the colors to manipulate my personality type?
4) Why wouldn't it make the synthesis option red for me, since that is what I clicked the most?
Edit: What I mean is, why would the Catalyst present an option it
doesn't want me to take as the only type of option I
do take?
This makes no sense.
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So if you choose destroy like I believe we are somewhat intended to, remember that the explosion cut scene and relays exploding and Normandy running/crashing ALL OF THAT IS STILL HALLUCINATION. This is Shepard's subconscious imagining a "happy ending" he imagines reapers destroyed, earth fighters celebrating, and he imagines and ending for companions. The lush new planet-scape is just a metaphor for starting over and them being at peace. That's why immediately after they show Shep waking up, to solidify the dream idea.
At that point you are supposed to start thinking about what really happened. Shepard is alive, on Earth, has conquered indoctrination. Another HUGE thing is that after destroying the reapers you were supposed to be dead. Recalling the little boy "you will die as you are partly synthetic". When you wake up after that in the rubble, it should be a clear indication that you have been lied to. You did not die like the boy said you would, he just said that to dissuade you. The rest is left even more ambiguous but...
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Or, that's what you
want to believe, and will believe, fanatically, regardless of the evidence provided.
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I personally believe that Shepard's job ended there..... etc
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Your 'personal' beliefs are your own. Fine. But they aren't backed by evidence.
The rest of your original post is just conjecture based on Bioware's PR campaign. If you want to elaborate on any of it, fine, but I am not going to address it immediately.
Modifié par soundhole, 15 mars 2012 - 10:25 .
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