Rockpopple wrote...
I know this goes beyond the discussion of the rubble, but....
Look at the choices you're given by the Catalyst and how they're presented to you.
Destroy. Throughout the entire Mass Effect series, not only Shepard, but everyone he ever respected and cared about had only one solution to the Reaper threat: their utter annihilation. There was NEVER even any thought of compromise be Shepard's friends and loved ones, or Shepard himself. The ONLY time Shepard brought up the possibility of NOT destroying the Reapers, but instead controlling them, he was shot down by Hackett. Destroy the Reapers, that is your only goal. That is the PLAYER'S only goal.
But the Catalyst tells you Destroy is an awful option. It's red and scary. It'll destroy all synthetic life, like the Geth. Even you would be destroyed. And even if you do choose Destroy, there's nothing that says Synthetic life wouldn't rise again and threaten the Galaxy. It was presented almost as not an option at all.
Now look at Control. Throughout the series, The Illusive Man has been obsessed with controlling the Reapers, and Shepard had been STEADFAST in telling TIM that controlling the Reapers would ONLY lead to Indoctrination and destruction.
Now you're being told that Control is the Paragon option. That you would die, but the Reapers would be under your control. They'd stop their attacks on the Galaxy. Oh, maybe something bad would happen, somewhere down the line, but this way you could save everyone.
Finally Synthesis. Saren was the enemy who was most invested in Synthesis, and he was obsessed with it because, as he was heavily Indoctrinated, it was the only way Saren could see as saving his own soul. If Synthesis was the answer, then they could allow themselves to be taken by the Reapers. Synthesis was a REAPER idea. Shepard fought against Synthesis every step of the way. Making peace between Organics and Synthetics is NOT Synthesis. The very idea of Synthesis is the idea of the Saren, Husks, Reapers.
But on the Citadel, Synthesis is presented as the BEST option. Shepard would again PERISH, but the Galaxy would be saved. Reapers would still exist, but they'd have no reason to kill everything because everything would BE LIKE THEM. The perfect merging of organic and synthetic. Sound familiar? Sovreign said the Reapers had all of the strengths of organics and snythetics, and NONE of the weakenesses. Those exact words!
This kind of thinking fooled me. By choosing Synthesis, I thought I was doing the best thing for the Galaxy. Looking back at it, I failed utterly. The only goal should be destroying the Reapers, no matter the costs, but the Catalyst, and the game, mind-effed me into thinking otherwise. Into saving the Reapers.
Insidious.
This. Thought of Saren when presented with the synthesis option. Then TIM, obviously, represents the control option. Both are officially indoctrinated. The "ending" is kind of epic if interpreted this way- a live action of indoctrination taking place in the minds of the players...and how some players would actually choose control/ synthesis despite having gone through the entire series trying to destroy the reapers, and despite having defied the indoctrinated antagonist ie Saren and TIM.
Retour en haut
