So, just beat the game this morning, and the ending. . . meh.
I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. I'll break it down:
Pros:
Shepard's heroic sacrifice. This I have no problem with, and was how I strongly suspected the story would end (though looking at the strategy guide, there are apparently ways for Sheppard to survive. Have to try that.)
The Choices. Three options, each with their own pros and cons. Each one seemingly equally bad or good, and ultimately coming down to what do you value most? I really liked that, but within this also lies my greatest complaint (coming up in cons.)
Normandy. It was cool seeing her "final flight," and the crash-landed survivors, though this also feeds into two of my cons.
The after-credits. The little tagline at the end, showing humans. . . who knows how far in the future, revering "The Shepard" as in the same ranks as Thor, Hercules, Odysseus, and Wyatt Earp. I liked that. And the "one more story" line at the end. . . leaves things a little open.
Cons:
Destruction of the Mass Relays. Possibly my biggest complaint. I chose the option I did (controlling the Reapers) because I didn't want to genocide the Geth (I'd worked SO HARD at finally brokering peace between them and the Quarians, looking forward to Geth becoming productive members of galactic society in the post-Shepard world), and because I didn't want to essentially reboot the galaxy from scratch (which seemed to be what the "synergy" option would do. . . eliminate all orangic and synthetic life to make way for. . . natural cyborgs?) It also seemed to be telling me that Synergy would destroy the Mass Relays. . . which the codex told me would destroy any solar system with a Mass Relay in it. Thus, destroying Mass Relays is the WORST of all possible options: Dozens, hundreds, maybe even THOUSANDS of inhabited star systems are obliterated, never to bear life again, including Earth, which I'd spent the entire game fighting to protect. Anyone who survives this is cut off from any hope of galactic civilization, since the Mass Relays are all that allow true travel through the galaxy. And any races who come up after will find it difficult-to-impossible to really claim the stars, since the Mass Relays won't be waiting for them when they reach the bounds of their solar systems. This, to me, is the BIGGEST downer of the ending. . . in trying to break this cycle, I've obliterated any chance at true galactic harmony and co-operation. . . the goal my Shepard has been working for ever since the begining of ME2 (PS3 owner, here.) I was greatly looking forward to helping usher in a new era of peace and understanding with all species. . . only to have that hope ripped away by the destruction of the Relay network. Honestly, if the Relays remained intact, the ending would be twice as enjoyable, even if no other denoument occured.
Normandy crew. I had Liara with me (my sweetie!) most of the time, including the last mission. When the Reaper beam hits, I assumed she and Ashley (my other squadmate) were killed alongside everyone else, though I hoped they'd gotten clear somehow. Suddenly, as the Normandy crashes, Liara is stepping out the hatch with Joker. How did she get back on the ship? If the signal that called off the Reapers also destroyed the Relay network, and this destruction is what caused the Normandy to crash, how did Joker have time to pick up my squadmates while there was still pitch battle with the Reapers around the Beam? I sense a disturbance in the plot.
Lack of denoument. In storytelling, the five-part story structure is Introduction, Rising Action, Complication, Climax, Denoument. A lot of modern media, especially the one-hour TV show, tend to forget about Denoument, instead pusing the climax as close as they can to the end of the episode and MAYBE giving thirty seconds of "wrap-up" at the end. I HATE that. I want to see the conclusion, the wrap-up, the tying up of loose ends. I wanted to see how Liara and Miranda delt with my heroic sacrifice, what happened to Earth, Thessia, and Palaven, how the Krogan and Geth integrated into galactic society, how the Quarians resetteled their homeworld. . . I would have been delirously happy with a full hour of nothing but cinematic covering the next several years of story. I understand wanting to leave something for DLC, but COME ON! Oh, wait, there's really no wrap-up possible, because destroying the Mass Relays obliterates a huge percentage of all life in the galaxy, and renders any kind of galactic civilization impossible, defeating the whole purpose of. . . well, anything Shepard ever did.
Thoughts on Improvement:I really like the story as told, though feel a few minor tweaks can both preserve the writer's vision and make a more conclusive ending.
First, either don't destroy the Mass Relays, or allow them to be reconstructed relatively quickly. I did all this to save galactic civilization, I don't want to see it wiped out. And don't have the Mass Relay explosions wipe out all life. Maybe some kind of Reaper shield or Citadel applied phlebotinum minimizes the explosions. Bottom line, don't let the amazing world you created end with this game.
Denoument. Do something to give us more insight into what the galaxy is like post-Reaper. As it is, it feels like the story has been left with a big "The End. . . OR IS IT?" sign. Either definitively end the series and create a satisfying and complete wrap up, or leave it open to future exploration and give us some idea of what to expect from future Mass Effect installements, be they games, books, comics, whatever. Ultimately, that's the biggest complaint with the ending, is that it feels like, on one hand, it's trying to definitively wrap up and end the Mass Effect franchise for good, while on the other, like it's trying to leave the door open to maybe possibly someday if we feel like it milk it for more money.
Modifié par ErikModi, 01 avril 2012 - 10:09 .
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