7052 réponses à ce sujet

[Gibril]

 Dear BioWare,
Do you see all those answers asking for a new ending? All I want is a simple "Shep lives without having to kill off the Geth and EDI" option, that's all that got me upset. That my full paragon Shep had to sacrifice his moral standing to live, just seemed like a sucker punch. Like I do a good thing, but get punished for it.
Other than that, I would like some awesome DLC's where explosions happen, Shep saves or doesn't save people, standard Mass Effect fare, but larger scale. After all, this is the end, you need Titanic proportions for it. Certainly add in some more LI's though, that would be an interesting DLC.
Sincerely,
A Fan who's conflicted about whether to tear his hair out or give BioWare all his money for that type of story telling,
Also known as CDR_Azrael

[Luceres]

Ark819 wrote...

I think at this point, personally, that if the indoctrination theory was not intended, Bioware should sure as hell take it and run, at least it gives them an option to save face.

This and all the posts about making our choices throughout the series matter.   And blue babies.

[Avalon Aurora]

I forgot to write what I liked:

1. Curing the genophage and Wrex the Bro- This was awesome we totally got to be real Bros with our Bro Wrex, and he made us an honorary Krogan. We kicked ass and Kolros defeated a mini-reaper. This mission set was made of awesome.

2. Garrus on the Citadel: While a bit awkward at parts, this is part of Garrus' charm, I really did want to go retire and have drinks with him on a beach somewhere after the game, 'cause Garrus was a bro as much as Wrex was, possibly more, even if he wasn't as awesome as Wrex, he's still the coolest Turian ever.

3. Peace between Geth and Quarians w/Quarians returning to Rannoch- this was major payoff for a lot of hard arguing with Tali and the Admiralty, also, the mission inside the Geth consensus was awesome x4, awesomesauce blended with ambrosia, and changed Legion from a hero to a Legend.

4. Legion, Thane, and Mordin- All got epic heroic deaths that we could love them for.

5. Grunt- Surviving the unsurvivable!

6. Anderson and Hackett- spending the entire game being awesome and totally cool

7. Remember this shout-outs: Kasumi, Zaeed, Overlord brothers, Conrad Verner, Blasto, Hold the Line, Scientist Salarian, Liara's awesome pop, 'Info-Drone/Glyph', Avina.

8. Meeting a Specter that doesn't fight you and actually survives?

9. Talking down old squadmate to deal with Udina's rebellion... urg... that reminds me that it was never explained what happened to Anderson being Counsilor and how Udina took the position between ME2 and ME3, so sort of badness there... I guess it was an elected position or something, or Anderson stepped down, but they don't properly bring it up...

10. Different types of husks for different races

11. FemShep/Liara romance

12. Liara's time-capsule

13. Javik and the Protheans

And another baddie:

19. Kai-Leng plot-armor- this one was a doozy, not as bad as the ending and some of my other complaints, but his fights and cutscenes were often questionably scripted. The invincible gunship, his jumping on your car and taking whatever you throw at him, his invincibility while shield recharging even with widow headshots while out in the open, with only glare and a gunship giving cover fire to protect him, the points where Shepard seems to temporarily be without any of his cybernetics enhanced strength and/or biotic abilities, and his squad-mates can't seem to be troubled to help either, despite Kai-Leng being the primary obstacle or holding your primary objective, and needing to get it back from him, and the rather anti-climatic final battle in which I was easily able to smack him down with a few headshots, so much so that his invincibility in prior fights was inexcusable. He was also a wheenie who taunts you and complains about your allies despite relying on several dozen times the amount of cannon fodder to protect himself, and causes Shepard to act like a Wheenie for no reason while annoyed at 'losing' to him in ways that often made no sense. It might have worked better if Bioware had him escape quicker, rather than stalling to fight you, and leave forces behind to slow you down while he escapes, or totally snuck around and you only see security footage and such of him until your final fight, but the actual encounters with him... plus he should have been faster. The only awesome parts about him were how much of a jerk/troll he was and how well Bioware made us hate him, but battles were awkwardly scripted and had serious logic holes in terms of the behavior and lack of relative action from Shepard and the squad, especially in comparison to, say, the Vasir stuff in LotSB. Dying Thane proved how much of an epic fail Kai Leng is, but I actually liked that part of it.

[animadpig]

http://social.biowar...25/polls/29964/

More than 50% of players are willing to return ME3 if Bioware/EA are not willing to reply the protest officially and positively. Bioware/EA, this is our feedback.

Hold the line!

[Ircasha]

I'm not sure why the writing team felt the need to force an existential crisis on Shepard (and us). I could deal with the tragic hero ending if Shepard's sacrifice had actually saved the galaxy in some recognizable way. As it is, all the choices basically throw the advanced races (those who survive) back, if not to the Stone Age, then to the equivalent of it as far as interplanetary travel goes. If the canon set in ME2 DLC holds, then the damage caused by Shepard's 'victory' is worse than what the Reapers were doing (at least with the Reapers, the planets would still exist). Pyrrhic victory indeed.

There needs to be an ending where the Reapers win because of Shepard's failure to unit the Galaxy, There need to be a few endings where the Reapers are defeated, but at great cost and there needs to be the sunshine, rainbows and ponies ending where most of the crew survives (and any who do die, the sacrifice must be meaningful - like Legion, Moradin, and Thane) and Shepard and his LI get to ride off into the sunset. There also needs to be some sort of closure about how all of Shepard's choices effected the galaxy after the fall of the Reapers.

. . . and we need to see Tali minus the suit

[unclghost]

I found it very off-putting that Shepard couldn't at least point out that the Quarians had reconciled with the Geth, if that did indeed happen in a playthrough, even if the Catalyst would disagree.

Also, for playability: it would be good if it was more clear which option was which--I accidentally chose the wrong choice the first time because they weren't marked and you had to remember what happened in the brief cutscene that the player could easily have assumed was metaphorical and didn't correspond to the actual choice.

[Doofe2012]

If I could have one thing about ME3 changed, it would be the endings. Ideally, there would be a wide variety of endings ranging from "Shepard + LI being able to live and grow old together" to an outright "Reapers win and someone 50,000 years later finds the time capsule that Shep and Liara made."

However, I understand that this would be time-consuming and costly, so I'll say this: The current 3 endings are bleak enough. I think deep down most fans, including myself, want a happy ending. Not a Disney "sunshine and rainbows" ending, but something where Shepard and his/her LI can be together alive in the end. Even if it just means they are on the Normandy when it crash-lands on that uncharted world. Or better yet, just have the Normandy not flee from the Sol system at all, and when Shepard awakens in the pile of rubble, the LI finds him/her and gets Shepard to a hospital like how Shepard did with the VS after Priority: Mars.

Simply put, the current endings are heartbreaking. There needs to be some hope and satisfaction. Right now it doesn't even feel like a victory even with the Reaper threat ended.

[Mayjeank]

POSITIVES:     
     I, like so many other people, absolutely loved Mass Effect 3 (until the last fifteen minutes.) This series has become my favorite and it is so easy to become immersed in the story and characters and feel like you're a part of it.
    1.  My FemShep is an infiltrator and primarily a paragon, with some renegade decisions made when necessary. She romanced Garrus, and they had a wonderful relationship throughout the game and he had a lot more to say this time (less calibrations). The final conversation with him was very sad. I had almost 5500 EMS and chose the Destroy ending; so Joker, Garrus, and James lived, and it appears that Shepard lives at the end as well.
    2. I loved the interaction between the characters that you get to witness. Some of the dialogue was hilarious and it really emphasized the depth of their personalities. Everyone was believable and unique in their own way and it was easy to fall in love with them. I'm sure thousands of people shed tears or caught something in their throat when Mordin or Legion dies, and especially the final conversations you have with everyone before you enter No-Man's-Land.
    3. The gameplay was also great. You guys took the positives out of the first and second game and added to it. Jumping from cover to cover was helpful. Melee was fun, the omni-tool knife was nifty, and the sniper rifle was my favorite weapon. Each enemy had their own way of approaching you, each fight felt a little different. No complaints there.


SUGGESTIONS:
     With that said, I felt like the last fifteen or so minutes of the game completely cut us off from everything we've built up through the entire series. At the end of the game, Shepard says, "You're taking away our future, without a future, we have no hope." It's inspiring, and gives us even more reason to want to see how Shepard's "future" turns out. I see no real point in adding lines like this if the outcome is the same regardless of which choices you make and what you do through the game.
      I understand that it might seem like admitting defeat to start the whole from scratch, but I think it would be mutually beneficial between you guys (BioWare) and fans, to create a customized Extension or even an Epilogue based on all of the decisions we made and the relationships we had throughout the game. It would provide a much needed sense of closure. I'd suggest answering a lot of the big questions in a very direct way. If you're not going to rewrite the ending and going to create a DLC instead, please pick up right where you left off after the final decision was made. I chose the Destroy ending, where you see Shepard still breathing. This was supposed to be the "Best" ending where Shepard lives. (It even says in the "Official" Prima Game Guide that if you have more than 4,000 EMS, then Shepard does not die, regardless of your decisions. Unless this is another inconsistency.)

    1. I'm fine with having Synthesize and/or Control as an option, because Shepard sacrifices him/herself. This is something the player chooses to do, this would be how the player decides to have their story end.  
    2. HOWEVER, I would like to see something along the lines of Shepard ultimately living if you choose the Destroy ending. The reapers are dead and their giant bodies strewn all over Earth. But, the galaxy is devastated. There are no more enemies to fight, because the entire galaxy united to fight this war. Everybody unites again to rebuild and come up with a solution. Shepard is in pain and disoriented, then sets off to find his/her companions and lover. Shepard begins searching. S/he could either find a working ship and search, or maybe the Normandy crashed on Earth. (I also like the above idea that Shepard's LI finds them and rushes to a hospital like with Kaiden on Mars.) When they meet again, Shepard throws their arms around their lover, they acknowledge that the war is over, and they discuss what they are going to do with their future together even though they have minimal resources. Shepard then proceeds to have a conversation with the remaining crew members.  If the Citadel's remains land on earth or are still floating in Earth's atmosphere, they can recycle this familiar technology. It may take a hell of a lot longer to travel from planet to planet, but it would give us a chance to watch them rebuild.
    3. On a different note, I think the "Indoctrination Theory" also has a good basis for an extension after the final decision. Shepard fights indoctrination then in the Destroy ending, s/he wakes up and has to finish fighting the reapers. This would just be the execution though, it would all ultimately boil down to seeing a resolution with plot hole fillers.

     Many fans just want the chance to finalize their relationships with the characters and observe the outcome of all of their decisions. Something that feels rewarding after dedicating our time and money. Think of the basic structure, we want a resolution rather than just have it end on a climactic point. We want to know which species survived, which team members survived, if the Council survived. We want to see how Tali and the fleet are getting home after they spent hundreds of years fighting for their planet (if they survived), and what Krogan babies look like (or what turian-human babies look like, from the final conversation with Garrus). These results could depend on EMS + war assets, reputation, decisions from previous game, etc. There are ways to make this work in an inexpensive way, I'm sure there are a thousand reasonable suggestions in this forum.
     Anyway, if this ends up being read by someone who can make a difference, thanks for taking the time. If not, at least I got it off my chest.

Modifié par Mayjeank, 21 mars 2012 - 03:51 .

[zninjazzero]

I might be echoing the torrent of sentiment, sentiment that has already been in many cases very well articulated, but I imagine every little bit helps, so I also wanted to voice my disapproval of the ending as it stands.

Whether we take indoctrination theory or the ending at face value, we are still left with a total non-ending to the series, it just so happens that indoctrination theory is actually a good interpretation of what we saw, whereas the face value ending is bad and full of plot holes.

So my suggestion is that you leave the ending relatively intact, chalk it up to indoctrination theory, and then add an actual ending that accounts for the choices and war assets accumulated throughout the series, with actual closure and finality.

I also like the idea that if you don't have enough war assets, the Reapers win and we fast forward 50,000 years to see some future civilization uncovering Liara's time capsules.

[Biggtuna]

This isn't even unprecedented, what we're requesting. Bethesda, a maker of many good games, released DLC for Fallout 3 after many fans said the ending was unacceptable. When people say this would violate BioWare's rights as a developer, I find that disingenuous. It's been done before. Fallout 3 has no asterisk next to it - it's considered a great game. Bethesda is doing exceptionally well lately - Skyrim won practically every award for 2011 -and- , even more importantly, had almost universal praise among fans who played it. Would critics of our opinion say that Bethesda has been hurt by their decision in handling the Fallout 3 ending? Most would say they are doing the best they've ever done; they're respected by gamers for their ability to take criticism and do their best to please their customers.

While that may be branded as "giving in", "appeasing a minority", or giving enititled crybabies what they want, it's inarguably a good business practice. Alternate endings please us, and those who enjoy things as they stand currently would see no difference. Why is it considered demanding to ask for more information about how the game ends, what your choices ultimately cause, or what the fate of virtually anyone in the game is? We currently know nothing other than the main enemy was stopped, and the ending brought up questions we didn't have before. These questions result in speculation ranging from everyone on Earth will die within a month of the ending to Earth itself was destroyed instantly at the end. When critics of our requests say we simply want a "happy" ending, rather than a Pyrrhic victory, that is false. We would accept a devastating loss of life; we simply want to know the extent of it, hopes for the future of the characters, etc. Is the entire galaxy so far gone that there is no hope, or are their hopes for the future, just very bleak possiblilites? To say this is like a real-life situation where the ending is not always good for the protagonist is missing the point. When bad things happen in real life, we know the extent of them. Innocent people die, people are oppressed, etc. We can see how bad things are. It's not as if major choices are made, and we simply know things ended badly. Usually, you can tell the extent of the consequences of a tough decision. That's all we want: knowledge of just how the universe fares after Shepard is gone. If things inevitably end tragically, fine. We just want to know how things would stand at the conclusion to an otherwise epic, amazing, and engaging story. It is a testament to just how good BioWare did previously that we care so much.

[Dwilliams2112]

Read the top comments if Bioware is to do this I will have all the love and respect for them!

[Shelpa]

Right, obviously these will have been posted, but I feel I should add my two cents worth to the discussion. These are the points that made me feel the ending was poorly done.

1. The idea of throwing in a Deus Ex Machina character at the last second to "solve" everything can be done well. In a book. Not in a video game. I have not seen a single game whereby I have not been disappointed after it introduces a DEM.

2. The plotholes. Oh, the plotholes. How does the squad you have with you when you make your final assault against the Citadel beam suddenly appear on the Normandy post-crash ? Why *is* the Normandy fleeing ? Wasn't Joker aiding the Fleet fight the Reapers ? How does the DEM think his logic is even partially reasonable, based on the experiences of the previous 30 hours (Geth + EDI) ? I could go on.

3. The lack of choice, and, by extension, how my decisions felt rather futile. Now, this really got my goat. Through all the war assets I got, volus, elcor, geth, asari, you name it, I expected to see some form of variation in the final space battle. No. All we get is either "Everything's going hanky-dory" or "Everything's going to hell" with the same ships, same people raging/jubilating. And this wasn't even the worst of it. On the ground, I had maybe hoped to see a Kakliosaur or two, with Krogan riding them ? Maybe an indication of what my *other* teammates were doing during the final fight ? Did they decide "Right, Shepard's chosen those two, let's go have a drink at the bar." ? I think not. Fast-forward to the final minutes of the game. I'm sorry but how is that 'choice' ?! It's like saying "Right, you can get punched in the face, punched in the nuts, or punched in the stomach." Choice is like deciding whether or not to actually activate the Crucible, knowing that it will destroy the Reapers, but also the Mass Relays and the Citadel, and probably Shepard. Talking of which...

4. I'm sorry but... The Mass Relays destroyed ? You realise that by doing this you're effectively dooming what's left of the Fleet orbiting a devastated Earth, half of which probably can't even eat Earth food. That's not mentioning the TRILLIONS of lifeforms in the galaxy that have more or less just been condemned to a technological dark age, possibly cut off from all forms of contact and supply with those outside their respective Clusters ? How is that a 'good' ending ? It would have been kinder to leave them to the Reapers !

5. The very end. Each time, and I do mean each time, that I see the little sign at the end of the game saying "Shepard has become a legend blah blah blah. Now go buy more of our shiney stuff !" Excuse me, but I just paid £54 for the end of a bloody era, the closure that I have been waiting ever since I started the Mass Effect series... And what do I get ? Different coloured explosions. Yay. Sorry, but my mind is a tad more evolved than that of a leprechaun suffering from ADHD.

Right, that's that out of the way. Your question is what do we want changed ? Everything about the ending might seem like an apt response, but unfortunately lacks the detail that you may or may not be looking for.

So, without further ado, here's a small résumé of what could (and should) be changed.

1. Choice. We were promised divergent endings. The endings that are currently available are not. Other options in the final sequence should be added to better reflect the Shepard we've spent three games building and growing attached to. Also, maybe not dooming the galaxy to a technological dark age would be nice.

2. Closure. What happens to our companions ? We would love to know, but all the endings give us are a brief glimpse at... them smiling. Clarification why the Normandy is where it is would be nice, too. And why Joker ran away. And... yeah, a fair number of things the endings failed to produced.

3. An honest answer. We are currently being (brutally, in certain cases) honest with the guys at Bioware regarding the endings. As your customers (loyal or not), we deserve more than a "We are listening." That means nothing. You can easily listen, and then just do nothing, wait for the storm to pass. Opinions may diverge on this, but I believe that a company should respond to it's customers. It is *very* bad business to ignore customers, or pretend to listen to them, and delay them. Faith in the company is lost, customers are lost, your sales go down, and your company goes on to bankruptcy.

I am aware that this last point does not concern the ending in the strictest possible sense; however, it does concern your response to the endings thus far, which I believe are partly the reason for this massive upheaval of the fanbase against Bioware/EA.

You wanted reasons. You want suggestions. There are my suggestions. Do what you will with them; in the meanwhile, I will continue to follow this thread, and others, with extreme interest, to see if any further information is revealed.

[enayasoul]

Doofe2012 wrote...

If I could have one thing about ME3 changed, it would be the endings. Ideally, there would be a wide variety of endings ranging from "Shepard + LI being able to live and grow old together" to an outright "Reapers win and someone 50,000 years later finds the time capsule that Shep and Liara made."

However, I understand that this would be time-consuming and costly, so I'll say this: The current 3 endings are bleak enough. I think deep down most fans, including myself, want a happy ending. Not a Disney "sunshine and rainbows" ending, but something where Shepard and his/her LI can be together alive in the end. Even if it just means they are on the Normandy when it crash-lands on that uncharted world. Or better yet, just have the Normandy not flee from the Sol system at all, and when Shepard awakens in the pile of rubble, the LI finds him/her and gets Shepard to a hospital like how Shepard did with the VS after Priority: Mars.

Simply put, the current endings are heartbreaking. There needs to be some hope and satisfaction. Right now it doesn't even feel like a victory even with the Reaper threat ended.

Yes, this exactly!  We want victory... we want our Shepards hard work to actually mean something!  To keep our promises to our love ones!  True the world will be in a state of destruction but that can provide hope for reconstruction.  To learn from our mistakes and cooperate with other races better!

You didn't have to kill the entire galaxy because you guys are done with Mass Effect.  Sheehs!  Destroying the relays, destroys each and every planet that has one.  Just plain dumb!

You want us fans to remember Mass Effect give us something to look fondly back at... not utter destruction and the feeling of loss and despair... or that the reapers won???    Come on, bioWare...  We're not asking for sun shine and bunnies just a bit more hopeful end then what's been given.   Shepard beat the odds against the Reapers and won!  :happy:

[xhopsing]

SolidisusSnake1 wrote...

This video explains everything wrong with the ending, everyone should just repost it:

EVERYONE NEEDS TO WATCH THIS VIDEO!!!!

[OMTING52601]

Game mechanic issues which should be fixed:

• Journal - Why would the design team change the journal from useful to useless? If the intent was to make 'war' seem more hectic, in my case, it failed to do so. It succeeded in being irritating, annoying, and a waste of space in the menu list. My suggestion is to follow what worked in the first two games and have the journal say what needs to be fetched, from where, and once it's picked up make note that item/person/fuel depot has been received and should then be returned to whom and where.
• Total Military Strength Assets - At this time, it is not possible to achieve 8000 TMS from the asset list, let alone 10000 TMS in a single player game. There are at least two assets which do not pop at all. If, in fact, the 'best' ending alluded to by the devs/producers pre-release is in fact the Synthesis ending, please, just make a statement to that effect. Hinting, no-commenting, avoiding a clear answer here is not, IMO, helping make the team or the company look any better. If Synthesis is the 'intended' best ending, that's cool. I'm fine with that. Please, say so.
• I'm not sure anything can be done about this, but - Enhance the conversations I'm supposed to eavesdrop on. I'm not saying it's difficult for me to find these 'quests'. They are easy to 'see', but for whatever reason the ambient noise on the citadel(and even onboard the Normandy) makes it difficult for me to clearly hear both sides and make a coherent choice, which then impacts whether or not my choice affects my TMS positively or negatively.

The End

• At this point, after watching the "Final Hours" mini-movie, I'm more than disappointed by the games end, since it was made abundantly clear that the end is the end as it was planned to be. I was actually disgusted that the company felt this was the best option they could choose. Of course, that's only my opinion, take it for what it's worth to you.
• Shepard's character shouldn't need an omnipotent/omnipresent being to give him a couple of choices and then tell him to go decide. Shepard should have the option to decide for him/herself after s/he has all the information to make an educated decision. Just like s/he does in every other installment in this series. Jumping the shark at the end game eliminated my ability as a player to suspend my disbelief and follow the devs/writers down the path they decided I should take. There are so many inconsistencies, in regard to already established lore as well as the earlier plots, I'm not going to bother listing them - others have done so concisely and coherently.
• Bittersweet - This word has been seriously overused, and abused, by the people in charge of talking about this game. Bittersweet is pleasure and pain, it's happiness with regret. Exactly where was the happiness? Or am I supposed to be happy that I finished the game? I mean, the end of the game, 85% percent of the time, Shepard dead, 100% of the time the galaxy he fought to unite, to save, is also decimated. Not by the Reapers, no, but by Shepard him/herself. With the Relays gone, in fact with all synthetic life also potentially gone, exactly where was the happiness again? Where was the pleasure? If, perchance, the creators thought I should just be happy because the Reapers were maybe gone for good, then I feel like I need to say that I'm too smart for that to be the only thing I would think about at the end of this game. In fact, at the end of anything.  

Bittersweet is Mordin sacrificing himself to cure the genophage. Bittersweet is Legion disseminating 'his' conscience throughout the Geth collective in order to bring about a lasting, and final, peace between his people and their Creators. Bittersweet is Thane using the last of his strength to save the Salarian Councilor. It's also his dying prayer to Shepard. There's plenty of bittersweet throughout the game, so jumping on the 'dark and miserable' bandwagon for the end of the story isn't bittersweet. It's a total 180 degree about face from the precedent set in both the previous games. IMO, it's tacky, ill-thought out, and smacks of egotistical arrogance on the part of those who decided that choosing Shepard's end, instead of letting the player choose it, seemed like a good idea.

Suggestions

• I understand the ideas behind the Indoctrination Theory and they're great ideas. But they aren't Bioware's ideas. If Bioware could come up with the mess of an ending they did, I feel like they should also be able to construct an appropriate ending. I realize the story has changed hands along the way, but Bioware did so much right even though things changed, I'd suggest going back and doing it the 'right' way. There's plenty of groundwork. Come up with those 'multiple and varied' endings Mr. Hudson was so eager about when he spoke of the game. Give us true good endings to go with the true bad ones. And for the love of pete, follow through! A post script to let those of us who do think on a larger scale than 'oooh the Reapers are gone' know what's happened to the galaxy and to Shepard(or if s/he doesn't survive) and company. And please, take out that 'stargazer' thing. It didn't feel clever or interesting to me; it smacked of messianic claptrap and honestly, made me feel vaguely disturbed. I'm not religious in any way, I don't really want a religiously themed post-narrative. I understand some people may like it, so maybe just let those like me be able to completely skip it?
• Explain why Joker abandoned Shepard on Earth, if you feel you must keep that (yet again religiously themed) garden of Eden crash landing. Personally, I'd rather you followed up the squadmates exiting the damaged Normandy with an entire scene where Shepard(if s/he survived) comes in on the Hammerhead to retrieve them. Hey, twofer, it could be a whole vehicle-driven mission where at the end, Shep is re-united with his crew. And then an entire team of Rachni workers can show up and fix the Normandy back up, better than new, like they did for that nice Asari lady in ME 2. Of course, you'd have to explain how the relays didn't actually destory every star system they were in when they blew up or explain how Shepard was able to find the crew before he was like a hundred years old, but I don't think those are difficult to do.
• Make a decision soon. Honestly, the longer this mess goes on, the worse it is. With all due respect - and not how Ashley means it - fish or cut bait. I don't imagine I'm singular in the feeling that the longer you delay and double-speak, the less and less consumer confidence I have in the company. 

FWIW

Modifié par OMTING52601, 21 mars 2012 - 03:43 .

[Old Mariner]

xhopsing wrote...

SolidisusSnake1 wrote...

This video explains everything wrong with the ending, everyone should just repost it:

EVERYONE NEEDS TO WATCH THIS VIDEO!!!!

This guy is right with everything.

[Azrael08151819]

I m reading through the forums since i have completed the game and try to grab every last bit of hope. The ending seriously is not badly done or written, its just pure evil. Im gonna explain u why:

1. I played 3 games now filled with hope and sacrifice, partly to much sacrifice (arrival), and now at the end of the game you just sacrifice everything sheppard stands for and accomplished while fighting. You could argue thats reality it couldnt be any other way, but to that i say to you:"its a game, its supposed to be fun!"

Possible solution:
Make youre sacrifices but make them tolerable. I mean the whole Mass Effect world was totaly destroyed in your ending, nothing left. If sacrifices then they should be my own not just intergalactic annihilation.

2. Get rid of these big plotholes (why is your team on the normandy ? teleport ?)

3. Let people that really care find a little happiness with his/her LI because thats a crackpoint that really hurts people like me and not just me. If there is a lovestory in the story it must be possible to get a happy ending at least for that. I m not commander sheppard but i want him to be happy. Whats the problem with sheppard running of with the crew helping rebuild the world he fought for. Such an ending would be even more epic then commader sheppard sacrificing himself because it is not expected by neither the player nor sheppard himself.

4. Something utterly evil was the destruction of the citadel and the mass relays just because the mass effect universe we cared for is now dead and every single race alone again. Nice outcome. Sheppard would rampage in his grave if he knew, because he fought for exactly this world he lived in for the ones he cared for and more.

5. Just go with the indoctrination idea because the most of it really makes sense and we all know that no one at bioware is dumb, so i really believe that u made all these hints with the child and the plotholes not just for nothing. I mean look at baldurs gate 2, dragon age 1+2 or me 1+2 these games were awesome in every way. They were just epic with so many variables that counted that i can only give you my deepest respect for that. You are bioware u can do this again even if not every single one of u was involved in these games

6. Life can on the one hand be really hard on you sometimes and on the other hand really good (Trust me i can tell). Every bioware game i have played so far and i played almost every single one of your games (baldurs gate 1 and 2 + addons, dragon age 1 and 2 + all story dlcs, mass effect 1-3 + all story dlc, jade empire, nwn 1 + 2 +all addons, etc.) made me happy and gave me good times and lots of it. Mass Effect 3 was a great game, i was totally entranced by the story but the ending as it stands now doesnt do it justice. Its now almost 2 weeks since i finished mass effect 3 and i m still depressed about the outcome of the story. Its like mental violation for me to see the universe i cared for so much to be destroyed to the point of no return.
Ask yourself one question please: "What would you like to give people? Happy times or sad times?"

Ok thats pretty much it.
I hope this isnt a big grammer and vocabulary accident im not native english ;P

[Debi-Tage]

One thing I forgot to add in my previous posts is the importance of MP to your galactic readiness. It would be cool if (assuming the ending is redone since I cant bring myself to replay any ME games as it stands) in say, two years I can still replay the entire series without having to worry about trying to find someone to play with on MP (if it is still even supported at that time).

It's almost like with the ending and the galactic readiness being tied to MP that BW was actually trying to proactively kill the re-playability of the entire series! I certainly hope that is not the case, but....

[Miekkas]

Dear Bioware,

I don’t want to waste too much of your time, so I will get straight to the point that this is a letter of protest against the endings of Mass Effect 3 and to offer my feedback about them. I don’t want to leave you reading pages and pages of information for a single letter so I invite to visit these links, which outline the numerous problems with the endings while interjecting my own thoughts:
http://www.gamefront...-fans-are-right
https://docs.google....?pli=1&sle=true


Casey Hudson mentioned that a message of sacrifice and reflection was the ultimate goal of the ending, but I feel this was not what the ending was able to deliver. Rather, a depressing message that you cannot escape fate is seemingly given where Commander Shepard, the living embodiment of defiance, is FORCED to make a choice between three negative options by some supposedly godlike entity he met five minutes prior. This is not the message that has been delivered to us as the fans in the past two games. We have been shown that through fighting with everything we have, we can overcome the seemingly impossible with our team and friends like the Suicide Mission. Having Shepard simply give in to an AI who appoints itself to play god is a complete violation of his character. He is Commander Shepard, a man who built his career on doing what everyone else has said is impossible, openly defying authority at every turn if they stood in the way of saving the Galaxy. Shepard does not live up to this in the ending. Rather, he seems to simply accept what the AI claims without so much as putting up a strong argument against three choices that are down right horrific in nature. All three are severe violations of the rights of sentient beings in some form or another. Destroy involves genocide against the geth and EDI, Synthesis involves forcing everyone to become organic/synthetic constructs like the Reapers, and Control involves simply making the Reapers stop attacking. In the end, all three are not a matter of Paragon or Renegade, but choosing which you consider the least evil when proverbially selling Shepard’s soul to the Devil. A Paragon Shepard in particular should be absolutely appalled at these three choices, and yet Shepard does nothing. This is completely unacceptable.

The inclusion of the Catalyst as being also an AI has players in an uproar because it forces the player into a corner in the very end of the game where your choices are supposed to matter and affect the outcome of the same as clearly stated by Casey Hudson. The key point here is timing. The “real” antagonist is introduced in the last ten minutes of the game and bombards Shepard and the players with the “truth” and forces a decision on them immediately after where if you take to long to decide, you literally get a Critical Mission Failure. It would be akin to refraining from mentioning Sauron throughout the entire Lord of the Rings Trilogy, only to suddenly introduce him until Frodo is about to cast the Ring into the volcano of Mordor, and state that in fact he’s been the one controlling the orcs and Sauruman the entire trilogy, but has decided not to reveal himself until just that second. This is exactly what happens at the end of the game. The situation is suited for the climax of a story rather than the end and gives the player absolutely no time to absorb and coop the information as well as no alternative. It confuses and frustrates the player even further when they are then greeted by cut scenes that make absolutely no sense like Joker fleeing the battle and crash landing on a random planet (see the link for further details).

The introduction of the Catalyst also raises issues like the entire ending portion of the first game’s storyline making no sense considering the Catalyst controls the Citadel, rendering the signal needed to be sent to the keepers or Sovereign needing to take control of the Citadel a moot point. It also reduces the Reapers from being “each an independent nation” and proverbial grim reapers than go bump in the night like the first two games portray them as to the controlled drone grunts of the Catalyst in the third’s ending. The need for the Catalyst AI was completely unnecessary to give the Reapers any clear reason for harvesting organic life. There was absolutely no need to humanize and rationalize the motivations of the Reapers. Attempting to do so breaks one of the key rules of creating an anatgonist. That is why villians are given completely undesirable traits throughout any form of media whether it be novels, movie, games, etc. It makes it easier for the audience to be able to dislike the villian(s). Remember from the first game: Sovereign describes the Reapers’ intentions as being unable to be comprehended by organics and yet the Catalyst AI is able explain its circular and warped logic in very simple terms? There is a clear contradiction. The existence of the Catalyst as an AI should be scrapped entirely because it creates more loopholes than anything else in the entire trilogy within just a ten minute window. The Reapers should have been left with their mysterious intentions left intact. A good way to think of is this: the Reapers are advanced beyond anything that the species of the Galaxy at the time of the conflict, and the Reapers obviously hold them utter contempt. Do people usually explain themselves for killing a bug inside their home? No, they simply kill it and go on with their lives because they regard the bug as a pest and infinitely inferior to them. As it should stay with the relationship between the Reapers and the species of the Galaxy. In their eyes, we are nothing more than insects who exist simply because they allow it, and we might be useful to them.

Another issue I have noticed among some players and the stance suddenly taken at the end in stark contrast to the rest of the game is that there seems to be the belief that the hero must die in order to be hero worthy of legend and depth. You do not need the hero to die in order for a game, movie, or novel to have a deep message. Rather, a hero who lives, albeit with the scars caused by his, the team's, and the Galaxy's sacrifices, can bring an even deeper meaning to the story. A story that shows how much a hero has suffered to achieve a "happy" ending can bring even greater inspiration to people than if a hero simply sacrifices him/herself to save the world. Please see the Lord of the Rings for a stellar example of sacrifice and suffering by the hero to achieve peace and happiness at the end of a long and arduous journey. Could the hero have been hailed as a martyr and a savior if he had died? Yes, but when a story is executed in a particular way, there can be even deeper meaning in that hero having to live with the suffering and sacrifice. Sometimes true strength and sacrifice comes from having to live with your choices and suffering at the end of the day instead of it being washed away with death. Regardless if Shepard and his team dies, they and the Galaxy have already suffered enough for it to be a bittersweet ending. Ask any soldier how they felt fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, and their stories will be bitter sweet at best even if they came home to their families. Because a lot of times, they lost buddies, parts of their soul, and maybe even parts of their physical selves, but their sacrifice and suffering still matters.  In the game the potential and possibly gameplay forced death of Shepard and the team does not positively add to the message of sacrifice like I think you intended it would. Shepard does not need to die for it to be the end of his story.

In the current ending, the relays are destroyed and possibly the systems with it, Shepard is dead because he had to commit suicide in order to initiate the process of each of the endings (which makes no sense because it is so crude for what is supposed to be the most advanced piece of technology in existence), Joker and the others are marooned after your squad was magically teleported to the Normandy, and all the fleets are trapped on Earth with no signs means of leaving except via woefully slow FTL drives compared to the Relays. Not to mention in two of the endings, the Reapers may return someday to start all over while the other suggests you just committed genocide against EDI and the geth...yet you can mysteriously live despite it being implied you'd die and managed to survive falling from orbit and an explosion. In an analogy, it makes the player save their body by cutting off their infected leg. Most people are not inclined to see things from a cold and calculating standpoint in that situation. This ending completely goes against the established message of hope and overcoming impossible odds if you are willing to put enough into the game. Throughout the trilogy, the majority of the third included, Shepard is portrayed as this larger than life character who builds a career on doing the impossible and living to tell the tale. He embodies a symbol of hope and perseverance for the player that shows if you are willing the put enough time and effort into the game, you can achieve a “happy ending”. The ending of the third game completely breaks this set rule for seemingly no reason seemingly other than shock factor.

I may be selfish, but I want to see an end to Shepard where the Reapers are defeated, and the choices, suffering, and sacrifices of the him, his team, and the Galaxy matter. I want to see the "happy" ending and message of hope I have seen in the past two game's endings. Leave the relays intact so the people trapped in the Sol and many other systems are not doomed to starvation and death because there is no means of trade anymore. Where the quarians and geth are able to live together now as brothers and sisters. Where the turians and Krogan now respect each other not as enemies on the battlefield, but as comrades. Where the sacrifices and suffering of the krogans ushers in a cultural renaissance to prove the salarians wrong, and make Mordin's faith in Bakara and Wrex mean something. Where the pain and loss of Shepard and Liara is finally laid to rest where it is at least implied they can live in peace together with lots of blue children. Where the newfound affection of Garrus and Tali can be explored instead of being just a fun easter egg, and show that when one down closes, another one opens. But we must also remember the suffering and pain as well that they all must now live with. Show the graves of those we have lost. Show the devastation on each of the major worlds attacked by the Reapers. The games as they are now currently do not offer closure to us for what is supposed to be the end of Commander Shepard's story with the message of hope we have come to expect from Mass Effect despite the suffering and sacrifices along the way.

You have given us a message of hope in the past where even when life seems darkness, light can still shine through. There is nothing wrong with an ending of bittersweet happiness because the world needs those stories. They give us strength to continue holding on even when there seems to be no hope left. Sometimes we need heroes to walk among us, and not simply be remembered as martyrs. I want to see an ending like I described above, and I am sure there are others who would like to see one as well. We don’t want to backed into a corner where we are given three depressing ending that make us feel like it was all an empty victory. Every day we hear stories of death, war, and sadness, and we don't hear enough of those with hope. Because without those stories, it empties our lives of meaning where we are taught that matter how hard we fight, we cannot outcome obstacles. People need to be inspired, Bioware.  They need to be shown through games and art that sometimes you can come out a fight with your head held high.

I loved the majority of Mass Effect 3. It has some of the best writing I have seen in a video game or any form of entertain…but the ending just fails to live up the  stellar standard set by the previous two titles and the majority of the third. I am still in dismay and confusion to try and understand how this ending came to be accepted by your writing team and Casey Hudson. There are times when I feel so deep in doubt, I desperately want to believe that you have something up your sleeve like the infamous indoctrination theory, but I cannot bring myself to believe in such things. I will try to remember Mass Effect for what it was and not how the ending made it turn out. I feel fooled and cheated by the ending the way I feel a friend has stabbed me in the heart and back at the same time. Unless the endings are changed to match the themes that we have come to know and love in the trilogy, I don’t think I will ever purchase a single Bioware product again because it will only remind me how bitterly disappointed I was with the game’s ending.

You have given me so much hope through this series over the past five years. I don't want to lose hope and abandon you because I feel like can no longer trust you like Kaiden or Ashley felt towards Shepard...but we the fans.....I....need you show us that you are still on our side. I want to be your Liara or Garrus and stand at your stand through thick and thin. To continue fighting in the trenches against all odds so that at the end of the day, we can all sit down on a beach with our guns laid down and say, "We did it. We've won. It's time live in peace like we have earned.

We need you to be our Commander Shepard. We need you to show us that hope is still there, that we can place our trust in you. Show us, the Galaxy, that you're someone worth following.

Thank you.

I will be sending you physical copy in the mail as well.

[duden2217]

I apologize in advance for the wall of text.

I really hope BioWare doesn't simply dismiss those who are displeased with the endings as people who don't get it or as complainers who just want to see Shepard to have blue babies. The issues are more than that. The reasons people are not happy have been listed all over the place, and there's an article online listing five reason why fans are right to be upset by the ending, which I think covers main issues nicely; so I won't just rehash all of these complaints here. There are a couple of things that I would like to address, however.

Firstly, I have to say that Mass Effect 3 is a great game and I enjoyed it tremendously. Even though I was a little disappointed by the ending, I wouldn't go as far as to say that it ruined the game or the series because it certainly didn't(and the build-up to the ending is fantastic). That said, I think that for this awesome series to be concluded properly, BioWare should strongly consider an alternate endings patch/DLC if this is at all feasible.

For a series that so heavily emphasizes choice as a major element in the development of the characters and the story, that none of the choices made throughout series have any effect on the ending is without question a disappointment. That the choices we do get at the end result in essentially the same ending is completely underwhelming and unbefitting a series of this caliber. Furthermore, I find that the last part with the old man and the young boy totally negates pretty much the entire series because it implies that the story of Commander Shepard is just that: a story. In which case none of what we have done matters in any way. None of the emotional attachments we have made are meaningful, none of the agonizing decisions we have made and lived with carry any of the weight we felt throughout our journeys, none of the work we had done in the third game to unify a galaxy ultimately means anything at all because it is implied that this was all probably just a tale passed from an old man to his grandson.

I think I understand what BioWare was attempting with the ending choices we were given, and I agree in theory because this story should have ended with Shepard's final sacrifice. It's the most fitting conclusion. This end should come about in a different way though. The three ultimately identical finishes kind of come out of left field, and even worse, we don't really get to see how they affect the galaxy going forward. I get that BioWare wanted a bittersweet ending that leaves players with questions to ponder and unique conclusions to draw on their own, but what they gave us just isn't enough and isn't as clever as I think they had hoped it would be. With such a tremendous build, I think many of us find it truly weak that this story goes out with what might well be described as a whimper. Also, there's really no reason why there shouldn't also be a generic good/bad set of endings. With so much time spent with our respective Shepard and so many sacrifices made, it would be great to see Shepard finally rewarded for all his efforts with an end to the Reaper threat and a peaceful existence thereafter. It would be a satisfying option, even if it is less poetic.

I think a new ending scenario that at least takes Paragon/Renegade points into effect in some manner, a greater diversity of endings, and a little more insight into how the end affects your crew and the rest of the galaxy would give this game the conclusion it deserves.

Some vehicle missions wouldn't hurt either. They helped break up the gameplay pretty nicely in ME2.

Edit: Oh!  And let's take back Omega!  I'd pay for that DLC.

Modifié par duden2217, 21 mars 2012 - 04:28 .

[PopeLordAwesome]

At this point in the discussion I doubt I can add much that hasn't already been said, but I'll throw my weight behind what I consider the largest issues. Apologies in advance for verboseness, but these are nuanced topics that merit careful consideration.

What went wrong?  In short, a lack of continuity between the series as a whole and the final five minutes.

I here include the remaining bulk of Mass Effect 3 in the whole series.  I also mean continuity in a broad sense, including quality of dialogue, issues of characterization, thematic elements, specific elements of plot, and broad tonal considerations.  These final five minutes are wildly incongruous with the rest of the series. The writing feels rushed and forced.  This may well be due the characterization issues of facing Shepard with any sort of dichotomy, and expecting it will be meekly acquiesced to without any sort of resistance.  While Shepard can offer token objection, the dialogue runs over it without much consideration, which reinforces the feeling of rushed writing.  What is notably not an objection here is that each of the presented options carries costs to make none of them clearly good. Nonetheless, the attendant costs to each choice are not motivated in any principled way that has been made clear or alluded to previously.  They therefore feel arbitrarily imposed, as though this being were merely enacting a toll.  Such feelings
only make Shepard's acquiescence harder to swallow.

Thematic elements are further problematic.  The ending selects one philosophical theme from the series to focus on. Importantly,there are several such elements that are left discarded as a result, and it is unclear why this one is privileged.  A creator/created conflict is certainly important to the series, but why more so than themes of unity in diversity, or choice and pragmatism? Certainly a similar style of ending could have been constructed around each of these themes, and each would have felt equally arbitrary.  I must further add that an appeal to meta-critical commentary regarding the difficulty of uniting disparate themes is unlikely to impress anyone, and certainly not me.

Further problems arise in the treatment of the selected theme.  The problem of creator vs created is presented as so in want of a solution that the problem itself was cyclically instantiated as its own solution. Shepard solved that problem without recourse to such nonsense.  What the ending must have us believe is that no, the Quarians and the Geth will start killing each other again.  EDI and Joker will try to kill each other at some point, or their descendants will at some point.  For a series relentlessly focused on being able to bridge divisions and overcome long-standing conflicts, this is a remarkable reversal, and made all the more jarring by its suddenness.  Perhaps not all players solved the problem Quarian-Geth problem so neatly.  The current ending might make sense for those players, but based on Bioware's own statistics, the majority were at least on the path to reconcile the Quarians and Geth. 

That this defect was overlooked helps explain the other plot difficulties, all of which have likely been far better cataloged elsewhere.  I might, however, mention Chekov Guns, namely, those that did not fire, or those that shot blanks. The best known, doubtless, is dark energy, so skilfully alluded to in the previous games.  That the process killing Haestrom's star is uninvolved with the larger mysteries, or that the very effect from which the series draws its title is similarly isolated is, at best, very bad storytelling. A similar point goes for the oft-mentioned genetic variability of
humans, which again plays no role in the conclusion.  In what is probably a related point, there is no discussion of why a human Reaper was being built by the Collectors.  The main dud of the Chekov Guns is the Crucible itself, which might have allowed for an excess of heroics in true Mass Effect style had it only been another
elaborate Reaper trap.  Obvious twist or not, that plot development would have been better than what currently
stands.

Perhaps the most heralded discontinuity is the lack of choice, or the irrelevance.  This point bears some spelling out,
and is made clearer by a simple contrast.  Mass Effect 2 ended on a tightly scripted, yet highly variable finale sequence that saw the player's decisions up untill that point put to the test, and asked the player to make further difficult choices.  The ultimate success of the mission was certain, insofar as the player could always destroy the Collectors, but the relative success was highly variable.  I cannot stress enough the amount of value
this added to the game, and how much it enhanced its stature in my eyes.  

Nothing similar exists for Mass Effect 3. What there is, is a skeleton of a system to build such an ending, and
then a lack of consideration for all but the most general of variables.  Let me explain.  This criticism applies not just to the final five minutes, but the entire sequence on Earth. Had this sequence played like Mass Effect 2's finale, then each stage would have asked the player to allot resources to necessary tasks, and based in part on those choices and others made previously, variations on the same basic outcome would have occurred.  When such a variable check is made, the game would have let the player know: "Let's show 'em our new teeth!", the failure of the biotic specialist to repulse the swarmers, or something to that effect.   

My play experience of Mass Effect 3's finale had nothing of the sort occur.  I understand, from online research, that there are only two variables checked at the end: one to offer the synthesis ending, and one to allow Shepard to gasp back to life.  Perhaps the paragon or renegade score is checked also, but even so, this is an inexplicable oversight. Why build a war asset system that individually tracks and updates each asset's strength, only to throw
it out the window?  An addition of an additional energy beam to walk into at the very end seems an odd way to reward careful upkeep of the Alliance 5th Fleet, or the extra medigel supplies delivered to the Citadel.  

Thus, were the Earth sequence in any other portion of the game, it would be another excellent level.  As a
climatic battle to retake your homeworld, it disappoints.  The player then partakes of the issues above to make their final decision.  The impression that very little you did mattered is very strong.  The cutscene following reinforces that perception like a flying buttress, particularly when you see more than one. Side by side.  At that point, the player has a hard time believing that this is 'their' story anymore.  One begins to wonder why we even had to walk to each color.

The final cutscene appropriately raises the final issue of resolution and closure.  I cannot speak as someone who has not played Mass Effects 1 and 2, but I know multiple people who have refused to play Mass Effect 3 prior to
completing (and purchasing, mind you) those games.  I played the games roughly as they came out, and feel this stark discontinuityquite oppressively.  I can only imagine what their experiences will be like, but as it is, I have to rescind my recommendation. 

From Baldur's Gate forward, Bioware did an excellent job ensuring that the stories of the vibrant characters were well
resolved.  Simple text fields, as in Throne of Bhaal and Dragon Age: Orgins, serve this need admirably.  Players who cared would take the time to absorb each story, short as it may be.  Players who did not care could simply skip it.  The characters of Mass Effect have been with players for as long as the Baldur's Gate cast, and deserve at least as much send off.  Not including any such feature is not simply bad storytelling, or bad design.  It is also somewhat callous to the fans, and even the writers themselves. I can't imagine that with the prolific amounts of text produced for this series, nothing was ever penned about the fates of our comrades in arms.  Not giving that important work a chance to be seen is disservice to everyone involved.

When all these points are taken together, one cannot help but feel as though some terrible calamity befell the Mass Effect team to produce this extraordinarily poor conclusion.  Everything about it points to a critical shortage of time or money to realize an appropriate finale to cap the series.  It stands out all the more for the near perfection of everything leading up to it.  If I am close to the mark, then allow me to offer my condolences for a difficult end of a project you so clearly care deeply about.

My suggestions are simple. Please take the time to put together a fitting ending.  Addressing all the (numerous) points I have raised might require substantial changes to the rest of the game to be properly implemented.  If so, please do so.  I, for one, do not care if it takes a year, or two, or five.  I would rather wait (and play the excellent multilayer) than see this violence to one of the seminal works of contemporary science fiction stand. 

And, as a final suggestion, please maintain open communication with the fanbase about these concerns.  Whatever your internal policies regarding disclosure might be, a transparent process will only improve your relationship with your customers and fans.  So far, I have little criticism for your response, and hope that trend continues.

Thank you for listening, and taking the time to consider my, admittedly lengthy, critique.
 
(Edit: Formating, clarity, minor word choice)
(Edit2: Spelling, more formating)

Modifié par PopeLordAwesome, 21 mars 2012 - 04:43 .

[tonyhart117]

Sorry this is long, but I've got a lot to say...

I actually found the "bittersweet ending" to be appropriate to finish the trilogy. You had to make difficult choices throughout the games, and I think the ending reflected that. No matter what your choices are, there are consequences, and in the end, there is no "right" choice that results in happiness for everybody. However, I do understand how after the current ending, people are left wanting more.

I for one, wanted a longer ending cinematic at the end of the game that provided more insight into the consequences of your choices. After watching all three possible endings, I was left with more questions. Questions like "How does the destruction of the mass relays affect galactic civilization? Is the enitre fleet that was pitted against the reapers stuck at Earth because it would take hundreds of years to reach their homeworlds even with FTL travel?" "What is the situation on Rannoch? If the synthesis or control ending was chosen, are the geth helping the Quarians rebuild? If you chose to destroy synthetic life, does this hinder the reconstruction because the Geth aren't there to help them out?"

I don't think Bioware needs to change the ending, that would be counterproductive. Instead I would like to see them add on to it with DLC that lets Shepherd explore the post reaper invasion galaxy and reunite/say goodbye to his squadmates one final time before conlcluding the trilogy. 

Adding playtime after the ending would of course mean that Shepard would have to stay alive. I think this can be done while still keeping the "bittersweet" self sacrifice ending, and not saying that the whole original ending was indoctrination and didn't really happen. (That WOULD actually be a slap in the face Bioware.)

Here is how I would like to see it done. There are 3 ways to continue the plot line with Shepard, based on which ending you chose: Synthesis, Destruction, or Control.

Control: Despite Shepard's physical body being vaporized in the process of interfacing with the crucible, if he is actually able to control the reapers than his mind must be intact in some state. It is plausible that Shepard, using the reapers, could recreate his body, and then download his mind into it.

Synthesis: Again, we have the problem with Shepard's physical body being vaporized but there is also a significant loophole. The catalyst explains to Shepard that if he adds his energy to the crucible, it will then be sent out and combine all synthetic and organic life into a new framework or DNA. If all of Shepard's energy was sent out to everyone, even the reapers, it should be fairly simple to put those pieces back together. Perhaps the reapers recreate Shepard's body and energy as a token of appreciation for advancing all life to the final stage of evolution, synthesis.

Destruction: The destruction choice is the only ending where Shepard has the possibility of staying alive with his original body and mind. The explosion doesn't vaporize him, and as you can witness in videos, if you have enough war assets, you actually see Shepard draw a breath before the cinematic cuts to credits.

After Shepard is resurected (again) there are still a few plotholes that would have to be addressed.

The Destruction of the Mass Relays: No matter what your choice was, the mass relays have all been destroyed. The fleet that was pitted against the reapers would be stuck at Earth. Even with FTL, it would still take hundreds of years for them to reach home without the benefit of the mass relays. The reapers however can travel extremely fast as witnessed by them being able to travel from well outside the Milky Way Galaxy at the end of ME2, to Earth in ME3, without the mass relays. If the control option was chosen, it would be possible for Shepard to make the reapers ferry organic life back to their homeworlds to rebuild. If the synthesis option was chosen, the reapers would also ferry the organics back home, in addition with sharine technology so that all galactic civilization would be able to continue to work together. If the destruction option was chosen, the reapers are gone, and the fleet would be stranded. The fleets would have to return home after a hundred years with their crew in cryo stasis. 

Normandy Stranded on unknown Planet: No matter what your choice is, Joker, in an attempt to escape destruction, pilots the normandy in an attempt to save the crew. They crash land on a seemingly deserted planet with a very broken Normandy and no obvious way off of the planet. If the destruction path was chosen, the crew is left there and if any rescue comes at all, it happens years later, where all except Liara have aged significantly. If the control path is chosen, Shepard comes down inside of a reaper to rescue them. As so in the synthesis ending.

[The Peon]

By the way, whether you chose to destroy or save the collector base should matter in the ending somehow, and matter significantly.

The most important decision of ME2 ultimately matters very little in the current ending.

Modifié par The Peon, 21 mars 2012 - 04:34 .

[andresruiz]

xhopsing wrote...

SolidisusSnake1 wrote...

This video explains everything wrong with the ending, everyone should just repost it:

EVERYONE NEEDS TO WATCH THIS VIDEO!!!!

I've seen that and he speaks the truth.

[Spanking Machine]

I loved everything about the game right up until the appearance of the Catalyst. Really, everything right up until that point was everything I could have wanted from a Mass Effect game and more.

My biggest problem with the end was the reason given for why the Reapers reap. The sudden, 11th hour revelation that synthetics killing organic life was the ultimate evil threatening the universe and the attempt to paint the Reapers as misunderstood good guys just didn't hold water. There was no setup in the earlier parts of the story to support this, because every synthetic life form we had been introduced to with the exception of the Reapers themselves (EDI, Legion, the Geth) were characterized as being sympathetic characters who were essentially no different in their motivations from any of the organic species we had encountered. If you had left the Geth as the mindless evil from Mass Effect 1 or had EDI pull a stunt like HAL from 2001 and try to kill the people on the Normandy. then the ending may not have been so jarring. As it was presented, however, that explanation just came out of nowhere and made no sense.

A last minute non sequitur wouldn't necessarily be game breaking, but the problem here is that Shepard just accepts this without question as a motivation to sacrifice his own life and also either commit genocide against the geth and murder EDI (red), control the Reapers in exactly the way that we had spent the last 40 hours of the game fighting against Cerberus for doing (blue), or turn all organic life into organic/synthetic hybrids, which is just what we had been fighting all along to prevent the Reapers from doing (green).

I think the root of my dissatisfaction might lie in the fact that I wasn't just sitting back watching a movie about Commander Shepard and watching him do something stupid and out of character. The fact was that at that moment, after 40 hours of gameplay, you had put me in the role of Shepard, and you were asking me to kill myself for a stupid reason. By that point in the story I was fully expecting that I would have to sacrifice myself in a virtual sense to save humanity, but what I was actually presented with was what seemed like three choices that made no sense at all, and I wasn't given the choice to say no or even question what seemed like incredibly flawed logic.

Modifié par Spanking Machine, 21 mars 2012 - 04:53 .