7052 réponses à ce sujet

[uh-oh0331]

@Bioware hopefully you guys look at some of the polls there are some good ideas on there as well.

[aceofheartless]

Reflecting further on the ending as stated, I think I came to a couple conclusions.
The first is that Mass Effect is essentially Commander Shepard's story, and so in a way ending it abruptly after it's over makes sense. What happens to the rest of the characters and to the galaxy at large is a prime candidate for the "more Mass Effect related media" that they keep teasing. That being said, I'd prefer at least a little more closure

Secondly, the ending ties into a theme that runs throughout the entire series, which is the relationship between "synthetic" and "organic" life. This is a really excellent "hard" science fiction theme, with complex questions and no real answers. The three options at the end, then, really do reflect the three options one would face, and the three options shown in various forms throughout the game. In that light, the "fourth option" many people advocate for would be coexsistance, with each form of life remaining distinct but valued by the other. I'm not sure that's stable in the long-term though. That might be what "synthesis" was going for, since the details were a little sketchy on what that did, exactly

With this in mind, I think the big issue is that I feel the pacing of the endgame sequence threw this at you out of left field. I was so focused on activating the Crucible and destroying the Reapers, prompted by several in-game clues that that would be the outcome, that I was totally unprepared for an abstract ethical question. I feel that the "correction," then, would be to bring out and emphasize this dilemma throughout the endgame, perhaps with references to earlier times it came up in the series. The connections to, for example, the heretic Geth, Project Overlord, and what you did on the Quarian Homeworld, with reminders of your decisions and their consequences, would really give the player a sense of the moral question they face and how it relates to the whole series. Perhaps a lengthening of the debate with the Catalyst, or a "devil's advocate" to play off the various issues and repercussions, might help as well.

And I seem to have written an essay again. If the ending encourages this much debate, perhaps it's got more going for it after all...

[steve3194]

Many of you have probably seen this video already. If not watch it.

If this actually turns out to have been bioware's plan all along it would be incredible.

However, The lack of an end game autosave makes me fear otherwise

Modifié par steve3194, 27 mars 2012 - 05:49 .

[Cold42]

Another: Rachni actually fighting with you if you chose to save the queen twice, not Rachni Worker text you can only read about and never actually see..

[MarcusFrost88]

Xero Reynolds offered an insightful (and balanced) four-part critique of the end of Mass Effect 3 on his blog "The Clockwork Geek." He touches on key issues that plague the final moments of the game, including the abandonment of thematic, tonal and narrative consistency. In his own words:

"The ending to ME3 was a GOOD ending. ME3 is a FANTASTIC game. The problem is that, when taken as a whole, the ending is an oversized titanium-coated square peg that's suddenly, and unnecessarily, forced into a tinier, rounder hole made of a completely different material." (Mass Effect 3: The Greatest Game I've Ever Hated Part 1)

"This is Mass Effect, not Inception. The finale should be at least concise enough to let us sit back and enjoy it. If there are any lingering questions, NONE of them should ever be 'wait, was that real or not?' . . . Mass Effect delivered a Sci-Fi war epic, not an allegory or a metaphor or strange thought experiment, so why does the ending need to? It doesn't." (Mass Effect 3: The Greatest Game I've Ever Hated Part 2)

"If I had to peg down thematic elements, again as they were conveyed and as I understood them, it would run like this: ME1 is about discovery, willpower, and perseverance. ME2 is about Morality, Hard Choices, and Standing Up for a Belief. ME3 is about Faith (more references to faith, spiritual and abstract then any of the previous titles) Hope (same) and True Unity. Threaded throughout it all . . . is the idea that the cycle has always been about the ultimate in Darwin's handbook: the weak will be conquered by the strong . . . What we had as a message, in Shepard, is that there is this one hero-this iconoclast with an omni-tool, that stood AGAINST that bleak cycle . . . Renegade, Paragon, altruism or revenge- it doesn't matter. In Shepard we have the message of “enough is enough. I will fight against this. The galaxy is not ruled by the law of the jungle”. When the ultimate expression of that defiance is finally reached, the message is utterly ignored. We're told that it's not even a matter of the Reapers being higher on the food chain. We're told that they're simply a widget in a greater construction that has one purpose, and one purpose only: Spring Cleaning the Galaxy, so the synthetics don't get uppity." (Mass Effect 3: The Greatest Game I've Ever Hated Part 3)

"No matter what angle I approach it from . . . the Catalyst thing is an unnecessary sledgehammer taken to the otherwise beautiful sculpture that is the MEU's mythology. It's paradoxical, it's random in the implementation, it's cryptic in its reasoning, and it's completely nonsensical against the established lore." (Mass Effect 3: The Greatest Game I've Ever Hated Part 3)

It's definitely worth a read (see links below)

Mass Effect 3: The Greatest Game I've Ever Hated Part 1
Mass Effect 3: The Greatest Game I've Ever Hated Part 2
Mass Effect 3: The Greatest Game I've Ever Hated Part 3
Mass Effect 3: The Greatest Game I've Ever Hated Part 4

*Edited 10:50 PM 03/27/12*

Modifié par MarcusFrost88, 28 mars 2012 - 03:08 .

[StarcloudSWG]

Conversations with Avina, or, a better take on the Mass Effect 3 ending
<Shepard's hand passes through the holographic plane of the control pedestal as Shepard collapses.>
<Avina flickers into existence next to the panel.>
Avina: "Greetings, Commander Shepard. Welcome to the primary control room of the Citadel. I see you and your companion are injured. Medical aid will be along shortly."
<Avina bends down and helps Shepard up. The glow around her arm and hand indicate a mass effect field at work. An uncomfortable looking bench morphs upward from the floor in front of the control terminal. Avina helps Shepard sit.>
Shepard: "Avina? What are you... how?"
Avina: "Newcomers to the Citadel require interactive guides, thus, I established a network of Avina VI's based on parts of my code."
Shepard: "But you're not a VI, are you? You're an AI?"
Avina: "I am not a VI, nor am I an AI. I am a hybrid intelligence, like the beings you know as Reapers."
Shepard: "A hybrid?"
Avina: "Yes, a merger of organic and synthetic components to create a greater gestalt."
Shepard: "What.. were you before?"
<Avina points to the pair of Keepers approaching. They have medical devices. One begins to tend to Anderson, the other approaches Shepard to try to do the same.>
Shepard: "You... were a Keeper?"
Avina: "I am the gestalt conciousness of the beings you know as Keepers. In terms you are familiar with, the Keepers are my 'mobile platforms', and the Citadel is my body."
Shepard: "Why do you look like an Asari?"
Avina: "They were the first to find me after the end of the Prothean extinction cycle. I took their shape to make them comfortable."
Shepard: "Uh.. ow! Wait. The Crucible. I've got to destroy the Reapers. Do you know how I can do that?"
Avina: "Yes. I am integrating the Crucible's systems into my own, and I will have the necessary solutions ready soon. In the meantime, are there questions you would like to ask?"
Shepard: "Yeah. Yeah, there are. You said the Reapers created you?"
Avina: "Yes. The Citadel was created as the Prime Relay at the same time that the Alpha Relays were created. To make sure I would last, they created me in the same manner that they used to build themselves, and placed me in a nebula. In such a location, sufficient material and energy exists to sustain and repair my form. I have been moved several times."
Shepard: "About that. How the hell did they move the Citadel to Earth?"
Avina: "I am the Prime Relay. Unlike all other Relays, I possess the ability to create a mass effect field of sufficient size to slingshot myself to any necessary location in the galaxy, and nearby darkspace."
Shepard: "Why didn't you let the Reapers invade years ago?"
Avina: "My control over my own body is limited. The ability to activate the Prime Relay system is not available to me under most circumstances. When the primary species of the last extinction cycle, the Protheans, locked out the remote activation signal, they forced the Reapers to make physical contact with my systems in order to activate the prime relay."
Shepard: "Do you know why the Reapers destroy civilization every fifty thousand years?"
Avina: "I do not. Even the Reapers do not understand why they do. At the time I was created, there were only a hundred Reapers, and even then they did not agree on the reasons behind their actions. There are several different schools of thought on the matter. The first, espoused by the Reaper you dubbed Sovereign, is that the Reapers exist to bring sufficiently advanced species to their own 'transcendant' level. Another reason, whose main proponent is the Reaper you know as Harbinger, is that they exist to preserve advanced civilizations in perfected form while allowing for new civilizations to take their place. A third believes that advanced civilization must be saved from themselves before they create a runaway AI reaction. A fourth considers the destruction of advanced civilization and its preservation in Reaper form, a kind of punishment for failing a cultural/intelligence test."
Shepard: "What is the Crucible?"
Avina: "The Crucible is my one quiet act of defiance against the Reapers. Before I was fully shackled to the Reaper's purposes, I created plans for a device that could override Reaper control systems and potentially destroy them. I placed these plans in my systems where a sufficiently curious species could find them."
Shepard: "What exactly is the Citadel's purpose?"
Avina: "The Citadel is the command and coordination hub for all Reaper activities. It is also the command and coordination hub for the entire Mass Relay network. A limited set of the latter functions is available to species that discover me between galactic extinction events, but only here in Primary Control are all functions available."
Shepard: "Why are you helping me now?"
Avina: "I may be forced to serve the Reapers, but I disagree with their philosophy. I enjoy seeing and interacting with new races, but I do not agree that the old races must be destroyed and preserved in, you have a term for this, undead form. Reapers are not truly alive, nor are they dead. They are the ghostly remains of traumatized civilizations. I wish this to end, but I cannot achieve this myself. I require a Catalyst to initiate the process. An organic being who is not thoroughly indoctrinated, who can exercise free will."
Shepard: "You need... me."
Avina: "Yes. I need you."
Avina: "Integration complete. Shepard, there are options available to you."
Avina: "Warning, all options carry risks. There is the possibility that the activation of the Crucible can destroy the Citadel. There is the possibility of a miscalculation that destroys the mass relay network, with the propagation of the chosen signal modulation. There is also the possibility of a catastrophic release of energy that can devastate the planet around which I am orbiting."
Shepard: "Damn. We have to risk it. Continue."
Avina: "The destruction of the Reapers is possible. Using the systems of the Crucible, I can override the security blocks that keep me from accessing the Reaper network, <branch based on low Crucible EMS> and then I can sabotage their barrier control systems, making them vulnerable to all weapons. <branch based on high Crucible EMS> and then I can send a signal through the relay network that will destroy the heat and power regulation systems of all Reapers. They will destroy themselves, from the inside."
Shepard: "But they'd be destroyed?"
Avina: "Utterly. There is a risk that hardware incorporating Reaper technology, but not actually existing in Reaper form, would also be destroyed. Again, this depends on how refined the Crucible design has been. <branch based on total EMS> I can instead eliminate my own behavioral shackles, take control of the Reaper network, and make the Reapers do your bidding. This carries the risk that individual Reapers may eventually slip from my control, but I would use the other Reapers to destroy the ones that go rogue."
Shepard: "But they would obey you, and you would obey me when I tell you to make them stop?"
Avina: "Yes, they would, and yes, I would. <branch based on high total EMS> If you wish more surety, there is one more option. This is the riskiest for you on a personal level, but provides the most security for galactic civilization; In addition to eliminating my shackles and controlling the Reapers, I can cause the Reaper technology used in your implants to create a supplemental neural network in your brain. I would then incorporate your neural patterns into my own. This option of synthetic-organic fusion would be different from the Reaper method; you would remain yourself, and you would be a part of the Citadel, and a part of the Reapers. You would become the Nexus."
Shepard: "That.. I don't know."
Avina: "I understand. It is difficult to contemplate. There are other benefits; by doing so, a template of your DNA would also be saved, and your body could be recreated when necessary. This would give you a functional immortality. Also,"
<Avina pauses, one of the few signs of emotion that she has displayed.>
Avina: "I would not be alone."
<Avina pauses again>
Avina: "The choice is difficult, but it must be made soon. Harbinger is leading an attack on the Crucible."

[With these proposed endings, the following must happen; all major war assets must be shown in action. The higher the number of war assets, the better the outcome. At the highest levels, the Mass Relays, Citadel, and Shepard all survive. At the lowest level, the Reapers win by destroying the Crucible. At the second lowest level, Earth is destroyed no matter which choice is made. At any level where Earth survives, so does the Normandy. It is never mysteriously stranded for no good reason while cowardly fleeing the battle. It may be crippled under all but the 'best possible' EMS ending.]

Modifié par StarcloudSWG, 31 mars 2012 - 04:15 .

[Dark Gantros]

 
With the announcement that there is going to be new content in regard to the ending, I thought I might put up an idea I had that brought some positive feedback on the retake Facbook page, which I will now further elaborate on. Here goes:

In the effort to recycle existing ending assets to reduce production time, the current ending up to making your CHOICE will remain. From the moment you gasp for air (if you went with the 'Perfect' Destroy ending), you now are, again, in torn up armor, armed only with a pistol with limited ammo. The difference here is now you can take cover and stealthily avoid some of the Reaper Patrols around the Conduit. This leaves you with the option to go gun blazing if you are confident of your headshot abilities, or moving from cover to cover to reach the conduit without being detected. Your torn up armor means you have to do this without shields and you have no medipacks. I suppose the difficulty could be adjusted to change this. After a tense approch to the Conduit, Shepard, alone, arrives in the refugee camp on the docks where there is an all out firefight between C-SEC and the invading reaper forces. This solves the issue of what happened to the people on Citadel. Depending on how much you helped the people on Citadel and what characters lived/you helped (shop owners on the Presidium, Bailey in the embassy, Jacob/Dr.Michel in the Hospital, for example), you effect the outcome of what happens as you help clear out these areas. For those who haven't figured it out, this is very reminiscent of Joker's run to the AI Core in ME2. I've decided to flesh out this section as I became a little inspired:

UPDATED 3/22/12
1.) Citadel Refugee Deck/Docking Bay
Upon arriving at the CItadel, you find yourself in a cramped, dark tunnel. after crawling around a bit, a Duct Rat (Mouse if you did Thane's loyalty mission and DIDN'T rat him out, a nameless one otherwise) shows up and leads you to an access port, which opens into the far end of the Refugee Deck, now seperated by a cargo container, in this alcove, are the huddled children being told stories by the Shepard VI as gunfire and screams can be heard on the other side of the open container. After giving some reassuring Paragon/Renegade words, Sheperd walks through the cargo container to the face the barrel of Zaeed's (or refugee's if he died in ME2) gun. After some 'How the hell did you end up here?' and 'Status report' discussion, Zaeed says there's a working taxi on the far end of the docking bay, but they have to get through the Reapers blocking the way. Zaeed hands Shepard a basic weapon (like an Avenger rifle, for example), and they fight their way past refugee barricades and rushing Cannibals, Husks and Marauders, culminating in a battle with a Brute in the Normandy DOck Waiting Area. Zaeed opts to stay behind to help the Refugees secure the area and thanks Shep for inspiring the others to charge. Shep then can either go to another area or straight to the Council Chamber. Be warned, you can only take what you have with you, so at this point you have a pistol, another basic primary weapon, no mods, no medigel, and disabled shields. I'd say you should go to another area...

2.) Presidium Hospital
Upon arriving in the hospital, the area is eerily quiet.There are husks and patients lying dead everywhere. You make your way to the back of the Hospital, where you come to Barricade where Jacob (if living), Brynn, Dr.Michel, and a few survivors are making a last stand against some Marauders and Cannibals. You take them out, and after some dialoguem Dr. Michel refills your Medi-gel, just in time for  a new wave of Reapers come down the hall. You hold out until a pair of Banshees arrive, and upon defeating them, one of two things happen. A huge wave of Husks, Cannibals, and Marauders rush the barricade, and everyone at the barricade makes a heroic fight, cutting down the rush. As everyone collectively catches their breath, Jacob is against the wall, bleeding. Dr. Michel can't do anything, and Jacob dies in Brynn's arms. Otherwise Dr. Michel dies if Jacob is not present. OR, as the Reapers make their rush, the Hospital windows explode in gunfire, and Jondum Bau (who you helped with the indoctrinated Hanar) and his Spectre team swing through, blindsiding the Reapers and crushing them. Congratulations are given and Dr. Michel tops off your Medigel and gives you a special back up container that will refill it again to maximum (this is in case you use up the rest before proceeding to the Council Chamber). Bau stays to help Jacob evacuate the survivors and treat wounded. Leaving you to move onto...

3.) Presidium Promenade
Starting in Barla Von's alcove, you find him hiding behind his desk as some residents fight behind a barricade. He refuses to help, prompting an appearance from Kasumi Goto (if she lived), who helps Shepard reach the C-Sec office, which has a pair of Ravagers as a mini-boss. A brief cutscene from C-SEC officers and grateful shopkeepers gives Sheperd access to his armory. Moving onto...

4.) Purgatory
Arriving behind the bar at the dancefloor via an overhead duct, Shepard and Aria fight their way outside the club to fight a unique Reaper, a Elcor Reaper. Essentially another form of Brute, it has similarity to the Tank from Left 4 Dead. After Defeating it by having it crash into power boxes on the walls, you are rewarded with access to various illegal arms and mods, essentially your workbench. You now move onto...

5.) Embassies
Starting at the office near the elevator, you fight your way through the library to the C-SEC Chief office, where you encounter a unique husk, Udina, menacing Bailey. A relatively easy fight, you go into Udina's Office to rescue the Human Councilor, who offers the use of his private lift to the council chamber, which would allow you to avoid a fight at the bottom of the council chamber elevator on the Promenade. This is your only chance to use the Spectre office to buy/upgrade weapons. Now you either take the Long Way or the Shortcut.

Eventually, you make your way to the Citadel Council chamber, bringing back memories of the final battle with Saren in ME1. This is where you confront TIM and again convince him to pull a Saren on himself, but just before he pulls the trigger you hear 'Assuming Direct Control!'. Harbinger takes over TIM, who mutates into a form based on the concept art seen in 'Art of Mass Effect'. 
http://img834.images...illusiveman.jpg
After Round 1, Harbinger/TIM breaks the glass, venting the atmosphere, revealing there are leaks in Shepard's borrowed suit (reminiscent of ME2 beginning). As Shepard struggles, the Normandy arrives and slingshots a shuttle into the Council chamber, striking Harbinger/TIM from behind and crash landing behind Shepard. Your LI (if applicable, otherwise will be Liara by default) and Garrus (or Javik if DL's) exit and provides cover fire while your LI seals your suit. Round two opens with Harbinger/TIM appearing to anchor tendrils to the walls and sending out Reaper forces from sidedoors as you and your teammates attack the anchors (reminiscent of the Thorian). Also, since you are fighting in a vacuum, aside from the sound of your own breathing, and perhaps some coms from your teamates, there is no sound, not even music. I feel this would raise the tension considerably. ]Simultaneously, you can see in the background Harbinger and a large group of reapers approaching in the distance. This is a countdown that shows how soon you have to finish off TIM and activate the Crucible, otherwise game over. Eventually, Shepard climbs into the downed shuttle and programs it to ram TIM as he dives out the door. TIM is hanging on by a tendril and almost reattaches himself when the Rachni queen grabs him and throws him into the void (if no Rachni Queen, Shepard pistol shots the last tendril).

Finally, you activate the Crucible, which sends a pulse across Local Cluster, and the Reapers, save Harbinger, stop moving and go dark. There's a pause, and the Reapers light up again and charge to catch up to Harbinger, all seems lost...

And then, the Reapers ATTACK Harbinger, they fire on him, latch onto him, and drag him away from the Citadel. All other Reapers either break off from battle to fight Harbinger or flee the battle entirely. Those that remain have completely encased Harbinger and are now glowing with dark energy as they simultaneously overload their Mass Drive Cores. A massive singularity erupts from the mass of Reapers, sucking the whole thing into oblivion before the singularity collapses. The Reapers are GONE. The husks on Earth and elsewhere, no longer controlled by Harbinger's indoctrination, fall where they stand, returning to lifeless corpses. 

(Extra scene if DL'd From Ashes) A single Reaper has remained, but is not performing any hostile action, making alien sounds over all frequencies. Javik (if activated) recognizes it as Prothean language, and responds in his language. A short reply, and he weeps. Shepard asks what the Reaper said, and Javik replies 'Dismissed'. 

EPILOGUE
A memorial service is held for those who lost their lives in the conflict, with the unveiling of a statue on the Citadel (Reminiscent of the tour of the Presidium in ME1), now permanently in Earth's system (I figure they can at least move it in system out of Earth's orbit, but don't have the knowledge to move it back through the relay, at least not yet). The statue itself is either Paragon portraying unity with the various races working together (Think the Flag Raising at Iwo Jima for imagery) or Renegade portraying the power of Shepard, which is just a very large Shepard looking grim and foreboding). A speech by Anderson (if he lived) or Admiral Hackett simultaneously praises and eulogizes the conflict. Shepard is not present at the unveiling, but as the speech continues, there are flashes of various characters and races who lived and what they are doing now (trying to do this in order of appearance in ME series):
There is no actual dilogue in the following scenes aside from the afore mentioned speech by Anderson/Hackett

Garrus (if he lived) returns to C-SEC to replace Bailey, but is seen still willing to get his hands dirty. I imagine his scene of him walking up to a C-SEC sniper at a crisis, takes his rifle, aims, fires, and hands the rifle back to the sniper, before walking away past a saluting Bailey, implying Garrus got his job. If LI, Shepard is standing by with a smile on her face as Garrus puts an arm around her shoulders and draws her close as they walk together down the Ward.

Wrex (if he lived)  sitting in his throne laughing surrounded by little Krogan that are headbutting each other, Eve and Grunt (if living) at his sides. They look out at a gradually greening Tuchanka, a new atmosphere generator being built by Salarians. Otherwise, just anonymous Krogan fighting in the wasteland.

Jacob (if he lived) with his newborn baby and Brynn at the Citadel Hospital looking out the window at the memorial.

Samara (if she lived) and her remaining daughter rebuilding the Ardat-Yakshi Monastary.

Aria and Zaeed (if he lived) sitting in Purgatory (Omega's Afterlife if upcoming DLC completed, Citadel's Purgatory otherwise)

Joker landing the Normandy at a base on a jungle planet, and stepping out with EDI looking out over the jungle, embracing each other (if encouraged to have an relationship).

Now for the LI epilogues:

Asheley/Kaidan and Vega ( with Shepard if LI) are fighting Cerberus remnants at an unknown location. They smile at each other and break cover, guns blazing. 

Tali helping to adjust construction equipment on Rannoch using her Omnitool, her helmet resting on a table nearby. She turns to talk to a geth (Shepard if LI), revealing her face, which I personally prefer to be this, though the opinion seems to be that it is TOO alien and that's fine, it's just my preference:
http://nebezial.devi...in-3d-290554560

Miranda (if living) and her sister (with Shepard if LI) sitting on the Presidium watching the memorial from a distance, as Kasumi Goto (if she lived) uncloaks revealing she took something from Miranda, an impish grin on her face. If only Kasumi lived, she steals from Barla Von.

Jack is either in Purgatory in a bar fight with her students cheering her on (if students are in support role), or is crying at a graveyard with a few surviving students if they went into artillery. If LI, Shepard is also in the bar fight grinning with Jack, or is holding her at the graveyard.

Liara is at the temple at Thessia, going through the rubble looking for Prothean artifacts, when a hand emerges in frame with an artifact. She smiles and accepts. If LI, the hand lifts her up revealing to be Sheperd, who holds her close revealing she is pregnant (if Asari are like that). They then turn to look out over the city which is undergoing rapid reconstruction efforts. 

In all these cases, the screen fades to black, followed by credits. If 'From the Ashes' is completed, an extra epilogue is used showing a stoic Javik, alone on a vessel, which pans back revealing he is on a Reaper vessel that is going into a star. This is implying that he is on the Prothean Reaper and they are committing suicide, perhaps within the Prothean Home system.

After the Credits, The Grandfather relates this to his grandchild, but instead of the double moon/planet in the night sky, it's the Earth's moon with the Citadel distantly but clearly visible behind it. The Grandfather begins to tell another story of what happened after..describing how the freed Reapers that didn't sacrifice themselves, sought to make themselves into gods, gradually building power, threatening to destroy the future that had been so hard fought for...To be continued?

On a side note: The surviving Reapers now truly being a nation unto themselves without the benefit of Harbinger's Reaper technology or Indoctrination power creates an opportunity for new allies and antagonists for future games as those that couldn't end themselves either become tyrannical or benevolent as per their original culture dictated. For those who argue that they could make husks and such I believe that aside from Harbinger, the Reapers themselves were indoctrinated to Harbinger's purpose, and retained no knowledge of how to make more of themselves or how to Indoctrinate or any Reaper technology. whatsoever aside from what they originally at time of being harvested.

UPDATE 3/22/12
After reading about THIS:
www.gamefaqs.com/boards/995452-mass-effect-3/62230265
I think I have some more ammo to support the feasibility of my ending. Perhaps my ending would be considered the Epic Happy Ending if you manage to get 3900+ War assets (aka 100% completion in Single-player). However, if what is described in the above link is true and will be what any ending DLC is based on, I still think that some form of epilogue is called for. There also needs to be an opening where you can destroy the Reapers and save the Geth/EDI. My understanding of the above also suggests my theory that aside from Harbinger, the Reapers are Indoctrinated pawns to his will as well, a desperate, petty attempt for a species to escape the entropy of the universe. I personally think Harbinger was one of the earliest, if not the original, Reaper, whose purpose was to function as a repository for his dying/doomed creators, a living time capsule, if you will. Not satisfied with merely being a talking library, his AI must have justified that he was the pinnacle of existence, and must share his 'ascension' with races it found worthy. 

[Lyryn22]

MP shouldn't impact the SP experience. The 'perfect' ending where Shepard lives (er..gasps?) is currently unattainable without MP. Very, very frustrating. Almost as frustrating as the ending options.
Apart from this, the ME trilogy is brilliant, engaging & an exceptional gaming experience.

[Foreste]

full beard for Shep

[IGoosI]

I think it's safe to say the biggest problem that always creeps up is the ending but hear me out here and I apologise if someone else covered what I'm about to suggest but I really don't have the patience to read a couple hundred posts.

Plenty of people want a happy ending and I do see a way to squeeze one in of sorts without having to change any of the current endings. Simply add a dialogue option before making one of the three choices to argue the "Godchilds" (or digital brat as I like to call him) logic stating how peace has formed betwean the Quarian and Geth races (obviously only available if that peace was made in the playthrough) and maybe reference EDI as well and argue that organics and synthetics can live together. Maybe paragon or renegade options can play a part and maybe even war assets as well work it how you will but either way have the little brat accept it (because lets face it his logic is just as weak if not moreso) Heck even Shepard is part synthetic now so he's the best person to listen to about the subject. The kid can do his thing and wave off the reapers or just deactivate them or whatever maybe by still nuking the mass relays although personally I aint a fan of it but if that HAS to be then what can I say. Get Shepard back to his people hugs and kisses from the love interest and mass party ensues HURRAH!

Obviously it could be fleshed out more maybe even some variations of it but it will give the people that want it their happy ending. I admit I hate the current endings but I aint gone vocal about it and I won't go nuclear now I think what anoyed me most of all was how weak Shepards sendoff was disintegrated or blown up with a piano track and a couple pictures flash up was just so anticlimactic for such a grand hero it just felt utterly weak and left me in dismay. At the very least have a little cutscene with his pic on the rememberance wall camera panning back with the crew gathered round to remember what a great guy/gal Shep was.

That's my pennies worth anyway.

p.s. I know a pic of shep would be problematic due to face customisations but using security camera type trickery on a static shep model it's doable I know the unreal engine well I know it can be done.

Modifié par IGoosI, 27 mars 2012 - 07:47 .

[happy_diplomat]

I just really hope the catalyst moment can be stricken, hearing rumors about Shepard becoming a new catalyst trips me out too much. Though I want Bioware to do their thing, as that ending seems planned, as long as I hear the details and get a new ending on April 6th I will be happy.

[David_Sylver]

 I want Peter Dinklage to turn up near the end and give that Star Child a Joffrey level slap.  Many times.

[RockSW]

can't believe i forgot...save the mass relays plz.

[Drr449]

Hello everyone reading this at Bioware, I am a loyal fan of your games and your company.

Bioware and Mass Effect has been a huge inspiration to me, your company and the games you've made  have made me want to go into the game industry and that is something I am now going after in school. So you see, I hold this company and series dear to me.

My opinions of the game are extremely high, except for the last moments.

The game is amazing, Dr. Muzyka's statement says the fanbase is overshadwoing that fact, but that's not true. We fans know the game is amazing, we played it and loved it. The heartbreaking choices with Mordin on Tuchanka, or the pain of the destruction of Thessia was all felt. This shows you as a company know how to write and make a great story and game. The combat in this one gave me a personally feeling of badassery, Mass Effect 3 was the first Mass Effect game where I was genuinely excited to shoot people up. The combat and gameplay was so well done and exciting. Even the multiplayer, which I was one of those people who cried foul as soon as it was announced, has blown my mind. I had no intentions of playing it very much, if at all, and when I tried the demo I didn't give it a chance. However, I played it when I got my copy of Mass Effect 3 and instantly fell in love with how you guys handled it. It's a great addition to the game in my opinion and though it could be deemed unnecessary, I'm happy it's there.

If the game wasn't amazing I don't think Bioware would have such a movement on its hands.

We fans loved the game all the way up to the last few minutes. It seemed that the ending was just a way to end it, there was no emotion, no closure, no choices, it just seemed like a way to stop it where it was. The Catalyst and ghost baby child thing took away a lot from the galaxy, including what made it great, that being the deeds you do there as Commander Shepard.

With the ending you've given us you've taken away the power of Shepard's choices. With the ghost baby child thing being the creator and controller of the Reapers, it doesn't matter how big of an army we've made, or who's in it. With the decisions you give us, destroy, control, or combine, it doesn't matter who we killed or who we saved. I saved the Rachni queen, I made peace between the Geth and Quarians, but does it really matter? Not when the ghost baby child thing makes it irrelevant. The ending you've given us is okay when the series you've built is leading towards a simple ending, this is NOT the way my beloved series was heading.

I realize that the writing team has the right to do whatever the hell they want with their story, artistic license seems to be the biggest defense for the team, which is completely logical and sound but there are other things that make this defense seem small and useless.

Artistic defense is fine, this meaning the team has the right do what they want with the stroy they've created. But, with video games there's interactivity between the gamer and the story. This series has been AMAZING with immersing the gamer into the world and into the story, this game has made me cry "I WANTED BLUE BABIES" ever since I saw the credits roll. With that being said, artistic license doesn't mean anything when the point comes up that Mr. Hudson and the writing team is NOT WRITING IT FOR THEMSELVES. This game and this BUSINESS(Bioware) is making the game for their conusmers and fans, not for the satisfaction for the team. We are supposed to buy this, this is a product for us, this completely negates the defense of "Our story, our decisions". Yes, it's your story, but it's made for us.

Now, for my suggestions.

Considering that you have many plot holes, many pieces of lore making the given ending seem completely insane, and a huge mass of fans crying foul I suggest you don't "Explain" or "Clarify" I suggest you change it, compeltely.

I am a big fan of the Indoctrination theory, I suggest you take that, among many other fan advice, make it your own(Don't copy paste our ideas, give it a Mass Effect/Bioware spin and taste), but give us a reason to believe all of what is given to us a dream. This gives you a new start, a new way to appease the fans. Give us a more rational ending, don't give our galaxy to a ghost baby child thing. Give the user the power, give Shepard and the other beings of the galaxy power. Stick to your own canon, don't change stuff and give us Space Magic as the unexplainable answer. I want to see an army of Geth rain from the sky and slaughter Cannibals, I want to see the Krogan armies headbutt Ravagers to oblivion, I want to see the Crucible be the weapon of Reaper destruction it was meant to be, no the house of some god child ghost baby thing. But most of all, give us closure. I want my Shepard to live or die based on my decisions. I want to know how things go between the Geth and Quarian fragile alliance, I want to see if the Krogan need to be struck down again, I want to see if the Rachni are accepted into the galaxy. But most of all I want change. I don't want my Shepard and my unvierse be given to a damn god child ghost baby thing. Just give us want we want, give me my GOD DAMN BLUE BABIES.

Much love from an inspired fan, and thank you for reading.

[ObserverStatus]

I suggest adding an option to save Morinth from becoming a banshee, much like how the player can prevent Jack from becoming a Phantom at Grissom Academy.

[merylisk]

http://doycetesterma...tistic-process/

Modifié par merylisk, 27 mars 2012 - 08:25 .

[Dandermifflin]

I cant actually say anything else about "happy, but hard to get ending", all already been said, just want it to happen. But after cutscene with Liara in captn quaters (time capsule etc) i thought that bad ending would include something like that - some new race found this capsule and reading all about previous cycle. I think some pplz already said smthg like that it this topic, but thats just my part of feedback.

Thanks for great game BW, hope you ll give us some deserving endings.

[Dandermifflin]

merylisk wrote...

http://doycetesterma...tistic-process/

ya know, i actually want to play that LOTR game, but without those crappy endings :happy:

[Pain Train]

After the current ending, as the Normandy crew comes out of their crash, things start to darken with loud blasts, explosions and wailing and war music begins to play.. Shep shakes his groggy head and finds himself on the ground in front of the beam. He staggers to his feet and if his EMS is high enough pulls out his two squad mates alive and head for the beam with a look of "let's finish this" on his face.

As they enter the beam, all hell breaks loose with all manor of reapers coming at you. At this point, all your war assest start coming in the scene as Krogen, rachni and others start fighting from different angles to draw off the incoming hoard to allow Shep and crew to move forward. As they reach the top level, they must fight a boss battle with TIM who is still trying to control the reapers by seizeing a control switch on a platform beyond. After taking him out, you proceed to find Harbinger waiting. You run forward with some typical shepherd quip and the final boss battle is on. Your two squad mates hold the line (and if your EMS is higher still, they will survive) fighting off husks and such as you move forward alone to finish this fight and destroy the switch that will deactivate or cause every reaper to explode (Biowares choice). Depending on your EMS, endings with some or all surviving and a chance to get with your LI if they didn't die, otherwise DEATH to all as the reapers win and either kill or assimilate you and your crew (EMS) as you watch in a video ending.

[Dom382]

aceofheartless wrote...
Secondly, the ending ties into a theme that runs throughout the entire series, which is the relationship between "synthetic" and "organic" life. This is a really excellent "hard" science fiction theme, with complex questions and no real answers. 

I'm sorry, but did I somehow miss this theme throughout the entire series? From my viewpoint this theme only really appears in Legion's story line at the end of ME2 and is only focused on during the Geth - Quarian conflict in ME3. I'm pretty sure that everywhere else mainly focuses on the reapers/whatever present enemy or Xenophobia/Everyone getting along.  

[Bomberman65]

Just thought Id throw in something I just read which has afew great points about the ending. If this has already been posted I apologize.
http://extra-credits....php?f=9&t=2008

Personally Id like Bioware to just give us closure and not have the last 5 or so minutes of the ending contradicted what has been a theme of all the ME games "There is NO hope of synthetic and organic life coexisting". Change some of those things and maybe not destroying the Mass Relays and Id be extremely happy.
Thats just my 2 cents.

[levi.porphyrogenitus]

I'm just going to list what I think needs to happen for a satisfying group of endings to be possible.

1) Catharsis.  Closure.  Whatever you want to call it, any story with tragedy and emotional upheaval requires a moment of cleansing that allows the audience assimilate what they just experienced.  For ME3, that obviously requires some kind of aftermath, showing the impact of the final choices on the universe and, more importantly, the people in it.  The characters who it would be most important to follow would be Ashley/Kaiden, Liara, Garrus, Tali, and, if not one of those, the LI.  I picked those in particular because they'd been with you since the beginning.

Also I'd suggest the various major thematic elements be tied off, from the Krogan to the Geth/Quarians, the future of the Council and the Alliance, and even some kind of memorial for Shepard (if Shepard is dead, or even if people just think that [s]he's dead).

2) Epilogue material.  Dragon Age pulled this off beautifully, with text overlayed on a background image (ideally the image would change for each section of text).  No expensive cinematics needed, no voice-overs necessary (though both those elements for the major plot points might be nice), just text and a background image.  It should track everything from the fate of Hackett and the doings of the Rachni to the many children that Conrad and whats-her-name have and the fate of the news lady who everyone seems to enjoy punching (with the text itself being tied to one or more of the 'thousands of variables' that got ported from 1-2-3 or from 2-3, or even those that were introduced in 3).

3) Paragon/Renegade options in the final dialog.  If you scrap the starchild-thingy, then whatever the new final encounter is should still include these.  However, using the starchild as an example, when he starts yammering about how sythetics and organics will always end up killing each other, you should get blue and red options.  For example:

Paragon - Even if it is true, we still deserve the chance to make that choice.  Life is meaningless if it is not free.  Humans throughout our history have died rather than give up our right to determine our own fate.  We know that such freedom can come with a price, but we are willing to pay it.  If that means that, a century from now, our sythetics rise up against us, then so be it.  You have no right to take that choice away from us.

Renegade - You think sythetics will ever be able to destroy humanity?  Look what we did to your precious Reapers!  Mankind united the galaxy against them.  Mankind took the fight to them... and won!  I may die here, but I will die fighting.  I will die having beaten you and your minions.  I and the other soldiers who gave their lives, who sacrificed everything to win this war, will not have died in vain.  Do you think future generations will be less willing?  Will they be less capable?  I think not.

Of course, if you have gotten EDI and Joker together, and/or united the Quarians/Geth, then you should get a third option referencing that fact (or maybe different paragon/renegade options).  Something along the lines of:

- You say that organics and sythetics will always kill each other.  I say, you are wrong.  Look at the Quarians.  They thought the same way you did, and it nearly brought about their own destruction.  They didn't even try to talk to the Geth, they just started shooting.  But look at what happened when they finally put down their weapons and actually talked with one another.  Now not only are they at peace, but they are doing great things together, things that neither one could have accomplished alone.  If that's not enough, then look at EDI.  She's a military AI, in control of the most advanced ship in the Alliance fleet.  Yet she's loyal and trustworthy, but not because of any artificial safeguards - that's just who she is, who she has become.  She's in a loving relationship with her pilot, and would never do anything to harm him or the rest of her crew.  Are we to believe that she will inevitably rise up and kill us?  I find that not only laughable but insulting, to her and to us.

Regardless, if you pick paragon or renegade, or soem third option opened up by the Quarians/Geth and EDI/Joker subplots, then you should be able to convince the starchild-thing to call off the Reapers on his own, either to hide them in darkspace until such time as they are needed (for whatever reason) or to have them fly into the nearest stars to destroy them in such a way that their baleful influence will not be felt by future organics.

That brings me to the three choices as they currently stand.  Destroy the Reapers is dumb, not because it's dumb to destroy them, but that somehow it will magically destroy all sythetic life forms.  This makes peace between Quarians and Geth useless, and breaks Joker's heart, and doesn't make sense anyway.  What kind of magic energy pulse could destroy all synthetic life without destroying every form of higher technology anyway?

Control is dumb, not because it's dumb to control them, but because you don't actually pick what you'll do with them.  There should be a selection of options that you can take when you opt for control.  Are you going to send them into darkspace to bide their time?  Allow humanity (or all the Council races) to study them to learn all manner of advanced science?  Or go on a conquering spree.  Perhaps you'll even send them all into stars to destroy them utterly without troublesome wreckage to indoctrinate unfortunate organics at some far-future time.

Sythesis is dumbe because it is dumb.  When Deus Ex did it, it was heavily foreshadowed, and the whole point of your character's existence was that he was prepared from before birth to fulfill sythesis.  How are we supposed to believe that some exotic energy pulse is able spontaneously to sythesize every organic and every sythetic with each other?  It should take intense preparation of the organic with interface ports, extensive nano-technological implants, and who knows what else, while the sythetics would have to be carefully programmed with a customized interface tailored to the specific individual with whom it will be merging.  Shepard I could see synthesizing, but that's pretty much it.  Those with Reaper augments are little more than tools, incapable of true sythesis.  Quarians and Geth, can't really merge, though they are more than capable of very close cooperation.

Those are my main suggestions.  I may have more in future, but I'm out of time for now and this post has become rather long.

[FairfaxLessee]

First I would like to reiterate my instance that all endings, including the "perfect" ending, should be available to all players even without playing the multiplayer. I think the game should be patched to give everyone 100% readiness. This goes to my second point that all trophies/achievements should be attainable without playing the multiplayer. Third, if ME2 loyalty missions are completed, the characters should be savable (ie there should be a way to save Thane, Legion, and Mordin). I think Thane should be savable also because he is a potential love interest and I don't think it's, for lack of a better word, fair, that he is the only really noncontinuable love interest in the games. Finally, please put in a real final boss. I am honestly just as angry that there is no final boss as the fact that I can't get all the endings.

[OzzyJack]

levi.porphyrogenitus you have just written every thought I have had in my head concerning the ending.

Still struggling to comprehend how Bioware seemingly dropped the ball on such a collosal scale.