7052 réponses à ce sujet

[MattFini]

Get StarChild out of the game as quickly as possible.

You can do this through the indoctrination theory. After all, Harbinger was arrogant in his belief that Shepard would never succeed in getting that far. It makes sense that Harbinger would make a last-ditch attempt to control him.

But here you can pull Shep from the rubble and the DLC can just be the final confrontation with Harbinger, and then a nice epilogue.

If this is not an option, I still need to be able to reject/defeat StarChild. He is a villain and Shepard wouldn't just accept his nonsense.

Beyond that, it would be nice if you guys could include Jack and Miranda in any kind of epilogue, since they're potential LI's. Even if they're talking at Shepard's funeral, or settling down with Shep for a happy ending, it would be nice of you to give them as much attention as you gave Liars, Tali, Garrus, etc.

I need closure. And I think Shep could live. Give us a choice in the matter.

Lastly, don't rush it. If this is going to be a big DA:A -style expansion, that's cool. We'll wait.

Thanks for listening.

Above all, don't rush this. If it takes a year and it comes out like DA:A

[Finked]

Reign Tsumiraki wrote...

 Ah, perfect! I already wrote up what I think would solve the problem...

*copypasta*

1.  Only change the ending starting from the last scene with Anderson/Shepard/TIM. Everything about the ending before that stays the same, with a few changes. 

2. Completely ignore the God-child-spirit. It conflicts and contradicts the "Protheans fooled the citadel" basis in ME1. This was important. Cut it out entirely.

3. Make several choices based off of war readiness, and how many assets went into the Crucible. Such as:

Very low: Launch a giant EMP burst that destroys all Reapers, AI, Citadel, Relays, most technology, ect, as well as sacrificing earth. Shepard dies. Normandy crashes, and everyone aboard dies.

Low: Same, but without damage to earth. Shepard dies. Normandy Crashes. Crew dies.

Medium-low: Burst that only destroys all AI. Shepard dies. Normandy Crashes, Crew dies.

Medium: Burst that destroys all AI in the Sol system, and the Reapers. This allows the Geth to live, but EDI dies. Saves the Relays, but not the citadel. Shepard dies. Normandy crashes, crew survives.

High-Medium: Releases a burst that disables the Reaper Shields across the galaxy, allowing the fleet to easily kill the rest(Reapers are weak without their shields, as ME1 shows. A single torpedo from the Normandy killed Sovereign without it's shields) Shepard lives. Normandy damaged, but does not crash, and the player is treated to a small cutscene of the Normandy and the fleet blowing up a few reapers. 

High: Sends out a burst attuned to the Reaper core (The Geth provide the information. They studied reapers, remember. If they are not available, the Quarians provide it, having researched the Reaper corpse on their planet) causing the Reapers' reactors to overload and die. However, the Reaper core just happens to be identical to the Core of the Citadel as well. The Citadel overloads and blows up. Shepard lives. Relays stay intact. Player is treated to a cutscene of the Reapers blowing up, troops on the ground rejoicing, as well as the Normandy picking him and Anderson's body up before Citadel explodes.


Very-high: Sends out a pulse that kills only Reapers. All tech stays intact. Shepard lives. Relays intact. Citadel intact. Player is treated to the cutscene above, minus the citadel explosion. 

In addition, the endings shown in the "original" game would be available. These would be available on the left side of the dialogue wheel, while the ones I have proposed would be on the right. Synthesis would be unlocked at the Very-High level, and Control would be unlocked at the High-Medium level. Destroy would be available no matter what.

To complete the Synthesis, Destroy, or Control ending, the player takes the elevator up to where the Original ending takes place. This way, they do not have to design an entirely new environment. The animations and flashbacks for these endings would stay the same. The only difference in the cutscene after this would be no Normandy crash.

The options of the three highest unlocked options would show up on the right of the wheel on the right side. For instance, someone who had Medium assets would get the option of killing all AI everywhere, all AI in the Sol system, or all technology everywhere without damage to earth.

The dialogue wheel would look like this, if someone had 100% of all assets.
                                Synthesis              Take down Sheilds
                                                __________/ 
                                               (                       )
                 Destroy    --------(                          ) ---Kill reapers, Destroy Citadel
                                               (                       )
                                                -----------------
                                               /                      
                                      Control                Kill all Reapers
4. Include a small, text and scene ending. Small clips of certain occations from the various decisions made will show. This will vary by ending.

EXAMPLE: Geth and Quarians rebuilding, all species rebuilding the invaded home planets, ect.

5. A small scene with Anderson and Shepard before Anderson dies, about what Shepard will do if the Crucible works. Shepard can then respond in a variety of ways depending on what options he is presented with because of the war assets claimed. Anderson then says the whole "I'm proud of you" spiel, wishes you luck, then dies.

EXAMPLE: 

Retiring and living in peace, finally, with LI(or alone, if that is the case).

Saying “This device will probably destroy the citadel and kill us, so it does not matter.”

Continue to pursue peace and justice as a Spectre.

Become a diplomat/politician and guide humanity

Ect.

6. Any teammates that were with you at the time you got shot by the reaper will run towards the teleport-beam and make it to the Citadel ahead of you, thinking that you died, and that they need to finish what you started. Upon arriving there, you meet up with them and get to the console. They also get manipulated by TIM, but only you are able to "break free" by shooting or talking down TIM. 



Anyway, that's my whole view on it. 


THIS WAY:  
Players can get the endings they want, the player can still sacrifice themselves to get the endings they want, the Devs can have the endings they want, and originally intended. The only thing this really cuts is the stupid spectral Ghost-child-God thing, which was ridiculous in the first place. 

How does this sound? I tried to address every concern and viewpoint, and combine them into one good ending that I think would please everyone. 

This really sums everything up. And just from a personal standpoint, the issue that sits biggest with me is the Normandy's retreat. It almost seems like you guys went out of your way to rip Shepard away from his/her crew just for a reaction. I can deal with a galatic dark age, what I can't deal with is Shepard being either forcibly dead or trapped somewhere with absolutely no hope of seeing his/her crew again thanks to the destruction of the relays. I don't need to see little blue babies or a house on Rannoch to be satisfied, but atleast have the option of keeping Shepard and the crew together and alive so these little promises from the romances can remain a potential outcome after the curtain closes.

[Storenumber9]

1.) An ending addressing the concerns of fans:

- Remove plotholes at the end, or at least make them less glaring. (I know a lot of people enjoy the whole indoctrination theory.)
- Bring closure to all things. I want to know what happens with my crew, my LI, and the galaxy I helped influence into the way it was at the end of them.
-Make multiple endings. This includes both a good "Disney" ending, and a bad "Everyone dies" ending.
-Make these endings more vague. Not "if you get this much EMS, you will get the best ending possible," but make it to wear the happy ending is more based on actions throughout the game.
-Either way, don't make Shepard die in all of them. Shepard doesn't have to die in order to end his story.

Minor stuff:
-Give the Tali picture more work. I think the idea of a picture was a good idea, but the overall execution could have been handled better.

Personally, I think the girl in the picture doesn't fit Tali's personality. First, she needs to look "younger" (That is, if you start with a human girl, she needs to be younger), second, Tali has kind of always fit into the "normal girl" look, which I think is the appeal of the character.

-More modes on Multiplayer. While I love multiplayer, having at least 1 or 2 more modes would be fun.

Maybe an assault mode? I'd love to see how you guys could do that.


But my major concerns are with the ending. The minor concerns are give or take, and anything else that I might have had a problem with are so minute that I can pretty much ignore.

[log1x_dr4g0n]

Mr.BlazenGlazen wrote...

lordnarvinye wrote...

jcmccorm wrote...

Suggestion:

Identify the internal people who warned you in advance that you are making a terrible mistake with the ending. Promote them.

THIS.  OMG THIS.  GO BACK TO YOUR PRIOR VISION BIOWARE.

Agreed.

^

I'm not going to repeat what pretty much everyone said here about those endings, because I do agree with the Indoctrination theory part, and that should be included in the game, but...not sure if this was posted yet, but:

http://www.forbes.co...-mass-effect-3/

[bpzrn]

 Two things

 

1.      
An ending that takes hard work and effort and
choices into consideration, if I work my but off (like I did in my first play though
– all quests done, MP 20 hours worth, Paragon maxed etc…  all for not) and do “everything” and do it right
then something positive happens. That could be Sheppard dies but the galaxy is saved
and after he dies give us 10 minutes of what happens to our crew who ever might
survive. Or just make it happy and let Sheppard live and grow old with his LI.

2.      
Tali, you really dropped the ball with that
photo, make an animation / model of her in game and let’s have a few cut scenes
of her in game. The picture itself  is
fine, now make her a real character / animation in game etc…. give her her due.

That for me would make this game unforgettable and a 10 of
10 rating. I have not played once since I completed the game, ME2 I played 5
times and was working on my 6th.

Thnk you

[Hanabii]

DCYNIGR8 wrote...

So this was posted over in the "On the Mass Effect 3 endings. Yes, we are listening" thread by a user by the name of bwFex.

Just thought i'd leave it here as well as it sums up my thoughts perfectly and much better than I could have on why the ending was so dissapointing and how the indocrination theory, if true, would be awesome.

bwFex wrote...

I really have been trying to let myself get over
this nightmare, but since you guys promise you're listening here, I'll
try to just say it all, get it all out.

I have invested more of
myself into this series than almost any other video game franchise in my
life. I loved this game. I believed in it. For five years, it
delivered. I must have played ME1 and ME2 a dozen times each.

I
remember the end of Mass Effect 2. Never before, in any video game I had
ever played, did I feel like my actions really mattered. Knowing that
the decisions I made and the hard work I put into ME2 had a very real,
clear, obvious impact on who lived and who died was one of the most
astounding feelings in the world to me. I remember when that laser hit
the Normandy and Joker made a comment about how he was happy we upgraded
the shields. That was amazing. Cause and effect. Work and reward.

The
first time I went through, I lost Mordin, and it was gut-wrenching:
watching him die because I made a bad decision was damning,
heartbreaking. But it wasn't hopeless, because I knew I could go back,
do better, and save him. I knew that I was in control, that my actions
mattered. So that's exactly what I did. I reviewed my decisions, found
my mistakes, and did everything right. I put together a plan, I worked
hard to follow that plan, and I got the reward I had worked so hard for.
And then, it was all for nothing.

When I started playing Mass
Effect 3, I was blown away. It was perfect. Everything was perfect. It
was incredible to see all of my decisions playing out in front of me,
building up to new and outrageous outcomes. I was so sure that this was
it, this was going to be the masterpiece that crowned an already
near-perfect trilogy. With every war asset I gathered, and with every
multiplayer game I won, I knew that my work would pay off, that I would
be truly satisfied with the outcome of my hard work and smart decisions.
Every time I acquired a new WA bonus, I couldn't wait to see how it
would play out in the final battle. And then, it was all for nothing.

I
wasn't expecting a perfect, happy ending with rainbows and butterflies.
In fact, I think I may have been insulted if everyone made it through
just fine. The Reapers are an enormous threat (although obviously not as
invincible as they would like us to believe), and we should be right to
anticipate heavy losses. But I never lost hope. I built alliances, I
made the impossible happen to rally the galaxy together. I cured the
genophage. I saved the Turians. I united the geth and the quarians. And
then, it was all for nothing.

When Mordin died, it was
heartwrenching, but I knew it was the right thing. His sacrifice was...
perfect. It made sense. It was congruent with the dramatic themes that
had been present since I very first met Wrex in ME1. It was not a cheap
trick, a deus ex machina, an easy out. It was beautiful, meaningful,
significant, relevant, and satisfying. It was an amazing way for an
amazing character to sacrifice themself for an amazing thing. And then
it was all for nothing.

When Thane died, it was tearjerking. I
knew from the moment he explained his illness that one day, I'd have to
deal with his death. I knew he was never going to survive the trilogy,
and I knew it wouldn't be fun to watch him go. But when his son started
reading the prayer, I lost it. His death was beautiful. It was
significant. It was relevant. It was satisfying. It was meaningful. He
died to protect Shepard, to protect the entire Citadel. He took a life
he thought was unredeemable and used it to make the world a brighter
place. And then it was all for nothing.

When Wrex and Eve thanked
me for saving their species, I felt that I had truly accomplished
something great. When Tali set foot on her homeworld, I felt that I had
truly accomplished something great. When Javik gave his inspiring
speech, I felt that I had inspired something truly great. When I
activated the Citadel's arms, sat down to reminisce with Anderson one
final time, I felt that I had truly accomplished something amazing. I
felt that my sacrifice was meaningful. Significant. Relevant. And while
still a completely unexplained deus ex machina, at least it was a little
bit satisfying.

And then, just like everything else in this trilogy, it was all for nothing.

If
we pretend like the indoctrination theory is false, and we're really
supposed to take the ending at face value, this entire game is a lost
cause. The krogans will never repopulate. The quarians will never
rebuild their home world. The geth will never know what it means to be
alive and independent. The salarians will never see how people can
change for the better.

Instead, the quarians and turians will
endure a quick, torturous extinction as they slowly starve to death,
trapped in a system with no support for them. Everyone else will
squabble over the scraps of Earth that haven't been completely
obliterated, until the krogans drive them all to extinction and then die
off without any women present. And this is all assuming that the relays
didn't cause supernova-scaled extinction events simply by being
destroyed, like we saw in Arrival.

And perhaps the worst part is
that we don't even know. We don't know what happened to our squadmates.
We didn't get any sort of catharsis, conclusion. We got five years of
literary foreplay followed by a kick to the groin and a note telling us
that in a couple months, we can pay Bioware $15 for them to do it to us
all over again.

It's not just the abysmally
depressing/sacrificial nature of the ending, either. As I've already
made perfectly clear, I came into this game expecting sacrifice. When
Mordin did it, it was beautiful. When Thane did it, it was beautiful.
Even Verner. Stupid, misguided, idiotic Verner. Even his ridiculous
sacrifice had meaning, relevance, coherence, and offered satisfaction.

No,
it's not the sacrifice I have a problem with. It's the utter lack of
coherence and respect for the five years of literary gold that have
already been established in this franchise. We spent three games
preparing to fight these reapers. I spent hours upon hours doing every
side quest, picking up every war asset, maxing out my galactic readiness
so that when the time came, the army I had built could make a stand,
and show these Reapers that we won't go down without a fight.

In
ME1, we did the impossible when we killed Sovereign. In ME2, we began to
see that the Reapers aren't as immortal as they claim to be: that even
they have basic needs, exploitable weaknesses. In ME3, we saw the
Reapers die. We saw one get taken down by an overgrown worm. We saw one
die with a few coordinated orbital bombardments. We saw several ripped
apart by standard space combat. In ME1, it took three alliance fleets to
kill the "invincible" Sovereign. By the end of ME3, I had assembled a
galactic armada fifty times more powerful than that, and a thousand
times more prepared. I never expected the fight to be easy, but I proved
that we wouldn't go down without a fight, that there is always hope in
unity. That's the theme we've been given for the past five years: there
is hope and strength through unity. That if we work together, we can
achieve the impossible.

And then we're supposed to believe that
the fate of the galaxy comes down to some completely unexplained
starchild asking Shepard what his favorite color is? That the army we
built was all for nothing? That the squad whose loyalty we fought so
hard for was all for nothing? That in the end, none of it mattered at
all?

It's a poetic notion, but this isn't the place for poetry.
It's one thing to rattle prose nihilistic over the course of a movie or
ballad, where the audience is a passive observer, learning a lesson from
the suffering and futility of a character, but that's not what Mass
Effect is. Mass Effect has always been about making the player the true
hero. If you really want us to all feel like we spent the past five
years dumping time, energy, and emotional investment into this game just
to tell us that nothing really matters, you have signed your own death
certificate. Nobody pays hundreds of dollars and hours to be reminded
how bleak, empty, and depressing the world can be, to be told that
nothing we do matters, to be told that all of our greatest
accomplishments, all of our faith, all of our work, all of our unity is
for nothing.

No. It simply cannot be this bleak. I refuse to
believe Bioware is really doing this. The ending of ME1 was perfect. We
saw the struggle, we saw the cost, but we knew that we had worked hard,
worked together, and won. The ending of ME2 was perfect. We saw the
struggle, we saw the cost, but we knew that we had worked hard, worked
together, and won.

Taken at face value, the end of ME3 throws
every single thing we've done in the past five years into the wind, and
makes the player watch from a distance as the entire galaxy is thrown
into a technological dark age and a stellar extinction. Why would we
care about a universe that no longer exists? We should we invest any
more time or money into a world that will never be what we came to know
and love?

Even if the ending is retconned, it doesn't make things
better. Just knowing that the starchild was our real foe the entire
time is so utterly mindless, contrived, and irrelevant to what we
experienced in ME1 and ME2 that it cannot be forgiven. If that really is
the truth, then Mass Effect simply isn't what we thought it was. And
frankly, if this is what Mass Effect was supposed to be all along, I
want no part of it. It's a useless, trite, overplayed cliche, so far
beneath the praise I once gave this franchise that it hurts to think
about.

No. There is no way to save this franchise without giving
us the only explanation that makes sense. You know what it is. It was
the plan all along. Too much evidence to not be true. Too many people
reaching the same conclusions independently.

The indoctrination
theory doesn't just save this franchise: it elevates it to one of the
most powerful and compelling storytelling experiences I've ever had in
my life. The fact that you managed to do more than indoctrinate Shepard -
you managed to indoctrinate the players themselves - is astonishing. If
that really was the end game, here, then you have won my gaming soul.
But if that's true, then I'm still waiting for the rest of this story,
the final chapter of Shepard's heroic journey. I paid to finish the
fight, and if the indoctrination theory is true, it's not over yet.

And
if it's not, then I just don't even care. I have been betrayed, and
it's time for me to let go of the denial, the anger, the bargaining, and
start working through the depression and emptiness until I can just
move on. You can't keep teasing us like this. This must have seemed like
a great plan at the time, but it has cost too much. These people
believed in you. I believed in you.

Just make it right.

I will again put my support behind this mans words. They are true and have good merit to them.

[KaiserinKai]

This article! 

http://www.gamefront...fans-are-right/

There is nothing I can say that this article doen't say better. It highlights every single solitary problem I have with the ending and then some.

Read it, fix all the problems it lists and I'll be happy.

Also, if you're curious about the type of ending we were hoping for, just look at one of your company's older games, Bioware's epic, Dragon Age: Origins.

That is the type of ending we were hoping for. It gave us every type of ending, from happy with sacrifices to sacrificing your life to save everyone. It took all of your decisions into account.  To top it all off, it also gave us an epilogue to show what happened to everyone afterwords.

We know you can do this, but until you do, we will keep holding that line!

Modifié par KaiserinKai, 17 mars 2012 - 04:41 .

[WQFNHJNHNFNFNFBFNFN]

First of all, let me say thank you for inviting fans to contribute their input.  I get the feeling that you guys are genuinely trying to make things right by the fans, some of whom don't really deserve it.  Jessica, I don't envy the job you have ahead of you in taking all of this feedback and turning it into something usable.

I'd also like to thank Bioware in general for Mass Effect 3.  While I don't necessarily agree with the ending, the rest of the game is truly phenomenal.  In fact, the only reason the ending is so upsetting to people is because of the tremendous emotional involvement we have developed with the series.

My main issue with the ending is that it is incredibly vague.  I understand the developers wanted to create a mysterious ending, but I don't think that this is the right choice for the series.  This game is not like Shadow of the Colossus where minimalism and mystique is a key part of the experience.  This is a game where characters spout out their life's story at the smallest provocation.  This is a series where the Codex gives us copious amounts of information on whichever subject we desire.  Because of the style of the game, fans reasonably expect the ending to follow suit.  In short, a vague ending is fine for something like Inception, but not something like Mass Effect.

On this note, I'd like to know if the ending is indeed an indoctrination as was my interpretation.  Again, the narrative has been straightforward to this point, so there is no reason to stop at the very end.

I would like to know what happens to the characters who I've become so attached to over the course of five years.  Naturally, I'll be sad if they wind up dead (I was absolutely horrified when I took Tali with me on the run to the citadel and thought she was shredded by Harby) but I'd still rather know what becomes of them.

Finally, I'd like a better view of the galaxy after my final decision, whether it was a dream or not.  The final choice you make has such vast implications that I can't imagine a future based on it.  How can I really anticipate what is in store for a galaxy whose main mode of transportation has been shattered?  How can I reasonably speculate on what will happen with a world of half men half machines running around? How am I supposed to predict what will happen with a bunch of super verile Krogan seemingly trapped in the Sol System.

Lastly, I'd like to throw my hat in with the "more diverse endings" crowd.  The developers promised this at several points during the development cycle, and it was a key reason for me wanting to play the game multiple times.  It is a key reason that I'm not playing the game a second time right now.

Thank you for listening, and I trust you guys will do right by your fans. 

[c-monkey13]

First off I love the games and the overall universe that was created around the Mass Effect series. It's one of my favorite stories of all time, not just gaming but in all forms (Books, Television, Movies included). Here are my thoughts.

1. The indoctrination theory works well if you want to keep what is already in the game. It's an intriguing thought and has worked well in many mediums (Wizard of Oz, Doctor Who episodes, A Christmas Carol, etc.); but Shepard needs some way to break free of it and continue towards the true ending. In addition more dialog would be appreciated for things like, history and motivation of the reapers, who created them and under what dire circumstances etc.

2. A clear Paragon, Renegade and Middle of the Road finish needs to be included in order to take into account the choices which have been made by the player. Also the success (or lack thereof) the player had in creating a truly united galactic force needs to be addressed with an appropriate conclusion (Good- Shep lives and reunites with any LI's, Bad- Shep dies, reapers win and slowly extinguish all sapient life again and Nuetral- Shep dies; but his/her sacrifice allows the reapers to be defeated, albeit with massive casualties)

3. Multiplayer should NOT effect the single player campaign in the slightest. MP is supposed to be an extra for fun, not an extension to try and coerce players to use it. Especially considering that a) not everybody has a lot of time available for it (myself included). Even with a strong internet connection the servers are fickle at best, with there always a chance for the servers to tweak out and disconnect for no reason. c) It's a bit disheartening to complete every possible side-mission and still have readiness sitting at 50%

4. The voice acting, as always, was fantastic. It would be nice to here a bit more of them in the ending (if they're available of course).

5. The cost issue. I'm aware many fans want the new ending for free, while it would be nice I don't expect it nor believe it necessarily should be. The entire team, from writers to programmers to the incredible voice acting talent has worked very hard and created an overall phenomenal game and experience. A $10.00 to $15.00 price tag would not offend me, maybe annoy but not offend. I am aware Bioware is still a company and as such has costs that need to be covered. Like I said free would be nice though

Those are my opinions, thank you for the chance to voice them in what is hopefully a constructive manner. Thank you again for giving me the chance to play three great games, read four good books and enjoy myself while i did it. Good luck to Bioware and keep up the good games.

[Scitenik]

I want an ending that makes me feel good about myself.

But more than anything - I want to have ENDINGS. Plural.

I want an ending where things end up generally good. Shepard is alive, most of his team is alive, the relays are still there, and so on. The Citadel can blow up - it's clear most people on it wouldn't have survived unless they managed to evacuate.No matter how good the ending is, the ending is still bittersweet. Billions of sentient beings have died at the hands of the reapers - trillions more if you consider the loss of life of past cycles. No matter how good the victory is, that's always going to hang over everyone's heads. And there's always the consequences of what's happened to Earth - it would take hundreds of years to rebuild. Casey Hudson says the team wants a bittersweet ending? That is TOTALLY a bittersweet ending. Yeah, Shepard is alive and has a chance to be with the one he loves, provided they survived - but there's still everything else. That's a lot to live with.

But I also want an ending where Shepard makes the sacrifice for everyone, similar to what we have now - I just don't want that to be the ONLY ending.

And an ending where the reapers win - and not just a "critical mission error, try again" ending, but an ending that shows Shepard and everyone else losing, and then some brief cutscenes of the reaper advance continuing throughout the galaxy, with perhaps an epilogue where some race (they don't even have to be shown) comes across Liara's warning beacons that she said she was going to leave behind. That would be ultimately bittersweet. Yeah, they failed, but maybe, just maybe, the next cycle will have a chance. And it goes on.

Basically, people want CHOICES. I know Mass Effect 1 and 2 basically ended the same for everyone, and all the meaty choices were throughout the game itself. That's fine, because they had to build UP to something. You can't make a sequel to a game if there's infinite possibilities - look at the problems DA2 had after trying to follow-up DA:O. You can't account for all the choices, and so, they streamlined it nicely.

But...Mass Effect 3 was the opportunity to have things vary wildly at the end, because it was the end of Shepard's story. That's what people were looking forward to. Seeing how THEIR Shepard would end up in the galaxy, how they would go on, what the galaxy would become.

Having answers and closure for characters is important. It's fulfilling.

Bittersweet endings don't have to be so fatalistic. I consider Harry Potter to have a bittersweet ending. Yes, he lives and it's a happy ending - but the cost to get to that was pretty high, and a lot of people sacrificed themselves to make it happen. And that's similar to what happens - characters sacrifice themselves for you, and it feels so meaningful when it happens - and then it feels invalidated at the end.

I know there's a split between people who want a sad ending and a happy ending - and there's an easy solution to that. Give BOTH to them.

DA:O handled it beautifully. There was a lot of variable endings. Sacrifices, deals, the player character can live, can die, entire races can join the fight or die, and the world changes around you (at least until DA2, but that's beside the point). The epilogue slides went one step further and gave you real closure. You could pretty much ignore DA2 if you wanted and just consider the DA:O slides the end if you wanted, and it was fulfilling.

I've grown up reading comic books and watching movies where people succeed against all odds. I've never really been a fan of heroes that lose in the end, and that's what this feels like. It's even worse considering that this is a game.

I was grinning like a damn idiot when Shepard stepped out of the rubble at the end of ME1 and gave everyone a smile. It was a fist pumping moment.

When ME2 ended and everyone survived (with some trial and error), I was pumped. THAT was an ending to remember. I was so excited. And then the ending bit where everyone nods at him, and then he stares off into the abyss as the reapers start to advance in the Galaxy. I texted my friend, I was so excited. I even didn't care about the Terminator boss after seeing that final cutscene, I was so pumped and excited.

Even going further back, in KOTOR, when I got to the plot twist, even though it was midnight and I was in high school, I texted that same friend in all caps, basically saying "OMG MY HEAD JUST EXPLODED THAT WAS AWESOME" because I couldn't believe it (I get into things if I really enjoy them.) And the ending of the game, the light side version, just made me feel GOOD.

I have enough problems in my life already. I have anxiety issues and health issues and I'm trying to find a job in a market where that's hard to do. I'm reminded every day that life can be hard, that things don't always have a purpose, that hope is hard to find, that loyalty between friends can change, that things don't turn out the way you want.

There's a reason I gravitate towards things that make me feel good. Because it's a nice change. I appreciate the sad and fatalistic endings when it's appropriate and fits the tone of the overall story. But everything in ME1 and ME2 was hopeful and inspiration, until the very ending.

So basically, I want an ending that has more hope in it. More success.

But I also want the ending that has no hope in it and no success. Because choice is important. What i want isn't the same as what someone else wants.

I understand the importance of having a vision and seeing it through. But in a game like this, that's all about choice, it can't be just about one ultimate ending. It has to have several. It has to cover the major bases - a happy ending, a mixed ending, and a bad ending. Anything less and it's just not a Bioware game.

Sorry for the rambling. I hope this situation ends up getting fixed. Bioware games have ALWAYS been my favorite. I've played DA:O so many times I'm surprised the disc hasn't melted. I really hope I don't have to stop buying your games in the future because of how this situation is being handled. I really want to support you Bioware. No one else in the industry can tell a story like you can. Listen to your fans, and we'll continue to support you. Write us off, and it hurts everyone in the end.

[ET_rage]

Just a few issues I wished to touch upon, but if you're asking for honest feedback, then here it is. I'm not looking to gripe about the ending, you asked for our input and here is mine. I'm sure there are many others who have other ideas that I haven't touched upon.

I believe the basic request for an ending is 'a variety of consequences and results that are dependant on your actions throughout the game series' and 'closure for the many characters we've grown to love and adore'. Some simply want resolution to the unanswered questions the Starchild and the destruction of the relays presents, others want an entire overhaul.

It's a matter of choices, which have (and continue to be) offered in many of the ad campaigns that sell Mass Effect 3, that are not reflected in the endings currently offered. All the variations offered in 1 and 2 are not offered in the 3rd game. Indeed there is little beyond whether or not Earth burns, the Reapers win or lose, and what color the relays glow when they blow up.

There is also the logic of the exploding relays, since the science stated in the Arrival DLC showed that a relay being destroyed was similar to the force of a supernova, which any logical-minded person would apply to their destruction in ME3. Another logic puzzle; Why is Joker flying away in the last sequence and where was that planet he crashed? It certainly didn't look like Earth or anything in the Sol system, and if it wasn't, how did he get there if the relays were blown up?

Of the things that I would like to see as the results of your choices is how the galaxy fares once the ending has concluded. As an example: Krogan building side by side with salarians as Wrex leads his people into a new age or, if you failed to save Wrex, the krogan slaughtering the remnants of the salarians under the leadership of his brother Wrev. A consequence, again, that wasn't shown.

What really happened to the people on the Citadel beyond becoming piles of corpses as you stumble your way through it? Scenes, maybe recordings you can watch along the way, of their hopeless battle and messages of goodbye even if they all died, could be inspiring for Shepard's resolve. You hear the stories of their lives through your travels in the Citadel but at the end, nothing, they're just all dead.

What happens to your teammates or whomever you romanced? How about if you romanced Garrus; if Shepard dies, he replaces the fallen Primarch Victus and leads his people as they rebuild and he learns how to use a hammer after all (there was a question where you could ask how close in succession he was). Or if Shepard lives, he stays and helps rebuild Earth instead, with a home on that little beach he talks about.  Or if you romanced Liara; if Shepard died, with a little blue girl telling her about her 'father', or if Shepard lived, working together as a family to rebuild. Or Thane, even if he's dead, learning about the Gods he prayed to with his son, who's become a Priest of the old beliefs if Shepard lives, or if Shepard dies, a flash of them together in some hazy afterworld? If Shepard was with Tali; again if dead, Tali helping build a memorial on Rannoch or if Shepard lived, the two of them on Rannoch together.

There are also those with a more personal interest, people who just like to have a happy ending to make their escapism into the Mass Effect universe satisfying, instead of disheartening. Really, if someone wants rainbows and unicorns, isn't half the pitch of Mass Effect that they can, if they work hard enough and do things the right way in the ME world? For clarification, this is NOT to say that wanting rainbows is a bad thing, if there were the option, I'd likely do another playthrough myself simply to see Garrus and my FemShep sitting on their beach together. Sometimes, getting to the pot of gold really IS the point of chasing a rainbow.

Dying as a legendary hero can be just as valid as that Pina Colada my FemShep would have, for me, on that beach. The point is that replaying doesn't offer one or the other, both, or something entirely different...it offers the same endings (with very small differences) the next time around. The replay value is entirely lost.


On a personal note, I would like to politely remind Bioware that The Retake Mass Effect movement does not condone flaming or attacks on Bioware/EA employees of any kind and thank you for listening and opening a dialogue with us. Retake Mass Effect is about bringing to your attention the depressing lack of conclusion that makes the game worthwhile for many of the fans. We can be civil and respectful, despite a few who have been 'raving fanboys/girls', I'm simply asking Bioware to meet us halfway to a mutually beneficial compromise. 

[JackHallin]

 At the very least I would like to see the ending fleshed out. When the Catalyst is telling us about things, let him elaborate more. Let his explanation carry more weight and be more meaningful about the options Shepard chooses. Maybe he reviews Shepard's life. Maybe he shows, in video, some of those who would suffer the consequences of Shepard's choices.  Maybe he expands on his own history, showing events of past cycles as he tells of his purpose. 
What I would prefer is to see, more or less, a different ending. The final segment, after Anderson's death, is what I had the most problem with. The disparity between options was, simply, insufficient. Nonexistent, even. It really felt like it dropped me off a rock with a decision that was not a decision. I would like to see an ending that, somehow, reflects the "life" the player has had Shepard live as well as reflecting whatever final decision Shepard makes. I'm not after flowers and puppies, although that would be awesome.
There are a number of holes that seem to need patching: the destruction of the relays; why the Normandy is fleeing with X, Y, Z persons on board who were either dead or with me on Earth; what happens to unseen characters, like Hackett, Wrex, et. al.
The ending as it exists has a great potential that feels wasted. I would prefer an ending which sees some facets of the galactic civilizations remain in order to make previous decisions feel like they matter, such as the outcome of the Quarian-Geth conflict.  

However, I recognize the current ending carries a deep meaning about the value of a life lived.  If the current ending remains, those last few minutes should be made to somehow reflect or review on Shepard's life going into that decision.

 I love the game. I love BioWare and this community.  Whatever happens, I plan to stick around. I would really like to see something done to flesh out an ending that feels rushed and short. Coming out of left field like it does is a strength. It just needs more to feel like an ending to this massive saga of CHOICE.

Thanks.


Edit: In all my composition this late at night, I neglected to say that my thanks was directed to both BioWare, for being so responsive to the community and giving us a GREAT series of games, and to the community itself for being (more often than not) helpful, constructive, respectful, kind, and especially creative in response to the end of a series we've all given a lot of love to.

Modifié par JackHallin, 17 mars 2012 - 04:44 .

[focusright]

on a side note, pls bring shiala,parassini and helena blake back to talk

[Janus382]

First, thank you Jessica for addressing us in this fashion, and thank you Mod for going all sticky on it.  I also want to preface this by saying ME3 is an amazing, fantasically enjoyable game, and it is only because of our love for it and the series, that many of us are so frustrated by the final 5-20 minutes.  

Please note that all issues not related to the ending are of incredibly minor importance.  

That being said, my issues are as follows:

*All SP, not MP*

Graphics

• Texture pop-in occurs enough to be memorable, although my VRAM is kinda low, so I'm not sure if thats indicative of a larger problem or not.
• Some textures are noticeably lo-res.  Mostly armor / clothing, and it can be very distracting.

Gameplay

• Combat sequences seem quite short. For example, the N7 mission with the Tuchanka Guns can be completed in about 5 minutes.  It felt like dialogue / traveling was 5/6 of the game... which is fine, I love the dialogue, but more / longer combat would be most welcome.
• Equipping weapons and attaching mods to them feels a bit clumsy.  An EQUIP/UNEQUIP button would rectify that, as arrowing over to 0 is rather annoying, and so is going to battle with a weapon you didn't realize you equipped (if there is already another method, I am not aware of it).
• Giving weight, weight capacity, and weight reduction a numerical value would be most welcome as well, though what we have currently is adequate.
• Shopping, most notably the Requisitions panel on the Normandy, could use some tweaking.  Perhaps clicking the "+" symbol could open a drop-down menu, therefore you wouldn't have to continually click "Back" to view multiple stores.  Also, a "NEW!" indicator could inform me when new items are added at each shop, so I wouldn't have to manually inspect each shop to see what's new.
• A more accurate and up-to-date Journal.
• Really missing a Krogan squadmate, though I have great faith that a DLC will rectify this.
• Galactic Readiness.  As of now, it virtually (or literally, im not sure, to be honest) requires multiplayer to achieve the ending that requires the highest GR value (Shepard breathing after the Destory ending).  This is unfair to those who don't care for MP, and/or those who don't wish to subscribe to XBox Live/Gold... especially because it was previously stated that SP was all that was necessary.

Story

• James Vega needs a better introduction, as it seems we're expected be familiar with him.  Further in the game, he is elaborated on... sort of, but it is still rather awkward at the beginning.  Was he assigned to watch over me?  Police me?  For how long?  It feels like he's just along for the ride, with little explanation as to why or how he got there to begin with.  The result is I never feel compelled to use him... unlike Liara, Garrus, EDI, and Tali, who I continually take to battle, even if they are less-than-optimal choices for the situation.
  
• There were no explosive, nor even dramatic, confrontations between jilted love interests from the previous two games, which I think everyone who was philandering was looking forward to... or was dreading, and then felt mysteriously letdown.
• The lack of the war crimes trial for Shepard at the beginning of the game.
• Harbinger was disappointingly absent from the entire narrative... although Joker's crack about dating Harbinger did make me Lol.
• I wanna meet Blasto!  Either in-character, or the Hanar actor who portrays him, possibly being a typical megalomaniacal star hounded by paparazzi and groupies, who will hardly give me, Commander Freakin' Shepard, the time of day. "This one feels you are not even worthy to kiss its ring." 

Endings... posting some links that I feel draw attention to the right areas.

- Plot Holes / Lore Inconsistencies... only the ones related to the ending are of major importance.
http://social.biowar...ndex/10054944/1

- An analysis of why the ending "feels" wrong, on a personal level.
http://www.themetaga...oblem-with.html

- "A Logical Breakdown of Why the ME3 Ending Makes No Sense" (collaborative GoogleDoc)
http://tinyurl.com/7vfvopd

- "Musings of a Screenwriter: The Ending Thread"
http://social.biowar...ndex/10022779/1

- Fan-made ending script... which I feel stays true to the soul of the series.  It's not perfect, and it's even pretty generic, but the proper themes are there.  Despite being conventional, it's much preferred to the ending(s) we have now.
http://social.biowar...index/9813536/1

- Gamefront's article, which I think condenses the main problems most of us have with the endings.  If you haven't read this yet, I can't recommend it enough.
http://www.gamefront...-fans-are-right

• Really, Gamefront's article sums up my main grievances perfectly, especially the notion that Shepard was totally out-of-character and the endings go against what seemed to be the message of the series (unity, tolerance, determination against impossible odds)... and that I'm not out to get a "happy" ending.
• The RGB endings felt a bit insulting, to be honest, and the Joker/Normandy/Squadmates/Crash landing sequence made absolutely no sense and had no impact, given the context (or lack thereof).
• Not being able to question the Starchild, or flat out refuse him, felt completely wrong.  Actually, I'd completely do away with the whole concept of Starchild.  All of it.  This article, um, articulates, fantastically most of the reasons why. 
  http://www.gametouri...y-im-still.html
• The lack of any kind of epilogue concerning the fleets/planets/civilzations/characters really cemented my dislike for the current endings.
• The following three (3) points concern the destruction of the mass relays.
• (1) The relays being destroyed.  I'm all for "grimdark", but the catastrophe that this implies is just way too bleak. It seems the writers wanted them destroyed no matter what, for whatever reasons, and that's fine.  However, as it appears now, with what we know from ME2: Arrival, and from the in-game codex entry "Desperate Measures", destroying them basically eradicates the entire star system they're in.  This implies trillions of deaths, the destruction of entire civilizations across the galaxy, and the destruction of the entire fleet in the Sol system.  Instead, why not simply deactivate them permanently?  It's a lot less messy, and the unavailability of mass relays is still accomplished for the future.
• (2) That being said, without the ability to use mass relays, the entire fleet is trapped in the Sol system. Given what we've been told about FTL travel, it would take decades or even centuries for the fleet to move to another sustainable area, assuming that Earth couldn't support them all.  Food would be a major problem.  Also, we've never seen a Turian female, so would any reproduction be taking place for them at all?  The Quarians *might* survive, since the entire Migrant Fleet is there, which includes their agricultural ships.  However, unless that's practically completely self-sustaining, they would go completely extinct... given that 1) All Quarians on pilgrimage were called back when the war with the Geth was reinitiated, 2) the entire Migrant Fleet was the in Sol system, and 3) they can't eat what the rest of the galaxy does... neither can the Turians, for that matter.
• (3) As I see it, a simple solution would be to have the mass relays slowly deactivate... either over time, or due to only being allowed to affect a limited quantity of mass before shutting down.  Therefore, at least some (if not most, or all) of the fleet could escape the Sol System, and the mass relays are still rendered useless / practically non-existent.  It's so much cleaner.  There's no logic problems, it's much less bleak, and the writer's can still accomplish what I assume is their goal.
• The Crucible. It took the combined efforts of countless species among countless cycles to conceive, therefore it essentially represents all life that ever lived simultaneously rejecting the Reapers motivations, and this cycle's inhabitants are the ones who finally manage to pull the trigger on it.  The potential impact this can cause to the narrative and feeling of the ending is HUGE, and I feel it was under-utilized.
• Also, and I might be alone in this, but I felt the final confrontation with TIM was rather short, and fell kinda flat. His motivations and subsequent actions seemed pretty trite and non-sensical when it was revealed he was indoctrinated.  He went from Illusive and larger-than-life, to pitiable.  I thought he'd have some grand plan that might turn out to be a bigger danger than the Reapers themselves, but no, he was rather small-time.  I find it unfortunate, considering he was the only real villain with face. The fact that his origin was never even touched upon in the game, was disappointing and probably lessened his impact on me.
• I'm not a huge fan of the Indoctrination theory, but it is satisfying, and way better and more coherent than what we have now.  I'd prefer a total rewrite of everything after the Harbinger-beam, or at least everything after Anderson's death... I understand that might be unrealistic, so the Indoctrination theory or something similar would definitely suffice.
• Honestly, it just needs to make sense, reflect some of major choices up to that point, not be riddled with plot holes, have some explanation, and followed by an epilogue of sorts.  I wouldn't mind a little ambiguity... a SMALL amount of room for speculation is always welcome!

I think that's all for now.  I must stress again that I absolutely love this game, and that's what makes the final minutes hurt so much.  The voicework/presentation/gameplay/music/writing/level design were all about as close to perfect as it can get, and I enjoyed the ride.  Thank you!
PS: Of less importance, Tali needs a new face! 
http://social.biowar...index/10179957/

Modifié par Janus382, 21 mars 2012 - 06:40 .

[NoxJuked]

Edited & still adding more things as they come to mind

Aria & Wrex
- It was hinted that Aria and Wrex might have met each other before in
the past I felt this would have been very cool to see both of them be
aboard the Normandy at some point and recognize each other. Maybe even
getting to do at least one mission with them.

Omega
- I was confused as to why this wasn't a mission in the game, I'm
hoping their will be some DLC about this though because of the comic
that came with the collectors edition it was a nice build up and I was
looking forward to this very much.

War Assets
- Spent a lot of time gathering many of these around the galaxy I feel
like you wouldn't be able to see all of them but some of them I felt you
should have been able to see in action. Some of them would be like the
gangs of the Terminus system Blue Suns, Blood Pack, Eclipse mercs just
doing work on the reapers. Some of the characters both in you're squad
from the Normandy fighting on the ground at some point, and the other
crew members you collected from Mass Effect 2 like Jack and her teenager
biotic squad, Grunt with Wrex running through reapers, showing the Geth
if you recruited them, fleets you recruited doing damage in space,
Citadel defenses etc.

Space Battles
- When looking at the Mass Effect 3 trailers I thought for sure you
would at least be able to play as some random Alliance marine doing some
damage in the large space battle taking place or even play as Joker
again flying the Normandy around doing some work or even cordinating
some attacks from the Normandy to other fleets with even possible
repercussions.

Endings making sense & Closure
- I enjoy how much the endings made me think speculation included and
the triangle talk between the Illusive Man, Shepard, and Anderson with
the possible touching moment with Anderson afterwards was emotionally
gripping on top of the already amazing voice acting. However I'm also
part of the group that actually wants to know what is happening, what
happens to everyone, you're squad and all the fleets in space, all the
people on the Citadel? How the Normandy even ends up running away and
landing on some random planet felt very off to close things out.

Dark Energy
- This was mentioned in the Tali mission and by Gianna Parasini as her
next mission possibly who isn't seen or mentioned at all along with the
dark energy in Mass Effect 3
[/list]

Modifié par NoxJuked, 17 mars 2012 - 04:44 .

[clumsyninja]

There needs to be a happy ending.

Shepard needs to activate the Crucible which is just a big weapon, nothing more (especially no "StarChild") and JUST THE REAPERS DIE.

Shepard goes back to Earth, everyone's alive (except TIM and Anderson), and Shepard and his/her LI live happily ever after.

War Assests need to play heavily into who lives and who dies. However, you need to remove the effect that multiplayer has on war readiness. It should be like extra credit, and give you the super awesome happy time ending.

It needs to be like in ME2 where if you choose the wrong person to lead team B, people die or if you decided not to do the loyalty missions, people die. I spent hours making everyone happy and working together in ME3 only to see that none of it mattered.

[bydoritos]

Everything you need.

[ShepGep]

Lazy writing is lazy...

http://www.google.co...iw=1302&bih=829

I mean...really? Seriously? Do you guys REALLY expect them to actually listen to fans and add to their ending so it actually makes sense or has any closure on what happens to Shepard, your crew, the reapers, and the galaxy on the whole? When they do crap like this? Adding to the ending would require more effort than a couple of half-hearted DLCs and lame multiplayer additions so you might as well write it off and hold the line by holding your wallet and never giving Bioware anything out of it again.

[Lillian Sword-Maiden]

The most important thing: The Ending! My first playthrough took me 35 and a half hours, and I loved every bit till the part after Anderson tells us how proud he is. My biggest problem was that the relays were destroyed. I didn't want to see the galaxy reduced to that state. I wanted the quarians to be able to actually live on their homeworld, to see the Krogan having babies and stuff. I also wanted Shepard to live, I don't see why one of these endings couldn't let this happen.


I really like Arcian's ideas for an ending fix: http://social.biowar...index/9928376/1 or at the very least a 4th option to make the Reapers go away for the remainder of this cycle. Possibly sacraficing the future for the present or something. Yeah it'd not exactly heroic, but I hate the thought of the relays being all broken.
I had been expecting an ending like in DA:O where you'd get a few choices on how it ends, if you lived you'd get to get a medal and talk to people or if you died you had a funeral. Then it would be followed by some slides on how people were doing in the short term.


As for other DLC? I'd like to help Aria take back Omega. I'd like some "loyalty missions" or something with the squad, like rescuing Garrus's dad and sister or something. We also need more combat missions. I'd like to see the Consort return in some format too, I half expected her to show up with an Asari baby or something. Since a lot of people I assume slept with her in 1.

Armor/outfit DLC: I'd like another heeled boot/legging armor for female shepard, and a cat suit thing for casual wear. Or the dress from ME2. :3

Modifié par Lillyhime, 17 mars 2012 - 05:00 .

[jcmccorm]

Request:

Please make the copy of Fornax that I purchased in ME2 worth some laughs in ME3.

[eddieoctane]

Almost forgot. Brighten up the ship. I've seen the inside of submarines and surface ships. They don't go that dark when engaged in combat. Normally, they are fairly well lit. The savings in energy isn't worth the constant risk of added injury. This should take about 5 seconds to implement via patch. It may seem minor, but a tiny rock in your shoe is uncomfortable as anything after long enough.

[pharsti]

Dont make the indoctrination theory real (seriously, i consider this worst than the vague absurd endings we got), or in the worst case scenario make it a possibility, not the sole truth.

Go back to what we were promised we would have, multiple endings and outcomes with closure, based on our individual Shepards, yes, there is a limit to what you can do as far as endings go, but even a simple epilogue in which, for example, if you saved the council and they survived the battle for earth (due to high ems) they erect a statue in Shepards honor (if he\\she dies) would be miles better than the vague empty ending we got.

Those different endings should be based on the choices your Shepard has done troughtout her journey (the big choices, such as the rachni, council, etc) and not a last time choice AVAILABLE to every Shepard, i cant stress this enough, the fact that one single Shepard can see the small... scratch that, the minimal differences in the ending(s) is absurd and a complete lie with what we were told would happen. Its like we were given the exact opposite, such as the famous "the ending wont be choosing from A, B or C" from Mr Hudson, he lost all credibility now.

And they should be varied, maybe in some of them Shepard died, maybe his love interest dies, maybe she failed to protect those she lead and sacrificed herself, maybe he had a last stand on earth while the fleet is decimated, watching his friends go down one by one, maybe she survived and went to sip pina coladas with Garrus, or maybe she survived but in such a mental and physical state that shes a hollow shadow of what she was (thats how i feel like, hollow).

Bottom line, more than one outcome, closure, we were promised this, we were mislead, it was straight out lying and should never have happened.

And also, no need to change the current endings, maybe add an epilogue (based again on your choices to give you a better grasp of what you accomplished and closure), these endings should be here some people like them, and even if absolutely no one liked them, i would accept them gratefully, if there were more choices on the table that is.

Bioware, this will damage your reputation no matter what you do, pretty sure its damaging it by the hour, and you have only whoever it was that thought this would be accepted to blame, dont crush your fans, youll lose quite a few of them forever.

Modifié par pharsti, 17 mars 2012 - 04:47 .

[Epique Phael767]

 What I liked about ME3: 

Varied and unique missions. areas looked more natural and less built for combat. tons of unique weapons. weapon customization. unique squad members. Crew interactions/ the comedy side of the writing. easier way of scanning planets. Highjacking mechs. Better citadel design. Leveling up system.


Changes I would recommend:

Better LI scenes. N7 missions to be less annoying. Ending needs addressed. Remove enemies abilities to 1-hit-ko. no pre-ending DLC. Let us see the effects of our war assets. let us see tali's face as a 3d model and not as some photoshopped stock image. lose stargazer. lose message at end of campaign saying to buy DLC. Add a final boss of some sort. revert the journal to ME2 style. Cut the prices of packs in multiplayer by half or increase the items recieved. fix the import face glitch. 

And lastly: Fire the people who wanted the "artistic space magic" ending, 

and please give this series the ending that it, and commander shepard deserve.

[TheShadowWolf911]

i think the other posters got this covered.

i will say, disappointed by the lack of Krogan Party member though.

also a bit disappointed you did hardly anything with some characters (Shiala is the only person in the galaxy to have been freed of indoctrination, also was kinda hoping she'd be a romance option due to her interest in shepard if you helped her in ME2.) or even the Vorcha as a whole.

maybe add some more stuff on the Vorcha as well as characters that could have had more done with.

[lasertank]

I belived that most of us enjoyed the series of the Matrix. Although in the end of the Matrix: Revolution there are still tons of questions left unanswered, audiences are still satisfied with the ending. Neo sacrificed himself to earn the peace between humans and machines. No definitive epilogue for other characters. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? In the picture of the Final Hour app, we've got concrete evidence that writers of ME3 are influenced by the Matrix. They want to give us a bittersweet ending just like the Matrix did. So, what's wrong with ME3?

Matrix 1 gave us a truly hopeful and uplifting ending. A similar ending was also given in ME1. Both Shepard and Neo showed extraordinary characteristics. They both fought enemies, which were considered invulnerable by most of us, and won. However, bigger challenges await them. And we wonder how would they fight the battle in the future. I think most of us would agree the tones of both stories are basically pretty similar.

However, things went differently in the second chapter in ME and Matrix. After Matrix, Matrix: Animation was presented to pave the road to Matrix: Reloaded. In Matrix: Animation, you may quickly discover that the tone of story is much darker and deeper than Matrix 1. The enemy, namely the machine, is not purely evil. Instead, it is human (at least in my opinion) started the war. The machine attempted to seek peace but failed. The most important purpose of Matrix: Animation is to disprove the idea "Just destroy all the machines and there will be peace." There are complication, knots, and conflicts. In Matrix: Reloaded the idea was presented more clearly. The One is simply another control imposed on humans, and no one knows how to end the war. Neo, Trinity, Morpheus, and every other character is disappointed (except those who do not believe in the prophecy). Their faith was not rewarded. They are simply proven wrong.

Let's go back to ME. Is the tone of the ending of ME3 different from ME1? I believed that every one would agree. So, where did the convertion of the tone start? When was the reaper proven not being purely evil?

The question is so important. If the reaper is purely evil no one would believe in their words. Not you. Not me. Not Shepard of course. Note that the conversation with Sovereign and Harbinger would not suffice for this purpose. In Matrix, Smith indeed gave us an excellent speech about the idea "Humans are cancer and disease, and we are the cure", but would that change your opinions about the machine?

My answer --> The speech given by the Starchild in the last 5 minutes of ME3. If anyone has a different opinion on this please share your opinions with me. I'd really like to discuss with you.

The speech is similar to the talk given by the Architect of Matrix: Reloaded. Neo's reaction is pretty clear: Denial. Note that all of his predecessors accepted what the Architect said. However, Neo refused the proposal and chose to save Trinity, leave the Matrix, and tell others the disappointing fact: He is nothing more a tool to control humans and Zeon would fall.

Why would he do that? Acceptance should be the most practical and the only solution for him.

Because that's why the story can continue and expand. It brought us the epic battle in Zeon. It led us to the final confrontation between Neo and Smith. It also broke the ineviable cycle imposed on human rebellion. If he had accepted the proposal, the story would end right there.

The Shepard in the ending of ME3 is a Neo who accepted the proposal.

How is that an EPIC story?