7052 réponses à ce sujet

[SuperClutch16]

Dear Jessica Merizan,

Before I begin, I would like to whole heartedly thank you, and all the employee at Bioware, for creating an emotionally tugging as well as mentally compelling trilogy.

The Mass Effect series, from the very beginning, was based upon our, the player's, actions and decisions. Quite literally, every unique out come and direction for the Mass Effect universe was determined by the player's choices. However, in the final minutes of Mass Effect 3, everything that defined the Mass Effect universe was stripped away. To be specific, producer Casey Hudson once said that "there are many different endings." He continued to elaborate by iterating that "[Bioware] wouldn’t do it any other way. How
could you go through all three campaigns playing as your Shepard and
then be forced into a bespoke ending that everyone gets?" Yet, despite his assertion there would multiple endings based on "1000 different variables" and that "Mass Effect 3 is all about answering all the biggest questions in the
lore, learning about the mysteries and the Protheans and the Reapers,” the entire Mass Effect universe culminated into three choices that barely answered any questions and created more that were left unanswered.

To be frank, it seemed that nothing from the last two games even remotely impacted the ending of the third. Granted, everyone and everything you saved from the first two titles added to the war assets. But, they were never seen during cutscenes or dialogue moments. Also, one of the biggest questions asked, is why did Joker and the rest of Shepard's squad inexplicably end up fleeing Earth? More importantly, why would Shepard's love interest leave him/her behind?

Nevertheless, the rest of the Mass Effect 3 story line was beyond expectation. However, to make it worthy of a 10/10 score, the ending must be modified or completely changed and rectified.

Following this further, a positive and widely approved change would be to accept the circulating "Indoctrination Theory." Whether by accident or design, many fans-myself included-have discovered that many events throughout the ending do not add up together. Rather than creating an "aha!" that leads to the bigger picture, they create a mental maze. Unless, the Indoctrination Teory is proven to be correct. In that case, a possible area to pick up from would be after Shepard's choice with the catalyst.

In this situation, a list of recommended changes that would highly improve the ending are:

• Shepard ultimately lives or dies depending on his/her decision of the catalyst/crucible and the everall rating of their Effective War Assets
• Depending on if Shepard lives after the war, he/she eventually settles down with their love interest. The scene then fades to a future scene of the two with children, building a house, rebuilding their world, and so on.
• Explain the origin of the Reapers: who created them, why they exist, and how to ultimately destroy them.
• Provide better endings for the squadmates we have come to know and love; after talking with them before the final push, what happened to them exactly is less than clear.
• Address the major plot holes created by the original Mass Effect 3 ending.

Though the ending of Mass Effect 3 had some siginficant oversights and plot holes, the remainder of the story was magnificently well done and is worthy of signifcant praise. I hope, as a huge fan of Bioware and Mass Effect, that the inconsistencies experienced through the ending are rectified and addressed. An ending, that pulls together every choice, every decision, and every mistake made throughout the Mass Effect series would be a monumental gift to the fanbase as well as an exemplary saving grace from possible damage towards Bioware's esteemed  reputation.

Thank you for your time, and I hope the staff at Bioware the best.

With the greatest respect,
Tanner

[Zypxtyl]

jeremy wrote...

i feel like an idiot posting in this thread since i know it is just an effort to placate customers with a sensation that bioware can pretend that it cares.

but... completely delete the idiotic scanning mechanic. seriously? i can scan a flag? from space? and that flag will make turians fight better? seriously?

increase the combat difficulty ENORMOUSLY. but that would be work and i know that will never happen.

finish the title, polish it. the degree of obvious consistent bugs makes it clear that there was a release date that could never be moved and it had to be flushed out no matter what. in fact, that is what i suspect prompted the ending. bioware knew the ending was crap, but for whatever reason time was up and it had to be shipped. the end.

I agree.  ME3 is a very glitchy game and a lot of the glitches could be easily fixed by say delaying the release date.  It's not like that's unheard of.  Was it Persona 4 that delayed day of?  

[CorpralKarl]

While the story of Shepard taking back Earth was good (except for the ending, but it's beside my point), I would like to see how the rest of the military is doing. More Krogran, Salarian, Asari, Turian, Batarians (shudder) on the front lines. I saved some Elcor out there, I would like to see their walking tanks please.

[dkgeroexboxlive]

Addendum: Or at the very least, don't have the G@W system go down. I've played your hot-darn multiplayer enough to the point it doesn't hurt my SP experience. Don't make me KEEP doing it. That isn't fun. It's annoying.

[ForceXev]

The problem I have with the ending of ME3 is that it is incomplete.  Loose ends were left open intentionally to be dealt with later in DLC.  It leaves us with too many questions and not enough answers.

I appreciate that Bioware did not go down a simple road for the ending, but I think Bioware failed to follow through on the story.  Any plan Bioware may have had to finish the story later with DLC was a major mistake, and it is entirely the cause for all of the backlash against the ending.  You have to follow through on your story, especially when it's the ending of a trilogy.  Intentionally leaving loose ends so you can pick up the pieces later in DLC is no way to treat the conclusion of an epic trilogy.

I see two possibilities for Bioware's original plan:

1.  The straightforward ending (no "indoctrination theory").
If everything we see in the ending was intended to be real and not some sort of illusion or hallucination, then it leaves the Mass Effect universe is such a state of shambles that fans can't help but feel like there has to be more to it.  Some people have argued that it is OK for the ending to be sad, however I don't see this as a sad ending.  A sad ending would be something like everyone dies.  A sad ending causes you to feel emotion.  But we don't see anyone die in the ending except Anderson and maybe Shepard, and it didn't really make me feel anything except confusion.  If the idea was to go for a sad/tragic ending, we should see Shepard's love interest find out about Shepard's sacrifice so there is some drama in the ending, to make us feel something about what happened.  We don't get that.  Instead, nobody is dead, probably not even Shepard.  They're all just stuck somewhere.  This is frustrating, not sad or tragic.  It inevitably leads to the question, "so now what?"  And that's not the note you want to strike for the finale of a trilogy.

2.  The indoctrination theory.
The more I find out about this theory, the more it makes sense.  It clears up 99% of the "plot holes" people have pointed out since all of it is in Shepard's head.  But this theory is even worse in its incompleteness.  If Shepard was lying in a ditch the whole time, fighting indoctrination in his head, then the Reapers are still attacking and civilization is still in danger.  The story is nowhere near finished.  Once again, we're left with the question "so now what?"

In either of these cases, I'm left with the clear impression that Bioware's plan was always to complete the ending of the story with DLC.  That's why we get that teaser showing Shepard alive after the Destroy ending.  That's why we get the old man telling the little boy that there will be one more story about Shepard after the credits.  That's why we get a pop up message at the end saying Shepard is a legend and then suggesting we play DLC.  This is just like the fan pushback against the Day 1 DLC From Ashes, except in this case we're talking about the ending of the story, built up over three games and hundreds of hours of gameplay.  The reaction has been hugely amplified because of the importance of this content.  DLC cannot be an essential part of the story.  We're NEVER going to be able to accept that.  Bioware is going to have to figure that out soon, or they going to make their fans angrier and angrier with every piece of DLC they sell.

Modifié par ForceXev, 02 avril 2012 - 02:21 .

[Yusarian]

Mass Effect 3 would be my favorite game of the trilogy if not for the way it ended. Everything up until the dash for the conduit in London was fantastic. As it stands, however, the ending to the game is so unsatisfying, so disappointing, so full of gaping plotholes, and makes so little sense in the context of the larger trilogy, that in all fairness, I couldn't give the game more than a 6/10. For me, the ending cheapens and sours the entire game, if not the entire series. These are my main objections to it's conclusion and I apologize if they appear to be a giant wall of text:

1. There is no player choice in the endings. They are all the SAME. The only difference is the color of the explosions and whether Shepard takes a breath at the end or not. I feel this article on gamekudos.com explains why this is so important to us, the players, far more completely and eloquently than I can do here and I hope someone will read it.

2. The ending offers no closure to the story or for any of the squadmates we've gotten to know and love over the past five years. I didn't expect a happy ending by any means, but I at least expected to see the results of all of my efforts. Do the Krogan get a new homeworld and rebuild? Do they go on another galactic rampage now that the genophage is cured? Do the Quarians and Geth manage to live in peace or does the God-Child's assertion that synthetics and organics must kill each other turn out to be prophetic? Is Thessia totally destroyed? Is Earth uninhabitable? Can the Turians rebuild Palaven? Does Miranda settle down with her sister? Is the Justicar order finished? Can galactic civilization survive without the Mass Relays? Do the races choose to self-determinate and create their own Mass Relays since I destroyed the Reaper ones? The current ending leaves us on a massive let-down of a cliff-hanger. Did anything I do make any difference to the Mass Effect universe or not? Did I spend hundreds of hours collecting war assets, scanning planets and agonizing over decisions for a purpose or was it all ultimately in vain? I want to see that the choices I made actually had a cause and effect, rather than just speculating on it.

3. I expected my war assets to play a much greater role in the final battle than they did. I wanted to see cut scenes of Jack fighting husks with her biotic students, Wrex and the Krogan charging a line of indoctrinated Rachni, Aria and her mercs storming the streets of London, and the Quarian and Geth fleets shooting down Reapers... I expected the battle for Earth to be dramatic and inspiring and to focus heavily on galactic unity; all these different races and species coming together for the first time in history, to fight a single enemy. This also would have been an excellent place to show us the cause and effect of our previous choices in the games; for example, if a player chose to save the council, we could have seen the human forces taking heavy losses due to their depleted number of ships vs if we'd sacraficed the Council in the first game, etc. The few scenes we were shown of mostly humans cheering on Earth were disappointing and insufficient. As it stands, I feel like I may as well not have bothered collecting the war assets or caring about my decisions, because everything plays out the same way regardless.

4. The battle to retake Earth was anti-climactic. There was no great, final battle. The last enemies Shepard faces are a couple of random, generic husks and a Marauder, which are the same enemies we've been fighting since the start of the game. I wanted to see a final confrontation between Shepard and Harbinger! Harbinger was Shepard's primary nemesis through-out Mass Effect 2 and I ALWAYS assumed and counted on the fact that I'd get to battle him in the end. I was massively disappointed that not only could I not destroy Harbinger, but he managed to one-up Shepard with that cheap laser attack in the end. Not cool.

5. I expected the battle for Earth to be more in the vein of Mass Effect 2's Suicide Mission. I thought I'd be assigning tasks to my squad members, their survival and success depending on my choices through out the series, and that they'd all be playing some role in the battle. As it is, you choose two team mates to fight with you, and the rest play no discernible role in the rest of the game. I'd like to see my squad leading my allies, fighting on the front lines, and carrying out supportive missions, even if they weren't selected to fight with me.

6. The God-Child explanation of the Reaper invasions makes absolutely no sense. Basically, he tells us that synthetics and organics are naturally inclined to fight to the death and that he created the Reapers (synthetics) to harvest all advanced organic life in order to create more of themselves, so that they could prevent organic life from being wiped out by other synthetics. What?! That's some of the most confusing, ridiculous, circular logic I've ever heard and considering that Shepard has the power to peacefully resolve a three-hundred year old war between the Geth and Quarians during the same game, this reasoning becomes especially convoluted and hollow. And the fact that Shepard just accepts this argument, despite the fact that the God-Child is basically a Reaper, despite the fact that there's nothing to support the God-Child's assertions, and without even questioning or arguing about it, is unparalleled at any other time in the series. It's like Shepard undergoes a complete personality change at the last second. My only suggestion on how to improve this, would be to render it entirely irrelevant, to just explain the whole thing away as a Reaper-manipulation whilst indoctrinating Shepard. Then reintroduce the Dark Energy ending. In my opinion, it makes much more sense and is a much more satisfying explanation for why the Reapers wipe out civilizations. We don't care that it was leaked early, honest.

7. The destruction of the Mass Relays creates more problems than it solves. In some ways I like it and in other ways, I completely hate it. I like that Shepard is using the Reaper's technology against them. The Mass Relays and the Citadel are the Reapers greatest deception, the vehicles they used to control and dominate countless species, and the idea of using them against them has it's charms. However, wasn't it previously established in the Arrival DLC that destroying a Mass Relay destroys the star system it's in? So isn't Shepard basically committing mass genocide at the end of the game? I'd like some explanation for why using the Crucible to destroy the Mass Relays doesn't create a mass apocalyse, please. Also, wouldn't destroying the Mass Relays simply trap the Victory Fleet in orbit around Earth? Do the Fleets manage to get home? Do the Quarians and Turians that supported Shepard simply starve to death? There's no explanation for the consequences of using the Crucible and no closure to any of the three end options.

8. Why does the Normandy abandon the Victory Fleet and flee the battle in the end? Nothing about that makes any sense at all. Joker's previously asserted personality contradicts everything he's doing in the final cut scene. And for some reason, the squadmates who rushed with me to the conduit in London, supposedly dying along the way, magically pop out of the Normandy after it crash lands. How did they get there? Am I to believe that Joker had time to do a quick run to Earth to pick up my squad mates before tucking his tail between his legs, abandoning my Shepard to his/her fate, and fleeing the Sol system at the most critical moment of the whole series? Again, my only suggestion is to render it irrelevant as a Reaper-manipulation whilst indoctrinating Shepard.

[Chrislo1990]

Zypxtyl wrote...

jeremy wrote...

i feel like an idiot posting in this thread since i know it is just an effort to placate customers with a sensation that bioware can pretend that it cares.

but... completely delete the idiotic scanning mechanic. seriously? i can scan a flag? from space? and that flag will make turians fight better? seriously?

increase the combat difficulty ENORMOUSLY. but that would be work and i know that will never happen.

finish the title, polish it. the degree of obvious consistent bugs makes it clear that there was a release date that could never be moved and it had to be flushed out no matter what. in fact, that is what i suspect prompted the ending. bioware knew the ending was crap, but for whatever reason time was up and it had to be shipped. the end.

I agree.  ME3 is a very glitchy game and a lot of the glitches could be easily fixed by say delaying the release date.  It's not like that's unheard of.  Was it Persona 4 that delayed day of?  

Although not the way I would have chosen to say it myself lol, yes!! I completely agree. ME3 needed more development time  in order to further perfect  the story and polish out the bugs. In fact the Squad AI could have used more work. They can get stuck and not follow you, refuse to obey commands in real time depite acknowledging them and not take cover where you point at. 

I might also add  that the dialogue scenes could have used further polishing. Often times a characters eyes would go blank or they would look away when they're speaking with you.

Now in terms of what I"d like to see changed, here's my list:

THE ENDINGS!! They absolutely must be changed. No SPACE MAGIC. Come on Bioware you can do better than that. If your fans can come up with better endings, then I'm sure you could too. The way I see it however this may prove to be quite difficult. It' s not like you can just delete the current endings. Perhaps the indoctrination theory may do. It's not perfect, sure, but it at least offers you a chance to save the story from completely falling apart by taking care of inconsistencies. Also give us the option to have Shepard survive and perhaps settle down with his love interest. Let the ending take into account our moral inclinations, EMS scores, reputations and past decisions in determining Shepard's fate. Don't force upon us a sorrowful ending, rather implement a happy ending, a bittersweet ending, and a bad ending, each with their own variations. 
 
The bugs have to be addressed. I mentioned a few before. They're relatively minor, but they should be addressed nonetheless. I'm not familar with the QA process, but I don't see how you guys would have failed to detect them after multiple playthroughs. I detected them in only one. You guys need to expand and improve your QA department. Honestly that's always been a weakness of yours.  

I would like to have interacted with my squad and love interests through more intricate dialogue trees rather than through the stupid A button. I could understand why you guys would choose to use this sytem with Zaeed and Kasumi in ME2. After all they were non-essential characters, but to use this system in ME3 with important characters? That takes away from the interactivity and immersion. I wanted to get to know my squad more. I wanted to see their facial expressions when they responded to my questions. It irritated me to extract only a line or two of dialogue from them when on the Normandy or on the citadel for that matter. You guys had promised deeper relationships in ME3. I didn't see that.

I would like to have more control over Shepard's dialogue. ME1 and ME2 we're excellent in this regard. The dialogue trees were plentiful and rich. In ME3 they're not that common, even in full conversation mode. That and they are ridiculously simple, offering two, maybe three lines to choose from at a time. I don't know why you guys chose to implement auto dialogue, especially when ME3 was to be end of Shepard's story. I went in expecting more opportunities to actively engage with other characters, not less. Also what happened with the Paragon/Renegade interrupts? They were almost a rarity.

Love interests need to me treated more equally when it comes to love scenes. It appears that Liara and Ash got the most attention and that really isn't fair. What about Miranda and the others? All I got when I romanced Miranda was her jumping in bed with me followed by fade out. That's it? Really Bioware? That' so cheap.

I would like dlc that gives me the opportunity to talk and go on missions with squadmembers from the suicide team. I really wanted to have Miranda as a squadmate along with Jack and Samara. Instead we only get brief cameos from them. Something similar to the way Liara was treated in Lair of the Shadow Broker would be nice.

Bioware you had promised more exploration this time around, especially on the Citadel and on Earth. Well I don't think you lived up to your word because there wasn't much exploring to do on the Citadel, even less on Earth.

Well I think I"ve covered the things I'd like to be implemented. PAX is next week and I believe Bioware will be announcing some stuff, but I won't hold my breath for anything significant...

Modifié par Chrislo1990, 02 avril 2012 - 03:32 .

[Shadohz]

 First let's identify the "war atrocities" of ME3:
1. Handling of Tali's unmasking and romance scene.
2. Character "development" of returning squadmembers.
3. Playability of returning squadmates.
4. Ending boss(?)
5. Worst possible ending
6. Ending conclusion

How can "we" fix these problems?
1. Quite a few players are offended that new characters got more attention than the well-deserved unveiling of Tali as LI and romance scene. An "unsuited" Tali should be added as a playable squadmate and included in romance scene (wait until you reach my final analysis and this will make sense).

2. The suicides and "self-sacrifices" of SOME (not all) of the members made no sense (e.g. Samara). It appeared that BW was just off-ing some of the returning characters for the sake of it. We got the hint several times throughout the game that self-sacrifice was going to be a theme, but it seemed more like a scape-goat to not focusing on a plethoria of possible ADDITIONAL missions that would've been possible had BW chosen invest more in squadmate development. I'm not really sure how that could be resolved other than writing new DLC for each squadmate (which I'm sure would further urke players and further the notion ME3 came out incomplete).

3. Playability of returning squadmates: Honestly, I have no idea why BW didn't take advantage of this. One has to ask: Why did BW put some much work into a non-playable Cortez, whereas NPC Traynor had no real character dev while the returning squadmates were not playable or nor throughly developed? (Don't answer that I already know why LOL). Each of the returning squadmates should have been playable (even without having their own side missions) and then die in accordance to their given death period. This CAN still be accomplished (again will make sense on final analysis).

4. The ending boss was a Maurader... no two ways around it, the last guy you fight before final death was pawn!!!! Where is the epic throwdown with a Reaper/Harbinger or taking on Catalyst? This should be redone.

5. "Worst possible ending" should have unique like the suicide run of ME2. What was the point of allowing the Council to die and all of your ME2 squadmates to die to only get the same ending as everyone else? Why wasn't an ending created where the Reapers/Catalyst won? A unique WPE should created to balance the end game results.

6.  Ending conclusion: Let's be honest, this is what has everyone so perturbed with ME3. There was no real "closure" in the game. The "explanation" of Catalyst and the purpose of the organic death cycles did NOT have the impact BW thought it would. BW should take advantage of this ridiculous "Indoctrination Theory" and write off the first "playthrough" of ME3 as a dreamscape being captured by the Reaper in the Earth prologue. It would go to explain the child/Catalyst and nightmare sequences. On the players' 2nd and consecutive playthroughs implement all the above updates 1-5.  Make sense?

So what about the Destruction, Synthesis, Control decision made on Playthrough 1? I haven't really thought that out all the way, but the decision made here should reflect Sheps attitude towards AI/VI, Kaiden/Ash's attitude towards Shep, and/or other plot related issues (for instance choosing Synthetic will make Tali appear helmetless because Shep chose an option that would speed up the Geth/Quarian process that would allow her breath outside her suit).

Other random thoughts I posted on other forums and YouTube. Please note that these comment were pulled directly from the forum or vids that I originally made them. While none of the comments contain profanity, they MAY contain material that can be viewed as berating or offensive to other players or BW staff. The below snide remarks have no bearing on ME1/ME2 gameplay or character development, these are particular to ME3. If you would like for me to edit my comment, then please send me notification:

• Indoctrination theory: Guys who give WAY too much credit to game developers and writers to put forethought into character development.Instead of bringing back all the characters as selectable squadmates, they opted to shaft character development, kill off the developed characters thru suicide or "self-sacrifice", and not go for a much preferred route of create a plethora of "squad-mate/LI" related endings.You, sirs, are the one indoctrinated by BW, not Shepard. Keep hope alive. LOL
• If I had an inkling that BW are going to give us the royal-fisting in the end of ME3, then I would've opted to let everyone die in the Suicide Mission during ME2. At least their deaths would've been more honorable and the ending would've had "closure". I am hardly ever one to say "the company owes the gamers this", but is by far the worse conclusions I've seen since the end of 80's Thundercats or epic fail TF: BeastWars.I'll wait for ME4: The Origin of Citadel.
• At least that way the colossal screw-up that is ME3 can be written off as a 'dreamscape' and they can properly end the "trilogy". I for one would like to see all of the characters come back as selectable. However Shepard takes a hard line approach to Para/Ren that impacts the squadmates decisions. Those squadmates that aren't selected joins Team-Ash/Kaid and are pitted against each other in the final battle against the Reapers and Citadel/Catalyst.
• Sidenote: For once, I'd like to bang Samara or have a crack at that nutcase Morinth without losing more than my virginity. You'd get to meet the 'organics' that built Catalyst and the background about why he was created. Towards the end it comes down to 2 decisions: let the cycles continue or end them and see how the future galaxy turns out.

Thank you for your attention.

Addendum: 

• In the squadmate match against Team Ashley/Team Kaiden, squadmates are pitted against each other in a "final showdown" that could possibly leave all squadmates dead on both teams. The original concept I had behind it was that either TeamShep were actually indoctrinated, TeamAsh/TeamKaid were indoctrinated or neither actually were (but there accusations on both sides that the indoctrinated had affected them). Which btw, if BW was going for a "speculation-based ending" then this would have been a better method.
• On the idea of "see how the future galaxy turns out". You see the full effect of the decisions made from War Assets and prior game how each society turns out. Where the Asari decimated? Did the Krograns start a whole new galactic war? By destroying all AI/VI did organics wipe each other out? With the mass relays all destroyed did Earth become the new galatic outpost for all societies (seeing it would take light years for the platoons to return to their given planets)? Did humanity go into financial collapse with all the expense they thru at the war instead of reserving assets for post war cleanup/rebuilding?
• Don't push the "Unity" angle for "best possible ending". Why can we not take the "Humans first approach" with Renegade decisions? It is afterall the approach Cerebus was trying to take. Why can we not take the same approach in the finale? Why can we not ALLY with Cerebus in a final push to take the galaxy without aliens assistance. I fully support xenophobic angle for a true Renegade player.
• Two other items pointed out by forum user SmokePants that I would like to bring up as well: 1. The "grenade pointer" was difficult to ascertain. It would tell me that an enemy threw a grenade above/below me, so I would move away only to move right on top of the where the grenade was located. Perhaps you should add a "distance meter" to the grenade indicator so that we know it is a sufficient distance away. Why can't we pick up and enemy grenade and throw it back (or our squadmate)? 2. The squadmate AI is not that bright. At times, they get in the way of you dodging grenades, they don't dodge grenades, they don't move to a location as commanded when under fire (take offensive position), they move from a location that you commanded them to stay in (hold defensive position), there is no independent aggressive/normal/defensive options, they would NOT assist you in cover fire (literally I was shot up by a Cerebus mob that was standing two feet in front of my squadmate), close combat Squadmates would run into fire and not return when commanded (*cough* Tali/James), close-combat squadmates would sometimes stay into cover and not come up to fire unless you switched their gun, far-combat squadmates would get WAAAAY behind Shep and never fire a shot. Overall AI system should be way smarter, (sorry for doing this... but) more like R.E.5.
• Please fix the bug where EDI's clone keeps jumping in front of your LOF. It's not only annoying but makes gameplay really difficult to the point that I didn't want to play with EDI.
  
  What I would REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY love is if after every playthrough you could have an "uncontrollable Team 2" that would allow you to pick a secondary team leader and add up to two additional secondary team members. The Team 2 is completely AI-based that essentially shoots anything moving. Couple that with a "Nightmarish" setting and it could make up for what Insanity really didn't do for most players.

Modifié par Shadohz, 02 avril 2012 - 06:03 .

[Chrislo1990]

Oh and I would also like to share this article which reviews ME3 in a very professional, academic manner: http://calitreview.com/24673

And another which explain the psychology behind the dissatisfaction of ME3's ending. It was written by a professor:
http://social.biowar...8283/1#10468283

[Fonz99]

First of all, I have played and sincerely loved the Mass Effect series ever since I picked up the second one about two years ago, it prompted me to then buy the first and replay the series keeping me hanging out for the third and I was not disappointed. The series was brilliant the whole way through, the last ten minutes does not spoil that experience but to say that it doesn’t fit is an understatement. I have a few suggestions that could have at least made these three “Strange” endings fit a little better.



Ending A – Controlling the Reapers

Points that don’t make sense

* Why does the relays and the citadel still blow up?
* The Normandy fleeing the scene will never make sense
* How the hell are the reapers going to flee back to dark space without the relays?
* Allies stranded in Sol system

What I personally think could have been done better

Besides from the fact that Shepard has fought this outcome through three games! But anyway I digress. I would have had a different end sequence at least to differ from each scenario. In this ending Shepard has controlled the reapers at his own sacrifice, the destruction of the citadel and the relays is ridiculous in this ending. It’s essentially Shepard uploading his consciousness into the crucible and therefore assuming direct control of the reapers, sending them back to dark space. There is no transfusion of energy through relays but a transmission of signal to the reapers in other solar systems.

So Earth rejoices after reapers depart, lets have some Hackett exhausted sigh of relief over a holographic battleplan or something. Your squad mates that followed you to the beam hiding out behind a building or a bunker whilst they are getting bombarded by harbinger then all of a sudden it stops. One looks up at watches the reaper fly away uttering in total corniness “Shepard”

How about an intergalactic funeral for the damn saviour of the universe, is that too much to ask!!! LI’s could cry, military could salute, hell even the other species could throw a totally emotional salute, you deserve it. Throw a Shepard (and Anderson) statue on the citadel, have the stupid council drowning in their remorse.

Show some Geth helping the Quarians rebuild (if you completed that storyline) or the Krogan travelling back to their systems in a ship with Rachni (that would be an interesting flight)

Your LI could then be seen later holding on to that battle scarred helmet with tears in their eyes.

There is a lot Bioware can do with this ending to show a lot of your past accomplishments come to some kind of resolution.

I guess in summation if there is no happy ending at least make it an emotional one.



Ending B – Destroying the Reapers / Artificial Life

Points that don’t make sense

* If this is an Energy explosion that is meant to be some kind of electromagnetic devastation then let’s face it, it would effect everything, every ship in orbit has suddenly become large coffins, that would inevitably be drawn towards Earths gravitational pull, that’s the ascension, the dreadnaughts the reapers are all going to be crashing on Earth sooner or later.
* Again, the Normandy fleeing
* The destruction of the Citadel / Relays just left the majority of the Shepard allied standing army stranded in the Sol system. Not to mention the newly cured virile Krogan, providing there was females in the Sol system earth is now officially f****d the Krogan will reproduce and take over earth then destroy it. Awesome ending!!!

What I personally think could have been done better

There is two options I could accept here,

First is the one Bioware have gone with, the destruction of the Citadel and Relays this makes sense if this is an electromagnetic explosion, but it does create a situation in the aforementioned points. Meaning this is a horrible ending and the one which we all thought we were fighting for. Nether-the-less if the options on the table then at least show us the consequence of the action.

You could show certain ships falling into the atmosphere, the World going dark, the relays and citadel don’t really need to explode but just go dark, relays stop spinning. Once again you could show your squad mates that were with you on earth fighting harbinger have their electronic weapons jam, they try hitting it before looking up to see the reaper fall to earth.

It’s not necessarily the happiest of endings but it’s realistic. Everyone that was in space (including Shepard) is pretty much doomed, if the pulse destroys all electronics you could say goodbye to the citadels artificial atmosphere, say goodbye to breathing apparatuses.

You could show medieval conditions on Earth, have symbolic graves with your squad mates gathering around an old Polaroid of you stuck on some concrete LI’s sobbing, Joker crying over EDI. The stronger of squad mates looking off in the distance and the crashed citadel on Earth.

In this scenario if you’re bold enough you could have Shepard survive the crash of the citadel on Earth (perhaps there was enough oxygen left over whilst the citadel drifted towards the planet), then have a reassurance with LI saying “we can start over” and Shepard look up in the sky at shrapnel entering the atmosphere and burning up.

Second option in this scenario could be that this pulse destroys AI only (don’t know how but anyway) if this is the case there is once again no need to destroy the Citadel or Relays. You could have the pulse blow through Shepard destroying what AI was inside him when Cerberus put him back together. Shepard could jolt but survive this.

On Earth, once again you could show your squad mates that were with you on earth fighting harbinger then all of a sudden he drops and falls to earth you could again have one look up at the sky and say “Shepard”

In this scenario you could show a reunion of everyone as Shepard is brought back to Earth, a gentle nod of acknowledgement as he pass Wrex, Shepard walks straight to Joker and apologises for EDI.

Then give us some horizon style scenes from Thessia and Palaven, perhaps with Liara and Garrus in a future scene of course, not mixed up with the present of them reuniting on earth.

Maybe a settling down scene with your LI, pictures on the wall of Legion and EDI. Retired N7 helmet in the corner a smile as you LI or yourself (depending on sex) touches their belly and nods to the other… how sweet is it a boy, girl, or a squid!?



Ending C – Synthesis

Points that don’t make sense

* Why does the relays and the citadel blow up?
* The Normandy fleeing the scene will still never make sense
* How the hell are the reapers going to flee back to dark space without the relays?
* Allies stranded in Sol system

What I personally think could have been done better

In all these I have disagreed with the destruction of the Relay’s / Citadel, because lets face it, not only have you ended your series, but ended your universe, it will make it incredibly hard to produce anything in the future under this universe. No Books, No Comics and No more Games. This just seems like an incredibly bad move, even if you are sick of making the games don’t burn the bridges for other artists that have been using your universe… Drew Karpyshyn comes to mind, I noticed he had influence on ME1 and 2 but not 3? Perhaps I am reading that wrong, but anyway I digress again…

So synthesis, I guess I agree with Shepard dying in this scenario but considering its his DNA that has somehow combined a new structure (I still find this absurd by the way) I guess Shepard is more alive then ever, in every single living thing in the universe… HA, you can’t stop me no matter who you are!

You could have LI’s feeling those funny new lines in their temples, down to their hearts and smile (Hell I don’t know I’m struggling with the comprehension of this ending)

You could have some kind of Quarian, Geth confrontation where they hug or something, finally feeling how the other side felt.

You could have Joker and EDI this time in the scene with the baby (bugger now I’m back to copy and pasting endings lol)

Although I don’t think I like the fact that the toaster might get offended if I call it names… I’m kidding, everyone knows toasters have thick skin, they can take it.

Anyway there you have it, my thoughts on the end, I would also prefer at least four other endings, depending on what you have done over the series, Ultimate Paragon Ending, Ultimate Renegade Ending (control the reapers and then attack other species lol). Ending for those who were too slack or unwary of certain circumstances. And a flawed hero ending, something remorseful, like some kind of LI sacrifice, who knows, there was a lot that Bioware could have done just like they did throughout the whole series, which is why I thought the end was weird considering how perfectly they have delivered everything so far.

But as I said I have thoroughly enjoyed this series and I thank Bioware for the memories of most of it. And even thought I was a little hesitant about the multiplayer at first, I find now that I am loving it. I would have played through ME3 again with the 100% readiness if I knew it actually did anything, but as it was I played enough multiplayer to get my 7300 assets up to around 4300 EMS. I have a few ideas about the multiplayer too… but that’s for another time.

What do you think?

[FatalX7.0]

DunadanTurambar wrote...

FatalX7.0 wrote...

The player is far too disconnected from their Shepard.

This game is barely the RPG it used to be.

Sadly that is what has hapenned since mass effect 2, dialogs are molstly default now, and a renegade and paragon Shepard will say the same things except in rarely ocasitions where they lets us "choose".
Also in mass effect and even in mass effect 2 there were middle dialog options, nor paragon or renegade. But now Shepard's responses are all black and white.

The real sad thing of this series is not just the ending; but also that it left the RPG roots it was founded and slowly became just another third person shooter. That is the real artistic integrity Bioware has abandoned.

I feel Mass Effect 2 had a nice balance between the auto-dialogue and the choices.

Shepard spoke on his or her own a few times, but it was nothing overly important, nothing I felt like I should have chosen. There were still a lot of choices to make, lots of Paragon/Renegade options and interrupts.

But now...

It makes me sad to think about.

[Chrislo1990]

FatalX7.0 wrote...

DunadanTurambar wrote...

FatalX7.0 wrote...

The player is far too disconnected from their Shepard.

This game is barely the RPG it used to be.

Sadly that is what has hapenned since mass effect 2, dialogs are molstly default now, and a renegade and paragon Shepard will say the same things except in rarely ocasitions where they lets us "choose".
Also in mass effect and even in mass effect 2 there were middle dialog options, nor paragon or renegade. But now Shepard's responses are all black and white.

The real sad thing of this series is not just the ending; but also that it left the RPG roots it was founded and slowly became just another third person shooter. That is the real artistic integrity Bioware has abandoned.

I feel Mass Effect 2 had a nice balance between the auto-dialogue and the choices.

Shepard spoke on his or her own a few times, but it was nothing overly important, nothing I felt like I should have chosen. There were still a lot of choices to make, lots of Paragon/Renegade options and interrupts.

But now...

It makes me sad to think about.

Same here. I'm very disappointed in Bioware for needlessly taking away the amount of control we had over Shepard's dialogue. The dialogue choices in ME3 featured two maybe three optios to choose from at most! Most of the time Shepard spoke on his own and would say things I perhaps wouldn't have chosen to say myself. To add insult to injury you rarely get to speak to your squad through dialogue trees. Instead Bioware chose to use the cheap Zaeed/Kasumi system in ME2. What were they thinking? People wanted to actively engage with their love interests and squadmates. I don't see how pressing the A button just to extract a line or two of dialogue is considered interacting.

Oh and the Paragon/Renegade interrupts...those proved to be a rarity comapared to ME2. ughhhh  

[Shadohz]

SmokePants wrote...

1) Insanity issue

The last sequence of the game where Shepard is hobbling toward the beam has some serious issues that make it the hardest part of the game on Insanity. The combination of the large amount of health for the Cyber-Turian, the inaccuracy of the pistol, and the floaty aiming of that sequence has made it a hair-pulling exercise in frustration. I've died 10 straight times, with no end in sight. It takes me a minute of painful limping just to get back to the Turian. I can usually score some hits, but not enough to kill him and it seems like my crosshairs are on target, they just aren't turning red and the bullets aren't always hitting like I think they should.

That section, being that it is not a core part of the gameplay, should not be obstructing my completion of the game on Insanity. It should be noted that on Normal, I didn't have an issue. The Turian died more quickly and it seemed like I had more time to properly aim.

I'm playing with a controller, by the way.

2) Turret sequences

Quite simply, they are too slow to cover the fields they are being asked to cover. Since most of them have very relaxed fail states, this isn't much of an issue. It's just mildly annoying that there's little you can do to prevent some enemies from getting to a barricade.

3) Sniper scopes

The snap-to-target behavior of aiming down a scope is far more a hinderance than a help. It often snaps to an enemy I'm not trying to shoot. When I'm trying to take out a shield-pylon, it will ignore the pylon and snap to the nearest enemy and I have to slowly move the crosshairs back to the pylon I was originally aiming at.

When I'm instinctively trying to zoom to an area ahead of where an enemy is moving in order to shoot him as he walks into view, it will snap me to where the moving enemy currently is, which is usually empty, because the enemy has continued to move while the scope was zooming in.

And often times, the enemy can OUTWALK my scope's crosshair traversal speed. Again, I'm using a controller.

4) Grenades

The indicator for nearby grenades is confusing and ineffective. I have to pause and rotate the camera to make sense of where the grenade actually is. If I don't, I've had situations where I've walked closer to the grenade thinking I would be moving away.

Some grenade tosses are just crueler than others. Some situations, I find myself helpless against a lucky grenade toss. Sometimes, my squadmates actually block my retreat.

5) Smoke

Cerberus forces abuse smoke grenades. I know they're in the game to keep the player from sitting in one spot by forcing him to establish new lines of sight, but too often, smoke is used in places where a new line of sight is impossible, like a narrow hallway. In those cases, all it does is bog things down.

6) Hades cannon

The mission starts off with the player frozen in place, staring out the shuttle door as bullets come flying in, draining his shields and some of his base health (on Insanity, anyway).

Not a good start, but a walk in the park compared to the rest of the unpleasant level. The screen-shake of the Hades cannon is like having an annoying roommate come by and jostle you while you're playing the game. It is really, really obnoxious.

You have to turn down the Camera Sensitiviy to "Low". The slower motion allows you to make better targeted shots as well as increases you chance snipe a fast moving target. Also another trick you could use is "pausing" the game with your Powers button (right-button). I ran out of grenades and ammo on the final scene after the brutes, so I was basically unarmed against the banshees and marauders. I swear I played that portion of the game 25 times before I figured how to pause/hit each mob until the time expired to trigger the nukes (yes, I was on Insanity when this happened AND my first playthrough). After I got the notification, I pause/hit my way thru while making a b-line for the truck. Trust me, these tactics work to make Insanity possible to beat on first playthrough. The HADES cannon became obnoxious, yes, especially after fighting off hordes of mobs only to realize how much ground you actually gained after 30 minutes. I welcomed it though because it was the first time in the game there was actually competition from the opponents. I felt like I walked through most of the game with ease (on Insanity) until that point. It was the first time I felt that I was actually apart of the game... it felt like a "real war". Things were blowing up, noise was everywhere, and you had to try and keep your bearings the entire time. Oh and thank you for mentioning the grenade and AI reponse, it reminds me to update my previous post.

Modifié par Shadohz, 02 avril 2012 - 04:43 .

[jarms48]

Just a suggestion regarding the Rannock Mission.

Uploading the code is apparently the good option (As it is on the top of the Dialogue wheel and if unification is unavailable), so if I didn't unite them I would be forced to click it.

Now if I had to click it, you could of at least let me grasp Tali's leg with the Paragon interrupt, where she screams for Sheperd to let her go and that she has nothing left for her now as she free floats off the cliff. If you had her as a LI in the previous game that would give you the option of saying but you have me, she rebuttals something about how you just killed her people.

Then have the Prime walk up and help you pull her up where it says not all of them, stating that the Geth stopped firing on disabled or surrendered vessels and any drifting escape pods. And will allow the survivors to colonize the planet but only under strict surveillance.

Modifié par jarms48, 02 avril 2012 - 08:35 .

[Saunders1]

How about releasing a game that WORKS. A game that is the same experience on ALL platforms. You know the way its always been in gaming history save a few rare instances until this generation. A game that is tested on every aspect by QA divisions before release to the public. PS3 anyone. The game is utterly unplayable. Buggy, glitchy, consistently dropping framerates, and game ending freezing issues. This is unacceptable. This console generation is the poster child for it. Oh...uh...yeah release it anyways we'll fix it later if there is time. BULLSH**!

[AmyMac]

So, this will be kind of long-winded, and only some of it will be practically useful in improving the game, but here goes:

1. As virtually everyone else has stated, the ending was terrible. The writing and endings for Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 were phenomenal, which is why a metaphysical "deus ex machina" cop-out was such an enormous letdown, it made me not want to buy another BioWare game again. Ever. I'll use gamefly if I want to play DA3. Seriously.
There's a ton of directions you could go for this -- it's science fiction, for pete's sake, there's starships traveling throughout the galaxy and several different species of aliens all chilling out together and tanks that can defy the laws of physics and a substance that can't physically exist (Element Zero) -- just put some thought into it.
The whole point of Commander Shepard's saga is to break the cycle of extinction, to defy the odds -- otherwise why wouldn't we have been playing as a Prothean in a world set 50,000 years ago? Or whatever race was exterminated 100,000 years ago?
The ending of Mass Effect was epic. I recall not being able to get to sleep the night I beat it for the first time because it was so great. Same goes for Mass Effect 2. The ending for Mass Effect 3 left me staring at my TV, completely dumbstruck.
To conclude a series that has been about triumphing "against all odds" from the very beginning with a conversation with some "entity" that gives Shepard 3 choices, all of which are essentially the same, is a cop-out. Shepard killed Sovereign and stopped the Collectors. Victory shouldn't come down to three choices offered by some kind of god-child.

2. There should have been an epic squadmate death (aka Virmire 2.0). Leaving Ashley/Kaidan behind on Virmire was one of the most emotional moments in the series; the conclusion of it should have a similar moment. This isn't to say that Thane's, Legion's, and Padok's (Mordin's, I'm guessing), deaths weren't emotional or done well -- quite the contrary in fact -- but having a squadmate from the present game die would have really accentuated the scope of the conflict and story.

3. A boss battle. The final fight was a slow-motion sequence of Shepard taking down Marauder Shields (haha) with a pistol. A poor way to end a game, especially with a great, dynamic combat system.

4. More paragon/renegade dialogues and interrupts. The morality system from Mass Effect worked best.

5. Scanning for War Assets was incredibly annoying. Adding in some side missions (like in Mass Effect) would have been a much more entertaining and practial way to get things like, say, a banner for a turian general (because, come on, you're sending out a pulse signal that travels millions of miles through space to find something that's a couple square meters in size?). Side-quests/assignments are crucial to the modern-day RPG, without them, it's just another railroad shooter.

6. The end-game sequence (and outcome) should have been influenced by a few pivotal decisions throughout the series. The War Asset system was a clever idea (though its implementation was sloppy, and that could have been improved -- see the next items on this list), but some choices seemed just to important to be reduced to numbers. Specifically
6a) The Collector Base
6b) The Council's fate in Mass Effect
6c) Confronting Kaidan/Ashley during the attack on the Citadel
6d) The rachni queen in Mass Effect and in Mass Effect 3
6e) Maelon's data in Mass Effect 2
6f) The geth-quarian conflict outcome
6g) Wrex or Wreav leading the Krogan clans

7. War Assets should have been divided into multiple categories (i.e. engineering, combat, scientific, diplomatic, etc), each of which influence the final Reaper battle in different ways

8. War Assets should not be strongly influenced by completing multiplayer content. War assets attained through multiplayer should be available elsewhere (even through a ME2 import, or something).

9. War Assets should affect the fate of Shepard's squadmates, forces in the final battle, and the ultimate outcome.
9a) If a certain amount check wasn't passed, one of Shepard's squadmates should die during Priority: Earth
9b) If a certain amount check wasn't passed, one of Shepard's ME2 squadmates (or, if they're all dead at this point, someone else important, like Cortez, Traynor, Adams, or Chakwas) should die on Earth.
9c) Different categories of War Assets should influence the distribution of damage during the final confrontation (for example, more engineering assets would increase the effectiveness of the Crucible, resulting in a small galaxy-wide casualty reduction, while more combat assets bolstered the assault to retake Earth and reduced casualties there).
9d) Amount checks could be applied to different categories of War Assets to decide the fate of a few various things form the story (i.e. a colony saved or destroyed, a minor character like Victus or Bailey lives or dies, etc)

10. If you really, really, really, really screwed up, the Reapers should be able to win.

11. Even if the writers stick to their terrible, undeveloped, cop-out of an ending, the War Assets and choices should still influence the end-game sequence leading up to it. For example, if the VS is still alive at this point (i.e. Shepard didn't kill him during Priority: The Citadel II), show a cut scene where he takes down a Banshee thats closing in on an injured Alliance marine and a medic crouching in the rubble. Show one of the Mass Effect 2 squadmates fighting or falling valiantly in battle. Show the Zhu's Hope colonists fighting or dying or something. Show Hackett standing on the bridge of a ship as it either takes down a Reaper or gets hit by one. Show a quarian ship or a geth shock trooper. Just a few cut scenes to acknowledge everything that Shepard's journey and decisions have led up to.

I realize that everything I've suggested would basically require the entire game to be remade, so it isn't going to actually happen, but it's become apparent from reading these forums that a huge percentage of the series fans were just as disappointed and underwhelmed as I was with the story of Mass Effect 3.

Mass Effect was a roleplaying shooter -- a game that drew fans in because it combined the freeform element of RPG's with the combat system of a shooter and an awesome, well-thought out storyline. Mass Effect 3 was a railroad.

edit: Apparently copy-pasting from Word messes up the formatting. Sorry 'bout that.

Modifié par AmyMac, 02 avril 2012 - 07:12 .

[capncraycray]

No indoctrination, no clarification of catalyst, just scrap the current ending completely.
Give me an ending that seems worth Shepard's sacrifice. Right now I would rather the Reapers win if destroying them also destroys all my synthetic/partially synthetic friends, all the mass relays, and half of earth.
Give me an ending that includes all the characters you have made me care so much about not some brand new hologram kid I don't even get to converse with.
Don't destroy the mass relays. Destroying the mass relays destroys the galactic community and severely limits YOUR ability to make new games in this series.
Blue babies.

[jarms48]

Where were the tanks the British officer continued to promise.

Stand Your Ground by Phoenix-06, for his upcoming Telikos Protocol

I would love to see some armoured engagements with tanks charging across open ground, main guns concentrating firepower on Reaper Destroyers, while the cupola and coaxial gunners shoot at assaulting husk ground troops. With Mako's and Hammerhead fast attack vehicles swerving and dodging incoming fire, Mako's barreling into terrain as Alliance and Turians dismount proceeding to neutralise hostile husk targets.

*****

It was also mentioned that the Reapers were targeting missile silos, they couldn't have destroyed all of them, Russia alone has over 50000 missiles. I want to see Quarian and Geth infiltrators uncloak behind enemy lines and guild down missile strikes with targeting lasers.

Impact by Phoenix-06, for his upcoming Telikos Protocol

*****

Continue the space battle if you unite the geth and the quarians show both fleets, with the Quarian Admiral and the Geth Prime reporting in. The use of fire ships, disabled vessels ramming into Reaper dreadnoughts as a defiant last stand. Broadside actions, boarding actions. Aria said the mercenary groups would fight dirty, have teams of batarians and volus fight their way to a reapers element zero core then fire all mighty cain into its core only for the team to make the ultimate sacrifice in the name of victory.

*****

Alliance soldiers and batarians sitting in trenches shooting at hordes of incoming reaper forces to only find themselves running out of thermal clips. A brave officer screams "Affix bayonets." (Or something along those lines) And we watch as the troops charge into a bloody melee.

***** 

A Salarian STG team assaults a building to get cut down by a ravaging brute, a Krogan charges in and takes the beast down, then offers a hand to a surviving Salarian. (If genophage is cured, if not STG team gets wiped out)

*****

We see each of our previous surviving squad mates leading assault teams, depending on EMS would determine there success.

Garrus leading a team of Turian snipers picking off hostiles in their concealed position. With low EMS they get overrun and we watch them battle reaper ground troops until their last breath. High EMS we watch as they continue to repel husk troopers from supporting forces. If Garrus is in final squad role is replaced by the Primark.

*****

Wrex and Grunt are in the thick of the battle they and numerous krogan troopers fight back husk enemies while a Krogan heavy weapon team prepare to fire a couple of Cains down a nearby Reapers throat. Low EMS the team get surround and we watch Wrex and Grunt fight back to back until the inevitable. High EMS, Genophage cured, Grunt and Wrex live in from previous installments the team is successful the heavy weapons hit there mark and the reaper goes down, the team begins extraction to nearby Mako's.

If Wrex died in ME1 role replaced by Wreave, if Grunt died in ME 2 role replaced by random Krogan Soldier. Did not cure the Genophage and/or killed Wrex only part of the team extracts. (Only with high EMS, low EMS all vehicles are destroyed by reaper laser along with occupants)

*****

Miranda, Samara, Kaiden, Jack and her team of biotics fight through a series of collapsed buildings fighting back banshees and other assorted enemies room by room. Low EMS the team in a attack role, a spot light emits over the team from a nearby window followed by a piercing scream and a reaper laser turning them into ash. Low EMS the team in support role, team makes a combined barrier successfully repelling the reaper laser but jack dies. High EMS team in attack role they successfully clear the building before they are spotted. High EMS support role teams combined barrier blocks reaper beam nobody dies.

Miranda, Samara, Kaiden and Jack will be replaced by miscellaneous biotics for each one of them that were killed.

ETC.

[Ka-nan]

I would like to see Tali's face on Rannoch; it was a slight drop in an emmotional climax when we couldn't see the expression on Tali's face when she removed her mask after Legion became an individual with a consciousness just before dying.
Or more caracters from the previous games entering through mission DLC (maybe Sidonis, Kal'Reegar, or Shiala the consort).

And now I'm just gonna say what comes from the heart...
When I played ME3 I was becomming more and more emmotionally engaged as the story progressed; with old friends sacrificing themselves for a better cause, old grudges put aside to defeat the Reapers. (Some scenes brought tears to my eyes.)
As I reached the conclusion, I felt... empty... As if I didn't achive an ending to this great trilogy. I understand the artistic efforts and quality in the ending, but it just so sureal. Maybe its because ME3's ending did not follow the trend of the previous games in which Shepard rises triumphantly over his defeated foe (Which was most heart felt in ME1). But if the Indoctrination theory were true, then I think a closure/epilouge DLC (or even game expansion) is the best option from there (Maybe even a final boss fight like the previous two games). I mean, it wouldn't be the first time a game company released epilouge content via DLC.

Modifié par Ka-nan, 02 avril 2012 - 08:51 .

[retsmot]

just finished the game last night myself, been avoiding spoilers all month since the game got out. and after reading around the internet, i find myself liking the indoctrination theory more and more. its cheesy but its the best workaround for the absurd ending we got. for the simplest, easiest way to fix the ending, my suggestion would be, keep the final part as it is.

yep. nothing needs to be changed, everything would play out until the credits roll, except, thats not the end of the game yet. remove the stargazer cutscene, instead, shep would finally regain his/her conscious, and the final battle would begin there with harbinger. this will work if one goes with the indoctrination theory.

from here on, since the whole ai child shebang will be a 'dream', he's irrelevant and can safely be ignored. que final battle with harbinger, do or die. then give us a proper ending with epilogues showing what happened to all the important people in mass effect, even if shep sacrifices him/herself.

i did not take the time to read thru 200+ of these pages, so i am sure someone already had this same idea. but i'm just looking a place to air out my idea.i'm saving my 2nd play through for this 'new ending' we're supposed to get, be it free or dlc. peace.

[FOX216BC]

 Just finished my second playthrough, the ending feels even more out of place now.

Red ending: So the kid basically give's me the chance to destroy everything he's been working on for millions of years, so the "chaos" can return...?

Blue ending: Control the reapers and the kid. Yes he clearly says control us. He does not say however you control all synthetics. So even in this case the "chaos" can return.
But that doesn,t seem to bother the kid.
Does he not care, or am i just going to replace him?
It is the only ending where the citadel doesn't blow up.

Green ending: The entire series Shepard speaks of organic life and their right of free will finding or own way...
Now i am going to change everyone into basically more or less the same lifeform, denying all the species rights on keeping their way of life?
Synthesis the final evolution of life? Isn't evolution constant?
Shepard asks if it will bring peace, the kid only says it will break the cycle.

He is clear about the mass relays, no matter what choice you make the energy released from the crucible will destroy them.
Wait, wont that leave the galaxy in another form of chaos.
I mean the fleets must now rely upon FTL?
Starvation in many places affected by the war, how long do they have to wait on rescue.
I mean all advanced species are depending on these relays,far away colonies, supply lines, space stations ...

With these choices the crucible doesn't seem like the best way to fight the reapers anymore.

And the normandy with crew... why do they leave the battle and leave Shepard behind?
There is no way they know what was about to happen. 
Even knowing, why leave earth? Most crew members are human.

This ending wrongs the entire trilogy and it's characters.

Modifié par FOX216BC, 02 avril 2012 - 10:07 .

[XTC]

"THE TRUE SYNTHESIS ENDING" - FEEDBACK FROM A ME3 FAN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Bioware

My name is Eron Fasser. I live in Johannesburg South Africa.

The purpose of this message is to provide Bioware with feedback regarding Mass Effect 3 and, in particular, to contribute some constructive criticism to the so called "ending controversy".

I am sure that by now Bioware is tired of hearing yet again about how "they messed up the ending" from some emotional and overly aggressive fanboy. That is not the purpose or intention of this message.

First, I want to express my deepest appreciation to everyone at Bioware who worked on Mass Effect 1, 2 and 3. You have created what can only be described as the science fiction epic of our generation.


Not only was Bioware able to produce a space opera of titanic proportions but managed to imbue a personal touch that made the experience deeply human.


Words cannot express just how important the Mass Effect series has been to me. Over the course of these three wonderful games I have made friends, fought alongside companions and even, dare I say, found love. I have cried as I watched close friends die and have cheered as an omni-tool blade plunged into the black heart of Kai Leng.

Over the course of this trilogy Bioware provided me with hours upon hours of exhilerating entertainment, genuine emotional connection and profound philosophical thought.

It was often subtle and always masterful. I honestly cannot imagine my life without having had the Mass Effect experience. I cannot express my gratitude enough.

It is against this background that I offer the following criticism/comment regarding how the ending can be changed for the better:-

1. The ending is only "sub-standard" when compared to what came before in the series.

2. Most other games would have been proud to have the ending(s) that ME3 currently has. It is only because Bioware is held in such high esteem by the gaming community that the endings are being considered "weak".


3. I am not going to enumerate the details of why the endings are "weak". I am sure that others in the community have done so in annoying and excrutiating detail.

4. That being said, I do offer the following humble suggestions on how the ending could be bettered with MINIMAL REWRITING.


5. Mass Effect 3 should end with Shephard sitting down next to Admiral Anderson and watching the battle unfold over earth.

6. Anderson MUST die.


7.Clint Mansell's beautiful and emotionally poignant track "I'm Proud of You" MUST play as he dies.

8. The scene should play out exactly as it does except there should be no conversation with the "catalyst child".


9. In fact, the entire "catalyst child" sequence should be cut out completely. It is this sequence that is the proximate cause of the ending's "weakness".

10. The beauty of an ending that cuts out the "catalyst child" sequence lies in its simplicity.


11. It cannot be emphasised enough just how emotional Anderson's death was. I do not exaggerate when I say I cried when he died.

12. All the player's choices can then impact what happens AFTER Anderson passes away.


13. Cinematic cut scenes could vary in the wildly different ways as was originally promised.

14. To give an example - if a player has low war assets or a bad galactic readiness rating, or made "bad" choices, Shephard will, in his last moments, watch the fleet being destroyed, the Reapers will win, and
Earth will burn. We might see the Normandy sacrifice itself as Joker rams a Reaper - the last brave act of the now vanquished human race.


15.Perhaps we see the crucible destroyed by the overwhelming Reaper forces before it can go online (if Shephard had accumulated more war assets, or a better galactic readiness this may not happen.) Perhaps the crucible wont even activate if Shephard didn't obtain sufficient war assets or make the "correct" choices regarding its construction.

16. This could be the "bad ending(s)". But, even now, there could still be a silver lining.


17. After the credits roll (instead of the grandfather/grandson scene) we could cut to a scene of the next cycle (50 000 years later). There could be a brief scene of the new forms of sentient life uncovering LIARA'S TIME CAPSULE with Shephard's story and the plans for the crucible. Organic life may still have a chance in the next cycle even though Shephard failed in his cycle. The time capsule plot device can be used to great effect here.

18.This is elegant, simple and logical.


19. A "better ending" might involve Shephard witnessing the crucible coming on line, the fleet surviving the battle, Earth being saved and the Reapers defeated.
 
20. Perhaps we see EDI sacrifice herself to save Joker as she indicated earlier in the game she would ("I would risk non-functionality for Jeff"). Another plot device that can be used to great effect.
 
21. Perhaps with a high enough war asset rating or with the improvements made to the Normady EDI need not sacrifice herself. This is just an example.

22. As Shephard starts to "bleed out" he might have a final conversation with a love interest, or other companion before succumbing to the wounds inflicted in the Harbinger assault and dying a hero. As he passes away he dies with the knowledge that he was successful and Earth is saved. Here we can have his last thoughts of Anderson, his squad and flickers of images of what he hoped would be his life. He dies with a smile on his face quietly next to his dear friend Anderson.
 
23. Perhaps on the ruined (but rebuildable) earth we see his surviving squad mates at his funeral. A military funeral for a military hero. We could see close ups of his squad mates reactions and what became of them. As Shephard's companions gaze across the scorched battlefield, the destroyed Reaper ships still plummet into earth's atmosphere. The screen fades to credits.
 
24. This type of ending still allows the post credits sequence with the old grandfather talking to his grandson about "the Shephard". He has indeed become a legend.

25. The "best ending" (and perhaps the hardest to obtain) could involve the Normandy, or an individual companion, rescuing Shephard before he succumbs to his wounds. Perhaps Shephard will oversee the rebuilding of Earth or perhaps see the Quarians and Geth rebuilding Rannoch. Perhaps he will meet Urdnot Wrex on the rebuilt citadel as the Krogan become members of the council as a reward for their role in ending the "Great Reaper War".
 
26. A paragon Shephard might be appointed as humanities next ambassador on the Council (because of his ability to broker peace between warring races and end age old conflicts). A renegade Shephard might become an admiral in the Systems Alliance Fleet (because of his military cunning and prowess in the last battle - a feared presence in the galaxy)
 
27. There could be ANY NUMBER of permutations as to how the endings play out after Anderson dies based on the player's previous choices. The above are just some of the more apparent ways the ending can be bettered.


28. The emotional crescendo of the series would no longer be the incoherent and remarkably out of place "catalyst child" but would rather reside with the death of a close friend and the bearing out of the war effort depending on prior choices.

29. Endings like those adumbrated above prevent (1) plot holes (no mass relays destroyed leaving races stranded and star systems annihilated, no Joker running away inexpicably) (2) provides closure for the player vis-a-vis their companions and the fate of the galaxy (3) is logical and consistent and most importantly (4) is FLEXIBLE enough to cater for a plethora of player choices and styles.


Anderson's death scene is one of the most powerful moments in gaming history. It deserves to be the EMOTIONAL CLIMAX for a series such as this.

PICTURE THIS SCENE AGAIN
=======================


The image of Earth from the citadel represents the epic and grand narrative structure of Mass Effect 1, 2 and 3. All the wars, the diverse races, eons of conflict and the history of the galaxy are encapsulated in this one immense battle. We are witnessing a watershed moment.
 
Against this collosal backdrop sit the two tiny silhouette's of Anderson and Shephard watching history unfold. Quietly and intimately they gaze on. Two brother's in arms. "Best seats in the house" Shephard mutters struggling for breath.


Their backs are turned away from us, the camera pans back to reveal the full scale of the battle. This encapsulates the personal, the subtle and the deeply human. What can two "insignificant" human beings truly do in the face of the scale of a galaxy on fire?

But the player already knows that these two men are anything but "insignificant".


Anderson's last words - the emotional LYNCHPIN of the series are spoken "I'm proud of you son" - Shephard watches his mentor and friend die mere moments from the finale. He looks at his hands which are drenched in his own blood. Blood that neccessarily had to be spilt.
 
Clint Mansell's symphonic music plays on (it is the only thing to be heard) as Shephard watches the resolution of the conflict.

Fighters are destroyed. Reaper ships on fire. Turian Dreadnoughts light up Earth's atmosphere. The Normandy is in the heat of the battle, Joker is gesticulating and shouting to other Normandy crew member's in silence. And then...

From here Bioware can really make the player's choices visceral, meaningful and effective. It is the most brilliant LAUNCHING PAD for a truly diverse set of endings.


This is the type of ending the fans deserve. It is the type of ending this magnificent series deserves.

ICONIC. STRONG. DEFINITIVE. And powerful beyond words.


It is also simple. No grand plot devices introduced in the last five minutes. No plot holes that need shoring up. No "out of character" moments.
 
Instead we receive closure, coherency, and a feeling that our choices over three games mattered.
 
This kind of ending also allows us (the audience) the right to cry. Either from happiness or heartbreak. This is necessary for closure.


This is the true "SYNTHESIS" ending - the amalgamation of the grand and personal narratives. And it is already there for the taking!

Give us this ending... and Mass Effect 3 will secure its place in gaming history like no other game ever has.


Bioware has a rare opportunity for a do-over. It should not be squandered.
 
Yours Sincerely

Eron Fasser
Johannesburg

[SmokePants]

DunadanTurambar wrote...

Those problems you have, are not problems at all, you just have to use your head to defeat the enemies, is insanity for a reason. I went to insanity and I had no problems.

Besides, Marauder Shields is making you a favor at the end hahaha, sorry. Easy joke

Making me a favor?

There must be a language barrier here, because you don't seem to understand what I'm saying and I'm having a hard time understanding you.

I had no real problem with Insanity until they decided to take away my shields, take away my powers, take away my cover, slow my movement speed, make it 10 times harder to aim, and give me a piece of garbage weapon. And then when I die, I have to take a minute to hobble back to the marauder, just so he can kill me again.

As far as I'm concerned, I've beaten the game on Insanity. This last bit is just a technicality.

My other complaints apply equally to every difficulty level, except for the grenades. The grenades were the only things that could kill me on Insanity. Most times I could avoid them. Sometimes I couldn't and it felt unfair. Good difficulty design presents challenges that are hard, but fair.

On lower difficulties, the grenades are a joke. I just ignore them.

Modifié par SmokePants, 02 avril 2012 - 10:44 .

[Waldschatten]

Varied endings.

I got the feeling the whole way through ME3 that I was running in to places where parts of the game were held back for DLC when I'd talk to someone and they'd hint at a mission that was not available in game.

I was a bit divided on that as I wanted a complete game rather than an ad campaign for DLC, but with all of my choices leading to the same place I don't want to bring up my other Sheps or buy any DLC even for things I really wanted to see like taking back Omega.

Varied including all kinds of endings from total annihilation and a reset of the cycle to the Ewok-free Return of the Jedi ending.

Saying that there are no happy endings in Mass Effect is a given, with all the losses that the galaxy has taken there's no way it can be truly happy, but there should be the opportunity to rebuild rather than stranded and dying slowly being the only outcome for your allies.

Also, I want my creepy little hooded babies, I haven't run through with my Tali LI because at least with Jack I can pretend that the breath means I could find her again as she was on Earth and not magically transported to the Normandy before Joker turned chicken and fled.

[Wowky]

Not sure if this is just something with my PC, but I've noticed other people complaining about it too. On the PC version sometimes faces are REALLY dark. Like the shadow is practically making them totally black. Could this be fixed in a patch?