7052 réponses à ce sujet

[Trzeb]

I saw someone mention somewhere how movies, games, etc. all don't want to have the cliche happy ending anymore, so they do the sad depressing ending to be different, and go against the norm...well, nowadays it seems like everyone is taking that route, so in reality if they want to be different and creative then at least let us have the option to have a slightly more upbeat ending. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

[GeneralBacon339]

 Artistic Integraty? The Indoctrination theory is golden!!!

you get to keep your crappy ending, then add onto it and give every one the ending they want!

Shepard wakes up on the ground after being shot by harbinger!  you can then add a mandatory happy ending or an optional happy ending!  EVERYONE is happy!

you Get to keep your ending and give us ours!

[StElmo]

Dear Bioware,

Your first two games helped me through a period of mental illness, your world was so immersive I felt I could get lost in it, and it left me with dreams that helped me get to sleep, imagining sailing the stars.

Most of ME3 provided this feeling to me now (I am better now, which is good), but as a long term, hardcore fan I was left feeling empty at the illogical ending you concocted for us. Some may think the strong fan reaction is "uncool" or "mob mentality", but I would pose it to you that the ending has marred the legacy of Mass Effect and that is why you have recieved such strong reactions.

I cannot go back to the first two games now I know how meaningless they are with such rigidly lore-unfriendly and illogical endings.

My only consolation is that the Indoctrination Theory is true and that you have planned this all along. Even if it is a retroactive change, it is better then what you have given us, which is mind bogglingly incoherent and disparate from the rest of the game.

I hope that you can see how attached so many fans have become to the series and that you are not just hurting sales, but human beings who love your universe and don't want that legacy marred by a marketing decision or rushed creative process.

I loved the music in the ending, I loved the concept of something controlling the reapers, but the details are where everything falls apart. It makes no sense and it leaves the player confused and out of control.

Cheers.

Modifié par StElmo, 12 avril 2012 - 05:00 .

[3LeggedGerbil]

I understand that Bioware doesn't want to retcon the current endings of ME3, but what about adding alternate endings in future DLC? That way, they can keep the endings they wanted, and we get another chance at having the ending that we feel to be more fitting to the game we have invested years into playing. Bioware's biggest argument is that it wants to uphold its artistic integrity, but this would hardly be the first time a medium of the entertainment industry was given a COMPLETELY OPTIONAL alternate ending! Books have done it, movies have done, hell I wouldn't be surprised if there were tv shows out there that have released alternate endings to their series. The point being, alternate endings have always been a great tool to reignite interest in One's story, so why would it be so wrong to add extra OPTIONAL endings to a game that would no doubt benefit financially from doing so?

[trogwolf]

I posted a much shorter version of the following reply in the "we're listening" thread, and haven't been back there since. No doubt I am still being called a troll by some of them. It is a response to a facebook post on the Mass Effect wall after I asked for specifics. The post being replied to:

"Show me the impact of my choices. Show me the Geth, Quarians, Krogan, Turians, Salarians, Rachni, & other races either working together or abandoning each other. Show me a battle on earth that reflects these relationships. The quarian fleet sweeping down and destroying a reaper thats about to destroy Jack and her students, or Samara and her Asari commandos. (just an example). Show me a Krogan team charging forward and backing up a Turian squad that otherwise you would see get vaporized. Give me a final BATTLE with Harbinger! Give me a final battle at all! There are SO many directions that could have reflected 100's of hours of gameplay and choices, why throw that all out for a poorly executed Deus Ex Machina element thats full of plot holes."

My reply:

This is only my take on the whole issue, of course, as a satisfied customer, having no relationship with BioWare or EA, but having been anxiously awaiting the games since E3 in 2009, and having been satisfied with each game in the trilogy: Almost every one of the things you have listed fall into the category of "let me play longer before you end it" and have nothing to do with an actual ending. For instance, it would probably take the whole Quarian fleet to take down a couple of Reapers and while they were doing it, the other Reapers would decimate the entire fleet just as they did the Turian and Aliance fleets until they were drawn off for reserves in the final assault on Earth. Just as they did the entire planets of Earth, Thessia and Palaven. But the Quarians did join the battle - over Earth, you just didn't get to see it because you were there on the ground making the push to the beam. You want to be part of the space battle and part of the ground battle. You can't. Sorry.

Let me see them fighting the Reapers. You did get to see it throughout the game. You got to be part of it. Do you want to be able to defeat the all of the Reapers with conventional weapons? You can't. Sorry. There is no CONVENTIONAL way to defeat the Reapers. This point is made throughout ME1 and ME2 and is stated plainly at the beginning of ME3. If conventional means is your only hope of defeating them, then you have no hope. The only way to possibly defeat the Reapers or to send them back to Dark Space, where they came from, is by an UNCONVENTIONAL way.

You are up against an army of sentient (or at least programmed) synthetic beings bigger than skyscrapers and capital ships, wielding destructive technology you can't understand or duplicate, that have been successfully harvesting the best and brightest races of a 50,000 year evolutionary cycle, over and over again for 20 million years or so, and doesn't mind devoting a few hundred years to the process, and the only hope you have of even possibly defeating them is to build a device that you don't even know what it does, if it is a weapon, what forces it wields, whether or not it poses as great a threat to the galaxy as the Reapers themselves, but you are going to build it and activate it because it IS your only hope.

"Give me a final battle at all" you did get one on the ground in London, but you seem to be asking for a real final battle with conventional weapons. That battle would be final. That battle gives the Reapers victory and has them returning in another 50,000 years in an unbroken cycle. That isn't the point of the trilogy. The point of the trilogy is to break the cycle - thanks to Shepard's indomitable will and ceaseless determination and powerful personal charisma - to end it once and for all. Exactly how you do that is in the last big choice you are required to make at the end of the game.

In ME3 you are gathering the forces to (1) build the unconventional way and (2) keep the Reapers busy, by sacrificing entire races, if necessary, until (1) is accomplished. ME3 has to be playable in a way that makes sense for people who never played ME1 and ME2. With that in mind ME3 has still been created to allow you to see, as much as possible, the results of the choices you made in ME1 and ME2 in the process of doing (1) and (2) above. You get to see that throughout the game, not so much in the ending. When the game ends, you are faced with one final hard choice, just as you should expect you would be. But it is still the End of the game.

What you seem to want is either more game play before the end or more cinematics to go with the endings, so you can pretend the game isn't over. It is. Play again with a different Shepard. Or play another game. I keep hearing, "but that's not what they promised." The only thing you can judge ME3 on is ME1 and ME2, and from that standpoint they delivered what they promised, IMHO. People who camp out in developer blogs and expect every idea expressed or discussed to show up in a game, don't understand game (or film) development. What these people want isn't in the game it's in a very special place, called the cutting room floor. Film fans get to see it as bonus content on DVDs, they have to wait for months after the movie has left the theaters. Game fans get to see it in DLC, and they should expect to wait for months after the game has been in its primary period of sales and play.

There's nothing wrong with wanting to play more or see more cinematics. That's what DLC is all about. You are welcome to pay for whatever you want. But don't blame it on a "bad ending". When you have invested two years into a game, there is no good ending. You just have to get over it. Buy the "DVD", that is to say, the DLC.

A bad ending is one that doesn't make sense in terms of the games in the series that you have already played - like thinking that these races that can't trust each other enough and believe in the threat enough to work together to fight one reaper (ME1) or the Reapers' minions (ME2) can be expected to coordinate their efforts fast enough and effectively enough to beat an entire army of them. That is the sort of thing I meant by asking what were you expecting to happen that wouldn't be ridiculous.

[trogwolf]

M3rcuryZA wrote...

Mass Effect 3 comes along and the 'oh damn' moment is a ghost child explaining something that makes absolutely no sense at all. ... Maybe there is another race out there in another galaxy, that wants to keep it`s dominance over the other galaxies?

One more thing, if the Bioware staff have not read this, read it now!
http://social.biowar...4281/1#11085770

I thought there were two Oh damn moments: One was when we learned that there was a prothean beacon on Thessia that was responsible for Asari supremacy, but that the leaders of the Asari race had not informed Shepard about until the Repears "forced their hand".  I never wanted to **** slap anyone as much as I wanted to **** slap that Asari diplomat.    The other was when we find out from the beacon on Thessia that the Protheans had not built the crucible, but that it was a progressively improved device, cycle after cycle.

What I realized through the course of the game but confirmed at the end was that the Reapers were exactly like the Keepers.  They were a device with a specific purpose in a design that had been created and in existence for eons.  The Reapers aren't sentient any more than the Keepes are - they are instinctual.  They are programmed with a task that they perform flawlessly, having done it over and over again for at least 20 million years - at least 400 cycles.  The catalyst is a remnat that knows only one truth, and the only reason it acknowledged a new truth was that the crucible changed it - by creating alternatives that had not existed before, from the mind of the representative of the dominant species of the cycle that managed, for the first time, to bring the citadel and the crucible together.  The catalyst is probably the only surviving vestige of a once thriving, ancient race, those who actually built the mass relays.

I thought it was brilliant.

[Bored at 3AM]

A few quick suggestions regarding the "Extended Cut" DLC...

1) You need to clearly explain and show that the Mass Relays are not exploding like the one that caused a supernova in the Arrival DLC, but are overloading because of the massive energy pulse they're spreading across the galaxy. I understand you were going for a bittersweet ending, but letting your audience think they didn't just wipe out the entire known galaxy is probably something you want to make more obvious.

2) You need to actually show at least a taste of what the Destroy, Control and Synthesis energy pulses do to the universe. You don't need to go into exacting detail, but a quick shot or two of how this all plays out would do the trick. For instance, all the Geth dropping dead on Rannoch. Or maybe showing the Renegade's glowing red eyes on a "synthesized" Aria and her crew to show that everyone is now both organic and synthetic, like Sheppard was.

3) You need to show how Joker picked up your squad after Sheppard got hit by Harbinger's blast because suddenly jumping to the Normandy being chased by the energy pulse is far too abrupt and confusing. I would love to have a brief Normandy gameplay sequence like the car chase sequence in Lair of the Shadow Broker. I like them being marooned on the Paradise world though. That's a nice touch.

4) You should either let the Reapers be the unknowable, scary cosmic boogeymen they were in the first two games or have the damned Starchild give a better explanation as to exactly what the Reapers are, because the reasons the glowy kid gives don't really add up--unless that's the point, in which case they need to give players the opportunity to have Sheppard point out how crazy the Starchild's plan is.

Good luck! Loved Mass Effect 3 and I hope you can make it that much better by giving it the ending it deserves.

Modifié par Bored at 3AM, 12 avril 2012 - 06:50 .

[MarceloMaia]

 Well idk but for me is clear that this Extended cut will kind of take from that "Shepard's breath" scene and move on with the "destroy" ending, so the 3 boring endings we know will still be there, just extend the "happy" ending showing that it was indeed some kind of indocrination, alucination. Since he chooses the "destroy" ending, it will in fact only destroy the influence on him, making him waking up down on London.  From there, of course Shepard would still need to get to the Citadel. See, there is still hope… come on BW dont let us down. 

[RampaXi]

I1 Trust wrote...

Why isn't there at least an option where Shepard hugs Liara after the fall of Thessia? She was sitting on her bed crying for the loss of her people.

I hated that Shepard didn't try to comfort her better.

That got my eye aswell, there were quite alot of similar situations where you could  have simply just done something rather than just stand still and listen

Modifié par RampaXi, 12 avril 2012 - 08:48 .

[cdeskins2010]

Dear Bioware,

First I just want to start by saying thank you for allowing the opportunity for ME3 fans like myself to voice our opinions about the series and its ending.  Having played Mass Effect since the beginning and shaped Shepard into my own personal hero, I feel as attached to the series as those who brainstormed its conception long before the first game was released.  But I do understand the rights and personal interests of the artists and creators, and my goal is only to suggest how the conclusion of such an amazing story could be enhanced for fans such as myself and not to control or demand alteration from those that have worked so hard on the series.  I also realize my views may not reflect the majority of ME fans (if any).  It's a reflection of "my" Shepard's story and how I want to see things end for him

The first 99% of the game was PERFECT, from start to finish.  It started with the tension of Earth's invasion and never let up.  Building the crucible, curing the genophage (Mordin's final scene was probably the most powerful moment in the game), making peace between the Quarians and the Geth, Shepard's faltering persistence after Kai Leng escapes, and all the cameos from various characters through the series.  I could not have imagined it better.  Even with The Illusive Man at the end struggling with his indoctrination.  

But from the AI child on, it just didn't sit well with me.  

-Organic vs Synthetic
I didn't understand the focus on this at the end.  It never seemed a central theme to me?  I mean there was always the struggle with the Quarians and the Geth.  And you had the evolution of EDI's character in a world that didn't trust AI.  But EDI became a huge support for humanity (and you could argue became more human herself as the story progressed). And I successfully ended the centuries long conflict with the Quarians and the Geth.  My story argues that with persistence, organics and synthetics can co-exist, but in the last 5 minutes a child AI tells me this isn’t the case and I can’t argue otherwise?  I would have liked the option to argue my case and be given the choice to take my chances and give peace a chance.  I mean, you proved his plans wrong by activating the crucible (as he points out in the game), why can’t we have the opportunity to prove him wrong with this?
-Destroying the Reapers
This seemed like the best ending to me in the beginning (destroy the reapers, end the threat).  But it forces me to destroy the Geth (who I just worked my butt off saving and forming an alliance with the Quarians) as well as EDI (a central character for two games that has clearly shown she can co-exist with organics).  You help the Geth achieve individual consciousness with Legion’s sacrifice (something EDI already possesses) just to commit genocide to stop the threat??  I’m ok with Shepard having to sacrifice himself to stop the bad guys, but to sacrifice an entire race just doesn’t seem heroic to me and not what “my” Shepard would do.  Not to mention this is the only ending that suggests my Shepard lives at the end.  I hate that I have to kill all synthetics and EDI for my Shepard to live. 
Controlling the Reapers
-I didn’t mind sacrificing Shepard to “control” the threat.  I’m just not sure where this goes.  And since it was the Illusive Man’s plan, it just seemed like the foolish “you’re playing with powers you don’t understand and this will backfire” option.  It would be nice to have some clarification with this ending (does it work, does it last, etc?).  Just some closure
 Synthetic ending
-This ending isn’t too bad either.  Again, I don’t mind sacrificing my Shepard to save everyone.  But where does this go?  Does it really grant peace?  How will it affect the ME universe going forward?  Even if everyone has some organic/synthetic component, they are individuals with different beliefs, values, goals, etc.  How is this really going to grant peace?  It’s not that they’re synthetic/organic.  It’s that they’re individuals. 
3 Color Endings
-Aside from the colors and a handful of scenes, these are identical endings.  Maybe they can be further differentiated with more content (the effects of merging organics/synthetics on the galaxy vs the Reapers just leaving”).  It would just be nice to have truly different endings.  ME2 is a great example.  There were vast differences between the “good ending” (save everyone, destroy the collector ship) and “bad ending” (everyone dies, collector ship salvaged”.  It helps us feel like our choices matter.
Character flashback
-At one point during the ending, Shepard has flashback of a few characters (Joker, his love interest, etc).  Where is everyone else?  I realize you get to  say goodbye to them at the end of the game (thanks for including that by the way).  But I always had Liara and Garrus with me in the games.  Where are their flashbacks?  It just seemed incomplete/not who my Shepard would have thought about as his life comes to an end
Mass Effect Relays
-Why on Earth are these destroyed?  Is it so that we evolve along our own path and not that of Reaper design?  Is it a setup for the next installment in the series?  There’s no good explanation as to WHY they have to be destroyed with the signal.  And everyone kind of feels like the ME universe is now screwed so it would be nice to have some expansion on this (why it happened, how’s everyone dealing with it, etc).
Normandy stranded on a random planet
-I’m glad  to see they live, but what comes of this?  Where are they?  Are they going to repair the Normandy?  Get rescued?  Live in huts and Joker/EDI have synthetic babies?  Where does it go from here?  And where is everyone else?  It would be nice to see some footage of Wrex on Tuchanka talking about Mordin’s heroic gesture, or Garrus toasting a drink to Shepard on Palaven, or Liara helping to rebuild Thessia, or shots of Earth rebuilding.  What’s happening to the rest of the galaxy I just saved?
Control over the ending
-ME2 did a great job of this.  Depending on how much time and effort you put into the game, you could save your crew and get a great, satisfying ending.  You had some control over who lives, who dies, and how events play out. While I felt like ME3 as a whole did a great job of reflecting my choices over the 3 games, the ending didn’t.  I wanted an epic ending, and I was willing to complete every side quest and scan every planet to do so.  I just didn’t have the option.
An epic finale
-The ME journey has been incredible.  Shepard has had some amazing moments.  He defeated Sovereign, died, came back from the dead, survived the Omega 4 relay, and united every race in the galaxy against the biggest galactic threat ever in existence.  Where is his heroic ending?  Of course I’d like Shepard to live (to continue further games) but if he has to die, that can also be a great, powerful ending…as long as he goes out with a bang.  Why can’t he go down in a blaze of glory and badassness?  The best example I can give of this is Mordin’s final scene.  Mordin’s death made everyone sad (check the forums, it made males cry) but no one complained because it was SO EPIC how he went out.  Curing the genophage, dealing with his demons, making the ultimate sacrifice and finding redemption.  The big breath he takes, the music that’s playing, even him singing at the end (if you conversed enough with him in ME2).  It all came together and made the scene truly epic and satisfying. I hate he died, but I was completely satisfied with how he went out.  It was epic, and he went out like a hero.  Shouldn’t the end of Shepard’s journey be even more epic?  This is what I wanted more than anything.  Shepard finishing things like a true paragon hero, saving everyone and defying the odds (which was what I think his mission ultimately became all about, making the impossible possible). If this has to be the end of Shepard’s journey, can he not get a hero’s ending?  

So those are just some of my thoughts/opinions.  Thanks again for listening to your fans and making extra content for the ending.  Looking forward to it!

A Big ME3 Fan

[Banano115]

I might get shunned for what I'm about to say, but Mass Effect is the sole creation of Bioware - therefore, it is up to the team to decide on what happens - it's the artists' vision. And as nobody can force J.K. Rowling to write an alternative ending to Harry Potter where Dumbledore survives/ Voldemort wins, fans should not force such on the game developers. Why?

Because what would we end up is a bunch of insecure developers taking the decisions most likely to be appreciated by the fans - and where is the fun and surprise element? Though I do agree that the ending should incorporate an extended overview of how Shepard's decisions worked out - geth/quarian problem, etc. An ending that actually forms a strong link to the games would be preferable to the exisiting one, which lives in a vacuum storywise - no matter what decisions you have taken, you are given the same 3 endings.

I don't mean to be overly critical, I LOVED the game(s) and would like to see new ones made in the ME universe.

[Lasura]

Hello,



Thank you to BioWare for listening to your faithful little
gamers. I really hope you manage to fix those endings so that everyone likes
them. I feel like I have to post up the things I have spotted.



My main problem (and this to me appears more like
a bug than a plot problem): How did the
two characters I took with me to go to the Citadel end up on the ship with
Joker? There is no way in the world they would be on that
ship! Especially my romance partner Kaidan: there is no way he would chicken
out and run off back to the Normandy rather than help Shepard, who is his boss
and his lover.

If the ships were not even
able to give air support to the men on earth, how and why did the Normandy get
two men off that rock? Did you not spot this? Or were you too lazy to reprogram
it so that characters that went on that suicide mission cannot end up on the
ship?



How can you make a story with so much romance and
friendship and the main character being a world-known and loved person and then
show absolutely no
reaction to Shepard's death. Even if we accept
that Kaidan could end up in the Normandy, I really would not expect him to get
out of the ship grinning happily while knowing that his lover is most likely
dead... again. At least a short clip of what the romance partner
feels would be very welcome. It would make the ending more human. 



And some explanation
about what exactly happens to the mass relays and to all the races you involved
in this war would be great. No one is asking for much, just a slight hint
of "better" or "worse" so you can actually judge whether it
was all worth it.  At the moment it really does not matter what
you chose since all endings seem equally scary and we have no idea what happens
next. I understand you need to narrow the endings up if you want to
create a sequel, I understand you cannot possibly drag every little decision
through to any sequels like you have done brilliantly until now, but just have
some pity to the players who loved this trilogy so much and give a brilliant
sum up for the three games.   

I respect your artistic integrity, boy have I felt the sting of someone trying to change my writing >.< But honestly the plot just did not make sense.
When the little child spoke to me telling me that the fight between organics
and inorganics cannot be resolved by normal means I just wanted to shout at
him: "What tha heck are you saying?! Did you not just see those
intelligent geth invite the quarians back to Rannoch?! That seemed pretty much
resolved." The only inorganic life that wanted to destroy
organics at that moment were the reapers that the Catalyst controlled: he
created the problem .And then why put so much effort into trying to save
something that only wants to wage war anyways? With all three of these
solutions there will still be war and destruction. Natural selection: if the
inorganics are a better form of life it is just not meant for organics to be.
Just does not make sense for this ultra intelligent system, the Catalyst, would
come up with such solutions. I just wished for more explanation to this
strange reasoning.

Sorry for the horribly long post, hope you managed to read it,

Lasura

[sauloftarsis1]

thank you for Mass Effect
my opinion (this is complex so please bear with me):
story change / expounding: Crucible engineered by Protheans needs nothing to fire once connection made.
Conduit on Earth is Rouse to attract Shepard ALONE. After Harbinger attack at end "Dream" is indoctrination tool to see what he would do if given the chance. Reapers testing Shepard (who has had incredible contact with reaper tech and not indoctrinated) to see if he is immune. IF he is immune he is incredibly valuable. If Shepard chose correct in dream, wakes up and gets to conduit for real he ends up at that location immediately. he is then supposed to blow up tank (or whatever that was) but instead of killing reapers (and all artificial life) it disables the physical connection keeping the Citidel's relay to dark space from opening. when shepard blows this up the relay opens allowing harbinger to escape but not before taking spepard with him via another conduit linking to harbingers' CIC (reference ME - Saren's chair in Sovereign. harbinger modifies TIM's overlord tech reference - ME2: overlord) on shepard to perfection for the next Cycle. only one Reaper needed as hacking organic life via relay tech...these then rebuild reaper fleets.

The Crucible can be stopped or can succeed depending on fleet strength and readiness (here is where choices matter) each asset allows crucible to attach to Citadel more quickly and with fewer problems (reference - varrying engineers helping combat power/shield problems while under attack from reapers)

best ending is that the connection to the Citadel is so fast Shepard does not have chance to make it to the conduit for real and all Reapers are Dead and shepard lives with LI and has drinks with G. next best is he reaches Citadel but does not have chance to destroy tank and resulting power from Crucible kills him and all keepers. either way shepard is hailed a hero...thats three different endings where Earth is freed (shepard wins, Shepard dies, Harbinger retreats)and final cut scenes can show how well everything else is depending on past choices.

i hope i have made this as clear to you as is it to me. thank you for reading and thank you for Mass Effect - SoT

Modifié par sauloftarsis1, 12 avril 2012 - 10:31 .

[TMA LIVE]

One thing I hope that doesn't happen is a single "best" ending.

I don't like the idea that one ending is clearly better then the others. And it's based off a specific choice. Like right now, I'm hearing the possibility of Destroy Plus being the best ending, because it involves Shepard living, EDI living, and the Geth living. And if that's happens, I think it'll hurt my choices as a player. Like one of the reasons why I picked Synthesis is to try and create peace without destroying the Geth and EDI. Well, if they live in Destroy Plus, then why should I pick that ending? Why should anyone pick that ending? Why should anyone pick Control? Because I might've picked Control because I wasn't willing to force change on everyone, while not destroying the Geth. But if the Geth can live in Destroy, and if Shepard can stop the Reapers without dying, then what's the point of this option? To force change on the Galaxy for kicks? To risk Shepard losing control of the Reapers? And so Shepard can needlessly die? Like it comes off as pick A or B for questionable endings, and to kill your character. Or pick C to get a happy ending with no consequences, and Shepard lives to be with LI forever. It creates a very big unbalance. It makes it seem like this is the "Correct" choice, because it's the most rewarding, and has no consequences.

So I hope that instead of making one single "best" ending that's linked to only one choice, they instead make "Best" endings for all 3 choices. And it's based on your choices, and the highest EMS. So no matter what choice you picked, you feel like you're reward, and you picked the ending that was right for you. Instead of feeling like "I clearly should've picked Destroy Plus, because it's the best ending, with the most content and rewards".

Modifié par TMA LIVE, 12 avril 2012 - 11:00 .

[Blairian]

The plot holes in ME3 are too deep to fill without indoctrination theory. I'm sure this is beating a dead horse for you guys, but the most critical plot hole is the Catalyst's logic. In ME1 Sovereign tells Shepard that the Reapers' reason for doing what they're doing is beyond Shepard's comprehension; so I shouldn't be able to summarize it in one sentence.

The logic is: We don't want organic life to be killed by machines, so we wipe them out every time they get clever enough to find the technology WE left behind for them.

Spin it anyway you want, but that's what it really boils down to. I think the few number of hands raised at PAX when fans were asked if Mass Effect 3 was the best in the series, decorates the fact that something is terribly wrong. Glad you guys are either fixing it or planning to carry out some master plan to keep everybody on edge about the ending.

[Baa Baa]

cdeskins2010 wrote...

Dear Bioware,

First I just want to start by saying thank you for allowing the opportunity for ME3 fans like myself to voice our opinions about the series and its ending.  Having played Mass Effect since the beginning and shaped Shepard into my own personal hero, I feel as attached to the series as those who brainstormed its conception long before the first game was released.  But I do understand the rights and personal interests of the artists and creators, and my goal is only to suggest how the conclusion of such an amazing story could be enhanced for fans such as myself and not to control or demand alteration from those that have worked so hard on the series.  I also realize my views may not reflect the majority of ME fans (if any).  It's a reflection of "my" Shepard's story and how I want to see things end for him

The first 99% of the game was PERFECT, from start to finish.  It started with the tension of Earth's invasion and never let up.  Building the crucible, curing the genophage (Mordin's final scene was probably the most powerful moment in the game), making peace between the Quarians and the Geth, Shepard's faltering persistence after Kai Leng escapes, and all the cameos from various characters through the series.  I could not have imagined it better.  Even with The Illusive Man at the end struggling with his indoctrination.  

But from the AI child on, it just didn't sit well with me.  

-Organic vs Synthetic
I didn't understand the focus on this at the end.  It never seemed a central theme to me?  I mean there was always the struggle with the Quarians and the Geth.  And you had the evolution of EDI's character in a world that didn't trust AI.  But EDI became a huge support for humanity (and you could argue became more human herself as the story progressed). And I successfully ended the centuries long conflict with the Quarians and the Geth.  My story argues that with persistence, organics and synthetics can co-exist, but in the last 5 minutes a child AI tells me this isn’t the case and I can’t argue otherwise?  I would have liked the option to argue my case and be given the choice to take my chances and give peace a chance.  I mean, you proved his plans wrong by activating the crucible (as he points out in the game), why can’t we have the opportunity to prove him wrong with this?
-Destroying the Reapers
This seemed like the best ending to me in the beginning (destroy the reapers, end the threat).  But it forces me to destroy the Geth (who I just worked my butt off saving and forming an alliance with the Quarians) as well as EDI (a central character for two games that has clearly shown she can co-exist with organics).  You help the Geth achieve individual consciousness with Legion’s sacrifice (something EDI already possesses) just to commit genocide to stop the threat??  I’m ok with Shepard having to sacrifice himself to stop the bad guys, but to sacrifice an entire race just doesn’t seem heroic to me and not what “my” Shepard would do.  Not to mention this is the only ending that suggests my Shepard lives at the end.  I hate that I have to kill all synthetics and EDI for my Shepard to live. 
Controlling the Reapers
-I didn’t mind sacrificing Shepard to “control” the threat.  I’m just not sure where this goes.  And since it was the Illusive Man’s plan, it just seemed like the foolish “you’re playing with powers you don’t understand and this will backfire” option.  It would be nice to have some clarification with this ending (does it work, does it last, etc?).  Just some closure
 Synthetic ending
-This ending isn’t too bad either.  Again, I don’t mind sacrificing my Shepard to save everyone.  But where does this go?  Does it really grant peace?  How will it affect the ME universe going forward?  Even if everyone has some organic/synthetic component, they are individuals with different beliefs, values, goals, etc.  How is this really going to grant peace?  It’s not that they’re synthetic/organic.  It’s that they’re individuals. 
3 Color Endings
-Aside from the colors and a handful of scenes, these are identical endings.  Maybe they can be further differentiated with more content (the effects of merging organics/synthetics on the galaxy vs the Reapers just leaving”).  It would just be nice to have truly different endings.  ME2 is a great example.  There were vast differences between the “good ending” (save everyone, destroy the collector ship) and “bad ending” (everyone dies, collector ship salvaged”.  It helps us feel like our choices matter.
Character flashback
-At one point during the ending, Shepard has flashback of a few characters (Joker, his love interest, etc).  Where is everyone else?  I realize you get to  say goodbye to them at the end of the game (thanks for including that by the way).  But I always had Liara and Garrus with me in the games.  Where are their flashbacks?  It just seemed incomplete/not who my Shepard would have thought about as his life comes to an end
Mass Effect Relays
-Why on Earth are these destroyed?  Is it so that we evolve along our own path and not that of Reaper design?  Is it a setup for the next installment in the series?  There’s no good explanation as to WHY they have to be destroyed with the signal.  And everyone kind of feels like the ME universe is now screwed so it would be nice to have some expansion on this (why it happened, how’s everyone dealing with it, etc).
Normandy stranded on a random planet
-I’m glad  to see they live, but what comes of this?  Where are they?  Are they going to repair the Normandy?  Get rescued?  Live in huts and Joker/EDI have synthetic babies?  Where does it go from here?  And where is everyone else?  It would be nice to see some footage of Wrex on Tuchanka talking about Mordin’s heroic gesture, or Garrus toasting a drink to Shepard on Palaven, or Liara helping to rebuild Thessia, or shots of Earth rebuilding.  What’s happening to the rest of the galaxy I just saved?
Control over the ending
-ME2 did a great job of this.  Depending on how much time and effort you put into the game, you could save your crew and get a great, satisfying ending.  You had some control over who lives, who dies, and how events play out. While I felt like ME3 as a whole did a great job of reflecting my choices over the 3 games, the ending didn’t.  I wanted an epic ending, and I was willing to complete every side quest and scan every planet to do so.  I just didn’t have the option.
An epic finale
-The ME journey has been incredible.  Shepard has had some amazing moments.  He defeated Sovereign, died, came back from the dead, survived the Omega 4 relay, and united every race in the galaxy against the biggest galactic threat ever in existence.  Where is his heroic ending?  Of course I’d like Shepard to live (to continue further games) but if he has to die, that can also be a great, powerful ending…as long as he goes out with a bang.  Why can’t he go down in a blaze of glory and badassness?  The best example I can give of this is Mordin’s final scene.  Mordin’s death made everyone sad (check the forums, it made males cry) but no one complained because it was SO EPIC how he went out.  Curing the genophage, dealing with his demons, making the ultimate sacrifice and finding redemption.  The big breath he takes, the music that’s playing, even him singing at the end (if you conversed enough with him in ME2).  It all came together and made the scene truly epic and satisfying. I hate he died, but I was completely satisfied with how he went out.  It was epic, and he went out like a hero.  Shouldn’t the end of Shepard’s journey be even more epic?  This is what I wanted more than anything.  Shepard finishing things like a true paragon hero, saving everyone and defying the odds (which was what I think his mission ultimately became all about, making the impossible possible). If this has to be the end of Shepard’s journey, can he not get a hero’s ending?  

So those are just some of my thoughts/opinions.  Thanks again for listening to your fans and making extra content for the ending.  Looking forward to it!

A Big ME3 Fan

i totally agree. Shepard should have died in an epic fight with Harbinger without sacrificing his ideals and honor, and have the option to eliminate the reaper threat without such harsh repurcussions on the galaxy. And if you're Shepard does survive, you need to have an Epilogue with your LI. That would just be perfect ending with closure. (Oh and you need to be able to have Garrus as badass uncle of your children)

[carlosjulio]

DangerousPuddy wrote...


If the Extended Cut is mainly cinematics and no gameplay... I think I speak for many - among clarification of the ending - when I ask:

Can you also provide CINEMATICS for our WAR ASSETS in action?

Whether it be intermittant scenes as you progress through the Priority: Earth mission on foot, (at certain checkpoints for example) during the initial entering of the Sol system or (preferably) a bit of both.

Some brief examples:

- Show us a Rachni ship - how it attacks a Reaper
- Show us the Mercenaries on the ground, playing dirty - Vorcha flanking a group of husks, using a Mech to take out a brute etc., Zaeed fighting along side a Blue Sun (irony!)
- Show us the Spectre(s) that decided to aid in the battle - with high combat tactics, maybe show the Salarian spectre de-cloaking and taking out a Marauder
- Kirahee and his team - Holding the Line behind cover!
- Grunt taking out a Banshee by himself
- Wrex leading the Krogan on an assault on a handful of modified Rachni
- Jack and her Biotic Squad repelling shots and slappin' singularities on people
- Samara fighting solo repelling waves of Husks
- Jacob, Miranda and some Ex-Cerberus
- Geth Primes tactical unit
- Kasumi infiltrating---something!
- Cannon-strapped Elcor!
- Volus bombing ships

Most importantly, show the unity among all of the above, some coming to save eachother, helping out eachother - this would be great in showing galactic unity.

This would go a long way to providing an impact and feel of "realism" in the galaxy we each crafted and provide some sense of completeness toward the ending; Seeing all the people we recruited fighting alongside eachother. It would make the ending more agreeable alongside the clarification intended in the DLC as well.

I again humbly request this be included.

The importance of this cannot be overstated my friends. War assets must be featured in the final battle, aiding both Shepard and each other, and the consequences of their absence should be felt if they're not there. Also the party members, current and previous, should be shown doing what they do best. THAT would be extremely satisfying and personalized. They should help battle Harbinger!! (would be really good to actually talk to Harbinger also). Please Bioware, don't just make some exposition to explain/fix the apparent plot holes: Improve the final mission as a whole. As it is, the game is almost perfect a finale for the trilogy. Citing another sci-fi franchise: Let us finish the fight.

[spartiate0033]

My number one wish is MORE HARBINGER. Harbinger is an amazing and riveting villian that wishes to assume direct control of more game time.
#2.) Cheesy as it may is, a 'happy' ending would be nice. With the destruction of the relays, pretty much every system with a relay is blown up (as established by Arrival) and even if they DIDN'T, all the species you brought to Earth starve due to Earths lack of resources (thanks reapers) and everyone would pretty much die (starting with the Quarians, then the Turian, then who's gonna stop the Krogan from eating everyone). Also, why does the destroy ending have to destroy the geth as well? Isn't it silly we spent all this time saving their butts only to kill em off a couple of hours later? (Even if in this ending MUST involve Shepards death, which if it IS a must it will feel forced and a little unnatural if you have no other choice) atleast show something where whoever you romanced (say Ashley or Liara) has a baby in their arms, playing with your dogtags.
3.) Fill the plotholes, explain everything, make Shepard more organic in the final conversation. He simply agrees to everything the starbrat says without the classic "I've had enough of your snide assertions" and punching the starbrat in the face.

[darkshadow136]

Really outside of the ending there is only a few minor crtiisms I can make. Here is the list.

1. I wish we had the Mako tank planet mission back. People like myself complained about not having them in ME2 and yet they failed to bring them back in ME3.

2. The new renegade/ paragon system seems clunky. They should have stuck with what they had in ME2, since the ME3 new version does don't feel fleshed out correctly.

3.ME3 number of squadmates seem to small in comparison to the other ME games. we needed more choices to squad teammates.

4. They really need to add the ability to fast forward through cinematics and cutscenes. While it is fine to watch through the first time, when and if you repeat a playthrough it sucks to be forced to wait through cinematics or cutscenes.

5. What about the Prothean sphere we got in the DLC for ME2. I had it at the end of ME2, but never got it back in ME3. I believe it would have been cool to have Javik explain what it's purpose was. Instead it is nowhere to be found.

6. It would have been nice to have the ability to further improve the Normandy in preparation for the Reaper war. Upgrading the Normandy in ME2 gave a feeling and level of immersion into the game where you really felt hands on in commanding the Normandy.

7. Last but far from least. Where was Harbinger !!! We heard a lot from him in ME2 but not one spoken line in ME3. All we got was a blast beam from him. It would have been nice to see more of a conflict between him and Shepard. I fully expected him to be the main boss to beat.

[sUiCiDeKiNgS13]

MORE JACK, bro's and bro-ettes. You guys developed such a rich and deep character in her and her back story that I just hate to see her being pushed off to the side to run with her students. I understand that she has a group to look after and she's more grown up with responsibilities, but now's the opportunity to expand on just how much she's changed since the Suicide mission. Maybe an optional character for a specific future campaign DLC. At least invite her to the Normandy.
.
Also, maybe a convo with Harbinger. Just so we can have the option to have a final F-you to him. I trust you guys. You made Jade Empire after all.

[darkelightnx01]

I feel that the main reason that the there is still a call for alternate endings, is the whole catalyst conversation around synthetics vs organics breaks the suspension of disbelief for the gamer. As it uses circular logic and a an argument that has already been disproven earlier in the game. So some minor tweaks without changing the final outcomes vastly would help. Changing the Reapers ultimate motivation (salvation from the coming dark energy problem) removing the Geth and EDI from the destroy option in concert with added cinematics addressing the war asset issue would go a long way to restoring that suspension of disbelief, but also retain the overall context of the finale.

[Rae0001]

Well first of all Bioware, thank you for a fantastic game series for the past 5 years.

Most of ME3 I found to be brillirant. The only changes throughout the game would be to fix some bugs. I had one where my shepard is talking to a squdmate but her face was looking away from the squadmate rather then AT the squadmate. Kind of awkward a little . I also want to point out about the journal which doesn't update which quests you have so half the time I was not sure if I got a certain item to complete a quest because the journal didn't update itself. I felt I didn't have as much choice or 'power' over the story as I did in the previous ME games. I think it's because of having less dialogue choices and I was ok with Shepard doing the talking on her own, but I wanted more say in some dialogue's and ask more questions to NPC's. Some of the facial expressions in the game I found to be a little 'monotone' in some conversations, mainly talking to squadmates on the Normandy. The voice acting is amazing but in some areas of the game it didn't show on the characters face.

That's all I can think of with bugs and little things so moving on to..yes...the ending .

What I dislike about the ending is pretty much what most fans have been saying such as our choices not making an impact on the final moments as well as our EMS not having too much of a difference, the three choices presented to us didn't make sense why would I want to control the Reapers to leave when I spent pretty much 5 years to destroy them? I wanted to finish the game with a more epic battle! Like using the crucible to find a weakness in the Reapers and use that to blow them away. (Thats one ending I'd liked to have)  I don't see the point of child AI either again it made no sense.

Now on to the extended cut DLC. I think you make the right choice making it free and I want to say a few things I'd like or hope to see:

Closure: yes I like more closure even though I didn't like the endings at all but if you bring sense to the endings, my hats off to you Does higher EMS mean everybody more or less survives in any of the endings? I heard EDI can Survive in the destroy ending I'm not sure but if she can just clarify if she can! (The Geth too!) Can the galaxy still travel without relays? Can everybody get back home? Who lives and who dies? If Shepard survives, how and does she/he get back to Earth (unless it is IT) does Shepard reunite with his/her crew if they survived? Does the Normandy get back home as well (and these are depending on EMS I beileve) Why was the Normandy fleeing? Is the Citadel habitable or can be repaired or the relays for that matter? That's the closure people would like to see. Some might not but I think most would (these guys in these videos do!    )

So many questions to be answered or I like to see answered sorry that it's long post. Bioware you have done amazing games in the past and I hope it isn't the end of ME series. Hopefully the extended cut will make everything a lot better and makes more sense of the endings but I won't hold high hopes because...well the first time I saw the endings was like a slap into a brick wall. These are just my opinions, nothing special. So good luck and I look forward to the extended cut this summer.

[Edit] Re-worded some sentences.

Modifié par Rae0001, 13 avril 2012 - 01:52 .

[sUiCiDeKiNgS13]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This dude is one of the more level headed poeple with concerns. Don't let all the abrasive hate get to you. We still appreciate you guys and the game....and Jack.

Modifié par sUiCiDeKiNgS13, 13 avril 2012 - 08:50 .

[Jassu1979]

If you need to explain your ending, then that's a VERY strong indicator that it's no good to begin with.
Adding further explanations and filling in gaps might provide a *slight* sense of improvement, but it cannot really undo what's gone wrong.

So why do you keep defending your broken ending? "Artistic Integrity" is such a poor PR-phrase. I doubt that anyone involved with writing the rest of the game or the series could look at those final five minutes and then declare them not only appropriate, but an excellent and fitting conclusion to the series that must not be changed at any cost.
Unless, of course, you have a BIG revelation waiting in the wings, and simply want more players to experience the game before springing the trap.