7052 réponses à ce sujet

[ReavousX]

It's great to see the community rallying here. So many people have expressed the same feelings and concerns I have, so I'll toss this in.

Visual and interactive media like film and video games are about showing/doing, not telling. This is one of the cardinal rules, yes? Although I don't like the endings presented, I'd be a lot more accepting if we actually got to see what plays out after our decision.

I'd even settle for a Dragon Age: Origins style written epilogue. I'd love to see that (preferable in the form of cutscenes rather than text) included after altering/adding something to the ending(s) that brings it up to the standard that millions of fans across the world hold Bioware to.

It's the ending of a trilogy, and the conclusion of Shepard's epic tale. If you believe the backlash is due to Shepard not having a "happy" ending then you're very misled...it's that after hours of gameplay across three games, the resolution concluded no more than 2 minutes after the climax. The trilogy deserves better, and we know Bioware is capable of greatness, it's right there throughout the vast majority of ME3.

[kent80082006]

My sister said she doesn't care about the ending as long as you guys make James Vega a possible romantic interest, or at least make one of his costumes shirtless, then she will die a happy woman, just to let you guys know

Modifié par kent80082006, 17 mars 2012 - 06:09 .

[Dayard-Tira]

Greeting ladies and gentlemen of at Bioware, all First I want to apologize in advance for my English which is more than mediocre, I'm Belgian.

I'm a fan of dale with KOTOR games since 2003 and since I'm almost worth all games (Baldur's Gate Mass Effect Neverwinter through, Jade Empire and Dragon Age) and I love it all, even Dragon Age II if it is not equal to his big brother is very pleasant ... They call me a fan boy I did cure.

With this Mass Effect 3 you made me laugh and cry, the game is very good overall despite a lack of choice in the dialogue, I find (special mansion for the "investigation" which has disappeared). We feel the impact of no choices in ME1 and ME2 ME3.
BUT, because there is a big but, I find the end that you impose on us all just a **** (pardon my language). She is full of inconsistencies and does not reflect any choice made earlier!

I cried at the end of Mass Effect 3 but not because this is beautiful and even touching, I cried with anger frustration and resentments. I have a fifteen part exported in ME3 but what good anyway since I get the same result no matter what I did in this game? What good is because whatever happens I would not know what happens to my romance, my companions and the other race? Why, because I would have no valid rampion the Reapers and their creations?
With these purposes you kill the very principle of Mass Effect which is based on the repercussions of the choices.

Now I see that you are always worth listening to a fan and I rejoiced greatly, so here's what I would expect to see in the end of this fabulous saga that is Mass Effect:

- I would have wanted even recruited all the strength in action. For example mercenaries and mechas of Aria, the SPECTRE, strength and Drell Anari, the cruiser Volus, tanks on legs Elcore, the geth, etc ...

- I would love that really prepares the battle as in ME2. We can decide to place the unit or Jack, Samara / Morinth, Jakob, Kaidan short of all former and current No. squadmates. And these choices affect not only the battle for the survival of said squadmates.
Hackett could have that excuse is as if we know that our best men we would know better how to use them.

- Manichean choices as to the Virmire would also be welcome. For example we decide to sacrifice the unity of such a line to save another.

- That the death of our two squadmates during the final sprint to the Citadel is not inevitable, whether caused by a bad choice on our part or because we do not have enough aillions increase their shields in the stats by instance.

- I wish we could put more questions to the catalyst as well. Ask who or what "we" who created the Reapers. Ask him which allows him to assert that Geths will necessarily turn against us while we always wanted with the pais Quariens.

- When the final decision added a fourth option. That the catalyst to send the pink and decide to try our luck with the Reapers without him, if our ware acef is high enough we beat them with heavy loss and if it is too low the Reapers won the high hand and the century begins.

- Correct the inconsistency of style: Anderson has not a scratch when he has taken the same rays that Shepard's death when squadmates final rune priest in the Normandy area of ​​nothing (they don ' not even the area and more sad, then they just lost Shepard). The fact that Shepard has to survive the explosion of the Citadel and then has his crash on earth (lol No but what, already he / she failed to survive to that of SR1 as he / she had a armor intact so you can imagine with armor are completely destroyed?).

- What you should do according to the epilogue no choice, we learn that is happening to our romance, our companions and other races. One may like DAO made.

Finally you'll understand what I want is more choice and more of these choices have consequences. I do not want to end all pink or all the world is beautiful, everyone is telling. But I want at least one end allows Shepard has to survive and to cast a quiet day with her friends and romance if they survived, or contrary to depreciate if pushed into it are all dead.


Sincerely, a fan sad but full of hope.

Modifié par Dayard-Tira, 18 mars 2012 - 05:53 .

[Blackmind1]

I just expected more visual recognition from a Bioware game. Even 3 very different scenes attached to each choice would have done right by me.

Control The Reapers:
-Leave Earth, never come back
-Decide it's best to finish the cycle for the good of the galaxy

Two vastly different cutscenes, depending on choice.

I know some will say destruction is out of character for Shepard, but what most are forgetting is how every player plays differently. I believed that what The Reapers were doing was right. Come the ending, I would have chosen to let them continue.

[agathokakological]

We want a revision of the ending, a continuance, that rewards players in the final bout. Watching your choices from the previous two games culminate in the third was great, wonderfully executed. However, the game cannot end on the sour note it does now, with none of those choices being acknowledged when it matters the most.

The fans like the indoctrination theory for a number of reasons: First of all, it's the kind of beautiful twist we have come to expect from the fantastic writers at Bioware. It's that kind of writing that makes us fall in love with all of your games, especially Mass Effect.

Also, it makes more sense to the players, especially now that there is such a huge following gathering clues, whether or not you even intended them, that lend themselves as evidence of this theory. As a writer myself, I understand the appeal of an open ending, but it's always a big gamble that can only pay off under the right set of circumstances. I respect that you took that leap, it was very bold and definitely not what we expected. You obviously had the best of intentions. Now all that we're asking is that you recognize that the fans did not like this approach, and it has left a taint on the series for long-time fans. To leave this ending the way it is would put a taint on all the hard work you've put towards these games. No one wants that.

This game was a masterpiece. Truly, it showed the best of what Bioware can do. No one is discrediting your work. But Shepard's war against the Reapers feels incomplete, because of brevity, lack of clarity, lore errors, and lack of respect for all of the choices that players were able to make that made Mass Effect such a great trilogy. The last fifteen minutes feel like a completely different game.

You have made a masterpiece with Mass Effect, one that will never be forgotten. But right now, how it will be remembered, is entirely in your hands.

Make us proud.

Make yourselves proud.

[DeadLetterBox]

It's important that you understand our basic complaint. There seems to be a misconception that the primary issue most of us had is that Shepard died.

The fact that after a week of people posting on the forum you can come out and say that like you still believe it upsets me. It shows that you are not hearing us. More pre-ending missions will not do anything to make us feel better about the ending. It seems from what you have said you are still convinced that the ending you forced on us, the a,b, or c choice where most of us were unhappy with all three, were simply epic and if you give us enough time it'll sink in.

I'll say it again. We don't like the ending because nothing we did mattered in the end. Nothing. The galaxy was not saved in any recognizable form, whether you chose a, b, or c. In fact, nothing you did during the game affected choice a,b, or c except war assets affecting whether Earth was on fire or, I hear, the synthesis option being available. And all of those options were bad. The ending felt tacked on. It was not in line with the story you were telling. And you effectively destroyed the entire galaxy in the process. No matter which option you chose. The mass relays shut down, and nothing will get better for a very long time.

You think you gave us something epic to think about. We do not care what the NY Times thinks, or any other reviewer. We disagree. The thing that has always made BioWare great was humility and a drive to do better. When I first came on this forum after beating the game and saw that a great many people were discussing the ending in a calm and rational matter, I had hope. Right up until today, when I saw the post from Casey Hudson. That's when I realized that our point has not gotten across.

You wanted a bittersweet ending? You thought it was acceptable in a game series sold on the concept of choice to force that on us no matter what? Okay. I don't agree, but okay. This ending was not bittersweet. It was just bitter, because we didn't save anything. No matter what we did, we did not save the galaxy in any recognizable form. I spent a hundred and twenty hours per playthrough (minimum) trying to save the galaxy and all I got was an ending that was out of place with the rest of the game series and a galaxy in ruins.

I did not think it was necessary for Shepard to die in every ending, it's true. I thought there was more than enough sacrifice already. Besides, Shepard has died already. I was prepared for it, though. What I was not prepared for was not being able to save the galaxy in any recognizable form. I was not prepared for an ending that presented me with options that were virtually the same and in *no way* set up by the rest of the three-game series. You may have thought it was set up, but this reaction shows that you didn't do it effectively at all.

Oh, and I really want you to put out a patch blocking that horrible scene where the grandfather is talking to his grandson. I'm totally serious about that. It was like salt in an open wound.

[lookingglassmind]

I'm frightened, literally *frightened* that you didn't plan the Indoctrination Theory, BioWare.

When Byne, BlackDragonBane, and myself came together to create our forum on this theory, we knew in our hearts that you had become the most epic gaming company of all time. You had elevated yourself beyond our ability to comprehend (but not insanely appreciate with all of our souls). We thought, and still hope, that you had finally done what no other company has ever done in history.

But reading Mr. Hudon's vacuous statement makes me terrified that we may have outsmarted you. And I just can't believe that is true. It would be arrogant to assume that we could have done that, and it would be arrogant to assume that you could not have done what we thought you did.

ME has proven itself as a cut above the rest. The endings have the potential to lodge the series into the annals of gaming and storytelling for all time. The indoctrination theory gives it this edge.

Please, don't prove us wrong, BioWare. Please, give us the satisfaction of giving you our trust.

[bloodstalker1973]

On the chance that my reply doesn;t get swallowed by the thread, I'll put my thoughts here.

First, yes I had problems with the endings. But not completely because Shepard died. I understand the way the game was playing out, so I knew going in that the odds of Shepard making it through were low unless there was an option where you did everything perfect. I also figured there would be destruction on the galactic level in a lot of instances. The Reapers were that kind of threat, so it's not the dark tone of the endings I had a problem with. I'll just list out what I thought could have been done better to try and keep this readable and not a wall of text. I also want to say upfront that everything up until the actual kid thing was amazing. Honestly, like some people have mentioned, if the ending had left off with Shepard and Anderson staring out the window, even if one or both were dying and included some kind of overview of the state of the galaxy after the fat, I would have been mostly happy.

* The end was a bit abrupt to me. Once the decision was made, it really is only a couple scenes. None of the scenes was really satisfying to me at least. I understand this was Shepard's story. But the nature of the game was that Shepard story embraced a lot of different people. Now, this is partly because, to be honest, BioWare is pretty much the best company around for writing characters.  That's on you for making us care so much about characters like Garrus, Tali, and on down the line, but that's not really a flaw now, is it? But what it means is, we as players become as much, sometimes more, invested in the characters orbiting Shepard as we do Shepard. So at the end, even if people, including Shepard, wind up dead, we still have an interest in the fates of the characters we've grown to care about over three games. Some more explanations, even in text epilogues ala DA, would have helped greatly.

** Some of the ending scenes were confusing. primarily for me the scenes with the crew disembarking the Normandy. It was confusing for people to have squad members with us in London, who we assumed died on the last run to the beam, show up in that cut scene. For me it was Ashley. It felt odd, and out of sync. if time had lapsed while before Shepard woke up, which I admit had to happen, it would have helped to show at least very brief explnation of how  those character wound up back on the Normandy and not among the pile of bodies surrounding Shepard when he wakes up.

*** The kid at the end. It felt like it came too far out of left field. You can see how odd it was by the fact that many people assumed it was Indorctrination. It didn;t make sense, and seemed like a convenient plot device to wrap up the game without dealing with all the multitude of factors involved in 3 games worth of choices. So, as a whole, I just didn;t like that character. However, even with that, having a greater range of choices presented would have helped people overlook it. I know there was a statement out pre-launch about this game not coming down to A B AND C to end it, but it really felt like that's what happened. Again, it may not have been the intention of BW to make it look that way, but that is honestly the way it feels.

**** Pacing. Up until the final mad dash, I was on the edge of my seat. It was that involving. Once i actually made it past the defending the missle launcher part, which killed me a few times. Which, even though I died, was still amazing mind you. But once Shepard woke up, the best way i can explain it is it's like the game was flowing along at a breakneck speed and it ended with the underwater walking scene from KotOR. By that I mean is slowed to a crawl. I understand slowing things down to build tension, but I thought it slowed down just a bit too much. It reminded me of going to a rock concert and having the band play an amazing set, and end with a couple of ballads.

***** More variety in the end would have been appreciated. It's been said before, but even knowing that the end had thre completely different outcome as far as detrouying synthetics, control or mergin was done, they were presented in such a fashion that they felt the same. Intellectually I understand the consequences of my actions. But emotionally, which was the driving factor in my playing the game, I didn't feel it. It was the same cut scenes regardless of the choice you make, with the only thing changing is whether the reapers fell over or flew away in once scene. Again, intellectually, yes, I understand the implications. But emotionally, they all were so similarly presented that it left the same feeling and there was no emotional attachment to differentiate the endings.

****** More outcomes. As I said, I don;t need a happy ending to be happy. In DA:O, I actually prefer to have my Warden die because it feels "right" to the story as i see it. But it is still nice to have a choice. I had several saves ready to go for ME3. I had one designated as my "Screwed it all up" save, and one as my "Did everything right" save. That's half the fun, seeing what decisions matter to the ending, not just the meat of the game. And I admit, the impact of decisions on several plotlines were satisfying to me. An example being the way you can get the Geth and the Quarians to come together, or destroy one or the other. But at the end, it is a role playing game, and not everyone wants what I want. So I would like to see endings ranging from happy to disasterous available. To me, BW is basically acting as DM for these games. They create the story, design everything, but, since this is a role playing experience, I think people want ending available to their character that wouldn;t be important in other styles. If ME was a straight shooter, that's one thing. but in RPG's, I think it's important to make endings a bit more open to player input.

Now, so this doesn;t come accross as all negative, and because if changes do come I think you should know what you did perfectly IMO I'll end with this:

* Characterizations- as always, BW did an unbelievable job with this. All of the last conversations on earth were amazing and kept me engaged. Honestly, talking to my squadmates just before heading out did a lot to reaffirm my conviction to get this thing resolved. I wanted to deal with the Reapers the entire triology, after talking to Garrus, Ashley, Tali and everyone else, I NEEDED to deal with the Reapers. I don't know how you do it, but consistantly characterization in BW games is head and shoulders above any other company out there. Touch nothing there, don;t mess with perfection I say.

** Combat- I didn;t think BW could do combat shooter style when I first heard of ME. When i got ME1, I wasn't all that impressed, but the story sold me. When I got ME2, I was quite impressed with the progress you had made. Then, ME3 really impressed me. The progress really paid off here in London. The combat was amazing for me, and I absolutely do love everything about the ending up until the run to the beam.

*** even after the beam, I still have to admit that, in spite of the slower pacing, things happened that I liked.  The conversation with TIM was well done, and after he was dead, that final talk with Shepard and Anderson was a real point where I was starting to get that "Oh yeah" feeling. Anderson died, but that didn;t bother me because the emotional impact of the scene provided all i needed to make his death work for me. Right up until the elevator, I really liked the emotional impact of the dialogues.

So those are my thoughts. For me, everything went downhill after Anderson died. This was because the endings were too similarly presented, with too few options, and no real emotional connetction to any of them because the game seemed to assume just a little to much that my only concern was Shepard. Intellectually aware of the differences? Yes. Emotionally satisfied with them? No. I wanted to see some of the emotion of my squadmates if they lived, and wanted to know if they died. I wanted to see the impact Shepard left, not just from an intellectual standpoint, but from an emotional one. If my Shepard died, I at least wanted to see the impact he had, not have to imagine it for myself. I can do that of course, and it might be intellectually stimulating to engage in the activity, but ME was all about emotion for me, and I wanted to see and feel what my actions were on the galaxy, not just ponder them.

Anyway, if you waded through all of this, then thanks for reading. I've been a BW fan since Baldur's Gate, and I really do think Mass Effect is one of the best things BW has done since those  two games. I hope you get the feedback you need, and I hope that changes are coming, not just because I want them, but because I think it is a shame for such a great trilogy to end on a note with so many fans unsatisfied. I'll be honest here, the reason your core fanbase is so vocal on this is not because they hate you. It's because you're the best developer around when it comes to character driven games. Hell, you are about the only company doing character driven things anywhere near this level. I've come to expect a level of exellence from BioWare that I don't expect from other companies because, for the most part, that's what you give me. So I hope something can be done to bring everyone involved some satisfaction in this instance. And again, thanks for listening.

[Blackmind1]

lookingglassmind wrote...

I'm frightened, literally *frightened* that you didn't plan the Indoctrination Theory, BioWare.

When Byne, BlackDragonBane, and myself came together to create our forum on this theory, we knew in our hearts that you had become the most epic gaming company of all time. You had elevated yourself beyond our ability to comprehend (but not insanely appreciate with all of our souls). We thought, and still hope, that you had finally done what no other company has ever done in history.

But reading Mr. Hudon's vacuous statement makes me terrified that we may have outsmarted you. And I just can't believe that is true. It would be arrogant to assume that we could have done that, and it would be arrogant to assume that you could not have done what we thought you did.

ME has proven itself as a cut above the rest. The endings have the potential to lodge the series into the annals of gaming and storytelling for all time. The indoctrination theory gives it this edge.

Please, don't prove us wrong, BioWare. Please, give us the satisfaction of giving you our trust.

Even if they did put it in now, all the surprise would be gone. It would lose its edge, and it would just fizzle out completely. That idea has been ruined.

[madmanx25]

As for me I would like a multiple amount of endings based of descions you made and the resources you have gathered. Here are some examples if I was to do it.(Note. This is a bit long and I don't cover everything. Just an idea to show you what you can do.)
I'd like the endings to be different in the resource gather like this:

LOW amount- Sheperd dies, Crew dies, Earth destroyed, Reapers stopped, galaxy saved. Barely.

Medium amount- Sheperd lives but is a vegetable. He is hooked up to a hospital bed and is visited by his love interest or If they die before the citidel you are visited by Joker (with Edi if still she's alive). After having him talk to sheperd.
-If Sheperd had a High paragon level. They find that his mind can be restored partially because of his implants (Because he was a mostly good guy, Karma has blessed him with a miracle), but is crippled and cannot fight anymore, has trouble moving, but can understand and love his LI. In the epiloge The old man tells the boy he lived till his death in peace.
-If Sheperd has a medium paragon and renegade level. They find his mind can be restored partially but after must live in a home because he is severlly handycaped and can only faintly remeber anyone.(Karma has blesses him with a miracle but has taken into account how much wrong he did and left him a permament child) his LI (if alive) or Joker visit him. Saddened by the fact of how unlike himself he is, but is given hope when he brieflly shows that he is still in there and responds to their grieving.(This also contributes to the theme of always having hope in the darkest of times that is in the series)
-High Renegade. The visiter to him (LI or Joker) Is told that he cannot be restored because his implants did not fuse with him properly and his brain could not be restored (Karma making him pay for his past deeds) Sheperd is a vegetable and you are given a sad good bye with tears as Visiter pulls the plug and his heart goes dead. The visiter grieves and the scene fades to black. We hear the visiter's cries in the blank screen. Then goes silent, ending credit music begins, and credits roll.

High amount-
Sheperd lives, almost everyone lives. Sheperd has final good bye scene with surviving crew members. Shows scene with what happens to the people you meet. Ends with a scene with LI together in their home, years later, Sheperd, telling stories to his children and his LI looks to him with a smile on their face.(Tali shows her face!!!!!!!!!!!!!! wink, wink) fade to black. Run Credits. If no LI alive or at all then he is put in permanent command of the Normandy and continues to serve the galaxy.

Full Amount- Same scene but everyone Lives.

Now there should also be other differences that a shown from the choices you made added to the ones you get. (If I save the Rachni queen, show what happens.)
These endings don't have to be at the end of the game if you have an idea for post-game dlc. Hell they could be the endings for the dlc. Just give us endings like these so they cover what everyone wants and likes to happen.

P.S.
Other then your ending, the game was Perfect.
Oh and because the game has a battle in london and references to WW2, You should have a quote from Churchill in it. Like the "Fighting them on the beaches" one.

[TK-The-Hedgehog]

I have very many problems with the story...per Jessica Merizan's request I will make this post VERY detailed...I would like my post to be read and carefully looked at...this is a huge waste of valuable time for me, and I want to be taken seriously. I work 2 full time jobs, and go to school full time. I actually took 2 days off work for the first time in two years just to play mass effect 3 without any interruptions/distractions. (never done that before for any other game) I was at the gamestop in north Las Vegas (craig and mlk) at 10PM PST and stayed until 12:30am just to get it as soon as I could and start my story. I've purchased Hats, Mugs, T-shirts, hoodies from the bioware store just to support the mass effect franchise. (I want that neat xbox 360 controller, but they took it down ;-; )


_____________________________
NON-ESSENTIAL INFORMATION (my gaming background and history with the mass effect series.)
_____________________________

Just to give you a little history about me and my mass effect experience:

I first came into the series back in 07/08. I didn't have much money back then, horrible economy. part time jobs. Priorities and whatnot. Gaming had taken a HUGE turn for the worst...no new star wars KotOR or Battlefront games announced. Sonic The Hedgehog games declined in appeal, need for speed games started to become...well stupid...and virtually ALL my friends were either obsessed with halo or call of duty. this was (and still is) the WORST period for gaming. To make a long story short...desperate for a solid gaming experience that wasn't diluted or cliche'd...I came across mass effect at the local hollywood video (before they went out of business.) I just looked at the case and cover art, saw the "bioware" logo, and proceeded to the checkout. (I don't believe in looking at game reviews...game reviewers have ruined gaming..they're all biased, and if it isn't a shooter...it isn't good in their eyes.) When I got home an played mass effect... I instantly fell in love. It was like KotOR but to the 10th power. I was working multiple jobs at the time, so I didn't have much time to play. I rented the game at least 10 times before I actually saved up the money to buy it and had time to play it.... Once I beat it...I felt empty...the game was pretty short, and the story was honestly forgettable....but once I heard "m4 - part 2" played by Faunts during the ending credits.... I knew that mass effect and I would have a life-long bond (similar to me and the sonic the hedgehog franchise) After the credits rolled..I was literally in tears. The song fit the game so much. The lyrics "will you redeem my life again" makes me think of Ashley and how I left her on Virmire to die....Mass effect had touched me in a way that no other game has...

I said all that to say this: Mass Effect means a lot to me. It means worlds....literally, to me.
When I played part 2...some changes were made to the game...but then I had to realize that yes, this is ONLY a game...so I got over it with minimal-to-no-complaints. I do remember asking for more love interest options (made the occasional joke about Garrus laying eggs...I also remember some idiot on these very forums spoiling the ending for everyone by repeating "THE COLLECTORS ARE PROTHEANS"....idiot..). I beat mass effect 2 and I as devastated...my entire squad....died...

...

I sat there for at least 20 minutes with my jaw open wide...but I was happy...I knew that SOMEhow, SOMEway, I had screwed up...MY DECISIONS effected the outcome of the game. So I replayed it and just miranda, mordin, and legion died. meh, I'm okay with that..they're all new people that I really didn't trust/care about. lol. My point here is: I shaped the game...I taylored it to MY wishes...my only gripe/complaint was that I didn't get to spend time with Liara, my love interest. However this issue was fixed in later DLC.

So i'm super busy, working full time jobs...school I don't have time to game, really. I buy a few here and there but there are some that Ive had for years that are still shrinkwrapped...never even opened because i've always been so busy or pre-occupied. (I never take a day off work...ever...work 7 days a week for the past 2 years...even when I caught mono and was in the hospital, my laptop, 3g stick, and a fax was always near-by.)



_______________________________
THE SECONDARY POINT (why I feel the way I do about the current ending)
_______________________________



So Mass Effect 3 is announced. I pre-ordered the collectors edition right away. it's released. I'm playing it at 1am on a school night... I'm in LOVE with the game...a few things rub me the wrong way: Lack of conversation choices. (you got an average of 4-5 choices in the previous games, in ME3 you get an average of 2 or 3.) You can't put your gun away and the camera stays off-center throughout the entire game...this is a pet-peeve but...for bioware, I'd never sweat the small stuff.

So I take my time (make sure I do everything right this time lol) I prepare for war, I deal with nightmares, I gather forces. I cure the genophage. I save the quarian fleet. I destroy the geth. I kill 2, not one but 2! reapers. I make new friends....sadly I cheated on Liara <.< (she says "I know you've taken up with [a new LI] and we'll talk about it later." but we never do talk about it...I found that dissapointing) and I manage to somehow avoid punching an on-board reporter thats been on my ship the whole time (I completely forgot about her...and why can't we ever see what she's reporting? how are we supposed to know if we need to kick her off the ship? her news shows never air anyware on the citidel. <.<)

I've accomplished ALL this and now it comes down to the moment of truth...I'm running towards a beam of light to get to the "catalyst" citidel...a reaper intercepts me and my squad. I'm watching people being vaporized left and right. I'm making a dash for it as fast as I can. I have to activate the crucible...it WILL work. I have to save everyone thats sacrificing so much for Earth. I'm running so fast that I appear to leave my squadmates behind.

So far I am still IN ABSOLUTE LOVE with this story. It gets an 11 out of 10 from me, T.K. The Hedgehog.

then it happens. ...

the reaper shoots in my general direction and im now running in slow motion for some reason..The reaper aims directly at me and shoots the ground in front of me (not directly at me, fyw) and the screen fades out. Did shep just die? is that it? no hope for Earth or the rest of the galaxy?

nope. I wake up, disoriented and armor-less. that was one HELL of a shield that came with that armor, apparently. I stagger towards the light... slowly. I make it in. So does anderson, what a relief. this place is creepy. (plothole 1: how did anderson reach the platform before I did?) anderson is standing at the control panel awkwardly...somethings not right here. (plothole 2: yes, we all knew that the illusive man had control of the citidel, but how did he get to where we were? can he fly?) After an annoyingly obtrusive conversation with the illusive man, one where I hardly get to make any decisions in....I am presented with a plot twist...The illusive man isn't crazy/dedicated to his version of human rights....no....he's indoctrinated all of a sudden...I didn't see that one coming, honestly. Not sure how I feel about it TBH.

After he dies (no matter what you choose/don't choose...and that was TOTALLY predictable, him dying like that... <.<) I open up the arms to the Citidel/Catalyst/I thought it was a giant MASS RELAY FOR REAPER TRANSPORTATION ACCORDING TO MASS EFFECT 1. I'm standing on a platform in open space. I see the battle rage...the crucible finally docks.

Oh my gosh. The moment of truth. nearly 10 years in the making...all my choices and experiences come down to this. but wait it's all too easy...there has to be a catch, right? What IS this weapon? is it a reaper-blasting laser? is it a nuclear war device that will kill us AND the reapers? is it a radio signal that renders them useless? or even better, does it turn the citidel into a giant fan sucking the reapers into oblivion? [not likley] these are all my ideas that were swirling around in my head. [the suspense during the docking scene was fantastic by the way.]

So the crucible docks, and shep is losing consciousness...I wonder how he's even made it thus far.I'm met with a radio signal that says: "the crucible isn't doing anything. you need to do something on your end." I aimlessly try to reach the control panel but fail...im too weak. I was just shot by a reaper. [plot hole 3: how does one LIVE after being shot by a reaper? I saw people being desinegrated...but then again I wasn't hit directly by the laser.] I pass out right in front of the console. [plot hole 4: why does he happen to pass out RIGHT on top of a lift?] Some while light makes me rise to a platform above...and i'm met by a VI of the little boy that I saw get killed back in America...[plot hole 5: why the hell is this little boy here? APPARENTLY I must be having another nightmare? right? YES! THATS IT! THIS IS ALL ANOTHER NIGHTMARE!] after a boring, IROBOT styled conversation with this little brat, I discover that the crucible isn't even a weapon...it's a "reality check" for the god/kid/VI....thus confirming that this is a nightmare....

The crucible makes the VI "realize" that there are other solutions than to allow the cycle to continue...you can use the crucible to A) control the reapers. Destroy ALL synthetic life (including EDI, Reapers, Geth and my iphone's Siri app ;- or C) merge all humans with synthetics for no apparent reason at all. all of which, you die at the end and the mass relays get destroyed. (unless you have maxed out military power, then that somehow let's you survive if you choose ending B.)

So then I make my choice....sort of.. I limped helplessly towards what I THOUGHT was the destroy ending (it was, blue afterall lol) and then I saw the electricity around the handles....so I said "oops, this is the wrong one." I turned around to go to the REAL destroy ending...and guess what...I CAN'T! I'm STUCK for some reason. is this a glitch? I can't turn around and choose another option. I can only limp helplessly toward the ending that I DO NOT WANT TO CHOOSE. I CAN'T CONTROL MY OWN TWO LEGS? THAT MUST MEAN THAT THIS IS A NIGHTMARE, RIGHT?! (especially considering that i've had nightmares like that in real life lol)

so then I just go with it...because I have to.... and then this magical light destroys all the mass relays and the reapers fly away helplessly...and I die...helplessly...and then...the normandy crashes on an unknown planet helplessl----wait...wait wait wait [plothole infinity: HOW/WHERE/WHY was the normandy not in the battle at Earth like the entire story/cutscenes implies? why is joker in a mass relay jump?] it makes ZERO sense! what just happned?! the door opens and then the credits roll. we may see shepherd's body in a pile of rubble (on Earth) then he breathes to life..[plothole infinity +1: how the hell did shepherd get back to earth...theres no way he could have been blown to earth...no way he could have gotten there...unless...yes! he was knocked out after the reaper blast and this is all STILL a nightmare! :D]


I'm devastated. this time my jaw is wide open but theres no real reaction....(but wait, Bioware is crafty...there will be something after the credits since that was all just a nightmare...)

AHA!! I was right! I knew it! *points at screen, then claps loudly(keep in mind its 5am 2 days later I have work in 2 hours.)*

some old guy is telling his kid about "the shepherd" then I get an advertisment about DLC and a lie about how shepherd is a "legend"... what...happened to my squad? what about my love interest(s)? what about....the galaxy? What about anything? O_O

*title screen shows up* I threw the controller to the ground like a little baby (the D-pad broke off by the way....so thanks for that bioware...now I can't play mortal kombat. <.<) then I hugged my knees and cried like a baby because this has been the worst gaming experience in my entire life... I thought sonic the hedgehog 2006 was bad...but no, they at least lived up to their cannon....Mass effect 3 dumped theirs in the last 10 minutes of the game... I'm devistated...im completely depressed and I know I will be for at least a few months... my controller is broken...I've been RAVING about this game to my co-workers...but when I got to work...they asked "how was your little space game?" and I just shrugged and walked away... then they asked "whats wrong??" and I honestly just looked up at them with a tear and said "sorry, ive got some personal problems at home"

my personal problem was mass effect 3.

yeah, so what if I'm a big old whining baby....this game impacted me positively years ago...when I cried for ashley during the ending credits...i was honestly crying because that game was the best ive played in YEARS! they were tears of joy! this time, the game impacts me negatively and I cry tears of sorrow.

Can it be fixed? no. I don't believe it can. I am forever scarred by mass effect 3's ending and honestly I feel like selling my xbox, and all it's games. I have no reason to even keep it. I'm too busy and this game just confirmed that there is no hope for gamers out there that are like me: I want a good story and a good experience. and I want to be able to have FUN.

call of duty will never be that. not for me.


_______________________________________
THE MAIN POINT (what needs to happen as soon as possible via DLC or auto-update)
_______________________________________

so after all that, my long story of ups and downs, I will end it like this:
IF the game could be salvaged...it needs to be done like this:

1) from the reaper blast onwards....it should be another nightmare. Shep should wake up either on the normandy (in the arms of his LI) or on Earth at the alliance base in the UK (he should wake up around military personnel and radio chatter to simulate the effects of the nightmare)

2) (since the indoctrination theory seems to fit the ending more than my nightmare theory) from the reaper blast onwards....it should be an indoctrination attempt. Shep should wake up in a med bay either on the normandy or on earth. His love interest should be by his side as well as ANDERSON (he shouldn't have died). The "destroy" ending, with maximum military readiness should be the official cannon ending since the other two endings lead to death/full reaper indoctrination.

3) when the game is over (after the credits roll) we should be able to explore the galaxy with our [surviving] squad-mates and our Love interest(s). We should be able to have dates at various locations at the citidel. We should be able to visit devastated worlds and help them rebuild/clear out the remaining husks/ground reaper forces.

4) Make the crucible a weapon again...not a tool. I understand that you guys want to have a plot twist...and thats okay...do something unique though. Make the crucible malfunction...the protheans were wrong. Maybe make javik sacrafice himself in order to make it work properly...if the player doesn't have the javik DLC or not enough military strength then use shepherd to die in his place.

5) give the squad members bigger roles! what are they doing to help? we know what EDI did/is doing to help. what about all the others? we still have to drink a bottle of brandy with Dr. Chakras. We have to help the galaxy rebuild...WITH the use of the mass relays...theres no way that they should get destroyed because of the crucible's little light show..

6) SHOW US what happens to the galaxy. Even if Shepherd dies...Let's get the reaction of admiral hacket...the reaction of other worlds. The reaction of...well ANYONE. we don't get to see ANYTHING at all.. this was worse than a cliff hanger...it was a cliff jumper! we don't find out ANYTHING!

7) LOVE INTEREST!!! okay, i can't believe im going here, but you introduce 3 new possible romances for ME3 (well 4 if you count Male-ShepxKaidan) and we hardly get to spend ANY time talking to them or getting to know them. I want to be able to just free roam and visit worlds with them...go on DATES at various locations and just...hang out with them. Dance at clubs. It doesn't always have to be about sex..what are you trying to teach younger gamers? (I know it's rated M but still..theres an "M" in Morals...but besides the point.)

8) I cheated on Liara...and she said that we'd "talk about it later" ... well the credits have rolled and the only thing she ever says to me now is: "hello shepherd." also, my new LI says "we should go eat lunch at the citidel soon." but when I get there...they're nowhere to be found.

9) make any DLC long and worth the money...please don't short change us. The Javik dlc was short, but I understand that we were just there to collect our new squadmate...future DLC's need to extend the life of the game. It's beatable in 2 days tops...Mass effect took me about 4-5 days. (especially since I had to go back)

10) lastly, just make it a quality game...leave no room for plot holes...we shouldn't have to say "wait...how the hell did joker get to a mass relay...and why the hell is shepherd back on earth...breathing?"

I for one, hope, wish, and pray that the indoctrination theory is true and bioware planned it all along, but the fact that this thread exists says otherwise. I've seen this happen to my most favorite franchise of all: Sonic The Hedgehog. I'd hate to to see the same thing happen to mass effect...splitting fanbase...irrelivant DLC. Lackluster games. and worst of all: horrible endings/climaxes.

so far this game has given me: 1) a broken controller, 2) a broken heart, and 3) a broken wallet...this game isn't cheap...we pay for quality not to get a rushed, poorly designed ending.

I hope this helps. Sorry for the long write up but hey, it WAS 10 years in the making

-T.K. The Hedgehog-

Modifié par TK-The-Hedgehog, 17 mars 2012 - 06:17 .

[CitizenSnips28]

Ending changes or clarification is a must. Alot of fans feel disconnected and disinterested in the ENTIRE three game series based strictly on the perception that very little you do will matter in the end, which is the last feeling in the world you want to create in your playerbase. The endings have indeed been polarizing but more than that, divisive. I have seen some extremely heated fighting between players who share a love of the game but have opposed opinions on the endings. Its like a nerdy, non violent civil war. People who would normally get along are now engaged in a passionate and ugly pissing match. To me, the best way to satisfy a majority of fans would be to try to implement an ending similar to Dragon Age Origins which allows you a couple choices leading to much different endings. Those who wished a triumphant hero ending could do so, though at a cost. The selfless on the other hand, may decide the cost is too great and sacrifice themselves for the greater good, allowing players a compelling reason to experience a more bittersweet ending. Finally I feel there needs to be closure and catharsis. It would be nice to see your love interest and friends again if shepherd lives, maybe with them asking what Shep plans to do now. If you chose sacrifice then it would be nice to see your friends honoring Shep. People seem to want different endings. Why not turn the choice system into a strength that allows most people to get what.they want. Finally I dont think it a good idea to make Sheps death hinge soon how good the game is played as I feel that would force players wanting a tragic noble sacrifice to view their ending as the "bad" ending.

[JaKaSa]

I don't need happy ending. Bittersweet where Shepard dies is ok for me. I understand how her/him not getting super happy ending will upset some people so I have nothing really againts it. Little bittersweet in my opinion is just better choice storywise, but I want to see that overall galaxy can get a "happy" ending that Shepard's decisions mattered. Closure about old and new squadmates atleast that they survived or if not how they died an were remembered and also some reference to some pretty minor decision in one of the games making difference. It can be vague, but some indication that some minor decision we did somewhere in 3 games made real difference in someones life. Contrasting even more "nothing mattered" ending. That would be nice to get, but I don't necessarily need to get all of it.

My problem with the endings is that they all feel exactly same. You mostly used exactly same cutscenes with different colors on them. What did you expect? There was too much left for imagination since all endings basicaly told us same story: reapers destroyed or leaving earth, crew stranded on some tropical forest, mass relays destroyed. We did not feel like anything we did really mattered it was still pretty much same on things that really mattered.

I did not want galactic dark age to happen since it takes away alot of attraction from replaying games and from whole mass effect universe, but I'm not saying that it is bad idea as "bad ending". I mean it can be in one of choices or something that happens only if you don't have enough war assets, but mass relays getting destroyed in every ending no matter what you do is not nice. It just takes attraction from mass effect universe.. which was for me exploring universe, meeting and communicating with different kinds of races and seeing different cultures. How they all lived together knowing that they are not alone in universe. Mostly even in peace with each other. Also lore problem of mass relays not destroying everything would have to be fixed or atleast clarified. Couldn't they just be switched off?

Normandy crashing on random planet with squadmates I had with me on earth.. does not make sense

Starchild's whole existence does not make much sense not to mention that faulty logic and Shepard accepting those options just like that was strange. Reaper's motivations would have been better left in dark than giving us synthetics killing organics to stop them from creating synthetics that may kill them.

To sum my problems:
Endings too similiar = it did not feel like making difference no matter what you chose
Galactic dark age is only option and takes away alot from attraction of mass effect universe.
Squadmates on normandy plot hole.
Starchild's logic aka reaper's motives.

I want closure something that gives pretty clear answers so we don't need to come up with theories like "it was just a dream". That was my take on what is wrong with current ending. Here is one idea of mine what would make nice ending, if it is changed:

1. No final choice atleast not like in current ending. War assets and past choices are what matters.. Crucible makes reapers somehow easier to defeat all over the galaxy. After chat with Anderson Shepard bleeds out watching the battle.. depending on amount of war assets/past choices he either watches winning battle in peace knowing that he succeeded or losing battle in desperation knowing that he failed to save galaxy and that cycle continues. After losing maybe something about how Liara's "black box" (dont remember what it actually was) and memory shard still continued Shepard's legacy to next cycle even when he failed. That info they gathered may not have saved them, but it gives fighting chance for next cycle. Possible scenes that indicate either success and victory or desperation and defeat on different planets like Thessia and Palaven (There still must have been some resistance like Anderson on earth). If reapers are losing Shepard could possibly be saved in time by squadmates and survive if some really minor condition is fullfilled or he could die (canon ending) as a hero. Minor condition meaning some random comment to squadmates so players can make decision how their Shepard's story ended.

Or you could take easy way out and just fix current ending plot holes, give better closure and make ending scenes more different from each other, because those 3 choices were pretty good ones as moral dilemmas. This would atleast "fix" it without going to change it too much, but it have to come with patch or some other dlc because as a standalone it does not seem much. Even DA:O style slideshow would be sufficient for me even though it would not be on same quality level with rest of game. All those were just basic ideas that probably need some fine tuning, but just remember where you failed on first endings and I trust you will do well.

Modifié par JaKaSa, 21 mars 2012 - 01:29 .

[Strimple]

I just want to start off saying, Knights of the Old Republic changed my gaming life forever. I had never had any interest in Role-Playing games before that...now it is my favorite genre of games and I run a weekly DnD game (yea, it changed me that much).

I have loved Bioware since that moment and have never thought to question you all as the premiere story tellers of our medium.

And everything in Mass effect 3 confirmed that for me. Mordin's death was gut wrenching and I teared up, but I pushed on. Thane's death was tragic, and Koylat telling you that the prayer was for you crushed me, but I pushed on. Legion's death was so taxing on me emotionally I actually had to stop playing, not because I didn't want to keep playing, but because I was just so emotionally drained I couldn't handle anymore.

The goodbye conversations on Earth were perfect, my heart began racing as the Earth mission started. I was both excited and horrified.

Even the non-story elements were outstanding. The design of the Banshees is still something I will never forgive you all for introducing to my nightmares, but they are very well done. Level designs were spot on, everything was either perfect or so minor that I was very easy to over look.

And then Harbinger showed up...

My immeadite reaction to the strategy "Run through the open field the Reaper is shooting his laser at" was, "What? Really? That's the best our military minds can go with? I can't even get a Mako for some protection for me and my crew?" Everything after that seemed like another game.

It has been said before but I'll say it again, I was expecting the Citadel mission to be similar (not the same) to the Collector Base. Me and all of my companions fighting our way through, assigning them different tasks, spllitting up, letting Garrus lead squad B, Tali hacking consoles (I know, its the same as the Collector Base, but you all are much better at this than me. Have the same feeling, but different at the same time).

But, I was willing to go with you. Shepard making his last stand alone. Potentially sacrificing himself, but we shall see.... I can express my confusion at what happened once I was on the Citadel. It felt like someone else was making the game at that point. The tone was just...off. And the Catalyst made no sense whatsoever. So much of what the galaxy had been fighting for during the past three games were just Deus Ex Machina'd.

I intentionally avoided all contact with the media leading up to the game so I could go in with a frsh open mind, and... I just don't know. I walked away from the game feeling dissappointed. It was a new feeling from you guys. I have had my issues with some games you have made (DA2 primarily), but they were overlooked because of how you all could craft a story, and Mass Effect 3 changed that. The story you ended up telling was a let down.

I just want resolution. I won't presume to tell you how to do it. I personally think the Indoc Theory is the easiest way to go, simply because we could pick up where we left off. But, it is ultimately your decision. All I ask is that we get the ending Shepard (not us, Shepard) deserves. Whether that be sacrificing himself, surviving with his Blue babies, taking control of the Reapers, Sacrificing other planets to save Earth, sacrificing Earth to save others, or better yet....all of the above. That's all I want, resolution.

And please please please...do not destory the Relays. At least not in all the endings. Give us a chance to save the galaxy as it is.

[Premier Bromanov]

I suppose it's too late to ask for more now, but some Jackolytes feel that there's not enough difference between Jack's friendship dialogue and her romance dialogue.  The Purgatory meeting has about two lines' difference between friendship dialogue and romance dialogue.  If you didn't know what you were listening to, you could mistake the romance-specific holo-conversation with Jack at the end of the game for friendship dialogue.  Looking at what the Liaramancers received, it makes me jealous, but happy for them.

Modifié par Premier Bromanov, 17 mars 2012 - 06:15 .

[seitani]

You guys have great ideas. Bioware asked our feedback and you are giving them whole groundwork of the brand new ending keep em up if this topic doesn't give them enough material to work on nothing will. Respect

[Jjynn]

I saw this in another thread, but track of it.  Anywho, I feel this sums up what I was looking for in the ending.

http://arkis.deviant...ILERS-289902125

In all honestly, I actually thought I was going to end up with the kind of ending listed above.  Emotionally, the one provided in the game release felt... apathetic.  It didn't move me at all.  Which is probably why I was moved to anger afterwards.  It just felt as though it came out of left field.  

I was actually starting to cry a bit when I saw Anderson and Shepard sitting there, comrades in arms, able to rest at last, now that their war was won.

And then it kept going and I was confused.

Anywho, I feel as though the over-reaching theme of synthetics vs. organics could have had more groundwork laid beforehand.  Additionally, the whole Geth / Quarian story arc is based on organic aggression against synthetics, which runs counter to how it is presented at the end. 

[Zomglaser27]

I loved ME3 - absolutely and whole heartedly loved it. Others have articulated what I feel needs to be done about the endings, so here's my two cents on war assets.


We were told that we could achieve the "best" ending on single player alone. I don't care if the ending are the same thing with different colored explosions, I want to get that "deep breath" scene. But I did every side mission, scoured every planet, listened to every ambient conversation, and still I am no where close to even 4000 EMS. I checked BSN to see if I had missed anything, but apparently many others have the same complaint. People have combed through the code to count the war assets, and there are simply not enough to achieve the 4000 or 5000 needed for "best" endings.
I have no problem with the multiplayer, I played the multiplayer with the demo and it was extremely fun. It's just that I don't have and xbox live gold account and I do not wish to buy a subscription for one game. Please allow those who don't have access to multiplayer or any of the apps the chance to get those endings.

[Nterl0k]

Too late for me to type out anything coherent and elegant, however many of the already posted comments echo my sentiments perfectly. Also see this article for exacting reasons behind our frustrations.

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

Also here for a wonderful post on the musings of a screenwriter.

http://social.biowar.../index/10022779

[Lollermancer]

First off, I want to thank the bioware team. You made the absolute greatest gaming trilogy of all time, the series should be looked upon as such. Other companies should strive to have their fan base so rabid for thier games and ideas, that they burst to tears and frustration when things get jumbled. Thank you.

When I concluded mass effect 3, I was in a stupor, the finality of mass effect did not hit home. I was in disbelief, not becuase I thought the ending was horrible, but more along the lines of true confusion. The game takes a radically different tone as you talk to the star child. Very dream like. Very not mass effect. 

I was in a state of shock, maybe because my favorite fiction ended, or maybe I was trying to digest the ending and rationalize it. The day after I was still stunned, I really lost a complete day of work, I did not do a single thing, I sat and I thought about mass effect all day. Whether it was intended or not,    you made me think.

And that was the single most over looked part of your ending to your game.

The slow and long walk to your final decision, was perfect, everystep, provked a thought: Am I doing the right thing? How can I justify my self to control such beings, that caused so many atrosties? (corpses everywhere) Could I become like them? . I will not! But maybe by controlling them I could some how undo the destruction they have caused? Maybe harness their destruction for good? Would it corrupt me? Or maybe we should all be assimilated to one doctrine. Force others to one mold? How could I?

While I walked one direction at first, I soon turned around an chose I a different path, argueing with my self the whole time. That was what made your ending excellent.

I believe the worst part of the ending was that it wasnt really a clear resolution. The ending cinematics didnt really do that much to explain the actaul effect of each massive decision I just made. It fell short of the stress I went through making it.  It was a literal color change.

I would have prefered and even hoped for a Dragon Age 1 ending. Keeping the ending with star child but provid a clear epilogue with the results of my decision. Why would I want to see my crew stranded on a planet, most likely to starve to death, or be incompatible with the enviroment. Or other such things, that was my first thought when I saw Tali survive.  She lived! Fantastic...wait shes going to starve to death. It was truly crushing. ( though a credit to you for making a character that I truly love) Why was I shown this, how does this relate to the old man and boy talking?  It felt liked I needed an epilogue not more questions.

After playing, and revisting my thoughts and the game. I started to really believe in the Indoctrination and hallucination theory. It covered alot and felt perfect for the theme of the game and series; Fight something for so long, you eventually find your self to become the one you fought. Excellent. I checked everyday to see if it was confirmed. I love the series and everything about it. I praise you bioware for having the guts to make a trilogy that links to the first and pulling it off masterfully.


Thank you for reading my post, sorry for errors.

[coldwetn0se]

Don't expect any of this to happen/change. Can only imagine that it would be near to impossible at this point. Exception being bug/glitch fixes, animation/graphical issues, and maybe the Journal.  I'm not in the industry, so who knows, but again, I can only imagine.  Needless to say, here are my thoughts.

-Make all ME2 romances count.  Thane and Jacob were removed from the romance equation completely.  Felt like a kick to the stomach.  Please consider reading the Support Character threads for more information.

-Add more dialogue options.  Any scenes that have Shepard talking for more than a few sentences, need to have player choice dialogue or interrupts.  As it is right now, I honestly do not feel like I am playing a Role Playing game - these are not the Shepards I helped mold through ME and ME2.

-No forced deaths of current/previous squadmates.  The "potential" for their deaths based on loyalty, assets, and previous player choices is fine, but no forced deaths. 

-Journal that is helpful/useful.

Bottom line, motivation for me and my Shepards, has always been about the connections made from ongoing characters (i.e. squadmates/crew).  I always viewed my Shepards as fighting for those he/she loved and cared for, and in return, the galaxy would reap the benefits.   Without those motivations, replaying this game has no appeal to me.

[Cyansomnia]

All right, here I go:

The Good-

I felt that Mass Effect 3 had a riveting story, filled with great writing and wonderful moments.

The combat is a blast, I really enjoyed the class changes and extra powers. It was also nice to see some old ME1 stuff back.

Cinematic cutscenes are incredibly dramatic and well-produced. There are some pretty glaring animation glitches, however. There were some fairly bad clipping errors as well, like Thane sinking into the bed during his death scene.  My Shepards also seem to have clipping issues with their eyes.  Tali's 'rock' turning invisible, my Shepard's hands floating a mile above Thane's, etc. were also quite noticeable.  Other than that, looks great.

Voice-acting was just stellar. I played Female Shepard, and Jennifer Hale somehow managed to surpass herself (which I didn't think was possible).

Multiplayer is a blast, I believe you guys did a great job in this aspect.  I enjoy playing it with my friends thoroughly.

THE BAD -

Where do I start....

First off, the Mass Effect 2 characters got left out in the cold. This was incredibly evident in the romances. I feel like the writing team slacked off, shoving those characters to the side so they could focus on the 'most popular' ones.

Thane was a romance and was killed off. The problem with that, is we got NO romantic content for him... aside from a few different lines and a HORRIBLY AWKWARD makeout scene in a very public hospital waiting room. Was it really so difficult to invite him up to the Normandy? Give him a proper romance scene and a few deep talks?

Also, after his death, no one ever mentions him again except Kai Leng during a battle. Why wouldn't the crew say anything? Why would no one try to console my Shepard? It's like his sacrifice was meaningless and he never existed. This character, who was the POSTER BOY of Mass Effect 2, shoved to the side like refuse to be forgotten. I felt like the whole purpose of having Kai Leng kill him, was so we had a more legitimate reason to hate Kai Leng (though him working for TIM was enough).

Even though I was extremely disappointed and depressed, I trudged through the rest of the game. I was hoping someone would mention Thane, my Shepard would remember him or SOMETHING. ANYTHING. I was just met with further disappointment. It pretty much killed the entire experience for me. That's how badly I believe it was handled.

Giving us a choice to save him would have been nice, as long as it was done well.  I don't want a magical 'cure', but something I'd have to fight or sacrifice for.  At least make it an option for those that want it.

I also found it rather appalling to promote the 'Cure for Thane' campaign (and hang the banner in your office), then turn around and kill him with absolutely no option to do anything about it.  It makes you look pretty bad, to be honest.

Jacob was basically a victim of character assassination.  How could you give some romances beautiful and detailed attention, yet degrade this character even further by making him a cheater?  And to add insult to injury, let his new girlfriend tell you off?  That's just... amazingly insensitive and cruel to his fans.

Some of my favorite Mass Effect memories involve the characters from Mass Effect 2. I was really looking forward to seeing them again, have them in my squad, do missions/adventures with them.

I was sorely disappointed.


Now, for the endings. As soon as Harbinger shot my Shepard with that beam... I felt like I was playing an entirely different game. The endings seemed like they were taken from a completely different story, poorly written and incredibly linear.

The best way to describe how I felt was helpless, empty and robbed. All the decisions I'd made, the friendships I experienced, the battles fought, alliances built, lives saved all became utterly meaningless in that moment. It all disappeared in a puff of smoke that was colored either red, blue or green.

I don't know how anyone could keep a straight face and tell me there is a huge difference between those endings. Trying to throw in minor, unimportant subtle differences to justify the same cutscenes with a different color beam is laughable at best.

The worst part about them, is they don't make sense. We're left with enormous plotholes, inconsistencies and NO CLOSURE whatsoever.


A lot of the sidequests get pretty confusing, it would be nice to be able to track our objectives or just talk to quest givers.


I found the 'Reaper Chase' scanning for resources thing A LOT more annoying then fun or 'scary'.  I'd rather fall asleep scanning planets in ME2 fashion than deal with that drivel.

ADDENDUM:

Don't force me to play Multiplayer in order to get a high enough score to get ALL the endings (not that it matters, since they're so similar anyway).  I remember you saying we didn't have to, but that is not the case.


I think I've pretty much said my peace.


Summary:

- Glitchy animations and music needs to be fixed

- Give the Mass Effect 2 characters a larger role. Do their romances justice (especially Thane and Jacob)

- Give us better endings that make us feel like our choices actually matter. Make them more varied and unique.

- Better quest tracking, fix quest glitches.

- 'Reaper Chase' resource scanning stuff is more annoying than fun.

Modifié par Aislinn Trista, 17 mars 2012 - 06:58 .

[jbauck]

My wall-of-text contribution to the thread full of wall-of-text:

I can't count the number of times I've played Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 (I've lost Shepards in computer moves, and didn't mind, because ... it gave me an excuse to play them again).  Other video games have teased around the potential of video games as a storytelling medium, but always shied away from the complexity required to reach the full potential of player interactivity.  No other game series has ever done so much to make the player feel like they were creating the story, by creating a framework within which a player navigates, full of rich characters, difficult choices, and a sense of real consequences.  "Sandbox" games get credit for being the "player choice" champions, but the focus of a "sandbox" game is environment and exploration, not character and plot, and those games simply don't have the emotional heft or depth that I want from an RPG.

Before I get into the specifics about what I didn't like about the ending of Mass Effect 3, I'd like to go over my favorite things from ME3.

1) In ME3, I really felt like BioWare raised the bar for NPC interaction, not just with the PC, but with each other.  While it takes time to wander around the ship in order to catch all of their banter with each other, it's well worth doing.  The feeling of the Normandy as a real place where people are going about their business, and that they actually have and develop relationships with each other, was truly fantastic.

2) I also loved that characters I loved died.  In my playthrough, Mordin died curing the genophage, and Legion died granting individuality to the Geth.  These were truly deep, emotional moments, that - yes - made me feel good at the same time: they sacrificed themselves for something they truly believed in.  For Mordin, he died fixing a mistake he'd come to regret, and for Legion, he gave his people a precious gift that he hadn't fully understood was important before his interactions with Shepard and the Normandy crew in ME2.  Anderson's death was fantastic.

3) While many people disagree, I loved how linear ME3 was.  Normally, I prefer a game like ME1 or ME2 where there are objectives to accomplish and the order in which they are accomplished isn't as important, but the overall feeling of ME3 was one of urgency.  I didn't mind that doing the "priority" missions too soon meant that side-quests were closed off/failed/had negative consequences - in fact, I found that rather awesome.

4) I loved, loved, loved (yes, I said it three times, because I loved it that much) that Paragon and Renegade choices didn't end up being "right" and "wrong".  Sometimes, the renegade choice ended up with the better result in ME3.  Sometimes, the Paragon choice came back to haunt you.  One of the things that this game did very well was avoiding the idea that good intentions = good results.

5) Difficulty.  I don't usually play shooters, and I really usually don't play shooters that kill me a lot.  But, the gameplay on Insanity was ... insane.  Like it should be.  I replayed 2 right before 3 came out and rolled through Insanity difficulty with a new ME1 import - but 3 killed me many times, and I felt awesome when I finally lived through some of those fights.

Which brings me to the ending, which made me feel like I'd kind of wasted my time struggling through insanity difficulty level.  For me, this is where Mass Effect as a revolution in interactive storytelling fell apart and didn't realize its potential.

For the purposes of this feedback, I'm going to take the ending at face value, ignoring the idea that the ending in the core game is some kind of hallucination/indoctrination thing - not because I don't think it's possible, or don't think that's a good way to fix it, but because my feedback on the ending is already too long without considering it ...

The ending of the game felt false in a way that the rest of the game did not.  Other people have addressed various plot holes and thematic issues, but I've distilled it down to the four things that really made the ending feel wrong to me.  And that's the only way I can put it ... the ending just felt False and Wrong and was jarring because of it.

1) The Catalyst/Guardian makes ME1 ... well, I hate to say that it invalidates ME1, but it kind of invalidates ME1.  How could the Prothean plan to prevent the use of the Citadel as a mass effect relay from dark space have worked if the thing that controls the Reapers basically >is< the Citadel?  If the Catalyst/Guardian is in control, why didn't it just ... let the Reapers through?  Maybe there's a reason, maybe it was an oversight, but having played from the beginning, this still bothers me, a week later.

2) The whole premise of inevitability the Catalyst/Guardian used to explain why the Reapers did what they did was jarring in the face of everything that had happened before in ME.  The Reapers have said, many times, that their success was inevitable, and this inevitability is what Shepard has been fighting against this whole time.  Shepard consistently rejects the very idea of inevitability, and so Shepard just accepting that synthetic/organic conflict was inevitable didn't ring true (especially for Shepards like mine who had just made peace between the Geth and Quarians).  We have the right to make our own fate, and the Reapers do not have the right to take that away, and that's worth fighting for.

3) The three available choices felt like just one to me.  Many people picked the blue or green ending, and so obviously they disagree, but for me, to Control the Reapers or to Synthesize all life into a synthetic/organic hybrid are awful choices.  The Reapers play god with organic life: they come in and destroy everything for their own reasons, and for all of history, organics have been powerless to stop them.  They have no respect for individuality, free will, or the right of sentient beings to continue to exist and make their own choices.  This is what makes them so terrifying and so horrible.  They cannot be defeated or reasoned with, and to choose "Control" or "Synthesis" is to become them, and requires an extreme amount of arrogance.  So, while there were three choices, only one choice actually felt "right" to me, in a game that had always had choices that were difficult because they weren't clear-cut.

4) I'm not going to quibble about the "we made synthetics to kill organics so synthetics won't kill organics" thing.  I do understand the distinction between the loss of advanced organic civilizations and the loss of >all< organic life; however, with the Reapers consistently stating that they are so advanced their purpose is incomprehensible to Shepard and Shepard's puny organic brain, this explanation seemed way too simplistic.  I would have vastly preferred that their motives never be revealed, and that we be left with the sense that, yes, they were too advanced and alien for us to ever understand, in the same vein as the fact that the monster in horror films is always more terrifying when you never get a good look at it.  The explanation we get is a "double-down" on Reapers playing God because they're doing it all "for our own good", and makes the blue and green options even less palatable for me.

In addition to feeling false, the ending missed the critical element for what would have made the Mass Effect series the gold standard in video game storytelling.  The endings simply weren't varied enough to take into account the player and the story the player wanted to tell.  In an interactive story, the player making the decisions is just as important as the writer.  Or, at least, a game that I dearly love makes me feel like I'm as important as the writer.  The failure of this ending is that it only wanted to tell one story, and did not take into account the other possible stories that players might want to tell: where is the story of a Shepard who fails spectacularly?  The Shepard who can't break the cycle, closing with a shot of some new space-faring race finding Liara's data on the Reapers?  Where is the story of a Shepard who defeats the Reapers and lives (the red ending with the high War Assets and the brief breathing shot doesn't count, and not because I'm being snarky ... I'll explain that in a moment) and, like an old soldier, just fades away into history and legend?  Where is the story of a Shepard who defeats the Reapers, lives, but loses everything important on a personal level?  The Shepard who sacrifices their best friend for their LI?  The Shepard who sacrifices themselves for their LI?  The Shepard who sacrifices their LI >and< their best friend for the Galaxy?

The ending assumes that there is only one story: the story of a Shepard who defeats the Reapers and dies doing it.  The red ending with the high War Assets and the Shepard-possibly-alive shot doesn't count, because it's a surprise: the options presented by the Catalyst/Guardian are "Control and Shepard dies", "Synthesis and Shepard dies", and "Destroy and Shepard dies".  Assuming that there is only one story to tell disregards what the player brings to the story.  The idea that the story is about "sacrifice" is totally subverted by the fact that the player does not choose to sacrifice Shepard - the player does not >get< to make that choice.  Instead, the ending of the game felt more like Shepard >was sacrificed< to the Reapers, because at the end, all options were explicitly stated to result in Shepard's death.

I will admit that I feel that protagonist dies/protagonist fails is an invalid story choice for a video game.  The only video game that has ever pulled this off was Dragon Age: Origins, and that is simply because there were not one, but two, opportunities to avoid it.  In order for the PC to die, the player has to choose that path, and I found the "Warden dies" ending of DA:O very satisfying, because it resulted from choices that I made, knowing what the consequences were, so it truly felt like a story of heroic sacrifice.  Shepard's story does not feel like a heroic sacrifice in the same way because there are simply no other options.  In a video game, the player spends a great deal of time avoiding death ... death results in a loading screen that indicates that you, the player, have lost because the PC died.  We are trained to equate PC death with losing, which is why I don't think "protagonist dies" is a valid ending for a video game.  The DA:O ending where the player is in total control of whether or not the Warden dies is, as they say, the exception that proves the rule, because the circumstances around it made it an option I could pick and still feel like I won.

The ending also left far too many questions.  Is there really a kinder, gentler way for a mass effect relay to explode that does not destroy the system it's in?  Is the massive fleet assembled to fight the Reapers really stranded in the Sol system or is FTL far, far faster than we'd always assumed, making the mass effect relays not all that important anyway?  Or were they all killed by the relay explosion?  Did Wrex survive, and did he name a little Krogan kid "Shepard"?  Did Joker ever really break his pelvis (I don't want details on that one - but I shamefully admit I'd wondered ... )?  Did Hackett make it?  Just how many posthumous medals did Shepard get?  What did Shepard's LI say at the funeral?  Did Spacer Shepard's Mom make it?  Does destroying the Reapers themselves destroy all the husks and husk-like things, or is there still a nasty ground-war going on for occupied planets?  Did anyone ever get to punch the Turian Councilor in the face for that whole "Ahh yes, 'Reapers'..." thing?

Modifié par jbauck, 17 mars 2012 - 06:19 .

[ArchAngel_009]

I loved it all......until the last 10 minutes, and that is what angers me the most. Mass Effect was a series that I loved for the 100+ hours I played, and for it to be utterly destroyed in 10 minutes seemed impossible to me, but somehow, it happened. To finish with a Deus Ex Machina plot is lazy and insulting. Here are my problems, and the ones that most people have:

1. Multiple endings. Not one ending with tiny little differences. Make our choices matter, like what was promised. The better our war assets and decisions are, the better and happier the ending should be. A few endings should consist of Shepard living, hanging out with his/her love and crew. And none of that "Body behind rubble and he/she takes a breath" B.S.
2. Closure. What happens to Shepard, the crew, and the races after the game? Does peace prevail between the previously warring races?
3. The stupid star child. Get rid of him or change how you interact with him. If BioWare insists on keeping him, we should be able to talk to him using the dialogue wheel. You know that thing that made Mass Effect so much fun. You should be able to tell him to F*ck off.
4. Plot holes... FIX THEM!!! Why was Joker and the crew running away from the battle? And if the mass effect relays blow up, it was established in ME2 Arrival that it would wipe out the solar system. And if we ignore that fact, which would mean the entire armada would be stranded on Earth. How long before they all starve to death? And what's the point of uniting a galaxy if they'll never get a chance to interact? Feels like we wasted our time. This leads to point #5
5. DON'T BLOW UP THE MASS EFFECT RELAYS!!! It would be like Star Wars without the force. Or Dragon Age without Dragons. WTF???

[JaKaSa]

quoted my own post while editing.

Modifié par JaKaSa, 17 mars 2012 - 06:19 .