Charlie2417 wrote...
Laurcus wrote...
Charlie2417 wrote...
iorveth1271 wrote...
OP, you told us a hundred times now how we don't get the ending and how you don't understand that. I advise you to go through these very forums and search for a few threads regarding the ending reaction where other people already listed their take on the endings a thousandfold and described why they didn't like them. It's good you understand it, good for you. But you're not making a good point by saying that you got it but can't tell us because we should get it ourselves. Many of us spent over a month on these forums, dealing with this very issue. By now, telling people why you understood the ending and why you liked it is not a spoiler anymore (by the way, "Spoilers allowed" is what the forum title says as well). People won't kill you for liking the ending as long as you can explain, why. There will always be those trying to get you to dislike the endings by explaining why they hate them, discussing it to death again and again. But as of late I've more and more often seen people accepting the opinion of others who actually really liked the endings.
That being said, saying we all don't get it a hundred times over and that you're surprised by the negative response, but at the same time not explaining WHAT it was you really liked and WHY you understood it ("Because we have to find out ourselves" is considered a troll response nobody can do anything with. It's stupid, nothing else.) makes you seem like nothing other than a troll.
Explain why you liked the endings. What did you understand? How did you interpret the endings? Have you read through the thousands of threads before explaining why people didn't like the ending? Do you still like it after that? So just stop going like "The ending was INSANE!" or "You just all didn't get it!". The former is your opinion, but it effectively will only get a response like "Cool story, bro" and is absolutely counter-productive. The latter is borderline insulting to all the people who disliked the endings for - by now multiple times proven right - valid reasons.
So are you a troll? Or are you gonna explain why you liked the endings and what you understood that we didn't?
The reason I just want to give a hint at one way to view the ending (the way I viewed it) is because when you DO get it, it's AWESOME.
I have been starting to read into all this huff puff mega detailed "I'm agry there are plot holes" crap and my god it's like people really are SO into the world they can't take a step back and appreciate the ending for what it is and how it can apply to YOU, or us in general.
I found it really cool because to me, the ending challenged my beliefs and values. Put the outcome aside for a second and live in the MOMENT. Stop thinking about the damn "retire on fancy exotic planet with plants and beaches" crap and put yourself in Shepards shoes and THINK.
I have to point out though for the 3 choices to have any sort of impact on you you have to MEAN the choices you to up to that point (mostly the TIM/Anderson scene) and understand what the star kid is telling you. THEN the 3 choices really start to become heavy.
I understand the ending perfectly, and it didn't challenge me or my beliefs for even one second. I am a roleplayer at heart. I have roleplayed hundreds of characters. And not in the sense of playing video games called RPGs. I mean I have actually got inside the mind of many characters, and attempted to act how they would instead of how I would in any given situation. In 3.5 D&D alone I have roleplayed a demon possessed warlock, a strict, by the books monk, a paragon of justice paladin with an extreme dislike for evil, a cynical half demon spellsword, a genius level intellect Barbarian king, and many many more. Sometimes I roleplay dozens of characters per session if I'm DMing.
As such, I have been roleplaying my Shepard since ME1. And long ago I decided that my Shepard belives very strongly in deontological ethics. Deontological ethics can be summarized as an obligation to duty. Perfect set of ethics for a paragon career military man.
I picked destroy without a moment's hesitation, because control and synthesis would be a betrayal of my Shepard's deontological ethics.
The reason you enjoyed the ending so much is because you enjoyed roleplaying your Shepard. That doesn't make the ending good though, that just means you like roleplaying, and this was probably your first serious experience as a roleplayer.
Btw, the endings themselves and their moral themes of technological singularity don't apply to me personally because my own system of ethics isn't compatible with that way of thinking. So the endings held no personal value to me. Also, Deux Ex: Human Revolution has the exact same themes as the ending of ME3, but its delivery is much much better from a technical literary point of view.
This guy says it the best and I see how so many of you can be disappointed in the end.
You know when I first played ME1 I was not aware of the strict paragon/renegade route and kind of played a bastard play through where I just kept choosing what I thought was the right choice to make if I was put in that situation. My first play through in ME2 I continued the ME1 bastard way (before doing a bunch of re-runs) and decided what the hey, I'll just be me for ME3.
That is probably why I enjoyed the ending so much in ME3 - the ending it was me on the citadel face with those 3 options and I had to choose - they were not "preset" ahead of time because I'm not exactly a paragon or renegade in real life. I'm both depending on the situation as I'm sure many of you are.
I suppose if I were to RP some strict para or renegade character and not myself that there could be a light disappointment in the end simply because the part I enjoyed the most would not have any effect on me since it would be decided before I even play.
Does that help anyone get why I loved it so much?
I suspected as much. Now that the rest of the thread understands your point of view, I will attempt to explain the point of view of the people that dislike the endings.
Mass Effect has always been very grounded in realism. Yes, it's a science fiction series, but it's realistic in its delivery of everything, even going to great lengths to explain concepts such as biotics, that disagree with real world physics.
In Mass Effect, you're fighting a war. Think of it like World War 2, just on a very grand scale with advanced technology. World War 2 had a very mundane, even predictable ending.
The reason Mass Effect 3's ending is so greatly disliked is because the rest of the setting is so extremely realistic in the delivery of the narative.
Because of this, many fans, myself included, went into ME3 with the expectation that it would have a realistic, even mundane ending. Instead we got an ending that borders on metaphysical.
Yes, the philosophy can be interesting in and of itself, but Mass Effect 1 and 2, and most of Mass Effect 3, are not exercises in philosophy. As such, many fans did not want a philosophical ending.
The difference between Mass Effect 3 and something like Deus Ex: Human Revolution is that DE:HR is consistent. Its philosophical themes were explored throughout the entire narrative, not just at the end. As such, a highly philosophical ending was not only appropriate, but almost a requisite.
I hope everyone can understand each other's points of view now.
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