It just occurred to me that there is a simple way for BioWare to fix the ending of Mass Effect 3. Just insert three little words in the closing screen...
TO BE CONTINUED
Was that brilliant or what?
On a serious note, BioWare clearly refuses to deny the Indoctrination Theory because (1) it doesn't want to alienate a part of its fanbase and (2) indocrination as a concept was already a part of the storyline. aLucidMind said it elloquently: [bold highlights are mine]
_aLucidMind_ wrote...
Because the Indoctrination Theory is only partially true; it is obvious that Shepard is suffering from minor symptoms of indoctrination throughout the game. The dreams, TIM managing to control Shepard near the end, and so on; the thing is, the end is where IT is incorrect. Destroy isn't "breaking the Reapers' hold" or anything, EC proved these are the literal endings but the rest of the game is proof in and of itself that Shepard is suffering from the early onset symptoms of indoctrination. The Reapers haven't managed to get far enough into Shepard's head to control him/her before the ending, but it can be taken that they may have gotten close had Shepard not gone into the beam.
It was also one of BioWare's plans to make Shepard suffer from indoctrination as a major plot point, but scrapped it near the end of production. That's two reasons why BioWare does not say IT is false, a third being that IT theorists make up a large portion of the fanbase.
This final statement - regarding the intention of having the player loosing control of Shepard - was confirmed in The Final Hours for being too complex to implement gameplaywise.
Anyway, as said before, the fact that Indoctrination is a valid concept or interpretation doesn't mean that everything beyond the beam is in fact a dream. We should remember that the Indoctrination Theory was formulated in the aftermath of the dissapointment with the original ending - in which we basically saw the self-destruction of the Mass Effect universe - the Relays destroyed, the Citadel destroyed, Shepard dead, etc. It was too much to bear for many of us [edit: and people were grasping for straws]. Questions were raised. Answers were delivered via Twitter. It was a mess. Let's not relive it. But still...
Just because the Indoctrination Theory DLC is absolutely unlikely doesn't mean that an upcoming DLC may not still address the ending of the game. Because lets face it. The EC is better on an emotional level - we are shown that there is a future to the Mass Effect universe after all. But that doesn't make it an ending worthy of the trilogy in my opinion. Is this really the way BioWare wants to say goodbye to one of its most important series ever? Because let's face it, Mass Effect 4 will most likely be launched on a new console cycle and restart a new and independent storyline. So the ME3 DLC cycle has to close things in one way or another.
And BioWare will have to face watever consequences that determines to the future of the Mass Effect franchise.
Modifié par Daniel_N7, 04 janvier 2013 - 08:52 .
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