your time. I just feel like I need to say a few things that I learned playing the trilogy over again. And just so we're clear, I am passionate about what I do, and gaming is one of those things. If I seem a little intense or extremely involved then thats because I am. I dont do things halfway. If you read this and have anything to add to the conversation I encourage you to do so.
For people that don't want to read the whole thing: Essentially I replayed the entire Mass Effect Trilogy and I am completely content with the ending. I really switched opinions
completely. I fully intend on supporting Bioware in the future.
Can you remember the first time you finished ME3? Of course you can. You decided the fate of the
galaxy after all. I actually started the series with ME2 and didn't even bother to load my profile into ME3 (don't worry, I make amends later). But I was still incredibly immersed with the story and the characters of the Mass Effect Trilogy. I made my choice at the end, and then it was over. I was somewhat confused, and a little put off, but I didn’t think that much of it. All I kept saying over and over out loud and in my head was, "What an experience!" I said that throughout all of ME2 and ME3. I just felt like I was on an incredible journey. I had been playing World of Warcraft and Starcraft 2 exclusively for about 18 months and I think I had forgotten what it was like to be truly involved in a story. It brought me back to the days where I would spend hours playing KOTOR trying to make all the right decisions for my character. Needless to say, I loved the ME games and was sad that it was over. But I found that was more than just 'sad'. I was sad when I read books, or watched movies that I didn’t like the ending to. But at the end of the day I
would always appreciate the journey and accept the artistic license of whoever had created it. For some reason, there was just an empty feeling to the ME3 ending. It felt different from other endings I didn't like. I feel there are
many reasons for that, but that can wait for another time. Regardless, I went to bed that night grateful for the journey I had been taken on, but just a little confused and let down about what had just happened.
I came to the Mass Effect Universe a little late, and just started playing the series a few months ago. So when I started looking online for what other people had said I had quite a shock. Not only were the vast vocal majority agreeing with me that there was something wrong with the ending, it seemed that many people had gone to the extreme of, "Bioware and EA have ruined my favorite game. Fix the ending NAOOO!!" As I read the forums and the articles and watched YouTube videos, I suddenly realized that I was not alone in feeling a hole left by the ending. I found that I agreed with a lot of what was being said by people. Plot holes, new characters introduced, general confusion with what happened, the lack of choice, no feeling of closure etc etc etc. The list goes on and on. I started being angry about the ending. I filled the hole I had with anger and disappointment with the writers and anyone involved with the ending. I thought these feelings would go away, but they never did. I couldn't stop thinking about the emptiness I was experiencing. So I decided that the only way to make a final decision was to play the whole
series through again and decide once and for all when I had finished it again.
Like I mentioned earlier, I started with ME2, so ME1 was completely fresh to me. I had some idea of things that were going to happen, but ultimately it was a new experience. I gained a great perspective on how many things were improved on from ME1 to ME3. I loved the story of course, and decided to romance Liara and continue with that through the entire trilogy. Knowing that the decisions I made would affect the rest of the series I found that some of the decisions were really hard to make. Ultimately by the end of ME1, although I enjoyed it thoroughly, it didn't make me feel much difference about the franchise as a whole. If anything it made me more upset at the ending. But I continued on with ME2.
ME2 was what I considered to be one of my all-time favorite games, and definitely my favorite of the trilogy at that point. I thought about trying to play through it fast and ignore the dialogue I had already seen. That lasted for about 2 minutes. I could only play as ManShep, and I could only choose paragon options, and I could only romance Liara (which I found difficult in ME2 obviously). I had become truly invested in my character and didn't want to change from the way I had decided to be. I saw how my decisions from ME1 affected many parts of ME2 and gained an appreciation for the hard work Bioware put in to make all those decisions matter. I loved my second play through of ME2 just as much as the first, if not more. I made sure that everyone survived the suicide mission and then I got ready to play ME3.
By this point, I really didn’t know how I felt about the ending. I was totally on the fence, which turns out was the perfect spot for me to be on when I started playing.The advantage of playing this game a few years after its release is the DLC's that come out. I had a hard time deciding whether or not to buy any DLC's or not. Eventually I decided that this game was well worth the extra money, and I was happy to show my support to the company that provided this experience for me. I am so glad I got the DLC's (Extended Cut, Omega, Ashes, Leviathan, and Citadel) and I will get into that later. I decided to take ME3 real slow. Not in terms of time between playing, but in actual time played. I made sure to discover and be involved and invested in everything the game had to offer. I found this new approach greatly increased my love of ME3 and of course the trilogy as well. I tried to gather all the war assets, and get my galactic readiness up to a decent level (the multiplayer wasn’t really my thing). I continued to see the choices I had made all the way from Zhu's Hope effect the game in ME3 and was really pleased by those types of things. As I played through the game and encountered the DLC's I felt that each one added another level to the game that I would have regretted not having (with perhaps the exception of Omega). Especially Leviathan and the Citadel. I really don't know what else to say about Mass Effect 3 besides that it became my favorite game
that I have ever played. It really is an amazing production. Nothing like it has ever been done, and I bet only Bioware can truly reproduce it in the future. When it came time to say goodbye to Liara, my love interest and Garrus, my best
friend, it was so much harder the second time around. For the first time in my life I actually was brought to tears by a video game. At first I thought I was being over dramatic and silly, but then I really thought about it. I really did and do care about the characters. They have grown to mean a lot to me. Not in a weird creepy way but in a genuine... non creepy way... I am having a hard time describing this feeling. I had a similar feeling to the Harry Potter characters
if that helps clarify for anyone. I felt like I had really grown with all of these squad mates that had helped me along the way.
When I got to the end, I was 100% clear on the choice I was going to make. And then, I realized through some of the DLC's, I could ask the Catalyst a whole bunch of questions. It seemed that all of my questions were finally addressed and answered in the minutes that followed. And with this new understanding that I had gained through the conversation options, my choice that I had predetermined was no longer clear. It was a really really hard decision. And the dramatic drums weren’t helping either..... (dum dum....... dum...) After about half an hour of sitting in a chair looking at a screen and going over my options one by one, I finally made a decision. And I found that I had no problems with choosing it at all. No regrets, no reservations. All of the decisions I had made up until that point in the game and surprisingly some of my own personal deeply felt beliefs went into the decision as well. I have never experienced anything like that before. And it was an amazing moment.
I am not going to share what I chose because I don’t really feel like it adds to the point I am trying to make. I realized that by going through the entire series again and experiencing all of the choices and character developments, that I really liked the ending. I felt like it fit into what I really would have done if I were there. I hope I am not alone in thinking this. Yes, if you want to simplify the ending down you can say, "Red blue or green?" But the decision and the implications of each of those options deal directly when main conflicts that have been present throughout the whole trilogy. I honestly don't know how they could have done anything else. And I have thought really long and hard
about it, ever since I finished the game. The ending just works for me.
So when it’s all said and done that feeling of emptiness and disappointment I felt, are all gone. I am truly at peace with the ending and the decision that I made. In a way, I feel like my research into what other people thought about the game indoctrinated me (pun intended) by encouraging me to feel the same way the collective of the vocal majority of fans felt about the ending. I feel by taking a step back and appreciating the game for what it is, art, I was able to experience it at an individual level and appreciate the artistic license that was observed.
So all in all....bravo Bioware... you amaze me. Thank you for taking me on this incredible journey and allowing me to choose my own ending. Good luck in the future and I wish you all the best.
Modifié par thmabes, 21 septembre 2013 - 10:02 .
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Mass Effect is an awesome trilogy and being content with how it ends just amplifies that so much.
in other words, I agree with your sentiments. I consider myself an open-minded individual, and I did listen intently to the Catalyst when I got there in March 2012 (and then again in June - or was it July?), but at the end there was no doubt that Destroy was the choice for me. Yet, as you say, it's ironically also the least satisfying one.
