To be fair, for about a year after release, just mentioning the words "Geth", "Quarians" or "Rannoch" could spawn tens of pages worth of bickering, name calling, and debate over the right choice at Rannoch. A little less so with the genophage as well.
The problem I had with the plot overall (Catalyst rant aside) isn't the plot itself, so much as the fandom's blatant literalism of it. Mass Effect 2 spawned multiple 10+ page threads of discussions on the morality of Cerberus and the choice of the Collector Base, because it was that thought provoking to weigh pragmatism vs. clean-cut morality.
But then come ME3 and suddenly people take the plot of the game at face value. Things that might have normally spawned multi-page discussions (especially the endings) always boiled down to "It doesn't matter if there's an implied alternative, that's not what the game shows me up-front!" as if the only interpretation that mattered was the one that came neatly wrapped for the player's consumption.
Doomsayers claiming the Galaxy was ruined in the original ending's Destroy because a Relay exploded, despite the fact the circumstances between that scene and Arrival were so VASTLY different. But all people saw was "Relay exploded, ergo, system annhilated." Or the claims that everyone starved to death despite conventional FTL clearly being an alternative mode of transportation, with people citing the game's fuel mechanic as a reason why.
So it's less that I questioned the plot so much as I questioned the fandom's ability to digest a plot that required people to actually stop and consider things. It forever boggles my mind that this was the same fandom who spent weeks dissecting and discussion ME2's plot. So I suppose it made me question the plot by proxy, or rather, question whether people could handle a plot where information wasn't hand-picked and prepared for you.
About Arrival, the DLC explains (major plot point) that the mere destruction of a Relay releases energy. Given that the cutscenes do show the Relays being destroyed coupled with the Catalysts cryptic warnings, it was perfectly valid to believe that was what the ending was indeed showing. Also, the speed of conventional FTL is sketchy as the capabilities of ship engines changes with each title.
Anyway, of course there wasn't a lot of philosophical discussions prompted by the pre-EC ME3 ending. Almost everything about it was so nonsensical, so vaguely explained, so poorly executed that there was no sure way to even be sure of what happened. This wasn't because the ending had some deep meaning that had to be carefully gleaned from intelligent analysis; it was because the ending was a pile of contrivances stacked on top of each that were then detonated with high grade twwwissst-tonium, you don't get a coherent story out of that you just get a very shattered story. There were discussions about the game, like the Geth/Quarian and Genophage conflicts. The difference was those parts were much better written and players actually had a clue what had happened.
Guest_xray16_*
In all honesty the "Warn the Batarians" - "Signal Failure" in Arrival was the start of it - however the ludicrous cartoon-ified indestructible space ninja of idioicy was probably the final tipping point for me- too much plot armour and not enough character. Despite the awesomness of rannoch and tuchanka my view solidified around cynicism: "what on earth has happened to this?" story sacrificed for spectacle I guess.
Thats before we got anywhere near the end.
Arriving at Huerta to see my love interest and being able to say very little, the dialogue giving the impression that I was there for the VS instead, and also the horrible dialogue with Kaidan in the hospital even though I was in a relationship with Thane and had never dated Kaidan. Ughhhh.
Something changed with Thane's dialogue at Huerta. It must have been added with the Citadel DLC because femShep can now make out with him. Wow!
In all honesty the "Warn the Batarians" - "Signal Failure" in Arrival was the start of it - however the ludicrous cartoon-ified indestructible space ninja of idioicy was probably the final tipping point for me- too much plot armour and not enough character. Despite the awesomness of rannoch and tuchanka my view solidified around cynicism: "what on earth has happened to this?" story sacrificed for spectacle I guess.
Thats before we got anywhere near the end.
Wait, you can warn the batarians? 
Something changed with Thane's dialogue at Huerta. It must have been added with the Citadel DLC because femShep can now make out with him. Wow!
Wasn't she always able to, sorta?
https://www.youtube....h?v=9GNZ7OaC4QI
Right from the beginning.
Dreadnoughts in atmosphere?????
That's when I realized I'd been "Walters'd"
When they stole all my credits from ME1!!!!
It was quite a while. Since I played ME3 first (yeah, I know) I knew little about Cerberus or TIM so them being completely out of character from what was established in ME2 from the second they appeared on Mars didn't register with me. Nor the Virmire survivor's continuing refusal to let Shepards connection to Cerberus go. If I had played ME2 then the conversation with TIM in the Mars archives would have raised a red flag. Especially how your decision about the Collector base doesn't make a damn bit of difference.
But as it was I had no real experience with Mass Effect so didn't realise that the tropes they'd fallen into in part 3 were ones they'd managed to avoid in in the first two games. But the bridge too far was when Kai Leng showed up. Specifically the skycar chase.
And I think it's safe to just write off ME2 as an idiot plot. Simple as.
When we weren't able to investigate the mass accelerator weapon that took out the derelict reaper TIM talks about after the collector ship mission.
When we weren't able to investigate the mass accelerator weapon that took out the derelict reaper TIM talks about after the collector ship mission.
No one decided to use the derelict Reaper as proof either.
When they stole all my credits from ME1!!!!
Well, if we want to go back that far, I guess it started with this segment of ME2:
*KABOOM!*
Shepard: What happened?
Jacob: You've been dead for two years.
Shepard: Cool.
Right from the beginning.
Dreadnoughts in atmosphere?????
That's when I realized I'd been "Walters'd"
I believe the correct term is "Mac'd"
You have been Mac'd bro
We all were Mac'd. It just got all Mac'd up!
When they stole all my credits from ME1!!!!
"Wait, Admiral Anderson? Not Councilor?"
If we're looking at firsts, this one is definitely it.
It was when this was revealed where I thought despairingly to myself, "whelp, they aren't even trivializing major choices, they're outright ignoring them."
Also, the entire opening sequence was just awful. I mean... we're introduced to the fact that Shepard has been sitting on his ass for six months when he COULD of been gathering allies, which he knew he needed to do because the Reapers were coming. There was no trial, as Hackett had promised, and the second mission in introduces a deus ex machina that we don't even know what the function of it is. It became increasingly obvious they were just kind of making **** up as they went along at that point.
But as it was I had no real experience with Mass Effect so didn't realise that the tropes they'd fallen into in part 3 were ones they'd managed to avoid in in the first two games. But the bridge too far was when Kai Leng showed up. Specifically the skycar chase.
Anything and everything involving Leng was just... awful. Like... geez.
God, at least when Saren threw his weight around, I could take it seriously because he was actually threatening. His character had... well, character. You could talk to him. You could try and convince him what he was doing was wrong. He was conflicted. He was your equal. And when you two clashed, you both walked away with scars. Like Virmire, there was no decisive winner there, Saren lost his base but still proceeded with his plans, but Shepard lost a friend and colleague.
Leng? There's nothing. This nobody shows up, beats the ****** out of Shepard with zero build up, and when he fights you, he wins. Automatically. You never ONCE get to speak to him, never, not even ONCE get to use the dialogue wheel on him at all. You never talk to him, never find out his motives, beyond a few flashback videos that show that for SOME REASON he's jealous of you, I guess? And then he beats the **** of Shepard and his team and walks away with Vendetta without so much as taking a scratch.
So you're telling me this random mook with no character and no relevance to anything or anyone did a better job of beating Shepard than Saren, the main antagonist of the first game that you dedicated the entirety of your mental focus and physical being to hunting down and thwarting?
To be fair, the Udina-as-councilor canonization actually occurred in the post-ME2 book Retribution, written by Drew Karpyshyn. ME3 "responded" to it.
And it was obvious from the very beginning of ME2 that they were making **** up as they went along.
I know, but it was no less jarring in-game. Like, if you didn't read the books, you'd never understand it. It gets mentioned only in the codex. You can bring up to Anderson that you made him Councilor, but it's never addressed beyond that. He never explains why he left, or that he left at all!
HELL! You should of at LEAST gotten some extra war assets or something for having Anderson as Councilor. He was well liked by the other races and knowing that a popular Citadel Councilor is trapped on Earth should be galvanizing support!
But no. Absolutely ZERO consequence, and no acknowledgement, either. Bloody hell.
I know, but it was no less jarring in-game. Like, if you didn't read the books, you'd never understand it. It gets mentioned only in the codex. You can bring up to Anderson that you made him Councilor, but it's never addressed beyond that. He never explains why he left, or that he left at all!
HELL! You should of at LEAST gotten some extra war assets or something for having Anderson as Councilor. He was well liked by the other races and knowing that a popular Citadel Councilor is trapped on Earth should be galvanizing support!
But no. Absolutely ZERO consequence, and no acknowledgement, either. Bloody hell.
Assedts? Even some more branching dialogue would have been something.
But I guess that didn't fit in the "vision"
Assedts? Even some more branching dialogue would have been something.
But I guess that didn't fit in the "vision"
Probably not. It happened off-screen in the universe's canon, and there wouldn't be any more or less assets to delegate.
Would a line of dialogue confirming the reason why have been beneficial? Probably, but it still makes sense that Anderson would leave the politicking to Udina while he reverted back to military duty. He was clearly none too thrilled with his post in ME2 if you made that choice, after all.
I just don't see the point in giving us the choice is it means absolutely nothing. It means NOTHING in the end.
I just don't see the point in giving us the choice is it means absolutely nothing. It means NOTHING in the end.
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