439 réponses à ce sujet

[themikefest]

Shepard wouldn't have gotten blasted by Harbinger. You have had to make it to the beam. Then Boss fight on the Citadel + Shepard fires the Crucible ... there is no Starbrat conversation. Cutscene ... Shepard just arms it to fire. While it's powering up. The Normandy picks up Shepard (probably by shuttle), and gets away before the Citadel fires. The reapers are destroyed - you beat the boss; you destroyed the reapers and saved the galaxy. You won. Your LI is on board the Normandy (how? by shuttle of course!) and you're on the port observation deck with him/her looking out the window as the Normandy re-enters Earth space.

 

Yes, a happy ending.

 

No one would have complained about it either. No one.

Shepard calls for Joker to fire on Harbinger from behind, distracting him long enough for Shepard and squad to get up the beam with Anderson a few steps behind.  Anderson, becasue of his tardiness, ends up in another part, but is still able to get to the panel. Shepard and squad encounter Cerberus clowns. As they're fighting them, a squadmate tells Shepard to go ahead and open the arms while they hold off the clowns. 

 

The scene plays out the same and just as TIM is about to do his fist pump, a squadmate shoots him dead. The arms open and when completely opened, a loud humming noise can be heard. A very bright light flashes. No one knows what happened. A few minutes later, you see the allied fleets destroying the reapers. The Citadel sent out a pulse that weakens the shields of the reapers.

 

Shepard calls for a shuttle and with squad and Anderson, they head to the Normandy and join in the fight. The Normandy leads the fight in taking down Harbinger. He loses control and the reapers are eventually defeated. Tada.

 

Later it shows Shepard with LI and crew in a ticket tape parade.

[Reorte]

A bit too neat perhaps, how about that happens and it ends with the Normandy crew setting off on the long, hard task of finishing off the Reapers - a task that's now achievable.

An alternative that would've satisfied me but sounds almost sickeningly sugary when I write it is if it ends with Shepard and LI amidst the wreckage and ruin but with something left to live for with each other (I suppose the MEHEM memorial pretty much does that).

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

I don't see any problem with ending the story with hope. It isn't sickningly sugary. There is so much apocalyptic sh*t and doom and gloom out there now that hope would go counter to the current cliche. Darkness is too mainstream. Hope is subversive.

[Han Shot First]

I don't see any problem with ending the story with hope. It isn't sickningly sugary. There is so much apocalyptic sh*t and doom and gloom out there now that hope would go counter to the current cliche. Darkness is too mainstream. Hope is subversive.

 

I think there needed to be some sense of loss with the finale, otherwise the tone would not fit well with the rest of the story. I think where the writers erred was in having that sense of loss come from failing to save galactic civilization, rather than from deaths on the squad in the end run. I think Shepard's final dialogue with Liara should have been a foreshadowing, or at least an acknowledgement of a military reality. "There will be casualties...I just wonder how many."

[SporkFu]

@jUliA: Exactly. By rights shep should've died when that chunk of Sovvy crushed the council chamber. But she didn't. And I cheered. She could easily have failed that last leap to the Normandy at the galactic core. But she didn't. And I cheered. ME games were made for those moments.

[Han Shot First]

@jUliA: Exactly. By rights shep should've died when that chunk of Sovvy crushed the council chamber. But she didn't. And I cheered. She could easily have failed that last leap to the Normandy at the galactic core. But she didn't. And I cheered. ME games were made for those moments.

 

Mass Effect 1's victory didn't come without a price however. You lose Kaiden or Ashley on Virmire. I'd say that was enough to make it at least slightly bittersweet.

 

Mass Effect 2 is the only game of the series that has the syrupy butterflies and rainbows ending. You can win without any personal losses.

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

I think there needed to be some sense of loss with the finale, otherwise the tone would not fit well with the rest of the story. I think where the writers erred was in having that sense of loss come from failing to save galactic civilization, rather than from deaths on the squad in the end run.

 

That's why a Suicide Mission 2 should have been done in ME3. EMS could have effected how many of the squad survived. Granted it wouldn't be a perfect solution at this point, but one could see how high EMS would draw reaper forces away or at least have softened them. Low EMS the reapers are able to protect the beam in force, and more squad members die. Your entire squad is there for the charge, not just two squad members. Two make it to the beam, and you get to pick out of the survivors. Let's include others who were in London... like Zaeed, Jack, Grunt, and Miranda. It doesn't mean the ones you didn't pick died. They fell back after you made it.

 

Of course now with all the DLC war assets, you'd get sufficient for everyone to survive, and that's fine. Who really cares? Is it really a situation where, "someone must die" because of reasons?

 

As it is now you really have to screw up badly to get a low EMS ending so why bother with it? Is the low EMS ending crowd really that big we need to cater to it? No. It's wasted resources that could go into making the game better overall. How many people on their first try really wanted to screw up so badly so the reapers would almost win? I would think it was a very tiny minority, and they wouldn't whine too much.

 

Really they could have done away with the war assets system altogether except they wanted to promote multi-player and were looking for a mechanic to incorporate it into the single player campaign.

[SporkFu]

Mass Effect 1's victory didn't come without a price however. You lose Kaiden or Ashley on Virmire. I'd say that was enough to make it at least slightly bittersweet.

Mass Effect 2 is the only game of the series that has the syrupy butterflies and rainbows ending. You can win without any personal losses.

Sure, but that's only if you consider leaving Kaidan on Virmire a sacrifice.

I was mainly thinking of shep. Hell I would expect some sacrifice when we're talking about the end of the galaxy.

[themikefest]

@jUliA: Exactly. By rights shep should've died when that chunk of Sovvy crushed the council chamber. But she didn't. And I cheered. She could easily have failed that last leap to the Normandy at the galactic core. But she didn't. And I cheered. ME games were made for those moments.

Why should Shepard of died from that chunk of reaper?  People survive all kinds of events that have others wondering how they survived.

 

The part that cracks me up about Shepard jumping to the Normandy at the end of ME2, Joker is playing soldier when he could've moved the Normandy a little to the left to make the jump easrier. Heck. The edi hologram could've moved the Normandy to the left to make the jump easier. But of course Joker has to be at the door to hear Shepard say " Joker. Go." when no one can pull him/her up if only one squadmate survived or the crew survived

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

Sure, but that's only if you consider leaving Kaidan on Virmire a sacrifice.

I was mainly thinking of shep. Hell I would expect some sacrifice when we're talking about the end of the galaxy.

 

Having to put up with a drunk Ashley on the floor of the Starboard Observation deck for the entire second half; having to put up with Anderson telling you that he was born in London four times; and having Anderson send you down the middle where the resistance was heaviest wasn't a sacrifice?

[SporkFu]

Can't multiquote on my phone so...

@Mike: perhaps I should have said "could've died" in the council chamber, especially with the other two squaddies looking so down.

@jUliA: Despite overwhelming odds and being pushed to her limits, shep did survive those events.

[Valmar]

Having to put up with a drunk Ashley on the floor of the Starboard Observation deck for the entire second half; having to put up with Anderson telling you that he was born in London four times; and having Anderson send you down the middle where the resistance was heaviest wasn't a sacrifice?

 

I don't know whats funnier about Anderson's repeated "I was born in London"... the fact that he genuinely forgets, the fact that Shepard humors him by acting like he hadn't already been told it... or Anderson's awkward side glance after the last time he said, as if he was thinking to himself "wait, haven't we had this conversation already..."

[SporkFu]

I don't know whats funnier about Anderson's repeated "I was born in London"... the fact that he genuinely forgets, the fact that Shepard humors him by acting like he hadn't already been told it... or Anderson's awkward side glance after the last time he said, as if he was thinking to himself "wait, haven't we had this conversation already..."

Some of us here had a theory a while back that the Anderson(s) we meet later on are clones, and the real Anderson is on a bunker underneath London, thinking the war is still going on and wondering why no one answers him on the radio.

[themikefest]

Some of us here had a theory a while back that the Anderson(s) we meet later on are clones, and the real Anderson is on a bunker underneath London, thinking the war is still going on and wondering why no one answers him on the radio.

Yeah. I remember that. 

 

If you don't talk to Anderson at all during the game, he will only say I'm was born in London once, but still have that side glance at Shepard.

 

The other one is he says "too bad it took the reapers to unite the galaxy" to which a squadmate will say "Shepard united them" and Anderson says"that's exactly what I mean". 

[SporkFu]

Yeah. I remember that. 

 

If you don't talk to Anderson at all during the game, he will only save I'm was born in London once, but still have that side glance at Shepard.

 

The other one is he says "too bad it took the reapers to unite the galaxy" to which a squadmate will say "Shepard united them" and Anderson says"that's exactly what I mean". 

That one does kinda bug me... I mean, more than the London thing. If that was exactly what he meant, why didn't he say, "Good thing shep united the galaxy to face this threat." or something. 

[KaiserShep]

Secretly, Anderson was kind of hoping that Shepard would ask exactly where in London.

[SporkFu]

Secretly, Anderson was kind of hoping that Shepard would ask exactly where in London.

Reaper War harvest, day 113*
 
Told the commander I was born in London again, but he still didn't ask me where. Was he always this obtuse and I just never realized it? I know it's just a metaphor, but I think I may actually have to hit him over the head with a hammer next time. 
 
Also, watched helplessly from cover as the cannibals dined on Sgt Howell. Must make sure Kahlee knows I'm becoming a vegetarian when this goddam mess is dealt with. 
 
Well, tomorrow is another day. Hope I live to see it.
 

 

* -- I have no idea what the actual timeline is. 

[Valmar]

Your posts always seem to find a way to put a smile on my face, SporkFu.

[SporkFu]

Your posts always seem to find a way to put a smile on my face, SporkFu.

Well thank you. I dunno why but I had all kinds of editing problems with that post above. Spelling problems are one thing; my fingers have a will of their own sometimes, but it was a "duh, formatting. how does it work?" kinda thing. 

[ImaginaryMatter]

Secretly, Anderson was kind of hoping that Shepard would ask exactly where in London.

 

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

Your posts always seem to find a way to put a smile on my face, SporkFu.

 

 

But why is it I always hear them with Grunt's voice.... except for the last Anderson one.

[SporkFu]

But why is it I always hear them with Grunt's voice.... except for the last Anderson one.

Heh Heh Heh. 

 

[themikefest]

I like the playthroughs I've done with low-ems.  It makes it more dire.

 

Both squadmates should die on the beam run regardless of ems The what-the-crap evac scene I would throw in the garbage. No reason for it. Or just have Shepard tell the squadmates to call for a shuttle when the shooting stops, if it does, and run to the beam. Don't say goodbye or whatever, just go to the beam. The two squadmates are seen being picked up and both report they saw Shepard, with Anderson closely behind, go up the beam.

 

If the Normandy is in the scene, I would have Harbinger fire at it, killing everyone including Shepard, depending how low your ems is, maybe below 1500, giving a game over screen with  it saying, Because of Shepard's failure to bring more allies to the fight, the reapers win.

[congokong]

The Crucible would end up being a time machine. Shepard enters the time machine and goes back to Eden Prime at the beginning of Mass Effect 1, only in a different time line. This new time line has little inconsistencies and frustrating moments removed. Also, TIM no longer exists.

I remember when I was as a kid that was how the cartoon Mighty Max ended. When the protagonist couldn't defeat the main enemy he goes back in time to try again.

 

 

As for the OP, I haven't given the idea much thought until just now but I remember in ME3 thinking that perhaps Shepard was wrong (maybe even indoctrinated) and that TIM actually wasn't indoctrinated and was getting close to controlling the reapers. It would've been an interesting twist if his success in that endeavor is dependent on factors such as the Collector base being preserved in ME2. Besides that scenario, maybe Shepard could also take control but depending on their own personality/choices they could either control the reapers just to destroy them or use them to become a demigod. The last option is that the reapers win. What option occurs is dependent on cumulative choices (genophage, rachni, Collector base, etc.) and/or perhaps choices Shepard makes in the final assault reflective of ME2's suicide mission.

 

It's just a thought. I was ok with the ending overall.