Shepard does not really become a tool more than he/she already was. And I don't mean that in a negative way. But look at it like that. You are told a lot of things and have to do them, you have to accept orders from Hackett, go to Mars, get the plans, rally support for a device you have no clue about what it does. And in the end Shepard is just another component of the Crucible/Citadel complex.
I'd just say Shepard needs to work with what he/she's given. There's no alternative. The Crucible was always depicted as the last way out, and you got these 3 solutions out of the device (or 4 if EC is taken into account). There was nothing you could have done besides talking and asking questions.
I think the fact that "Nobody knows what the Crucible does," is another problem of mine in this game. The whole galaxy is working on this device and they have absolutely zero idea whether it'll shoot confetti or lasers? Like, none? And if we have absolutely zero idea what it does, it is really a good idea to place all our hopes in it? The galaxy lucked the hell out that it actually worked.
However, you've got a point. Throughout the game, we indeed are told what to do and where to go. On the other hand, I felt like I can do stuff on my own terms, you know. Maybe that's what bothers me.
Nevertheless, I understand the protagonist can't possibly solve each and every situation with the most ideal outcome. And that's fine by me. I guess I just felt sucker-punched because Shepard acted determined and headstrong the whole game and then she just... accepts whatever without questioning it over much. It felt wrong. Then again, that's me.
I can see your point, but what would it have accomplished? Voicing an opinion would not have changed anything. The Catalyst wasn't responsible for the Crucible, or any of its solutions, it merely presented them. So even if you had the best arguments and the Catalyst would agree with them, it cannot change what the Crucible is doing.
I can't see what it would have accomplished if I'm not even allowed to try now, can I? The thing is that the Catalyst has a very wrong idea of how the world works and perhaps presenting it with facts could "alter the variables", like it already says we did. It's not even an opinion. The Catalyst is simply wrong. "Synthetics will always turn against the organics," falls totally flat when you have the geth and quarians working together and EDI is dating Joker. This cycle solved its problems with synthetics and, look, the galaxy is still alive and kicking. Whether it led to the destruction of the quarians, or the geth, or peace between them. It doesn't matter which you choose, the Catalyst is simply incorrect. The only conflict here is the war with the Reapers. It's that simple. Why not at least try to see whether we can reason with it? Shepard is allowed to try only very little in that matter and it all gets brushed off, sometimes without the Catalyst even answering what it was asked. But that's not Shepard being dumb, that's the writers not allowing our character to talk.
The Catalyst says that it's much more than just a simple AI but it presents incorrect statements as the ultimate truth and it is absolutely and totally unable to adjust to the situation. And yet, it tells you that "The Reapers are my solution," so it can hardly be helpless. If the Catalyst was unable to come up with solutions and execute them, there would be no Reapers. Also, the Catalyst says that The Crucible is merely a power source, if I remember right. (Somebody correct me?) It doesn't really do anything on its own.
Well, this is something that falls under "matter of taste". I had no problem with the relays exploding (I played without Extended Cut first). While this ended in a lot of casualties, it felt like this was a new beginning too. A new era without Reapers where life can start anew.
I understand where you are coming from and it would make total sense. The problem is that the game does not address it. We see the relays exploding and then everything's fine, the Normandy lands on that pretty planet and everything's just peachy. Well, unless you have low EMS. (The EC fixed that, fortunately.)
Maybe that's why I don't have a problem with such things. I don't care about these Dont's. I really do not care, haha. It's the same with songs. Most of them use the typical "rule" of Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus-Bridge-Chorus etc. While that's fine, I also love songs that break this pattern, break the rules. I think storytelling or songwriting can be experimental sometimes, because why not? There's always gonna be someone who likes it.
Since Rhaenyss mentioned the "boss battle", let's take this as an example, too. I'm sure loads of people hated that we did not get a real end boss. But I loved it, it was refreshing, breaking the video game ending rules, and I know some people on the BSN here also liked it. Bioware liked it, or else they wouldn't have done it.
Fair enough, that's always going to be a matter of taste. As I said, I did prefer ME2's ending, but that's just me. I understand if other people prefer something different. Different is not necessarily bad.
BW is not allowed to dislike their own stuff, though, I think. It's probably not a good idea to be vocal about disliking stuff the company you work for made, so I don't think we can really know what all the people in BW do and don't like. From what I've heard, the end of the game didn't go through any peer review, which would explain a lot, if true.
Mh, I have never perceived the Catalyst as a God. Just as an entity controlling the Reapers, with a purpose and its own reasoning. Much clearer after Leviathan though 
But like I said before, it's not the Catalyst's fault we get these choices in the end, it was the Crucible.
Heh, the god thing was an exaggeration, I admit. It technically is the most powerful being in the galaxy, though. That's why I blurted that out.
Okay, I've found a video. "The device you refer to as the Crucible is little more than a power source. However, in the combination with the Citadel and the relays, it is capable of releasing tremendous amounts of energy throughout the galaxy. It is crude but effective and adaptive in its design." Then the Catalyst rambles about its origin, etc. So the solutions are, indeed, the Catalyst's solutions. Plus, it did say it had attempted synthesis before, back when the Crucible was still nothing more than a concept.
Leviathan made me so pissed. It basically told me their antivirus went bonkers without them bothering to do anything about it for millions of years and now we're all paying for it. I live a sad life, getting upset by video games, I know. 
I thought that was the great thing in it. It's entirely up to the player if he/she trusts the Catalyst. Everyone has their own reasoning to trust or distrust it. I believed the Catalyst would present me the choices I had to its best knowledge, it didn't strike me as a liar. What it definitely wanted was the player picking Synthesis, yes. But it's up to the player to do that. Everything's valid.
Fair enough. Can't argue with that. That's what RP is about, after all.
Why is "it is not something that can be forced" not good enough? In order to unite the galaxy, to unite Organics and Synthetics, you have to be an open-minded individual. My take on it is that Shepard's very essence, so who he/she is, his/her desires or beliefs are what's necessary in order for this to work. That this essence can be spread with the help of the Citadel and the Crucible's energy. Yes, it sounds like space magic, it is space magic, and I don't want to defend Synthesis. I don't like how it's turning out, but I do like the concept, it's interesting to me.
Because we never really get a good explanation of the Synthesis except for "It'll end the war," and "It'll combine everybody's DNA." You are responsible for choosing the fate of the whole galaxy, so maybe it would be good to know whether there are any catches. Like, will it cause any problems? How will it alter life as we know it? What am I actually buying here? Maybe it's just me being too analytic and way too serious about a video game, but I wouldn't want to make an uninformed decision if I found myself in that situation.
I agree the concept in itself otherwise has potential, though. Perhaps for another race or story, even.
Again, that's me, but I like endings that aren't black and white, endings that are open for interpretation, endings where you can speculate with others what is going to happen. It is not for everyone, and I accept that many people do not like this kind of stuff, but to say it's bad because of this is the same as if me saying an ending is bad because I got it spelled out in front of me. Imo.
Yes, that makes perfect sense to me. I'm not saying we need to hear every detail or not leave anything to imagination. I think this is connected to what I said before - I just don't want to screw Milky Way up forever by making a lame decision. (That's why I go for Destroy on my canon because I worry about the unknowns of the other two. Of course, not saying that's the best solution. Just works best for me.)
I guess that's really a matter of opinion. Stuff like this works for some folks, while doing nothing for others. I think we should just keep in mind that when someone creates something, it can never appeal to everyone, and that's okay 
You're right. It's what it is. I guess I was happy with the previous endings and other folks with ME3's. Life's all right. For the rest, there's headcanon, lol.
No worries I always try to respect everyone's opinion and you have your valid reasons for not liking it, I have mine to like it. So we can just agree to disagree
Thanks! I'm more than happy to politely agree to disagree. It would be boring anyway if everybody had the same viewpoint. I tend to learn new things during discussions like this, look at stuff from new angles. Sometimes I learn stuff I didn't notice or think about certain ways before. Sometimes I just worry to come across as too pushy or aggressive. I wouldn't want that.
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) and maybe also find some more arguments for or against each case. I'm always happy if I can find out more, or read more ideas/different approaches, that can be a lot of fun.
