Support NeoGAF

[JoeBoy101]

BioWare has had a pretty good track record with KotOR and Mass Effect. Origins, as said, was great as well. BioWare's only real missteps were potentially this ending (I have yet to play through it, but I haven't shielded myself from the ending controversy - I'm just trying to keep an unbiased outlook until I see it for myself) and DA2 (and that Sonic game).

I still maintain DA2 wasn't completely a bad game, but very inconsistent with its mechanics and execution. Parts and elements of it were really awesome (combat certainly wasn't) but the other parts were abysmally poor (copypasta maps/dungeons).

I'm saying for endings in particular. ME1 was really the only game of theirs that had a decent ending. DA was close, but it still ultimately ended with a series of flash cards at the end.

They always cheap out when it comes to the ending cinematics/whatever.

At this point, I'd consider a series of flash cards with resolution exposition at the end of ME3 to be a godsend.

 

[EmCeeGramr]

- Casey: 'Everyone is going to have a different ending to some degree based on their choices and their galactic readiness, so it wass important for me to have one final scene where everyone has the exact same experience.'

- Casey: 'Everyone is going to have a different ending to some degree based on their choices and their galactic readiness, so it wass important for me to have one final scene where everyone has the exact same experience.'

- Casey: 'Everyone is going to have a different ending to some degree based on their choices and their galactic readiness, so it wass important for me to have one final scene where everyone has the exact same experience.'

- Casey: 'Everyone is going to have a different ending to some degree based on their choices and their galactic readiness, so it wass important for me to have one final scene where everyone has the exact same experience.'

- Casey: 'Everyone is going to have a different ending to some degree based on their choices and their galactic readiness, so it wass important for me to have one final scene where everyone has the exact same experience.'

- Casey: 'Everyone is going to have a different ending to some degree based on their choices and their galactic readiness, so it wass important for me to have one final scene where everyone has the exact same experience.'

- Casey: 'Everyone is going to have a different ending to some degree based on their choices and their galactic readiness, so it wass important for me to have one final scene where everyone has the exact same experience.'

 

[Rebel Leader]

Does BSN know about this?

 

[Shrennin]

I'm saying for endings in particular. ME1 was really the only game of theirs that had a decent ending. DA was close, but it still ultimately ended with a series of flash cards at the end.

They always cheap out when it comes to the ending cinematics/whatever.

I can agree with that. Mass Effect's ending was perfect and I also loved KotOR's ending. ME2's ending was definitely unmemorable (to this day, I remember ME's ending more than I do ME2's and ME2 should be more recent in my mind).

I still maintain DA2 wasn't completely a bad game, but very inconsistent with its mechanics and execution. Parts and elements of it were really awesome (combat certainly wasn't) but the other parts were abysmally poor (copypasta maps/dungeons).

I agree. I just think DA2 shouldn't have been part of the Dragon Age series (the purpose of Dragon Age was originally to have a spiritual successor of sorts to Baldur's Gate - and to some extent, BioWare had succeeded with Origins). Origins fans didn't expect a massive change/departure from the structure of Origins. If BioWare wanted to create a fantasy RPG more akin to Mass Effect, they most likely should have made DA2 a side-game or an entirely new IP. I think it was a misstep in that regard.

 

[Goon Boon]

I thought that was referring to the silhouettes of the grandpa and scaled down Shepard talking on the royalty free planet in the epilogue.

 

[Psychoward]

Does BSN know about this?

yes, and they tried to make it a semi-meme-joke-thing and just came off as having horrible humor


just like usual

 

[Zomba13]

Basically, BioWare. Anyone who was surprised by how this ended has never played a BioWare game.

DA:O handled ending possibilities well. I was told what happened because of my choices. Seeing that DA:O could pull it off I expected the final part of an epic space opera could at least do the text box endings.

 

[Loam]

Saw this on the SA forums and I think it provides a pretty good indication of why people are demanding an alternate ending and why opponents to changing "works of art" should re-focus:

I still think the best line of reasoning as to why ME3 should receive more endings via DLC is that the game was supposed to be driven by player choice. For two games Bioware touted on about how every decision you made affected the plot, their big sell for ME3 was the player finally getting to see the culmination of all of their choices, yet at the end of ME3 all we got was some galactic readiness thing that didn't change jack shit and three endings whose main difference was which color cinematic you saw.

 

[Jake Tower]

I thought that was referring to the silhouettes of the grandpa and scaled down Shepard talking on the royalty free planet in the epilogue.

I just showed the end to my friend, and he remarked that Stargazer sounds like Herbert the Pervert.

My Sweet.

 

[Doublesith]

I thought that was referring to the silhouettes of the grandpa and scaled down Shepard talking on the royalty free planet in the epilogue.

I have the app. Hudson was referring to the Buzz Aldrin epilogue with that quote.

 

[Escape Goat]

I just picked up Liara in ME1. This game feels so rough around the edges having played the series as 2-3-1. So many things that suck or don't work. But at least theres a story to follow so its nice to have the whole picture.

 

[2San]

Dragon Age: Origins had a great ending scene

Spoiler

Talking to all of your crew before you exit and do whatever now that the world is saved

and a nice meaty epilogue too, which detailed almost every choice that matters

Ignoring the DLC that came after the game. The game(you bought new) really was a complete experience.

 

[firehawk12]

DA:O handled ending possibilities well. I was told what happened because of my choices. Seeing that DA:O could pull it off I expected the final part of an epic space opera could at least do the text box endings.

At this point, I'd consider a series of flash cards with resolution exposition at the end of ME3 to be a godsend.

This is what BioWare has done to our standards. We all want text box endings now. lol

I can agree with that. Mass Effect's ending was perfect and I also loved KotOR's ending. ME2's ending was definitely unmemorable (to this day, I remember ME's ending more than I do ME2's and ME2 should be more recent in my mind).

KoTOR's was fine when put in context of Star Wars: A New Hope... but just cutting to a ceremony after all that time with those characters felt really empty. I wanted more of a Return of the Jedi-esque ending after that. ME1 at least did a cliffhanger by ending it on a player choice. It resolved the first game and gave you a chance to think about the second.

 

[jackdoe]

At this point, I'd consider a series of flash cards with resolution exposition at the end of ME3 to be a godsend.

I think flashcards for any of these endings would be rage inducing.

Anyways, this thought just came up due to the numerous anime references. Fans wanted a Gurren Lagann ending, Bioware wanted an Evangelion ending, we ended up getting Gundam OO.

 

[hateradio]

Ignoring the DLC that came after the game. The game(you bought new) really was a complete experience.

That's true, too. They didn't clip anything that made the game drastically different.

 

[Rebel Leader]

This is what BioWare has done to our standards. We all want text box endings now. lol



KoTOR's was fine when put in context of Star Wars: A New Hope... but just cutting to a ceremony after all that time with those characters felt really empty. I wanted more of a Return of the Jedi-esque ending after that. ME1 at least did a cliffhanger by ending it on a player choice. It resolved the first game and gave you a chance to think about the second.

I would've just been fine with that... as I have said earlier in this thread

I would'be been fine with a fallout: new Vegas style epilogue

 

[JoeBoy101]

This is what BioWare has done to our standards. We all want text box endings now. lol

What I want is a fully fleshed out ending that provides closure to the series and the choices you make in it.

But given the game has already released with an ending that is diametrically opposed to that, I'm being practical. I sincerely doubt they will go to all the effort to do that right.

Thus, I'll accept flash cards in this instance over what is currently in place.

 

[kai3345]

Dragon Age: Origins had a great ending scene

Spoiler

Talking to all of your crew before you exit and do whatever now that the world is saved

and a nice meaty epilogue too, which detailed almost every choice that matters

Fuck yeah, Dragon Age: Origins is BioWare's best game since BG2

 

[SerArthurDayne]

Clint Mansell's (very limited) work on the soundtrack is so good. Very talented composer. That Piano.

Complements the rest of the score, but stands above it.

 

[Shrennin]

KoTOR's was fine when put in context of Star Wars: A New Hope... but just cutting to a ceremony after all that time with those characters felt really empty. I wanted more of a Return of the Jedi-esque ending after that. ME1 at least did a cliffhanger by ending it on a player choice. It resolved the first game and gave you a chance to think about the second.

Yeah, but I'm not sure if a sequel to KotOR was planned initially so the cliff hanger might not work and I found the ending sufficient. On the other hand, ME definitely has quite possibly the best ending to any BioWare game that I have played (my first game was KotOR, so I can't really comment pre-KotOR).

 

[The Librarian]

The thing about the Mass Relays exploding has been covered several times, but it was nice to read this from the codex in the ACTUAL game.

I also like that the first sentence negates what Shepard did in Arrival and thus killed a whole colony of Batarians for no fucking reason in the narrative.

Oh, BioWare...

 

[Shake Appeal]

This game wasn't very good, but Bioware unintentionally trolling their entire fanbase has sort of made up for it.

 

[Zeliard]

What I want is a fully fleshed out ending that provides closure to the series and the choices you make in it.

But given the game has already released with an ending that is diametrically opposed to that, I'm being practical. I sincerely doubt they will go to all the effort to do that right.

Thus, I'll accept flash cards in this instance over what is currently in place.

All the Mass Relays exploding does offer closure though. The various races are no longer able to contact each other. And that's the end of that.

 

[Moaradin]

This game wasn't very good, but Bioware unintentionally trolling their entire fanbase has sort of made up for it.

How was it not very good? It was the best in the series outside of the last 10 minutes.

 

[Walshicus]

This game wasn't very good,

I don't think even among the most ardent haters of the ending you'll find many people to support that notion.

 

[fuenf]

Dragon Age: Origins had a great ending scene

Spoiler

Talking to all of your crew before you exit and do whatever now that the world is saved

and a nice meaty epilogue too, which detailed almost every choice that matters

Dont remind me, before starting the last ME3 mission this was exactly the way i expected it to end. Aw what could've been, I mean even Kojima managed to tie up all the strings of the godawful MGS 2-4 Story in the ending of MGS4.

 

[Jake Tower]

I don't think even among the most ardent haters of the ending you'll find many people to support that notion.

I do. The only saving grace it could have had for me was a good story and satisfying ending.

FAIL

 

[Rebel Leader]

All the Mass Relays exploding does offer closure though. The various races are no longer able to contact each other. And that's the end of that.

Look 2 posts above yours

 

[Dave1988]

Oh my...

Tell me the story about Kelly, grampa! The Kelly story!

Oh, again?

Yes! Yes! Kelly!

Very well. There once was a very special girl named Kelly Chambers. She was very kind and loved everyone, so she became a councilor to help people. One day, she took a job working on a magical ship filled with wonderful people. Their captain was the great hero, the Shepard. The Shepard loved Kelly, you see, so he used his experience and position as her superior officer to talk her into giving him a lap dance. A lap dance, my sweet, is when a woman takes off her clothes and grinds her lady parts against his crotch. Sometimes, when he wasn't busy drilling other women, he'd hug her.

Then one day, terrible monsters came and took her away, and put her in a tube. She couldn't move and had to watch innocent people being turned into disgusting liquid, waiting as the person next to her was devoured by the evil machines. She waited and watched, knowing it was her turn next.

Then the Shepard came, and set her free! He took her away on his magic spaceship and made her feel so much better. Then, he quit working for her employer, and kicked her and all her friends off the ship, and she was forced to sell all her things and move into a box filled with evil four-eyed Batarians. But she still so loved the Shepard, she kept his pet fish safe and happy.

Then, one day, the Shepard came back! He told her he still loved her and they had a quickie in a cargo container. Then he took the fish back and left her behind, but she wasn't sad because she knew he would protect her and her new home!

Then, when she was gone, the monsters came back. The killed everyone and threw her on the pile to lay there, broken and bleeding, her turn growing closer with every body they impaled on their dragon's teeth or ground up into slurry. One by one they were taken, and she could only beg and scream, every sound of crunching bone or flowing person goop bringing back the horrible memory of the collector base.

The Shepard never came, my sweet. The Shepard never came.

My sweeeeeeet

This guy is on a roll:

I'm actually kind of glad that Garrus is killed. I hope it was instantaneous. It makes me feel less bad about the whole tender promise to return thing followed by immediately dying horribly and condemning him and potentially his entire species and home to destruction.

Shame about Kelly, though. Maybe Bailey went around the docks and put a bullet in everyone's head before the husks broke in. The Asari married to the Krogan poet didn't have much to live for anyway, so I don't really feel that bad about her. I hope all of the Cerberus goons I shot didn't include that one soldier's brother who'd just joined. I'm sure it would be a shame if I shot him on top of her either being impaled on a spike and turned into a monster, or ground up into goo, or killed in battle on Earth, or left to be hunted down and eaten alive by a starving, hunger-maddened Krogan while she watches the sky burn with falling debris from the explosions.

You know what, they should just release a free DLC that replaces everything after the beam with a title card reading "You lose. Buy more DLC!"

 

[Freeza Under The Shower]

I've only played mass effect

Same here. I couldn't care less about warriors & wizards and so from this point on, I'm basically another lost customer to Bioware.
I tried to play Dragon Age but then the characters began all their buhuuhuuu and going to wobblewobblwobbleistan and I just could not go on with it. Same for Skyrim. I just am so damn tired of seeing the same shit over and over again.

At least Too Human had an interesting take on it. You can say all you want about that game, but it sure as hell tried. That's almost an achievement of its own these days.
(I mean: I even finished that game, while I threw out FF13 after tolerating hours of its torture)

I have come to a few new realizations upon the ending:

- the use of bik video for the endings means that generating a lot of endings would always have been impossible, as it takes more than simply putting in a random model at location X. (like Marauder Shields)

- the hijacking of the plot by the 'action' mode. Consider the following: a person playing action just skips all the dialogue. So how do you get their attention on any remaining plot? You force them to play it. Enter the dreams. The ending just takes on the dreams for the sake of reference, since otherwise players might still skip his dialogue.

This last one is devious, since Bioware clearly had to cater to this demograph because they included multiplayer and cannot sell DLC post-game(!), meaning that DLC would be MP centric, since that's where the "call of duty demograph" money is at.

And people thought the mp wouldn't ruin the game.* ha-ha. uurgh
* = not entirely serious

 

[Beelzeboss]

god I just finished Illium and I don't think I want to play anymore.

Shepard is getting too emotional and is acting like all hope is lost and MY Shepard would not roll that way yo.

He pretty much exploded on Joker and I was ready to turn the game off. I feel control being taken away from me and from what I know it gets worse. It was bad enough being haunted by a kid I care nothing about now Shepard won't listen to me.

 

[Zeliard]

Look 2 posts above yours

I'm messing with you. :>

 

[ProtoCents]

I wonder if anyone at Bioware even cares. You would think they would care more about their franchise than to give it treatment like this. Everything reeks of PR and rush job.

 

[Rebel Leader]

I'm messing with you. :>

I've been indoctrinated O_O

 

[Lime]

If Bioware really wanted to impress me, they should go CDProjekt on their fans and release a Mass Effect 3: Enhanced Edition:

Technical fixes

• Make Javik free for all players (maybe even digital soundtrack and art book as well)
• High res texture pack for PC
• Improved animations
• Holster function + Film grain back
• Adjustable FOV
• Even higher diffculties (like TW2's Dark difficulties)
• Improved Quest log
• Less camera and animation bugs

Narrative fixes

• Fix the ending. They can keep the Dark Age + ShepDeath consequences, but provide some closure and exposition for the player which are thematically consistent with the whole trilogy.
• Make the War Assets count! Provide feedback on your assets during the end-game
• Explain or give feedback to the whole Citadel being captured. Everything you do there is rendered meaningless by everybody getting made to juice. Let someone comment on it or let Shepard react to the horror of millions of people getting killed.
• Replace Vent Kid with Virmire Survivor. If impossible, remove him.
• Fix obvious plotholes through easy explanation, e.g. why Citadel no longer controls all Mass Relays as stated in ME1, why Reapers suddenly are in the galaxy, etc..
• Relegate Mac Walters to an junior writing position, where his desktop wallpaper says "LOTS OF SPECULATION FOR EVERYONE".

Spoiler

Hope I'm not approaching fan fic territory

. Anybody got other wishes?

 

[Rebel Leader]

A monument for Mr. Marauder Shield

That is my only wish to add, at this moment.

 

[2San]

That's true, too. They didn't clip anything that made the game drastically different.

Yup, the DLC was rage inducing though. I recommend everyone just to play the core game(the dlc that's meant for the core game is fine as well). Ignore DAII. DA:O has a nice complete self contained story.

 

[Moaradin]

The most unintentionally funny thing in the game for me was when Shepard yells out "STEEEEVE!" in probably the most dramatic tone he's ever sounded.

 

[Zeliard]

I've been indoctrinated O_O

Look at this destructive motherfucker. And he just leaves.

 

[K.Sabot]

If Bioware really wanted to impress me, they should go CDProjekt on their fans and release a Mass Effect 3: Enhanced Edition:


Anybody got other wishes?

CD Projekt Red adopting Bioware's manpower to get Witcher 3 out the door in less than 2 years.

 

[Papercuts]

The most unintentionally funny thing in the game for me was when Shepard yells out "STEEEEVE!" in probably the most dramatic tone he's ever sounded.

I laughed at this too. Plus the line he says right after is calm as hell.

 

[Y2Kev]

The standoff with the illusive man is filled with creepy eyes

 

[Lime]

A monument for Mr. Marauder Shield

That is my only wish to add, at this moment.

hahaha. Definitely in the top.

CD Projekt Red adopting Bioware's manpower to get Witcher 3 out the door in less than 2 years.

I like the cut of your jib.

 

[Escape Goat]

[IG]http://www.abload.de/img/masseffect32012-03-153qk7n.png[/IMG]

[IG]http://www.abload.de/img/masseffect32012-03-15uml53.png[/IMG]

Look at this destructive motherfucker. And he just leaves.

Marauder Shields is waiting patiently behind that rock.

The most unintentionally funny thing in the game for me was when Shepard yells out "STEEEEVE!" in probably the most dramatic tone he's ever sounded.

I romanced Cortez. He survives. Yay!

 

[Zeliard]

The standoff with the illusive man is filled with creepy eyes

 

[Freeza Under The Shower]

The most unintentionally funny thing in the game for me was when Shepard yells out "STEEEEVE!" in probably the most dramatic tone he's ever sounded.

"you sure?"

I though it couldn't be that bad. Than it happened.
felt like seeing that Human Reaper baby (thebabythebabythebaby) for the first time again.

I suppose he dies if you have a low EMS though, as he doesn't show up after that.

 

[Trey]

Zeliard wants Harbinger's autograph.

 

[scarybore]

I wonder if anyone at Bioware even cares. You would think they would care more about their franchise than to give it treatment like this. Everything reeks of PR and rush job.

I'm sure they do, I can't imagine anyone there wants to make anything bad and I would say they were very successful with ME3. It's just that some members of the team with more power thought they were being clever without thinking things through, and it's coming back to haunt them. Will be interesting to see how they deal with the backlash, I hope they have learnt from how they handled the fallout from Dragon Age 2 with Bioware being condescending.

The most unintentionally funny thing in the game for me was when Shepard yells out "STEEEEVE!" in probably the most dramatic tone he's ever sounded.

Is there a youtube clip of this? I played as a femshep so didn't get to hear it.

I got bored.

Shep knows he's got his back, his time has not yet come.

 

[EatChildren]

All those screenshots are doing is reminding me that I loved everything up until the floating platform. Earth sequence owned.

 

[Y2Kev]

shepard's eyes and awful animu shaking was so bad, lol