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[SerArthurDayne]

Regarding War Assets

Well then what I have heard is untrue, and Bioware is (shockingly) full of shit.

I did everything with the exception of one sidequest that I missed out on because Cerberus on the Citadel. This is despite the fact that you get the item on Tuchanka, which is the last planet you visit before you lose access to the quest forever. Which is bullshit, but whatever.

My point is, I think I had like 7,000 with all of that. So that leads me to believe 4,000 is impossible, at least with Paragon choices, unless you play multiplayer. Seems like you max out at 3500 with 50% readiness.

 

[Rebel Leader]

I don't understand why most reviewers said this was a "satisfying" ending. Almost no one is satisfied.

They are the 1%

 

[Enduin]

For those who believe in the indoctrination theory

If they release the DLC FOR free or pay, will you ever buy a bioware game so soon?

I dont believe in the Indoctrination theory, though I wish it was real, but if by some miracle it was real and planned out by BioWare and the DLC for it was free and very well done then sure I would buy another BioWare game without question.

If this was all done purposefully it would be one of the greatest fake outs in gaming history and if it ended with a real bang and good conclusion to the ME series this past weeks hysteria would be well worth it.

That said since the IT is most definitely not real and intentional, but if BioWare were to Retcon the ending and release in a few months paid DLC co-opting the theory into a new ending, I would appreciate the gesture but be very wary of any future projects because of the complete ineptitude and mishandling of the ME series.

Over the past couple years BioWare has shown their complete lack of foresight and consideration for their fans and IPs. They have some tremendous talent in certain areas, but there are too many big picture and rather simple things that they completely fuck up or ignore and its becoming quite annoying, and I enjoyed DA2 for the most part.

 

[kai3345]

I've already seen all of the endings, the completeionist in me would just like to get the best one on my save file.

 

[Zeliard]

Which is why people are having such difficulty accepting that all of their time (and apparently emotional) investment in the game was ultimately for naught.

Hell, I'm pretty sure I've seen all the stages of grief represented.

I dunno, I don't think we've hit acceptance yet with a lot of people.

You guys should go play some Journey. It's the elixir to soothe your ills.

 

[Karak]

I hope that's not true.

I don't want to believe that a large group of human beings capable of creating amazing moments (Liara "Time Box" moment, Mordin's death, any moments with Tali :3) are subject to such a disconnect.

Well just looking at past comments and so forth, its now apparent, despite them having missing bits and having no clue what to do at the end, that they STILL thought they would 100% pull it out of the fire and that it would be eaten up.

Also even in their twitters, their comments about fan reaction all point to a "pinky up" mentality. I don't think its too far to assume that those with the final say are past that phase when they are super in touch with the gamer and instead are so wrapped up in the game that they forget completely that a gamer is involved. They removed a great deal of the importance of the gamer from the game. Story is important for sure but in a game like this where they have sat on their hill yelling to the skies that "Decisions matter!" In the end...they don't.

 

[Empty Space]

I don't understand why most reviewers said this was a "satisfying" ending. Almost no one is satisfied.

Maybe the review code stopped at the Shepard and Anderson conversation like it was supposed to? Did reviewers really say that I haven't actually read any reviews.

 

[bigace33]

Regarding War Assets

Well then what I have heard is untrue, and Bioware is (shockingly) full of shit.

I did everything with the exception of one sidequest that I missed out on because Cerberus on the Citadel. This is despite the fact that you get the item on Tuchanka, which is the last planet you visit before you lose access to the quest forever. Which is bullshit, but whatever.

My point is, I think I had like 7,000 with all of that. So that leads me to believe 4,000 is impossible, at least with Paragon choices, unless you play multiplayer. Seems like you max out at 3500 with 50% readiness.

Nah, I had like 5800+ with no multiplayer, and about 95% paragon choices.

 

[Terra Firma]

Shouldn't someone be talking about the great disconnect between the user experience and the paid reviewer experience with this game? All these big gaming websites not only praised Mass Effect 3, but responded to the fan backlash at the ending with satire, flawed logic, etc. If the backlash is so big, why did we not hear anything about the ending from these paid reviewers?

The industry would be so much better if these paid reviewers weren't getting free copies pre-release date and free merchandise from game developers.

 

[OpinionatedCyborg]

That BSN post leads me to believe that even if BioWare hear and respond to the criticism it's the specifics that I don't necessarily agree with that they'll be responding to. Or, to put it simply, though I can appreciate that fan's concerns his/her's are not my own and I think they're missing the point.

Misery/bleakness/death etc etc isn't, in my opinion, the core of this problem. The problem is the contrived, pointless and tacky execution of a transparent ending. It's not that Shepard died, or that the relays were destroyed. It's that these events are poorly excused by a badly written narrative. It's not that our war assets amounted to 'nothing' in the sense that we were supposed to carve our way through the Reapers, it's that they weren't represented in any way at all. The lingering consequences of your decisions throughout the series being overridden by a miserable state of the galaxy are less of a problem than the fact that the game basically forgets about your decisions all together.

At least, that's what my problem is. I can deal with the relays being destroyed and I can deal with establishing a new direction for the franchise (even if it isn't ideal). But I don't like the culmination of a trilogy worth of choices coming down to Red, Green or Blue, while deus ex machina space Casper barks nonsensical metaphysical dribble.

yup.

look, the mass effect series is filled with terrible writing. it's all cliched schlocky sci-fi, from start to finish. but it is fun and the continuity between the games combined with the consequences of our actions makes the story enjoyable... and the one character who really matters, shepard, is really awesome (at least, my femshep was - largely thanks to the VA and my decisions). she's strong, compassionate, pragmatic, curious, and prone to making human errors. the ending muted my wonderful shepard, giving me a canned result no matter which option I chose. no exposition for the choices involved, barely any connection to choices I made in previous games... it did a terrible disservice to me and shepard. I wasn't expecting the ending to transcend the cliched sci fi nonsense typical of the series, but I did expect some continuity between the ending and the last 80 hours of gameplay.

so yeah, the problem with the ending isn't so much the concept as it is the execution. anyone expecting a truly touching or unique ending is playing the wrong series (or wasting their time playing videogames, period).

Shouldn't someone be talking about the great disconnect between the user experience and the paid reviewer experience with this game? All these big gaming websites not only praised Mass Effect 3, but responded to the fan backlash at the ending with satire, flawed logic, etc. If the backlash is so big, why did we not hear anything about the ending from these paid reviewers?

The industry would be so much better if these paid reviewers weren't getting free copies pre-release date and free merchandise from game developers.

eh, most reviewers are not very intelligent. they also lack taste and they live in an echo chamber where all they talk about and experience are other videogames. it doesn't surprise me they awarded ME3 10s.

 

[Karak]

I don't understand why most reviewers said this was a "satisfying" ending. Almost no one is satisfied.

If you listen to G4tv Feedback. Man the feedback crew WERE NOT happy at all about this. In fact one of them glossed over the end discussion of the Day-1-DLC they were supposed to discuss and frankly put it that "The end is going to be way more of a problem for Bioware and their fan retention." 2 of them hadn't played it but from their hints they had watched the ending and seemed to be in cautious agreement.
I suspect we are going to see even more evidence of this from others as the "NON reviewers" but still employees at online companies and such play the game and post their thoughts on various forums, on their websites, and so forth.

 

[Zeliard]

yup.

look, the mass effect series is filled with terrible writing. it's all cliched schlocky sci-fi, from start to finish.

I wouldn't go that far at all. Much of it is cliche, sure, but the dialogue is generally quite strong, as is the characterization. The Codex is skillfully written as well, for the most part.

 

[jackdoe]

Ya ludicrous to think that it wouldn't work or fit. Its been rewritten already by fans tons of times with very fitting, succinct and useful results. It is not rocket science. But I do somewhat agree that, they seem to not even understand. There is the very real possibility that they are so wrapped up in their past successes(sales, journalists love, and so forth) that they think everyone else is wrong.

Definitely. You can literally end the game with Anderson's death speech, Shepard living or dying + FMV of the battle depending on what you did (broad decisions obviously, this is Bioware after all), the Reapers dying (no explanation needed), and a funeral sequence to remember the fallen and provide some closure. Harry Potter epilogue isn't needed. So you get hope and grimness rolled into one succinct package. Simple enough.

 

[Jake Tower]

For those who believe in the indoctrination theory

If they release the DLC FOR free or pay, will you ever buy a bioware game so soon?

 

[GorillaJu]

Basically yes. The complaint that ending is miserable is missing the point, the point being the ending itself is a pure rich, creamy shit smoothy of awful writing, thematic inconsistencies and embarrassingly out of place metaphysical mumbo jumbo, topped with zero closure of any kind on any subject (other than the specific Reaper threat) with a healthy dose of additional speculation and mystery for good measure.

It's just...shit. Utter shit. Everything from the floating platform point onwards needs to be completely scrapped for a new ending to be actually good.



Because the goal was, as apparent by Walters' notes, to harbour speculation and mystery. Like, that was it. Leave people thinking and wondering and pondering and knowing nothing. They probably wanted to tap into the creativity of the fans with their drawings, stories, and speculation, hoping that leaving the universe in this state would appease them.

Speaks volumes about their intentions. No closure at all, just speculation.

You've become pretty harsh on the ending now where as you were pretty kind at first. I think our opinions have been on an identical trajectory on this.

I was just on the phone with my mom, who loves character-driven cult style story lines, so I knew she'd enjoy hearing about ME. I explained the major points of the storyline (the Quarians and Geth, Krogans and Genophage, the Rachni wars, the Reapers, etc.) and gave a pretty good recounting. Then I told her the ending and after only like 15 minutes of an introduction even she was pissed off at how out of place it is!

Bioware set out to leave much of it to the imagination, but the way they did that is just so, so poor. I, like many, truly don't mind sacrificing myself for my friends (and the galaxy), and I don't mind vagueness that allows me to fill in the blanks. I'd be disappointed with a cut and dry "good guys win, bad guys lose" ending, but the way the final few minutes play out pretty much kill every bit of good will I could have in regards to their handling of the end. It's a fucking mess

 

[firehawk12]

Nah, I had like 5800+ with no multiplayer, and about 95% paragon choices.

Do you mean 5800 at 50%? So you got over 10000?

 

[SerArthurDayne]

I hit the acceptance stage on the pages where we had the tint adjustment, unlimited endings editor, and the music video linked to youtube by starchild. It was a very happy moment in an otherwise bleak day.

And for my clarification on super-Shepard- Yes- I want it at least bifurcated to superhero wins, or he dies because you sucked at the game (intentionally or not). Other stuff like space magic is fine to indulge the pseudo intellectuals who wrote it, but not for my save files.

To be honest the lack of choice doesn't really bother me. Choice in this game has always been an illusion, and this is highlighted by the hollowness with which you decision on the Rachni and Geth are treated in this game. It is basically be a Saint or be a dick Shepard. But even with those options you still end up in the same place, unless you go out of your way to roleplay an asshole Shepard who deliberately sabotages his team.

I will allow Bioware to redeem themselves if they make the effort.

 

[Zomba13]

For those who believe in the indoctrination theory

If they release the DLC FOR free or pay, will you ever buy a bioware game so soon?

I'd pay for it if it did infact make our choices matter and provided some payoff for it but either way I don't think I'll buy another bioware game. At least not any game that is going to end up being a series where you are told choices matter and carry over. Also won't be getting any DLC for ME3. Wont buy multiplayer stuff and don't see much point in story DLC.

 

[EatChildren]

Shouldn't someone be talking about the great disconnect between the user experience and the paid reviewer experience with this game? All these big gaming websites not only praised Mass Effect 3, but responded to the fan backlash at the ending with satire, flawed logic, etc. If the backlash is so big, why did we not hear anything about the ending from these paid reviewers?

The industry would be so much better if these paid reviewers weren't getting free copies pre-release date and free merchandise from game developers.

The hatred for the ending, despite being a seemingly overwhelming vocal majority, is not completely and utterly unanimous. I know people, not 'paid journalists', who loved the ending. You can question their taste, but there are people out there who do.

You've become pretty harsh on the ending now where as you were pretty kind at first. I think our opinions have been on an identical trajectory on this.

I've soured on it more over time, I'll admit, I think because the weight it this being "it" for the trilogy has sunk in. That and my bar was set very, very low, and I still don't agree with the "it ruins the whole series" claims some were making. I still love the game and the franchise...up until that point.

I think my bitterness has stemmed from what I deem as a truly disappointing and baffling end to a series that had plenty of potential for it's climax. They fucked it up in the most unbelievably stupid ways, almost like they were trying too.

On the other hand, the fallout is interesting to watch.

 

[Replicant]

Am I the only one who feels that the Reapers almost have no personality/very quiet this time around? Back in ME2, they always went "Assuming direct control", "You feel this pain", "You pathetic human" etc, etc, giving them some kind of voice and mind of their own. But now it feels like they're just toys of the space casper and barely interact with Shepard himself. They're the enemies and they have almost no personality in this one.

 

[hateradio]

They are the 1%

The way BW must be paying them, I'm sure they are.

Am I the only one who feels that the Reapers almost have no personality/very quiet this time around? Back in ME2, they always went "Assuming direct control", "You feel this pain", "You pathetic human" etc, etc, giving them some kind of voice and mind of their own. But now it feels like they're just toys of the space casper who barely interact with Shepard himself.

They were in your dreams. Indoctrinating you instead of directly talking to you.

 

[GorillaJu]

When everyone was saying that the ending was shit (prior to me finishing the game) I thought "oh cool, sounds like it's something that actually requires some thought and maybe it's a little sad. Sounds like I'll enjoy it."

Dear god, I was wrong.

 

[Alucrid]

When everyone was saying that the ending was shit (prior to me finishing the game) I thought "oh cool, sounds like it's something that actually requires some thought and maybe it's a little sad. Sounds like I'll enjoy it."

Dear god, I was wrong.

It does require a lot of thought, as to how they got it wrong, and it is sad, as to how wrong they got it.

 

[SpectreFire]

For those who believe in the indoctrination theory

If they release the DLC FOR free or pay, will you ever buy a bioware game so soon?

Nope. Wouldn't be able to trust them after that. I made my emotional investment in their game and got screwed for it. Not going down that path again.

 

[firehawk12]

Basically yes. The complaint that ending is miserable is missing the point, the point being the ending itself is a pure rich, creamy shit smoothy of awful writing, thematic inconsistencies and embarrassingly out of place metaphysical mumbo jumbo, topped with zero closure of any kind on any subject (other than the specific Reaper threat) with a healthy dose of additional speculation and mystery for good measure.

It's just...shit. Utter shit. Everything from the floating platform point onwards needs to be completely scrapped for a new ending to be actually good.

It really is the worst kind of science fiction writing, symptomatic of a larger trend in pseudo-metaphyiscal bullshit endings in popular science fiction of the day. It's just so lazy and the indoctrination stuff is just adding onto that.

 

[bigace33]

Do you mean 5800 at 50%? So you got over 10000?

No, I guess I'm talking about my war readiness? My meter was fully green, and I had like 5800 something or other. It said something to the effect that my troops strength would be around 2800 if we attacked the reapers at that point. Maybe I'm reading it wrong or not understanding it right. I know my total number was 5800 at 50% war readiness though.

 

[Karak]

Definitely. You can literally end the game with Anderson's death speech, Shepard living or dying + FMV of the battle depending on what you did (broad decisions obviously, this is Bioware after all), the Reapers dying (no explanation needed), and a funeral sequence to remember the fallen and provide some closure. Harry Potter epilogue isn't needed. So you get hope and grimness rolled into one succinct package. Simple enough.

I just get this strange idea that 2-3 individuals were so wrapped up in Matrix, and other movies quarky endings that even if a good deal of their coworkers were stating that other options should be available for the ending they simply said, "You don't get it." It seems to me that, just from their comments a couple of these guys are WAY WAY high on themselves.

 

[Zomba13]

Shouldn't someone be talking about the great disconnect between the user experience and the paid reviewer experience with this game? All these big gaming websites not only praised Mass Effect 3, but responded to the fan backlash at the ending with satire, flawed logic, etc. If the backlash is so big, why did we not hear anything about the ending from these paid reviewers?

The industry would be so much better if these paid reviewers weren't getting free copies pre-release date and free merchandise from game developers.

Could be because apparently in the review notes it was suggested that reviewers should come at the game from the perspective of a new comer. Pretty much start fresh with ME3. Not sure if any review sites came at it from that angle though but could explain it. If I hadn't put in more than a hundred hours into the series and just started with ME3 I probably wouldn't care much about the ending or the people complaining.

 

[PsychoSoldier]

Shouldn't someone be talking about the great disconnect between the user experience and the paid reviewer experience with this game? All these big gaming websites not only praised Mass Effect 3, but responded to the fan backlash at the ending with satire, flawed logic, etc. If the backlash is so big, why did we not hear anything about the ending from these paid reviewers?

The industry would be so much better if these paid reviewers weren't getting free copies pre-release date and free merchandise from game developers.

I think some of the people going off about "gamer entitlement" and other such nonsense probably have lots of friends in the game industry or just deep roots that cause them to take offense for video gaming companies

As for reviews, well, it could be that even if they didn't love the ending they're trying to take the entire game into account and give it a score that takes into account that the rest of the game is good. I mean, yes, a bad ending can ruin a game, but maybe they don't think they can score a game badly just because the ending left a bad taste in their mouth.

 

[GorillaJu]

No, I guess I'm talking about my war readiness? My meter was fully green, and I had like 5800 something or other. It said something to the effect that my troops strength would be around 2800 if we attacked the reapers at that point. Maybe I'm reading it wrong or not understanding it right. I know my total number was 5800 at 50% war readiness though.

So your effective military strength (the one that matters) is 2900.

You need to play multiplayer or Infiltrator to get over 5000 for the number that matters.

I enjoy the MP and have 100% so my EMS is about 6300 right now.

 

[Freeza Under The Shower]

I don't understand why they would want to "reboot" or alter the universe this drastically, when Casey himself says that they won't make a game post-ME3. If you aren't going to make a game beyond ME3, why change it so drastically? It doesn't make any sense and it seems like everyone is on drugs at Bioware.

It's the equivalent of the writer's ultimate tool of getting rid of a story he / she doesn't want to continue anymore: everybody dies.
Whether's it's Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Dent (Hitchhiker's guide) or some random character killed offscreen just to make sure nobody asks where he / she is, ultimately 'the kill' is the writer's only tool left on the table when he is forced to continue something he has grown tired of.
Leave no option open, give fans no means of keeping doors open. Shut them all, and bury the body. That's what Hudson probably wanted, given the nature of BSN.

It's not like I can't imagine Bioware just wanting this project to end already, but taking it out on the franchise itself is not wise, which is something Conan Doyle and Douglas Adams could both attest to.
But being strong enough to keep telling your fans and bosses "no" to questions about a sequel is equally impossible.

Maybe that's why George Lucas goes back to fuck up his own work during his lifetime. It has become master, and he is its slave.
Except maybe Douglas Adams, who really didn't write a sequel and despite claiming otherwise in some sources, appears to have had no intention whatsoever (looking at Mostly Harmless) to do so. Past his death however, the fools did not head the warning and made one anyway. And now it just sits there, waiting for new victims to claim.

If it's that kind of fame or colored explosions, I might choose colored explosions too.

 

[JustinBB7]

No, I guess I'm talking about my war readiness? My meter was fully green, and I had like 5800 something or other. It said something to the effect that my troops strength would be around 2800 if we attacked the reapers at that point. Maybe I'm reading it wrong or not understanding it right. I know my total number was 5800 at 50% war readiness though.

It only really counts the effective troops. So 2800 is not enough. My bar was fully green too but no way in hell would I get over 5000 effective without multiplayer or buying an iphone that I don't want..

 

[Tajin]

Am I the only one who feels that the Reapers almost have no personality/very quiet this time around? Back in ME2, they always went "Assuming direct control", "You feel this pain", "You pathetic human" etc, etc, giving them some kind of voice and mind of their own. But now it feels like they're just toys of the space casper and barely interact with Shepard himself. They're the enemies and they have almost no personality in this one.

That was one Reaper, Harbinger.

I'm disappointed Harbinger doesn't get an active role in ME3 besides gunning the fuck out of the SWORD ground troops near the end.

 

[sflufan]

When I compare it to "Children of Men" (another work that had an ambiguous ending), I realize the vast difference between the two.

For CoM, I really didn't feel the need to have closure. I didn't need to know what happened past the fade-to-black because I was satisfied that I had seen the conclusion of the narrative arc.

No such case here.

 

[SerArthurDayne]

No, I guess I'm talking about my war readiness? My meter was fully green, and I had like 5800 something or other. It said something to the effect that my troops strength would be around 2800 if we attacked the reapers at that point. Maybe I'm reading it wrong or not understanding it right. I know my total number was 5800 at 50% war readiness though.

Galactic readiness defaults at 50%. You have to play multiplayer (or iPad games) to raise it higher. You war Assets are multiplied by that percentage to calculate your Final Battle "readiness"

The mulitplied number must be 4,000 to get the Shepard is alive scene. This number is impossible to get unless you play a few hours of the multiplayer. If you max out with all quests done you will have about 7,000 total assets, which when multiplied by 50% fall short of the 4,000 by a few hundred assets.

 

[Tajin]

When I compare it to "Children of Men" (another work that had an ambiguous ending), I realize the vast difference between the two.

For CoM, I really didn't feel the need to have closure. I didn't need to know what happened past the fade-to-black because I was satisfied that I had seen the conclusion of the narrative arc.

No such case here.

CoM wasn't a choose your own adventure story spanning hundreds of dollars of content and a previous heavy emphasis on choice and player-influenced character development.

Maybe Bioware writers read too many sci-fi books or saw too many sci-fi films and forgot how story delivery on an interactive medium is supposed to work.

 

[firehawk12]

When I compare it to "Children of Men" (another work that had an ambiguous ending), I realize the vast difference between the two.

For CoM, I really didn't feel the need to have closure. I didn't need to know what happened past the fade-to-black because I was satisfied that I had seen the conclusion of the narrative arc.

No such case here.

One is thematically satisfying, offers closure to the narrative and gives a glimpse of the future. The whole film builds to this ending.

The other is random infodump that tries to shoehorn in a change to the universe right at the last moment.

 

[bigace33]

So your effective military strength (the one that matters) is 2900.

You need to play multiplayer or Infiltrator to get over 5000 for the number that matters.

I enjoy the MP and have 100% so my EMS is about 6300 right now.

Ah, maybe that's why I could not persuade the illusive man from his indoctrination, it was grayed out. I was under the assumption that I had the 5000 necessary for the "good ending". I messed up anyway and picked what I thought was the paragon ending and chose to control the Reapers.

 

[sflufan]

CoM wasn't a choose your own adventure story spanning hundreds of dollars of content and a previous heavy emphasis on choice and player-influenced character development.

Maybe Bioware writers read too many sci-fi books or saw too many sci-fi films and forgot how story delivery on an interactive medium is supposed to work.

Oh I realize that -- I'm just comparing my sentiments when confronted with conclusions of ambiguity.

 

[Tajin]

edit: ^^^ Yeah wasn't trying to strongly disagree with you or anything. Just rolling on the ME3 ending angst.

Ah, maybe that's why I could not persuade the illusive man from his indoctrination, it was grayed out. I was under the assumption that I had the 5000 necessary for the "good ending". I messed up anyway and picked what I thought was the paragon ending and chose to control the Reapers.

The Illusive Man persuasion is not based on war assets. It's based on your previous conversations with him. If you miss certain dialogue you are unable to influence him later.

 

[Brawndo Addict]

The use of music/score is almost more egregious than the ending for me, and I've only ever taken one class in Film Score just for fun. I can't watch any shows or movies without noticing this crap now. I hate how insidiously music can make trivial events seem so much more emotional than they really are. It immediately and completely takes me out of the moment if it's not properly implemented because it's so blatant and lazy.

This is particularly in reference to the Earth-Kid theme (motif?) . TING TING TING, BWAAP! THIS SCENE IS SAD AND YOU SHOULD FEEL BAD. Jesus, I get it Bioware. Stop using music to force feed emotions down my throat just because your writers don't understand how to evoke them. I should be responding to what is occurring on screen, and it should work without any music at all. Music is supposed to enhance what we're already experiencing, not supplant it.

I just want to add that I'm not blaming all the writers or saying they're all bad. Just the ones responsible for this whole child thing. It boggles my mind that some paid professionals thought that was honestly compelling and emotionally engaging.

 

[hateradio]

The other is random infodump that tries to shoehorn in a change to the universe right at the last moment.

While totally crushing your spirit, hope, and trust.

 

[Rodhull]

So your effective military strength (the one that matters) is 2900.

You need to play multiplayer or Infiltrator to get over 5000 for the number that matters.

I enjoy the MP and have 100% so my EMS is about 6300 right now.

Yeah that sounds about right. I bought Infiltrator but didn't like it. I'm doing the galaxy at war stuff on the datapad app currently, although I'm not sure why as I can't bring myself to do a second playthrough.

Considering that at this point after ME2 came out I was already 50-75% of my way through a second playthrough it shows how the ending(s) has sapped my motivation to play what was for 99.5% of it a great game.

 

[sflufan]

The use of music/score is almost more egregious than the ending for me, and I've only ever taken one class in Film Score just for fun. I can't watch any shows or movies without noticing this crap now. I hate how insidiously music can make trivial events seem so much more emotional than they really are. It immediately and completely takes me out of the moment if it's not properly implemented because it's so blatant and lazy.

This is particularly in reference to the Earth-Kid theme (motif?) . TING TING TING, BWAAP! THIS SCENE IS SAD AND YOU SHOULD FEEL BAD. Jesus, I get it Bioware. Stop using music to force feed emotions down my throat just because your writers don't understand how to evoke them. I should be responding to what is occurring on screen, and it should work without any music at all. Music is supposed to enhance what we're already experiencing, not supplant it.

I just want to add that I'm not blaming all the writers or saying they're all bad. Just the ones responsible for this whole child thing. It boggles my mind that some paid professionals thought that was honestly compelling and emotionally engaging.

The best part is that they used a human child because...well, Shepherd is a human which means that he'll sympathize with a human! WHY OF COURSE!

 

[Zeliard]

The hatred for the ending, despite being a seemingly overwhelming vocal majority, is not completely and utterly unanimous. I know people, not 'paid journalists', who loved the ending. You can question their taste, but there are people out there who do.

I dig the bleakness and the theme of sacrifice. That resonates with me as far as how I feel the series, and specifically Shepard's character, have progressed. The Mass relays being destroyed is also fine, as the only reason they were created in the first place was to aid in the Reapers' plans.

I have a big problem like many do with the endings being essentially identical, and the final choice being roughly meaningless. I also think the dialogue with the kid could have been far more fleshed-out. Just felt too pat. And as I keep bringing up, the whole Harbinger running off thing is entirely too silly and nonsensical. The reason I have an issue with that is because it's a very "game-y" thing to do. They had him run off because he would murder your shit and everyone else in combat, okay, but try to find some way to bypass that without having Harbinger just stupidly disappear from the most important location in the series.

Beyond that, I don't have major issues with the ending. I certainly don't loathe it the way some do, and some sort of "happy ending" would have been incredibly lame given the significant destruction the Reapers had already wrought. It should have always ended in a bleak fashion because the Reapers' cycle of continuous genocide and harvesting was a rather bleak thing, though they certainly could have done a much better job with it.

 

[EatChildren]

When I compare it to "Children of Men" (another work that had an ambiguous ending), I realize the vast difference between the two.

For CoM, I really didn't feel the need to have closure. I didn't need to know what happened past the fade-to-black because I was satisfied that I had seen the conclusion of the narrative arc.

No such case here.

When people argue about the ambiguous end of Children of Men I always feel they were missing the point. The movie was supposed to be very specifically character driven, the hopes and future of the species and human nature represented through them as individuals, rather than the intricacies of global politics and the species as a whole. Children of Men was to it's state of the world as Schindler's List was to WW2.

So the great thing about that ambiguity is that it left you with a sense of hope as the characters themselves triumphed. Like you said, the narrative arc was satisfying. You were left to wonder, but that is okay.

And yeah, no such case here. No closure, more questions, all stupid.

 

[sdornan]

Have a link to the thread?

It's on page 90-something in this thread:

http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/355/index/9992961/104

 

[Derrick01]

Agreed. Still can't wrap my head around their idiotic idea that Shepard living is BAD and that is because it would be a GOOD ending.

But as someone on BW forums stated. "There is every indication they don't know how to write that or are not skilled enough to handle the intricacies of it." So ditch what is hard and randomly put some shit on the screen with fancy colors.

Yeah I don't get the complaints about him living either. Yeah it's cheesy and cliche but pretty much the entire London mission was (glorious) cheese. The hoo-rah hype up speech, some of the personal conversations with your squad and Anderson. This whole series was cheese and I ate it up gleefully. So yeah I want the "happy" ending, even though the reality of that "happy" ending still ends with galactic civilization crippled for a good 100 years at least.

 

[rififi]

When I compare it to "Children of Men" (another work that had an ambiguous ending), I realize the vast difference between the two.

For CoM, I really didn't feel the need to have closure. I didn't need to know what happened past the fade-to-black because I was satisfied that I had seen the conclusion of the narrative arc.

No such case here.

Well, in the case of Children of Men, I'll just spoiler tag this just in case:

Spoiler

in the end, imagine Julian Taylor and Jasper Palmer coming out of no where beside Theo in a motorboat, causing a huge wake that causes Theo to go overboard - cut scene

that would be the ending of CoM if Mac Walters was writing it.

 

[Papercuts]

I really would've liked to see a bad ending where the reapers straight up win and you saw liara's box in the future. I'm surprised more than anything that there's never an outcome where you don't 'win' persay.