KingItachi
Member
I'll get the milk
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Mass Effect 3 Spoiler Thread |OT2| Taste the Rainbow
- Thread starter Patryn
- Start date
I'll get the milk
heliosRAzi
Banned
Instead of lasers, they use toothbrushes to kill people
Felix Lighter
Member
It's kind of embarrassing how much this ending has ruined my night. Ha.
Know that feel, bro. Gonna kick back with some Kid Icarus Uprising to lighten the mood, hopefully.
What determines if Steve lives?
Each choice results in your computer and wallet exploding
You have to help him get over his husband's death. In other words see the scene with him at the Citadel Memorial.
Jake Tower
Banned
It was pretty easy for me, although I was playing hardcore. There definitely seems to be quite a chasm between hardcore and insanity. In general actually, I found the hardcore playthrough of ME3 overall easier than my normal ME2 run (except that asshole Marauder Shields).
HP_Wuvcraft
Banned
SOGGIES MAY RULE.
After sifting through old posts on PA forms, I think now believe that Weekes post is real and was deleted. As well as all posts quoting it. Wish more people were allowed to just be honest. Like David Jaffe.
http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/03/22/...ass-effect-3-writers-forum-post-name-release/
http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/03/22/...ass-effect-3-writers-forum-post-name-release/
But the changes to the reputation system would have made the neutral options viable since the choices available were linked to overall reputation. There were conversation options in the game that gave +Reputation instead of Paragon or Renegade anyway.
I can't believe someone thought giving EDI camel toe would be a good use of their time.
Yeah, I'm noticing that too. They are more concerned with telling their story instead of allowing the player to build theirs. They also make a lot of assumptions with party interaction and expect the player to feel the same way. Like with EDI. In ME2, I took almost every option indicating that Shepard was distrustful of it and didn't want it on the ship and now Shepard suddenly likes EDI and cares for its well-being. Same goes for Liara.
MisterNugNug
Member
"Hey you guys liked your party from ME1? Well we've got new characters in store for you!"
"Oh you guys liked Mordin, Thane and Legion? Well, you can't have them as crew members anymore, but here's Freddie Prinze Jr!"
Escape Goat
Member
She even helped save the Normandy when it was boarded by Collectors with Joker's help. She's done a lot to help Shepard and earned some trust. Even if you were distrustful of her, Shepard would still see the value in having EDI aboard.
Galactic Fork
A little fluff between the ears never did any harm...
The illusive man wanted Eva to be extremely realistic.
Freeza Under The Shower
Member
first response strikes again!
He had some.. infiltrating of his own to do?
Psychoward
Banned
Yeah but all the railroading with Liara is reeeeeeeeeeeally pissing me off in my second playthrough. I remember it being this bad in Shadow Broker too.
That's true but Shepard treats EDI as a friend instead of just an asset she can use.
It has always been an illusion of choice. I remember playing the first game and realizing that the game (for the most part) still plays out the same no matter what you choose
bonesmccoy
Banned
I don't mind that. The first game did the same thing with the binary options for Ashley/Kaidan and Council/Human Fleet. There was no wiggle room back then either. The difference, of course, is that those options felt real and reasonable, unlike the schlock heaped at us at the end of ME3.
Felix Lighter
Member
I've come in late here so I'm sure this has been covered a million times, but do people actually think the ending would be better if it turns out that Shepard was indoctrinated at some point near the end? As much as I hated the ending and felt that it was lore destroying, a "none of this actually happened, it was a dream" ending is still worse.
I actually didnt dislike Vega or Prinze's VA. Its just he had no development. He had no real dialogue tree like in the previous games nor was his character as strong as Javik.
You can tell that unfortunately BioWare not only seemed in-over-their heads when they were developing ME3, but they still were forced to rush the game out. It's obvious to me that they didn't feel they could adequately wrap up all those choices in-game so with few exceptions, we just ended up with a different number or type of War Asset. They turned your choices into numbers, and that stings.
I don't mind that "illusion" in terms of plot, because a large chunk of the appeal of Mass Effect is the character interactions, and I think they usually handled those satisfactorily, based on the choices you make.
Most of the problem with ME3's ending for me isn't about how silly it is, but that there is no closure. Aside from a couple characters, they don't even tell you who lives at the end. For a trilogy like this, there should have been an epic 30 minute string of cutscenes to show you what happened, and how some of your choices impacted those characters. None of this happened, and that's what hurts most. The not knowing, and the apparent nonchalance with which BioWare treats your attachment to the game and its universe.
Galactic Fork
A little fluff between the ears never did any harm...
If the indoctrination theory was true, it wouldn't mean it didn't happen, I'd see it as interaction between Shepard and the reapers. Similar to the scene inside the Geth consensus. At least to me. So it wouldn't be JUST a dream, it'd be real in the sense that Shepard overcame\submitted to indoctrination.
*I do not believe the indoctrination idea was intended by Bioware.
The whole ending sequence being a dream would be extremely stupid. It doesn't really even make sense with what indoctrination is. It might be interesting if the blue and green endings are actually Reaper-favored choices that Shepard made because he was indoctrinated, but even that would be a slap in the face of the player making their own decision with a canonical "nope, wrong choice!" Also, the red ending is actually the easiest one to acquire which you can do no matter how ill prepared you were.
ColonelColon
Member
Those situations really aren't comparable. He's referring to lines that Shepard says in Mass Effect 3 regardless of player choice. In your examples, the player is given multiple options. In Mass Effect 3, the player is more often railroaded and forced to accept lines that may be out of character for "their Shepard". It's just another way where RPG player choice has been restricted, shifting the Mass Effect series closer to being a conventional third person shooter.
Prinze's VA was alright but yeah, the character basically had nothing going for him. He definitely got the short shrift. Barely any dialogue with him - there was basically nothing outside of the boxing and N7 scenes that I recall, and I make it a point to speak to everyone after a mission.
Felix Lighter
Member
I guess it wouldn't have damaged the lore so much because the ultra-irrational glowy kid god would not exist. However, that would be one fucked up way to end the trilogy. I can deal with a not so happy ending but that would be more like a kick in the face by the writers.
Its not a problem if the story is well told and not self contradicting all the time. Or that you promise a decent degree of choice. And really, this the game that should of had choice since its the last part of the trilogy. You dont have to worry about following too many branches in the followup.
Antiochus
Member
Or perhaps a action/FPS player. One suspect more nonchalant/positive reactions to the game's ending originate from devotees to those type of genres.
Felix Lighter
Member
At the end, before the real stupidity kicks in, when the Crucible didn't fire and Hackett contacts a bloody, obviously near death Shepard and she jumps up and says something like "What do you need me to do?", I thought that scene was heart wrenching in a good way. The line was delivered really well and you just wanted Shepard to be finished. You wanted her to be able to finally rest but she was willing to give even more while knocking on deaths door.
Then it all went to shit.
Then it all went to shit.
Rebel Leader
THE POWER OF BUTTERSCOTCH BOTTOMS
The idea of combining the two forms of life would be that there would be no need for either organics or synthetics in the future because there is a new form of life that is superior to both. They are intelligent and computational enough to produce new types of bio-synthetics like themselves instead of reverting to purely synthetic beings due to knowledge of their shortcomings. Also you don't know that they will be different people. Joker and EDI seem to maintain the same relationship so you'd imagine they are the same people.
Rewriting someone's DNA to be superior is not the same as drugging people to be peaceful. The bio-synthetics would not be forced to be peaceful by way of their nature, rather they have the perfect balance of instinct and intelligence to know that chaos is counter-productive to their ends. The reapers never gave them a choice and provided the galaxy terror with no end. Shepard only gives no choice when it comes to a far more harmonious option.
The thing is, you still have no proof about how these people will act and you refuse to consider the idea that this new type of life that is ideally superior to either previous forms would be in the best interest of every being. We weren't given a choice to be born into the universe but it still happened. What exactly is so horrifying about being born into better circumstances?
You don't think it's hell for those in existence? You just spent the entire game watching refugees lose their entire families, people watch their neighbors become mindless husks, and entire worlds catch fire. How is this not the most terrifying and painful way of change imaginable? So your logic is "oh no they forced a completely zen, celestial, and merciful rebirth of all life in the universe" is much more evil than "here come those giant mechanical death-lords to take away the life and free will of everyone you know and love"?
Killing all synthetics wouldn't stop the future chaos of organics vs. synthetics. Except then you'd have nothing like the reapers or bio-synthetics to keep things in check. You'd just have more war. The green option is the absolute best option for existing organics and synthetics. It's painless and beneficial to all life in the galaxy.
Vulcano's assistant
Banned
Now after letting this ending sink in I'm starting to realize that it has some big issues.
I blame the internet for ruining the last part of the game for me though. I had the lowest expectations imaginable. You wouldn't believe how awesome the ending we got was in comparison.
For instance:
-at one moment I was sincerely expecting the Illusive man to win.
-At another moment I though that the earth was gonna explode,
-when the dude shots you before entering the beam, I thought that Shepard was going to die there and the credits were going to roll.
-and finally, at the end the game froze and I though it was intentional.
It was complete madness, I was expecting something out of gainax. Including real life actors talking BS.
I blame the internet for ruining the last part of the game for me though. I had the lowest expectations imaginable. You wouldn't believe how awesome the ending we got was in comparison.
For instance:
-at one moment I was sincerely expecting the Illusive man to win.
-At another moment I though that the earth was gonna explode,
-when the dude shots you before entering the beam, I thought that Shepard was going to die there and the credits were going to roll.
-and finally, at the end the game froze and I though it was intentional.
It was complete madness, I was expecting something out of gainax. Including real life actors talking BS.
In the regular thread I saw some guy posting that someone had spoiled the story for him and told him that Shepard was The Illusive Man's son or something. Because of the uproar on the ending I almost believed that. Then I think someone said it was worse than that, so I waited in horror wondering how in hell it could possibly be worse. Thankfully I don't think it was worse than that.
Psychoward
Banned
This was like my exact reaction to the ending, panel for panel, lol
Felix Lighter
Member
One good thing came out of witnessing this ending tonight; I'm finding out about this Marauder Shields meme. Funny stuff.
WiiredShawn
Member
Dechaios, the main problem with synthesis is that it's SPACE MAGIC which produces a borderline incomprehensible scenario that is completely out of line with the game's major themes (self-determinism, unification rather than assimilation, power of diversity over the power of coercion, etc.). The Star Child's reasoning for a new mixed-DNA species is totally crazy because the whole "organics vs synthetics" issue is not indicated as a problem anymore beyond the Reapers themselves.
The very idea of happily mingling blood with wires is not something the game is prepared to comment on - the only "assimilation" we've ever witnessed involves organic parts being gradually substituted (or completely melted down) for synthetics parts. Our genetic make-up is partly what determines our uniqueness, so adding synthetic (or organic, in the case of robots) parts must necessarily alter your being. Even leaving aside the complexities of advanced hybrid organisms, entire ecosystems would be altered by this kind of shift. Do plants need to enact photosynthesis anymore to survive? Can rabbits run forever? Is procreation even possible?
In the context of the game's three choices, it does seem like the best compromise, but I think that's partly because the consequence we're shown is totally stupid. "Hey, look, the Reapers are gone, and everybody and everything just has cool glowing lines on them now! How could that be bad?" The scale of this decision would be almost beyond the best imaginative thoughts of professionals in every academic discipline, much less Mac "Space Magic" Walters. It's a forced middle-ground that raises more issues than it solves.
Also, I find the logic of "Well, it makes you superior, so how can it be wrong?" completely misguided. If we truly adopted that kind of attitude in real life, well then we would have one of Mac Walter's apparently favorite books, "Brave New World." And that was such a happy ending.
The very idea of happily mingling blood with wires is not something the game is prepared to comment on - the only "assimilation" we've ever witnessed involves organic parts being gradually substituted (or completely melted down) for synthetics parts. Our genetic make-up is partly what determines our uniqueness, so adding synthetic (or organic, in the case of robots) parts must necessarily alter your being. Even leaving aside the complexities of advanced hybrid organisms, entire ecosystems would be altered by this kind of shift. Do plants need to enact photosynthesis anymore to survive? Can rabbits run forever? Is procreation even possible?
In the context of the game's three choices, it does seem like the best compromise, but I think that's partly because the consequence we're shown is totally stupid. "Hey, look, the Reapers are gone, and everybody and everything just has cool glowing lines on them now! How could that be bad?" The scale of this decision would be almost beyond the best imaginative thoughts of professionals in every academic discipline, much less Mac "Space Magic" Walters. It's a forced middle-ground that raises more issues than it solves.
Also, I find the logic of "Well, it makes you superior, so how can it be wrong?" completely misguided. If we truly adopted that kind of attitude in real life, well then we would have one of Mac Walter's apparently favorite books, "Brave New World." And that was such a happy ending.
bonesmccoy
Banned
Ah, gotcha. I get his point now, and agree with it completely.
:lol Perfect
too much eslim
Member
Am confused by this ending? I didn't know i had to pick a side or anything. I just walked straight up the middle thinking I would be given a choice. Cutscene and apparently I chose to destroy the mass relays. However what actually happens? Could I have chose something different?
Trickster
Member
Amazing, one of the most accurate things ever.
You can choose what color they explode in....yeah....
Felix Lighter
Member
You could have apparently chosen to destroy the mass relays with a red beam or even a blue beam. I think I'm going to create a new ME 1 character so I can experience the red beam ending.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq994ufPX5Q&feature=related
So apparently Walters actually wrote Wrex's dialogue in 1. He should have stuck with character writing.
So apparently Walters actually wrote Wrex's dialogue in 1. He should have stuck with character writing.
WiiredShawn
Member
The man is a good character writer at his best, but he should never have been allowed within a mile of the main plot, at least without the intervention of a staff who could keep him in check. For whatever reason, Casey Hudson thought otherwise. More than anything, I wonder what these two are thinking about this whole situation.
The Starchild is a character
I couldn't say that with a straight face though