Yeah I saw that earlier. I laughed.
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Mass Effect 3 Spoiler Thread |OT2| Taste the Rainbow
- Thread starter Patryn
- Start date
Yeah I saw that earlier. I laughed.
Empty Space
Member
There should have a ground variant of that scene with Geth Primes firing rockets and Krogan riding the Space Dinosaurs I got them.
Because indoctrination theory.
Apophenia Overload
Member
The Final Five was the stupidest thing about BSG
gnarlyxcharlie
Member
'Twas a joke, clearly they were shooting for some profound, heavily discussed ending. And all they got was a steaming pile of shit, heavily discussed ending.
I thought it was going to be cool, then it wasn't.
S/he did put quotes around it.
I really hate the song they place at that scene.
Congratulations!
I agree. People here overreact to everything.
Here on the internet?
Here on this plane of existence.
It's a terrible ending filled with gaping plot holes, but you're one of the lucky ones I guess.
Oh, in that case, why don't you just run into the lasers! I think it'll help humanity because of
heliosRAzi
Banned
Actually think about the ending
RedRedSuit
Member
Okay, so at the risk of being overly bloggy and boring, I just wanted to put my thoughts on this game down here. It has been kind of a strange time, as the past few weeks I've been doing nothing but taking care of a newborn and playing Mass Effect 3. (Don't get too judgy... the downside is I haven't really been sleeping.) So it has really had an effect on my psyche. It really has been one of the most intense game experiences of my life, in good and bad ways; so much so that 2 days after finishing it I'm still thinking about it and even had a couple of dreams about it.
Anyway... blog over... here is what I thought.
GAMEPLAY -- A -- The best in the series. Playing as a soldier (true to my original Shepard from ME1; also the default class the game recommends), I found this to be what BioWare was really shooting for with the original game. That is, a solid combat shooter with role-playing combat elements, combined with a robust conversation/travel/upgrade system in true BioWare style. Whereas Mass Effect 1, at least on 360, had huge issues with the shooter mechanics and the upgrade system, while Mass Effect 2 solidified the shooting (with still rather simplistic level design) but skimped on the upgrade system, Mass Effect 3 is the perfect combination of the two.
The upgrade system is satisfying and not too shallow but not needlessly complex, and it has a nice simple UI. The combat system makes perfect sense. Level designs have been made more varied; certainly not to the levels of a dedicates shooter like Uncharted, but still more open and vertical. The enemy set is by far the best of the series; you get to fight 3 different sets of enemies (geth/Cerberus/reapers), and all feature nice hierarchies of enemy types that are more fun to fight by far than any previous enemies. There are even a few fairly challenging fights even on Normal, usually involving Banshees or Brutes, but in general the game is still pretty easy on that difficulty -- yet still fun. So in short, best combat of the series and finally in the ballpark of dedicated third-person shooters, for the first time IMO. (I realize that playing as non-soldier might move it beyond that standard into more of an RPG, but, again, soldier is the default class, and that is what I played.)
So of course the other huge part of any BioWare game is the world traversal and conversation systems. Since as far as I'm concerned ME2 was nearly perfect (minus the horrible scanning) in this regard already (and even ME1 was among the best at this), it's no surprise ME3 was very strong too. Lots of carryover from ME1 and ME2, plenty of interesting interactions with various characters, and nicely improved Normandy and Citadel (I particularly enjoyed how characters moved around the ship and the Citadel instead of always sitting in their rooms as in previous games). Even the side quests, typically a liability for any RPG including ME1 and ME2, were pretty good in this game, in that they were usually at least a little fun and were usually somewhat plausible in the story. It generally made sense that getting this or that would yield you a certain War Asset, which it would make sense for you to want to acquire when assembling a big galactic army for the final confrontation. Sure, some of the "get this random holy book for a random elcor" type quests were lame, but they weren't such a big deal. At least not compared to the Mako or planetary scanning.
I also enjoyed that the actual mission side quests (like the N7 ones) were somewhat integrated into the story and into War Assets. In ME1 they were typically completely disconnected from everything; in ME2 usually as well.
The largest complaint is probably what Onslaught brought up which was the lack of any hub worlds other than the Citadel; by hub world I mean large or semi-large locations where you can talk to people and do some relaxing and fetch-questing. Both ME1 and ME2 were full of them (with Omega and Ilium being some of the best ones). ME3 really only has the Citadel, a really nice version of it, but that's it. So that sucks. However I'd still give the gameplay an A.
VISUALS -- B+ -- I may be a little jaded, but I didn't find myself all the impressed through most of it. I think it's one of the best-looking RPGs and shooters but mostly due to the art style and things like the skyboxes/background art. Some technical aspects show their age, like the running animations and even facial animation (which is still among the best but not as relatively impressive as it used to be). On the plus side the performance of the game was solid through all but a couple of busy Citadel areas. I still love the look of the game which doesn't really have an equivalent in other games. The Citadel and the Normandy never lose their luster to me, nor do characters like Liara, Garrus, and my female Shepard.
MUSIC -- A -- Spot on as always. I still think ME1 was more memorable however.
VALUE -- B+ -- While I play slowly compared to others (e.g., I religiously go to the Citadel after every mission, I scan the galaxy map for available areas everytime, etc.), my final play time was something like 52 hours. That's certainly a good length for a game like this and for me right in line with the other Mass Effects. On the other hand I really don't want to play it again, whereas with ME1 and ME2 I still did. This is not because the game wasn't fun, or I wouldn't want to see what happens if I select other characters or make different decisions; it really has to do with...
STORY/VOICE ACTING/WRITING -- B- -- Man. This was a big surprise for me. What makes it worse is that if the last 15 minutes weren't in the game, but something else were, it would be easily on par with the first two games IMO. Possibly even better; as the main conceit of the plot actually makes sense for the first time since ME1... compiling war assets and getting the galaxy together for the final push makes sense at this stage. Even every quest basically makes sense due to the Effective Military Strenght mechanic. Hell, even the MP kind of makes sense in context (though it is annoying that it is required to view the super-bonus ending). All this potential, however, is seriously damaged by the endings.
Personally I've never thought that endings were the be-all and end-all of a story, not in movies and not in games. Plenty of games I really loved (FF VI/VII, Halo 3, God of War II) had mediocre to poor to meh endings, yet it usually didn't matter too much to me, because it's not about the destination but about the journey. Typically I just shrug my shoulders and move on.
I don't know why Mass Effect 3 is different but it just is. Maybe it's a credit to the world and character attachments BioWare has allowed me to build through 2.99 games, but I just can't get over the damned endings. I'm not saying BioWare owes me anything, or that I want my money back or anything, but I just feel... bad about the whole thing. The buildup to the final 15 minutes was seriously nearly perfect. It was a dire situation perfectly played out, from the beginning of the game (after the silly intro) with a slow burn before the apocalyptic tension of the last few hours (Ceberus attack + London). By the time this tension reached an apex, I was ready for a real reward for the 150 hours I'd spent on the series. And then BioWare just took the reward away from me, with a vaguely bleak and incredibly similar set of endings that, to top it off, seem to make no sense given what has come before and/or leave a bunch of room for speculation. I don't understand it. I don't get the sudden change of tone. It's just odd. (Note: The indoctrination theory about some of the endings doesn't make this any better... even if true... and it probably isn't IMO.)
So as much as I'd love to just say, fuck it, the last 15 minutes don't matter, my real feeling is they do. And they really mar this game and the whole series.
OVERALL: I don't know. "Objectively" speaking this is one of the best games of the generation and the best Mass Effect. But it doesn't feel like it. It should be an easy A on paper. But to me, right now, it feels like a B.
Anyway... blog over... here is what I thought.
GAMEPLAY -- A -- The best in the series. Playing as a soldier (true to my original Shepard from ME1; also the default class the game recommends), I found this to be what BioWare was really shooting for with the original game. That is, a solid combat shooter with role-playing combat elements, combined with a robust conversation/travel/upgrade system in true BioWare style. Whereas Mass Effect 1, at least on 360, had huge issues with the shooter mechanics and the upgrade system, while Mass Effect 2 solidified the shooting (with still rather simplistic level design) but skimped on the upgrade system, Mass Effect 3 is the perfect combination of the two.
The upgrade system is satisfying and not too shallow but not needlessly complex, and it has a nice simple UI. The combat system makes perfect sense. Level designs have been made more varied; certainly not to the levels of a dedicates shooter like Uncharted, but still more open and vertical. The enemy set is by far the best of the series; you get to fight 3 different sets of enemies (geth/Cerberus/reapers), and all feature nice hierarchies of enemy types that are more fun to fight by far than any previous enemies. There are even a few fairly challenging fights even on Normal, usually involving Banshees or Brutes, but in general the game is still pretty easy on that difficulty -- yet still fun. So in short, best combat of the series and finally in the ballpark of dedicated third-person shooters, for the first time IMO. (I realize that playing as non-soldier might move it beyond that standard into more of an RPG, but, again, soldier is the default class, and that is what I played.)
So of course the other huge part of any BioWare game is the world traversal and conversation systems. Since as far as I'm concerned ME2 was nearly perfect (minus the horrible scanning) in this regard already (and even ME1 was among the best at this), it's no surprise ME3 was very strong too. Lots of carryover from ME1 and ME2, plenty of interesting interactions with various characters, and nicely improved Normandy and Citadel (I particularly enjoyed how characters moved around the ship and the Citadel instead of always sitting in their rooms as in previous games). Even the side quests, typically a liability for any RPG including ME1 and ME2, were pretty good in this game, in that they were usually at least a little fun and were usually somewhat plausible in the story. It generally made sense that getting this or that would yield you a certain War Asset, which it would make sense for you to want to acquire when assembling a big galactic army for the final confrontation. Sure, some of the "get this random holy book for a random elcor" type quests were lame, but they weren't such a big deal. At least not compared to the Mako or planetary scanning.
I also enjoyed that the actual mission side quests (like the N7 ones) were somewhat integrated into the story and into War Assets. In ME1 they were typically completely disconnected from everything; in ME2 usually as well.
The largest complaint is probably what Onslaught brought up which was the lack of any hub worlds other than the Citadel; by hub world I mean large or semi-large locations where you can talk to people and do some relaxing and fetch-questing. Both ME1 and ME2 were full of them (with Omega and Ilium being some of the best ones). ME3 really only has the Citadel, a really nice version of it, but that's it. So that sucks. However I'd still give the gameplay an A.
VISUALS -- B+ -- I may be a little jaded, but I didn't find myself all the impressed through most of it. I think it's one of the best-looking RPGs and shooters but mostly due to the art style and things like the skyboxes/background art. Some technical aspects show their age, like the running animations and even facial animation (which is still among the best but not as relatively impressive as it used to be). On the plus side the performance of the game was solid through all but a couple of busy Citadel areas. I still love the look of the game which doesn't really have an equivalent in other games. The Citadel and the Normandy never lose their luster to me, nor do characters like Liara, Garrus, and my female Shepard.
MUSIC -- A -- Spot on as always. I still think ME1 was more memorable however.
VALUE -- B+ -- While I play slowly compared to others (e.g., I religiously go to the Citadel after every mission, I scan the galaxy map for available areas everytime, etc.), my final play time was something like 52 hours. That's certainly a good length for a game like this and for me right in line with the other Mass Effects. On the other hand I really don't want to play it again, whereas with ME1 and ME2 I still did. This is not because the game wasn't fun, or I wouldn't want to see what happens if I select other characters or make different decisions; it really has to do with...
STORY/VOICE ACTING/WRITING -- B- -- Man. This was a big surprise for me. What makes it worse is that if the last 15 minutes weren't in the game, but something else were, it would be easily on par with the first two games IMO. Possibly even better; as the main conceit of the plot actually makes sense for the first time since ME1... compiling war assets and getting the galaxy together for the final push makes sense at this stage. Even every quest basically makes sense due to the Effective Military Strenght mechanic. Hell, even the MP kind of makes sense in context (though it is annoying that it is required to view the super-bonus ending). All this potential, however, is seriously damaged by the endings.
Personally I've never thought that endings were the be-all and end-all of a story, not in movies and not in games. Plenty of games I really loved (FF VI/VII, Halo 3, God of War II) had mediocre to poor to meh endings, yet it usually didn't matter too much to me, because it's not about the destination but about the journey. Typically I just shrug my shoulders and move on.
I don't know why Mass Effect 3 is different but it just is. Maybe it's a credit to the world and character attachments BioWare has allowed me to build through 2.99 games, but I just can't get over the damned endings. I'm not saying BioWare owes me anything, or that I want my money back or anything, but I just feel... bad about the whole thing. The buildup to the final 15 minutes was seriously nearly perfect. It was a dire situation perfectly played out, from the beginning of the game (after the silly intro) with a slow burn before the apocalyptic tension of the last few hours (Ceberus attack + London). By the time this tension reached an apex, I was ready for a real reward for the 150 hours I'd spent on the series. And then BioWare just took the reward away from me, with a vaguely bleak and incredibly similar set of endings that, to top it off, seem to make no sense given what has come before and/or leave a bunch of room for speculation. I don't understand it. I don't get the sudden change of tone. It's just odd. (Note: The indoctrination theory about some of the endings doesn't make this any better... even if true... and it probably isn't IMO.)
So as much as I'd love to just say, fuck it, the last 15 minutes don't matter, my real feeling is they do. And they really mar this game and the whole series.
OVERALL: I don't know. "Objectively" speaking this is one of the best games of the generation and the best Mass Effect. But it doesn't feel like it. It should be an easy A on paper. But to me, right now, it feels like a B.
You should think about the ending. And look at the ton of info posted on the ending. It's easy to see what the problem is if you look for it.
After Admiral Cain was killed I think that´s where I stopped watching when it aired.
But after razor came out I was happy too see her back and decided to watch the whole series.
But after razor came out I was happy too see her back and decided to watch the whole series.
heliosRAzi
Banned
Welcome. The hugs aren't free anymore.
Now that you are done, look up on the newly created memes from the past couple of weeks. We have Marauder Shields, Troll Javik, and SPECULATION to name a few. Also, look up the other endings and you will see why this thread is named as it is.
rasberryjam
Member
I give us a year before the internet decides Mass Effect 3 is the best game in the series and has a profound ending.
Also, we should just let Juice enjoy the ending and not sour his life with bitterness.
Also, we should just let Juice enjoy the ending and not sour his life with bitterness.
Psychoward
Banned
Total or effective? If your effective is at 5k or above, you're set.
heliosRAzi
Banned
You choose the ending and none of them are worth it.
Empty Space
Member
It depends did you save or destroy the reaper base. There are 3 endings and you have access to two of the three but none of them are worth the time to play multiplayer if you don't want to. Enjoy your RGB
RedRedSuit
Member
I partially posted it here because I needed a hug. It's jut bothering me.
I do get the "taste the rainbow" thing. I tried all the endings. Sigh.... I thought palette swaps are for Mortal Kombat.
Jake Tower
Banned
You need more than 3000 EMS to get all the available options, I believe. That's all you need to know. If you want a hidden clip, you need to have 5000 EMS, but it only appears on one choice.
Watch these.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=CpeRk1YFn8s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VITxhAwo24Y
Actually, the second one should have been the reaction -- she's in disbelief. Oh well, I don't want to find the right one.
I'm lazy.
heliosRAzi
Banned
The hugs cost $14.99 and we're almost out.
Why look for it? The ending was almost exactly what I predicted. A so-so mainstream blockbuster ending to a so-so series of mainstream blockbuster games.
The writing has oscillated between shitty and passable all three games and the ending was pretty much consistent with the rest of the games' quality. It feels like as soon as folks saw the ending they suddenly looked back on the rest of the series as if it was somehow fine art deserving of a tremendous finale.
It wasn't and it didn't. It was a decent ending to a decent plot. For me the cohort of squadmates was all I really cared about and since the ending wasn't going to focus on the player's relationships with them, I'm not overly concerned with it.
Jake Tower
Banned
This is actually the best defense of the ending I've seen.
I don't know if that will happen. People will still be perturbed by the ending, unless the tweak is well done.
Mass Effect's writing sucks, so of course it was going to have a shitty ending -- which I thoroughly enjoyed.
rollingstart
Banned
Empty Space
Member
The franchise suicide doesn't bother you at all then? I know some people are okay with it, but it seems to also escape a lot of people.
FairXchange
Member
Finally finished Mass Effect 3.. I first went with the destroy reapers ending.
Then I felt like I missed out because I got the Master and Commander trophy, had 100% Galactic Readiness and high military power and had the synthesis ending available. So I restarted at the Citadel and went for that ending.
I have a feeling this is somehow the "ideal" ending. I realize that's a bold statement, but my reasoning for this is because Joker and EDI step off the Normandy in a very Adam and Eve-esque manner, in a world ripe for creation of new organic/synthetic life.
I actually kinda dig the ending. Not perfect, I like aspects of the destroy Reapers ending, especially where Shepard can be heard/seen taking a breath. Though, choices and developments like saving the Geth, having EDI become an individual, and finding a harmony between synthetics and organics make adherence to the "synthesis" ending seem like a pretty decent conclusion.
I'm by no means "satisfied", it could have been better and perhaps more revelatory. Choices I made in the previous games could have had more of a material impact. But a game of this scope is by no means an easy task, I'm just glad to have experienced it.
Then I felt like I missed out because I got the Master and Commander trophy, had 100% Galactic Readiness and high military power and had the synthesis ending available. So I restarted at the Citadel and went for that ending.
I have a feeling this is somehow the "ideal" ending. I realize that's a bold statement, but my reasoning for this is because Joker and EDI step off the Normandy in a very Adam and Eve-esque manner, in a world ripe for creation of new organic/synthetic life.
I actually kinda dig the ending. Not perfect, I like aspects of the destroy Reapers ending, especially where Shepard can be heard/seen taking a breath. Though, choices and developments like saving the Geth, having EDI become an individual, and finding a harmony between synthetics and organics make adherence to the "synthesis" ending seem like a pretty decent conclusion.
I'm by no means "satisfied", it could have been better and perhaps more revelatory. Choices I made in the previous games could have had more of a material impact. But a game of this scope is by no means an easy task, I'm just glad to have experienced it.
Psychoward
Banned
Leaving the ending behind for a bit, we can all agree EDI is by far the worst squadmate, right?
Franchise suicide is a mercy that we as gamers are rarely graced with.
I'd kill to be able to look back fondly on series that should have been put out of their misery years ago (Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Zelda, Call of Duty, Halo, Tony Hawk, etc.), but instead we're typically treated to increasingly derivative follow-ups and sequels that just erode any good-will they ever managed to engender.
Mass Effect was fun pulp for exploring player relationships and a bit of branching narrative. The horse was pretty thoroughly dead by the end of the third romp. If they had left it open, some publisher would have handed it off to another developer to attempt to further squeeze blood from the stone.
rasberryjam
Member
What's to worry about? EA has a franchise with great sales, so they're definitely gonna milk it for all it's worth.
And if they're smart the next Mass Effect game will be Garrus Effect: Revenge of the Reapers.
RealDeadOne
Member
So the reason you don't understand the backlash is because you weren't invested in the story anyway and didn't seem to enjoy the series that much at all? You really can't see how a fan of the series would be upset by the endings more than anything else in the games?
BigTnaples
Todd Howard's Secret GAF Account
? She was a great squadmate. Her dialogue was all well done and she had some very useful abilities.
RedRedSuit
Member
That is just so spot-on. I thought *exactly* the same stuff. Just spot-on.
2.99 Mass Effects = a war story. And the last .01 Mass Effect = an attempt at some kind of a clever/artsy/philosophical thing... as opposed to resolving a big giant war story.
Jake Tower
Banned
I she Ashely? Didn't think so.
We always cycle through these subtopics.
The thing is though, that the Catalyst was the end-all device, which caused that abruptness. Unfortunately, there was no aftermath for us, so closure is missing. It was like knowing the atomic bomb hit, but not knowing anything about it afterward.
Skyrim says welcome to the club Mass Effect 3.
I loved the Mass Effect games, but I can't look at them objectively and honestly state that the quality of the last chapter fell that far from the tree.
Psychoward
Banned
In combat she was nice, but damn, her dialog and subplot were so bad.
And I might have chosen Ahley , bu hey, who knows, she's dead.
RedRedSuit
Member
The quality, and most importantly tone, of the last 15 minutes (everything after the Illusive Man's demise) fell very far from the tree. It was like a different developer or a different franchise.
Empty Space
Member
: / Halo and Zelda need to be put out of their misery really? Whatever that's not the point of the thread.
If we had gotten a bad Mass Effect game I could agree with you, but we haven't. To lock out your series from all sequels taking place later in the current timeline because you, Casey Hudson being the you in this case, don't want to work on it anymore is selfish.
It never sold that well. I predict Bioware folding within a year.
heliosRAzi
Banned
Exactly. The story in ME1 is pretty mediocre save for some awesome moments and the story in ME2 is pretty nonexistent (as it pertains to the impending Reaper invasion), but they were mostly consistent with the themes. ME3 continues those themes and then in the last few minutes, those themes are entirely contradicted.
RedRedSuit
Member
.