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[Haunted]

my Shep lived in my ending.

So basically, you got the worst possible ending.

 

[Anticitizen One]

So if you killed the rachni in part 1 I'm assuming there are no rachni in part 3 to fight?

 

[Sotha Sil]

So if you killed the rachni in part 1 I'm assuming there are no rachni in part 3 to fight?

You'd think, wouldn't you?

 

[Interfectum]

So if you killed the rachni in part 1 I'm assuming there are no rachni in part 3 to fight?

no, there are.

 

[- J - D -]

If any continuation of the ME universe introduced a deus ex machina method of repairing/recreating the mass relays in a relatively short time frame (say, 50-100 yrs), how would you feel?

 

[Psychoward]

So if you killed the rachni in part 1 I'm assuming there are no rachni in part 3 to fight?

This is BioWare we're talking about.

 

[KingItachi]

So if you killed the rachni in part 1 I'm assuming there are no rachni in part 3 to fight?

The reapers got a clone queen if you save her she betrays you.

 

[Doodis]

Exactly. You'd always have people (probably myself included, lol) barking about new Mass Effect games that continue the universe, but given the scope of your decisions it would be near impossible without creating a canon that conflicts with what a lot of people experienced. Are the Krogan flourishing, or are they on the verge of extinction? Do the Quarians or Geth exist at all?

So, why not end on a note made up of player decisions? Reapers dead, galaxy saved, Shepard dead or alive I don't give a shit. Ending montage of brief post-ME3 canon based on your decisions. Eg: Krogan.

- Genophage cured, Wrex alive. Game implies the revitalised Krogan are rediscovering their culture, and though not without reservations and concern, are slowly but surely finding a mutually agreeable place in galactic society.
- Genophage cured, Wreav alive. Game implies the revitalised Krogan are breeding quickly, and under Wreav's leadership are seeking conquest and glory. The galaxy is concerned about their behaviour, and poor diplomatic relations could be signs of another war.
- Genophage remains. Krogan struggle even moreso in a post-Reaper war galaxy, their numbers thinned out again, those alive returning to low pay merc work. Their future looks grim.

You can't really make a game based on those three outcomes, but all three allow us, the players, to sit back and think about how our decisions will play out in the game's universe centuries from now. We've got a basis for speculation, and it's built on decisions we made, not forced upon us by the writers.

It was right there!

This. For the love of all that is good...this.

I was positive going into the end that Shepard would die, but I was okay with it because I figured we'd see the continuing lives of those he saved and we'd grown to care about. I fully expected to see Ashley playing in a field with a Shepard Jr.

Instead I got the death of Shepard and the death of a galactic community.

 

[Anticitizen One]

This is BioWare we're talking about.

Which used to be a great company at telling stories....

fuck did they get an all new creative team for ME 3 or something? because they really dropped the ball.

 

[Interfectum]

Which used to be a great company at telling stories....

fuck did they get an all new creative team for ME 3 or something? because they really dropped the ball.

Can't let all that art go to waste over one decision based on ME1, right?

 

[Vamphuntr]

So, I was thining about something. How come does Miranda need to put a tracer on Kai Leng to find the Illusive man's HQ? She's in that HQ in the opening of ME2. She's talking with the Illusive Man and you see the sun burning from outside the window. Both are really there and aren't holograms either.

 

[FireFly]

And that is sad that most fan will readily eat up another mass effect.

Because the decisions you make within the game, the moments you experience with other characters, and the sacrifices you have to endure still count. Even knowing the ending, I'm very happy Mass Effect 3 was made, because it gave me experiences I wouldn't otherwise have had - deciding what to do about the genophage, picking between the Geth and the Quarians, killing a Reaper, sharing a few moments with Garrus on the Citadel...

These are some of my favorite moments in any game. I would like to know what happens next, and the fact that the game doesn't resolve these plot threads is disappointing. But it's the sort of disappointment you feel when a series ends on a cliffhanger and is never renewed.

So yes, I would happily sign up again, and see no reason to be ashamed of that.

 

[Anticitizen One]

Can't let all that art go to waste over one decision based on ME1, right?

That's such crap. How easy would it be to just not have fucking rachni enemies in the game and omit the grunt quest. If I was directing I would have made ME 3 radically different depending on choices from the first 2 games not "well whatever we decide happens anyway. Fuck your decisions!'

Also strange that not a single new character from ME 2 joins your party. Well except for EDI but that doesn't count.

 

[Minion101]

I have a feeling that the outrage over ME 3's ending is the culmination of YEARS of getting shitty endings to big franchises (Matrix Revolutions, LOST, Pirates of the Caribbean, Halo, etc.) and unfortunately for Bioware their shitty ending was the last straw that broke the camel's back.

You can take out Matrix Revolutions since that was later retconned into something people like better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMzpzX2s7T8&feature=player_embedded

 

[PinkCrayon]

So, I was thining about something. How come does Miranda need to put a tracer on Kai Leng to find the Illusive man's HQ? She's in that HQ in the opening of ME2. She's talking with the Illusive Man and you see the sun burning from outside the window. Both are really there and aren't holograms either.

As someone said earlier, she was obviously blindfolded on the way there! But yeah this bothered me as well.

 

[Psychoward]

That's such crap. How easy would it be to just not have fucking rachni enemies in the game and omit the grunt quest. If I was directing I would have made ME 3 radically different depending on choices from the first 2 games not "well whatever we decide happens anyway. Fuck your decisions!'

Also strange that not a single new character from ME 2 joins your party. Well except for EDI but that doesn't count.

Because the ME2 characters could actually die.


I had Garrus die in my renegade playthrough, there's 3 extra lines, and that's it.

 

[Felix Lighter]

So basically, you got the worst possible ending.

It was just Shepard's cyborg diaphragm spasming.

 

[AColdDay]

Obsidian writing + BioWare gameplay and characters


:O

+Bethesda creating the environments

 

[Empty Space]

So, I was thining about something. How come does Miranda need to put a tracer on Kai Leng to find the Illusive man's HQ? She's in that HQ in the opening of ME2. She's talking with the Illusive Man and you see the sun burning from outside the window. Both are really there and aren't holograms either.

I figured that since she isn't a pilot herself maybe she never had the cordinates of the Illusive Man's base, but even that is a stretch.

 

[I H8 Memes]

Sorry about the size. It was necessary so people could still read the text.


The Ardat-Yakshi were not a secret to any of the Justicars.

It seems the monastery wasn't a secret to anybody.

 

[28 Posts Later]

If I was directing I would have made ME 3 radically different depending on choices from the first 2 games not "well whatever we decide happens anyway. Fuck your decisions!'

Let's be fair to Bioware; they weren't given adequate time to create a game of that scope, not to mention how difficult it would be to justify development time to content only a fraction of your player-base is going to experience. That's the reason your ME2 squad-mates don't become members of your party, because they could die - you'd have mass amounts of dialogue and character interactivity players would miss.

 

[KingItachi]

Because the decisions you make within the game, the moments you experience with other characters, and the sacrifices you have to endure still count. Even knowing the ending, I'm very happy Mass Effect 3 was made, because it gave me experiences I wouldn't otherwise have had - deciding what to do about the genophage, picking between the Geth and the Quarians, killing a Reaper, sharing a few moments with Garrus on the Citadel...

These are some of my favorite moments in any game. I would like to know what happens next, and the fact that the game doesn't resolve these plot threads is disappointing. But it's the sort of disappointment you feel when a series ends on a cliffhanger and is never renewed.

So yes, I would happily sign up again, and see no reason to be ashamed of that.

I have no fav moments in M3, as for Bioware I have no reason to look forward to anything from them in the future.

 

[rozay]

Sorry about the size. It was necessary so people could still read the text.


The Ardat-Yakshi were not a secret to any of the Justicars.

It seems the monastery wasn't a secret to anybody.

It's also possible they decided to change the ardat-yakshi population to 1% of asari after the lines had been recorded.

 

[Ciastek3214]

+CD Projekt creating the environments

Fixed.

 

[Psychoward]

Fixed.

>

 

[Ciastek3214]

Buncha screens

Ewwwwwwwwwww. So... grey.... and brown.

 

[Trey]

Exactly. You'd always have people (probably myself included, lol) barking about new Mass Effect games that continue the universe, but given the scope of your decisions it would be near impossible without creating a canon that conflicts with what a lot of people experienced. Are the Krogan flourishing, or are they on the verge of extinction? Do the Quarians or Geth exist at all?

So, why not end on a note made up of player decisions? Reapers dead, galaxy saved, Shepard dead or alive I don't give a shit. Ending montage of brief post-ME3 canon based on your decisions. Eg: Krogan.

- Genophage cured, Wrex alive. Game implies the revitalised Krogan are rediscovering their culture, and though not without reservations and concern, are slowly but surely finding a mutually agreeable place in galactic society.
- Genophage cured, Wreav alive. Game implies the revitalised Krogan are breeding quickly, and under Wreav's leadership are seeking conquest and glory. The galaxy is concerned about their behaviour, and poor diplomatic relations could be signs of another war.
- Genophage remains. Krogan struggle even moreso in a post-Reaper war galaxy, their numbers thinned out again, those alive returning to low pay merc work. Their future looks grim.

You can't really make a game based on those three outcomes, but all three allow us, the players, to sit back and think about how our decisions will play out in the game's universe centuries from now. We've got a basis for speculation, and it's built on decisions we made, not forced upon us by the writers.

It was right there!

The answer is quite obviously that they want to continue with the Mass Effect franchise, and the only way to reliably do that was to hit the reset button. Unfortunately, that devalues the main draw of the series in the first place.

 

[FireFly]

I have no fav moments in M3, as for Bioware I have no reason to look forward to anything from them in the future.

Sure, if you didn't like the game at all then, there's no reason to want more. But it's possible to be disappointed by the ending, and still feel the experience was worthwhile. That's my point.

 

[.GqueB.]

It's a massive catch 22 and shows how poorly planned out this was. I can sympathise with their ultimate vision, in terms of franchise treatment. If you don't want to continue a franchise and yes, create a definitive 'end point' for the saga, it's nice to throw some fuel on the mystery pile to keep the long time fans speculating. That way anything that happens after can be in the realm of wonder and speculation, something big fans will ideally eat up.

Their big mistake was doing it with a franchise that is barely a franchise. There's only three mainline Mass Effect games, and all are part of the same trilogy arc. To make matters worse, this trilogy was supposed to have very specific resolution to multiple plot threads, many of those plot threads emphasising drawn out post-game consequences. They cut their franchise short too early, too quickly, when the franchise was arguably still growing, and did so in a means that chewed up and spat out the original plot threads that themselves fuelled speculation. They created new unprecedented and unfounded speculation for their legacy.

If ending the franchise this way was their intention, it would have been far more logical to end it in a way that still takes into account players' decisions. Would the Krogan florish under Wrex' rule, or would they conquer the galaxy? How long would the Krogan survive with Genophage remaining? With the Quarians and Geth united, would they be accepted into galactic society? If just the Geth, how would they respond? Will Thessia and Palaven be rebuilt? And so on.

They had already sewn the seeds for a future that could exist only in the minds of fans, best of all, in an imaginary state based on play style and decisions. Your future wouldn't be the same as mine, and though we'd never know, we could still speculate.

But nope. Let's disregard everything, shit on what we established, and throw out a bunch of new dumb mysteries for 'fans' to gobble up, with no intention of ever answering anything. What could possibly go wrong?

I've wrestled with this one back and forth. I'm still not sure where I ended up.

On the one hand, I found myself extremely curious in regards to what would become of the Krogan and Quarian/Geth story arcs. But then I became a bit depressed when I realized we simply would never know. Or we wouldn't know anytime soon. Especially in my game where Wrex is dead and this new guy who is in charge of the Krogans was already talking about starting a war once the Reapers were taken care of.

But at the same time, is this really the medium for that? I feel many franchises have a definitely shelf life when it comes to how long they stay in the hearts and minds of gamers. Could we actually have another Mass Effect trilogy without there being some serious franchise fatigue? I really do doubt it. Maybe playing as another race could help but the gameplay experience would be very much the same.

So yea, I want to see what happens in the future but I'm not sure I want to play through it.

 

[EatChildren]

The answer is quite obviously that they want to continue with the Mass Effect franchise, and the only way to reliably do that was to hit the reset button. Unfortunately, that devalues the main draw of the series in the first place.

See, I'd agree with this, because this was my original belief.

Then Hudson was all "bla bla nothing post-ME3 bla bla".

 

[KingItachi]

For the game engine I suggest either IdTech 5, Cry Engine 3, or a custom one no more unreal engine tired of it.

 

[Digoman]

Ewwwwwwwwwww. So... grey.... and brown.

Bethesda does interesting environments, but on the "beautiful" side, I agree, the use of color in The Witcher 2 is simply gorgeous. I would very much like to see what CDR can do when designing a alien planet.

The answer is quite obviously that they want to continue with the Mass Effect franchise, and the only way to reliably do that was to hit the reset button. Unfortunately, that devalues the main draw of the series in the first place.

I think I talked about this in one of the earlier cycles of this thread. It does seem like a "reset button" to continue the franchise, but at the same time we have the interviews saying that any future products will pre-ME3, and even if they're lying (nothing new), I still have problems seeing how they're going to manage the three colors. If red, green or blue is going to be cannon, might as well make the ending really use our choices and use a cannon storyline.

 

[Trey]

See, I'd agree with this, because this was my original belief.

Then Hudson was all "bla bla nothing post-ME3 bla bla".

It's still the only thing that makes any sense, and Hudson has gone back on his word on a variety of occassions.

That ending really did the ME IP no favors. Creatively, there's nothing much to draw from, because fans will be sour on anything before hand because they feel it won't matter, and post ME3 is in a limbo state of fuckery that few want to deal with.

I agree with you that Bioware tied this franchise up tight, rough but effectively.

I think I talked about this in one of the earlier cycles of this thread. It does seem like a "reset button" to continue the franchise, but at the same time we have the interviews saying that any future products will pre-ME3, and even if they're lying (nothing new), I still have problems seeing how they're going to manage the three colors. If red, green or blue is going to be cannon, might as well make the ending really use our choices and use a cannon storyline.

It's a lot easier to draw from a base of three decisions than the sum of a couple dozen significant ones, though I agree that if you do something post ME3 regarding the color endings, you may as well feature the other major decisions (I'm assuming that's your main point).

 

[diamondstar]

I have a feeling that the outrage over ME 3's ending is the culmination of YEARS of getting shitty endings to big franchises (Matrix Revolutions, LOST, Pirates of the Caribbean, Halo, etc.) and unfortunately for Bioware their shitty ending was the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Possibly, but the ME3 ending really came out of nowhere. It had to have been rushed. Hell the last mission may have been one of the worst ending missions I have played in the history of gaming.

I just don't know how they could have possibly thought that ending would be satisfying for ANYONE. It was just not Mass Effect. Hell my renegade Shep was like a little bitch that whole ending sequence. He felt soooo out of place. The ending had no passion and no emotion.

I am so pissed at Bioware because I feel they really fucked up an awesome story. If wrapped up properly, it may have been considered one of if not the best story ever told in video game history.

 

[Ciastek3214]

Bethesda does interesting environments, but on the "beautiful" side, I agree, the use of color in The Witcher 2 is simply gorgeous. I would very much like to see what CDR can do when designing a alien planet.

Oh they already proven they can make interesting locations, look at Flotsam.

 

[.GqueB.]

I have no fav moments in M3, as for Bioware I have no reason to look forward to anything from them in the future.

I hate the ending as much as the next guy but this seems strange to me. There were so many great moments in this game:

Thrasher Maw vs. Reaper
Shepards "fuck em if they cant take a joke" moment before she took on the Reaper by herself (though I wish the actual fight was shorter)
The last push to the beam

Those are just the ones I can recall off the top of my head. Not sure how people can say the entire experience was "meh".

Possibly, but the ME3 ending really came out of nowhere. It had to have been rushed. Hell last mission may have been one of the worst ending missions I have played in the history of gaming.

I just do know how they could have possibly thought that ending would be satisfying for ANYONE. It was just not Mass Effect. Hell my renegade Shep was like a little bitch that whole ending sequence. He felt soooo out of place. The ending had no passion and no emotion.

I am so pissed at Bioware because I feel they really fucked up an awesome story. If wrapped up properly, it may have been considered one of if not the best story ever told in video game history.

LOL I felt the same way. That "Shepard" felt so detached from everything:

"Ok so I just go over there and do that?... yea cool thanks man peace."

 

[Mutanthands]

For the game engine I suggest either IdTech 5, Cry Engine 3, or a custom one no more unreal engine tired of it.

ID engines are now in house only, so unless Zenimax buys EA, that's never going to happen.

The Unreal engine is underrated. It is what you make of it.

 

[Zerokku]

I hate the ending as much as the next guy but this seems strange to me. There were so many great moments in this game:

Mordin's sacrifice. "Had to be me, someone else might have gotten it wrong."

Spoiler

Manly tears

 

[Trey]

"Ok so I just go over there and do that?... yea cool thanks man peace."

S/he really had the countenance of someone who was just tired of this shit and wanted to get it over with. Kind of lame, but I don't blame him/her.

 

[Psychoward]

ID engines are now in house only, so unless Zenimax buys EA, that's never going to happen.

The Unreal engine is underrated. It is what you make of it.

Yeah.

Gears 3 <3

 

[Digoman]

Oh they already proven they can make interesting locations, look at Flotsam.

No argument here, I just think Bethesda has more solid "track record" for interesting environments. The jump between The Witcher 1 and 2 was so massive in these areas that I sometimes wonder if CDPR can keep up with expectations.

But since we're all dreaming about fantasy combos anyway, let's no forget the most important part for either Obsidian or CDPR.

+Bioware budget.

 

[KingItachi]

I hate the ending as much as the next guy but this seems strange to me. There were so many great moments in this game:

Thrasher Maw vs. Reaper
Shepards "fuck em if they cant take a joke" moment before she took on the Reaper by herself (though I wish the actual fight was shorter)
The last push to the beam

Those are just the ones I can recall off the top of my head. Not sure how people can say the entire experience was "meh".



LOL I felt the same way. That "Shepard" felt so detached from everything:

"Ok so I just go over there and do that?... yea cool thanks man peace."

A lot of friends say that to me too, nothing in the game was a wow moment for me.

 

[.GqueB.]

S/he really had the countenance of someone who was just tired of this shit and wanted to get it over with. Kind of lame, but I don't blame him/her.

Yea that was my explanation to myself. But it felt more like a complete personality change. If s/he was going to be "over it" I'd rather my renegade character have done it angrily. A simply touch like that would've made it less apparent.

A lot of friends say that to me too, nothing in the game was a wow moment for me.

Fair enough. Kind of curious what you consider a wow moment though. In this series or others.

 

[I H8 Memes]

For the game engine I suggest either IdTech 5, Cry Engine 3, or a custom one no more unreal engine tired of it.

Why wouldn't they use Frostbite? Technically it is the only Engine that EA owns outright since Crytek is just an EA partner.

 

[Rufus]

The Unreal engine is underrated. It is what you make of it.

One word: Bulletstorm.

 

[Mutanthands]

Possibly, but the ME3 ending really came out of nowhere. It had to have been rushed. Hell last mission may have been one of the worst ending missions I have played in the history of gaming.

I just do know how they could have possibly thought that ending would be satisfying for ANYONE. It was just not Mass Effect. Hell my renegade Shep was like a little bitch that whole ending sequence. He felt soooo out of place. The ending had no passion and no emotion.

I am so pissed at Bioware because I feel they really fucked up an awesome story. If wrapped up properly, it may have been considered one of if not the best story ever told in video game history.

There will be some interesting stories told about 10 years from now about the circumstances around ME 3 and the ending. I expect lots of epic burnout and "not-give-a-fuck-edness" to be revealed, along with massive regret about how they decided to end things.

And finger-pointing. Lots of finger-pointing.

 

[RyanDG]

Mordin's sacrifice. "Had to be me, someone else might have gotten it wrong."

Spoiler

Manly tears

The alternative scene where Shepherd actually betrays Mordin is just as powerful. When I viewed the alternative option of that scene, it really goes to show how a single line - "Had to be me..." can be turned around by a good voice performance to give you an entirely different feel.

And then the follow up scene with Wrex on the Citadel confronting you about it... Jeez...

I almost felt horrible doing that...

 

[Massa]

I thought Mass Effect 3 did a pretty nice job of wrapping up the conflicts you and your squad mates were directly involved in previous games (the genophage related stuff, geth vs quarians, etc). I actually thought they did an exceptional job at that, and not only did I love those bits in ME3 but they actually made me appreciate the older games even more. It was brilliant.

The bad story bits were in the reapers/Cerberus arc, and it wasn't just the ending that was bad. It was bad in the intro to ME3, it was bad in Mass Effect 2 and it was bad in Mass Effect 1. It's just that the ending here was so bad it nearly ruined what was good about the franchise, the personal relationships and political conflicts.

 

[EatChildren]

BioWare's art on the Mass Effect series is consistent enough for me to not really want anybody else doing it. It's a gorgeous sci-fi world. They don't need CDP or Bethesda.

What they do need is to stop pandering to shitty console hardware. I'd love to see the Mass Effect universe given the technology to breath like The Witcher 2.

 

[diamondstar]

Yea that was my explanation to myself. But it felt more like a complete personality change. If s/he was going to be "over it" I'd rather my renegade character have done it angrily. A simply touch like that would've made it less apparent.



Fair enough. Kind of curious what you consider a wow moment though. In this series or others.

Not to mention my renegade Shep didnt feel like the "I dont give a fuck" renegade Shep of the past. I guess it was due to their new morality scale.

There should have at least been a red "get to the damn point" option in the starfuck conversation. A lot of the renegade responses were mostly tame and boring in ME3.