Support NeoGAF

[mattiewheels]

I was actually digging the bleak inevitability of the whole reaper thing by the end, that y'know, they're just doing their job and stuff, like Orkin men or something. Why ya got fight it, Shep?

But the popup at the end that basically begged me to buy the upcoming dlc? That's tasteless, please remove that or fuck right off.

I honestly don't understand people saying that Marauder Shields was a difficult encounter. Was he tougher than a normal Marauder? Because I played through as a Sentinel on Insanity, and I just shot him a few times, moved on and never noticed anything special about him. The only thought I spared him (before the meme took off) was "huh, I wonder why there's just a lone Marauder here".

Isn't the joke that it really is just some lame normal guy and not a single thing is special about him? That they call him Maurader Shields just to give him the extra shred of dignity...

 

[Derrick01]

Infantry-wise, the Collectors were the toughest force in all of ME.

- Scions
- Abominations
- Paraetorians
- Harbinger Helpers
- Assassins
- Rotating Platforms

Only Banshees and the final Marauder boss fight even come close.

Banshees and some of those ninja bros in ME3 gave me a much harder time than anything in ME2, even on the highest difficulty. The only tough enemy in ME2 were the scions and that varies depending on your class and who you brought with you.

 

[FrontalMonk]

Banshees and some of those ninja bros in ME3 gave me a much harder time than anything in ME2, even on the highest difficulty. The only tough enemy in ME2 were the scions and that varies depending on your class and who you brought with you.

honestly the only thing I ever had trouble with in ME2 on insanity was enemies that forced you to stay mobile and out of cover. So, Varren and Harbinger.

 

[gokieks]

Isn't the joke that it really is just some lame normal guy and not a single thing is special about him? That they call him Maurader Shields just to give him the extra shred of dignity...

Maybe? But at this point it's been mentioned quite often in not obviously-joking context that it's hard to tell if that's a running gag or people are being serious.

 

[Interfectum]

Maybe? But at this point it's been mentioned quite often in not obviously-joking context that it's hard to tell if that's a running gag or people are being serious.

Uh it's a joke. I don't think anyone truly thought he was hard.

 

[Melchiah]

I honestly don't understand people saying that Marauder Shields was a difficult encounter. Was he tougher than a normal Marauder? Because I played through as a Sentinel on Insanity, and I just shot him a few times, moved on and never noticed anything special about him. The only thought I spared him (before the meme took off) was "huh, I wonder why there's just a lone Marauder here".

Well, it took me three tries the first time, and when I tried to get another ending I gave up after five tries. It's beyond me why they couldn't place the last checkpoint nearer the end for those who want to experience the "different" endings. I ended up watching them on YouTube, as it seemed too much of a trouble to see them in the game.

 

[Bisnic]

Well, it took me three tries the first time, and when I tried to get another ending I gave up after five tries. It's beyond me why they couldn't place the last checkpoint nearer the end for those who want to experience the "different" endings. I ended up watching them on YouTube, as it seemed too much of a trouble to see them in the game.

By "last checkpoint", you mean the Illusive Man's base? They probably put it that early for story reason, and to help with future DLCs that will happen before everything become too urgent near Earth to go have fun with Aria or something.

 

[Melchiah]

By "last checkpoint", you mean the Illusive Man's base? They probably put it that early for story reason, and to help with future DLCs that will happen before everything become too urgent near Earth to go have fun with Aria or something.

No, I mean the last checkpoint, from where you can finish the game again, which is just before Marauder Shields.

 

[heliosRAzi]

 

[Divvy]

Well since everyone else is giving their impressions and reflections, I might as well give mine:


The Good

- Art direction has always been one of the highlights of the franchise for me and this game was not really an exception at all. Character designs like Javik continue to be refreshing while the environments themselves were quite beautiful. I have to applaud Bioware again for their reaper designs. While I miss the sleek and skintight armor that was representative of the less conventional aesthetic of the first game, it makes sense that now, things look more war-ready.
The Soverign class Reapers that feel threatening and the ground troops are a pretty good mix of horror expected from the twisted fusion of the races. Did anyone else notice that the right arms of the Cannibals was a whole human?

- The actual combat mechanics were quite good. I felt like the RPG and action elements between ME1 and 2 were mixed together fairly well. Weapon customization was a further plus and I’m glad that the upgrades were cosmetic as well.

- I was pleasantly surprised by how engrossing and enjoyable the multiplayer was. I usually don’t like online multiplayer all that much, but this was pretty engaging. I liked the multiple classes forcing teamwork and I even liked the carrot-on-a-stick unlocking system. I ended up not playing the campaign for a whole week just to play multiplayer.

- Most of the story elements before the end were really damn good. Mordin’s scene, Tali and Legions were quite exceptional. I didn’t get a chance to import a ME2 save since I lost it when I got a new computer and failed to back that save up so I’m going to replay it since I didn’t even meet Thane, Jack, Brute etc... I’m not sure how I feel about being able to save some of them in their missions because those feelings of loss where some of the strongest moments in the entire game. Sending Mordin up to his own death? Tali killing herself while watching her people die? The emotional impact of those scenes were unmatched by anything, especially not the ending to the bloody thing.

- Building up my war assets was pretty fun. While they really had no effect on the final battle, I did like being able to read all the details and updates on each asset as I acquired them.

- The ending section from the jump into the Sol sector to the elevator, was excellent. I really got the feelings of desperation and hope as I was pushing through the streets of London. There were some really great “FUCK FUCK FUCK I AM SO FUCKED” moments there.


The “Eh”


- Graphic fidelity was merely “okay”. It’s 2012 and I expect my PC games to look better than this. Damn consoles holding it back. I also don’t like the weird discrepancies between the texture work on some of the characters. Vega’s texture work was really damn good, while Garrus was super blurry and even Shepard looked pretty janky.

- Somewhat disappointed that there were so few squadmates this time and that none of your ME2 buddies could be squadmates. Sort of weird that all the ME2 characters got shafted while we got Kaidan/Ashley, two really boring characters that don’t hold a candle to Mordin or Thane.

- Enemy encounters still feel kind of off. They weren’t nearly as bad as in ME2 when you could walk into a room and see a bunch of waist high objects and instantly know there was a fight coming, but they still feel somewhat contrived. I can’t really explain why that is.

- While I really like the weapon customization options in this game, I ended up getting pretty obsessive with scouring each battle ground for upgrades I didn’t want to miss. That wasn’t so much fun but at least I wasn’t scouring for thermal clips like in ME2.

- I didn't mind the Reaper galaxy map benny hill chasings that much, even if it was so exploitable. Though I would really would have liked the Mako back, or The Hammerhead.

- I feel that there is this disparity between the competence of Shepard and her crew versus everyone else in the entire galaxy. Everyone else just sucks so much. I think it would have been really great to see some characters do some amazing achievements without your help. Otherwise you get these war assets saying how great they are when you know they probably just suck as much as everyone else.

- Doing the Citadel fetch quests was pretty mediocre, though I did like that you could find the item you needed before actually talking to the person.

- I pretty much ignored Vega for the whole game. He was a pretty boring character and not really strong addition to the game. Then again, neither were Kaiden or Jacob.

- I think it’s pretty funny that they tried to make Ashley sexy, but she really just ended up looking like a space prostitute


The “Why did they do this?”

- The ending. Not much to say that hasn't already been said. I'll just say that when I finished the game, my feelings were not of happiness or accomplishment. All I got from that was disappointment. I don't care what Bioware's artistic vision was supposed to be, but when it results in your audience feeling dejected, that's not good one way or another.

- Why does Shepard still run so slowly out of battle? Is it too much trouble to have her run like a normal person does so I can navigate the Citadel faster?

- Planet scanning. I appreciate that they were trying to streamline the planet scanning mini-game, but why, WHY make the planets turn SO SLOWLY. I had to sweep my mouse across my desk to get it to turn a few degrees. I don't understand why they would do this except to intentionally annoy the player. In addition, I don’t get why some star systems didn’t display completion percentages so I couldn’t tell if I had scanned everything there already.

- Like I said, I don't play many third person shooters, but is it common for that sticky effect to happen so easily? When I'm trying to run away from things I inevitably get stuck to a corner that I'm trying to run past. This tends to get me shot at quite often and is most disastrous in multiplayer.

- Why did they even make all those assets in that ME2 DLC for the hammerhead if they weren't going to ever use them again?

- Maybe it was because I played the lazy ass PC port, but man this game was really buggy. I can't count how many times I've gotten stuck on ladders. Quests would open up after I engaged in conversations on the Citadel, but the NPCs wouldn't let me talk to them until I exited the area and came back even while being shown on the map as interactive. Towards the end of the game, Shepard kept flickering whenever she was in a cutscene.

- Speaking of the lazy ass PC port. Virtually having no options to tweak the graphics was an utter failure.

-------------------------


Despite my negative comments, overall, I still feel that this game was fantastic except for some really kick in the balls shit. Unfortunately that kick in the balls comes at the very end and you forget about all the good stuff. All of the adventures I’ve had, are moot in light of that ending. At this point, I would pay good money for DLC that retcons that ending. That’s right, I would give more money to Bioware to get some closure on the series. So congrats Bioware 7/10

 

[B_Rik_Schitthaus]

It was weird that there were no Collectors in ME3. I find it strange that I somehow destroyed all of them when I blew up their base, surely there had to be more out harvesting people while I was attacking them.

I really wanted to see an exchange with Javik after he saw a collector.

Because the collectors were just a way to have a big evil force without having to redo the lone Reaper thing. (Since they wanted to save the real Reaper invasion for 3)

The best thing about the fallout of 3's ending is that people are going back and finally realizing that 2 wasn't so hot itself.

 

[gokieks]

Uh it's a joke. I don't think anyone truly thought he was hard.

Well, you say that, but there are people who apparently had trouble with him...

Well, it took me three tries the first time, and when I tried to get another ending I gave up after five tries. It's beyond me why they couldn't place the last checkpoint nearer the end for those who want to experience the "different" endings. I ended up watching them on YouTube, as it seemed too much of a trouble to see them in the game.

There are so many questionable choices in the ending segment (both in gameplay and narrative), that the checkpoint is really probably among the least of its problems. And honestly, the absolutely last point they could have had the checkpoint was right before reaching the room in the Citadel with Anderson and TIM, and that's not really that much further from right before Marauder Shields.

 

[flyover]

- The "Photo Opportunity" markers for "Citadel: Inspirational Stories" disappeared before I was done, so I had to reload.

The photo opportunities disappeared for me after I saved and reloaded at one point, and I never could get any of them back. So I just had that stupid mission highlighted in my journal for the rest of the game.

 

[xKilltheMx]

That's pretty much exactly how i felt as soon as i finished the game, except anger was replaced with bitterness. As soon as i finished the game i just laid down on my bed for about 40 mins doing nothing but going over the last 10 mins of the game i was almost in shock, quite a weird experience for just completing a game, normally after a bad ending you just move on but not ME3 it played on my mind for about 4 days after i completed my run.

Thank god I wasn't the only one. This is EXACTLY to a T what happened to me. The 4 days and everything. God.

 

[Divvy]

I didn't even realize you could die at Marauder Shields.

 

[TacticalFox88]

If you romanced Miranda and couldn't save her...goddamn it that scene got me good. ;__;

 

[RedRedSuit]

Thank god I wasn't the only one. This is EXACTLY to a T what happened to me. The 4 days and everything. God.

Yeah, same.

I've never had issues accepting bad or meh endings in other things I liked. ME is different for whatever reason.

 

[WrenchNinja]

I didn't even realize you could die at Marauder Shields.

I died like four times. Head shots or bust on insanity. Most times I died in the game, it also makes you watch the Shepard getting up cutscene every time.

I finally understand why people hate scripTed bullshit.

 

[flyover]

Thank god I wasn't the only one. This is EXACTLY to a T what happened to me. The 4 days and everything. God.

You were not alone. Same thing happened to me. It was weird.

Before the ending, I was set to spend another few dozen hours on a New Game +. But the ending soured me on playing anything (much less ME3) for several days. Finally started The Last Story, which is fun and light -- at least so far -- and for which I had no real expectations. It's been the perfect tonic.

 

[Derrick01]

I didn't even realize you could die at Marauder Shields.

Yeah I was on the 2nd hardest difficulty and I took him down easily two times, since I reloaded my save after the shitty ending to see the difference (joke's on me!). I didn't think you could die on him either.

 

[Melchiah]

I died like four times. Head shots or bust on insanity. Most times I died in the game, it also makes you watch the Shepard getting up cutscene every time.

I finally understand why people hate scripTed bullshit.

It was quite hard for me even on normal, as I'm not that precise of a shooter, and the view constantly swayed. It was extremely annoying to watch the beginning of the scene over and over again.

 

[GuardianE]

If you romanced Miranda and couldn't save her...goddamn it that scene got me good. ;__;

I didn't even realize Miranda could die. What are the conditions for that?

 

[Divvy]

I didn't even realize Miranda could die. What are the conditions for that?

You need to have her loyal in ME2 and then do all three of her encounters on the citadel. Or else she dies. I think it was the weakest death scene personally.

 

[SaberVulcan]

Yeah I was on the 2nd hardest difficulty and I took him down easily two times, since I reloaded my save after the shitty ending to see the difference (joke's on me!). I didn't think you could die on him either.

I reloaded the save thinking I did something wrong with the ending xD.

 

[Felix Lighter]

I think the reason I'm having a hard time just letting it go and moving on like I would with a typical bad ending is that this particular ending actually retroactively ruins previous games and the lore overall, for me. Shepard's story could have ended horribly and I would have been disappointed but I would just move on. The star child introduction, the insane logic he used to justify the cycle, the sudden change in the way the Reapers are presented, the magic beams, the general hokeyness, the plot holes all add up to something more than just an unsatisfying, poorly written ending. If you just accept the ending, suddenly the original game makes no sense.

 

[Derrick01]

I reloaded the save thinking I did something wrong with the ending xD.

Well I actually did screw up because I chose control when I wanted destroy, thinking it actually made some kind of difference. I wasn't paying attention when the screen showed TIM and Anderson while the kid was talking, so I didn't pick up on their vague message on which side is which.

So when it came time to choose I sat there saying "what the fuck side do I pick for destroy?"

 

[I H8 Memes]

Miranda didnt die on me but Mordin and Legion did. Not fazed by that at all. Those deaths are completely meaningless to me since they are so forced. Garrus and Ashley dying right before Marauder Shields? Now that meant something because it felt right.

Something else that someone mentioned late last night that I'm going to echo. Almost all of the smaller side missions in ME3 are nothing more than horde mode set on the multi-player maps. These missions are boring and feel meaningless even on the first playthrough. Hooray for another uselessly tacked on multi-player mode that nobody is going to be playing 6 months from now ruining another single player game.

 

[Divvy]

So the artbook in the collector's edition seems to imply that at some point you were supposed to fight the Illusive Man as a reaper monster but thought that would be too impersonal.

Miranda didnt die on me but Mordin and Legion did. Not fazed by that at all. Those deaths are completely meaningless to me since they are so forced. Garrus and Ashley dying right before Marauder Shields? Now that meant something because it felt right.

Something else that someone mentioned late last night that I'm going to echo. Almost all of the smaller side missions in ME3 are nothing more than horde mode set on the multi-player maps. These missions are boring and feel meaningless even on the first playthrough. Hooray for another uselessly tacked on multi-player mode that nobody is going to be playing 6 months from now ruining another single player game.

I really liked Mordin's death. Also Garrus and Ashley dying before Marauder shields? Ha. My Garrus and Javik didn't die there, they just teleported onto the Normandy somehow and ended up with Joker on the crashed planet.

Also the multiplayer is pretty fun. I'm enjoying it a lot and I usually don't like online multiplayer. It does kind of suck that they were used for the single player side missions.

 

[LiK]

So the artbook in the collector's edition seems to imply that at some point you were supposed to fight the Illusive Man as a reaper monster but thought that would be too impersonal.

yea, same info in the Art of ME book. I don't think making TMI a giant Reaper would be a good idea but I would've loved to fight that boss.

 

[GuardianE]

Miranda didnt die on me but Mordin and Legion did. Not fazed by that at all. Those deaths are completely meaningless to me since they are so forced. Garrus and Ashley dying right before Marauder Shields? Now that meant something because it felt right.

Something else that someone mentioned late last night that I'm going to echo. Almost all of the smaller side missions in ME3 are nothing more than horde mode set on the multi-player maps. These missions are boring and feel meaningless even on the first playthrough. Hooray for another uselessly tacked on multi-player mode that nobody is going to be playing 6 months from now ruining another single player game.

Wow, I really never knew all these people could die. I should Youtube character deaths to see how many variations there are. I only knew about Tali/Legion (and obviously Mordin's and Thane's).

 

[WrenchNinja]

So the artbook in the collector's edition seems to imply that at some point you were supposed to fight the Illusive Man as a reaper monster but thought that would be too impersonal.

Instead we have a dialogue wheel where you say hes indoctrinated three times.

Cause you know, its not like we could have had a combination of both in this game. *cough*saren*cough*.

 

[Bisnic]

Miranda didnt die on me but Mordin and Legion did. Not fazed by that at all. Those deaths are completely meaningless to me since they are so forced. Garrus and Ashley dying right before Marauder Shields? Now that meant something because it felt right.

Something else that someone mentioned late last night that I'm going to echo. Almost all of the smaller side missions in ME3 are nothing more than horde mode set on the multi-player maps. These missions are boring and feel meaningless even on the first playthrough. Hooray for another uselessly tacked on multi-player mode that nobody is going to be playing 6 months from now ruining another single player game.

Did you even try the multiplayer? Its very fun, and i dont see it being dead so soon.

Also, i think Bioware said the multiplayer was made by another team than the one doing the single player. But then, someone might just reply to this saying "DONT BELIEVE THEIR LIES".

 

[SaberVulcan]

Miranda didnt die on me but Mordin and Legion did. Not fazed by that at all. Those deaths are completely meaningless to me since they are so forced. Garrus and Ashley dying right before Marauder Shields? Now that meant something because it felt right.

Something else that someone mentioned late last night that I'm going to echo. Almost all of the smaller side missions in ME3 are nothing more than horde mode set on the multi-player maps. These missions are boring and feel meaningless even on the first playthrough. Hooray for another uselessly tacked on multi-player mode that nobody is going to be playing 6 months from now ruining another single player game.

I really wasnt a fan of the forced deaths of Mordin, Thane, and especially Legion. It's just completely out of your control, in a game where your decisions are supposed to change things. Was just kind of lame, but I guess since this was the end of the series its not like I was missing much with the characters. I just wish something could have been done to change it.

Anywho, see I assumed my party members died at the end when we ascended to the Citadel, but at the little jungle crash landing cutscene, both of my party members were seen coming out of the Normandy, lol. I guess they were beamed up?

 

[GuardianE]

I really wasnt a fan of the forced deaths of Mordin, Thane, and especially Legion. It's just completely out of your control, in a game where your decisions are supposed to change things. Was just kind of lame, but I guess since this was the end of the series its not like I was missing much with the characters. I just wish something could have been done to change it.

Thane was going to die soon due to his illness anyway. Mordin actually can be saved, but you have to sacrifice Wrex in ME1. Legion is... well his death was his own decision to make. I didn't have a problem with any of them. I like how some things are out of your hands, but you're essentially doing damage control (don't apply this to the bullshit ending).

 

[Psychoward]

Instead we have a dialogue wheel where you say hes indoctrinated three times.

Cause you know, its not like we could have had a combination of both in this game. *cough*saren*cough*.

I don't see why he had to be indoctrinated, would have been better if he just wanted to control the reapers.

 

[SaberVulcan]

Thane was going to die soon due to his illness anyway. Mordin actually can be saved, but you have to sacrifice Wrex in ME1. Legion is... well his death was his own decision to make. I didn't have a problem with any of them. I like how some things are out of your hands, but you're essentially doing damage control (don't apply this to the bullshit ending).

Yeah@Thane, but the fact that the Kai Leng guy, who Bioware shoved in my face as this evil motherfucker I know nothing about (since I didnt read the comics) essentially killed Thane, was kind of bleh. I guess it did give me more fodder to hate him, though.

Forgot about Mordin vs Wrex, but now that I think about it I dont think I would ever choose Mordin. Too much Wrex-stalgia.

Legion, while I get he chose to end his life for his people, what I didnt get was how easily they could have made it so he didnt die. Since the way the Geth work, he could have uploaded himself before sacrificing, in order to assume control (hah) of another Geth shell. That's prolly just me being salty though, since Legion was my favorite character and I wanted him to be on the front lines with me .

So on the note of multiplayer, I haven't touched it yet. I plan to when I replay the game, to fix things I passed (like Jack) and to ensure I get 100% readiness. How does it work, exactly, for class unlocks and whatnot? I have to play and I randomly get rewarded, kinda like unlocking stuff in TF2? Or is that incorrect?

 

[FairXchange]

Not to mention that he is in the artbook, published a full month before the game came out, nevermind how long before that it would need to have been put together.

Javik (I'm 99% sure) actually stepped off the Normandy after Joker and EDI at the end of the game on the Synthesis ending.

On the destroy ending, Joker stepped off, followed by I believe Liara and Garrus.

So yeah, he was definitely fully integrated into the story at every juncture for those that got the DLC.

 

[Bisnic]

So on the note of multiplayer, I haven't touched it yet. I plan to when I replay the game, to fix things I passed (like Jack) and to ensure I get 100% readiness. How does it work, exactly, for class unlocks and whatnot? I have to play and I randomly get rewarded, kinda like unlocking stuff in TF2? Or is that incorrect?

You play with 3 others, different difficulties and locations(that you've seen in single player) against groups of Reapers/Geths/Cerberus. You get credits and XP when you finish a match, which last around 20 mins usually. You use these credits to buy packs that contain random characters and classes, character appearances, weapons, mods and items. 10 waves every match, with 3 of them having objectives like kill specific enemies, defend a zone or hack devices (or defend your teammate doing it, since you can't attack while hacking)

 

[I H8 Memes]

Wow, I really never knew all these people could die. I should Youtube character deaths to see how many variations there are. I only knew about Tali/Legion (and obviously Mordin's and Thane's).

Anywho, see I assumed my party members died at the end when we ascended to the Citadel, but at the little jungle crash landing cutscene, both of my party members were seen coming out of the Normandy, lol. I guess they were beamed up?

Well i had Garrus and Ashley on the final mission with me and I just assumed they died from the Reaper laser . I thought I saw Garrus on the ground when I was making my way to the beam. Maybe it's another of those ghost Tali situations.

 

[Divvy]

Yeah@Thane, but the fact that the Kai Leng guy, who Bioware shoved in my face as this evil motherfucker I know nothing about (since I didnt read the comics) essentially killed Thane, was kind of bleh. I guess it did give me more fodder to hate him, though.

Forgot about Mordin vs Wrex, but now that I think about it I dont think I would ever choose Mordin. Too much Wrex-stalgia.

Legion, while I get he chose to end his life for his people, what I didnt get was how easily they could have made it so he didnt die. Since the way the Geth work, he could have uploaded himself before sacrificing, in order to assume control (hah) of another Geth shell. That's prolly just me being salty though, since Legion was my favorite character and I wanted him to be on the front lines with me .

So on the note of multiplayer, I haven't touched it yet. I plan to when I replay the game, to fix things I passed (like Jack) and to ensure I get 100% readiness. How does it work, exactly, for class unlocks and whatnot? I have to play and I randomly get rewarded, kinda like unlocking stuff in TF2? Or is that incorrect?

I was wondering why since he was synthetic he couldn't just copy his software and upload it instead of sacrificing himself. Weird. Maybe they don't work like that.


For multiplayer you start off with the human characters of all the classes. You earn money as you play matches and you use the money to buy packs. These packs can contain consumables, upgrades or alien classes. It's pretty random what you get in each pack though all of them contain at least two consumables.

 

[Felix Lighter]

I loved Mordin's death scene. One of the best moments in the game, in my opinion. I said everything I could to convince him not to go but I control Shepard, not Mordin and he did what he wanted to do. I didn't have any issues with Thane's death either. I'm glad he didn't just wither away and die.

Legion's death was a little weird because I didn't feel like it was set up well. It was sudden and it wasn't clear why his death was necessary. He just needed to die so the other Geth could receive his individual intelligence. Even Shepard wasn't clear what happened to Legion in that scene.

Well i had Garrus and Ashley on the final mission with me and I just assumed they died from the Reaper laser . I thought I saw Garrus on the ground when I was making my way to the beam. Maybe it's another of those ghost Tali situations.

I had Liara with me on that mission and she apparently survived without a scratch. She walked out of the crashed Normandy like nothing happened.

 

[Melchiah]

Anywho, see I assumed my party members died at the end when we ascended to the Citadel, but at the little jungle crash landing cutscene, both of my party members were seen coming out of the Normandy, lol. I guess they were beamed up?

I assumed they died, as neither of them (Liara & Javik) were shown during the end scene.


EDIT: Is there some things, that are demanded for your team mates appearing in the end? Because I got the most of the assets (~7000), 100% galactic readiness, cured the xenophage, and ended the Geth & Quarian war with Tali alive, had the Paragon stats beyond the chart, and only missed few of the first Citadel missions and was unable to save Miranda + didn't kill the Rachni Queen. I also wondered, why the last Paragon/Renegade option in the Illusive Man scene was greyed out for me. Seems like it can only be accessed on the second playthrough, or you have to have a perfect score on everything.

 

[fokkusu]

I had Liara with me on that mission and she apparently survived without a scratch. She walked out of the crashed Normandy like nothing happened.

Same here, weird stuff.

 

[Xosen]

Just finished the game. Really liked it, felt like a great conclusion to the series... until that last reaper shot... then all went downhill.... WTF were they thinking! ò_ó

 

[flyover]

Hooray for another uselessly tacked on multi-player mode that nobody is going to be playing 6 months from now ruining another single player game.

I hadn't even thought about that. If the multiplayer becomes a ghost town or EA shuts down the servers (for multiplayer and the Galaxy At War mobile stuff, too), it could be a pain to up the readiness percentages.

I guess financially, there's little incentive for EA to worry about that, once the long-tail sales start bringing in less money than it costs to leave the servers online. But that'd be too bad for people who might discover the game a few years down the line. Hopefully, EA has a plan in place for this.

 

[LiK]

Just finished the game. Really liked it, felt like a great conclusion to the series... until that last reaper shot... then all went downhill.... WTF were they thinking! ò_ó

mwehehehe

 

[Felix Lighter]

Just finished the game. Really liked it, felt like a great conclusion to the series... until that last reaper shot... then all went downhill.... WTF were they thinking! ò_ó

At this point, that is all I really want to know.

 

[Divvy]

So I start a new Shepard does that mean my galactic readiness drops back to 50%? Or do I keep my multiplayer stats? I suppose in the time it would take me to replay ME1 and 2 it would have dropped to 50% anyways.

 

[Bisnic]

I hadn't even thought about that. If the multiplayer becomes a ghost town or EA shuts down the servers (for multiplayer and the Galaxy At War mobile stuff, too), it could be a pain to up the readiness percentages.

I guess financially, there's little incentive for EA to worry about that, once the long-tail sales start bringing in less money than it costs to leave the servers online. But that'd be too bad for people who might discover the game a few years down the line. Hopefully, EA has a plan in place for this.

Considering the readiness you get from multiplayer is only needed for seeing Shepard take a breath in the Destroy ending, it's not really a big issue.

 

[gokieks]

I really wasnt a fan of the forced deaths of Mordin, Thane, and especially Legion. It's just completely out of your control, in a game where your decisions are supposed to change things. Was just kind of lame, but I guess since this was the end of the series its not like I was missing much with the characters. I just wish something could have been done to change it.

Anywho, see I assumed my party members died at the end when we ascended to the Citadel, but at the little jungle crash landing cutscene, both of my party members were seen coming out of the Normandy, lol. I guess they were beamed up?

See, that's just the thing. With Mordin, Thane and Legion's deaths, choice and player agency were removed, but the way those plot lines play out makes sense and is consistent with the actions and developments of those characters up until that point. I was extremely saddened that I couldn't save Mordin in my game, yet I would say that his entire character arc from start to end was the best of any character in the ME universe. His fantastic banter with Wrex and the poignant final moment of sacrifice (it's especially heart wrenching in the Renegade path) is, to me, the high point of ME3 and representative of BioWare at its best.

Now, compare that to the ending...