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[Firebrand]

The Traynor cabin scene was so fucking weird. I invite her in for a game of chess, and she enters the cabin and instantly asks to use my shower. Fuck you, I said chess.

I didn't get the shower option as Femshep, even though I talked to her between every mission. I guess you need to pick the top dialogue option every single time?

 

[CharmingCharlie]

I honestly think it is a lost cause, the ending is over that moment has gone and people will never get that back.

Having said that I still cannot wait to see what Bioware do with regards to "clarification" of the ending. It is either going to be the greatest get out of all time or the biggest crash and burn since the last Mass Effect 3 ending. At this point I am not sure which scenario would make me laugh more. Now going by Bioware's recent history I am leaning towards it being a huge crash and burn.

 

[LiK]

I didn't get the shower option as Femshep, even though I talked to her between every mission. I guess you need to pick the top dialogue option every single time?

yea, same as Kelly

 

[Zomba13]

I honestly think it is a lost cause, the ending is over that moment has gone and people will never get that back.

Having said that I still cannot wait to see what Bioware do with regards to "clarification" of the ending. It is either going to be the greatest get out of all time or the biggest crash and burn since the last Mass Effect 3 ending. At this point I am not sure which scenario would make me laugh more. Now going by Bioware's recent history I am leaning towards it being a huge crash and burn.

I'm thinking Bioware will just go the DA:O route, give us text boxes saying 'Garrus went on to ____' 'Joker and EDI had robot sex and it was gud' with maybe an added scene of Joker picking up the squad from the end and GTFO of Sol (with some bullshit reason thrown in. Maybe an order from Hackett). I'm almost willing to put money on it.

 

[DTKT]

I'm thinking Bioware will just go the DA:O route, give us text boxes saying 'Garrus went on to ____' 'Joker and EDI had robot sex and it was gud' with maybe an added scene of Joker picking up the squad from the end and GTFO of Sol (with some bullshit reason thrown in. Maybe an order from Hackett). I'm almost willing to put money on it.

Heh. Probably.

God, that will really suck.

 

[Photolysis]

I could have sworn it was two years; it's semantics for me at this point. The way they approached the character is where I take offense

So while Garrus and others occasionally talk about loved ones that died, they also talk about many other things. What irks me is that its the ONLY trait his character has, undoubtedly making him Token Gay Character.

Gud jorb, Bioware!

I consider this somewhat unfair.

I didn't mind Cortez's character and it avoided many of the traps that could easily have been fallen into. It's refreshing to see - what is, to me at least - some fairly realistic grieving rather than the problem disappearing overnight, or persisting for a ridiculous length of time which you often see in games.

He isn't the most intricate and deep character ever seen in fiction given that he is a side character, but there's much more than one-dimensional angsting which he could easily have degenerated into if the writing was poorly handled. I don't think he brought up what he had lost especially more than many other characters.

 

[Takamura-San]

Is there a podcast out there that has a non condescending discussion about the criticisms made by the fans about the ending?

 

[EatChildren]

I honestly think it is a lost cause, the ending is over that moment has gone and people will never get that back.

Having said that I still cannot wait to see what Bioware do with regards to "clarification" of the ending. It is either going to be the greatest get out of all time or the biggest crash and burn since the last Mass Effect 3 ending. At this point I am not sure which scenario would make me laugh more. Now going by Bioware's recent history I am leaning towards it being a huge crash and burn.

Eh, the burn is there, and that can never be undone, but I loath the ending so much that I wouldn't be bothered in the slightest if, hypothetically, they completely scrapped everything from the floating platform onwards and rebuilt an entirely new, satisfying, consistent and conclusive end to the trilogy. I know some would feel this is pandering to fans and not 'true' to BioWare's intentions, but fuck that shit, I still want it.

That isn't what we'll get though. Clarification will come from new dialogue options with the Catalyst (Walters already planned them, and Hudson cut them), some extra scenes, and just a bunch of mangled garbage that tries to better explain a narrative nobody wants in the first place.

 

[Takamura-San]

Eh, the burn is there, and that can never be undone, but I loath the ending so much that I wouldn't be bothered in the slightest if, hypothetically, they completely scrapped everything from the floating platform onwards and rebuilt an entirely new, satisfying, consistent and conclusive end to the trilogy. I know some would feel this is pandering to fans and not 'true' to BioWare's intentions, but fuck that shit, I still want it.

That isn't what we'll get though. Clarification will come from new dialogue options with the Catalyst (Walters already planned them, and Hudson cut them), some extra scenes, and just a bunch of mangled garbage that tries to better explain a narrative nobody wants in the first place.

I still feel that if they rolled to credits the second before the elevator... i wouldn't feel that empty inside.

 

[Jarmel]

Eh, the burn is there, and that can never be undone, but I loath the ending so much that I wouldn't be bothered in the slightest if, hypothetically, they completely scrapped everything from the floating platform onwards and rebuilt an entirely new, satisfying, consistent and conclusive end to the trilogy. I know some would feel this is pandering to fans and not 'true' to BioWare's intentions, but fuck that shit, I still want it.

That isn't what we'll get though. Clarification will come from new dialogue options with the Catalyst (Walters already planned them, and Hudson cut them), some extra scenes, and just a bunch of mangled garbage that tries to better explain a narrative nobody wants in the first place.

So is this still below MGS4 or has it warmed its way into your heart?

 

[Salih]

c'mon Bioware - where is my DLC? I cannot wait anymore!

I NEED ANSWEEEERS!

 

[Photolysis]

I know some would feel this is pandering to fans and not 'true' to BioWare's intentions, but fuck that shit, I still want it.

Can anyone even say what Bioware's intentions as a collective entity were though? For all we know, the rest of the studio/writing team might have been completely against the ending and self-indulgent behaviour that Hudson and Walters engaged in.

If a couple of people use their authority to shit on the work of their more talented underlings, does that constitute Bioware's intentions? Or is it just two pseudo-intellectual hacks trying to be clever and failing?

 

[Bisnic]

I still feel that if they rolled to credits the second before the elevator... i wouldn't feel that empty inside.

Would have been a better excuse for ending DLC... "See what happen to the galaxy in our next DLC!" rather than "OH SHIT we messed up! Time to fix some things!"

 

[Grisby]

Yep!

Damn. My renegade shep wanted to conquer every female on the ship.

 

[Takamura-San]

Would have been a better excuse for ending DLC... "See what happen to the galaxy in our next DLC!" rather than "OH SHIT we messed up! Time to fix some things!"

True. But at least i would have hope that something that made sense would be incoming.

 

[EatChildren]

So is this still below MGS4 or has it warmed its way into your heart?

It's a different kind of hate, and has evolved and changed over time, the significance of its shittiness slowly sinking in.

MGS4 was a catastrophe from start to finish, as far as I'm concerned. For all the shit that series has, MGS4 was the point where I stood up out of my chair and prayed to The Old Ones that nobody lets Kojima write anything again. It's unequivocally awful in almost every conceivable way. There's not a single satisfying, rational, grounded or well written character arc or narrative in the entire game. From a story perspective it's pure shit, and it shouldn't have been. The only cool thing was old Snake.

ME3, on the other hand, for all its own oddities and silliness I loved. I could bitch and moan about a lot of shit, but I liked the shooting, I liked the set pieces, I grew to like the premise and, by large, I loved the narrative. The characters were intriguing, the plot arcs were complete, and even though it was absurd how many cameos showed up, from the perspective of a big fan it was awesome. I tied up all lose ends and got to spend time with the characters I love, auto-pilot dialogue included.

But there's two exceptions to ME3: The intro, and the ending. The intro bothered me in the demo and it still bothers me. I've bitched at length as to why it sucks and what BioWare should have done. The ending though? That...that is the kicker. It, like MGS4, is pure narrative shit.

So I don't know. I've always liked Mass Effect a lot more than the Metal Gear saga, and since I really loved the actual game of Mass Effect 3 until the ending, I should hate it much more than MGS4. The higher you climb, the harder you fall. But I don't know. ME3 represents how so much good can be screwed up by one big failure at the end. MGS4 represents how incompetent KojiPro is.

Can anyone even say what Bioware's intentions as a collective entity were though? For all we know, the rest of the studio/writing team might have been completely against the ending and self-indulgent behaviour that Hudson and Walters engaged in.

If a couple of people use their authority to shit on the work of their more talented underlings, does that constitute Bioware's intentions? Or is it just two pseudo-intellectual hacks trying to be clever and failing?

Yeah, I know, but some people have vocalised a dislike for changing the ending because of 'artistic integrity' bla bla and how a changed ending would be a product of fan demands, not the made product, and thus less 'real' or some such shit. I'm just saying I don't agree with that.

 

[CushVA]

http://www.tampabay.com/features/po...ale-is-now-a-low-point-in-video-games/1222399

Mass Effect 3's ho-hum finale is now a low point in video games

There have been a lot of embarrassing moments in video game history. The Great Crash of 1983. The Super Mario Bros. movie. The Atari Jaguar. PlayStation Home. But few will come close to the quagmire in which BioWare finds itself after the colossal disaster that is the ending of its marquee title, Mass Effect 3.

Yes folks, it's that bad.

.....I didn't feel this way immediately, but many others did.

.....Upon reflection, it is a colossal failure, and the only explanation is bad writing or bad product planning. Or both.

.....Either change the ending and admit the game as released was only 99 percent complete, or accept the fact that your core audience thinks you're a pack of idiots.

Well, there's probably nothing they can do about that last one, in any case.

 

[Bisnic]

If anything, maybe NOW Bioware will try to get impressions from all their employees before making any future ME games into gold status, rather than trusting everything into a few people, especially those responsible for ME3 ending, eh.

 

[Felix Lighter]

I'm willing to just forget about BioWare's ending and just accept some random fan fiction.

 

[EatChildren]

I'm willing to just forget about BioWare's ending and just accept some random fan fiction.

Would you like me to write you one? I wont be able to post it on GAF though.

 

[90sRobots]

http://www.tampabay.com/features/po...ale-is-now-a-low-point-in-video-games/1222399

haha thank God! We've all been waiting for the Tampa Bay Times to weigh in on this subject for some time now.

 

[Jarmel]

It's a different kind of hate, and has evolved and changed over time, the significance of its shittiness slowly sinking in.

MGS4 was a catastrophe from start to finish, as far as I'm concerned. For all the shit that series has, MGS4 was the point where I stood up out of my chair and prayed to The Old Ones that nobody lets Kojima write anything again. It's unequivocally awful in almost every conceivable way. There's not a single satisfying, rational, grounded or well written character arc or narrative in the entire game. From a story perspective it's pure shit, and it shouldn't have been. The only cool thing was old Snake.

ME3, on the other hand, for all its own oddities and silliness I loved. I could bitch and moan about a lot of shit, but I liked the shooting, I liked the set pieces, I grew to like the premise and, by large, I loved the narrative. The characters were intriguing, the plot arcs were complete, and even though it was absurd how many cameos showed up, from the perspective of a big fan it was awesome. I tied up all lose ends and got to spend time with the characters I love, auto-pilot dialogue included.

But there's two exceptions to ME3: The intro, and the ending. The intro bothered me in the demo and it still bothers me. I've bitched at length as to why it sucks and what BioWare should have done. The ending though? That...that is the kicker. It, like MGS4, is pure narrative shit.

So I don't know. I've always liked Mass Effect a lot more than the Metal Gear saga, and since I really loved the actual game of Mass Effect 3 until the ending, I should hate it much more than MGS4. The higher you climb, the harder you fall. But I don't know. ME3 represents how so much good can be screwed up by one big failure at the end. MGS4 represents how incompetent KojiPro is.

Do you have a good link that summarizes peoples' complaints with MGS4? I finished it last fall and while had some issues with the ending and most of the arcs, I was fine with it for the most part.

 

[nel e nel]

Anybody else think about replaying ME1/2, but then get all sad and decide against it?

Currently 23 hours into a fresh run on an alternate XBL account. It's actually kind of cool. Some thoughts:

- the graphics and combat have improved dramatically, especially the cover mechanic and both squad and enemy AI. Also, texture pop is horrendous.

- knowing what we now know about Cerberus, all of those side missions carry more weight and have a much more ominous feeling to them

- knowing that EDI was the rogue VI on Luna and that the transmission "01001000 01000101 01001100 01010000" translates to 'HELP' is kinda heartbreaking, but also uplifting because you know she will eventually gain her 'freedom'

- conversation system has improved by leaps and bounds over the series. Gone are the bland "I want to know more about Volus culture" wikipedia entries, replaced with much more natural and dynamic interactions. While I was a bit dismayed at the loss of a middle option in ME3, it's clear they weren't really cutting anything out. A large majority of the time, the middle option cues the exact same dialogue from Shepard as either the top or bottom choices, it just rewards you with different Paragon/Renegade points

- nothing quite like blasting Cerberus rocket turrets on the moon while the Song of the Rachni Queen echoes in the background. While I miss the open expanses of the random planets, the streamlining of that feature makes perfect sense in line with the story progression. As the Reaper threat becomes more real and draws closer, there's less time to be futzing about surveying heavy metals.

- in addition, it's clear they listened to complaints about copy-and-paste environments on those as well. Sure, we had less exploring on random planets, but the ones we got in ME2 were much deeper experiences storywise (as well as tying into the main storyline more), and the environments were much more detailed. Trade offs.

- just when I thought Kaiden was about as charismatic as a 2x4, he has to go and remind me that when he was a teenager, he SNAPPED A TURIAN'S NECK WITH HIS BRAIN. Renegade Femshep is reconsidering a romance with him.

- it's interesting to see the pendulum swing in the changes to the RPG mechanics. While it made sense to streamline it from ME1 (combining powers like Overload/Sabotage and Fitness/First Aid into one power was smart) ME2 still felt gimped. It's definitely better that they added all of the evolutions in 3. Same for the inventory and weapons/armor upgrades. Although I would still have liked to see slots for mods on the armor. The addition of unique class specific powers (i.e. cloak, charge) was a win though.

 

[EmCeeGramr]

Most of the spoilers in the very first leak, the one that got us hit by the C&D order, was either exactly the same or extremely similar to what we got. I remember telling people who wanted to know in PMs how ridiculous it was, but I happened to forget all about it until I finished and saw the endings. It made me remember my initial reaction to the leak which was basically "Shepard can become a reaper? Is this shit serious?"

I remember reading the phrase "Shepard jumps off the platform and becomes one with the Reapers" being specifically for players who played "a perfect game" and having a straight up "wut" reaction.

Like, I think I even remember saying, "When BioWare eventually dies, 'Shepard jumps off the platform and becomes one with the Reapers,' is going to be on their tombstone."

 

[Felix Lighter]

Would you like me to write you one? I wont be able to post it on GAF though.

Will the Mass Effect trilogy finally get the Tali centered overtly erotic ending it deserves?

 

[heliosRAzi]

I remember reading the phrase "Shepard jumps off the platform and becomes one with the Reapers" being specifically for players who played "a perfect game" and having a straight up "wut" reaction.

Like, I think I even remember saying, "When BioWare eventually dies, 'Shepard jumps off the platform and becomes one with the Reapers,' is going to be on their tombstone."

Now it will read "LOTS OF SPECULATION FROM EVERYONE"

 

[hao chi]

I'm willing to just forget about BioWare's ending and just accept some random fan fiction.

Shepard flips off the Star Child, then does an elbow drop from orbit that destroys Harbinger. The rest of the Reapers give up out of respect for the badassery they just witnessed.

 

[SDBurton]

Hey she was an awesome bro. Plus figuring out she was gay took like 5 seconds.

I would much rather have Dr. Michel as a female romance option.

Dat accent.

 

[heliosRAzi]

Shepard flips off the Star Child, then does an elbow drop from orbit that destroys Harbinger. The rest of the Reapers give up out of respect for the badassery they just witnessed.

I want the conversation with the Catalyst to be like Phoenix Wright

 

[MechaX]

I want the conversation with the Catalyst to be like Phoenix Wright

"The cycle of chaos will always be repeated. Synthetics will always rise up to destroy Organics"
*Click on Court Record*
*Click on "Geth made peace with Quarians"*
Shepard: "TAKE THAT!"
*Cue Objection Theme*

 

[hao chi]

"The cycle of chaos will always be repeated. Synthetics will always rise up to destroy Organics"
*Click on Court Record*
*Click on "Geth made peace with Quarians"*
Shepard: "TAKE THAT!"
*Cue Objection Theme*

I haven't played Phoenix Wright yet, but that's so much better than what we got.

*sigh*

 

[Jake Tower]

In the revised ending, I want Dwayne Johnson to replace Starchild, so when he tells me synthetics and organics will always war and I start to reply that I just made peace between the geth and quarians, he can interrupt: IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU DID!

 

[Divvy]

- knowing that EDI was the rogue VI on Luna and that the transmission "01001000 01000101 01001100 01010000" translates to 'HELP' is kinda heartbreaking, but also uplifting because you know she will eventually gain her 'freedom'

This was a really cool part of ME3, finding that out.

 

[LiK]

I haven't played Phoenix Wright yet, but that's so much better than what we got.

*sigh*

PW IS AWESOME

 

[B_Rik_Schitthaus]

I haven't played Phoenix Wright yet, but that's so much better than what we got.

*sigh*

Go play the PW games, get that ME3 after taste out yo' mouth.

 

[heliosRAzi]

"The cycle of chaos will always be repeated. Synthetics will always rise up to destroy Organics"
*Click on Court Record*
*Click on "Geth made peace with Quarians"*
Shepard: "TAKE THAT!"
*Cue Objection Theme*

That's my headcanon

But we gotta find a way to work the Cornered theme into it

 

[hao chi]

PW IS AWESOME

That's what I've heard. For whatever reason I tend to ignore my DS though.

I'll probably get around to playing 999 and Phoenix Wright this summer.

Maybe.

 

[LiK]

That's what I've heard. For whatever reason I tend to ignore my DS though.

I'll probably get around to playing 999 and Phoenix Wright this summer.

Maybe.

oh man, 999 is glorious too. check it out and prepared to be sucked in. great characters and stories.

 

[Psychoward]

I remember reading the phrase "Shepard jumps off the platform and becomes one with the Reapers" being specifically for players who played "a perfect game" and having a straight up "wut" reaction.

Like, I think I even remember saying, "When BioWare eventually dies, 'Shepard jumps off the platform and becomes one with the Reapers,' is going to be on their tombstone."

It's funny, the ending and the Joker/EDI thing were my two biggest problems with the script, and they didn't do jack shit to change them. Well, the ending got even worse somehow.

And I love how even if you tell both EDI and Joker not to get in to a relationship, by endgame they still are anyway.

 

[Sotha Sil]

I haven't played Phoenix Wright yet, but that's so much better than what we got.

*sigh*

It's all you need to wash the taste of Mass Effect's ending out of your mouth, you lucky bastard.

edit: haha, beaten.

 

[MechaX]

That's my headcanon

But we gotta find a way to work the Cornered theme into it

You could make an entire PW case out of the contradictions between what the Catalyst says and the rest of the series.

 

[heliosRAzi]

It's all you need to wash the taste of Mass Effect's ending out of your mouth, you lucky bastard.

edit: haha, beaten.

I wish I could erase the memory of playing Phoenix Wright out of my head so that I can go back and play it to experience it all over again. That lucky bastard.

So, what are your favorite animations throughout the games? I personally like the "walk, then stop and lean forward sideways" animation

You could make an entire PW case out of the contradictions between what the Catalyst says and the rest of the series.

Easiest case ever. It would like the tutorial case.

 

[WiiredShawn]

oh man, 999 is glorious too. check it out and prepared to be sucked in. great characters and stories.

In terms of quality and closure, the ending to PW: Trials and Tribulations is like fucking Mt. Everest compared to the dirty pebble of ME3. Spoiler:

Spoiler

"Don't you remember, Wright? I can't see red. So these must be my tears."

SO MANY MAN TEARS.

999 is incredible, too. The script is probably about as long as the entirety of the ME franchise, ha. Prepare for a lot of reading, and a lot of craziness, but despite all of the Japan-ness, the game manages to unify all of its disparate elements in a really clever way. And it employs endings that - shock! - build themselves around your choices and offer appropriate consequences. Imagine that.

 

[Zomba13]

You could make an entire PW case out of the contradictions between what the Catalyst says and the rest of the series.

That's a youtube video waiting to happen. Someone get on it. Put PW in some N7 armour too. Have Harby in Edgeworth's place.

 

[Mister Wilhelm]

So let me get this straight...

...after Bioware completely screwed you, made you pay $9.99 for ON THE DISC DLC, forced you to spend hours in the multiplayer component to get the best ending in the single player game, offered no (sincere) formal apology, AND clearly paid of dozens of journalists to trick you into thinking everything was great with this game...you guys are willing to PAY for a new ending?

Fuck that.

Fuck them.

I'll consider watching it on youtube and never buy another Bioware game again.

If it was free, I MIGHT re-install.

 

[randomwab]

Just saw this on Rock Paper Shotgun. A planet description from Mass Effect 1.

 

[heliosRAzi]

That's a youtube video waiting to happen. Someone get on it. Put PW in some N7 armour too. Have Harby in Edgeworth's place.

Just imagining that is making me literally laugh out loud

 

[heliosRAzi]

Just saw this on Rock Paper Shotgun. A planet description from Mass Effect 1.

Wait.. these things were created at the "dawn of time" to protect organics from synthetics? They already had synthetics zooming around the place then?

 

[B_Rik_Schitthaus]

That's a youtube video waiting to happen. Someone get on it. Put PW in some N7 armour too. Have Harby in Edgeworth's place.

* judge looks shocked *


"...I was born in London you know."

 

[RedRedSuit]

Do you have a good link that summarizes peoples' complaints with MGS4? I finished it last fall and while had some issues with the ending and most of the arcs, I was fine with it for the most part.

A lot of MGS fans, probably even most, love MGS4 and even enjoy the end of it. It's a frequent debate. Pretty much no one enjoys the end of ME3.