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Mass Effect 3 Spoiler Thread |OT2| Taste the Rainbow

It still bothers me that Bioware was so cheap with the sepia tone flashbacks. Like what, you could only do Joker, Anderson, Liara, and potentially Ashley/Kaidan if you romanced them? Seriously? You couldn't do any other survivors?
 

spekkeh

Banned
My answers to the questionnaire, because somebody has to be in favor:
ME3 GAF Poll

  • What color did you pick? R/G/B
  • How do you feel about the ending? Like/Dislike/Hate/Neutral (Indifferent)
    • Please describe why you feel this way.
      I'm going to speak for the whole of the ending, not just the final decision. I thought it was ballsy to have this sense of hopelessness at the end, and felt that was very fitting to the implied inevitability of galaxy wide extinction; any happy ending would just invalidate what it was about. I don't like the (idea of a) deus ex machina, but wasn't too bothered here, because I alway knew it was going to boil down to control or destruction (didn't have enough EMS for synthesis), and the reasons for the existence of the reapers was already communicated before, so it was basically a reiteration of what was already known, with the only weak/annoying thing the actual existence of the catalyst. In addition, I like not having everything spoonfed to me, and the end result gave me enough material to fantasize over what would be coming next
  • Are you indoctrinated (believe in the theory)? Yes/No
    • I think it's a compelling theory that has some things going for it, but is too far-fetched in other departments. I do think Destroy is the intended ending
  • In general will you buy ME3 DLC? Y/N
  • Would you buy a revised interactive ending DLC? Y/N
  • Have you played previous ME games? Y/N
  • In what order have you played the games? 1, 2, 3
  • Favorite game in the trilogy? ME2 probably, due to the greater variety of gameplay missions
 
[*]What color did you pick?
BLUE

[*]How do you feel about the ending? Like/Dislike/Hate/Neutral (Indifferent)
DISLIKE

[*]Are you indoctrinated (believe in the theory)? Yes/No
Yes

[*]In general will you buy ME3 DLC? Y/N
NO

[*]Would you buy a revised interactive ending DLC? Y/N
NO

[*]Have you played previous ME games? Y/N
YES

[*]In what order have you played the games? 1, 2, 3
1-2-3

[*]Favorite game in the trilogy?
3
 
[*]What color did you pick?
BLUE

[*]How do you feel about the ending? Like/Dislike/Hate/Neutral (Indifferent)
NEUTRAL There are elements I like, but nagging issues drag it down.

[*]Are you indoctrinated (believe in the theory)? Yes/No
Yes I think Bioware will adopt this, intended or not, to make way for a less controversial ending.

[*]In general will you buy ME3 DLC? Y/N
YES

[*]Would you buy a revised interactive ending DLC? Y/N
NO

[*]Have you played previous ME games? Y/N
YES

[*]In what order have you played the games? 1, 2, 3
1-2-3

[*]Favorite game in the trilogy?
3 Ending aside, I felt it had the best moments, missions and gameplay in the series. The combat especially is much improved.
 
I've tried to convince myself that I was okay with the ending, but man fuck this shit! The ending is horrible. All the hours I invested in my character, romances, building a legacy is just shat on by Bioware by giving the same ending cutscene different colors. It makes no sense whatsoever.

- Cured Genophage? Well congraduFUCK couse they'll never go to Tuchanka again!
- Made peace between the Turians and Krogan? AwesoSHIT couse they'll probably eat each other out of starvation
- Made peace with the Geth? Legen.... wait for it.. DICKSHIT couse either Quarians die or every synthetic in the galaxy does!

  • What color did you pick? Green
  • How do you feel about the ending? Hate
    • Please describe why you feel this way. Despite trying to fool myself, I had no idea what any of the endings would offer in terms of closure, didn't even think about them long enough and picked Green becouse it seemed in harmony with all the races'
  • Are you indoctrinated (believe in the theory)? Yes
  • In general will you buy ME3 DLC? No
  • Would you buy a revised interactive ending DLC? Not if the ending was SHIT Part II
  • Have you played previous ME games? Yes
  • In what order have you played the games? 1, 2, 3


I usually don't like the 'Hitler responds to/ hears of' videos, but this one is accurate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b33tJx8iy0A&feature=related

tumblr_lo22t9O3f81qdcw1u.gif


Pardon my French people, but I'm really sad and frustrated :(

@g23 The download is really slow for me, is there a stream availible? Is it IW?
 

Lime

Member
I'm curious: What would it take for Bioware to regain your respect or save face after this shitstorm? What would you want them to do to make you respect/not hate them anymre? I'm only talking about in regards to Mass Effect 3, not their contemporary output as a whole (rectifying their last 5 years as a company would require a miracle).
 
I'm gonna repost my thoughts on the ending after having beaten it twice, since it got kinda lost in the barrage of posts yesterday and I only edited it in a bit later. :lol

So, my thoughts after finishing the game again.

The writing during the final Illusive Man encounter is just... Not very good. Unless, of course, you're looking at it from the "TIM's finally gone over the deep end"-angle. Then it makes sense.

And any writer who puts in a floating magical space platform and then goes off about how you have a choice should just quit. The worst part is, I wouldn't have minded fucking vent god if he actually had some decent dialog. Instead he goes rambling about how Shepard being there changes everything and how shit shouldn't change. He was the one who pulled that floaty platform up there in the first place.

If he would've explained why, sure, why the fuck not, I could live with it. Instead it's like the creator of the Reapers has no clue what the fuck is happening around him. I honestly don't even understand people who say they like it, and I'm usually a pretty open-minded person. But this? It's bad, no matter how you spin it. I can understand BioWare wanting an ending that left things open a bit, that didn't answer everything or provide a happy ending with closure. That's an artistic choice. The way they presented it, however, is shit. The Catalyst does things but doesn't know why. If he was so fond of his "solution", he could've just let Shepard die. The themes people are saying were so "out of the left field" were present in a lot of ways during the game... Just way too subtle. And Javik, a character only a minority of people have, is the main supplier, too. No wonder people are pissed.

Here's my take. I don't want BioWare to change the ending completely. I can appreciate what they tried to do. But honestly, the discussions with TIM and, more importantly, the Catalyst need changing. The latter is a prime example of shitty writing, with the reasons I stated above. Just rewrite and re-record that shit. I honestly would've minded less if he told Shepard why he brought him there, instead of (with low EMS) asking him why he's there. Have him be somewhat coherent instead of rambling about chaos and order and synthesis and expecting the player and Shepard to understand it and make a choice. Unless BioWare, in their absolute brilliance, tried to make a play on the organic/synthetic duality by having the A.I. creator of the Reapers going senile.

Apologies if my sentences are a bit weirdly structured, but I'm tired and sick. :lol
 

Replicant

Member
After playing that little doozy segment post beam attack, where everything looks like you're smoking something illegal, I'll support anything that rewrites post beam attack scene.
 

spekkeh

Banned
I'm gonna repost my thoughts on the ending after having beaten it twice, since it got kinda lost in the barrage of posts yesterday and I only edited it in a bit later. :lol

I thought TIM was fine, because yeah he did seem like he went off the deep end, the scene reminded me a bit of Event Horizon. I also didn't really mind the floating platform, because by that time Shepard was so delerious from his wound he may well have imagined it, but yeah I do agree the dialogue in that scene with the kid wasn't very good. Personally for me it wasn't that it was 'wtf', but that it wasn't 'wtf' enough. The kid basically confirmed what you were already thinking, but in a wonky way, making his being there inconsequential to the story. It would've been much better if TIM just sort of gives you the options.
 
After the regulation period of disappointment with the ending of the series, and because I don't have any other games on the go right now, I decided to play through the series again from scratch. But I've just finished ME1 and I've run out of steam.

ME2 is a great game, definitely, but now that I know that it goes nowhere -- none of its questions were answered; none of its dangling plot threads were picked up outside of Cerberus; Harbinger, your antagonist for the entire game who turns up to personally insult you at the end of Arrival, gets a non-speaking five-second cameo in ME3 -- I just don't care any more. Shepard could have stolen the Normandy SR2 from Cerberus as soon as she was allowed on board and spent the entire period between ME1 and ME3 on a sunny beach getting a nice part-synthetic tan for all the difference it made to the overall plot.

What difference would one extra reaper have made in ME3? Harby wouldn't have attacked Earth or any of the other well-defended human population centres because the fleets would have taken him apart, and the collectors themselves were cut up pretty quickly as soon as the Normandy got some decent weaponry installed. Who knows, maybe if the human reaper had been finished we could have asked it what the point of Mass Effect 2 was.
 

Jinaar

Member
I always keep having this crazy sinking feeling that when Shepard sees the boy run into the building in the beginning of the game and it gets blown up by the Reaper laser, that was when you as Shepard actually get f'ed up beyond a doubt and appear in the end credits after the Red Solution breathing in rubble after coming out of your battle with indoctrination. Then Bioware has you replay the game again and you get super secret ending of conclusions!

I ain't even been drinking to come up with this one!

Regardless, really looking forward to the DLC fallout.
 

GlamFM

Banned
Finished it yesterday. Hard to find words for my disappointment.

The ending was awful.

The entire game was rushed - cutting corners in every aspect of the game.

It´s an unworthy ending to what could have been one of the greatest franchises ever.
 

Xosen

Member
I'm curious: What would it take for Bioware to regain your respect or save face after this shitstorm? What would you want them to do to make you respect/not hate them anymre? I'm only talking about in regards to Mass Effect 3, not their contemporary output as a whole (rectifying their last 5 years as a company would require a miracle).

A new ending where the action taken in the 3 games are taken into account.... I know... I'm asking for madness.... ¬¬
 

Omega

Banned
I'm curious: What would it take for Bioware to regain your respect or save face after this shitstorm? What would you want them to do to make you respect/not hate them anymre? I'm only talking about in regards to Mass Effect 3, not their contemporary output as a whole (rectifying their last 5 years as a company would require a miracle).

Fire Casey Hudson and Mac Walters. Release a bunch of free multiplayer DLC that adds some variety and content because it's boring playing the same 3 enemies on the same 5 maps.

That MIGHT help but I doubt it.

Nothing SP because I'm never touching it again. What's done is done and they made their own grave.
 

vareon

Member
I'm curious: What would it take for Bioware to regain your respect or save face after this shitstorm? What would you want them to do to make you respect/not hate them anymre? I'm only talking about in regards to Mass Effect 3, not their contemporary output as a whole (rectifying their last 5 years as a company would require a miracle).

I actually hoped that Bioware didn't release a "another ending" DLC...judging the fans's reactions, they fucked up and they should live with that.
 
Fire Casey Hudson and Mac Walters. Release a bunch of free multiplayer DLC that adds some variety and content because it's boring playing the same 3 enemies on the same 5 maps.

That MIGHT help but I doubt it.

Nothing SP because I'm never touching it again. What's done is done and they made their own grave.

...Are you serious? You really want to put two people out of the job because you didn't derive entertainment from an ending to a videogame?
 
Fire Casey Hudson and Mac Walters. Release a bunch of free multiplayer DLC that adds some variety and content because it's boring playing the same 3 enemies on the same 5 maps.

That MIGHT help but I doubt it.

Nothing SP because I'm never touching it again. What's done is done and they made their own grave.

You want to fire the guy who created the franchise which was literally fucking great up until the last ten minutes? Jesus.
 
The point of ME2 was to build the universe and characters.

I mean the in-universe point. Was Harbinger's only goal just to build another reaper on the sly, before the rest of them got there? How was that worth potentially exposing the races of the cycle to more reaper tactics and technology when they've already reverse-engineered technology from Sovereign? We don't know; it was never addressed.

Mass Effect 2 is a great game, one of my favourites. But for all the impact it had on the story of the series it may as well never have happened.
 

Derrick01

Banned
Playing this for a 2nd time really exposes just how linear this game is. Kind of a bummer to go through now, of course the ending doesn't help things there.

APZonerunner said:
You want to fire the guy who created the franchise which was literally fucking great up until the last ten minutes? Jesus.

Maybe he thinks ME2 was a massive embarrassment like I did?
 
You want to fire the guy who created the franchise which was literally fucking great up until the last ten minutes? Jesus.
Sometimes one mistake is all it takes.

...Are you serious? You really want to put two people out of the job because you didn't derive entertainment from an ending to a videogame?
Their decisions caused a huge backlash towards Bioware from customers. They took sole responsibility for a critical part of a multi-million dollar project and they fucked it up. I see no reason not to fire them. Bioware was already suffering from a tainted reputation and Hudson and Walters dumb as shit gamble backfired in the worst way possible.
 

Replicant

Member
Look, everyone fucks up from time to time. Just fix the goddamn ending (preferably anything post beam attack) and all is forgiven. No firing necessary. I was actually enjoying the game until the beam attack hits and after that, everything went downhill.

The stupid half-game where you can't completely control your character but he still has to shoot at 3 husks and 1 Marauder, the insipid dialogues with TIM, and even more insipid dialogues with SpaceBrat. Then the cherry on top, RGB endings. Wipe them all out and all is forgiven.
 

Arjen

Member
Playing this for a 2nd time really exposes just how linear this game is. Kind of a bummer to go through now, of course the ending doesn't help things there.



Maybe he thinks ME2 was a massive embarrassment like I did?

I'm having trouble getting trough my second playtrough to, al the missions are in fixed order, not a lot of squadmates to choose from to change things up. There are only really 2 big decissions to make, so there is really not much variety. It really falls apart the second playtrough.
 
I like Mass Effect 3 minus the ending, in fact Mass Effect as a whole is one of my favorite media franchises ever but, to be fair, when the ending situation comes to an end one way or another there are many gripes with the game that most people are ignoring right now.

-The eavesdropping missions.
-The linearity.
-The lack of HUB worlds and teh Citadel being just corridor levels.
-The journal.

And there's much more than that. I feel ME3 did it's good things very good but it was lacking in many ways, and I feel it being the series finale should have been better.
 
Look, everyone fucks up from time to time.

And in many cases that means they lose their job. If a CEO makes a bad call that ruins a product, they would be expected to resign or likely be paid off to leave.

Not saying it should happen here mind, just that in the real world mistakes have consequences.

I do think Walters should lose his position as writing lead though. If someone can't write worth a damn, and can't maintain basic consistency or avoid the most basic writing errors then he shouldn't be a writer, especially the lead.
 

Jarmel

Banned
Do we know how the writing get split up in ME? I would love to know who wrote the Geth/Quarian missions (in particular the fighter base and Rannoch's ending)

Weekes wrote Rannoch if I remember correctly. We have a breakdown for most of the stuff. We don't know everything that Walters wrote but we have a good idea.
 
I'm having trouble getting trough my second playtrough to, al the missions are in fixed order, not a lot of squadmates to choose from to change things up. There are only really 2 big decissions to make, so there is really not much variety. It really falls apart the second playtrough.

I still enjoyed it, but then again I've been into ME from the start mostly because of the whole 'epic space opera'-thing and not the 'choose your own adventure'-aspect.
 

Jarmel

Banned
...Are you serious? You really want to put two people out of the job because you didn't derive entertainment from an ending to a videogame?

Anybody who is incompetent at their job should be fired. I don't agree with some of the choices Hudson's done but Walters is flat out incompetent at lead writer and should either be demoted or straight out fired.
 

JMizzlin

Member
Need help with Geth/Quarian war decisions!

I have an ME2 save imported but I can't remember my decisions in the DLC. All I know is Tali and Legion are alive and both their loyalty missions were done in ME2.

I want peace between the species (or at least Tali not to die like she did on my first playthrough) however can't seem to figure out how to get this. I have four full bars of reputation, 98% paragon.

I just attempted the mission and told Legion not to upload the codes, then told him to upload them. Should I have told him to upload then told him not to? Fucking IGN told me that would work.

In that attempt I did not see any paragon/renegade options. What's up with that?
 
I figured the #1 idea people would have wouldn't be "Fire Casey Hudson and Mac Walters" but rather something along the lines of "Don't let Mac Walters write the ending in a vacuum without peer review". There's no way that shit would've flown in any other part of the game, and it showed. A demotion is unlikely, but still possible for Walters. I wouldn't say he's completely incompotent, but the ending clearly shouldn't have been what was essentially a fever dream written out on a napkin. Should've made the rounds.
 

Jarmel

Banned
Can we see this breakdown, please? I'm interested.

Unfortunately Internet is out at my house due to lightning strike so I can't use my pc till later today(currently on phone).

If I remember correctly Weekes wrote the Citadel missions, Rannoch, Tali, Mordin, and some other major stuff. He did a blog post on it. We know who wrote some of the other Mordin dialogue and Liara. Walters wrote intro, TIM, Vega, and ending. I don't think it's clear yet who wrote Garrus.
 

Arjen

Member
I still enjoyed it, but then again I've been into ME from the start mostly because of the whole 'epic space opera'-thing and not the 'choose your own adventure'-aspect.

Wel same for me, i played both ME1 and ME2 a tons of times, and i loved this game to.
But you can't really experiment with missions and squadmates and that's a bit of a letdown.
Maybe it's my own fault for starting the second playtrough so fast after the first. But unlike ME1 and ME2 you don't really come acros new stuff you missed in your first playtrough.
 
Need help with Geth/Quarian war decisions!

I have an ME2 save imported but I can't remember my decisions in the DLC. All I know is Tali and Legion are alive and both their loyalty missions were done in ME2.

I want peace between the species (or at least Tali not to die like she did on my first playthrough) however can't seem to figure out how to get this. I have four full bars of reputation, 98% paragon.

I just attempted the mission and told Legion not to upload the codes, then told him to upload them. Should I have told him to upload then told him not to? Fucking IGN told me that would work.

In that attempt I did not see any paragon/renegade options. What's up with that?

It doesn't matter since they all die in the end in an explosion of RGB

Do you have both of their loyalty in the second game and did you save Admiral Koris when he crash landed on Rannoch?
 

Aaron

Member
I figured the #1 idea people would have wouldn't be "Fire Casey Hudson and Mac Walters" but rather something along the lines of "Don't let Mac Walters write the ending in a vacuum without peer review". There's no way that shit would've flown in any other part of the game, and it showed. A demotion is unlikely, but still possible for Walters. I wouldn't say he's completely incompotent, but the ending clearly shouldn't have been what was essentially a fever dream written out on a napkin. Should've made the rounds.
How about having an idea where this whole thing would end up while making the first game, instead of cramming in the final hours like a college student with a hangover? Maybe Mass Effect 2 wouldn't have been so aimless and ultimately pointless.

Also, what the hell happened to the turians? They were everywhere in the first game, and in the second is like all but Garrus were wiped from the galaxy.
 
Need help with Geth/Quarian war decisions!

I have an ME2 save imported but I can't remember my decisions in the DLC. All I know is Tali and Legion are alive and both their loyalty missions were done in ME2.

I want peace between the species (or at least Tali not to die like she did on my first playthrough) however can't seem to figure out how to get this. I have four full bars of reputation, 98% paragon.

I just attempted the mission and told Legion not to upload the codes, then told him to upload them. Should I have told him to upload then told him not to? Fucking IGN told me that would work.

In that attempt I did not see any paragon/renegade options. What's up with that?

1. Tell him to upload the code.
2. Tell the fleet to fuck off and stand down with Paragon/Renegade.
3. Enjoy your newly created peace.
4. Go back in time and punch Han'Gerrel... because it's awesome.

(Oh and make sure you did the other missions, saving the liveships and rescuing the admiral)

I figured the #1 idea people would have wouldn't be "Fire Casey Hudson and Mac Walters" but rather something along the lines of "Don't let Mac Walters write the ending in a vacuum without peer review". There's no way that shit would've flown in any other part of the game, and it showed. A demotion is unlikely, but still possible for Walters. I wouldn't say he's completely incompotent, but the ending clearly shouldn't have been what was essentially a fever dream written out on a napkin. Should've made the rounds.

Walters failed spectacularly in his role as lead writer. It is only right that he either stands down, gets demoted, or loses his job.
 

JMizzlin

Member
It doesn't matter since they all die in the end in an explosion of RGB

Do you have both of their loyalty in the second game and did you save Admiral Koris when he crash landed on Rannoch?

Hahaha, touche. A victory is a victory, however, despite how short term it may be :p

I did, yep.


1. Tell him to upload the code.
2. Tell the fleet to fuck off and stand down with Paragon/Renegade.
3. Enjoy your newly created peace.
4. Go back in time and punch Han'Gerrel... because it's awesome.

Will try it now, thanks a tonne!
 

Jarmel

Banned
How about having an idea where this whole thing would end up while making the first game, instead of cramming in the final hours like a college student with a hangover? Maybe Mass Effect 2 wouldn't have been so aimless and ultimately pointless.

Also, what the hell happened to the turians? They were everywhere in the first game, and in the second is like all but Garrus were wiped from the galaxy.

The Dark Energy ending would have fit in perfectly with ME2. What a shame.
 

JMizzlin

Member
Turns out I didn't reach the criteria from the ME2 so didn't get the paragon/renegade option. I am sad :(

At least the quarians survived this time.

Thanks for the help, heliosRAzi and Photolysis!
 
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