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[SerArthurDayne]

Apparently this was written by Mass Effect 3 writer Patrick Weekes on the Penny Arcade forums (username Takyris)... [source]

If true, GODDAMN YOU CASEY HUDSON.

Never seen the forum stuff before, just the post copy pasted into pastebin. Does that thread still exist to see if there is any corroboration from the other posts? That it is, in fact, a real quote, and that Bioware was therefore lying (again) or at least covering the ass for one of their writers?

He is not the Bioware writer I want fired if true, so I'm actually on Bioware's side here if true, and can certainly understand their position.

 

[Meier]

Choosing to implant synthethics into every organic without their consent is a paragon choice? Sounds like you didn't think your choice through.

Shepard's life was vastly improved by receiving synthetic upgrades. I remember being baffled by a onversation I overheard in the Huerta Memorial Hospital where a soldier was going to have to have his leg amputated and be out of action for months due to receiving an infection. That seemed entirely silly and unrealistic for something that was happening in the future (I feel like it's in the 2300s but I can't recall if they specify the time exactly).

It seems to me like a natural progression for life as we know it.

 

[Meier]

One of the issue is that the other endings ends the same way no matter what you choose(Mass Relays explode, Normandy stuck on a random planet, grandpa talking about stories). And that's only one issue.

I admit that I was a bit confused by the Mass Relays exploding and the Normandy "running" from the explosion. It didn't seem to jive with the concept at all of a somewhat happy ending for EVERYONE. I did like getting to see Joker looking like the Illusive Man though haha.

I haven't watched the videos of the other endings yet, but as far as that one goes, I was personally okay with it.

 

[Jake Tower]

So I finished it last night and went with the synthesis route since that seemed to be the best option for everyone involved (especially as a paragon) and I didn't really have an issue with it at all. I wish the ending cinematic/epilogue had been longer but other than that, it seemed like an okay ending. Color me somewhat confused by the hubbub.

You like those cyborg leaves? And Joker's cyborg hat?

 

[Jarmel]

Never seen the forum stuff before, just the post copy pasted into pastebin . Does that thread still exist to see if there is any corroboration from the other posts? That it is, in fact, a real quote, and that Bioware was therefore lying (again) or at least covering the ass for one of their wrtiers?

Weekes posted on his twitter account in the past couple of weeks that Walters wrote the ending. He later did this long blog post detailing exactly what he did and didn't mention the ending. That PAX post matched everything openly stated by Weekes in the past.

It was almost certainly him.

 

[SerArthurDayne]

Shepard's life was vastly improved by receiving synthetic upgrades. I remember being baffled by a onversation I overheard in the Huerta Memorial Hospital where a soldier was going to have to have his leg amputated and be out of action for months due to receiving an infection. That seemed entirely silly and unrealistic for something that was happening in the future (I feel like it's in the 2300s but I can't recall if they specify the time exactly).

It seems to me like a natural progression for life as we know it.

It is a terrible progression. Either it changes nothing, excepting that people are now Robocops with the same motivations. That means the problem solved nothing. Including the fact that the Reapers still exist. And all levels of organic (and inorganic- see hats) are now also synthetic. That just means you will have robo wars rather than organic wars.

Alternatively, you have just destroyed the free will and individuality of the entire galaxy.

That is aside from logistical problems. Do you die anymore? Do you still procreate? Are races meaningful anymore? And so on.

 

[Meier]

You like those cyborg leaves? And Joker's cyborg hat?

I thought the concept of it was perfectly acceptable. I wasn't absolutely incredulous like everyone else. The execution wasn't great (like I said, I would have preferred a bigger epilogue where we see if anyone but Joker, EDI and Liara are alive) but it wasn't the most disappointing thing in the world that requires Congress' involvement like some gamers are getting at. It was okay.

 

[Haunted]

Meier, I like the way you think.

I think the synthesis ending is fairly inoffensive, and pretty attuned to the original 70s/80s sci-fi spirit of the franchise.

The lack of personal closure is a bigger issue for most people.

Choosing to implant synthethics into every organic without their consent is a paragon choice? Sounds like you didn't think your choice through.

It's more paragon than the other endings what are you talking about.

Destroy and Control seem pretty fucking renegade to me.

 

[aesop]

Shepard's life was vastly improved by receiving synthetic upgrades. I remember being baffled by a onversation I overheard in the Huerta Memorial Hospital where a soldier was going to have to have his leg amputated and be out of action for months due to receiving an infection. That seemed entirely silly and unrealistic for something that was happening in the future (I feel like it's in the 2300s but I can't recall if they specify the time exactly).

It seems to me like a natural progression for life as we know it.

I went with happy fun time synthesis the first time, but only because the other choices seemed so fucking stupid initially. My reactions were something like this, "I just saved the fucking Geth, why would I blow them up? And why the hell would I wanna take the place of the obviously batshit insane Illusive Man? This middle choice seems less stupid. Still pretty dumb, though. Mass relays are gone but we'll be reaper smart after this and can rebuild. Oh well, Greg Louganis dive!" But after taking it all in, the destroy option seemed like the best way to go.

 

[MC Safety]

I admit that I was a bit confused by the Mass Relays exploding and the Normandy "running" from the explosion. It didn't seem to jive with the concept at all of a somewhat happy ending for EVERYONE. I did like getting to see Joker looking like the Illusive Man though haha.

I haven't watched the videos of the other endings yet, but as far as that one goes, I was personally okay with it.

The scene is weird because it indicates members of the Normandy were somehow retrieved from Earth. This doesn't seem likely. Also, the appearance of the crew members directly contradicts elements from gameplay -- characters in your party during the final mission are struck down, but then magically appear on this jungle planet.

Also, and this is just a personal pet peeve: It's "jibe" not "jive."

 

[Jake Tower]

That is aside from logistical problems. Do you die anymore? Do you still procreate? Are races meaningful anymore? And so on.

Is it murder to mow the grass? Will a new form of Reapers appear to stop the grass holocaust?

 

[Jarmel]

It's more paragon than the other endings what are you talking about.

 

[Meier]

It is a terrible progression. Either it changes nothing, excepting that people are now Robocops with the same motivations. That means the problem solved nothing. Including the fact that the Reapers still exist. And all levels of organic (and inorganic- see hats) are now also synthetic. That just means you will have robo wars rather than organic wars.

Alternatively, you have just destroyed the free will and individuality of the entire galaxy.

That is aside from logistical problems. Do you die anymore? Do you still procreate? Are races meaningful anymore? And so on.

Why are those logistical problems? Why would any of those things change? You're still humanoid, you just have synthetic systems as well.

I don't see why the ending was expected to end all wars regardless -- it's not like people are magically going to be okay with past issues because the Reapers were killed off. The Reapers are no longer intent on destroying humanity but would rather coexist and benefit humanity because they have ties to them now.

You've prevented annihilation and created a temporary peace which is literally all that Shepard could have hoped or aimed for. Technology hasn't been wiped out completely, rather everyone has advanced. Win-win-win situation.

 

[SerArthurDayne]

Is it murder to mow the grass? Will a new form of Reapers appear to stop the grass holocaust?

That is a high level thought, and I appreciate your bringing it to me for lots of speculations.

Why are those logistical problems? Why would any of those things change? You're still humanoid, you just have synthetic systems as well.

I don't see why the ending was expected to end all wars regardless -- it's not like people are magically going to be okay with past issues because the Reapers were killed off. The Reapers are no longer intent on destroying humanity but would rather coexist and benefit humanity because they have ties to them now.

You've prevented annihilation and created a temporary peace which is literally all that Shepard could have hoped or aimed for. Technology hasn't been wiped out completely, rather everyone has advanced. Win-win-win situation.

So what stops these synthetics from creating synthetics that destroy synthetics. Who do the Reapers come back to wipe out then? It solves nothing. Destroying the Reapers solves something, if organics are wiped out is their own fault. Making everybody a synthetic is hand waving of the worst sort to stop the problem. Getting wiped out, lol, sorry, you are synethic, we don't care anymore. If it doesn't change anything then the ending makes no difference, if it does change everything then the ending is mind rape. And logistical problems matter because Shepard is an asshole who makes galaxy altering decisions based on the inane logic of a five year old.

 

[Chinner]

i think mass effect 4 should be set after mass effect 3 and it works from the ending that synthetics and life have merged. you are james johnson, the last organic human and it turns out that that being synthetic is pretty bad and you have to kill shepard so that you can use the crucible to change everyone back to organic.

 

[heliosRAzi]

i think mass effect 4 should be set after mass effect 3 and it works from the ending that synthetics and life have merged. you are james johnson, the last organic human and it turns out that that being synthetic is pretty bad and you have to kill shepard so that you can use the crucible to change everyone back to organic.

Does the Catalyst appear again?

 

[Haunted]

I totally forgot to ask this, btw. Aren't the Reapers supposed to be modelled after the last race they conquered? That's what the Human Reaper was all about, no?

Those reaper ships don't really look Prothean to me. Let's not mention that "Protheans" are apparently made up of many different races subservient to the original Prothean master race Juvik's part of, anyway.

 

[Chinner]

Does the Catalyst appear again?

yes but in the form of a small dog that you accidently drive over at the beginning of the game.

 

[Meier]

I went with happy fun time synthesis the first time, but only because the other choices seemed so fucking stupid initially. My reactions were something like this, "I just saved the fucking Geth, why would I blow them up? And why the hell would I wanna take the place of the obviously batshit insane Illusive Man? This middle choice seems less stupid. Still pretty dumb, though. Mass relays are gone but we'll be reaper smart after this and can rebuild. Oh well, Greg Louganis dive!" But after taking it all in, the destroy option seemed like the best way to go.

Yeah, this is my mindset as well. Everything can be rebuilt (even though I don't see why the Mass Relays should have been destroyed in the first place with this route) whereas if you destroy all technology, you've set back the universe innumerably and probably caused extinction of countless races who can't survive without outside intervention (food/medical assistance/construction materials that are necessary after their worlds were nearly destroyed, etc.) which they wouldn't be able to receive. I definitely feel like the synthesis route is by far the "best" and most humane choice for a Paragon.

 

[SerArthurDayne]

Yeah, this is my mindset as well. Everything can be rebuilt (even though I don't see why the Mass Relays should have been destroyed in the first place with this route) whereas if you destroy all technology, you've set back the universe innumerably and probably caused extinction of countless races who can't survive without outside intervention which they wouldn't be able to receive. I definitely feel like the synthesis route is by far the "best" and most humane choice for a Paragon.

Control is the best for rebuilding, see the comic above. Also, nothing stopping Shepard from pulling an EDI!

 

[Jarmel]

I totally forgot to ask this, btw. Aren't the Reapers supposed to be modelled after the last race they conquered? That's what the Human Reaper was all about, no?

Those reaper ships don't really look Prothean to me. Let's not mention that "Protheans" are apparently made up of many different races subservient to the original Prothean master race Juvik's part of, anyway.

For whatever bullshit reason, the Protheans couldn't be absorbed into Reapers.

Walters later explained that the core looks like the species it used and the outershell is that squid-like appearance that all Reapers have.

 

[DTKT]

Yeah, this is my mindset as well. Everything can be rebuilt (even though I don't see why the Mass Relays should have been destroyed in the first place with this route) whereas if you destroy all technology, you've set back the universe innumerably and probably caused extinction of countless races who can't survive without outside intervention (food/medical assistance/construction materials that are necessary after their worlds were nearly destroyed, etc.) which they wouldn't be able to receive. I definitely feel like the synthesis route is by far the "best" and most humane choice for a Paragon.

But still, you are forcing the entire Galaxy to become a new life-form. What about self-determination and choice?

While it may seems Paragon, it still a stupid answer to the Reapers.

 

[Meier]

But still, you are forcing the entire Galaxy to become a new life-form. What about self-determination and choice?

While it may seems Paragon, it still a stupid answer to the Reapers.

What's better? Being wiped out like the Quarians in my game or surviving? I'd choose survival.

 

[Haunted]

I can't wrap my head around how the destroy option would be the best way.


I mean, we're all fans of Snake Plissken and Escape from L.A., but c'mon.

 

[Galactic Fork]

Why are those logistical problems? Why would any of those things change? You're still humanoid, you just have synthetic systems as well.

I don't see why the ending was expected to end all wars regardless -- it's not like people are magically going to be okay with past issues because the Reapers were killed off. The Reapers are no longer intent on destroying humanity but would rather coexist and benefit humanity because they have ties to them now.

You've prevented annihilation and created a temporary peace which is literally all that Shepard could have hoped or aimed for. Technology hasn't been wiped out completely, rather everyone has advanced. Win-win-win situation.

The synthesis ending has 2 possible mutually exclusive outcomes.

Outcome 1) Everybody changes in such a way that they are all homogenized beings against their will. People who weren't even in the war yet. Some pre-space -exploration culture just completely lost their free will and became cyborgs and are now forced to be all peaceful because the little vent god said it was the final stage of evolution. It's not much different than the ascension idea of turning people to goo and making them reapers. Forcing this orga-synthetic hybridness. (Notice the vent kid has happy names for horrible things? Ascension! Turn people to goo for reapers. Synthesis! Mutilate people and brainwash them to your will!

Outcome 2) Everybody simply gets wires and circuits, and nothing else changed. Nothing prevents orgasynths from creating fully synthetics. Plus people on pre-industrial worlds are like "What the fuck dude? where did all these wires come from? And why are they on my hat? So all it really accomplishes is forcing cosmetic changes on everybody, and freaking out the primitives. And if this is the case, why would the reapers stop?

Plus there's the stupidity of Green magic flowing through the galaxy GIVING PEOPLE AND HATS WIRES AND CIRCUITS! How the fuck does that make any sense???

I can't wrap my head around how the destroy option would be the best way.


I mean, we're all fans of Snake Plissken and Escape from L.A., but c'mon.

Dude! The whole game was the search to destroy the reapers! You wanted to destroy them from the start. Seriously. Reapers bad! It was the purpose of the game. Sadly the Geth are sacrificed to stop the Reapers! This brings back free choice back to the universe. Blue keeps the reapers, and umm I dunno, hope this control lasts more than 10 minutes after Shepard was vaporized. And the green ending: See above. to reiterate... REAPERS BAD!

 

[dragonelite]

yes but in the form of a small dog that you accidently drive over at the beginning of the game.

/winks away a tear..
Dat art man dat art

 

[J-Rod]

The synth option creeped me out. Like I had just overwrote their souls. Joker seemed changed in a bad way stepping off with a smile and eyes glowing like his brain was in a neverending massive acid trip. It seems like the old man scene wouldn't make sense, because between edi and their new synth brains they should be able to have perfect recollection of everything they witnessed and the ability to pass it down.

The only thing for certain in all the endings is that Joker is getting some, broken body or not.

 

[Patryn]

I totally forgot to ask this, btw. Aren't the Reapers supposed to be modelled after the last race they conquered? That's what the Human Reaper was all about, no?

Those reaper ships don't really look Prothean to me. Let's not mention that "Protheans" are apparently made up of many different races subservient to the original Prothean master race Juvik's part of, anyway.

Don't you remember? EDI took one look at the human Reaper and immediately deduced that the Protheans were not suitable to become a Reaper.

Nevermind that at that point the universe had only see a single Reaper.

 

[Haunted]

For whatever bullshit reason, the Protheans couldn't be absorbed into Reapers.

Walters later explained that the core looks like the species it used and the outershell is that squid-like appearance that all Reapers have.

oh ok

I somehow thought that the outer shell would also look like the last race. The Human Reaper certainly seemed to have the appropriate scale.

Don't you remember? EDI took one look at the human Reaper and immediately deduced that the Protheans were not suitable to become a Reaper.

Nevermind that at that point the universe had only see a single Reaper.

I'm certainly starting to remember all the bullshit I was better off forgetting right now. >_>

 

[SerArthurDayne]

I believe several wrecked Reapers are mentioned, and presumptively EDI had access to all Cerberus databases.

 

[Haunted]

Plus there's the stupidity of Green magic flowing through the galaxy GIVING PEOPLE AND HATS WIRES AND CIRCUITS! How the fuck does that make any sense???

Hats, you say? Forget FFXIII-2, I'm smelling some TF2 cross promotion opportunities.

 

[dragonelite]

Don't you remember? EDI took one look at the human Reaper and immediately deduced that the Protheans were not suitable to become a Reaper.

Nevermind that at that point the universe had only see a single Reaper.

Didn't mordin do some research to collectors dna or such?

 

[MG310]

Synthesis - because the ending to the Tommy Lee Jones classic Volcano really touched the writers.

 

[Salaadin]

For whatever bullshit reason, the Protheans couldn't be absorbed into Reapers.

Walters later explained that the core looks like the species it used and the outershell is that squid-like appearance that all Reapers have.

I completely missed this. So every reaper is a squid but inside each squid is something resembling the species used to create it? That actually clears up one of my questions.

I was wondering the other day why they all looked liek squids and just assumed that the universe was ruled by squid creatures before the reapers harvested them all. Lol.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

I can't wrap my head around how the destroy option would be the best way.


I mean, we're all fans of Snake Plissken and Escape from L.A., but c'mon.

Reapers are dead. Organics have free will to whatever the hell they want. If they build synthetics that want to kill them, nothing intervenes and the next Shepard to unite organics and synthetics will get to see the result of the peace. Or... organics get destroyed for good. Either way, some outside force doesn't intervene. All sentient life gets free will. It really is the best ending. Synth is Communism and Control is just evil because it's used to make humans the best (makes humans specist bastards).

 

[bigace33]

I can't wrap my head around how the destroy option would be the best way.


I mean, we're all fans of Snake Plissken and Escape from L.A., but c'mon.

Because you actually kill the reapers. No more beings getting harvested, no more Sovereign mouthing off all kinds of murderous threats, no more threat to the entire universe. Any other problems that will arise in the future pails in comparison to what the reapers do to organics. Just judging by the way that sovereign talks, the reapers are pretty much evil. They must be destroyed at all costs. You knew this as far back as ME1 and definitely in ME2. I was not going to let the likes of Mordin and Thane sacrifice their lives just so I can Merge with these false gods, or change everyone into androids.

 

[Meier]

Reapers are dead. Organics have free will to whatever the hell they want. If they build synthetics that want to kill them, nothing intervenes and the next Shepard to unite organics and synthetics will get to see the result of the peace. Or... organics get destroyed for good. Either way, some outside force doesn't intervene. All sentient life gets free will. It really is the best ending. Synth is Communism and Control is just evil because it's used to make humans the best.

The problem is that if you wipe out technology, you've effectively abandoned countless planets and in turn still destroyed them. There's no way that these races could survive post Reaper devastation without long-range space flight. There are essentially two choices where most everyone dies and only one where most everyone lives.

 

[Haunted]

Reapers are dead. Organics have free will to whatever the hell they want. If they build synthetics that want to kill them, nothing intervenes and the next Shepard to unite organics and synthetics will get to see the result of the peace. Or... organics get destroyed for good. Either way, some outside force doesn't intervene. All sentient life gets free will. It really is the best ending. Synth is Communism and Control is just evil because it's used to make humans the best.

Everyone always forgets the Geth...

 

[Blue Ninja]

Don't you remember? EDI took one look at the human Reaper and immediately deduced that the Protheans were not suitable to become a Reaper.

Nevermind that at that point the universe had only see a single Reaper.

EDI had Cerberus Space Magic. Believe.

Exposition is a good thing, but writers should take note where exactly they make it come from. I wouldn't have minded Vent God so much if he'd, you know, actually told us what the fuck was going on instead of blabbering about how synthetics and organics are doomed to kill eachother. Which was proved wrong in the same fucking game.

If peace between the geth and the quarians had turned out to be impossible, if EDI'd gone rogue, thén I could've accepted that as an explanation. As it stands, it's like the game and the ending were written by two very seperate people.

 

[Fimbulvetr]

It's more paragon than the other endings what are you talking about.

Between rewriting the heretics and destroying them, which seems more Renegade to you?

Everyone always forgets the Geth...

Pick Control, tell Reapers to fly into the nearest blackhole, ask Alliance to build you a new robot body, final destination.

 

[Epicus Failus]

Educate yourself, and it gets worse as you think more about it. But ultimately I envy you if you were able to enjoy it, so maybe you don't want to.

I find synthesis the worst, personally, because of space magic and mind rape, but that's just my opinion, you don't have to go spreading it around.

Considering the alternatives synthesis is the paragon way to go.

You can either kill all synthetic life or enslave it, those aren't really paragon choices.

 

[Galactic Fork]

The problem is that if you wipe out technology, you've effectively abandoned countless planets and in turn still destroyed them. There's no way that these races could survive post Reaper devastation without long-range space flight. There are essentially two choices where most everyone dies and only one where most everyone lives.

If you have high EMS, somehow that makes the line about technology go away, and big ben and other technological things live and be happy. No matter what the people in the sol system are fucked. Earth is in ruins and there's not a lot of eezo and ships aren't made for extended space flight, they're made to go a few lightyears to the stars in the cluster. They had no reason to think the mass relays would be gone. So it's not like they would have brought a lot of resources to the final push against the reapers. They are fucked.

Considering the alternatives synthesis is the paragon way to go.

You can either kill all synthetic life or enslave it, those aren't really paragon choices.

And forcing physical and mental changes on every single living thing in the galaxy is rainbows and kittens (cyborg kittens(and possibly cyborg rainbows))

 

[SEGAvangelist]

The problem is that if you wipe out technology, you've effectively abandoned countless planets and in turn still destroyed them. There's no way that these races could survive post Reaper devastation without long-range space flight. There are essentially two choices where most everyone dies and only one where most everyone lives.

Right. It's a serious problem with the endings. But destroy officially ends the Reaper threat. Life is lost across the galaxy, but at least the ending allows for new life to begin and not be screwed with 50,000 years later. I never said I liked it... just that it's the only noble and decent option compared to the others.

 

[WrenchNinja]

The problem is that if you wipe out technology, you've effectively abandoned countless planets and in turn still destroyed them. There's no way that these races could survive post Reaper devastation without long-range space flight. There are essentially two choices where most everyone dies and only one where most everyone lives.

The mass relays blow up in all the endings. Everyone is fucked in all the endings. You dont wipe out all technology in destroy.

 

[bigace33]

The problem is that if you wipe out technology, you've effectively abandoned countless planets and in turn still destroyed them. There's no way that these races could survive post Reaper devastation without long-range space flight. There are essentially two choices where most everyone dies and only one where most everyone lives.

There are thousands of scientist in the same place now. They will figure a way to rebuild. Life always finds a way without the retarded aid of machines. New ai and VIs can be created. With the intelligence and technology at hand, they could colonize the moon and any other planets in the solar system. It's not as dire as you would think. even starchild said the cycle would repeat itself, organics would create more technology, ai, and the synthetics and organics would be back to war shortly.

 

[Blue Ninja]

The mass relays blow up in all the endings. You dont wipe out all technology in destroys.

It depends on your EMS, it seems. In the 'best' Destroy ending, technology survives, as does Earth. Only the relays get borked.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

Considering the alternatives synthesis is the paragon way to go.

You can either kill all synthetic life or enslave it, those aren't really paragon choices.

Synth is just saying differences shouldn't be tolerated and we should all be the same. It's like Hitler.

 

[Haunted]

Between rewriting the heretics and destroying them, which seems more Renegade to you?

That's why I'm saying that synthesis is obviously the paragon choice compared to those two.


It's also good that you bring it up because the whole ending sequence gave me serious dejavu of the Geth decision in ME2. Basically the same idea, control/overwrite synthetics or destruction.

Synth is just saying differences shouldn't be tolerated and we should all be the same. It's like Hitler.

Goddamnit, Godwin's Law has been evoked. We're done here. :lol

 

[WrenchNinja]

White people and black people are never going to get along so lets just make everyone zebras.

 

[Salaadin]

In synth, whats stopping the organic/synthetics hybrids from making full synthetics that will rise up against them? Or is every synthetic ever created from that point on automatically graced with the space dust to make it part organic?