Yea, pretty old. Would explain the discrepancy between the writing in most of the game and the ending.
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Mass Effect 3 Spoiler Thread |OT2| Taste the Rainbow
- Thread starter Patryn
- Start date
Yea, pretty old. Would explain the discrepancy between the writing in most of the game and the ending.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
This is basically how I feel about the ending now, regardless of whether or not this is even real.
Posted a few pages ago but if it's true, I hope the guy isn't in trouble for being honest. And if anyone on Bioware read this and has a shred of conscience on their head, they'll do their best to not only make it right for the fans but to Weekes for being honest.
Indoctrinated Agent detected!
Oh man. Report back after a day or so and after reading and thinking about it some more. That's how I felt at first too kinda (didn't like it, just didn't bother me that much), and the same with my buddy who beat it after me. That soon changed though.
whatevermort
Member
Because it's actually a decent ending that nods at everything you've done so far through the series? Yeah, me too.
MisterNugNug
Member
Curious, what did you like about the ending? And what option did you ultimately choose?
Why would penny arcade remove all posts quoting Weekes? I can see that happening on BSN, but PA? I think I'll believe them saying its a hoax.
That's fine. You can like. You just can't say it's good.
Everyone started off like that.
Well, those who beat the game first didn't. They're immediate reaction was probably "wtf" but I assume it was like that for the rest of us. Probably because you keep hearing how bad it is, but you just don't believe it's possible.
I kept hearing stuff about the ending and thought to myself, there's no way it could be that bad. Once I got to the ending, I was like oh cool, Shepard has to sacrifice himself..because who didn't see that coming from a mile away? (or a lightyear away since we're dealing with space) Everyone was overreacting, blah blah blah
Then my friend told me to watch the other endings. That's when I slowly started to realize what a horrible ending it was. Then that's when I latched onto the Indoctrination Theory, because it fit at the time. There was still no ending, but I just assumed that if you chose control the Reapers win, if you choose destroy, you break free from indoctrination and you guys win.
Then I saw Walters' notebook. Read BioWare's responses to the outcry of the ending and finally realized, BioWare messed up. Bad. So I just "accepted" the ending and told myself that I'll never buy a game that Mac Walters or Casey Hudson are associated with.
Because weeks has been a longtime poster at PA under that account and PA didn't want to aid in getting him fired. That's my take anyway. PA could easily say that the IPs are different, but all they said what "I think it's a case of mistaken identity'.
Alright, so I went to check my ME3 save to see how many hours I had played the game. However, I found that the last save was right at the beacon. I thought it would be somewhere else. In any case, I decided to replay it.
Revisiting ME3: The Beacon
I don't find any evidence for indoctrination theory. Once you wake up, there's really no reason to doubt that you're alive. Yes, it's strange that Harby leaves for some reason; I imagine it chases after something else. However, he wasn't actually aiming at Shep in particular, just everyone on the ground. So it wasn't like he was holding a grudge.
After that, people say that the conversation with Anderson can't be true because no one survived, because he said he followed you up, and because he can't be in a different room since your room is the only one available. That's false because the station you're in is circular. Once you leave that room, you can see that there is a pathway (almost like a sidewalk) all around; however, the one near the door is blocked by dead people. The control panel is in the center, and there are other bridges that connect to it. So Anderson could have been in another room just as he said.
For the puppet thing, he says that he's being controlled. Then TIM comes in. He's clearly controlling Anderson with his mojo. Additionally, the tendrils only appear on the screen whenever TIM is next to Shep or when he's creating a ball of energy. He radiates indoctrination. Not only that, but the sounds that are heard are very strange. They pulsate. They are not like those heard when Shep is around vent kid, which are growls and roars from the Reapers outside. Once TIM is dead, those tendrils and sounds go away. Anderson also quickly falls to the ground after the control is taken away.
After the elevator
I find one thing to be creepy. Similar to how the Catalyst has three voices (male, female, and boy), Shepard also has a voice that's almost replicated. However, I think this adds to the atmosphere of transcendence. It's still a bit creepy, but it doesn't add to indoctrination.
Additionally, the three options presented are really your choice, no one else's. I don't think picking one gives way to giving into the Reapers through indoctrination. If you did pick Destroy, there is a clear chance of Shep surviving down beneath the Crucible (lower level from where he came), or somewhere in the Citadel. He doesn't have to be all the way back on Earth.
Final Thought
I really like the end up to the elevator. If the discussion between the Catalyst and Shep had been longer, more involved, and actually philosophical or high-level, I would actually enjoyed it. However, the choices still seem poorly thought out and don't add anything to the goal of the story besides ending it abruptly.
Revisiting ME3: The Beacon
I don't find any evidence for indoctrination theory. Once you wake up, there's really no reason to doubt that you're alive. Yes, it's strange that Harby leaves for some reason; I imagine it chases after something else. However, he wasn't actually aiming at Shep in particular, just everyone on the ground. So it wasn't like he was holding a grudge.
After that, people say that the conversation with Anderson can't be true because no one survived, because he said he followed you up, and because he can't be in a different room since your room is the only one available. That's false because the station you're in is circular. Once you leave that room, you can see that there is a pathway (almost like a sidewalk) all around; however, the one near the door is blocked by dead people. The control panel is in the center, and there are other bridges that connect to it. So Anderson could have been in another room just as he said.
For the puppet thing, he says that he's being controlled. Then TIM comes in. He's clearly controlling Anderson with his mojo. Additionally, the tendrils only appear on the screen whenever TIM is next to Shep or when he's creating a ball of energy. He radiates indoctrination. Not only that, but the sounds that are heard are very strange. They pulsate. They are not like those heard when Shep is around vent kid, which are growls and roars from the Reapers outside. Once TIM is dead, those tendrils and sounds go away. Anderson also quickly falls to the ground after the control is taken away.
After the elevator
I find one thing to be creepy. Similar to how the Catalyst has three voices (male, female, and boy), Shepard also has a voice that's almost replicated. However, I think this adds to the atmosphere of transcendence. It's still a bit creepy, but it doesn't add to indoctrination.
Additionally, the three options presented are really your choice, no one else's. I don't think picking one gives way to giving into the Reapers through indoctrination. If you did pick Destroy, there is a clear chance of Shep surviving down beneath the Crucible (lower level from where he came), or somewhere in the Citadel. He doesn't have to be all the way back on Earth.
Final Thought
I really like the end up to the elevator. If the discussion between the Catalyst and Shep had been longer, more involved, and actually philosophical or high-level, I would actually enjoyed it. However, the choices still seem poorly thought out and don't add anything to the goal of the story besides ending it abruptly.
Chose the middle option. I refused to allow a world in which I controlled the reapers because Shepard takes such a huge stand against controlling them to the Illusive Man(do you really want to be on his level anyways?) and I also refused to end all synthetic life because synthetic life is not inherently evil(I couldn't see myself destroying the geth because they are an example of a life form vastly superior to their own creators, the quarians, and also an example of synthetic life that can live in peace with organics). The middle option just seemed like the best option canonically.
As for what I liked about it.. I guess I can kind of understand people being upset at the lack of particular outcomes relating to the many decisions you made as Shepard, but I think I almost liked the idea that all the big choices throughout the games didn't ultimately influence the ending. I think it goes to show that sometimes in this universe, no matter how massive in scope your choices are, you really can't make that big of a difference. On the largest scale, the cosmos will continue to do their thing regardless of the choices of sentient beings. The ending had to be this massive in scale so the choices you made really only made a difference in how you got to the ending, not what happens afterwards. The ending was satisfying to me because you break the cycle yet spark such an interesting change so that the cycle is not necessary anymore. I think they maybe could have illustrated exactly what about life changes a little bit more, whether that could be done by showing more of the planet, more of the other species post-catalyst, or other ramifications... but I think it was damn satisfying.
Now I only have questions, like... were the reapers really only tending to the Milky Way? What about the billions of other galaxies? Are they all in "chaos" still? I originally thought post ME2 that the reapers lived in the space between galaxies and patrolled and oppressed multiple galaxies.
Try the other options. Just reload the mission. You'll be pleasantly surprised!
The ending we got was supposed to be 'intellectual'? O_O I hear if you say 'Marauder Shields' into the mirror three times on the eve of ME3s release Casey Hudson appears and gives you a choice of a shitty way to die, a really shitty way to die or one that just doesn't make sense.
You shouldn't base your opinion of anything on external influences. I know it's hard because you can't help it, but what you're basically saying is 'I liked the ending. Then I read and heard a bunch of stuff that did not involve what I played, but made me pissed nonetheless'. Base your opinion on the game and the game alone.
I quite liked the ending too. Apart from the Matrix nod to the Architect (that ending sucked more because The Matrix was more of a story than Mass Effect. I still see it as a game first, story second) I actually thought the Catalyst as the Citadel was pretty cool.
There are thousand possible ways to end this game, choose one and you piss of the others.
Yeah, it's a shame the Geth didn't join me on my playtrough, because I chose the Quarians. And I would've liked to communicate more with reapers, because what if they were right? The catalyst is pretty much saying the same thing. But yeah, Shepard is stubborn. He just wont listen.
Not perfect, but I thought walking into the hellish Citadel was pretty awesome. It's some sort of referral to the Orpheus myth. Go back to hell. Save your girlfriend (the universe) but don't look back because if you do doubt or hesitate, synthetics will take over. Which in fact, they do, in either option.
I quite liked the ending too. Apart from the Matrix nod to the Architect (that ending sucked more because The Matrix was more of a story than Mass Effect. I still see it as a game first, story second) I actually thought the Catalyst as the Citadel was pretty cool.
There are thousand possible ways to end this game, choose one and you piss of the others.
Yeah, it's a shame the Geth didn't join me on my playtrough, because I chose the Quarians. And I would've liked to communicate more with reapers, because what if they were right? The catalyst is pretty much saying the same thing. But yeah, Shepard is stubborn. He just wont listen.
Not perfect, but I thought walking into the hellish Citadel was pretty awesome. It's some sort of referral to the Orpheus myth. Go back to hell. Save your girlfriend (the universe) but don't look back because if you do doubt or hesitate, synthetics will take over. Which in fact, they do, in either option.
TacticalFox88
Banned
Is it a fair assessment to say that, at the core, the reason the ending(s) are disliked is because none of the "choices" you made in the previous game(s) and in ME3 REALLY didn't fucking matter at all? I mean, yeah the ending is terrible from both a storytelling, writing, and past game choices perspective, but to me that seems to be the core of the hatred.
Galactic Fork
A little fluff between the ears never did any harm...
So you don't want to control the reapers, or destroy synthetic life on a moral level, but forcing every living thing in the galaxy to go through a physical and almost definitely mental change is perfectly OK with you. Even people the reapers aren't even affecting yet are now being forced through this change. Maybe next cycle they COULD have found a way to beat the Reapers. But no, now you forced them into this new existence. How is that any different than what the reapers do with the "ascension" that they force civilizations to undertake?
Uhh, I think I'd rather become a new(and I'd assume superior) life form with free will than become a husk. Even if you haven't been affected your entire galactic community had been brought to it's knees by all-powerful, uncaring overlords. I think it's the violent and repulsive way the reapers go about propagating their side of the cycle that makes it a no-brainer. Even if there's some catch to being a mix of synthetic and organic it's gotta be better than what the reapers put them through. Just think of the pain they are sparing life for generations upon generations into the distant future.
I loved the actual sequence, getting hit with the beam and the creepy ass citadel part. I think most people are okay with that, it's literally all on the stupid kid afterwards.
Is it a shame the geth didn't join you? I managed to stop their war and have them both work with me, but when vent kid talked about the inevitable wars between synthetics and organics shepard never brought anything up. He IS stubborn, and that's my main issue with him just going along with everything here. The geth never even do anything wrong, the reapers are influencing them to do shit in the early games, then in 3 it's all the quarians! His entire argument is retarded and the fact I couldn't say anything about this is why I hate the ending. It negates whatever choices you made, your personal experience no longer matters.
Shake Appeal
Member
False dichotomy.
Really? You think we shouldn't look at the other endings and options and because we didn't choose them? My Mordin dying is one thing, but to have 3 choices that only effect the colors of explosions and how the Reapers stop or not isn't really choice and shit yeah its valid for looking at. If not now, then it'd just happen on subsequent play throughs, only delayed, and it wouldn't make the endings any better. I get what you are saying, but it doesn't fit for the ending. It does fit for the other choices through the game(s).
firehawk12
Subete no aware
Well, there are two parts.
a) I agree the game should have ended with Shepard dying on the Citadel with Anderson.
b) The ending was an attempt to change the universe via a high concept ending. Honestly, if they just removed the Star Child crap, the artificial RGB choice, and the Joker flying away thing (and Buzz Aldrin) they probably could have had at least an intriguing ending to the universe as we know it. The problem is that they just failed horribly at it and fell on their faces.
Reapers are going attack the goddamn universe.
One human stands against it with a team of comrades. Which comrades will he choose in a fight against the attackers of the goddamn universe? Who will survive?
Another corporation seeks to control the reapers. He kills a lot of other things, but he manages to succeed.
The human manages to get to the most powerful weapon that might either contain or kill the reapers. There is no other way, because the Reapers are goddamn big and goddamn powerful, and they actually made this powerful weapon themselves, because no other human weapon could harm them so.
But now, will you kill them all? Or control them?
What can one man do against the assailants of the goddamn universe? Or, should we ask, what can one do... against the universe itself?
I don't really see many other options folks.
One human stands against it with a team of comrades. Which comrades will he choose in a fight against the attackers of the goddamn universe? Who will survive?
Another corporation seeks to control the reapers. He kills a lot of other things, but he manages to succeed.
The human manages to get to the most powerful weapon that might either contain or kill the reapers. There is no other way, because the Reapers are goddamn big and goddamn powerful, and they actually made this powerful weapon themselves, because no other human weapon could harm them so.
But now, will you kill them all? Or control them?
What can one man do against the assailants of the goddamn universe? Or, should we ask, what can one do... against the universe itself?
I don't really see many other options folks.
Galactic Fork
A little fluff between the ears never did any harm...
If synthesis changes everybody, they are not the same person they were before. The original people are dead, replaced with these new synthetic\organic people that are all peaceful and happy against their will. Forcing peace by changing everybody's mind and body is not actual peace.
Rodney McKay
Member
For me one of the only weird things is after the beam hit you and you get back up there are the trees and shrubs from Shepard's dreams around him.
Maybe Bioware just used the assets to put more detail in the area now that you're slowly moving through it, or maybe they wanted to make it seem like it you are so close to death that you are hallucinating. Or maybe indoctrination, I have no idea.
I thought the whole scene where TIM is controlling you and Anderson was completely awful. We know TIM got reaper upgrades, but being able to wield "indoctrination magic" somehow even better than the Reapers can (instantaneous involuntary control of a body), was such a stupid out-of-left-field plot contrivance (unless it was all in Shep's mind! OOooooOoo!). Doesn't help that Anderson looked HILARIOUS while he was jiggling around under TIM's control.
I also couldn't tell who shot who when the gunshot noise happens. I assume that TIM makes Shep shoot Anderson, but I didn't notice a gunflash or a bullet hitting Anderson. Maybe I wasn't paying attention or maybe it was Anderson's terrible "controlled" animation that made it so I could tell if he got shot. Either way it was horribly directed.
All in all that scene was just shit IMO. I could tell that TIM was an homage to Saren in this game from WAY earlier in the game, so I saw the whole scene coming from a MILE away. Not a lot of tension when I know that if I pick BLUE every time he'll eventually shoot himself.
EatChildren
Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
BioWare want to make Mass Effect like Uncharted, so yes, probably.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
So in ME4, the dialog wheel will only have one choice?
EatChildren
Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
Dialogue wheel? :}
Am I the only one who likes the fact that your dialog choices in ME3 wasn't interrupted every line for you to choose? It made the dialog flow much more naturally and allowed Shepard have more gravity in a conversation rather than what was in ME1/ME2.
bonesmccoy
Banned
Sigh, just finished it! I can't disagree that the ending is a bizarre let down. Such a terrible rip off of the conclusion of the Matrix trilogy and reliant on noxious Christianish theology (the whole synthesis of 'God' and 'Man' to save the universe).
My sense of dread didn't really kick in until I realized that the whole 'Defend the Missile Launchers' mission was in fact the final combat scenario you'd face. Getting spammed by a bunch of enemies you'd already faced dozens of times before? Really?
And why, when there's the grand finale of space battles going on above you, are we forced to muck around in the most dreary and boring mission setting thus far?
My sense of dread didn't really kick in until I realized that the whole 'Defend the Missile Launchers' mission was in fact the final combat scenario you'd face. Getting spammed by a bunch of enemies you'd already faced dozens of times before? Really?
And why, when there's the grand finale of space battles going on above you, are we forced to muck around in the most dreary and boring mission setting thus far?
I think they just reused the assets. How else is Earth supposed to look after it's been war torn?
It depends. Sometimes it was nice because it gave Shep a personality, other times it wasn't because I like to ask questions and there weren't many asked because he'd do it himself.
Take a chair. I didn't like London's dreary brown look or the waves either.
Part of the issue is that there was no grand space fight, only a few clips beforehand.
Did you miss not having a final boss by the way? I don't know how I feel about it, but I still wouldn't mind blowing up another terminator. (Not joking at all.)
Trent Strong
Banned
That seems like a bit of a stretch.
jediyoshi
Member
bonesmccoy
Banned
Is it? The entire Christ story is about humanity requiring the synthesis of God and Man in order for it to be saved. Sub out the names and you've got your Mass Effect Synthesis Ending/Matrix Neo-Jesus Ending.
hateradio, yes, I was pretty chuffed there was no final boss, battle, or even an interesting cinematic in the absence of those. The entire conclusion felt slapdash in almost every way.
This was exactly my reasoning, with either of the 3 choices there wasn't going to be another cycle. But It's just a matter of leaving the galaxy in a "better off" state.
I didn't mind the lack of a final boss, it's just that the final combat sequence in ME3 was massively inferior to the superb Collector Base suicide mission in ME2, wherein I felt my choices, my actions made in the previous acts had weight and involved the direct participation of all of my squad.
Nothing in ME3's final mission approached the bit in ME2's suicide run in which you move forward under the protection of your chosen biotic specialist (Samara for me), with the suicide run theme song playing in the background. For all of the crap the ME2 score gets for it being light on the cold synth and heavy on the bombast, having it play as your crew and biotic specialist move forward made the whole thing so impactful.
Nothing in ME3's final mission approached the bit in ME2's suicide run in which you move forward under the protection of your chosen biotic specialist (Samara for me), with the suicide run theme song playing in the background. For all of the crap the ME2 score gets for it being light on the cold synth and heavy on the bombast, having it play as your crew and biotic specialist move forward made the whole thing so impactful.
Chris Priestly a moderator on the bioware forums said that this was not true.
But I am not sure that I believe him this sounds really plausible.
PRiestly is just covering some asses there for now.
PjotrStroganov
Member
Never saw a movie?
What's the difference between "Earth devastated" and "Earth destroyed"?
well reviewers and media that cover movies are a lot more than the ones that cover only gaming,so i guess you always find a view that you can agree...
even for some random horror-movie,reviews from media that only cover horror-movies will be different from other sites for example.....
now,we just agree with Forbes.
I agree with the genius, also it's pretty dumb that the writer decided that all synthetics die, but Shepard who is told he is a synthetic and will die, lives... Indoctrination gives them a perfect opportunity to fix this mess, while not erasing what they already have, and in fact, enhancing the current ending, by give Mass Effect's new ending another layer, so I hope they go with it rather than making an entirely new ending that somehow ignores what they have done.
Also that PA post from one of the writers is most likely real, Penny Arcade didn't just delete that post, but every post quoting it, and if someone had access to that writer's account, they would of continued to do it, not to mention that it was the 11th when it was posted, and the full blown ME3 ending is bad, really took a while longer to gain the steam for someone to actually hack an account and write that post.
(also the Mass Effect writers were pretty competent up to that point, but I can believe there was no back and forth with that ending, because well... look at what everyone thinks of it; especially compared to the rest of the game.)
Mass Effect 3 Second Opinions
IGN editors jump in with their verdicts on story, gameplay, combat and, of course, the ending.
In Colin Moriarty's review of Mass Effect 3, IGN rated the trilogy's epic denouement "amazing" with a score of 9.5. He praised its "deeply woven story" and called it a game of "exceptional poise and skill". Now, other editors have played the game at length. Here's what they have to say.
Casey Lynch
Editor-in-Chief
The Mass Effect trilogy represents a truly unique serialized experience in gaming, one that echoed loudly throughout my time with Mass Effect 3. At countless intervals, I witnessed contextual scenes and reactions, and plenty of knowing glares from my crew and the supporting cast, that I knew came about because of one decision or another I had made or not made.
It intertwined to such a degree that I'm confident saying that even if some other people experienced something close to the way my story played out, my playthrough felt like it was all mine. Incredibly smart. That is to say, Mass Effect 3 gave me something I've never experienced from a game before in its continuity and connectiveness across three games, and certainly not with this level of polish, production quality and class.
In light of all the hubbub about the ending of the game, I find it curious that more people aren't as outspoken about other more-troubling issues (in my opinion), specifically the kiddie-pool shallow side mission quests (seriously, every single race has lost their war bibles, and they're all lost on random planets that have no connection to said races?), the feature-stripped journal that didn't update (or give you any indication if the target star system was even available for entry and scanning yet), the interruptive randomness of some of the Priority missions and most of the fetchy N7 missions (case in point, most racial representatives knew they should probably help you defend the galaxy against that threat that's going to kill everything, but I was instead first forced to go talk to this one scientist or someone on a random planet. Ugh.)
The Galaxy At War system feels incredibly arbitrary as well, which is to be expected when it's based on a largely shallow gathering mechanic that resulted in nothing more than a number you had to grow. Lastly, and this is an extremely tiny thing, but I also felt like the Journal system could benefit from a default starting point of your active missions. Getting sent to the bottom of the list of completed assignments every time I open the Journal, requiring me to slowly scroll up to the top to my handful of active missions, feels like an oversight considering how often you use the Journal.
Those reasonable quibbles aside, I still had an utterly fantastic and very meaningful time with Mass Effect 3 and I consider it a great conclusion to the trilogy. But, for what's its worth, I haven't felt compelled to start a second play-through the way I immediately did with Mass Effect 2.
Destin Legarie
Wikis Team
The irksome moments are those when a character pops in for one mission just to say "Hey! Remember me?" before becoming an obscure reference. The unforgivable moments are those that take place during the final hour of the game. I've made it clear around the office that I'm utterly disappointed with the ending of this series.
None of the final moments feel like they have any weight to them. They simply feel incorrect, and they make me want to tell my television "This is not what my Shepard would have done." Never did I expect the franchise that I've praised and cherished since the first video documentary would end with what amounts to "Out of the three doors he picked door number two. Tell him what he's won."
I guess I won't be having that drink with Jacob after all.
And what was that great reward? A cutscene featuring a bunch of characters I've never seen before, and a final moment where I see some familiar faces stranded in a jungle. At first I thought I made the wrong choice, but after later trying the alternates I discovered each was nearly identical with only slight variations. I wanted to save the galaxy, not watch someone die before I could even make the final choice, and then have that final choice result in utterly dooming my friends. I guess I won't be having that drink with Jacob after all.
I had the maximum Galactic Rating possible. I had 100% preparedness. And I got a confusing and weird cutscene for it.
I wanted to love everything about Mass Effect 3. Actually if you take away the ending and a few buggy moments the game is still phenomenal. But instead of ending on something noteworthy, all this final moment did is make me think of how expertly crafted a similar ending was in Enslaved: Odyssey to the West.
Greg Miller
Executive Editor, PlayStation Team
I didn't like the ending to Mass Effect 3, but I wasn't devastated by it. The crushing thing for me was that Garrus didn't even notice or care that I was cheating on him.
I made a point to play Mass Effect 3 on the Xbox 360 so that I could continue my Shepard's story -- which included a Mass Effect 2 hookup with Garrus. I started Mass Effect 3, Garrus and I "reconnected," and all seemed right with the galaxy (minus the Reapers ruining everything). However, I then fell in lesbian love/lust with Specialist Traynor. After our shower scene, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop with Garrus. For him to call me on my wandering hands.
See, relationship problems were nothing new to Garrus and I. In Mass Effect 2, I chased Jacob and Garrus at the same time, and they called me on it. They made me choose. I expected the same in Mass Effect 3, but as the game went on, nothing happened. Eventually, I walked in on Garrus hooking up with Tali.
And that was it. No blow-up. No discussion about what happened to us. Our love was just over. That disappointed me, but luckily, the other 20 hours I spent with Mass Effect 3 were awesome.
Samuel J Claiborn
Wikis Team
I love the Mass Effect universe. I like nerding out over the alien races, meticulously catalogued planets and the rich history the writers of Mass Effect provide as a backdrop for the games' events. The Mass Effect universe may be as varied and expansive as the Halo or Star Wars universes…but while playing Mass Effect 3 I was constantly bothered by the feeling that the galaxy isn't that big of a place after all.
In a galaxy with billions of races, you cannot run into a familiar face every time you visit a planet
I couldn't believe, for instance, how many times a character serendipitously appeared in a mission. Sure, some of these cameos make sense, like Tali's role as a military leader, or Mordin's role as an expert on the genophage. But this happened so many times, that the game's missions began to follow a pattern: go to a place, meet an old character, leave (Grunt, Jacob, Jack, Samara etc.).
This breaks the illusion of a massive, populated universe. If we're expected to believe a galaxy with billions of races and planets exists, then you cannot run into a familiar face every single time you touch down on a planet without fail.
Other times Mass Effect 3 also seems to "contract" the universe: The tiny Citadel area, with one hallway, where every important character lives; the mainly unchanged hub of the Normandy; the lack of explorable areas, in general. I still enjoyed shooting stuff, and I didn't mind the ending, but I wasn't able to lose myself in Mass Effect this time.
(and plus 2 guys that seems they didn't finished the yet game
Andrew Goldfarb
News Team
"I'm about fifteen hours into ME3 and really look forward to diving in deeper. But seriously, BioWare, I'm not kidding about the boobs thing. ")
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/122/1221492p1.html
(lol) this is historical.
IGN editors jump in with their verdicts on story, gameplay, combat and, of course, the ending.
In Colin Moriarty's review of Mass Effect 3, IGN rated the trilogy's epic denouement "amazing" with a score of 9.5. He praised its "deeply woven story" and called it a game of "exceptional poise and skill". Now, other editors have played the game at length. Here's what they have to say.
Casey Lynch
Editor-in-Chief
The Mass Effect trilogy represents a truly unique serialized experience in gaming, one that echoed loudly throughout my time with Mass Effect 3. At countless intervals, I witnessed contextual scenes and reactions, and plenty of knowing glares from my crew and the supporting cast, that I knew came about because of one decision or another I had made or not made.
It intertwined to such a degree that I'm confident saying that even if some other people experienced something close to the way my story played out, my playthrough felt like it was all mine. Incredibly smart. That is to say, Mass Effect 3 gave me something I've never experienced from a game before in its continuity and connectiveness across three games, and certainly not with this level of polish, production quality and class.
In light of all the hubbub about the ending of the game, I find it curious that more people aren't as outspoken about other more-troubling issues (in my opinion), specifically the kiddie-pool shallow side mission quests (seriously, every single race has lost their war bibles, and they're all lost on random planets that have no connection to said races?), the feature-stripped journal that didn't update (or give you any indication if the target star system was even available for entry and scanning yet), the interruptive randomness of some of the Priority missions and most of the fetchy N7 missions (case in point, most racial representatives knew they should probably help you defend the galaxy against that threat that's going to kill everything, but I was instead first forced to go talk to this one scientist or someone on a random planet. Ugh.)
The Galaxy At War system feels incredibly arbitrary as well, which is to be expected when it's based on a largely shallow gathering mechanic that resulted in nothing more than a number you had to grow. Lastly, and this is an extremely tiny thing, but I also felt like the Journal system could benefit from a default starting point of your active missions. Getting sent to the bottom of the list of completed assignments every time I open the Journal, requiring me to slowly scroll up to the top to my handful of active missions, feels like an oversight considering how often you use the Journal.
Those reasonable quibbles aside, I still had an utterly fantastic and very meaningful time with Mass Effect 3 and I consider it a great conclusion to the trilogy. But, for what's its worth, I haven't felt compelled to start a second play-through the way I immediately did with Mass Effect 2.
Destin Legarie
Wikis Team
The irksome moments are those when a character pops in for one mission just to say "Hey! Remember me?" before becoming an obscure reference. The unforgivable moments are those that take place during the final hour of the game. I've made it clear around the office that I'm utterly disappointed with the ending of this series.
None of the final moments feel like they have any weight to them. They simply feel incorrect, and they make me want to tell my television "This is not what my Shepard would have done." Never did I expect the franchise that I've praised and cherished since the first video documentary would end with what amounts to "Out of the three doors he picked door number two. Tell him what he's won."
I guess I won't be having that drink with Jacob after all.
And what was that great reward? A cutscene featuring a bunch of characters I've never seen before, and a final moment where I see some familiar faces stranded in a jungle. At first I thought I made the wrong choice, but after later trying the alternates I discovered each was nearly identical with only slight variations. I wanted to save the galaxy, not watch someone die before I could even make the final choice, and then have that final choice result in utterly dooming my friends. I guess I won't be having that drink with Jacob after all.
I had the maximum Galactic Rating possible. I had 100% preparedness. And I got a confusing and weird cutscene for it.
I wanted to love everything about Mass Effect 3. Actually if you take away the ending and a few buggy moments the game is still phenomenal. But instead of ending on something noteworthy, all this final moment did is make me think of how expertly crafted a similar ending was in Enslaved: Odyssey to the West.
Greg Miller
Executive Editor, PlayStation Team
I didn't like the ending to Mass Effect 3, but I wasn't devastated by it. The crushing thing for me was that Garrus didn't even notice or care that I was cheating on him.
I made a point to play Mass Effect 3 on the Xbox 360 so that I could continue my Shepard's story -- which included a Mass Effect 2 hookup with Garrus. I started Mass Effect 3, Garrus and I "reconnected," and all seemed right with the galaxy (minus the Reapers ruining everything). However, I then fell in lesbian love/lust with Specialist Traynor. After our shower scene, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop with Garrus. For him to call me on my wandering hands.
See, relationship problems were nothing new to Garrus and I. In Mass Effect 2, I chased Jacob and Garrus at the same time, and they called me on it. They made me choose. I expected the same in Mass Effect 3, but as the game went on, nothing happened. Eventually, I walked in on Garrus hooking up with Tali.
And that was it. No blow-up. No discussion about what happened to us. Our love was just over. That disappointed me, but luckily, the other 20 hours I spent with Mass Effect 3 were awesome.
Samuel J Claiborn
Wikis Team
I love the Mass Effect universe. I like nerding out over the alien races, meticulously catalogued planets and the rich history the writers of Mass Effect provide as a backdrop for the games' events. The Mass Effect universe may be as varied and expansive as the Halo or Star Wars universes…but while playing Mass Effect 3 I was constantly bothered by the feeling that the galaxy isn't that big of a place after all.
In a galaxy with billions of races, you cannot run into a familiar face every time you visit a planet
I couldn't believe, for instance, how many times a character serendipitously appeared in a mission. Sure, some of these cameos make sense, like Tali's role as a military leader, or Mordin's role as an expert on the genophage. But this happened so many times, that the game's missions began to follow a pattern: go to a place, meet an old character, leave (Grunt, Jacob, Jack, Samara etc.).
This breaks the illusion of a massive, populated universe. If we're expected to believe a galaxy with billions of races and planets exists, then you cannot run into a familiar face every single time you touch down on a planet without fail.
Other times Mass Effect 3 also seems to "contract" the universe: The tiny Citadel area, with one hallway, where every important character lives; the mainly unchanged hub of the Normandy; the lack of explorable areas, in general. I still enjoyed shooting stuff, and I didn't mind the ending, but I wasn't able to lose myself in Mass Effect this time.
(and plus 2 guys that seems they didn't finished the yet game
Andrew Goldfarb
News Team
"I'm about fifteen hours into ME3 and really look forward to diving in deeper. But seriously, BioWare, I'm not kidding about the boobs thing. ")
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/122/1221492p1.html
(lol) this is historical.