I'm not reading (still playing) so I have to ask.

We're you enjoying the game or just blazing through it?

I enjoyed the game instead of blazing through, I went through it all...

I won't say anymore...

In two days? Impressive. Of sad. Or the game is short. Or you used a guide.

I had a guide yes, that and it's my Spring Break otherwise I would not have been able to beat it so fast.

Word. So was the ending satisfying? I hope so after I had to watch my boy Mordin get blown to bits. Sad indeed.

Simple yes or no with adjectives. Can't have spoilers.


Also, do the forum a favor and change the name of the thread. Mass Effect 3 Discussion (Warning: Spoilers) or something like that, as I wish to communicate things outside of the ending. Others might too.

...............................................

....for me at least....

No. But I'll let you judge it for yourself.

DAMMIT! I heard it was open ended so as to allow DLC into the picture, but what would you want to do after stopping the Reaper invasion besides knock back drinks on a beach somewhere for a while?

You... really don't want to know what happens.

Just wait till you see it and then get back through PM or something and you'll probably understand how I feel.

And yeah, DLC for a better ending. Why should I have to pay for something that should've been on the final game? Ugh..

That'll probably be a full month from now, but I will. Hopefully you remember. Did you consider my thread suggestion?

I am pissed off due to character derailment of Cerberus and TIM. Even the unethical bastard merc bands can be recruited into the Fight the Reapers, Why Not Cerberus. Then again I don't like the Council or the Alliance at all.

It's not really character derailment, TIM always wanted to control the reapers rather than destroy them, he spends most of ME2 trying to get you to give him Reaper assets like when he wants you to save the Collector base at the end.
And a tie-in comic released a while back revealed that the reason his eyes glow like they do was he was almost turned into a Husk by a Reaper artifact during the "first contact war" between Humans and Turians.

So him being Indoctrinated all this time and just deluding himself into thinking he can control the Reapers makes sense.

And every "good guy" Cerberus agent who works for you on the Normandy in 2 has left Cerberus in 3.

Razor knows everything about every game. This sounds right.

I'm sorry to have read that all the way. I now know TIM's MO.

I can't wait to see how my ending fares! I'm doing Galaxy At War today if anyone wants to join.

So Razor did you beat the game yet? If not, don't read my first post.

Oh I already knew about the endings, I read the script leak a while back. Definitely agree with the disappointment.

Mass Effect 3's endings are INSANELY disappointing.

Not because they're sad or bittersweet and there are ZERO happy endings...

... But because they violate the very spirit of the franchise. The games promote choice, and the themes of the game, of self-determination and defying authorial mandates, is stripped out in favor of a very forced ending that robs you of any and all choice in the matter apart from, well, whether you prefer the colors green, red, or blue.

It's an ending that taints not just ME3, but ME1 and ME2. It makes all your "big" decisions null and void. Nothing you do in those games matter. NOTHING. Did you romance Liara? Did you save the Rachni Queen? Did you destroy the Collector Base? Did your team survive the Suicide Mission? Were you more Paragon or Renegade? Did you save or sacrifice the Council?

It doesn't matter.

Someone who rushes through the series, screws around, doesn't do any sidequests, and makes terrible decisions, can get the EXACT same ending as someone that takes their time, carefully plans their choices, gets 100% completion on everything, and fully prepares.

When you can get the same ending no matter how well or badly you play, something is wrong.

Bear in mind, these endings have very little closure, terribly unfortunate implications, and, no matter WHAT, the Reapers technically "win". Their goal was to "wipe out galactic civilization" in the prior games.

Well, no matter what, they succeed. I won't say how, but rather than ending this series on a note of hope and triumph, it ends on a very morose, bitter (not bittersweet) end, regardless of your choices, while invalidating much of the plot of ME1 and throwing in a lot of new plotholes.

Don't expect closure. Don't expect to feel good. Don't expect to walk away fulfilled and satisfied. You won't find it. Like 97% of the Bioware community fans (so far, over 5,000 that voted), you will feel disappointed, angry, upset, and hurt.

I'm not THAT upset... but I would be lying if I said this was even remotely a good end to a franchise a half-decade into the making, of which I've spent hundreds of hours and hundreds of dollars investing in. None of that matters, and none of my choices matter either.

ME3's ending will be a sore spot for many for years and years to come.

I wanted to tell galardos that there are, in fact, for endings. The Destroy ending can kill the reapers and everyone or it can just kill the reapers (and i think the geth too). If i'm not mistaken this ending rewards you for your effort trhought he game. I'll leave you the video:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AdWqlsQjWo



Just wanted to point that out, but still i agree with most of the things you said.

The original intention of Bioware with Cerberus was to make an morally grey black ops organization. Well Paragon players didn't like working with Cerberus and they whine their asses off to fight Cerberus again.

Paragon players are almost as bad as many star wars fans, Black and White and No grey.

Thus the comic tie in and Cerberus going bad in ME3. Then again I do like a lot of grey within Stories. Not everything is black and white.

I commend Bioware for taking paths that most people wont.

Loved this trilogy. Loved the endings. It made perfect sense to me.

If this was a book, or a movie, I might agree.

But isn't "Bioware takes the path that most people wouldn't" a very disappointing shift from their philosophy that "players take the path THEY want to take"?

The games were about giving playings choice and letting them impact the galaxy through their choices.

Instead, we got the exact same endings that the original Deus Ex game had. The exact same endings. Only they weren't executed nearly as well.

You can't even say the endings were original.

Precisely. I go through the trouble of peacefully uniting the quarians and the geth and if I destroy the Reapers, I kill the Geth too? What the hell? Thanks Bioware.

Don't get me started on just how poorly voiceacted the final cutscene was with the grandfather and his grandson (seriously Shepard's a Legend, okay but... that's how you show it?)

I like gray morality and playing Renegade as much as the next guy...but come on. Everyone who has ever wanted to keep, study, or control a Reaper gets Indoctrinated. That's what the Reapers have done since game one. Even dead ones indoctrinate anyone who climbs inside them. It's automatic. Of course it was gonna happen to TIM. It's not like his agenda changed. It was "control the Reapers, make humanity the dominant race" at the beginning and it's "control the Reapers, make humanity the dominant race" at the end.
Besides, even in 2, pro-Cerberus allies like Miranda of all people admit you shouldn't trust the guy, he's only a good ally or boss for as long as he thinks you're useful and when he doesn't anymore, you're fucked.

Um All I need is a simple yes or no but is there a clear explanation why Udina did what he did?

I must say was very unhappy with the ending as well.... The worst part is that there is a very distinct moment where the game immediately goes from awesome to horrifyingly wrong.

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My military strength was over 7000 with 100% efficiency. Only 5000 is needed. I blew it right out of the water.

I have given ME3's ending(s) a full 24 hours to sink in and I still find myself both loving it, and hurting. Not that anything was bad, I just wanted a bit more closure and to actually know the definite fate of all my squad members.

I chose to destroy the reapers, and Shepard lived. My love interest was Tali. Despite the extremely unlikely sets of circumstances, I manages to use the paragon option to get both the Quarian and the Geth while maintaining the romance.

I shaped everything in this series around Tali. I really liked staying true to the principals of being human. The need for love, anger etc. So I was a good, conscious person with about 70% paragon and 30% renegade coming through when certain stands needed to be made. Putting people in their place and not dealing with any shit. Knowing whats for the best and doing anything to achieve it.

Given the themes of Mass Effect, we are dealing with elements of
-Organic vs Synthetic
-Cycles of death with life doomed
-Heart vs Brain

The choices make perfect sense. Remain a noble human and eliminate the threat, Become the brain of the machines while losing your humanity to save humanity itself. Or evolve all life eliminating any threat. Also bringing death.

In terms of organic vs synthetic, I like these. I feel though, you should have a choice to live or die with ANY ending. Rather than just one. Representing true choice at its most important form. My biggest question? How am I supposed to get back to Tali? What planet did her, Joker, Javik and EDI (my ending chars) land on? What happened to the rest of my squad? I think I seen Grunt die.

I just wish I knew more. The relays are also destroyed no matter what? Would have loved that choice, as well. If my sweet Tali is in another system, how is Shepard supposed to get back to her? Either your romance should have died with you, or you survive and end up together(should you choose to romance). I could have dealt with any ending if Bioware did that. Closure for your final love relationship.

They couldn't end the cycles without giving reason why ours differed. And I really liked how they brought that through with Javik's dialogue. Claiming every cycle usually had one ruling race or group. Where as our cycle differed because we had the perceptive depth and variety of values and emotions. The ability to work together. all of these endings end the cycles, which also made perfect sense.

Heart vs brain, there is part of you that has an idea you are connected to. The endings do a great job of splitting that. Making most people feel torn. Save the human race but you know that synthetics will eventually come to be, again. This restarts the cycles. You also are separated from your romance. Become a reaper, lose your life and any romance. but eliminate the threat. Perhaps even protect the galaxy. Or lose your life and combine all life forms. A touch of both.

Either way, there is your desire, with something to throw most people off and make us think twice. I literally couldn't decide for about 15 minutes. I weighed every potential outcome. I still am upset that I didn't have the ability to critique more. But I understand. The mass effect series is not over, but Shepard's story is.

With that in mind, perhaps the next game can pick up right at ME3's end? With a team coming to search and recover Shepard. Depending on your ME3 ending, he is either alive or dead. If alive, you can return him to earth, or eventually on whatever planet the team landed on to his romance.

Give your story closure, while starting a new chapter? Sounds like a great next step to me, since a prequel is pretty much out of the question. How can any decision really be a true freedom when ME1-3 events are already in place? doubts.

My guess, either a new trilogy, or and MMO is the next step.

We'll see.

Things I felt worth mentioning:
-I loved how the Protheans were worked into the Asari ancient history and how mistranslated they were. Leaved a very primitive "Egyptian gods" perception on what is otherwise considered a near perfect and very smart race of beings. I respected that move very much.

-The handling of Tali's face was the best thing they could have done. All the fans who cry over how they wanted a 3d reveal, don't understand the sharks that are fans. No matter what Bioware would have done, people would have lynched them for Tali's face. While I like the job they have done with the cast, we should know that the boundaries of 3D modelling would have come under fire. This was much better left to be done in a picture. She looks gorgeous. And leaves just enough interpretation to the mind. As a Tali fan, I loved this. Shes absolutely beautiful. I also seen the stock photo they used. No argument. I hope somebody rips the image from the disc soon if it's on there. I want it for an iPhone background. Anybody who argues the way it was handled, should really think what would happened if they weren't happy with the 3D model. It would be much worse.

-Everything to do with the Reapers and the Catalyst made perfect sense. I loved every part of the story surrounding them, their views and their dialogue.


This trilogy is one of the best experiences I have ever had. I wish it could have continued or just given a bit more option in terms of ending variations. I will always be torn at how I couldn't get back to Tali. My only complaint. I guess I chose heart over brain.

Thank you, Bioware.