New Mass Effect 3 Endings.... Thoughts? (SPOILERS)

[Royi]

I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND WATCHING THESE UNLESS YOU HAVE PLAYED THROUGH MASS EFFECT 3 ALREADY

I WOULD ALSO NOT READ BELOW THIS SENTANCE IF YOU DO NOT WANT ANY MASS EFFECT 3 SPOILERS



Destroy:

http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-3/v ... g-6366328/

Control:

http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-3/v ... y-6384464/

Synthesis:

http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-3/v ... y-6384472/

Refuse All (new option!):

http://www.gamespot.com/mass-effect-3-e ... y-6384454/

[Royi]

I myself was quite happy with these endings, they felt very much more completed. Its what I complained about the first time around that I wasn't able to see what happened to all of my crew.

The Refuse All option I loved as well, I won't go into the detail, but the ending I thought was very creative in a non-typical ending for a video game.

[Kalliope]

I didn't think the refuse option was horribly creative in that it should have been an option from the beginning. BioWare did listen to the fans and incorporated feedback into the new endings (including the creation of that one). Another big point is that the mass relays are no longer destroyed at high EMS (as they should not have been), which means all the other species in the Sol system are no longer trapped there in all endings.

The endings are imperfect, every single one of them - it's about choosing which of the four is the lesser of the evils to you. THAT part is fine and to BioWare's credit....although I am utterly disturbed by the possibility that the husks are sentient in the synthesis ending. That would be horrific.

I'd love to know how much of the new endings was originally written (like the Normandy extraction bit before the beam had been there, but was removed for pacing reasons, creating a wtf moment with your crew magically back on the Normandy at the end) and how much was taken from the fans' furious feedback.

Some players are still mad because BioWare lied and said they weren't changing the endings (only "clarifying/explaining"), yet they added one! I personally am fine with most of it, since these endings are acceptable and fit the tone of the series - plus your choices DO matter.

My only major addition would be an option to grind out a long, slow victory refusing the starchild with high EMS. The losses would have been horrific and the win's aftermath would likely play out like one of the "bad" endings, but you could choose to not play the starchild's game at all (since that's how some players feel about it - and I don't blame them; all endings are bittersweet).

The part I don't like is that this is what the endings should have been in the first place. There is no earthly reason that we're aware of that the game could not have shipped like this to begin with. Imperfect? Yes. But there would never have been the sort of massive backlash there was if they'd shipped the game like this to begin with.

It amuses me that the "buy our stuff!" textbox is gone in favor of an acknowledgment of the journey. The other was just offensive, especially after the original endings were, quite frankly, half-assed (and you can tell they were because of the quality of the new ones).

I'm glad that things were put right in the end. There's still a lot of broken trust, though. :/

[Royi]

Another big point is that the mass relays are no longer destroyed at high EMS (as they should not have been), which means all the other species in the Sol system are no longer trapped there in all endings.

It was weird watching the reapers help repair the relays. Or watching the reapers help rebuild all that they destroyed.

although I am utterly disturbed by the possibility that the husks are sentient in the synthesis ending. That would be horrific.

Husks always freak me out. I wonder if they become sentient if they would retain or recover any of their previous traits or memories

My only major addition would be an option to grind out a long, slow victory refusing the starchild with high EMS. The losses would have been horrific and the win's aftermath would likely play out like one of the "bad" endings, but you could choose to not play the starchild's game at all (since that's how some players feel about it - and I don't blame them; all endings are bittersweet).

The part I don't like is that this is what the endings should have been in the first place. There is no earthly reason that we're aware of that the game could not have shipped like this to begin with. Imperfect? Yes. But there would never have been the sort of massive backlash there was if they'd shipped the game like this to begin with.

What I took from the "Refuse" option is that there was a long drawn out fight between the civilizations and the reapers... it just ended in favor of the reapers.


I think even more backlash how they had content on ship date that non-collector's eidition owners had to poney up an extra $10 bucks for.

The problem with EA is that they nickel and dime the masses as much as they can physically possible. I still play there games because I enjoy them, just part of me goes "blargh" for when someone else comes out that I have to buy another 800 XBOX points for.

[Kalliope]

What I took from the "Refuse" option is that there was a long drawn out fight between the civilizations and the reapers... it just ended in favor of the reapers.

Yes, in this cycle. But the NEXT cycle was able to avoid the fight entirely, making whatever preparations were necessary to dodge that bullet.

The argument for a refuse option that allows for a long drawn out fight against the reapers that we can win in this cycle is something else.

I think even more backlash how they had content on ship date that non-collector's eidition owners had to poney up an extra $10 bucks for.

That backlash paled in comparison to the MASSIVE RAGE regarding the endings, rage that was also directed at the game reviewers, who did nothing to warn us of the impending doom that was to come.

[Royi]

What I took from the "Refuse" option is that there was a long drawn out fight between the civilizations and the reapers... it just ended in favor of the reapers.

Yes, in this cycle. But the NEXT cycle was able to avoid the fight entirely, making whatever preparations were necessary to dodge that bullet.

The argument for a refuse option that allows for a long drawn out fight against the reapers that we can win in this cycle is something else.

I think even more backlash how they had content on ship date that non-collector's eidition owners had to poney up an extra $10 bucks for.

That backlash paled in comparison to the MASSIVE RAGE regarding the endings, rage that was also directed at the game reviewers, who did nothing to warn us of the impending doom that was to come.

I think I'll have to do a second playthrough of ME3. Sometime once all this Herald stuff dies down

I wasn't utterly outraged by the original endings, I just thought they were too similar when they were touted as 16 different endings or some jazz. (Red ending, blue ending, green ending is what it came down to). That and they didn't show squat what happened to the other races / companions in the group etc (which i think they did a good job with afterwards.... I mean KROGAN BABIES!!!!!!!)


~~~~~~~

Hmm... perhaps the "Refuse" option might give way to a new Mass Effect trilogy, 49,990 years in the future. You're a lone ____ and you stumble across this ancient relic from this "Doctor Liara T'soni". You are the sole hope of saving a galaxy's civilizations in the years to come. You do not know when these "reapers" are going to attack but you know that you must do something, somehow to attempt to thwart the inevitable invasion.

[Kalliope]

Krogan babies! <3<3<3 Definitely one of my favorite things about the new endings.

What I found interesting in my own choices is that when the endings were similar, I chose destroy out of spite, since at least Shepard could live. Without the slideshow or voiceover at the end, it was very much downplayed that EDI and the geth were sacrificed for that choice. Despite the complications with synthesis (forced evolution, the husks, etc.), seeing what happened with the geth and EDI made it easier for me to stick by it, since that was my initial choice.

I'm happy that the control endings are as open-ended as they are (you get slightly different dialogue depending on whether you were paragon or renegade); it made absolutely no sense as an option before we saw what actually happened to Shepard.

I was incredibly ticked off by the original endings, but never fell into the senseless ranting of the ones who were calling for people's heads on pikes. Plus I'm forgiving enough now that the most offensive and insulting parts of the endings have been fixed. There are people out there who are holding a much deeper grudge. Still, I'm with them in that I'm not sure I trust BioWare's judgement. I mean really, the original endings felt tacked on compared to the new stuff. They KNEW how to do it right, but they didn't. That just baffles me.

[Royi]

Krogan babies! <3<3<3 Definitely one of my favorite things about the new endings.

What I found interesting in my own choices is that when the endings were similar, I chose destroy out of spite, since at least Shepard could live. Without the slideshow or voiceover at the end, it was very much downplayed that EDI and the geth were sacrificed for that choice. Despite the complications with synthesis (forced evolution, the husks, etc.), seeing what happened with the geth and EDI made it easier for me to stick by it, since that was my initial choice.

I'm happy that the control endings are as open-ended as they are (you get slightly different dialogue depending on whether you were paragon or renegade); it made absolutely no sense as an option before we saw what actually happened to Shepard.

I actually really liked the Control ending. It made Shepard "reborn" into the new Catalyst kind of, the new source of control for the reapers across the galaxy.

Still, I'm with them in that I'm not sure I trust BioWare's judgement. I mean really, the original endings felt tacked on compared to the new stuff. They KNEW how to do it right, but they didn't. That just baffles me.

I liked that point. They KNEW how to do it right, but didn't.

[Kalliope]

I actually really liked the Control ending. It made Shepard "reborn" into the new Catalyst kind of, the new source of control for the reapers across the galaxy.

I like how it was done; it was very very fitting. I just never choose to play it through on my own saves, since the feeling of "no matter what goodness Shepard put into the new Shepard-reaper, this is likely to all happen again" bugs me. But I can completely understand how others don't see that.

[Ardawen]

I am still not happy with some things like having to give up edi and the geth for destroy. Still i think they cleared up some gaps and changed some other things as well. I have played one so far, i am going to take a look at a earlier point to see how the changes are, but i didn't want to play to through too much on my engineer as he was already on his way to earth. Hehe.

[Kalliope]

I think you've seen most everything; I haven't heard of many changes that came before the approach to the beam, even though BioWare recommended starting from the Cerberus base.