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Mass Effect 3: The Ending(s) [** Spoilers **]

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  • Registered Users Posts: 6,892 ✭✭✭bizmark


    Shryke wrote: »
    You haven't bought the game yet and you're reading a thread about the ending. Why would you buy it having done that.

    Endings so bad so disconnected from anything that goes on over 3 games i dont think it really matters if you know how it ends just enjoy the mindless shooting crappy side missions and pointless plot about races who are soon to be dead or disconnected and your golden

    Not bitter or anything


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 903 ✭✭✭Herrick


    Shryke wrote: »
    You haven't bought the game yet and you're reading a thread about the ending. Why would you buy it having done that.

    I had been deliberately avoiding any sort of spoilers but when I noticed articles plastered all over the web about how fans were up in arms over the ending I decided I'd bite the bullet and take a look.

    I'm glad I did. I'll be much happier holding onto my €50 than playing a game where the ending makes so little sense, but much worse doesn't even give decent conclusions to the other characters and races and basically took the good out of the trilogy for me, thats what I loved about the series, the story and the characters.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,303 ✭✭✭Temptamperu


    Herrick wrote: »
    I had been deliberately avoiding any sort of spoilers but when I noticed articles plastered all over the web about how fans were up in arms over the ending I decided I'd bite the bullet and take a look.

    I'm glad I did. I'll be much happier holding onto my €50 than playing a game where the ending makes so little sense, but much worse doesn't even give decent conclusions to the other characters and races and basically took the good out of the trilogy for me, thats what I loved about the series, the story and the characters.

    The ending made sense, I truly believe most people didn't quite understand what happened. As far as I can see and what I think there isn't any better way to go.

    Unless you want the crew of the Normandy all lined up for a money shot, getting medals. Which to be honest is kind of lame.
    All these people keep saying the ending sucks don't bother saying what they wanted. They just whinge because the ending wasn't given to them with a spoon. The whole game is amazing and that's why the reviews are so good for it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 17,371 ✭✭✭✭Zillah


    BlitzKrieg wrote: »
    How is this any different from "The Arrival?" considered to be best DLC for Mass effect 2

    Hahahahaha what? Arrival was utterly atrocious and widely hated. Lair of the Shadow Broker is hands down the best ME2 DLC, it got huge praise.
    The ending made sense, I truly believe most people didn't quite understand what happened.

    I understand it perfectly well, I just think it happens to be a load of pseudo-philosophical crap bolted on to a story that doesn't suit it.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 903 ✭✭✭Herrick


    The ending made sense, I truly believe most people didn't quite understand what happened. As far as I can see and what I think there isn't any better way to go.

    Unless you want the crew of the Normandy all lined up for a money shot, getting medals. Which to be honest is kind of lame.
    All these people keep saying the ending sucks don't bother saying what they wanted. They just whinge because the ending wasn't given to them with a spoon. The whole game is amazing and that's why the reviews are so good for it.

    Actually I understand the ending perfectly and nowhere did I mention anything about a big happily ever after type of ending, so you can hold onto your assumptions.

    If you get the ending where Shepard is alive at the end, what became of him? What became of all the other aliens that are now stranded on Earth? What became of the other races home worlds and colonies? Do they ever rebuild? Do some just die a slow death without the outside aid/trade they would have gotten from other plants/systems? What became of the the Normandy crew? Did any of them ever get home?

    Also, correct me if I'm wrong but apparently others have said the two squad mates you have around the end mission suddenly appear on the Normandy? What is that about?

    The above is hardly "whinging"


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  • Legal Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 5,400 Mod ✭✭✭✭Maximilian


    Just finished it & then checked out the other 2 endings. Personally really liked each of them. The indoctrination theory is also interesting. I find the complaining kind of amusing - a petition? lol.

    There was no ending they could have come up with that would have satisfied everyone. The best endings are ones that make you think. If it had ended with Shepard having little smurf babies with Liara, I'm pretty sure I'd be cleaning puke off my keyboard right now.

    Bloody brilliant game. Easily up there with the best of Bioware's games.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,984 ✭✭✭Venom


    Herrick wrote: »
    Actually I understand the ending perfectly and nowhere did I mention anything about a big happily ever after type of ending, so you can hold onto your assumptions.

    If you get the ending where Shepard is alive at the end, what became of him? What became of all the other aliens that are now stranded on Earth? What became of the other races home worlds and colonies? Do they ever rebuild? Do some just die a slow death without the outside aid/trade they would have gotten from other plants/systems? What became of the the Normandy crew? Did any of them ever get home?

    Also, correct me if I'm wrong but apparently others have said the two squad mates you have around the end mission suddenly appear on the Normandy? What is that about?

    The above is hardly "whinging"

    Yeah certain companions ending up on the Normandy is total :eek:

    Or making game choices like beefing up the Citadel defense force pointless due to the Reapers just magicking it over Earth.

    Or equipping the fleet with Thorax weapons with are never used in the final battle.

    Or making the whole saving the Geth/ helping Edi evolve pointless.

    Or adding in the fact the Reapers are controlled by the Starkid which goes against everything laid down in the previous games take place in the last 10 minutes of the game :(

    EA must of really had to go out of there way to come up with the crock of **** ending we ended up with that even had some of the ME3 writers stating on twitter they had no part in it.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 903 ✭✭✭Herrick


    Venom wrote: »
    Yeah certain companions ending up on the Normandy is total :eek:

    EA must of really had to go out of there way to come up with the crock of **** ending we ended up with that even had some of the ME3 writers stating on twitter they had no part in it.

    So its true your companions just appear on the Normandy without explanation?

    Would you have any links to the writers that are distancing themselves from the ending? I tried looking but couldn't find any, even if you just had the names I'd probably find them, thanks.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,199 ✭✭✭Shryke


    Venom wrote: »
    Yeah certain companions ending up on the Normandy is total :eek:

    Or making game choices like beefing up the Citadel defense force pointless due to the Reapers just magicking it over Earth.

    Or equipping the fleet with Thorax weapons with are never used in the final battle.

    Or making the whole saving the Geth/ helping Edi evolve pointless.

    Or adding in the fact the Reapers are controlled by the Starkid which goes against everything laid down in the previous games take place in the last 10 minutes of the game :(

    EA must of really had to go out of there way to come up with the crock of **** ending we ended up with that even had some of the ME3 writers stating on twitter they had no part in it.

    What's this about writers on Twitter? Could I get a run down?


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,984 ✭✭✭Venom


    Shryke wrote: »
    What's this about writers on Twitter? Could I get a run down?

    It was a link on another forum.

    The writer who was responable for
    Mordin's death
    which was epic, stated he had nothing to do with the 3 endings and other EA insiders have claimed it was all the work of just the lead writer.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 7,287 ✭✭✭Dave_The_Sheep


    Well, that was (until the very very end) an utterly fantastic game. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Mass Effect 3 ... complete. Six years and hundreds of hours of gaming story finished (for the first time at least). I've never felt quite like that after finishing a game series. Must like the Harry Potter series for some people (not I) it's been there for so long you'd always be wondering how it was going to end.

    That said, I found the ending ... so very very unsatisfactory. The endings of some character arcs (Mordin, Legion or Miranda) were excellently done and were genuinely emotional. This though? I'm not asking for a happy ending where everyone lives (given the death toll before this, that's a bit naff) but one that actually makes sense would be good. How did my two companions end up back on the Normandy and why was it mid-FTL jump for that end sequence? Nice work, whoever wrote that.

    Unless Shepherd's been indoctrinated of course, just before the end, and the real ending of the game is to be revealed via DLC - in which case I won't be buying it. That's one thing that would drive me back to piracy. The whole "add to the legend by buying DLC" was a crock too, and it does (along with the Catalyst gimmick, thrown in out of sheer laziness - I can't see any reason otherwise) tarnish what's otherwise been a fantastic series.

    What a pity.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,743 ✭✭✭blatantrereg


    The ending was a bit heavy in exposition, but otherwise I liked it. I know it can be picked at in a few ways - reaper's primary weapon just burnt my armour off and gave me a limp - but my engagement in the story was strong enough to maintain immersion.

    I dont like the indoctrination interpretation. Why would the reapers leave the civilisations intact? Why would they cripple themselves by destroying the mass effect relays?

    I chose the control option. I wasn't offered the synthesis option and only became aware of it later when I looked for the alternative endings online. I would have chosen control anyway.

    The ending didn't remind me of Foundation; though I see where you're coming from with that. It reminded me of Starflight/Starflight 2.... I see this observation was pretty bang on, after looking at wikipedia, since apparently Starflight was confirmed a key inspiration for Mass Effect from the start. There are a lot of similarities in the plot and universe alright.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,158 ✭✭✭Arawn


    .......What the **** was that ****.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,984 ✭✭✭Venom


    Arawn wrote: »
    .......What the **** was that ****.


    The last breath of a once great game studio.

    Bioware 1995 - 2007

    RIP


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,743 ✭✭✭blatantrereg


    Ah quit that rubbish would ye. Fair enough if you didn't like it. But silly melodramatic statements are silly. Personally I thought the game was a tour de force. Some people are never happy.


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,685 ✭✭✭✭BlitzKrieg


    I dont like the indoctrination interpretation. Why would the reapers leave the civilisations intact? Why would they cripple themselves by destroying the mass effect relays?

    The didnt.

    The idea is that the choices you are offered are representations of shepherds fate and the events dont actually happen. Everything that occurs from Harbinger arriving onwards happens in the space of seconds.

    Shepherd choosing control is him becoming a reaper entity like harbinger or sovereign, becoming the dominant identity in the eventual Human reaper.

    Shepherd choosing bio/synth merge is him becoming reaper goo (as shown in mass effect 2) and just another piece of the building blocks for the eventual human reaper.

    And finally Shepherd choosing destroy is him fighting the indoctrination and if you have a high enough score beating it. If your score is too low shepherd is just outright killed (hence the whole planet being destroyed thing.)

    It all comes back to shepherds strength of character, the reapers want to break him so the middle choice is presented as the best possible choice but its actually the worse cause its shepherd simply giving up. The other two are designed around his strong will either to control or destroy the reapers that Harbinger cant break.

    And opting for either control or destroy when you have a really high rating results in shepherd snapping back to reality back in London just seconds after being hit by the laser.

    The gates blowing up, normandy crashing etc dont happen, they never do it's all the reapers trying to finally break shepherd.

    The whole f*ck up with the characters coming out of the normady is a strong argument for indoctrination because the people that come out of the normandy are always the ones you took with you on your last mission, so it is downright impossible for them to be there.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,287 ✭✭✭Dave_The_Sheep


    Ah quit that rubbish would ye. Fair enough if you didn't like it. But silly melodramatic statements are silly. Personally I thought the game was a tour de force. Some people are never happy.

    Until the Catalyst was introduced in person (and for those without the DLC, this is completely out of the blue), I'd agree. Fantastic game.

    From there on in though ... it's as if you'd suddenly stopped playing Mass Effect and started playing something else. The things that made it great to that point - character choice, repercussions of those choices, more-or-less-canonical-sense - went straight out the window. Which was a massive pity.

    All assuming the indoctrination theory isn't true. Which from what I'm hearing (not having read them myself) of the writer's tweets appears is the case.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,158 ✭✭✭Arawn


    Ah quit that rubbish would ye. Fair enough if you didn't like it. But silly melodramatic statements are silly. Personally I thought the game was a tour de force. Some people are never happy.
    Between the decline of this from 1-3 and dragon age 1-2 I would agree that bioware are heading in a bad direction and will be waiting a while before purchasing the next game of theirs I've an interest in


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,685 ✭✭✭✭BlitzKrieg


    Right I retract my support for the indoctrinatio ending

    purely because of this: http://retakemasseffect.chipin.com/retake-mass-effect-childs-play

    People are raising money to raise awareness that the ending for me3 sucks.

    ok.

    they've raised 40,000 pounds already

    WHO THE **** HAS THIS MUCH MONEY TO WASTE?

    Jesus I need to raise 2,000 for the postproduction my next film project and people are throwing 20 times that just to state they hated the ME3 ending.

    Ahhh that is just pissing me off.

    not the charity part of it though


    just the sheer amount of money.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,743 ✭✭✭blatantrereg


    BlitzKrieg wrote: »
    The didnt.

    The idea is that the choices you are offered are representations of shepherds fate and the events dont actually happen. Everything that occurs from Harbinger arriving onwards happens in the space of seconds.

    Shepherd choosing control is him becoming a reaper entity like harbinger or sovereign, becoming the dominant identity in the eventual Human reaper.

    Shepherd choosing bio/synth merge is him becoming reaper goo (as shown in mass effect 2) and just another piece of the building blocks for the eventual human reaper.

    And finally Shepherd choosing destroy is him fighting the indoctrination and if you have a high enough score beating it. If your score is too low shepherd is just outright killed (hence the whole planet being destroyed thing.)

    It all comes back to shepherds strength of character, the reapers want to break him so the middle choice is presented as the best possible choice but its actually the worse cause its shepherd simply giving up. The other two are designed around his strong will either to control or destroy the reapers that Harbinger cant break.

    And opting for either control or destroy when you have a really high rating results in shepherd snapping back to reality back in London just seconds after being hit by the laser.

    The gates blowing up, normandy crashing etc dont happen, they never do it's all the reapers trying to finally break shepherd.

    The whole f*ck up with the characters coming out of the normady is a strong argument for indoctrination because the people that come out of the normandy are always the ones you took with you on your last mission, so it is downright impossible for them to be there.

    good post
    All assuming the indoctrination theory isn't true. Which from what I'm hearing (not having read them myself) of the writer's tweets appears is the case.

    Yeah I saw a comment on a youtube vid saying that. I searched to see if I could find the source. I didn't - but found this which seems to indicate the indoctrination theory might well be true:
    And after my second play-through of the final act, I agree with this more and more. And to add credence to these theories, the official Mass Effect 3 twitter account has dished out the following words, vague though they may be:

    User 1: "I still want to believe you guys are sneaky trolls and have something going on you don't tell us yet. Can I get a cryptic reply?"
    @masseffect: "The sun, it shines. www.youtube.com/watch"


    User 2: "You are either a massive sadist or a beacon of hope."
    @masseffect: "Can't it be both?"


    User 3: "I kinda feel lost after that ending...not what I expected and left me feeling everything done was for nothing."
    @masseffect: "We know it's a lot to take in! But hang in there. Your decisions matter."


    User 4: "Are you holding something back, that could quell the large amount of frustration from the community, a tiny hint would be enough."
    @masseffect: "Mike Gamble already said on his twitter, if the fans knew what was in store, the reaction would be different."


    User 5: "I loved 98% of ME3..but something has to be up w/ ending..too much talent at BW for that business. Keep my saves?"
    @masseffect: "We're keeping our saves, that's for sure."


    User 6: "Fans are people too. Playing with their minds isn't that nice as it may look like to people from Bioware."
    @masseffect: "We're not playing with anyone's minds, we are answering what questions we can and recording what feedback we receive."


    User 7: "Its not that the ending was taken in the wrong direction its that it makes NO SENSE. Ashley was on the Normandy? she [was] with me."
    @masseffect: "Probably a good thing to be cautious of."


    User 8: "Do y'all have any ETA when more news will be released? Dying for news on a new ending/DLC."
    @masseffect: "No ETA yet, but you will be updated via Facebook and Twitter when the news is available :)."

    And some more:

    User 1 -Well, i think i'll stop naggin you and trying to get you to talk about the indoctrination theory. :( Good game though!
    Merizan - I want people to make up their own minds right now, then when more people have played we'll talk :)

    User 2 - then I want to SEE that he was lying. I want to get up and finish the fight with Commander Shepard. Then retire.
    Merizan - augh. want. to. discuss! Staying spoiler free for now :P

    User 3 - But should've confronted the kid instead. Shep went meekly into the night.
    Merizan - are you sure he went meekly into the night?

    I still dont like the indoctrination theory anyways, because it means I was tricked into being indoctrinated.

    Such a trick only works because you ignore inconsistencies in the interest of maintaining immersion in the game world. In real life I would be much more skeptical of a ghost child god-machine that was outlining the various ways I could kill myself.


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  • Legal Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 5,400 Mod ✭✭✭✭Maximilian


    I'm convinced now that Shepard never made it to the Citadel. If that's true it's a pretty good twist/ending but the idea of having to fork out more dosh to see the real ending when it comes out as dlc is annoying. On the other hand it, if the story isn't over, they could make a decent sized DLC that might be worthwhile.

    It will be interesting to see what happens.


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,685 ✭✭✭✭BlitzKrieg


    I still dont like the indoctrination theory anyways, because it means I was tricked into being indoctrinated.

    Such a trick only works because you ignore inconsistencies in the interest of maintaining immersion in the game world. In real life I would be much more skeptical of a ghost child god-machine that was outlining the various ways I could kill myself.

    At the moment the indoctrination theory seems to be swinging two ways.

    The *this is the end* and there's a hidden twist version, which is the version that annoys you

    And the *there's DLC coming* which riles up a lot of people as well.

    I've weighed in that I dont think its a big deal and that it's not a major leap from whats already been done by Bethesda and others. Honestly If we are given something similar to Arrival then I wouldnt think of it as simply paying for the ending, but getting the ultimate last dungeon crawl.
    I know some think the game gives **** all closure but honestly if you cut off the bit in the citadel you do get just before the final *final* FINAL run the option to talk to every player you have played with in all 3 games that is still alive either in person or via a video call and I assume all these conversations are tainted heavily by your interactions with them. So right up to the point where the game takes a left turn at crazyville there is a genuine sense of closure with the people you've played with and really for me the area that is most lacking is closure with what was with the reapers and the war rather then characters.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,287 ✭✭✭Dave_The_Sheep


    I still dont like the indoctrination theory anyways, because it means I was tricked into being indoctrinated.

    Such a trick only works because you ignore inconsistencies in the interest of maintaining immersion in the game world. In real life I would be much more skeptical of a ghost child god-machine that was outlining the various ways I could kill myself.

    That's some mindf*ck if true. If that proves to be the case (that we get the rest via DLC) then ... I'm not sure. Surely €60 for a CE edition is enough to get the actual ending, because that was what it was billed as.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,743 ✭✭✭blatantrereg


    Can the hallucination theory accommodate the conditional requirement for the synthesis ending? It seems to be dependant on a high effective war asset score.


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,685 ✭✭✭✭BlitzKrieg


    Can the hallucination theory accommodate the conditional requirement for the synthesis ending? It seems to be dependant on a high effective war asset score.

    I actually I had to recheck. Only one ending has shepherd waking up (destroy) he doesnt have the *gasping* scene in control either.

    So I was mistaken earlier.


  • Registered Users Posts: 14,685 ✭✭✭✭BlitzKrieg


    Damn got trolled

    -ignore-


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,314 ✭✭✭sink


    Just finished it and that was epic. I chose the destroy option and got Sheppard still breathing at the end, so I figured the reaper kid was some sort of dream. I will probably post more thoughts tomorrow but right now I need some sleep.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,387 ✭✭✭Cina


    Regarding the reaper kid, people seem to think he's actually a real entity and in fact an actual "reaper kid". I was under the impression that the Catalyst just made him in that form because of the dreams Shephard has had and the effect the kid had on him throughout? Is that not the general consensus or am I missing something?

    The ending, I just don't know. I guess it was a bit crap but it hasn't "spoiled" the game for me, the series was just a monstrosity of size and scope, I'm not sure Bioware could've made any ending that made everyone happy. Yes it's a mindf*ck and a bit vague, and at times daft, but it concluded things *mostly*. People seem to be forgetting that you have already spoken to your entire squad by then (and previous squad members over the intercom), and generally those conversations brought closure to their arcs.

    The Genophage, Geth War, Rachni Queen etc were all concluded absolutely brilliantly for me, and throughout the series these stories mattered more to me than the actual Reapers, because this game is all about the characters, races and world.

    Really all that WAS left to be done was to go and end the war with the reapers, which they did, whether they in any way did it in the right way is debatable, probably not, but they did finish it, they did get rid of them. I wasn't expecting a scene at the end where everyone is clapping away at Shephard and his squad for saving the galaxy (Dragon Age, anyone), it would've been a total cop out in itself. Hell, the Reapers were probably the most silly part of the story throughout anyway.

    Either way, one of the best 100+ hours is gaming I have ever, ever experienced, and the ending isn't going to ruin that for me, despite its shortcomings.


  • Registered Users Posts: 17,371 ✭✭✭✭Zillah


    I think the fact that people are advancing the indoctrination interpretation is a pretty damning indictment of how much the actual ending is hated. They just cannot accept that that really is the ending.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 4,314 ✭✭✭sink


    I think this video lays out the indoctrination theory pretty well, I'm inclined to believe it.



    IMO it makes the ending one of the best endings ever and one of the greatest video games of all time. Because while the reapers are messing with Shepherds mind the are also messing with ours, making us unsure of what to believe and possibly indoctrinating us.


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