Mass Effect 3 SPOILERS THREAD

Could you explain to me why you're appalled by the Synthesis ending? Maybe I have a twisted sense of reality, but I thought it was a decent "neutral" choice for what the ending as a whole was.

Go back and reread some of my posts in this very thread. I've explained it a dozen times I'm sure.

You turn your "family" and friends, let alone all sentient life at your technology level, into the Borg.

While we're on that. Since when would the reapers just live alongside some newly formed electronic version of organics. The whole point of the reapers "synthesis" of life was to create new reapers. There's no attempt at trying to understand this story anymore, it's all just baloney.

Agreed 100%. The synthesis ending never has made any sense and it's the one ending that can't be reconciled with the others for meaningful sequels. I hate everything about it.
 
I loaded a save after downloading the update so I could see the new ending and after I died the first time because I don't remember the controls I closed up the game and I'm now watching Act of Valor on Netflix.

Fuck it, I'll just watch them on youtube. Done with Bioware.
 
I also agree , synthesis is a very hokey ending. The logic of it plus the Reapers suddenly becoming buddy buddy with all life is so bad. I preferred the control ending the most , it seemed to make the most sense (lawlz) and in some way it allows Shepard to live on. I think that ending alone is enough to satisfy me but overall I feel like Bioware had a bunch of ideas , threw them into a story board and said "fuck it , we'll do all of them". There is no crafting or real thought put into the endings. And Dan I agree , Indoctrination theory would have been fucking great. If they had done that it would have eclipsed anything else and it would have actually made sense. Too bad they didn't even bother to consider it.

It just feels like after all these years of working on the ME franchise they just wanted to get on to the next thing so desperately that they just want fans to move on with them and that's not how it works for us. These endings are almost exactly what I expected , fodder for more complaints and nothing that will take away the sour taste of how the game should have ended via player choice and not "doesn't matter what you pick , everything sucks" endings we were originally given.
 
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According to the article, the destroy ending now shows Shepard taking a breath, regardless of WA. Is there any further expansion on that? Given the slight changes doesn't that imply there could be an ME4 with him?
 
According to the article, the destroy ending now shows Shepard taking a breath, regardless of WA. Is there any further expansion on that? Given the slight changes doesn't that imply there could be an ME4 with him?

I highly doubt Shepard is alive and at this point Bioware is done with the Shepard saga. If anything involving ME comes out next I'm sure it'll be a whole new story line not involving Shepard. I wouldn't look that deep honestly , Bioware isn't capable of nuance at all it seems when it comes to the ME series.
 
I'm still going with the Indoctrination Theory. Some good stuff was showing Zaeed chilling out on a beach chair with a 40, demasked quarians on Rannoch, Krogan with baby krogans, and the fact that shooting the star child is a legitimate option! :)

Anything but destroy and reject is still indoctrination I think.
 
I highly doubt Shepard is alive and at this point Bioware is done with the Shepard saga. If anything involving ME comes out next I'm sure it'll be a whole new story line not involving Shepard. I wouldn't look that deep honestly , Bioware isn't capable of nuance at all it seems when it comes to the ME series.

Agreed. They've proven that.
 
I can't believe it took that long to add these extra few minutes to the endings. Overall though, you can elaborate and extend a shitty ending all you want, but it's still a shitty ending.
 
I can't believe it took that long to add these extra few minutes to the endings. Overall though, you can elaborate and extend a shitty ending all you want, but it's still a shitty ending.

It does clear up a couple points of confusion, but you don't need to put yourself through it again. Just watch them on Youtube. I'd say the Extended Cut is only worth downloading if you are going to replay the game. These are better endings, but they still are sub-par compared to the rest of the game and the series as a whole.
 
It does clear up a couple points of confusion, but you don't need to put yourself through it again. Just watch them on Youtube. I'd say the Extended Cut is only worth downloading if you are going to replay the game. These are better endings, but they still are sub-par compared to the rest of the game and the series as a whole.

I did watch them all on youtube, well, except the synthesis ending.
 
It would be interesting to see some sort of movie possibly after Shepard is shown breathing (animated, but in canon kind of thing). I dunno, just a though.
 
I shot the catalyst in the head and he went SO BE IT, THE CYCLE WILL CONTINUE and the crucible did not fire. Cut to a hologram of Liara explaining how the reapers wiped out all advanced life in the galaxy. Awesome.
 
Yeah, I was disappointed.

Spoilers: Obviously.
I guess I was hoping for too much. The endings are certainly better than the garbage we had initially, but as everyone has said, "a polished turd is still a turd".

All-in-all I'm hoping there's something else planned. Shepard breathing at the end doesn't really make any sense unless they were planning something else. Although, fleshing out the current endings doesn't make any sense if they were planning on putting out extra stuff. I guess I'm boned.

...and I was so hoping for the Indoctrination theory. >.>
 
I thought they were much better than before. If these had been the originals I doubt there would have been the uproar that there was. After watching them all, I'm more conflicted over the choice between Control and Synthesis than I was originally (but I think I still support synthesis overall). Also, it's cool that they gave the option for refusal now.
 
The next installment will likely disregard the end you chose in ME3 completely. They will probably do prequels or "takes place during the events of" games. It's fairly likely EA will also farm dev work out to another studio, or restructure this Bioware studios name/management.
 
I thought they were much better than before. If these had been the originals I doubt there would have been the uproar that there was. After watching them all, I'm more conflicted over the choice between Control and Synthesis than I was originally (but I think I still support synthesis overall). Also, it's cool that they gave the option for refusal now.

I still don't know how anyone could support synthesis. That's a horrible fucking choice.

The next installment will likely disregard the end you chose in ME3 completely. They will probably do prequels or "takes place during the events of" games. It's fairly likely EA will also farm dev work out to another studio, or restructure this Bioware studios name/management.

Agreed. At this point they'd have to either ignore your choice or pick a canon ending and build off of that. But as I've said before, prequels will have their own problems and limitations. It's a lame duck way to get more money out of the franchise. It could have been structured to deliver multiple games which always went forward, but BioWare seems to have consciously sabotaged any effort for that to be possible. That may have even been done on purpose to avoid the series turning into a cash cow of games the way Call of Duty or Halo has.

I'm from another school of thought. I'll take all the games they are willing to give me so long as they are quality games. Obviously with EA ruling over BioWare, quality takes a back seat to quantity. They proved that with ME3.
 
Just watched the control extended cut.

I feel like that had this been in the original release, I would have had no complaints. I'm pretty satisfied with this ending now. There are loose ends indeed but this really feels Shepard like and I really can't drum up many complaints against this. I wonder if the still photos of everyone show up based on your decisions? Can anyone confirm? If they do, then that's another plus for me that shows my actions had actual outcomes.

Example: Seeing Samara with her daughter, assuming she lives or you didn't kill them. Same thing with Wrex and the baby Krogan, the Geth, the Quarians still alive, etc.


/edit. I mean this ending feels like exactly what a Paragon Shepard would do, it fits with the entire theme throughout the series of doing whats best for everyone.
 
Just watched the control extended cut.

I feel like that had this been in the original release, I would have had no complaints. I'm pretty satisfied with this ending now. There are loose ends indeed but this really feels Shepard like and I really can't drum up many complaints against this. I wonder if the still photos of everyone show up based on your decisions? Can anyone confirm? If they do, then that's another plus for me that shows my actions had actual outcomes.

Example: Seeing Samara with her daughter, assuming she lives or you didn't kill them. Same thing with Wrex and the baby Krogan, the Geth, the Quarians still alive, etc.

I'm definitely more satisfied than I had been in the past. Though I still maintain that going with indoctrination theory would have or could have been better for all parties. Us, EA and BioWare. BioWare just let their egos become a problem.
 
I watched this guy's extended cut ending where he chose 'the best' path and I have to agree with him in that the extra dialog and scenes really helps bring better closure. If Bioware would have released this a few months ago then I'm sure the majority of the fuss/confusion would've been circumvented.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7lkTUPA-EY
 
It took them this long to fucking polish a turd? Still extremely disappointed in the endings.

Let's recap:

Synthesis: Still technomagic-babble bullshit. Everyone gets turned into hybrid-synthetics, no options. You will be assimilated. And now civilization is some circle-jerk of progress with no conflict. We're all eternal or some shit? Huh??? :confused:

Control: Shepard turns into the Emperor, literally. She will protect the galaxy with her unstoppable force of Reapers. You will obey, or you will die.

Destroy: Still the only ending that makes sense. Would still choose it. Still no explanation of how far away everyone is or how they're getting home but at least it looks plausible now. Still no explanation for why Shepard is breathing at the end. More WTF.

I've never seen any company pull such a dramatic turn around on their reputation as Bioware did by releasing the subsequent tonnage of turds that are DA2, SWTOR, and ME3. Pissed away a good decade of positive branding in less than 5 years.
i'll be taking my money elsewhere until the product shows improvement.
 
Noticed in the Synthesis ending they show a profile shot of a Quarian with no mask, but hood still on. Does not look like that lame photoshop of Tali.

I have to say, the Synthesis ending might feel like a cop out, and I certainly don't prefer it, but its an obvious option for the story line with the expanded details given by the starchild. It's the ultimate solution to the problem of synthetics vs organics and does make sense, no matter how lame it comes across.

Is there any extended stuff prior to the Citadel events, does anyone know?
 
I have to say, the Synthesis ending might feel like a cop out, and I certainly don't prefer it, but its an obvious option for the story line with the expanded details given by the starchild. It's the ultimate solution to the problem of synthetics vs organics and does make sense, no matter how lame it comes across.

I can see it now...

Shephard, enhanced even further with tech is now...the Shepardinator! With insane reflexes and shooting abilities....coming to you soon, Call of Duty: Mass Effect!
 
Yes, your team basically gets injured during the suicide run and Shepard tells the Normandy to come pick them up.

Bam. Team in space explanation.

The Star Child still feeds you a load of circular bullshit but at least there's a little more to spread on the thin toast that is the shitty ending.

Still don't understand how Synthesis ends the conflicts. Can't synthetic organics create AI the exact same way and have some massive conflict?

Still also don't buy that the conflict between organics and synthetics was the "theme" for the entire trilogy until the last 40 minutes of the game. Geth still get disconnected in destroy?

Just meh.
 
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I can see it now...

Shephard, enhanced even further with tech is now...the Shepardinator! With insane reflexes and shooting abilities....coming to you soon, Call of Duty: Mass Effect!

Funny you say that. I had a similar thought during the control ending when the star child said "Your kind will lose contact with you" or something to that effect. I thought.. that's horseshit. The other reapers could communicate with all other species, there's NO REASON why Reaper Shepard couldn't be still interact with everyone he left behind.
 
Yes, your team basically gets injured during the suicide run and Shepard tells the Normandy to come pick them up.

Bam. Team in space explanation.

The Star Child still feeds you a load of circular bullshit but at least there's a little more to spread on the thin toast that is the shitty ending.

Still don't understand how Synthesis ends the conflicts. Can't synthetic organics create AI the exact same way and have some massive conflict?

Still also don't buy that the conflict between organics and synthetics was the "theme" for the entire trilogy until the last 40 minutes of the game. Geth still get disconnected in destroy?

Just meh.

I think the idea is that when the organics become bio-synthetic they'll no longer have a need for synthetics and existing synthetics will fully understand organics, whatever that means, and all conflict will end.
 
I couldn't find the cartoon I had saved off somewhere. Past due to sort my pictures folder, though I did find these that both gave me a chuckle back when the riots first started......

ME3_Reapers.jpg


ME3_endingpost.jpg


I will say, that ME was a good ride while it lasted, but at this point I'm pretty much done giving BW any more chances with it. They sold their souls to the EA devil and nothing will be the same again. I shudder when I think of what DA3 might end up like now with EA pulling the strings.

Maybe I'll go through ME1 & 2 again at some point, and just stop there. While some parts of 3 are ok, knowing where that particular ride ends just kills my motivation to go through the motions, knowing that it's all for absolutely nothing.
 
While I didn't really expect anything to change, I'm still not sure who the EC was made for. Those who were ok with it will still be and those who weren't still won't be. While the EC is better, it's still based on the same horrible premise that many of us hated.

In many regards it felt like they just targeted the easiest complaints and went "here's how your crew escaped, here's some ability to argue with the catalyst, here's an epilogue, now shut up." You can't deny that the additions make it better, but it's the premise itself that we'll always hate. The scenes after the beam still feel disjointed. Anderson getting up there still doesn't make sense. The catalysts extra lines are just him repeating the same nonsense but in a different way. It still doesn't fit with the universe.

The ending I got was slightly hilarious to me to though. I literally laughed at it. After playing 3 hours of the game (and spending 2.9 hours looking at the exact same content as before) I was basically facepalming at the extended conversation with the catalyst. I was going to wander my way over to synthesis just to see how it was handled, but before I left I gave the catalyst my usual dose of some bullets. Much to my surprise, he yelled at me and I got an ending where we didn't end the cycle. It's by far the shortest ending of the bunch and feels completely tacked on.

I ended up doing the synthesis one next and it still doesn't really make sense. The extra scene with Liara putting your name up was a nice touch that finally adds some emotion to it, but the premise still blows.
 
I actually liked the new endings quite a bit. The new refusal ending is pretty good, theres a starchild scene after the credits where it shows that the next cycle successfully destroys the reapers because of data left by Liara.

The other endings are explained in such a way that they no longer give me headpounding headaches from the plotholes. The endings didnt change, but they are much better (crap). For what it is I think its pretty good.
 
I still don't know how anyone could support synthesis. That's a horrible fucking choice.

Why? My Shepard just gave everyone peace, unlimited access to knowledge and potential immortality. Seems like everyone makes out pretty well with Synthesis.
 
Why? My Shepard just gave everyone peace, unlimited access to knowledge and potential immortality. Seems like everyone makes out pretty well with Synthesis.

Your Shepard changed the genetic makeup of every individual in the universe against their will.
 
At least he didn't commit mass genocide against all synthetic life (probably against their will) and doom future generations to repeat the cycle again. I'm sure when the process begins again everyone will be glad Shepard didn't interfere with the free will of the masses.

Also, so what if they didn't get to choose? Unlike Shepard, they did not and never would have made it to the place where they would have been given the choice. Therefore Shepard, being the first and only one, earned the right to represent all organic life and make that choice.
 
At least he didn't commit mass genocide against all synthetic life (probably against their will) and doom future generations to repeat the cycle again. I'm sure when the process begins again everyone will be glad Shepard didn't interfere with the free will of the masses.

Also, so what if they didn't get to choose? Unlike Shepard, they did not and never would have made it to the place where they would have been given the choice. Therefore Shepard, being the first and only one, earned the right to represent all organic life and make that choice.

Bullshit I couldn't disagree with more. No one has ever, or ever could earn that right. Changing the DNA and biological nature of people and forcing them to be violated with synthetic components on any level against there will is fucking wrong.

And the control option doesn't doom anyone to repeat shit.
 
I couldn't find the cartoon I had saved off somewhere. Past due to sort my pictures folder, though I did find these that both gave me a chuckle back when the riots first started......

ME3_Reapers.jpg


ME3_endingpost.jpg


I will say, that ME was a good ride while it lasted, but at this point I'm pretty much done giving BW any more chances with it. They sold their souls to the EA devil and nothing will be the same again. I shudder when I think of what DA3 might end up like now with EA pulling the strings.

Maybe I'll go through ME1 & 2 again at some point, and just stop there. While some parts of 3 are ok, knowing where that particular ride ends just kills my motivation to go through the motions, knowing that it's all for absolutely nothing.

Those are both great. : D
 
Bullshit I couldn't disagree with more. No one has ever, or ever could earn that right. Changing the DNA and biological nature of people and forcing them to be violated with synthetic components on any level against there will is fucking wrong.

And the control option doesn't doom anyone to repeat shit.

I guess our philosophies are at odds then. Also, it's possible Synthesis isn't even against the will of the people. If the decision was a democratic one, maybe Synthesis, given the outcome, would be what people of the galaxy would choose?
 
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Yes, because clearly everyone in the galaxy was clamoring for the opportunity to be cyborgs....:rolleyes:

Its terrible that the options come down to 1) Genocide 2) Eugenics 3) Being Assimilated

My Shepard was supposed to be a badass who took on all odds, human, husk, reaper, and even political. I beat everything put before me and yet in the last 40 minutes the game tacks on a transhumanism theme instead of the spaceopera I had been playing for the last 2.5 games.
 
Yes, because clearly everyone in the galaxy was clamoring for the opportunity to be cyborgs....:rolleyes:

Its terrible that the options come down to 1) Genocide 2) Eugenics 3) Being Assimilated

My Shepard was supposed to be a badass who took on all odds, human, husk, reaper, and even political. I beat everything put before me and yet in the last 40 minutes the game tacks on a transhumanism theme instead of the spaceopera I had been playing for the last 2.5 games.

You can d) refuse. Everyone dies but the next cycle beats the reapers.
 
Got a late start last night and only played through the "red pill" option. Still a meh ending to an awesome franchise. The expanded conversation with the star child at least gave you some more insight, and the epilogue gave some additional needed information, it still was the same ending. I'll probably play through the others soon just to watch them. I think I'll start with refusal and pump the star child full of lead, just because!

In response to the folks asking about pre-beam added content, Bioware states you should load up a save before you assault Cerebus/Illusive Man to get the full expanded scenes, but that means you have to play through that shit hole of a mission that is London. Not sure I have that in me. Luckily, I have a save right at the beam, so I just have to shoot the 2 waves of husks/marauders and suffer through the citadel to see them.
 
Yes, because clearly everyone in the galaxy was clamoring for the opportunity to be cyborgs....:rolleyes:

Its terrible that the options come down to 1) Genocide 2) Eugenics 3) Being Assimilated

My Shepard was supposed to be a badass who took on all odds, human, husk, reaper, and even political. I beat everything put before me and yet in the last 40 minutes the game tacks on a transhumanism theme instead of the spaceopera I had been playing for the last 2.5 games.

Control isn't genocide. It's slavery. It alters the will of the Reapers and forces them to do Shepard's wishes. And one of the biggest annoyances and idiotic parts of the ending is that the Reapers being individually sentient is thrown out the window and ignored.

You can d) refuse. Everyone dies but the next cycle beats the reapers.

We don't know if the next cycle succeeds. I don't know how you got that. We just know the cycle continues, but some race does find one of Liara's message boxes.
 
I've never seen any company pull such a dramatic turn around on their reputation as Bioware did by releasing the subsequent tonnage of turds that are DA2, SWTOR, and ME3. Pissed away a good decade of positive branding in less than 5 years.
i'll be taking my money elsewhere until the product shows improvement.

Well said.
 
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