Mass Effect 3 SPOILERS THREAD

Mine went-

Mordin survives, Eve dies, genophage not cured.

I had no problem convincing Mordin to stage his death and not enact the cure with my renegade.

He introduced a flawed cure and faked his death then went to work with the crucible team.

That version of Shep is my total d-bag. He was my first import to ME3. He screwed the Krogan and
the Geth.

I was going to try my balanced Shep next and I've not been able to work up the desire to do it.
 
Last edited:
Blacklash said:
Mine went-

Mordin survives, Eve dies, genophage not cured.

I had no problem convincing Mordin to stage his death and not enact the cure with my renegade.

He agreed, introduced a flawed cure and faked his death then went to work with the crucible team.

That version of Shep is my total d-bag. He was my first import to ME3. He screwed the Krogan and
the Geth.

I was going to try my balanced Shep next and I've not been able to work up the desire to do it.
Click to expand...

After my earlier post I went and watched video on how to have Mordin survive. So you can go renegade and at least not betray your friend by shooting him in the back.
 
Dan_D said:
After my earlier post I went and watched video on how to have Mordin survive. So you can go renegade and at least not betray your friend by shooting him in the back.
Click to expand...

Yep, my renegade was able to argue with him and convince him "not to make a mistake due to guilt." He gets very angry at first and then relents.

I did not have to kill Mordin.
 
Blacklash said:
Mine went-

Mordin survives, Eve dies, genophage not cured.

I had no problem convincing Mordin to stage his death and not enact the cure with my renegade.

He introduced a flawed cure and faked his death then went to work with the crucible team.

That version of Shep is my total d-bag. He was my first import to ME3.

I was going to try my balanced Shep next and I've not been able to work up the desire to do it.
Click to expand...

I can't find myself to make decisions that make Shepard a D-bag. Maybe i'm too nice?
 
fdiaz78 said:
I can't find myself to make decisions that make Shepard a D-bag. Maybe i'm too nice?
Click to expand...

The idea is to enjoy the game so play him how you see fit.

When I played ME2 I ran three versions of Shep to the conclusion; chiefly paragon, fairly balanced and chiefly renegade.

I did that out of curiosity and I enjoyed doing it just to see what would happen.

Chiefly renegade can be very annoying at times, and at other times I found it very fulfilling.

Balanced Shep felt the most accurate and realistic to me.
 
Last edited:
fdiaz78 said:
I can't find myself to make decisions that make Shepard a D-bag. Maybe i'm too nice?
Click to expand...

Some of the renegade actions and responses are a lot of fun and aren't really so bad. Others make you feel like a shitty person for clicking on the choice. The Salarian Dalatrass calls Shepard a bully as he's walking out of the conference room and the renegade interrupt has him turn right back around and yell at her telling her that the threats are meaningless if they don't stop the Reapers. Truth is, she's a bitch and she deserved it. Another interrupt with Matriarch Atheyta has Shepard countering a threat made by her in regard to Liara and Atheyta responds quite well to it actually noting that Shepard may be good enough for her daughter after all. (Even if you have never romanced Liara in the past and are not currently in a relationship with her.)

Other actions simply lead down a path in which can't be avoided such as provoking Wrex into a confrontation on the Citadel. This no doubt results from not telling Wrex about the Dalatrass's deal to sabotage the genophage cure. What else sparks that is unknown to me, but it's clear that such an action may seem to work well in the beginning and then backfire on you later on. With Wrex in charge sabotaging the genophage seems pointless and doomed to back fire. If Wreav is in charge it's actually the prudent course of action given that he states his intent to seek revenge on those who wronged the Krogan afte the war with the Reapers is over. This may seem like the renegade choice, but I don't think it is given those circumstances.

I tend to play the Mass Effect games all the way paragon, then renegade, then knowing what each choice will bring, I play it by ear and just go with what feels right. This could bite you in the ass in the earlier two games as the non-commital route often left you with insufficient paragon or renegade points to deal with certain situations such as confrontations between crew members resulting in a loss of loyalty and death. This in fact happened to me in ME2 and eventually caused the death of Miranda Lawson. With this game, the reputation is a sliding scale, but the type of points do not matter. You can pick either renegade or paragon responses as long as you have enough reputation points. This route provides a more natural experience and a more personal one in this game. (Up until the shitty ending anyway.)
 
I didn't view Shep as me. I sort of regarded the process as my choices fleshing out a story about a guy named Shepard. I wanted to see and feel more than one version.

Honestly, most of time I do find anti-heroes and villains more compelling or interesting than extremely "good" characters.

Obviously, to each his own on that.
 
Blacklash said:
I didn't view Shep as me. I sort of regarded the process as my choices fleshing out a story about a guy named Shepard. I wanted to see and feel more than one version.

Honestly, most of time I do find anti-heroes and villains more compelling or interesting than extremely "good" characters.

Obviously, to each his own on that.
Click to expand...

When I played my immersion was deep. I loved the game even with the meh ending. I definitely got my moneys worth.

I connected with Shepard and found him to be practical, fair, loyal and he even had an caring emotional side. I guess my choices made him this way or he is generally this way? I don't know since I never played ME1 or ME2.

Personally I love a hero with some demons and an extremely intelligent and driven villain. The illusive man let me down at the end. After doing everything he did, he went down with a simple gunshot? No last minute struggle? or being blown to bits by the Reapers? A villian should always have an epic death.

In short, ME3 is the only game I actually had to stop myself from playing. Ending blows but the journey was a blast. Heck even multiplayer has its moments. Wish it had true multiplayer against other players. That would be fun.
 
fdiaz78 said:
When I played my immersion was deep. I loved the game even with the meh ending. I definitely got my moneys worth.

I connected with Shepard and found him to be practical, fair, loyal and even had an caring emotional side. I guess my choices made him this way or he is generally this way? I don't know since I never played ME1 or ME2.

Personally I love a Hero with some demons and an extremely intelligent and driven Villain. the illusive man kinda let me down at the end. After doing everything he did he went down with a simple gunshot? No last minute struggle or being blown to bits by the Reapers?

In short, ME3 is the only game I actually had to stop myself from playing due to RL commitments. Ending blows but the road there was a blast. Heck even multiplayer has its moments. Wish it had true multiplayer against other players. That would be fun.
Click to expand...

Essentially a renegade and paragon Shepard are motivated by the same forces to reach the same ultimate goal.

There are certain things about Shepard which are beyond your control to some extent. He or she is generally a good person regardless of your choices. Shepard has the galaxies best interest at heart and does what he or she does for all the right reasons, but what varies is their methods. A purely renegade Shepard is ruthless, calculating and often cold and prone to violence. However this isn't always the case. Who Shepard is dealing with and the circumstances often reveal a better person underneath. Towards a love interest both paragon and renegade Shepards tend to be open and quite caring. With friends and ship mates Shepard takes on a more matriarchal or patriarch type role and a military commander while a paragon Shepard treats his crew more as equals and has a more relaxed relationship with those who serve with him or her. Renegade Shepard is fairly big on tough love but is still fairly protective and caring when it involves his crew. Sacrificing them (which you can do and have to do at times) is tough for either type of Shepard even if it is for the greater good. A renegade Shepard seems less apt to admit the profound loss while a paragon Shepard tends to be less guarded.

Paragon Shepards are less aggressive most of the time and are more open and friendly. This form of Shepard tends to believe the goal can be reached while using more honorable methods. This type of Shepard tends to be more comforting and caring than the renegade Shepard. Renegade Shepards do what they do no matter the cost often choosing the easiest or most direct path to accomplish a goal while Paragon Shepards always do what's right. Renegade Shepards often have confrontations with individuals trying to seek revenge for circumstances in which Shepard may have wronged them. Paragon Shepards go to extra lengths to ensure they wrong no one if possible. One believes the ends justifies the means and will deal with the consequences later, while the other believes that the means must be justified, and if it isn't, the price is too high.

Reputation for Shepard differs a lot as a result of one extreme behavior or the other. Renegade Shepards are feared as well as respected, while paragon Shepards are admired and respected. One example of this is the Shepard VI in Mass Effect 3 found in the Refugee camp. The statements made by the VI are totally different based on Shepards reputation. The paragon VI is altruistic and polite offering words of encouragement or general advice. The renegade Shepard VI is abrasive and even recommends stealing it to obtain it. It asks to be downloaded into a mech so it can do some damage. It's advice is things like "The best strategy for war is having more bullets than the other guy."

You can take a middle ground approach too. This was passively discouraged in ME1 and ME2 based on how Paragon and Renegade points worked and their requirements for conversation options. In Mass Effect 3, both options are presented based on the total number of accumulated reputation points rather than the type of points. The confusing part is that in all three games, actions considered one or the other may not necessarily be wrong or right depending on how you view the situation. Paragon interrupts have Shepard yelling at people and punching them just as renegade interrupts often do. There is sometimes a difference in tone however. In ME2 Thane's son Kolyat is hired to kill someone running for public office. Renegade Shepard can shoot Kolyat in the leg to pacify him and end the threat. Paragon Shepard shoots something else, distracts Kolyat, runs up and then punches him in the face. While renegade conversations often involve threats, paragon choices sometimes do as well. In that same mission, when confronting a scum bag who hired the assasin, paragon conversation option indicates that Shepard could just easily kill the guy and go on with his business and that it would be best to provide him with the information. Renegade Shepard can choose to threaten him in an even more hostile manner and get out of there without actually hurting the guy. Or you can avoid those topics and use the renegade interrupts which have Shepard punching the guy in the face repeatedly until the guy cries and relents.

So often you've got a separation between renegade actions and conversation topics. The conversation topics just often have a difference in tone but aren't necessarily evil. Renegade actions are also sometimes beneficial. I can go on an on but morality isn't all that cut and dry in these games. The real difference in one extreme or the other often lies in tone and means, while the general motivation remains the same for all variants of Shepard.
 
I think in summary, Paragon Shepard believes the means on the way to an end matter, while Renegade Shepard believes the end justifies the means. Fair?
 
fdiaz78 said:
When I played my immersion was deep. I loved the game even with the meh ending. I definitely got my moneys worth.

I connected with Shepard and found him to be practical, fair, loyal and he even had an caring emotional side. I guess my choices made him this way or he is generally this way? I don't know since I never played ME1 or ME2.

Personally I love a hero with some demons and an extremely intelligent and driven villain. The illusive man let me down at the end. After doing everything he did, he went down with a simple gunshot? No last minute struggle? or being blown to bits by the Reapers? A villian should always have an epic death.

In short, ME3 is the only game I actually had to stop myself from playing. Ending blows but the journey was a blast. Heck even multiplayer has its moments. Wish it had true multiplayer against other players. That would be fun.
Click to expand...

Well the current most prominent theory is that the end of ME3 is a dream / hallucination as a result of indoctrination. Given the proximity of dozens or more Reapers on Earth at the time and many more in orbit, it is very likely. Shepard has also been around many Reaper artifacts often for long periods of time. Also the so called Renegade ending, if achieved with enough EMS (score of 4,000 or better) he or she wakes up injured but alive in the rubble in London. I doubt what we saw at the end of ME3 was the actual Illusive Man. For one thing, he didn't behave quite right, didn't look right and shouldn't have been able to get there so easily. Also the parallels with his end and Saren's in ME1 is too close. Its more likely a product of Shepard's psyche than an actual event. ME2 had the Illusive Man as a more central character to the story, and though he'd never admit it, I'd wager he's afraid to physically be where ever Shepard is. He never does in the entire game. He always spoke over a quantum entanglement communications device. Never in person. Cerberus is almost a monor foot note in ME1, but the experiments they performed were sick and twisted. So even going into ME2 where Shepard owes his life to Cerberus, the Illusive Man is well aware of Shepard's opinions about the organization. Their meetings are again performed over communications systems rather than in person for the Illusive Man's safety.

TwistedAegis said:
I think in summary, Paragon Shepard believes the means on the way to an end matter, while Renegade Shepard believes the end justifies the means. Fair?
Click to expand...

Yep.
 
Dan_D said:
Essentially a renegade and paragon Shepard are motivated by the same forces to reach the same ultimate goal.

There are certain things about Shepard which are beyond your control to some extent. He or she is generally a good person regardless of your choices. Shepard has the galaxies best interest at heart and does what he or she does for all the right reasons, but what varies is their methods. A purely renegade Shepard is ruthless, calculating and often cold and prone to violence. However this isn't always the case. Who Shepard is dealing with and the circumstances often reveal a better person underneath. Towards a love interest both paragon and renegade Shepards tend to be open and quite caring. With friends and ship mates Shepard takes on a more matriarchal or patriarch type role and a military commander while a paragon Shepard treats his crew more as equals and has a more relaxed relationship with those who serve with him or her. Renegade Shepard is fairly big on tough love but is still fairly protective and caring when it involves his crew. Sacrificing them (which you can do and have to do at times) is tough for either type of Shepard even if it is for the greater good. A renegade Shepard seems less apt to admit the profound loss while a paragon Shepard tends to be less guarded.

Paragon Shepards are less aggressive most of the time and are more open and friendly. This form of Shepard tends to believe the goal can be reached while using more honorable methods. This type of Shepard tends to be more comforting and caring than the renegade Shepard. Renegade Shepards do what they do no matter the cost often choosing the easiest or most direct path to accomplish a goal while Paragon Shepards always do what's right. Renegade Shepards often have confrontations with individuals trying to seek revenge for circumstances in which Shepard may have wronged them. Paragon Shepards go to extra lengths to ensure they wrong no one if possible. One believes the ends justifies the means and will deal with the consequences later, while the other believes that the means must be justified, and if it isn't, the price is too high.

Reputation for Shepard differs a lot as a result of one extreme behavior or the other. Renegade Shepards are feared as well as respected, while paragon Shepards are admired and respected. One example of this is the Shepard VI in Mass Effect 3 found in the Refugee camp. The statements made by the VI are totally different based on Shepards reputation. The paragon VI is altruistic and polite offering words of encouragement or general advice. The renegade Shepard VI is abrasive and even recommends stealing it to obtain it. It asks to be downloaded into a mech so it can do some damage. It's advice is things like "The best strategy for war is having more bullets than the other guy."

You can take a middle ground approach too. This was passively discouraged in ME1 and ME2 based on how Paragon and Renegade points worked and their requirements for conversation options. In Mass Effect 3, both options are presented based on the total number of accumulated reputation points rather than the type of points. The confusing part is that in all three games, actions considered one or the other may not necessarily be wrong or right depending on how you view the situation. Paragon interrupts have Shepard yelling at people and punching them just as renegade interrupts often do. There is sometimes a difference in tone however. In ME2 Thane's son Kolyat is hired to kill someone running for public office. Renegade Shepard can shoot Kolyat in the leg to pacify him and end the threat. Paragon Shepard shoots something else, distracts Kolyat, runs up and then punches him in the face. While renegade conversations often involve threats, paragon choices sometimes do as well. In that same mission, when confronting a scum bag who hired the assasin, paragon conversation option indicates that Shepard could just easily kill the guy and go on with his business and that it would be best to provide him with the information. Renegade Shepard can choose to threaten him in an even more hostile manner and get out of there without actually hurting the guy. Or you can avoid those topics and use the renegade interrupts which have Shepard punching the guy in the face repeatedly until the guy cries and relents.

So often you've got a separation between renegade actions and conversation topics. The conversation topics just often have a difference in tone but aren't necessarily evil. Renegade actions are also sometimes beneficial. I can go on an on but morality isn't all that cut and dry in these games. The real difference in one extreme or the other often lies in tone and means, while the general motivation remains the same for all variants of Shepard.
Click to expand...


Great post and thank you for taking the time to write that. The fact that we can discuss a video game with such great detail is really serves as a testament to the series. I read somewhere that they are going to make a movie but it will not be based on the video game which is a shame as it would actually be pretty good sans the ending.
 
fdiaz78 said:
When I played my immersion was deep. I loved the game even with the meh ending. I definitely got my moneys worth.

I connected with Shepard and found him to be practical, fair, loyal and he even had an caring emotional side. I guess my choices made him this way or he is generally this way? I don't know since I never played ME1 or ME2.

Personally I love a hero with some demons and an extremely intelligent and driven villain. The illusive man let me down at the end. After doing everything he did, he went down with a simple gunshot? No last minute struggle? or being blown to bits by the Reapers? A villian should always have an epic death.

In short, ME3 is the only game I actually had to stop myself from playing. Ending blows but the journey was a blast. Heck even multiplayer has its moments. Wish it had true multiplayer against other players. That would be fun.
Click to expand...

My favorite type of "good" character would be one that is fairly regular and an underdog. Someone like Ripley in Aliens. They're defined more by determination than uber physical assets.

In nerd AD&D terms I guess I'd go more for chaotic or neutral good :D

Yes, even my renegade Shep was loyal and defensive of some team members. He certainly put himself in danger often for what many might perceive as a desirable good. For him it wasn't just about the end justifying the means it was also about being true to his own core and convictions despite what others might label them. It was more important to be Shep than to be liked or loved. Dislike or disapproval wasn't going to prevent him from following his own moral compass. When he chose to do something others might approve of or praise, it was because he truly believed in doing it.

Yep, there are good deal of circumstances in the game where you're pretty much forced to do one thing or the other despite how nice or rude your dialogue choice may be. It's mostly about feel and cosmetics. Sometimes paragon or renegade choices are just about being rude or polite when getting something done.

I loved most all of the game too. I wasn't wild about running to some planets, doing a quick scan then running back to the Citadel. If felt almost meaningless. Yes, I know it had a practical payoff in the game.
 
Last edited:
fdiaz78 said:
Great post and thank you for taking the time to write that. The fact that we can discuss a video game with such great detail is really serves as a testament to the series. I read somewhere that they are going to make a movie but it will not be based on the video game which is a shame as it would actually be pretty good sans the ending.
Click to expand...

The movie they are making is called Mass Effect: Paragon Lost. It will center around James Vega and is rumored to take place sometime around the time Mass Effect 2 took place and will involve events alluded to in ME3 by Vega in conversations with Shepard concerning fighting agains the Collectors which were featured in Mass Effect 2.

Mass Effect has a lot of influence in it from all the major science fiction franchises dating back to Star Trek in 1967 and even has influences from classical stories dating back even further. There isn't really anything in the concept or themes of the stories that are wholly original. Though Mass Effect does often earn props for dealing with issues of race, gender and sexuality. In essence, most of it is a non-issue. Steve Cortez mentions having lost his husband in a Collector attack in Mass Effect 3. While this may actually be a shocking statement to the player, in the game no one treats the statement or the man any differently than if he has said "wife" instead of "husband." Even Shepards gender is largely ignored though that might be largely a game mechanic rather than design, with few exceptions being made. In one instance female Shepard responds differently to Garrus shooting Harkin in the leg than male Shepard would. She states; "I'd have shot him somewhere else." Male Shepard of course doesn't say that. Also one Blue Sun mercenary remarks on FemShep's appearance believing the armor and weapons are just for show and she's a stripper that got lost and ended up in the wrong room. Aside from these two exceptions gender is a non-issue.

It's a character driven story and if there is one thing that BioWare did right above all else is making characters which were compelling, interesting and multifaceted enough that you could come to care about them. I like most of the characters in Mass Effect or grew to like them as I got to know their stories. Even the villians and enemies are often sympathetic or tragic figures worthy of understanding and some sympathy as is the case with Matriarch Benezia and Saren Arterius. They were both good people once who fell to indoctrination and commited horrific acts. So while you may hate the characters at first or you are unable to understand them initially, or the actions of the character in the game, they remain compelling and interesting. This even extends to some characters encountered in side quests who despite their brief appearances may instill feelings of contempt, rage, etc. Some minor characters you even come to really like quite a bit. Some are funny and most are memorable in some sort of way. Some you absolutely hate and find nothing redeeming about them. Counselor Udina is a great example of that. I wanted to shoot him the first time I ever spoke to him in the game. This too is a testement to the work BioWare did. A villian or scumbag character you are supposed to hate isn't very effective if you don't hate him.

Blacklash said:
My favorite type of "good" character would be one that is fairly regular and an underdog. Someone like Ripley in Aliens. They're defined more by determination than uber physical assets.

In nerd AD&D terms I guess I'd go more for chaotic or neutral good :D

Yes, even my renegade Shep was loyal and defensive of some team members. He certainly put himself in danger often for what many might perceive as a desirable good. For him it wasn't just about the end justifying the means it was also about being true to his own core and convictions despite what others might label them. It was more important to be Shep than to be liked or loved. Dislike or disapproval wasn't going to prevent him from following his own moral compass. When he chose to do something others might approve of or praise, it was because he truly believed in doing it.

Yep, there are good deal of circumstances in the game where you're pretty much forced to do one thing or the other despite how nice or rude your dialogue choice may be. It's mostly about feel and cosmetics. Sometimes paragon or renegade choices are just that; are you going to rude or polite when getting this done?

I loved most all of the game too. I wasn't wild about running to some planets, doing a quick scan then running back to the Citadel. If felt almost meaningless. Yes, I know it had a practical payoff in the game.
Click to expand...

Even in my renegade playthrough of Mass Effect 2 there were certain things I didn't do because they just didn't seem right. At one point you can tell EDI she's equipment and not crew. I didn't do that because I didn't feel like it was true. Also you can make a comment to Dr. Chakawas about their rescue on the Collector ship and tell them you didn't come for them and that you are just here to complete the mission. You can disregard the safety of the non-squad member crew of the Normandy and send them back to the ship without protection. This will result in at least some deaths if you do that, but it improves your chances for the "hold the line" part of the mission. I didn't pick that conversation item or send them back alone. I picked: "no one gets left behind." So while my renegade Shepard was a bastard, he still usually treated his crew right. I chose more neutral or paragon options with them than anywhere else in the game. I felt like crap when I picked Morinth over Samara and I felt that again when I imported that Shepard into ME3 and got an E-Mail from Morinth in the game.
 
Last edited:
^^My renegade Shep also supported Morinth. I was disappointed that they made her a regular banshee at the end of ME3 with the tag "Morinth". I was hoping to see her appear at the ardat-yakshi monastery. I don't mind that she became a banshee and I wanted to see that played out or executed better.
 
Last edited:
Just finished the game this afternoon after making the decision on Sunday to do not much else until the reapers were killed.

I'm a little bit disappointed in the ending, but more for the execution than the writing. The reapers are dead and humanity gets to live on... those were my overarching goals.

I chose the destruction ending... did anyone else have a hard time being certain which ending they were initiating when given the choices by the Catalyst? There were 3 paths but I couldn't see how to tell which path was connected to which ending. I just turned right hoping that it was the destruction path and figuring I would turn around if the prompt didn't say "destruction" but the prompt didn't say anything aside from "power conduit". And when I tried to turn around to check the other paths I was locked in place.

So I lucked out in choosing the path for the decision I wanted. But how are you supposed to be able to tell which path is connected to which decision.
 
ballpoint said:
Just finished the game this afternoon after making the decision on Sunday to do not much else until the reapers were killed.

I'm a little bit disappointed in the ending, but more for the execution than the writing. The reapers are dead and humanity gets to live on... those were my overarching goals.

I chose the destruction ending... did anyone else have a hard time being certain which ending they were initiating when given the choices by the Catalyst? There were 3 paths but I couldn't see how to tell which path was connected to which ending. I just turned right hoping that it was the destruction path and figuring I would turn around if the prompt didn't say "destruction" but the prompt didn't say anything aside from "power conduit". And when I tried to turn around to check the other paths I was locked in place.

So I lucked out in choosing the path for the decision I wanted. But how are you supposed to be able to tell which path is connected to which decision.
Click to expand...

You really can't. And the endings are virtually identical anyway. For the most part the only thing that's changed is the color of the energy and explosions that hit the mass relays. However if your EMS was high enough the renegade ending shows Shepard waking up in London in a pile of rubble. No other ending shows that. The endings are full of plot holes and bullshit anyway.
 
Dan_D said:
You really can't. And the endings are virtually identical anyway. For the most part the only thing that's changed is the color of the energy and explosions that hit the mass relays. However if your EMS was high enough the renegade ending shows Shepard waking up in London in a pile of rubble. No other ending shows that. The endings are full of plot holes and bullshit anyway.
Click to expand...

Here's a color comparison of all endings at once
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPelM2hwhJA

I was ~400 short of getting that special ending. Meh...
 
Watching some vids on Youtube you can tell which way to go by watching the examples shown. I sort of figured this was how you were supposed to tell... I kind of tuned out during that part of the ending on my playthrough. What I'm wondering now is why was there video/thought-projection of Anderson choosing the left choice (synthesis?) and Elusive Man making the middle choice (control) and Sheppard making the right-hand choice (destroy)? Between that and waking up in the rubble after the destruction ending I think it's quite possible the ending of ME3 retail was some kind of dream or illusion.
 
ballpoint said:
Watching some vids on Youtube you can tell which way to go by watching the examples shown. I sort of figured this was how you were supposed to tell... I kind of tuned out during that part of the ending on my playthrough. What I'm wondering now is why was there video/thought-projection of Anderson choosing the left choice (synthesis?) and Elusive Man making the middle choice (control) and Sheppard making the right-hand choice (destroy)? Between that and waking up in the rubble after the destruction ending I think it's quite possible the ending of ME3 retail was some kind of dream or illusion.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Plenty of information in the thread as to why that's most likely the case.
 
You really have to wonder what they were thinking. I'd rather ME3 had ended on a TBC cliffhanger, and then continued in an add-on, than offer a "fake" ending and then redo it in an add-on anyway.
 
Litfod said:
You really have to wonder what they were thinking. I'd rather ME3 had ended on a TBC cliffhanger, and then continued in an add-on, than offer a "fake" ending and then redo it in an add-on anyway.
Click to expand...

I'll be content as long as they do something with the ending. They can't really make it any worse so I really hope they put all the creativity they can muster into something proper.

If their intent was to have a "fake ending" all along and the current ending really is a cliffhanger (illusion, hallucination, whatever), then that could be neat.

I know people like to hate on BioWare, but I really think they have quality writers. Saying that, of course, means 1) I should have confidence that they know what they're doing, and 2) that they have the ability to fix the ending even if they did unintentionally do a bad job the first time.
 
video-game-memes-theres-no-way-the-mods-let-this-through.jpg


Whether they planned it or not, that's how I feel about it.
 
Maybe it'll turn out that Shepard is still experiencing the Prothean vision from the beginning of ME1 and nothing since then has actually happened, so now they get to do the whole series over.
 
Litfod said:
Maybe it'll turn out that Shepard is still experiencing the Prothean vision from the beginning of ME1 and nothing since then has actually happened, so now they get to do the whole series over.
Click to expand...

The Phillip K. Dick screw you it was all a dream idea? No thanks.
 
Q-BZ said:
The Phillip K. Dick screw you it was all a dream idea? No thanks.
Click to expand...

Yeah no thanks. I can handle the ending being a dream, but everything? NO. In fact the dream sequences and some comment about the stargazer at the end I caught by accident had me worried that everything was going to be a dream and not real. It's a game so it's not real anyway, but to relegate the detailed and engrossing Mass Effect universe to a fucking dream of some mad man would have pissed me off to no end. I might have even hated that worse than the ending we actually got.

Good news BTW: http://kotaku.com/5895215/bioware-is-working-on-a-modified-mass-effect-3-ending

Now let's just hope they can get it right this time.
 
Last edited:
Well they're officially working on something, but we'll hear more in April

http://blog.bioware.com/2012/03/21/4108/

Building on their research, Exec Producer Casey Hudson and the team are hard at work on a number of game content initiatives that will help answer the questions, providing more clarity for those seeking further closure to their journey. You’ll hear more on this in April. We’re working hard to maintain the right balance between the artistic integrity of the original story while addressing the fan feedback we’ve received. This is in addition to our existing plan to continue providing new Mass Effect content and new full games, so rest assured that your journey in the Mass Effect universe can, and will, continue.
Click to expand...

My opinion has always been Indoc. theory was what they were going for with the ending to begin with, but even if it wasn't I definitely see them going that way with the "artistic integrity of the original story" line. That way they can keep the ending we see in the game, but just add on afterwards.


Edit: and also this https://twitter.com/#!/masseffect/status/182517553602629633
 
Last edited:
They better do more than simply "explain" the ending.

I think they are still simply saying anything just to try and calm the storm while they can, and they're hoping this statement of vagueness will buy them some time to ride out the storm.

I don't think they understand just the sort of people they are dealing with. If anything, the storm is only going to get worse from what I can see. Should be interesting to see how the sales are going after the first week. With Amazon and BestBuy accepting returns on the opened game packages, it sends an interesting message to EA.
 
I agree with Limahl's comments, this is a way to buy time...

If they had not already had this Indoc/Dream/cliff hanger ending planned and wanted the frenzy to happen in the public, then release a true ending(s) to the game... then we will not see anything worthwhile out of this but more bullshit and lies from bioware.

They were arrogant and greedy. Planned to sucker us into DLC and didn't see the reality of their greedy decisions. They were/are planning movies, acting like rockstars in interviews and media... now the hate from their fan base and it's like someone tripped them on the red carpet and reality showed up.
 
I have said as much before. I think EA shoved this out the door before BioWare wanted it pushed out. Whether or not there was additional content that was cut, who knows? I doubt we'll ever get the truth out of EA/BioWare on that one. I think this whole thing has been to sell DLC and buy time for the rest of the game's completion. This crap is too abrupt and awkward to be their true plan. Then again maybe I'm giving them too much credit.

This is the problem with selling your company to a conglomerate which is publicly traded like EA. You have to do things on their terms and have no control over your own intellectual property. On the upside you have access to better marketing, money and resources, but important control is lost.
 
I don't like the sound of that article. It comes across as if BioWare is just trying please its fans. That's cool and all, but I'd prefer it if BioWare was one step ahead of all us. Making DLC to explain the ending is silly. Heck, the ending makes plenty of sense when you consider some of the theories floating around.

I agree that BioWare needs to add to the ending, not just explain it.
 
Yar, it's looking more and more to me like the ending was planned to be done in this style to create a demand for future DLC. I mean, the game itself is excellent throughout until that stumble at the end.

I saw a Casey Hudson quote that hinted more Shepherd related information would be released, I'll grab it when I get home and paste it in here (work filter prevents me from accessing their forum).
 
Mass Effect 3 - "Apology" from Bioware?

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_...pology-bioware-co-founder-releases-statement/

As co-founder and GM of BioWare, I'm very proud of the ME3 team; I personally believe Mass Effect 3 is the best work we've yet created. So, it's incredibly painful to receive feedback from our core fans that the game's endings were not up to their expectations. Our first instinct is to defend our work and point to the high ratings offered by critics - but out of respect to our fans, we need to accept the criticism and feedback with humility.
Click to expand...
 
Elios said:
PR whitewash
lots of talking with out really saying any thing
only reason there doing ANY THING by April is PAX East they know they cant get away the PR stone wall there
Click to expand...

Yeah, there is nothing said there. In fact, he repeatedly goes back to the "great" reviews given by critics - who I assume didn't have the time to play the game all the way to it's conclusion prior to writing their reviews.

And unfortunately it shows that he is missing the point for the most part - I think almost EVERYONE who has played it agrees: it is an incredible game, in many ways the best of the series. Except for the end!
 
LOL it wouldn't surprise me if BioWare tries to make up for this by going overboard with the sexual stuff. The real question is, of course, who's left to have sex with? After all the destruction there's just a pile of corpses. . ..
 
The fact that 2 major retailers are accepting returns on the game, even when it's opened speaks volumes I think, and EA can't ignore that, especially if Amazon/BB can then avoid paying EA any of the profits of the original sales.

Any hit to the EA bottom line will not please the bean counters there, or the shareholders who own stock.

They'll keep trying to deflect and ignore as long as they can, and I'm guessing that whole PAX panel may well end up mysteriously "cancelled" due to some unforseen problem. AKA, they're too scared shitless to confront the pissed off mob directly. Even if it does happen, you can bet the speakers will have pre-written response cards penned by EA uppers who are telling them what to say like robots, and any question that really digs deep will get the usual PR deflection to "art" and "vision" and avoid all relevancy to "bullshit". ;)

Just how I see it, others may not agree, and thats fine. However it ends up, it's an interesting conflict to watch since no one really knows how it will end up in the long term.

Zero Punctuation got their review up finally if anyone hasn't seen it yet......

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/5497-Mass-Effect-3
 
J W said:
LOL it wouldn't surprise me if BioWare tries to make up for this by going overboard with the sexual stuff. The real question is, of course, who's left to have sex with? After all the destruction there's just a pile of corpses. . ..
Click to expand...

From Ashes II DLC: The ending to ME3 was in fact a dream/hallucination. Shepard finally makes it up to the Catalyst, where he is given the ability to have sex with corpses to bring them back to life. Epic humping of dead bodies brings Earth back to life and Shepard is hailed as the Messiah. :D
 
J W said:
Limahl,

can't see it right now. What did they say?
Click to expand...

"Yatzee: I hate Trilogies and am not a fan of Mass Effect MEH."
oh and he took a cheap shot at every one hating on the ending saying there all fanboys that hate it because its the end

some thing tells me he didnt finish it or only got 1 or 2 options he admits to making a speed run and not doing side quests
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top