Mass Effect 3

[Fernando TD21]

all the endings are bull except the destroy the reapers, Shepard is fighting indoctrination... that's why when you destroy the reapers ending you see Shepard alive in the rubble on London, because he defeated the indoctrination.

This makes much more sense than the first theory about indoctrination that I read. But it still doesn't explain everything and some things can be argued. One problem is that with that ending (destroying the reapers) it still doesn't mean that Sheppard won the war, since the reapers were defeated only on his mind. This leaves an incomplete ending which IMO is still a bad ending. A DLC could fix this, but separating the real ending from the game would be a stupid decision.

There is a discussion about this on gamefaqs: http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/99548...2310308?page=5

[Xevious]

This makes much more sense than the first theory about indoctrination that I read. But it still doesn't explain everything and some things can be argued. One problem is that with that ending (destroying the reapers) it still doesn't mean that Sheppard won the war, since the reapers were defeated only on his mind. This leaves an incomplete ending which IMO is still a bad ending. A DLC could fix this, but separating the real ending from the game would be a stupid decision.

Right... so the game basically ends with Shepard either being indoctrinated or not. Either way, the war is still waging in full force with no real knowledge of what the crucible does or doesn't do. That's if this theory is correct.

I honestly just beat the game (damn I'm slow), so I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. Not sure what else to add at this point. I can see why so many people are upset. Either the end is incomplete as is, or it just downright sucks and makes little sense if you take everything literally.

[Kai]

double post oops

[Kai]

Joker can't dance at the club cuz it'll break every bone in his body but somehow can crash land on a planet and be okay.

[sehui]

This game...is such a disappointment to the series.

[Kai]

The ending is what killed it. Everything else was awesome, IMO.

[Xevious]

The ending is what killed it. Everything else was awesome, IMO.

Agreed. I'm still disappointed with the limited dialogue options, and how your choices are basically tallied into a "galactic readiness" number. But the game was really fun, with plenty of amazingly epic moments. It just sucks that we need theories to even explain what the the ending means.

[resistanze]

Agreed. I'm still disappointed with the limited dialogue options, and how your choices are basically tallied into a "galactic readiness" number. But the game was really fun, with plenty of amazingly epic moments. It just sucks that we need theories to even explain what the the ending means.

Yeah, WAY too much auto-dialogue. Combat system was of course improved, although I foudn the cover system a little too sticky for my liking.

Didn't like the fact you're forced to play multiplayer if you really want a high EMS. The journal was broken. For XBOX 360 the character import system is broken for anyone that imported a ME1 character.

However the game had its moments, and was solid for the most part. The ending was tragic though, and I can only assume they didn't have enough time to finish whatever they were going for.

ME1 > ME2 > ME3, imo.

[Darkwaters]

I love the indoctrination theory. It would truly be an amazing ending if it were the desired endstate. But I think that it's just us grasping at straws trying to make sense of a conclusion that was actually just garbage.

[Xevious]

Yeah, WAY too much auto-dialogue. Combat system was of course improved, although I foudn the cover system a little too sticky for my liking.

Didn't like the fact you're forced to play multiplayer if you really want a high EMS. The journal was broken. For XBOX 360 the character import system is broken for anyone that imported a ME1 character.

The multiplayer thing was addressed by the devs on the bioware forums. Playing multiplayer just makes it easier, but there's more than enough content in single player to max out your galactic readiness. I haven't even tried multiplayer in the full version yet. And I personally haven't had a problem with the import system, and I've imported from ME1 all the way to 3 on XBOX.

I don't know how I feel right now. This is still one of my favorite game franchises. I played ME1 and 2 countless times, but I just don't think I can play this one again. Which is a shame because it was really good. The ending just kills the entire experience. I guess I'll just wait for word from Bioware. Supposedly they tweeted that there's going to be an announcement sometime in April about an upcoming DLC or expansion. Hopefully it has something to do with the end.

[Darkwaters]

The soundtrack continues to rock.

Thats huge for me. In a game that is so much about storytelling the cinematics need to be spot on. A quality soundtrack contributes to that so much.

Really, the role playing throughout the game was well done. But so much of that came from the fact that I was invested in characters that I had started developing relationships with back in 2008 when I played ME1. The character development and interpersonal relationship development is excellent. When principle characters died it was almost a teary moment. Mordin getting blown up? That was my boy in ME2. Thane taking one through the stomache? My other comrade through the 2nd game.

The other aspect thats nice is how the role playing feels more genuine than many games. The "role playing" in games like Skyrim is piss poor...to be nice. Theres no character development in the standard Bethsoft game. And while theres a lot to be said about the wide open world of Skyrim or Fallout 3, the lack of memorable characters and interpersonal interactions paints their games as very...empty. Even despite all the visual beauty. But Bioware has been known for developing that model for as long as they've been around. Frankly, they learned from the best: Black Isle (Fallout 1/2, Baldur's Gate 1/2, Planescape Torment). So when they made Knights of the Old Republic (KotOR) they implemented a similar system that focused on interpersonal relationships. It's not a new thing for them...but for Bethesda, any form of dialogue is labored and painful. Frankly, they suck ass at it. But what allows ME to pull this off with such fluidity is the fact that the game incorporates 3 games worth of those interactions. Games like KotOR shuffle the deck each time with a new set of supporting characters...and sometimes even a new hero. Allowing those relationships to mature over several real years as well as multiple games did a lot.

To keep with the basis of true role playing, I appreciate what ME brought to the table. Games like KotOR offered similar options to develop the mindset and morals of a character. But KotOR was too focused on being "light side" or "dark side". There was no in between...mostly because Star Wars doesn't allow for it. But Mass Effect allowed for decisions that were both "right" based on varied moral perspectives and stances. Depending on the lens through which you viewed the world. Now, it gets pigeon holed into paragon and renegade...blah blah blah. But I personally would have done away with those scores and options entirely and just offered the decisions. Thats role playing...developing the morals and motivations of your character and playing them out. And allowing you to maintain the same principle character throughout 3 games and throughly explore those morals was nice.

ME has some major flaws. And the cookie cutter ending was downright weak and upsetting. But the experience of the game through that last fire fight was exemplary.

It's too bad the game closed on such a sour, piss poor note.

[resistanze]

The multiplayer thing was addressed by the devs on the bioware forums. Playing multiplayer just makes it easier, but there's more than enough content in single player to max out your galactic readiness. I haven't even tried multiplayer in the full version yet. And I personally haven't had a problem with the import system, and I've imported from ME1 all the way to 3 on XBOX.

I don't know how I feel right now. This is still one of my favorite game franchises. I played ME1 and 2 countless times, but I just don't think I can play this one again. Which is a shame because it was really good. The ending just kills the entire experience. I guess I'll just wait for word from Bioware. Supposedly they tweeted that there's going to be an announcement sometime in April about an upcoming DLC or expansion. Hopefully it has something to do with the end.

Yeah, but on the same forum there's threads of people disproving Bioware's claims. Some of the 'alternate' endings require > 4000 EMS and > 5000 EMS. Without multiplayer, this would require 8000-10000 Total Military Strength (with 0.5X multipier). By all accounts from players I've seen, this is not possible.

I've completed the game twice, only because the first time I didn't have my imported saved game. I only have the desire to pick up more achievements, but even that is getting stale. Tragic end to the trilogy, really.

[Fernando TD21]

[resistanze]

[Xevious]

Yeah, but on the same forum there's threads of people disproving Bioware's claims. Some of the 'alternate' endings require > 4000 EMS and > 5000 EMS. Without multiplayer, this would require 8000-10000 Total Military Strength (with 0.5X multipier). By all accounts from players I've seen, this is not possible.

Interesting. I haven't even seen any of the other endings. Everything on youtube I've looked up are the same three possible endings I've gotten, unless they are such small changes that I didn't notice.

EDIT: Ah okay... I didn't have the 5 second scene with Shepard waking up in the rubble.

[Fernando TD21]

Interesting. I haven't even seen any of the other endings. Everything on youtube I've looked up are the same three possible endings I've gotten, unless they are such small changes that I didn't notice.

If you have high enough EMS (I think if it's above 5000), you get the "secret scene" where Shepard destroys the Reapers but survives. That scene is used in some of the Indoctrination theories to explain that Shepard escapes the indoctrination by choosing to destroy the reapers.

I don't know why, but I can't get this ending. The first time I tried it, I didn't have enough EMS points. Then I read about the multiplayer being necessary to increase those points and I played some multiplayer games, but I still can't get that ending, even having more than 5000 EMS points. Not that I care too much if Shepard lives or not...

[Darkwaters]

That sums it up pretty well.

[redzero]

I thought this summed up Mass Effect 3 pretty well.

[Darkwaters]

It all makes sense finally!

So the dinosaurs were the first life on our planet...



As they advanced and grew in knowledge, they became intelligent creatures with established cultures, cities and communities.



But as time went on, and their technology grew, they became a warlike people and started fighting one another.





But soon they developed new strategies to fight one another....synthetic dinosaurs.





Fearing for the safety of new organic life, the Reapers came and harvested the dinos.






How else do you explain the extinction of the Dinosaurs?


I guess there are alternate theories...

[redzero]

http://consumerist.com/2012/04/congr...-for-2012.html

EA voted worst company of 2012.

[vander]

http://consumerist.com/2012/04/congr...-for-2012.html

EA voted worst company of 2012.

lol that's fantastic

[DarkReign]

lol that's fantastic

No, thats actually kind of pathetic.

[vander]

No, thats actually kind of pathetic.

well yeah, but I'm happy to see the public (of a sort) crying out against EA, I've hated them for a long time and until now I thought I was in an irrelevantly small minority, but perhaps not.

[Fernando TD21]

BioWare discusses Mass Effect 3 endings, DLC, and Tali's face

[resistanze]

^^ I need to watch this when I have time.

Did they provide any answers to their ass-backwards ending (and beginning for that matter)?