I liked the Mass Effect 3 ending.

[CaptainKoala]

**Obviously this is going to be spoiler-rific**

I just finished Mass Effect 3 (I'm super late, I know), and I managed to avoid getting the ending spoiled for me, except for the fact that it was apparently really bad. And having just finished it I don't see what everybody was so upset about.

Spoiler: My ending went something like this

I chose to control the Reapers, because if I destroyed them the cycle would just start all over in the next generation of people which would make all 3 games pointless, and I didn't do synthesis because it seemed kind of douchey to make that kind of choice without anybody's consent on the issue.

Sheapard dies sacrificing himself for the survival of every living thing everywhere, the rest of his squad lives on and his sacrifice is never forgotten.

Can somebody explain to me what was so bad about it?
I do realize that the choice you make has little effect on the ending but that doesn't necessarily make it a bad one.

 

[Valis7]

No one is saying you're not allowed to like the ending. But if you want to know why the ending is objectively bad and horribly written look here:


Yup, loooooog vid, but most of the points are valid. The story followed a logical patern that was thrown out the window during the last 10 minutes.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Silly Koala, that's a weird way of saying how much you hated the ending.

In a game franchise that prides itself on choice and the consequences of those choices, having an ending that thematically goes against those choices makes it a poor ending.

Also, it's been established that the ending was written by two guys, with no input by any of the rest of the team.

And it shows.

 

[tippy2k2]

Could you explain why you liked it? There is a big difference between indifference and liking (which your last sentence makes you sound indifferent to the ending; I apologize in advance if I'm presuming too much here).

I liked the ending for reasons that I'm getting sick of explaining so I would like to hear what you have to say.

 

[Jason Rayes]

Can somebody explain to me what was so bad about it?
I do realize that the choice you make has little effect on the ending but that doesn't necessarily make it a bad one.

I didn't solve it until after the shit hit the fan about the ending either, by the time I finally got it the extended cut was released, and while the ending wasn't what I'd hoped for it certainly wasn't as bad as the shit storm of fan loathing and hatred made out. I avoided spoilers until after I solved it, apparently before the extended cut not a great deal was explained about what happened in the ending, and a lot of contradictory stuff happened and then the game just went abruptly to credits with your crew stranded on a strange planet and all the Mass Relays destroyed. I probably would have been a bit nonplussed if this was the ending I got, but the EC ending wrapped things up enough that I was ok with it. It certainly wasn't enough to make me hate the 70 odd hours it had taken me to get to that point and most definitely not enough to make me hate the whole series, which, with multiple play throughs, had given my hundreds of hours of entertainment by this point.

Spoiler

I chose the same ending as you did, I know a lot of people consider "Destroy" to be the "good" ending because Shephard can live in that one, if your GR is sufficient. But I had just spent a couple of games working toward making peace with the Geth and the Quarians so to me this seemed like a pretty bad choice. Besides I felt that from about halfway through the games story the plot was heavily foreshadowing that Shepherd wasn't going to make it. For me a lot of the goodbyes with your crew mates seemed an awful lot like final goodbyes. The increasingly grim reality of the war with the Reapers and its cost weighs pretty heavy on Shephard and to be honest a lah de dah hearts and flowers Hollywood ending at this stage would have felt like a cop out. After all Shephard has sacrificed throughout the trilogy I found it kind of fitting that he would make the ultimate sacrifice to bring peace.

 

[CaptainKoala]

Could you explain why you liked it? There is a big difference between indifference and liking (which your last sentence makes you sound indifferent to the ending; I apologize in advance if I'm presuming too much here).

I liked the ending for reasons that I'm getting sick of explaining so I would like to hear what you have to say.

I liked the ending because it worked. Shepard died, I'm fine with that. In fact I think I would have liked the ending a little bit less if Shepard made his decision, hopped on the Normandy, and flew away in the sunset, because it would make the choice he made feel less significant. The fact that Shepard gave his life intentionally for the greater good just speaks more about him as a character. It exemplifies his selflessness and willingness to do absolutely anything if it means a better life for someone else.

I like the idea that (in the case of the Control ending) Shepard isn't truly dead, though. He lives on through the embodiment of the Reapers, on an eternal mission to ensure peace in the whole galaxy.

And I loved the ending scene, with the Stargazer and the kid. I can't remember who said this but there is a famous quote that goes something like this. "There are two deaths in this life, one when your body dies, and the other is the last time anybody mentions your name."
This is my favorite part about the ending, because Shepard dies physically, making his decision seem more significant, but the memory of him and what he did will live on forever.

 

[votemarvel]

Can somebody explain to me what was so bad about it?

While the Reapers had always been a threat, they had also always taken a back seat to the characters and Shepard's interaction with them. You weren't saving the galaxy for all those untold trillions, you were saving it because of your buddy Garrus or your love smurf.

So to take that away right at the end was a very odd choice at best.

Raising interaction again. Shepard didn't interact with the hologram kid in the shipped ending, Shepard listened and meekly accepted the word of something that had just confessed to orchestrating the worst genocide in creation.

Synthetics will always destroy organics? Hold on I've just brokered peace between the quarians and the geth, I'm pretty sure my pilot is getting jiggy with the ship and the Protheans defeated the machine race they were fighting.

Even putting that aside for a moment. Hologram kid promised three results with three vastly different outcomes, what we were shown were three endings which were virtually identical.

Perhaps the worst thing for me was the changing of the status quo of the Reapers. They went from the unknowable and unstoppable force, where each ship is an independent nation, to being something that is controlled by a single AI and is really quite easy to understand (even if it is nonsense.)

The free Extended Cut DLC went some-way to clearing up the problems I had with the endings but my big irritant is still there.

 

[DioWallachia]

Ignoring the fact that even the rest of the game is quite clunky on its execution (like for example, how the Quarians are acting so stupidly that its not even a dilemma when one chooses the Geth over them. They were asking for it), AND the fact that any loose ends of significance are not tied up like the "planned" trilogy like it was supposed to be, the ending is quite filled with so many plot holes that is not even funny.

Here is what the endings was before the extended cut:

Spoiler

And AFTER the extended cut:

Spoiler

 

[Hawkeye 131]

Being a HUGE Mass Effect fan I could go on and on and on about why the ending(s) in general were so bad however, I don't care to discuss this much further considering how far after release this is and how EXTENSIVELY the ending has been shown to be an utter piece of shit by both passionate fans and the press. Yeah that Indoctrination Theory is there for the people still grasping for straws to try to make sense of what the heck the ending was all about but, BioWare has gone on the record saying that Shepard wasn't indoctrinated and SERIOUSLY it would be very stupid if after it was all said and done Shepard just woke up and was like "Oh that was all just a dream?" It would never fit with the established canon, lore, themes and story. Anyway, there are some great video's on the web that can sum up the MASSIVE amount of problems with ME3 in a more appropriate, logical and straight forward way than I care to.

Mass Effect 1 is still my all-time favorite game however, I seriously think about how Mass Effect 3 shouldn't even be considered "canon" and should never have happened and I wish it would just go die in a hole somewhere with the rest of BioWare as EA is the true "Reaper" of once great video game studios. I'm almost at the point where I think I should dedicate my life to building a time travel device and go back in time to 2009 to prevent EA from buying BioWare and then cutting Casey Hudson and Mac Walter's brake lines... Nah, on second thought I'm no murderer... Plus I have better things to do with my time.

But seriously Casey and Mac will never be looked at both professionally and personally the same way ever again. They have almost single handedly ruined an entire franchise in under 10 minutes, George Lucas would be FUCKING proud of how badily they've fucked their own universe. Good luck to whoever is writing the story for the new Mass Effect game cause unless it's a prequel or takes place during the events of the first two games they're fucked. Adding insult to injury the WHOLE time this was happening they SCREAMED and HOWLED "Artistic Integrity". A true artist (regardless of the medium or genre), listens to their audience's feedback, positive and negative.

Yeah the Extended Cut DLC was appreciated but the damage is already done and at best it just polishes a turd.

Anyway, perfect time to get back into Halo!!!

-Hawk

 

[AD-Stu]

Without wanting to get into the whole discussion again, I suspect there's probably a few factors that make your experience a little different to the one everyone else had back in March:

First, I'm assuming you finished the game with the extended content patch? While it doesn't radically alter the tone or content of the endings, it does smooth over a few of the glaring plot holes and other issues that had people up in arms.

Second, most people went into the original ending expecting it to be awesome in some way or other. You, on the other hand, have had your expectations lowered significantly. I think if we'd all been told ahead of time that the ending was going to be terrible then the outcry mightn't have been so bad either.

 

[StormShaun]

*Keeps hitting Mass Effect 3 over the head*

No Mass Effect 3, your moment is over! Move over for games like Assassins Creed 3 and Halo 4 and keep your topics out of this month!

I didn't mind the extended cut ending, I didn't mind it...I finished it and I was like. "Well...that was anti climatic." and then it ended and now I don't care anymore because games like AC3 and Halo 4 are coming out...which I care more about.

The ending will be one of the things that stains Bioware and EA for a long time, and it will definitely change some or most people's opinions on them.

It's kind of sad that this thing happened in the first place. -_-

 

[CaptainKoala]

Second, most people went into the original ending expecting it to be awesome in some way or other. You, on the other hand, have had your expectations lowered significantly. I think if we'd all been told ahead of time that the ending was going to be terrible then the outcry mightn't have been so bad either.

Of all the things I've heard people say about the ending, this one probably explains the best why I feel so lonely over here in the non-hate camp. I must admit, my expectations were quite low. In fact I was told by some friends of mine that it wasn't much better than "Then Shepard woke up and it was all a dream."

I found the ending to be significantly better (Yes I did have Extended Cut), and in fact I found the ending to be satisfying, not perfect, but I liked it.

 

[DioWallachia]

Could you explain why you liked it? There is a big difference between indifference and liking (which your last sentence makes you sound indifferent to the ending; I apologize in advance if I'm presuming too much here).

I liked the ending for reasons that I'm getting sick of explaining so I would like to hear what you have to say.

I liked the ending because it worked. Shepard died, I'm fine with that. In fact I think I would have liked the ending a little bit less if Shepard made his decision, hopped on the Normandy, and flew away in the sunset, because it would make the choice he made feel less significant. The fact that Shepard gave his life intentionally for the greater good just speaks more about him as a character. It exemplifies his selflessness and willingness to do absolutely anything if it means a better life for someone else.

I like the idea that (in the case of the Control ending) Shepard isn't truly dead, though. He lives on through the embodiment of the Reapers, on an eternal mission to ensure peace in the whole galaxy.

And I loved the ending scene, with the Stargazer and the kid. I can't remember who said this but there is a famous quote that goes something like this. "There are two deaths in this life, one when your body dies, and the other is the last time anybody mentions your name."
This is my favorite part about the ending, because Shepard dies physically, making his decision seem more significant, but the memory of him and what he did will live on forever.

No matter what option you choose, all of them are provided by The Catalyst whom we dont trust but Shepard does for no reason. Even if the kid symbolises the people that Shepard couldnt save, it would be more logical for the hologram to represent people that died and that you knew closer, like:

Spoiler

Anderson, Your love interest if it was killed by Harbinger with low EMS, Thane, Legion or Tali, Ashley or Kaiden

The God child is supposed to be an ancient AI, it should be able to come up with something that doesnt require Shepard at all.

Shepard may be noble for you but there is no nobility in choosing the options that your worst enemy gives to you. Imagine if the Emperor of Star Wars: Return of The Jedi said: "If you give me your lightsaber, i promise to turn back my army and abandon my power hungry ways forever. Trust me, i am evil (wink) " In fact, it is quite irresponsible and selfish to just die in the greatest hour of need. If Shep did as you said: "if Shepard made his decision, hopped on the Normandy, and flew away in the sunset, it would make the choice he made feel less significant" it would actually make sense because, after all, we dont know what the Catalyst was supposed to do and could have been another trap by the Reapers just like The Citadel in ME1. He HAD to be alive even longer to make sure that he didnt fuck up the galaxy "Space Magic" style.

Even the "Refusal" ending feels rushed even if its logical that Shep WOULDNT accept such display of stupidity in part of the AI, they still dont give you the chance to fight until you die if you had the highest EMS, and therefore, the biggest galactic army ever. All die because the plot said so even if we killed a goddammed Spider Reaper with a Cain in London. What reasons are there to NOT win without the Crusible?

 

[DioWallachia]

-Hawk

Spare yourself the pain of another Halo and wait for the release of Thief 4 (or just play IJI, Thief 2: The Metal Age, and Sacrifice)

Anyway, i dont know about you but i believe Mac and Casey WILL keep their jobs anyway given that there is still people who believe that BW didnt die after being purchased by EA or that they are the same people who made Baldurs Gate. The ammount of CoD fans that the marketing has brainwashed into thinking that this game is a better experience to the Modern Warfare AND the BW fans that didnt see this shit coming in DA2, gives more than enough numbers to cover the expenses of Mass Effect 4. Its too late even with ALL the evidence against their competence.

I dont even know what is the point of claiming "Artistic Integrity" because even before the ending, the game falls appart in so many ways that its not even funny. Worse, given the infamous quote of Casey "So Video-Gamey" Hudson, it seems that he was disatisfied with the product that HE produced all along. It puts to question why, if he thought that there is nothing of value ALREADY in the series, didnt he changed the game to reflect its "vision" since ME1 or even at the beggining of ME3.

 

[Jason Rayes]

Without wanting to get into the whole discussion again, I suspect there's probably a few factors that make your experience a little different to the one everyone else had back in March:

First, I'm assuming you finished the game with the extended content patch? While it doesn't radically alter the tone or content of the endings, it does smooth over a few of the glaring plot holes and other issues that had people up in arms.

Second, most people went into the original ending expecting it to be awesome in some way or other. You, on the other hand, have had your expectations lowered significantly. I think if we'd all been told ahead of time that the ending was going to be terrible then the outcry mightn't have been so bad either.

This is essentially true for me as well. My expectations were pretty low. I didn't even buy it until the the EC came out. When the ending finally rolled on I was kind of like "Well, that wasn't as bad as all that".

OT: What I found surprising was that people were so worked up over there being 3 endings. People LOVE Dragon Age and it had just three endings. I do realise we were promised something more, but game designers along with people in almost any other field of artistic endeavour often fail to deliver on all of their promises. Peter Molyneux has made a career out of it. I was disappointed that choice didn't play more of a part in the ending but it was not enough to destroy the entire series for me. Ive read of numerous people selling their collections of Mass Effect after the ending which Ive kind of felt was over the top. I mean if they managed to make it through all 3 games they must have liked the overall experience to make it that far. I know for me that was a few hundred hours. Im not going to let ten minutes taint those hundreds of hours of enjoyment.

 

[Hawkeye 131]

-Hawk

-Snip

I dont even know what is the point of claiming "Artistic Integrity" because even before the ending, the game falls appart in so many ways that its not even funny. Worse, given the infamous quote of Casey "So Video-Gamey" Hudson, it seems that he was disatisfied with the product that HE produced all along. It puts to question why, if he thought that there is nothing of value ALREADY in the series, didnt he changed the game to reflect its "vision" since ME1 or even at the beggining of ME3.

Oh I'm sure both Casey and Mac won't lose their jobs, for the most part I think both BioWare and EA still see Mass Effect 3 as a heralding success. I mean all EA has to do is look at their balance sheets and BioWare (as they first did), point towards the "75 Perfect Review Scores". I just mean whatever they do in terms of gaming, this whole fiasco will ALWAYS be with them.

And I totally agree with you that the problems with ME3 started LONG before the endings. For the sake of the OP I just stuck to the endings. When you really look at ME3 the problems just start stacking up i.e. certain prior choices/consequences are completely ignored, complete lack of exploration, hectic cover system, buggy character import system, the list goes on and on and on and on. I also agree that most of us should have seen this coming after the DISATER that was Dragon Age 2.

As for Halo I've been a HUGE fan of the universe since Halo: CE so I'm really looking forward to Halo 4.

-Hawk

 

[The Madman]

I only finally got around to playing the game recently myself and even with my own lowered expectations and the extended ending, I still found it disappointing.

The entire idea of the 'Catalyst' or whatever was stupid to begin with mind you. All the way back when Mass Effect 1 was released people were worried the developers were just going to have some magical mcguffin pop up to beat the Reapers and sure enough that's exactly what happens.

"Oh, what'dya know, at the last moment we just happen to have found this awesome thing thing that supposedly can beat the reapers. How convenient."

I would have much preferred if instead of that the game was instead focused on uniting the races and fighting, making sacrifices when necessarily but 'earning' your survival, not just constructing some thingy that lets you win. With Sovereigns death after all we know the Reapers are not invincible, just as we know the Protheans gave their peoples lives in the hope of giving the next generation a chance at fighting these things. The Protheans broke the circle, the Reapers couldn't do their usual plan of destroying the central infrastructure and taking the systems out one by one. No, because of the Protheans and Shepards efforts they've got to fight for their victory this time and powerful and ancient or not they *can* be killed.

Making it so that there's some thingy that wins for you just cheapens it.

Ah well, all that said I think the worst thing about Mass Effect 3's ending is that magical mcguffin aside it was really, really good right up to the end. Hell even right at the final moments it was fantastic. Then there's the whole 'star child' thing and all your choices are reduced to a serious of colours and... yeah, lame.

Still despite the ending I very much liked Mass Effect 3, it's just a shame I've got to make up a more satisfying end in my mind rather than playing it.

 

[Catface Meowmers]

I also just finished the game (last night!). I actually really liked the idea of the Reapers as the First Synthetics. I thought the whole Quarians vs. Geth story arc was a good way to integrate the theme, as EDI's story did on a smaller scale.

I thought the Reapers became very interesting as a reflection of the flaws of their creators. They talked shit about us organics being locked into inevitable cycles of destruction, but basically they kept killing every advanced civilization because they were afraid that organics would try to destroy them the same way their creators did (I assume something similar to the Quarians turning on the Geth happened between the Reapers and their creators, with the Reapers winning and possibly retreating, only to be attacked by the next generation of organics).

There was also a very Dune-ish vibe about the inevitability of artificial intelligence turning on its creator, but I don't know enough about the Butlerian Jihad to know if that was a self-defense type of situation (I quit reading the prequels after the first book . . . ugh).

That being said, I feel like a lot of this is inference on my part, I tend to flesh out stories like this in my head. I do think they could've done a lot better to flesh out the Reapers' motivations. I didn't feel like I got much from that convo with the dying Reaper earlier in the game, it seemed like more of a "we're mysterious so I guess you'll have to keep playing!"

Bottom line: there's enough bits and pieces for someone like me to create their own decent story, but most of it came in the last couple minutes of exposition, which apparently was a new update. I feel like we should've been doing a lot more learning about the Reapers over the course of the last game.

 

[DioWallachia]

I feel like we should've been doing a lot more learning about the Reapers over the course of the last game.

Dont you mean during the course of ME2? because STOPPING the invasion should have been the action of ME3, and LEARNING how to stop it should have been ME2 plot.

 

[Product Placement]

...oh no. Not this again.

Where were you, months ago, when this thread topic was being done to death?

It's pretty clear by now that people have very firmly footed opinions about the Mass Effect ending, and any invitation to readdress it is just gonna cause more grief.