I'm....not sure if I'd prefer choices or not (I don't really count the choices it gives you since I've been told that you essentially get the same ending no matter which you go with).
I don't think I would like an ending with choices for this particularly trilogy. However, I do wish that your choices throughout the game affected the ending (see ME2 for a great example with the suicide mission) and you got to see what exactly happened to your squad-mates (think Fallout 3/New Vegas type ending).
Programming something THAT epic would probably be a ***** (easy to do when it's just one fallout game) but that would be the ultimate goal and much more in line to what you saw the game as (choice->consequences). I do think though that technical limitations at this moment will prevent a game like that, forcing the rail-roading I talked about previously.
Cling to your delusions. I dont think they'll release a Ending DLC.
For one, only hardcore fans are going to buy it. Everyone else will feel like a total sucker for spending money on a service they should've gotten in the original game.
Is that where we are now? Look at the history of DLC. Look at the used game market. Look at DRM. Surely EA is wondering just how much they can get away with, and if you were going to experiment with DLC endings, what better game than Mass Effect.
Having to buy the ending of a game would never fly. I seriously doubt that either EA or Bioware actually expected to be able to charge for the ending DLC. It wouldn't surprise me if EA tried it though. Looking at the Bioware forums, they are trying to do damage control. Official "We are listening" posts...
In your ending you assumed many things but didn't notice that Mass relays are destroyed so none of them are possible. Only way ending was acceptable was if you used alt+f4 after anderson's death.
Personally I thought the ending was alright. I chose the control ending and felt it fit my Shepard completely, as one of the things he's argued throughout the trilogy is that synthetic life has just as much a right to exist and is just as alive as organic life. Destroying synthetics just to wipe out the Reapers felt too "evil" for me, and synthesis essentially gets rid of what makes the two different types of life unique, so sacrificing myself to bring about peace was the best and most logical option. It definitely doesn't undo the previous 90+ hours of trilogy like many are claiming, and I can't wait to do my second playthrough.
This is also considering this is the "true" ending, which I'm questioning due to the Indoctrination Theory floating around that actually makes sense based on lore, in-game happenings, and evidence and press releases from Bioware(although mainly from Twitter).
Could the ending have been better? Of course, everything has the potential to be better. Would an epilogue have been nice? Yes, but my imagination works well so I can imagine what happened. Is the ending as bad as everyone is making it seem? Fuck no.
Personally I thought the ending was alright. I chose the control ending and felt it fit my Shepard completely, as one of the things he's argued throughout the trilogy is that synthetic life has just as much a right to exist and is just as alive as organic life. Destroying synthetics just to wipe out the Reapers felt too "evil" for me, and synthesis essentially gets rid of what makes the two different types of life unique, so sacrificing myself to bring about peace was the best and most logical option. It definitely doesn't undo the previous 90+ hours of trilogy like many are claiming, and I can't wait to do my second playthrough.
This is also considering this is the "true" ending, which I'm questioning due to the Indoctrination Theory floating around that actually makes sense based on lore, in-game happenings, and evidence and press releases from Bioware(although mainly from Twitter).
Could the ending have been better? Of course, everything has the potential to be better. Would an epilogue have been nice? Yes, but my imagination works well so I can imagine what happened. Is the ending as bad as everyone is making it seem? Fuck no.
I chose control too. For the reasons you outline and I figure people fucking know the Reapers are real now, if I can't keep control of them forever at least the races have time to prepare and figure out ways to deal with them if and when they return. (It's a good thing that the Asari and Krogan live as long as they do, they would at least only have gone through fifty individuals worth of time by the time the Reapers tried to come back so one or two would remember the stories clearly.) But the ending really is that bad.
Why was the Normandy running away? How was it able to pick up my squadmates who were on Earth and right next to me while running to the laser?
Why does Sanctuary get attacked if The Illusive Man was indoctrinated the whole time?
Why is there an AI in charge of the cycle? It's illogical to say "all synthetics will eventually rebel and wipe out organics" and then leave a synthetic to oversee the preservation of organics. I can somewhat see the argument as to why it's not illogical to have synthetics harvest organics to keep organic life going (all organic life vs. just advanced organic life), but it makes no sense to have an AI oversee it if your main concern is that AIs will eventually wipe out all organic life. Not to mention that it comes completely out of thin air.
And of course we have the lack of closure, etc. that everyone else complains about as well. But also the Mass Relays are gone so all the fleets around Earth are screwed, along with almost all major city-planets like Illium because they can't import food from farm worlds.
As for there not really being any consequence for choice in the series, a lot of that changed with ME3. What the Krogan will do with the cure differs greatly depending on whether or not Wrex or Wreav is in charge. Eve's survival will either help Wrex or keep Wreav in check (in theory). Or if you decide to sabotage the cure, Wrex will discover the truth while Wreav is too dumb to notice. And Mordin's survival depends on who's in charge and if Eve is around or not.
For the Quarians, having Legion and Tali work together in ME2 is a major key to being able to resolve the war between the two races in ME3, and to a lesser extent saving/rewriting the heretics.
I understand wanting to forgive the ending because the rest of the game is good - the rest of the game is phenomenal and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. But disliking the ending and voicing that dislike doesn't undermine or devalue the experience of the rest of the game. Heck, people are vocal because the rest of the game is so good. If the rest of the game was underwhelming then the ending wouldn't be compared to it and it wouldn't stick out so badly. But the fact is that the rest of it was great, and the ending falling apart so quickly shouldn't just be excused or shrugged off.
On an unrelated note, I find it annoying and slightly disturbing that these Captchas are advertisements.
I would have had no problem with the ending if it wasn't so bloody vague. I guess that's what you (the OP) likes about it though. I was talking to my friend and we were like so is everyone dead on the citadel? Is Anderson dead? Is everyone stuck in the Sol system? etc.
Everything is just so up in the air. It also completely negates any choices you have made in the series as the Quarians and Wrex (he was presented as key to the Krogan being relatively peaceful) are stuck in Sol...
I don't mind the whole 'pulled out of their asses' catalyst thing and I fully expected Shep to die, but it just felt like half of the ending had been cut out and now no one can make sense of it. The fact that people are having to ask Jessica Merizan if Joker was jumping through a relay says a lot. It just feels unfinished.
I just want to say that I think the rest of the game is totally amazing and I love the multiplayer but that ending was terrible.
To be honest, I'd be disappointed if Bioware rushed out a change to keep the fans happy (if thats even possible). You told your story: live with the response. If there is DLC that makes a substantial difference to that ending, I'll be more pissed off about being gouged because BiowarEA withheld vital story elements.
It wasn't great but I wasn't too fussed by it (synthesis ending, for the record). To me the overarching ME story suffered the same problem the Matrix had from the moment the ME1 credits rolled; having established a brilliant premise and compelling universe, they struggled to bring it to an equally logical and satisfying conclusion.
The real charm of the Mass Effect were the characters and ME3 delivered in spades: Mordin, Legion, Wrex had great, powerful lump in the throat moments. I got totally caught out on the quarian situation when I failed to perform the missions in the right sequence and... yeah. I broke a vow and went back to a prior save.
He may not be being diplomatic about it, but I agree with Zeel. This is something worth getting upset about - maybe not dickish about, but the ending was a slap in the face. This says it perhaps better than I could - http://www.gamefront.com/mass-effect-3-ending-hatred-5-reasons-the-fans-are-right - However, if you don't like reading, I'd scope out this video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H_A7SeawU4&feature=related
Wow, way to not be un-condescending and mature. God forbid I don't share your opinion.
Though I am on an internet forum, aren't I?
EDIT:
Also, whether or not it's a game or a movie, STORIES are still comparable, and that's what's being compared and it had the same effect. There's no reason they can't be compared. People compare films and books all the time, so why can't it be applicable here?
Actually stories in the medium of an RPG/shooter that can easily take 100 hours of invested time and a 2-3 hour movie of no invested time cannot really be compared. People are actually participating in the story for the game, there is a give and take going on. For a movie you sit there and watch...doing nothing. You can't expect the same kinds of endings to have the same effects in both mediums.
Just take a look at what the lead designer of Dragon Age Origins had to say on the subject...
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.354674-Dragon-Age-Origins-Lead-Designer-speaks-out-against-ME3-Ending
To OP:
The deus ex machina was a cop out to me,because I had great respect for the geth once I met Legion and ME3 re-enforced that after I experienced their consensus(wish it had more Overlord-like aesthetics to it).So it didn't make a lot sense to me,and for a billion year AI,I doubt it has such flawed logic after watching millions of civilizations and their on the Citadel.There would always be a few that offer hope for peace ad not "chaos",Shepard was this cycles hope.
Also Arrival made it clear that the Mass Relays explode in a supernova,so however you look at it,you destroy the galaxy,but it was something I overlooked the first time I saw it,so i guess I can let that go.
But the last scene with the Normandy I can't accept and I'd like some clues as to what happens to the characters developed in the franchise.
Al in all,I was dissatisfied completely,so I also made a cop out of my own and kept my Shepard alive.
To OP:
The deus ex machina was a cop out to me,because I had great respect for the geth once I met Legion and ME3 re-enforced that after I experienced their consensus(wish it had more Overlord-like aesthetics to it).So it didn't make a lot sense to me,and for a billion year AI,I doubt it has such flawed logic after watching millions of civilizations and their on the Citadel.There would always be a few that offer hope for peace ad not "chaos",Shepard was this cycles hope.
Also Arrival made it clear that the Mass Relays explode in a supernova,so however you look at it,you destroy the galaxy,but it was something I overlooked the first time I saw it,so i guess I can let that go.
But the last scene with the Normandy I can't accept and I'd like some clues as to what happens to the characters developed in the franchise.
Al in all,I was dissatisfied completely,so I also made a cop out of my own and kept my Shepard alive.
Well, if we assume that the eezo core of the relays are used up when the space magic fires off, then chances are the explosion wouldn't be catastrophic. It would probably take out Pluto though...
On the other hand, if the eezo core isn't used up by the space magic, then yeah, no matter what, shit just got real.
What's this? A calm response from Zeel?! Call the police, we have an imposter!!!
Completely agree with you by the way. And when you figure in that, you could play the games so that the previous 2 games get you the least amount of points possible, and then play ME3 with only doing the main quest line, you can still get the "Shep Lives" ending by doing multiplayer. Or even worse, that you have to play "The Perfect Game" if you don't play the multiplayer in order to get the "Shep Lives" ending. Your choices really do end up meaning squat.
The Desu Ex Machina is not the problem. Almost from the very start up of the game you do hunt it: The Crucible.
The problem is how in the end it is developed and delivered.
Shepard dying heroically saving earth? Fine!
Crucible Deus Ex Machina super weapon? Fine!
Nonsensical cut (e.g. Normandy escape)? BS!
Lore breaking stuff (e.g. Mass Effect Relay explosion)? BS!
God being taking form of a little kid that died at the beginning it can't be aware of? BS!
Gods solution theory? BS!
Disregarding player choices during the three games by always delivering the choice between 3 endings unrelated to the way the player may have set up his Shepards personality? MEGA BS!
Boiling the themes of the game down to synthetics vs organics copycatting Deus Ex Human Revolution to the letter in the process, disregarding the player may have proven the God being wrong already in the process of the game? MEGA BS!
Seriously I would have even preferred an ending where Shepards dies, the Reaper win and wipe out all advanced civilization and the only thing the player could call success is another beacon warning to the next cycle.
Yeah, it pulled a deus ex machina out of its ass but... I'm just okay with that, I guess. It wasn't that bad and I thought fit into the story of a science fantasy game fairly well.
Technically not a Deus Ex Machina, but a 'Magic Bullet'. IMO just as bad and poor writing, but W/E. All semantics here. A lot of people, however, myself included, HATE Magic Bullets and Deus Ex Machina. For example, the Matrix.
WARNING: MATRIX SPOILERS. SOMEONE SOUNDED SURPRISED LAST TIME I POSTED THESE, SO I'M SPOILERING THEM FOR ALL OF YOU WHO HAVEN'T WATCHED THE MATRIX TRILOGY AND ARE OFFICIALLY DEAD TO ME:
The massive ending of the Matrix Trilogy is a 10-20 minute fist fight between Smith and Neo. Its on Youtube in a hundred places, watch it. What makes this ending cool and amazing? Neo has no chance of winning. There is no magic bullet, no Deus Ex Machina to save him. He has the odds stacked against him, and yet he fights to win. In the end, a Deus Ex Machina is pulled by, guess who, 'Deus Ex Machina' (Ironic right?), the leader of the Machines, who uses Neo's body as its connection to the Matrix to purge the system of Smith and save the day, then spares Zion's inhabitants.
I ask you this: Would the ending have been as strong and amazing if Neo had of walked in with some Machine gun or something that one hit killed a Smith, had infinite ammo, and shot a million bullets a second. Still awesome slow mo stuff and dodging his bullets, really putting effort into making the fight look cool. Would it have been as amazing? No. There was no struggle. You know Neo is going to win right from the outset because he has a plot shield and sword. In the true ending, where Neo fights Smith and dies, many people - such as myself - had no idea who would win, and it built tension. Neo is the protagonist, he has a plot shield, but he is up against impossible odds. All throughout the battle are different exchanges where Neo wins, or Smith wins, and it leaves you guessing who will ultimately win until the final few minutes of the fight. It is far more engaging than a scene where you either know you're doomed, or know you've won - like in Mass Effect 3.
Sorry for picking on semantics here again, but your title rubs me the wrong way. Mass Effect 3's endings were that bad, just not for you. They were that bad for many people as they were the exact opposite of what we were promised and what we were hoping for, but more on that later.
Cop-out? Maybe. But it resolved it well enough. Yeah there are "what-ifs", but I like when there's little things you can fill in with your imagination. Look at the movie Inception: that ending had an EXTREME "fill-in-the-gap-yourself" ending but everyone loved that movie.
Inception is a rather different case. The entire movie is about the ill defined barrier between dreams and reality, and the ending is meant to showcase this. It isn't even really a what if ending - it falls. No, you don't see it exclusively fall, but you don't see the sun rise every morning - most people wake up and see it already risen [At least in summer]. Does that mean the sun doesn't rise?
And before someone comes at me with the whole 'But that's because we've seen the sun do this before', we've seen the spiny thing spin before too. When in a dream, it is steady and doesn't wobble. When in reality, it wobbles then falls.
I will also disagree that it resolved well enough, as it didn't resolve at all. Nothing is resolved, we are left with, as you said, a lot of what ifs. There is NOTHING certain about what happens in the ending, and it is filled with inconsistencies and plot holes. It basically falls into the trope 'No ending' where almost nothing is resolved, but it ends nonetheless.
It also goes directly against a promise made to us by the devs, but again, more on that later.
As for all the choices you made prior not directly affecting the outcome... when have they ever? In Mass Effect 1 you had the choice to save or lose the council. In Mass Effect 2 you could keep or destroy the geth base (and yeah your team mates could die, but that didn't affect the ending of the game itself unless they were ALL killed).
This is an argument I find has no strength. Midway through a book do all of the Hero's plans happen and fall into place, and the rest of the book is about him having a vacation on a summer island? No. The plan falls to place at the end of the book in an epic conclusion or finally. Mass Effect 1 and 2 should be considered with 3 as part of a continuing story, rather than three individual stories. At the end is when we will see all our choices pay off, up until then things are just set up for it. Mass Effect 1's ending wasn't the ending, Mass Effect 2's ending wasn't the ending, only Mass Effect 3's ending is actually the ending to the story, hence the onus is on it to reflect our decisions.
And again, this also goes against what we were promised by Devs, but more on that later.
I also felt that each choice was a self-contained story. (MORE POSSIBLE SPOILERS) In mine I cured the Krogan of the genophage so I know they managed to reproduce and thrive; Earth was saved from destruction; the Quarians have back their home planet and live peacefully with the geth. These things didn't directly affect the ending, but I still know they happened, and I feel happier for it. I'm personally fine with this.
No, you don't know that the Krogan managed to survive and reproduce, nor that the Quarians have back their home planet living peacefully with the Geth. Here is what actually happened:
As the Crucible fired, a design flaw wiped out all life and matter in the Galaxy. Everything was destroyed. The Normandy was saved by Jokers swift decision to make a Mass Relay jump, resulting in him falling through a wormhole into another dimension that was unaffected by the Crucible.
This may seem extreme, but it is a perfectly valid explanation of events after the end. Hell, its even hinted to in the game that the Crucible may backfire as no-one knows what it does.
A simple ending montage showing the Krogan with a lot of baby Krogan, and the Quarians and Geth Rebuilding, and the people of Earth rebuilding, and an effect of Shepards final choice - that would satisfy a lot of people, as you now have closure and a proper ending - not some thing where you honestly have no idea what happened.
The fact that Earth is now stuck with entire fleets surrounding it afterward is, to me, another really exciting thing to think about. Maybe they all die. Maybe all end up finding a way to survive. Again, like Inception's ending, it was left up to us to decide and I enjoy that.
Easy logic: Assuming the universe wasn't destroyed by the Crucible backfiring, the Quarian's have liveships that they would have used to store and grow food for the fleets as they escorted them back home at normal FTL. First Salarian and Turian, then Krogan, then Asari, then the Quarian's themselves - based off longevity and necessity for others to survive. I doubt they all died unless Earth was destroyed/badly damaged as that indicates the fleets weren't strong, whilst Earth surviving and relatively okay indicates the fleets were strong and mostly survived.
And again, most people don't like being told 'We were being lazy guys, sorry. You'll have to make up your own ending'. Are books better because they don't tell you whether the hero won or not, whether the quest was completed or not? Imagine all movies and books were cut short at the midpoint of the climax, just before things were about to be decided as to who won. That is the 'its left to you to decide' ending. It works for some things - mystery themes, and stories with themes meant to instil doubt and ask that sort of question (Inception) - but not others - pretty much every other type of movie out there. Mass Effect is not a mystery game, nor is it a game that has anything it is questioning for it to leave and ending very open and vague. As such, it should properly conclude itself.
And Again, broken dev promise.
PLEASE don't flame me, I'm only stating my opinion and I would genuinely (not being condescending, I promise!) like to hear yours, because I myself really don't understand all the absolute hate. I was happy and comfortable with the ending I chose.
Although maybe I just handled it better because everyone set me up for it to be MUCH worse than it was.
No flaming here, just stating my opinion. Here is a list of other reasons people were P/Od at the ending other than what you listed:
-Plot holes and inconsistencies
-Not an option for every Shepard (None of my Shepards would sacrifice the Geth and EDI, none would try to control the Reapers, and none would force synthesis on others. A simple additional ending that would make perfect sense would be for Shepard to say 'Screw you' and let the fleets fight the Reapers. If the EMS rating is high enough, Shepard's fleet's win. If not, the fleets lose.)
-A lot of broken dev promises (NOW is the time: http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/355/index/10056886)
-Lack of any real difference in the endings
-No happy ending at all, or anything close.
-Reaper's logic is BS
Internet is likely about to shut off so I'll leave it there. Night everyone...
In your ending you assumed many things but didn't notice that Mass relays are destroyed so none of them are possible. Only way ending was acceptable was if you used alt+f4 after anderson's death.
Look at the Mass Effect 2 ending, if your squad is not loyal, then they do not perform well, and they usually die.
In Mass Effect 3's real ending, if your squad is not loyal, then they are indoctrinated. You get to kill them.
Look at Mass Effect 2's ending, if there are not enough loyal squadmates, you die. In ME3's real ending, if you don't have enough loyal squad mates, you can't overcome indoctrination.
Remember what Bioware said about the ending, "We don't want to give you a lousy ending that everyone gets, we want to answer all of your questions."
I enjoyed the end of ME3 far more than Inception....
However, I will now stop and tell you about one of my very favorite moments in the game. It was just after the mission where you pick up Grunt and the Rachnai Queen. I came back to the Citadel to drop off a few quests. One of them was a letter from a Krogan to his wife. I didn't think much of it...
Until I handed it to her and the "Blue Rose of Ilium" Krogan started talking. The Krogan who I helped get his girl in ME2.
I cried. I sat there, listening to him say goodbye, and I cried, because I remembered that Krogan and that Asari. I'm crying a little now just remembering it.
Everyone who says your decisions didn't matter in ME3 - that moment proved otherwise for me.
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