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I already descended into the ME3 ending debate way too far. There is a certain threshold you cross in the whole thing where it all becomes hyper self-entitled bullshit.
Do you think the ending to Mass Effect 3 sucked?
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Yeah, here is why imo, the illusion was broken:
At the end of the day, the starchild was really just an exposition device.
Thats it really. Just a device for delivering a whole bunch of information very quickly. And as is well established, exposition tends to be the worst way to transmit info or narrative without breaking immersion and generally makes it less likely the player will care about the info than through other delivery methods.
The real solution would have been an additional 5-10 hours added to the game in which the player discovers all the same information but through gameplay. Through a gradual, interactive acquisition of the lead-up information, players would have felt much more connected to the final choice. The inevitability and restrictiveness of the end would have been much better disguised and the illusion probably much stronger. Through the clever design bioware has repeatedly demonstrated, they could have bread crumbed the player up to that point much more gradually and naturally so the experience wasn't so jarring and dismembered from the rest of the narrative arc.
And PS, I still think that ultimately EA was responsible for pushing development forward and out the door before the arc of the ending had been fully fleshed out. Imo, this is why all the sudden you confront a 20 min exposition, something NEVER seen before in ANY of the games. Bioware ALWAYS guided you through the narrative with gameplay or dialog breadcrumbs. To me, the departure from their normal narrative/gameplay style was so intense that I believe it was cause by a lack of time to properly develop events leading up to the end.
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Except the endings are not all the same. Just because a video of the crash is similar doesn't mean the actual endings are the same. First the endings depend on the EMS levels
If EMS is between 0-1749, only the Destroy or Control option will be available (determined by whether or not the Collector Base was destroyed or preserved in Mass Effect 2). If the Collector Base was left intact, only the Control option is possible; if it was destroyed, only the Destroy ending will be available. Both options will result in massive physical damage to Earth, with Destroy killing everyone on Earth.
If EMS is substantially low (below ~1750) and the Destroy ending is chosen, nobody exits the Normandy.
If EMS is substantially low (below ~1750) and Control is chosen, Joker and two of the player's most-favored crew mates will exit a heavily damaged ship.
If EMS is moderately high (above minimum, below maximum) and Destroy or Control are chosen, Joker and two of the player's most-favored crew mates will exit a heavily damaged ship.
If EMS is 2800 or above, and Destroy or Control is chosen, Joker and two of the player's most-favored crew mates will exit a relatively undamaged ship.
If Synthesis is chosen, Joker, EDI, and the player's most-favored crew member will exit the ship. Joker and EDI will embrace.
If EMS is between 1750-2349, the choice between Destroy or Control options becomes available, but either choice will cause some substantial damage to the galaxy.
If EMS is between 2350-2649, the Control option will cause no physical damage and the Destroy option will still massively damage the galaxy.
If EMS is 2650+ the Destroy and Control options will no longer cause any physical harm to the galaxy.
If EMS is 2800+ the Synthesis ending becomes available.
If EMS is 4000+ and the Destroy option is chosen, Shepard is seen barely alive, gasping for breath (if Anderson is shot by the Illusive Man, the player needs 5000+ EMS to see this short scene).
If EMS is between 0-1749, only the Destroy or Control option will be available (determined by whether or not the Collector Base was destroyed or preserved in Mass Effect 2). If the Collector Base was left intact, only the Control option is possible; if it was destroyed, only the Destroy ending will be available. Both options will result in massive physical damage to Earth, with Destroy killing everyone on Earth.
If EMS is substantially low (below ~1750) and the Destroy ending is chosen, nobody exits the Normandy.
If EMS is substantially low (below ~1750) and Control is chosen, Joker and two of the player's most-favored crew mates will exit a heavily damaged ship.
If EMS is moderately high (above minimum, below maximum) and Destroy or Control are chosen, Joker and two of the player's most-favored crew mates will exit a heavily damaged ship.
If EMS is 2800 or above, and Destroy or Control is chosen, Joker and two of the player's most-favored crew mates will exit a relatively undamaged ship.
If Synthesis is chosen, Joker, EDI, and the player's most-favored crew member will exit the ship. Joker and EDI will embrace.
If EMS is between 1750-2349, the choice between Destroy or Control options becomes available, but either choice will cause some substantial damage to the galaxy.
If EMS is between 2350-2649, the Control option will cause no physical damage and the Destroy option will still massively damage the galaxy.
If EMS is 2650+ the Destroy and Control options will no longer cause any physical harm to the galaxy.
If EMS is 2800+ the Synthesis ending becomes available.
If EMS is 4000+ and the Destroy option is chosen, Shepard is seen barely alive, gasping for breath (if Anderson is shot by the Illusive Man, the player needs 5000+ EMS to see this short scene).
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Aside from all the changes as a result of EMS:
Destroy - The Geth fucking die. This is by far the biggest issue with the Destroy ending especially if you actually put in the time to broker peace between them and the Quarians. To pretend that is the same just because a video looks the same is absurd.
Synthesis - The whole galaxy is turned into techno-organic beings. Again, you seem to be focused on some video as if the implications of every single living thing in the galaxy now being techno-organic is the same as the above.
Control - Again, not sure how having Shep-Overlord is the same as the other two options above.
Your beef seems to be that the visuals are similar as if the visuals means the actual endings are the same. They are not.
http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Storyline_III#Epilogue_2
The above are all the ways the Epilogue changes depending on the choices you made so no the ending is not the same despite the similar visuals because the ending is not solely the visuals. The Krogan amassing an army to invade the galaxy if Wreav is in charge and the geno****e is cured is not the same as the Krogan rebuilding Tuchanka if Wrex is in charge. The Quarians and Geth shown working together on Rannoch with the Quarians no longer needing their environmental suits if Synthesis is chosen is not the same as the only the Quarians (still in suits) or Geth being shown without the other if you had to essentially eliminate one of those races.
Destroy - The Geth fucking die. This is by far the biggest issue with the Destroy ending especially if you actually put in the time to broker peace between them and the Quarians. To pretend that is the same just because a video looks the same is absurd.
Synthesis - The whole galaxy is turned into techno-organic beings. Again, you seem to be focused on some video as if the implications of every single living thing in the galaxy now being techno-organic is the same as the above.
Control - Again, not sure how having Shep-Overlord is the same as the other two options above.
Your beef seems to be that the visuals are similar as if the visuals means the actual endings are the same. They are not.
http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Storyline_III#Epilogue_2
The above are all the ways the Epilogue changes depending on the choices you made so no the ending is not the same despite the similar visuals because the ending is not solely the visuals. The Krogan amassing an army to invade the galaxy if Wreav is in charge and the geno****e is cured is not the same as the Krogan rebuilding Tuchanka if Wrex is in charge. The Quarians and Geth shown working together on Rannoch with the Quarians no longer needing their environmental suits if Synthesis is chosen is not the same as the only the Quarians (still in suits) or Geth being shown without the other if you had to essentially eliminate one of those races.
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Still think the problem wasn't the actual result of the end, but rather how discordant the process of choosing it was with the rest of the series. Again, imo, the real problem is that it broke the illusion of choice and felt overly forced.
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Remy...
Do you not realize that the Geth were excluded from the main storyline for a reason?
Do you not realize that the Geth were excluded from the main storyline for a reason?
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I played the trilogy so far after it was finished i'm not even sure what the ending was, and what it was changed to exactly. But since I didn't think it was good, or bad, it means it was probably more bad than good and since the options were limited I just put sucks.
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FWIW I think bot is on point with the illusion of choice being broken and the ending feeling rushed.
I thought I was gonna play through a final battle and then get to an ending which was tailored to a series of choices made throughout the series and not to 1 choice that leads to 3 main endings.
I didn't get any of that.... and the ending with the starchild who shows up and just tells you what's what with no real dialogue or influence from you further made the ending feel linear and helped break that illusion of choice bot keeps mentioning.
Can we discuss.... what was the deal with your squad mates not going with you into the Citadel? How did they get out of there? And finally.... why was Joker running away from the battle at the end? Did that stuff ever get explained?
I thought I was gonna play through a final battle and then get to an ending which was tailored to a series of choices made throughout the series and not to 1 choice that leads to 3 main endings.
I didn't get any of that.... and the ending with the starchild who shows up and just tells you what's what with no real dialogue or influence from you further made the ending feel linear and helped break that illusion of choice bot keeps mentioning.
Can we discuss.... what was the deal with your squad mates not going with you into the Citadel? How did they get out of there? And finally.... why was Joker running away from the battle at the end? Did that stuff ever get explained?
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The Geth/Quarian conflict was a microcosm of the entire conflict. They were proof positive that the problem the Reapers were designed to solve was real. They were not even fully self-aware yet and had no real desire to fight (the Heretics were a rogue faction) and yet the entire Galaxy feared them. If you let Legion upload the code for them to become fully aware, they completely obliterate the Quarian fleet in a matter of minutes.
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You mean at the end? By the time you face Marauder Shields, you got separated from the rest of your squadmates due to the Reaper attack so you were the only one able to make it into the Citadel. Speaking of which, the most amusing thing that came out of all the hoopla over the ending was definitely Marauder Shields. There is actually a web comic about that dude now.
[video=youtube;467pmIX-oZo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=467pmIX-oZo[/video]
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So much discussion about a bad game. Mass effect 1 was easily the best of the series.
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Nah I have them ranked in reverse order. 3, 2, and 1.
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remy, I couldn't watch the vid till I got home.... dat shit is lulzy as fuk :lmao:
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Eat poo Starchild.... lolz
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My favorite teams
10/10 would lol again
Eat poo Starchild.... lolz
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It actually got a whole lot better with Webcomic 6 and beyond because the dude basically came up with an entire alternate storyline with Marauder Shields basically trying to warn Shepard that the Starchild/Harbinger was using him.
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I won't post anymore but you can read the full webcomic at the below link. Also, there is a motion comic for episode 21 that you can find on youtube that was pretty good.
http://www.koobismo.com/comic/marauder-shields-episode-6/
http://www.koobismo.com/comic/marauder-shields-episode-6/
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Some of the Marauder Shields memes are hilarious....
Cerebral
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Did anyone hear they're making another ME?
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I had heard they were making another one but like in a prequel setting to the ME1-3 trilogy or something.... it was not going to be related to the Shepard story or the aftermath according to what I read. Which makes sense I guess.... how do you start a new game in the aftermath of ME3?