Mass Effect 3 Thread, Spoilers Abound! ALL OF THE GAME SPOILED WITHIN! Options

[chiasaur11]

Didn't matter much. The protagonist died like, half an hour earlier.

(Liked it much better than ME3's ending, honestly. But I read the book first. Changes the math.)

[Esser-Z]

Been playing a lot of Salarian Infiltrator. It's a lot of fun, though I need a lot more practice. Love my Widow.

[Maxx Blast]

Cough twitter leak

Take this with a grain of salt, could not be real.

But if it is, I like it. I think it's pretty cool.

[chiasaur11]

Well, let's see.

The style doesn't match.

It doesn't match earlier Bioware statements on ME related plans at all.

Is both firmly in favor of controversial aspects of the ending, and obviously designed almost entirely after the ending furor.

The design concepts involve nightmarish issues with variables AND setting a firm canon. Both things that the ME teams have tried to avoid.

Explicitly denied by Bioware.

Story for how it leaked is incredibly dumb.

Sounds legit.

(Cripes, I'm glad it's an obvious fake. That thing makes the ending look like high art. And the ending is poo gas of the first degree.)

[The Predaking]

Out of idle curiosity, I'm wondering how everyone here reacted to the end of 2001: A Space Odyssey?

I thought it was trippy and unclear. After it was explained to me by a buddy that read the book, I thought it was meh. But 2001 isn't the end of the series just the first chapter. 2010 was a lot better story, IMO.

[Shazured]

Wrapped up "Act Two", got both the Quarians and Geth to play nice with each other, as well as advance the Geth as a species.

Can I just say Mass Effect 3 is harsh on my ME2 companions? Still, thus far they've all gone out extremely well and for noble causes. But gah...stop dying!

How?! I can't I always get to where he's downloading the code I let him then have to stop him

[Esser-Z]

I basically just kept yelling at the Quarians until they listened.

[Frost181]

it seems like you need to do everything imaginable to get the persuade options to even appear. my first playthough was without an import so Tali was an exile and legion was just a generic "Geth VI" so I never had the option to do anything about it. from the sound of things you need to have done both their loyalty missions in ME2 and successfully defused their argument at the end of the game to stand any chance of convincing the quarians to stand down in 3.

[Murry]

it seems like you need to do everything imaginable to get the persuade options to even appear. my first playthough was without an import so Tali was an exile and legion was just a generic "Geth VI" so I never had the option to do anything about it. from the sound of things you need to have done both their loyalty missions in ME2 and successfully defused their argument at the end of the game to stand any chance of convincing the quarians to stand down in 3.

heh. I still like the Conrad gambit. You have to have done so much stuff in 1 and some in 2 to get it to work out in the end. Sad you only get 5 points for it x.x

[Rust]

My Shepard made a impassioned plea to the Fleet making their final attack run and made the "Loose Warhead" aggressive General hesitate and give the Geth a chance.

I also wrapped up Horizon - sick and wrong doesn't even begun to cover that place.

Then I did Cerberus HQ. All I can say is the Renegade Option at the end of the Kai Lang fight is the greatest thing ever.
HIGHLIGHT to view:
"This is for Thane, you Son of a Bitch!"

I'm on on London, trying to push forward. I'm defending the missile trucks from Brutes, Banshees, and Cannibals. Not fun.

And while the cinematic of the approach to Earth is absolutely amazing, I will admit the story is starting to get a little shaky. Since the thread is marked spoilers, I won't bother with the spoiler tags.

The Catalyst and what it is. It's just so...contrived. First of all, I'm willing to grant the Crucible is big, but there's no way it's that big - not to be completed in the time it was. Second of all, up until the Prothean Cycle, the Catalyst was the gateway the Reapers used to attack from. Why in the world would you build your super weapon to incorporate something that was guaranteed to fall into enemy hands? Lastly - Bulljive on how it's suddenly at Earth.

If the Reapers could accomplish something like that - destroy the entire Defense Fleet, not to mention seize control of it and relocate it, not to mention pacifying it - then why haven't they seized it before this? Destabilizing the central galactic government not to mention the morale hit the loss of such a symbol would be would have been top priority for them. Also, nobody hears about it until after the fact.

There's also the problem with the Illusive Man's involvement. Horizon established Cerberus and the Reapers were on the outs. So why was the Illusive Man able to convince the Reapers he was being honest about the Catalyst?


The final push is everything I would expect and want, but the plot is starting to break apart a bit. I will grant I certainly wasn't expecting the Catalyst to be that, but it was more a "Wait...really? That's your big reveal?" moment. Certainly a lot clunkier then the Conduit reveal from the first game.

Actually, the Catalyst reveal is depressingly mimicking said Conduit reveal. You learn about both from a Prothean VI, after all.

[chiasaur11]

it seems like you need to do everything imaginable to get the persuade options to even appear. my first playthough was without an import so Tali was an exile and legion was just a generic "Geth VI" so I never had the option to do anything about it. from the sound of things you need to have done both their loyalty missions in ME2 and successfully defused their argument at the end of the game to stand any chance of convincing the quarians to stand down in 3.

You're allowed one misstep, if Tali and Legion are still alive.

Either Tali being exiled, or not blowing up the heretics. Those can be compensated for by rescuing Admiral Vas Qwib Qwib and deactivating the Geth fighters.

Mess up more than that? Better make a choice, bucko.

And Rust? You aren't even at the bad bit yet. Narratively, I mean. Fight for the trucks is the hardest in the game. Get through that and you're fine.

Then one more really good moment, the single best line reading of the game...

Annnnd BOOM. Sucksville.

This post has been edited by chiasaur11: Mar 26 2012, 08:11 PM

[The Predaking]

The Catalyst and what it is. It's just so...contrived. First of all, I'm willing to grant the Crucible is big, but there's no way it's that big - not to be completed in the time it was. Second of all, up until the Prothean Cycle, the Catalyst was the gateway the Reapers used to attack from. Why in the world would you build your super weapon to incorporate something that was guaranteed to fall into enemy hands? Lastly - Bulljive on how it's suddenly at Earth.

HIGHLIGHT to view:
Yes, but the plans for the device don't originate with any particular race, but come from the way distant past. Odds are, the plans themselves are a failsafe, a way to trigger when the cycle is to end.

Moving the Citadel isn't too unbelievable. I mean, this is the race of beings that are massive and can travel great distances without mass relays. I'm sure that they can move their own space station. especially considering what/who's inside it.

If the Reapers could accomplish something like that - destroy the entire Defense Fleet, not to mention seize control of it and relocate it, not to mention pacifying it - then why haven't they seized it before this? Destabilizing the central galactic government not to mention the morale hit the loss of such a symbol would be would have been top priority for them. Also, nobody hears about it until after the fact.

HIGHLIGHT to view:
No real need to move it yet, as no one but them knew about its function in the end of the cycle.

There's also the problem with the Illusive Man's involvement. Horizon established Cerberus and the Reapers were on the outs. So why was the Illusive Man able to convince the Reapers he was being honest about the Catalyst?

HIGHLIGHT to view:
He is indoctrinated, just like the VI said the group last cycle was that thought they could control the reapers.

[Lizard King]

Wow, this game went from being fun as hell to a convulted mess. Bioware has lost its mojo.

[Confuzor]

Ending spoilers
HIGHLIGHT to view:
Can someone tell me in what conceivable stretch of illogic would explain Joker flying the Normandy through a Mass Relay while the battle for the universe is happening on his homeworld? Where all his friends are? Risking their lives and counting on his support from the skies?

This baffles me more than anything else seen in any endings. It's so fiercely, horrendously out of character for anyone to be hightailing it out of there that it's insulting to the characters I've spent 2 games falling in love with. (never mind that in my ending, my 2 squadmates were the only other ones on the ship after somehow being proclaimed dead by Anderson. That in and of itself was WTF-worthy)

Cus I don't get it.

[Lizard King]

That's just one of the variety of things that really pissed me off

[MrBlud]

Confuzor,

HIGHLIGHT to view:
I always took that as Joker trying to escape the shockwave that (to his eyes) destroyed the Citadel and blew up all the Reapers

[Cabal]

Ending spoilers
HIGHLIGHT to view:
Can someone tell me in what conceivable stretch of illogic would explain Joker flying the Normandy through a Mass Relay while the battle for the universe is happening on his homeworld? Where all his friends are? Risking their lives and counting on his support from the skies?

This baffles me more than anything else seen in any endings. It's so fiercely, horrendously out of character for anyone to be hightailing it out of there that it's insulting to the characters I've spent 2 games falling in love with. (never mind that in my ending, my 2 squadmates were the only other ones on the ship after somehow being proclaimed dead by Anderson. That in and of itself was WTF-worthy)

Cus I don't get it.

HIGHLIGHT to view:
Because its all in Shepard's mind. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ythY_GkEBck

[Rust]

That was...

not an ending.

I owe some folks an apology. From everything I'd put together, I thought the game went out "High Concept" and people just didn't "get" it. But no, the sad fact is after the confrontation with the Illusive Man, the game just...stopped.

No way of asking questions, no backstory, just three vague choices with a "Oh yeah, by the way the Mass Relays all get destroyed because."

I ended up going with the Green Ending, because my Shepard was always about finding the peaceful solution - coexistence is preferable to Genocide. Besides, I went to all that trouble to give the Geth true sapience...I'm not going to throw that out the airlock so callously.

But again - it wasn't a ending. Stuff goes Green, Mass Relays explode for no reason then just because (Thereby wiping out all inhabited star systems the Relays were In, going by the Arrival), and suddenly the Normandy's outrunning the shockwave.

What? Why? And why am I only shown Joker, EDI, and Ashley?

What happened to Major Coats, Garrus, Tali, Hackett, Chakwas, Donnelly, Gabby, Adams, Vega, Cortez, Javik, Allers, Wrex, Grunt, Jack, Miranda, Jacob, Primarch Victus, Samara, Liara, Glyph...heck, how about the entire population of the Citadel while we're at it?

Mass Effect was never just Shepard's story. Having my squad mates complete no shows for the finale just rubs raw. Oh, and let's not even talk about Harbinger's No Show. Build up this big arch-nemesis over a game, and then pay him one line of lip service? I figured he'd at least be the one to explain what the heck was going on not phantom child who doesn't even get a name.

I feel like I'm missing like ten minutes worth of the game that actually explains stuff. I watched the Indoctrination Video, and while well thought out I don't buy it. For starters, that's way too clever for what was shown.

I finally understand why people have been saying "I love the game, but hate the ending." I didn't get that - how can you love the game but hate how it ends? But I get it now. There is no ending, not even a "High Concept" one. There's just stuff and no sense of closure at all. Even KOTOR 2 managed to give you a slide show talking about what your crew would go on to do.

As it stands, I'm just glad Bioware's going to redo that ending sequence because that...was not how you end a trilogy of games. And while I got the distinct impression Major Coats was being groomed as the successor for another set of games (I wouldn't mind), there's no need to make us wait for that series to find out what happened to Shepard's running crew.


And the Mass Relays...I could buy that the Crucible emitted enough energy to shut down the Mass Relays as a unintended side effect, but wholesale destruction? While that's not exactly "heartbreaking" (Really, the only ones well and truly screwed there would have been the Quarians who live on the other side of the Galaxy. Everyone else is long lived/close enough to Sol to conceivably make it back home eventually. And the Quarians at least brought their Liveships with them, so they would eventually get back home...generationally.), again what we saw on the screen and from the galaxy map was akin to the detonation in Arrival...which destroyed a planet full of Batarians.


It just...it makes not one lick of sense.


EDIT: The final moment with Anderson was both heartwarming and heartbreaking. The game could have ended there and been much better off for it.

This post has been edited by Rust: Mar 27 2012, 04:57 PM

[Lizard King]

I totally agree with everything you just said. I thought the fan outrage was just overreaction, but its totally justified. What is bioware thinking?

[MrBlud]

What? Why? And why am I only shown Joker, EDI, and Ashley?

That REALLY confused me as I took Ashley and Javik on my final mission where they (I can but assume) died assaulting the beam.

This post has been edited by MrBlud: Mar 27 2012, 05:49 PM