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03-20-2012, 01:10 PM | #441 |
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It's only the lack of closure and the "cookie cutter" bits that bother me. I don't buy the "doesn't fit established characterization" because Shepard is too malleable a character for anyone to really say that (that and the culmination of Shepard's Paragon/Renegade arc actually comes in his final conversation with the Illusive Man). I also don't hold with the "Deus ex machina" complaint because while it IS a deus ex machina, it's been clear since the very first game that some sort of deus ex machina was the only way the Reapers were ever going to be beaten. Everyone expecting a "Oh, the galaxy will just get together and overwhelm them with superior teamwork and firepower" ending was really, really hefty on the wishful thinking and light on the paying attention to just how nasty the Reapers are supposed to be.
And the "optimal" ending is extremely subjective. Many people would consider the only ending where Shepard survives (or might survive) as a less-than "optimal" ending given what you have to sacrifice to achieve it, and that it leaves the most uncertainty where the future is concerned. But yes, you do need to so a little bit of multiplayer (two or three victorious sessions is likely all you need), or use the Mass Effect Datapad or Mass Effect: Infiltrator game on iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch to improve your "readiness rating." On a side note, I did get the "random Reapers on the galaxy map" bit. I'm pretty sure they're just there to help emphasize that the galaxy is "fully occupied" by that point. Nice observation that they're occupying the positions of systems that you don't get to visit in this game, though. Quote:
If you look at Mass Effect 3 as a whole as one big ending, it makes far more sense. You see the consequences of your decisions building throughout the game, and the culmination is not in your final-final decision as to the fate of the Reapers, it's in the buildup to the counterattack on Earth (following the attack on Cerberus HQ), up through your final "pep talk" to your squad before the final push. Now, none of that makes the last five minutes any less cookie-cutter, plot-holey, or gives the story/setting/characters any more closure beyond "Life goes on, eventually man returns to the stars, and "The Shepard" becomes a legend...at some completely unspecified point in the future." The final-final ending is still poorly executed. But the couple-dozen hours of "endings" that precede it are great. That and I'm almost positive Bioware will crank out some sort of post-ending DLC to "clarify" things or whatever. Probably even planned it that way from the beginning. Last edited by Jmacq1; 03-20-2012 at 01:24 PM.. |
03-20-2012, 01:17 PM | #442 |
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That does kind of suck.
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03-20-2012, 01:46 PM | #443 |
Knight of Spear
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I'm just stating what the "general consensus" is on the ending, Jmacq. I'm very much "on the fence" as it is- I enjoyed the game and the series way too much to let 5 minutes on the tail-end bog it down for me. Then again, I'm a Sonic fan, so this kind of thing is just a fact of life for me.
Speaking of which, I really hope they make a follow up to Dark Brotherhood someday...
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03-20-2012, 01:54 PM | #444 |
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Quote:
I'm just stating what the "general consensus" is on the ending, Jmacq. I'm very much "on the fence" as it is- I enjoyed the game and the series way too much to let 5 minutes on the tail-end bog it down for me. Then again, I'm a Sonic fan, so this kind of thing is just a fact of life for me.
Speaking of which, I really hope they make a follow up to Dark Brotherhood someday... |
03-20-2012, 03:25 PM | #445 |
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Quote:
I guess people wanted to know what immediately happens to the universe right after Sheppard makes his final decision, rather, what they got was a glimpse of the far future now that the Reaper threat is out of the equation. MASSIVE SPOILER WARNING The themes in the ending are the same that was explored in Battlestar Galactica (re-imagining) and the Matrix. As it turns out, there is an eternal and cyclical war between organics and AI creations. The concern for the AI, is that eventually there will come a time that the AIs will wipe out organic life. The solution was to have the Reapers come every 50,000 years and destroy all advanced civilizations, but leave all pre-industrial civilizations alone - to once again advance, create AIs, and begin the cycle anew. In this way, the Reaper Solution was just like the Matrix solution where it is revealed that the purpose of the "one" is to ensure that the minimum level of human population necessary to avoid total extinction. And just as with Neo, Sheppard by reaching the hidden level of the Citadel, demonstrated that human determination/ “will to live” is so great that the “preservation” solution is not sustainable. So with the ending, Sheppard chooses to end the cycle, permitting the next generation of organic life to evolve in an un-manipulated way. Given the whole conflict in the Mass Effect games were the Reapers, I think the ending is as good as any. The point was to conclude the Reaper “threat,” not wrap up the franchise. All, that happened immediately after the choice that Sheppard made can be re-visted and filled-in in future DLC [they have like 50,000 years to fill up]. So, really, this is just another version of the New 52 argument, where a certain portion of the audience feels betrayed because they feel that all the story-lines they have invested in previously was thrown out the window. Last edited by laurenluna1977; 03-20-2012 at 05:17 PM.. |
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03-20-2012, 04:08 PM | #446 |
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\Compared to ME3...DA2 had closure....
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03-20-2012, 04:09 PM | #447 |
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Quote:
In case anyone is curious about those "systemless" Reapers I mentioned, I compared the ME3 galaxy map to the one in ME2 and these are the missing systems(as best I can tell);
Omega, Illium, Hawking Eta and Phoenix Massing. Wonder is those are DLC systems and they just goofed in allowing the Reapers to appear without the system present.
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03-20-2012, 04:22 PM | #448 |
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This is pretty damn good...
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03-20-2012, 06:01 PM | #449 |
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Actually the very strong rumor floating around the internets right now is that the first major chunk of DLC WILL in fact be "post ME3."
However, it's still just a rumor at the moment. Google "Mass Effect 3 "The Truth"" to see the full details at various sites that have reported on it. Supposedly coming in April (which would mean it was planned before the ending outrage even cooked up). Hopefully it's true. |
03-20-2012, 10:50 PM | #450 |
Knight of Spear
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Well, the BBC has taken notice of the outrage.
BBC News - Mass Effect campaign demands new ending to series The plot thickens.
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