[Megathread] Mass Effect 3

[Adam Jensen]

That's definitely your choice, but people still shouldn't complain about Renegade being much worse than in previous games when it really isn't.

I've never made such a complaint.

I actually prefer renagade Shepard. She's funnier.

[Medusa Cascade]

Read on bw forum, but I agree with this theory just a bit. Clutching at straws? Perhaps.

Okay I'm going to throw out a theory and you guys tell me what you think. What if this was BWs intentions all along? What if Hudson and Walters knew that Mass Effect 3 was just too much of a monster to finish in 18 months.

What if all of these dlcs open up additional scenes and options for both pre and post ending? Not only would the game go down as the greatest in history, it would over take the MGS series as that greatest series in all of history.

A lot of people said that bioware said they wouldn't change the endings, well guess what? They changed the endings in the EC. Before all we had was RGB now we have refusal. That constitutes a huge change. Now picture the remaining dlcs adding onto the refusal endings.

I remember playing a game years ago where you had to beat the game at least 6 times to get the 7th ending which was pretty much the everyone lives ending. Square snuck in a mini game like thing that allowed you to get Tidus back in FFX-2.

Its not unheard of. I think we have a lot more headed our way that will make us all love bioware the way we used to once again.

[Deleted]

Hes in his own Refusal Ending.
But it would be pretty great if BioWare did indeed plan to release the actual ending over several DLCs.

And bloody annoying.

[Oerba Yun Fang]

Hes in his own Refusal Ending.
But it would be pretty great if BioWare did indeed plan to release the actual ending over several DLCs.

As long as they don't charge for it, I agree. So far they seem to have been pretty good about what DLC to charge for and what DLC not to charge for. I think that the only ME3 DLC that has costed to date is From Ashes, correct? Which is fine with me, I don't mind paying extra for stuff like that. But if you intentionally dismember a game at its core to release it over time as paid DLC, then I start to take issue.

[Medusa Cascade]

Hes in his own Refusal Ending.
But it would be pretty great if BioWare did indeed plan to release the actual ending over several DLCs.

We may find out at comic-con.

[Nerraw]

I've never made such a complaint.

I know you didn't, my apoligies if it looked like I meant that. There was just a lot of people complaining, and they weren't being nice about it.

---------- Post added 2012-06-29 at 04:30 PM ----------

Read on bw forum, but I agree with this theory just a bit. Clutching at straws? Perhaps.

While it's definitely an interesting concept that additional DLC changes the endgame in additional ways, I don't agree that we should ever be given a perfect ending. It would completely invalidate the "choice". I think we discussed it with the end of ME2 a couple of pages back. When you have the opportunity to make a perfect choice, it's not really a choice anymore.

I'd love extra ways to conclude the trilogy, but not in a "perfect" way.

---------- Post added 2012-06-29 at 04:31 PM ----------

We may find out at comic-con.

I'm so looking forward to that. We're bound to get some DLC info for sure at that time.

[Deleted]

While it's definitely an interesting concept that additional DLC changes the endgame in additional ways, I don't agree that we should ever be given a perfect ending. It would completely invalidate the "choice". I think we discussed it with the end of ME2 a couple of pages back. When you have the opportunity to make a perfect choice, it's not really a choice anymore.

Few choose to let teammembers (as in, willing it) in the suicide mission.

[Deleted]

Well something is I'm pretty sure is that the next DLC will not be free, but I guess that they can extend endings by adding a small cut-scene or two for each new dlc.

Keep in mind that the 'real' ME2 ending was in the Arrival DLC and that it was made canon for the story. They could enable a 'succesfull' refusal ending in a coming dlc given you manage to get an extra meaningful help against the reaper. It means that assuming you have DLC 1 2 and 3 And 7000+ems (that could be achieved through solo play with those dlc) you get that succesful refusal ending. Or it could even be N out of P dlc + enough ems.

Actually that would be a very good marketing move, without screwing normal customers that do no buy DLCs given that the current 'base ending+EC' are now somewhat ok.

[Oerba Yun Fang]

Keep in mind that the 'real' ME2 ending was in the Arrival DLC and that it was made canon for the story.

Wait, what?

[wildcardNS]

Wait, what?

Arrival is DLC for ME2 where you have to destroy a mass relay and kill hundreds of thousands of Batarians so the Reapers can't use the relay to begin their invasion. Basically, a stalling action. It is considered the 'real' ending to ME2. The debate is that there will be a similar DLC for ME3. IMO, its just wishful thinking stemming from how horrible the final battle for earth is, starchild, etc.

[Oerba Yun Fang]

Arrival is DLC for ME2 where you have to destroy a mass relay and kill hundreds of thousands of Batarians so the Reapers can't use the relay to begin their invasion. Basically, a stalling action. It is considered the 'real' ending to ME2. The debate is that there will be a similar DLC for ME3. IMO, its just wishful thinking stemming from how horrible the final battle for earth is, starchild, etc.

I'm aware of what it is, I've done it plenty of times. But how is that the "real, canon" ending for ME2? Did I miss something from BioWare saying that was the "real" ending to ME2, or is that just players assuming things? What makes it any more real than the Collector base? Why does the Collector base have to happen before Arrival? I'm so confused right now.

[Delevicton]

Just FYI... it took an entire fleet to kill one reaper in ME:1. The refusal ending is perfect and hilarious, because it's a slap in the face to anyone who thinks there's a remote chance they can defeat the Reapers without the Crucible. There's no way, I'm sorry.

Preferred the original endings, as they left a lot more open to the imagination rather than spoon-feeding you outcomes. Seems like everyone wants everything explained to them nowadays. I hope this isn't the end of open endings that are left up to people to interpret for themselves. I don't want Disney Return Of The Jedi endings where the hero saves the day and then we get an Animal House epilogue explaining what everyone's doing with their life.

[Nerraw]

Arrival is DLC for ME2 where you have to destroy a mass relay and kill hundreds of thousands of Batarians so the Reapers can't use the relay to begin their invasion. Basically, a stalling action. It is considered the 'real' ending to ME2. The debate is that there will be a similar DLC for ME3. IMO, its just wishful thinking stemming from how horrible the final battle for earth is, starchild, etc.

Actually, if you don't play Arrival you're told that a science team went in and sacrificed themselves in order to blow up the relay with the asteroid. You lose some war assets for it.

---------- Post added 2012-06-29 at 05:08 PM ----------

Just FYI... it took an entire fleet to kill one reaper in ME:1.

Indeed. And people forget that Sovereign was only taken down because Shepard disrupted it's barriers by forcibly severing the link to whatever Saren became. It would have taken a lot more if that hadn't happened.

[Oerba Yun Fang]

Just FYI... it took an entire fleet to kill one reaper in ME:1. The refusal ending is perfect and hilarious, because it's a slap in the face to anyone who thinks there's a remote chance they can defeat the Reapers without the Crucible. There's no way, I'm sorry.

I'm pretty sure the refusal is meant to be made with the knowledge that the Reapers will win and finish their harvest of this cycle.

Preferred the original endings, as they left a lot more open to the imagination rather than spoon-feeding you outcomes. Seems like everyone wants everything explained to them nowadays. I hope this isn't the end of open endings that are left up to people to interpret for themselves. I don't want Disney Return Of The Jedi endings where the hero saves the day and then we get an Animal House epilogue explaining what everyone's doing with their life.

You're damn right I want things explained to me. If I wanted to use my imagination, I'd pick up a stick and trash bin lid and pretend my dog is a dragon. If I'm playing a game, it's because I want someone to tell me a story.

[Adam Jensen]

Arrival is DLC for ME2 where you have to destroy a mass relay and kill hundreds of thousands of Batarians so the Reapers can't use the relay to begin their invasion. Basically, a stalling action. It is considered the 'real' ending to ME2. The debate is that there will be a similar DLC for ME3. IMO, its just wishful thinking stemming from how horrible the final battle for earth is, starchild, etc.

I don't count it as ME2's ending because you don't have to do it after the suicide mission. I don't. I'm the type of guy who finishes all side quests before doing the Final Mission of an RPG and that includes Arrival.

Thus, I've never seen Harbinger at the end of Arrival, only the Collector General (who is Harbinger in a manner of speaking)

---------- Post added 2012-06-29 at 11:21 AM ----------

I'm pretty sure the refusal is meant to be made with the knowledge that the Reapers will win and finish their harvest of this cycle.


You're damn right I want things explained to me. If I wanted to use my imagination, I'd pick up a stick and trash bin lid and pretend my dog is a dragon. If I'm playing a game, it's because I want someone to tell me a story.

If I wanted to use my imagination, I'd go back to my 400 page story that is halfway finished it's rough draft and I'm stuck at a writer's block. Do hope to publish someday, but that'll be a long time coming.

This is someone else's story, so yes, I want to be spoonfed the explanation.

[Krolikn]

The Crucible, King of all Deus Ex Machina, still cracks me up.

[PACOX]

The Renegade path in ME isn't really better or worse than most other RPG's 'evil' choices. The problem I have with them is that quite often, the only 'evil' choice is the dumb, a-hole kind of evil, rather than clever, self-serving evil. I'd love to be the master manipulator that manages to accomplish his or her goals and come out on top before everyone else realizes what happened, but there's not many games that allow for that style of play. Part of it is incentivizing good or evil play, but not the grey in between, and part of it is that it's far easier to have a good, neutral and evil choice than having 5 different shades of grey in every conversation.

Renegade was never intended to be "evil".

Renegade is an antihero.

[Krolikn]

Renegade was never intended to be "evil".

Renegade is an antihero.

Psycho more like. Sorry guys but it doesn't make sense for the most part.

[Nerraw]

Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut represents the definitive version of the endings to the Mass Effect trilogy, and the final resolution of Commander Shepard’s journey. We have no plans to release further content related to the endings.

http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/to.../12862825&lf=8

There we have it. We won't get that "perfect" ending.

[Medusa Cascade]

http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/to.../12862825&lf=8

There we have it. We won't get that "perfect" ending.

Surely Leviathan would affect the end. A rogue Reaper effectively will negate the control ending.