61 replies to this topic

[Eleima]

Well, the Extended Cut DLC is released today, so maybe we'll get some answers. Apparently, it explains why Joker disengaged the Normandy from the fight (well, that's what I've heard/read). Wait and see. I'll probably hold off on trying the new ending until I've finished my Renegade ME2 run with the DLCs, then will move on to ME3. Also, I've been having a surprising amount of fun with the multiplayer! Didn't expect that. I was just sorry I only had human characters for this weekend's event (which needed us to have all krogan/turian/vorcha teams).
And no, I wasn't going to shell out BioWare points to unlock characters.

[Tempest]

I've played through all three Extended Cut endings. Without going into a long spiel, the DLC gets a firm thumbs down from me. It does answer some ridiculously basic questions and provides a little emotional closure, but I don't think it solves any of the glaring narrative flaws in the ending and doesn't provide much emotional closure. And, if anything, the Catalyst is even more obnoxious than before. The chance to argue with it is good. The inability to win said argument or indeed do anything but listen to the Catalyst smugly ignore your points and condescendingly say you're wrong is not good.

ME3 does now end rather than simply stop. It entirely fails to conclude, and if you're in the camp that's especially critical of the ending for rendering the entire trilogy moot beyond giving you choices A, B, and C, and generally having squat to do with the themes and characters of the series, the DLC won't do anything for you. Props to Bioware for the laziest epilogue to the characters of the series I can imagine, too - and many characters, including your squadmates from ME3 and some of the ME2 team, get zero epilogue at all. Hope you weren't expecting your love interest to have anything but the most token impact on the ending, too.

If you wanted an AND EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT FOREVER ending, though, you're in luck.


Suffice it to say I have no intention of buying any more DLC for ME3, and between this, DA2, and SWTOR, I have lost all faith in Bioware.

Edited by Tempest, 26 June 2012 - 05:20 PM.

[Kulyok]

I've not played ME3 EC yet, but I've seen all epilogues on Youtube. I think the ending got better.

SPOILERS!

I am not sure how I'll romance Garrus ever again, though, because Garrus telling the Joker to go while the Shepard's still alive and bleeding out on the citadel... well, that was just ugly and creepy. Other than that, though:
- voiceovers were a huge step up. Hackett's(red) was pretty generic and bittersweet("hey, we killed all bad robots AND good robots, isn't it cool?"). EDI's(green) nearly brought tears to my eyes, though I hate the ending itself("everyone's glowing green and holding hands all over the world, isn't it nice that your kid is part robot now and forever?"). And Shepard's(blue) was just cool and shocking and cool("I am Commander Shepard, and this is my galaxy"). And cool.
- The refusal ending is great. Also, people say the refusal ending even happens if you try to shoot the Catalyst. Yes, it is hugely unsatisfying, but I liked it a lot. Anyway, it was a nice touch.
- Stills(pictures/screenshots) of Jacob, Jack, Miranda, Grunt and others instead of video weren't so cool to me. Seemed out of place a little.
- Normandy getting airborne again = a huge sense of relief. Garrus may be a jerk and a jackass, but he doesn't deserve to die of hunger. Nobody does.
- It's official: Shepard's first name now is Commander! The scene where love interest places "Commander Shepard" plague(or just holds it but not places it, if Shep is alive) on the Normandy's memorial wall didn't impress me much - especially in the green ending, when all, including Javik, glow green, but only Javik looks cool.
- I've heard that Shepard can say goodbye to her love interest during the Conduit run. I'd like to see that.

[Kulyok]

[Yovaneth]

-Y-

[Kulyok]

On a related note,

Dear Destroy and Control.

[Yovaneth]

But we did finally get to see Tali (?? - could have been a generic Quarian) with the faceplate off. Or did you all miss it?

-Y-

[Kulyok]

Yep, there was a girl without a mask there, I saw her and I was a little spooked. Also, I accidentally killed all the geth, so I guess my Tali stayed masked.

[Yovaneth]

I thought the cutscene on the Quarian homeworld was brilliantly done. I had to grin, thinking of all the disappointed Talimancers.

-Y-

[Kulyok]

Absolutely. I privately always pictured Tali as human(I don't know why), so this way, I felt good, because everyone could stick to their headcanon.

(Oh gods, and did I cry when Legion made his decision. I made peace between the races, but still, to me it was the saddest scene in the whole three games. Mordin's genophage one at the tower, too, but I was spoiled, so I cried on youtube).

[Eleima]

I always picture the Quarians as "geth like". Think about it, when we make robots, they're androids, they look like shiny humans. At least that's what makes sense to me, and that's what I'm sticking with.

As for emotional scenes... Egad, I almost need to make a list!! I teared up when Shepard had to leave Earth, I choked up during her talk with Kaidan on Mars, I wept when Mordin sacrificed himself, I bawled when Thane dies ("Kolyat, why did that last line say 'she'?"), I sobbed when Legion sacrificed himself, I cried when Shepard and Kaidan said goodbye at the FOB, I wept bittersweet tears when the ending came (not a comment on the ending, but more on the fact that a beloved trilogy was coming to a close...
Yeah, I'm a softie.

[Yovaneth]

I have rarely - never, in fact - cared so much for characters in a game. Some (Kaiden, for example - sorry Eleima!) I was completely antipathetic to but others I went out of my way to try and save because I felt for them. The Mass Effect series is the only one where, having finished the runthrough, I started again immediately (ME1 and ME2). Not even the much-loved BG series got me like that.

-Y-

[Eleima]

Hey, don't be sorry! You like what you like, I like what I like, as long as we can talk about it like adults, we're good (I myself never cared much for Kaidan's female counterpart, Ashley). Mostly, I'm focusing on what we do have in common. That we have to care for these characters in a very deep way. No matter what BioWare messed up on other fronts, they certainly accomplished that, and I'm willing to give them a pass for their less then stellar ending (which I maintain was almost 100% "fixed" with the EC, but that's just me ).

[Yovaneth]

Actually, I trashed Ashley on Virmire on my first runthrough because I couldn't stand her xenophobia, but she does improve if you persist.

-Y-

[Eleima]

Lividlion, a word of caution, that's a low content post. Please add to the discussion, or at the very least, explain why you loved it, what were its strengths in your opinion.

[Kulyok]

Speaking of the ending, I just realized that if AI like EDI was targeted via Crucible in the Red ending, then other forms of VI intelligence would be, too. What do you think, would Glyph and Avina survive?

[Yovaneth]

VI and AI are substantially different in that AI is self-aware and thinks for itself but a VI is a specialised software program and any response is limited to that specialisation. It has no self-awareness. It should be possible to target self-awareness and leave VI intact.

-Y-

[Eleima]

I agree with Yovaneth, my guess would be that VIs would be left entirely untouched, specifically because they lack self-awareness. I think that only the geth, EDI and the Reapers of course, would be destroyed. Of course, that's just my opinion, I haven't seen or read anything to back that up.

[Kulyok]

I hope so, too. A little embarrassed to say, but I came to like Glyph a lot; killing him is just like killing a puppy. I like self-awareness criteria a lot - makes a lot of sense.

And, yay, the Leviathan's release date! I'm holding of re-playing the ending with the Extended Cut(Red ending is my preferred one, but I feel uneasy about the geth - and EDI, of course); maybe Leviathan will give me some more clues.