CAG Poll: Mass Effect 3 Ending

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sinewav

CAGiversary!
Given that so far none of the CAGcast hosts (CheapyD, Wombat) who have completed the game are very happy with the ending I'm curious about what my fellow CAG's take on the ending is for those that have completed it.

This is an informal poll of course but the more unique votes we have the better and please be respectful of all viewpoints in the comments. Thank you.
 
I think he's got a pen and paper, and he's tallying this old school.

I respect that. I saw a couple artisinal poll takers down at the farmers market. It's a noble craft.
 
I voted terrible. But I think that if the Extended Cut DLC really does smooth over the continuity errors and unanswered questions, it could graduate to "disappointing." The thematic and tonal inconsistencies and overall WTF-ness is not going to go away even if the plot holes are shored up.
 
I just finished it today. It was awful. Not because of the ending itself, but because it was unoriginal. I swear Casey or one of the writers went home and watched Matrix: Revolutions before writing this ending. Very similar. I'm still trying to figure out how I had Garrus with me at the end and yet he's stepping off the Normandy. How?
 
Here is my thing with the ending. It wasn't that bad, not too amazing, but in all a decent way to end the game.

However, here is the rub, that only counts if you don't replay and see each permutation from the final 3 choices and see how little it varies and how all of your choices up to that point are thrown out (pretty much) and it just comes down to the last multiple choice.

In other words, if you play through it once, you are like Ok, that's pretty good. If you reload and try the other options it becomes apparent how little you actually impacted the final ending through all of your other choices and how lazy they got on the variations.

After everything I have heard, I have come to the conclusion I don't want to play through again. I made my choices based on what I would do in that situation, not based on what a FAQ told me gets the best result. The ending is my ending, and I'm fine with that. I would rather not spoil it by going through the effort again, so I've decided that all three are going to be headed back for trade in. I'm done with Mass Effect, I'd rather be done with it it on an upbeat note. The game doesn't play well to top other similar games when you factor out the story, and a replay will just ruin the story for me.
 
@defpally thanks for your input, personally I liked the ending but I have only completed one play through and I didn't reload. I'm on my second run now and am curious if my opinion will change after I complete it. My gut feeling is that you are correct but even so I can rectify that by just imagining what really happened in my head based on the choices presented.

@Cindaddy I've seen several references to the ending of the Matrix trilogy and my memory is fuzzy on the movies so if you can elaborate more on how you draw similarities between that and the end of ME3 I would appreciate it to better understand your view.
 
It definitely sucked compared to the rest of the game. I wasn't as pissed as everyone else on the internet apparently.

I'm a fan of Mass Effect, but I'm not into the lore (I would never read a book based on a video game), so maybe that's why I wasn't as upset.
 
[quote name='distgfx']Best ending for any game ever.[/QUOTE]
[quote name='hankmecrankme']Mass Effect 3 = The Schindler's List of video games.[/QUOTE]
Hmm.

I predicted Whoknows would be the first one to use one of those lines.

I'm getting rusty.
 
I picked, "A terrible ending, doesn't do justice to the game at all." Even though it wasn't just the ending of Mass Effect 3 that I thought sucked. The whole game bored me, and was flat.
 
I didn't think it was that bad. Though whether I end up hating it will depend on that DLC. If indoctrination theory isn't true then the ending sucks.
 
[quote name='Rei no Otaku']If indoctrination theory isn't true then the ending sucks.[/QUOTE]
It's not, they've already said that much.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']It's not, they've already said that much.[/QUOTE]

When/where? I thought they just gave a "no comment" on that.
 
[quote name='chubbyninja1319']When/where? I thought they just gave a "no comment" on that.[/QUOTE]

The press release said that the Extended Cut would be expansion and clarification only, not a change or retcon to the existing ending, i.e. everything that was depicted in the existing ending should be taken at face value and the Extended Cut will just add new scenes.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']The press release said that the Extended Cut would be expansion and clarification only, not a change or retcon to the existing ending, i.e. everything that was depicted in the existing ending should be taken at face value and the Extended Cut will just add new scenes.[/QUOTE]
How does that say IT is false? If IT is true all that says is that the extended cut will clarify that.

Changing my comment again. Ending doesn't suck until I see the extended cut.
 
[quote name='Rei no Otaku']How does that say IT is false? If IT is true all that says is that the extended cut will clarify that.[/QUOTE]
Because if IT is true, then certain elements of the ending were a dream/hallucination and didn't really happen. BioWare said that everything in the ending happened. I can't see how that doesn't rule out IT.
 
Masters of advertising.

Ikg4Q.jpg
 
It just opened up so many plot holes and completely eliminated any player choice (other than what color was present) that this ending sucked.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']Because if IT is true, then certain elements of the ending were a dream/hallucination and didn't really happen. BioWare said that everything in the ending happened. I can't see how that doesn't rule out IT.[/QUOTE]
I'm not saying you're wrong, but your quote isn't supporting what you're saying. I've read almost all, if not all, the press releases and comments about the extended cut and none of the comments say IT isn't true. If you have another quote or anything that says otherwise I really would like to see it.
 
[quote name='Rei no Otaku']I'm not saying you're wrong, but your quote isn't supporting what you're saying. I've read almost all, if not all, the press releases and comments about the extended cut and none of the comments say IT isn't true. If you have another quote or anything that says otherwise I really would like to see it.[/QUOTE]
Are there going to be more/different endings or ending DLCs in the future?

No. BioWare strongly believes in the team’s artistic vision for the end of this arc of the Mass Effect franchise.

...

Why are you releasing the Extended Cut DLC?

Though we remain committed and are proud of the artistic choices we made in the main game, we are aware that there are some fans who would like more closure to Mass Effect 3. The goal of the DLC is not to provide a new ending to the game, rather to offer fans additional context and answers to the end of Commander Shepard’s story.

...

Are we going to change the ending of the game? No.
Click to expand...


It doesn't flat out say that Shepard is not indoctrinated, but it says the ending will not be "new" or "different" than the current one, and I don't see how revealing that the existing ending didn't really happen wouldn't qualify as "new" or "different" or a "change" (all their words). That is my reasoning. I guess we'll all find out this summer though! :)
 
I would note there is that
2 second n7 breathing scene
if you have over 5000 adjusted war assets and choose to destroy the reapers. I'm curious where that fits in to their 'clarification'

I voted horrible for now until I see more definitive proof of IT. I'd like to think their 'we're not changing anything' stance is to say most people didn't catch onto IT but that they intended it the whole time.
 
I was perfectly satisfied with my ending experience. I felt that all my choices added up right before the trilogy came to a close. At the very end I got to choose the fate of the Galaxy by correcting the problem with never ending technological advancement.

I've never really understood people who get obsessed with plot holes. Just think for yourself and come up with some head cannon.

Obviously the best ending is synthesis. It gave every species in the Galaxy choice without condemning them to destroy themselves or repeat history(Reaper Cycle or Synthetic Rebellion).
 
No amount of fiddling with head-cannon, no thinking on it, no interpreting and reinterpreting can make the ending not an utter fuck-over. I have not found any way to play it that does not one-hundred-percent conflict with the Shepard that I played, but with every possible permutation of Shepard. That in and of itself damages the ending far more than the numerous plot holes and inconsistencies.

Like... Neverwinter Nights 2 had a better ending. Did you ever play Neverwinter Nights 2? No? Don't. It wasn't a very good game. And it had a fucking rickockulous ending.
 
In the end it didn't matter what kind of Shepard you were. The problem was much bigger than you. I can't believe people actually wanted to just destroy the reapers and watch how everyone's life played out. You already know what every character/species would have done after that outcome, because they tell you. It would have been run of the mill. Instead, on top of that possible scenario, you get a bigger than yourself conclusion.
 
Accepting "because they tell you" goes against Shepard's character. If that was not the case, he would have given up when he talked to Sovereign. Or he would have accepted Saren's "we must help them or they will destroy us" line. Or Benezia or Harbinger or... fuck I don't know, the warden of that prison in ME2; he would have just dropped his weapon and laid down in that cell because he was told to do so. The series would have ended in Mass Effect 1 a hundred times over and in ME2 a hundred times more. "An AI told you it was pointless to fight; therefore, you don't fight." runs contrary to everything that happens ever. In the entire series.

The existing endings are Shepard surrendering. All of them. As a choice, this is fine. I'm totally cool with - supportive of, even - surrender as a choice (though actually allowing you to inquire as to the ramifications of your surrender-choices would be cool; it's nice to know whether or not we're blowing up the galaxy, for example, instead of Shepard just running head-first in to whatever thing sounds nicer). But making surrender the only thing that you can do? Balls to that.

If the ending does something for you, cool. But it's still a complete character reversal, and that kills it for me.

Even more than rocks fall, everyone dies.

Which is how Neverwinter Nights 2 ends.

Yeah, I'm spoiling it for you. Because fuck the ending of Neverwinter Nights 2.

Rocks fall. Everyone dies.

Yeah, okay, Neeshka and Sand make it out. fuck you, anyone who would actually argue about the ending of NWN2.
 
Imagine that the Reapers are the construct of countless years of limitless technological advancement and were originally organic or something(Basically choosing to control the Reapers would repeat the creation of the Reapers cycle). Destroying the Reapers would condemn organics being destroyed by synthetics(the Reaper harvesting cycle stopped this). What Shepard is dealing with is a build up of one huge cycle that hasn't repeated. That's how I justified the reapers surrendering to Shepard, but Shepard really not having much choice in the matter.
 
[quote name='Kilvas09']
Imagine that the Reapers are the construct of countless years of limitless technological advancement and were originally organic or something(Basically choosing to control the Reapers would repeat the creation of the Reapers cycle). Destroying the Reapers would condemn organics being destroyed by synthetics(the Reaper harvesting cycle stopped this). What Shepard is dealing with is a build up of one huge cycle that hasn't repeated. That's how I justified the reapers surrendering to Shepard, but Shepard really not having much choice in the matter.
[/QUOTE]
I'm... are you saying that the final choices aren't surrender? It's a little unclear, and I don't want to misrepresent you. Because "enslave a sentient race and possibly destroy the galaxy", "forcibly rewrite the genetics of all living and non-living things whatever the fuck that means and possibly destroy the galaxy", and "commit vaguely-worded genocide and possibly destroy the galaxy" all because a hologram told you those were your best choices all seem pretty surrender-y.
[quote name='Feeding the Abscess']The ending had about as much choice as the rest of the series. Not sure why there's an outrage about it.[/QUOTE]
It's all about illusion, Michael. There may have been fuck-tons of railroading in the series, but they at least had the courtesy to throw some misdirection and mirror tricks your way while they were doing it.
 
Maybe if they were broken mirrors.


The ending was sweet. I love The Matrix (the whole trilogy), so obviously I love that Bioware took that idea and masterfully adapted it for the Mass Effect universe.
 
No Sonic or Home joke? fuck this shit whoknows; play god damn Freebird.

I thought it was more "Deus Ex" than The Matrix.

Like, a LOT like Deus Ex.

Like, holy shit, it was Deus Ex, only not really fucking cool.

EDIT: Less
implied genocide and galaxy destruction in Deus Ex, though.
 
I didn't really mind the choice options. I didn't like how the ending wasn't really that different regardless of what you choose. It was way too short and vague in terms of the actual consequences of your choice. Hopefully the extended ending DLC will fix that part of it at least.
 
[quote name='The Crotch']No Sonic or Home joke? fuck this shit whoknows; play god damn Freebird.

I thought it was more "Deus Ex" than The Matrix.

Like, a LOT like Deus Ex.

Like, holy shit, it was Deus Ex, only not really fucking cool.

EDIT: Less
implied genocide and galaxy destruction in Deus Ex, though.
[/QUOTE]
I saw it as being like the Matrix because
The kid was pretty much the architect from The Matrix. Shepard had to make the choice to let the cycle of the Reapers killing everything continue or not like Neo had to make the choice to let the cycle of Zion being destroyed continue or not.
 
I'll confess to some ignorance in the Matrix trilogy, having only seen the first and third. I thought of it as being more like Deus Ex because
the three choices in Deus Ex are control, synthesis, and destruction.

Except they actually set them up proper-like, rather than introduce them in the last two minutes.

And again, less implied genocide, enslavement, and galaxy-destroying.
 
Yeah, what I'm talking about happens at the end of the second one. I can see the Deus Ex comparison too.

Honestly I'm fine with the premise of the ME3 ending (even if it's not really original), it just felt kind of rushed. Your choices not making a difference with the ending didn't really bother me because I don't think your choices really made a difference in the first or second game either. Aside from who lives and dies, I didn't really notice anything big choices did.
 
Like I said. It's all about 'dat illusion.

Also, why the fuck have I been using spoiler tags for ME3 in this thread? What the fuck is wrong with me, Juggernaut?
 
You've been using them because you're so thoughtful.

And the illusion didn't really do it for me because there weren't any real consequences for bad choices. If someone dies that was needed in the story later, they just get replaced with a nobody. The only thing you really lose out on is being able to use that character in your squad.
 
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