Mass Effect 3

**Mots** · 2012-06-26 05:04

Hopefully by the time I get home from work there will be videos on youtube. I'm not investing any time in this seeing as how I really don't think there is anything they could do to make the ending worth it.

**Brill Weave** · 2012-06-26 06:36

Hopefully someone posts here with their thoughts on it.

**Tomino** · 2012-06-26 07:05

4th ending, WAT?

Spoiler: show

**Kuya** · 2012-06-26 07:23

You know, i used to hate it when people called those who weren't happy with the endings "entitled", but after seeing some comments in that 4th ending video, i suppose there's a large segment of people who are entitled douchebags.

**Zombie** · 2012-06-26 08:10

The vids I watched:
Extended Cut DLC Synthesis Ending: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFzrRz6Dc0Y
Extended Cut DLC Destroy Ending: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgYYYmzr7_A
Extended Cut DLC Control Ending: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5J-QDTM8Zk

Cliffnotes/What I got from them:

Spoiler: show

**Brill Weave** · 2012-06-26 08:25

So long story short, still disappointed?

**Tomino** · 2012-06-26 09:11

So long story short, still disappointed?

Well,

Spoiler: show

**Kuya** · 2012-06-26 09:20

Not liking that most of the original endings are now hooray endings, but w/e, i guess they understood that when people said "bad" endings, they meant sad endings. Which is unfortunate, but i got some of what i wanted which was a look into the aftermath.

**WahiGuard** · 2012-06-26 10:01

Skipping comments.

Why did they have to release this the same day as DawnGuard? shit is taking FOREVER to download ; ;

**Rulke** · 2012-06-26 10:06

So did BW take out the crap with Joker magically flying away with my ship and crew?

**Xanthe** · 2012-06-26 10:07

Originally Posted by Rulke

So did BW take out the crap with Joker magically flying away with my ship and crew?

No, but they reasonably justified it.

**Ohemgee** · 2012-06-26 10:13

Nothing was explained.

Again.

edit: No continuity kind of hurts, because there's still a giant plot hole that doesn't really resolve the perfect ending.

So I guess the indoctrination theory IS true.

**BaneTheBrawler** · 2012-06-26 10:34

The addition of the 4th ending does seem to reinforce the indoctrination theory.

**Kuya** · 2012-06-26 10:35

Indoctrination theory reminds me of my english lit classes.

**BadKarma** · 2012-06-26 11:24

Moar Lance Hneriksen VOs is never a bad thing

**BadKarma** · 2012-06-26 11:26

IMO Bioware fixed what was wrong. Shep is still most like still dead which is fine, but the Normandy crew is fine, and the Galaxy isnt totally fucked

And in the case of the control ending, everyone seems much better off.

**Appie** · 2012-06-26 13:12

I like what they did with the endings. Alot more logical than the shit from a few months ago. Will now forever wonder why this wasn't in the original game? EA being a release date pusher? 360 limitations? lolz.

**Brill Weave** · 2012-06-26 13:18

Forbes article

http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertco...-far-too-late/

It’s Christmas morning for Mass Effect fans around the world, and all the good little boys and girls are waking up to see whether they have a lovely new toy or a dirty lump of coal in their stockings.

The Mass Effect 3 ending controversy has been one of the more fascinating stories in video gaming that I’ve covered the past few years. For those who have forgotten, fans of the series were so disappointed with the game’s lackluster and confusing ending, that they demanded more from the creators, Bioware. Stranger still, Bioware listened, and agreed to go back and create an “extended cut” of the finale meant to ease fans’ anger with the current ending.

Today is that day, and Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut is available as a free (2GB!) download for anyone who wants a little more closure to their favorite series.

So, is it enough? I’ve just played through the last hour or so of the game again to find out, and have since watched the other three endings I did not choose on YouTube. Spoilers follow, so be warned if you have not played the DLC yet yourself.

In short, it’s better, but ultimately it’s very obvious that it should have been included in the game in the first place. Having to release something like this to go back and “fix” bad storytelling is sloppy and strange. Even if these expanded endings were brilliant in every way (they’re not), it would be hard to get back into the plot after having it on the shelf for months. Replaying through the last hour again (the hardest part of the game mind you) for five minutes of new cutscenes is rather annoying, and I’m not sure if I was supposed to go back and play even more old content.

The initial problem is that there’s no clear indicator of when exactly the “extended cut” begins. I reloaded halfway through the final mission as I figured that’s where the content would be. Only after have I read we’re supposed to start at the Cerberus Base mission, though according to my save data, that’s about three hours earlier than my last save. For presumably a few minutes of new cutscenes, I really don’t want to replay all that.

Rather, the focus has always been on the ending, which is where Bioware really needed to deliver. They definitely expanded on their existing endings, but I couldn’t help but personally be disappointed with what I found.

I really did believe they were going to employ the famed Indoctrination Theory to satisfy fans and keep their “artistic integrity” intact. You can read the full scope of the theory here, but the gist of it is that the entire last section of the game is not real, and merely a test to see if Shepard will succumb to indoctrination by choosing to control the Reapers (what the Illusive Man wanted) or synthesizing with them (what Saren wanted). The idea was that destroying them was the correct choice as it would break the spell the Reapers had over you, and then we would get to see the actual ending once all was revealed. It would allow Bioware to keep their old ending, deliver new content and look like they had this planned all along.

But as it stands, Indoctrination Theory will now be viewed as nothing more than a figment of fans’ imagination. To me, this is the biggest tragedy of the game, as if true, it would be the biggest mind warp in video game history, and it’s an ending far smarter and more satisfying than what Bioware actually gave us in the original, or in this new extended DLC.

In my playthrough this time, I chose Destroy in the hopes that Indoctrination Theory would be true. It wasn’t and I was treated to a cutscene voiced by Admiral Hackett that had him talking about how we would repair what was lost as still photos of friends and allies cycled through the screen. My crew was shown intact, and Tali hesitated to put my name on the “death wall” aboard the Normandy. Strangely, even though I wasn’t shown the “Shepard is alive” three second scene that shows a rising and falling N7 chestplate in my first playthrough, here I did get that short sequence, implying I might not be dead after all.

I didn’t want to play through the entire unskippable twenty minute end sequence two more times to see the other endings, so I took to YouTube where the DLC is already uploaded. Synthesis has always seemed like the option the game desperately wants you to pick, but in the final cutscene (voiced by EDI), it’s really unnerving to see everyone you know as green-eyed, glowing techno zombies once synthetic and organic DNA combines.

Interestingly, it’s the Control ending that’s now the most satisfying of all. It always seemed like the “bad guy” choice the first time around as it’s what the evil Illusive Man was after, but the new scene has Shepard speaking as a Reaper, talking about how his sacrifice has allowed him to become immortal and watch over his friends forever as he forces the Reapers to help rebuild society. Surprisingly, it’s the most touching thought, and it made me instantly regret my final pick.

Hilariously, there’s a new final option where you can shoot the Starchild when he talks to you, or reject his options, and you “lose” as the Reapers wipe everyone out. As everyone always wanted to shoot the holographic brat, I’m sure there are many who had to reload their saves after when they didn’t realize what would happen if they did.

Even if these endings are “better,” they still suffer from the same problem as the old ones. Nearly all are identical in terms of what you’re shown. Each new cutscene is about five minutes long, though four minutes of them are the same across all three, other than the voiceover. The major function of the new endings is seemingly to fill in a few plotholes, like how your crew got to the Normandy (they were evaced after injury) or what happens after the destruction or the relays (it’s made clear they can be rebuilt) or what happens if your crew is stranded on a jungle planet (they’re shown leaving). It’s possible I missed another scene or two by not starting over all the way at the Cerberus base.

It’s all just very…strange. It’s a weird experience to come back to a game months after you’ve stopped thinking about it and try to start caring as much as you had previously. And playing the entire three hour end segment for eight minutes of new cutscenes probably won’t seem worth it to many. Bioware lost a lot of credibility with how they handled the original ending, and the Extended Cut isn’t anything amazing enough that’s going to earn all of that goodwill back. It was a respectable effort to try and please fans, but the point is that no one should have to go back and re-do something like this. I may not have liked the way Prometheus ended, but I don’t expect Ridley Scott to come out with a five minute extension of the ending three months after the movie hit theaters. That would be strange for any film, and despite the flexibility of the newer medium, it’s rather uncomfortable for a video game as well.

Personally, I’m disappointed in the content itself because deep down I always believed that Indoctrination Theory was the ace in the hole that would turn a bad ending into a brilliant one. All we got was a slightly clearer picture of the aftermath of the original ending, which is still fundamentally flawed in many ways. Yes, it was way, way better than what happened initially, but the fact that A) it took Bioware a mulligan to improve upon it and B) fan written endings remain far more compelling alternatives, I don’t think this can be called a success.

As expected, among the community there are those that are saying this is “good enough” and those raging with anger that it isn’t what they wanted. I’m somewhere in the middle, but what’s clear is that this is the end for Mass Effect 3. No amount of further protests would serve any sort of purpose. This is the final fix, and though it might just be a band-aid on a bullet hole, it’s an improvement.

All this said, I am excited for the Mass Effect universe to continue on post-Shepard. In recent weeks, it’s been implied that even if Shepard’s story has concluded, the rest of his friends may go on to have their own adventures. It seems like a very obvious hint at more titles set in the universe with the surviving characters to be released in the future. Give me a game where I’m Garrus Vakarian, and this whole ending debacle can be forgiven.

And so ends this strange chapter in video game history, where a beloved series had an ending so bad, fans demanded a better one. And they got it. Though oddly enough, the best finale was one they imagined themselves.

No more stories about the Shepard. Time to let him rest.

tl;dr too little too late.

**Pendulum** · 2012-06-26 15:05

ughhhhh i have save from after hitting chronos station and the one before that is back on Thessia before the temple fight

**Brill Weave** · 2012-06-26 16:11

lol the fourth ending was nothing more than a giant fuck off from Bioware to everyone that wanted a new ending. After having watched all the endings I will say that while still God awful, they at least show the impact of your decisions. To me this was Bioware's chance to make things right. They failed. Just another disappointment. I'm just happy it wasn't worse than the original ending though.

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