44 replies to this topic

[Confederacy]

I stand confused.

I agree with BigEd -- How do you complete a game when you're halfway through it? Sounds more like you just stopped playing, and if you merely quit the game how could you form an opinion that it had the "one of the worst endings ever made" especially since you never had a chance to view it for yourself?

Yeah, that was poor writing on my part, what I meant is, I only got half way through the game before I stopped playing it. Sorry about that. The ending was already partially spoiled by some people that I know. Once I stopped playing the game and gave it back to my friend, I went ahead and watched the full ending.

[Raven45]

So far I have played ME1 and ME2. I loved both games, and am looking forward to playing ME3 once I get paid, although a purchase of VX Ace might delay ME3 for a month.

IMO, ME1 was the better of the two games. It had more of a RPG feel to it, and the world just simply seemed bigger. I loved the planet exploration aspect, and I wished they were bigger areas to explore in ME1. All in all, the storyline was out of the ballpark in ME1.

ME2 I have mixed feelings about. Now don't get me wrong, I loved ME2, but it had awefully big shoes to fill. I loved the character development in ME2, but wished they had more dialog options than what they did; they seemed more static in between missions. I wish there was more equipment options available, and more weapon/armor customizations. It also did not have many chances of exploration, thus taking that rpg aspect away. ME2 imo, was a pure shooter game instead of a RPG/Shooter hybrid that ME1 was.

[Denn]

I have opinions! There's a lot to say about the differences between Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 2. But the wounds are fresh for ME3, so that's what I'll delve into. Onto the ending!

Spoiler

Plot holes, poor writing, and unsatisfying resolutions! ME is by no means perfect in the writing department, but one thing it's good at is making things feel solid. And then this, the ending of ME3. Let's make a little list of the issues, shall we?
Plot holes:

• Normandy running away from the battle for no reason
• Characters that were on Earth being in the Normandy
• Even worse: Characters in your party that were vaporized by Harbinger being in the Normandy
• Generations of organics designed, built, and added to a device that they didn't know what it did
• If Citadel Kid MacGuffin was controlling the reapers, why didn't it send the Reaper signal itself (back in ME1)
• Why did the Reapers wait until the last minute to take the Citadel?
• How does Shepard survive (in the highest galactic readiness ending) the Citadel exploding. In Space. In his face.
• If Anderson went into the conduit behind you, how did he get ahead of you, taking the same path?
• How did the Illusive man get to the Citadel?

Poor Writing

• While escaping the Deus Ex Machina wave, Joker looks behind himself as if there isn't just a door there. What's he looking at?
• So Kid MacGuffin created a synthetic race to destroy organic life, to keep organic life from creating synthetic life which could destroy organic life? What?
• The Destroy ending destroys all synthetic life. If Kid MacGuffin could do that, why use the Reapers to destroy organic life? Why not periodically destroy synthetic life?
• The Synthesis ending makes all synthetic and organic life the same. What's to stop the hybrid types from creating another synthetic race that eventually destroys all hybrid life? News flash, Bioware, synthetic doesn't mean computers, it means created
• Dear Harbinger, check to see if the bodies left in your wake are dead. Easy solution
• The differences between the three core endings is very slight. What happened to our choices having an impact?
• If you're galactic readiness isn't high enough, the Deus Ex Machina wave inexplicably vaporizes all organic life. There's no explainable reason why, it just does
• The theme seemed to try to show that synthetics had souls. EDI developing a love interest, and Geth inquiring about their soul. The ending choices don't really explore this
• Kid MacGuffin talks about all synthetic life rising up, but the Geth show that organics are actually to blame, and that the Synthetics can actually be peaceful and such. Kid MacGuffin stands to spit on a theme of the whole series

Unsatisfying

• I made a lot of hard choices that could lead to a galactic war in the future, preserving the Rachni, curing the Genophage, upgrading the Geth. I want to know if anything comes of that. But nope, no epilogue at all
• I spent three games getting to know characters, what happens to these dudes/dudettes?
• I don't care if the epilogue is happy or sad, I just want one

Mass Effect 3 was awesome. Great combat, great characters, excellent story telling in some parts:

Spoiler

Mordin's Death, Thane's Death, brokering a piece between Geth and Quarians, and all the goodbyes near the end.

But the ending was so disappointing, and clashed with so much of the game.

[Phlegethonyarre]

Spoiler

I bet you they'll be releasing DLC for a secret yellow ending in the future, that costs like 20 bucks. It'll be the happy ending.

[Arcador]

The game was great!
The ending is a major candidate for the Reality TV show "What were you thinking"

I have no idea what their agenda is. I mean, really, WTF?

[Rider of Dragons]

Good news for those of you disappointed with the Mass Effect 3 ending: EA / Bioware is currently working on an extended cut ending to be released as FREE DLC sometime over the summer.

http://www.pcmag.com...,2402650,00.asp

[Kotaro]

My experience with Mass Effect is a bit of a strange one:

I picked up Mass Effect long after 2 had already been released, after a friend of mine recommended the series. And I effing loved every minute of it. Even the Mako--while awkward to control--gave the game a real sense of scale. As Douglas Adams once put it: "Space is big." And it really captured that feeling of big-ness. I found the gameplay to be a lot of fun (it was a classic RPG that happened to be made in a shooter's engine), the plot was suitably epic, and the ending of that one really could have stood on its own if the sequels had never been made.
Pretty much as soon as I'd finished it, I went out to grab a copy of Mass Effect 2. I played it for about 20 minutes before returning to play through 1 about three more times.
Eventually, I went back to 2, and decided to stick with it this time. And holy hell, I was rewarded. While the combat and leveling systems had been streamlined a bit too much in my opinion (it felt like they removed about 3/4 of the RPG), I was given another brilliant game. There was an interesting plot with enjoyable characters and a few real moral dilemmas (one of which actually forced me to step away from my computer and think for a while; you know which one I'm talking about). And hell, the combat was still fun, in the end.
And then Mass Effect 3 was released. I'd preordered the Special Edition, and was replaying both 1 and 2, to create the perfect save file to import into 3... when I had to get my hard drive replaced, and lost my saves. So I had to start it over again.
I'm not done with 3 yet, but it's hard to avoid the ending fracas, and I've seen the ending(s) on YouTube... I'm kind of fond of the Indoc. Theory, honestly.

Also, Garrus is awesome; he's like Dirty Harry in SPACE. I like pretty much all of the cast, except Vega and Allers. He's just bland, and she has a derp face.

Spoiler

Fun little bit of trivia: If you went through all of 1, 2, and to a certain point in 3 without romancing either Tali or Garrus, they'll hook up. I was surprised, too.
And if you hear Mordin's singing in 2, he'll reprise his song during his death scene in 3, which makes it even more heartbreaking...

[Denn]

While the combat and leveling systems had been streamlined a bit too much in my opinion (it felt like they removed about 3/4 of the RPG), I was given another brilliant game.

While it's true that ME2 was much less of an RPG and closer to an FPS, I think the changes were ultimately good.The equipment system in ME1 was absolute crap, and mostly amounted to "is this mod/weapon/armor better in every way?" And leveling was full of waaaay too many incremental stats. ME2 managed to make your weapon choices balanced and choosing where to allocate points during level ups actually have a noticeable effect.

ME3 found a happy medium though, with more of the leveling system choices (which I love), and incremental upgrades, but done in a way that's much better. Since it's applied automatically, there's no inventory to worry about, which was reeeally annoying in ME1. Plus, the reputation system was easily the best in ME3.

[Kotaro]

-snip-

Micromanagement is really just standard for the genre. Removing equipment micromanagement from an RPG is like removing the mindf-ckery from Silent Hill--oh wait.

And we all know how well that turned out.

My problem with Mass Effect 2 is that it streamlined too much. While each point placed into an ability had a more noticable effect, there just wasn't any variety in where you could put your points. After gaining my first level, I was apalled to see a grand total of four places to allocate the points, compared to 1's twelve (approximation; I don't remember the exact number). And what little I've played of 3 so far is kind of boring; there's far less for me to actually do, exploration is practically nil, and the quest journal is completely f-cked (even if they don't fix anything else, BioWare needs to repair the broken journal).
With everything considered, even with the somewhat awkward control, the shamelessly copy-pasted environments, and a slew of other minor problems, the first Mass Effect is by a wide margin my favorite of the three.

[William]

I didn't start the Mass Effect series until I started to hear people complain about how bad the ending to ME3 was. I wanted to find out for myself if it really was as bad as they said it was - while avoiding all types of spoilers just so I don't ruin the personal experience I'd get from playing the games.

So I played through ME1. I thought it was pretty decent, even though it took a while for me to get into it. By the end of it, my interest was piqued to find out what happens next. So I started ME2. I personally loved ME2 and thought it was a huge improvement over ME1 nearly all-around, with some minor flaws that were already pointed out. I guess I just preferred the gameplay, story, and characters over the 1st. Finished it, thought the ending was brilliantly done.

Got to ME3, played non-stop til I got to the ending. Wasn't asssssssssssss bad as people were saying it was (There's at least 100+ games with worse endings!), even though I do agree that it was still poorly done. Loved the gameplay improvements to 3. Being able to roll, dodge, jump cover to cover, etc. The journal didn't really bother me at all. From stuff I had read, I'm glad that I imported my character throughout all 3 games or else I wouldn't have liked the series as much, considering the default characters come with fairly poor choices.

Favorite of the series: ME2. Favorite character: Jack. Romanced her in 2+3. Least favorite character: Ashley. Lol.

[Reverie Raven]

I'm going to start this post by declaring my undying affection for Garrus. That man has a sexy voice and he's just so bad ass. Just sayin'. I was trying to get on his good side in Mass Effect 1 and I was squeeing like a little fangirl, and then my pal Sin totally rained on my parade and told me he's not romanceable in that game. *So I'm romancing Kaiden reluctantly. -__-; What is up with all those weird faces he makes T__________T Like that little grin if you say its not his fault... *shudder* "I am just being nice, Kaiden, that was not an invitation to get into my pants."

I got ME2 on Steam for 4.99, and I really enjoyed it. I was kind of worried that I'd be confused and everything since I hadn't played the first one yet, but it actually wasn't so hard to figure out what was going on and all that jazz, so that was good. And I loved how they handled the final mission. That was just... so amazing. I'm hoping ME1 has something like that, too.

And I got ME1 around Christmas I think (Steam sales ftw <3) and I'm still kind of trucking through it. I too wanted to have a character I used for all games so I was trying to prepare my save to be imported~ :'D The only thing I don't really like so far is the Mako :X ... I CANNOT DRIVE IT TO SAVE MY LIFE.

I've also had a really hard time in ME1, with some of the combat. I remember I went to go get the Asari lady and there was this fight before the entrance to the underground tunnels, and I had to redo that fight at least nine times. And then the fight at the very end, I had to keep redoing too. And I had to keep watching this one scene OVER AND OVER because of it (I took that opportunity to play with all the dialogue :'D). I was trying to be all strategic and all but I'm afraid I'm just not so good at that XD I did manage to do it in the end though. AND IT FELT SO GOOD.

Ahem, I ranted a lot. Sorry XD

*Edit: Blurp, totally forgot to mention I was talkin about Kaiden. :'D

Edited by Reverie Raven, 14 April 2012 - 02:36 PM.

[Denn]

Got to ME3, played non-stop til I got to the ending. Wasn't asssssssssssss bad as people were saying it was (There's at least 100+ games with worse endings!), even though I do agree that it was still poorly done.

I feel like most peoples' problems with the ending isn't that it was the worst ending ever, but that it wasn't what Mass Effect's ending should of been. It went against so much of what the series great, opened up numerous plot holes, and was no where near as exciting as ME1's or ME2's endings. There are plenty of games with worse endings, but most games like that are also worse games. The Mass Effect series is awesome up until the ending.

The only thing I don't really like so far is the Mako :X ... I CANNOT DRIVE IT TO SAVE MY LIFE.

Oh God, the Mako. As if it weren't shitty enough to drive most of the time, the random planets you visit have the worst terrain of any game ever. Drive up a cliff side, get to just before the top, fall all the way down. I'm so glad the Mako never made a return.

I've also had a really hard time in ME1, with some of the combat. I remember I went to go get the Asari lady and there was this fight before the entrance to the underground tunnels, and I had to redo that fight at least nine times. And then the fight at the very end, I had to keep redoing too. And I had to keep watching this one scene OVER AND OVER because of it (I took that opportunity to play with all the dialogue :'D). I was trying to be all strategic and all but I'm afraid I'm just not so good at that XD I did manage to do it in the end though. AND IT FELT SO GOOD.

ME1's combat is easily the worst of the series. Far too much can instant kill you (rockets, snipers, explosives), which just doesn't work in a game like this. The only way instant kills can be fair is if they're highly telegraphed or death isn't debilitating (such as party based RPGs). That, and the cooldown system in ME1 was pretty mediocre, and just encouraged using all your powers as soon as they recovered. ME2, and ME3 especially, made everything so much more important, with which powers to use and when. Much better combat later on.

[Touchfuzzy]

Oh God, the Mako. As if it weren't shitty enough to drive most of the time, the random planets you visit have the worst terrain of any game ever. Drive up a cliff side, get to just before the top, fall all the way down. I'm so glad the Mako never made a return.

The Mako was still superior to clicking on a damned globe repeatedly.

(Also, seriously, I can't understand how people had trouble driving the Mako, it was fairly easy to control, I hope to god I never have to ride on the same road with you guys in real life)

[Denn]

(Also, seriously, I can't understand how people had trouble driving the Mako, it was fairly easy to control, I hope to god I never have to ride on the same road with you guys in real life)

Most roads don't involve driving up the sides of cliffs or rocky terrain. The Mako is simple to control under good conditions. The main missions that involved the Mako were fine since they had generally flat terrain. The various random worlds you visit, however, oftend caused more problems.

And yes, planet scanning wasn't fun, but the Mako was pretty frustrating whereas planet scanning was just dull. And since the Mako wasn't exciting to me, it's worse for being frustrating and dull.

[Kotaro]

At least we had the Firewalker in 2. Like the Mako, but better.

Edited by Kotaro, 14 April 2012 - 07:29 PM.

[Touchfuzzy]

Idk, I find it weird, its like I'm the only person who liked the Mako.

To be honest, one of the things I missed when I played 2 was the wide open feeling. 2 felt claustrophobic. Even if it was somewhat nondescript and not incredibly exciting, all those random planets made the galaxy seem LARGE. (Honestly, I've come to terms with the fact that I have more tolerance for random generated terrain than most people).

[William]

I feel like most peoples' problems with the ending isn't that it was the worst ending ever, but that it wasn't what Mass Effect's ending should of been. It went against so much of what the series great, opened up numerous plot holes, and was no where near as exciting as ME1's or ME2's endings. There are plenty of games with worse endings, but most games like that are also worse games. The Mass Effect series is awesome up until the ending.

I agree. The thing is though that there are still numerous people crapping on the entire series just because of that ending - that the series wasn't worth the effort of playing to begin with. That's the part that I disagree with. Me personally, although I love the series... I'm not even going to bother with grabbing the "new" ending that they're going to release. The ending that I was given, I've already pretty much blocked out and replaced with the indoctrination theory, since I tend to like it. I will, out of curiosity, look up a video of the new ending whenever it comes out... but more than likely, it's not going to be something that will please everyone, especially since if I recall correctly they said they weren't changing the ending but rather expanding upon it. I don't think all the choices made throughout the games is really going to matter regardless.

[Kotaro]

Even if it was somewhat nondescript and not incredibly exciting, all those random planets made the galaxy seem LARGE.

I'm going to point out here that I said this exact thing earlier, though with different words.

-snip-

You may want to take a look at this. It's a fan-made epilogue for each player's game, based on many of your choices (like in Fallout: New Vegas or Dragon Age: Origins). While it doesn't fix any of the plot holes (SPAAACE MAAAGIC...!), it does wrap everything up in a more satisfying manner. I think BioWare should just pay this person a few hundred dollars and snap it up for the Extended Cut.

[Denn]

I have numerous problems with the ending, but the lack of a decent epilogue was one of them. So I'll be happy to see the updated ending. I'd still prefer that the ending not be as poorly written as it is, but I guess I'll take whatever victories I can score.

[Frondo]

Idk, I find it weird, its like I'm the only person who liked the Mako.

I liked the Mako too!