Mass Effect

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PerrySimm
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Re: Mass Effect

Post by PerrySimm »

I loved ME1 and even ME2. I've always been a PC gamer first, and even though the plot was wonky, it was the PC controls for ME2 being a bad port from a console that I really took offence to. I never got ME3 basically because EA refused to sell it on Steam.

Still, I can't help but feel some interest in Andromeda... maybe I'll break down and buy an x bone instead of letting the Magog directly into my computer...

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I'm still miffed that EA decided to reuse the Origin brand as a mere pack mule. You want to talk about games with great stories where your choices matter in the end, just look at Ultima VII or Wing Commander.
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hammerofglass
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Re: Mass Effect

Post by hammerofglass »

I actually liked the way Leviathan dealt with the ending; it established that the Catalyst is very, very stupid. It's entire solution is based on a misunderstanding of the word "preserve", and it's focused too much effort on optimizing it's "solution" to figure this out. It just confirms that everything it tells you in the ending is a complete line of bullshit.

With the extended cut DLC it makes the Control ending fairly satisfying. The "Oh for f's sake... here, let me" ending.

The other two I could never see the point of. Destroy betrays the Geth and EDI for no good reason, Synthesis betrays them and everyone else while spitting in the eye of the series' central theme of strength through diversity and acceptance of differences.
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Admiral X
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Re: Mass Effect

Post by Admiral X »

This video describes my feelings pretty well.


youtu.be/2pksBB6t834
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Steve
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Re: Mass Effect

Post by Steve »

mathewgsmith wrote:I actually liked the way Leviathan dealt with the ending; it established that the Catalyst is very, very stupid. It's entire solution is based on a misunderstanding of the word "preserve", and it's focused too much effort on optimizing it's "solution" to figure this out. It just confirms that everything it tells you in the ending is a complete line of bullshit.

With the extended cut DLC it makes the Control ending fairly satisfying. The "Oh for f's sake... here, let me" ending.

The other two I could never see the point of. Destroy betrays the Geth and EDI for no good reason, Synthesis betrays them and everyone else while spitting in the eye of the series' central theme of strength through diversity and acceptance of differences.
That's one way of seeing "Destroy".

The other way is this: the Geth and EDI went into that battle with optics wide open, EDI even saying she would be ready to cease her existence to defeat the Reapers. They've already made that choice, in other words, and they chose destruction if it gave a chance to end the Reaper threat.

Which the Control ending doesn't, quite frankly.

Of course, I consider the entire thing to be hack writing anyway. People trying to be deep and clever and failing miserably.
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Fixer
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Re: Mass Effect

Post by Fixer »

mathewgsmith wrote:I actually liked the way Leviathan dealt with the ending; it established that the Catalyst is very, very stupid. It's entire solution is based on a misunderstanding of the word "preserve", and it's focused too much effort on optimizing it's "solution" to figure this out. It just confirms that everything it tells you in the ending is a complete line of bullshit.

With the extended cut DLC it makes the Control ending fairly satisfying. The "Oh for f's sake... here, let me" ending.

The other two I could never see the point of. Destroy betrays the Geth and EDI for no good reason, Synthesis betrays them and everyone else while spitting in the eye of the series' central theme of strength through diversity and acceptance of differences.
Honestly that made everything even worse.

Like Admiral X's video said, the Reapers were Lovecraftian cosmic horror. Sovereign's conversations with Shepard were epic because they described a foe that was beyond time and so beyond us that we could not even comprehend them. The unknown is scary. We didn't have to understand the Reapers motivations, only that their actions would destroy us and therefore had to be stopped.

Instead, we get the A.I. obeying its programming to stupid ends cliche again.


youtu.be/wisHcuBzTCM

Control is a foolish option to pick given the context as well. You'd have to trust the Catalyst to be telling you the truth about giving control, when you've been told time and again that the Reapers are so overwhelmingly powerful that such a thing cannot be done. Also Javiik tells you a faction of the Protheans were turned like Cerberus into falsely believing that they can control the Reapers before being wiped out.

Also the Illusive man couldn't control them, but you totally can Shepard. Go touch that exposed fuse box. Everything will work out.

For me destroy was the only option that made any logical sense before seeing the outcome of the choice. We'd lose EDI and the Geth, but better that the trap hinted at by the game so far or altering all life into some unknown cyborg horror without consent. Meanwhile EDI and the Geth had both stated that they would rather be destroyed than exist under Reaper control.

Edit: Apologies for grumpiness over this. It just reminds me that the ending to ME3 is fractally bad, the more I look into it the new levels of horrible writing I see.
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Admiral X
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Re: Mass Effect

Post by Admiral X »

I'm still upset about the ending, too, although for me it wasn't just the ending that was bad. ;)
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Fixer
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Re: Mass Effect

Post by Fixer »

The entire Catalyst Macguffin doesn't make sense either.

Apparently multiple cycles contributed to the design despite the Protheans being the first and only race to pass information about the Reapers onto the next cycle by hiding in Ilos and disabling the Citadel before it could activate the trap.

In addition, apparently multiple cycles including our own (with the esteemed Doctor Conrad Verner) managed to contribute to it's design without having a clue of what it was designed for or had to interface with. Which makes about as much sense as extrapolating a 747 from a technical drawing of wheel that has been added to by every human generation since ancient times.
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Thanotos Omega
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Re: Mass Effect

Post by Thanotos Omega »

Seriously, which writer looked at the ending, knew that they wanted to kill off Anderson, and didn't demand that a Harbinger controlled Anderson be the final boss fight? it's the perfect ending, Either Paragon Shepard severs their link to the past so they and humanity can move forward as a part of the galaxy as a whole and not just seeing it as a resource to be exploited, or Renegade Shepard breaks their morality chain, either way having an entire battle with Customized Harbinger dialog would have been the perfect way to finish up the gameplay,
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Steve
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Re: Mass Effect

Post by Steve »

Casey Hudson and Marc Walters, apparently.
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Re: Mass Effect

Post by Admiral X »

I'm honestly curious what Chuck thinks of the first Mass Effect game.
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