Mass Effect

[Rocketboy1313]

Everyone seems to be hung up on the ending. How about the 99% of the franchise that came before it? Cause I liked the writing as far as dialogue, world building, and imagery.

[Admiral X]

As Arkada often says, "the ending is paramount."

The reason everyone is hung up on the ending is that it makes no sense, and it robs the player of everything they had done that had built up to that point.

[Ordo]

I kind of agree with Rocketboy. Obviously everyone is entitled to feel differently...but I had a blast playing through the majority of this series...and those memories are not tainted by a stumble at the end.

[Ordo]

youtu.be/d3q_Nd5arZM

I was originally concerned that having only three active powers would reduce options. Now I find out you can swap powers out mid fight. Sure there's a cool down before you can use them...but that seriously increases my versatility. Since I've never been a believer in over specialization, I'll likely be going for the explorer profile.

It's been established that Ryder is linked to an AI. I'm guessing that is what allows them to switch up powers on the fly.

[Fixer]

As Arkada often says, "the ending is paramount."

The reason everyone is hung up on the ending is that it makes no sense, and it robs the player of everything they had done that had built up to that point.

It's like eating a tasty meal. You liked the starter, you loved the main course. You're told the dessert is going to be epic. In fact, all you've heard all meal is how great the dessert is going to be.

However instead of getting a dessert, you're shown a video of the catering staff spitting loogies into the meal you just ate.

Now it doesn't matter how much you may have enjoyed that meal when you ate it, that extra bit of terrible knowledge means you will never remember that fondly again.

The fore-warning of how meaningless trying to pay attention to plot points or how much decision actually matter has forever ruined the series for me. I tried replaying Mass Effect 2 once after the whole ending travesty had finished, only to find within the first half hour a story point that was directly contradicted by the ending. Reminded me of the whole thing. Shut the game down, deleted save files. Never to be played again.

[Ordo]

youtu.be/erJhJEewCgM

Interesting as the actress is, A line she speaks suggests that the other Ryder Twin can't handle the AI's feedback and that is what puts them out of action in the games narrative.

[Karha of Honor]

youtu.be/d3q_Nd5arZM

I was originally concerned that having only three active powers would reduce options. Now I find out you can swap powers out mid fight. Sure there's a cool down before you can use them...but that seriously increases my versatility. Since I've never been a believer in over specialization, I'll likely be going for the explorer profile.

It's been established that Ryder is linked to an AI. I'm guessing that is what allows them to switch up powers on the fly.

So i guess gameplay is complicated enough for Admiral X.

[Steve]

I kind of agree with Rocketboy. Obviously everyone is entitled to feel differently...but I had a blast playing through the majority of this series...and those memories are not tainted by a stumble at the end.

I think for some people, the ending colors everything else.

In that I am lucky, as I went into the trilogy knowing about the ending problems, so I didn't get the bitter feeling of betrayal over the issue.

Plus there's my usual way of dealing with it. Re-imagining Citadel DLC as being post-Reaper War, for instance. Or bringing in a Time Lord for the Gold Ending... but that's just me.

[ChiggyvonRichthofen]

Everyone seems to be hung up on the ending. How about the 99% of the franchise that came before it? Cause I liked the writing as far as dialogue, world building, and imagery.

That's basically how I feel about it. The ending has a lot of issues, but there's still a lot of great stuff in ME3. Given that video games are an interactive medium and that even well-received games have gotten away without much of a story at all, I think that Mass Effect has been held to a higher standard just based on how great the writing that came before was. That doesn't excuse a bad ending, but I don't feel that it ruins everything to come before.

In that I am lucky, as I went into the trilogy knowing about the ending problems, so I didn't get the bitter feeling of betrayal over the issue.

Same here, and I do think that definitely colored my experience. I've noticed the same thing with the Battlestar Galactica finale- those who came after the series ended (including myself) weren't nearly as upset about the ending as those who spent years waiting and developing theories as to what the ending would be. To me the Mass Effect ending was more egregious, but I don't feel the same outrage as those who played upon release (and without the extended ending and Citadel dlc!).

[Rocketboy1313]

However instead of getting a dessert, you're shown a video of the catering staff spitting loogies into the meal you just ate.

Now it doesn't matter how much you may have enjoyed that meal when you ate it, that extra bit of terrible knowledge means you will never remember that fondly again.

Unless you're into that kind of thing.