relyanCe Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 Can I get into Mass Effect 3 even when I've not played Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2? play mass effect 2. you can skip ME1, but you'd be doing yourself a serious disservice by not enjoying one of the absolute best games bioware has made. also, despite how i felt about the ending (similar to the thread consensus), i can't say that i've no faith in where some of it could go. thematically, it IS kind of interesting. kind of.. EDIT: Our good friend at EC weighs in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParanoidDrone Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 Remind me to read that Extra Credits thing later, it sounds interesting. (Also one of the guys who does it is a teacher at my school, which totally threw me for a loop when I found out.) On a different note, I was shown this article/blog/whatever using a LOTR analogy to explain why so many people hate the ending, which I found to be a good read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesh Posted March 27, 2012 Share Posted March 27, 2012 Hah! I was heading here to post that. Worthwhile read on its own, no matter your stance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Native Jovian Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 You know, I've been thinking about the whole indoctrination theory and trying to understand why it pisses me off. I think I figured it out. Basically, it's an in-universe excuse for shitty writing. A lot of the indoctrination theory rides on pointing out inconsistencies and plot holes in the ending. The indoctrination theory lets you say "there aren't actually any problems, because it's all in Shepard's head!". That's a more satisfying explanation than "the writing team completely fucked up the ending", which is why a lot of people seem to like it. I think it works as a decent way to explain the mess of the ending that we got -- but I don't think that it's what the writers intended. I think the intention was for everything to be taken at complete face value -- glaring plot holes, complete thematic reversals and all. There are plenty of holes in the indoctrination theory. If it's all going on in Shepard's head, what's he actually doing all that time? If the reapers were going to push to control Shepard, why wait to do it until after they'd just laser'd him in the face? If he's being indoctrinated, how is it possible to die (either killed by the lone marauder before entering the beam or by allowing TIM to shoot you)? If choosing the ending you choose is supposed to represent throwing off or succumbing to the indoctrination, then why is the cutscene the same for all three? But here's the thing -- presented with a choice of equally plot hole-ridden interpretations, a lot of people are going to prefer the one that's at least thematically consistent. Indoctrination is something that's been mentioned in the series, that's been talked about before, that we understand in terms of the Mass Effect universe. All the Catalyst "synthetics and organics must inevitably destroy one another!" crap is directly contracting a lot of the series, nevermind the out-of-nowhere "the reapers are actually under the control of something else" thing. So, I think the indoctrination theory is wrong, but it's still better than what we actually got. That's what pisses me off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EC2151 Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 It reminds me of apologists for Other M, to be quite honest (the difference being that Other M wasn't even a competent game in comparison to ME3). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesh Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 So, I think the indoctrination theory is wrong, but it's still better than what we actually got. That's what pisses me off. That's where I've arrived at it, too. It was all nice and comforting when it made sense of the horseshit, but now -- once the dust has settled -- I realize it's yet another example of BS wannabe-philosophical scifi cop-out writing. Bioware can do better. Adding: This video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garpocalypse Posted March 30, 2012 Share Posted March 30, 2012 It took me awhile to beat the game with the amount of free time i've had lately. But I will say the last 20 minutes of the game didn't seem to fit with the rest of the series at all. (I played all mass effect games on day 1 for each of the three) I'm not really sure what all the comotion is about the ending anyway really. The biggest upset already occured several hours before the end game: Tali's Face being a slightly photo shopped Getty Image. Here I thought Bioware knew what the quarians looked like the whole time... If they redo the ending, it's not like it will make the fans any happier, but they better redo Tali too damnit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melbu Frahma Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 I'm not really sure what all the comotion is about the ending anyway really. The biggest upset already occured several hours before the end game: Tali's Face being a slightly photo shopped Getty Image. Here I thought Bioware knew what the quarians looked like the whole time... That WAS kind of a giant "F U" on the part of the team, no doubt. I think honestly that annoyed me a lot more than any issue with the ending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollgagh Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 I'm not really sure what all the comotion is about the ending anyway really. The short answer is that it's a complete non sequitur. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesh Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 And a cheap way to cop out of actually producing the "wildly different" endings that were stated to take previous in-game choices into account. Plus... it's just really lame, pretentious, wannabe-philosophical writing. (Anyway, I realize it's a long-ass video I linked up there, but it's fairly well produced and entertaining. It explains the problems with the ending extremely well.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 I finished the game last night. Really awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doulifée Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 replaying the whole trilogy in one go with a renegade shepard for some change. :3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyperion5182 Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 I have to say, they might have made the story a bit disappointing but the multiplayer has just been wild. If a bit repetitive. Cant wait for new maps to open up and new mission types. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sixto Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 replaying the whole trilogy in one go with a renegade shepard for some change. :3 i did the same thing. sooooo good but soooo sad. being renegade is so not like me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garpocalypse Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 When I went through ME2 on renegade I decided to see what would happen if i pissed off Tali during her segment on the floatilla... Worst moment of the game for me. I couldn't believe I was actually depressed that she said she didn't want to talk to me again but would still work towards our common goal. And E(gg)bert says games can't convey emotion and aren't a form of art. Well, he said it. Lately he's had to type it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 JUST WHEN IT COULDN'T GET ANY WORSE http://hawtwired.com/blogs/industrynews/archive/2012/03/30/1029.aspx AGRAGRAGRAGRAGRAGRA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadofsky Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 And E(gg)bert says games can't convey emotion and aren't a form of art. Well, he said it. Lately he's had to type it. I think he hit the nail on the head, Ebert I mean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doulifée Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 i did the same thing. sooooo good but soooo sad. being renegade is so not like me killing the hostage during thane quest was full win; :3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
relyanCe Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 JUST WHEN IT COULDN'T GET ANY WORSEhttp://hawtwired.com/blogs/industrynews/archive/2012/03/30/1029.aspx AGRAGRAGRAGRAGRAGRA yeah because having injokes is BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadofsky Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 JUST WHEN IT COULDN'T GET ANY WORSEhttp://hawtwired.com/blogs/industrynews/archive/2012/03/30/1029.aspx AGRAGRAGRAGRAGRAGRA Well, it's not like either game is going to get any better... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 yeah because having injokes is BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD not at all! it means that they actually intended the ending to end that way. like, it wasn't some horrid fever dream or mass acid trip or something. like, after all that incredible storytelling and worldbuilding, they actually wanted it to end with that barfbag of an ending. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Joker Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 I alway just assumed the ending of Mass Effect 3 was pretty realistic. I think the destroy ending is canon, because you see shepard at the end, pretty much dying under a bunch of rubble. Everything that happened after Harbinger shot him was pretty much a near death experience, giving Shepards story a resolution while the actual war was still happening above earth. If I'm right, it's one of the best scifi endings ever. Pretty much being an ending that says no matter how much you worked, & how many impossible things you pulled off, you can't stop whats supposed to happen. The Reapers pretty much elude to that fact throughout the trilogy. I really hope that, if Bioware changes anything, whatever dlc they release for the ending has you playing as someone else who ends up activating the catalyst. It would cement what Shepard was in all 3 gamesl just a soldier following orders, not a savior. It was always a team or grouping of people that made the endings of the previous 2 games possible, not just one person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garpocalypse Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 I alway just assumed he ending of Mass Effect 3 was pretty realistic. While I don't agree with that statement at all I do think the ending is getting too much hate right now. I kind of like the resetting/splitting at the end because it makes the experience of the whole three games carry much more weight. Sure you saved all the species from getting culled but you won't be seeing them again any time soon! The ending very much reminds me of being back in middle school, when we learned about cell mitosis, i always got really really depressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamphibious Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 http://hawtwired.com/blogs/industrynews/archive/2012/03/30/1029.aspx So did anyone else click the link at the bottom of that article that is supposed to go to that girls blog? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 i told him to put that there =) i write for hawtwired occasionally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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